#those are organized first and foremost by whether i liked them or not and then they're organized by height

[we-stan-cale]

Defeating the White Star so easily relied heavily on Kim Rok Soo - not just what he learned from reading The Birth of a Hero, not just his special powers, but all his experiences, his way of thinking, all the things that made him who he was .

Fair warning, if haven't finished part 1 you might want to skip this. I'll be talking heavily about Kim Rok Soo, and I don't remember which chapters we learned this... Just that it's fairly late.

Kim Rok Soo is an analyst first and foremost. Record allows him to remember and process information at ungodly speeds, but it takes real skill to take masses of information and filter out all the irrelevant and distracting details.

Cale, as the transmigrated KRS, has that skill. He has repeatedly been able to take information from the books, information he gained as a noble (whether purchased from an information guild like what Deruth gave him at the beginning, or just reports or books he has access to) and pull it all together to find the most important factors.

Like why the crown prince might want a naval base, or why Ubarr would be a good location for one.

Or that the Mogoru Empire would want slaves for their alchemical experiments, and that that slaver noble he learned about was probably selling them to the empire (though, naturally, he found the evidence to back up his intuition. It's just knowing where to look and what to look for probably sped the process up tremendously).

And given how much he knows about the importance of any sliver of information, it's no surprise he constantly looks for sources of it.

He repeatedly asks Choi Han to capture rather than kill their enemies, and it's not just that he dislikes killing. Every captured enemy is a source of information - from the Arm member they captured at the elf village, to Cloppeh, to Syrem, to the dragon half blood... Cale learns a tremendous amount of information about the organization they are fighting. He even got the dragon half blood to lead them to one of Arm's bases on the Eastern continent.

And he's able to get even more through encounters with people like Hannah, and even the bandits on the Eastern continent that he shanghais into serving as waitstaff in his hotel.

He also denies information to the enemy as much as he can. From the silly fake uniforms that Choi Han dreads to his insistence they kill or blind the mage who saw Ron's face, he and his people are constantly able to take Arm by surprise.

Imagine if we were in Birth of a Hero, and Choi Han just straight up killed all those sources of information? And didn't wear a disguise, so he became a known opponent that the White Star could plan for and target?

Then we get into his experiences taking down corrupt guilds, which he used on corrupt nobles and priests alike. From selling of the treasures he found to the priest of the sun god, to handling the Stans and more..

He has the skills and experience - as well as an ability to quickly plan with the resources on hand and the flexibility to adjust his plans as needed - to handle almost anything thrown his way.

The foreknowledge from The Birth of a Hero and the wealth and connections he gained as a Henituse are only partially able to explain his success.

[its-the-sa]

do you think there was backlash from other scavs when chief and arti befriended and eventually dated each other?

i imagine that quite a few of them would be less than eager to forgive the war criminal

there definitely was a backlash, but probably not to the extent that you'd expect. or at least not in the way you're thinking. both due to how the cycle works, and how I imagine scavenger culture works, i think a majority of them were willing to accept arti being integrated into the tribe, if only begrudgingly.

first and foremost, because arti didn't kill anyone permanently. there's a huge difference between killing and perma-killing, so while arti's crimes were certainly heinous and left a lot of scavs deeply traumatized, the fact that she didn't actually take anyone away from their loved ones made a big difference as to how many of them were willing to tolerate her presence. as long as she was no longer an active threat, most of them were more concerned with helping each other recover and heal from their collective trauma than with trying to interfere with whatever the king had going on with the murder cat.

secondly, and for similar reasons, I think a certain amount of lethal violence is just a normal part of scav culture. obviously nothing to the extent of what arti did, but based on how recklessly they behave in-game, i imagine it's common for scavs to kill each other over minor disputes, by accident, or even for fun. so, the capacity of scavs to move on and coexist with someone who killed them is a deeply ingrained social skill, because it's vital to keeping their society functioning.

of course, there are rules about how much violence is acceptable in any given situation, and just like anything else, breaking those rules requires payback. scavs keep close tabs on who owes what to whom, so anyone witnessing a murder would have a good idea of whether it's justified or not, and whether it warrants retaliation.

for example, if arti had the restraint to only kill the scavs directly responsible for her pups' death, the rest of the garbage wastes tribe would have been like 'ok yeah, fair'. they would've appointed some new toll guards, and the matter would've been considered settled. arti's reputation only tanked because she went way too far, and started targeting scavs who did nothing wrong.

so i think, to the metropolis scavs, arti's massacre was not so much an unspeakable evil as it was just a massive personal transgression. she slaughtered an entire tribe who owed her nothing, and in doing so, she incurred a massive debt to them. so when the king suddenly took a liking to her and decided to integrate her into the tribe, that didn't mean no one was allowed to harm her; it just meant they'd have to forgive her debt once she paid it.

the scav king really couldn't do anything to protect her from this without causing a full scale mutiny. (and honestly, arti is too proud to let him even if he tried. she knows she dug her own grave, and she's going to fucking lie in it as many times as it takes to earn her redemption)

however, he probably did have to set down some rules regarding how and where her victims were allowed to seek revenge, to prevent them from all mobbing her in the street. i imagine the official policy would've been something like:

all disputes with arti must be settled one-on-one in organized arena matches

arti is obligated to accept a challenge for every death she caused

the challenger can either fight her themselves, or they can choose someone to fight for them

anyone willing to fight for arti may do so if she allows it (she won't)

regardless of the outcome, the fight will be considered a blood payment and the dispute will be forgiven

any unprovoked violence towards arti outside of the arena will be considered violence toward an innocent person

thats about as lenient as he could get away with being, and still be fair enough for most scavs to accept. so, yeah, there was a backlash in the sense that many of them wanted revenge, and many of them got it. but it was mostly within the bounds of what's permissible, and it didn't cause any kind of major rift in their community. arti was willing to pay for her place in the tribe with her blood, and most scavs can respect that even if they still don't like her.

and as for the few who still weren't satisfied, and felt the need to make her suffer more than she deserved...

well. lets say they got a personal reminder of what happens to people who hurt the king's loved ones.

[cirilla-fiona-riannon]

Translations may not always capture the exact nuances or tone of the original text. Please support Cybird by buying their stories. Expect grammatical errors.

Gilbert: "While your civilization may be on par with the advanced nations, it doesn't have the same reputation throughout the continent."

Leon: "Thanks for your flimsy concern. So, what are your thoughts on this alliance?"

Gilbert: "Let’s see. Until now, each country has maintained its independence and kept each other in check."

Gilbert: "One could say that they have maintained the continent's balance by restraining one another."

Gilbert: "But those countries have formed an alliance, including a military agreement."

Gilbert: "It's actually so historic that it'll make you shudder."

Chevalier: "Until recently, your country was considered the foremost threat on the continent."

Chevalier: "However, with those three countries joining forces, even you will face difficulties."

Gilbert: "Yeah. I'm not one to fight a losing battle, so I don't know what to do if someone tries to pick a fight with me.”

Leon: "So far, is there any movement towards your country?"

Leon: "We thought they formed the alliance as a countermeasure against Obsidian."

Gilbert: "If they blatantly provoke us, even I won't come here so casually."

Gilbert: "There's no movement, just like the calm before the storm, and that is the biggest problem."

Gilbert: "Not knowing the purpose of this alliance means一"

Chevalier: "There's no way to devise a countermeasure."

Gilbert: "Exactly. But it's not just us. It's the same for all of you. We're all unsure if this alliance is a threat."

Leon & Chevalier: "........."

Gilbert: "For now, let's organize information about each country, shall we?"

Gilbert shrugged his shoulders and pointed to the bottom right of the map.

Gilbert: "First, there's the country of divination and illusion, Tanzanite."

Gilbert: "It's originally surrounded by a desert, making it difficult for military marches."

Gilbert: "Historically, they have had some friendly relations with the neighboring country, Jade."

Gilbert: "Though there doesn't seem to be an intention for territorial expansion under the current regime."

Gilbert: "It's a mystery whether there are any benefits to forming a military agreement."

Leon: "Rumors say that the royal-appointed fortune teller determines the fate of politics through divination."

Leon: "This alliance could have also been the result of that."

Gilbert: "Ahaha! That would be interesting if that were the case."

Chevalier: "It might have been possible a few years ago. Tanzanite was a country known for its unpredictable moves."

Chevalier: "However, considering the recent political trends, they have become quite clever. I believe someone sharp is involved in their country's politics."

Gilbert: "I agree. But honestly, Tanzanite is still a bit of a mystery to me."

Gilbert: "Next is the country of snow and law, Achroite."

Gilbert: "They have strict customs and immigration policies, but they welcome guests from all countries, regardless of whether they are friends or foes."

Gilbert: "You guys attended that famous boarding school there, right?"

Leon: "Yeah, most of our siblings studied there at some point."

Leon: "It's a well-governed state with relatively good public safety. During winter, it's cut off by snow, making military marches as difficult as in the desert countries."

Chevalier: "However, the country's biggest problem is being a neighbor to Obsidian."

Gilbert: "Fufu."

Chevalier: "There are ample considerations for forming a military alliance."

Gilbert: "But there doesn't seem to be any indication of them picking a fight with our country."

Gilbert: "They might be using the military alliance as a deterrent, but in that case, it'd be more efficient to join forces with Rhodolite, Benitoite, and Jade rather than Tanzanite and Kogyoku."

Gilbert: "Because Tanzanite is far from their country, and Kogyoku is not in a position to lend a hand to other countries."

Leon: "So, you feel uneasy about the allies they chose?"

Gilbert: "Yes. That's why I have this unsettling feeling."

Chevalier: "........."

Gilbert: "Lastly, there's the country of night cherry blossoms and chaos, Kogyoku."

Gilbert: "As you know, the internal situation in this country is a mess, and there are intense factional struggles."

Leon: "I've heard it's a country plagued by ongoing civil wars, but isn't it in a state where multiple kings compete for power?"

Gilbert: "That's right. In Kogyoku, powerful individuals proclaim themselves as kings and strive for unification."

Chevalier: "It's unclear which faction formed this alliance, right?"

Gilbert: "Exactly. And a significant characteristic of Kogyoku is that every faction receives support from various countries."

Gilbert: "Some factions receive support from Obsidian, while others receive support from Achroite."

Gilbert: "There might even be other countries involved that we don't know because they haven't been made public."

Gilbert: "The purpose of the alliance is likely to vary depending on which faction formed it."

Chevalier: "Our country doesn't have any direct connections with Kogyoku. Without information from this country, it's impossible to make any speculation."

Gilbert: "That's right. That's why it's bothering me."

Gilbert: “After discussing all this, you must have already guessed why I came here.”

Leon: “Yeah. You want to propose an alliance with us.”

Gilbert: “That’s right. I want to be friends.”

Leon & Chevalier: “..........”

Gilbert: “Fufu, you’re making it quite clear that you’re not thrilled.”

Gilbert: “But think about it. This alliance of these three countries must surely have a purpose other than to counter Obsidian.”

Gilbert: “If left unchecked, it could become a new threat that shakes the entire continent.”

Gilbert: “This is not something unrelated to you, either. That’s why I want your help.”

Leon: “What specifically do you want?”

Gilbert: “I want to know the intentions of each country.”

Gilbert: “The quickest way to do that is to visit each country and establish connections with the people in power.”

Gilbert: “Unfortunately, Obsidian is not well-liked, and there are unfriendly countries lurking among those involved in this alliance, like Benitoite and Jade.”

Gilbert: “If we’re looking for a country that can maintain a neutral relationship with everyone, then it’s Rhodolite.”

Leon: “What’s the advantage of us sharing information with you?

Gilbert: “Eh? Are you saying there’s a downside to this?”

Gilbert: “We, Obsidian, the biggest threat to Rhodolite, only suggest that we build a friendly relationship.”

Gilbert: “You provide me with information, and I promise not to touch you in any way.”

Gilbert: “If your country faces a crisis while we’re in this alliance, I’ll even provide you with military support.”

Chevalier: “We can’t trust you. There’s no guarantee that the world’s calamity is not plotting anything.”

Gilbert: “Ehh. I have a principle of not telling lies, you know?”

Leon: “It’s difficult to give an immediate answer right now.”

Leon: “Can we discuss this matter more intensively first?”

Gilbert: “Sure, of course. I will hear your answer directly from Obsidian.”

Leon: “Ha?”

Gilbert: "I'm saying that I'll treat you well in our country."

Leon & Chevalier: "..........."

Gilbert: "If necessary, I can even arrange visits to medical and military facilities for you."

Gilbert: "You want an insight into our country's latest technology, which is under strict information control, right?"

Chevalier: "I see. We understand that you have a greater interest in gathering information from various countries and are wary of alliances."

Gilbert: "Fufu, even you guys must have a bad feeling about this."

Gilbert: "The end of these peaceful days is approaching."

After seeing off the unexpected visitor, Leon and Chevalier faced each other seriously.

Leon: "What do you think?"

Chevalier: "The conditions presented by Obsidian are not bad."

Chevalier: "However, considering that man, it would be dangerous to take it at face value."

Leon: "I agree. It's better to be cautious."

Leon: "Nevertheless, even without Obsidian's proposal, it'd be better to gather information about the alliance."

Leon: "We need to know the intentions of Tanzanite, Achroite, and Kogyoku, respectively, to formulate countermeasures."

Chevalier: "We should also be mindful of Benitoite and Jade."

Chevalier: "Regarding the alliance, there's a possibility of getting involved in unforeseen accidents if we don't understand how each country will act."

Leon: "True. Fortunately, as Gilbert said, Rhodolite has a neutral relationship with any country it interacts with."

Leon: "If we can have a temporary truce with Obsidian, we can directly visit each country."

Chevalier: "We will start the Round Table Conference now."

Leon: "Yeah. We need to gather the others."

Chevalier swiftly left the room, flipping his white cloak.

As Leon was about to follow, he suddenly stopped in front of a vase displayed amid the Round Table.

Inside the vase, which holds the roses symbolizing Rhodolite, was one damaged flower.

He reached out and plucked the withered rose, causing a single petal to fall at his feet.

Leon: "Just when things were finally settling down after Belle's selection..."

Leon: "I hope she doesn't get involved in any strange incidents."

-END-

Previous Part ┊ Masterlist

[heartless-aro]

Heyo, i'm part of a queer organization irl. I'm trying to lead us to focus more on aromanticism, since even a lot of queer people know very little about it. I have two questions. Number One is about the term loveless, since I've seen it used (and explained) quite frequently but still don't understand it. I don't get it of it's an actual description of not wanting love of any kind or more of a hyperbole, a stance taken against the common practice of only talking about love in a romantic context. And also i wanted to know if you have any more general suggestions

Ok, so I’m actually gonna start with general suggestions since I know I’m going to ramble a lot about lovelessness when I get to that part (given how I am as a person).

Since aromanticism isn’t as well known as most other identities, it would probably be difficult to set up events or groups for aromantic people, so I’m going to assume that your main goal, at least to start with, is probably going to be providing information and resources, and I’m gonna do my best to give advice based on that.

So, first and foremost, I would recommend being very clear about the fact that you can be aromantic even if you are allosexual. Alloaros are a much more significant portion of the aromantic community than people tend to realize. I’ve been meaning to make a post about some research papers I’ve read that give a bit of insight into the exact statistics, but what’s important to know is that, based off what little research exists, it is likely although aromantic people are more likely to be asexual than alloromantic people, most aromantics are still allosexual, not asexual. There’s probably a lot of people who are aromantic and just don’t realize it, because unfortunately with the amount of alloaro erasure in our community, many allosexual people don’t realize that identifying as aromantic is even an option for them.

Also, this is a bit specific, but I would recommend that when providing resources on aromanticism, you also provide a bit of info on aro rings (i.e., what they are/how to wear one), since many aromantics have never met another aro irl and would likely benefit from having a way to find and connect with other aros.

AUREA’s website (aromanticism.org) has a lot of great resources too, so I would definitely suggest checking those out and maybe directing people to AUREA’s website for further information about aromanticism.

These are all somewhat simplistic suggestions since I’m not really an expert on organizing and I don’t know what sort of goals and resources you’re working with, but if you want to discuss further, feel free to dm/message me and I’ll help as best as I can (for real I have nothing better to do lol) ♠︎.

Lovelessness

Ok so now for your first question about whether the term “loveless” is literal or hyperbolic…the short answer is…yes. Yes it is. As for the long answer…

There are a number of reasons why someone might identify as loveless aromantic. For some people, their identity as loveless may be related to some intrinsic aspect of themselves while others may adopt the term for ideological reasons (i.e., as a political identity of sorts).

AUREA defines a loveless aromantic as “a person on the aromantic spectrum who feels disconnected from the concept of love, does not experience love, or rejects the idea of personally experiencing love” and clarifies that “loveless aros may experience other attractions, but do not equate these attractions to love.” This is a good start to understanding what loveless aromanticism is, but I’m going to try to discuss this in a bit more depth (at least, to the best of my ability).

At its core, lovelessness is simply the rejection of love as a descriptor for oneself and for one’s experiences — nothing more, nothing less. It only starts to become more complicated when you start delving into why someone might decide love is not a useful or applicable term for their experiences.

The most straightforward and obvious reason is that some people simply don’t feel anything that they can identify as love. This may be the case for people who lack the desire or ability to form close emotional bonds with others; this could be due to a personality disorder like szpd, aspd, npd, or ocpd, due to emotional detachment related to ptsd, due to negative symptoms of schizophrenia, and so on. Similarly, someone who struggles to identify their emotions may not know whether or not they feel love.

Some may also consider “love” to be inapplicable to themselves because love is often so loosely and inconsistently defined as to seem nonsensical or meaningless to them. After all, how can romance, friendship, family bonds, passion for hobbies, and general enjoyment of life all be categorized as forms of “love” when each one of these is a fundamentally different experience?

The word love can refer to a lot of things, but romantic love is, for better or for worse, central to its basic definition. So much of our society’s concept of love is characterized by traits associated with romantic love, with all other forms of love being treated as secondary at best. Although we can stretch the definition so the word love can be more broadly applied, that doesn’t change the fact that, unless we completely rethink how we conceptualize love (as many lovequeer aros do), love as a social construct is inextricably tied to romance.

People are quick to label virtually any positive human experience as love, and in doing so without actually deconstructing what love means, they implicitly draw a connection between romantic love and those other positive human experiences. Yet is my “love” of music really the same emotion as someone else’s love for their spouse? Or do we only call them both love because — with romantic love being seen as the pinnacle of human emotion — we have become convinced that the only way the enjoyment of music could be anywhere near as valuable an experience as romantic love is if the enjoyment of music is in and of itself a form of love? By calling labeling any and all sources of joy as forms of love without considering whether they actually meet the definition of the term, we risk elevating the pedestal upon which society places romantic love, to our own detriment.

So, part of why someone might identify as loveless is because, in rejecting the idea that our experiences should be labeled as love, we are seeking to challenge the notion that the value of our experiences lies in their similarities to romance. In doing so while continuing to assert that our experiences are equal in value to the experience of romantic love, we seek to combat the idea that romantic love is above all other things.

Furthermore, there are also many people who identify as loveless due to having had “love” weaponized against them in the past. When people say that love makes us human, some of them may mean love in that broad sense that includes platonic affection, familial bonds, care towards pets, passion for hobbies, and so on. But for most people, the first type of love that comes to mind is always going to be romantic love, and for many, love and romance are inherently synonymous.

Although attempts to expand the definition of love are valuable, many aromantics (like myself) are uncomfortable with labeling any of their feelings as love. Furthermore, many neurodivergent aros, autistic aros in particular, have the love they do experience delegitimized by others because they cannot express love in the way people expected them to. (This is something that K.A. Cook explains in much greater detail in hir essay where ze first coined the term loveless aromantic. I plan on posting a link to this essay in a separate post in a bit. I highly recommend reading over it if you have the time).

After a lifetime of being excluded from the category of “people who love,” many aromantics don’t want to be told that we’re allowed to “join the club” now. There are people who will never consider our experiences to be the same as “real love,” and those who do will often consider us only as an afterthought. When people reinforce the idea that “love makes us human” or that “love is the meaning of life,” they may be including things like platonic love in their definition of love, but at the end of the day, not everyone will interpret their statements that way, and so their statements will still contribute to the dehumanization of aromantic people. Thus, it is not enough to be placated by the notion that love can include us too; at best, this is an empty platitude, and at worst, it serves to silence us on the matter of our own dehumanization. We need to dismantle the notion that love is intrinsic to humanity and happiness. In rejecting inclusion into the category of “people who feel love,” loveless aros make it impossible to ignore how equating love with humanity and happiness dehumanizes us and devalues our lives.

Anyways, this is based pretty heavily on my own thoughts and experiences and it’s probably not super organized but I hope that it helps.

So uhh,

tldr; loveless can be a descriptor for someone who doesn’t want love in any form, or it can be used as a hyperbole to express a stance against equating love and romance, or some combination of the two.

[transgenderer]

At Kamigamo Shrine, offerings appear not only at the subordinate shrines but also alongside the Nara-no-ogawa stream. Atop one of the many flat rocks flanking the stream, fruit is often set on a white square of lightweight paper, flanked by one small pile of uncooked rice and one pile of salt, and on occasion also some dried cuttlefish (surume). Similar to the offerings presented by Shinto priests during important rituals as well as the prescribed offerings for one’s kamidana altar at home, the rice, salt, fruit, and nearby water are thought to be the essential “meal” (with only rice wine missing) for numinous entities—whether they be Shinto kami, Buddhist departed ancestral spirits (senzo), or perhaps even the wandering malevolence of a vengeful spirit (onryo). Beside the paper there is often a hardened pool of melted wax, the remnants of a spent votive candle, which is so much a part of Buddhist ritual and folk practices but plays little part in those of organized Shinto.

Before waxing poetic about devotional practices that may or may not reflect belief in earlier cosmic orderings of the world and society, I introduce the shrine’s groundskeeper (a retired clerical worker in his mid-sixties) as a reality check. He frequently finds similar arrangements on the steps to subordinate shrines, but disdains rather than condones these offerings for two reasons. First and foremost, the candles are fire hazards (“These people think they are doing something religious, but I’d like to see their faces if there was a fire and they were arrested and charged with arson!”). Second, the food offerings attract an even greater number of animals (particularly stray cats) to the shrine than already reside in or frequent its precincts. Rather than respectfully gathering up these offerings, he kicks them into the flowing stream below. Apparently the groundskeeper feels qualified to judge that these impromptu offerings have served their purpose and are no longer worthy of any special treatment. And perhaps he is right, for the donors of these nighttime offerings rely on the shrine’s indulgence that someone will take care of them and clean the spot for future offerings and whatever petition accompanies their presentation.

Enduring Identities, Nelson

[randomvarious]

Spleen - "That Was My Head" Darque Fonque 1997 Illbient / Trip Hop

Plays: 1.4K+ on YouTube

Although his biggest successes have come via his partnership with UK alt-indie darling PJ Harvey as her producer, Bristol native Rob Ellis has also headed up a nebulous side project called Spleen, which was less of a band and more of a large collective. In their roughly ten years of work, Spleen managed to release a total of three albums and three singles, and PJ Harvey herself is considered to have been a member of the project.

The thing about Spleen though is that every single song in their catalog was made by an assortment of different people, meaning no song has the same exact lineup. And I guess that's what led to their sound being classified as a whole bunch of different things, from stoner rock, to art rock, to jazz-rock, to avant garde, to ambient, to experimental rock. But with this track that originated from their first 12-inch, 1996's Like a Watermelon, they appear to add illbient trip hop to that varied list of genres.

Illbient, for those that don't know, is this very eerie, unsettling, dark, and off-kilter form of instrumental hip hop or trip hop. Its foremost practitioner is a very talented guy who goes by the name of DJ Spooky (naturally), and he was part of this tight-knit scene that formed in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in the mid-90s. Illbient's biggest label, WordSound, is also responsible for releasing top-notch hip hop producer Prince Paul's long-awaited debut album, Psychoanalysis: What Is It?, in 1997, which got into some hip hop experimentalism as well.

Anyway, that Brooklyn-made illbient sound appears to have also seeped its way across the pond, as the duo of Techno Animal—Godflesh lead singer and former Napalm Death drummer Justin Broadrick and his constant collaborator Kevin Martin, aka The Bug—brought it forth in 1995 with a lengthy double-disc called Re-Entry, which was released on Virgin. Then the following year, Spleen went in a similar direction with a song called "That Was My Head," which first appeared on the Like a Watermelon 12-inch, and was then included on Middle Earth Recordings' Darque Fonque compilation in 1997.

But there's actually a common thread here between Spleen and Techno Animal: a drummer from Chicago named Lou Ciccotelli, who's played in some UK bands, including one called God, which also claimed the two guys from Techno Animal as its members. And Ciccotelli is also credited with co-writing this Spleen song with Rob Ellis, so maybe he's the one who brought the Techno Animal-God sound along with him to make this tune? Most other Spleen tracks don't sound like this one 🤔.

The overall eeriness of this over-eight-minute song comes through immediately, sounding like some kind of anxiety-inducing horror film score, with strewn-about, disconcerting sax phrases laid over ominous strings. But it's not until about 70 seconds in when this thing really starts to take shape and adopts its illbient sound, with what I'm guessing is Ciccotelli's contribution: a killer, booming drum track. Now, almost every drum track—whether it be hip hop, trip hop, or illbient—is made with either a drum machine or some kind of software. But there's a certain crispness, clarity, and depth to a live recorded drum track that you just can't replicate with any kind of electronics, and I think Ciccotelli's playing on this tune proves my point here.

Once it enters, Ciccotelli's beat holds steady, which then allows Ellis to get all this pent-up experimental avantgardism out of his system. He starts with the sax, gets to keys and an organ, and then he starts unveiling sounds that leave me scratching my head as to what he even used to create them ⁉ Maybe he literally banged his noggin on some things and that's why this song is called what it is?

Me: "Okay, so what did you use to make *this* sound?”

Rob Ellis: "Yeah, that was my head"

Me: 😮

Either way, I tend not to vibe much towards illbient, because a lot of it's just too weird and cold for my tastes, but Ciccotelli's live drums here are too nice for me to ignore, and it allows me the opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and experience whatever the hell it is that PJ Harvey's producer is conjuring up behind him.

Spleen was really ~something else~.

By the way, another terrific trip hop track that uses live drums is Red Snapper's original demo of "4 Dead Monks," which appears on Warp Records' We Are Reasonable People compilation. Check it out if you dig this too 👍.

[mxthbladed]

Vaggie, Mannerisms and PTSD

Fuck it, I'm gonna do the thing.

So, this is specific to my take on Vaggie but this will be integral to her reactions and the way she sees herself and the world.

First and foremost: as an exorcist, Vaggie was part of an army- a militaristic culture that has left a lasting impression on her. As such, Vaggie values the chain of command. During her time as an exorcist, she deferred to Lute and Adam, whether she liked them/their decisions or not because, at the time, she respected their authority. After falling, this extends to Charlie and, later, Lucifer and the others in the hotel.

As she stated in the show, "There is nothing stronger than the trust between comrades in arms!" Due to her militaristic lifestyle in Heaven, Vaggie learned how to trust through battle. The trust you gain in someone when you're on a battlefield, risking your lives for each other, is a completely different kind of bond. If she has fought beside someone and they defended one another, her trust in that person has been earned. In Hell, this begins to shift slightly towards the end of season 1 but not by much. Her trust is still hard to earn but she has a lot of respect for battle prowess and people who feel love and loyalty as deeply as she does.

Now then. Because of her militaristic background, her manner of speaking is blunt and honest, almost to a fault of being hurtful or rude. However, this does not mean that is how she intends her speech to be taken- it is just how her manner of speaking is. Likewise, she is unafraid to call out her superiors (or those that would be notably ranked higher than herself), even going so far as to swear at them to convey her message. If her respect is earned and the person is an authority figure, she's more likely to refer to them as "sir" or "ma'am."

Other than her manner of speech, notable habits that she has and persist even years later: she has a higher than average tolerance for physical discomfort, wakes up quickly and ready for action, very detail-oriented, knows how to clean and organize living space, can sew basic repairs (can fix buttons, minor tears, patches, etc), is aware of political structure and information on important enemy figures, has a low tolerance for laziness or slacking, refuses to ask people to do things that she herself will not do, likes having clear orders, following chain of command and fair penalties, works efficiently and quickly, is very self-reliant and has a fairly high tolerance for work stress.

Her fall, however, created a stark change in some of Vaggie's behaviors. While she's incredibly loyal when someone proves themselves to her, due to her status being stripped by Lute and Adam, her trust in others was shaken deeply and she developed PTSD.

Vaggie's PTSD is something I wish to characterize as I, as the mun, have PTSD associated with the military and it's something that I feel Vaggie would also deal with.

Now, concerning her PTSD: Vaggie suffers from night terrors, insomnia, flash backs and depression. Her night terrors often deal directly with her fall, either making her relive the experience or an altered version in which she was not left alive or Charlie never found her. These usually cause her to wake suddenly, either screaming or in tears. She hates talking about her night terrors and, if touched immediately after, will pull away and begin to panic. Charlie is the only one canonically who can calm her down from these (unless plotted otherwise). Vaggie's insomnia regularly keeps her up quite late and she doesn't sleep particularly long. Flash backs can be triggered but they're much more rare. She has scars on her back from where her wings were initially torn and they are quite sensitive. Rough hits to this area run the possibility of triggering a flash back, which would cause a panic attack. Panic attacks, flash backs and night terrors are all incredibly taxing both physically and emotionally and Vaggie is usually exhausted after any of these. It's not uncommon for her to have a migraine after any of these. Her depression causes a lot of issues like a deep-seated self-loathing, abandonment issues and trust issues.

Aggie (my take on a transmasc Vaggie) would also have these issues but also compounded with other issues that I'm probably gonna cover in a different post because this is long enough already.

[hopeswriting]

(pt. 1) Okay, I'd totally love an indepth analysis/deep dive into Kyoya Hibari in terms of EVERYTHING. Like sometimes, I think to myself like wow, everyone loves the guy, but when I think of the reasons why, it's so hard to articulate and elaborate why I would die for this man (half jk). He's not meant to be well-written and developed by Amano because it's pretty obvious that he's just there for mostly badass plot reasons... Nonetheless, his development was very organic, subtle, and believable??

(pt. 2) Like I would like your take on what attracted people to him and ultimately made them STAY for him (other than his pretty boy looks and whole "loves animals and is partial to kids" tidbit LOL). Like what makes him so iconic compared to other black fluffy haired boys who are also asocial (not antisocial contrary to popular belief) and ridiculously strong and near canon-breaking OP? Hibari's just an anomaly even outside of the KHRverse, and lowkey, it's completely amusing to me.

ohhh, this is gonna be a hard one! idk how much indepth i’ll be able to go, because like you said his development was a really subtle one, but i’m happy to share some of my thoughts on this guy.

okay so, the first thing that caught my eye here is how you said hibari is an anomaly compared to other characters with the same character archetype as him, which makes me a bit curious about where you’re coming from with this, because from my experience that character archetype is often well-liked? often becomes a fan-favorite too, even (tho please don’t ask me who i’m thinking of specifically here, because of course i’m coming up super blank right now 😭).

like, i’d argue the primary reason hibari is such an iconic khr character and so well-liked is because he is a black fluffy haired boy who is also asocial and ridiculously strong and near canon-breaking OP. and imho that’s the first and most obvious appeal to him, and i for one am one to agree with this.

it’s the way it does make him an anomaly within the khr universe alone, because the way amano used that character archetype with him specifically, it puts him in a really fun and unique position within the narrative, both in and out of universe, not quite similar to anyone else in the manga even if amano for sure wrote other OP characters in it. it’s the way he isn’t held down by the narrative as much as the other characters, the way he can bend it to his wishes because of how OP he is and how unyielding he is personality-wise generally speaking, which means he has more room to act unpredictably and out of script so to speak, which inherently makes it more interesting to have him around, or at the very least just plain fun to have him around, because literally no one ever knows what he’s up to and what his next move will be, or how long he’ll go along with the script, if at all lol.

and i feel like there’s quite a lot of people that kind of just stop there because that’s all they need? which is like, super valid, and i literally was one of those people too back when i read khr for the first time in middle school. it’s like, he’s pretty and strong and does what he wants and can make other people do what he wants whether they want to or not, and it’s like. what more do the people want, you know zerdfghd? but i do think there’s definitely more to him that subconsciously makes him so well-liked, if not very consciously!

i want to stay a bit more on the subject of his character archetype, because as much as i agree that he's just there for mostly badass plot reasons, and giving him that character archetype worked well for that, amano still, like, really pulled that off, you know? like she didn’t do anything groundbreaking with it for sure, because that wasn’t the point, but she wrote it well.

sure hibari is mostly used for badass plot reasons, but whenever it happens it’s written in a way where it’s never on the nose, and never takes away from hibari as a character first and foremost, if you get what i mean. because whenever it happens it conveniently does work in favor of the plot, but it’s easy to forget that because it’s also always things hibari would do regardless, because that’s just the way he is. amano never lets him be a plot device before being the character we’ve become familiar with, so as far as his character archetype goes, it’s like, there’s appeal in that character archetype in and of itself, but also amano wrote it well within the story in a way that fits right in with both the universe and the other characters, making it even easier to like.

but like i said there’s more to him than that, and the most obvious thing to me when you scratch the surface of his character archetype, is the way that organic, subtle, believable development of his is made through a flat character arc. “The Novel Smithy defines them as, “Flat arcs are still character arcs, but instead of growing and changing as a character, flat arc characters stay the same. Instead, their journey is about learning to uphold their inner truth in a world that doesn’t accept it, allowing them to overcome the external conflict along the way.”” (source) which is the definition i’m going to go with here, because that’s exactly what i mean here when i’m talking about his flat character arc specifically.

it ties right back to how he’s an anomaly within the khr universe in and of itself, because unlike literally any other characters i can think of right now, when we first meet hibari he’s already deeply set in his ways/beliefs/principles/world’s view. and it’s even more apparent because of the fact he’s part of the 10th gen, who are all about growth and finding themselves through the course of the manga, tsuna most of all--who start that growth when the manga starts, unlike hibari who’s already at the end of that journey, and has been there for who knows how many years lol.

but because amano needed him to not be out of place within the story, not that much anyway, or, like, not in that way, because she needed him to still fit in with the 10th gen and still be relevant within the khr narrative without changing that primary, core fact of his character because that’s the whole point of him, that’s what he brings to the table and is meant to bring to the table, she gave him a flat character arc to go through, shifting the focus on the external conflict when it came to him, while it’s all about the internal conflict the external conflict brings upon for the other characters, if that just made sense lol. (also that was a long ass phrase zedfgvhcd, my bad.)

and yet, by giving him that character arc, whether it was by design or a lucky mistake, tho i’d agree he wasn’t meant to be well-written and developed by Amano, it still gave him just enough room for him to have a growing journey of his own, in his own way, which let him get that very organic, subtle, and believable development he has. because like the definition says it, that character arc does come with a learning curve, so like. i’m not sure how to say this, but like, instead of having hibari just managing to uphold his inner truth and stays exactly the same as he was before, instead by managing to do that it also gives him a deeper, new understanding of his inner truth every time, without never changing what it is at its core.

his rivalry with mukuro and why he fixates on him the way he does come to mind here, which i think is the example that best illustrates my point here. it’s like, he lost against him, all strong that he was, failing to protect and keep safe what is important to him, even if that’s the whole point of him being strong to begin with. and even if eventually he managed to reassert that inner truth of his in a way, defeating mukuro with his strength, which was a key part of mukuro’s defeat as a whole, it also definitely wasn’t what brought upon mukuro’s defeat the most, so what now, you know? where does he go from there, and what does that mean for his inner truth that presumably had never failed him before that?

on another note, having that character archetype with that character arc puts hibari in a situation of his own in yet another way. you know how i said khr is all about growth? and how that growth happens through the characters having to deal with situations well beyond their control? well, hibari not having to deal with that growth in the same way kind of lets him be the voice of stability so to speak.

and yeah, i KNOW okay zefghgfdg, and i totally agree he’s the most unpredictable character in the manga, whether you’re an ally or an enemy, or even if you’re the person closest to him or family, see kusakabe or fon. literally all anyone can ever do is guess what his next move will be, and be wrong most of the time lol, but hear me out.

he’s unpredictable to them, and to anyone but himself because even if he’s actually fairly consistent in the way he acts, he just doesn’t care to let anyone else in on the know lol. he’s even consistent quite in the simple way too, like. it goes something like this: if you break his rules he’ll bite you to death, if you’re strong he’ll bite you to death, if you’re annoying he’ll bite you to death, and if he thinks you can entertain him, even if not right away, then sure, he’ll play nice for a bit before biting you to death. so yeah, i’d argue he’s actually a very steady, stable and predictable character in this way.

but mostly when i call him the voice of stability, i mean for the readers, you know. it’s the way everyone always goes “oh thank god, hibari’s here”, or “oh it’s hibari, there’s nothing to worry about”, or “if hibari was here, things wouldn’t be as bad (anymore)”, OR “oh god, shit, fuck, hibari’s here, everyone hides--”. because even if you can never be sure if he’ll make everything better or worse, the one constant you can always be sure of is that all bets are off whenever he shows up, and i think that comfort he gives by always remaining unfazed and un-overwhelmed by all the dire, high-stakes, overwhelming plot-situations happening earns him non-negligible points too.

oh yeah, also! real quick, but re: amano not writing him as more than a plot device, but also really pulling off writing him that way, because on the note of him being the voice of stability and him going through a character arc reverse to the others’, it really lets him balance the overall plot in a way that enhances it. and i’d go as far as to say in a way it just wouldn’t be the same without him too.

i’m thinking the whole gola mosca trap thing during the varia arc for example. any other guardian, any other person, and xanxus would probably have had to retrieve mosca before it went berserk, but because hibari is the way he is, because he simply would have never cared to be cautious of something that was clearly fishy, not when he could bite xanxus to death instead, well, we all know how it went. so even if hibari is among the guardians with the least amount of focus through the manga, he’s still so inherently tied to the plot all the same, he’s also among the ones you remember most and are most familiar with.

and THEN you take all of this together, the way he’s such in a unique position in different ways within the khr universe compared to literally any other character, and his interactions with other characters are by design also very unique and fun and interesting to see. it always brings to light sides of them we don’t really get to see otherwise, or don’t get to see in such an obvious way otherwise, and sometimes it’s even the opportunity for small character development/insight, and on both sides too.

for hibari it’s about him adjusting to being held by the same narrative standards as the other characters whenever he interacts with them or acts in concert with them, which is always an insight into what he’s willing and thinks worth compromising his ways for. as for what sides of him it brings to light, mostly his patience, and his ability to play the long game to get to his own goals.

for the characters interacting with him, well, it’s of course on a case by case basis. for dino for example, it was the opportunity to show his mafia boss side when it came to his fighting skills during the varia arc, because hibari wasn’t going to let him tutor him in any other way. and i can’t think of any other example lol, but you get what i mean.

and if nothing else, it’s just plain fun to see those interactions, because they always come down to negotiating and/or bribing hibari so he’d willingly go along with the plot for once lol.

and that’s what i personally think is the holy trinity of why hibari is such an iconic, well-liked and fan-favorite character. i’m gonna use the word fun again, because basically i think it’s really what it all comes down to. he’s fun to have around, fun to see interact with other characters, and fun to see him not caring about the narrative he’s existing within lol. and yeah he wasn’t written to be any kind of groundbreaking or complex, is mostly merely used as a convenient plot device, but whether by design or a lucky mistake, he still got to be a little more than that, and actually have something he himself could add to the plot/narrative, as well as meaningful relationships with other characters.

that, plus the fact amano still gave him traits that weren’t meant to ever be plot-relevant or to be able to be used as a plot device. like you said he loves animals and is partial to kids, and has a soft side that comes out whenever they’re involved, but he’s also hardworking, actually owning his position as the disciplinary committee chairman by being shown doing the less fun work of it on the administrative side of things, and even sacrificing his own fun so he could do that, like when he didn’t get involved in the snowball fight.

he’s also committed to it and reliable, and has the trust of the nami middle students when shit hits the fan like with mukuro, because they know he doesn’t just use the DC as an excuse to bite people to death, and that it is really all about rules and discipline and keeping the peace of nami middle safe and lasting. he’s no hypocrite either, holds everyone to his rules and punishes them when they break them, but he also holds himself to rules he agrees to abide with, like when they fought for the best place to see the cherry blossoms bloom.

he’s playful, likes (one-sided) snowball fights and forces people into one-sided games where he gets to bite them to death if they wake him up from his naps. he’s funny, whether because he doesn’t care to acknowledge and be aware of the narrative he’s existing within lol, or because of that smart mouth of his. he’s over the top too, showing up to the shimon island by helicopter and jumping from it instead of waiting for it to land, and getting himself hospitalized for mere colds lol. etc, etc (tho i feel like i pretty much covered everything here zerdfghgff).

and you know, it’s not meaningful in the way everything i said above is, but it is meaningful in the way where it makes him that much more of a relatable and well-rounded character.

and then of course, the cherry on top of all this is once again the very organic, subtle, and believable development he went through. i don’t feel quite qualified enough to go over this point in details, but it all comes down to him confronting the fact that even the people he sees as weak have their own ways to protect what’s important to them, and have strength in their own ways even if it’s not the same type he has and swears by, and to him coming to respect it and even help it grow even stronger and stand by it, while still upholding his own definition of strength as the be all and end all of everything.

i think the best example that comes to mind here is when he explicitly makes part of his fight against adelheid about helping tsuna finds his resolve again and finds what his pride is. because i mean, the hibari we first meet at the start of the manga? he just would have never, and would have never cared to.

and that’s pretty much everything i have to say about him! and idk if i covered the “everything” you were talking about? but if there’s something specific you wanted to have my take on, you’re welcome to let me know about it so i can give it to you!

and generally speaking if you expected something else or just want to talk about hibari and whatnot, i’d say @ chierry, @ indigosprite and @ lecritiquedouce are quite qualified for that too.

thank you for the ask! i’ve never really needed or got the opportunity to pick apart hibari like this, so this was a lot of fun to do. and sorry i took a bit of time answering you, but things went crazy for me literally just around when you sent me this ask lol.

[writingquestionsanswered]

Hello, I hope you're doing well, and thank you so much for all the help you give the writing community! It's very appreciated~ I was wondering if you have any tips on what to do when you realize you need to make deep structural changes to a story, like changing main plot moments because you need to do major reworking to the story. But specifically, doing these major changes when you're already very attached to the existing plot. A "Kill Your Darlings" kind of thing. Thank you for your time!

When You Have to Kill Your Darlings and Restructure

It's funny you brought this up, because I was just thinking about one of my older stories the other day, and realizing this is what I need to do. And I've done it before, too, so here are some tips...

First and foremost, it's worth taking some time to really think about what has to change and why. Sometimes, when we realize the plot needs an overhaul, it's tempted to feel like you need to go all "scorched earth" on the plot and story elements, but that can be a knee jerk reaction. There may be a way you can keep some of your darlings while getting rid of the ones that truly won't work.

Once you realize what plot elements truly need to go, don't think of it like you're completely pitching them. For one thing, you may think a plot element has to go, but once you're neck deep in the overhaul, you realize something you thought had to go will work after all. Also, you should always, always, always keep a folder of story elements that you cut from your stories, whether that's plot elements, characters, character names, great bits of dialogue, world building details... whatever. Because you never know when you might have a different story where those will work. It can be incredibly reassuring to know those elements are sitting in a folder waiting to be used in another story. It makes it much easier to pull them out of the story because you don't feel like you're "killing" them so much as setting them aside for a story where they'll work better.

After that, you just have to sit down and do the work of re-plotting. If you're like me and you get overwhelmed, feeling like you're looking at a plate of spaghetti, you might try breaking it down into pieces. This is where I find story structure methods really helpful. While I don't like to force my story into any particular structure/method, looking at a particular method (how they break the structure down into parts, like "opening image, theme stated, catalyst," etc. (those are from Save the Cat! Writes a Novel) can help you sort through your plot elements and organize them in a logical way. Another thing that can work well is breaking it down into a scene list. Or, you might find it helpful to write the plot points out on a timeline.

The most important thing of all is not to let yourself get overwhelmed. Take it little by little, and don't focus on what you're cutting out, but on how much more streamlined the story will be once you overhaul it.

Have fun with your story!

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[dailycharacteroption]

Disciple of the Pike (Cavalier Archetype)

(Art by Du Young on Artstation)

 Ask anyone what the most iconic monster-slaying weapon is, and you’ll probably get a variety of answers. Many will say sword, some might even say the bow. A handful might even say the shotgun. Folks who say the lance, citing the imagry of a noble night charging a dragon come close to my personal take on the matter, because I say it is the spear.

The reason I say that is because, of all the weapons early man had access to, the spear is the one most likely to have been the first that man ever used to kill a predator bearing down on them or those they wished to protect. After all, a spear grants reach to avoid the claws, jaws, horns, or other lethal extremities of a beast, and it becomes positively lethal to a charging or pouncing attacker when braced against the ground and held firm by strong hands and firmly planted feet.

And so, with a sturdy stick and a sharpened end of wood or bound flint, an ape that descended down from the trees to live on land used their intelligence and what strength they had to match against mighty beasts and prove themselves their equal.

Now, take this idea, and apply it to a fantasy universe. Imagine the shock in the eyes of some demon, or dragon, or other mighty beast of legend when they find themselves transfixed on a spear for the first time in that world’s history, bested by a mere mortal.

Fast forward to a quasi-medieval setting like one expects from the fantasy genre, and there is no doubt in my mind that there is a special place in the heart of monster hunters everywhere for the spear or other polearm. It is the weapon that screams in primal fury and defiance against a world of fearsome beasts that you, the wielder, will not cower, will not flee from the darkness or the threat of fang and claw.

Which brings us to today’s subject!

In the Golarion setting, the Hellknight Order of the Pike is based near the Whisperwood in Cheliax, and though they were officially disbanded at one point, they are now recognized as an official minor order of the organization.

While nearly all Hellknights share an “order-first” mentality which is so easily corrupted by the forces of tyranny, the Order of the Pike in particular are first and foremost monster hunters, the slayers of great beasts that would threaten civilization. Very rarely will you find these hellknights in the role of the oppressor, as imposing order is secondary to their goal of protecting civilizations from sources of chaos, most notably in the form of big scary monsters.

Regardless of whether they are Hellknights or simply train for a similar role, these “Disciples of the Pike” specialize in turning polearm weapons, (preferably with a nice pointy end, though they’re not picky) against larger opponents, standing up to such beasts with courage and ferocity.

 Despite wielding polearms, these cavaliers prefer to fight on foot, eschewing a mount in favor of training themselves to read and dodge the movements of larger foes. The bigger they are, the easier it is to predict their moves and act accordingly.

Keeping their weapon steady and using their momentum to provide force, a charging disciple are surprisingly accurate when charging with a spear or polearm, and they compensate to avoid being left open afterwards as well.

Though they might not be well-versed in lore, these cavaliers pick up all sorts of information about monsters, having a decent chance to know something about them.

As they grow in mastery, their lethal skill with their weapons of choice only grows, turning any spear or polearm into a tool of lethal precision.

Using forward momentum and bounding steps, rough terrain quickly becomes no longer an obstacle for them, though obviously changing direction or impassible terrain features still inhibit them.

The most skilled and powerful of these cavaliers can deal devastating wounds on a charge, attacks so painful and discombobulating that they leave foes stunned as they stand impaled by the weapon.

Interested in a polearm specialist that also has the challenge ability, buffs against bigger foes, and the support benefits of tactician and order abilities? This archetype may be for you. You’re definitely meant to be a strong damage dealer against bigger foes, though your polearms mean you probably will be a second-line combatant rather than being in front. This will suit you just fine, though, as you’ll want the reduced pressure to use your order and tactician abilities to support your allies and buff yourself. All things considered a good archetype for someone focused on fighting big tough monsters.

 Now, these disciples may not have the mounts that would make them, you know, cavalry, but what they retain is their tactical acumen in addition to their order, which could either be focused on buffing themselves or on supporting allies. Either way, they can definitely give good orders in a pinch, even if some prefer to focus on themselves. With this in mind, I expect that these warriors have a commanding presence and when they give orders, they expect them to be obeyed. After all, in a fight with monsters, hesitation can mean death. That being said, they may come off as gruff or cold to those unused to them.

  Stronger than a baseline medusa but nowhere near as mythically powerful as the euryales they resemble, brazen medusas, named for their brassy scales on their serpentine tails, are a rarity to the point of being virtually unknown. However, one such individual is currently ruling over a small village in the west, and the monster hunter Adras needs the party’s help distracting it so he can close to pike range with her.

 Though they often cannot brace them, polearms are useful weapons for flying warriors like wyvarans. One such clan uses them to great effect in the ruins of Tamah’Dor, where they often draw the less clever beasts that also live there into the open and strike with impunity from above, or else use them on foot to keep a beast out of reach in narrow alleys.

 When rumors of a dragon sighting begin to spread, monster hunters begin to mobilize. However, the dragon in question, an occult dragon only interested in studying lore, would very much like to avoid such unpleasantries, but they know the hunters might not stay their hand for a non-metallic dragon, (and some not even then.) So she reaches out to the party to hire them as bodyguards.

[fyoggo]

I don't think you are consuming Hypnosis Mic properly

I have already had to tell someone else this here but it seems you need to hear it too. first off I dontlike how you use that square ended highlighter resembling brush when drawing them. They look like abstract Minecraft characters.

Seconsd off your jokes are not very funny or at least not in the context of Hypmic they do not seem relevant. You seem to have a very loose understanding of these characters and these stories, as if you were someone just pretending tney were in the fandom because they enjoy the characters on the surface, but do not bother to do digging or reaearch or someone who has only seen Rhyme animal and does not care about their full story and this is why you hyper focus on Dotsuire Hompo to try and mask in the community who know what they are doing

I have been called a troll for this and possibly a hater but I can't remember. The point is I am just saying, you snould take some time off. Take a break from Tumble or at least HypmicTumbler and then in your spare time;

I will organize a short list of what to research

Find Slugtranslations and ask for their link to their Discord where they will give you a password so you can go read the manga (it is private now due to their personal decisions). Please read all of the manga

Go to the wiki and Spotify and watxh the drama tracks and read alongside them then go to Sound cloud to find the manga drama tracks (special drama tracks that come with special manga issues these are harder to find because they are not on streaming services) Please read and listen to all of these they are the final step in canon

DNI with rhyme anima and the live action musicals they are not true to canon

I think when you come back after this you will feel very refreshed and have more relevant takes and funnier jokes. Thank you

When you are done can you please, with a normal brush draw some Saburo funny memes

I was thinking about whether or not I should answer this at all but I'll give it a shot.

First and foremost: I don't engage fandoms. I don't create story relevant content because I don't particularly feel like it... not that I should have to justify drawing what I like.

Second: humor is subjective. also the comics I draw are memes. again, I draw those to have fun to make some people chuckle. if it doesn't amuse you, that's totally fine!

I appreciate the art criticism, but unfortunately I only draw on my phone at the moment and I don't have a touch pen to do any better. sorry if this bothers you; not much I can do about it when I am pretty much finger painting digitally.

As for the story stuff... I have actually read all of the drama track translations while listening along, but none of that is really relevant to what I want to draw... I'm not sure I understand what kind of art it is that you want me to produce. like I said, the things I draw are meant to be (subjectively) funny, and I haven't gotten any anon asks like this before about any of the other games / media I created content for. is every piece of fan art you've come across 100% accurate, relevant and/or thought-provoking? I'm sure there are creators that you can follow for those things instead of sifting through my doodles. Sorry if they clutter your feed, I think I'll have to ask you to block me because I don't plan on stopping drawing things that I enjoy.

I appreciate the offer to help me open my eyes to the lore and whatnot, but I respectfully decline. it's nice of you to want to do all those things for me, but I don't like joining discord servers and I don't really think I need to do any of those things you listed either to be allowed to just draw, like thousands of other people on this website do.

thanks for this message, though! I hope if anyone else out there felt the same way they'll read this as a bit of a clarification. I doubt my sense of humor will change, and as for the takes, I haven't had a single one — I just drew characters I liked. I do suggest blocking me though, and I don't mean it in one of those "if you don't like it, block" ways, but just so you can get me out of your way. I think my blog isn't for you, and I hope you find another creator that'll check all your boxes! 😄

[corvidmagicae]

ooc lore question for you to make a hc post about, how the heck do witches manage to do things like necromancy, being liches, general fucking around with life and death without pissing off Xerneas, Yveltal or Zygarde?

When you have the entire ask answer completed, and you are actively getting warned by tumblr that you are at the character limit. and then tumblr glitches and makes you lose the ENTIRE POST.... ANYWAYS, the answer is VERY CAREFULLY. Just kidding.

Truth is, they are incredibly aware that the balance trio might have opinions regarding their abilities, and the majority of their belief system and unspoken rules are set up regarding just that. At least, amongst the Kalosian sect, who actively worship them.

It is their belief that their evolution and extended lifespans are a gift given by those legends - or at least, they've been allowed to keep them. And that if they wish to continue keeping them, they need to give credit where credit is due, and be respectful of their creators.

It is their belief that Xerneas gave them their extended lifespans, and in exchange they respect and worship it. And Yveltal will take them away to it's side when it feels their time has come. They can play a cat and mouse game with it if they so choose, but ultimately they must be gracious losers when the time comes. It is not a true loss - just an inevitable change in department and direct supervisor. Zygarde is the ultimate deciding voice, and it's decisions are final - those who follow it ensure that the rest are following the proper balance of life and death, and that their great power is being met with appropriate responsibility. They view themselves as servants to the gods, a position they've willingly put themselves in, as payment for the gift they've been given. And that if they wish to keep their position, they need to safeguard it from those who'd misuse it.

Now, this is entirely a community's personal belief - whether or not it's the actual truth is another story, and one i leave up to those who roleplay those entities. They could very well be the servants of the legends, or the legends may be actively annoyed by them! Or they may not care at all. It's first and foremost a tale told by elders, to explain how they got their abilities and why they need to take responsibility for their own actions.

Not all mages follow these beliefs either - not all regions have the balance trio, so their belief systems and stories passed down may be entirely different and dependent on their own local legends. And not all mages are respectful of their peers. Some are active threats to the community at large, viewing their own kind as stepping stones or power batteries for their own ends... or may be detrimental to the world at large, irresponsible with their abilities and uncaring of what gets destroyed or injured so long as they achieve their own desires. Humans with no knowledge of these old beliefs can be a threat as well, as they may try to achieve a mage's ability with no respect or regard to the limitations or desire to maintain balance in the world around them.

It's also important to note that most mages don't actually have the ability to manipulate life itself - mages who practice necromancy are at most able to manipulate the spirit, often communicating with the deceased and respecting their wishes. Those who mess with remains don't truly bring back life to old bones - they just re-animate organic matter. There's no true life there. True ressurection, like with AZ's Floette, is the realm of the gods, the realm of Xerneas itself, and is thus beyond the average mage's ability. Necromancers (or ghost-type mages) are among the most polite and responsible amongst the society, due to general respect of their abilities and being hyper-aware of the consequences of their actions.

Now, some mages may be able to tap that deep into the current of life energy. Most mages don't stick their hands that deep, either out of personal restraint or inability to reach that far. But those who can revive or take lives at a single touch are reverred as legends even amongst their own kind. They are noticeable anomalies., even amongst their own kind.

It is also important to note that the majority of mages who follow these beliefs don't mess with the lifespans of others - they only mess with their own, using themselves as guinea pigs before attempting to use others. And those who do mess with the lifespans of others have rules and regulations they follow regarding it, even if those laws may seem nonsensical. This is all in an attempt to make sure they aren't pissing off the legends who safeguard those domains, and it's the mages who attempt to crudely break down those doors without care, or who use other living beings as guinea pigs before attempting things on themselves, that are generally the ones regarded as dangerous amongst their own society.

Even bridgette, who does actively mess with the lifespans of her victims by locking their ability to age in tandem with her own lifespan, as they are under the effects of her own magic until released from their position... won't interfere if Yveltal comes calling for them, and will actively try to safeguard those birds and keep them safe from harm until someone with a higher position of power tells her to do otherwise. She won't attempt to make them take a fall for her, and she will keep them safe until it is time to let them go. By tying the extent of their lifespan to be equal to hers, then they are her responsibility until their true masters come calling for them, and she has accepted that.

The general rule of thumb amongst mage society is that you can do something dangerous, but also that you are responsible for your own actions. you have to be willing to confront the consequences of those actions on your own. You cannot scapegoat someone else to take the fall for you.

ie: a lich can manipulate their own lifespan, but should not test their experiments on others if they are not willing to test them first on themselves. if a mage evolves into a lich, they understand that they are allowed to exist because of Xerneas and Yveltal's mercy, and should respect their wishes should one of the trio appear before them.

Some mages of course see their evolutions and extended lifespans as dodging responsibility rather than accepting responsibility - be careful of those. Those ones are the dangerous ones.

[purplenidoqueen]

DIANNE FEINSTEIN HAS BITTEN IT

First and foremost, fuck her staff for playing Weekend at Bernie's instead of letting her enjoy retirement. She couldn't do fuck all and her decline was disgusting spectacle, a stunning example of our tendency to sacrifice the elderly for the personal gain of those around them.

I'm sorry for the family's loss. Might not sound like it, but it's a tough time for any family and I think we can respect that while also being, if I'm to be so bold, very disrespectful of the reputation Feinstein might or might not have deserved.

Most importantly, let's see if Gavin Newsom is willing to sacrifice the good will of the left to appease the Democratic machine or if he'll keep his word about replacing Feinstein with "a black woman"; I'm so excited for the chance to see a woman of color take the office from the clutches of the Pelosi-era liberals -- specifically, the most obvious and most qualified choice of any potential replacement that I can think of: community organizer, social worker, Black Panther, and antiwar advocate Representative Barbara Lee, who was the only voice speaking clearly after 9/11 and the only person I trust without hesitation to make the right choice for her community, whether it's the Bay Area or the entire global community.

Get on it, Newsom. Do you want the presidency in 2028? Let's start by keeping your promises to the generation of voters that'll be meeting you at the polls.

[mythvoiced]

-. Bonjour~ below the cut another messy character post before I dive into finally completing all intro posts because I can't be made to fill out a proper about page at the moment, please forgive me flhkgfhlg~

the doomed;wolfwood

name. Nicholas D. Wolfwood (according to Nightow, the D stands for a fuckload of things ranging from Dangerous to Dokonokuminomonjawaresumakinishiteshizumetarokakora, he's insane) gender. male (I'm debating--) pronouns. he/him age. -big sigh- Trimax: 30s/40s (physically), early 20s (actually); Trigun 98: 30s; Tristamp: 20s/30s (physically), probably??? much older????? IDK?????? (actually); Badlands Rumble: don't, let's not even-- orientation. terminally bisexual

faceclaim. Nicholas D. Wolfwood from Trigun/Trigun Maximum/Trigun '98/Trigun Stampede; Badlands Rumble is excluded because 1. ?? 2. the whitewashing of this film is criminal; primarily Tristamp Nicholas unless specified otherwise, because-

-The primary iteration you will find featured on this humble blorbo blog of mine is the Tristamp version because that is the one currently most popular and most likely to have a demand, I will be shoehorning things from Trimax into him as I see fit, in particular if handling post Tristamp timeskip Wolfwood, and maybe I'm just gonna turn this man into an insane amalgamation of all various takes on him.

Nicholas D. Wolfwood is a child soldier. First and foremost. For those unfamiliar with Trigun, it's a Western Sci-Fi show (underSTATEM-) where humanity had attempted, a truckload of hundred years prior to the present timeline, to shoot itself into various corners of the universe after effectively Killing Earth to try and settle on another planet hospitable enough to harbour them. Everything goes to shit for one fleet of spaceships when they crash and burn onto this desert planet with two suns and five moons and no natural resources humanity needed to survive and thrive. To accomodate for the lack of water, for example, humanity makes use of these man-made organic beings called 'Plants', self-sufficient sometimes humanoid appearing entities that can produce and produce and produce, whatever it is humanity may need. What humanity did not know, until much later, was that the Plants are more than just... personal batteries, they're sentient, hive-minded creatures who should be treated with the basic respect you'd forward to living beings. Without going any further into the lore, Nicholas is dragged into the moral questions of Humans & Plants & Co-existing & Slavery and whatnot by being quite literally adopted into it (in Trimax it looks like a legit adoption until he gets to the place). The Eye of Michael, a cult of plant worshippers who trains and redesigns children from orphanages they claim no one will miss (Nicholas, included) into superhuman killing machines with enhanced strength, speed, durability, you name it, and healing abilities further augmented by this lil drug they're equipped with that they can gulp to help themselves heal even faster.

Nicholas is dependent on these drugs to heal in Tristamp, where the show made a point to differentiate Livio's ability to heal without the need of drugs; in Trimax, it's more implied that every child soldier/assassin from the Eye of Michael has regenerative abilities and the drugs augment them further or are used when the abilities can't catch up with the amount of damage taken, they're boosters. This is relevant to my portrayal only because I might occasionally have him get away with a few scratches or hits to allow for a thread to flow a certain way and not have to explain where the hell he keeps all those damned flasks.

Important to note, though, is that a drug is a drug. That shit will kill him if he overdoes it. I'll be honest, he throws that stuff back in Tristamp that it made me wonder whether it can kill him in this iteration, maybe I missed something, but know I for one am biting down on this fact and will not let go.

So, he was raised in this orphanage and then dropped off at the Eye of Michael, Tristamp implies the orphanage belongs to the Eye, so it's less an adoption thing and more a being picked out as the fattest among a flock of chicken. He's instantly tortured, deformed, reshaped and refitted into this sturdy hitman the Eye can use to further they're Plant-worshipping related missions, as well as simply to get some cash by selling his (and other EoM assassins') services to others. The drug, the modifications, everything done to him has forced him to age faster physically, which, fun fact, is source of heated ship debates in the fandom because it's used to portray Wolfwood as a minor to keep him out of whatever ship you don't fuck with. Important for me to mention, because Wolfwood is an adult. Especially in Tristamp, where some hints suggest he's been around for much longer, sort of implying he might be older than his body's age, which might have just... stopped aging at one point, considering Tristamp has the Eye use Plants to torture their kids into what Nicoholas now is.

SO, yeah, the age debate is a mess.

For most of the canon of the show, Nicholas (referred to as Nicholas the Punisher as assassin of the Eye of Michael, in typical Gung-Ho-Guns/Nightow naming fashion lmao) is hired as a guide to the main character, Vash the Stampede, by both the Eye and perhaps directly by the main antagonist, Millions Knives (Vash's twin brother), to escort Vash to the city of July unharmed and to actually make sure he's headed for it... or the city JuLai, if y'd rather~ though... the 7 cities are actually named after months (December, Augusta, May, Octovern, Juneora Rock, April), so, I'm used to 'July', though let me know if that throws you off, I fuck with JuLai just as hard~

Obviously being directly exposed to Vash the fucking Stampede, a person/being so violently pacifistic he'd rather see himself decimated ten times over than ever shoot back, does something to the worldview and the confidence in that worldview of a man who'd given up on himself and the idea of salvation, both spiritual and physical in nature. Wolfwood effectively settled himself into the monster's shoes fitted for him, this is why he looks so fucked up in Tristamp, his lack of interest towards his own appearance, himself as a whole, the suicidal thoughts/ideation bubbling always below the surface (his speech about Rollo after killing him? the implications he was talking about himself?), my boy is not having a good time, ever.

Wolfwood is an oldest brother, deeply frustrated and depressed, has canonical (Trimax) nightmares of going back to the orphanage but not being allowed to touch the children, hold them, because of the blood he can't get off his hands, he's a Judas, he's the narrative's martyr, he's too big of a coward to walk away from it all, he's too tired to fight for himself, he's tired, angry, and just wants to be stopped.

He's my fucking blorbo.

And yes, his cigarettes are always crumpled. This makes more sense in those iterations where he shoves them into a fold in his shirt instead of carrying an actual pack around, but it's funny as fuck nonetheless. He's got that Kansai accent situation and cusses like... well, like the type of character he is, and it may look silly that he's always wearing those damned sunglasses, but consider the following: No Man's Land (Gunsmoke, though this name is inaccurate/non-canonical, some have adopted it as an alternative anyway) is a desert planet with no natural water resources and two suns, there are no clouds and no rain, the sunglasses are a necessity.

[asksythe]

What are some of the funniest, most horrific, or most head-scratching moments of royal palace harem politics that you think are noteworthy?

Uhh...

I don't know about funniest. The royal harem, by which I mostly mean ancient Chinese ones (Han, Tang, Song, etc...), isn't exactly a fun place to be in... or around.

Most horrific? .... That's a long list, especially viewed under the lens of modern sensibilities. What's not horrific is probably the shorter list. It's probably impossible to discern which is truly the most horrific.

Hmm.. how about... something horrible that was seen as normal in royal harems back in the day?

How did dutiful ancient emperors have sex? / The breeding process of ancient emperors

The term they use for this process, specifically dutiful sex as performed by a good emperor (as opposed to bad ones), is shì qǐn

侍寝

The average royal harems (the more correct term would be hòu gōng, which means the palace in the back) can house about 3000 women of different ranking, divided into three different palaces and six different departments. These palaces and departments take care of the vast majority of logistical, supply, and entertainment duties in the royal palace. Chief among their duties is... the continuation of the royal lineage.

Unlike modern media portrayal of harems, especially those produced in the American continent or Europe, this procreation duty is a lot more... unexciting... than it sounds. If you are thinkingof images of the emperor surrounded by beauties indulging in all sorts of hedonistic activities, know that this is the outlier, and deemed very inappropriate, instead of the usual standard.

In ancient times, sex is seen first and foremost as procreation. Pleasure is secondary and disapproved if the emperor wants to keep his image as a just and wise ruler.

Because it is primarily for continuing the emperor's lineage,

shì qǐn 侍寝 is an established process and not usually by the emperor's whims. Because of the sheer number of women in hou gong, it's not unusual for many of those women to basically live like nuns inside the harem for all of their life, not even seeing the emperor even once. Of these 3000 women, only a select few are chosen based on their age (25 and down), their qualities (to improve the next generation), their rankings, and whether they have the favor of the emperor. Then these women are organized into a monthly schedule.

The prime time for getting down and dirty in ancient harems is the full moon. The belief is that the full moon is the time when yin energy is strongest. So around full moon time, women are more likely to get pregnant and the resulting children will be of higher quality. So of course, the women who get the slots during and near full moon time tend to be the highest in harem ranking: the empress and top tier concubines typically make up the list presented to the emperor around this time. Concubines of lower ranking or less favored get the time slot nobody wants, that is, around new moon or no moon time.

Now then, this highly selective list is presented to the emperor before his dinner time. Depending on different dynasties, this list is in the form of a stack of wood cards with the names of the women on them, or a pair of red lanterns with the names of the women on them.

Yep, Zhang Yimou's award-winning Raise the Red Lantern is about this process which began in royal palaces and then copied by rich landowners in China around a few centuries ago.

Once the emperor has made his choice, he will then have his dinner. Meanwhile, the chosen woman is prepared for the night. She is bathed in a special mix of water, dried, and then rolled up in a thick blanket. This blanket (with the completely naked woman inside) is then tied with a red string or sash. Once this red sash is tied, nobody but the emperor can remove it on pains of death. This human roll is then carried by two eunuchs to the bedroom (which can either be a specific room in the emperor's personal palace or a room in the woman's palace if she is a high-ranking concubine). The human roll is placed on the bed.

Depending on the emperor's eating speed, the human roll may or may not have to wait a while. Once the emperor is present for breeding duty, he will prepare for bed like the woman is not even there. Then, just before he lies down, he will (with one hand usually) untie the red sash/string. Then the emperor will lie down and leave most of the work to the woman. Now released, the woman will emerge from her blanket roll, and creep under the blanket. She has to do this from the emperor's legs and not anywhere else, and then under this blanket, does her duty.

While all this is going on, details will be noted extensively by the eunuchs in charge of managing shi qin. Depending on different dynasties, there is a fixed time for shi qin. Anywhere from half an hour to an hour. But usually, anymore than this is considered hedonistic behavior and frowned upon. And so because our emperor is a just, wise, and dutiful one, once this time limit is near, a eunuch will stand outside the door and start to loudly recite Buddhist scriptures in order to notify the emperor and the woman that their time is up. Once the emperor confirms that he's done, eunuchs will come in to take the woman away. The eunuch in charge will ask the emperor whether he wants to keep or discard.

If the emperor says keep, the woman is taken care of and given a nutritious diet and medical care. If he says discard, the woman is then dragged to a specific room where a eunuch or eunuchs will use various techniques to remove the 'dragon seeds' from her body. Techniques range from pressing specific pressure points in her body to force a release... to exceedingly rough use of tools to scrape the seeds from the woman. There are also records of harem women being tied up and beaten in the bellies with wooden paddles to force the seeds from her body.

... And that is the approved breeding process of a good ancient emperor. Bad ones, of course, may not necessarily strictly follow this process.

During your reading of this post, if you, at any moment, feel that you might actually be reading the manual to breeding cattles... know that you are not alone.

[the-haunted-office]

✂️ I offer Alice to Sept for some of the death angst, she hasn’t gotten her fair share recently

So, let me make sure I understand this correctly. You don't care whether you live or die… so long as your friends are safe.

[Yes] [NO]

The ruined soul watches from beyond the grave she was never given, through the computer screen, on the other side of it, from a place neither here nor there, in a place that's In Between.

The prompt she has provided to the young woman known as Alice Graves will be the difference between death, and another death. Alice Graves is a ghost, Employee #432 knows this, but so is she, and she's a lot more alive now than she ever was while living. However, it seems one of her ghostly kin has chosen to act like even her death is over, like her life in death means nothing, and so 432 means to teach her a lesson. Even if it's mostly out of spite.

"Yes" has been chosen as the response. And that's all the signal needed.

(The rest is under a cut due to violence and horror and gore!)

As an incorporeal being, it's actually quite difficult to hold one's energies together. It's like pouring water out of a glass. Remove the container, the vessel, and the liquid cannot hold itself together - it runs out everywhere and disburses. A soul without a body is like that, especially a shattered soul without a body. Those can never truly hold their form again, not permanently, and not without a lot of effort on their part.

Bonding with other shattered souls makes holding a form easier, if not imperfect. Some ghosts - like Ghostday - are able to hold a more solid, singular shape through their own means. Ghostday has done this by merging with her own soul from so many timelines, she is able to present her own image.

432, on the other hand, has merged with seventeen other individual shattered souls, none of them her own. Several non-human.

As a result, her form is less human and far more alien in appearance.

Through the computer monitor on which Alice had just signed her death warrant, a face appears.

A human face, at first glance, but that's only until you spend longer than half a second looking at it, and then you realize that it's still human but in such deplorable condition it doesn't look human anymore.

The eyes are missing, first and foremost. In place of the eyes are empty sockets emitting an eerie yellow glow, beaming out like the headlights of a car. The nose is also missing, reduced to the skeletal remains and empty nasal cavity behind where the soft flesh would normally be on display. The teeth are thankfully normal, the ones that remain, anyway. The rest of the mouth is filled with gaps and dangling rotting bits of what surely used to be muscles, ligaments, and other living tissues, all now dead and pulling away from the rest of the structure in a grim parting of ways.

The face seems to grin as it pushes through the surface of the monitor but doesn't shatter it, and more follows.

Attached to the face is a mass of unidentifiable blackish, semi-translucent material, in which can be seen all manner of things grotesque enough to make one lose their most recent meal. Various organs, not attached to anything, are floating around. Teeth. Eyes. They swivel and spin, as if searching, and when they spot Alice they lock onto her, not letting her out of their sight from that moment forward.

Limbs also follow. Many limbs. Several of them not human. At least thirteen human arms pull the rest of the form through the monitor, where the additional limbs all cater to the whole, propping her up and simply towering over Alice. Her head bumps into the ceiling and two pairs of what look like the arms of a backhoe each tipped in dagger-length green claws rip it out of the way in a fury.

Torn and shredded bat-like wings tear themselves out of what is presumably her back, springing open into a ten-foot wingspan, knocking over anything in their path.

And faces. More faces. Some human, some animal. Pushing themselves outwards and staring around, dead-eyed but somehow still alive.

The floor seems to tremble in the presence of what is now 432.

And if Alice isn't trembling yet, she will be shortly once she gets her claws on her.

Which she does immediately.

The backhoe-like arms dive forward, seizing the other ghost by the shoulders and latching on in a grip of iron.

There is no escaping now.

What is apparently the "main" face - the first one that emerged from the monitor - leans in closer to Alice, breathing putrid puffs of decaying air directly into her very normal human face, and what comes out of the mouth is not one voice, but many. Different depths, different tones, different inflections. All speaking over one another with all the harmony of a blender full of screwdrivers while the mouth itself doesn't move.

"Be careful what you wish for, Alice Graves," is the one and only thing the being known as 432 says before pulling Alice apart by the shoulders like a Potato Head doll.

Her shoulders don't so much pop out of place as they do tear, severing them from her torso in two very unclean breaks. They're then tossed aside like a couple of sticks snapped off a log before the monstrous arms go in for more, a few of the others joining in. The young woman's body is relieved of her legs next, in the same manner as her arms. All the arms join in for taking care of the rest in between, gouging haphazard shapes and holes out of their chosen canvas.

Any screams and cries from the younger ghost are ignored and do nothing to abate the process.

It's clear from the way 432 makes quick work of disassembling Alice Graves that she's not in it for the pain or pleasure of it, or even out of any kind of necessity like sustenance or survival like the ways of wild beasts, but rather for proving a point.

That she can tear you down in more ways than one.

Before too long all that's left is a mess of what used to be a human, and a mess of what used to be a human. One torn apart and reassembled into something new; the other torn apart and left disassembled upon the floor, desks, walls, and even the ceiling. Walls that were just scrubbed clean of their previous scars and repainted, decorated now with speckles of red and pink and gray, the remains of Alice Graves.