#Jade of Indigo Cloud

[rjalker]

The

~we originally let you into our group with the explicit purpose of exploiting you in some way, and only got you in here in the first place by lying to your face, but now we've gotten to know you, so we don't want to exploit you anymore, and we want you to stay because we actually care about you as a person~

trope does, in fact, require that the group prove, in a real meaningful way, with permanent negative consequences of some kind for that group, that they're not trying to exploit the outsider anymore.

You cannot just tell us that they never intended to exploit the person at all when...we literally all know that's not true?? Everyone in the audience knows that’s not true. And all of your characters are also painfully aware of it. That is not how this works.

Don't insult your audience by trying to convince them that the group was never trying to be exploitative when that's literally the entire basis for the relationship between the group and the outsider existing in the first place.

Attempting this doesn’t make the group look better, it makes them look worse. Because instead of coming clean about everything...you’re having them double down on the lying that established the exploitative relationship in the first place.

You cannot make this trope work if you’re just going to lie to your audience, both within and without the narrative, about the relationship between the group and the outsider.

You have to actually have the group prove that they care about the outsider as a person now, and not something that’s there just to be exploited like they did before.

To prove this, the group must *willingly* and *knowingly* give up whatever it was that they hoped to gain from the outsider.

It must be a move that unquestionably has negative impact on the group in some way. This is how they prove that they actually want to accept the outsider for who they are, and not just what they gain from their presence.

They must give up something they can’t get back in order to prove to everyone involved, including the literal audience, that they’ve actually changed for the better and are actually doing the right thing now, even though it doesn’t benefit them.

If it's clear to everyone reading that the group has everything to gain from keeping the outsider with them, and no downsides to doing so, then you're not proving that they actually like the outsider for who they are.

You're just providing further evidence that the group is still being exploitative and still views the outsider as a resource to drain and not a person who they care about.

And simply telling us this ~isn't what's happening~ does not make these facts any less true.

You cannot have the outsider be explicitly tricked into joining the group for the explicit purpose of being exploited, and then have them stay with the group to continue being exploited, while the group gives up nothing in return, and expect us to believe that they're there simply because they're wanted, and not just because they're still literally being exploited.

And no, the outsider being aware they’re being exploited does not make this better, it makes it even worse.

Especially if the outsider in question has severe abandonment issues from repeated trauma and abuse and is starving for any sense of belonging or community they can get their hands on, no matter how thin the veneer, and no matter how much holding onto it hurts them.

Having the outsider be aware that they’re being exploited by the group does not mean they’re not being exploited. It just makes it worse, because they now have to live with the fact that they know, for a fact, they’re not actually there because they’re wanted, they’re just there to be exploited.

And if the outsider is aware of this fact, and you decide to write the group constantly denying this fact when they’ve never done anything to prove it wrong...that’s once again literally just making the group even more abusive. It’s not making them look like better people.

Doubling down on the abuse and exploitation does not prove that the group isn’t abusive and exploitative.

If you are not willing to have the group actually make any sacrifices to prove they really care about the outsider as a person, and not just a resource to be sucked dry, then flat out, do not even attempt to write this trope. You’re going to fail. Miserably.

If you refuse to do it properly, don’t do it at all. Because if you fail to actually condemn the exploitative practices of the group, the only thing you’re doing is upholding abusive power structures and normalizing them, and insulting your audience at the same time.

You cannot expect us to believe that the group isn’t actually being exploitative when you’ve gone *out of your way* to write it so that flagrant, open exploitation and lies were the foundation of the relationship, without ever once doing anything to change that after the fact.

If you want to do the trope of “a group wants to exploit someone, but then changes their mind when they realize like them for who they are, and they become a found family”, you have to actually prove that the group has stopped being exploitative and abusive.

Otherwise your found family is literally just another abusive family that needs to be escaped from.

[walks-the-ages]

Hey guys.

Isn't it really funny how Pearl brought Moon into the Colony's hive mind / Colony Connection in "The Cloud Roads" just to forcibly rip him back out of it again as an insult, and he was never, ever brought back into it and this is never, ever mentioned or brought up again ?

~

Moon tried to shift, meaning to fly straight up the air shaft. Nothing happened. Moon’s mouth went dry. So Stone hadn’t exaggerated; she could keep them from shifting. He wished he knew if she was doing it to everyone, or just him. Stone’s voice was neutral, his tone giving nothing away. “Pearl, this is Moon.”

She beckoned him forward with one deceptively delicate hand. Her claws were longer than his, and she wore rings on each finger, thick bands of gold woven with copper and silver. It wasn’t until the back of her hand brushed his cheek that Moon realized he had taken two steps toward her, that he was within her reach. Her claws moved through his hair, the touch too light to scratch, and she cupped the back of his head, drawing him closer. Moon looked into her eyes, heavy-lidded, sea-blue, and fathoms-deep, drawing him in. Her scent was strong and musky, but there was a trace of bitterness under it, too faint for him to place. It brought him back to his senses abruptly, and he tried to pull away from her. But sudden heat warmed his body, the tension flowing out of his spine. That she could keep them all from shifting meant she was connected to them somehow, through mind or heart or something else, and Moon should have realized that. Should have realized the connection could go both ways. For a moment it was as if he was part of every other Raksura in the room, and he leaned toward her. Then, as if she had judged it for the exact moment she felt his resistance fade, she said, “This was the best you could do.” Her tone was calm, the warm purr of her voice unchanged. Moon blinked, so caught in her spell that for a heartbeat he didn’t understand. The whole room seemed to take a startled breath. In that same tone, she continued, “A solitary, with no bloodline.” Understanding hit him like a sudden slap. He jerked backward, but her hold on him tightened, her claws digging into his skin. Moon twisted out of her grip, the claws opening cuts across the back of his neck, snagging in the collar of his shirt. He fell back a few steps, out of her reach, baring his teeth. Her lip curled, showing her fangs, and her tail lashed; growls echoed from the assembled warriors perched on the ledges, as if she was the one who had been insulted. Moon spun on his heel, hissing up at them, furious and humiliated and ready to fight everybody in the room. The growls stopped as the warriors stirred uneasily. Apparently nobody wanted to fight, at least not while they were all trapped in groundling form. “I didn’t bring him for you,” Stone said, his voice dry and acid in the silence. The words broke the spell. Moon took a sharp breath, trying to clear his head and make himself think. He couldn’t feel that pull toward Pearl anymore, that connection to the others. There and gone so briefly, it had still left an empty place in his chest, as if something had been torn out of him. It was pure cruelty to let him feel that, to draw him into that, just to rip him away.

~

Like. Isn't this just horrifying? Pearl brought him into the colony only as long as it took to insult him , and the second she found out he wasn't for her , she ripped him back out of the connection.

And he's never brought back into it.

Pearl never brings him back in to the connection.

Jade never even tries to bring him in once she becomes the Sister Queen.

Is it really any surprise that Moon feels like he doesn't belong with the colony, even years later?

He literally is literally magically excluded from the entire rest of the colony.

It doesn't matter how much the arbora or Chime or even Jade reassure him he's wanted, tell him that he belongs -- Pearl decided to bring him in, show him what it truely means to be bonded to the colony, and then ripped him out of it again , and never made any attempt to bring him back into it properly, and Jade never did either.

Either only the Reigning Queen can make that decision, or Pearl just straight up never taught Jade how to do it, so Jade is probably completely unaware that this is even a problem. Moon probably doesn't even consciously remember it, but that's gotta be a huge impact on his interactions and relationship with the colony at large from that moment going forward.

No wonder he constantly feels that he's going to get kicked out if he can't prove his worth [as a baby making trophy wife].

His presence in the colony is that of a stranger, of a visitor, as someone temporary, someone who is at or with the colony, but he is not in the colony.

[coquelicoq]

@windmillcrusader and i got to talking about stone

[id in alt]

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: On Colour

Describing Colour in your Poetry and Stories

BLACK Shadow Black, Dusk, Midnight, Blackbird, Blackberry, Ebony, Black Honey, Darkness, Jet Black, Ink Black, Soot, Onyx, Licorice, Ivory Black, Pitch, Char, Gloom, Outer Space, Creosote Black, Melanite, Goth Black, Gunpowder

BLUE Blueberry, Sapphire Blue Metallic, Tiffany Blue (Pantone 1837), Cobalt Blue, Denim, Aquamarine, Turquoise, Sky Blue, Topaz, Ultramarine Blue, Azure, Cerulean, Oxford Blue, Periwinkle, Electric Blue, Baby Boy Blue, Pthalo Blue, Robin's Egg Blue, Persian Blue, Marino Blue, Prussian Blue

GREEN Leafy Green, Olive, Moss Green, Jade, Lime, Sour Apple Green, Emerald Green, Mint, Kiwi Green, Phthalo Green, Praying Mantis Green, Viridian, Greenback, Shamrock, Sap Green, Chartreuse, Sea Green, Pistachio, Teal, Bamboo, Sea Salt, Celadon Green, Celery, Asparagus Green, Fern Green, Neon Green, Jungle Green, Pear Green

ORANGE Pumpkin, Burnt Orange, Carrot, Sunset Orange, Tangerine, Persimmon, Salamander, Tennessee Orange (Pantone 151), Jack-o'-lantern Orange, Florida Orange, Summer Squash, Pale Daffodil, Smashed Pumpkin, Saffron, Autumn Orange, Macaroni and Cheese, Cadmium Orange

PINK Pink Flamingo, Neon Pink, Bubblegum Pink, Salmon, Peach, Fuscia, Cotton Candy Pink, Rose, Carnation, Thulian, Apricot, Atomic Pink, Barbie Pink, Hot Pink, Amaranth, Flushed, Glitter Pink

PURPLE Lavender, Purple Haze, Grape, Eggplant Purple, Plum, Violet, Orchid, Psychedelic Purple, Amethyst, Lilac, Boysenberry, Mulberry, Wisteria, Bruised Plum, Indigo, Mauve

RED Blood Red, Copper, Maroon, Strawberry, Watermelon Red, Crimson, Candy Apple Red, Tomato, Brick Red, Scarlet, Cardinal Red, Cherry, Ruby Red, Coral, Sunburn, Hot Lava, Cadmium Red, Auburn, Blush, Alizarin Crimson, Fire Engine Red, Raspberry, Vermillion, Lipstick, Burgundy, Magenta, English Vermilion, Mahogany

WHITE Dirty White, Albino, Chalk, Alabaster, Cotton, Titanium White, Vanilla, Bone White Egg Shell, Marshmallow, Ivory, Pearl White, Almond, Champagne, Blond, Cream, Milky White, Corn Silk, Bleach, Navajo White, Ghost White, Light, Cloud White

YELLOW Canary Yellow, Lemon, Banana, Egg Yolk Yellow, Mellow Yellow, Chanterelle, Mustard Yellow, Corn, Goldenrod, Amber, Pineapple, Metallic Gold, Cadmium Yellow, Wheat, Tuscan Sun, Butter, School Bus Yellow, Yellow Ochre, Citron, Dandelion

BROWN Mud Brown, Beaver, Caramel, Rust, Macaroon, Toasty Brown, Coffee, Sandy Tan, Cocoa, Honey, Chocolate, Burnt Sienna, Mocha, Seashell, Antique Brass, Bronze, Brown Sugar, Chestnut Brown, Taupe, Burnt Umber, Khaki, Dark Sienna, Light Chocolate, Sepia

GRAY Stone Gray, Ash, Metallic Silver, Platinum, Smoke, Concrete Gray, Mercury, Steel Gray, Mist, Titanium, Charcoal, Slate, Sterling Silver, Tungsten, Old Coin Gray, Iron Gray, Chrome, Magnesium, Overcast

MIXED Candy Cane (red and white), Zebra (black and white), Chameleon (many different colours), Ladybug (black and red), Wildfire (yellow, orange and red), Tiger (orange, black and white), Yellow Jacket (black and yellow), Christmas Lights (red, white and green), Rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet), Black Pepper (black and gray), Leopard (spotted gold and black), Creamsicle (orange and white), Candy Corn (orange and white), Iceberg (a bluish gray), Marbled

COLOURS: Symbolisms, Associations & Psychological Effects

Black. Especially in Gothic literature from the West, a black colour choice often represents death, evil, grief, and depression. Associated with fear, the unknown and often has a negative connotation. Black clothes can make you look thinner. A black background severely diminishes the readability of most type. Often the go to colour for funerals and grieving. It symbolizes stability and power, which gives a sense of authority. Thus, the black colour often represents professionalism and expertise.

Blue. Has positive and negative connotations in colour psychology. Some writers may use blue to represent serenity and tranquility, instilling a scene with a calming effect. Blue can also signify sadness, melancholy, or isolation. People who find someone very loyal and faithful are often called "true blue". Blue is often considered to be more masculine which is why it is often the colour of choice when choosing a suit. Lighter blues are associated with tranquility, softness and healing. Darker blues are associated with power, knowledge and seriousness. Blue is actually shown to suppress appetites a bit. The colour blue symbolizes wisdom and hope. It’s the colour of peace and confidence. Blue has been shown to reduce blood pressure and pulse rate. It fosters serenity and a sense of belonging.

Green. The colour green often symbolizes rebirth, growth, peace, jealousy, and greed. Green colours may also represent spring and renewal. It is a colour that is very easy on the eyes. Dark green is often associated with ambition. Green suggests stability, safety and hope. At the same time, it may denote a lack of experience in a particular field. Green symbolizes peace, growth, and nature. It is the colour of success, promoting healing and tranquility.

Orange. The colour orange often represents energy, excitement, joy, and creativity. Since orange is the colour of fire, it may also symbolize heat. Since orange is not as aggressive as red, it can actually stimulate brain activity. It is very useful to catch someone's attention, which is why it's used a lot to advertise food and toys.

Pink. The colour pink symbolizes love, kindness, femininity, innocence, and playfulness. Certain shades of pink can limit aggression. Pink may be associated with unconditional love and caring.

Purple. Often associated with royalty, the colour purple symbolizes bravery, spirituality, and luxury. Light purple usually brings up romantic or nostalgic feelings; while a darker shade can make you feel gloomy or sad.

Red. The colour red symbolizes some of the most powerful human emotions, like passionate love or lust. On the other side of the spectrum, this warm colour is also the colour of blood, often symbolizing anger, danger, and violence. It stimulates the appetite. Red is an emotionally intense colour associated with energy, danger, anger, passion and determination. The symbolic meaning associated with the colour red is passion, excitement, and love. It’s the colour of urgency, power, and desire. Red is said to boost hunger and is believed to inspire confidence and excitement. This colour has also been found to increase blood pressure and heart rate.

White. This primary colour traditionally symbolizes innocence, peace, and cleanliness. In Western cultures, the colour white also represents purity and virginity, while it symbolizes mourning in some East Asian cultures. Usually has positive connotations when used and thought of as safe. Associated a lot with healing, simplicity and sterility, which is why it's used in hospitals and healing centers as much as it is. The symbolic meaning of the colour white is truth and sometimes even indifference. It encourages feelings of safety and cleanliness. Clean, white clothes and linens show sterility since stains are easily visible. That’s why doctors and nurses frequently wear white lab coats and scrubs.

Yellow. Writers may use the colour yellow to symbolize creativity, happiness, optimism, and warmth—think of a yellow ray of sunlight poking out from a dark cloud. A common negative connotation of the color yellow is cowardice, popularized by the phrase “yellow-bellied.” Warming effect which stimulates body and mind. Gold is associated with the highest of luxury. When bright yellow is used with black it's one of the easiest colour combinations to see from long distances; when uses with lighter colours it's not so easy to see. Yellow ribbons are worn as a symbol of hope and used quite often to welcome home loved ones. Yellow is the colour of warmth, kindness, and happiness. It’s often associated with optimism and well-being and promotes energy.

Brown. This warm, earthy brown colour may symbolize dependability, comfort, and a sense of being grounded. Brown is also a neutral colour, and writers may use it to represent dullness and predictability. Brown is a colour that is related to very grounded traits such as simplicity, practicality, common sense and hard work. Can also be associated with those that are frugal and not too flashy.

Gray. Lighter grays are often thought of as more feminine while darker grays more masculine. Gray is considered by many to be a neutral colour; the perfect balance between light and dark / good and evil. Pop up the lighter grays and add a little shine to it, and thought immediately turns to silver, which correlates to wealth.

Sources & related articles: 1 2 3 4 5 ⚜ More: Writing Notes & References

If these writing notes helped with your poem/story, please tag me. Or leave a link in the replies. I'd love to read them!

[nikosaki]

“I want to use specific names for colours/shades but I don’t know many!” Hahaha sakira has got you! If you want to add colour to the objects or stuff in your writing you shouldn’t just write it like this

“Her dress was red” “His eyes were purple”

That makes your writing bland, it dumbs down the readers imagination during reading. Instead describe the colour like this

“Her dress was like a cup of Rooibos tea under a sunlit day”

“His eyes could be compared to that of a raven’s deep violet eyes”

(tip: amethyst is an overused word, there’s a list of other purple words below you should check out)

You can describe colours using objects because it will give shape to the sentence but don’t always go too detailed. If you make one sentence with a lot of adjectives and everything then don’t over use it in the other sentence that’s is.

But remember to use a simile like “as” or “like” if you do use objects.

I already wrote “Her dress was like a cup of Rooibos tea under a sunlit day” so next time when I mention the dress’s colour again I am going to write something like this

“Her garnet dress flowed in the wind”

Why? Because simple sentenced always enchance the writing and gives reader a feeling.

now that we are done with how to write colours let’s see some synonyms!!

white- bleached , colourless , pearly , milky , snowy, ivory , salt , Lacey , linen , frosty, daisy parchment , porcelain, cotton , rice bone

black- ebony, midnight, jade , spider , coal , pitch black, void , empty, sooty , obsidian , metal, onyx , ink , crow

grey- shadow, ash , graphite , foggy, dove , silver , dull, cloud ,slate, iron, smoke, pebble

red- garnet, blush , Merlot , cherry , crimson, rose, sangria, bloody, berry , currant, terracotta, jam , merlot

orange- tangerine , ginger , apricot, autumn , spice , amber, rust, marmalade, pumpkin , carrot , clay, golden , copper , ochre

yellow- gold, canary , light , butterscotches, dandelion, honey , blonde, corn, saffron , ocher, buttermilk

green- beryl , viridescent , olive , emerald , pickle, leafy , sage , lime , pear , mint, mignonette, glaucous

blue- ocean , aqua , cobalt, navy , sapphire, admiral, denim , cerulean, indigo , lapis , peacock, aegean, azure , turquoise, cyan , arctic

purple - amethyst , raven , violet ,lilac , lavender, plum , magenta ,orchid , mulberry, heather, raisin, amaranthine , eggplant , iris , periwinkle

pink- blush , cherry blossom , taffy , peach, flamingo , rosey , salmon , fuscia, rosewood , pale red

IMPORTANT : remember to do GOOD research on shades!! You need to know which one you can use as an adjective and which one is a noun. If it’s a noun turn it into adjective, if it cannot be turned into an adjective then use a simile.

There’s more and if you know put it in the reblogs

[elliott-the-creature]

hey, what’s up, it’s me, ur creature Flax! I thought I’d share my giant namehoard with you all. they’re pretty much all nouns/adjectives (although K may do a part two with human names).

hope you all enjoy, and feel free to use any of these for yourself; we don’t mind :3

-🌿🪲

putting it under the cut because holy crap it’s a lot

Nature related

Willow

Clover (one of my personal favourites)

Reed

Birch

Aspen

Mangrove

Oak

Hickory

Pine

Fern

Ivy

Thistle

Rose

Orchid

Primrose

Buttercup

Bloom

Lily

Brook

River

Rain

Storm

Thunder

Cloud/cloudy

Sun/sunny

Blizzard

Flurry

Frost

Hail

Torrent

Reef

Meadow

Ridge

Fen

Marsh

Bog

Forest

Boreal

Conifer

Deciduous

Animals

Mouse

Rabbit

Bunny

Rat

Puppy/Pup

Kitty/Kit

Tiger

Leopard

Ocelot

Sheep

Cow

Macaw

Pigeon

Hawk

Owl

Dove

Chickadee

Lizard

Gecko

Manta

Orca

Beetle

Bee

Lepidoptera

Hymenoptera

Spider

Weevil

Objects/clothes

Button

Jacket

Mittens

Domino

Mug

Novel

Hoodie

Plush

Cottage

Monocle

Mannequin

Doll

Acrylic

Tupperware

Socks

Toque/beanie (they’re the same thing so I’m grouping them together)

Patch

Miscellaneous (aka me mixing a whole load of small categories together)

Mono

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Eleven

Liar

Handsome

Dreamer

Shade

Mercury

Venus

Mars

Jupiter

Saturn

Neptune

Amethyst

Garnet

Pearl

Bismuth

Tourmaline

Moonstone

Jade

Yellow

Green

Blue

Lavender

Indigo

Taupe

Mauve

Grey

Ivory

[honey-minded-hivemind]

⚔Wouldn't You Like🏛 AU, The Gods of Genosha, Krakoa, and the Human Kingdoms:

Charles Xavier/Cerebro: one of the kings of the gods, is the god of the mind and learning, can control minds, influence thoughts, heal inner pain, cause hallucinations, and puppeteer others; has a moving throne of metal and stardust; sometimes wears a helmet with an X on it; is married to Erik/Magneto, the other king of the gods; his symbols include: twined branches, mourning doves, ravens, and peridots, jades, and emeralds...

Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto: the other king of the gods, is the god of metals and justice, can control any metal, make anything from metal, is immune to certain powers, can manipulate iron in the blood, and uses metal to summon or throw lightning; has a helm of metal, a cape of silver, and usually his face is unseen; is married to Charles/Cerebro, one of the kings of the gods; his symbols include: shields, helmets, crossed spears, eagles, and titanium, iron, and silver...

Ororo Munroe/Storm: is the goddess of all weather as well as motherhood, can summon any kind of storm (snow, sand, thunder, etc.), can control lightning and the winds, can make the sun shine or make it rain; has a cape/cloak of clouds, hair of mists, and fastenings of gold; her symbols include: clouds, raindrops, lightning bolts, cranes, and blue/yellow topaz, aquamarine, and diamond

Raven Darkholme/Mystique: goddess of trickery, deceit, and secrets, can turn into any person or animal, is able to spy in any form, and is the wife of the minor goddess Destiny, who sees the future; appears naked, but is always blue, wears a belt and loincloth of white or black silk, sometimes a top of white or black; her symbols include: blue snakes, blue moons and stars, tragedy/comedy masks, and sapphires and garnets...

Logan Howlett/Wolverine: god of the wilderness and protection, as well as small woodland predators (ex. wolverines, badgers, foxes, wolves, coyotes, etc.), can go into a berserker mode, has six sharp, gleaming claws of poisonous metal, can take on an army of hundreds of soldiers, can bring out the protective side of others, can make a person become like an animal; wears a jacket or coat of brown leather, and pants or a loincloth of faded blue or black; is the brother of the older (and dual) god of nature and the wild, Victor/Sabretooth; his symbols include crossed claws or swords, badgers and wolverines, and howlite, hawk's eye, and jasper

Victor Creed/Sabretooth: dual god of nature and the hunt, as well as large predators (ex. smilodons, tigers, lions, bears, etc.), can fall into berserker mode, lives by his instincts, can drive men into insane rage/bloodlust, can destroy an entire kingdom barehanded, is also a god of protection; is the older brother of Logan/Wolverine, the autumn side of nature to his winter; wears large furred coats and jackets, or loincloth of golden or brown; his symbols include: tigers, lions, fanged skulls, curved, clawed footprints, and tiger's eye, amber, and gold + pyrite...

Hank McCoy/Beast: god of science, teaching, medicine, and literature, possess great strength of body and mind, knows the secrets of medicine, has scrolls and stone tablets of ancient texts, has taught medicine and shared written language with kingdoms past, and is both a lover and a fighter; is fluffy and dark blue/indigo, has little need for cloths, but will wear dark blue/black pants or cloths; his symbols include: gorillas, lions, scrolls, quills, medicinal herbs, and labradorite, obsidian, and turquoise...

Kevin Sydney/Morph: deity of cunning, mirth and merriment, comedy and tragedy, and change, can take any form and any power, can cause madness, is a master trickster, tends to help down-on-their-luck mortals; is a good friend of Logan/Wolverine; wears a cloth/toga, can be naked or covered in a jacket or clothes, usually in shades of brown, yellow, or blue; their symbols include: chameleons, vipers, butterflies/moths, caterpillars, masks, and opals, color-changing sapphires/garnets, and pearls

(They all had once trained and given a gift/blessing (a mutation) to Reader, but after The Fight, they rarely speak of them... no one can ever speak ill of Reader in their presence or where they can hear, lest they earn the wrath of any of them... they try to be better mentors (read: parents) to the new demigods...)

[aposematic-jessica]

okay it’s been a hot second since I’ve read the books last (probably like six months) but ive been thinking about Frost of Indigo Cloud like. oh my god. like i know we all talk about how traumatized she and the rest of the clutch are but also she’s such a good girl?? she’s such a responsible and protective young woman? and that one scene where she’s like “fuck this we need more queens for this diplomatic discussion (read: fight)” and just shows up and sits down and is just so responsible and ready to do her part for the court? I’m fully projecting onto her btw but i just. I mean her socialization has to be shit just like:

the rest of Sky Copper fucking kicked it + being briefly kidnapped by Fell + no other children in Indigo Cloud + fleeing their new decaying home + entire court in panic about the NEW new decaying home + their adoptive father and his wife have to go on numerous perilous journeys

like yeah Frost is probably going to be a more prickly queen than anyone really wants. but like what is her other option?? it’s not like she has any great role models. moon: most feral consort ever. stone: truly ancient line grandfather. pearl: Like That. jade: actually probably the most normal. Like child psychology and development is a pet interest of mine, right? And looking at Frost and her (remarkably well adjusted) brothers i simply cannot stop myself from musing about how they would be as adults!! What kind of daughter queen would Frost be? How would she handle Thorn and Bitter growing up as consorts and being claimed by various queens? Also like her adoptive father is Moon her understanding of consort behavior is gonna be FUCKED.

but god I just really love rolling around Frost in my head. Her and all the other queens are so fascinating!! i wanna see her with the new clutches and new kids and see her really become a queen!! got 2 know everything about that girl. may be worth rereading & writing shorts about it. I fucking love these dragon bee people they’re soooo insane in my brain.

[brightlotusmoon]

From Doxie Simone on Facebook:

"You make fun of ONE non-binary person, and here come Basil, Moonshadow, Sock, Plum, Fang, Tofu, Crow, Patchouli, Cupid, Shade, Snow, Flannel, Brick, Daffodil, Quinn, Wildflower, Leaf, Lichen, October, Ink, September, Clover, August, Bone, Driftwood, Bread, Aspen, Spirit, Jasper, Lightbulb, Glitter, Tuna, Nebula, Zamboni, Cloud, Pickle, Starlight, Pancake, Jellybean, Twister, Toothbrush, Denim, Lava Lamp, Moonbeam, Disco, Apricot, Banjo, Fork, Sock Puppet, Fern, Ghost, Dune, River, Galaxy, Fig, Echo, Storm, Velvet, Rain, Phoenix, Stone, Feather, Indigo, Moss, Bunni, Ember, Ocean, Paperclip, Lotus, Birch, Compass, Button, Marshmallow, Cactus, Comet, Skye, Lavender, Cedar, Thorn, Breeze, Astral, Beer, Cricket, Horizon, Marble, Canyon, Timber, Shadow, Prism, Link, Willow, Fable, Solstice, Haze, Orbit, Bubbles, Trinket, Sapphire, Jayson, River, Skyler, Rowan, Taylor, Finley, Casey, Morgan, Avery, Reese, Harper, Charlie, Sage, Quinn, Alex, Riley, Jordan, Cameron, Dakota, Ellis, Bailey, Parker, Emery, Peyton, Blake, Drew, Avery, Logan, Devon, Jamie, Ashton, Kendall, Hayden, Blake, Jules, Tegan, Cassidy, Marley, Blair, Micah, Sam, Kai, Sawyer, Lennon, Sky, Dakota, Elliot, Lane, Arden, Ezra, Spencer, Emerson, Jude, Kieran, Harper, Ryan, Bailey, Brooks, Sage, Riley, Avery, Jude, Taylor, Avery, Sam, Logan, Alex, Kai, Quinn, Rowan, Casey, Alex, Drew, Jordan, Charlie, Reese, Wren, Cameron, Blake, Bailey, River, Skyler, Ashton, Kai, Devon, Elliot, Spencer, Marley, Kendall, Quinn, Taylor, Jordan, Parker, Reese, Hayden, Sage, Sky, Sam, Cameron, Emerson, Logan, Drew, Nimbus, X, Acorn, Sparrow, Rohan, Drift, Tinsel, Frost, Bramble, Ajax, Worm, Kay, Strigoi, Helios, Phalanx, Lee, Leo (short for Leonidas), Drayden, Angel, Alexander, Salem, Athena, Ajax, and HildaOliver, Sunny, Sage, Quasar, Jade, Jude, Bug, Mouse, Toro, Spark, Rocks, Moth, Roan, Sage, Bear, Pill, Banshee, Tooth, Nail, Lumia, Mutt, Rue, Roo, Ru, Rù, Thunder, Pyrite, Petal, Aurora, Lagoon, Pixel, Raven, Zephyr, Moth, Lyric, Wish, Atlas, Charm, Pocket, Lilac, Rune, Vapor, Dusk, Opal, Dusk, Dawn, Autumn, Stream, Halo, Tempest, Mist, Poppy, Gem, Nova, Quest, Dusty, Osprey, Orchid, Jinx, Flare, and Candle to jump you in the Whole Foods alley!"

[rogue-of-heart-classpecting]

could you please analyze a session for a fanvventure im plannin? i just wwanna see if its vviable lmao knight of breath (prospit dreamer, rust) rogue of rage (derse dreamer, bronze) bard of vvoid (derse dreamer, gold) prince of life (derse dreamer, mutant) sylph of time (prospit dreamer, olivve) seer of doom (prospit dreamer, jade) heir of space (prospit dreamer, teal) maid of mind (derse dreamer, blue) rogue of heart (prospit dreamer, indigo) mage of hope (derse dreamer, purple) witch of blood (prospit dreamer, vviolet) page of light (derse dreamer, fuschia)

sorry theres a full cast of twwelvve lol

looks good. you do have two rogues and are missingggg... the thief. this means two people have basically the same purpose in the game (and story).

Lack of breath in the session. Rage and heart would be kind of everywhere and needing to be organized. There will be a big fucking problem involving void at some point. There is a naive life element clouding the session that has to be killed to get it out of the way. Time needs to be noticed and addressed. No one understands doom. There is a lot of space that needs to be tamed. An external force is controlling the mind in the session and it will need to be stood up to. There is a lot of hope in this session and a lot of action has to be taken to manage it. Everyone needs to stop thinking of blood in the usual way. There is more light than the players realize.

[hel-the-growl]

Cultural Annotations on New Gods: Yang Jian -Part 3-

Part 1｜Part 2

I counted five periods of Yang Jian’s life that were depicted within the scroll.

1 - his childhood.

2 - teenager cleaving Peach Mountain. His hair is in a half updo, opposed to his full updo as an adult. The totem on his pauldrons is most likely Yazi (睚眦) - the second son of the Dragon King, who has the body of a dragon and head of a jackal. As a creature that likes to fight and is aggressive, Yazi’s image is often used to adorn armor and weapons, normally found on cross-guards on swords. The Yazi here is a cute pup, fitting for baby Jian.

3 - As a general in the war against Shang. His armor is decked with a red cape and he wields his signature trident. On his helmet are a pair of pheasant tail feathers called Lingzi (翎子) - which is indicative of the wearer as a warrior figure. The length of the feathers is also an indicator of the warrior's rank. This event was probably during the Battle of Muye, the decisive battle between Shang and Zhou. These flashbacks, like with Nezha Reborn, are the traditional depictions of the characters and are emphasized by the different art style.

4 - the disaster of the three realms twelve years ago. In Journey to the West, he was described as wearing “boots that were lined with cloth of gold; dragons coiled round his socks; His jade belt was decorated with the eight jewels”. He seems to have gained a new chest plate and notice how Yazi has also grown over the years from a cute pup to a ferocious beast with large fangs.

5 - bounty hunter. A tie-dyed bandanna covers his third eye - tie-dye was popular during the Eastern Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties, where the extraction method of indigo dyes was recorded in the agricultural text Qimin Yaoshu (齐民要术).

His clothing is also described in chapter 40 of IOTG - “This Daoist wore a cloud crown with a fan, a robe the color of water with a silk sash around his waist, and hemp shoes on his feet.” This attire was typical of Disciples of Chan Daoism.

Wrist guards wrap around his index finger while his bounty hunter’s tally hangs from his belt. Despite falling into poverty, he still maintains an air of aristocracy with his white robes showing subtle intricate cloud details.

Blink and you’ll miss - during the battle at Mount Hua, he ripped his pants at the crotch lol.

Not that I think that the placement of Go pieces have any real significance, but I recreated the board for fun. Despite some minor inconsistencies (some black pieces disappeared and reappeared between shots, and the spot where Yang Jian hovered his piece is an illegal move), the game was mostly accurate. Btw, black is winning.

Yang Jian had a noble upbringing and has retained his discipline over the years - his left hand is clenched while his right palm lies flat on his lap.

What the hell is a Fenix? In the movie, the Xuan Bird was translated as Fenix, however there is no direct english equivalent for this mythological bird. “Xuan” means black or mysterious, so some sources describe it as a black bird, while others call it a swallow. The Book of Songs dedicated a line to it: The Book of Songs dedicated a line to it: "The Xuan Bird of destiny descends to give birth to Shang."

Fa Tian Xiang Di (法天象地) translated as “Heaven and Earth I rise to Thee” is the law of heaven and earth that is commonly mentioned in ancient texts. In Journey to the West, invoking Fa Tian Xiang Di grants the user the power to rise as high as the heavens and as vast as the earth. Only Erlang and Sun Wukong have this ability.

The inscription on Yuding’s giant sword reads “福生无量”, a Daoist mantra. They are written in small seal script, an archaic form of Chinese calligraphy, and a variant form of seal script that became the standard during the Qin Dynasty. The characters are separated by the horizontal lines of the eight trigram figures.

The moment Yang Jian knew exactly what would happen when Chenxiang ran toward his mother, yet was powerless to stop him. This scene BROKE me.

In the post credits scene, Yunxiang (Nezha) asks Wukong “you couldn’t beat him?”, a nod to their battle at the beginning of Journey to the West where Erlang was able to subdue Wukong after 300 rounds of fighting.

In the teaser for the sequel, Yang Jian is seen overlooking East Sea City/Donghai (the same city Nezha: Reborn was set), commenting “so many years have past again”. What he meant was, about 1500 years since Chenxiang cleaved Mount Hua. “So many years” is a gross understatement.

FAQs

What is Yang Jian’s origin story?

Yang Jian is a disciple of Chan Daoism, the third generation disciple of Yuanshi Tianzun, known as the Primeval Lord of Heaven, one of the highest deities of Daoism. The Jade Emperor really is his uncle. According to some legends, his mother Yaoji was imprisoned under Peach Mountain for falling in love with a mortal, breaking the laws of heaven. Yang Jian cleaved the mountain in order to save her.

If he’s heaven's prince, how did he fall so low? And where is his uncle the Jade Emperor?

Yang Jian doesn’t exactly have a great relationship with his uncle. It was the Jade Emperor who imprisoned his own sister under Peach Mountain, and Yang Jian wrecked havoc in heaven over this incident (not unlike what Sun Wukong did a few hundred years later). So obv he doesn’t associate with the other gods in the heavenly court, choosing instead to live elsewhere along with his six sworn brothers of Plum Mountain.

As for the whereabouts of the Jade Emperor, this is something the movie has not hinted. However in Nezha Reborn, Ao Guang mentioned it’s chaos up there [in heaven] right now.

If Yang Jian lost his powers, how was he able to phase through the jail’s barrier and overpower all of his opponents?

Most of the powers he lost pertain to the powers of his Eye of Heaven, which had the ability to differentiate truth from lies and see through deceptions and disguises and be used as an offensive weapon to fire continuous, highly destructive blasts of light energy and/or divine fire. He also lost the ability to manifest his primordial spirit, as well as the ability to fly. He does however retain his skills in the martial arts, primarily his “Nine Turns Mystical Arts” (九轉玄功), which grants him vast, physical durability of undefined limits and nigh-invulnerability to conventional weapons and various magic spells. His 72 transformations should be a part of this skill so whether he retained it or not remains to be seen.

It would be awesome to see him be able to transform though, it would suck if he were stuck bounty-hunting for the next 1500 years.

So how powerful is Yang Jian exactly?

In Journey to the West, he was unrivalled and the most ruthless among all of the gods - even the Monkey King could not defeat him. Another time, he single-handedly killed a beast that Wukong and Pigsy were struggling to fight. At the beginning of the movie, we got to see him finish off the ogre before it even had time to react. When outnumbered by Boss Hai and his goons, none of them could even lay a finger on him. Yang Jian is so powerful that even with his powers nerfed, the toughest opponents seem like small fries to him. During the battle at Mount Hua, his primordial spirit was so unbelievably massive that its body couldn’t even fit in the frame. The combined efforts of four gods could not hold him down and just one swipe of his axe was able to destroy Master Yuding and three heavenly kings. Yang Jian is no joke.

How old is Yang Jian?

We know that Yang Jian was born after Jiang Ziya, a real life figure who was born in 1128 BC. Jiang Ziya was peers with his master Yuding, who already had a head of gray hair when he took Yang Jian in as a child. Going by this logic, we can estimate that Yang Jian’s age was about 20-30 when he participated in the battle against Shang, making his birth year between 1075 and 1066 BC. His age when he cleaved Peach Mountain is a broad estimate, as he looked much older than Chenxiang when he cleaved Lotus Peak, so it might not be that long before the events of IOTG. Yang Jian would’ve been about 1512 years old when Chenxiang was born, 1525 at the start of the movie, and 3093 years old today.

What is Yang Jian’s relation to Nezha?

They were allies. After the final battle in IOTG, a few of heaven’s warriors including Yang Jian and Nezha came to court to inform that they did not desire positions and wealth and asked to be liberated from service.

How does this tie in with Nezha Reborn?

I read a tragic leaked original ending for Yang Jian where they weren't able to free the fenixes and he was the one that becomes trapped under Lotus Peak. It took another 1000 years before Nezha freed him... talk about tragic life. By now, it is pretty much given that Yang Jian ending up in Donghai over a millenia later has something to do with the new Order of the Gods. It was repeated in Nezha that Ao Guang wants to establish a new order to improve his ranking on the list, and some theories say that the the fenixes being freed from Mount Hua heralded the end of the old Order. Sun Wukong also alluded that the list had been re-ordered more than once.

Part 1｜Part 2｜Part 4

[rjalker]

I've said this many times and I'm saying it again. Moon should have been legitimately, for real, not just anxious about it, actually infertile. Completely unable to father children. No cure available.

Because it's easy for the Indigo Cloud court to say they keep him around because they like him for who he is, and not so he can make babies for them, after they've taken him in for........the sole explicit purpose of making babies for them....

But literally everyone knows that's not true. Everyone.

And if it was meant to be true, especially because Martha Wells apparently didn't want to write anything about his kids at all, then he should have actually been infertile the way he feared.

Completely, by Raksuran standards, absolutely fucking worthless as a consort. Because consorts are only valuable because they can bring in fresh blood and make babies for the colony.

Assurances that they like him for who is is fall really fucking flat when literally everyone there, including Moon, knows that literally the only reason he's with them is to make babies for them. That's the only reason they let him in the front door and the only reason they kept him around. They literally had zero other choice. No other colony would send them one of their own consorts because that's just how shitty their colony was when he got there. Literally no one in their right minds would send them a consort.

Literally the best they could do was some random violent feral solitary Stone picked up out in the woods.

Literally the only reason Moon is with them is because he can make babies for them and that's why he's valuable. They know this. He knows this. That is literally the entire reason Stone rescued him. If he were some random infertile warrior or even an Arbora Stone would have left him for dead Because We All Know Solitaries Are Mentally Ill Serial Killers™.

But no. They were literally so desperate for a consort to make babies for them that Stone was willing to take the risk of bringing Moon home. Even though the level of atrocity a fucking consort would have to commit to become exiled is literally unimaginable and absolutely unspeakable.

Saying that they like Moon for who he is when literally everyone knows he's only there to make babies for them is so fucking weak and meaningless when it's objectively not true.

The only way that'd mean anything is if they confirmed he was, in fact, infertile, and that it is literally impossible for him to fulfill his Biologically Assigned Role™ for the colony....

and they still fucking keep him around. Because they do genuinely like him as a person for who he is, not the fact that he can give them babies, and not because they had literally no other options.

And this once again ties in with the fact that Moon and Jade were literally forced together because they Literally Had No Other Choice. But that's another post.

[walks-the-ages]

[ID: A screenshot of the Heroforge.com character creator, showing the main characters from Books of the Raksura, Moon, and Jade. They are both draconic humanoids with claws, taloned feet, and feathery wings, wearing simple decorative loincloths. Moon is on the left and is colored black with bronze accents, while Jade is on the right and is slightly taller, colored blue with silver highlights. end ID]

I made Moon and Jade in Heroforge!

[coquelicoq]

moon used Damsel Swoon to make his wife take a nap. it's very effective!

Jade turned to answer, though her spines were drooping and she had clearly used up every ounce of energy she had left. Moon decided he was going to take drastic action. He stumbled a little, then shifted to his groundling form and collapsed. Jade caught him with a startled hiss, and Moon went limp. […] He heard Callumkal, Kalam, and Vendoin make exclamations of concern and dismay, and Jade said, "I need to--" "Of course, go on," Callumkal urged her. Jade lifted Moon and he heard the hatch swing open. The light visible through his eyelids faded and he felt the change in the air as she carried him inside. He heard the others trailing after her, then Chime asked worriedly, "Is he all right?" "Yes," Jade said, her voice tired but dry. "I was particularly impressed by how he rolled his eyes back in his head before he fell over." "It worked, didn't it?" Moon said under his breath. They turned into a cabin and a moment later Jade deposited him on one of the padded benches. He opened his eyes and caught her arm. She shifted to her Arbora form and he drew her down next to him. She curled around him […] and fell instantly asleep. (The Edge of Worlds, pp. 320-321)

fellow consort gets ideas:

Stone leaned over for a close look at Jade. Satisfied, he said, "I'm going to go collapse dramatically on Rorra," and walked out. (ibid.)

later, local consort invents new uses for falling into queen's arms:

"I thought you were dead." Jade's spines flared in rage. Moon went limp so she had to catch him and clutch him to her chest. This would keep her from killing anybody until he had a chance to tell her what was happening. (The Harbors of the Sun, p. 344)

watch out, ladies. these consorts are on their behavior.

[luxarrow]

Lan, god of the Skybow. The Reignbow Arbiter. They ascended the heavens to hunt The Plagues Author and to maintain the order of life and death, to wage war against the infestation of abominations. The Valiant Prince. The Hunt.

Affinities: death. war. hunting. justice. violence. crafting weapons

Symbolism: shooting stars. rainbows. dawn. hope. calamity. casualties. soldiers. 

Emotions that evokes The Hunt: cold yet calculated rage, revenge, spite, confidence and strength to lead the pack, determination to seek righteousness or retribution, standing up to protect the innocent or weak, unyielding to injustice, and resisting the wrong and the corrupted. 

Sacred weapons: bow. arrows. swords. guns.

Sacred words: I venture forth to hunt. I heed the call to war. I choose violence. I show no mercy. Resist and Bite. An eye for an eye. Blood can only pay for blood. They will die screaming. I will vanquish evil. They will see me and know fear. They will hear my footsteps on the cobblestones and know death approaches.

Scared colors: cool blues. indigo. purple. pink. sky blue. 

Scared stone: jade. 

Scared prayers: before battle or before the hunter set outs, pray for victory, for swiftness and steady aim. drum your weapons and roar onto the field: Glory to the Xianzhou! Glory to the Cloud Knights! The Hunt is with us! 

Ways to honor/worship: hunt. study many forms of martial arts and weapon usage, take positions to lead and defend the innocent. never stay silent when injustice happens. know when to respect order and when to rebel. defeat your enemies.

Accepted Offerings: burning of incense at dawn.

[abigailspinach]

Jade sat up a little, looking down at him, her eyes serious. “I want you to promise me that if we fail, you’ll lead the survivors to Wind Sun.”

Moon fought the urge to argue. He didn’t want her to think about giving up. But he knew she had to face all the possibilities. Reluctantly, he said, “I’ll do it. If it comes to that.”

He felt the tension in her body ease a little. She added, “The second consort there is Dust, one of the consorts Pearl sent away when Rain died. He may be able to get you a place in their court. Promise me you’ll try.”

Because begging a place in Indigo Cloud has turned out so well, Moon thought, that I should try it again with another court. That he wouldn’t promise. “No.” “Moon.”

She set her jaw in exasperation. “Do you have any idea what it costs me to tell you to seek another queen?”

“I won’t seek another queen.” He buried his face against her neck. “So that’s settled.”

"Moon.” Jade growled, and shook him a little. “For once in your life, listen to someone.”

“Ow. No.”

“Moon.”

She gritted her teeth, then hissed in frustration, settling down and curling around him. “Just... go to sleep.”

That he could do.”