#I think ASPECTS of his character there are fun

[kaibutsushidousha]

what did you think about skadi's handling in arctic summer world? as an ibuki fan i'm puzzled as to why she agreed to skadi's request to stop, but any general insight into what aspects of her were explored here is appreciated.

Thanks to Odin's questionable kindness, Scáthach-Skadi is the last survivor of Ragnarök. That's a situation she's very displeased with and her every major appearance has been her trying to process her grief in some way.

The most relevant attempt is obviously her Lostbelt. She was initially grateful for the lengths Odin went to keep her alive and believed she also needed to go great lengths to preserve the world he left her with. Skadi ruled for 3000 as the most anti-violence Lostbelt King we've ever seen. She constantly had her eyes on her world, and micromanaged all the humans and Jotunns so that there would be no fighting in her world.

She was unquestionably devoted to her Lostbelt, but by no means she made a good job. Her messed up decisions came at great personal cost for the giants who couldn't think for themselves, the humans who only got to live until age 25 at most, and to Skadi herself who had to overexert herself to keep everything in check while also maintain Surtr's seal. Skadi was a joyless woman stuck in the joyless world of her own design. Absolutely no one benefitted from her dystopia.

But playable Skadi is obviously not like that. The world that was hers to care is already gone, and she finds herself free from her queenly chains of responsibility for what might as well be the first time ever. In Chaldea, she's characterized as very lost and clueless. Someone Medb and the other Scáthach need to introduce to so many things she could never see in her small, enclosured world. She has something of a background arc through many cameos with her experiencing many new things, from food (ice cream, takoyaki, alien monster sashimi) to roles for herself (fairy godmother for Lizderella and Martha, and of course, park administrator).

There's also her Interlude, but I'll get back to it later. The reason why I covered this whole recap of Skadi's character is because Skadi's part in Arctic Summer World also feels like a recap of her character. A return to her origins without the previous stakes. In this less messed up environment, Skadi remains as awful an administrator as she was always and remains self-destructively overworking herself for something the people she's serving didn't ask for.

The difference here is that Götterdämmerung is a story about Ophelia's inability to distinguish love from emotional abuse, so Skadi had to carry the important role of sincerely loving mother that made everything worse for everyone, while Summer Skadi is in a role where she can review her mistake and not create Super Fun & Colorful Götterdämmerung 2.

But the part about vaguely self-biographical manga being the medium that lets her examine her past and assess what she needs to do feels like a mark of progress for herself and more like a mark of progress for Jalter as a mentor sharing with others what brought her solace.

As for Ibuki, I think she just stopped because she knew she wouldn't get what she wanted from Skadi's current state. Ibuki wanted things to get joyous and lively, so she ordered Douman to give the Grail to someone full of love. Douman's choice was Skadi because his initial mission was interacting with the Lostbelt Kings, so he was very aware of her love. I don't think Douman was too surprised by the mistakes Skadi repeated here. If Skadi and Fujimaru say they're unwilling, then who is Ibuki throwing this party for?

I get that the end is sudden, but I feel like it works really well for Skadi's long-term characterization. The Scandinavian Lostbelt was a shit place to because Skadi had no respect for anyone's autonomy. After going to Chaldea, disrespecting other people's autonomies remained a recurring problem with Skadi, with Summer Caenis, Lizderella, and Santa Martha all being unconsented transformations.

But then came her Interlude, with the conclusion being that even though she eventually found new happiness in Chaldea because of Odin making her survive and endure 3000 years of trauma, this is not something she wanted, so Odin violated her autonomy and she doesn't need to feel grateful for it. Skadi's consent issues disappear entirely after this Interlude, but since Arctic Summer World was so shortly after it, I like to believe that Skadi saying no and Ibuki immediately respecting also played a part in fixing her flaw.

[artemisprince006]

Just going to preface this by saying this is me going on a rant. I just saw something that bothered me and I need to get my thoughts out on the matter.

I recently saw a post criticizing fanfic writers for writing Christmas fics about ancient Chinese characters. Basically saying that instead of learning about the culture and writing something true to the characters culture we are spreading our Christian infested thoughts (my words not theirs, but the crux of the post).

First off, it is not a novel concept that fic writers like to combine two things they enjoy. So if someone wants to combine these two topics, what is the big deal? No it’s not a Chinese holiday, but I think we all need to remember that fic writers are doing this in their spare time - we don’t have hours to research all the nuances of certain cultures or maybe some just aren’t comfortable writing about another culture that isn’t their own.

Furthermore, if you are upset about Christmas fics with ancient Chinese characters, what about Halloween fics? What about Hanukkah fics? Shouldn’t these also be deemed unacceptable? Or if it’s the Christianity aspect that’s the problem, what about Lord of the Rings AUs (Tolkien incorporated his faith into his novels)? Or Twilight AUs (with morman views)? Are all of these also unacceptable?? It just boggles my mind why people can’t let others enjoy themselves. This is a hobby. We do it for fun. If writing a Christmas fic makes someone happy, let them do it! Don’t read it if you don’t like it. Why is it so wrong for someone to combine two things they love?

Also, just because people celebrate Christmas does not mean they are Christians. I am an atheist and because of religious trauma in my past I despise Christianity (I am aware not all of it is bad and it is something I need to work on but it has left a permanent sourness inside me). To me, Christmas isn’t about religion. It’s about being with family and friends and simply enjoying time with each other and the traditions we share. If I want to spread that Christmas cheer by writing a fic with my two gay idiots, so what? If you want a more accurate interpretation of Chinese themes, then write that fic!! I’d love to read it and learn more about Chinese traditions.

With that being said, in no way am I trying to demean other holidays or cultures that don’t celebrate Christmas. As a writer, one of the biggest tips is to write what you know. I know Christmas and maybe I wanted to share those cozy Christmas vibes with others. If it’s not for you, don’t read it. Block me. Do what you got to do, but don’t rain on someone’s parade for simply writing about two things they enjoy. Again, I have nothing against other cultures or holidays. In fact, if you celebrate a different holiday, tell me about it in the comments! I’d love to hear about it.

Regardless of what you celebrate, I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!

And fic writers! Keep writing~

[acupofinkedblood]

And as another question, I see in your white tea posts that some characters fall under the category of sex while others you consider to be more lovemaking.

Do you have like... A tier list or vibes list on who's who? Or is that too close to a request to answer?

- Ever curious, Coil anon 🔷🔶

Oh, I actually do! So based on the added thing you said in the other ask, I guess the typical list will be ‘Love making, middle ground is sex, and then there's fucking’ like you said. Honestly I might just see this as a side quest. Here’s the list:

[Love making] +) Medkit: He had dealt with enough trauma in his life and I’m pretty sure it’s still haunting him to the present day, so love making is definitely his preferred option over sex +) Katana: The similar reason with Medkit aside from the fact that he also doesn’t want to hurt you because he even doubts himself with his strength compared to you. And he is a traditional man, so he views those sexual encounters as something special +) Vinestaff: I can’t imagine her in the other two categories, like, at all. So my explanation for this is simple - Basically her vibe tells me that

[Sex] +) Hyperlaser: Sex isn’t that much of a too big deal to him, he knows what is he doing as well as understand if you want things this way or that way +) Sword: Doesn’t have that much of experiences, but also not going to be just vanilla. That’s all I can tell you guys because it’s hard to put it in just a few words +) Shuriken: I think that he’s somewhere in the middle because I can’t think of him on top tier or low tier, he’s in the middle okay? +) Boombox: A chill guy, he’s fine with anything really. Though he does enjoy spice things up a bit here and there occasionally. Basically he knows how to have fun, get it? His vibe tells me that +) Banhammer: Hot take, the reason why he is in this category is mainly because he is aware of his strength and definitely knows that you won’t be able to be well if he is being too rough. Other than that, this asshole still knows when is enough for you

[Fucking] +) Subspace: I stand by my words - This fucker is downright horny and just want to satisfy his own lust +) Coil: He needs stress relief, and he doesn’t strike me as the type of guy who views sex as anything too serious like the top tier +) Scythe: I feel like this is self-explanatory. I mean, she gives off that vibe to be completely frank with you guys +) Rocket: This beloved prick is somewhat similar to Coil in this aspect, maybe it’s his vibe that makes me feel like that though

I hope that this will satisfy your curiosity (っ'ヮ'c)

Note: Holy shit the tag is long-

[bluedalahorse]

An Ode to August’s Black Turtleneck

A post written for YRFavesFest2024, graciously hosted by @youngroyals-events. This is in response to prompt #32.

credit to @all-things-sigust for the screencap

August’s black turtleneck is pitch-perfect characterization via costuming.

Why?

Let’s start with color, because it’s an obvious place to start. August isn’t a straightforward villain, but he plays a villainous role in season one. Villains traditionally wear a lot of black in western media, so it fits in with that aspect of his characterization. This is the part of my post that almost felt silly to write, because it’s so obvious, but it must be stated all the same.

Then there’s the high collar. It’s a guarded look, which goes well with August having so many walls up in the first season. It continues with the villain-coding theme by reminding us of vampire capes and other such sinister accessories. For those of you who are also Interview with the Vampire fans, you’ll probably be reminded of Armand’s turtleneck in season 2 episode 5, which he wears in a scene where he’s finally put on the defensive. Young Royals often communicates August’s vulnerability by showing him naked or half-naked, and what is August’s turtleneck if not the opposite of his nakedness?

credit to @andthatisnotfake for the screencap

The last thing I want to note about August’s turtleneck is the striking contrast with his “white party” outfit in season three. August has dramatic character growth over the course of the series (yes, he does) and the costuming team chooses to reflect this in his changing outfits. The first season gives us August in a lot of darker colors as he plays the antagonist. In season 3, as we learn about August’s past as a victim of the initiations and as someone who wants to change, he wears lighter colors. The guardedness also falls away and we see more open collars. (Not to mention the scene during the sit-in, where August wears a goldish turtleneck and an open white jacket and starts to open up—not all the way—about his eating disorder. Conflicted August, perhaps?) What can I say? We love when costuming reflects a character arc!

You should own a black turtleneck too, by the way.

Unless you don’t want to, or you don’t like the way turtlenecks feel. I mean. Whatever. I’m not the boss of you.

(This is the Fashion Notes With Blue section of the post.)

Fun fact: I owned a black turtleneck sweater even before I started watching Young Royals, and I love it. It’s a classic piece I can pair with lots of other wardrobe items, so it feels like a good investment. It also keeps me warm on my winter commutes.

Generally I tend to style my own turtleneck as part of a mod ensemble or dark academia look. Sometimes I pair it with a coral jumper/pinafore dress, leggings, and boots. Other times I’ll try it with a plaid or tweet skirt, and sometimes a blazer or beret. I have a copper-ish raven skeleton necklace that stands out well against it. All of these looks help me to project a certain level of don’t fuck with me, so I wear them on days when I want that for myself.

I always recommend acquiring a clothing item that reminds you of a blorbo, especially when it’s a solid, comfortable, and versatile wardrobe staple. That’s what my black turtleneck sweater is for me. 

What are some of your favorite fandom-inspired wardrobe pieces?

This American Girl doll also wanted to model a black turtleneck for this post. If you think she looks like August’s daughter in an AU fic, no she doesn’t.

[lullabyes22-blog]

First of all, I just wanted to say how much I love your Arcane fics. I’ve been following FnF since I stumbled across it at 10 chapters long, and it’s been a wild ride since! Like a lot of people I’ve been all over the place with my feelings regarding season 2, but as far as I’m concerned FnF is my season 2 (and 3, 4, etc.) lol. You’re a gift to this fandom. Thank you for sharing your brilliant mind and imagination with us readers ❤️

You’ve answered some what-if asks and shared other Arcane thoughts on this blog before, so I have two questions for your consideration, but no pressure to answer either of them!

1. As a fellow writer, I’m in awe of the scale of FnF and the amount of planning/outlining that must be involved—HOLY SHIT! Are there any elements of s2 that have inspired you as you continue to write FnF? Have you considered adapting any s2 elements into later chapters (beyond what you’ve already predicted), or have you held fast to a specific Vision throughout the duration of this writing project?

2. Not sure if you’ve been asked this in the past, but what the hell would a living Silco’s reaction be to Vander’s hellish resuscitation as Warwick, assuming he isn’t immediately mauled in a confrontation?? Is Singed (assuming he’s the culprit) definitely fired??? This feels like such a MESSY terrible horrible no-good very bad situation for everyone involved lmao, and I would love to know your thoughts.

Aaaaah thank you so much! I'm super happy you're enjoying the story! I've been having a lot of fun with it, and I'm glad so many other folks are having fun with it as well <333

Also deeply honored you'd consider FnF in any way adjacent to canon material; that means so much T_T Especially since my own feelings on s2 are pretty mixed, and I'm not really sure what I would even do with those ideas, except maybe throw them out as a one-shot sometime down the road.

1. In terms of the s2 inspiration, I will say I was not the biggest fan of the plot's coherence/cohesion as a whole (too much stuff going on in too little time, too many threads left dangling etc). However, I was very gratified by the thematic journeys of the characters in S2, as in FnF they're actually following a similar trajectory (except for Silco who is, well, dead), and a lot of the same conflicts and themes are coming up. There was a happy sense of vindication that came from that, like, "Oh, so this was actually important, and not just me making a fanficcy mountain out of a molehill."

I will say though, that FnF has its own pretty airtight-ish plot, with many aspects already sketched out in advance, so I'm not going to go re-plotting things to match s2's direction unless and until it becomes necessary. In some ways, tbh, there's a sense of gleeful overlap, as a lot of the plot beats do mirror one another. (The Black Rose make an appearance by Act VII, there's a greater emphasis on magic and high fantasy going forward, Jinx is in the grip of an identity/existential crisis and Vi is stuck at a crossroads, Jayce has become disillusioned and split with Mel, Viktor has retreated underground and will be withdrawing deeper into his work, Ekko will be the one to snap Jinx out of a critical juncture and save Zaun in the long term, Sevika will take a greater leadership role etc...) All of the parallels if not the outright similarities were pretty satisfying.

As for how that's manifesting, a lot of the major developments and character arcs going forward are largely set in stone, but I do have a few key S2 events/details I've been mulling over in the background that I can see myself weaving into the plot at some point. But the rest is probably best kept as a surprise :>

2. As for the hellish resuscitation, well, I'd be lying if I said I haven't been thinking about that one a lot hehehe...

But long story short:

Singed is 100% fired because there is NO WAY Silco would sanction such a thing - and if it occured in the FnF universe, then Singed was absolutely doing it behind Silco's back and will now face the full consequences.

 As for Warwick himself - he'd 100% retreat to Silco and Vander's little Brokeback bunk in the mines. And Silco would 100% don his old mining duds and dustry greatcoat and go looking for him, because he needs to be SURE it's not just a rumor, and also because he does, subconsciously, desperately want it to be his Vander. And Vander, who has a good measure of the old Vander's memories, and is 100% aware it's not a rumor, because hello: deranged wolfman, will 100% run towards Silco with every intention of tearing him to pieces.

And that is where the similarities end.

Because Vander is too deeply trapped within Warwick's killer shell, and is therefore incapable of having an emotional reunion with anyone, and because Silco is not an idiot and would never go into a skirmish without a loaded gun and an escape route, the end result would be bloody, messy and tragic.

Worst case scenario: both men would kill each other, and in their final death throes, find boyhood memories resurfacing. They'd die in tears, messily and bloodily entwined, but finally at peace with their own demons - which is how Jinx and Vi, teaming up similar to S2, would find them.

Best case scenario: Silco would find Warwick and be forced to try and capture and contain him. He'd enlist Sevika's help and succeed, but when Jinx finds out, she'd be appalled and retraumatized, and convinced Silco is trying to erase her dead dad and supplant him in every sense. She'd go off the rails and have a complete breakdown, and Vi would be the one she'd run to, because Vi is the only person who understands and cares. The sisters would end up teaming against Silco to try and bust WarVander out, and this would cause an irreparable rift between Silco and Jinx.

Cue mass destruction and an epic family feud.

Sevika, who'd be the only person left in Silco's circle of trust, would have to make the call to have Warwick quietly killed in order to save the city from a war, and then lie to Silco, telling him Vander succumbed to his own madness and perished. This would cause Silco's mental state to completely disintegrate. He'd lose what little sanity he had left, and would descend into a pit of guilt and grief.

 Either way, it's a pretty awful tragedy on both sides, and it would take the entire remaining plot of FnF to resolve the fallout, and for Jinx and Vi to find any kind of peace.

So you can see why I've been mulling a lot, but also left it alone haha.

But who knows?

Maybe the story will change my mind, or I'll be struck by some miraculous idea and figure a way out, though I'm doubtful.

Thanks again for the lovely words and thoughtful questions! They really mean a lot <3

[notwarriorswiki]

Do you have any headcanons about Redtail exclusively?

You can find some more headcanons about Redtail here. But stuff just about him and no repeats...

Redtail had a fear of death. While he was a brave warrior, he always felt chills before battle that he masked. He'd knead his tail in private to settle his fears. Though he knew dying was a great honor for a Warrior, it never quite sat right in the same way for Redtail.

During A Light in the Mist when Redtail seems relieved to "be home" as he gazes across the meadow, alongside Onestar. While Onestar lived and died in the Lake Territories, Redtail thinks of his time running alongside his mate, Runningwind. The quick-foot tom had always preferred the open space to flex his skills, and the memory soothes Redtail.

Redpaw, albeit perhaps a bit naive, had hoped to mentor Stonekit. He greatly admired Bluefur, and it showed through his loyalty to her, as well as in how he was chosen as her deputy. When Bluefur's kits disappeared, he was one of the first to volunteer to look for them. He had to stay in the medicine den and be tended to by Spottedpaw when he risked freezing his paws off with his relentless work.

Redtail's personality was that of someone sharp and clever, perhaps even a bit cunning. While he never challenged Bluestar, he had his way of doing things and was willing to bend the rules if he saw it as for the greater good. He always put ThunderClan first, and by that many would say he was a fierce individualist. He never sought conflict unnecessarily, however he also did not turn away from it. His judgement balanced maintaining ThunderClan's reputation and respect, with genuine kindness for the forest territories and the code as a whole.

He's smaller in size, and always preferred hunting to fighting. His nimble frame made scaling trees easy, and he brushed up on his speed with help from his mate Runningwind. It was a stark contrast to Tigerclaw's preference for fighting and his large and heavy stature.

He mentored Dappletail's kit, Cricketstorm, who sadly died young due to the famine. This was what allowed him to be eligible to be deputy.

When he received Dustpaw as an apprentice, Redtail saw a lot of Tigerpaw in him - noticing how they both strove to prove themselves out of a consciousness for their background. He took extra care to instill honor and kindness in the tom before he died, which still prevailed in Dustpaw despite Darkstripe's influence later. Redtail was the closest to a father figure Dustpaw had.

His sister Spottedleaf had to practically force him into her den, as he always refused treatment, at least waiting until everyone else had it. His dark fur with red patches made it easy to mask blood and wounds, much to Spottedleaf's annoyance.

He was terrible about taking his traveling and battle herbs. He couldn't keep a good poker face, always curling his lip with disgust at the bitterness. Whitestorm always teased him for this.

[moonljte]

I HAVE AN ADDITION TO THIS!

Another duo of characters that I believe are the both sides of the same coin (in some way) is Aurelion Sol and Zoe.

Having Aurelion despising literally everyone, to have someone he tolerates is something.

Zoe is the kinda gal who is all about the fun and carelessness, but I truly believe that she isn't at all that naiive. She is mostly likely one of the most powerful beings in Runeterra. She can do whatever she wants, no limitations. As its shown on short stories, she tends to play with the human kids, but she ends up being cast out of the play or she ends up being bored. She knows she hasn't been a human for a long time. Zoe isn't stupid. She knows she is powerful, and little are the people who can match her. Now, if she does this on purpose or is simply an instinct I do not know, since every now and then, Zoe seeks Aurelion to talk and catch up on all the adventures she's been up to on Runeterra.

Aurelion's power clearly is no match for hers. Aurelion is also one of the strongest beings to exist. Even between his own species, he was clearly stronger, having slaughtered his brothers. Now, being a prisoner to the Targonians, he can not distract himself by forging his beloved stars anymore, Aurelion is truly alone. Doomed to serve the aspects will, he has grown lonely and bored since he doesn't have his constellations anymore.

The point is that they are both celestial beings that have been around for quite SOME time, and there is nobody else like them. Most of the aspects like Leona, Diana, Taric are recent hosts. No one understands the immensity of the power they owe. I believe Zoe seeks to him because he is the only one who might have the chance of understanding. She finds solace in that, even if that isn't she speaks of to him. It's shown that the girl visits him because she thinks he spends way too much time alone, and Zoe simply finds it sad. I believe she sees a bit of herself in him.

And for the dragon, he doesn't really have much choice, but through all his complaints about the annoying girl, he clearly appreciates it. He might not love it, but then it's better to have someone to hate than no one to really care about. She is said to take mooncakes to him and yap nonstop, this action is actually so cute. Zoe is the only one that doesn't go for him because she needs something done, it is simply for his company.

When he gets free, people theorize that he will end up sparing her life.

On the interaction:

" SPACE DRAGON! MAKE SOMETHING SHINY FOR ME!! "

" What about your favourite toy burning for the eternity? "

Clearly, the toy being Runeterra.

so idk I LOVE their dynamic, and I truly believe Aurelion is fond of their "friendship"

thinking about how swain and draven share qualities that explain why (at least to me) swain favours draven of all people to the extent that he does. like sure he's darius's brother and i guess he's also the face of noxian entertainment but what is stopping swain from crushing the life out of Some Guy who is annoying as all fuck most of the time and also doesn't even use magic (i.e. isn't really a threat compared to other players in the noxian faction). i think it's because swain understands that in some ways, they are both frauds, and rewarding draven is in some ways accepting his own position for what it is. here's this formerly disgraced (egomaniacal) public executioner playing showrunner and while he does have the skills to back up his claims, a lot of what makes draven feel like "draven" is not necessarily the actual display of skill, but the display of the grandeur around the act, the larger than life, loudmouthed personality that sets him apart from any other noxian hired as a contract killer, the constructed front of a self-made celebrity that is meant to entice and appeal to an audience vicariously seeking the thrill of spectacle. and on the other side of the same coin, here's this formerly disgraced (psychotic) nobleman playing grand general and while he does have the skills to back up his claims, a lot of what makes swain feel like "swain" is not necessarily the actual display of skill, but the display of the power around the act, the cunning and mysterious personality that is meant to instill an unshakeable fear in those around him and set him apart from his predecessors, the constructed front of a leader that is meant to entice and appeal to a citizenry seeking the crumbs of slightly better treatment. they are both performers who understand their roles well and rely heavily on their personas to obtain what they want, which is perhaps more fitting in the political landscape of noxus (e.g. ambessa's "be the fox and the wolf" lecture in arcane, leblanc as a literal manifestation of the illusions and deception at play behind the scenes) than the "traditional" concepts of self-identification with empire (e.g. loyalty, strength, etc.) as embodied by darius. and it would just be interesting to have swain, in an uncomfortable moment of self-awareness, realize that he and draven are not too different in their methods of self-preservation, and that if he is to crush draven in a fit of rage then is he really any better than a fraud who fears his own lies. idk to me they are just two guys who shared a period of existential crisis in their lives and are now besties.

[st4rstudent]

bugthinker but I just did whatever to him

bonus slop

[froggymug]

I'm a Turbo lover, yes...

But Ralph is my babygirl... Poor guy deserved so much better pre-movie. He's such a genuine sweetheart who's down-to-earth, compassionate and a gentle giant despite his circumstances. I just... gahhhh, I wanna give him a kiss on the cheek and a freshly made pie.

Thinking about what those 30 years must've been like for him hurts my heart. Do you think he tried to connect with the Nicelanders and Felix but had his attempts ignored? Or did something go wrong and they never gave him another chance? ;-;

And the desperation in his voice when he crash-landed in Sugar Rush and saw his medal stuck in the tree? The way he spoke to Tapper and said so wholeheartedly that he can't spend another 30 years alone? Breaks my heart, man...

Gah, and considering how Tamora's backstory affects her... Idk, the fact that it's programmed that Ralph used to have a comfortable home and had that taken away from him? Does he think back to those coded memories when he didn't sleep in the dump? Even though he knows those memories aren't "real" in a sense, does that really matter in the grand sense of things? MAN.

Also, his dynamic with Vanellope makes me wanna cry, it's so wholesome and makes me think of my relationship with one of my best internet friends, who I see as a father figure. He cares about her so much and though he fell for what King Candy/Turbo tried selling him, it was purely out of concern for Vanellope.

I could honesly go on and on and on, haha-

So yes, I'm a Turbo lover.

But I'm a Ralph lover, sympathiser and appreciator.

I want him so bad I mean what, who said that.

[serpentface]

Do you conlang? I was wondering if you had naming languages (or possibly even more developed ones) for pulling the words you use. I tried to search your blog but didn't find anything, wouldn't be surprised if the feature is just busted tho. Your worldbuilding is wonderful and I particularly enjoy the anthropological and linguistic elements.

Ok the thing is I had kind of decided I was not going to do any conlanging because I don't feel like I'm equipped to do a good job of it, like was fully like "I'm just going to do JUST enough that it doesn't fail an immediate sniff test and is more thoughtful than just keysmashing and putting in vowels". And then have kinda been conlanging anyway (though not to a very deep and serious extent. I maybe have like....an above average comprehension of how language construction works via willingness to research, but that's not saying much, also I can never remember the meanings of most linguistic terms like 'frictives' or etc off the top of my head. I'm just kinda raw dogging it with a vague conceptualization of what these things mean)

I do at least have a naming language for Wardi (and more basic rules for other established languages) but the rudimentary forms of it were devised with methods much shakier and less linguistically viable than even the most basic naming language schemes, and I only went back over it LONG after I had already made a bunch of words so there's some inconsistencies with consonant presence and usage. (This can at least be justified because it IS a language that would have a lot of loanwords and would be heavily influenced by other language groups- Burri being by far the most significant, Highland-Finnic and Yuroma-Lowlands also being large contributors)

The 'method' I used was:

-Skip basic construction elements and fully move into devising necessary name words, with at least a Vibe of what consonants are going to be common and how pronunciation works -Identify some roots out of the established words and their meanings. Establish an ongoing glossary of known roots/words. -Construct new words based in root words, or as obvious extensions/variants of established words. -Get really involved in how the literal meanings of some words might not translate properly to english, mostly use this to produce a glossary of in-universe slang. -Realize that I probably should have at least some very basic internal consistency at this point. -Google search tutorials on writing a naming language. -Reverse engineer a naming language out of established words, and ascribe all remaining inconsistencies to being loanwords or just the mysteries of life or whatever.

I do at least have some strongly established pronunciation rules and a sense of broad regional dialect/accents.

-'ai' words are almost always pronounced with a long 'aye' sound.

-There is no 'Z' or 'X' sound, a Wardi speaker pronouncing 'zebra' would go for 'tsee-brah', and would attempt 'xylophone' as 'ssye-lohp-hon'

-'V' sounds are nearly absent and occur only in loanwords, and tend to be pronounced with a 'W' sound. 'Virsum' is a Highland word (pronounced 'veer-soom') denoting ancestry, a Wardi speaker would go 'weer-sum'.

-'Ch' spellings almost always imply a soft 'chuh' sound when appearing after an E, I, or O (pelatoche= pel-ah-toh-chey), but a hard 'kh' sound after an A or U (odomache= oh-doh-mah-khe). When at the start of a word, it's usually a soft 'ch' unless followed by an 'i' sound (chin (dog) is pronounced with a hard K 'khiin', cholem (salt) is pronounced with a soft Ch 'cho-lehm')

-Western Wardin has strong Burri cultural and linguistic influence, and a distinct accent- one of the most pronounced differences is use of the ñ sound in 'nn' words. The western city of Ephennos is pronounced 'ey-fey-nyos' by most residents, the southeastern city of Erubinnos is pronounced 'eh-roo-been-nos' by most residents. Palo's surname 'Apolynnon' is pronounced 'A-puh-lee-nyon' in the Burri and western Wardi dialects (which is the 'proper' pronunciation, given that it's a Kos name), but will generally be spoken as 'Ah-poh-leen-non' in the south and east.

-R's are rolled in Highland-Finnic words. Rolling R's is common in far northern rural Wardi dialects but no others. Most urban Wardi speakers consider rolling R's sort of a hick thing, and often think it sounds stupid or at least uneducated. (Brakul's name should be pronounced with a brief rolled 'r', short 'ah' and long 'uul', but is generally being pronounced by his south-southeastern compatriots with a long unrolled 'Brah' sound).

Anyway not really a sturdy construction that will hold up to the scrutiny of someone well equipped for linguistics but not pure bullshit either.

[but-make-it-poly]

You do have a point, but I have seen some instances (fanfiction) where it’s done right. Where most of that is true and they still show her vulnerabilities without it being toxic, or putting other characters down. It’s really just about how much nuance is in the writing. How many layers.

And you’re right, not everyone would have Oracle feeding them info, but I think the BatFam would, depending on how close they are. I also just love crack fics where the Justice League thinks that Oracle is a computer program that Batman has made for the Watchtower in meet the Bat Family fanfics.

But you’re right. There’s no way that she does everything for everyone. Unless someone contacts her and says, “Pleeeeeeese help meeee” for whatever reason, she would stick to her territory.

Now the idea of her being an untouchable goddess just seems like a fun play at her name. You can have character dynamics with old jokes that say things like, “You dare disrespect the All-Seeing-Oracle?! Our Goddess?! You, young one, are doomed!” and it’s just a freakishly large blackmail folder.

And I do like the idea that she’s very smart. A better hacker than most. Being trained by the Batman only to exceed his teachings. Not that she’s omnipotent, but that she could get into practically everything, except for things like Lex Luthor’s hideouts for example.

But all that aside, that comes with good writing. When she becomes a one-dimensional, untouchable god character only there because of some shoddy representation of people in wheelchairs who can be anything they want to be, it’s an issue. When you have a story centered on her and don’t show her having imperfections, insecurities, or problems with certain aspects of life, she’s no longer a character. I do like Babs and I do think she can be used correctly. But when she’s just a means to an end, she’s no longer a respected part of the cast. And that’s not ok. You can show a strong character without putting the other characters down, and she can be strong in spite of her struggles.

TLDR: Babs can be written good cause she’s cool, but making her one-dimensional and/or hateable isn’t right and just kinda annoying.

My Opinion about Barbara Gordon as Oracle.

Oracle is a great character. Don't get me wrong.

My issue has nothing to do with her disability but more on how her writers and fans brag about her job and position in the DCU in an arrogant way.

I've met a lot of toxic barbara gordon fans who think she's an untouchable goddess who everyone has to worship and who thinks she runs the entire universe.

Again Oracle is a great character but I don't like it when her writers and fans ignore, sideline, and dumb down other dc characters to prop her up.

I think she's a bit overhyped and her role is over-exagerrated.

let me explain.

Her fans think she's the brain of the DCU.

I disagree with this.

Barbara is smart but I refuse to believe she's DC's no. 1 most smartest character when the Brainiac Family, Lex Luthor, Detective Chimp and Mr Terrific are right there.

Her fans think she's the one and only tech support and central hub of information for the entire dc superhero community.

Who gave Barbara this title?

In what world where 10 billion+ people exist, is it possible to only have 1 person capable of using technology and providing information to people.

I don't think Barbara is that special.

There are plenty of DC Characters who know how to use a computer.

Who know how to research.

Who know how to hack.

Who know how to communicate with other heroes.

Who know how to use technologies

The Brainiac Family, Lex Luthor, Cyborg, Mr. Terrific, Danny Chase, Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake, Luke Fox, Blue Bettle, Green Arrow, Atom etc.

and Governments exist in dc too!!! There's literally Amanda Waller!

Batman has the Bat-computer in his Batcave

The Titans have a huge computer at Titans Tower.

The Justice League has the watchtower which has even installed highly advanced off world technologies.

You expect me to believe these characters don't use their own computers and resources and just wait on Barbara to hand feed them information???

Why are her writers and fans ignoring all these other intelligent tech users and information brokers in DC?

Why are they making Barbara the center of their universe.

Reastically, A lot of characters don't really need Barbara to do things for them.

They can do what she does.

A lot of DC teams have fully functioned and stood on their own without her help.

Her fans always say she's a huge part of the Justice League and Suicide Squad.

Yes she is a member but she's not an integral part of those teams and I'm sorry but she's not easily remembered as a member of those teams. She's forgettable.

Nobody knows who Oracle is outside of comics.

Oracle doesn't even exists in multiple Justice League and Suicide Squad cartoon shows and movies.

Again Barbara is a great character but her role and importance is over-exagerrated.

And I don't know if this is the right word but she looks like a cloutchaser to me since she's often shoehorned into other character's histories and into other teams she has nothing to do with to maintain her relevance. Worse she dumbs down characters along the way to justify her presence.

just like What Tom Taylor did in the Titans book when he shoehorned her into their team despite the fact that she's not a Titan and she's not needed. They literally already have Cyborg for tech support 🙁 what's worse is that Cyborg got sidelined to make her look more useful to the team.

Again I don't hate Barbara.

I just don't like the constant bias towards her.

I do think Barbara is Gotham's information hub, but I don't think she's the queen of the entire dc universe.

Overall i think she's better on her own with her own original supporting cast because Every other hero she touches gets dumbed down to prop her up including Dick.

Dick is an intelligent detective and he's also a good hacker. He's even hacked an alien computer before but the second he gets paired with Barbara, he stays away from technologies and gets dumber so he can be the himbo muscle and she can be the Brains behind their operation 🙁

[mongeese]

Kim Kitsuragi my fucking belovedddd

[Image ID: A screenshot of text from the game Disco Elysium. It reads:

YOU - "You needn't have worried."

KIM KITSURAGI - "But I did. Anyway..." He looks around, a little uncomfortable now.

ESPIRIT DE CORPS [Easy: Success] - Dammit, you're a grown man, the lieutenant thinks. Shouldn't have gotten *protective* here.

End ID]

[angelsdean]

i'll be honest, i truly do not understand when people get all up in arms whenever anyone involved with spn describes cas's love for dean as beyond the human understanding of love, as if there haven't been posts made on here for years by fans literally describing cas's love for dean / destiel's love as akin to worship, a powerful force greater than god, cosmic, all encompassing, profound, etc etc. i thought the outrage was silly when jensen expressed the idea of cas's love being more than romantic back in denver con 2021 and i think it's silly now with these bedlund tweets. not to mention being more than and beyond something imo means it encompasses the romantic AND more. it's romantic, it's platonic, it's cosmic, it's worship, it's everything. and i think that's beautiful. and yes, it's exactly what their love is. a huge profound force that changed the narrative, that wasn't meant to be there, that kept breaking through anyway.

and i understand what people are saying about this language being used for a queer ship etc etc, but like, there's nothing inherently wrong or negating their love in saying that it's a greater love. if anything i think it's saying, hey, see these two? yea their love is bigger than what we can even comprehend. idk i'm just going to continue to take these statements in good faith. and also, until the reboot happens, they can't really say more about destiel beyond the bounds of the confession. jensen, bedlund, misha, etc can't speak to dean's feelings, for instance, or confirm anything one way or another, because if those feelings are a major plot point to be explored and acknowledged in the continuation then to speak about them now with any kind of definitive statement would be spoiling / jumping the gun, and it's not their place to make those statements yet, if we are indeed going to see more of dean and cas's story in the future (which i mean, at this point based on their statements about the reboot it's really a When not If situation).

[qcomicsy]

Lately I've only been wishing to grab a comic about my favorite character and just have a genuinely good time reading it.

[themareverine]

this proves to me that logan is two things, among many.

first, that he is human. people want to quickly shove Logan into a bestial/non-human/creature category because of experimentation and his instinctual mutation. somehow they demonize him into being "less human," and it's frankly an insult. i'm reading novelization right now that goes through the absolutely visceral experimentation that Logan survives and it is hellish, nightmarish how they dismantle his emotions, rip apart his humanity. And yet, he prevails. Logan is as fully man as the next, fully human. we need to stop reducing him. he feels, he has emotions and consciousness, he endures trauma and psychological events like any other human being. and because he lives longer than most, he has to live with these things. he has to survive what happens to him, what goes on around him, and somehow come to terms with this. which is way TAS probably hinted at his backslide out of faith and religion, because Logan can't truly handle, in a good way, what happens to him and in the world around him, being unkillable. he hasn't resolved.

second, that he so desperately wants family. again in this fandom, with this character, people like to keep Logan on his own little island. but Logan, I think deep down, so desires to be loved and have people to love. He craves it. It screams out of him, in many of his interactions. But again, because of all the unresolved aforementioned life that's happened, he keeps people at bay. Logan genuinely is a broken man in more capacities than one; mentally, emotionally, psychologically, relationally, spiritually. never bodily, we know, but in every other aspect, Logan isn't whole. he has a gaping hole inside of his heart that he tries to fill, as we know, with substances, loose sex, violences and standoffish meanness that comes across as cruel and ghoulish when in reality, Logan is a hurt man. probably emotionally and mentally stunted, to some degree, as a child when these events started happening to him.

and as we see, Logan collects people to mentor. he takes them under whatever shadow he has to offer to teach them about who they are, how to come to terms and not be like him. in a sense, he relishes in their innocence, helps them come to terms, perhaps, because he cannot himself. lives vicariously, as it were. and i think this dual mindset of i love being here, but i hate that it hurts them comes ultimately from his crushed self-esteem, his rejection, his brokenness.

you can say he's self aware but this isn't Logan's self. he's aware of his abilities, what he is capable of and his past. Logan isn't so self aware, I think, about what he needs. what he desires, what's broken and hurting. or maybe he is and he crushes this in an adamantium fist, chooses not of face the inner demons.

i really love him as a character. i haven't had so much fun studying and character analyszing since i was a child studying Batman and Optimus Prime. Wolverine in a way culminates the two, weirdly, and he's my dream character. my dream hero, my prince not-so-charming-but-getting-there.

this little panel is beautiful and it breaks my heart, yes. but i love it because it shows the duality of man, the duality of character. Marvel really has outdone themselves with this character, and while there are some choices i'll never agree with, Wolverine is a gorgeous creation of fiction, theme, and story.

wow this was real long, sorry, lol.

Anyone else remember when Wolverine #48 dropped and people were spreading this around like "Aww so cute 🥺" even though this is actually like. Harrowing. An active awareness that you love your kids AND ALSO make their lives worse with your presence and these two things do NOT negate each other. Isn't that so much more gut-punching and interesting than a family roadtrip.

[novella-november]

Is this fanfic friendly? I feel like an outlier.

I guess this is my sign it's time to throw together a FAQ post to link to lol.

Yes, every event for this blog is fanfic friendly :D

Though as I mentioned on my Ominous October post, for events that include multiple short stories, I encourage everyone to flex their creativity and take one of their planned short story fanfics, and at least *attempt* to turn one of them into something entirely original; rebuilding a character and story from the ground up to stand on its own two legs is no easy feat, and that is what makes it so fun!

It really gets your creative gears turning, to make an "au of an existing material" to be something entirely original, and you can be pleasantly surprised about the things you come up with!

As a few people say, its not just a matter of "filing the serial numbers off" -- you have to add in just as much *or more* as what you take out when you are turning a fanfiction into something that is original and completely divorced from its original source material / inspiration, and that is a hard, but very rewarding challenge!

Obviously, this is not a requirement (there's no hard requirements for any of the challenges, other than no cheating, including no using AI),

but if you would like an extra challenge for the short story events and you're planning on doing entirely fan-fiction, I highly recommend trying it out at least once, and seeing where it leads you--

you may find yourself pleasantly surprised by what you find down that rabbit hole!