#[and this feels like a good way to honour that and also that magic exists]

[helldustedstories]

Healing spells shouldn't be a "wave the magic wand and you're all better," especially given the way things seem to work in the hellaverse. Some worldbuilding discussed with @slecp listed below:

While healing spells can be performed by demons outside of Sloth, they can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing (like how regular medicine is)

They're not an instant fix unless it's something little. Like, a super simple healing spell could fix a papercut, sure. But they can't do things like replace lost limbs or organs.

Bigger things like broken bones or stab wounds still take time to heal, but what the healing spells do is they can help speed up the body's natural process of healing. The tradeoff is that it's still painful, because your body is going through that whole process relatively at once.

For example, healing a broken bone: the bone would still need to be put into some sort of split, most likely, to make sure it's in the proper position, but a healing spell could be done each day to help it along and to drastically cut down the amount of time it would take to heal. Or you can do what amounts to a higher level spell to go through that process faster, but as mentioned above, there's still the pain to deal with.

And one of the ways that Sloth's medical staff are trained to help with this is that they have certain reserves where they can kind of take on some of that pain themselves if they can't offer painkillers/patient doesnt want painkillers, etc. And that's part of why most of them have candles, because it can help them to make sure they're not doing too much because the more of the reserve they use, the dimmer/lower the candle burns.

[worthlessandembarrasing]

[yan-lorkai]

https://www.tumblr.com/yan-lorkai/720655214474035200/good-evening-if-you-dont-mind-id-like-to-hear

Okay so what about this but the reader got a hysterectomy or got her tubes tied before they met without him knowing? How do you think the boys would react? Like let’s say they didn’t have the (new) surgery where you could transplant another woman’s uterus to get pregnant. What would they do if they found out she couldn’t get pregnant anymore?

☆ A/N: Interesting concept, I hadn't thought about it before :o. Wrote this for Malleus, Leona, Rook and Riddle. Let me know if you want a part 2 with other characters, darling!

.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡ Warnings: Yandere content, pregnancy talk, hysterectomy, afab reader (no pronouns used).

.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡ Malleus would be indifferent - not because he doesn't want a child with you. But because it is still possible for you two to have a biological child without you necessarily being pregnant, as dragon fae eggs can only be brought to existence through pure love. Though not in the conventional way, your child will be born as he did once, hatching from an egg, nurtured with the love you both feel. But, in the scenario that this possibility also couldn't happen, he would be devastated. He really wanted to have a family with you and it's just not possible anymore. His dreams are shattered and he needs a moment to recompose himself, you can hear thunders for days on end. Deep within he wished he had met you earlier, that he could keep you from making this surgery. But what's done is done. Though he wonders, could he regrown your uterus with his magic?

.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡ Leona is apathetic about it. It was not a priority as he liked having all your attention on himself, but even someone like him had imagined how your child would look like. Would they have your eyes and his smile? Either way, when you tell him that you got a hysterectomy due to health problems and couldn't get pregnant, he just kinda nods and goes on as if he hadn't heard that at all. It's not really a big deal to him. If you want a child so bad then you can always adopt one or two, even three or four.

.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡ Rook is so dramatic about it. He write many melancholic poems in your honour for some reason, coming from a big family you figured he would be more shocked or something. But he is chill with the news, just affectionately annoying you and draping himself all over you. After all he knows he can still tie you to him even without a baby. However he does daydream about you, fuzzy face from sleep and with bed hair, holding your baby at night, singing to make them sleep. He kinda wishes it was possible though, he wanted to be with you through each and every stage of your pregnancy. A pity.

.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡ Riddle is clearly unhappy with the news. Like, it is true that there are some diseases and syndromes that require partial or total removal of the uterus or cutting of the uterine tubes. Whatever your reason for having that surgery, Riddle respects that, he even asked you if you were suffering from something. But he still feels sad knowing that he won't be able to have children with you, though he will never tell you that to not burden you with his unnecessary thoughts. But it's noticeable, the way he sighs and stares at the wall for several minutes, or how happy he is when he can take care of his friends' children. It's obvious even. Every happy couple have a child but you two. So if you can't get pregnant, Riddle wants to adopt.

[blood-orange-juice]

Ok, Childe as a wuxia/xianxia trope. It's honestly a bit embarrassing how well this fits.

(blame @a-yarn-of-purple-prose for this post and if anyone here is a wuxia fan feel free to correct me, I'm new to the genre)

Wuxia is a Chinese martial arts fantasy genre you are all familiar with. An adjacent genre is called xianxia, "immortal heroes", it ramps all the fantasy elements up to eleven and skews tropes a bit (we'll get back to that).

A common trope is some kind of unorthodox school/sect or technique, allowing to achieve greater power without the usual decades of training. It could be straight-out evil or just revolving around chaos.

Such a martial school is usually called an evil/demonic sect (sect is more like a clan in that setting, not the modern concept of sect) and their techniques tend to drive practitioners to insanity. Either because they are inherently corrupting or because getting too much power without growing as a person is really not the best thing for your mental health. They are also often cast from hp points.

And then there's the archetype of a demonic sect heir. The best pupil or simply someone who has inherited a lost art. Proud, always greedy for more strength, often noble in some weird way.

*points to our calamity of a boy*

Common elements of such stories include:

Falling into some weird realm or meeting a weird person who teaches the hero a Forbidden Technique

Learning a technique too quickly through some sort of magic/alchemy/memory manipulation

Some people are so singular in their pursuit they become insane (走火入魔)

Ambition bad, loyalty and family good

Conflicting loyalties, generally a conflict between a chosen path and personal weaknesses/attachments (could be both ego and familal love, and this is more of a xianxia trope)

Fits like a horoscope so far but wait.

There's a very interesting case of Korean murim genre (their version of wuxia) where sects are less varied (I recommend this post for a basic introduction) and we get three paths:

Justice/Righteous/Orthodox/Light — theoretically they keep the Evil Faction at bay, and protect innocent people, but usually are corrupt to the core

Evil/Unorthodox/Dark — these try gaining as much power as possible and attempt ruling the whole world

Demonic Cult — usually dont take part in evil and justice battles, follow their own code of conduct based on their religion, value strength above all else.

(I'm sure there's a similar distinction in wuxia too, I just can't find it in the deluge of lore)

"Demonic" is closer to "pagan" or "heathen" than Christian idea of demonic here, their beliefs are often based on Zoroastrianism and worshipping a sacred flame. Do you remember all the Persian themes used for Khaenri'ah? And Surtalogi being the flame on Surtr's sword in Norse mythology. I also had the impression that Genshin gnostic references are based on the Zoroastrian-flavoured branch of Gnosticism.

In murim the trope of demonic sect heir is called "heavenly demon" (I believe, a more correct translation would be "supreme heathen"), they are utterly badass, live for the glory of battle, seem more like forces of nature and follow a very strict honour code often conflicting with normal human ethics.

(do I need to spell it out)

TvTropes also says this about Korean stories:

(do I need to spell it out pt.2)

I'm not sure why a Chinese studio would focus on the Korean version of this trope but I'm sure something like this exists in China as well or maybe there's a popular manhwa that inspired authors.

Xianxia extends the fantastic element further, focusing on Taoist concepts and practices and adding all kinds of magical realms (celestial, demonic, etc) and magical beings and making immortality achievable. I still need to read more about it but if I understand that right, demonic heir trope turns into a demon prince in this case. An actual visitor from the demon realm or a practitioner who achieved immortality through dubious means.

These are fae-coded in a way very similar to Childe and have a certain nonchalance towards things most humans would consider traumatic. They are simply not bothered by them, having a different set of morals or faring from a realm that is much worse.

Our boy isn't that (he's still very much human) but he's aesthetically coded like one, same as Scaramouche is yokai-coded, despite not being a yokai.

So. When people say Childe's arc is a reference to Journey to the West, it's not entirely untrue, JttW is the classic of xianxia genre and Childe does belong to the same genre. He, however, is not Sun Wukong but a different, darker trope.

This also explains why he has that "shonen anime protag but not quite" vibe. Shonen was heavily influenced by wuxia but this trope never quite made it to anime or maybe never became popular enough. It's not a deconstruction, it's a different story. Or perhaps a deconstruction of that different story.

[tsunodaradio]

hii, love!! found you (wasn't really hard, but seems like i'm late anyway, you've written so much already!!) was going through your works on this account today and the "loml (loss of my life)" got me extra hard. had to sit on that one for a bit.

i've never told you, but i've studied film and worked as an editor. now i'm doing computer science, and hopefully, later in life, i can combine the two. all of that to say, i see myself as both a creative and technical person.

your works (right now "loml (loss of my life)" especially) often bring out the artistic side of myself and i get all philosophical about how much i love art and how important it is to humans.

each of your works makes me fall in love with art a bit more. and i can't express enough how impressed i am by you!! the fun ways you format your stories have always grabbed my attention, but it's also your writing!! nothing else exists when i read your works, i'm completely living the narrative you create, and it's so magical.

i love how art connects people and makes us feel. it's such a great way of expression, and i'm so honoured to be on the receiving end of your creativity. being part of your community has been awesome, and i hope to stay for as long as you'll enjoy this!!

as always - thank you and take care!!

dee

dee! oh, this ask absolutely devastated me in the best way ): i think it's so cool that you have both that creative and technical side down. everything from my field of study to my current work have been writing-adjacent, so it's always a bit of a tossup for me i.e. writing as escapism, writing as a chore, writing as a means to an end. i love art! i love people! and don't you forget that some of the best prompts i've ever gotten are from you; now i know why ❤︎ it's such a joy to me that we exist in the same circles and fandoms!! i hope we can keep on finding new things to love in all the words we read; it's a good way to remind ourselves that we're alive 🫧 thank you thank you thank you, and i hope you're taking care yourself x i adore you to no end ;_;

[notori]

On a more genuine note from my previous post though: I do not think Imodna will go the same way as Vaxleth for a few reasons.

Vax's story was very personal to Liam. It always frustrates me when people act like the Raven Queen 'took Vax away' (and thus she is a bad goddess) when in fact she answered his prayer and granted his wish. Vax's story is about "Take me instead!" - not some kind of "Don't let Vex die!", and certainly not someone who was raised from the dead without their consent and bound like a puppet. Unless such an ending is expressly what Marisha wants for her character, I don't see it being narratively satisfying. Even if Laudna dies in sacrifice to save the others, because of the breadth of Delilah's power, it would be more of a general "I'm dying to save everyone" and less personal (and impactful) than Vax's trading his life for Vex's.

I joked about how this is Delilah Briarwood vs Laura Bailey again, so don't sweat it, but it's true! The players play their characters differently. Liam loves tragedy and plays it well; Laura loves romance and plays it well. Percy also had a dark streak with a hunger for power, and Vex would not let him go. I see more parallels with themes like: "I feel cruel, but in control." and "Take the mask off." Meanwhile, Imogen and Keyleth are different characters and their love interests have different relationships with death. In the end, the reason Keyleth could not do anything against the Raven Queen isn't because she's a god and Keyleth is not, but because Vax - as a paladin - chose to honour his faith and uphold his end of the deal. Imogen is not in that position because Laudna is not in that position. Laudna may see herself as just a puppet, or a risk, or a dead end - but we the audience, and Imogen, know that she is not (maybe a bit of a calculated risk). If anything, I see us on the precipice of an arc of Imogen inspiring Laudna to fight for her independence again and figuring out a way to do that (this is a world of magic after all).

And that theme of fighting for independence is something that has been there since the beginning. We have seen it both in analysis and confirmed on 4SD that Laudna's relationship with Delilah is in many ways similar to struggling with addiction. And now, into year three of C3, we are really seeing that take form when things get rough. When things get out of control, when you get desperate, that's when you grasp at anything to make it easier. It would be a real kick in the teeth to have her not overcome that struggle. Of course, there's the possibility that she does overcome that struggle by getting rid of Delilah and dying as a result. But out of game it has been referred to more in line with addiction that is constantly managed rather than addiction that is ended cold turkey - which for some people is the only way. I'll admit this one is more a personal preference but I do see it overall leaving a bad taste if Laudna were to die from Delilah in some way (again). Presuming they resolve issues with the solstice and resurrection spells, True Resurrection does exist and I'm certain the Hells would work off a 25k GP debt to bring Laudna back for good (which I see as more of a final episode/epilogue/post-game situation).

Regardless, it's a beautiful story and I'm sure that whatever happens will be what the players want. However, in this case I genuinely don't see them repeating something they have done before. Although we saw many parallels last night, there is still much which sets Imodna and Vaxleth apart narratively.

[richardsphere]

Seriously, El Toro de Piadro (or however it is spelled) had way too much (and way too little) going on at the same time. Like... lets list all the subplots in this cluttered mess of an episode:

A-plot: Ivan struggles to speak out against his father and learns how to speak up to Raoul, and not to become his father.

B-plot: Raoul's struggle with legacy and learning not to be like his own father (who he implies made him who he is today)

C-Plot: Kitty Section is trying to prepare for a show to honour Major Bustier, but technical difficulties are keeping Luka out of the show

D-Plot: Juleka is insecure about her singing voice and ability to play an accoustic non-base guitar

E-Plot: Adrien cant figure out what to do with all the boxes of his old stuff from before the renovation. And cant figure out how to feel about his dad

F-Plot: Ivan feels unworthy of his superhero status and has the worlds shortest retirement (Beating out the previous record set 3 episodes ago, by Sabrina.)

G-Plot: Marinette and Nathalie find a letter from Gabriel instructing his son to become the next Hawkmoth, Can we really trust adrien not to fall in his fathers footsteps.

H-Plot: Ivan needs to learn to find support in his friends rather then bottle his struggles up inside

I-Plot: Juleka and Rose have their first kiss.

J-plot: Mylene struggles to get Ivan to open up about his troubles. She worries and wants to help but doesnt know how to.

K-plot: Lila continues her ominous stalking and wants the miraculous as usual (normally i wouldn't count it, but given that they put a lot more work into the akumatisation scene then usual, and included two seperate Lila-stalking-in-the-shadows-moments, with the bench and the feet outside Raoul's bathroom door... Im counting it.)

L-plot: Marinette and Nathalie try to figure out wether or not to tell Adrien about his dad. (Also: the writers try to retcon the S5 climax to make it so that Nathalie is the one insisting on the secret and Marinette is the one advocating for telling Adrien the truth)

M-plot: Nathalie has a secret meeting with the creepy shadowcouncil (can we still trust Nathalie? note: im talking about the scene where marinette first tries to show her the letter, not the end-credits scene.)

N-plot: There is something called "Operation Perfect World", You should be scared about it

O-Plot: The diamond plan to get the 'ultimate lifeform' senti's to go Adam and Eve and create a race of magically-engineered Ubermensch is still on.

P-plot: The creepy shadowcouncil exists at all, unseen antagonists lie in the shadows(and judging by the masquerade mask icon, Lila may be affiliated with it)

R-plot: Adrien slowly continues his continued decline into depression and slowly starts to buy into the gaslighting that his father truly was a good man.

S-plot: Mylene worries about Ivan going internal

T-plot: Every antagonist we've met up until now is revealed/implied to be subservient to this strange and ominous 'diamond' figure. Including Gabriel.

U-plot: The creepy shadowcouncil wants to take LB and CN's miraculous.

V-plot: Nathalie is planning to act as some kind of rogue/double-agent. Keeping the existence of the shadowcouncil a secret from Maribug while still working to run interference against the shadowcouncil.

W-plot: The implication that somehow, off-screen, Luka either quit or completed his teachings with the cult in Tibet and moved to Brazil. (note that they literally say he doesnt live in paris anymore. Not that he 'isnt in paris') X-plot: Juleka comes to terms with her father's rockstar legacy (because apparently that was a problem she was having.) Y-plot: Marinette has a gig as a Kittysection technical assistant, but supervillain strikes at the same time. Z-plot: Adrien has a gig as a member of Kittysection, but a supervillain strikes at the same time. (yes, im counting them seperately. Because unlike in Climatiqueen, they both clearly exit at different points in seperate scenes. By the time Adrien realises the supervillain is happening, Marinette is already Ladybug so this is a separate subplot) And even listing an entire alphabet's worth of subplots Im fairly certain i still missed a subplot or two. That is twenty-six subplots in a twenty-two minute episode. Like... in an episode this cluttered? It isnt even a suprise that its emotional beats all fail to land.

[tothepointofinsanity]

Do you have any super into detail thoughts on kyosaya? I know you've drawn a few art pieces for the ship, but I haven't seen any written think pieces about it from you.

I know there are some who don't like to use ships as a way to tie to a characters personality, so I guess I'm curious what your overall thoughts are on it and how it ties into sayaka as a whole.

"Think pieces" is a pretty neat way to put it...The primary foundation of KyoSaya to me revolves around a uniquely sapphic relationship that I hope would be expanded upon in future shows in the series.

↑ Yet, what are all these words supposed to mean? Sayaka has always done things for the sake of others. Her sense of justice elevated to the point where she views herself as a knight, someone who kneels in the face of goodness in respect of whatever is honourable to maintain it. But a knight is just another form of a pawn, just a stronger one whom everyone perceives has the ability to: 1) protect others 2) kill The Enemy.

Sayaka used to only ever have been able to interpret this in an extreme and binary vision. If she has to defend others, she has to devote herself fully to the cause. To her, the notion of self-care and self-preservation is difficult to comprehend since she feels as though she always has to be a monolith of one singular thing, of one side of things. To her, everything is like a chessboard. There is no way to play knight for both teams at once: either you prioritise yourself, or you prioritise others.

I understand that it is also a realistic depiction of how individuals like Sayaka constantly push through their own struggles alone while always uplifting others, a demonstration of unbalanced relationship dynamics. When this vision is challenged, Sayaka does not know where and how else she is expected to just "move forward" when she realised reality is not a simple game of chess. So she shrinks her view of the world further by clashing with Kyoko, since Kyoko is The Enemy who obstructs Sayaka's own perception of all that is Good and Just. Sayaka knew she was manipulated by Cubey™, but it was not only in the later movies that she comprehended the full extent of it. Something like that feels too complicated in her mind, so it's easier, much less burdensome to just lock onto one person to be angry with. This mentality is almost a sort of fallacy for Sayaka given she becomes a Witch in every cycle she becomes a magical girl.

Sayaka wants to feel relied on by humans. Kyoko does not desire nor expect anything from people, and thus balances out the extremes of Sayaka by being detached from worldly expectations - at least, that is what's consistent with Kyoko's perception of herself. A puppet without strings. She is not a pawn, not a knight. That's why she was angry when she realised the wish-granting alien omitted information on magical girl mechanisms and their life cycles. Instead of shovelling forward headstrong like Sayaka, however, Kyoko reconsiders her childhood memories and her desire, and it was to die with Sayaka so that Sayaka would not have, in Kyoko's eyes, perished for the sake of The Greater Good, because Kyoko believes still in the Self, not the vague promise of a better future.

Uhm. It's probably nonsense now that I put it in legible words. Some other KyoSaya fans who are big brained enough should educate me more on their dynamic, but I find their relationship to be interesting. It's very fallen angel x demon coded. I feel...as though Sayaka and Kyoko are hard to separate given they exist as characters that neutralise and support each other. Perhaps not codependent, but Sayaka was unhinged enough for Homura to not threaten her once, but twice whenever Madoka's feelings are involved. Meanwhile Homura was more...tolerant of Kyoko. Kyoko is there to keep Sayaka in check to make sure she doesn't piss off the Devil to the next century, and to me that is also funny.

[Although, it is tragic that since Sayaka embodies the sea, the only way Kyoko can only be with her "in death" due to the theme of Ophelia, her lover and the flame of the witch. Who could have predicted the doomed yuri is doomed. A sinking ship, even.]

[vinylfoxtalks]

Currently reading the Wax & Wayne series (sequel series to my beloved Mistborn trilogy), I'm on the second book currently and I have some thoughts (positive ones).

Spoiler Warning!

1. I love the way that BS evolved thw world. Thw use of the guns mixes with allomancy is sick, but it's so weird that everyone wears metal now. Like it was such a huge thing that no one wore metal in the original trilogy but now very few people care about that.

2. I love the way that the original crew is honoured throughout the book. The statues of Vin and Elend actually made me tear up. The Mare flower, Elendel, Demoux Promenade, etc. It's just so weird the way that people talk about the crew. Like I know that Vin would hate being called the 'Ascendent Warrior'

3. I fucking love Wayne. He's perfect in every way and he totally talks about his accents they way Sazed talked about his feruchemy.

4. WAX AND MILES' I TERACTIONS WERE A STUNNING PARALLEL BETWEEN VIN AND ZANE'S (idk why this parallel is my favourite thing in existence, but it is)

5. Love Bloody Tan. No reason why other than his fucked up exhibit in the Prologue of Alloy of Law.

6. I think it's so interesting that Marasi is all modest and flustered by dirty jokes and stuff when Vin was confused as to why guys got so flustered by her wearing pants and a shirt.

7. The scream I scrumpt upon Marsh showing up. I knew one of the characters made it into this series because my mom told me that, but she didn't tell me who. In retrospect, it should've been obvious but BS is so good at keeping things in the shadows that it doesn't dawn on you until it's thrown in your face (like Vin's earring being a heraldry spike, didn't see that coming until I read it directly).

In conclusion, I fucking love BS and his writing. I was hesitant to read the Wax & Wayne series because I'm not really into the old western style but it's turning out to be really good (not better than the original trilogy but good). Then again, I'm also not into political fiction like I feel BS leans into more but I'm obsessed with his books and his mind. I could go on and on about his magic systems and Hoid, it's almost unhealthy.

[monomonomirambles]

OC Analysis - Maeyr Bannea

𓈈⠀⠀ 𝅄 ⠀᧔◍᧓ ⠀⠀ 𝅄 𓈈

Maeyr is one of my DND characters (actually the first one I've got to play in an actual campaign) and she's grown so much in the little over half a year I've played her for. But she's grown so much! Except not in height, no changes there. So I wanted to do a lil analysis of her to figure out what's changed and show how much she's grown.

So! Who is Maeyr Bannea?

Maeyr is a goblin shadow sorcerer who was adopted by a family of elves just a few days after she was born. Prior to her birth, there was a war waging between a group of goblins, and a group elves - over a cave system. The goblins believed it was their right to own, having always lived there, but the elves were nobles, and owned the land. Eventually, the son of the noble elves went to negotiate peace with the goblins, but got killed in the process. This cruel and senseless death helped them come to a ceasefire, and forming the goblin-elf alliance. However, this was with the condition that for the life of their son lost, the elves were able to take a goblin child as their own - before the parents were even to meet them, so they had to feel the pain of losing a child too.

The child they chose was named Maeyr.

What were Maeyr's original motivations?

At age 20, Maeyr was finally granted the honour of the Bannea name. As elves, her mother and father don't tend to treat her her actual age, instead using elven ages for reference. So for elves, who mature at 100, Maeyr will always be a child in their eyes. Even though she matured at 8. Maeyr currently exists as the ambassador of the goblin-elf alliance, although it's mostly in name only, and was invited to attend the midnight masquerade in Sylvania. She's told to represent her family well by her mother.

And then she and two other people get blamed for the King of Calandria's murder, so.

In the early sessions, her motivations are pretty simple: clear her name. If only it was that easy.

What are Maeyr's current motivations?

Protect her friends, kill the chameleon, and stop Mal'toth . And yknow, still clear her name, that's pretty important.

At this point, Maeyr has been travelling with the two people that also got blamed for the kings murder - Selena and Ashton - as well as some other people they've adopted along the way. She cares about these people more than she cares about her reputation, they're very trauma bonded. They've been through a lot, learned a lot about each other, and they enjoy matchmaking as a coping mechanism. The chameleon - now Maeyr isn't the type to easily want to kill someone, but there's a few people they've met on this journey she's now pretty willing too. And the chameleon is one of them. When they were blamed for the murder, they found a magical (and extremely sassy) book, that would randomly give out cryptic riddles about murders that are set to happen, as well as showing up at extremely inconvenient times. The chameleon is a shapeshifter that keeps fucking with them and they all hate him. He's also the reason they're all wanted murderers. He's part of some cult that worships a bitch boy called Mal'toth, who (like a loser) is a death god trapped and needs cult people to help him out. No one wants this. Except the cult, ig. At some point Maeyr pretended to be a part of this cult and it worked. Only temporarily though.

Currently, the group is ignoring cryptic book clues, and avoiding the chameleon, because he is likely unfathomably strong compared to them. So they're travelling to train and get stronger. And also to help out a nice group that are trying to stop Mal'toth bc that guy sucks.

What made Maeyr change from lawful good to chaotic good?

Travelling with Ashton and Selena, mostly. Both are charlatans, and Maeyr's easily manipulated. But that's putting it simply. Both Selena and Ashton are pretty willing to steal - and at first Maeyr is against this, but as they grow closer as friends it turns into her not minding as much, especially when realising money is a bit of an issue they have to deal with. Initially, while wary of them both, she was also very excited to have her first friend's, so she lets them get away with a lot. She loves them, and while she can't understand everything they do, she wants more than anything for them to be happy.

A lot of it comes down to her meeting her first real friends, and realising the real world isn't what she originally thought. But also, she's really gullible. I love playing her.

[pythoria]

something about bg3 i find fascinating is just How Many characters are good and compelling. Usually with most media, be it games or tv shows or movies you have one or 2 characters you get attached to, but with baldur's gate i love almost every single character in their own way.

Astarion is instantly charming and witty, he's the sassy vampire who most people find themselves drawn to, but he's not the only compelling character by far. Gale takes some time to grow on you, but after you actually see how his story unfolds and maybe even romance him, you start understanding that he's just as hurt and sad as any of the other characters, groomed from a young age and misunderstood because of it. Astarion sees himself as just a body to be used, but Gale also thinks he's worthless deep down, especially after losing the bulk of his magic. He's passively suicidal and thinks his abuser is worth sacrificing everything for, and needs the whole camp to yell at him for being stupid to realise he might deserve to live and even, get this, find happiness.

Shadowheart's story and ending isn't talked about a lot, but it is HEARTBREAKING, and both endings for her are the only ones that actually brought tears to my eyes. In a similar way to other characters, her bad ending gives away a lot about her character, almost more than her good ending, and without spoiling it, i'll just say: it's impossible to make her character evil. she will always be governed by a sense of good and justice, and the only thing that goes wrong for her is being misguided and unable to turn back. Whatever she does, she does it because she thinks it's good and just.

I can't go in depth about every character, although they are all incredible, but honourable mentions for me are literally all the villains. Gortash is instantly compelling, and how could he not be with a voice actor like That. Him and Orin are also incredibly visually interesting, as well as their personalities being so magnetic. Ketheric is deeply tragic in his own way, act 2 is practically dedicated to his shattered family and it's so fascinating to see the shards of a broken man scattered across a broken, cursed land.

Raphael has the best theme song by far, he's overflowing with charisma, he speaks in riddles and verse, he's the perfect devil. He draws you in, you almost start to like him, and then you arrive at the House of Hope and the illusion both shatters and builds even further, because his lair is by far the best map in the entire game. You find out he only ever wants to sleep with himself, but that he's terrible in bed according to his succubus. You see people's lost souls pop in and out of existence, and you can only watch them beg for reprieve, but cannot interact. You see debtors crawling around rabidly on all fours, or worshipping his toilet, or sitting in front of his budoir, endlessly bound to watch him and his succubus through the peep hole but never allowed to join. And then there's the final fight, with its incredible song that everyone should experience for the first time in game.

So many compelling characters and i could write an essay about each one. i've barely scratched the surface, and i haven't even mentioned all the origin characters. it's just insane to me how detailed every story is, how they all have their own individual arcs and motivations and they're all fully fleshed out, and feel so god damn REAL. Yeah, bg3 should get GOTY, but honestly that's not even enough. The voice actors need oscars, the composer needs a grammy, and so on and so forth. what a game.

[sergeifyodorov]

have been meandering my way through various hrpf ships over the past few months and have finally been captivated by the dark shadow in the corner throughout it all, aka quinn hughes. if you’re into giving recs, you got any fave quinn fics?

now how did EYE become a quinn scholar of all people… honoured to be brought up in this way. i have not seen much quinnfic and am typically an eastcoast reader so i did research for this… found some good shtuff out there

i can't say anything for x readers if you're looking for that, it's simply not my thing and thats ok, but i did find some otherstuff. generally quinnfics are either quinn/brady (most popular, they've had the longest history), quinn/petey (which we should pay more attention 2 in my humble opinion), or brock/petey but quinn is There

arranged in wc order, short to long:

say cheese! by pxint, 2k, quinn/brady

sometimes you see a fic and you’re like “only someone who is very good at writing or very bad at writing would confidently publish something this weird sounding”

it’s the former

it’s a pizza place au and josh norris is also there. lighthearted in an existential dread sort of way. minimum wage existence suits quinnifer’s dead eyes very well

be my upstairs window by mundanememory, 3.9k, quinn/petey

largely a fic about rookie hazing + Being The Weird One + kind of the intrinsic quinnpetey thesis, which is largely to do with the dual shouldering of the canucks’ future. it’s well-characterized and awkward and features BRADY CAMEO

Someday Like Fire by Quinntessentially, 4.3k, quinn pov brock/petey

quinn is a ghost! a very tired ghost who wants to matchmake. just for something to do, yaknow?

something about magical realism fic that can really grind my gears is inconsistent or vague lore… but this one knows exactly what it’s telling us and when and i really like that!

to dig in by meganface, 22.8k, quinn/petey

okay my problematic gay trait is that i lovvvve stories about guys who like. Hook up w girls and stuff but it’s all superficial and then they Have An Experience with a guy and then the bulk of the story is about their ~realization process~

this is that kind of story. largely canon compliant otherwise (ie takes place during the 22-23 season, etc) but yeah.

good fast pace too, feels a lot shorter than it is (honorific)

by any other name by mundanememory, 23.1k, quinn/brady

this is a DELIGHTFUL college au

the essence of it is that quinn is a nighttime radio host and brady is on the hockey team. youll have to read it to get anything more out of me

this is like FLUFFYYYYY in such a good way it’s absolutely hilariously funny and the pacing is AMAZING it just moves like no one’s business

mundanememory if you’re out there shoot me a dm i need to shake you like im churning butter you’re so good at this

thank ye! have fun o7

[inbarfink]

Warrior Witch

Sometimes they are righteous knight-errants taking down injustice with both sword and spell, sometimes they are hot-blooded warlords always itching for a chance to escalate a battle in a new horrifying way, sometimes they are desperate little punks fighting back against the unfairness of the world using every tool in their disposal. Whoever they are, a Warrior Witch’s life is marked by conflict and violence. While many Witches mix their Witchcraft tradition with martial training for a more diverse skill-set, Warrior Witchcraft truly mixes spell and blade into one unified concept.

Warrior Witches' Emotional Focus is the emotion of Outrage. Both their martial and magical powers are fueled by grand feelings of rage and upset. They tend to be passionate, hot-blooded folks - quick to anger and quick to action. They tend to have strong principles and a moral code they adhere to. Warrior Witches are driven by their strong values and high standards and the indignation they feel when the world fails to match these ideals.

At the same time, the Warrior Witch desires to inspire Outrage in others. They are charismatic and captivating, great in inspiring the flames of righteous fury in others. Making them not just great warriors, but great generals and warlords. Their uncompromising and combative attitude makes them quite willing and capable of Outraging their enemies, and general society as well. Challenging mainstream conventions, being shockingly bold and true, refusing to conform - all of it literally gives strength to a Warrior Witch.

Even their very existence is an Outrage to some. Warrior Witchcraft’s mix of martial power and magic upsets some more traditional magic users, including even some other Witchcraft traditions. And many non-magical warriors are quite frustrated at them as well. A Warrior Witch is both the knight in shining armour and the sorcerer overlord at the same time - and that unconventionality still angers some people, much to the delight of the Witch.

Whatever any of this is a good thing depends on which values the Witch has chosen to uphold. A Warrior Witch always has a strong moral code that is somehow in opposition to societal conventions - and this can be an incredibly good thing or an incredibly bad thing. A Warrior Witch can be a righteous heroic rebel, an honourable defender of Justice, a warlord of oppression and repression or a trickster operating on what seems like nonsense rules. Even at their best, the Warrior Witch’s inflexible iron will can be a blessing or a curse.

Warrior Witches’ magic is generally channelled as Enchantments or occasionally Blessings to the physical abilities of themselves and their allies. They can also Curse and weaken their enemies. But their speciality is the crafting and creating of magical ornaments and armour. Most Warrior Witches keep one or two iconic weapons designed specifically to be optimal conductors to their magic as well as having a whole bunch of weird Enchantments on their own. They rarely directly use Elemental Combat Magic, but many of them have an Elemental Affinity towards Fire.

[unhingedwomandiaries]

Just found my old poetry stuffed in the back of a drawer like a dead body, and bloody hell, it's worse than finding your dad's browser history. I'm cringing so hard my face might actually get stuck this way. It's like a museum exhibit of trying too fucking hard to be deep and mysterious, preserved in all its tragic glory.

Here's a proper belter: "you hid yourself / you were in pain / it is not fair / you shared dumb jokes / you let me see your laugh / but never your tears." Christ on a bike. I was clearly going for some profound statement about silent suffering, like I was the first person to discover that people hide their feelings. Bet I thought I was proper clever, like Sylvia Plath's angsty little sister who shops at Claire's Accessories.

Nothing says "I need therapy" quite like vomiting bad poetry all over the internet about some bloke who wouldn't share his feelings. Top strategy there, past me. Really solving the world's problems one shit verse at a time.

Then there's the really grim stuff, like the poem I wrote after my friend was murdered: "for a second she thought / maybe that wasn't him / maybe that wasn't his hair / maybe that wasn't his body / lying in the gas station." Because nothing honours someone's memory quite like turning their death into poetry that reads like a rejected CSI script. I'm sure his family would've been well chuffed with that sensitive artistic tribute.

Oh, and this passive-aggressive masterpiece about my ex's hobbies: "you loved so many board games / settlers of catan / magic the gathering / tichu / carcassonne / dominion / so why then out of all those / did you choose to play with my heart?" Fucking hell. Watch out Shakespeare, there's a new metaphor queen in town. Nothing says "I'm totally over you" quite like comparing your failed relationship to board games. I bet I thought I was being proper clever with that one, like some kind of literary ninja throwing shade through carefully crafted verses about Monopoly.

And it gets better. There are pages of this shit about toxic relationships and never letting myself be treated like crap again... all expressed through poetry that reads like a serial killer's manifesto. Because that's definitely how well-adjusted people process their feelings - by writing threatening verses about their exes between shifts at Tesco.

Part of me wants to set fire to the whole lot and pretend it never existed, like those photos from year nine when I thought blue mascara was a good idea. But another part thinks maybe I should keep it, like how some people keep their appendix in a jar after surgery. Yeah, it's proper cringe... but it's also proof that I used to be even more of a mess than I am now. All those awkward attempts at being deep, all those feelings expressed with all the subtlety of a brick through a window.

Oh, fuck it. Who am I trying to kid? This is going straight in the bin where it belongs. If anyone needs me, I'll be drinking cheap wine and listening to The Smiths until I can forget I ever wrote poetry about bloody board games. Some memories deserve to die, and these are definitely on that list.

[sweet-star-cookie]

heyo!! ask time again!!

How common is it for the Zodiacs to interact with other constellations that aren't their companions? More specifically, the Skymirror circus, because I think it would be very cool if Ciara visited them and went "whoaaaa i've never heard of these constellations :0"

Also, I noticed that a lot of your drawings that feature backgrounds have a lack of sunlight, so I was wondering if the lack of sun was due to Solaris' absence? If so, are there any other normal aspects of life that are affected by Solaris' absence besides the fire and earth Zodiacs' elemental powers?

Oooh, good questions! I've said it before, but these really help me work out or reinforce a lot of my lore stuff I might not have considered yet, so thanks :D

How common is it for the Zodiacs to interact with other constellations that aren't their companions? Quite common, though how often they interact and what kind of relationship they have (if any) varies by the individual or group. They could be friends, rivals, enemies, or anything in between! Libra knows a lot of them simply by association via her healing powers and general researching, some of the zodiac are more social than others overall, and some interactions are based on relationships that other constellations had with prior incarnations of the zodiac, for better or worse! Some constellations also interact with the zodiac for mutual benefit, even if they're not officially companions.

Once word spreads about some of the corrupted constellations falling to Earth rather than dying out completely, many believe that spirits once thought to be lost could be brought back. And while this is true in general, some of them are truly dead, killed by the corruption process itself or by other means. Though the restoration of the Star Fragments and the mausoleum exist to both confirm and honour these deaths, that doesn't mean the survivors will take it very well when that final hope is dashed, especially if the next incarnation of that same dead constellation appears.

One of many examples is Leo, as the incarnation that came before her was a pirate captain, nicknamed "The Roaring Thunder" for his characteristically loud and intimidating roar. He sacrificed himself to save his crew, and Leo idolizes him as a hero, to the point of practising her roar to be just like his. A lot of his surviving crew, however, didn't like the idea of their beloved captain being "replaced" by her, and this creates conflict between them.

With the death and reincarnation cycle, it can be difficult to know everyone or the true scope of the loss or potential for rescue. In fact, a lot of the villains that appear in Starglass Zodiac are formed (albeit indirectly) because of the zodiac's inability to save them or their loved ones in some way, and they (often quite literally) fall through the cracks. When Cassie discovers that some of the Unsigned spirits on Earth can still talk even while corrupted, some of them actively resist being rescued for this reason, feeling no sense of "home" if they returned. Though the zodiac never intends to leave anyone behind, the Astral Plane is massive and what little information they have about the increasing Void magic corruption makes it much harder to save everyone. Some view this as negligence, deliberate or otherwise, and become quite vengeful as a result. A lot of this ire falls to Cassie too, as she is not able to save everyone even with the power of the Starglass, a hard lesson for her to learn.

As for the SkyMirror Circus, they appear as villains in the main story and thus make themselves known to the zodiac deliberately, though their tale is more of the "fall from grace" kind. Originally, they were a travelling circus that merely sought to entertain the Astral Plane with their magical tricks and spectacle. But as time passed and the destruction of the Astral Plane became all the more prevalent, the circus's ringleader, Uranoscopus, became increasingly obsessed with maintaining the "glory days" and sought out astral power wherever she could find it. That led her to Ophiuchus and later Cassie due to the Starglass, and she uses increasingly underhanded tactics to try and get what she wants. Not all members of the circus approved of this change and left, or at least tried to, but faced various consequences while doing so. Musca (The Fly) acts as Ura's informant and spy, a literal fly on the wall, allowing her to strike in unexpected places or manipulate others based on the information she gathers. Uranoscopus became increasingly notorious across the Astral Plane over time, with her remaining crew serving as hired goons/minions for her plans. All that said though, if you'd like to write them interacting with Ciara and the zodiac doesn't know about them, go ahead! Have fun and play around with them if you'd like :) And if you'd like to know more about each of the circus members specifically, feel free to send another ask any time :D Are there any other normal aspects of life that are affected by Solaris' absence besides the fire and earth Zodiacs' elemental powers? Admittedly I am VERY behind on the background design for this series so my apologies for the lack of visuals for that compared to the characters, but in general I always pictured the Astral Plane to have that "eternal night" look, like Cassie has been taken into space itself. While we see the Sun on a blue sky from Earth, it is always surrounded by darkness up in space no matter how bright it is. From a purely design standpoint, this also allows the various glow effects from the magic to always be present regardless of the time, and provides visual contrast should Cassie enter the Astral Plane while it's still daytime on her part of Earth.

Unlike Earth, the Astral Plane doesn't have an atmosphere, so the only way that Cassie can exist there at all is entirely via magic from the Starglass. Should she ever lose the connection to it while still up there, she would die. The same would be true for any other mortal being in the same situation. Thus, any "sky" that the Astral Plane has is actually just space, and any "clouds" are made of stardust like the rest of it. So while the Sun/Moon provide day/night cycles for both, the "sky" colour doesn't change on the Astral Plane like it does on Earth.

The Sun/Moon can still be seen, and their cycle of movement is one of the only ways to denote the passage of time, the other being (formerly) Horologium, the Clock. One of the Solunar spirits is more powerful depending on the time of day/night shown by this cycle, Solaris during the day, and Lunaris during the night. Cassie's power via the Moon Starglass is also most powerful at night. During solar eclipses, both Solunar Spirits and their respective Starglasses receive this power boost. The day, month and year cycles are also relevant, as the zodiac receive a boost to their Light magic during their respective zodiac dates, and the Solunar Spirits change their form depending on the year.

Despite the perpetual darkness overall, it should be noted that due to the presence of Light magic, there is still a clear visual distinction between the Astral Plane and the Voidlands. Any other light sources that exist there in general are made with Light or Fire magic, and uncorrupted people/things on the Astral Plane can often appear more "lit up" by comparison, even if they aren't actively glowing.

It should also be noted that the Earth itself is not visible from the Astral Plane due to the Voidlands in between them, save for a hole torn through it by Lunaris when it sent the Moon Starglass to Earth, though it closed again shortly afterwards. Neither of the Solunar Spirits, nor any other being on the Astral Plane, has ever been able to replicate this event ever since. [Side note: The Solunar Spirits must have at least one eye each, if they somehow lost or gave both they'd cease to exist] And though it was still largely speculation on their part, the brief appearance of this tear in the Void is the reason why the zodiac believed that the Starglass somehow landed on Earth rather than simply disappearing. Cassie's arrival later confirmed this to be true.

While the loss of Solaris definitely had a massive effect on the increasing darkness on the Astral Plane, that is more because of the overall imbalance it caused rather than it being the loss of the Sun Spirit specifically. In other words, if Lunaris had disappeared instead, the severity of this event and its resulting ripple effect would remain the same, the only difference being the loss of water/air magic rather than earth/fire.

[wistfulwillowturtle]

I love reading fantasy and science fiction, its definitely the main genre that I read. Might be a bit of along post, but you know I will gladly talk about fantasy books.

I haven't actually read asoiaf but if you like the more grim dark type of wirting you could try reading Poppy War by R. F. Kuang. Its got a strong female lead, an intense military academy, some of the most devastating depictions of the aftermath of war that I have read, I mean the deity the main character calls on is known as the phoenix and fire only burns.

If you are just getting into fantasy I guess another good place to start would be Brandon Sandorsons work, maybe book one in his mistborn series The Final Empire. Its a really easy book to get into with a strong heist premise and a cast of lovable rouges. Another good female lead as Vin the main character, and a well thought out magic system and extensive world building.

One of the other fantasy books I read recently and really enjoyed was Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay. Its slower paced than most of the other fantasy I read, but it has one of the most beautiful writing styles I have read. Very immersive setting descriptions steeped in ancient culture. An enticing premise with a young man burying the dead at a battlefeild to honour and grieve his father who had always regretted that battle where many died but were not laid to rest. This results in him being gifted 250 Sardian horses which is maybe enough to change the course of history. Add assassins and political revolution into the mix and you have a very compelling story. I feel like I can't even recommend it well because the main allure was how well crafted every sentence was. I mean this is a quote from the book

“Truth" when examining events and records of the past was always precarious, uncertain. No man could say for certain how the river of time would have flowed, cresting or receding, bringing floods or gently watering fields, had a single event, or even many, unfolded differently.

It is in the nature of existence under heaven, the dissenting scholars wrote, that we cannot know these things with clarity. We cannot live twice, or watch as moments of the past unfurl, like a courtesan's silk fan. The river flows, the dancers finish their dance. If the music starts again it is starting anew, not repeating itself.”

It might be a little difficult to get into as your first fantasy book in a while, but keep it in mind for a future read.

And I guess to recommend another underrated female author, you could try any of Robin Hobbs work, I read the Assassins Apprentice last year and I was surprised how easy it was to get lost in the traditional fantasy setting with kings and castles. The main charater Fitz has a real underdog appeal that makes him easy to root for even when he gets caught up in schemes which probably aren't for the greater good. I love the complex relationships between characters in this book like between Burrich who takes Fitz in and often plays the stoic mentor but clearly cares for Fitz, even when Fitz cant see it. plus a magic system that includes bonding with animals count me in. Lots of political intrigue, high stakes and intriguing set up for the rest of the series.

Lastly, ( I mean I could go on for ever there are so many awesome fantasy books my tbr continues to grow exponentially) I have to recommend Discworld by Terry Pratchett. One of my all time favourite series, definitely a bit of a shift tonewise from everything else in this list, but deserving of a read none the less. Lighthaerted, whimsical, humourous but also so so good. Discworld is split into sub series like, the Watch, the Witches, Death, and so on. I think the Watch is a good place to start with the mystery of the crime the city night watch are trying to solve leading to a pretty fast paced and captivating story. Sam Vimes is a grumpy, cynical and lovable main character. Again half of the wonder of discworld is the writing style, the way terry pratchett uses humor and fantasy to reflect the real way things are. “People who are rather more than six feet tall and nearly as broad across the shoulders often have uneventful journeys. People jump out at them from behind rocks then say things like, "Oh. Sorry. I thought you were someone else.”

yeah, feel free to ask if you wan any more recommendations or info. :)

asking my followers for advice

I want to read some fantasy/heroic fantasy and I have no clue what book to pick since I haven’t read any since age 16-17 (except asoiaf). I remember seeing some recommandations on my dash a while ago but can’t remember who it was hence that post.

I gladly take any recommandations, I don’t really know about my preferences since, well, I’m not well versed into the genre 😅. I’d rather read books written by women though. So please reblog, link me your rec post if you have one or give me some advice, I will greatly appreciate it !

Many thanks and looking forward to hear from you 🤩🤩