#also this is my first time using alt text so please let me know if the descriptions need improvement!

[rulersre4chf4n]

Hunter + Tumblr text posts

(images contain alt text)

[systematicallycapricious]

Arbitrary plurality resources post for the year

I noticed that a lot of the 'system tracking' resources out there focus heavily on "who's fronting and for how long in a day" rather than "who's generally active in a day". It's seriously been bugging me, especially since non-fronting and rarely-fronting system members are an established plurality experience! So after looking at other people's recommendations of the former for the umpteenth time, in my frustration, I just started looking through clerical apps on my phone for something, anything that could potentially be repurposed for system tracking.

Low and behold, ICloud Numbers has a handy-dandy auto-graphing feature, as well as an easy-to-use checkbox feature. Salvation at last! So in case anyone else might be in similar straits, I decided to make this post about it to show the set-up I drafted up.

Theoretically, other spreadsheet software could do something similar, or one could finagle it via a mishmash of methods. There might even be dedicated graphing software out there too, for all I know. (I didn't really research it. This one worked for me, after all. xP) So feel free to use whatever works best for you, if you make your own.

Also, a quick note: I'm unsure of how well this would work for a larger system. If any folks interested in this for larger systems are reading, this is your fair warning that this might not be best suited to you. But please, feel free to read through anyways and see if I'm wrong, or if you can find a way to adapt anything here to your needs!

Anyways, that said, screenshots and explanations of things:

————————————————————

Blank Monthly Template

————————————————————

The blank template version of the spreadsheet, because it's so much easier to just copy and paste this than create a whole new spreadsheet page every time.

Going in order of the features...

First off, the color scheme and layout. You can change the colors of the cell backgrounds, all of the text, any shapes you add (like lines), and the page background to any color you like. You can also position elements pretty much anywhere on the sheet that you like. (Personally, I like to keep the spreadsheet in the upper-left because it's faster to access when it's the default loading position of a page.)

Next, the title text elements. Honestly? You don't really need to put anything there if you don't want to. It was just kind of there already with the basic 'school attendance sheet' template I started this from, so I kept it.

If you intend to set it up like I have it, though: “SysName” is for your system (or subsystem, or group of system members') name, though you could use your body name or a specific member's name or whatever-have-you, too.

“Any& can tick boxes at day's end” is a reminder or regulation thing, I guess? I intended it to remind headmates that the job didn't have to fall to just a specific person, and also to invite them to mark their own activity down if they'd like. If other systems have rules on who can and can't do what, though, then maybe it could be helpful to note that here?

The 'one asterisk for P.M.S., two asterisks for period' thing I added because it seemed like it might be useful to the systems that experience it, given hormones can affect mood, dealing with blood or pain can incur various negative reactions, it can involve sensory issues for those with sensory differences, people who don't track days passing very well might be helped by a record of their cycle, etc. For plurals who don't experience it, or who have other things that might be helpful to track like this, you could probably modulate or remove it from your own version?

“Attendance Sheet — Month 20[blank]” is a title to denote the purpose, as well as what month it's specifically for. If you create a different spreadsheet file (not page) for each year, though, you might not need to label the year on the sheets themselves? The file title could suffice in that case.

“Important life context” is to help give future-you context on what was going on in that month, as life happenings can affect who in your collective is active and when. You can pretty much put whatever you find useful here, but make sure to only limit it to what goes on within that month. (Happenings can still span over multiple months, though; just make sure to note it down on all months that it's applicable to.) Also, if you needed more than 3 bullet points for this, you could change the location of the text element to somewhere with more space.

The “Date” column is for every day in the month. I personally keep all 31 rows for dates on the spreadsheet, even in months with less than 31 days, as it's easier to just change the absent days to “N/A” than it is to adjust the spreadsheet template every month. As for the blank cell in the date column... I believe I had to separate it from the “Total” row beneath it due to it messing with something to do with the auto-graphing? But I honestly don't remember, so maybe try to combine that with the row below it in your version.

The “Total Active Per Day” column adds up the total number of checkmarks in the row that each cell inhabits. Thus, basically tallying how many people in the collective are active each day. I added this metric because I was curious about how many of the total member count were active at a given time, and if that fluctuated at different times of the year, or in different circumstances. It can also be a useful insight to how active the system is when life changes occur, like if your physical health is greater or lesser, if you're starting a new medication, etc., so you can see concrete information that doesn't rely on your own internal memory of time or events.

All the columns labeled “Headmate A” and “HM B through S” are for you to put headmate names, monikers, emojis, etc. in. If you don't know who someone is yet, but have evidence or a feeling that someone is there, you can also use temporary monikers such as “Unknown chores-person” or “Rando 1” or whatever works for you. Just make sure you keep their spot in the spreadsheet if you ever update their column header; that way your data stays more consistent and easier to track!

Also, just in general, I don't recommend messing with the places you put system members' columns, as that can make it more difficult to find who is where at a glance. If you need to add someone in the middle of the sheet, make sure to apply that change to your template sheet and your yearly summary!

As for why the headmate names recur in the middle of the spreadsheet's rows... I have trouble visually tracking what column is which when I can't see the headers, so splicing them into the middle of the month fixed that for me. If you don't need such a thing, you can feel free to remove it! It's not necessary for any of the cell coding.

Also related to the headmate columns is the “Max Days Integer” column. This is here specifically for graphing purposes, as things like the bar graphs like to auto-adjust to the highest number input into them, which can make them harder to read. This will have every day in that month checkmarked as to create a benchmark integer.

Lastly, the “Total” row is for tallying-up how many days out of the month that a single system member was active for. The cells are coded to add +1 for each checkmark in the column they inhabit – so make sure you don't accidentally check-off more boxes than there are days in that month!

————————————————————

Filled Monthly Example

————————————————————

This is a filled example of the monthly template! I tried to emulate believable patterns of activity, but I have no clue if I hit the mark, haha. Anyways, this should give you an example of how one of these looks like when used.

Also included in this example are example graphs! You can graph things however you find most useful, but I'll go over the ones I've used here. (Also, note that ICloud Numbers can't currently copy and paste graph templates, so you'll have to set them up anew every time you create a sheet. However, you can open the spreadsheet in two browser tabs at once and just copy and paste the various data-settings onto your new graphs, so long as you remember what cells you specifically linked them to, so that can help preserve uniformity at least.)

First off, the “Days Active” graph. This uses the data from the “Total” row to visually show you what each system member's activity was for that month. To create it, I selected only the cells in the columns labeled with headmates' names, not the whole row, as the blank space from the “Total Active Per Day” row might mess up the graph. (I don't remember specifically.) I also set the “major steps” to be “8”, a multiple of 40, so the data would be easier to read in relation to the days of the month. You can mess around with it and see what's easiest for you to comprehend, though!

Next, the “Total Active Per Day” graph. As you might be able to see by the empty “Date” and “N/A” entries, this reads the entire “Total Active Per Day” column from the spreadsheet and not just specific cells. This graph compares the numbers of total activity across all of the days in the month, and contrasts them against the total number of members in your collective (which you'd input in the cell that intersects the “HM-Total” row and “Total Active Per Day” column).

The T.A.P.D. graph has a major steps number of “10” and a minor steps number of “1”. I'd try to adjust the major steps number to be a multiple of your system's member count, as that way it should be easier to read.

Lastly, the “Activity Frequency” graph. This one also uses the “Total” row for set-up the same way the “Days Active” graph does, but for this one you exclude the Max Days Integer, as this graph is supposed to show you what percentage of the month one headmate was active for compared to the rest of the system. This one admittedly gets harder to read at smaller formatting sizes, as the thinner wedges lose and displace labels, but is also a pain if you make it too big on the page, especially when viewing from smaller screens.

As for the placement of the graphs, you can put them wherever you want on the sheet. I just put them below the spreadsheet, as I find it easier to scroll directly down than the full horizontal length of the spreadsheet.

(Also quick note regarding ICloud Numbers: as far as I know, graphs can only pull data from one spreadsheet at a time, and only from spreadsheets on the same page. So all of your system members will have to be put on the same sheet if you want them all to be on the same graph.)

————————————————————

Yearly Summary, Filled Example

————————————————————

And for our final page, we have the spreadsheet and graphs where you input all the data from the monthly spreadsheets to create a comprehensive, easy-to-review overview of the year. The formatting is pretty much the same as the monthly templates; you just reduce the date rows to '12' for labeling the 12 months in the year and fill the “Max Days Integer” column with the total number of days in each month for that calendar year. (Which means that you'll need to make sure to account for leap years!) Also, the guideline changes to 'adding numbers at the start of each month', and the title of the sheet changes to “Total Number of Active Days — 20[blank]”.

Basically, you update this spreadsheet every time you fill a full monthly spreadsheet. I find that doing it at the start of every new month is the easiest, since the idea of filling out the entire year at once seems too daunting, and this way I get to see the graphs update incrementally instead of having to wait a whole year. But you can do it in whatever way works best for you!

Also, you may notice that there's no “important life context” text element on this sheet. Personally, I think that reviewing that in each individual month would be more informative for me, but if you'd find it useful to have that here, then go for it!

As for the graphs...

The “Total Days Active” is set up the same as the “Days Active” from the monthly spreadsheets, just with 16 major steps instead of 8. It functions the same too; you're just seeing all of the single-month versions of this graph combined into one!

Again, the “Total Activity Frequency (Days)” graph is set up the same as the monthly version, and shows the combination of all of the single-month versions in its data. Pretty cool to see who was around the most and least in a year, in my opinion!

The “Monthly Activity (Individuals)” is specifically an “interactive graph”. This lets you flip through multiple data-sets while using a smaller amount of page space! To set it up like this, you want to create a cell-selection spanning your first headmate's “January” cell all the way to your last headmate's “December” cell, leaving out the “Max Days Integer” cells. The major steps is still set to 8 in this graph, as this graph compares one headmate's number of active days for each month in the year.

The “Total Active Per Month” graph is set up the same as it's monthly counterpart. The only thing is that you now have to do “the total number of members in your system” multiplied by “31” (that being the highest possible number of days in the month) in order to get the benchmark integer for “if every single member of your system was active every single day in a single month”.

This is probably something that would reach ridiculously high numbers for those with higher system counts – after all, it's already at “589” with this example count of “19”. So while it gives an interesting view of the data... it probably could be done in a less clunky way, lol.

And finally, this behemoth of a graph, another thing that probably doesn't work great at larger system counts, haha. You create this the same way as the “Monthly Activity (Individuals)” graph, but including the “Total Active Per Day” and “Max Days Integer” columns as well. Also, the major steps for this graph are 20, not 8. This graph basically lets you see the same data as the 'Individuals' version, but all at once, and with the ability to compare a single headmate's activity against the collective headmate activity for each month.

You could probably get away with using the 'Individuals' version alone if you wanted to; I just personally find it fun to be able to see them all at once.

...Also, evidently there's a column header typo of “Total Active Per Day” rather than “Total Active Per Month” on this spreadsheet that affects its entry on this graph. Oops!

————————————————————

Additional Notes

————————————————————

And that's a wrap! A very... lengthy... wrap... Lol.

Anyways, for 5 quick additional notes:

1: In hindsight, there should probably be a checkbox column for “Too unclear to tell” or “Bad communication”, as that in and of itself would be valuable data to track. So that could be appended to the start or end of the spreadsheet, perhaps?

2: You can put comments on individual cells in the spreadsheet. So if you want to put more nuanced detail on why or what system members were doing in a day, or note down on a 'date' cell what events were transpiring that day, then that's a thing you could do! Or if you wanted to use it to track plans you have for the month, you could also do that, in theory, though I'm not sure how useful that'd be given that comments aren't immediately visible like the cells' data is.

3: You can password-protect spreadsheet files in ICloud Numbers. It gives you the option to set unique passwords for each file, doesn't stop you from using the same password on multiple files, and has the option to set password hints if you need them. So if you'd find that helpful and not a hindrance, then that's an option!

4: I also drafted a version of this set-up to have two spreadsheets in a single month: one for 'active'-presence and one for 'passive'-presence. I did this while I was trying to combine a fronting-tracker with an activity-tracker, as fronting-trackers do still have their merits.

If you want to set something like that up, you basically have to duplicate everything on the monthly sheets to another section of a single month's sheet (or make a separate page for the same month if you want), and then either duplicate the contents of the yearly summary on the same page (not recommended; it gets long) or split the data up into 2 separate pages.

5: Aside from that, writers and character-creators who want to make super-intricate histories for their plural characters could probably adapt this to their purposes too. You'd just have to adjust the calendar to whatever calendar your setting uses, and anything else to whatever would be more useful for fictional purposes.

And that's it! Happy spreadsheeting, y'all!

[poly-smosh-vibes]

Tommy's SOPHIE tattoo (from his insta stories about her)

[it-came-autumnally]

^ Originally I had all of this written up in the tags and then realized that keeping a whole paragraph in the tags like that would have been difficult for people to read.

Image description under the cut in case it's difficult to read:

[ID: a screenshot of a list of tags that read as follows:

#YES OP you get it. the Crossbell chapter of CS2 is so important and so so good for many reasons

#every time I watch this scene the thing that always stands out is how rean introduces himself

#he wants to say thors. he wants to say he's from class vii. because that is the place he belongs

#but that's not why he's here and he knows it. he's here on osborne's orders and he hates it. #this is not what class vii stands for. this is not what he stands for. and it forces him to almost backpedal because. well.

#what is current purpose in crossbell? to be something to be feared. to be a monster

#in other words: the very thing he was afraid of since learning of his orge power. the very thing class vii assured him that he's not

#it isn't who he wants to be. fighting lloyd is like a slap in the face because even though lloyd is on the run and a wanted man

#lloyd is free. he knows what he wants knows the path he needs to take in order to work towards his goal of independence

#i know rean gets a lot of flack for being the super op oc with 9029302 superpowers but scenes like this are supposed to remind you

#power on its own is a curse. a terrible terrible curse

#even if you don't love him there is depth to his character

\END ID]

I just played through the Crossbell section of Trails of Cold Steel 2 and I love how the change of perspective flips how you see Rean. For most of the series, you've mostly seen him as a skilled but kind swordsman with a dark past, but mostly a good guy. To an outsider, he's fucking terrifying. Not only is he a skilled user of the Eight Leaves One Blade style, he also has an additional super mode AND he can call in a giant robot to wreck your shit at any time he wants.

And yet now that you're no longer in control of him, he's begun to follow Osborne's orders as part of the Imperial warmachine. His whole life Rean has defined himself by how useful he can make himself to others, but up until now he was surrounded by good and decent people who put him on the right path. Now he's taking orders from Osborne, the most sinister man in Zemuria, because Rean, aren't you a good little Erebonian soldier? Aren't you a patriot? Are you willing to let good Erebonian men and women die even though you have an ancient war mech that could save them? And Rean has no mechanisms to say no to that. And he fucking hates it. The only thing he can do is let Lloyd and Rixia go because he wasn't explicitly ordered to capture them. Lloyd isn't a super special awesome OC like Rean is, but he has the one thing Rean has wanted all his life: clarity of purpose.

It's a shame Cold Steel 2 has so many weak moments because when it gets good, it's very good.

[lazyleafeon]

[ID copied from Alt text: the first photo has the text, "sketch commissions for Gaza." Next to it is a drawing of the artist drawing on their art tablet.

second photo: 4 examples of commission prices and art, modeled by Kim Dokja from Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint in his demon king form. For one dollar: a rough chibi sketch. for 5 to ten dollars: a rough but more detailed sketch. there is more motion in his pose. for 10 to 15 dollars: a cleaner lined sketch with more detail given to the silhouette. for more than 15 dollars: a cleaner sketch with more attention to volume and detail in his outfit and wings. End ID]

For now up until March 10th I'm taking pay what you want sketch commissions for donations to Help Gaza Children, managed by @fairuzfan and Hussam, since from March 4th to the 10th all donations will go to families in Northern Gaza.

Their site is here where you can find more information, like their FAQ, and proof of purchases from donations they've received so far.

You can donate to Help Gaza Children's paypal here. The paypal link is also on their site.

guidelines:

To be upfront, I am a full time college student so expect a two month turnaround. I will give you an update around a month in and again at two months if I don't finish by then.

Please include a visual reference or detailed text description of the character(s) you want drawn, unless I've drawn them before and you're okay with me going with my design.

I can draw OCs, mechs, and furries.

I won't draw real people or anything nsfw.

I reserve the right to refuse a commission and may ask you to choose something else. If you want to know in advance if I'll take it, feel free to DM or send an ask.

Extra characters will be half the price as one character. Please only request up to three characters per category (ex: if you pay $35, you can get 3 characters: 1 for $15 and the other 2 for $10 each. if you pay $6 you can get 3 characters: 1 for $3 and 2 for $1.50 each)

don’t use these for commercial use. personal use (like as icons or headers, or like printing it for yourself) is okay

if you're paying in a currency other than dollars you can let me know and I'll try to adjust the pricing so you get a drawing equivalent to what you paid. I don't want people to pay the equivalent of $20 and get a rough sketch or something.

To get a commission, email me at desklamprey @ gmail.com with a screenshot of the receipt of your donation made after this post was made (3/5/24 at around 2 pm PST), and the details about your request. please censor any personal information in the receipt.

If you have any questions feel free to DM or send an ask!

[striveattemptfail]

in prime earth canon, jason todd (NOT red hood) was* publicly known to be alive

red hood: outlaw (2018) #32 (ID in alt text)

considering that jason todd was the official owner of the iceberg lounge during this time, it's likely he acquired the lounge legally and thus can be inferred that he had to be declared legally alive to do so

which brings me to my point:

i've seen a lot of people writing/speculating the difficulties and limitations jason experiences bc he was declared legally dead after ethiopia, which is all well and good, and is fantastic fodder for angst

but i've been wondering if this was bc people are actively ignoring canon (valid) or simply didn't know that at one point* jason was publicly alive (also valid, bc following comics is a shitshow lol)

please reblog to increase visibility! the whole point of this poll is to gauge how many people know this, so i'd love to see this post reach as many people as possible. thank you~! 😅🙏

(* big disclaimer under the cut!)

note: all of this info is as of may 2023. i am only one human so it's impossible for me to read every comic jason has been in since rhato (2016) and remember every single thing that happened. if anything i said above the cut is incorrect now, i apologize! /o\

for reference, as of creating this poll i've read:

red hood and the outlaws (2016) #1-26

red hood: outlaw (2018) #27-52

task force z (2021) #1-12

batman: urban legends (2021) #1-6 – cheer pt.1-6

the joker: the man who stopped laughing (2022) #3-5

i haven't read a lot of other important runs like death metal (2020), three jokers (2020), robins (2021), etc. if jason (NOT red hood) was declared dead once again in any of those, that is the reason why i used "was" in the very first sentence of this post and reiterate that he was alive at least for a limited period

my bad that i missed his second legal death tho LOLLL

i'm also aware that red hood (NOT jason) was known as "dead" by others after task force z (even though he clearly didn't die). that said, in the little i've read of tj:tmwsl, it seems that 1) not everyone knows red hood is actually alive, and/or that 2) red hood died at all. again, if red hood is generally known to be alive after tfz, that's on me

if there's anything else i've missed, let me know!! i'll update/reblog this post for as long as the poll is up (-u-)b

[heck-theo]

ROTTMNT Pride Flag Icons

The response to my last post about these was very encouraging so I finished them! Here are some examples using popular headcanons and/or headcanons that I like (so hard to pick cause there are so many great ones).

Below these examples are some rules for use and then below that are the blanks with the green flags for you!

Rules: First I wanna acknowledge that there's nothing I can really do to stop people using these however they want, and while I would disapprove, I'm not going to get mad and fight you about it. I won't give you the attention.

If you have any good faith/genuine questions or criticisms about these rules please let me know.

TLDR:Keep it respectful and PG.

Who can use these? I don't mind anyone using these if it follows the rules. Please credit me in some way if you use (even if it's just a text post), and don't claim that they are your own. If you would like to use it in a way that isn't specified here or with a flag not mentioned, feel free to ask.

Editing? I don't mind if you want to add small details, adjust colours etc, but I'd rather you didn't make large adjustments that could really change the overall picture.

How do I use these? I actually have no clue how to mask over a colour in a flat image, these are all clipped over the flag colour layer. If you do know please feel free to leave a comment. If you would like to request a specific flag go ahead and ask. If I only get a few requests I probably won't mind doing them for you. This is not a guarantee though, and it just depends on what I have going on and how I feel at the time.

What flags can I use? This is intended for flags that represent or support LGBTQIA identities. To be clear this does NOT include anything like TERF, MAP or Zoo flags. Also please don't use any flags representing kink and stuff.

Country flags? That is not the intended use and I'd really rather you didn't, however in the end as long as the flag isn't being used in a way that supports war, genocide or bigotry I'm not toooo fussed.

I really hope I'm being paranoid and this won't be an issue but I feel the need to say it cause I've been on the internet long enough to know it's full of trolls, grifters and creeps. If you see anyone being problematic, bigoted or disrespectful with these feel free to let me know. Free block list.

One last thing: There is a more "fem" leaning/alt version and a more "masc" presenting version. I tried not to get too carried away with changing their designs in the alt version. Also I'm still trying to figure out this style so it's not perfect but I was flattered that you guys were interested so I wanted to finish them off. Also they were designed to read well on a small scale so a lot of choices were made specifically to try and increase readability when they're itty bitty and some things might look slightly odd on full scale? Anyway.

Ok without further ado here are the blanks (I hope you can get some use out of them and enjoy ^^):

[futurebird]

Please, if possible, add alt text to your images. (Describe every image, please.)

I've seen people post before about how every image posted, ideally ought to have an image description. They generally get a lot of support from people already doing it, but also some objections, questions and even anger.

So let me first say: I understand that not everyone can add image descriptions for a variety of reasons. But, if i grab 100 random posts with images here it's lucky if one or two have a description. Now I know that not that many of you have some serious reason why you can't describe the damn images.

This simply isn't the case on other social platforms I frequent. Mastodon would be well above 60% described. Even twitter (before I left that hell-hole) had like 20% of the images described. Now both of these platforms have popular tools that will remind you if you forget a description, and frankly it's easier to edit descriptions there... so some of this is Tumblr's Fault. Tumblr make image descriptions easier and make a reminder!

But it's also about user culture. People here just don't think image descriptions matter. But they do!

I WILL NOT reblog posts if they don't have image descriptions. So I end up adding them myself, and frankly I pass over MANY posts that I would have quickly reblogged but I don't have the time to be everyone's mom and describe everything. So, I just do that for the really great posts I can't pass up. But having a description will make more people share your work since you aren't making work for us if we want to share it.

Why do I need to describe images? Because many people use screen readers and if a post makes no sense unless you know what's in the image your post is useless to all of those people.

Why do I need to describe art? Because people who are blind, and people with vision impairments also like art. My brother's kid loves my ant drawings. They're legally blind, but they can see if they enlarge an image and look close up, the description give them the context they need to understand what they are looking at. Frankly, I read image descriptions all the time myself when I find a post confusing, so it's helpful to... literal minded people too. And it just makes your post seem more complete and exciting. Why miss out on putting a neat description.

I don't know what to write! Imagine you are reading the post over the phone to a friend. What would you say "And then there is that meme with the guys in the hot tub, sitting five feet apart" put that. Even something short is better than nothing. Just explain the post for everyone. Since it's YOUR post you know best what matters most about the image. When I add descriptions after the fact they can get a little long since it's not my post and I don't know what matters most. OP's description in the alt text is the best description.

If you have other questions you can ask me. I'll find out if I don't know.

(Did you know you can add alt text to your images by clicking the "…" symbol in the lower-left corner of an image when writing a post? Having the description attached to the image is the best way and only the OP can do this, but I also often add descriptions in brackets [ ] when I reblog cool art, cats and ant stuff. So, if you can't add a description yourself, it's OK, there are people who will help.)

[rainbowolfe]

The Goats Reign

I don't think anyone came to any solid conclusions on this, so imma take a crack at it. They told us to put our detective hats on, and I assume they're referring to this. Didn't see anything else on their Twitter that could be sleuthed. No secret alt text or anything. So...

When the Lamb is drowned and torn asunder, It awakens the G.O.A.T from their slumber. To fight tooth and claw; Side by side. What's alone and lost, now aligned. The stare, a look and dead behind-the-eyes grin. Let the Goat's reign of suffering begin.

[BG Music] Pestilence. Kill the light.

"Drowned and Torn Asunder" = DATA "Greatest of All Time" = GOAT "Tooth and Claw" = TAC "Dead Behind the Eyes" = DBTE "Reign of Suffering" = ROS

Now, I tried a few different ways to try and decode these letters using ciphers and such, but to no results. So I'll tentatively check that off as "not that kind of puzzle".

However.

All of these are song titles. This would not be the first time they've referenced lyrics to hint at the story/what's coming next. The other time was to a poem called "The Phoenix and the Turtle Dove". Theory on that still pending.

Five songs. Five points to a pentagram. Five portents of doom. Five siblings. Five gods. Five becomes four becomes three becomes two becomes one becomes nothing. Nothing at all.

Its five, always five. These five songs likely relate back to the Bishops, but they could just as well be referring to the Five Gods I theorized about here. As I hold firm that the five siblings weren't the original five bishops. They themselves were usurpers.

But for the sake of simplicity and organization, I'll just label with the Bishop's names lol. I'll do speculation another day, but I just wanted to share my findings with everyone! The order I'm using here is based on the order Shamura/The Fanatic lists them in. (Its also the order you're intended to fight them in)

//also if anyone more deeply familiar with metal music has knowledge or suggestions for songs that have these titles, please let me know!

Methodology

Some of these songs had duplicates. Some had more than others. >_> I tried to narrow things down based on certain criteria. Mostly cross-referencing for any similarities with songs 1 and 5, which didn't have any duplicates.

A pattern I was able to find was: A) The genre (metalcore or its relatives); B) Their 'presence' in Australia (even though some originate in the US); C) The use of religious iconography/imagery in either the album art, album name, or music video; and D) It being the band's first album (some of them are technicalities). Bonus points if any goat imagery is used anywhere.

Let's dive right in!

1 - Leshy Drowned and Torn Asunder

By Trivium, from the album Ascendancy.

Force-feed them your ways Dictate up a blinded swarm Society's afraid

A song about revenge set in the midst of a conflict. Sounds like the opposing side is winning/otherwise has the upper hand, but the POV character intends to turn things around.

Deconstructing their hold Our vengeance will be tenfold; Our enemies will be drowned The opposing torn asunder

2 - Kallamar G.O.A.T

This one actually has me pretty stumped. Because there are, quite literally, only two options. And both of them are entirely different genres from the rest of these songs. And I'm pretty heavily leaning towards the one by Polyphia, even though it doesn't have lyrics.

It checks most of the criteria boxes, but I'm not actually sure if this band has a presence in Australia. And it's also not from their first album.

The one by Theory is. Technically. See, they were originally called Theory of a Deadman, but they changed their name. And "Wake Up Call" is their first album released under that name. They also have a presence in Australia despite being Canadian in origin. (They're actually under the same record label as Trivium!)

Polyphia

The MV presents us with two locations that mirror each other. A church represented with red and white banners. You can already see why I'm so inclined towards this one. In the "upright" reality, there are angels depicted in the stain glass window, and the performers wear black. In the "reversed" reality, the plain/clear windows show instead the nature outside, and the performers wear white.

The two sides are doing a (wordless) duet that has the same underlying melody but different vibes. The upright side presents a brighter environment where things are upbeat/triumphant, even though those present are dressed in dark colors. While the reversed (or mirrored) side presents a dark environment with a solemn/serious vibe despite those present being dressed in light colors.

Theory

A rather... triumphant/reflective song despite its gentler, sad-sounding beat. Sort of like, things were super good and the POV character accomplished a lot. They were the greatest that ever was. Emphasis on the past-tense.

Props to the gods as they watch from above Your enemies line up for miles You crush them all with your hope and a smile When you win, put your fists in the air Your fans cheer you on while your victims stare

Despite opening with a list of accomplishments, telling the tale of a Hercules-esque hero who did everything they set out to do, the song transitions into accepting what they have and preserving that. Since, you know. They did it. They crossed the finish line in first place, so to say. They don't have to keep running to prove they were the best.

You never settle for less than gold You're the best that the world will know No one'd ever guess how far you'd go You're the greatest, the greatest that ever was

3 - Heket Tooth and Claw

I'm pretty confident it's the one by Ghoul, but there's another that was a close second. It tells the story of a group of townspeople being shown an eye that corrupts their minds and inflicts them with an insatiable hunger that drives them to compulsive cannibalism. They can't actually keep it down, which means all of this death and violence ultimately amounts to nothing. They're all still hungry.

Shattering glass in the throne room As the multitudes seek to be fed The Basilisk flees into the swamp His acolytes are ripped to shreds

A Basilisk is the opposite of a Cockatrice. A toad or serpent egg incubated by and hatched from a cockerel. It's incredibly venomous and looking it in the eye kills you.

But in the context of this song, he's a sort of overlord responsible for the fall of many pseudo-deities (which is what Crown Bearers are). He broadcasts a transmission (the aforementioned eye) with the intent of controlling the minds of all the citizens of the land. It does not go as planned.

Really, I might need to go back and analyze the entire album for this one. Skimming the lyrics of the tracks before and after this one, there are mentions of fungoid tunnels, an unwilling sacrifice turned unwilling god, cultists, decay, and rot.

4 - Shamura Dead Behind the Eyes

This one I'm also between two. They're both about self-destruction and giving up, just expressed differently.

Oceans Ate Alaska

It breaks the established formula I was using for literally all the other songs, but if this isn't the intended song then this is the most brutal coincidence I have ever had the misfortune of discovering. Because what do you mean the song that perfectly describes Shamura isn't about Shamura.

Web-weaver You are weak, as hollow as those words you speak All for show with a lack of backbone The biggest hypocrite I have ever known You are weak, tangled in the webs you weave Parasite takes control of my mind

I can't tell if it's heaven or hell with you I'm paralyzed, dead behind the eyes

The very first line of the song being "web-weaver". Lyrics about letting the parasite win. Themes of self-hatred and regret. Also the line about being tangled in webs is a sentiment reflected in the album 'Tooth and Claw' comes from.

Soulfly

The only criteria this one breaks is that it's their eleventh album, and not their first. However, they were also under the same label as Trivium and Theory, so there's yet another connecting piece. It's also sung by Randy Blythe, who's from a band called Lamb of God. So that feels. Pointed.

Endless, deathless A cryptic inner fear What’s left, the wretched And those who speak in your ear Eviscerate your own impressions Die along with your transgressions Menace, penance Horrific path to ascension

Cenobites I know your kind Dead behind the eyes

This song is explicitly about/inspired by Hellraiser. It's a cliffnotes of what the Cenobites represent. They are former humans turned demons (though they just see themselves as higher beings) that exist in a version of Hell. They're masochistic hedonists to the extreme who stopped differentiating between pain and pleasure.

5 - Narinder Reign of Suffering

By Malevolence, from the album of the same name. Like the first song, it presents a conflict the POV character is in the middle of. They are dishing out a punishment in line with what they believe to be a righteous cause. And nothing's going to stop them from doing it. Not even death.

Down with the weak One chance to make a stand The hooded reaper will meet you at your end Unveiling wounds of whispered lies I am the proof of living hell

And as for the music at the end... it doesn't exist yet. It seems to be an (unreleased) original piece created for Cult of the Lamb by Pick Up Goliath. The COTL Twitter wouldn't answer any questions regarding what the song is, but he can be seen in the comments being coy.

Joined August 2024... seems he made this account solely to repost this amv/teaser. Has no tweets before OR after it.

Anyways, what we're given seems very straight forward. "Pestilence" is being told to "kill The Light".

While the axolotls regard Lamb as The Light once they fix the lighthouse, Monch says outright that they aren't that. She seeks "the truth and the light". Based on the info we have now, 'the truth' is the Ancient Tablets. And by extension, The Fanatic. Monch's statement is vague enough that I can't say whether she's looking for one or two people. Lets assume the Light is someone else.

This entity is associated with fire, which may suggest a connection to the Cursed Crusade Fleece—a damaged fleece with a fire-pattern. But could just as well be connected to the Fervour's Favor fleece, as Fervour is often depicted using fire imagery.

Whoever this entity was, Kallamar killed them. Directly? Indirectly? Who's to say. But he is Pestilence.

Aaand that's all I got. For now, anyways.

[silentglassbreak]

Fragmented

Noah Sebastian x OFC

I’m getting some of the most amazing comments and reblogs, I thank you all so deeply!! I love this story so much. I love where I know it’s going, so please trust me?

Warnings: Good ol' fashioned misery.

+It goes without saying. This is a work of fiction. My words are mine. Plagiarism is a crime.

Taglist: @flowery-mess @lma1986 @myownthoughts12 @poisongirl616 @missduffsblog @reidsblessing @malerieee @jilliemiw86

Part 4 - Graveyard

I could feel how flighty she was, like a feral cat that could scurry with any sudden movements. I held my hands out, trying to ease tension, and failing.

“Baby,” Her face was unreadable. Something between bewilderment and pure shock, but also seething rage, possibly. “nothing happened.”

She stared at me, waiting for me to say more, but I didn’t.

“That’s all you’ve got?” She was mocking me, and my stupidity. Good. I deserve it.

“Yes. Because that’s all there is.”

Her eye roll was as dramatic as they come, nearly making her head spin.

“Well, she was sure worked the fuck up, Noah. Sounded like a little more than nothing.”

The evenness in her voice contradicted her body language. She was now stood, hands in the air, confrontational.

“She’s insane.”

Her eyebrows jumped, a look of disbelief on her face.

“A girl essentially professes her love to you, and you call her insane?”

Yes. Abso-fucking-lutely.

“Leena, I’m not just being an asshole here. She has actually fucking lost it.”

I tried to mimic her calm, hoping this would steer the conversation on a healthier course.

That hope was thrown out when her voice jumped several decibels.

“Oh fuck you, Noah!” I could see them now, the hot, angry tears, rising to the surface, not quite ready to spill over. “People aren’t just so fucking obsessed with you that they make that kind of shit up!”

My eyes were staring at her, a frantic anxiety now rising inside me.

“She did! I’ve never, not fucking once, given her any ideas! She’s fucking mental, Mileena!”

“What happened at the club, Noah?” Her voice was back down, her hands hanging helpless at her sides.

“Nothing happened. We talked, and she spilled a fucking drink on me, and herself, so I-“

“Back up.” She put her hand up. “Don’t gloss over the details. Walk me through it.”

I shrugged hard. “I was alone, sitting on the couch, and she came over to talk to me. She had already had a few, and was pretty drunk when she approached me.” I pinched the bridge of my nose, frustration bubbling. “She spilled her drink on both of us.”

��So you were sitting pretty close together?” She raised an eyebrow, her arms again crossed in front of her.

“Jesus, Mileena, it’s a club! It was loud!” I threw my hands in the air and eyed her, irritated. “Since when are you the jealous type?!”

Her mouth fell open, and I regretted it the second it came out of my mouth. What a stupid fucking thing to say. Of course she’s not. That’s not what this was.

“The jealous type?!” How do I delete the last ten seconds? “You think this is me being jealous?!”

Ctrl + Alt + Del?! End Task?!

“You’re the one that’s fucking insane, Noah!” She turned, grabbing her phone off of the nightstand. “Let me show you how your behavior changed since that night.”

She unlocked her phone, opened our thread, and began scrolling. I didn’t even need to be close to see, my texts were back to back, five to six at a time, or paragraph long messages. She switched to her call logs, which was just my name over and over the past several days.

I would like to hand in my resignation to life now, please.

“Since that night, you’ve been blowing me up, and being extra affectionate, and clingy.” She scoffed, locking her phone and tossing it on the bed. “First I thought you just missed me but-“

“I did miss you!”

“You felt fucking guilty, Noah!” Her voice was nearing a scream. “Now quit pussy-footing around it and tell me what fucking happened that night!”

I sat down in the bed, and took a deep breath.

“Please believe me when I tell you, nothing actually happened.”

She stayed planted, several feet away.

“We left the club, I gave her a ride because she was going to Uber, and that wasn’t safe.” She was deathly silent. “Car ride took about thirty minutes because of traffic. We just listened to music, sang the songs on the radio.”

“She made a bit of a pass at me before she got out, saying something like she wanted to get to know me better? Or something like that. I don’t remember verbatim.”

“Then?”

“I went back to the club.”

She shifted her weight, leaning back on the desk against the wall. “That’s it? That’s all?”

I chewed the inside of my cheek. “No.”

She visibly tensed, so I just went on.

“She texted me later. Said she left her vape in the car.” I looked up at her, trying to earn some kind of emotion. I was met with nothing but ice. “So I went to go get it.”

“She couldn’t get it herself?”

I didn’t have an answer for that. She could’ve. She offered.

“I found it, and took it to her room.” Her face almost looked like it was turning a sickly shade of green. “She opened the door, in her underwear, and a crop top.”

Her fingers were gripping the edge of the desk so hard that it was likely to snap if she didn’t let up.

“She invited me in. I left. Went back to my room. And avoided her ever since.”

Her hands eased ever so gently, but she didn’t let up her gaze. Seeing she wasn’t satisfied with that, I swiped my own phone from the table, and opened to Rachel’s text thread, handing her the phone.

“See? Nothing.”

She scrolled, eyes reading the one-sided conversation from the last few days.

“Only other thing I can tell you is that Folio told me that she said some shit to him at the bar, that she liked me? Or wanted to sleep with me?” I sighed. “I don’t know, and I don’t really care.”

She nodded, locking my phone, but still had yet to speak. She was thinking, going over it in her head, checking for holes, but there were none. That was all of it. I didn’t do anything wrong.

“I have only one question.” She handed my phone back to me, and I just nodded. “In the hall, she asked you if you considered it, going in her room. If you thought about it.”

My stomach dropped, my mouth went dry, and my heart stopped, all in the same fraction of a second before her next words came out.

“Did you?”

Where do I go from here? My brain, my heart, and all of my senses screamed at me to lie.

But I couldn’t.

Last time I lied to Mileena, I was drinking. And she left me. And who would know? Who could prove me wrong?

But…I couldn’t.

“Yes.”

I saw something, I can’t say what exactly, break behind her eyes. A tear finally spilled out over her cheek, and I saw her jaw clench under her skin. I felt as though I had just cut a cord on a rope bridge that held me up, and now I was just falling. Plummeting.

“Oh…” Her voice was so small now, and I felt something inside me shredding. Screaming. I’m such a fucking idiot.

Good one, Sebastian. Way to take it to your grave, dumbass.

But this was a grave, that I somehow ended up in, that I didn’t even fucking dig. It was fucking aggravating.

I stood up, reaching for her, but she flinched, putting an arm up between us, and squeezed her lids closed. More tears leaked from her eyes, and she only cracked them open for a second.

“Can you, uh, give me a few minutes?” She averted her eyes away, and I backed away from her out of respect. “I’m just…” She waved her hands around her head. “processing.”

I nodded. “Of course.” Shrugging, I pulled my shirt off. “I can take a shower? And we can talk more after?”

She only nodded in response, wiping her face.

I made my way into the bathroom, leaving the door open. I decided to take a quick shower, trying to wash the anxiety off of me. It was out in the open now, the fun part was working through it, and reminding Leena that no one else compared to her, and my idiotic brain was never going to turn on me like that again.

Imagine my shock when I stepped out of the bathroom, and my hotel room was empty, her bag, phone, and shoes gone. I ran over to my cell, opening it to call her when it began ringing, Nick’s face flashing.

I opened the call with haste. “What’s up?” My voice was frantic.

“Dude, what the fuck happened?!”

-

My fist was slamming into the door harder with each swing, the phone up to my ear telling me I was getting voicemail, again.

I growled, and beat on the door harder. “Open the fucking door, Rachel!”

I felt a set of hands on my shoulders, tugging backward.

“Noah! Calm the fuck down!” I fought back against Folio, as the door to the room swung open.

Rachel’s eyes were still thick with sleep, her hair hanging in a low ponytail. This time, she was fully clothed. Hilarious.

“You fucking psychopath!” My logical brain was gone, and I was fully primal, as I lunged toward her. Several hands had me around the waist, arms, and one on my chest. Nick’s face came into my line of vision.

“Noah, stop! Fucking stop!”

“No! She’s fucking insane! She knows what the fuck she’s doing!” I was baring my teeth like an animal, my hands balled into fists.

She stared at me, terrified, eyes blown wide and nearly hiding behind the door.

“W-What are you talking about?” Her words were timid, which only enraged me further.

“Don’t pull that bullshit! You knew she’d hear you! You manipulative bitch!”

A hard slap came across my cheek, and I glared over at Nick, who had taken a defensive step back.

As angry as I should’ve been, I was instead brought back to reality, realizing it was at least 1AM, in a hotel hallway.

“You good, dude?” My eyes stared at his, my body softening with each passing second. Eventually, the hands holding me loosened, and I shrugged away from them.

I nodded at Nick, who pushed my shoulder down the hallway toward another door. “C’mon dude, let’s go talk.”

“Is he drunk?” I could hear Rachel’s voice behind me, and I snarled, almost turning around before I heard Folio.

“Oh shut up, Rachel. You’ve done enough.”

Safely inside the room, I sat heavily on the bed, and dropped my head in my hands. My friends stood around me, staring down at me.

“She left?” Folio’s voice was sad, and I just nodded, staring at the floor.

“She came and got Laura about half an hour ago. She was crying. Said they had to leave.”

I picked my head up. “Laura was in your room?”

Nick raised his brows at me. “Is that really your concern right now?”

I heaved a breath and flopped back onto the bed, covering my face with both arms.

“She’s not answering my calls.”

“Fill us in, man.” Jolly sat next to me.

I had to go through all of the details again, them all asking various questions. By the end, I was more calm, but still so fucking angry.

“I’ve got to get home, man. I can’t ride back with her.”

Nick nodded. “We can rent a car in the morning? Drive back alone?”

“Pfft, and leave us with the wicked witch?”

I snorted at Folio’s comment.

“What the fuck am I going to do?”

“For starters, I’m calling Sumerian tomorrow. Figure out our options, legally.” Leave it to Jolly to use his right mind. “For now, you need to stay away from her.”

Standing up, I moved toward the bedroom door, squeezing the handle before opening it. “Not a problem. Just keep her the fuck away from me.”

Back in my room, I promptly blocked Rachel’s number from my phone, electing not to send her a last scathing text message.

I then, profusely, called Mileena. I was met with voicemail, leaving a few in my endeavor to reach her. I must have done this for hours before finally falling asleep, fully clothed, on top of the comforter.

When I awoke, Nick was jostling my shoulder, a duffel hanging from his shoulder.

“Let’s go, Sleeping Beauty. I’ve got the rental downstairs.”

I obeyed, gathering my things haphazardly, and following him to the lobby, not bothering to stop to brush my teeth or comb my hair. I didn’t care. Nothing mattered.

The drive back to Calabasas was long, hot, and irritating. I was slumped in the passenger’s seat while Nick drove. About half an hour in, I finally spoke.

“What if she doesn’t forgive me?”

Nick scoffed. “Please.” I glanced at him inquisitively. “She’s forgiven you for worse.”

I bumped my head back into the headrest repeatedly, groaning. “I hate this.”

“I know. But it’ll all work out, dude. Mileena loves you, and she’s a reasonable person.”

I nodded, accepting that answer.

“So…” He turned to look at me for a second. “You and Laura?” This made him crack a smile, that I returned.

“She’s fucking cool, dude.”

I slapped a hand on his shoulder. “Damn good baker, too.”

He nodded. “Yeah, she made me this cheesecake for my birthday? Fuck, man. Amazing!”

My mouth fell open. “Your birthday was five months ago!”

He laughed. “Dude, you miss a lot.”

I shook my head. “You little shit, couldn’t tell your best friend?!”

“Sure, if my best friend wasn’t always so wrapped up in his own drama.”

I punched a fist at his shoulder, laughing.

“Jackass.”

-

I opened the front door, and was met with overwhelming silence. No Angel barking. No TV playing. No voices. Nothing.

I moved slowly into the house, feeling an overwhelming nausea, as I bound up the stairs toward my room to deposit my bag. It was clear no one was here, but I didn’t know what to expect the further into the house I got.

The note was laying on the middle of the bed, but I didn’t pick it up immediately. I set my bag down and opened one of the dresser drawers, Leena’s pants drawer, which was empty. I then walked into the closet, where all I found were empty hangers on her side. I jogged down the hall to Addie’s room, where I found her walker, diapers, wipes, and clothes were gone. Even Angel’s bed that was always laid in the corner was gone.

My heart sunk, and I walked slowly back to my room, picking up the folded paper on the blanket, opening it to see her clean script.

Addie, Angel, and I will be staying at Laura’s for a while. Dad left this morning. When you’re ready to come see the baby, text Laura.

-Leena

I dropped the note, it falling gently back to the bed. Without thinking, my hand grabbed the lamp on the side table, slinging it at the wall behind the dresser, causing it to shatter.

“God damn it!” I screamed, my words echoing around the empty house. The tears fell hot onto the bed, my teeth grinding tightly together.

-

I let a few hours pass, taking a cold shower, and forcing myself to calm down. I ate a bowl of cereal, choking down each bite while fighting against the nausea settled in my gut. After I had gotten dressed, and relaxed enough to know I wouldn't explode at any given moment, I texted Laura.

Me: Hey

I didn't have to wait long.

Laura: Hey

Me: Can I come see Addie?

Laura: Of course

The drive to her house took about twenty minutes. I had rehearsed over and over what I would say to Leena, how I would convince her to come back home with me. How we could move past this.

But when I pulled up to the house, I was disappointed to see only Laura's car in the driveway, Leena's Tahoe nowhere in sight.

When Laura answered the door, she had Addison on her hip, who gave a large, single-toothed smile as soon as she saw me. Any hesitation and anxiety I had melted the very second I laid eyes on my daughter. I hadn't held her in months, and right now, all that mattered was her.

"Hey baby girl!" She reached her little arms out for me, and I scooped her up enthusiastically, planting a long, hard kiss on her cheek. She squealed in excitement. "Ugh, I missed you so much."

I squeezed her into my chest, her hands grabbing at my hair. She smelled so sweet, the baby scent still having a full effect on me. Laura moved to the side to let me in, and Angel ran up, barking in excitement.

"Hey buddy!" I squatted down, still holding Addie, and ran a hand over Angel, who licked me with fervor. "Been taking care of my girls?"

He barked in response.

I stood back up, and gave Laura a smile, not entirely sure where we stood. She returned it, a warm look in her eyes. I felt some relief, knowing I had someone on my side.

"Hey Noah." She gave me a one-armed hug, almost sympathetically, and shut the door behind me.

I walked over to the couch, sitting and letting Addie down. She began walking on wobbly legs toward her toys sprawled across the rug, Angel right behind, always watching.

"She's not here?" I looked up at Laura, who had sat cross-legged across from me on the floor. She just shook her head sadly. "Can I ask where she is?"

She just sighed. "She's asked me not to say. She wants to be alone."

I nodded, not surprised. "I don't know what to do Laura."

She leaned back on her palms, stretching her legs. "I wish I could tell you, hon. But I don't know. She's hurt."

I huffed, frustrated. "I didn't do anything. I was good, I didn't cheat on her, I didn't fuck around."

Laura eyed me, unamused. "Noah, you admitted you thought about sleeping with another woman." She put her hand up, gesturing to me. "Can you say you'd feel different if she did that to you?"

I considered this, realizing I hadn't thought about it that way at all. She had a valid point.

"Fair. I just want the chance to explain that it doesn't matter. I love her, no one else. I don't want anyone else."

Her eyes were so soft. Laura heard me, which I appreciated. Hopefully she could convince Leena of the same.

I spent two hours playing with Addie, and feeding her lunch, before Laura excused herself to the bedroom to take a phone call. I had just cleaned up Addison, and was removing her from the highchair when Laura walked back in, her phone in hand.

"Here, let me change her clothes, you take this." She handed me the cell and I looked down to see the call open, Leena's face on the screen.

I looked at Laura, who just nodded while she turned and took Addison in the next room.

"Hey!" My voice was so jumpy, I cleared my throat to calm it down. "Where are you?"

"I went to a meeting." Her words were stale, no feeling behind them.

"Oh, that's good." I stepped out the back door, pulling it closed behind me. "Are you going to come back? I really need to see you."

Her breath was loud on the other end, slightly ragged. "Noah, I don't want to see you."

What is the feeling when you feel like your skin is going to melt off, but your insides are completely frozen? Is there a name for that? Panic, maybe?

"You don't." It wasn't a question. She didn't respond. "Okay, uh," I kicked at the dirt under my feet. "I don't know what to say to that."

"I don't know if I can do this, Noah."

Shattered? Devastated? There's a fucking name for it.

"What do you mean?" I couldn't bring my words above a whisper, given the wind had been knocked right out of me. She wasn't saying what I thought she was, was she?

"There's always going to be a tour. Time away. Me home with Addie. A girl who throws herself at you. Lots of them."

"Leena-"

"And, it's just too hard, Noah."

Shaking. I was fucking shaking.

"No, babe-"

"I can't do it. Not now. Not with Addie. I thought I could. I really, really did."

"Leena, listen-" I was yelling now, but she just kept talking.

"I love you too much. And I love us. But we can't be us. Because you're a rockstar. And you have a career, and a life."

"I have you! And Addison! I'll quit right fucking now, Mileena! I will call Sumerian right now and tell them I'm out. Forever. I'll ghost write. I'll produce from home. I'll never tour again!" I was desperate. I was begging.

"No, you won't, Noah. You love it. It's your dream. I won't let you."

"I love you! I won't lose you over this! Rachel is nothing! Nothing!"

"It's not just her. How many more Rachels will there be?" I heard her voice cracking. "And I'll be at home, with Addison. We can't go on tour with you. I can't always be there. Noah, I just can't."

"Mileena, I'll do anything. Please."

"Take Addie for the night. Or a couple days. She missed you."

"God damn it Leena, stop and listen to me!"

"We can work out me having her while you're on tour. You can have her when you're home, or we can split the time if it's not a heavy year." She sighed. "We don't need to worry about custody."

"Custody?!" I was full-blown screaming. "Mileena! You're overreacting! Please!"

"I'm sure you think so. But you haven't been where I am. You haven't seen what I have! You haven't been left behind! I was, Noah! And I supported you! Through it all! I happily stayed home with Addison while you chased your dreams, and became the success you are! And when I finally have you back, I hear you almost slept with another woman?! You considered it?!" She stopped abruptly, her words blurring together, sobs shaking her words.

She took a moment to compose, which was fine, because trying to swallow everything she had just said was proving to be more difficult than I expected.

"I'm not going to do this." She paused for only a beat. "Take Addison. Let me know when I can come pick her up. The car seat should still be in your truck."

I couldn't speak, my mind was blank. My brain was flattened.

"Just be gone by six." And the line went dead, the phone beeping, signaling the end of the call.

Oh. That's what this feeling was.

Pain.

[evilwickedme]

(image description in alt text)

@wyf-of-bathe I actually love this question because it's definitely something I feel like doesn't really get addressed! I tried to answer it last night and my connection timed out just as I was saving the draft and it fucked off unfortunately, but let's give it another try.

Ok so important figured to know:

Obviously, President Biden, the current head of the USAmerican government

Also obviously, Bibi Netanyahu, the current prime minister of Israel, member of the war cabinet

Yoav Gallant, current Minister of Defense in Israel, member of the war cabinet

Benny Gantz, a minister without a portfolio, entered the government when the war started in order to join the war cabinet

Gadi Eisenkot, another minister without a portfolio of the same party as Gantz, also joined the government to join the war cabinet

Itamar Ben Gvir and Betzalel Smotrich, extreme right wing ministers (Minister of National Security and Finance Minister, respectively). Not in the war cabinet

There are other members of the Biden government that are in practice important to the relationship between Israel and the USA, but aren't important to general understanding of what's going on, so I won't name them

Same for members of the IDF

I'm going to try to paint a general picture of the development of relations between the Biden administration and Israel over the last seven months since October seventh. Considering I am a human being I might get certain dates wrong; please forgive me, I will try to be as accurate as possible.

October seventh, as I'm sure most people here know, is the start of this narrative. Following the brutal attack on Israel by Hamas and PLJ, with the attack on land happening in the Israeli south and the rockets reaching as far as Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Netanya, leading to the deaths of 1200 people and kidnapping of 250 Israeli citizens, member of the IDF, and foreign workers, the majority of them women, children, and the elderly, Israel launched a counter offensive on Gaza. At the time worldwide sympathies were mostly on Israel's side, especially as the number of deaths and severe injuries rose as well as the brutal nature of the attack became clearer. The Biden administration immediately contacted the Israeli government assuring them they were on their side, and offering aid, including armaments. Biden even visits Israel, the first US president to do so during wartime. Biden personally meets with several families of hostages, especially those which are American citizens.

The US was also extremely involved in the process to achieve the first (and so far only) hostage deal/ceasire between Hamas and Israel in late November, alongside Qatar and Egypt. 112 people total were released during this deal in exchange for several days of ceasefire and humanitarian aid, but when Hamas insisted on returning dead bodies instead of live women and children as per the agreement, the ceasefire fell apart and the war resumed.

Following this the IDF attacks expanded from Gaza City to Khan Younis, at which point talks between Biden and Bibi were becoming increasing tense. While the US continued to support Israel in public and continued to veto various resolutions in the UN which did not call for the immediate return of the hostages alongside the end of the war, the phone calls between Biden and Bibi made it clear that the Israeli government had no clear plan for what is referred to as "the day after", and as the death toll in Gaza continued to rise and the majority of the population became refugees the American government became more and more concerned with the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. Biden often ended up essentially chastasing Bibi for both of these, and asked Israel to come up with a plan for who will take control of the Gaza Strip following the end of the war, as well as putting particular emphasis on letting more humanitarian aid cross the border into Gaza.

Bibi and Gallant's relationship also becomes strained as they disagree on what the war efforts should look like, such as Gallant calling for entering Rafah, something that would ruin Bibi's relationship with the USA permanently at this point. Biden continuously asks for the IDF's plans to clear Rafah before attacking there and is unimpressed with the response.

A concurrent focus of the Israeli government as well as the families of the hostages was to get medication to the hostages, many of whom are known to have received grievous injuries on October seventh or who have conditions that require regular medication. Especially the elderly men, who at this point are about a third to half of the hostages still remaining in captivity. A mini deal is reached to bring in to Gaza a large amount of medication in exchange for Red Cross access as well as medication being given to the hostages. This access was not given, even though the medication did enter. Oddly enough, while obviously all the other intermediaries were involved, France was also involved in this one, and many summits since then have also taken place in Paris.

Following this the US abstaining rather than vetoing a UN resolution calling for ceasefire, as it while not conditioning it on the return of the hostages did still call for their return (hence not a veto, but also not voting for it). This was incredibly bad timing as just then Bibi was supposed to send a team to the US to explain and discuss the current war plans with the USAmerican, but this abstaining led to Bibi pulling the plug on that.

As this is happening, Bibi was calling for the war cabinet to convene less and less, and was sharing essentially no information with its members. The war efforts are still focused on Khan Younis, but frankly, the army is rapidly running out of things to do. Hostage deal negotiations are going nowhere. However the only reason Bibi even still has a government is because of Ben Gvir and Smotrich's presence, and they continually threaten a. to veto any hostage deal which involves the end of the war and b. to leave the government if the war is ended. Bibi puts extreme restrictions on the negotiating team, as well as constantly pulling them out. The relationship between Bibi and Biden continues to worsen, and the US continues to pressure for more and more aid to come in.

Then, without warning, Gantz gets on a plane to Washington. This is extremely unprecedented and frankly out of line, but ultimately in my opinion a good move; it temporarily improved relations between the US and Israel, as well as finally revealed the strained relationship that had been worsening for months to Gantz and Eisenkot, who had somehow (and this is frankly ridiculous, it was constantly on the news) completely missed how terrible this relationship had gotten.

Gantz and Eisenkot are constantly pushing forpre cabinet meetings, which Bibi does occasionally call. These debates are frustrating and circular. Biden continues to be disappointed with the lack of planning for Rafah and the day after, as Gallant continues to clarify that the IDF is ready to act on Rafah anytime, should Bibi actually decide to do so.

Things take another turn for the worse on Bibi's side when the US starts dropping aid and creating the harbor without consulting Israel. Meanwhile the US starts to put sanctions on Israeli citizens who commit acts of terror in the West Bank, and following what is actually a several year investigation, also against the Netzah Yehuda Battalion, a Haredi majority battalion known for committing acts of terror against Palestinians in the West Bank as well.

If this seems bad for Israel, it's because it is. As much as people on this website love to claim that Biden is "supporting a genocide", the truth is Biden is an old school diplomat. Israel is a long standing ally of the US, and the Trump style of making grand statements in front of crowds is considerably less effective than the constant pressure Biden is putting on Israel behind closed doors. This pressure is why the aid to Gaza is constantly increasing! No, it's not enough, but it is increasing. This pressure is also why until this week, following the sudden rockets shot at south Israel once more, Israel did not enter Rafah.

The current situation is more of the same. The US continues to be involved in the negotiations with Hamas for a hostage deal/ceasefire, which I detailed in a post a couple of days ago; their involvement is even more important now that Qatar has dropped out. Biden continues to pressure Israel to avoid activities in Rafah, and recently threatened to forbid the use of American weapons and armaments if it becomes more serious. There have been no new sanctions for a while, but I don't think the US would hesitate if that came up. The Biden administration, including both Kamala Harris and Biden himself, has started even criticizing the IDF on television!

What do I think is going to happen next? Personally I genuinely have no idea. Best case scenario, the current negotiations for a ceasefire/hostage deal succeed, and the IDF pulls out of Gaza, while somehow managing to replace Hamas as the people in charge in the Strip, followed by Bibi's resignation. This is not going to happen. The definitive victory Bibi keeps promising is not in reach, and if the IDF go for it without essentially emptying Rafah over the course of weeks or even months (currently a few hundred thousand out of 1.9 million (!) Gazans have fled to Khan Younis), the US is going to follow through on their threat and forbid the use of their armaments (the worst case scenario). The best case scenario that could actually happen is a hostage deal that leads to several months of ceasefire followed by a POSSIBLE cessation of the war, and Hamas continuing to control Gaza. The issue of who will take control of the Rafah crossing is also on the table, as Israel is interested in building a subterranean wall on the Egyptian border like the one that exists on the Israeli border. I suspect it'll be Egypt, which views the possible escape of Gazans into Egypt as a security threat; but this will probably lead to fucking riots in the street in Egypt, where public opinion is on the side of the Palestinians and often also pro Hamas, which will lead to the end of current Egyptian president el-Sisi's career.

Another issue I should have brought up and forgot to was the normalization process between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which the US and Biden were overseeing before the start of the war. It was progressing really well til October seventh; while it is getting back on track, following October seventh and the way the Palestinian issue has been brought to the forefront, the normalization can no longer go through without Bibi giving lip service to the possible future of a Palestinian state, the two state solution that Biden believes in. Bibi will simply not do this. Even if he wasn't a right wing nut job would never do that, it would definitely guarantee Ben Gvir and Smotrich's exit from the government, and Bibi's government falling immediately.

I think I've covered the main points (in uh... So many words. Probably too many words.) I'm currently not taking any more questions on i/p, I'll let y'all know when the inbox is "open" so to speak. If this was helpful to you and you feel like supporting me, my ko-fi is linked in my bio.

[revenancy]

I can't tell you how badly I would like to peek over your shoulder at your SDP notes lol. Can I trouble you for an infodump? Any time I see a post about Ros and/or Nevi I started fluttering against the computer monitor like a moth. Thank u :>

oh my gosh YES. okay. so. tw for dubcon/noncon, cannibalism, physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, serious injury and death. all text screencaps will be described in alt text, and this post will probably get long.

but here we go:

Six Dead Princes started off as literally this block of text in a libreoffice doc (ignore the homestuck in me, please)

and it's obviously come pretty far since that initial toss-up of ideas a couple weeks ago, evolving into something that puts Ros more in a position of power than he was at first (this is not necessarily a good thing.)

important notes: Nevi has, technically, murdered Ros. more than once. but because his life is intrinsically bound to the life of the sorcerer's tower(-slash-ex-husband) he keeps waking up, time and again.

[continuing under the cut]

so Roslin -- Sehtriax Rosmaundel, or something along those lines, but he hasn't been that person since he was seven years old and gifted to the Sorcerer Wyse for her steadfast loyalty as the king's lover -- has lived in the tower for twenty years. the first ten years were relatively normal as he and Nevi would butt heads but, overall, the Sorcerer Wyse controlled the two of them well.

eight years ago, he was gifted to Nevi -- at her request upon reaching age of majority -- to be her pet.

Nevi taxidermies her pets.

she is the definition of a spoiled brat. anything Nevi wants, Nevi gets -- she's the sorcerer's only child, and while she has no magic of her own and no interest in learning it, she knows how to use her mother's magic. Roslin is under a charm that ensures his survival but also demands his obedience, something Nevi found out when she was very young and thus decided to use to her advantage.

she has had cats and dogs and snakes and one short-lived falcon, and now, she has a prince.

the last prince.

the old king had seven children: Anahtriax Salmene, his only daughter, and six sons. technically Anahtriax and Sehtriax, Ros's name, are titles and not proper names, but they're considered archaic and holy Gyre-names, meaning literally First Prince(ss) and Seventh Prince(ss), and yes the other five all had the same thing.

Salmene is ~10 years older than Roslin, so at the time of the plot she's 37 and has been locked away for nearly as long as he's been alive -- because in the trend of fantasy monarchies being strange and terrible people, the old king (currently unnamed) went through a string of lovers, each of them suffering some tragic end.

Roslin's birth mother -- a foreign ballerina named Corenthe -- was slaughtered and carved like a duck for dinner. the old king and his daughter consumed the woman in front of the Holy Mother, aka the queen of Cierclant, aka the king's wife and the symbolic (and chaste) mother of all of his children, and the king's brother, who ended up becoming his regent after using that instance to prove the man's instability.

this may also be why the Holy Mother was willing to let the sorcerer have Roslin: she wanted him as far from his father as propriety would allow, and the king would not part with his youngest son for anyone but the love of his life (in that moment, the Sorcerer Wyse).

but let's talk about the fun stuff:

Nevi. The way she treats Ros is basically as a living sex toy -- he exists to offer her pleasure and delight, and she very rarely suffers him to have desires of his own (except when she can frustrate him). When he is allowed some semblance of power and control, it's usually because she's bored and wants to see what he would do with it, and she snatches it back the moment he crosses a line.

and oh my god this man is a wreck. he is twenty-seven he has never been allowed to have sexual desires outside of Nevi. he has never been allowed to have curiosities, to explore his own attraction, and he has pretty much come to the conclusion that perhaps this is love: strapped to a table with her knife in his side waiting for her to come back up and let him free. perhaps this is hate: Nevi taking his body for herself, more or less riding him into submission, and he doesn't know better to want anything else.

and then the fifth prince dies.

his name is Selantin. he is betrothed to the priestess Esmeriht of the Holy Gyre (as was his brother Galant before him). and when his body has cooled, the Holy Mother picks herself up from her mourning and she sets off for the sorcerer's tower with Emra in tow to collect her last living son.

and Seventh Prince Roslin's first desire is a breathless, terrified glance at Nevi and I want her detained. and in her prison cell, he ties her hands to the rough iron bars and he relishes the thought of returning all that hurt onto her. a better man, he tells himself, would move on.

Roslin is not a better man.

he would rather have Nevi to himself, keep her as a pet like she kept him, than move past anything she did to him. he would rather fuck her in every way she hates -- violate her trust in him and prove that she was a fool to have any to begin with, once he's let loose from the obedience charm -- and turn that magic back on her.

and then you add Emra to the mix -- Esmeriht Cashilde Donsel of the Holy Gyre, a born daughter of the faith, pure and chaste and all things that good girls are supposed to be -- and it's like Roslin is dead set to prove to himself and everyone else that he needed to be controlled. that some part of him is just like his father, that some kinds of madness are hereditary, that maybe little pieces of himself have chipped off over the years and are sitting on the floor of Nevi's laboratory:

And if there's one thing he hates more than anything else, it's Emra's maintained innocence. It's her frowning on anything sexual or magical -- it's her acting like he's somehow been corrupted by Nevi's influence on his life -- it's her shying away from him when they're not in a public occasion, refusing to let him touch her, refusing to meet his eye. He feels goddamn slighted because the wife they've offered him is obviously defective somehow. (she's just an asexual celibate priest. and he's EXACTLY as abusive about that as you'd expect. this is NOT his trauma healing arc.)

and he is NOT going to realize any of this until he's forced to confront it. he's not going to look at himself in the mirror until the blade is held to his throat. until he has to face death -- true death -- and he thought that he wouldn't be afraid of it, after Nevi. after everything she did to him. every day he woke up dead.

but outside of the sorcerer's tower, out from the yoke of the spell that kept him physically whole, the seventh prince of Cierclant comes to the realization that injuries are lasting.

and death is permanent.

[puckpocketed]

about

*had a wave of younger people follow me recently (hello will smith hockey enjoyers) that’s all g, this is a 99% sfw blog and anything otherwise will be marked properly. but my main blog @.sailorvee is not. i am an adult. you are the master of your own destiny etc etc. but please be aware that you might see nsfw content if you choose to also follow me there.

deepest and sincerest apologies if you came here because I was posting about one or more of your guys. this is a Sharks blog first and foremost. navigation, housekeeping, and tierlist below

This is a part-time Australian Ice Hockey League blog that follows the CBR Brave! I take photos of home games when I can, find them under -> #puck!cam Otherwise, feel free to filter #auspuck.

When not LARPing as my local team’s socmed manager:

I write essays about hockey -> #my writing

all gifs i've made filed under -> #puck!gif specific team tags will look like this: #p!gif:[team abbreviation] eg. #p!gif:sharks, #p!gif:wings

transcripts -> #puck!script

gif requests -> #p!gif:req

I also gif my guys and their goals, passing sequences, poke checks, plays that go nowhere, little things I think are super cool -> #puckpocketed details series

I poke around at prospects and produce very unserious vibe checks, filed under -> #puckscouting

I also paint once in a blue moon. watch out!!!!

TIERLIST & politics

Sharks Hockey first always forever ! <3

keeping things light. no enemies only babygirls i havent met!

The most narratively satisfying things are tragedies and tragicomedies!!! All Things Through Her (The Bit)

players aren’t their orgs. If I say I like a team, this doesn’t mean I like every player, and vice versa!!

The narratives are lying to you!!! LOOK PAST THEM. THE HOCKEY TELLS THE TRUTH!!!!!

I love hockey SO much !! Love of the game comes before ANYTHING, including teams!!! Talk to me about strategy. Show me spinoramas and ankle breaking dekes and head fakes and set plays. Talk to me about face-offs and your favourite underrated blorbo.

no seriously please send me propaganda i love propaganda i am a hair trigger away from adopting new guys. i've done it mid-game and id do it again!!!!!!!!!!!

Team rivalries don’t matter to me. My girls are beating the hell out of each other? The beautiful gaeme ...

i’m here for a laff and it truly aint that serious <3

Do Not expect me to have any couth about the CBR Brave!! I keep things light with the NHL but all that doesn’t apply here — I WILL be spiteful and unhinged!! im sorry the sports nationalism got to me!!!

that being said: CALIFORNIA SWEEEP!

housekeeping

hey please dont be weird in the tags of my posts about teams/players i clearly like. yeah even That Team. i don't want to hear about how you hope someone "escapes" or how much you hate xyz player. make your own post.

this is a non-rpf blog. I might lean into the narratives but tbh I’m not into men and don’t get much out of romantic shipping. Nothing against it though! I think everyone should engage with hockey however they like as long as it does no harm to themselves or others. Ride that ship into the sunset my loves we are holding fins 👍

gifs, videos, memes, photos by me will come described with alt text. I try my best as someone who has used a screenreader in the past, but please let me know if I miss anything.

30/07/2024 sources for any media i post will be linked to a live site + using the wayback machine when I can, or just live websites when I can't (in the case of youtube videos). yeah ok i finally gave in @ that one anon calling this wikipedia editor behaviour you are correct and WHAT OF IT!!!!!!!

5/08/2024 - NOTE live website links always precede archive links whether I label them or not. if there is no link 'pair' it means the wayback machine can't snapshot the link i put up. In the case of twitter/instagram and other such sites that require a logged in device to view certain pages i will do my best to grab the direct img link and archive that.

[ link 1, archive link // link 2, archive link ] <- self explanatory, long form.

[ x, x ] <- single source of media, will use for aesthetic purposes on gifsets and formal web weaving. same with: [ x || y // x || y ] <- "//" double slash denotes a new source, x is the live link, y is the archive link.

if a link or source is not immediately obvious I may have: 1) done an in-line link, click any underlined or bold-underlined text; 2) I might have missed it by mistake, please be patient and maybe shoot me a flag about it in my inbox/dms if you want !!! we are all human and I'm doing my best <3

I'm aware this is not the most fastidious archival practice! my goal isn't to be the arbiter of archival standards for sourcing. I don't know how long I'll love hockey or these teams, how long tumblr will be around, but going from here I'd just like this blog to be a place where fans years from now can come back to and not have to do as much digging as I did to source media.

[leafofkudzu]

Slightly delayed posting this, but hello again! The first Saturday of a new month fast approaches, which means it’s soon time for yet another community art party hosted by [VS] Verdant Shield! Last week I ran our first ever location-selection poll, and the winner by just a teensy margin was The Grove, so let’s try out a new location in the same map!

For those not in the loop about what an art party is, they’re an idea carried over from Final Fantasy XIV - big (or small!) get-togethers for artists/writers/creatives of all kinds to hang out, chat, and create together! Get your most eye-catching outfit together, find someone else who strikes your fancy, and create! Afterwards, everyone shares their creations on social media (mostly here on Tumblr for us) using a party-specific tag (ours is #VSArtParty) so others can see and spread the love around via reblogs! The tl;dr is the same thing I’ve been saying every time I make these posts, and will continue to say ad infinitum: the ‘goal’ of an art party isn’t to be drawn, but to draw others, and share with the community!

General party details are in the image above, but a text version with some additional details such as /squadjoin information is under the cut!

Location Details:

The last time we were in the Grove we tried Dawngleam Pergola as a location, but it very quickly overflowed during the NA party and has as such been disqualified from future large-scale events (sorry!). The Omphalos Chamber (aka the place where you go to visit the Avatar of the Pale Tree) is also limited in size, but is easily spilled out of onto the main floor immediately below it should the need arise (which it very well may). The closest waypoint is Upper Commons Waypoint, and the easiest way up to the uninstanced Chamber would be via a mount such as a springer or skyscale, but you can also use a teleport-to-friend or just kinda yell in an upwards direction to summon a helpful portal-bearer should the need arise. The map looks a little weird when viewed from Chamber-level, but here’s a screenshot just in case you aren’t familiar. If you still aren’t sure, just go the middle of the top floor and look up!

Time & Squad Details:

As always, the party will consist of two separate events, with an hour break in between (though technically people jump from one to the other immediately anyway so weee).

The first party will be on EU servers and begin at 9pm Central European Summer Time (aka 3pm Eastern Daylight Time or 5 hours before in-game reset). I’ll be hosting on my EU alt account, so to join either /squadjoin or whisper Aemryn of Dusk for an invite.

The second party will be on NA servers and begin at 7pm Eastern Daylight Time (aka 1am Central European Summer Time or 1 hour before in-game reset). This one I’ll be hosting on my main account, so to join either /squadjoin or whisper Kirslyn for an invite.

IMPORTANT NOTE (mostly for the NA party): If you join and the squad is at or above 45 members, please just taxi into the right map and then hop out of squad to allow others to do the same! Essentially all conversation now happens in say chat so you won’t miss out on anything by being outside of squad!

Closing Words:

For those who missed it, a week ago I posted a poll in the party tag where people could vote on one of the five main cities as a party location, with the promise that I’d select a location different from the previous party held in that map for whichever won. Going forward this will be the general format, with the poll going up 2 weeks before and the announcement 1 week before (yes I know this one is delayed I’m sorry D:). If you have suggestions for locations outside of the racial cities that are low/no combat and wouldn’t interfere with events/metas, feel free to DM me and I’ll scope them out for possible inclusion in future polls!

Anyway, that’s all for now! Sorry if I worried anyone by not having this posted back on Saturday - I had some irl stuff going on that delayed me a bit. Thank you so much to everyone who comes out to these and helps make them so memorable and fun, I can’t wait to see you all again soon! ♥

[bluegekk0]

⇾ PINNED POST ⇽

Hi! You can call me Gekko. I make art, primarily for my Hollow Knight AU, named Feral PK AU, but you'll also find occasional dragon/dinosaur art or maybe even fanart from other media. I also reblog posts from various other things, so it can get a bit chaotic.

That being said, the AU is the main focus of this blog. It is a slice of life AU for my favorite characters which mostly takes place in Dirtmouth, though over time it also evolved into a personal worldbuilding and character driven project.

Just a heads up, it does stray quite a bit from the canon and many popular fanon interpretations, so please approach with an open mind! If you have any questions, check the FAQ below first and don't be afraid to send me asks about it!

»»———-　 　———-««

Other places to find me:

» twitter // 🔞

» bluesky

» ko-fi

Art tag: #gekko.art

»»———-　 　———-««

╚══AU LORE PAGE (WIP)══╝

╚══AU SHORT SUMMARY══╝

AU RELATED TAGS:

#feral pk au - the main AU tag, contains all related art, posts and ask responses

#modern fpk au - tag for the modern spin-off of the AU; same as above

#dragon fpk au - tag for the dragon spin-off of the AU

#au designs - tag for all the AU character design sheets and other related posts

#au character bios - similarly to above, this tag includes written down descriptions for the AU characters

#au worldbuilding - tag for all posts/ask responses related to the general AU worldbuilding headcanons

#au character posts - for separate text posts about the AU characters

#save - this is how I tag AU related posts which I find to be worth reading for a better understanding of the characters, or anything else I want to easily access in the future

#ask stuff - tag for all ask responses. If you only want those related to the AU, I recommend browsing through the main AU tag instead

#art guide - tag for any art tips and guides that I posted

CHARACTER TAGS: #vyrm / #fpk ● #grimm / #nkg ● #lewk ● #asta ● #milo ● #hornet ● #holly ● #zote ● #white lady ● #brumm ● #divine ● #bretta ● #lurien ● #ogrim ● #cornifer ● #iselda ● #elderbug ● #jiji ● #jinn ● #mato ● #quirrel ● #lemm ● #tiso ● #radiance

»»———-　 　———-««

(disclaimers about the blog and the AU below)

»»———-　 　———-««

DISCLAIMERS:

» Please do not reupload my art anywhere. I'm okay with people using it as their icons/banners, but please remember to credit me.

» Since this is a primarily AU related blog, anything I say about the characters is from a headcanon lens. A lot of my headcanons are quite different from the most popular fanon interpretations, so please be aware of that before you respond, especially in regards to fandom jokes and character hate.

» A large chunk of my drawings and posts features the ship Pale Nightmare, so if you dislike it I would not recommend following my blog. It's the only ship I'm invested in, and while I avoid ship discourse, there are some that I find uncomfortable, particularly those between the characters that I consider family within the AU (Grimm/Hornet and Grimm/Hollow being the primary ones).

» Although I might occasionally touch upon topics that are in the suggestive or sexual territory in regards to some characters, this blog is otherwise still meant to be SFW. I will not be posting any explicit artwork, and I try to keep the suggestive topics tasteful. If you are interested in my NSFW art, do not ask me about it here, instead head over to my Twitter private alt. I try my best to keep the two places separate.

» Additionally, some of my art includes blood and very mild gore, though I try to tag it whenever there's excessive amounts of it in the artwork (I use the tags #blood and #gore). There may also be very occasional mentions/depictions of pregnancy, please block the tags #pregnancy (for art) and #pregnancy mention (for text posts) if you would prefer not to see it/read about it. Please let me know if there are any other things that you would like me to tag!

»»———-　 　———-««

AU RELATED DISCLAIMERS/FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

» The AU takes place after the Embrace the Void ending, and so The Knight/Ghost is not present. Here is a post detailing what happened to them (and the other shade siblings in the Abyss).

» Feral PK's name in the AU is Vyrm (an alternate spelling of Wyrm that he uses as his name), though I occasionally refer to him as FPK. Also, I headcanon him as gay (demi-gay to be more precise). At the current point in the AU he and The White Lady are separated.

» As you probably noticed, most of my designs stray very far from insect-like interpretations. That is very much intentional. In the AU, I see "bug" as a general term for "people", not an implication that they are all insects. While some characters do have more insect-like anatomy, there are others which possess reptilian, mammalian or even plant-like traits. I go a little more in detail on how I see that term in this post. So while I'm not bothered by people referring to for example, Grimm or Vyrm as insects, keep in mind that this is not how I personally view them.

» Additionally, I see the characters as much larger than real life insects. As a reference point, Vyrm is similar in height to a raccoon standing on two legs. For this reason, most of the characters have skeletal structures to support larger body mass. There are some exceptions, notably characters such as Unn.

» Please keep in mind that the AU originated as something I found comfort in, and it remains that way. There may be inconsistencies, I might retcon things on the go, and some things may simply not be well written. I also have no plans to turn it into a fanfic or a comic.

» I'm always open to answer questions about the AU and the characters! So if you have any, please don't be afraid to send me an ask, I absolutely love responding to them. 💖

» I am currently working on a WorldAnvil page for a more detailed, wiki-like AU info, link at the top of the post!

[xox-b1te-m3-xox]

Introducing: Cosmoveric, a xenogender identity associated with the universe itself

Pride month isn't over yet because I said so, also my first time adding alt text to images! If anyone has any recommendations for how to fix/change the alt text (if it needs corrections) please let me know and I'll update them!

Other variants of the flag will be at the bottom of the post.

What Is Cosmoveric?

Cosmoveric is a xenogender strongly associated with the universe. It can be described as an identity wherein one feels connected through gender to the universe itself and all the things that exist within it, with a primary focus on celestial objects. Individuals may or may not experience a disconnect with Earth itself.

Cosmoveric may be used as an umbrella term for space-centric xenogenders. For example, an individual may identify as both Cosmoveric and Neptugender; this may mean that they feel connected with the entire universe, but they are the closely linked with Neptune and voids in particular.

All combinations are valid and accepted, even if they're contradictory. I don't intend to police identities, I'm only offering examples.

In my personal experience, I identify as both Cosmoveric and Boyflux. I consider myself disconnected from Earth, both physically and through gender expression, but I also identify with masculinity and genderless identities. I love space, and I've always felt a deep and personal connection to it, to the point that I even took on/accepted space related neopronouns (astra/astral currently) before I even knew that my love of the universe played a part in my gender identity.

Colour Meanings

yellow: a connection to all stars, the sun, & all moons sierra: a connection to humanity, the spacial origins of life on earth, & the expansion of the universe blush: a connection to galaxies, nebulae, supernovae, & quasars blue: a connection to deep space, asteroids, comets, & neutron stars navy blue: a connection to black holes, dark matter, & cosmic voids purple: a connection to the solar system, constellations, & extraterrestrial life light purple: a connection to planets, dwarf planets, & exoplanets deep purple: a connection to space travel, astronomy, & cosmology

Generally speaking, yellow represents starlight, pink represents star clusters, deep blue represents the unexplored & not understood regions of space (including theories), and purple represents human studies into the universe, the solar system, & space itself.

Entymology

Cosmoveric originates from the Ancient Greek terminology for the universe, referred to as the Cosmos. Part of the word universe, ver, is used along with the suffix -ic, meaning "of or pertaining to".

In summary, the word Cosmoveric means pertaining to the universe and/or the cosmos.

Alternate Flag Designs

First: 7 stripes, without stars | Second: 4 stripe/simplistic variant