#So far so normal

[worddevourer]

Well, I finished Locked Tomb 1. In point of fact I resumed right after the first trial completion, and then finished the whole book in a straight shot, which took until 5 AM, because there's really not a great place to step off.

And like... I don't think I've seen another book with so many bleeding holes where a sequel needs to go.

Knowing what's technically inside the Tomb only raises more questions, and it still feels like there's a big hole in why the 9th exists. Literally like the second page of the glossary notes that most planets are thalergenic, because can be extracted for thanergy, but are almost never thanergenic, meaning they produce death energy on a stable basis. And boy, doesn't the 9th feel like a planet that is constantly dying. But as to how that interacts with the contents of the Tomb? Powering the wards? Containing the contents? Sustaining the contents? I'm still not entirely sold on the official story that this is some kind of monster the Emperor defeated. I had actually initially suspected, before I fully understood Lyctorhood, that the Emperor's body itself was in there, sustained by the 9th, and he was remotely puppeteering whatever convenient body he so desired somewhere else.

But also, after everything that happened... 4 bodies missing? Coronabeth and the member of the 2nd were both alive at last check, so fair enough. Moreover we've got some pretty hints that seem to imply Coronabeth desperately wanted to be her sister's Cavalier, and that thread has not been pulled yet. Camilla was... badly hurt, but she was also medically capable.

The one, of course, that really gets me is Gideon. No surprise there, I imagine. Fucking inexplicable is what she is. Lives through nerve gas, survives the awful living conditions of the 9th and comes out the other side as an extremely competent warrior, is somehow of strong interest to an OG Lyctor, to the point of specifically sparing her while killing someone in the next bed over, makes it through the energy drain trial with apparently no lasting injuries, despite the fact that she absolutely should not have. Has her name appear on a random scrap of paper in a 10,000 year old laboratory. And now her body is missing.

Barring time shenanigans, that would imply Gideon dates back 10,000 years, and was somehow involved in the original Lyctor trials. Which really is kind of at odds with the story of her landing on the 9th as a child 20 years ago.

I have aggressively little information about what her deal is. What it boils down to is that she survives things she simply shouldn't be able to. I assume either that Harrow is either going to have some very weird Lyctor experiences related to the fact that that's who her battery is, or that, somehow, despite literally giving her soul away, she's still going to somehow survive and do things.

My narrative brain is at war, saying at once that her somehow surviving would cheapen her death, and that there's so much mystery still left in her backstory that the plot cannot possibly be done with her yet. What I'd expect, and frankly what would make all of this line up perfectly, is for her voice to somehow remain intact in Harrow's head, like it did when Harrow first became a Lyctor, but that stopped in the first minute or so, so I'm curious if it'll somehow resume? Unclear.

(As an aside, this is all putting me in mind of the Johnny Silverhand thing from Cyberpunk. I am very compelled by the image of Gideon kneeling over Harrow's body, like 'wake the fuck up, Harrow. We've got a city to burn.')

On less major notes:

I still do not know why Cytherea really just seemed to hate the 4th. Like... She killed other people, yeah, but these kids were fully on edge for like several days beforehand, talking about how they felt like they were being stalked, and she painted, in blood, on the walls 'death to the 4th' before killing them. Baffling.

There's definitely something about the salt water thing. I'd almost discount it as some 9th tradition, with Harrow's parents doing it just because 'that's how it's done,' but for the fact that Teacher, in one of his few actual statements of personal opinion, talks about his hatred of water, and we later find out he is about as close to a sentient undead as we've seen. I half expected that to become relevant by the end of the book, but no such luck.

Anyway. Book is good, and one must imagine these questions will be dispelled, and new, even more baffling questions will take their places when I move on to the next book.

[idontmindifuforgetme]

lived my whole life in guilt bc i thought i was responsible for people's feelings. newly realizing that other people are responsible for their feelings and reactions, even if they make it seem like i'm the problem. a lot of the time it really has to do w them and their own emotional regulation. i can't keep thinking i'm not allowed to have space bc of other people's insecurities. like i literally refuse to dim myself. other people are responsible for their feelings just as i'm responsible for mine.

[bloominglegumes]

i love normal guys doomed by the narrative

[velvetwyrme]

damn those conses do quence (/j /j, unfortunately[...?] no bug mpreg took place here)

anyway, woe, grub be upon ye. tbc... whenever i finish the many other things i need to do lol.

i did this instead of making an ask blog because i dont have the time or energy to upkeep that atm, but honestly?? it probably wouldve just be easier to make an ask blog instead of... doing whatever this is LMAO,,, but i had fun so its ok sklvfjbfkbdb,,

prev // next

[vaguely-concerned]

the strength it must have taken for illario to not immediately go full 'lmao since when have you even had a kiss hello lucanis' sibling violence mode during the café talk. inspirational. rook and lucanis really were doing all that right in front of his salad huh

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

I'm not going back to Gusu with you.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[throesofincreasingwonder]

You know what? I want a whole post for this:

Sex Repulsion is not the same thing as, or an excuse for, Sex Negativity

non-negotiable!

I am a sex-repulsed asexual. This means that I am uncomfortable and repulsed by the idea of engaging in sexual acts. This does not mean that I have an excuse to be repulsed by other people's sexual attraction or the right to police how other people engage in or express sexual acts or attraction.

Young queer people need to learn the difference between sex repulsion and sex negativity, and actively work to unlearn sex-negative attitudes. Asexuality, even sex-repulsed asexuality, is and should be fully compatible with sex positivity.

If you are uncomfortable with the idea of other people feeling sexual attraction or engaging in sexual acts that do not involve you in any way, that is not sex repulsion it is the cultural Christianity and you need to seriously work on that.

[mohntilyet]

illario as the grandchild that is most like caterina is something i'm loving to chew on. the grandson that took her lessons to heart the most. kill anyone who sees your face and knows your name, "we are not revolutionaries", the first out of the two to prioritise the contract. power at any cost, and the only one to lean into the unnecessary abuse that their grandmother told them was tradition. why is anyone surprised he allied with the venatori? and then there's illario's considerable skill in infiltration and manipulating any mark, he has always had the charisma that lucanis lacked. illario isn't attached, he has/can/will use someone and immediately drop them; "that does free me from promises i don't intend to keep". he can lie about how much he cares so well that he fools a magister into believing he loves her. he kills zara without hesitation to cover his own tracks, meanwhile lucanis blindly promises a young girl in the middle of a siege that he will help her find her father. even the lessons about family stick with him, and in this entire messy power struggle, he never actually orders anyone to directly kill caterina or lucanis, not until he's backed into a corner.

and even after all that. despite even lucanis believing illario should be first talon, lucanis is still the better killer. illario is not strong enough to be the brutal assassin caterina needs him to be. so when lucanis seems to fill the role his mother left, grief and love for her dead heir apparent remains, and any of the other qualities caterina needs in her next talon doesn't matter. whatever his mother was, lucanis has to be. what illario does doesn't matter, because he will always be second best to caterina's memory of her favored daughter.

[briefkittenearthquake]

no lube, no protection, all night, all day, from the kitchen floor to the toilet seat, from the dining table to the bedroom, from the bathroom sink to the shower, from the front porch to the balcony, vertically, horizontally, quadratic, exponential, logarithmic, while I gasp for air, scream and see the light, missionary, cowgirl, reverse cowgirl, doggy, backwards, sideways, upside down, on the floor, in the bed, on the couch, on a chair, being carried against the wall, outside, in a train, on a plane, in the car, on a motorcycle, in the bed of a truck, on a trampoline, in a bounce house, in the pool, bent over, in the basement, against the window, have the most toe curling, back arching, leg shaking, dick throbbing, fist clenching, ear ringing, mouth drooling, ass clenching, nose sniffling, eye watering, eye rolling, hip thrusting, earthquaking, sheet gripping, knuckles cracking, jaw dropping, hair pulling, teeth jitterbug, mind blogging, soul snatching, overstimulating, vile, sloppy,moan inducing, heart wrenching, spine tingling, back breaking, atrocious,gushy, creamy, beastly, lip biting, gravity defying, nail biting, sweaty, feet kicking, mind blowing, body shivering, orgasmic, bone breaking, world ending, black hole creating, universe destroying, devious, scrumptious, amazing, delightful, delectable, unbelievable, body numbing, bark worthy, can't walk, head nodding, soul evaporating, volcano erupting, sweat rolling, voice cracking, trembling, sheets soaked, hair drenched, flabbergasting, lip locking, skin peeling, eyelash removing, eye widening, pussy popping, nail scratching, back cuts, spectacular, brain cell desolving, hair ripping, show stopping, magnificent, unique, extraordinary, splendid, phenomenal, mouth foaming, heavenly, awakening, devils tango ever bro could cause a nuclear bomb inside me and i’d still ride.

[gelarshiesprofruitboarder]

i always forget i can post these here also

[d0rksausalito]

"You're scaring me, Mark."

[thefishermanwizard]

Teens but older... advanced teens

[my-brain-soup]

TUBBO I LAUGHED

WHEN YOU SAID IVE HEARD THAT ONE BEFORE WHEN DREAM SAID HIS TOXIC FANS SHOULD DELETE SOCIAL MEDIA AND GET THERAPY I LAUGHED

IT WAS FUNNY

[livelovecaliforniadreams]

2x14 | 7x6

[flwrkid14]

Eternal Bonds: Tim and Danny’s Infinite Realms Marriage

In the Infinite Realms, marriage is an unparalleled commitment. Unlike the mortal world, where love can be fleeting and easily undone, marriage in the Realms is something far more sacred. It’s not just about vows or ceremonies—it’s about merging souls, creating a bond that not even the vast stretches of time can sever. The very idea of marriage in the Realms is rare, almost mythical, because it requires two beings to love each other so profoundly that they’re willing to bind their very existence to one another.

For the ghosts and entities that reside in this realm, eternity isn’t just a poetic idea—it’s a reality. Time is meaningless when you’re no longer alive, when your very essence is bound to the afterlife. And because of this, relationships are viewed through a different lens. There’s no such thing as divorce, no “time apart.” Once a couple is bound, their souls are intertwined forever. To dedicate your entire being—past, present, and future—to another means accepting that their joys, sorrows, triumphs, and failures will be yours too. It’s a partnership where breaking the bond is simply impossible.

It’s why marriage is such a rare occurrence in the Realms. The ghosts, who have already lived one life and often seen the frailty of mortal promises, don’t enter into this kind of bond lightly. It’s only for the strongest of loves, for the most steadfast of commitments. Because once you marry in the Infinite Realms, that bond holds through eternity itself.

And yet, despite the gravity of it all, Tim and Danny find themselves willing to make that very commitment. Tim, a mortal tied to a world where things end, where nothing lasts forever, steps into the unknown. His love for Danny is so deep, so unshakable, that he agrees to a traditional Infinite Realms marriage. He knows full well the weight of it—he’s not just vowing to love Danny in this life, but in every life after. In swearing to this bond, Tim is offering his entire being to Danny, for now and all of eternity.

For Danny, this choice means even more. As a halfa, he exists between two worlds, knowing both the mortality of the living and the permanence of the ghostly afterlife. His love for Tim is powerful enough that he’s willing to make this eternal commitment, knowing that there’s no one else in any world—mortal, ghostly, or beyond—he would rather be tied to. For Danny, the bond is as natural as breathing. It’s a connection that deepens their relationship in a way that transcends the limitations of their two worlds.

Their marriage isn’t just a declaration of love—it’s a merging of souls, a binding that makes them two parts of the same whole. It overwhelms them with the sense of safety and belonging that they’ve both craved in their lives. In each other, they find the kind of love that doesn’t just endure life’s difficulties but thrives beyond them. Their bond ties them together forever in a way that no one else could understand, but to Tim and Danny, it’s everything.

They are each other’s home. And in the Infinite Realms, there is no greater honor, no stronger connection, than to be bound by love for all of eternity.

[fox-guardian]

starting to feel like part of the reason that Sam and Celia's romance thing feels a little off rn is cuz like. what do you mean they're actually dating. he asked her on a date and she said yes. and it's working out so far. it's chill and fine. what do you mean they're not pining for 4 seasons, not communicating, and then getting together only after one of them walked through hell to drag the other out and make sure they know they're loved and wanted. they haven't even patched each other's wounds yet hello. aren't y'all moving a little fast.