#worldbuilding june 2017

[saintvainglorious]

TEMERAIRE FIC RECS

I read no fic at all in May, as I was too busy devouring all nine Temeraire novels in a single month - and then spent a very happy June reading a fairly absurd amount of Temeraire fics. In honor of a Pride month well spent, here's a fic rec list!

(Divided up into categories - Laurence/Tharkay, Laurence/Napoleon, other ships, and gen)

WILLIAM LAURENCE/TENZING THARKAY

ley lines by malfaisant/@stanleyraymondkowalski (T, 14k, 2015) Amnesia era!Laurence sees Tharkay and it doesn't cure his amnesia; a renewed friendship tinged with loss follows

Tharkay makes it to Peking intact with the news of Napoleon’s imminent invasion of Russia. Which would be all well and good, except that Laurence isn’t very intact himself.

which is like everything by sere (This_is_Sere) (G, 3k, 2024) Post-canon Laurence accidentally breaks Tharkay's heart a little, and put it back together in the sweetest way possible

A chance remark from Granby provokes an excess of feeling in Tharkay.

The Reward of Service by yunitsa/@pamphilia (T, 4k, 2016) A lovely post-canon get-together fic, where Granby puts his foot in it a little and realizations are had

‘It is no good asking me,’ Laurence said at last, pushing the pattern-book away over breakfast, ‘I am not the one–’ Not the one who would be living with the result, he had been about to say. But they had hardly accepted Tharkay’s invitation as casual houseguests.

A Soft Dawn by corvile (G, 2k, 2015) A soft and sweet Tongues of Serpents-era fic, featuring accidental spooning, self-introspection, and maybe the most romantic hand-holding known to man

Upon thinking on this feeling of jealousy, Tharkay has done some rather clever intuitive leaps involving situations both real and imagined, and he's come to a rather curious conclusion: he's a little in love with William Laurence.

all flowers in time by lastwingedthing (E, 7k, 2017) A splendid post-canon get-together where it's Laurence who pines after an oblivious Tharkay, rather than the other way around. Also, sex!

The consolations of possession.

Ship's Gossip by Spatz/@cactusspatz (M, 6k, 2019) AU where Laurence takes up Tharkay's offer to become a privateer and Tharkay joins Laurence on the ship; Laurence learns some things about Tharkay, and then about himself

Laurence is beginning to enjoy life as a privateer - though he cannot figure out why Tharkay should still be sailing out with them - when Temeraire decides to ask him about sodomy.

WILLIAM LAURENCE/NAPOLEON BONAPARTE

Dearest William by WerewolvesAreReal/@werewolves-are-real (T, 23k, 2016) Laurence and Napoleon are pen pals! Riotously funny, until it's heartbreaking

Napoleon sends a letter to the upstart sea-captain who stole his dragon, Laurence sends one back, and a correspondence begins under the uneasy eye of the admiralty. When Laurence had admitted the matter to Granby his lieutenant exclaimed, “God, does Boney want you drawn and quartered as a traitor?” which seems perfectly possible.

i sing of arms and the man by Jack_R (M, 21k, 2020) Ancient Rome AU (and really good dragon-related worldbuilding)! Laurence longs for the days of the Roman Republic, but Rome's new emperor is rather adept at persuasion

‘You think me a far worthier man than I am,’ he says, then. ‘No,’ Napoleone says, softly, ‘I don’t think I do at all.’

L'envoyé céleste triomphant de la Maladie. Antoine-Jean Gros (1813) by VerdetCadet/@verdet-cadet (G, 3k, 2023) A League of Dragons captured-by-Napoleon fic involving a rather appalling painting and Tharkay and Granby being the world's funniest wingmen (ha)

"Given what he has done with the barest civility on my part, I cannot think what he would do with the least encouragement." “Oh, no?” said Granby innocently, a sentiment that provoked a raised eyebrow from Tharkay over his glass, and in Laurence, a strangeness in the pit of his stomach. Or: Napoleon is an enthusiastic patron of the arts. Laurence's best friends lovingly suss out his willingness to bone Napoleon for political gain and strategic expediency.

Ordinance of Fate by by WerewolvesAreReal/@werewolves-are-real (T, 13k (WIP), 2022) *slamming hand on table rythmically* soulmate AU soulmate AU soulmate AU soulmate AU

The name comes when he is 15, and Laurence hides it immediately. Then at the age of 22 Laurence reads a letter from an old shipmate who writes that “the troops in Italy were routed by some new General of theirs, Napoleon Bonaparte-"

Doctrine on Worship by Kangoo/@youngster-monster (G, 6k, 2021) AU where Laurence becomes a priest instead of joining the Navy, and meets Temeraire anyway - but Temeraire's captain takes an interest in his dragon's new friend

“You do not strike me as a man well versed in selfishness. Perhaps you ought to try it; you might find it easier to understand my presence then." In which Laurence made a different choice, a long time ago, which changes very little in the long run.

OTHER SHIPS

Tender Like a Bruise by VerdetCadet/@verdet-cadet (T, 5k, 2024) Granby/Little - Granby struggles with the shame and trauma of losing his arm; Augustine Little is there for him

It is not a good time to be short an arm, if there ever was such a thing. Granby has always prided himself on his competence and his easy good cheer. Now, at a stroke, he finds himself lacking in both.

revelry by WerewolvesAreReal/@werewolves-are-real (E, 2k, 2018) Tharkay/Laurence/Granby/Little - Post-canon Tharkay & Laurence invite Granby & Little over to visit, delightful and unabashedly voyueristic sexytimes ensue

Little suddenly turns away and throws himself down on the couch where Laurence previously sat, drunkenness making him stumble a little. He leans heavily against Tharkay, who doesn't mind, and tosses Granby a jaunty salute. “Now you must kiss him, John. I know how long you have wanted to; you will always regret it if you do not."

What comfort I can by VerdetCadet/@verdet-cadet (M, 5k, 2023) Laurence/Granby - Amnesiac!Laurence has suspicions about the nature of his relationship with Granby. Second in a two-part series, part one is also splendid! I just have a fatal weakness for the amnesia era ok

The truth of Laurence's treason comes out while Laurence is still aboard the Potentate. Laurence's half formed memories are just there enough for dangerous conjecture. Granby is there to offer what comfort he can.

That Dare Not Speak Its Name by WerewolvesAreReal/@werewolves-are-real (E, 11k (WIP), 2024) Laurence/Granby - Laurence covers for Little and Granby and discoveries are made. The dialogue and introspection are so very delicious I'm SO INVESTED AUGH

After an incriminating letter is discovered, Granby is caught out as an invert – and everyone knows his lover is another captain. Since the companion of a common Yellow Reaper would not be spared the noose, Laurence declares that it's him. Over time, he starts to wish it really were.

Uncharted by novembersmith/@novembersmith (E, 5k, 2009) Laurence/Granby/Tharkay - Laurence and Granby are together and Tharkay is mortified, until he's given quite good reason not to be

Tharkay had had the dubious pleasure of watching Laurence and Granby being blissfully in love for several weeks now.

Foibles by VerdetCadet/@verdet-cadet (M, 3k, 2023) Laurence/Tharkay and Laurence/Napoleon, sort of - Tharkay likes roleplaying and Laurence is not displeased by the role Tharkay takes on this time

Tharkay, faced with an inconvenience he was forced to endure or a problem his mind could not set aside, found his ease by simply Not Being Tharkay for a time.

An Alchemy of Character by PepperHoney (G, 7k, 2023) Tharkay/Granby - Tharkay and Granby compete for Laurence's affections, until they find a more fulfilling use of their time

Granby and Tharkay have been watching each other court Laurence to no avail for years now. It's something of a game between them, truly, one whose success they don't really believe in anymore. It takes a long journey aboard the Allegiance for them to realise--perhaps, if Laurence can't be reached, someone else can.

GEN

Smooth Water All Our Days by 20thcenturyvole (T, 37k, 2021) Technically Laurence/Tharkay (and they're lovely here) but much more gen-focused. Post-canon, Laurence, with his family's help, gets Temeraire's political career off the ground; meanwhile, Tharkay investigates a conspiracy. Also, parties!

Laurence desires nothing more than to retire to Tharkay's estate and help Temeraire get to Parliament, for what more could he want than a place in Britain with space enough for a dragon, and the company of a dear friend? But wars rarely end so neatly. Bellicose lords, Bourbon princes, errant heirs and shadowy forces threaten to undermine the very peace that Laurence and Temeraire fought to obtain, and ruin the happiness that Laurence was just beginning to glimpse.

remember (you deserve this) by WerewolvesAreReal/@werewolves-are-real (T, 10k, 2018) Laurence finds a different way to punish himself for the treason. Superb angst (mind the tags), and the last line of this fic d e s t r o y e d me

Laurence is pardoned for Temeraire's sake, but he manages to punish himself anyway.

Animal Husbandry by WerewolvesAreReal/@werewolves-are-real (G, 11k, 2017) Laurence is told that Temeraire accepted Dayes as his captain, but Laurence cannot forget the dragon he's lost.

Weeks after finding a dragon egg in the Amitie’s hold William Laurence reluctantly turns away and lets the Corps take Temeraire - but he doesn’t return to the Navy. He’s not an aviator, but somehow Laurence still ends up going down in history as the instigator behind the Great Dragon Rebellion of ‘06.

Captains by StrangerWithMyFace/@agentem (G, 2k, 2010) Perscitia (my beloved!!!) has a rough day; Wellington, in his roundabout way, is there to cheer her up. I am weak for Perscitia and Wellington bonding weak i say

Perscitia encounters two men at the London covert, and one of them is her captain.

Forays Into Human Sexuality (or whatever Laurence is doing) by WerewolvesAreReal/@werewolves-are-real (G, 1k, 2024) Laurence finds out that no, actually, not every man is secretly a repressed bisexual

Laurence says, “It is wholly natural, anyway, with no women around.”

[seandwalsh]

If it’s not too much to ask, could you provide a rundown of Mario and Peach’s relationship throughout the history of the games — any developer insights and supporting material included if applicable? Their interactions have never failed to make me smile; I feel like every moment between them, no matter how simple, elevate my enjoyment of the games.

Do you have a favorite moment? For me, I think the ending of the first Paper Mario is my definitive Mario and Peach moment. Everything from the music to the scenery to how innocent it plays out perfectly encapsulates their relationship.

While other series, like Splatoon or The Legend of Zelda tend to have a greater focus on their worldbuilding and backstory, I think Mario’s greatest strength when it comes to its lore is its rich characters and how their relationships come together. You don’t follow the same main cast in The Legend of Zelda for more than a game or two at a time. With Mario, well - he’s always the same Mario. He’s familiar, and his personality is so strong that he continues to be the Mario we know, no matter the medium. It seems that Mario’s current primary developers, Yoshiaki Koizumi and Kenta Motokura, feel the same way:

"No matter what worlds he takes on, Mario remains Mario. Maybe this is strange but I find that fact very comforting,"

[Source: Yoshiaki Koizumi, Director and Producer of the Super Mario series, CNN Business, September 2020]

“…you can take Mario, or a Mario franchise character, and put them in pretty much any situation and it makes it okay. […] Mario carries it off.”

[Source: Kenta Motokura, Designer and Director of the Super Mario series, GameInformer, June 2017]

“Mario himself is a very strong character, so wherever he is he is strong enough to stand alone and be a good character. And even if he's next to a dinosaur, he's Mario!”

[Source: Kenta Motokura, Designer and Director of the Super Mario series, Metro, June 2017]

That’s not to say that Mario doesn’t have quite in-depth worldbuilding and backstory as well, but I think these characters are greatly understood by the people who work with them while largely being overlooked, misunderstood or written off by fans.

This is why relationships, like the one shared between Mario and Peach, can be such a highlight for players.

Mario and Peach, while not explicitly dating, are absolutely smitten with each other.

In fact, it seems that Mario instantly fell in love with Peach the moment he saw her, when she kissed him in Super Mario Bros.. Mario was so in love with Princess Peach that, according to the team behind Donkey Kong (Game Boy), it’s what caused Mario to break up with Pauline:

“Apparently the land of mushrooms is somehow in the vicinity of Donkey Kong's stomping ground that appears at the end [of Donkey Kong (Game Boy)]. Around that point, he meets Peach, and probably starts to have a change of heart [about Pauline] (laughs).”

[Source: Shigeru Miyamoto, Producer of Donkey Kong (Game Boy), Game Boy Donkey Kong Wonder Life Special - APE Inc. Official Nintendo Guide, June 1994]

“After that, Mario became famous, so Pauline must have gotten dumped (laughs).”

[Source: Masayuki Kameyama, Director of Donkey Kong (Game Boy), Game Boy Donkey Kong Wonder Life Special - APE Inc. Official Nintendo Guide, June 1994]

Paper Mario in its entirety is certainly a great example of Mario and Peach’s relationship. While the ending where they watch the fireworks is a highlight, the intro also showcases her attempts to spend time with Mario, eagerly awaiting him in the upper parts of the castle and wanting him to accompany her to the balcony.

“Oh! By the way, Princess Peach has been waiting for you.”

[Source: A Green Toad Girl, Staff of Princess Peach’s Castle, Non-player Character in Paper Mario (Nintendo 64), February 2001]

“I think Princess Peach has been looking forward to seeing you since this morning, Mario. She's been restless... hee hee hee... How cute...”

[Source: A Pink Toad Girl, Staff of Princess Peach’s Castle, Non-player Character in Paper Mario (Nintendo 64), February 2001]

“Oh, Mario! You came to the party to see me! You're so sweet! Thank you!♥ I was just resting a bit. It gets tiring, greeting all those guests out there! Nobody will bother us here. Shall we relax and chat, just the two of us? It was a lovely day today, so I'm sure it's comfortable out on the balcony right now. Would you accompany me, Mario?”

[Source: Princess Peach, Ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, Non-player Character in Paper Mario (Nintendo 64), February 2001]

She gets worried about him while she’s kidnapped:

“I wonder what Mario is doing right now... I wonder if he's hurt... I'm so worried about him!”

[Source: Princess Peach, Ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, Non-player Character in Paper Mario (Nintendo 64), February 2001]

Later on, we even learn that Princess Peach keeps a photo of Mario beside her bed, which she reacts to with a heart emoticon:

“A photo of Mario.♥”

She even gets embarrassed about it when Twink points it out.

Generally, the game makes an effort to highlight Mario and Peach’s love for each other beyond most other games in the series:

“Do you know of a place called Shooting Star Summit? It's near this castle. It's such a romantic place... It's definitely the best place for a date. Trust me. Maybe you ought to, you know, ask the princess to go there...”

[Source: A Toad, Resident of the Mushroom Kingdom, Non-player Character in Paper Mario (Nintendo 64), February 2001]

“Does Princess Peach have a special man in her life? She's such a lovely lady... Whoever she loves must be very special indeed...”

[Source: A Green Toad, Resident of the Mushroom Kingdom, Non-player Character in Paper Mario (Nintendo 64), February 2001]

Princess Peach has a very specific view of love, which she has actually expressed before in-game:

“Love... How do I explain? Love tells you when you want to be with a person forever. It makes you feel happy just to see that person happy, smiling...having fun. When you love someone, you will do anything to help when he or she is in trouble.”

[Source: Princess Peach, Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, Playable Character in Paper Mario: the Thousand Year Door, October 2004]

It’s pretty clear that when she says this, she’s thinking about Mario, between his obvious outwardly happy nature or his willingness to do anything to help her when she’s in trouble. This is reflected in Peach’s own actions in Super Princess Peach, when she saves Mario from Bowser’s clutches. It’s clear from her actions across various games that Peach would do anything to help Mario, and she’s comforted by him even in times of peril.

From taking Mario on a romantic vacation in Super Mario Sunshine, to talking about how caring he is with her paper counterpart, to her team name with him being “Cutest Couple” in Mario Party 5 and Mario Party 6, it’s clear that these two have a strong, devoted and loving relationship with one-another.

But when it comes to my personal favorite moment between them, I feel that my answer is quite a controversial one.

My favourite moment between Mario and Peach is the ending of Super Mario Odyssey.

Now, now. Put your pitchforks away. The main issue with this is that people tend to completely misinterpret the meaning behind this ending, and while I’m not going to go into too much detail here, I think it’s important to understand the intended themes of Super Mario Odyssey.

“[Super Mario Odyssey] is a journey following Mario to save Princess Peach, one of his most [beloved], so we wanted to make this an epic journey.”

[Source: Kenta Motokura, Director of Super Mario Odyssey, Vice, June 2017]

“Mario and Peach's relationship has been a big part of the games for a long [time], and in this game we're getting deeper into it!”

[Source: Kenta Motokura, Director of Super Mario Odyssey, GQ, October 2017]

“I've always thought that Mario carries a bit of a torch for Peach. I think that's true even back in the 2D Mario games. If not, he wouldn't be wasting his time rescuing her over and over again. [As for if Peach feels the same way,] The heart of a woman is a mystery.”

[Source: Yoshiaki Koizumi, Producer of Super Mario Odyssey, GameInformer, June 2017]

It’s clear that Super Mario Odyssey’s story exists to highlight the intricacies of the relationship between Peach and Mario in ways that hadn’t been explored previously. This is why the ending of Super Mario Odyssey is so excellent to me.

“The ending of Super Mario Odyssey is the culmination of an adventure both magnificent and personal. An upbeat song plays in the background while the scene unfolds: the joy of being reunited with someone you've missed, the slight embarrassment that comes with thinking of the one you love, Mario and Bowser's open honesty, and Peach's independence. Through the theme of marriage - which had never been addressed in the series before we see another side of Mario, Peach, and Bowser. The relationship between the three looks like it'll continue for years to come. The odyssey they've embarked on is far from over!”

[Source: Kenta Motokura, Director of Super Mario Odyssey, The Art of Super Mario Odyssey, September 2018]

Mario finally makes his feelings known to Peach, through a proposal, but he does so in the worst possible way. Peach refuses to marry Mario because he was acting immaturely. Mario cannot handle losing control of a bad situation and often makes rash decisions. While the latter is sometimes a positive trait for him, in this instance it’s a flaw which caused him to fight Bowser for Peach’s hand. You can hear Mario grunting while attempting to push Bowser out of the way and get Peach to accept him.

This is not the Mario that Peach knows. It is not the Mario that she loves. Peach had just been kidnapped from her home, dragged around the world and almost forcefully married to a man she’s romantically repulsed by. She was rescued by the man she loves in the nick of time who was finally about to make his move and propose to her, before Bowser barged back in and ruined the moment, and Mario started acting irrationally. She was fed up, and rightfully so.

So she turns down Mario’s proposal, and leaves. Peach does not turn down Mario’s proposal because she doesn’t love him - it’s abundantly clear that she loves him very much - she turns him down because it was the wrong place, at the wrong time, for the wrong reasons.

However, her love for the Mario she knows still rings true. Their relationship is so strong that even after all of that, they quickly recover, as is illuminated through Peach’s forgiveness. She takes a breath and calls out to Mario, inviting him to come home with her. It’s a showcase of the love they share for one-another, one more potent than we’ve seen before anywhere else. A truly well-crafted study of these characters and the intricacies of their interwoven lives.

[karakulialiny]

Alright, folks. June has arrived...

This means that there is less than a month left until Art Fight, and it’s time for me to update the references of my OCs and bring you thenew ones. I decided to start with the band Black Cardinal from the EDM Gang universe because I've been obsessed with them lately.

Here is a quick refresher about what Black Cardinal is: a British nu metal band founded in 2012 by two London University students - Nathan Wellerman and Ian Lepic.

The two first met when Ian was roomed with Nathan. They shared their dreams of musical stardom and began hatching a plan to start a band.

The brainstorming lasted about three weeks, then Alec Clay joined them, and Black Cardinal officially began to exist as a music band. They started with covers of songs by Limp Bizkit, Three Days Grace, and Drowning Pool. Then Ian suggested changing direction and making the songs more like those of Linkin Park. This brought the band even greater success.

Sometime in 2015, Nathan's younger brother, Noah, decided to join the group. The founder of the band was against it at first, but then he realized that there lack of bass player.

In mid-2017, the guys met a world-weary bartender, Howard, in a pub. During the conversation, he found out that these poor fellows needed a new band member, and he offered his candidacy.

Finally, in the fall of 2017, violinist Miranda, once a huge Black Cardinal fan, joined the band.

More information about these fellas can be found on their ToyHouse profiles:

[amuyyi]

♡About Me !!

⋆｡°✩ ⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊✩₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆ ✩°｡⋆ .・゜゜・　　・゜゜・． ｡･ﾟﾟ･　　 ･ﾟﾟ･｡

hihi! you can call me june (she/her) but just about any other name is fine by me. im a 20 year old asian american environmental science major who primarily writes for ggs ! i am a lesbian, so just about everything i write is gxg, if men are mentioned or if i ever write for them, its primarily platonic <3 im a bit of a tumblr newbie, having only one other active account dedicated to pokemon, but i simply joined because i want to share my writing with other wlw kpop stans !

i've been a kpop stan since around 2017, so i feel like i can write for a wide variety of ggs from niche to popular, though there are some things to keep in mind when looking through my works!

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥

i dont write for minor idols, even though i'll rarely delve into smut/18+ territory, its just uncomfortable for me.

i usually write fluff and relatively slow burn above all else because i am a romantic at heart, but im an avid enjoyer of angst/hurt no comfort and smut, so maybe i'll delve into that territory one day, im just a bit inexperienced!

i also am currently in the mood for x readers, but i will do idol x idol when the time comes!

honestly, i just write what i like! i mention a lot of nature and outdoors because its literally my career, but also i just love setting up the environment/worldbuilding so ><

i am also still just a student with a lab job + freelance art job, so posting actual content might be slow, i usually take forever to write!

dont be afraid to shoot me a dm !! i would love to make friends <3

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥

ult biases; hanni, yunjin, gowon, seulgi, shuhua, ningning

ult groups; loona, red velvet, newjeans, gfriend

idols/concerts ive seen; red velvet, loona, twice, dreamcatcher, eric nam, (g)-idle

other artists i listen to; laufey, beabadoobee, niki, sza, phoebe bridgers, wave to earth, etc.

thanks for reading! ill probably update this with more stuff later, i just like talking about myself lmaaoo

[magpiefngrl]

I posted 807 times in 2022

94 posts created (12%)

713 posts reblogged (88%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@mikkeneko

@veliseraptor

@ohnoyizhan

@lqtraintracks

@bloody-wonder

I tagged 804 of my posts in 2022

#fanart - 178 posts

#drarry - 84 posts

#wangxian - 81 posts

#the untamed - 70 posts

#mo dao zu shi - 49 posts

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#writing - 35 posts

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Longest Tag: 127 characters

#death of the author is also not 'ignore everything that is actually in the text in favor of what you feel like saying about it'

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

9 1/2 days has updated omg

Photo credit: Andrew Hocking (this is a picture of Kennack Sands, it's a real beach in Cornwall)

Kennack Sands, chapter 7 of my Cornwall fic aka 9 1/2 days, is out. It's only been two years, no big deal lol

It's drarry, rated E, currently sitting at 54k with two more chapters to go. It's a Canon Divergence (or rather Detour, you'll see) from the events of Book 7 with Harry and Draco being stranded together after the escape from Malfoy Manor.

Link to Chapter 7

Link to Chapter 1 if you want to read from the top

My eternal gratitude to @lqtraintracks who has betaed the chapter on short notice and gave me some excellent suggestions. Love u <3

66 notes - Posted June 4, 2022

#4

Hellooo! 💕

Sorry to slide in like this, you absolutely don't have to answer this, I just have no idea how else to grab your attention 😫

Your drarry fic series 'Arthur and the Lust Leaks' is seriously one of my all time favourites, they're just so hilarious! I love the dynamic between Daphne and Draco, Arthur (of course!🐣) and the general concept is just wonderful on its own XD

The concept of magic folk getting "Lust Leaks" when they're extremely horny is actually GENIUS!! Like what, how on earth did you come up with such a clever idea!?!?

My question is how would you feel about others using the concept? So long as you're credited for the inspiration, of course!

Thank you! You're brilliant!!💖

Oh what a lovely ask! I'm so glad you like the concept and thrilled you enjoy the 2 fics! I had a ball writing Daphne and Draco and ofc Arthur is adorable <3

How I came up with the Lust Leaks. When I joined the DTH fest, I'd only published one drarry fic that I'd written non-stop and obsessively over a few weeks; a fic which had poured out of me in a torrent. With The Full Monty I was more deliberate. I had a prompt, which gave me a direction to follow, but I wanted to do more. Now, my favourite author is Astolat and one of the things I love about her work is that she always has some cool magical element in her stories. I'm a fantasy author at heart, and her inventiveness and worldbuilding truly resonates with me. So, with this new drarry fic of mine, I wanted to create a magical element that would be new and interesting and would fit with canon.

I thought of developmental stages for children. How magical kids' magic appears when they're young. I can't remember the exact age it's supposed to happen, but in my mind it was linked to the stage where kids develop ego (around age three) (ego meaning the psychological theory, not selfishness). And then I thought what's another big stage of development (adolescence, lots of hormones) and what happens then? (sexual maturity). And what if, during that tumultuous time of their life, their magic goes haywire too?

I can't remember if I came up with the concept first and used it in the story or if I came up with something embarrassing happening to Draco and decided to dig into that idea and develop it. Either way, it went: idolise astolat-> magic appears when toddlers turn into children -> adolescents have raging hormones and this could affect their magic-> lust leaks when horny.

I wanted to write more in that 'verse myself. Back in spring 2017, I'd started writing a Lust Leaks Hogwarts-era fic inspired by a throwaway line in the fic about Blaise and how everything he touched grew wings and flew. I also began a sequel of the Full Monty with the title Saving Arthur. But I had a few big fests coming up and a birthday fic to write, and they got abandoned.

Finally, to answer your question: If you wish to use the concept in your fanfiction, then I'd be happy for you to do so. The credit would be much appreciated, and perhaps even a link to Full Monty for anyone curious to see the origin? That'd be brilliant.

However, this is only for fanfiction. If you're interested in using the concept for original fiction or any kind of work commercially available, then my answer is no. But I'm assuming you want to write drarry/ HP fic :)

This was a fun trip down memory lane. Thank you for sending the ask, for your very kind compliments, and I hope you enjoy playing with my lil' idea xx

68 notes - Posted December 7, 2022

#3

Happy 10th HP anniversary, LQT!

This month my darling friend, @lqtraintracks, celebrates ten years in the HP fandom.

Ten years omg! 🎊🎊🎊🎊

Ten years of passion and enthusiasm and love for drarry and the HP world; ten years of spreading joy to other fans; ten years of astounding writing (gods, I envy her so!); ten years of invaluable contributions to the community.

Lqt, the fandom is blessed to have you as a member and I feel honoured to call myself your friend. I thank my lucky stars I joined drarry when I did and got to meet you 💖

Here's a few things you should know about Lqt:

1. She's a phenomenal writer. No, I don't use this word lightly. If you haven't yet sampled her work, you're missing out. If I were you, I'd rectify this asap. Lqt's craft is a masterclass of its own: strong sentences, beautiful prose, thoughtful characterisations, scorching sex scenes, lots and lots of feels. Her writing sizzles. She's so quotable too. I can't think of another writer who has such a strong gift to write lines that the whole fandom imprints on and can remember years later. For instance: "I've fucked you in that shirt." I'm still losing my fkn mind over this line. Mention Blood and Fire, one of Lqt's masterpieces, to a reader and they'll immediately go "omg I've fucked you in that shirt!!!!!!"

2. She's a supporter of queer and trans rights in true Gryffindor spirit. Passionate and tireless, Lqt actively tries to make fandom a more inclusive, safe and welcoming space for everyone. She's an example to emulate.

3. She's a fierce, generous friend. I don't know what I've done to deserve her, but her generosity and kindness and support seem never ending. She's been there for me, esp during a tough period last year, and has listened to me vent when I felt like getting things off my chest; she's given me advice when I asked for it; and has been a relentless cheerleader when I needed a boost. She's the kind of friend who reads my fics even when they're in fandoms she's not familiar with. She might know nothing about wangxian but she will read my fics and she will comment with some lovely praise, and--I don't know if I ever told you, @lqtraintracks, but that floors me every single time. That you read and comment on my wangxian/hualian/non-HP fics. I'm a bit choked up about it, ngl

Right. *wipes tears* Recs!

My first LQT fic was Entropy to Ecstasy (drarry/ 4k/ E), a stellar example of second person POV and, er, rimming. Is this the most delicious combination or what? The longing in this fic is tangible; the UST through the roof. I adored it and still do; what a marvellous introduction to a great writer.

My latest LQT fic was Heart Like Neon (drarry/ 41k/ E) and it was one of the highlights of 2021. It's got enemies to lovers and hate sex and UST to-die-for but also excellent new magic (the Reaching! how amazing and such a Harry magic!), a large cast handled deftly, and a fantastic relationship progression. And again: so many wonderful quotes! "Being good… it’s not just one choice. It’s a thousand different choices. And that’s just one day." How do you do it, LQT????

But the fic that has carved itself in my heart is Blood and Fire (drarry/ 45k/ E). (The banner above is a realistic depiction of the state of my mind and body while reading the fic.) It's a story of second chances; of regret and mistakes; of making amends; of forgiveness. It's got agonising pining and excruciating longing; palpable tension and hot hot hot hot sex. It includes the most emotional hug of all times. It's a fic that makes me feel like "a bundle of kindling who invited fire over for dinner". (see what I told you about the quotes? She's fkn killing it!) It's a drarry classic (yes, I went there) and it's a fic that I will never, ever forget. For me, this story is up there with Donna Tartt and CS Pacat.

LQT, happy anniversary!!! May you enjoy another 10, 20, or more years in fandom! I'm so happy to know you 💖

79 notes - Posted January 14, 2022

#2

I started watching Avatar The Last Airbender (just season 1 so far) and had a look at the wikis. Can't tell you how shocked I am that the show isn't Katara x Zuko endgame. Shocked I tell you!

83 notes - Posted March 24, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

9 1/2 days is complete!

I think it's pretty obvious from the graphic that I began this fic a loooong time ago, back when we used to create collages for our fic posts :DD Trends have changed, people post some gorgeous banners these days, but this collage waited patiently for literal years for me to get my act together and finish writing, so there was no way I'd use anything else. Old school graphic it is.

******

Fic Title: 9 1/2 days

Warning: Author Chose Not to Use Warnings

Rating: Explicit

Length: 69.6k

Summary:

After the events at the Manor, Harry and Draco find themselves stranded in the countryside with a broken wand and Death Eaters on their tail. This is the story of an uneasy truce, featuring faerie forests, seaside caves, Romani camps, kind old ladies, and a shared bed in an attic.

Or how two boys fell in love in the midst of a bloody coup.

******

Thank you to the fabulous @lqtraintracks for her thoughtful suggestions in these last two chapters. The story is much better as a result. <33

Links to new chapters: 9, 10.

Read from the start

ETA: I've got some free time today and tomorrow so if anyone wants to send asks about the fic and its progress through the years, if you have any questions as to what hindered me, what spurred me on, or about what inspired me; or whatever: send me an ask! It's such a huge weight off my shoulders and I feel I need to get a lot out of my chest.

105 notes - Posted June 18, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[jg4178]

Hollow Knight's Game Exploration

Hollow Knight is a 2-D platforming game made by Team Cherry and released in 2017. It has since achieved massive success after a sizeable Kickstarter campaign, in no small part due to its masterful design. Allowing free exploration and letting players explore a well-developed story increases game enjoyment. Hollow Knight is a good example of this, giving enough freedom to the player to feel like they have ample choice at any given time, while simultaneously crafting a comprehensive ludonarrative background for the gameplay to thrive. 

Ludonarrative, from the words “ludology” and “narrative,” is the relationship between gameplay and narrative. The connected concept of ludonarrative dissonance refers to when the gameplay and the narrative conflict; an example of this is Blizzard’s Overwatch, where the gameplay involves canonical allies fighting to the point where it is widely accepted that the gameplay is not canon. Hollow Knight has no such dissonance. From the moment you start the game to the moment the end screen shows, the narrative is intertwined with the gameplay to such an extent that they are nearly two halves of a whole. (Mossbag).

Another place that Hollow Knight shines is in its Metroidvania aspects. A Metroidvania is a colloquial term from fans of the Metroid series referring to a game with a mostly open map with several “gates” that need certain upgrades to pass through. This lends itself excellently to the overall progression and feel of the game. There are no “quests”; everything past the acquisition of the Mantis Claw feels completely free. There is the overarching goal of the Three Dreamers, but besides that the whole world ingame is open to explore. Parts will feel daunting (as Hollow Knight is a rather difficult game), but the player knows they can come back to tricky spots when they get more equipment and items, so nothing feels like a wall (besides a certain prerequisite of skill).

Pictured above: When the player dies, they lose their money temporarily, and have to retrieve it from an enemy that spawns. This can seem like an obstacle, but encourages the players to learn fundamental gameplay skills to defeat the enemy. Moreover, the "Shade" has deep narrative roots, and avenues for finding out more about it are available in game. (Donoghue).

Worldbuilding in Hollow Knight is conducted through dialogue mostly. The character interactions are a large part of what brings the world to life (Donoghue). One of the best examples of the fundamental worldbuilding of Hollow Knight is the soundtrack (8-Bit Music Theory). Without being explicitly told, the player can parse out connections between different characters through leitmotifs and soundtrack similarities. For example, the theme of the White Palace, symbolizing the Pale King, sounds quite similar yet distinct from the theme of the White Lady, the King’s wife. These paint a cohesive picture without ever throwing it in the player’s face.

In closing, Hollow Knight utilizes the concepts of ludonarrative, player agency, and implicit worldbuilding to bring a world to life in a rather unique way. With over 3 million copies sold, one can learn from Hollow Knight that a very efficient way to have players invested in something is to give them near-full agency in it in a way that does not feel stifling but rather like a breath of fresh air.

Sources:

Horn, B. (2019). Of Insects, Wisps, and Uncertainty: A Hermeneutical Comparative Analysis of Ori and the Blind Forest and Hollow Knight. Paper presented at 25th International Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA 2019), Gwangju, Korea, Republic of.

Donoghue, A. (2021). The Quest for Ludonarrative: Designing a Ludonarrative Analytical Framework for analysis and design of ludonarrative in games through analysed case studies; Hollow Knight, Celeste, and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. Western Sydney University School of Humanities and Communication Arts.

YouTube. (2019, June 16). Leitmotif in Hollow Knight's soundtrack. YouTube. Retrieved April 12, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IZ6ObjdkPA

YouTube. (2021, December 23). Let's explore a hollow knight iceberg. YouTube. Retrieved April 14, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvoiwgJbmKE

[druidx]

July, Aug, Sept Roundup/ WIP Whenever

What was on the Task List for June:

✅ Go on hols ✅ Continue posting applicable drafts from @Druidx into @Dru-Reads-Writblr; answering old asks & tag games. ➼ Create WIP Intros for ❌ NaNoWriMo 2017 (modern-ish au) & give real title ✅ Elowyn Investigations ❌ Alexis dalliance vs the evil of Titan & give real title ✅ Tales of the Starbound

What have I been doing?

Iceland is amazing!!!!! I had such a good time, and the landscape is so inspiring. I saw new lava, volcanos, waterfalls, thermal springs, glaciers, and columnar basalt. I ate puffin, minke whale, and so much fish and lamb. It made me want to yank out the worldbuilding for Astrya's Star and do ~something~ with it.

Denmark is now my second home. This is causing more personal problems than it should 😅 But while I was there, I was able to finish several fics that have been lounging in the WIPs folder. Turns out that when two run a house, you have more time and energy for other stuff.

In between holidays and finishing fics, I've been prodding things on Tumblr. On Sep 12 I decided to start posting my old catalog of work, using the tag #for posterity. You can read about why here.

What’s next for October?

➼ Posting drafts, answering old asks & tag games, & updating Masterposts. Tumblr admin-y stuff.

➼ Prep for NaNoWriMo. It's coming up on that time of year again, lads. I had thought I was going to write Tenguer, the joke AU I came up for the Cryptid Series, but The Ruby Falls has decided to take over instead. So, I need to:

Resurrect the WIP intro

Review my planning doc

Review my word count doc

Maybe get some more detail down about The Blades

Re-read where I was

Meal plan/ make "ready meals", ensure I have a good stock of healthy snacks

Update to the new LTS and run backups

ICYM

➼ Spiritus Alco Custodiat (TESIV: Oblivion, Modern AU), Tumblr ~ AO3 :: A jest from Jena turns swiftly sour

➼ Strawberry Fizz (TESIV: Oblivion, Modern AU), Tumblr ~ AO3 :: Martin & Baurus take a summer holiday

➼ The 'Shroom Witch (Starbound), Tumblr :: Mio, the Last Protector, visits an agaran witch for help destroying the Ruin.

➼ The Temple of the Fading Light (Starbound), Tumblr ~ AO3 :: Mio, the Last Protector, investigates an ancient temple and learns the dark secrets behind it

➼ Long Past Dawn (TESIV: Oblivion, Modern AU), Tumblr ~ AO3 :: Martin isn't fond of parties or unwanted female attention. Baurus has a solution…

➼ Per Necessitatem (TESIV: Oblivion), Tumblr ~ AO3 :: A description of Rowan performing the Dark Brotherhood's Purification Quest

➼ Rowan Hunts (TESIV: Oblivion), Tumblr ~ AO3 :: Jauffre has gone missing; Rowan hunts him down and brings him back

[badassbutterfly1987]

2024 Book Reviews (January-June)

5 stars

Doomsday with My Dog (Yu Ishihara, 2022): Post apocalypse manga with a teenage girl and her shiba inu companion traveling across Japan. Format a bit like the daily Garfield comics, it's overall a good time and worth a read especially for dog lovers. Also the epilogues to each volume consistently made me cry (in a good way).

The Nursery (Szilvia Molnar, 2023): An undeniably rough read about a new mother experiencing post-partum depression while trying to care for her infant daughter while her husband has to return to work and leave them alone for most of the day. As someone with complicated personal feelings about pregnancy/childbirth/parenthood, it was unsettling to read about the portrayal of depression and intrusive thoughts. Warning for brief thoughts of harming her child and the specific discomforts post-pregnancy.

4 stars

Ninefox Gambit (Yoon Ha Lee, 2016): Did I understand half of the scientific worldbuilding? No. But I did adore the Cheris-Jedao dynamic and the secondary characters were interesting. There are a bunch of twisty flashbacks in the climax/aftermath that would make a second reading worth it.

3 stars

River of Teeth (Sarah Gailey, 2017): Fun but too short to have much depth. Decent heist, decent characters, decent diversity.

Alone in Space collection (Tillie Walden, 2021): Wish I had stronger feelings because these are clearly personal comics.

Stolen Gods (Jake Page, 1993): A fantastic premise with an unique character. The first in a series about a blind sculpturer who is also an amateur investigator (think Sherlock Holmes). Its approach to Hopi culture and the bullshit of art collectors/museums being resistant to returning cultural artifacts seems well-researched. Can't say much about the blind representation; some scenes clearly take it into account while others seem lacking (one would expect the use of a white cane or seeing eye dog and not just relying on people around him as a guide).

2 stars

Rain Will Come (Thomas Holgate, 2020): Neo-noir thriller with a great premise but mostly doesn't deliver. Some good moments but otherwise felt like I wasted time reading this when there are better versions in the genre.

Ash (Malinda Lo, 2009): I like the premise. I wish I liked the actual story better. It has the right bones but ultimately didn't click with me beyond the first third and part of that is that I'm not sure what the book is trying to be about. Is it a character study? Is it a love triangle? Is it about the main character overcoming institutional sexism, homophobia, or class differences? There's pieces of all of that but no depth and little vibrancy. Kaisa as the main love interest has some sweet interactions with Ash but that's about it. Sidhean has more presence by virtue of being a mysterious fairy with uncertain motives but aside from a last minute reveal, there's no more depth beyond that. The conflict resolution made me have a "wait, that's it?" reaction.

Nonfiction:

The Mask of Benevolence: Disabling the Deaf Community (Harlan Lane, 1992): Decent look at the poor treatment of the Deaf community by hearing people. Tends to be dry and meandering, probably better books if you want to learn about the history of the Deaf community.

Act Natural: A Cultural History of Misadventures in Parenting (Jennifer Traig, 2019): fascinating idea, wish it was better structured and less distractedly snarky. Also have to take everything with a grain of salt because I caught two notable mistakes in the first 50 pages; otherwise gives the impression of being well-researched.

Pageboy (Elliot Page, 2023): an intimate and personal memoir about Elliot Page's difficult experiences in Hollywood, struggling with depression and dysphoria, multiple messy relationships, and coming out twice.

Kinfolks: Falling Off the Family Tree (Lisa Alther, 2007): the author's memoir about growing up in Tennessee and researching her possible Melungeon ancestors. While the subject is interesting, it takes a while to get to the point.

A Fire Story (Brian Fies): Conveys the experiences of the author and other families during and after the 2017 California wildfires that destroyed their homes. The art style is simple and conveys a lot of emotion

[dysonshellworld]

Introduction

It’s time for World Building June!

Instead of focusing ONLY on the Dyson Shell World like I did last year, I'm just gonna follow the muse and work with whatever world i feel like I can come up with something for for any given prompt- the ones for this world will go here first of course, but if you wanna keep an eye out for the rest of them, please also check out @arthopping

So:

Here's a doodle for the Shell World. I don't want any of the stories I tell to be explicitly ABOUT the fact that this is a constructed planet, but it definitely informs a lot of the politics of the world, so it's worth exploring at least for my own benefit.  

I imagine that this is a really striking, singular experience: being outside of the shell, with nothing above you but void- maybe even for the first time there's not even the other side of the planet above you, i imagine it's a trip.

Anyway, she's doing some research, probably.  There are a lot of records about the shell in the archives and whoever built it did their best to outline as much about how it works as possible, but the general feeling is "maybe we should do a bunch of our own poking around bc we don’t want to be taken by surprise"

[zestyommlette-blog]

Worldbuilding June 2017

Prompt One: Introduction!

       Yanvan is a super continent made up of the interlocked backs of the 4 dormant titans Ono, Myar-Reb, Xosachuixotl, and Hokkakura. Nothing is known about the character and lives of these collosus beings when they where truly alive, but when the stars of nothia where pulled from the sky, they hunkered down into the depths of the sea and huddled up to each other to protect one another. They are now forever imprisoned by the waters they sought shelter from; every lap of the tide now over-saturated with nothia’s dust. It anchors them down and binds their fearful embrace, possibly for the rest of time.

       The realm Yanvan inhabits is little understood, even by its own natives. The seas are untraversable, and have been untraversable for millennia. Exploration beyond the backs of the 4 feels to have always been impossible. Is there really a world out there, off these dead beasts? Maybe the waters lap on and on forever, going as distantly and endlessly as the sky it mirrors, with no other life to be dreamed of. Where there other titans? Do they still live, do they move? Or where they all turned to dust by the stars?

       The constellations above Yanvan dance with each other in the night sky. They move to each other and away from each other, each having their turn to visit one another. When it is a stars turn to visit their sister Nothia, they are pulled balefully close to the surface. The magic of the visiting star radiates all of the world, heavily influencing lives, deaths, and destiny itself. Their visits are commonly known as major ages, and the rhythm of the sky dance has become the rhythm of the men underneath it.

       Many civilizations have been brought up and destroyed by the flow of the stars. Entire species, enlightened and strong, have been decimated by the armageddon’s that the wrong age at the wrong time can bring. Even on a smaller scale, each individual’s affinity and capacity for magic is entirely decided by the major and minor ages not only THEY where born in, but the ages of their parents, and the ages of their parents parents. For the past couple centuries, magic has treated life favorably. Great and terrible histories have been written, and technology has gone farther than many have ever dreamed. And in this time without any catastrophe that wasn’t self designed, everyone’s eyes have started to linger there; on that horizon, where the ocean shimmers and gleams invitingly, as if to mock them. It’s an interesting time to be alive, but the current age will be ending soon. What will the new one bring?

[em-k-lee]

Day 1: Introduction

On a planet very different from our own lives a race who refer to themselves as the Erwanes. They are an interesting species, very expressive and social, and they are constantly figuring out new ways to experiment with different art mediums, such as fashion and sculpture. They also consider nature an extremely important part of their world in a spiritual sense, and as a result, they avoid cutting down forests as much as possible.

However, one day tragedy strikes on a town that in tucked away in Endefal Forest, leaving almost no surviving witnesses who could give a clear idea of what happened. What is clear is that an explosive attack left everything in ruins and the Erwanes see it as a sign that the forest there is something evil living there and the entire area is cursed. The land becomes forbidden and is feared.

Several decades past and the civilization is going through a Golden Age in science and technology, but not all is what it seems. As a result, a small team of Erwanes want to at least examine the ruins to find out the real reason behind it’s untimely demise (unfortunately without the permission of their government). One of the members is our main protagonist Va Hace, who works as a short of food finder who helps the team live off the land. When they do get to the ruins, what they find is not supernatural but is dangerous. Hace is captured, but he meets someone who might be able to help him...

[bunny-world-building]

Talaura day 6: Gender and sexuality

Hey all, Bunny here. Gonna be honest, this isn’t something I’ve thought overly much about. I understand that it can play a huge part in shaping the world, the attitudes of its people and so on, but it’s not something I tend to fixate on. With that having been said, there are a few notes that I’ve made on this topic.

• The most interesting aspect of gender in Jafleaye is the primogenitrix law of inheritance. If a person dies intestate, the majority of their assets are expected to be passed onto the eldest daughter. Sons are expected to make their own fortune, not to leech off what their fathers left behind; while daughters are expected to use their money to make savvy investments and ultimately further their own position in society. The divide in Jafleaye is not between men and women but between classes, the haves and have-nots, though their generally liberal attitude towards “new blood” means that upwards mobility is common, more often among women who have the resources to invest and are often educated on the same level as (if not better than) men.  Homosexuality is not an issue within Jafleaye, where same-sex marriages are heard-of (if not exactly common). The divide between public and private spheres is well-understood, and even the most bigoted members of the upper echelons of society operate on a “Don’t ask, don’t tell.” policy. Although ostensibly illegal in Jafleaye, prostitution is tacitly condoned and escorts and concubines, while not explicitly referred to as such, are common sights in wealthy households. In addition, upper-class women are often allowed to have more than one partner (though polyandry is not legal), since this reflects their diverse economic interests, and well-educated, worldly women are understood to have lavish parties with many guests that escalate into something more risqué though these are not discussed outside. Upper-class men, however, are expected to remain faithful to their partners, particularly if those partners are their patrons or benefactors as well.

• Shabar’s culture being primarily dominated by displays of strength means that sexism is an unfortunate side effect of institutionalised prejudice rather than being explicit. Rather than what you are, the Shabari will judge you based on what you do, but sexism is still prevalent, particularly among non-orc races.  Female orcs are typically looked down upon until they prove themselves, unlike male orcs who are respected until they do something to lose that respect, and the men of other races are accepted more readily into Shabari warbands than the women are, though again, anyone who can prove themselves capable is likely to gain trust; and anyone who betrays that trust will be ostracised. The orcs have a transient idea of gender identity, and many choose to take on the names or epithets of the ancestors they respect the most, regardless of (perceived or actual) gender. The Voivod of a warband will often take several partners (willingly or by force), as is understood to be their right. Other members of the warband are free to choose partners for themselves, but the decisions of the Voivod will supersede the decisions of lower individuals. Historically, both elves and humans had been kept as slaves by Shabari warbands for multiple purposes, but sometimes ended up marrying into the clan to achieve full status. Again, this often was not the choice of the slave, though mutual affection between these sorts of couples were not unprecedented. In addition, a Voivod may have kept many slaves in a personal harem, typically women and young men, partly for their own pleasure and partly as a further expression of power. Recently, slavery has been outlawed by four of the five principal countries of Talaura and Shabar, while not involved in that decision-making process, has slowly been attempting to phase out the practice or risk embargo from the other nations (or worse).

• Mothers in Tesman enjoy far more rights than fathers, though this does not necessarily extend to women in general. It is often difficult to prove which member of the clan sired the child, but the mother is not so easily called into question, making her the primary caretaker (though all members of the clan are expected to contribute to the child’s upbringing) and also giving her name to the child (Tesman names consist of three parts: a given name, chosen most often by the mother but sometimes put to a vote by the whole clan; a matronymic, being identical to the mother’s given name apart from necessary inflectional differences, since the Tesman language Pwoðgá has a complex grammatical gender system; and a surname, derived from the clan). The communal nature of life in Tesman means that homosexuality is not only accepted but expected to some degree. Fidelity and exclusivity are practically anathema among these clans, who are expected to be open and intimate with one another (to a degree that some might find disturbing, perhaps even bordering on incestuous). Promiscuity is not frowned upon, though an individual is considered at fault if their actions have caused the upset of another and this extends to sexual activities. In addition to this, there exists a particular caste of exclusively-female shamans and seers, known collectively as Vǫlur (singular Vǫlva). Though male spirit-talkers do exist, men cannot become Vǫlur, who enjoy a privileged position in society, commanding great respect from all members of their clans as well as in other clans. Potential Vǫlur are selected at a young age and trained in a number of disciplines including herbalism and traditional medicine, augury, spirit-talking and so on. It is, in fact, a crime punishable by exile for a man to be found practising these specific disciplines, seen to be intruding on the realm of exclusively female magic.

• Some (but not all) lionfish merfolk are sequentially hermaphroditic, beginning their lives as males and metamorphosing into females as the needs of their community vary. These societies are typically matriarchal, with men fulfilling roles associated with manual labour, hunting and fishing, combat and so on; whereas women will be leaders, civil servants and business owners, for example. Primary education typically covers all of these topics (in addition to history, science, the arts, arithmetic and so on), since it is impossible to tell which of the young boys in the school might grow into young women. As time has gone on, this has led to an increasingly blurred distinction between male and female in the minds of the Aspuan merfolk in particular, and more recently the metamorphosis has been less to do with actual physicality and more to do with psychology, being an active decision on the part of many; and down to what feels right or natural for many more. Even the merfolk whose biology remains consistent throughout life might find themselves taking up a more typically “masculine” or “feminine” roles, though this psychological transition is generally more common among those born male than female. Among the more solitary sharkfolk, mothers are expected to raise their young the bare minimum, then leave their broods to fend for themselves. Sharkfolk are often seen as much more “feral” than their brightly-coloured cousins, considered barbaric or brutal by many, and they often have trouble integrating with society. Sharkfolk don’t like interacting with other races. In fact, they rarely like interacting with other sharkfolk, only coming together to mate and beyond that, finding the company of others tiresome and unnecessary. Sharkfolk rarely form communities with one another and as such, there is no 

[sparkycinnamon]

Finally making an introduction post!

Thought it was the time to make an intro post, so:

Hi! I'm Pipes, though you can also call me Cheesy, Right, or Spark! I'm a non-binary autistic oriented aroace who likes reading, cartoons, drawing, and writing.

Pronouns (in order of preference):

They/them

She/her (only if we're close)

It/its

Xey/xem

Ae/aer

Fandoms (bold indicates a current hyperfixation/special interest):

SpongeBob

Object shows

Bugsnax

Kirby

Roblox

Minecraft (just the normal game, I'm not interested in any of the SMPs or whatever)

Amphibia

Gravity Falls

DuckTales (2017)

Big City Greens

The Ghost and Molly McGee (as you can tell I really like Disney Channel cartoons)

Cookie Run

My Little Pony (mainly FIM, but also some of the older generations)

Alphabet Lore (and some of the parodies of it)

The Jell-O Wobz

Dead End: Paranormal Park (up to season 1)

The Amazing World of Gumball

KaBlam! (particularly the Henry and June segments)

Hey Arnold!

Animator vs. Animation

The Amazing Digital Circus

Music artists I like:

I DON'T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME

Lemon Demon

Tally Hall/Miracle Musical

Louie Zong

Glass Animals

Set It Off

Caravan Palace

Diviners

Two Door Cinema Club

Some other things I like (again, bold indicates a current hyperfixation/special interest):

Food (especially candy)

Retro commercials and snacks

Analog horror and ARGs

Bugs (especially ants and dragonflies)

Webcore/“old web” aesthetics

Worldbuilding

Different alphabets/letters/languages

Lost media (especially cartoon/internet-related lost media)

I have far too many AUs, and far too many OCs.

I'll block you if you're a bigot, proshipper, or NSFW blog (I'm a minor). Just be a decent person and we're cool, okay?

Other stuff:

I don't curse very often, but if I do, it's probably because I'm really ticked (expect me to swear a lot in my vent posts too). Either that, or I’m doing it “for the bit”. I do reblog posts with swear words in them a lot, though.

DM me if you want my blacklist so you can tag stuff so I don't see it (I'll only give it to people I trust though)

As I said in the beginning of this introduction post, I am autistic and have trouble understanding text, so please be patient with me and use tone tags as much as possible! /gen

My rambling tag is #right hand rambles, my art tag is #look at my art boy, and my writing tag is #i write sometimes.

Other, less common tags I use are;

#right hand's attempts to be funny (for textless memes)

#right hand spitballs au ideas (for aus that don’t have names yet, aus with names will have a tag with their name instead)

#adventures in objectopia (for object oc stuff)

If you need something tagged or I forget to tag something for you, please tell me.

Also, I'm white and I really don't want to offend anyone, so if I say something bad, reblog from someone bad, or I reblog something bad, please tell me! /gen

Please don't ask me to RP out of nowhere. /nm

This blog is SFW, but I may occasionally reblog posts that could be seen as suggestive. If you don't want to see that, please block the tag "suggestive".

I'm okay with adults interacting with me, but I'd prefer that you don't DM me if you're an adult unless I know you already/we're mutuals/I DM first.

All my posts are okay to tag as kin/id/me!

Other than that, please feel free to interact with me! I don't bite, I promise.

[deitiesofduat]

Within DEITIES verse, the Was Scepter is among one of the earliest divine weapons used to channel energy and magic. While the Was Scepter is capable of channeling the magic energy from a deity's ka, it was also was created -- and originally intended -- to manifest a deity’s potential with controlling free-flowing [Chaos] energy.

The Was Scepter is unique in its ability to shift into nearly any weapon or tool its wielder desires, through the use of Chaos magic. Due to its ancient and chaotic origins, The Was Scepter is known [to be] a difficult weapon -- and echoing some rumors, a dangerous weapon -- for most deities to use. 

So, that scepter that Set likes to use in previous backstory hints, prior to his exile? It’s kinda a big deal in DEITIES verse. So much so that it gets it’s own section of notes. Been wanting to actually flesh out a proper design for it and demonstrate some Set’s skill with using his former Divine weapon. More details can be found in the new notes for The Was Scepter. There are also some extended details regarding the Was Scepter on Patreon, and some scrapped artwork for these notes will be posted there soon!

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[fabianocolucci]

Some Quick Worldbuilding Tips as Camp NaNoWriMo approaches

I have found this post in the notes, written a few weeks ago. Camp NaNo is over now, but this can still be useful.

So, it is late June as I’m writing this post. For a writer, this can mean one thing: Camp NaNoWriMo is approaching! An entire month worth of preparing for what is essentially a huge training exercise for NaNo.

Ever since 2017, I have always used both Camp NaNo events (April and July) to prepare and refine my writing in preparation for NaNoWriMo, while also using it for other goals (mostly studying-related).

If you are like me, then this July is going to be the perfect occasion to figure out eventual problems with your writing. And, since I am mostly focused on fixing my worldbuilding issues right now, I thought it might be nice to exchange some tips with you, hoping you could find them as useful as I do.

Let your imagination roam freely, but still set some boundaries

Your story, your rules. If you want to have a story set in the real World, but a few laws of physics aren’t respected, then feel free to do so. If you want to create a science fiction world with tons of fantasy elements, that’s on you.

However, one thing you should remind yourself about is that you need some boundaries. If you are creating a fantasy world, with lots of magic, then you need to know how your magic system works. You should be able to say “this wizard can perform these spells, but, for instance, they can’t cast them if they lack a wand”. With science fiction, even if you break the laws of physics, you might want to explain why. A person could be able to fly, but you can’t just say “X can fly”.

Figure out how useful a character is by pretending to remove them from a story

You don’t know how important a certain character is? Or, even worse, you don’t know if they’re important? Then, picture the story without them, the whole story. How much does the plot change, should this character not exist?

If you notice that the plot isn’t affected at all, then this character might not be useful, and you could try to fix that. If it changes marginally (like, say, the main character wouldn’t know how to reach a certain place without X showing them a shortcut), then you already have a degree of usefulness. If it changes so much you almost can’t recognise it, then all your doubts would be solved.

Try to know more than what you’re going to write

Sure, the fact that the town you’re going to show in chapter 5 has 300 inhabitants might be something you wouldn’t mention, and the same can be applied to a character’s middle name, but knowing those facts can be helpful to your story, because you are aware of things that could potentially come in handy.

[dswcp]

It’s Lightsaber Week!

I’m not sure Luke’s parents would agree with him here. Perhaps that’s why his dad’s lightsaber is freaking out.

“Doctor Aphra,” issue 8, a.k.a. “Screaming Citadel,” issue 5. Marvel. June 28, 2017. Writer: Kieron Gillen. Penciller and Inker: Andrea Broccardo. Letterer: Joe Caramagna. Colorist: Antonio Fabela.

P.S.: I just remembered a wonderful video about lightsabers by one of my favorite YouTubers, David J Bradley. He compares the lightsabers of Star Wars’ three protagonists and how they develop their character arcs and even their trilogy’s worldbuilding. Check it out here!