#also my own interpretation of the force is kinda like the sea

[accursedvoid]

I think I’d like ‘grey jedi’ more as a morality/order choice if it wasn’t called ‘grey JEDI’ and had its own cool separate name like Jedi & Sith have.

Cause otherwise it just feels too jedi adjacent/too attached to said order - when I’d rather my character(s) not be connected to either side of the sith/jedi and have an option for my grey to light jedi/siths that aren’t truly attached to their orders/starting to go rogue from them/don’t conform to them to like align with than just ‘light sider/dark sider’

That way ‘Grey jedi’ as a term could just be applied to jedi that aren’t ‘Temple Jedi’ or whatever which is what I usually think of when I hear that term (not a whole separate order as canon puts it)

[ghouljams]

Ok, just wanna say that I love your Hephaetus!Nikto.

Just a few things I’d like to say about Aphrodite. Love the way you have them written, I am in no way trying to make you change your interpretation of them.

She is one of the oldest gods along side Poseidon. Their lore dates back way before Ancient Greece and yet Aphrodite still predates him. Aphrodite is not just a soft thing. She started the Trojan war dammit. And she’s been associated with War as well, and not just in the sense that she has a relationship with Ares but of herself (then again haven’t done much research on this part so I could be wrong).

And Aphrodite is of the sea. The sea is no tame thing. It is wild. She is the Goddess of love and beauty and I’m getting a little pissed at Nikto for thinking she wouldn’t find him beautiful when it is her literal job to see the beauty in everything. Like come on dudeeee!!!!

I think the way you wrote him also pairs kinda well with the way you have the other Olympians view Aphrodite!Reader. I’d wonder if Aphrodite!Reader will ever snap on them and show them what it means to be the goddess of love and beauty.

Also fun fact, the ancient Greeks had multiple names for love that all had different meanings. I personally don’t know them all, but from what I recall, Eros is what they call romantic love.

Sorry for blabbing on, you don’t have to respond to this at all, just wanted to vent a little.

Oh no you're fine venting, I think a lot of people often think of Aphrodite in a specific way (pretty goddess of love who just cheats on her husband and is vindictive all the time) and here's what I will say regarding the way I'm writing Aphrodite!Reader:

Neither the reader nor Nikto is a reliable narrator.

Aphrodite sees herself as this wonderful loving force but she still walks the battlefield, taking trophies as often as she takes lives. She views herself as innocent in all of this drama and rumors, but she's done nothing to stop them(It's nice having Ares talk about how beautiful and good in bed she is, y'know?) She loves Nikto but she also treats him a bit like a curiosity, waiting for him to come to her because, well, everyone does eventually.

And Nikto is stuck in his vision of being cast aside by the gods. He's trapped in their mockery of him, why wouldn't he assume his unwilling wife, who begged to be kept a virgin goddess right before their wedding, doesn't like him? Aphrodite forces their way into his life, into his space, disrespecting any boundaries he tries to put up, of course he's wary of them. But at the same time Nikto only sees the parts of Aphrodite that they want him to see, the soft, the gentle, the loving with sweet voices and stroking fingers, so of course he thinks they're a bad fit. He's every bit her opposite.

The Trojan war has yet to happen in the timeline of the hephaestus!Nikto anthology, but I keep thinking about it because it will feel very out of character for Aphrodite to start a war over something as petty as vanity, but that's only because we've been seeing her through her own eyes.

Also I will say I think a lot of my softening of Aphrodite comes from my disbelief at the way goddesses act within Greek mythology. You're telling me every single goddess is vain and jealous, that they can't keep their man from cheating on them, that the Goddess of love can't find anything to love in her husband, that Artemis would turn her back on her desire to remain a virgin because one guy looked at her the right way? Like the way that the goddesses are depicted just reeks of misogyny and that particular brand of ancient Greek hatred for women. IDK So excuse me for making Aphrodite a little out of character from the myths in my attempt to give her the benefit of the doubt where no man ever did.

[naffeclipse]

Hey babe. I have been rereading your fic In Song Fish Amid the Stars. And ofcource I love Eclipse our little soft baby. But I have to say I love your world building. What I enjoyed especially was Y/n's relationship with Gregory. Not only I wholly loved his character and interpretation (how he grew up to be this kinda loner mechanic that had to have surfer cut) but also his dynamic with the main character! The fact that they were practically like siblings to each other always having each other's back. Even a small mention of their domestic moments (lending books, having meals togehter) melted my heart. And whenever I read this fic and come to the part of Y/n's disappearance from the boat, like damn. I can't imagine the despair Gregory felt, the desperate search that has no limits and ending in sight. After all the ocean is endless. The same goes for the relief when he found put y/ns home. So i have a question. Can we have insight into his point of view? His thoughts, his actions, what did he tell Freddy? How did he feel sailing back home without them? Was he falling apart thinking that his sibling is dead? Killed by the very thing they always feared? The thing he made them scared of (at least in his eyes).

Sorry for rant haha

I just live family fluff and their relationship is perfect.

Kisses

Ahhh, I'm rattling you! Thank you so much! I'm really glad you enjoy Gregory in SFATS!! He was very fun to write <3

Gregory was the one to discover Y/N's empty room on the ship, and his gut told him something was wrong. Not only were you not in bed, but you weren't sick in the bathroom or even hiding out somewhere to stop feeling the stormy waves. It didn't take long for him to confirm from a shiphand that you were missing—overboard.

And you've never swam in the ocean before.

All he could do at that moment was beg Freddy to start searching the sea. There wasn't time for guilt that first day. Once the big ship returned to the island, Gregory threw himself onto his boat and darted out to join the search with the leviathan.

He kept telling himself over and over that if anyone could find Y/N, it would be Freddy. The leviathan mer is magical, powerful, and big. Freddy can fix this. Gregory lost the parents he never knew, and now he was going to lose the only real human family he had, and he knew you. He has to give you back your old book he borrowed from you. You have to take it back.

But as the hours wanned on and Gregory tirelessly tread deeper and deeper waters, dread and fear began sinking their teeth into him. Freddy was very calm but concerned, the anchor to Gregory's storm. The fatherly mer kept Gregory going with hope despite the infinitely terrible chances.

Gregory was aware of Sun and Moon out in the sea due to a combination of Freddy spying the two colossal fish once or twice in the depths, and your own suspicious behavior, but they never once crossed his mind until he finally returned and caught news of your miraculous survival.

You're alive. He thought you looked like a wet, sopping cat who just barely survived drowning. You kind of were.

That's when the guilt returned to him in full force, and it almost bowled him over. He had to confess right then and there that he never should have forced you onto that boat. He thought he was helping. He thought he could make you less afraid but all he did was nearly get you killed.

You and Freddy told him in the same breath that it wasn't your fault.

But then you kept talking. Or rather, you kept avoiding an answer to his question: how you got back to the island in one piece. Freddy suggested so quietly within Gregory's mind that perhaps your mers are to be thanked for the rescue. Your mers.

And he thought you were a big ol' scared cat. You have a giant mer, well, two, just like him.

[stalky-arsen]

well, that kinda aged poorly lol

i think i need to get it out of my system.

Firstly, I am not a professionnal psy. So everything I'm going to say about Yamato should be consider only as interpretation or headcannons.

Secondly, this man has C-PTSD for suuuuure. If he wasn't abducted, abused and even forced to kill for 15 years early in his life, he would have ended up being a complete different person.

Now let's get started.

Yamato. My man. You have high sociopathy. I tested it XD

But you're going to ask me "how could you say I'm a sociopath when you don't even know what it really is." I have wikipedia. There is probably better sources but I can get a general idea on what this is.

So, wikipedia says : "Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is a personality disorder defined by a chronic pattern of behavior that disregards the rights and well-being of others. People with ASPD often exhibit behavior that conflicts with social norms, leading to issues with interpersonal relationships, employment, and legal matters." Basically you lack empathy and morality and it could get you some troubles in your relationships.

I also tested your sociopathy level by roleplaying you on several quiz websites, and boy this is very high probabilities~ (i was bored okay.)

"But these are quizzes, it's not serious." You want to play that way ? Fine. I'm gonna list all the "symptoms".

Impulsivity

Honestly, this is very hard to see at first. You seem very cooled down. People wouldn't call you impulsive at first glance. But digging deeper, I was able to ask myself a question.

Your plan, during Sea of Sorrow, it was full of flaws. It relies only on reliabilities.

The first one being Union's presence. Why would you invite them on board ? What was the reason ? To threaten Konkuzan ? Don't you think Konkuzan would have suspected something ? You were lucky you ended up with Tang Xuan 'cause they came with detectives, but imagine if it was someone else like idk, Li Ling, Lewis, Lucas, David, Mona, Brynn, Q... No offense to any of them, but they wouldn't think like Tang Xuan, some wouldn't even bring a detective, some would just set the boat on fire recklessly.

(out of subject but Drew would be hyper effecient lol he would even save Yuuhime from Yamato lol)

Oh also, what would've happen if any of the guests you invited didn't come ? Like they would have been too scared and would flee the country instead ? Just a possibility. You surely had make sure they would definitely agreed to come.

Okay but what if Masato didn't attempted to murder Konkuzan ? What would you have done ? Again, you really had to make sure he wanted to kill him.

okay okay, maybe that wasn't enough, then what about the fact you just thought the music box would tired itself ? How come you were so sure it would tire itself from overuse ??? It was a wild guess ! Imagine if it weren't the case what would you have done then ?

Imagine you would have fallen completely under the box's control ? What would you have done ?

So, the important question is, What if something went wrong, what would you have done ? How would you reacted ?

This is a wild guess yeah but he would've breakdown on the moment. This man was so sure his plan would have worked the way it would, not making sure of every possibilities. He didn't even plan a backup plan. What makes me so sure of that ?

Tang Yun's presence.

That monkey boy shouldn't have been on board in first place. Sure the Shadow Decree had some tension with the Syndicate, but like Union, it would have been anyone else, it would have gone differently and unlike Union, they didn't have the obligation to come.

Your plan worked because you got lucky, but if it went any other directions, you would have a meltdown.

Reckless disregard for one's own safety or that of others.

Why the fuck would you eat Fugu on a daily basis ??? "Because it makes me feel stronger" That's certainly a cope out then (okay let's not count that)

And honestly, you wouldn't care for anyone's safety, we could argue about your sister's but domestic violence isn't something safe yk ?

Irresponsible behavior

Okay sure, you can argue on the fact that taking care of a criminal and an assassination guild is somewhat impressive, I don't what would have happen if Syndicate's assassins just went rogue. But you did endangered many bystanders during on the White Beluga, in New Milo, and also in the desert full of miramons leaving MC and others to their mercy.

Irritability

eeeeeeeh

well, the only thing I can think of is you don't give the time to explain your motivation to anyone else. Do you have the patience for that anyway ?

Inability to conform to social norms

You may be a lawyer but you still choose to be an assassin, a thief, a liar etc.

Lack of remorse

Yuuhime.

Just why ?

Marked tendency to blame others, or to rationalize plausible excuses

You sure are giving excuses to Tang Xuan at the end of Desolated Lands event.

so, 6 out of 7, you have a high sociopathy level based on wikipedia, and that's not even counting you would put your person above all else, even your own sister.

Yamato is a sociopath given it was due to his environment, not a psychopath, that he probably has C-PTSD and things that goes along. I'm sure in other circumstances, he would be a nice caring brother called Shouta. But he's Yamato.

I love to explore all facette of his character ♡

[vermintine]

could you post the okiyuma rants anyway. i would like to understand the vision

Yea ok! These were all over the place so I tried to rewrite and organize them to be more or less coherent

[I saw you mention in the tags that you aren’t familiar with their lore so for context: Yuuma’s bio, Okina’s bio + summary of her religious references, Yuuma's Stage 8 cutscene and ending (text only 1 2), and a rundown of their story line in Sunken Fossil World:

both of them want to monopolize the oil/blood sea in the Former Hell of Blood Pools, but Yuuma found it first; Okina causes the oil to leak on the surface and pollute the water, prompting several Gensokyo residents to investigate. None of them manage to defeat Yuuma, so Okina sends in Flandre to kill her. Yuuma is resurrected and seeks to form an alliance between her organization and Gensokyo, so she and Okina become co-managers of the Hell of Blood Pools. People keep wandering in there for sightseeing, forcing Yuuma to seek the culprit. She confronts Okina and they blame each other for the tourist problem and end up battling. After Yuuma wins, they catch the Yorigami sisters trying to scam people with the tours, but they decide to leave that whole problem for Reimu to deal with]

Ok so:

(↑ taken from a different translation)

My interpretation is that during their fight they came to understand each other by using their powers: Yuuma can comprehend things by consuming them; Okina says "your back is not lying to me" so maybe she could gain insight of a person by peering through a door on their back (using her unexplained power over mental energy?)

(and she straight up says that the only way to understand Yuuma is to be consumed)

Elaborating on that, does Okina want to be consumed because of her usual attention-seeking tendencies (wanting to be known and understood)? If Yuuma consumed some abstract fragment of Okina during the fight - and she perceives things by swallowing them whole - would she crave more to get a clearer picture?

And despite seeing Yuuma's true nature, Okina only grows more fond of her; everyone else in SFW was freaked out by her or at least disliked her.

There is also a certain term that Okina uses in that exchange that was kinda lost in translation:

(I get that it was likely translated to avoid confusing people with her theatrical/religious references, but her dialogue in HSiFS is just as confusing for the exact same reason, yet none of it was dumbed down like this)

Translating it as lie or madness feels like over-explaining a metaphor; the whole point is that she implies both. It's also possible to interpret it as her comparing Yuuma to herself - it's said that everyone dances to Okina's script, meaning that she is a god of noh and a manipulator. So in that sense she implies that Yuuma is being a manipulator too; alternatively, she is calling Yuuma a disruption, like a kyogen performer in a noh play.

Yuuma also likens Okina to herself calling her unparalleled in greed - much like when she says it to the Yorigami sisters, she seems to mean it as a compliment (she also lives off greed and appears to enjoy eating it the most) Speaking of compliments:

Madness is a running theme in SFW: Yuuma is shown to be going mad from trying to consume all desire and hatred from the dead beings from which the oil is made. She toils alone without rest, wallowing in her own greed as she fantasizes about all the power she will have to dominate both hell and the surface world, and viciously defends her petroleum from intruders.

(source)

In this context, madness is meant as recklessness, destruction (and self-destruction), and especially greed. The entire plot pretty much revolves around Yuuma, Okina, and their greed.

Yuuma is more honest with herself at least:

Okina gets an excuse because in the end the oil is in the right hands (allegedly), but she still caused pollution on the surface and manipulated Flandre only so she could take control of the Hell of Blood Pools:

(source)

However without her involvement, the incident would not have happened in the first place. This reinforces her as a god who sometimes uses destructive means for the "greater good". In this case, it is a bit similar to her role as a god of tengu-warding, and how that concept works.

For context:

(source 1 2)

(source)

In the Grimoire of Usami Okina talks about looking for "true madness", she also chastises her servants for spreading madness poorly; both likely in reference to her warding off madness (lack of wisdom/enlightenment in this context) by spreading it herself.

So it's ironic that Yuuma "defeats" Okina with her own methods: like Okina's attempt to beat Yuuma with Flandre's destructive powers (beating a void with another void); and like the leap dance is meant to ward off tengu, Yuuma's mad performance ("your kyogen") defeats Okina. That metaphor also ties off their ending as they agree to exist not as enemies but as ~business~ partners, like the link between noh and kyogen.

It's also interesting that Okina avoided a direct confrontation with Yuuma until the very end, probably because she knew they could just keep fighting indefinitely - Yuuma would just keep consuming everything Okina could throw at her. Yuuma won because she managed to drag Okina into that futile fight - that realization was likely what made Okina concede. Besides being the only person (so far) who can stand up to Okina, Yuuma also is the only one who almost saw through Okina's scheme in SFW - she got her overall intentions right, but instead of blaming the oil leaks on her she thought it was the tours.

Bonus Yuuma bringing up Okina for no reason in UDoALG even though she's got nothing to do with the plot at all

So yea they are funny and annoy everyone around them including themselves and then they destroy each other for fun. They should be together in future games or manga and say more weird shit and cannibalistic innuendos for me to overthink <3

[smilesrobotlover]

Odyssey notes I took while reading the odyssey since I finished it!:

Imagine surviving the sea, monsters, and curses, and how you die is by breaking your neck LMAO. I guess that’s the nicest way to die compared to the others I guess 💀

Odysseus seeing his mom in the underworld nearly brought me to TEARS HE COULDNT HUG HER AUGHHUFHFHFJHFJ

Dang Scylla is pretty terrifying. Poor Odysseus, couldn’t save his men :c

Can the men listen to Odysseus, for FIVE SECONDS

he probably needed that sleep so bad.

Also those mfs just left him 💀

POSEIDON NEEDS TO COOL HIS TITS!!! HIS GRUDGE AGAINST ODYSSEUS IS GETTING OLD!!!! Bro was gone for like, 17-20 years and he lost everyone, almost died, and was prisoner to Calypso for 7 years. Leave him alone dawg

The freaking fact that Odysseus couldn’t recognize Ithaca and just assumed that he was on an island of monsters or somethin makes me so sad bruh. He’s been through so much that he just can’t accept that he’s back home. Even when Athena herself telling him he’s home he JUST can’t believe it. This man needs so much therapy omg

How did homie come up with that elaborate backstory under his disguise??? Why is Odysseus so extra???

Also that fake backstory kinda paralleled his own. Very loosely but it’s neat.

I bet it was so hard not to sob right in front of Telemachus as soon as he saw him. Odysseus was using all his strength to fight against the tears.

Also Odysseus and Telemachus reuniting also nearly brought me to tears. I am not ok

“On hearing this Telemachus smiled to his father, but so that Eumaeus could not see him.” PLEASE I LOVE THEM SO MUCH AKSHDKSBSKSBSK

“Penelope came out of her room looking like Diana or Venus, and wept as she flung her arms around her son. She kissed his forehead and both his beautiful eyes, “Light of my eyes,” she cried as she spoke fondly to him” 🥺🥺🥺🥺 this is making me touch starved lmao. Oh to have everyone kiss my head and shoulders when I return home. Also love seeing momma Penelope

Penelope 🤝 Odysseus

Crying a lot

“As soon as he saw Odysseus standing there, he dropped his ears and wagged his tail, but he could not get close up to his master. When Odysseus saw the dog on the other side of the yard, he dashed a tear from his eyes without Eymaeus seeing it…” WHAT IF I CRIIIIIIIIIEEEEED 😭😭😭😭 HIS DOGGO

NOOOO ARGOS!!!!!!!!!!!! 😭😭😭 he died as soon as he saw Odysseus. He was able to see him one last time. I am unwell

“As she spoke Telemachus sneezed so loudly that the whole house resounded with it” THAT IS THE MOST RANDIM THING TO ADD IN THERE HSKDBSKSBSK. It’s so cute tho 😭😭😭 oh Telemachus you’re Adorable. And his momma laughed. Aww.

Nvm Telemachus’s sneeze was apparently an omen that the suitors will die lmao. This story just has things Happen

Telemachus: *sneezes*

Penelope: this is a sign that the suitors will die

Eymaeus: what

Odysseus has THUNDER THIGHS

“This was what she said, and Odysseus was glad when he heard her trying to get presents out of the suitors, and flattering them with fair words which he knew she did not mean.” HE LOVES HIS WIFE!!!!

“…I believe the light had not been coming from the torches, but from his own head—for his hair is all gone, every bit of it.”

Did this mf just make a bald joke 💀

Me and my homies hate the maids and suitors

Also Penelope rocks. Deceiving everyone cuz she doesn’t want to get married to those douche bags. Pop off queen. Poor lady, forced to get married :((

Odysseus trying not to cry upon talking to his wife after years 😭😭😭 that dude is TOUGH

Odysseus: oh yeah, I met Odysseus. He was wearing fancy clothes and was hot af.

Odysseus is trying so hard to convince Penelope that he’s coming home. Ough… sweet man

Ok so Odysseus was officially gone for 20 years. Ok Coolio. Yikes

Bro went on a huge tangent about the boar. It’s neat to hear about but sheesh.

Penelope had a dream that explicitly told her that Odysseus was coming home to kill the suitors and she’s like “can you interpret it for me?” I assume she’s trying to mess with Odysseus, cuz even tho he’s in disguise, she’s sensing something with him.

Oh she knows Odysseus is somewhere. Why is she setting up a tournament that only Odysseus could do now?? She knows…. She knows….

Book XX: Odysseus cannot sleep. What else is new?

Odysseus’s name meaning anger is starting to make sense now that he’s home and wanting to murder people out of anger. I guess the fact that he pisses everyone off to is also an indicator of that 💀

Oh the Odysseus and Penelope parallel augh

Odysseus is just brooding all the time huh

I like the idea that Telemachus is very timid and soft spoken. Everytime he speaks against the suitors they’re always surprised; now that he’s older with Athena and his father by his side, he’s beginning to break out of this shell and become more bold. It’s neat for his character. wonder how he’d feel about himself compared to his lion-hearted father

Telemachus is sooo cuuuuute he tried to do that trial for his momma… he was so excited too. My son

Love how Odysseus is absolutely JACKED. Just super strong. An absolute tank. Love him

“Eurymachus,” Penelope answered, “people who persist in eating up the estate of a great chieftain and dishonoring his house must not expect others to think well of them.” EAT EM UP PENELOPE!

I FREAKING LOVE THE ARROW SCENE. GO ODYSSEUS GO

I guess people in Ancient Greek times just killed each other without any thought lmao. I have a feeling that it’s less about the law and more about the revenge that would fall upon you if you killed someone. It was satisfying to read the suitors and maids die tho. Heck yeah

Athena is a great wing man. Just making Ody hot and godlike

Love Penelope testing Odysseus to make sure it was him. Very good. She’s a very cunning women indeed

OUGHHHH THEYRE HUGGING HDBSBSKSBSKSBSKSBSSKSBKWKW 😭😭😭😭

Gosh. The love and chemistry between Odysseus and Penelope is so strong, even tho they’re barely together in the story. Like, it’s interesting to hear how much love they poured into each other that night, (especially compared to Circe and Calypso. Odysseus clearly did not love them.) and then they talked and explained their times away from each other. Augh they’re so in love 😭😭😭

Odysseus just tell your father that you’re home why are you LIKE THIS

WHY ARE YOU MAKING UP ANOTHER ELABORATE BACKSTORY JUST TELL HIM WHO YOU ARE

Dang, that was an abrupt ending. But why did Athena like… tell Odysseus’s father to kill the guy and then told them not to kill each other lmao. Idk. But overall yay. Interesting how Odysseus didn’t listen at first. I think he’s truly changed since his adventure

Something I noticed was that Odysseus was probably a very happy and joyful man. He had family and friends, a wife and a newborn son. He treated everyone fairly and with kindness and everyone adored him for it. But after his adventure, he seemed far more somber and angry. Sad change of character, but ultimately he didn’t change too much. I love him. I enjoyed that WAAYYYY more than I thought I would. Sure the writing was different than what I was used to—there was so much yapping and tangents and metaphors—but it wasn’t impossible to follow! I’ve read difficult stories from Shakespeare to scriptures and this was an overall easy read. The culture of Ancient Greece is very…. Strange to me, but it’s always neat to see differences in cultures, no matter how uncomfy it makes me feel. Love how both Odysseus and Penelope remained faithful to each other and cried over each other a lot. They got married for a reason <3 and Telemachus my son. He’s so precious. Good good story I enjoyed that a lot

[dailycharacteroption]

Deity Drop 6: Dretha

And now we move on to… Well, a deity that will probably be rewritten at some point, especially with the coming Remaster books doing away with alignment. I speak of course of our first look into the orc pantheon: Dretha, the Dark Mother.

The orc pantheon was originally delved into around 2014 to 2015, back when the general assumption that orcish culture was as brutal as they’ve been depicted in systems, which is problematic on it’s own, but then there’s that dash of misogyny by placing one of the female deities of orc-kind as being subservient to the male members of the pantheon.

Now, am I saying there is no place for evil orc gods? Of course not. Pretty much every ancestry that has deities associated with them has at least one villainous god among them. Do orcs deserve to have more variety? Of course.

Now, we can kinda excuse this by saying that this in particular is the orcish pantheon worshipped by the orcs of the Hold of Belkzen, whose reaction to being driven to the surface by the Quest for Sky and all the stressors of being forced to raid to survive during and after Age of Darkness led them down a dark path where dark gods answered their prayers and influenced their culture. However, I will be adding notes on the orcish deity entries to give them more depth and nuance on how they might be rewritten.

For posterity, however, I will be recounting Dretha and her kin as they currently are in addition to my own notes as well.

On that note, there is actually one update to how the orcs worship their deities, which is to say, not really worship so much as emulate in order to become strong enough to challenge and supplant them in the afterlife. Not exactly a perfect solution, but a sufficiently orc-like one.

So… Dretha, the mother goddess, or perhaps “a” mother goddess of the orcs. It is her that orcs pray to in order to ensure plentiful healthy births, but also the survival of the mother and the protection of the children and the home. While different orc tribes may venerate different male gods, all pay homage to the Dark Mother in some form or another, and typically depict her as the mate of the male god they hold in highest reverence, though it’s not said who she actually prefers, though it is possible that she has shared her company with all of them over the years. However, while Dretha is often depicted as subservient to the male members of the pantheon, she also seems to resent that, and harbors deep hidden fury against them, which might manifest at any time if she were to be disrespected.

Dretha is depicted as a female orc heavily pregnant with a motherly but powerful body, though her head and limbs are somewhat smaller than the proportions of her torso. She is also often depicted as being surrounded by many orc infants and toddlers. Whether these are specific deific children of hers or simply artistic interpretation is unknown.

Like all orc gods and demigods, Dretha’s home is Volkorgoth, a stable continent in the cosmic sea of the Maelstrom. No information is given about exactly where she dwells, but I imagine she likely maintains a home near the blood red river valley that serves as neutral ground to orcish deities, other denizens of the island, and visitors from the Maelstrom proper come to discuss business.

Dretha is worshipped exclusively by orcs that follow the brutal ways of her pantheon, particularly by female orcs hoping for fertility and easy births, not to mention strong children, but also in protection of the home and the tribe.

As mentioned before, Dretha is the lover of at least one, but likely multiple male orc deities, though she also resents them as well. She also likely shares a cordial relationship with other fertility deities save for Lamashtu, whom she hates as a patron of birth defects and general awfulness associated with fertility. She also is the enemy of deities that are less brutal than her, seeing them as weak.

As a chaotic evil deity, Dretha is likely served by some demons, but also by the spirits of orc defenders given the blessed duty of defending and serving her, as well as likely a few proteans more interested in the generative aspect of chaos than the destructive side. Not much is known beyond that. I’d imagine that a revised Dretha might have more unique servants associated with protection and fertility, though.

The domains of the Dark Mother Chaos, Community, Evil, and Protection, with the subdomains of Defense, Demon (by way or either Chaos or Evil), Family, and Home. These reflect her role as a mother and protector, but also as a vicious and deadly defender of the pantheon’s way of living.

The Belkzen orc pantheon has not been touched in 2e, so no domains are given for them.

They also haven’t been given an obedience either, sadly.

Dretha hasn’t been mentioned in Starfinder either, and given that orcs have been forcibly stripped of their culture in most cases on Apostae, she may be forgotten, but I imagine there may be secret shrines dedicated to her in orc nurseries on the wandering planet and other places where orcs have set up shop.

That does it for today. This entry illustrates how Pathfinder still has room to grow as understanding grows and old harmful tropes of the hobby are laid to rest, but it is still interesting and important to remember how we got here. In any case, look forward to the next entry tomorrow, where we get a little cosmic!

[lightlessentwine]

Shadow Realm Physical Location Theory

i'll be showing each variant simply to allow for interpretation, but i genuinely believe the last one i show is going to be the proven one.

[1. Recent Popular Theory]

i don't believe this is the most accurate understanding of the shadow realm, mostly because of the scale. many believe that the scarlet aeonia is where bayle's mountain once was, but i can't fathom why or how that would be the case when you consider the rest of the map and its elevation(s). it also doesnt seem to align the suppressing pillar with anything and charo's hidden grave doesn't appear to be hidden by any means in any manner. very little about this rendition seems to answer much, nor beg much question of anybody's understanding of the lore. it's an interesting layout to say the least, and would at least fill in the middle portion of the land

[2. First Personal Theory: Separate Lands]

no occupied land is taken up by another occupied land this way. The Suppressing Pillar is literally in the middle with this one, and Bayle's mountain serves as a landmark between the Bestial Sanctum and the Giants' Mountaintop. notably, this kinda "mirrors" a few landmarks of the map from base-game locations (for example, St. Trina's location would be approximately somewhere below the Divine Tower of Caelid, where we find the Godslayer Greatsword)

similarities between opposing parts of the map somewhat support the idea, but the theory is a bit loose and started falling apart in my head due to the position of the Erd/Scadutree being somewhat displaced between the realms, as well as some seemingly superficial placements like Rauh and the gravesite plain seem weirdly on their own (which frankly doesnt help the fact that they were both the hardest to figure out the lore of, personally)

one might argue that the displacement of the tree is similar to Ranni's spirit being partially outside of her vessel, but that could also be true of what i present to you now..

[3. Current Personal Theory: "Limgravesite" Theory]

it may be physically separate from the lands between but it was once literally a part of it.. the realm of shadow even snaps to my phone screen's center when placed in this manner, and it lines the crucible up with the center cloud:

the Rauh civilization held the Knowledge of Stone, and held great control over the water. their proximity to liurnia is surely no accident. it is only separated from Liurnia by Belurat and its bastion, Stormveil. it is also clear on the map that there is a rift directly across where stormveil's bridge is. it is likely that- and with however marika's rite worked- with the disappearance of specific structures and areas like Belurat and the Rauh Ruins, Liurnia may have begun to flood due to a lack of redirection or lower areas for water to shed toward, like the abyssal woods.

this also answers for other geographical oddities like the Weeping Peninsula being made an actual peninsula in the case that both maps were fully combined. Charo's Hidden Grave would fill the gap, while explaining why the Peninsula may be "Weeping." the Cerulean Coast is literally a sea of blue flowers among a titanic burial ground, and we know that blue magic is heavily tied to water. red magical aspects like seen in Charo's Grave have been almost completely erased from the Lands Between, barring a single weapon from "Eochaid" and one single mysterious bearing hunter. this red magic is likely meant to be akin to copper and blood, which rely on using an internal force to exert a will upon something. blue magic is harnessed extrinsically; pulled from an outside source.

i could keep going about this but i think i need to stop typing for now. might add to this post later]]]

[not-xpr-art]

BTS Rapline Triptych '23 - surrealist painting

i wanna be a human 'fore i do some art - yun by rm (feat. erykah badu)

(05/2023)

it's been nearly 5 years since my last rapline triptych, and 3 years since my last bts fanart, but after listening to agust d's latest album (in conjunction with rm and jhope's releases last year) i got a sudden wave of inspiration to do a surrealist inspired work!

this is based on the lyrics and general vibes of a few of my favourite songs from the albums (such as polar night, yun and equal sign!) as well as an interpretation of my own journey through the last 3 years or so...

see the individual panels below with a lil explanation to my thought process~

i had actually originally planned to have suga be surrounded by flames (very similar to my 2018 triptych), but decided that the flames suited jhope's panel more (because of the connection to the song arson), so settled for a bathtub filled with... a red liquid (is it blood? is it wine? you decide lol)

part of my thought process was focused on the way his album in particular comments on how we change, and also how that can be a painful thing to reckon with. the last few years have felt very much like we've all been forced to choose either to sink or to swim, and while we decide we remain in some sort of limbo... the closed door and empty room are a part of this feeling (and also something i was inspired to do after watching his music video for amygdala).

the 'shadows' connected to rm (which also cross over into the first panel) are supposed to represent the concept of past selves. rm's album 'indigo' emphasises the idea of the self, and how to feel much more at ease with who you are now whilst not completely letting go who you were then.

the central black splotch (technical term) is based on work by the artist yun hyongkeun who was the inspiration for the song 'yun' (which is also where the written lyrics above are from). i liked the way his works looked like voids, with rough unfinished edges, drawing you in like a cave. i wanted this part to be the only real dark part of this central panel. i was a little worried this panel would look out of place because of that, but i kinda realised that that's the point!

this panel is very much a reflection of what it is to be an artist, and a human. and in the sea of soulless ai and the commercialised art market, it was kinda refreshing to create something that i didnt try and harmonise. the colours dont feel like they necessarily go together and the glitched flames from the final panel create a confusing mess in the centre of the piece, as a central focal point of the whole piece it honestly looks kinda bad to me, but i dont care! mess is an integral part of being human, and being human is an integral part of being an artist.

i originally planned for there to be lightning to coming out of the cloud because of the storm-y vibe of jhope's album, but i thought it'd clash with the fire so went with some rain instead lol. the album carries a lot of themes of the pressure of success, living up to other people's (and your own) expectations, and struggling with what you want out of life vs what you need! and i tried to reflect this in the cloud 'hat' on his head.

i wanted to add some open doors to contrast with suga's closed door, but whereas suga's door has a thin gleam of light coming through the seam, jhope's doors all lead to darkness. the fear of what lies beyond those doors isn't lessoned when the door is open, if anything it's heightened! the doors could also be empty, given that a lot of my motivation for art has felt lacking in the last 3 years lol...

the additional faces came about by accident but i really like how they came about lol. in a way i was trying to give the portraits a traditional ink drawing style, as well as continuous line drawing to fit with the surrealism theme. they represent the 'self' in all its forms, who we are inside, who we are to others, who we want to be etc. all three of the albums explore themes of self, and in their cases specifically who they are in a world where their success is almost unparalleled. i dont relate to this (ofc) but i do relate to the dilemma of how to stay true to that self whilst grappling with our commercialised and over materialistic world.

finding that faith in yourself as well as faith in art to bring you back to yourself has been hard for everyone and i found it really humbling to see that same pain i feel reflected back in the form of music.

ultimately this piece is about finding reasons to live and to keep going, and desperately doing that all through my art. something i've always done, but has been especially difficult in recent years. and like the albums themselves, this isn't the end of a journey, but instead a midway point, a crossroads, where we can look back and look forward in equal measure trying to make sense of everything...

[dragontamer05]

My personal One Piece hill I will die on (until proven otherwise / series ends) is

Gold D. Roger was lying (Sort of)

As it is the man had nothing to lose, had he laid low and not turned himself in, he was terminally ill anyway and doesn't sound like would have had that long left to live anyway, so he chooses to go out on his terms and make a show of it, using what the Marines / World Government hoped to be a show of force to get people to obey and stop piracy and instead with his final words Rogers is able to initiate a whole new era of pirates instead- and overall just stir up a whole lot of trouble.

Which regardless of if his words are true or not I can still see as being as reason enough to choose to say what he said just to stir things up.

Now sure after a long history of his travels and piracy he more then likely did amass quite a large fortune in both physical and non physical wealth, but out side of a dying man's words no one knows what became of it - say maybe those left who were part of his crew but even that's no guarantee.

--

Truth or Lie there are so many ways one could interpret what he said beyond the face value assumption most seem to in the series:

He's not lying about his treasure being out there to be found however he didn't actually leave it in one place and is really just scattered all over- basically people could be carrying / finding treasure that was once his and not even know it. Or while true that it is all in one place, that one place is right at the bottom of the Ocean somewhere- which if anyone can find and retrieve that then they certainly deserve it.

---

Personally however I'm in the boat that he was lying or at least his words should be taken with a grain of salt.

Aside from anything told from those who knew him most things we here about Rogers seem more like rumours or myth, stories that no one actually knows if they're true or not. So perhaps even his own legend of the vast wealth he acquired over the years has been exaggerated. I don't doubt that at one point he may have acquired quite a sizable amount of gold but nothing to say he still had any of it by the end when he turned himself in, leaving either nothing to be found (Which technically would still make what he said true- you find nothing you have nothing) or maybe just a small amount of whatever he had left.

Second thing to consider- he said he left it 'all in one place' that still leaves a lot to interpretation. Assuming there is a (physical) treasure to be found everyone searching clearly seems to take the 'One Place' and assume Rogers means it has to be all together only one specific area, but that 'One place' could easily mean something as vast as say The Grand Line itself with his treasure now scattered through out. Perhaps it's at the bottom of the sea.

Or going with the overall themes the show frequently seems to bring up and what I rather like and agree with, there is no treasure at least not physically speaking. While maybe his words were used to drum up trouble, they also served to spark a fire in those seeking more then just treasure but adventure.

The true treasure that he found and wanted/wants others to now discover is the adventure, in a very cliche silly -if appropriately Shounen kinda way- it's the friends you find, in those bonds and memories one makes where the real treasure lies and are more important then any amount of wealth or power.

Which depending on ones view point could leave what he said seeming like a lie.

[formulawonu]

Hi!! I have another request because your last one was sooo good! My request now is about Mr Leclerc 🤍 I don’t have much of an idea but I was thinking out of the woods song as some sort of inspiration? Maybe like a reunion after years or a fighting for our love type of thing? Go crazy I’d love to see how you interpret the song & fic! 💓💓

out of the woods / charles leclerc

(gif is not mine! creds to the owner)

warnings: angsty. this made me kinda sad. also a lil swearing

a/n: im semi back (??!!) hit a huge writing block but i've been able to write this kinda short one because i was just super in love with the prompt and i love myself a taylor swift reference!!!!! i wrote this thinking about how grey and colorless life sometimes feels when you lose someone who made everything feel a bit more brighter. not sure if i'm very happy with this one but i tried <//3 happy holidays to everyone! enjoy x

It is another day, but it has been the same picture for a month. You wake up in your own apartment and greet the morning with a sigh. You don’t want to be waking up here — you want to be wrapped in thick blankets and tangled in sheets with a certain someone who has memorized the curves of your body and knows you like the back of his hand, just as you know him. You check your phone for notifications that had popped up from the night before but you’re honestly only looking for his name in the sea of texts and emails. Still nothing from Charles Leclerc.

You force yourself out of bed and into the bathroom, getting ready for the day that is to come. Breakfast is quiet, too. You sit alone at your kitchen counter, gripping your coffee mug while surveying the state of your apartment. You unconsciously play with the necklace hanging on your neck, one of the few things you still had of his. He had given it to you one day, saying that the paper plane represented him always being with you, regardless of where he was in the world. He is not here, but everything in this damn apartment seems to remind you of him.

“I’m tired.” You say, tossing aside an empty cardboard box you’ve just unpacked. You are currently in the apartment you’ve just moved into and what should’ve been a quick unpacking of things turned into a long one with all of the fooling around you and Charles had been doing. You don’t know how it’s possible but it seems as though the unpacking the two of you had done had made what should’ve been your living room (by now) just an even bigger mess than from when you’d found it. “Okay. Up! We are in need of a break!” Charles says, bending down to grab hold of your hands and tugging you up in the process. “Do we even deserve a break?” You ask, laughing at the lack of progress the two of you had made in the last two hours. Charles smiles brightly at you in return. “There’s that smile.” He starts moving your arms up and down in an attempt to move to the rhythm of the music playing in the background.

You laugh even harder at his attempt to get you energized and the poor attempt you both have at dancing in the middle of an extremely messy apartment. Charles is kicking things aside as you dance around the untidy apartment to make space for the two of you. You both can’t stop laughing and you can only imagine how silly you look to neighbors who happen to glance into your window but you don’t care. You love him even more for the innocence of the moment — just you and him lighting up a boring and dreary task like this one. The two of you, perfectly happy doing such simple things because you are together. You would gladly live in this messy apartment if it meant putting it together with Charles.

It is a clear contrast to this dull morning. What used to be such a colorful apartment filled with precious moments between the two of you is now something so lackluster and monotone. Everything just seems to be grey right now. You want to curse the world for allowing you to know Charles Leclerc because now everything seems to be tainted with traces of him. Anything you do reminds you of him. Why did everything have to go wrong?

“You’re being so selfish right now. I don’t know who you even are anymore!” You scream at the person in front of you. He is still the person you fell in love with all those months ago, but this is a new side to him that you had never known existed. It feels as though you are desperately trying to grasp at the last few strings of the love you two shared. “Well, this is who I am, Y/N! This is my life and it isn’t easy and I want you part of it but there isn’t more that I can do!” The gala night you two had attended earlier started off perfectly but as the night progressed, you had noticed Charles visibly neglecting you — he had started to act as if you weren’t even there. He would push you aside every time you tried to talk to him. He wouldn’t return the nervous smiles you would give him when you were left standing alone as he attended to business partners. He would shrug off the subtle hand you’d put on his arm when you were close to him. You were used to these events and you respected his need to always put his best foot forward at times like this, but the only indication he gave to acknowledge your presence was to ask you to hold his phone in passing while he went off to talk to who knows who. Even his fellow drivers had given you more attention than he did. This was not fair. You knew it wasn’t.

��And I know that, Charles! I know that. I want to be part of it. I love you and I want you to reach your dreams and I know that means prioritizing your career and doing all the things needed to be done but you have not looked at me at all tonight! Even when I was trying not to cry, you shrugged me off and that felt like shit. It feels like shit knowing the one that means the most to you does not give a shit about how you are feeling in the moment… or doesn’t even try to understand.” You are trying not to cry but your chest is heaving up and down. You are blinking back the tears that desperately wanted to fall during the dinner where you felt so incredibly alone and out of place. Like you shouldn’t have been there. “You’re being so dramatic! I love you and you know that. You are who I want. I’m sorry if you felt like that a while ago — I was doing everything I was for our future. Is that not enough? Is sorry not enough anymore?” You didn’t know if it was enough anymore. “I don’t know, Charles. I wish I did. Fuck. I’m going home. I don’t want to hold you back anymore - I’m not going to make you choose.” That was the last time you had seen him.

Right now, you believe it was enough. You just want him back beside you, making things feel better and showing you colors you had never seen before. The doorbell rings.

“Before you say anything, I want to say a couple of things first.” You didn’t have words to say anyway. Standing right outside your door is Charles, looking like shit, if you could be honest. You probably looked the same too. “I’ve spent the past couple of weeks thinking about what happened and how everything just turned out the way it did. I know words don’t mean much at this point but I’d like to get them out because you deserve to hear them. I’m sorry for treating you like shit during the gala. I’m sorry for expecting you to keep rolling with the punches you shouldn’t need to be thrown. I’m sorry for not seeing you or hearing you—I’m sorry for not trying to understand how you were feeling. I’m sorry I didn’t run after you.” He pauses, trying to gather his thoughts and catch his breath. His chest is heaving up and down from blurting all of his apologies out. You are still trying to process everything that is happening: the love of your life standing at your door, the tears that are threatening to fall from the both of you, and the immense and overwhelming urge to just hug him.

“I know apologies are overrated and this doesn’t make up for what has happened, but I want you to know that I want to fight for this. I want to fight for us. I will fight for us. I need you in my life — I want you for my whole life.”

He finally looks at you and this is the first after a long time that you’ve looked into the eyes that remind you of home. The eyes of the person who makes you feel like you could conquer the world because he will always be on your side, cheering you on. You both remain standing by your door for a couple of seconds before you step aside to make some space. “You want to come in?” You ask, a weak smile sent his way. Charles’ face visibly relaxes and he couldn’t have moved quicker if it was possible. He crosses the threshold, enveloping you into the tightest hug you could imagine. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” He whispers into your hair. You begin crying, the weight of how heavy the whole situation was finally hitting you. “It hurt so much, Charles. It hurt so much. I was so tired.” You get out. You are hugging him back with just as much force, finally in the arms of the one you would only ever want to be in. “I know. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” You hear the pain in his voice, he is most likely close to tears as well. “You are all I want. All of you. I just needed you to show up.” You say.

You both stay in this position, the both of you getting out how terrible everything had been for the both of you. This is not perfect — it is far from it — but it is the beginning of something new. There will be more struggles to face in the future, you are sure of it, but right now it feels as though you are finally out of that dark and bleary forest. And if the world is to trap you in a maze in the future again, this time, you will have someone to explore it with.

[kosakashuntaro]

for some reason, i became obsessed with this irrelevant filler character from izumi tsubaki’s lesser known series, oresama teacher. he’s consistently forgotten by fans and ranked 2nd to last out of the student council members, but despite that, i still think he’s a great and well-written character. also, he’s super cute!

and so without futher ado— here’s my stupidly long lovemail/analysis of shuntaro kosaka. a pure 1.5k word ramble about my favorite boy!

kosaka first appears in chapter #43, introduced alongside the rest of the student council members. he’s in class 1-3, the same as yukioka komari. the first major scene we see him in is him having a bad relationship with fellow council member, kanon nonoguchi.

not gonna lie, i forgot this scene existed and i don’t like it since he touches her forcefully. it’s a setup for their relationship later on, though. at this point, kosaka and nonoguchi are both closed off and cold towards each other; aside from their animosity towards each other from their interactions, they have their own personal issues for not being good with interacting with others. nonoguchi has her problems with men stemming from childhood and kosaka just seems bad at understanding how to act properly with people in general.

kosaka’s main arc is the student festival arc, where he plays the villain, but honestly, he’s just cringy as fuck in it. i think it’s good in that it shows how damn extra he is, though-- imo, he’s the most realistically extra of the characters. he’s a 15 year old kid who thinks he’s smart just ‘cause he gets good test scores. of course he’s going to be that bitch who smiles sneakily and thinks of himself as the grandmaster of the chess game, even when his partner in crime, kawauchi, knew all along of his betrayal plan.

we don’t see much of his motivations or personality in the student festival arc as it focuses mainly on okegawa and kawauchi. all we know so far is that he’s smart, manipulative, and sneaky. seems like a typical bad guy.

until the last chapter of the arc, #51. for the first time, we see the previously cool (lol) and cunning kosaka shuntaro... nervously fretting over how to kneel in apology to his superior, miyabi hanabusa.

we learn that kosaka is obsessively reliant on instruction manuals, ever since his childhood. he’s ridiculously good at studying and always gets first place in tests at school. however, he can’t cope with unexpected changes at all. everything has to go exactly to plan or else he comes up with a different approach to completing the original plan, that isn’t always appropriate for the situation.

he’s perfectly confident in interacting with people-- that’s obvious enough throughout the student festival arc--, but he’s bad at interpreting things on the fly, once again, prone to saying things inappropriate to the time and place. kosaka has to do things in order, step-by-step, otherwise he can’t proceed.

a while back, there was a post that talked about him being autistic. to be honest, i never considered this earlier (as in a few years ago, when i first started liking him a lot). but reading back, he really is strongly coded as such, i think. so frankly, the reason i like him might be a more personal reason, but... anyway.

like with the other student council members, miyabi helps him relax and feel better, guiding him to be more carefree and open. i have mentioned this a few times, but i think it’s really wonderful that miyabi basically helped out a bunch of kids with mental issues when their problems might’ve looked small or stupid from the outside. this is also brought up in chapter #104 during the hayasaka arc, where mafuyu and hayasaka both contact him for information about miyabi. he basically says that miyabi got him to join the student council because he was worried about kosaka’s personality and wanted to stay near him for help. 

honestly, kosaka is probably the one who’s most grateful to miyabi (outside of nonoguchi?) simply because he recognizes his own issues. there’s a reason why he’s the only student council member whose face you can’t see during the scene where miyabi graduates; he’s the only one of the guys who cry.

kosaka’s problem is that he can’t cope with his plans going off at all, so miyabi sends him to prank mafuyu. even though he tries to get her by making many elaborate plans, he eventually learns to just attack without plan. it ends with him stuck in a ditch and miyabi unexpectedly pranking kosaka himself.

here we see kosaka’s first genuine smile. and it’s beautiful!!! he’s a sweetheart!!! i think that the story of kosaka could’ve worked even without the student festival arc, but that establishes him as an dramatic kid who’s super smart and cunning-- and here we see him just relax for once, and be truly happy.

after this, there aren’t any more kosaka focused chapters. however, he does appear once in a while, usually with the other student council members. (he’s in the very next chapter using yui’s equipment to cross the lake. but since he usually feeds the fish, they all come to him for food...)

kosaka's bad relationship with nonoguchi is reiterated in nonoguchi's arc, chapter #71 where she beats him up for saying that all girls want a prince. it's a stereotypical thing to say either way, but nonoguchi's response about "men wanting to be princelike is self-serving" is more due to her own issues rather than about kosaka in particular. anyway, this is just to highlight that at this point, they both still have their own problems and don't get along.

the next time we see him is during the school trip arc, where, although he’s still being far too overprepared by carrying too much luggage, he seems to be getting along with his class very well. kosaka organizes his class’s schedule and accommodates for changes on the fly (when his teacher wanted to stay longer to see the sea otters), even if it annoys him a bit. it’s an improvement! he’s able to assume a role where his pedantically organized personality is a benefit. mafuyu also notes that both he and ayabe have become more carefree and open with others, with kosaka becoming “the center of class 4″.

i think this chapter, #82, is also the first time kosaka talks about yukioka. since yukioka doesn’t talk to anyone aside from miyabi, he had never heard her voice despite being a close friend. there’s not really any significance to them being besties (does there need to be?), but it does show his sense of responsibility for others since he basically takes care of her. he has more scenes with yukioka in various arcs, mostly in the miyabi graduation arc where he helps protect yukioka from aki.

speaking of that arc, like the other student council members, he gets something precious to him stolen. in this case, it’s the books that he always reads. we find out that he’s actually surprisingly good at drawing from memory despite him believing he doesn’t know how to draw without instructions. this may be partially may be some juxtaposition of him truly being ‘creative’ even though his methods are so ‘academic/scientific’ (even though i don’t believe ‘drawing well’ is what ‘creativity’ is). in my opinion, this represents his progress in general. it’s probably not just art/drawing, but he’s actually gotten better at doing most things without manuals without realizing or being aware of it.

this idea is also expanded upon with the protection of yukioka i mentioned earlier. because kosaka doesn’t have his books, he doesn’t act so formal and is instead more forceful and ‘manly’, making it easier for him to communicate with classmates. by the way, kosaka’s actually popular with the girls in his class (shown in school trip arc 1-koma), but doesn’t realize it because he can’t understand things not directly stated. what a guy...

here is a short break to talk about kawauchi. i think their relationship is hilarious. from kawauchi getting him to dig holes to kawauchi stealing his math books... i feel really sorry for kosaka, but it’s so funny... he just can’t escape him. even in the very last student council saga arc, it was kawauchi behind the scenes all along...

really they’re two characters who are heavily associated with each other and yet... i don’t think kawauchi’s relationship with kosaka says anything about his personality since kosaka was such a one-bit character during the majority of the arc where they interacted (plus kawauchi is awful to everyone). all kawauchi did was give kosaka more trust issues and broke his phone. i feel kinda mean for saying this but it’s so funny how he caused kosaka to be absolutely terrified of delinquents.

honestly kosaka like... doesn’t have a reason to be associated with kawauchi beyond the student festival event. imo it’s just a way for tsubaki to make kosaka relevant or appear once in a while since the other character he’s associated with (yukioka) got a boyfriend and doesn’t appear as often (kawauchi’s common appearances is due to his surprising popularity with fans).

enough about kawauchi though, we’re finally at the end of this long and loving post. at the conclusion of the miyabi graduation arc, the very first conflict of kosaka shown is finally resolved: he’s made up with nonoguchi!

i really love this scene so much!!! i know it’s kinda just a set-up for the next joke, but tsubaki still dedicated over a page just to nonoguchi and kosaka, so it’s genuine to me! it’s so lovely to see that nonoguchi and kosaka have both resolved their own issues with the help of miyabi and the public morals club. they both acknowledge that they weren’t the best in the past, but now they can become friends... this is a relationship that’s been developing in the background of oresama teacher for over 80 chapters... it makes me so happy that tsubaki gave a resolution to it in the end. she truly does care about all her characters no matter how unpopular they are, and i love her for that.

(by the way, i just found out that this can badge released in the same year as the miyabi graduation arc. they’re so cute!)

the story of kosaka and the student council as a whole ends here. everyone’s finally improved, and they’re all happy... people say “oresama teacher has no plot”, but there’s so much to the story of the student council. if i can write so much about one minor character who rarely appears, i think there’s plenty of plot and plenty to say about the others.

that’s all i have to say on this topic for now.

actually, i started writing this back in 2019 but i forgot about it until recently. my thoughts haven’t changed, though... i hope this post shines some light on why i like kosaka and tsubaki so much. to be honest, though, i’d probably just say that he’s sooo cute and i wanna protect that sweet smile of his... my 174 cm tall son.

[piracytheorist]

Fanfic Self Promo: KnightRook

I decided to make a few self-promo posts on my older fics, starting with the ones centered on KnightRook! All are short one shots or drabbles, but they’re worth a little promo after all this time. They’re in a list of older ones first.

~

Missing Knight | T, 2.4k words, written 16 Oct 2017 | AO3 link | Tumblr link Summary: Speculative fic about Detective Rogers meeting the girl who, unbeknownst to him, is his own daughter.

I wrote this a little after 7x02 aired, before we knew anything more about Killian’s daughter. I was completely off with it, but I’m still quite happy with it.

~

A Young Tempest | G, 1.3k words, written 20 Oct 2017 | AO3 link | Tumblr link Summary: Killian Jones raises his daughter and learns things along with her. 

Another speculative fic about Killian’s history with his daughter. Once again, completely off, but it’s one of my favourite stuff I’ve written.

~

A Song for Goodnight | G, 1.8k words, written 28 Nov 2017 | AO3 link | Tumblr link Summary: Alice Jones I sings a lullaby to her son. A long time later, Killian Jones sings the same lullaby to his daughter. Warnings: Canon character death in the past.

I have feels about Killian singing his mother’s lullaby to his daughter. Some of these made it into this fic.

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Untitled ficlet of Killian thinking about the white elephant he gave Ella | Tumblr link

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A Family by Choice | G, 3.3k words, written 04 Feb 2018 | AO3 link | Tumblr link Summary: The curse is broken, everyone’s memories are back, and Roni with Weaver find a way to remove the poison from Rogers’ heart. But it’s not easy nor perfectly safe, and it might just as well pull that family apart again rather than bring it back together. 

This one is a little sad, as usual with me. But again, lots of feels.

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The First Rain | G, 590 words, written 25 Mar 2018 | AO3 link | Tumblr link Summary: Alice is finally free and gets to explore how being under the rain feels.

This one includes only Alice, but it’s got a lot of focus on KnightRook. (If you thought you’d find happy stuff on my fic, you thought wrong. KnightRook was brimming with angst and I milked the hecc out of it)

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Mother’s Day | G, 650 words, written 14 May 2018 | AO3 link | Tumblr link Summary: Modern AU. Alice makes something for her papa for Mother's Day.

I felt that Killian deserved a little more love and appreciation for raising such a kind human as Alice all on his own. Father’s day doesn’t get as much appreciation as Mother’s day, especially considering it’s usually after school starts summer break. So I felt that in a modern setting, Alice would choose to celebrate her father and their love for each other on Mother's Day at some point.

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Poor Old Man | G, 530 words, written 12 Mar 2018 | AO3 link | Tumblr link Summary: While in the tower, Killian realizes he's growing old. But not alone. 

There’s a sea shanty with the same name, but only the title has a reference to the story. I just thought that it would be interesting to see Killian, who’d spent his centuries in Neverland not expecting to survive his revenge mission, realize that he’s not only actually growing old, but that he’s also got someone to love and love him back as he does.

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Sad drabble of “What if Killian hadn’t managed to save Alice from being pulled into her worst nightmare in the finale?” Like, really sad. | Tumblr link

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Sad Old Hook drabble in direct response to the fic above, because he did end up old and alone. Be sad with me, people. | Tumblr link

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Marks | T, 1k words, written 15 June 2018 | AO3 link | Tumblr link Summary: Little Alice wonders why she doesn’t have any marks on her back, like her papa does. Warnings: Mentions of past physical abuse of a teenager

If you know me, you know I headcanon Killian having multiple scars on his body, many particularly from the time he was a indentured servant as a kid/teen. Being the only one who Alice sees in her first years, she thinks that she’ll grow to have such marks on her body. This is a bit of a melancholic take on Killian trying to explain it to her.

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Untitled ficlet about Old Hook “fusing” with OG Hook, becoming one with him. | Tumblr link

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A New Experience | G, 1.3 words, written 19 July 2018 | AO3 link | Tumblr link Summary: Killian makes a re-imagining of a storm in the tower for Alice. 

Humans have more senses than vision. In this story, Killian does his best to create an experience for Alice by invoking her other senses. (Also nerding out for my music knowledge by adding an ocean drum)

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Sad drabble about how Killian seeing his daughter pull away out of fear of hurting him sometimes hurts worse than the curse in his heart. | Tumblr link

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Under the Weather | G, 2.2 words, written 12 Nov 2018 | AO3 link | Tumblr link Summary: Young Alice gets very ill and Killian tries to help her. 

Don’t let my habit for angst worry you, this has a happy ending. The medicine techniques are probably inaccurate, but I wanted to focus on a scenario of Killian trying to heal Alice with the very very limited sources he has.

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Remembering Alice | G, 424 words, written 04 Dec 2018 | AO3 link | Tumblr link Summary: After Lucy's birth, Killian can't help feeling sad as he remembers how his daughter is forced to live away from him. 

It is what it is. A short angsty thing. Only Killian appears here, but the focus is on KnightRook.

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A Merry Little Christmas | G, 1.6 words, written 24 Dec 2018 | AO3 link | Tumblr link Summary: This year, Rogers and Tilly won’t spend Christmas Day on their own. 

I don’t participate on Secret Santa and similar events, cause they stress me out over producing a specific kind of content at a specific time. However, all the love people gave to that year's KnightRook Secret Santa inspired me to write a kinda independent contribution, which came out as this. It may not be Christmas yet but the warm, fuzzy feelings are the same!

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Untitled ficlet about re-awakened Killian thinking how his true self conflicted with Rogers’ memories and original goals. | Tumblr link

I barely remember writing this one, lol. I think, it may have started as a meta post, then it took a fanfic route on its own. Fics be doing that. I’ll probably post it on AO3 at some point, too.

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Outward-Bound | T, 2.5 words, written 20 Mar 2019 | AO3 link | Tumblr link Summary: Old, dishevelled, broken-hearted Hook is drowning his sorrows in alcohol, when he happens upon a familiar face, someone he never imagined he’d see again. Warnings: Depiction of alcoholism

Oh, this be sad! Again, only Killian appears, but the KnightRook feels are prominent.

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Sad (shocking, I know) drabble about Killian being taken away in the ambulance in 7x20 | Tumblr link

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The Dreams That Won’t Come True | G, 2.1k words, written 14 Sep 2019 | AO3 link | Tumblr link Summary: Killian and Alice find a way to be together through their dreams... but it doesn't end up being what they expected. 

That made me sad. Almost made me cry when I first wrote it, and I’m very hard to cry.

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Bonus Fics!

Untitled ficlet with Robyn and Killian; three moments between them | Tumblr link

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Accepting Happiness | G, 1k words, written 26 Nov 2018 | AO3 link | Tumblr link Summary: A little after reuniting with Alice, Killian takes a moment to try and let everything sink in. Hooked Queen, open to your interpretation.

Some introspective thoughts on how Killian and Regina would feel, right after the climactic ending of the finale, the one set before the final scene. Only Killian and Regina appear, but KnightRook is in focus.

[alifeasvivid]

@nopeferatu Okay I said 15k or less and this is gonna be less. This is for my own amusement and definitely not to say that anyone’s preference is wrong, merely to make the case in any direction because that’s kinda my favorite thing. It’s also the same with the... houses of a school from a book written by idk some idiot who we do not know. Also I’m not gonna pollute your post with my nonsense.

Alfred the Earthbender - as an unyielding, immovable object whose willpower is second to none really, and who is gifted with superhuman physical strength yes. Absolutely Earthbender all the way

Alfred the Waterbender - I’ll be real, I think this one is probably the least likely, BUT consider this Alfred the unstoppable force, a person who has to learn to channel his emotions in a mature way

Alfred the Firebender - I mean this one, to me, is probably the most obvious. Impulsive, impetuous, bright and whip smart, but not always concerned with how much damage is being caused.

Alfred the Airbender - I think this one is my preferred. Alfred who is just here for a good time, who loves flight, who is almost impossible to pin down both in his vivacious life force, but also his personality, mercurial to say the least

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Arthur the Earthbender - I mean if Alfred’s willpower is rivaled by anyone, it’s Arthur. If we consider England as a soggy island standing strong against the crashing waves, I’d buy the idea of his stubborness. Toph actually reminds me a lot of him.

Arthur the Waterbender - Conquered the seven seas, is governed a lot by his emotions (the part of humans associated with water), ‘nuff said. Also I think this is my preferred interpretation.

Arthur the Firebender - This is where I think we see him and Alfred most closely aligned, a lot of their strengths and weaknesses would look similar under this element, so basically just copy/paste what I said for Alfred

Arthur the Airbender - probably the least likely, but Airbenders seem to be closely aligned with spirituality and magic in a way that I think fits Arthur and again, he’s kinda similar to Alfred under this element (like the Monarchs of Spades--spades being swords which in tarot is the suit of air)

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Overall, I agree that Alfred would more likely be Earth or Air and Arthur would more likely be Fire or Water because the former are activated by logic and will and the latter are governed by emotion and control and I think Alfred is better with logic and Arthur is better with emotions. (Kinda the same reason Alfred’s always the STEM major and Arthur’s always the humanities major LOL)

[seance]

jatp as bodies of water

a character analysis based on this gifset.

first of all, a disclaimer: this was just me and @snakebitescar having fun , we perfectly know this is still a kid show and it’s not that deep™ but i, personally, find this type of speculations really interesting. kinda all or nothing, you know? i don’t usually dwell on more superficial hcs because i’m drawn to this kind of symbolism the most. that said we just thought we share, no pressure to rb or anything. i apologize for the small text but this got long i don’t want to spam anyone’s dash too much. 

luke as the ocean

I purposefully chose to use not just any view of the ocean, but a glimpse of a stormy one. What makes it so fitting in my eyes is that the ocean, by its nature, is limitless and unknowable but it’s not deceiving in any way. It’s powerful and overpowering but it appears as it is: vast and full of hidden depths.

Luke’s greatest strength is his energy, his uncompromising passion, his determination, his willingness to risk it all for what he believes in and for the people he loves. He needs to always be in motion, he needs to know he’s moving forward, towards something greater, something that will make every sacrifice and every loss worth it. Behind every gesture, every word, every action there’s something more, something deeper (like a wound that never really closed, an unfathomable regret, a simmering anger sparked by the betrayal of a friend).

He doesn’t really hide who he is or what he thinks but he will always, like the ocean, keep surprising those around him with new aspects of his exuberance, his creativity, his sociability. Just like the ocean, bound by no borders, Luke is free to be everything at once.

reggie as the lake

The lake can be peaceful and embracing or brooding and stagnant. It’s the only body of water that doesn’t flow somewhere, it appears motionless on the surface but in reality it hides dangerous underwater currents, unpredictable whirlpools and often deadly murky terrains.

Lakes represent the need for security, they are places of painful transformations, both cradle and trap. Basing some of our assumption on Luke’s words about Reggie’s less than ideal home-life, the parallel between the lake’s dual nature and how he expresses (or rather suppresses) his emotions came naturally. One of the main differences between Reggie and everyone else is that he’s never confrontational. He always works towards de-escalating the situation, he’s probably used to conceal any negative emotion to not add fuel to the fire, he tends to always follow and never lead.

This doesn’t mean he feels less than everybody else, every now and then those very emotions he tries so hard to control shine through and we see how actually scared he is, how he craves stability and security. He dreads any changes that have to do with the unknown or the possibility of his support system failing (“Do we all still get to hang out together?”) Just like the lake he’s both still and turbulent, constantly edging between relying on what is safe or taking the odd risk.

alex as the river

Alex was maybe the most complex to analyze out of the four of them. I’m a firm believer that anyone is entitled to their own headcanons and their own interpretation of a character but I must admit, I can’t really get behind some fandom takes that systematically reduce Reggie to his goofy side or Alex to his anxiety because as I see it, they both hold so much potential.

Rivers are an indomitable force. They flow for miles, from mountain to sea, sometimes dwindling but never drying up completely. They dig their way forward and they endure. Rivers are symbols of sensitivity and empathy but they can also be forceful and overflowing, almost too much to bear all at once.

Alex is highly emotional, for better or worse that’s what makes him such an interesting character. He’s not just his anxiety but he’s always straightforward about his emotions and his thoughts. Unlike Reggie we often see him question Luke’s opinion, he doesn’t shy away from commenting on the current situation, if he’s feeling anxious or happy or sad or angry he’s open about it, he wants the others to know.

Alex had to hide a big part of his identity for we don’t know how long and that surely played its part in worsening his fears but what we do know is that he had the courage to come out and live his truth, despite the negative outcome. When he decides to do something he pours all of himself into it, he’s proactive, he’s honest (sometimes too honest), he’s afraid of change but still faces it head first.

Just like a river plunges through deep ravines and spreads out over wide planes, he can act as a leading force if needed, making others see things from a different perspective (him talking to Julie about the Patterson, for example). He’s captivating and intense, Willie fell for him deep and fast and vice versa. Alex immediately offered the truest form of himself (his interest and his awkwardness and his anxiety) with no compromise. That’s part of the reason Willie’s betrayal stung so much I believe (“I thought we were having fun together” meaning Alex never thought of acting any differently from who he really is, what he was putting on the table was his raw and flawed self and Willie’s hesitation felt like a rejection).

Just like the river, Alex is committed and open about where he comes from and where he’s going.

julie as the waterfall

While every other body of water is somehow linked to the imaginary of life and death (the ocean gave us life but it can take it back just as easily, the river mythologically represents the boundaries between the two worlds, lakes are the dwelling places of monsters or other insidious creatures) waterfalls are usually seen as magical elements. They’re young, fresh, unafraid and most importantly, alive. They represent the calling for adventure, the restlessness that comes from wanting to always try new things, to explore your own potential.

Julie, above all, is her own character. All her relationships are deeply meaningful but they just add to an already strong identity. She’s energetic and she’s resourceful and she’s strong in the truest sense of the term because she isn’t afraid to hurt or to admit her limits (“I tried for mom, for you, even for me. I’m tired”). Julie is the main engine of the entire narrative because she represents, quite literally, the life force of the band. She doesn’t just go along with their wishes, she finds a balance with the boys and she isn’t afraid to call it quits when her trust is betrayed, she’s their equal in all things and she inspires respect.

Just like the waterfall rushes down perilously from any height, Julie launches herself in the new possibilities the band has to offer, she claws her way out of her grief and she gets involved without sparing herself. She’s eager, she’s passionate and she’s creative and she always has a new input to offer.

[that-unhinged-stem-dude]

Ok so I’ve been working on a Dark! series of the Riordanverse so imma start off with CHB/CJ

Also these are my own interpretations

I’ll be explaining through the characters

Dark! Zeus/Jupiter: Thalia and Jason have considerable power over air, meaning they have power over all the winds. They can literally kill a person by blocking the air flow from their nose to their lungs. Also lightning. The intense heat caused by it is enough to kill an entire group.

Dark! Poseidon/Neptune: Percy can control water. Humans are 70% water so he can control them. Put him near a body of water, he can drown them in 0.5 seconds. Can bloodbend as blood consists of water and cause blood to dry up or make the person bleed until all the blood has left the body. Can encase a person in ice and can deprive them of warmth by taking the heat in the water. When fighting in the ocean/sea, he can command all the fish and aquatic mammals to fight for him and can command most Pegasi to follow him

Dark! Demeter/Ceres: Meg is an excellent swordswoman bcoz u gotta reap ur crops and the dark! equivalent is sword fighting also Demeter/Ceres kids have the power to deprive/increase nourishment of humans. So if anyone makes them mad, say goodbye to your food. They can also make plants grow out of nowhere with seeds and can entrap a person in the plant

Dark! Hades/Pluto: lemme start with Nico. He can literally summon all dead people and can make his own zombie army. Also he can fvcking ghostify a person bcoz that’s what he did to Bryce Lawrence. Now Hazel. She represents the wealth part. She can literally make u broke and bury you in the earth with her earthbending skills. Can curse each and every precious stone u find.

Dark! Ares/Mars: being children of war, Frank and Clarrise know all war tactics and techniques. All the armies on the loosing side are forced to serve Ares/Mars and his kids so they can summon them at a time of battle and increase their power by invoking their dad’s powers

Dark! Athena: Annabeth’s planning peaks when she’s taking revenge on someone for hurting someone close to her. She goes into full strategy mode and I would love it if this happened, she can summon a massive group of owls and they attack the enemy. While in battle, she’s a killing machine, swiping through hoards of enemies

Dark! Apollo: Will being a healer, knows all about the human anatomy. He knows where to strike first to incapacitate the enemy. Kayla, an amazing archer, has deadly accuracy and can strike the part where she’s aiming. SHE CAN RELEASE FUCKING PLAGUE ARROWS LIKE THE TORTURE WITH THOSE. Austin can release the most horrible tunes which can make monsters’ ears’ bleed which is so horrible

Dark! Artemis/Diana: TWO WORDS: DEADLY ACCURACY. So I kinda have a theory. They can be so god dam stealthy u probably won’t hear them coming but when the do come their fighting and hunting skills are unmatched like completely. And once the fight is over, the enemies are probably turned into animals.

Dark! Hephaestus/Vulcan: Leo is an amazing engineer and has fire powers. These are like amazing powers. So Leo, to get back at everyone who has hurt him, would build a cage with such amazing workmanship that only Cabin 9 can open it. He would place a flammable substance and set fire to it once the enemy is trapped. That is level max superiority also he can firebend

I’ll post part 2 in some days :)