#Golden Ratio Chosen

[leafeyrune]

Decided to combine the Star Gazing, Flight, and Freedom prompts for this piece for Chosen Week!! Have some more Golden Ratio Chosen!

[moth-scrunk]

Golden Star

Wanted to make my own interruption of the "Golden Ratio Chosen" I've been seeing other Artists make. Decided to make him able to spit GAS instead of fire. The star-infected gas can instead suffocate and burn things slowly over time.

Also yes, this makes Dark Moon reconsider their views on males.

[starcurtain]

I wish everyone collectively understood aventurine’s character like you…things would be so much easier! I genuinely don’t understand how people keep getting his motivations wrong??? Could it be because some of the most popular Aven fanfics were written prior to his release? That could have contributed to some of the takes we tend to see about him…thoughts?

I struggled all day to come up with a concise way to answer this and couldn't think of one, so here, have a long-winded ramble:

I don't think early fic writers have much impact in the situation with Aventurine's character now, since most people can look at when a story was posted and go "Oh, this was before we had ____ information."

I think that Aventurine's problem is being a male character in a gacha game. Gacha game characters are designed to sell. Hoyo can sell female characters very, very easily. Give her huge tits and a visible underwear strap and you're good to go. I love all my guy friends, but I'm not gonna sugarcoat it: straight men are not the hardest audience to please. Hit a particular fetish (feet, spandex, dommy mommy), and you're gucci.

Nah, we all know why Jade's trailer is Like That.™

Male characters in gacha are harder to sell because women as consumers are a little harder to predict. Does every woman want a tall, ripped hunk? Shit, no, small cute boyish models like Aventurine are selling better now? Why?! Would a bad boy be more popular than a nice guy??? It's harder to account for women's tastes, especially because they are often (a little) less visually-oriented.

Hoyo is good at what they do though, and they've figured out that male characters sell very well when they possess at least one of two specific traits:

Endearing vulnerability/helplessness

Gay ship tease

Give a character both, like Aventurine? They might as well be printing money.

That sound you hear is Hoyo's stock prices rising.

So, from the very beginning, Hoyo is incentivized to create a character that appeals to people, a character people will want to crack their wallets open for. And they achieved this, first and foremost, by giving Aventurine traits that female players (in particular, but men too), find especially appealing: emotional and physical vulnerability.

We see Aventurine's pain. We sympathize with his grief. We identify with his struggle to make meaning of his difficult life. He's our woobie, blorbo, babygirl, whatever the hell they're calling it now.

He can't hide his suffering anymore. He's on the very edge. He's a dude in distress. He's surrounded by enemies! He misses his mama! He's been betrayed! No one understands him like you do, dear player!

The ultimate feeling evoked is: He needs to be saved.

When people talk about male power fantasies, I think they forget that women can experience them too, and "Emotionally vulnerable man that only I (or my favorite character) can fix" is actually a female power fantasy.

And from there it's really easy, right: the people who shell out cash to buy warps for their harmed-husbando feel like they've saved him; the people who are into mlm ships look for the nearest hot dude to be the savior Ratio was waiting for his time lol.

Morally and intellectually, this type of deep-down-golden-hearted, emotionally-wounded male character is very easy to digest. There is nothing to dislike about this type of character or role in the story: this character is a good guy who has just gone through so many terrible situations, whose victim status makes him endearing, and whose lack of agency means that any of the questionable or downright bad things he does are always the result of someone else forcing his hand, and never something he would have chosen himself.

His motivations are always clear and consistent: get free, heal, and live happily ever after.

Insert the Wreck-It Ralph meme: "Do people assume all your problems got solved when a big strong man showed up?" But to be fair, a big strong man did kind of solve Aventurine's problem, so--

Anyway, it's simple. It's straightforward. Morally, it's pretty cut and dry, black and white: Aventurine is our hero, which means everyone dictating the course of his miserable life is evil.

Hoyo is not remotely discouraging people from literally buying into this emotional appeal.

And trust me, I get it. I'll be the first to admit that hurt-comfort is its own entire genre in fandom because it is so appealing. People eat up Aventurine's tragic backstory like candy! The idea of watching a character go through hell at the hands of bad guys just to finally find a happy end is like the definition of everyone's favorite story.

In fact... people love Aventurine's suffering so much, they have invented whole new ways for him to suffer that aren't even in the game.

This is where we get all the headcanons that Aventurine was a sex slave, every single person he meets hates him because of his race, the Stonehearts are executioners holding knives to his throat, Jade enslaved him to the IPC with a lifelong contract, his material possessions belong to the company, the IPC is forcing him to take only the most dangerous missions where he is being required by his evil jailers to continually put his life on the line... You name it and I promise you, I can find a fanfic where Aventurine suffers from it. 😂

Bro can't even sleep in on his day off; life is so hard for this man.

Being serious: if the game is telling us that Aventurine is a victim... Why not make him the perfect victim?

Why not envision an Aventurine with no freedom, who bears no responsibility for any of the horrible situations he is in or any of the dubious things he does?

It's so natural to like that version of Aventurine, so appealing to see a totally powerless underdog use his own wits and charms to claw his way up to freedom. Or, if you're the kind who really relishes angst: It's even appealing to see Aventurine lose more. To delight in fics where he loses his wealth, where the IPC punishes him for past crimes while he's powerless to stop them... (I assure you, this is many people's cup of tea and the fanfics prove it!)

Ultimately, there's nothing wrong with liking characters who are exactly this straightforward! It's completely fine to embrace characters that are intentionally written to be morally above-board, whose primary role in the story is to generate angst by being a good person who suffers, or those characters who never show unlikable traits, bad decisions, or contradictory actions.

The problem is that that's just not who the game is telling us Aventurine is.

Hoyo may be capitalizing off people who love to envision poor Aventurine still living his life as a slave... But the game also needs to tell a complicated enough story overall to appeal to people who don't care about this specific husbando--Aventurine's role in the actual game's plot has to be interesting enough for almost everyone to appreciate it, not just Aventurine's simp squad. (Don't get mad, I'm in the simp squad with you.)

So his character doesn't stop at just being a pure-hearted victim who is still waiting to be saved.

Aventurine is not that easy to label, and I think the biggest struggle in this character's fandom right now is between people who prefer the even-more-angsty, still-a-slave Aventurine versus people who want a morally grey, self-destructive character instead.

To me personally, while I greatly understand the appeal of fanon!Aventurine and the joy of a really juicy angst fic where characters lose it all, I think that missing out on the depth that canon is suggesting would be a real loss on the fandom's part.

The character motivations that Aventurine shows in the game are complicated. They cancel each other out. They're basically self-harm! He makes almost every situation he's in worse for himself--on purpose.

He is a good person, but also a person who has done unspeakable things. He does have morals, but he's not above allowing those who don't have them to use him to their advantage.

He's both the victim and the victor. He's his own worst enemy. He's a lost little boy who's been making terrible decisions for himself since he was like eight years old, and a grown ass man who is barely managing to fake his way through an existence that destiny is not letting him quit.

This kind of character is a lot harder to embrace. He's done things that most people would find appalling--like willingly joining up with the organization that let his entire race be massacred. He's invented a whole new peacock persona to frivolously flaunt riches he doesn't even care about (Poison Dart Frog Self-Defense 101). He actively plays into racist stereotypes about his people to manipulate others through their preconceived expectations. He's made a mockery of his mother's and sister's hopes and dreams by endlessly trying to throw his own life away.

He has flaws! He bet everything he had on a ploy without doing his homework to find out if the people he was risking his life for were even still around. (Maybe he already knew, and couldn't bear to admit it, even to himself.) He's intentionally off-putting and obnoxious to everyone he meets (Poison Dart Frog Self-Defense 102). He terrifies everyone who gets close to him by (seemingly) carelessly throwing himself into the jaws of death without the slightest provocation.

He knowingly allows the IPC to exploit his power and talents for profit. Did everyone forget that his role in the Strategic Investment Department is asset liquidation?! Like, his actual day-to-day job is ruining people's lives. Canonically, Aventurine kills people when his deals go bad.

His motivations change off-screen in two lines of story text. We're told in one line that his biggest reason for joining the IPC was to make money to save the Avgin, then in the next line we find out that's impossible. And... then what? What motivations does he even have now? The whole point of his character arc from 2.0-2.1 is that he was on the edge of giving in to utter despair and nihilism because he couldn't even perceive a single reason to stay alive. He has no purpose in life before Penacony, and that didn't start with the Stonehearts at all??

People keep saying Aventurine was held in the IPC by golden handcuffs, but how do you tie down someone for whom profit is meaningless? What can you offer to a man whose only desire is to bring back something already lost forever? How do you imprison someone whose only definition of freedom is, canonically, death?

Working for the Stonehearts is obviously not healthy. But that's why Aventurine was doing it--because taking dangerous missions allowed him to put himself at risk. The job that he originally pursued hoping to save his people became a direct means to self-harm, and the IPC's only real role in that was just happily profiting off the results.

The journal entries for Aventurine's quests are there deliberately to tell the player what is on his mind, and none of it has to do with escaping from his job:

Like... Work is the least of this man's problems.

At really the risk of rambling on too long now, he's also just a massive walking contradiction:

Aventurine is among the most explicitly religious characters in the game, yet he's one of the only people in the entire game that we have ever seen actively question his people's aeon.

You might be tempted to think Aventurine's risky gambles with his life as an adult are a result of giving up after finding out about the Avgin massacre... Butttt no, Hoyo makes sure to tell us that even at knee-high in the Sigonian desert, Kakavasha was already willing to risk himself in a fight to the death against monsters because even back then he found his own life to have less value than a single memento.

He's the "chosen one" who will lead his people to prosperity... except they're all dead.

He's explicitly suicidal... andddd also a pathstrider of Preservation.

He wants to die... He doesn't want to die. He wants to make it end, yet goes to staggering lengths to continually survive. (Every plan risks his life on purpose--but every plan's win condition is also to live.) He life is the chip tossed down, but his hand is trembling beneath the table. When faced with an otherwise unsurvivable situation, Aventurine literally became a winner of the Hunger Games. He beat other innocent people to death with his own chain-bound hands just to come out alive.

He knows the IPC failed the Avgin and left them to die... and he still willingly sought out a position of power in their organization. Maybe he really is after revenge... but maybe not.

He starts his journey in the IPC with a truly noble goal in mind: to help his people using his newfound wealth and power. He's a good guy who did genuinely want to save the Avgin and repay all those who helped him. But once it became clear he was too late, once it was obvious he would have no use at all for that monetary wealth and power he risked his life to get... What did he do with it? Unlike Jade, we don't see him over here donating to orphanages. (I'm not that heartless; I'm sure he does actually do a lot of good things with his money on the side, but the point is that the game does not show us that--it shows us, over and over again, Aventurine putting on a wasteful, over-indulgent persona toward wealth. We've supposed to feel how meaningless money is to him, how meaningless everything is becoming to him.)

He outright refuses to use underhanded tactics or to cheat at gambles, which is meant to show us that's he's more morally upright than his coworkers. There's an entire exchange where he says that he'll never stoop to using manipulation the way Opal does. But... he doesn't have any issue fulfilling Opal's exact agenda. He was never remotely morally conflicted about denying the Penaconians their freedom by dragging Penacony back under IPC control.

He's willing to risk his own life, which is one thing--but he's also willing to risk other people's well-being. Topaz accuses him of constantly egging their clients on into dangerous situations; we've actively seen him shove a gun into Ratio's hands and pull the trigger with no care for how Ratio would feel about that on their very first meeting... Dragging the Astral Express crew into the entire Penacony plan in the first place was exceedingly dangerous...

To me, I just think it's vital to understand his character through the lens of these contradictions because they demonstrate the extreme polarity of Aventurine's life: from rags to riches, from powerless to empowered by multiple aeons, from willing to kill to survive to killing himself... He has quite literally lived a life of "all or nothing," and while he is the victim of many terrible situations out of his control, his arc as a character involves facing the truth of himself and the future his own actions are hurtling him toward.

Frankly, the Aventurine that canon is suggesting is a little annoying. You want to grab him by the shoulders, shake him, and say "Why are you like this?!" And he won't even have an answer for you, because he doesn't even know why he's still alive.

In the end, to me, this is so, so much more interesting. I can read an endless supply of hurt-comfort fics where Aventurine escapes the evil IPC and Ratio is there to fill the void in his life with the power of love and catcakes and be a perfectly happy clam online, but I want canon to continue to serve us this incredible mess of a man who constantly takes one step forward and two steps back.

Who is fully aware of his role as a cog in the grotesque profit-wheel of cosmic capitalism and still manages to say he never changed from the rags-wearing desert rat of the Sigonian wastes.

Who over and over again flirts with nihility but, ultimately, even if he has to wrest it from the grip of the gods themselves with bloody, chain-bound hands, chooses life.

[twinliches]

L + ratio + didn't ask + don't care + the leaves in the gentle breeze disperse the sun's golden afternoon light into a hypnotizing pattern on the pavement + at each and every second fleeting moments of infinite beauty surround you despite your indifference + infinite beauty that only you can bear witness to but you have chosen to ignore it in favour of loosing arguments on the internet

[ewanmitchellcrumbs]

Counting the Minutes

Pairing: Michael Gavey (Saltburn) x f!reader Warnings: Dirty talk, masturbation, phone sex. Word count: ~1k

Summary: Separated for the Christmas break, her and Michael have to get creative.

Author's note: A little addition to The Golden Ratio, though can also be read as a standalone piece. Day twelve of the Smuffmas prompts - "promise and phone sex". No tag list. Follow @fics-by-ewanmitchellcrumbs and turn on post notifications.

She nestles beneath the duvet, clicking through the contacts on her Nokia until she reaches Michael’s name. A faint smile tugs at her lips as her finger hovers over the call button, she can’t wait to speak to him.

They have been inseparable since the night that Oliver ditched him. They brought out the best in each other. Michael lit a fire underneath her that made her want to study harder, to strive for perfection in all things. In turn, she softened him up and taught him not to see the world through such a harsh lens. 

Their relationship had become serious enough that they had both chosen to spend their reading week together, instead of going home like the vast majority of people at their college had.

Now the term was over, and Christmas had beckoned them both home; Michael back to his mum, and her back to her dad. It’s odd not to see him every day, and though they’d stayed in touch on MSN Messenger, nothing compares to sitting with their legs entwined as they discuss their notes for their upcoming tutorials.

It’s only been a week and she misses the way he rests his chin against his hand when he’s deep in thought, how the intensity of his unblinking, blue eyed stare causes her skin to grow hot, and the smell of Imperial Leather soap and old books that she inhales when she rests her face in the crook of his neck.

Holding the phone to her ear, it rings once, twice, three times before he answers.

“Hello, you.”

His voice gives her butterflies. It’s the sound she’d attribute to how it feels to run your fingertips against plush velvet.

“Hi,” she says back with a coy smile. God, she wishes she could see him.

“How long can you talk for?” He asks.

“I put credit on my phone yesterday, ten pounds, so should be good for a while.”

“One hundred and sixty six point seven hours.”

She huffs a laugh. Of course his mind wanders to the maths of it.

“You think we could talk for that long?” 

“Hmm,” he muses, “I’m sure we could find a way to pass the time.”

“Like we did during reading week?” She asks softly, her fingers drawing lazy circles against the cotton of her bedsheets.

“Can’t really do that over the phone.”

“Have you ever had phone sex before?”

She hears him suck in a harsh breath before he replies. “What do you think?”

It causes her to giggle. Of course he hasn’t.

“Would you like to try it?” She holds the phone tighter to her ear, a lazy grin upon her lips.

“What does it entail?”

“Well,” she begins, switching her mobile from one ear to the other, and snuggling further down into the bed. “We describe what we’d like to do to each other while we touch ourselves.”

“One thousand, two hundred and fifty.”

“What?”

“On average, I can make you orgasm in about eight minutes. If we run through all of your phone credit then that’s how many times I could make you come.”

“Michael!” She gasps, feeling her insides flutter at the thought. “I don’t think that would be physically possible. I’ll settle for just the one today.”

He huffs a soft laugh, the sound breathy through the receiver. “Yes, I suppose that’s a bit impractical. Alright then, you start.”

“I wish you here right now,” she purrs seductively. “I want to push my hand up your t-shirt and run my fingers against that little trail of hair that leads all the way down your stomach, before I wrap them around your cock.”

His breathing grows heavier and she can hear the faint rustle of clothing in the background. She bites her lip, her own hand snaking beneath the duvet and into the waistband of her knickers.

“I miss the way you feel,” he tells her, voice shaky, “how tightly you grip me when I first push inside of you. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that sensation. You’re so wet, so warm…”

She can hear the slick sound of his hand pumping over his cock, the sound sends arousal pooling between her legs and she circles her pearl in earnest, the added wetness aiding her ministrations. She hadn’t expected him to focus on the sensation of physical touch quite so much, but Michael is pragmatic after all, and his innovative approach excites her.

“Mmmm,” she moans quietly, “I want you to do that thing where you grab my hips to pull me back against you as you fuck me, it feels so good.”

A broken whimper escapes him, and there’s a brief moment of just his ragged breathing before he speaks again.

“The way your thighs tighten against my waist drives me mad. I swear I can still feel you there when I close my eyes, see the way your tits bounce– fuck!”

She whines, circling her bud faster, the coil in her gut tightening. “Wanna slide my hands down to your arse, push you in as deep as you’ll go, watch how your eyes screw shut as you come inside me.”

He grunts. “Wish I could come inside of you so badly. I need to feel you clenching around me, hear the pretty sounds you make as I fill you up.”

Her hips jerk involuntarily against her hand, and she knows she’s close. It’s been a week since he’s touched her and his filthy words have sent her unravelling much faster than she anticipated.

“I’m close,” she pants.

“M–me too,” he huffs back. “I’m gonna fuck you so hard the moment we get back to college.”

���Oh god–” Her response is cut off by her pleasured cry, as she falls apart, her walls spasming around emptiness as her thighs tremble.

A grunt and heavy breathing on the other end of the line lets her know that Michael has reached his end too. There’s nothing but the sound of their shared gasps for air, as they both recover.

“Do you promise?” She finally asks. “To fuck me hard when we get back to college?”

“Tell you what, let’s go back a day early and we can spend an entire day doing just that.”

She giggles excitedly, rolling onto her side. “I’ll be counting the minutes until then.”

Part two || Series masterlist

[demontamerarts367]

Gift Exchange Time!!!!! :D

@leafeyrune I know It said only one but I wanted to do em all! :3< They were all really fun to do! I hope you enjoy em! Thanks @sammy8d257 for hosting this event! :D @avagiftexchange

1: Code Breaker AU!! :D

I wanted to do a painting of this one! My phone camera isn't the best tho-

2: Golden Ratio Chosen!! :0

I LOVE the design! I also couldn't help but add a couple of spirals in the drawing lol-

3: The Gang snugglein :3

funfact! I originally wanted to make a clay sculpture of this! But I lost time so I made this lil doodle of em! :/

bonus wip doodles! :D

[accio-victuuri]

read a book for me. 📚

inspired by people who were curious about the books featured in xz’s video, let’s take a look at what they are. i’d like to think these were pre approved by XZ and are related to his interests. i’m not removing tge possibility that one of these were chosen by someone from xzs or the director himself. i’m tagging this as cpn because there will be some cpn. if you don’t wanna go that route and just enjoy learning about the titles featured, then go ahead. 😉

1. Restoration House by Kennesha Bucks

You don't have to live in your dream house to make your living spaces feel more like home. Home is meant to be a place to belong. A place to gather and connect. A place of beauty. A place to restore your soul. In Restoration House, author and designer Kennesha Buycks will encourage you to embrace your home and your story so you can create mindful spaces that give life to you, your loved ones, and all who enter.

2. LORI WILDE

that red book just says the author’s name and no actual title but if you look her up, she’s all about that romance novel. here is her website if you wanna know what i mean. if you move a bit, the spine of it says “boy” so i think it maybe one of those books that has the cowboys in it!

3. Next is LIT UP, which is a black book. I’m not so sure if it’s a real book and when you search it, there are a couple of contenders. Tho i personally gravitate towards p2 since it’s black and the plot of the story is something i think XZ will enjoy!

it says out of the cubicle and into the real world, it’s like him getting out of his work cubicle years ago and discovering the world.

book overview:

Eddy Gilmore found himself on society’s fringe after being exiled from Corporate America. Despite years of higher education and exemplary service inside a cubicle’s pixelated world, he had no tangible or transferable skills to offer his community. Amazingly, failure was the door into tapping dreams and gifts that had long been ignored as impractical.

This true to life adventure is a pilgrimage into the real world, a place where neighbors make and produce things that sustain life and bring joy. When their eyes were opened to the talents all around them, Eddy and his wife discovered how to produce value themselves, and sank roots into the community. By working together, they are building a life they might never need to retire from.

4. The Interior Design Handbook

Frida Ramstedt believes in thinking about how we decorate, rather than focusing on what we decorate with. We know more today than ever before about design trends, furniture, and knickknacks, and now Frida familiarizes readers with the basic principles behind interior and styling—what looks good and, most of all, why it looks good.

The Interior Design Handbook teaches you general rules of thumb—like what the golden ratio and the golden spiral are, the proper size for a coffee table in relation to your sofa, the optimal height to hang lighting fixtures, and the best ways to use a mood board—complete with helpful illustrations. Use The Interior Design Handbook to achieve a balanced, beautiful home no matter where you live or what your style is.

5. Limits of the Known

A celebrated mountaineer and author searches for meaning in great adventures and explorations, past and present.

David Roberts, "veteran mountain climber and chronicler of adventures" (Washington Post), has spent his career documenting voyages to the most extreme landscapes on earth. In Limits of the Known, he reflects on humanity’s—and his own—relationship to extreme risk. Part memoir and part history, this book tries to make sense of why so many have committed their lives to the desperate pursuit of adventure.

In the wake of his diagnosis with throat cancer, Roberts seeks answers with sharp new urgency. He explores his own lifelong commitment to adventuring, as well as the cultural contributions of explorers throughout history: What specific forms of courage and commitment did it take for Fridtjof Nansen to survive an eighteen-month journey from a record "farthest north" with no supplies and a single rifle during his polar expedition of 1893–96? What compelled Eric Shipton to return, five times, to the ridges of Mt. Everest, plotting the mountain’s most treacherous territory years before Hillary and Tenzing’s famous ascent? What drove Bill Stone to dive 3,000 feet underground into North America’s deepest cave?

What motivates the explorers we most admire, who are willing to embark on perilous journeys and push the limits of the human body? And what is the future of adventure in a world we have mapped and trodden from end to end?

6. Eat, Drink, Nap: Bringing the House Home

The quintessential style, cooking, and home interior book from Soho House, the world's leading members' club.

Since the first Soho House opened its doors over 25 years ago, we've learnt a bit about what works. Contemporary, global yet with something quintessentially English and homely at its heart, this is Soho House style explained by its experts:

- From planning a room to vintage finds: bringing the Soho House look home.

- Our House curator's advice on how to buy, collect and hang art.

- The art of a great night's sleep: how to design the perfect bedroom.

- No-fuss recipes and chef's tips: here's how to make your favourite House dishes.

- Inside Babington: our take on country-house living. Wellies optional.

- Flip-flop glamour and poolside style from Soho House Miami Beach.

- All the secrets of cocktail hour: House tonics and barman's tips.

- Spa treatment at home, DIY facials and chocolate brownies.

Eat Drink Nap, a 300-page highly illustrated book, with a foreword from founder Nick Jones, and photography from leading food and interiors photographers Mark Seelen and Jean Cazals, shares the Soho House blueprint for stylish, modern living, the Soho House way.

7. Styled

It’s easy to find your own style confidence once you know this secret: While decorating can take months and tons of money, styling often takes just minutes. Even a few little tweaks can transform the way your room feels.

At the heart of Styled are Emily Henderson’s ten easy steps to styling any space. From editing out what you don’t love to repurposing what you can’t live without to arranging the most eye-catching vignettes on any surface, you’ll learn how to make your own style magic.

With Emily’s style diagnostic, insider tips, and more than 1,000 unique ideas from 75 envy-inducing rooms, you’ll soon be styling like you were born to do it.

8. The other book i’m seeing is WINTER TID then it cuts off so again it’s tricky to confirm what it is! My best guess is WINTER TIDE but if you google that — i can’t connect how XZ will read that lol.

EDIT: adding this one seen from the alternate MV,

The Tale of the Body Thief by Anne Rice

is a vampire novel by American writer Anne Rice, the fourth in her The Vampire Chronicles series, following The Queen of the Damned (1988). Published in 1992, it continues the adventures of Lestat, specifically his efforts to regain his lost humanity during the late 20th century.

=========

now let’s look at the CPN.

i see fans saying the style related books could be because of his work before. but he is more of a digital and design artist right? he does logos and stuff that can help their brand identity. i don’t remember him being an interior designer. there is also the eat, drink, nap which has topics on cooking and being a good host. these books are making me clown so hard! my head canon is xz is keeping himself busy ( as if he is not busy enough already ) with designing their home. his and wyb’s — if that wasn’t clear enough, that’s what i’m insinuating. if he isn’t traveling, i would imagine he is the type who just wants to spend time at home in between jobs. it is their home. their sanctuary. so xz would make sure that it is according to what they both want and that it’s stylish.

and when he is at home sipping wine, while waiting for Bobo, is he reading a LORI WILDE BOOK? lol. sexy millionaire cowboy you say? 👀👀👀👀

😂😂😂😂😂

or reading something like the LIT UP book which is more up his alley ( but again i’m not sure if this is the exact title )

what is out of place is limits of the known. out of place compared to the theme of the other books, but xz is someone who is into nature and climbing of sorts. but i haven’t seen him climb the way yibo did in ETU. the most popular cpn is that this is yibo’s contribution to the selection. or maybe he read it after yibo and liked it. OR he is also becoming interested in rock climbing — which is not a far off possibility.

-END.

[generalsdiary]

a tired gem

Aventurine x Dr. Ratio

warnings: description of overstimulation (not the sexual one)

word count: less than 1k

a/n: back again with another mental health + comfort oneshot about the gays lol, not beta read, we go to superhell with aventurine and castiel

description: Aventurine comes home overstimulated and tired, later comforted by Dr. Ratio

Aventurine's hands felt like they were on fire, they felt swollen, the day was too hot. he is rapidly taking the gloves off his hands, the pretty golden rings off his fingers, the expensive watch slipping from his wrist- and running them under a cold stream of water. Aventurine raises his head, meeting his own gaze in the mirror.

despite the years passing, and him getting older - it still comes back to bite him in the ass. the way his skin feels like it is burning, the overanalyzing of too many people around him – because what if he could be in danger, or even what if someone calls him a fraud, or sees through his oh-so fragile façade. there was too much noise- too many conversations surrounding him, too many unpleasant and various smells- it brings it all back. the starving scorching hot days of little Kakavasha, the slavery of "blondie"... that feeling of which he doesn't even wish the recall the memories of. he feels the repulsion of any human touch settling back in him.

he had gotten better, he knows- Aventurine repeats in his head, he knows how to deal with others and exist normally. how to keep his clothes straight, clean and his shoes polished. how to appear wealthy and smell like a perfume commercial.

Aventurine takes a deep breath. it does little to calm him down, the lukewarm air filling his lungs where a crisp cold air would feel much better to him in the moment.

after rapidly taking his clothes off, and gently folding them even in this moment when he is stressed because how could he just throw those clothes away… after all, they are his mask, his stage presence so to speak, and for Aeon’s sake the price alone could feed every person on his long gone planet. he sits on the shower floor and allows the water to cool down his body- just like the rain of Sigonia-IV did.  Aventurine got over it, he learned to accept and even relish in human contact- with chosen people, yet he cannot even imagine being perceived in this moment. the mere thought of it makes him squeeze his eyes shut in pain.

biting his bottom lip, which shakes slightly in anger and tiredness, he stands up. he has to take care of himself- create a safe environment- and then if he must, wallow in the pain which is overstimulation.

the water washes away any bump from a stranger passing by, any phantom touch that didn't actually happen, but he still had to mentally prepare himself for it just in case it did, any scent which isn't his own. the clean, rough texture of the towel feels pleasant on his skin as he dries up and puts on comfortable clothes.

with complete silence and everything in its right place, he lies on the bed, eyes trained on the ceiling. familiar steps approach the bedroom door and the figure leans against the frame. "rough day, dear gambler?"

Aventurine's eyes meet Veritas', not saying a thing. to the doctor, it speaks louder than words. the apparent smirk fading off, his body language turning a tad softer and he exhales. he is quick to deduce exactly how his counterpart feels. Veritas is well aware that any sound or even a question that requires verbal communication would be awful to Aventurine at this moment hence he, with a soft step, walks over to the bed and lies down beside him. not close to touch him accidentally- with a healthy distance, yet still there.

Aventurine appreciates it, the doctor had already learned how he can get... how rough it can be. feeling exhaustion wash over him, he moves to his side, and those breathtaking gem-like eyes close, letting the poor blond man rest under the watchful eyes of the older man.

a couple of hours later, he wakes up, his eyes opening to be met with a quiet Veritas reading a book in the same place, unmoving except for the occasional page turn. Aventurine quietly observes, obviously noticed by Veritas. the doctor surely noticed the shift in his, now awake, breathing, and the colorful eyes opening to stare at him.

he grounds himself in reality and in the moment, taking shorter breaths and shifting to stretch his body a bit, taking care of the soreness. he feels better, soothed... his head is quiet, and his body feels okay to exist in the present, to exist now. Aventurine outstretches his arm, and hand, barely noticeable, tugs on Veritas' shirt, causing him to move his gaze to Aventurine. beat. he hums quietly, giving him a nod in silent question. it feels inviting and safe, Aventurine moves his body closer, into the taller man's side. as he does, Veritas closes the book putting it away, and moves his arm so that Aventurine can rest his head on his collarbone.

the second part of grounding. comforting touch, from a safe person with a safe scent. there is a silent appreciation for the doctor’s frequent baths and cleanliness. Aventurine's eyes close with a soft sigh, it feels right, it feels comfortable. Veritas' hand, at first, very gently moves through the blond locks, after a few seconds of body language analysis, he continues caressing his hair. Ratio's other hand moves to his face, his thumb caressing for a moment Aventurine's cheekbone. "better?" he hums in a deep tone with a rumble in his chest.

those gorgeous watercolor eyes open, the softest smile forming on Aventurine's face and a small nod. "yes"

a/n: yes, the ‘watercolor eyes’ is a reference to the song Dear Arkansas Daughter

[stayinhellevator]

Golden Ratio

Perfection In Imperfections

In a world where a mark decides everyone's destiny, oftentimes some wandering souls are left questioning their fate when things don't go according to the plan.

However, the only way to escape this loop is to give up your soul itself. The moment you reject your soulmate or betray them after accepting the bond, Fate punishes you by taking away your soul and all the feelings in it, leaving you cold and hollow.

Worse is the death of your bonded; not only does it leave you alone for the rest of your life, it also takes away your soul with it. A truly beautiful tragedy.

So was it truly romantic that you couldn't choose your own lover and spend your entire life, stuck in this never-ending golden ratio of the soul bond?

Or past the horrors of this hauntingly transfixing miracle, was it satisfactory enough that you've at least one person out there, meant solely for you, in every universe and every lifetime, in one way or another, no matter what?

This one person was your chosen or your destined, is for you to decide.

"Oh take me back to the start!"

Pairing: Svt x fem!Reader

Genre: Soulmate AU

Warnings: See in chapters

Word Count: to be added later

Playlist: The Scientist ~ Corrine Bailey Ray

Masterpost:

Introduction: The Golden Ratio is an irrational number with indefinite decimal points making it impossible for the point to ever exist in the same place, hence why the line ideally never connects.

Alternatively, woven in intricate threads on the verge of snapping but forever associated with each other, by virtue or memory, are the stories of souls that are entangled in this eternal loop.

THEORY 1: Two Divergent Lines meet once and then never cross paths again.

Alternatively, two souls have one chance to meet and then never again. The good thing is, they know.

THEORY 2: Two Parallel Lines never meet or cross each other.

Alternatively, it was a relief that even though they're never meant to be, at least they always walk together in the spectrum of life.

THEORY 3: Two asymptopes are always in proximity but never actually touch one another.

Alternatively, two unfortunate souls who are aware that they couldn't be together but find salvation in the company of one another.

THEORY 4: Two intersecting lines cross paths once and then continue without change.

A pity that the pair thought nothing could sever their safe haven and now they have to live on without each other.

THEORY 5: Two tangent lines touch one another at one point only.

Alternatively, two souls that were so close yet so far.

©stayinhellevator2024: Please don't repost, translate or copy my work on any platform.

[colettebymoonlight]

Comfort Teas Ep. 1: Loki Laufeyson

Welcome to a series I am calling “Comfort Teas!” I have recently gotten really into making tea blends so I decided to start by finding inspiration in some of my favorite people and places that come from shifting as well as some of the deities I work with! For me, this is a way to connect with my drs and channel their energy in a way so by no means are they perfect tea blends. But, I have been enjoying experimenting with them as I go! If you try any of my tea blends, please let me know what you think! And if you have any suggestions for who I should make next, please feel free to reach out and let me know! Happy Sippin’!

This first installment is dedicated to my s/o Loki. For me, Loki is a very comforting energy, despite his reputation. In all my channelings and interactions with him, he has only been a calm and stead-fast person in my life. However, I know I am lucky to see this side of him when not many others have earned it. Loki is ambitious and cunning, mischievous and sometimes cold towards people he does not trust completely. On top of all that, he is deeply loving and has a big heart if he chooses to show it. For this tea blend I decided to focus on the comforting feeling I get from Loki while also paying close attention to his ambition and background. For this, I chose a blend of rooibos, black tea, peppermint, and vanilla. Rooibos is a tea sourced from the African Red Bush. It has a smooth and almost nutty flavor with a natural sweetness to it that makes it easy to drink even without additional sweeteners. It may be my personal history with it, but it always brings a sense of comfort and homeyness to me which was exactly what I was looking for. Plus it is non caffeinated so, on its own it's a very peaceful and relaxing tea for me. Black Tea is an homage to his ambitious nature. Caffeine, boldness, and strength. Black tea seemed like a no-brainer. I chose Golden Monkey which is an incredibly smooth and light black tea. This was mainly because I didn’t want the black tea to overpower the rooibos but after looking at the leaves themselves, it couldn’t be a more perfect match. Golden Monkey leaves have these beautiful yellow accents, which reminded me of Frigga and her colors. Loki is a mama’s boy and Frigga is deeply important to him. It seemed perfect. Peppermint was chosen for several reasons. First, peppermint is a great mental stimulant. It keeps your mind alert and gives you a boost of energy without the jitters of caffeine. This helped play into the sense of ambition I was trying to get. One another level, peppermint also played into his personality. Loki is well… Loki. He can be closed off and hard to reach from first impressions. I felt that the peppermint matched this ‘cold’ exterior of Loki. Also he is a frost giant…. peppermint matched perfectly

Vanilla also adds that homey sense to a tea, so I thought it was the perfect addition to round out the flavors in the tea and bring a more romantic feel to it.

The ratios are very much still a work in progress but the current blend I am working with is very simple.

½ Tablespoon Rooibos

½ Tablespoon Black Tea (Golden Monkey or similar)

Roughly ¼ teaspoon of Peppermint. (I tend to go a little less since the peppermint very easily overpowers a tea. Somewhere between ⅛ and ¼ of a teaspoon is perfect for me)

Vanilla. You can do this a few ways. Vanilla Extract and Vanilla Powder are both great ways to get that vanilla flavor in there but my favorite way is make a vanilla simple syrup!

That’s it! You can add safflower of cornflower to round out the tea but I have yet to experiment with it.

[leafeyrune]

After reading this very cool post on Twitter, I was inspired and wanted to be silly…so i made a silly awakened form for Chosen based off the golden blast from AVA 5! I dub thee…Golden Ratio Chosen, powered by an overwhelming surge of justice and righteousness that it clears away the doubts in his mind. His power, while it can be destructive, can also undo imbalance (bro is kinda a glorified undo button LMAOO).

Though this power only works when his heart is experiencing an overwhelming wave of justice, so for example in The Showdown, it most likely didn’t activate there possibly due to Chosen’s guilt of Dark and lingering on how things ended up like this. He didn’t feel justified.

Yeah this is all very much for the sillies, i dunno if this is fully in character or not 🤷‍♀️ i just like seeing characters explore their powers and such 🕺

Bonus Little things below!

[applesharonfiction]

The Millionaire Waltz

Fandom: Honkai Star Rail

Pairing: Dr. Ratio/Aventurine

Rating: E

Ao3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/53630005/chapters/135758929

Aventurine’s comment to the Masked Fool had been an offhanded affirmation of his place among the denizens of Dreamville in the face of expected mockery, but upon returning to the Golden Hour, Aventurine finds himself enjoying the mood of the place in all of its artifice.

The slots at Aideen Park are a specific type of depressing, with no actual stakes involved — the worst type of gambling in Aventurine’s opinion. Yet, people still flocked to them in droves, wandering aimlessly around the park spending fake money and listening to various iterations of the Dreamjolt Troupe.

Everything about it is just off enough, like Aventurine can feel the façade peeling away from the true Dreamscape underneath.

He’s so close.

Aventurine finds Ratio seated on a small bench in Aideen Park as instructed. It’s one of the last places one would expect to find the obnoxious Intelligentsia Guild member and he’s both pleased and annoyed to find that Ratio doesn’t look one bit out of place.

If anything — aided by the plaster bust sitting firmly on his shoulders — Ratio is the quiet centre of attention, a spot of calm in the form of a beautiful statue surrounded by excess.

He’s gorgeous.

Even when positioned next to the loud colours of Aideen Park’s slot and roulette machines, Ratio still looks stunning.

The blaring metallic voice of a SoulGlad vendor causes a child to start shrieking next to an adult that’s presumably their long-suffering parent. Ratio shifts imperceptibly away from them, visibly bothered by the noise, and Aventurine smiles.

He had chosen this meeting place to catch and keep Ratio off-guard, not give him another place to feel comfortable.

Chapter 7: The Songbird (and Interlude)

[10hourshift]

Get golden ratioed lmao (intro of the other two)

Description:

A caring, hardworking student. his nickname "Golden Boy" isn't just about his lustrous golden hair, it also refers to his perfect grades, his classy sense of style, and his wealthy upbringing. It looks like he lives the perfect life, but what is the cost of perfection?

Redesign notes:

He's supposed to be pretty, not handsome, pretty. Like a prince.

I gave him a different name bc the whole "they call me golden boy but my name is golden freddy" is weird, like mf that's just your name

I chose the name Julian bc it's a classy name that kinda sounds like "Golden". On a similar note, the name Aaron was chosen bc it sounds like Aurum, the latin name of gold or smth

JUST for this drawing specifically i gave him that swirl on his hair, so it looks more like the golden spiral, wich was a main desing element in here

(i really like the idea of they/them Golden, but 4 me this would be like part of Julian figuring out his identity beyond of what others think of him, and that would be like, later in the story, so in here he's just living like how he was told to live. Like a straight white male)

the drawing of Him alone

[hieroglyphicstext]

On the Lahun

El lahun is a very interesting theme in the Egyptian story. In history as a subject, the absence of adequate findings opens the door for interpretations. In this case, you are not just reading history you are also reading the historian-the writer- Here is the interpretation that I believe in so far, and until the opposite. This city was planned first for a fewer number of workers, including chefs and maybe relatives of the royal family. Later the planners/engineers find out they need more workers, either to accelerate the work pace or there needed to be done ... etc

I remember reading the interpretation of the Lahun city plan and getting upset how an author mixed his religious beliefs with city planning to come up with the idea that the reason behind such plannign is that it was in Egypt an unfair and unjust city.

Today I share with you the interpretation of the city plan according to Dr. Eng. Alexander Badawy :

''The plan of the workmen's city at El Lahun is based on a module which forms the unit of the grid. A similar grid seems to have been used to set the constructional diagram of the plan or elevation of monumental buildings. As a rule this constructional diagram is symmetrical and is formed of a square with one or more 8:5 (base:height) isosceles triangles abutting it axially. As the 8:5 triangle embodies the harmonic ratio of the Golden Number (1.618), any diagram comprising such units as this triangle and one or more squares set axially forms a harmonic framework, into which the plan or elevation may be set. It seems, at least in some examples, that the actual basic dimensions that determine the significant points of the plan were chosen from the consecutive numbers of a summation series of Fibonacci: 3, 5,8, 13, 21, 34 5,''

[gereltod0523]

Poster break down 1:

However there are millions of posters made by designers for a Christopher Nolan movie "Interstellar", (which is one of my most favourites) I deliberately chose this one as it ordinarily yet very subtly expresses its meaning. As this post is solely aimed to break down the key designing elements which make the poster outstanding, rather than the movie itself, I'll share both my intrinsic and technical thoughts about it.

Intrinsic thoughts:

Even before our brain starts to make out things we see or hear, there comes our initial response to them first. Just like when we see a rope hanging down the ceiling, we perceive it as a snake and gets the fight or flight response. We either try to dodge the snake as a flight response or catch it by bare hands as a fight response before even we contemplate it was nothing but a rope. In other words, we can say by the visual representation of a poster whether it is pleasing or not even before technically examining it. When I was scrolling through posters on Pinterest, its redness, beautifully arranged ratio, contrast between color and shapes stood out and subconsciously drew my eyes towards itself. So, if the poster was created technically to draw our eyes, let's try to break it down till we get the core of it.

Technical thoughts:

As I have learnt from the lecture, contrasts can vary in its size, shape, texture, color, value and orientation. It is clearly seen that the poster is divided equally by the corn field and negative space with white dots representing stars. As the cornfield is relatively dominant in terms of its size and contrasting color agains red, it is apparent that the designer wanted to signify it as a main object into where our eyes should be drawn initially. It is also seen that each corn plant was created with the same pattern (alignment), color, spacing as well as shape in order to make one of them look eye catching purposely. It is surely the rocket skyrocketing to the stars, leaving long tail beneath it. The rocket is the second element that human eye will automatically stop for a moment, as it is painted with completely different color, distinctive in its orientation, size and value. Third thing that our eyes will notice is the title of the movie. A text "Interstellar" written in bold and larger text format along with the director's name in smaller text format on the top of it. The last thing that our eyes will see is the stars at the top of the poster as it is the smallest in size and value. However it yet gives the viewers strong message that the rocket is on the journey to the stars in a search for an inhabitable place for humankind.

Overall:

Looking at the poster as a whole, there are 2 main elements that are making this poster look very pleasing and aesthetic.

Color combination(Palette): In my opinion, the colours were chosen very carefully. We know that some colours just don't make harmony. But white and black are very natural and classic contrasting colours (probably because these colours are often considered as light and shadow). Not only it balances entire colour harmony, but also operates fundamentally as a strong characteristic. Only color in this poster, red(if black and white are considered as non-colours in physics term) works as a background which is naturally a very strong color often represents passion, violence and love. This simply means the designer might have used red as foundation to purposely draw the viewer's eye.

Ratio(Grid): Even though we don't have basic knowledge about photography or what grid is about, well compositioned design tickles our brain cells in a biological level. In other words, the poster used golden ratio superbly, which our brain system reads it accordingly appealing(Fibonacci's sequence). With the balance in space, seperation, placement of elements and its ascending sequence of ratio, the poster delivers minimalistic yet very strong feeling.

Written on the 29th September.

[whetstonefires]

i am so interested in your nano characters and so annoyed that my brain has been on holiday lately so i am going to take this opportunity to request three questions you would most like to answer for as many characters as you would like to answer them for :3

(engagement: hacked!!!)

hahaha hacked! i mean i can't complain given i reblogged the thing and then went away to let my head recover enough i could read the questions so i could ask you. 😂 and then i got this which was yay! this is exactly the wrong ratio of expectation to structure for me though, i get choice paralysis.

fortunately i already answered two of these so the negative space they created will guide me.

i'll do three questions for Owl and Duluth both, they being the less-developed members of the 'main cast.'

1. What’s your chosen OC’s favorite color? Least favorite?

Owl's favorite color is the specific silvered green of a sort of lamb's-ear-like nettle native to her home range--it's a color produced by having little silver hairs covering a certain green and scattering the light, so it can't exist as a pigment.

Duluth's favorite color is a deep golden bronze. He likes really saturated oranges and yellows in general, but there's a technique for gilding bronze that makes his absolute favorite color in the world.

Also not doable as a pigment?? Huh. A commonality.

Her least favorite color is. Hm. Probably some variety of rust-red. Duluth's least favorite color is black, mostly because it's what the cops used to wear.

14. Does your OC have any superstitions? Good luck rituals? Do they believe in and/or practice the arcane arts?

Neither of them does anything really magic, and to the extent that they believe in that kind of art it's mostly in a pretty pragmatic way, because on the one hand sun-stealing wizards are a real problem in the world and on the other their setting's magic system mostly runs on using written language to reinforce physical objects in specific ways, and isn't a whole lot more mysticized in that function than high-level craft techniques are in general.

Like, more, but it's a sliding scale. I think most people would consider geometry way more arcane than the more basic kinds of enchanted objects.

Owl is a werewolf and Duluth knows a little bit about runework, but those are categorized as 'having an ethnicity' and 'having a little bit of a practical education.'

Owl is very religious. I'm not sure at what point that shades into superstition? A lot of her religious obligations aren't really doable away from her family because it's a very communal practice. But there are for example words she says when she has to kill a person and different words she says when she kills for food. (Important note because there's a certain line of hysteria that insists werewolves are given to cannibalism.)

She keeps track of the moon and makes a point of laying eyes on it every night that it's visible. Technically her policy of sharing food and shelter with anyone in need is a religious principle, although no one would really even notice that. She absolutely believes the moon is aware of things to come and will communicate about it, mostly in dreams and portents. One of her parents is a respected religious figure in their community.

There's not a lot of expectation in her religion that failing to do the right things will carry consequences, and only a moderate one that doing the right things will improve the chances of good fortune--I think over time they've reacted away from that transactional kind of cosmology specifically because it's popular with their neighbors, and people do like to define themselves relative to who they're not--so not much in the way of doing specific things for luck.

Duluth is not religious at all, really, having grown up in a society where the mainstream religion was suppressed from achieving organized expression and not fallen in with any covert groups or anything growing up, but he's very polite toward anything even mildly divine just in case, basically. Which includes politely adding a pebble to a cairn in honor of a mountain any time he passes one and dropping flowers in streams and rivers to ask not to be drowned, so I guess what that works out to is he's intensely superstitious.

He worries a lot about luck and ruining it by doing the wrong things, which is largely a childhood trauma thing tbh. I hadn't thought about giving him any ritual behaviors around that anxiety but it's a good idea. I'm sure there are a lot available.

18. How does your OC feel about education? How much education do they have? Are they studious or a slacker?

Owl comes from a prominent family so there were very high expectations and a lot of access to instruction. Her astronomical knowledge is very good and her history is extensive, as is her herbalism. She can't read. She has become numerate since leaving home, but only for very basic arithmetic; she can only do the common-sense sort of division and she does that in her head.

Owl's a very determined person with a good memory and control of her focus, and learns fairly quickly, but is only moderately adaptable and (especially as an adult) isn't highly motivated to learn new things just because they're new.

Duluth was the youngest of six children, but all his older siblings and mother were dead by the time he was four, and his father had married late to begin with and started having chest pains, so he saw the writing on the wall that he'd probably die before Duluth was up to working the farm alone enough to make rent or old enough to marry, and started selling off the tenancy rights to various plots of land to the neighbors, until he had the cash in hand to buy his nine-year-old an apprenticeship to a whitesmith in the nearest medium-sized town. (I have in mind the sort of whitesmith who works mainly in pewter, rather than in modifying forged iron with things like files and engravings, but for plot reasons may switch to the latter.)

That went pretty well until his master's former apprentice and only son went missing on the road, presumed dead, and the couple started taking their grief out on Duluth. So he broke his contract and ran off at eleven, leaving him with two years' worth of training. Didn't get past the basics, really, but he did pick up some advanced things from being around and observing, which is one of the purposes of apprenticeship as an education style. This is where he gets most of his grasp of runework, the kinds of virtues his master often had occasion to set into metal.

Later he tried to steal from some people he found camping, who turned out to be wanted criminals, just like you'd expect from people camping in some woods in a society where no one had decided this was a leisure activity somehow.

This got him adopted, and Elaine made sure he learned how to read because as a fugitive it had turned out to be a valuable survival skill. (She'd resisted being taught herself lmao.)

His writing is much weaker than his reading--they're not actually the same skill for all we tend to learn them together. He also learned sword-fighting and various survival skills from his new crime family. He isn't really numerate.

Duluth is very weird about education because he associates it with both acceptance and rejection in elaborate ways. So his level of effort is often less tied to the material than his relationship with his instructor.

He got really good with a sword because Marl was his main instructor with it at a time when Marl was pretty emotionally unavailable to him, because he takes a while to warm up to people and Elaine had kind of really shaken up their whole lives by suddenly adding a twelve year old just when she was finally an adult. So Duluth got it into his head that if he was good enough at swording Marl wouldn't turn against him.

The only source of formal education, in our terms, on the continent are currently the Colleges at Glissare, on the Sun Coast. Duluth would actually do really well in a couple of those, if he filled in some gaps in his learning first, and is technically qualified since Prince Barisson knighted him for his war service, but the normal age to start there is fifteen or sixteen after private tutoring and he's twenty-one with a shoddy educational base, so it can't really happen.

He'd be too uncomfortable, and there's no obvious aim since he's not planning to go into a clerical career in either the government admin sense or the church sense, and the war is over so entering the College of War now as a decorated captain to get i.e. strategy classes from people who mostly haven't actually commanded in the field would be weird. If he wanted to take a military job with Barisson it might be worthwhile but it would be excruciating, socially. And working for Barisson is very much a fallback option in case he doesn't come up with anything more personally fulfilling to do with himself.