#[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.

[not-poignant]

Hi Pia

I have 2 separate questions that are unrelated but share a subject matter.

Would a woman omega or trans man omega who was infertile/sterile be allowed at Hillview?

And 2) Have you thought or would you ever write an mm pairing where one of them was a trans man?

I'm trans masc and I find it so hard to find good trans fics that deal with trauma recovery or aren't just pwp. And I love your writing so much that if you ever decided to write a transman fic I'd literally cry from happiness.

So, I was going to write a big long world-building response to this but instead I'm gonna take it back to something personal - you're asking me to consider worldbuilding for and writing for stuff I feel pretty dysphoric over in my personal life. I go out of my way to really, really avoid writing heterosexuality of any kind for a start, so I don't want to think about all the fringe cases where I can make heterosexuality possible at Hillview or the sister site. That's just...icky to me.

As for trans folk, being that I'm also transmasc, I'm mostly team 'if you want to see it happen you can write it happening. I have zero problems with that. But there's stuff I'm not writing about either for reasons relating to dysphoria, or for reasons relating to 'this is not actually why I enjoy writing in the first place.' This is why I don't do self-inserts, for example. I don't like seeing myself in my own stories, I prefer seeing myself represented in other stories.

So -> If other folks want to write it, they can! If they want to solve those worldbuilding issues, they absolutely can! If they want to write fic about it, I'm gonna set off a confetti cannon for them in celebration.

In terms of worldbuilding, the answer would just always be: It depends. If you want to find the fringe cases then sure, there would always be exceptions! But if there was any chance of fertility/pregnancy with their companion, then no. So it would absolutely need to be not just a hormonal transition (a lot of things can impact consistent hormonal uptake and I think omegaverse hormones in the Underline universe would actually impact them a lot too), but one that covered bottom surgery as well.

Is that like, a problem in honouring someone's gender? Absolutely!! The Underline universe isn't perfect. But preventing pregnancy is their biggest concern at Hillview and the sister site. I know in regular/standard ORFs, they only care about the fertility issue, and care about literally nothing else, and yes, that can be a huge issue re: trans folk. This world is a dystopia, it doesn't pretend to be anything else.

The fun thing about fanfiction, is that other people can erase all of that with a sweep, come up with some magical contraception, and just make it happen. :D

As a transmasc person myself, I have stuff I just don't like writing. Just like everyone else does. You are absolutely welcome and completely have my blessing to imagine whatever you like for Underline, to write it in fic, to daydream about it, to bend and change the rules that already exist or to make up new ones that don't exist yet, that work for a world you want to read about.

But for me...it just comes too close to 'if I have to change or figure out these things I also have to think about how to set up 'woman omega and man alpha' heterosexuality and I just don't want to.'

I'm so sorry anon. I'm going to circle this one under competing needs. Sometimes the thing another person needs to find gender affirmation, is the thing that will harm another person's experience of their own gender, even if that gender shares the same general name, even if that changes down the track. (This is how we get some trans people who hate genderbending in fic and say it's dysphoric, and other trans people who love it and say it's affirming. It's true for both, neither should impose their views on the other).

The TL;DR being: I write what I want to be writing. If I'm not writing it, and have never written it, it's because I don't want to write it. In the matter of heterosexuality: zero interest, I'll leave that for other folks. In the matter of being trans, dealing with my own gender stuff irl is already a nightmare that I don't want to have to write out a version of that again in fiction, because I can't live it twice, and I don't like writing fluffy stories.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[hphmmatthewluther]

The Vaulties!!

Day 5 - Greatest Feel-Good Moment:

I haven’t talked about this much on here, so I figure now is a good time to:

Matthew goes through years 5, 6 and 7 twice. The first time, he is forced to endure the “planned” version of events culminating in him being totally isolated from everyone he cares about, but through some well-timed mirror-magic Matthew is able to escape this place of misery, as well as this plane of existence entirely.

Outside of space and time entirely, Matthew didn’t expect to find anybody else here, especially not some short 19-year-old named Atticus. Nevertheless, the two worked together and were thus able to push back against their seemingly impossible situations, but also time itself.

When Matthew awakes again, it is once again 1988. All of the death and fear and misery exists only as a memory in his head. Borderline euphoric, he takes the time to see all of his friends and celebrate things being normal again. His sudden positive attitude is a surprise to a lot of people, but would have no way of knowing what had happened.

Soon, however, his priorities focus on what comes next: saving Rowan (first from the Imperius Curse and then from another Unforgivable), Merula, and his brother. Well, that and the fact that Hogwarts had a new ghost in the form of Atticus (though he would insist upon being called a spirit - ghosts were people who died, and he argues his death didn’t count).

What mattered was that Matthew had taken fate into his own hands. He had rebuked those who told him that he had no say in how his story would go, and he refused to give in until he was able to do the right thing for his friends and loved ones.

“Thank goodness Matt stopped that other version of events from happening! I can’t imagine what life would be like without Professor Khanna, they actually make history of magic bearable!” “It’s been an absolute honour to host the Vaulties, everyone! Well done to all my friends who won and thank you to everyone who participated! Who knows, maybe we could do this all again next year!” - Jane Luther

[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.

[mazeinthemiroh]

bangchan boyfriend headcanons

genre: fluff

word count: 0.8k

warnings: none

requested?: yes

song rec: my universe - coldplay, bts

author's notes: in honour of chan day, here is some bangchan bf headcanons. i may or may not have cried whilst writing this. i just love him so much ;-; anyways, i really hope you enjoy this one! happy chan day <333

guys...

oh my gosh i can't breathe-

okay, okay

i don't think you understand how much this guy means to me. this guy. the most beautiful, gentle, gorgeous man in the whole world. this person who's very existence is why i am still here today. bangchan. bang christopher chan. chrissy boi

however has the privilege of dating this one should know that they are the luckiest person in the whole wide world

bangchan as a boyfriend? he puts his all into the relationship. being the leader of stray kids has taught him many things: patience, kindness, empathy, compromise, understanding. he is well equipped for any sort of human interaction, if we're being honest. he is also prone to be protective, taking a more caring role is natural for him. as a boyfriend, he will look out for you. make sure you stay out of harms way, protect you from the press, sasaengs, paparazzi, toxic fans, idols, anyone who hurts your feelings, your reputation, your image.

you are like the kids in the sense that you become chan's top priority.

speaking of the kids, you will have to get on well with them. the other members as so important to chan because they are essentially his family. so getting along with them is a must and non-negotiable, tbh

and they welcome you with open arms, anyway, seeing how happy you. make chan. you all end up being one big happy family, its lovely

but it's baffling, really. because at first, chan was a bit concerned that being in a relationship would be extremely difficult because of his tight schedule

and, much like i said with hongjoong, he's a quality time guy. he craves a one-on-one connection with someone, to really get to know them well and to understand their thoughts, feelings, and opinions. which is hard because he literally has no time at all. but somehow, magically, he manages. and much better than he thought he would

and it's because he absolutely thrives in a relationship. he finally has someone to commit to. something to look forward to. something that give shis life a new meaning. a brighter joy that he has never quite experienced before. sure, he's living his dream, but it's not easy. his life is hectic and tough and crazy and busy and lonely. and therefore he values, much more deeply than others, the feeling of companionship

to love and to be loved. that's what he desires the most. that's what he needs

because this man has so much love to give. he will hold you close to him and never ever let you go

cuddles are a necessity! he's very physically affectionate and essentially wants to be close to you in any way. he doesn't even care if he's the big spoon or little spoon. if he's. a big spoon, he feels like he is protecting you and it feels so good holding you close in his arms. but if he's the little spoon, he would feel so safe and loved and cherished as you hold him tight. he lives for any type of cuddles <3

overall, being in a relationship with chan would be extremely important for him for one key reason: you make him feel like he is at home. he finds himself being so comfortable around you; he is free to be himself, with no judgement. he feels safe with you. that's something he can never deny. you are his best friend, his family, his soulmate. a massive part of his life. he never underestimates how much you mean to him. and he never takes you for granted. not once.

dates with him would include:

studio dates - yes, i know, how predictable. the usual setting of every chan fic out there, i get it, i get it. but he loves it when you're at the studio with him. sometimes you guys work together, just quiet and enjoying each others comfortable company, ordering takeaway food at midnight, falling to sleep together in the early hours of the morning. or you guys just mess around and get like zero work done. either way, he loves it

binge-watching - he counts this as a date. he wants nothing more than after a long day working at the studio, coming home to you snuggling up in his arms in his bed while he puts on a movie or anime or tv show you guys have been watching. it's one of his favourite moments ever. it makes him feel so warm and happy

fireworks display - kinda cliché but also totally his vibe. i think he's watched so many anime with romance fireworks scenes that he's just like 'yep, we have to do this.' and it's breathtaking how perfect it all is. a beautiful moment shared with a beautiful man

i hope chan chooses happiness, above all else <3

[writingwithcolor]

Gingerbread man as golem

@yaronata asked:

I would like to write a character who is Jewish and uses a Golem. She's based on the D&D class of the artificer which looks magic but isn't, because they produce all their effects with inventions, like the "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" quote. Her story is that her very Jewish town was under attack from a terrible monster when she was little. Her Rabbis made a Golem to protect the town, and it succeeded but was torn to pieces in the process. She was fascinated by the Golem and as a kid didn't see a big difference between it's sentience and person's so was really thankful for its sacrifice like you would a person's sacrificing their life for you. They thought all the pieces had been devoured by the monster before it died, but she went looking and found the piece used to animate the Golem, which she, kinda misunderstanding called its "heart". She kept the piece and grew up to be an incredibly skilled cook, specialising as a baker in the town. I imagine she would make a lot of really good food for the Jewish holidays, or to break fasts on ones like Yom Kippur or Tish'abav. But she also made a town specific holiday to honour the Golem's sacrifice and the town still being alive, because I feel "we are not dead woo" is a big theme for Jewish holidays from my research, so it could fit, for which she invented ginger bread men to be the golem, and gave them little "hearts" of fruit or honey, and you're meant to eat them limb by limb like the beast did before eating the heart. This would be the inspiration for using the "heart" piece later to make her own giant gingerbread Golem to help her save the world.

These are my questions 1) would it be considered bad or disrespectful for someone who isn't a Rabbi to make a Golem, or is this method of taking an animating piece someone else made disrespectful? 2) Her journey will take her far from her town and her Jewish family and friends and she will likely travel with gentiles. Would it be disrespectful for a Golem to be used to protect a lot of gentiles and one Jew in the course of saving the world? I don't want to fall into the stereotype of someone putting all their effort into valuing and protecting very specifically the group that in real life is oppressive to them. 3) While she is not using magic and is actually mimicking its effects with technology she invents, is this drawing too close to the line of "magical Jew"? 4) I like to "play test" my characters in ttrpgs to really get a feel for them before I write. Would it be disrespectful to play a Jewish character when I am a gentile, and would it be disrespectful to play a Jewish character in a setting where there are demonstrably real gods other than the one of Judaism?

I really like this character idea and I think it's cute and fun and rooted in Jewish culture but I really want to make sure it's respectful and as good as I, a gentile researching on the internet, thinks it is. Thanks so much! Have a nice day!

My answer to this is very complicated because there are things I both like and do not like about this premise. First of all, I love the idea of a cookie golem, and I'm even imagining the magic word that brings him to life (EMET/truth) would be written in icing. And I'm okay with the part about how she found a piece of the old golem and used it to build a new golem, because that makes sense for a golem made from a baked good when you think about how people use sourdough starter to make a new batch of sourdough.

However, here are the thing that make me cock my head to the side like my little sister's German shepherd:

1. re: "magical Jew" - that's not a trope I've ever heard of. Remember, marginalized groups don't receive identical disrespect across the board. It is indeed a trope to use Black people or disabled people as supernatural plot devices who exist only to further the stories of white main characters or able-bodied main characters. But I can't say as I've ever seen anyone using Jewishness that way. Usually if we are someone's one-dimensional plot device it's as someone's lawyer, fixer, "money guy", etc, not a supernatural force. So this isn't something you have to worry about.

2. I have a certain level of discomfort with you playing as a Jewish character just because playacting as a marginalized culture you're not part of strikes me as off, but I understand that that's how you gain insight into a character you're about to write so it's more of a writing exercise than anything else. (I wonder if D&D regulars from marginalized groups have written about this -- I've only played a few times casually with family so if I did run into this type of discussion in my social justice reading I wouldn't have absorbed it. If anyone is curious I played first as Captain Werewolf, and then switched to playing as Cinnamon Blade because lawful good was too hard. :P )

3. I would prefer you omit the detail about eating the cookies piece by piece symbolically, for two reasons: a. it unintentionally evokes Communion by having appreciative people consume a baked good symbolic of an entity who sacrificed his life for theirs, and b. focusing on the details of flesh consumption reminds me too much of Blood Libel (yes, a gingerbread man is in the shape of a person but how many of us actually think about it literally, the way this act would cause?)

As to your first question: I'm fine with her making a golem even though she's just a rando. Second question: I see what you're saying and maybe it could be more okay if it's really clear how well these gentile folks are treating her? And questions three and four are answered above.

I really do love the idea of a giant gingerbread man golem. Cookie golem T_T <3

--Shira

I would like to second Shira’s point about not ripping apart the gingerbread cookies. I honestly would prefer they were used as decoration, and other cookies eaten instead, since that part just feels so not-Jewish to me, but I don’t have golem-specific issues other than that. It seems like you have already been doing a lot of research, which is appreciated.

As far as the ttrpg/DnD aspect… I bounce back and forth on the topic of playing characters that are so very different from our experiences, other than in fantasy-related ways. However, I am aware that a lot of people will play with, and experiment with gender in game, and learn something about themselves in the process (the number of trans players of ttrpgs who tried out their gender in game before they were out is high). It’s different with Judaism, and even more significantly different when it comes to things you can’t convert into, like various actual, real-world races. But because people do sometimes experience growth from experiences like this, I’m hesitant to dissuade players completely. I do urge you to, at a minimum, bring the same care, research, and willingness to learn, that you brought to this question.

--Dierdra

This sounds like a creative storyline that you could have lots of fun with 😊

At first I was confused by this part:

She also made a town specific holiday to honour the Golem's sacrifice

But then you really got me thinking about different types of Jewish holidays and how they come about, so thank you for that!

Because it’s often the little details that either make a story super powerful or kind of nonsensical, I think it would be a good idea to decide what type of holiday is being created here:

A full-blown chag with restrictions on labour and halachic obligations? These are commanded in Torah and new ones can’t be added.

A minor yom tov with halachic obligations but no restrictions? These were instituted by the rabbis prior to the destruction of the Temple, so again new ones can’t be added.

A public holiday or equivalent? This would usually be declared by the Knesset in Israel, and filter to the rest of the Jewish world from there.

A community-based yom tov with specific customs only for people in the know, such as certain Chasidic groups celebrating the birthdays of their deceased leaders? I asked around, but no one can really tell me how these holidays get started, which is probably a good indication that they arise quite organically from a group of people who all just feel that it should be celebrated. Probably not created by a single person, as such.

Something she runs from her bakery, not religion-based, but more like a day of doing special products and deals the way many small businesses do on their anniversary?

Now, if the people of a modern-day town were actually saved by a real live Golem, that would arguably be the most overt miracle for many generations, so there would be a decent chance of options 3 and/or 4 happening. It’s entirely plausible that there could be special foods for this day that become a tradition, including Golem cookies. People who directly benefited might also return to the site where the Golem fought the monster and recite the prayer, ‘Blessed is Hashem, Master of the Universe, Who performed a miracle for me in this place.’

Alternatively, if it’s important that your MC created the holiday, something like option 5 might be the best. Hopefully this will still fulfil what you need: you describe her as incredibly skilled, so I can imagine the day when she goes all out on the Golem cookies being one of the most exciting events of the year for the townspeople, just because her baking is that good. Plus, they already have a personal stake in the Golem’s sacrifice, so I definitely think it could be a thing without being an official holiday. Also, if she is outside of an all-Jewish environment, don’t forget that she would have to decide whether to commemorate the anniversary in the Hebrew calendar or the local one.

Coming back to the cookies, sorry if we’re getting a little repetitive on this point! But I don’t see the cookies being torn limb from limb as part of a celebration. First of all, this doesn’t sound like a very celebratory thing to do, to say the least. Can you imagine explaining that to a three-year-old on their first Yom HaGolem? They would be terrified! (I don’t read this suggestion as accidental anti-Semitism so much as getting carried away with a metaphor, which I’m sure as writers we have all done!)

But also, it’s worth pointing out that our commemorative foods aren’t usually that literal. If you think about hamantaschen, maror, or apple in honey, they’re all symbols. That’s not to say that having Golem-shaped cookies is a problem, as this sounds like just a bit of fun that the MC is having and not something that is directly at odds with Judaism or Jewish culture. But it’s worth bearing in mind that the more literal you go from there in terms of tying the cookies to the event they commemorate, the less culturally aligned your holiday food becomes.

Finally, about the Golem protecting non-Jewish people: I like this idea! There’s a stereotype that we only use whatever is at our disposal to help ourselves and other Jewish people, so a Golem being created by Jews but helping others as well is a big plus for me. Of course, as has already been pointed out, this would be an odd choice if her Saving The World team were anti-Semitic or otherwise disrespectful to her/her community, but I don’t think you were headed that way!

-Shoshi

I have to come back in here just to squee over the phrase “Yom HaGolem.” Well done :D

--Shira