#<- officially the coolest person in this system

[the-fictive-haven]

When your system accidentally introjects another system's introject lmao. Well guess I'm here now

-Surge ⚡

[fagcrisis]

poppy war thoughts, aka this book was so bad it made me want to get a goodreads account just so i can shit on it in an official capacity

so what initially sold me on this book, is that despite my friend ellis absolutely hating rf kuang's babel, ive only ever seen raving reviews for it anywhere else, and a brief description of its magic system reminded me of gergő és az álomfogók. i love that mainstream fantasy is finally starting to rely on drawing from cultures other than the sort of western mainstream and i was actually super excited to get into it. well it sucked (this contains spoilers obviously)

its 11 am this is not gonna be very structured but let me start off by listing some things i did enjoy. first of all its low hanging fruit and im better than this so im only gonna shit on tpw for being so directly about the sino chinese war that the only actual interesting bits of exposition in the book was what was just a description of actual events a Little bit. listen lotr is about ww2. its fine its all fine. anyway, i had fun with the bits of worldbuilding that were yk, actually worldbuilding. the magic system was really interesting and just super not explored enough, the book handled drug addiction about as sensitively as the dare program, but nevertheless it was a cool concept. shamans who have to get high as hell do do anything and then putting those guys in a combat setting is crazy. really fun concept. speaking of shamans i loved jiang. his archetype is impossible to fuck up and he was loveable and fun till the very end. uhh what else. the fight descriptions were good its something kuangs is decent at, as someone whos watched just truly an inordinate amount of wuxia as a child i rly can appreciate a stupid convoluted fight scene. oh i found it hysterical that the west was just one country that was really fun.

NOW ONTO THE SHIT I HATED

rin is incredibly unlikeable i know its not the point of every book ok but tpw isnt good enough to have a protagonist who is just impossible to relate to this isnt 1984 okay this is contemporary ya. i GET that she sucks and thats the point but im supposed to emphatize with her and throughout the book she just seemed stupid and easy to manipulate and not very interesting. shes an incredibly shallow character which is i guess what happens when you base your ya teenage girl protagonist on CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY MAO ZEDONG. HELLO. anyway. all her personal relationships are very much carried by the strenght of the characters close to her, and because most characters in this book are not very interesting that makes for a shitty fucking protagonist.

most of the conflict in this book is extremely artificially generated until maybe the second half of part 3. everyone in rins life is unnessecarily mean to her because shes just so smart and good at things. the part where they accused her of cheating on the exams and she owned them like crazy came to define much of the book. some kind of mean cunt whose purpose in life is to cause misery is an asshole to rin bc shes so smart and strong and talented, and she owns them with a witty remark. she punches nezha on the first day of school for fucks sake.

speaking of the school, the majority of the book is spent at sinegard academy and it is an extremely predictable and dull affair. i long for the wizard of earthsea. kuang is not a very good writer on a technical level and everything that she tries to imply she ends up spelling out (usually by having a character say it out loud) only a couple pages later. you can get through 2/3rds of this book by just reading every other page and correctly guessing what has happened and what will happen. in possibly the funniest paragraph of part 2, rin thinks about how everybody thinks altan is the coolest guy and yet he has no friends and at this point shes been experiencing quite severe racism from all of her peers and then instead of leaving you to figure out the quite obvious conclusion kuang literally has her say "oh his skin is dark and mine is too. i wonder if he knows what racism is like" just, truly hysterical.

her feud with nezha is unbearable, i knew immediately that he would become a romantic interest because a ya protagonist cannot hate a boy for perfectly good reasons. it always has to be bc shes horny. anyways thankfully when she starts studying with jiang, jiang is there and the terrible dullness of it all is lifted somewhat

as i mentioned before, the actual historical elements in the book elevate it greatly and the third part is almost enjoyable in some sections. however, unfortunately, this is also the part of the book where rin and altans darkling situation begins. i have a sinking feeling altan may not have died, which sucks because i hated this bit. they have virtually no relationship to eachother except altan yelling at rin occasionally. now again there were bits and pieces of their relationship that i didnt quite hate, but honestly i still dont entirely buy the rin is a seerly thing emotionally because she is so detached from it. the revelation only seemed to shock her a little bit and then she was busy with being at war and her boss hating her, when she actually gains the power of the phoenix at the very end its her own hatred and egoism fueling her rather than any connection to her people. overall this again comes back to her being quite weak as a character, and the worldbuilding suffers as a result of that

in any case, ill mull over continuing the series. the ending was actually quite strong i love a genocide as a result of being a stupid fucking 19 year old (dont quote me on this please), so maybe the next one is better maybe ms kuang learned to write inbetween these 2.

[mochinomnoms]

Your talk about museums and ancient artifacts being sold and bought by rich people as trophies made remember why I hate the Spanish conquerors with a fervent passion.

Motherfuckers they didn’t only stole from the Incas, but also tried so FUCKING HARD to extinguish their medicinal knowledge, cuisine, beliefs, break and destroy a lot of ancient infrastructure, be called “the discoverers of rich lands” or some shit like that.

Only to be looked back as the BIGGEST idiots in all history, in my opinion.

You know how much medicinal knowledge could’ve been useful around those times?! I’m so salty about it, yeah some of the medicines were passed down thankfully, like a type of penicillin made by a specific fermented potato (fermented in a VERY SPECIFIC WAY) that is consumed (which smells like shit btw ever smelled a rotten potato?!) as a purée for stomach ulcers and infections.

I can’t imagine all the advancements that would’ve been made if instead of conquering they preserved it. Some things maybe would’ve been faster.

And the recent diasomnia chapters just made me want blood again.

But the, idk if called it happy, thing is that they never reached Machu Picchu. The secret was kept through generations until they couldn’t anymore in the beginning of the last century.

Machu Picchu is still in danger due to sightseers. Unfortunately, tourists like to mess with the site, which erodes it due to the large amount of visitors on a daily basis. it's not officially in danger until the UNESCO says so though, but it's a reoccurring issue that tourists disrespect historical sites, especially now. Many of them are influencers or aspiring influencers trying to get that "unique" shot for their socials, but either don't realize or care about the disrespect that are giving to the historical site. This isn't even unique to ancient American sites, but also European, Asian, and Middle Eastern sites.

That's not even speaking about ancient Judaic (i think that's the word) religious sites being bombed in Palestine rn. The number of important historical sites being destroyed because of wars is innumerable and devastating.

But you're correct that there are a good deal of ancient knowledge that were lost due to colonization. Pre-Colombian Mesoamericans were incredibly advanced for their time and could compare with early 1900s society, maybe. They had advanced irrigation systems for agriculture, as well as aqueducts for their version of plumbing. They also had a fairly advanced mathematical system and astronomy knowledge. There's also some evidence that suggests some of the pre-Colombian peoples traveled the Atlantic and made contact with I believe Egypt specifically, though from what I'm aware it's all theoretical and not completely confirmed quite yet.

They also had a very complicated and fascinating religious systems in place for the various tribes, which is super cool to me. Personally think one of the coolest finds are the Incan terraces and irrigation for agriculture. And the other, which is a personal interest, is the fact that the Tenochtitlan (now modern day Mexico City) was nearly built on a lake! Its main city was built on a lake in Lake Texcoco, but they used chinampas, which are man-made islands, for mainly agriculture, but evidence shows that they may have built bigger ones for homes and shops! They were connected through four main bridges, which allowed for travel but also built around with the aqueducts in mind as well. Mexico City was built right on top of it, but lately it's been sinking further into the lake, most likely due to the weight of two cities and the growing population causing it to fall under pressure. Anyways I'll shut up now but super cool.

[aza-trash-can]

Hewooo!✨

I am still reading the jjk manga (i am like around chapter 160), but I wanted to ask you who your fav character and what your favorite ability is :]

*deep inhale*

GOJOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The way I saw this man and said "oh, problematic yet sympathetic person with serious trauma and mental issues? lemme make him my blorbo" is unreal

(Tied for second tho is Geto [i can't keep gojo from his bf even in my list of favourites], Yuuta, and Megumi, possibly also Shoko, Nanami, and Maki)

Favourite ability tho? God, idk, they're all really cool. I think Hakari's is by far the funniest and Gojo's is the coolest (I love the mixing of physics and magic systems). Honourable mentions go to Megumi for being able to basically have a pet dog whenever he wants, Todo for how surprisingly broken something called 'Boogie Woogie' is, and Yuji for 'haha get punched twice bitch'

I myself am on chapter 198, but I've had the entire thing spoiled for me (willingly, I need spoilers to get myself invested in something)(and leaks are tonight! I gotta fucking speed through the rest of this cause I want to at least read the last chapter when it officially releases on the site I read on, so I have only a couple weeks left)

[positivelymossie]

So I am doing more world building/remaking on my little MCD Blessed Children Au (It's just for fun, nothing serious) and I want your opinion/suggestion because you are good at it.

So the main cast is based a lot on fairy tale tropes because I think it's a lot of fun with each of the major players getting 2-ish tropes

Garroth - Overprotective King and Classic Knight - He is Lilith's primary care giver and wants to protect her with his entire heart. Very much a King Triton kind of character trope, and while he isn't a King, he is Aphmau's right hand

Lilith - Rowdy Princess and Neglected Sister - She is a Rapunzel type of character who craves freedom and to be her own person away from pretending to be Alina.

Alina - Rowdy Princess and Magical Child - The classic overpowered magical girl trope with a splash of Merida from Brave. Because she gained the Irene relic, many people want to obtain this magical child

Aphmau - Widow and STRICT Royal Parent - Aphmau is a very stressed and sad mother who is overprotective of her kids and especially Alina.

Lo - Fairy God Parent and Mentor - I have officially made Lo a former pirate along with be a bard and a seamstress, so he is officially the coolest nanny one could ask for. Theres more, like Shad is the evil stepparent and Katelyn as the NOT-Damsel but I have ran into a small problem. Originally Liochant was meant to represent the animal companion, as he is a meif'wa, but I have decided that Lilith needs to have a wyvern named Kitty for hilarity sake. Now Liochant already has the classic fairytale/kid story role of the Helpful Servant but I want to make him cursed and I have no idea what. Like, Liochant is a literal animal man and has fire magicks so I could do something with that but if you have any curse suggestions, let me know! Can spout out as many as you want cause I am drawing blanks.

oooohohohoho hi:

I had a lot of fun just typing away on my mobile device:

•being unable to communicate verbally. Perhaps Liochant only emits the chirps of a bird (despite not physically being one).

•smells of fire and rot (how does fire magic work? Is Liochant "built" to house a system of fire and smoke in their throats and bellies (like certain fairytales dragons) or do they summon it in a ritualistic manner. I think if Liochant was "built" to have smoke and fire on and around, and even in him, smelling of rot, fire, and maybe even. Rotting *flesh* would be a hell of a curse.

•curse for EVERYTHING Liochant says to be taken as rude, rash, and a double-meaning... Garroth would be very "????" (Primarily thinking about that guy). It has to be learned: he isn't actually being an ass, that's just what he sounds like. (Like a snarky humor being taken too far) (Unfortunately)

•being cursed to remain in an animal's body when nature does something specific (like a werewolf and the full moon) (can correspond with curse #1.) (or even being cursed until that animal's body dies *or*, pull a "princess and the frog". Perhaps he is stuck in animal form, and accidentally turns someone *else* into a similar issue (like when Tiana and Naveen kiss, because he thought she was a princess. Since she isn't, she is transformed to a frog, as well).

These were really fun to think about!! Thanks for asking:)

[illarian-rambling]

Is there a magic ranking system? What are the ranks if there is? If there isn't one, how would you rank them?

Alas, there is no magic ranking system on Illaros. To someone from there, that'd be kind of like having a definitive science ranking - they all have different applications, so it'd be like comparing apples to oranges. Every type of magic has its own strengths and are rarely used in the same way.

That said! I'll quickly go over the strengths and weaknesses of each and then decide which I think is the coolest

Runic magic is wildly adaptable. It doesn't require any physical effort on the part of the wielder. Its applications are probably the broadest out of any type of magic. However, it takes a lot of study to master. It's also not the best in combat as writing a single rune takes minutes at the very least - days at the most.

Alchemy is similar to runic magic in that it requires no physical effort from the wielder. Its applications aren't as broad as runic magic, but unlike runes, alchemy can be used far more easily to directly affect the body. The downsides are that, again, not the most useful in combat unless you really know what you're doing. It also takes a lot of study and frankly it's far more dangerous to study than runes, given that a huge part of alchemy is hunting down magical beasts.

Sorcery is probably the most useful type of magic for combat. It's intuitive, it's quick (spells take no longer to cast than it takes to put your hands together), and it's more powerful on a basic level than book magic. However, sorcery also has adverse physical consequences for practitioners. Arcane exhaustion at best - at worst, sorcerers die to the arcane radiation in their blood. There's a serious cap on the range of application of sorcery due to this bodily limit.

Divine magic is the most powerful of all branches of magic. All it involves is asking for miracles. You don't have to study or put your health on the line. It's the only branch of magic that can heal. Despite that, its rarity is a downside. There are 32 (official) Illarian Chosen in the world, and maybe a handful of others from different pantheons. Also, the Chosen don't actually have any power for themselves. Their gods give them power. They're entirely at the whim of a higher being - which may be better or worse depending on the being.

So yeah, they're so different in application that I couldn't really rank them. On a combat scale, divine magic is the most powerful. On an innovative scale, runic wins. Sorcery is number one for simply the most fun. Alchemy gets number one in my heart, as my personal favorite.

Thanks for the ask!

[ellorypurebloodculture]

10 Fandoms, 10 Characters, 10 Tags

Thank you for tagging me @x-authorship-x 💖💖💖

In no particular order, because I don't have the emotional capacity to pick my favorite characters and then pick a most favorite on top of that:

1. Liu Qingge (The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System)

I can't not love this guy. He's competent, honorable, and protective. His capacity for love is ... insane. He's so hardworking and diligent. And Cheng Luan (his sword) is epic!

2. Kozume Kenma (Haikyu!!)

In a lot of ways, Kenma reminds me of myself. I don't like large crowds or being forced to socialize. Like him, I'd rather have some alone time and focus on my personal hobbies and interests.

3. Senju Tobirama (Naruto)

I'm sure this choice doesn't shock anyone who's read my Naruto fics. Tobirama is hyper-competent. I am fascinated by the ruthlessly practical way his mind works. I adore that he creates new jutsu to achieve the seemingly impossible.

4. Hua Cheng (Heaven Official's Blessing)

Eight. Hundred. Years. Of. Devotion. Need I say more?

He's also a total BAMF.

5. Jon Antilles (Star Wars)

This one, I blame on Kat. I've never read the books/comics he apparently appears in. But Kat's written so many brilliant fics featuring him that I love him anyway. He has the coolest Force powers! Healing, growing plants, teleporting, walking through walls, etc. My obsession is legit.

6. Lan Jingyi (The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation)

He's a cultivator who's terrified of ghosts. And he faces them anyway! He's an extremely loyal friend. Also, Lan Jingyi is 100000% a Chaos Gremlin ™ and I have a serious weakness for those.

7. Thorin Oakenshield (The Hobbit)

... How am I supposed to pick anyone else after he sang Far Over the Misty Mountains Cold in the first Hobbit film?!

He's also loyal, loves his family and people, perseveres when most people would give up, etc.

8. Dabi (Boku no Hero Academia)

Everyone will think I'm possessed if I don't have at least one villain on this list. 😂

Dabi's character design, Quirk, backstory, and motivations fascinate me. Like a moth to flame (pun intended), he draws me in.

9. Stiles Stilinski (Teen Wolf)

He's just ... a flailing, intelligent, rambling, snarky, hyper-loyal, cutthroat amalgamation and I can't do anything but love him.

10. Q (James Bond)

I think this list has thoroughly established that I love competent and intelligent characters. Q's ingenuity delights me. I also adore when he engages in word play.

Anyone who wants to participate, please feel free to tag me! 💖

Tagging (only if you want to play): @spanthedistance @gopherheiyuki @englishlotusflower @sincerely-wyvern @shadowicepuma @shaddowsong @airasilver @admiringtheskies @nateneedssleep @welshbaes

[ashweather]

Daily RPG Readings

Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy, Part 4

If you want to read along with me, you can get the demo copy for free on A.N.I.M.'s official site or head over to their Patreon to get a copy of the latest playtest draft for $5. I'm reading the most recent playtest draft and there are significant differences from the demo copy, just as a heads up.

Day 4! (Its totally day four! I've never missed a day in my life, you can't prove anything!) This time, we'll be going over Pages 60-94, all the way up through "Traits."

We start off going over Composure, a common 'type' of system in many games with horror elements. Right off the bat, I strongly appreciate that it's not called 'sanity' or something like that. That's a very loaded term, and composure is a much better name in my opinion. Anyone can freak out and lose their cool, especially in a tense situation. Composure is essentially a mechanic that lays out how much pressure an investigator can take before they crack. Composure rolls are called for anytime something frightening or unnerving is encountered by an investigator, with the possibility of losing up to three Composure per roll (but most often 1). Everyone has seven Composure to start, and Base Modifiers on rolls are limited by current Composure (e.g. With a Composure of 2, no roll can have a Base Modifier of higher than +2). One might think having the same starting Composure score would make every player lose it at a similar rate, but this is untrue thanks to legitimately one of the coolest takes on fear mechanics I've seen in a game like this: Tiers of Fear.

Tiers of Fear is a system which outlines common fears on a character sheet, and it varies from person to person. While many horror games will ask what your character's deepest fear or phobias are, Tiers of Fear requires a deeper examination of the things that make a character frightened. There are seven tiers, ranging from -3 (Horrifying, this tier will be deeply traumatic and upsetting to the investigator) to +3 (Ridiculous, a silly thing for the investigator to be frightened of). There will be a more thorough breakdown on Tiers of Fear later, and specifically what fears must be placed on the sheet. I'm not sure if it would make sense for the formatting of the game, but I almost wish that section was placed here so I could discuss it in more depth now. The gist is that one investigator might be used to violence but have a phobia of snakes, whereas another finds snakes cute but would be deeply frightened of violence, and these investigators would see their Composure dropping at different rates even if they encountered all of the same things.

One last note on ToF - If two frightening situations arise at the same time, the Composure roll modifiers are added together (e.g. -2 + -1 = -3). However, if the situations both have a positive modifer, then that calls for two separate Composure rolls. From a mechanical perspective, I'm unclear on why this is - why not just have compounding situations apply a -1 to the worst modifier for each compounding source of stress? That's always going to be the worst case result anyway, since modifiers to this roll can't get worse than -3 (That is, you can't have a -2 and -2 add up to make a -4. Unless that is actually a possible outcome…?).

There are a couple other scenarios that cause Composure damage. Combat always calls for a roll, but only after the situation has resolved (presumably due to adrenaline kicking in). Composure rolls are also made whenever an investigator takes damage. There's also flat composure damage from failing to attend to basic needs, like not eating or not getting enough sleep. Finally, there are a few ways to regain composure - attending to basic needs or being the beneficiary of a Comfort roll from another investigator (more on that when we get to skills). Optionally, investigators may also regain composure from making major headway in an investigation, at the Narrator's discretion. Lastly, there is an optional rule for the erratic behavior caused by Composure falling to zero - a 1d6 roll is called for to determine how the investigator cracks. This is a useful tool and I'm glad its there(particularly for players unaccustomed to this type of game), as an aid in portraying unstable behavior.

There's a very fun optional rule next - the Jumpscare. When the investigator is surprised by something that may or may not be a scary creature or threat, they may Jump or Not Jump. If the investigator jumps, they make a flat +0 composure roll immediately, but get a +2 on their next roll to deal with the threat. If they don't jump, there's no inherent composure roll but there is a -2 penalty to their next roll. Mechanically, this is basically a gamble - jumping tends to be more advantageous if there really is a monster or threat there, whereas not jumping is better if there isn't. Of course, good roleplay and how an investigator actually would react is what should be informing this decision.

Skills are up next. Skill lists are a pretty standard thing in TTRPGs, of course. One thing to note is that just about any skill could conceivably be used for Investigation rolls, which is really cool! There's three categories of skills in Eureka: Interpersonal, Knowledge, and Physical. In very broad terms (skills in Eureka are very flexible), Interpersonal skills are used for interacting with NPCs, Knowledge skills are used for, well, knowing things, and Physical skills are used for interacting with the world. I won't be going through all the skills, but I will go over some highlights.

Comfort is used to calm someone agitated, especially in a tense or dangerous situation, but can also be used to restore Composure to fellow investigators. Paperwork is a pretty neat skill that lets a character read quickly and pick out important information from a text - its more handy than you might think! The Senses skill covers detection, but usually only in edge cases where no other skill makes sense, and an investigator will generally not need to roll Senses to see something - Senses applies mostly to the other four senses. There's also a selection of optional skills with more specific applications, which is always nice to have.

A huge highlight to "The Redacted Skill." This skill is completely blacked out in the Skills section, and is meant to be unknown to the new players. As stated in the book, "The type of player who would put points into an unknown, mysterious skill is just the type of person who would have high marks in this skill." I really love this element of mystery, an intriguing tidbit that puts something tantalizingly secret right on the character sheet. More on this skill waaaaay later, towards the end of the book.

There's a brief section on "when to roll skill checks" and I'm really thrilled that this guidance is here. I find that learning when to call for rolls (i.e. impartial arbitration to the narrative) is a hugely important skill for GMs to have, probably in the top five most important skills a new GM can develop. Having this philosophy of play here to outline exactly when Eureka wants rolls to be made is a very welcome addition.

[twigg96]

Do you have any headcanons about the members of dethklok finding out their s/o is autistic or has some form of neurodivergence? Who would be the most understanding in that scenario

Hello Anon!! I actually have already done a HC covering Autism here!! However I would love nothing more than to write some more HCs for different forms of Neurodivergence if that is ok?

I will be covering: ADHD, Dyslexia, Tourette Syndrome, OCD, and DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder). I truly hope I do this HC justice.

Tourette Syndrome

Nathan - When he first met his partner, he was positive that they were pretty much the coolest person on the whole planet. Yeah they had a few tics. And yeah sometimes those tics caused his S/O to make unwanted movements and sounds. But he thought that it was really bad ass and they were the strongest person on the whole planet. Anxiety was a bitch. He knew so himself. He couldn’t hardly imagine what it would be like if his anxiety caused his nerves to explode with energy and make his body do things he couldn’t control. But his partner handled it so well… and he was so proud of them. So when he saw people trying to start shit with his partner for something they struggled to control, he started shit right back. He’s a protector at heart after all.

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

Pickles - he wasn’t immediately trusted by his partner’s entire system and that showed. When they first met he actually met one of his future S/O’s alters who gave him the impression that they kind of really hated him. A few months later when they met again at a less stressful time in his future partner’s life he got to meet the their host personality. They instantly hit it off and dispite the way they acted as if it were the very first time they had ever met the man Pickles knew they were truly something special. Into their friendship he slowly learned about his partner’s alters and their personalities. Some that were fond of him, some that were indifferent as long as their host was happy, and some that saw him as a threat. He was supportive of his partner and all of their personalities, even the ones that didn’t like him that much. He was always very polite and patient with them as he knew they were all part of this beautiful system he agreed to love and cherish.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Murderface- when William first met his future partner he thought they were just really into being clean. It never bothered him. Hell most people were cleaner than him so who was he to judge. But what really caught his attention were the other little things that seemed to stop them in their tracks in their daily lives. Like the amount of times they had to lock the door after walking into the house. That same number followed them to the number of times they had to start the stove for dinner… and the dishwasher. It was just minor things. So Murderface never minded much. It never harmed anyone else or his partner to do things a special way in order to make them comfortable so why be upset? He understands that OCD can and could for his partner become something that could take over their life. He was always aware later on after they officially explained their OCD to him to watch for any sign that his partner was in need of outside intervention or assistance. But with the help they already had and the skills they used he knew they were going to be ok as long as they trusted him and their supporters. He trusted his partner to make those difficult decisions for themselves.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Skwisgaar- when Skwisgaar first met his future partner he was a little taken aback to be honest. They were incredible. Absolutely stunning. And so so knowledgeable about so many cool things. They switched subjects and lost track of things from time to time sure. But who didn’t when they got excited and passionate about their favorite topics right? He noticed his partner moved around a lot and fidgeted some. But so did he. So that never once bothered him. If anything it soothed him to know that he wasn’t the only one walking around the living room on movie night making light commentary on the way the actors dressed and acted out of character in that one scene. The two became fast besties and even faster lovers.

Dyslexia

Toki - when he first met his partner knew he’d met his forever match. They were funny, kind, brilliant, and overall perfect. They had some issues reading but so did he! Hell most of the time they were correcting his English so he never cared if the words were spelled right. There were so many other things to do than read and write anyway! Like take walks in the rain. Go to the zoo with a guide. Paint wild and crazy things that pop into their minds. And go to the wacky building stuffed animal stores to see if they could find rare stuffed animals and make wild combinations.

[kitkatpancakestack]

I love my job and especially because it can be more complicated than blood type and it's like figuring out a logic puzzle to get compatible blood for some patients. The official name of our profession is "immunohematology" which is the study of the immune system of the blood and it's really cool!

There's a huge shortage of lab scientists, so if anyone is thinking about the medical field but not sure about patient care look into lab. We learn about a lot of diseases and how they show up in lab work. There are two certification levels, associate's and bachelor's. We are required to pass national board exams and recertify with continuing ed every 3 years.

I've been the person to see blasts in a 2 year old's blood sample and know they have leukemia, the pathologist officially calls it but the lab is the first to know what's going on with a patient. There are different areas like chemistry is electrolytes, hormones, and things like that then there's hematology which is your complete blood counts and white cell differentials, coagulation which all about how the blood is clotting, urinalysis for urine testing, microbiology for infectious disease testing and identification, and blood banking for transfusions. Those are the main areas but there are so many other subspecialties.

I've been at a blood center for the past almost decade but am looking to get back into the hospital setting. I'm actually hoping to interview soon for a lab director position.

You're the coolest person ever

[tacticalhimbo]

ok too fatigued to play stuff BUT.. playing outer worlds made me start thinking of my characters. and now i'm mapping out ships for them.

right now, the only canon ship i have is françoise/felix. this mostly stems from roleplaying in the tow universe with my partner years back BUT the idea of this stoic sublight mercenary falling in love with someone who is... let's be real, a puppy in human form? is just cute. their dynamic is really cute too. she helped ground him; he helped her come out of her shell

then from there, i still need to pair.. pretty much everybody. but i have ideas so i'm writing them out to eventually ponder on more and write.

starting with artemis. my captain. i genuinely don't think they'd become involved with a member of the crew; they've all gotten really close and they did help parvati with the whole date(s) with junlei (i think that was her name?)... but beyond that, artemis views them all more as family than anything. i also can't think of any npcs they'd bat for off the top of my head either... :pensive:

in the same kind of boat about ivett, too. granted there's the added layer that she's an oc centered around the peril on gorgon dlc! so it's even harder to think of anybody npc wise. double :pensive:

then we have my newest character, yu-phin. genuinely feel like she'd vibe with vicar max. he's the oldest of the unreliable crew, and yu-phin is close to him in age. plus i got to edgewater while playing as yu-phin, met him, and immediately exhausted his dialog options just to hear him talk. BUT. this also really cool because the dialog branch i followed with them was very... back and forth in a good way. they had a nice ideological discussion and i feel like that's very in character to how i envision her (not one for small talk, but sociable; loves engaging with people's ideals and hobbies and perceptions of the situation(s) around them, etc etc). they'd have the potential for the coolest fucking slowburn, especially where max's personal quest is involved.

which is funny because i initially thought of jamie and max... but the more i think about jamie's character, i think they'd be a good pair with ellie (and i did forget to write jamie's pronouns down so we're going to stay neutral for now). jamie left behind official clergy work because of frustration with the systems. it'd be a good push and pull, but jamie's become very much a mercenary "for the people" type. i feel like they'd really get along with ellie in terms of ideals. i'm blanking a little on ellie's personal quest, but i remember she comes from a well-off background and had a huge disagreement with family because of the fact she didn't find any purpose in adopting an elitist attitude, so. they have that in common.

that leaves... lucien. my stink ass corporate bureaucrat. born and raise in byzantium, developing a silver tongue throughout his prestigious education... is it terrible to say i've considered chairman rockwell for romancing him? i mean... come on now. y'all have heard me talk about this kind of dynamic already (lest we forget vinny and jenkins). let lucien get contracted by rockwell to do some dirty bureaucratic work. let them develop a steady working relationship where lucien becomes something of a left hand to him (because the iconic adjutant akande is his right hand). let there be this subtle tension that develops when they conclude their work together in the privacy of rockwell's office, sharing all sorts of alcohols and watching the starry night sky seep in through those giant windows... it's too perfect

[pissterdaniel]

Hello again! I was gonna reblog it and reply in tags but I took notes as I went and it just got way too much to put there lol So!!! First off…. INA BAUER!!!!!!  I did notice this pose in some of the skaters I watched, I did not know they were all named, that is very cool!! The judging system is just so hot lmao  I am also a fellow autismer so funky maths like this have my heart!! It’s incredible how they’ve managed to balance it all so delicately to make sure that they’re all being equally considered. And you were right, it took me a hot second to fully understand it but when I did, I was so happy, had to go bother my friends about it as well I am just 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻 Amber Glenn makes me feel some type of way lmao she looks like the coolest person ever and also queer and adhd?? Awesome representation for me lmao.  Also!! I saw a HOTTOGO program by Sasha Streeter recently from the On Ice Perspectives yt channel as well and it is also so good (btw I found out that I also have Skating ISU on yt literally just now ty for that) Also this video “Thunderstruck” - Fire skater Clément Pinel at Ghiaccio Spettacolo 2024 in Courmayeur lives rent free in my head. Did not know there could be so much going on in one video lmao

And I’ve been meaning to watch Yuri On Ice haha. I think I am gonna do that today, actually Idk if this was a mistake but I have already watch a couple of Joel Minas’ YOI videos because I was in a content consuming craze. I absolutely ADORE this info landfill you have provided, it has been a fantastic read and i’ve learnt and found more places to see way more than I ever expected and I am so grateful for your help. AND!! Cannot wait to hear more about your ice skating journey!! You are gonna absolutely smash it !!!

INA BAUER!!!!

So glad you agree how hot the judging system is. Definitely check out the official rule books I linked. Was very much giggling and kicking my feet reading them. They're so good to have, it was good to get all my facts straight from the ISU source itself. With all these rule changes it's hard to know what sources are still valid outside of the annual technical handbooks.

Brilliant news that you can access the Skating ISU youtube!!! I was blown away when I first found out how easily accessible this all was to watch. I watched that video you linked and holy crap! The amount of skill needed to do that on ice, I wonder if it would melt quickly? The ending is just NUTS.

Let me know how your Yuri on Ice adventures go! It was a whirlwind of emotions when I first watched it. A lot of yelling 'WHAT THE FUCK?!' I did live blog my reactions here @animaddie-live. I LOVE YURI ON ICE SO MUCH!!!! I listen to the soundtrack every single day, and I am even learning some of the songs on piano! (Have learnt history maker, am now doing the theme of king jj). The people who got me to watch it also put me on to those 2 cosplayers I now love. Oh to watch YOI for the first time again.... kepp me updated on what you think!

The info landfill was no trouble at all. It's all I've been thinking about weeks, and it felt so good to get all my thoughts out and organised into one place! I keep on re-reading it cause it makes me so happy. Will be certain to share it with the people in my life to share this interest of mine. It is so sweet that you bothered your friends about that, thrilled to have contaminated more people with my hyperfixation x

[puppy-wife]

okokok i have charged up the social batteries and am ready to yap back @ u!!!!!!

so again, ty for such a big answer 😭 i love hearing ppl yap about their special interests, v cool v nice

questions i have are:

why is 3.5e your fave? im only familar with 5e so i dont know much

playing wit tarot cards instead of dice sounds cool af, which game do u do that in?

for ur world building, how do u personally go about starting such a vast project?

as for meee i havent actually played a TTRPG yet 🤓 i have only watched 5e campaigns on youtube so far! but i love the creativity that goes into this stuff & it has become one of my favourite pieces of media to consume

no YOU'RE very cool very nice I love opportunities to talk about my favorite stuff, so I am absolutely super happy lmao

1.) I really liked 3.5e because it gave a lot more variety and ways to make your character unique vs 5e today (don't even get me started on fucking OneD&D or whatever they're calling it. trash). Firstly, back then wizards was making so many books for that edition that you could make any kind of character you wanted to play. They even allowed official material to be printed by other companies!! you want to play the ultimate evil wizard who gives people cancer? that exists. you want to play the perfect necromancer, and maybe even be undead yourself? you can do that. You could build your characters skills to different levels and choose exactly how good you are at certain things. You could take a Flaw, a permanent debuff on your character but in exchange get a Feat! god fucking Prestige Classes!! those were the coolest fucking part of the game, building a character and leveling them up enough to unlock this special class with wild abilities you can't get from a basic class. this isn't to say that 3.5e didn't have its faults, it could be confusing and the math could sometimes really add up. in some ways it needed a bit of streamlining but 5e basically threw a lot of that away in order to streamline everything. If you want a good example but how fluid 3.5e could be, you should play the videogame Neverwinter Nights 1 or 2, the system they use in that game is taken directly from 3.5e. It just made characters feel so mechanically unique that each character felt different. These days it almost feels too formulaic and too streamlined.

2. I honestly don't know what the name of using it is called, anytime me and my friends have done it, we just use the reference book that comes with a tarot deck and spontaneously decide the outcome based on the way the card could be interpreted. For example, let's say you're fighting a monster, and you want to try and escape from the monster, maybe even lure it away from your friends so they can escape. If you drew the Ten of Swords, I would say that would mean that you successfully draw the monster away, but you fall prey to it in the process. or something similar, yanno? but I don't know if that style of playing has a name given to it lol

3. oh I actually had someone ask me that yesterday! I'll send you the post once I find it, I was very active yesterday so it may take me a minute lol

you're so valid for that!! it can be hard to find a good group to play with, every group I've had has kind of fallen into my lap, but also to be fair I am known for being very into ttrpgs lmao

what are your favorite shows/campaigns you've watched? fun fact somewhere out there exists about 30 episodes of a d&d actual play podcast that I DM'd from somewhere around like... 2019? I think? lmao. technically I have a TON of episodes in a backlog somewhere that I never edited but that campaign kind of fell apart and I never finished it.

[willedwoods]

The soft touch to his hair was soothing, helping him regain a little bit of his dignity and keeping him from just full on sobbing. He was grateful to the mythical but also felt stringing regret. She had come to him willingly, she was the one who dropped the Friend Ball in front of him. But still he felt like he dragged her into this even further. The Pokémon clearly didn't want to be involved or it would of shown itself to Emmet.

Still he used her to strike down Emmet's final Pokémon. And in a rather cruel fashion, Mythicals and Legendaries already had an advantage. He didn't have to damage Garbodor so badly. Revenge taken out on it that was meant for Emmet.

"I liked you. You were my friend, Emmet."

Why did the continuous apologies bother him so much? He said he was sorry but yet he still didn't take ownership. It was like the former Subway Boss just wanted to be pitied. Saying he couldn't do anything own his own. That without Ingo he couldn't function? Lonely? How did Emmet think Alex felt?

"Please shut up." His voice chilly and direct, the last few remaining tears finally falling.

"How do you think I felt?" Hands let go of his former boss' shirt, letting him fall back, though had he slightly pushed him? Who knows.

"You don't think I felt lonely and isolated? Please take a second to think about how people would feel if some nobody was handed the promotion of a lifetime? Someone who had zero drive to move up-- I was happy where I was. As long as I could double battle and pay my bills I didn't care."

"People who I thought were my friends started acting cold towards me. I can't say I was the best boss. There was no time for casual fun battles between friends. If battles weren't for official business they didn't happen at all. Not for me. I didn't have time to hang out with friends. I hadn't seen my parents since you departed. I rarely went home to my apartment."

"I was all alone and had no idea what I was doing! When it comes to Ingo you act like no one else has people they care for! That no one feel depressed and alone when the people they love aren't around!" A fist came down, inches from hitting him square in the face as his voice raised. Something entirely out of character for the trainer.

"No matter what I think of you I don't think you're the reason Ingo is gone. But I also think he'd be pretty damn disappointed with you! Neither of you are better than the other. So stop acting like some pathetic little kid and own up to your responsibilities. Gear Station was so important to you both so why toss it away? Toss everyone who looked up to you to the side!"

His fist raised, slamming his knuckles into the metal once more, but with far more force than moments prior. It hurt, he'd probably curse himself later for deciding to discard the gloves from his Subway Master uniform. "I looked up to you! I thought you were the coolest person I'd ever met! You got to double battle as much as you liked! I didn't know much about the subway system but I honestly thought the Battle Facility was amazing! I hadn't been able to fully enjoy battles how I wanted until I went there! Seeing it-- See the amazing battles you showed us-- It reminded me of when I watched people battle here on Mt. Battle back home on TV. I don't think I can even describe how exhilarated it made me!" Words only stopped for him to take a harsh inhale, throat burning.

"I never wanted to leave Orre! I wanted to stay here-- I wanted to stay where Celebi was. Where I could hopefully live my dream but that was taken from me! I don't blame my parents for moving us away. I get it now-- I know they moved so we could have a better life but it didn't mean it wasn't crushing! I didn't have a reason to try super hard. I was given whatever I wanted for the most part but it didn't fill that part of me that longed for those kinds of battles!"

"I liked training Pokémon. I don't think that would of stopped. But I doubt I would be as strong as I am without Gear Station, without the Battle Subway. When you asked me to join the Double Battle line I don't think you know how happy it made me. I don't think I realized how much I would like it. It started out as just a replacement for what I couldn't have but I really enjoyed it there."

"Emmet."

"If the Battle Subway means that to me then I can't even fathom what it means to you! You're not Ingo! You're your own person! Someone I admire more than anyone else! Who helped me have amazing double battles. The Subway Boss Emmet I worked alongside all this time isn't someone who would just crumple up because they were scared and lonely!"

"Being alone sucks-- but what happens if Ingo never comes back?! Do you just expect someone to watch over your home, the Battle Subway forever?!" He punched the metal grating again. There was definitely some cuts on his knuckles now, and it was sure to bruise. "Tossed around by different people until the stress and pressure suffocates them?! I did the same as you so I don't have much room to talk but-- I'm pretty sure you'll feel shittier if you allow what you built with him to just crumble. If he never comes home-- Or if he comes home 50 years from now! Don't you want to keep that part of him alive?!"

Don't blame Celebi, he insisted. He had to blame someone- something. He needed a reason this had all happened, and a reason why he couldn't fix it. He hated feeling so powerless, like everything was beyond his control. Things weren't supposed to be like that. He was supposed to be back at the station with his brother where they made and enforced all of the rules- where they kept everything working exactly the way they wanted it to. It was funny, in a way, that someone who regularly traversed the entire region of Unova could be trapped in such a little bubble like that. The world beyond the subway- beyond Unova- without Ingo- was so much bigger, emptier, and unpredictable than he ever could have imagined.

Emmet didn't flinch or budge or struggle when Alex grabbed at his shirt. He just looked down at the other's hand as he spoke, thinking about how stupid it was to wear a black shirt in the hot sun. He didn't try to get up again as Alex pulled him to the metal grating with him. He simply opted not to move at all. It was obvious he was having trouble doing so, at this point. He'd been pushing himself so hard for so long. Even when he tried to dedicate himself to self-care, it was all too intense- all battling or traveling to see the sights. In a way, it almost felt nice to finally just stop.

"The first several trips, I was very loud." He admitted after a long silence. "I probably sounded rrreally angry. I was angry, but not at it- not at her." He corrected himself for the first time. "I was scared. I still am. I have not been able to see a light at the end of the tunnel in so long. I have never been good at asking for help. But I tried. I tried to the best of my ability. I tried really really hard. Harder than I have ever tried at anything. But it was not enough for her. I was not enough." He repeated. I have never been enough for anyone. Except maybe for my brother. But without him here, I am not enough for anyone that remains."

What would Ingo do if he were here in Emmet's stead? He wouldn't be behaving like this. Perhaps he'd get heated or emotional. Maybe he'd yell and shout as Emmet had, but there would have been more reason behind it. He would have been more rational. He would have been able to give a genuine apology and leave it at that instead of dragging the argument out even further.

"Someone has to be at fault." He whined, desperately trying to explain his perspective to someone who seemed incapable of understanding it. "Someone has to be held accountable. If there is no one else to blame, that only leaves me." Everything people had told him back home started cycling through his head for what felt like the millionth time. As long as he could blame someone- something- anything else, then he could prove them wrong. Without a scapegoat to direct his frustration towards, his mind started to wander down risky tracks.

He couldn't believe his brother to be cruel enough to leave on his own accord without saying a word. He did his best not to listen when people said he'd left because of him. Even if Emmet really was that terrible of a brother, Ingo wasn't. Ingo could never be. But if there was truly no one else to blame, maybe it was Emmet's fault somehow. Everything happened for a reason. There had to be a reason that Ingo vanished, and without any other answer, with everyone saying it was because of him, maybe it was. He didn't know how, or why, but maybe, somehow, they were right. Maybe it was Emmet's own fault he was alone like this.

"It has to be someone's fault." Emmet insisted once more in a small, cracked voice, as if he were pleading. "And it is not my fault." He knew that several things were his fault. Alex fled the station because Emmet had put too much pressure on him. Alex thought so little of him because of Emmet's own past actions and behaviours. He could admit that. Perhaps not out loud, but he could admit that to himself. But Ingo still being gone? He would willingly take the blame for anything else, but not for that. He couldn't. It would destroy him. Please, don't let it be his fault.

He only looked up when he heard the subtle buzzing of insect-like wings, and he watched as the Pokémon he'd desperately been searching for perched itself on Alex's shoulder. He watched as it ran a small hand through the trainer's hair to comfort him, like Ingo used to do for him. They made eye contact for a brief second, and Celebi's eyes looked almost apologetic- as if maybe helping him was something she couldn't do, even if she did want to.

"I'm sorry. And I'm serious this time. I mean it. I know neither of you are to blame. I just want something to blame, and I'm scared- terrified. I don't understand why any of this happened. I just want everything to go back to the way it was before, but it won't. I do not know if it ever will, and I am very not okay with that. I can't stand it. I want to go home, but I cannot bear being home without him. It's so empty."

[zenith1994]

HELL FIRE

OK.. this is a little drabble I wrote from an idea I've had for a long time..I've not wrote in a while so it's rushed I'm sorry

Summary: Eddie asks his partner to design the Hell Fire Club logo

"OK.. OK.. this is..just a rough idea yeah?..please lower your expectations"

You whisper with doubt showering your words...

Ever since your loveable boyfriend had started the 'hellfire club' he had been anxious to mark the club legitimately.. which meant an official logo.

Ever since you had befriended Eddie senior year, you had struck up a friendship through your fondness of everything weird and bizarre..you being an artist, drawing creatures and fantasies weird and wild..and him being a Dungeon Master with a vivid imagination..the two just seemed to gel perfectly.

Now here you sat..with your now boyfriend..his beautiful eyes eagerly awaiting your reveal.

You look away, fear eating away at you. You knew it was ridiculous, Eddie was your biggest fan and support system, heck, why would he ask you for your help if he didn't believe in you. Yet, the self doubt still ate away at you..you knew how much the club meant to him, what if your idea didn't convey this, what if it didn't meet his standards..what if..

"So..do I get to see this masterpiece or what?"

His words broke you out of your whirling thoughts. Yours eyes looked up to meet those beautiful brown irises full of happiness and excitement.

You sigh and lower your gaze to the sketchbook in your hands, anxiously scratching away at its edges. You move your gaze to the familiar corners of Eddie's room, the room you have come to know as home the past few months.

"Just..please don't get your hopes up, Eds. I tried the best I could, I promise..I..I just don't know if its what you would have imagined.."

After the words left your mouth Eddie's face dropped dramatically..his eyes widened in shock and instinctly his hands held yours firmly.

"Sweetheart..I..I don't know what makes you think you need to explain yourself but..God, you are fucking incredible..you're so talented and beautiful..smart, funny..and every other positive word you could think of"

You cut him off with your knowing giggle, which he joins soon after. He still holds your hands firmly as he continues

"Your drawings are what drew me to you the second I saw them, no pun intended..I saw this incredible, beautiful, creative person that I knew was a fellow freak, just like me. I couldn't think of anyone more worthy and talented to immortalise the Hell Fire club than you, sweetheart"

He kept eye contact with you throughout the speech but you continously glanced down to your joined hands, to hold back the tears building up.

Eddie had always been and always will be your support system, your number 1 fan..as you would always be his, be that at Hell Fire club, fending off Jason and his airhead friends, or at the Corroded Coffins gigs when only 5 drunks show up and you have to scream for the whole venue.

Anxiously you take a breath and slowly reveal the sketch towards your excitable boyfriend. Eyes screwed shut, you missed the legitimate joy and delight on his face as he saw the sketch

"Baby.."

He sounded..shocked. oh God, you couldn't bare the thought much longer

"Oh god, it's shit, isn't it? Baby I'm sorry..I tried, I really did, I put all the elements in there but I jus.."

All your words ended as his lips crashed down to yours, a passionate kiss which left you speechless. As the seconds went by you found yourself melting into the familiar embrace of Eddie..your Eddie..your support system, your safety.

As you both pulled back for air, foreheads melting into eachother, he finally spoke up

"Baby..that is the coolest fucking logo I have EVER seen..God I cannot wait to get this printed..if thats cool with you?"

Shock took over you as you stared blankly into his eyes

"Printed?..Eddie Baby, what do you mean?"

He chuckled against your lips, as of you were the most oblivious person he had ever met

"Well sweetheart, as I said..I wanted a logo for Hell Fire club to solidify the group and brand the name..I believe now, we have a bad ass fucking logo which will carry the name for long to come"

He smiled brightly down at you, holding your face tenderly in his hands, wiping the tears that had escaped you.

Needless to say, when you walked up to the cafeteria to see a table full of your designs on the T-shirts, Eddie had to wipe and kiss away a lot more tears

[americangirlstar]

New American Girl Doll Has Psychic Powers??? Not Clickbait! (Maybe Clickbait)

THIS LITTLE [BLEEP] IS PSYCHIC AND I’M GONNA PROVE IT

[ID: Illustration of American Girl’s Gwynn Tan, during an ice skating performance. She wears a glittery outfit and has a purple flower in her hair. End ID.]

Okay, so. This year, 2022, American Girl debuted their first Chinese Girl of the Year, Corinne Tan. She also has a little sister you can buy, Gwynn Tan; Corinne is ten and Gwynn is seven.

[ID: Picture of the Corinne and Gwynn dolls, posed together with a plush representing their dog, Flurry. They are standing together in a snowy area. End ID.]

Corinne has two books– Corinne and Corinne to the Rescue, and both feature her relationship with Gwynn a lot. They’re very close, and though Corinne gets annoyed at her in book two, they do practically everything together and Gwynn thinks her sister is the coolest person in the world. It’s very sweet.

Now, the books are from Corinne’s POV. So whenever Gwynn says cute little kid baby stuff, we’re like “aw, how cute,” just like Corinne. However, I’m pretty sure they’re implying that Gwynn is freakin psychic?

So: in book one, it is established that Gwynn thinks they have “sister brain,” basically twin telepathy without the “twin.”

Gwynn liked to think that we could communicate without talking. She called it sister brain. I didn’t think we could actually communicate that way. Most of the time, it was obvious we both felt the same way, like when we both got bored on a long car ride. But I pretended along with her.

- Corinne, pg6

Gwynn references this constantly throughout the book, in that “little kid obsession” way; every time they have a similar thought, she says that they’re having a sister brain moment.

But the thing is... the sister brain thing gets to an. eerie point.

At the end of book one, Corinne runs away and ends up lost in the mountains. Corinne tried to find the “sister shrine” she and Gwynn made on the mountain but got lost and ended up hiding in tree roots. Later, their dog, Flurry, tracks her down and is able to get her to a rescue party. When she reunites with her family, we find out that Gwynn not only got the dog, but figured out Corinne’s destination.

“How did you know where to look?” I asked, thinking of the moment when Flurry’s face appeared.

“Gwynn thought you might go to the sister shrine,” said Mom. “Since you could get to the gondola on foot, Arne had them check the system for your pass. And Dad notified the ski patrol.”

[...] “I’m sorry. I don’t know if we’ll be able to find you necklace.” [Corinne says, referencing the lost shrine.]

Gwynn was not bothered. “We’ll find it,” she said. “We just need to be together.”

[...]”It was my idea to get Flurry,” said Gwynn. She had attached herself to my side, and we’d called Flurry to jump into our laps. “And Flurry’s vest. I thought that even though Flurry isn’t an official search and rescue dog, she would know how to look for you. I put on her vest and told her to search.”

- Corinne, pg120-121

And this conversation is immediately followed up with:

“Did you get my sister messages?” asked Gwynn. “I kept telling you not to give up.”

Gwynn’s question made me wonder. Had I gotten a sister brain message? That moment when I thought I might give up, but then I realized I needed to hang on– maybe that was Gwynn. Or maybe sister brain was just another way of saying I love you.

- Corinne, pg123

“Okay, but Connie, that could super easily be coincidence.” You’re right, I thought so too, obviously. But then the second book happens.

There isn’t as much “sister brain” in book two, but here are some things in the book you need to know. This may not seem important, but pay attention please.

The family goes camping– Corinne, Gwynn, their mother (who is roughly six months pregnant), their stepfather Arne, the dog Flurry, and Corinne’s best friend Cassidy. The first day, the girls and Arne find a meadow of flowers. Corinne excitedly points out each flower, including the columbine. The below section is important, I bold-faced the parts I want you to remember.

“The columbine is the official flower of Colorado,” I told Gwynn. “I’ll show you a trick. Columbine comes from the Latin word for ‘dove.’ Can you figure out why?”

Gwynn scrunched up her face. “Because some of the petals are white, like a dove?” Columbines come in different colors, but these flowers had five rounded white petals cupped inside five pointy purple petals.

“Nope!” I gently bent the stalk so Gwynn could see the underside of the flower. “Look now.”

“Ohhh! The petals look like doves having a meeting!” said Gwynn. Each of the purple petals had a rounded tip that looked like the head, and the rest of the petal flowed out like the bird’s body and tail.

- Corinne to the Rescue, pg61

The next day, the family goes canoeing. Unfortunately, after Corinne is distracted by Gwynn not having to paddle (big sister mood), the canoes flip and the family ends up stranded in the forest. Their mother is obviously not gonna be able to walk far, their stepfather’s leg is injured, and Gwynn is seven years old, she’s not gonna walk very far. Cassidy and Corinne then leave to follow the map to get help from the nearby campsite, leaving Gwynn “in charge” of the adults.

“See you soon!” Gwynn yelled.

“We’ll be back in a little while!” I shouted back.

“Be careful!”

“Definitely!”

“Send me a sister brain when you get there!”

I tried to pretend that we were just going for a walk, but Gwynn’s comments nearly did me in. I swallowed hard so she wouldn’t hear the worry in my voice when I yelled back one last time, “Sister brain activated!”

- Corinne to the Rescue, pg94

Corinne and Cassidy are nearly at the campsite when they encounter a rockslide that’s blocked their path. Cassidy is (uncharacteristically for her) scared to climb it, and Corinne herself is scared until...

It wasn’t like Cassidy to be negative, so her tone scared me a little. The rocks were dauntingly high, with no places to put our hands or feet. And there was always the risk of falling, even if we could get started.

A flash of purple caught my eye. I looked down and saw a tiny columbine poking out between two rocks. It seemed like an impossible place for a flower to grow, but there it was. This was a time to believe in the slightly impossible.

- Corinne to the Rescue, pg. 101

Corinne is inspired to continue with her friend over the rocks, even managing to get their dog along with them. They’re atop the rocks and slowly trying to get over, until they encounter a mountain lion, also atop the rocks. The section is a bit long, so I’ll summarize: Corinne holds back the dog, and Cassidy panics. Corinne remembers that they have to act big and keep eye contact as they back up. As they back up, the lion comes closer and Corinne throws a rock and begins yelling. The girls then throw rocks and shout as the dog barks and Cassidy holds up a stick to try and make them look bigger. Eventually, the lion retreats.

The girls try to continue, only for the rocks to start to fall. They get somewhere safe, and...

I didn’t really want to move. It seemed like we were safe here, sitting, with nothing moving. Then I remembered Mom, Arne and Gwynn. They were depending on us.

“Let’s get crawling,” I said.

- Corinne to the Rescue, pg. 111

They eventually make it to solid ground, and then to the campsite. They get a rescue party and return for her family.

Now, remember everything I told you about this book before. This, then, is the following conversation the girls have with Gwynn when they return.

Cassidy and I walked with Gwynn to the van, holding her hands.

“I got a sister brain message that you saw something scary,” said Gwynn. “Like this.” Gwynn let go of our hands and raised her arms, fingers curled and apart, and bared her teeth. “Raaaaar!” Flurry looked at Gwynn, mildly alarmed.

Wide-eyed, Cassidy and I traded looks. I hadn’t told Gwynn about the mountain lion yet.

“Did you get any other sister brain messages?” I asked.

Gwynn nodded. “When you felt really, really sad, I sent a message telling you not to give up!”

I took Gwynn’s hand again. I thought about the tiny columbine poking out between the rocks when we weren’t sure how to start climbing over the rockside, and how it gave me the courage to keep going. “I’m so glad we have sister brain,” I said.

“I kept telling Arne and Mom that I would’ve gotten a sister brain message if something bad happened,” said Gwynn. “But they were still worried. I had to work really hard to keep them thinking of other stuff. We named eighty-seven things that are purple! Do you want to hear? Eggplants, violets, amethysts–”

“We saw a mountain lion,” I told Gwynn, interrupting her list.

- Corinne to the Rescue, pg116-117

So, let’s review:

Gwynn somehow knows about the mountain lion, despite Corinne and Cassidy having, at this point, told no one. It is not even mentioned if they told their rescue team– we don’t believe so, as they don’t mention it, and the team is only focused on saving the family.

Gwynn says that she sent Corinne a message not to give up, specifically stating “when you felt really, really sad,” and Corinne thinks back to the columbine.

At the time, Gwynn also notes that she and her parents listed things that were purple. She is cut off, but the columbine Corinne saw, like the one she and Gwynn saw the day before, was purple.

Gwynn is also very certain that she would have known through “sister brain” if something had happened to Corinne. This could be chalked up to 7yo “I know everything” energy, but with everything else, it’s... interesting.

There is no way Gwynn could have known about the mountain lion, nor that Corinne “felt really, really sad.” And it’s implied that she, somehow, sent the purple columbine to her sister to encourage her.

With this stated, thinking back on the previous books, there are some small things that didn’t seem suspicious at the time, but now, um, really build up additional evidence.

In the first book, Corinne has a fight with her best friend as Gwynn does a skating routine; this is right before Corinne runs away. The audience is cheering as she skates, and the song “Happy” plays; all in all, it is pretty loud.

But Corinne ends up shouting, on accident, and Gwynn hears it and stumbles, sprawling across the ice.

Gwynn raised her head, looking just as betrayed and hurt as Cassidy. I hadn’t sent her sister brain. I had made things worse.

- Corinne, pg110

At the time I chalked this up the shout, but really, would Gwynn be able to hear one girl’s shout over the song? Her parents run over, too, but only after Gwynn falls and looks to her, cuing them in that Corinne’s the reason she fell, we don’t know if they heard her yell as well. Is it possible that instead of the shout, Gwynn sensed her sister’s distress?

There is also a bit in Corinne to the Rescue, right as everyone gets stranded. Corinne sends Gwynn to fetch sticks for firewood so they can boil water. Unlike the night before, the fire starts quickly– something Corinne specifically notes as “lucky.” Gwynn, just before this, was freaking out quite a bit, whereas she was calm the night before when making the fire. Is this bit a reach? Possibly, but it is something I picked up on.

Then, finally: right at the beginning of the first book, in the first friggin chapter, when they are entering their stepfather’s house as they’re about to move in, Gwynn recalls watching... Matilda.

“I remember watching Matilda here,” said Gwynn, pointing. “Arne fell asleep in that chair. He kept saying, ‘Springa springa springa!’“

- Corinne, pg3

In case you don’t know, Matilda is a movie about... a six-year-old with superpowers. While the film and original book keep her powers at telekinesis (and the supergenius part we could probably count), the musical (which is getting a film adaptation THIS YEAR) does also give her psychic abilities via her storytelling...

tl;dr

Gwynn claims she has “sister brain” in order to communicate telepathically to her sister. While Corinne doesn’t believe her, Gwynn later claims to have sent her specific messages, which Corinne was able to receive. Gwynn also receives information back that she shouldn’t be able to know, and seemingly was able to materialize a flower irl in order to send her sister a message. The previous book, she was also able to intuit where her sister, in a panic, would go, and had the idea to send the dog after her; the dog was the reason Corinne was eventually found.

American Girl made a psychic doll and I’m starting a campaign for her to be 2025 Girl of the Year so we can hear about how she hones her psychic powers.