#I can still alter my course. I can still figure out a different place to go. I can still figure out how to get there

[inksandpensblog]

#some people legit just do not have the opportunity to do these things as teenagers. or even if they do it's ok to want to feel safe first

when someone asks you why you haven't had any of the "normal stereotypical" experiences a young person should apparently have and you just go i don't know what to tell you i just haven't and for the most part you don't care but then the atmosphere immediately shifts and you're being pitied. and most people don't really give a fuck right, they're minding their business, but idk i've had interactions with people who do bring it up in subtle ways and treat you as if you're some innocent little being, like oh cover your ears you poor little thing. so you leave and isolate yourself, but then it's like how am i going to have those experiences if i isolate myself? but then when you do try people shame you for it. and this is the way people act when it comes to soooo many things in life. you're like that and we want you to be like this, but we're gonna laugh at your attempts if that's okay?

[ihaveforgortoomany]

Puppykeeper AU!

(Based on the ask by @little-bunny-with-purple-stinger initally answered by Comrade @the-blossica-fan )

Summary: Sonetto joins Vertin and the others in the Breakaway Incident but this time it's Sonetto the sole survivor - becoming the TimeKeeper!

Yes I thought about this AU, and Im bored waiting for 2.1 and 2.4 respectively so indulge in my suffering in grabbing the ball and chucking it into the next era.

Major Differences to Canon:

Her relationships to early game cast, espeically Regulus and Druvis is much rougher in canon - the story will have a focus on Sonetto attempting to build these connections over time. Team TK in this AU have alot of growing pains.

Sonetto even as TK is more sheltered, a "looking through the glass" perspective to the outside world in comparison to Vertin, she takes much longer to adapt to operating outside of direct orders of the Foundation.

Vertin being essentially dead in this AU, she gets to haunt the narrative this time :) (mostly)

Overhaul to Books 1/2 as seen in the previous post (look for the au tag idk to link in mobile):

Extended time in 1920s Chicago - from 33 hours to a week.

Schneider is more prominent in this AU, this is friends to enemies to reluctant partners to lover yuri! Yes Schnieder also survives the 1920s Storm in this AU. She will occupy Vertin's role as a spark of rebellion and insight for Sonetto into Italian culture!

Other differences:

As all ages are the same Matilda is not Sonetto's Chief Assistant: shes currently still in SPDM until 2.0 event story.

Main story differences in broad very broad ideas: @the-blossica-fan comrade feel free if u want to add anything:

Book 3/4

😅 Complete overhaul again, Schnieder barely survives the Storm and is rendered into a coma, immediately is taken by the Foundation and monitored (so again taking Vertin's place). Sonetto and the early TK Team is still separated and pressured into joining the Foundation. Sonetto does follow her canon arc in the story but with the added eventual goal to create a Bill that gives the people that she saves more freedom - cue Reformation Bill as part of the Chicago Branch trial. Over the course of the story Sonetto slowly learns why Vertin goes to such lengths to escape SPDM, the Bill as the first step.

(Btw Book 3 is not only flashbacks of the Breakaway but also more as well from Schneider as Mesmer is put in charge of her, as the request of Sonetto)

Book 5

💀 Aperion is my achilles heel in every sense, so heres the general idea of what I will alter:

Events more or more play out the same, differences being Schnieder's presence causing a strain in her and Sonetto's very rocky relationship so far, and greater emphasis and involvement of Sophia. Yes Sonetto will speak out in the Hall by attacking Arcana, yes she will be put on trial for her transgessions.

But how does she win the arguement? Well. She doesn't.

But someone does intervene to aid her, team TK wasn't the only visitors of the island at that point: a duo had appeared shortly before very did. One of them is claimed by 37 as a 0, their interference saves Sonetto's life.

Ok major divergence from Canon:

The presence of Urd and "Skuld":

(Very clunky naming system just playing with the Three Norns from Norse Mythology, Urd being fate and Skuld being present. Also because Verdandi is too much on the nose)

Turns out Vertin is very not dead! In the Breakaway Vertin does still have her immunity, Sonetto surviving may have been because of her (aka this is me telling you im leaving it ambiguous because i too dont know, im making it work in a narrative sense). Vertin unseen to Sonetto is miraculously picked up by Urd, so mother-daughter duo travelling the world and gaining insight and haunting the damn narrative as Urd already does but double the annoyance to people figuring out who is who.

So Vertin is a editor and photographer for UTTU alongside her mother, knowing the truth of the Storm and can only watch Sonetto from a distance, only interfering with necessary. Hence saving her in the trial. How does she not recognise Vertin? Through manipulation of the fog, we know on some level the Storm can infect memories so lets say the duo can similar to the immunity can obscure facts about themselves.

So anyways, Sonetto was tasked to find the pair (duo name TBA) similar to Vertin in canon on the Island. Tie it back to seeing the outside world promise Vertin gave her and boom, two motivations for Sonetto, fulfil the wish of an old friend and now seek the people that might have answers to the Storm especially the one that eerily reminds her of Vertin.

More or less everything plays out the same, Sonetto does get more involved with 37, again growing pains with Sonetto learning to be a more charismatic leader alongside Schneider giving tips.

In terms of events: more or less the same, where Vertin is replace with Sonetto (Uluru), for Greenlake sans Vertin replace with Schneider (general idea again I point to @schneiderenjoyer 's AU they did a Greenlake event with Schnieder, its more or less the idea here with ofc no Vertin).

Ok thats all for now folks! Feel free to change or add anything. Feel free to ask as well I like to feed the brainworms now and again

[starburstsystem]

Going over did criteria again because I keep having identity crisises. I was scrolling tik Tok for resources and hearing other people's experiences and have come to a conclusion;

I live in a constant, varying level of dissociation in my day to day life that heavily impacts my memory, mental health, and overall experience of living. I find it extremely difficult to be present in a moment, especially in conversations or social events. I am constantly checking out and scatter brained and feeling like I lose myself, like I'm not really connected to this world.

That being said, the second main indicator of did is an alternative state of self, or alters. This is the part that confuses me so much.

Dissociation of varying degrees is a symptom of many things, like anxiety or ptsd, both of which I am diagnosed with. My childhood trauma has really fucked up the rest of my life.

Other than that, I need to look more into signs of alters, or research a breakdown of what an alter actually is, so I can figure out if that's what I've been experiencing or not. Right now I feel like I have no idea who I am, what I really like, what my style is, I feel too complex to be just one person. Which, I can feel this way and still be a singlet, of course. I think I'm confused on whether what I was doing was separating parts of my being to cope, or if they were there in the first place. What are these rushes of feeling coming over me, why don't I feel at home in my own body? Every time I think too hard about someone else being in my head, sharing a body with a separate identity of myself, I get this rush of fear and some sort of presence, like there's someone else with me, listening to my thoughts, or that I can hear their thought process too.

Another thing that confuses me is the whole hearing voices thing. Definitely I know that some systems hear their headmates voices in their head loud and clear, while others communicate mainly through feelings or abstract thoughts and vibes. I don't think ive ever heard someone else's voice in my head, but I have sensed thoughts that didn't feel like my own, felt things for seemingly no reason.

I'm exhausted of feeling so fake. I hate the idea that I'm a fraud, playing a big game of make pretend just to feel included or different or whatever. I wish my experience was more typical so it would be easier to recognize. I just want to understand myself. I want to know why I can't figure out what name suits me and stick with it, why I never feel comfortable in my own skin, why I love a shirt I have one day and hate it the next, why my make up and music taste differs so sporadically, etc etc.

[lumina-crash]

Introductions and Information

Greetings. I am a researcher specializing in psychic abilities, and the history of both psychic pokemon and individuals. A decision was made to create several social media accounts on various sites in order to better observe the differences between discussions about psychics and the behavior of psychic individuals in real life and on the internet. Rotomblr was initially to be glossed over, but after discovering it's supposed multiversal properties, I have made the decision to include it in my study.

Of course, I am aware that people are less likely to give information if they do not trust the individual to whom they are speaking to, less so if I am just an anonymous face online. I can encourage you to give real answers and not just give responses that you think I want to hear all I'd like, but it will not change the fact that trust takes time to build. For this purpose, I will also be using this blog for slightly more personal purposes on top of it's primary objective of gathering research. There will of course be a layer of professionalism and privacy, but I am an independent researcher and am still unsure how much data I will gather will even be usable, so I don't see too much harm so long as I disclose this fact beforehand.

You may refer to me as "Nova" on this account. My favourite colour is gold, my favourite pokemon is espathra, and a fun fact about me is that I am a psychic and have had my abilities since birth. I use it/they/she pronouns, in that order of preferance.

Tag List: #Idle Chatter -> Random thoughts and musings. Idle Chatter, as the tag suggests. These are more personal thoughts, and usually will not be related to my research. I may also reblog posts I deem amusing under this tag, but I am unsure. #My World -> Information I have given about my own reality. #Question and Answer -> Questions I am asked, and my answers, either through reblogs or the "Ask" feature. A self explanatory tag. #Interviews -> Questions I ask others, especially in regards to my research. Gathering info about other psychics and other universes. #External Sources -> Reblogs of posts I consider useful to my research. Information about psychics and psychic types I see out in the wild rather than gathered from Interviews or Surveys. #Polls and Surveys -> Another self explanatory tag. Polls will be posted on this blog fairly regularly to gather information, and this tag will contain the polls themself as well as posts explaining and commentating on them after they finish.

OOC:

Pelipper Mail and all variants are OFF

IC anon hate is on within moderation. I reserve the right to change this at any time if I feel overwhelmed by the amount or it starts to boarder on OOC.

All blogs may interact in theory, but I will block blogs that make me uncomfortable for any reason. If I block you, I will not give a reason.

Please communicate with me OOC. If I have crossed a line, tell me. I will probably figure it out on my own.

If I don't respond right away it does not mean I am ignoring you completely. I have a life outside of this blog, am a single alter within a larger system (so I am not always fronting) and sometimes just don't know how to respond to replies or don't see them.

This blog thrives on asks and reblogs, especially from psychic characters and characters with psychic type pokemon/an interest with psychic type pokemon. Do not be afraid to reach out with an ask from your character talking about themself, their experiences, or someone they know. Do not be afraid to make up random characters that exist only as a single anon to tell a story. Do not be afraid to ask for certain bits of lore and worldbuilding from Nova. This is very much a place to talk about your characters (within reason) and potentially come up with new ones through sending asks! I will likely follow most of the psychic blogs that interact!

Incase you need to address the mun specifically for OOC reasons, you may call me Andromeda, and I use they/them

[abroadlifeactually]

Its a Vibe (Free of Ghosts)

Over the last several years my birthday has been a week-long celebration. My 30th was spent relaxing on a beach and partying in Aruba with my best friend, which ushered in the trend to always do something lavish for my birthday. I maintained this tradition with vacations and spa treatments over the years. However, things started to change when I turned 40. One, I was pregnant, and two, it was during the covid years, thus severely altering how I could celebrate.  Last year we took a trip to the Philippines as a 40th redux, and to give me much needed R&R since our move abroad earlier that year was pretty rough. It was an amazing trip, but it wasn’t the “all about me” birthday vacation I had gotten used to. Sunbeam had just started to ween off breastfeeding, so I was pumping for relief and doing my best to maintain her schedule while we were away. On our return home Sunbeam got sick in the airport leaving us quarantined in a tiny hospital room for 2 days with all our luggage, no wifi, cell phone service, or drinking water, and a toilet leaking all over the floor. But that’s a story for another time. 

This past birthday the realization set in that the old days of sipping champagne all day aren’t returning; but it’s okay because my life is evolving, and change is a natural part of growth. At first I felt the need to cling to my old bday tradition to hold on to my “bad b*tch” aesthetic. Being able to splurge on myself and luxuriate for several days made me confident and independent. However, now I’m in a place where trying to uphold those traditions along with my new responsibilities is much harder. It’s not impossible, but definitely requires a lot more effort and planning, which can feel like a lot.

So what does a good birthday look like now? Earlier this year we took a family vacation to the Maldives, and were planning a visit back west around the holidays, so traveling was not an option. I thought about what brings me joy now, as a woman with a family. Hearing the happy squeals of my child brings me life, so I opted to bring Sunbeam to an indoor play gym in the morning, since she’s still a little too young to really enjoy Disney.  We had the place to ourselves. Later that evening, my husband arranged for our nanny to come so we could enjoy the evening out. He planned a beautiful evening. We ate a 6 course meal in a private room at the top of a building with a breathtaking view of the city. I was all dressed up and felt beautiful. I thoroughly enjoyed spending the day with my family.

As my life continues to evolve, my birthday celebration has to take other factors into account. This encouraged me to reexamine my perspective on what makes my birthday meaningful, and embrace what comes with evolution. I’m grateful for the way my life is progressing and all the new experiences it brings, which makes these changes all the more welcome.

Now on another note….this birthday also indicated that an ex situationship has FINALLY moved on. I met my husband back in 2016, and with any new relationship it may take some time for ex lingerers to officially cut ties. But when I was done or over a person, I would totally disappear, they’d never hear from me again.  So when Hubby and I met, I may have gotten a rogue text here or there, but for the most part we just moved forward uninterrupted.

But there was one. An ex? Not sure you could call him that, it really never got that serious, so I’ll just say someone I dated briefly. This person would send happy birthday texts every year to no response. This shockingly went on for 6 YEARS. There were no other messages exchanged in between, because we weren’t in contact. But every year without fail I’d get a random text filled with bitmoji. One year the text came with 6 different Bitmojis…. I thought about responding a few times just to say I’m married, or I’m married and pregnant, or I’m married with a kid and don’t even live in the country anymore. But I couldn’t figure out how to bring that up with a happy birthday text, and also didn’t feel conversing, so opted for cold silence instead.

These messages were especially surprising because he was the “i’m so busy” type. He made it very clear he was suuuper busy with all of his goals, so he needed to be focused. He was the type that presented as if he had it all figured out, while he questioned my ambition. The reality was, we just had different goals. But somewhere between my mid twenties and early thirties I fully accepted that I wasn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea, which allowed me to stay grounded and not take negative things men said to me seriously. It was usually them, and not me. I’m not claiming to be perfect, but I stand by that assessment. I also didn’t try to change anyone’s mind, so when our communication gradually faded, it was all good. 

At first, the birthday messages made sense, right?  We were cool, there were no hard feelings. So the first time I got a text after all communication completely stopped I responded “wow, I can’t believe you remembered, thank you”. The following year, “thank you!!!” But in 2018 I decided, I wasn’t going to respond anymore messages, to send the message, MOVE ON. But he continued, he sent birthday texts year after year, to no response. I was slightly amused, but more so confused. Like, what was the reason!?!  We weren’t friends. I’ll never know what his motivations were, but for the first time in seven years the birthday texts finally stopped. I think he’s finally got the hint and moved on, good for him.

[ridiasfangirlings]

can you show off your K collection?

The whole collection, you say :D I have a lot, so under the cut so as not to clutter up everyone’s dash.

First: figures. The large military figures are from Alter and the slightly smaller Fushimi one is from Union Creative. The Alter ones are better quality but honestly I like the more dynamic pose of the UC figure better, there’s a matching Yata that I don’t own largely due to lack of space that’s very cool (however the UC Fushimi also has a truly terrifying alternate face…). The larger chibi figures are lottery prizes, I bought them separately in order to be sure I got what I wanted. I like the winter ones best, someday I need to get the Munakata from that set. The smaller figures are a Niitengo Deluxe set, I actually have a couple duplicates from this because I bought two sets. The ‘regular’ set had Mikoto and then there was a special set — I think it was an Animate exclusive? — that had Munakata along with alternate Fushimi and Yata figures. Then I have the teeny Shiro, Fushimi and Hisui which are keychains, I picked those up at a con (they didn’t have Yata which is why I ended up with Shiro and Hisui in there). 

Also on the figure end I have these little guys: K nendoroids! Wait, you may be wondering, I don’t remember any K nendoroids. That’s because we have no official ones (still mad about that!) so I had no choice but to make my own by modifying parts of existing nendoroids. The clothes were purchased from various places online.

Next is my full set of K nuis. It took a while to get all these, because when they released the ‘clansmen’ sets I only bought the Blue clan and then regretted it. And no, they didn’t make an official Niki nui, since I had extras I modified them. Hidaka, Benzai, Niki and Douhan are my own customs.

More plushies. I believe the larger ones were Sega prizes? I found Munakata and Fushimi being sold as a set online and then hunted down Yata later. The chubby birds are from the Chun Colle line, and of course I had to buy them their own (love) nest. The Saru cat had the clothes sold separately, I think the original listing showed them with a white cat but the black was all AmiAmi had at the time so I have black cat Saru. The Sarumi nuis are from the second release around ROK airing, they’re a bit different than the first release — a little less chubby with more scruffy hair. I have Munakata too, as you can see he’s…busy on top of my desk. 

Standees, because everyone needs a little anime boy on their desk. As you may notice, one of these things is not like the other. That’s right: Yata’s wearing bunny ears! Also Kuroh is there. At the time I bought the little Fushimi with the drink the cheapest one on sale had both Fushimi and Kuroh being sold as a set, so he’s here too. 

Speaking of standees, here’s a few more along with other lotto prizes. These were all from the specific Fan Clan lotteries, you had to be a member to draw. The big Fushimi picture and the water bottle were both grand prizes that I managed to win, so I got to choose my character for those (…don’t  ask how much I spent….). The Fushimi picture has hardware in the back that you can use to stand it up but it’s mostly hanging out hidden by my drawers because I don’t have space to display it right now. 

A few miscellaneous things. The Sarumi plate is official goods, the Akiben cup is a fan made product. The glass has Fushimi on one side and Munakata on the other though it’s hard to see, this was I believe also a lotto prize but I got it as a free gift from a shopping service. The pillows are also both official, the one on the left is the Kotobukiya dream cushion and yes I did buy the whole pillow just to use the Fushimi cover. The incredibly gay pillow featuring Fushimi touching himself while looking at a photo of Yata he’s pinned to his pillow is also, amazingly, 100% official merchandise.

Jumping around to some more official stuff, these are all my physical media. Missing Kings is actually the Japanese release, which has subtitles but no dub. It released before the US version even had a release date on the books so I bought the Japanese version instead (I don’t dislike the dub but dubs are also not something that’s a dealbreaker for me). I also have three stage plays — fun fact, the US and Japan are in the same region for blu ray — these are not subtitled. 

Novels (and a couple CDs). From the top left, we have the All Memories book, Case Files vol 2, Lost Small World, Idol K, the little short story booklet that came with the pre-MK S4 drama CD (with the glasses drama on it), the three anime adaptation books, the aforementioned drama CD and the Idol K CD. 

Next, manga. The top left corner is the K Poe Backs book, which has a bunch of mini first person comics of the cast seducing ‘you’ the reader. The top right is the K Maniacs book which is an official doujinshi book, it has no pairings but a lot of older Sarumi doujinshi artists are involved and Fushimi and Yata definitely dominate the book. I have the special Animate of editions of Gakuen K volume 3 and Missing Kings, because I liked the covers. The LSW books are all the special editions as well, the little booklet on the bottom right came with the final volume. The booklet between the two volumes of Days of Blue also came with that second volume and has the special Cherry Blossom Viewing chapter. (Meanwhile I just realized I don’t have Return of Kings….I need to buy that, I like the art.)

Some more random goods. The purse, hat and watch are all from Super Groupies collabs. I have the Super Groupies S4 wallet as well but it felt weird to take a picture of my own wallet (incidentally, if anyone sees the Super Groupies S4 earrings let me know, I didn’t have my ears pierced when they came out so I didn’t buy them and I want them now). The necklace was for Fushimi’s birthday, there’s a couple Yata ones that were made as well and another Fushimi one that’s blue but this is the only one I bought, it has a tiny S4 logo. The two tins are official teas that were made, the Homra one is my favorite of the two and is a pretty red. 

Some more clothes. I skipped most of the Super Groupies collab clothes for sizing reasons but these all fit and again, all are official. The shirts are from a collab with the brand Avail, they did shirts based off Shiro, Kuroh, Mikoto, Yata, Munakata and Fushimi. I have the Yata, Munakata and Fushimi ones, the puzzle piece S4 logo that’s Munakata’s is my favorite.

My wall o’ keychains. I actually have a lot of keychains on various purses so this is not all of them (I may have mentioned before that I’m also into lolita fashion so I have lots of purses, forgive me for not digging up all of them for keychain pics). The wall is missing a lot of Fushimi keychains though because they’re on my Fushimi ita bag. 

I’ll probably redo this at some point (I don’t really like backpacks so this doesn’t get worn much) but here’s a lot of my Fushimis that aren’t on other purses. I also have some new Sarumi ones I just bought, these are for the Sarumi ita bag I have in progress. This covers most of my collection, I also have a lot of posters and some magazines that aren’t convenient to get pictures of. This doesn’t count my, uh, extensive doujinshi collection either, just know that the bottom shelf and a half of my bookshelves is 90% Fushimi-centric doujinshi. I may be ever so slightly obsessed. 

[weaselweaselw]

Deltarune: Why Gaster has a Split Personality

Holy shit... so, in case you're living under a rock, the Deltarune Winter Newsletter came out last night, and its release sent ripples throughout the entire UT/DR fandom.

Included in the Newsletter is a development update which states that Chapter 3 is pretty much complete.

The only aspect of the chapter still being worked on is the localization process from English to Japanese – the entire team is now working on Chapter 4. So that's nice - they even have an internal deadline for the actual game, so we can expect a release within the next year and a half.

However, the main selling point of this entire newsletter was the fact that it's themed around Valentine's Day. And as a result, there were a lot of Valentine's Day letters sent from the various Undertale and Deltarune characters. Here's one from Undyne:

Here's a list of all the letters. Some are short, some are more comical - but many of them reveal interesting things about these characters.

Especially one character in particular...

That's right! Even Gaster has a letter of his own! In fact, it's the rarest letter of them all that to my knowledge, only one person received, until minutes later, the letter itself was erased from Fangamer's website. However, the letter was archived in the nick of time.

Wow, so that was a lot, right? There's quite a bit to analyze here, from Gaster needing help, to him forgetting someone - and it certainly added fuel to the fire that is the deltarune theory community.

However, there's one particular debate taking place all over the internet right now, for you see... some people don't think that letter was sent by Gaster. For one, the tone of this letter doesn't match his usual scientific, detached, and robotic demeanor he's usually associated with. He appears much more down-to-earth, speaking in a much more formal way than he usually does. And for many in the fandom at the moment, that is enough ground to say this character isn't Gaster.

Despite how utterly insane and ridiculous this might sound to you, these people do bring up good points. And of course... these people also use the Japanese translation as evidence. In the Japanese version of Undertale and Deltarune, Gaster speaks in Katakana and Kanji, two rather complex and sophisticated alphabets, but in this letter, Gaster speaks in Hirigana - a more casual, laid-back, and simplistic alphabet, reflecting his demeanor.

So, what gives? Is this a different Gaster? Are there two Gasters at work here, who may or may not be at odds with one another? Is there going to be a Gaster War?

No. People seem to be forgetting something: Gaster was shattered across time and space, as revealed by Undertale.

This isn't just some figurative jargon - one of the Gaster Followers quite literally holds a piece of Gaster in his hand. I know this is often overlooked, but what do you think the psychological effects of this could be?

It would likely be an extremely traumatic experience, if I'm going to be honest - as parts of your mind and body become fragmented across the entire universe and across time itself. So: it's quite possible that Gaster simply has... a split personality.

There aren't two Gasters or anything ridiculous like that, but rather, the one Gaster we know has his mind scattered across the universe, quite literally fragmented - such that different aspects of his personality present themselves at different times. In fact, such a condition exists in the real world: it's called Dissociative Identity Disorder, and it is most often associated with trauma resulting in the compartmentalization of the mind into multiple personality states, otherwise known as alters.

These are not separate people - think of it like turning a light switch on and off, or closing a door. And this is my solution to this debate that has begun about Gaster - I like to think of it as a compromise, but Gaster having a split personality like this can really spice up the story a bit - and could even solve some of the lingering mysteries about what happened to the secret bosses, but as of now, this only exists as theory tape.

Thanks for tuning into my rant.

[aesethewitch]

I'm sorry for bothering you..again

Since you can't make the spell maybe you can Astral project to Toyoko Mew Mew's HQ and ask the person who turned people into magical girls?

Idk if you don't wanna do it can you just tell me how to make spells that actually work?

Hi again!

I don't really do astral projection in general. I can, but it's not my strong suit. It's certainly not something I would do on someone else's behalf. Projecting to a "real version" of a fictional universe is impossible. You could perhaps build a version of a fictional universe within your astral realm, or visit someone else's construction of a fictional universe, but it wouldn't be The Real Thing.

You're extremely unlikely to become an "actual" magical girl. Witchcraft can't make something that's physically, materially impossible come to pass. It can have incredible results, of course (why else would we practice it, right?), but those magical transformations and sparkles aren't real. It isn't possible, unfortunately -- it'd be so fucking cool if it was. I'd be all over that.

Working in a pop culture magic context is a valid way to do magic, though! If you have a passion for magical girls, I really would strongly recommend doing a search here on Tumblr for magical girl pop culture witchcraft, magic, and paganism. It's an incredibly interesting way to do magic! (You might find instructions for altering your Astral Self to be more like your ideal of a magical girl -- which would be the closest you'd get to the Real Deal. Just be wary of "shifting" type blogs.)

As for making spells that actually work, my advice would be to find a system that works for you. In the kindest way possible, I cannot do your research and learning for you. Magic and witchcraft are learned skills that you've got to develop for yourself. My paradigm (the framework through which I view the metaphysical world and perform magic workings) won't necessarily work for you.

First step is to figure out your best source for magic. For some folks, magic comes from within themselves. For others, it's a gift from their deities or spirits. For others, it comes from nature. For still others, it comes from the astral plane. The key is to figure out what's best and easiest for you to "hold on" to make the changes you're wanting to make. Give it a good, solid think. Try some stuff, see what works best.

For me personally, I find the best results in directly manipulating the metaphysical, energetic ties that exist between all things. These "strings" tie Thing One to Thing Two. After years of practice, I'm able to reliably tug on these strings to create change.

Try things out. Borrow spells from blogs and websites and books. Dabble. Test different ingredients. If a jar spell didn't work, what if you burned the ingredients instead? Or what if you dressed a candle? Or made a meal with the same/similar ingredients? So on and so forth. I have a post I wrote awhile ago about making substitutions and changes in spells that illustrates the point more thoroughly (which you can read here, if you like).

As I said, I can't do your learning for you. There are witchcraft 101 posts, books, podcasts, and other sources all over the place. Browse the beginner witchcraft tag, for example -- you'll find all sorts of basic guides from all sorts of viewpoints. Check out the astral projection tag or search for beginner astral projection tips.

If you like podcasts, @/breelandwalker's podcast Hex Positive is really solid for beginners. On YouTube, the Witch of Wonderlust, HearthWitch, the Green Witch, and the Norse Witch are also pretty solid creators whose work I've enjoyed. Books... I cannot recommend, since I honestly don't read a lot of witchcraft books (alas!).

It's up to you to find the things that are going to work for you. I'm happy to give tips, answer questions, and offer my perspective, but it isn't a substitute for doing the actual work for yourself. I do wish you luck!

[setzappersto-pew]

I think we all need to take a step back, temper our expectations, try to have some critical thinking skills, and judge the show for what it is instead of what it could or should be. This is Rick Riordan retelling the story for a new generation (in a new medium, which necessitates change--a novel is not the same as a TV/film script) from a future perspective, knowing what the future holds for these characters. He can introduce themes and ideas earlier and hammer them in harder, work on character development in a different way, create slightly altered scenarios to make more tension and drama...because he has a full plan now, not just a bedtime story. Is this future planning a good thing? Debatable. But I'm here for it if it can be done well.

Let's look at episode 6.

While I like our trio just stumbling into places and being dumb kids about it, just vibing at the arcade games while the world spins on...going to the Lotus Hotel with a purpose gives them more agency and drives the story more, even though they still fall into the inevitable trap because they can't escape that magic. Grover's deep desire to be a Searcher (a theme that comes to fruition in the future) is what keeps him stuck there. Percy and Annabeth find Hermes, which brings the conversation back around to Luke; Annabeth's so close to Luke, and Percy is his literary foil, so naturally that's what keeps them trapped. On that subject, focusing so much on Luke and bringing in his backstory so early really hammers in the theme of the gods needing to step up as parents lest they ruin their children's lives and start wars...and the idea that Luke was right, he just chose to do horrible things about it (while also being manipulated by Kronos, I know). We're setting up Kronos and the idea of something much bigger than just the bolt being stolen, which was likely not on Rick's mind in 2005. My point here is that there's more of a thematic purpose with the deviations, and the themes are indicative of a larger story. The downside of this, however, is Hermes kind of giving them the answer--and also keeping them there--instead of Percy figuring out that too much time has passed. You win some, you lose some.

Percy's been given 4 pearls instead of 3? It's meant to set up false hope. One will likely break or get lost, and Percy will still have to make that choice. We hear him say "Hold fast, Mom" in the teaser for episode 7, implying she will stay behind and he will fail to save what matters most. I also think this shows that Poseidon still cares for Sally and Percy, since he seemingly intended for Percy to save Sally too.

The solstice has already passed? Adds higher stakes. Gives Percy a choice: go back to camp, like he wanted to when they were only in New Jersey, or stay the course. He chooses to continue, to do the right thing and try to stop this war and anything beyond (and to save Sally too obviously), the complete opposite of him at first refusing to even go on this quest. He's seen a glimpse of his father's care, has a different perspective on the gods' parenting from Hermes, knows there are worse things to come thanks to his Kronos-dreams, and chooses to hold fast and brave the storm.

Episode 5 had similar complaints. Hephaestus's trap was different, but the goal here was to showcase Percy and Annabeth's growing fondness for each other and Percy's self-sacrificial tendencies and Fatal Flaw of loyalty, as well as establishing Hephaestus as more of a sympathetic ally. No spiders to show Annabeth does get scared (a logistical nightmare they tried but couldn't get to work, according to Rick), but she is scared of being abandoned and of losing Percy just like she did Thalia. Again, this changes Percy and Annabeth defeating the trap by their own skills, but it emphasizes the mindset that Percy holds about the gods being "correct" and the ability for the stubborn gods to be swayed. Grover was just a sidekick in this book chapter, but here he's unfurling the mystery, using his powerful empathy to understand Ares and subsequently trick him into saying too much, providing the misdirection of Clarisse, etc.

Some people need to have a little more patience with this too. No Fates when Percy's leaving Yancy, but we get them later when they show Annabeth the string they cut--which is Luke's lifeline, not Percy's, further tying her to these two characters. I saw some complaints that they skipped the Oracle, only to get it first thing the next episode. Others were worried about Percy's fugitive plotline being gone, when the first real instance of this in the book was after he gets out of the Mississippi River anyway...so, right where we got it in the episode (there was a small instance before they left camp, but I think that's okay to gloss over). Ares presents them with more of this plotline instead of them catching it on a TV, which is such an Ares thing to do so it works for me. No Iris Message in Denver, but we got it in episode 6 when they have more suspicions to report; Luke is still kinda shifty in the call and now he has another person to blame directly, making the misdirection even more fun. Percy and Annabeth don't have their iconic talk in the truck, but they've touched on a lot of it already in other conversations and maybe they will do more before Percy's fight with Ares (she still gives him her necklace as we can see in teasers, so this seems likely). Percy's getting wet under the water instead of staying dry, and we have yet to see him talk to a horse (the zebra is barely seen in episode 6, which I will admit is just silly given the episode title); maybe we'll get those later when it matters more to the plot, instead of just tacking it on as more stuff he can do.

My point here is this: this is not a beat-for-beat adaptation, and I don't think it should be. This is a retelling with the ultimate series themes and events in mind, not just the immediate events. It's got the vibes and the soul of the world and the characters. The deviations still feel like the characters would have made those choices, they still fit in this fictional world. Some are attempting to fix details that worked in 2005 but don't in 2023/2024, or that were extraneous details that filled the pages but not the plot. Some changes emphasize different themes like the gods being able to be swayed in their mindset, while no longer showcasing our heroes skills and abilities--but their skills and abilities are shown in different scenes. It's a trade-off that usually pays off. There are some missteps and pacing issues and exposition issues, but it's a show aimed at kids who don't know the finer points of Greek mythology with 30-40 minute episodes (the latter is Disney's fault). I see the changes and understand that most of them are used to tell the greater story, the story of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, not just The Lightning Thief.

Bottom line: I'm having a good time! This show is making me really happy, while also nailing the emotional beats to really wreck me, and that's all I expected and wanted out of it. I like that some of the changes are making me wonder how things will play out differently with the same end goal ahead; it keeps it fresh and reinvigorates my love for this story. These kids are ACTING, they are these characters, and they have stolen my heart! Do I wish some things weren't changed? Maybe. But different doesn't mean bad. People are allowed to not like it, but I hope they have a good reason for not liking it besides "it's different than the books", especially when it's very much not different in the grand scheme of adaptations. If people would stop crying foul immediately and have some perspective instead, they might have a better experience.

[azure-wolf-227]

Luz is a Titan AU

I've seen several 'Luz is a Titan/Half Titan/Luz turns into a Titan/Half Titan' AU concepts, and I wanted to do my own take on the idea.

Luz is biologically a Titan and King's older sister. When the Archivists attacked, the Titan couldn't place Luz in the tower with King's egg, so they used their power to send her through time and space to somewhere safe. That somewhere ended up being the Human Realm. Shortly after, Camila and Manny Noceda found the little Titan.

The Titan gives Luz a protective amulet that hides her from the Archivists (it has the same sigil King found in the tower and carved into his tag), allowing Luz to change her form between Titan and Human. Since Manny and Camila were the first beings to find Luz, the magic amulet used their appearance as a template for Luz's disguise.

Luz’s Titan powers start developing at the age of 8-9; around the same age King started developing his powers in canon. Her first power is, of course, the Sonic Shout (WEH!).

When the Nocedas moved to Gravesfield, Luz began having weird dreams - actually the Titan trying to communicate with her - because the portals to the Demon Realm (Eda’s, and the one used in ‘Thanks to Them’) are linked to the town. These dreams help Luz develop her Glyph language, so by the time she is 14, she already has the basic Glyphs and has begun developing the combos.

Luz’s Glyphs are not the same as in canon cause these are her own rather than the Titan’s. And while she can draw them, Luz mainly makes the Glyphs/Glyph Combos appear on her hands or the air.

Titan Luz is mostly similar to Canon Luz in personality, but she also has some self-esteem issues about not being human. Add to how, after Manny’s death, Camila began to insist that Luz act more normal/be more human in fear that her oddities would lead to people discovering her secret.

This AUs version of ‘A Lying Witch and a Warden’ starts out the same with Luz being sent to camp, her chasing Owlbert through Eda’s portal, and meeting Eda; things begin diverging once they arrive to The Owl House and King appears. Luz is shocked to see a being that looks exactly like her (true form); she doesn’t reveal her true form, though, because she is so used to hiding it. Eda and King learn that Luz is not human when she can’t pass through the barrier at the Comformatorium, though it isn’t until after the fight with Warden Wrath, the prison break, and the return to the Owl House that Luz reveals her true form. Safe to say that Eda is stunned at meeting another of whatever King’s species is while King is excited; after hearing Luz’s story, he convinces himself that Luz must have been “shrunk” as well, then banished to Earth.

Anyway, Luz’s decides to stay in the Demon Realm to learn how to be a witch and maybe find some answers about herself. Besides her Titan powers/Glyphs, this Luz can also create spell circles like witches, though she’d still default to Glyphs. Luz would also teach King about his own powers, though he likely won’t awaken them before he did in canon, except maybe he starts to develop his own Glyphs.

Luz wouldn’t go walking around the Boiling Isles in her true form even if it wouldn’t be strange there. The Doylist reason is that I  want the reveal that Luz is the same species as King to happen much later, maybe during Luz’s first confrontation with Belos in the Season 1 finale, or sometime in Season 2. As for the Watsonian/in-universe reason, maybe Luz is used to disguising her true form, or Eda tells her to keep it hidden for some reason.

Set up from the previous idea, Luz figures out how to alter her disguise to look like a witch, instead of a human. Because Eda was her template, Luz’s witch disguise has fluffy auburn hair, and golden eyes. Basically, she looks like a Raeda kid and results in people coming up with secret love child theories.

Edit: @princess-of-the-corner suggested a different idea for why Luz’s disguise changes. The illusionary disguise works by taking traits from the people Luz sees as parental figures. She original looked like Manny and Camila’s biological daughter because they were the ones who raised her; her disguise began to take some traits from Eda, and later Raine, as she began to subconsciously see them as second parents. The change was gradual, so Luz didn’t notice the difference until she first saw Vee disguised as her and found her appearance unfamiliar.

Does Luz has memories of before she was sent to Earth since King could remember things before he was hatched?

Yes, but Luz thinks those memories are just dreams and stuff her mind made up rather than memories, so she never told anyone about them. Or she did as a young child, but her parents just thought they were children dreams.

Let’s end this with what Luz looks like as a Titan. She is mostly a taller version of King, maybe a few inches taller than Canon Luz; her horns are the same as Canon Titan Luz���s; her fur has a more purplish tint than King’s but they have the same eyes; unlike King, Luz wears clothes, the same clothes canon Luz wears; her protective/disguise amulet looks like the medal King wears in the series’ epilogue with a purple ribbon and it has the anti-Collector/Archivist sigil engraved into it. Sometime in Season 2, Luz goes through a growth spurt and grows wings.

[buildingunderstanding]

Thinking this morning about some stuff I was taught growing up in the church. I was very often warned against the dangers of anything related to faith and religion becoming habit.

Now, to their credit, it was meant in a sort of "Do things with intention, don't become mindless in your devotion to God" kind of way, which makes total sense. But I'm an autistic person with sever dissociation. Doing things on auto pilot and vaguely dissociated is kind of how I live my life. Between that and the taking things too literally autism and the Alexithymia I was having a hard time wrapping my brain around how to ~feel~ intentional in what I do. And I spent a good portion of time feeling guilty about not feeling things correctly and it caused me to doubt my faith.

People often talk about doing things with intention, but I find it's kind of like telling a little kid to go clean their room. They don't actually know what that means. They haven't been taught how to clean, or what it means to clean a specific space. I was taught "be intentional" but not how or what it means to have intent behind something.

The emphasis placed on it made it seem like it must be this big feeling that I would absolutely and immediately recognize once I felt it and I never did. Sure there were times that in retrospect I can easily identify as "having intent", like when I would read the lesson book and the verses I was meant to be teaching on the following Sunday, when I couldn't remember something and wanted to look it up and went searching for specific verses, when I was having a discussion and wanted to point something out and searching for specific verses.

Those were moments when I had intentionally engaged with the Bible but it didn't exactly feel different in this huge, meaningful, obvious way. I didn't even clock those motivators as being intentionally because I thought some deep, profound "wanting to" that I couldn't muster up was intent.

I couldn't muster up that deep, profound "wanting to" because I very rarely wanted anything at all including being alive, which is related, but not exactly the point.

I have been trying to figure out polytheism since January of this year. I've been collecting the "subtle worship ideas" for months now due to being in the broom closet, and trying to sort out ways of incorporating worship into my regular life.

This has caused me to really examine a lot of what I was taught and my understanding around these concepts of "worship" and "offerings" and as with this morning "doing things with intent". (For example I was taught that worship and offerings are two wholly separate things, now I understand that giving an offering is an act of worship; devotional acts are an act of worship as well as an offering of one's time. Writing this post is an act of worship to Loki because he is the one that has been pushing me to challenge and examine my beliefs and understanding of the things I was taught in the area of religion.)

What got me thinking about it this morning was when I went to take my meds this morning. I've read that taking meds can be a way to honor Apollo. I've always felt very drawn to Apollo so of course I wanted to do this, but I've been struggling to find a way to do this with genuine intention because taking my meds is already a habit.

Was a I supposed to give it as an offering? Qas i supposed to do a prayer with it? Was it okay to just think "for Apollo" as I threw my meds back? I read one post where someone said they pointed at his alter and said "this is for you!" before taking their meds, and while this seemed to be a silly post, did doing that actually "count"? I wasn't sure because I still didn't have this big feeling of "intent" inside my chest that I thought I was supposed to have and I was so afraid of not being genuine or sincere enough. I was taught that without sincerity it was all meaningless, and again I thought sincerity had to be thus huge, obvious feeling in my heart that I would recognize if I ever managed to feel it, instead of just a simple and quiet "I want to".

The wanting didn't have to be big and emotional and deeply or profoundly overwhelming. It could just be a small acknowledgement.

I very often find myself feeling like I experience emotions through a filter, or through intellectualizing. To me, feeling things is often a comparable experience to being able to identify feelings in other people, this is especially true for "positive" emotions. I genuinely don't remember the last time I was enthusiastically excited about something. I think because there is always some sense of...resignation(?), apathy(?), something on the edges of it that feels like it's stopping me from genuinely feeling things. And I've always felt similarly about religious stuff. I'd like to be able to be excited and passionate about things, particularly about stuff having to do with faith, but mostly I just vaguely am. Everything just kind of is what it is and none of it truly matters anyway, life is just about getting through. I exist because I have to, not because I want to and there's no point in wanting because rarely does it help and rarely does it work out.

That feeling seems to rest on the edges of all my emotions (granted some days more strongly than others) and it makes it hard to feel like anything I'm feeling is actually genuine. And if it's not genuine, then why am I bothering? But I think maybe in that little space of wanting things to be genuine is, in fact, being genuine.

[aspecpplarebeautiful]

Help I'm crisising

I'm aroace and i have this friend who I've known for a couple years but only gotten close two in the last few months, and I really like her. I've had a weird alterous attraction crush on her for literal years and recently now that we've gotten closer I'm wondering if we could someday be in some sort of qpr thing. I know she's some sort of queer, and she knows that I am, though not specifically aroace, and I know she's not in any relationships.

The problem is:

I'm really confused about what I feel, cause I've never felt anything close to this for anyone, ever, and I'm also really aware that she's one of the first friends and definitely the closest that I've had since a major depressive episode I had that lasted 1-2 years and so I'm worried that maybe I'm kinda latching on to her to feel normal and not lonely anymore. Basically I'm just constantly second-guessing my feelings, but I also have pretty solid evidence that I shouldn't trust myself with them.

I don't know what she knows about being aroace, and I don't know if she'd be interested in a QPR

I don't know if she's interested in me. She definitely likes as a friend, but I'm horrible at telling what feelings people have towards me beyond than friendly, angry, or indifferent

And if ever she made a move on me, I'd be into it, but I don't know how to explain "actually I'm aroace and so like half of the things you'd expect out of an allo dating relationship are off the table, and also I will never be able to love you in the way most would people expect from me" Also, at what point do you even bring that up? Before or after doing anything? The inciting incident of all this was today when she was driving me home from her place and while we were leaving her brother was bugging me to tell him about her love life and asking questions like "Does she have a bf/gf? Is she dating (other friend of hers)?" and "Are you two dating? Are you going to kiss in the car?" and she told him to stop and not make me uncomfortable, but in my head I was just thinking "not as uncomfortable as you think." And then I was thinking about maybe kissing her the whole car ride, and I was kinda hoping maybe she would. Sorry for the massive wall of text I'm overthinking everything and driving myself mad. I don't have anyone who knows I'm queer besides her so I have nobody to talk to about this.

First of all Anon, remember that it's OK to be confused, and it's OK to not be quite sure what you want. You're navigating these feelings for the first time, and they're generally big feelings which can also make them harder to decipher, especially in the moment.

Sometimes imagining different scenarios can help and sometimes certain scenarios will appeal to you a lot more (remember QPRs are heavily tailored, and can include and not include whatever the people in them want). Sometimes journaling can help with sorting out what you're feeling too, and if you're not sure where to start, there's a lot of good tips for effective journaling online.

It is OK to not have everything figured out right away. Sometimes things also play out over time, you can talk and try things out and see where things go. Honestly my advice would probably be to just start by telling her you're aroace and, if this is something you want to pursue, talking about QPRs, or how aroaces sometimes do relationships a bit differently where the relationship can be tailored to each other/pick and choose what that relationship involves or not. And maybe that would be something that appeals to her, maybe it won't, and you can take note of how you're feeling too. (Of course if you decide you prefer the relatioship you have with her now and don't want to change anything, that's an option too.)

Go easy on yourself, you're figuring all this out as you go. Remember there's two ways this can go, either things work out how you want them to, which would be great, or they won't and you'll still learn a lot in the process and be a lot more ready and prepared the next time you find yourself in a similar situation.

All the best, and good luck!

[carter-carpet-writes]

WIP Game!

Was tagged by: @arcs-writer-corner

I've already done something similar to this but now I've got more to my plate! The ideas just love running wild in this brain hehehe!

So, the ones that I've already shared here, or working on sharing here:

GIGGSWB - GIGGS meets a ghost who's their fan!

CotH - Coffee On The Horizon

HAYGDiToDaGSYNA? - Hey, Are You Guys Done In There, or Did a Ghost Snap Your Neck Again? (Phas AU)

Ones I have yet to talk about here but have ideas for:

Cupid AU - My friends, our alters, and the MCYTers but in a world where cupids can be summoned! Grian, Bdubs, Peri, Tiny, Pearl, Scott, Skizz, and more are cupids who are just there to help those who have obvious feelings for each other, get together. And the silly and fun chaos that ensues!

Jellyfish Hermit (Hermits x Princess Jellyfish) - This is my own take on, what's turned out, Hermits x the anime Princess Jellyfish! Silly lil thing where Scar is a cross dresser, Grian, and his building mates, an introvert who is scared stylish people! Grian and Scar's paths cross, and Scar meets many autistic people who are living together in this area of town that's getting ready to be destroyed by the city and his family. So he steps in to help them out and falls in love with Grian, who's fallen for his brother, Cub. While also helping Grian come to terms with their new gender identity (not anime canon, but just my AU! :))

MCAU (insert tea sip emoji) - Grian and Scar are dating. Jimmy and Tango are dating. Joel and Lizzie are dating. Etho and Bdubs are finally together??? "I thought Grian was with Taurtis?" "Wait, but wasn't he with BigB???" "Jimmy and Joel can't stop giving each other neck kisses?" "What about Lizzie?" "Bdubs is still trying to make Etho jealous?" "Is he blind?"

CGA - Carter/Carpet Ghost Adventures! Me, but I get turned into a ghost and traverse time and space into different friend's fics (and different seasons of Hermitcraft and such) and other places because the Watchers are rude.

Modern CotH - Instead of Minecraft hub world, it's modern, still have our hybrids, but less Minecraft based!

Silly thing, with no name, that's just me putting me and my friends in one of my best friend's fics: Rescue Fire! Not too much to it yet, just trying to figure out who would take who's places and it's fun!!

These are just fics.... I have a few others that are older....

One Piece isekai that involves me and one of my siblings that's in the works of being rewritten (slowly), and changing the plot just slightly.... (Not really, we're changing things a lot but it's by far one of my favorites!) Essentially, me and my sib get into a plane crash and wake up as 2 year old twins belonging to Shakky and Rayleigh in One Piece. Things get a little too risky for children to live in Saobody Archipelago, and we get sent to go live with Luffy, Ace, and Sabo. Sabo lives in Ace and Luffy's eyes, everyone sets off as they should've. Sabo and Ace join Whitebeard, Iris and Ivy (me and my sib's characters), set off and cause some havoc, eventually meet up with the WBs and pranks are unavoidable! Thatch and Ace don't die and there's a different cause for the war! Lots more to this but yeah! (Excited noises)

And a few original stories, no names, but they're me branching out!

Bullied kid learns to finally reach out and take the hand of someone who's looked up to him for years. Friendship and getting over bullying with a side of romance! I started this, but hit a crossroad because the way I wanted it to go wasn't working out, but the ideas are still there!

Non-binary who's introverted and has some familial issues (still not accepting), and some awkward trans guy who wants to help. (And has a crush on them.) They're interesting and haven't done too much world building but I have a bit of it written!

Um... I guess I'll tag @katkat030 and @ghosty-clay /nf of course though! Hope you guys have fun if you choose to do this! 💖

Thanks again Arc 'n Co for the tag!

[aylen-san]

Sketch IV: "Shadows of Intrigue" Versailles, 1743. The shadows of sunset slowly crept down the gilded walls of Versailles' corridors, where every corner seemed to harbor secrets, whispers, and gossip of days gone by. The fading sunlight fractured through mirrors, casting a ghostly glow that shrouded the galleries in a mysterious, almost mystical atmosphere. The air was thick with a blend of aromas: the sweet scent of candle wax mingled with the delicate perfumes of ladies, their traces still lingering in the deserted halls.

Courtiers were dispersing, their figures fading into the playful twilight, leaving behind echoes of laughter and music that had filled the day. The laughter was deceiving, like everything else here—it unsettled rather than reassured, a reminder that every step, every word, could be a weapon or a shield. For Count Théodore d’Alien, tonight held special significance.

He walked across the cold marble floor, his boots barely making a sound. His fingers gripped a letter recently handed to him by Marquis de Trémont. The letter appeared ordinary, but the meaningful look that accompanied its delivery told a different story. The red wax seal bore the royal crest—a fleur-de-lis entwined with intricate designs, as though warning that this document was not meant for everyone.

Théodore couldn’t shake the feeling that this was no simple task. Versailles was never a place of coincidences. Even the smallest details here could be part of a complex game. Each step along the mirrored and candlelit corridors was not merely a movement but a part of an invisible chess match.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a quiet yet confident voice: “Count d’Alien.”

Théodore turned to see Madame Lavois emerge from the shadows. She seemed to belong to the night itself: her gown of crimson silk shimmered with golden hues in the candlelight, and her dark curls framed her face like shadows framing a portrait. Her eyes gleamed, those of a huntress who had spotted her prey.

“Are you in a hurry, Count?” she asked, approaching him. Her voice was soft, almost tender, but carried an undercurrent of threat.

Théodore inclined his head slightly, maintaining an air of cold politeness. “Merely a routine errand, Madame,” he replied, striving to appear calm.

But Madame Lavois was not one to be satisfied with vague answers. Her gaze dropped to the letter in his hand. “An errand? In Versailles, Count, nothing is ever routine,” she said with a faint smile, her voice laced with certainty. “Do you know that even the smallest step here can alter destinies?”

Her gown rustled faintly as she stepped closer, her eyes locking onto his. “And to whom is your message addressed?” she asked lightly, almost carelessly, but Théodore sensed the burning curiosity behind her words.

He quickly composed himself, hiding his unease behind his usual mask of composure. “My apologies, Madame, but I am not at liberty to discuss royal matters,” he replied with a slight bow.

Madame Lavois laughed softly, barely audibly. “Of course, I understand,” she said, stepping back. “But remember, Count: in this palace, it is not only the writers of letters who matter but also the readers.”

Her gown swirled as she turned and disappeared into the corridor’s dimness, leaving behind the faint scent of rose oil. Théodore stood motionless, tension gripping his body. He knew that in Versailles, every word, even an offhand remark, carried weight.

When he returned to his quarters, his footsteps echoed on the marble floor. The room was dimly lit, with candles on the table casting a soft glow on the walls adorned with embroidered tapestries. Théodore sat at his massive, intricately carved desk and placed the letter before him.

His eyes lingered on the seal. It seemed monumental, almost intimidating—the royal crest appeared to watch his every move. He reached out to touch it, feeling the gentle warmth of the candlelight.

Questions swirled in his mind. What secrets did this letter hold? Why had the marquis chosen him? The questions multiplied, but answers eluded him.

The flickering candlelight cast strange shadows on the walls, as if they were alive. Théodore sighed and slid the letter into a leather folder. His decision was final: he would not open it.

He understood that every step in Versailles had to be calculated. One mistake could cost him his position—or even his life. Tomorrow, he would deliver the letter as instructed, but the echoes of this task would linger in his thoughts for a long time.

Later that night, he stood by the window. Cold night air filled the room as he opened the panes and gazed out at the gardens of Versailles. Under the moonlight, the alleys and fountains seemed endless, their patterns dissolving into a soft silver haze. The lights in the palace windows flickered like stars, and in some of them, shadows of people could be seen, still engaged in the affairs of the day.

Théodore’s gaze lingered on one such window. It seemed to him that everyone behind the glass was weaving their intrigues, each a part of this vast mechanism where he was still just a small cog.

He straightened, inhaling the cold air deeply. Tomorrow would bring a new day, new errands, and new trials. And he knew that if he wished to rise higher, he must not only play the game but win it.

Versailles was an arena, and Théodore d’Alien was already on it. The game of intrigue had begun, and with each passing day, the stakes grew higher.

[romaine2424]

WIP SNIP

Thanks you @sleepstxtic for the tag! OMG definitely take a look at Kat's.

This is SNIP is from my WIP good stuff folder. It's over a decade old, but I keep it because I always felt it had potential. I have about 5K written. It's temp title is Ghost Ship. I've spliced some scenes together here, so you can get the gist.

Scene 1: "Draco, come here, look properly! What do you think?" Harry saw Draco's face up close now, right beside his father's. They were extraordinarily alike, except that while his father looked beside himself with excitement, Draco's expression was full of reluctance, even fear. But then the words came out. "It's him. It's Potter," he said, and he walked away toward the fireplace where his mother stood watching. Lucius pressed his wand to his forearm, calling Voldemort. Bellatrix, Narcissa, and Draco all had their wands pointing towards the trio.  Harry knew at that moment he'd lost. The world seemed to shake on its axis. Everything seemed wrong.

Scene 2: 3 spliced scenes the morning after Hogwarts Battle

...

Draco gave a wry smile and walked over to the four-poster bed.  Harry kept his wand pointing at Malfoy's chest.  "What do you want, Malfoy?" "I—I need to show you something.  I need you to know and I'm afraid it will be gone soon," Draco said, his hand sliding through his fringe that needed a wash.  "What do you need to show me right now?  Why can't it wait?  I've had a bit of morning." Draco couldn't help but laugh.  "A bit of a morning you say?  I know, Potter, but I think you should know.  It was what Dumbledore left me in his will." ... "Just some words," Draco said.  None of us could figure it out then but eventually its meaning became clear. Harry snorted.  It sounded like the Headmaster. "What did his will say?" "My mercy still awaits," Draco said. ... Draco burst out laughing.  "Potter, this isn't a fairy ring like they taught us in school.  This is one where second chances are given." "What?" Harry asked as he rose so he could see Draco as they talked.  "You mean like a Time-Turner?"  "Almost," Draco responded and then turned towards the white marble....he took a few steps over and then lay his hands on it.  "Time-turners were mainly used to observe and not interfere." Harry coughed.  "Well small changes could be made, and then life carried on absorbing this new course.  Eventually it all blends in. This type of fairy ring, though, only appears when the course of history has been altered. Someone made a wrong decision, and the repercussions were so bad that it couldn't be absorbed. There was no way for things to get back on track.  It had been irrevocable altered.” "What did you use it for? Why didn't you go back to the night Dumbledore died?" Harry asked. That is what he felt he would have done if given the chance. "That might have made a difference, but I doubt it. Dumbledore was going to die anyway. That is what Snape told me once in confidence. No this was worse than that night, Potter." Harry walked over to where Draco stood and placed his hand next to his. The marble was cool and smooth. "What could have been worse?" Draco looked at him. Harry shivered. The last time those grey eyes had stared at him like this had been at Malfoy Manor when Draco said he wasn't sure it was him. Harry knew that Draco had been lying. But why? Then it struck him...the truth. "You confirmed it was me that day in the Manor, didn't you?" The nod was slow but deliberate. "Did I die?" Harry asked without hesitation. "Yeah, you did along with Weasley and Granger. It was over in a few moments and then everything became so much worse."

tagging: @ghostofnoir, @mosrael, @apricitydays-lazynights, and @pixieliciousnippletassles. And anyone else who wants to join in!

[multiplicity-positivity]

Is it okay that we've never known the real count of our head mates? We have very heavy barriers between us + aphantasia and as a result even though I'm always in front (idk why? I've just never ever been able to leave the front, I'm not always in control though, when I'm in front and not in control t feels like I'm watching the body from above) and sometimes I'm aware that someone is in front with us, I still am not aware of how many of us there are or what most of them do. There have been many times where I can look back and say ohh someone else was in front w/ me and that's why we behaved that way but I cant easily identify anyone at all especially when I don't even rlly know what makes me "me"? All of us refer to the body as "I" frequently but it's more like different versions of the same person with different likes/dislikes sometimes and things like that, and I have some of that stuff in my notebooks but I can just never actually talk to them much at all and have no idea how many of us exist

hey, this is totally fine and tbh we feel like this is a normal experience for many systems, especially those who are newly discovered or still trying to make sense of their plurality. it took us over 2 years to get more or less of an accurate headcount of how many alters we have, and that was with a ton of work internally and pretty intensive therapy every week. and tbh there are probably even more alters that us in the main fronting group don’t know about… it comes with the territory of having dissociation issues.

it’s okay to not know how many headmates are in your system. maybe that answer will come with time and effort, or maybe not, but we think what’s more important is showing respect, kindness, and acceptance to the headmates that you do meet.

if you’re not already, you may find it useful to start using the simplyplural app to keep track of the headmates you know about. you can leave notes in some conspicuous place to urge the other members of your system to use it too. that way, y���all can collaborate to start building a database of your headmates so you can at least start trying to get a better idea of how many members your system has. of course, you could alternatively start keeping track of this information in a notebook or document. hopefully, with time and patience, you’ll be able to get a better idea of the size and scope of your system.

we hope this helps… we know trying to learn how many members are in your system can be a daunting task, especially if you have strong dissociative barriers between headmates. but we’re wishing you the best of luck with figuring this out! rest assured, your experience is pretty common, especially for those of us who struggle with heavy dissociative barriers between members.