#and if op DOES make art then this whole thing is even more vile. i hate artists that try to deligitimize other art like this more than

[greenedbeans]

There are a lot of issues with the ethics of ai art right now but it's really fucking something to see people consistently mad that it makes art accessible to others

[nekropsii]

I know the kids in general aren't your thing but what are your thoughts on june egbert as a whole?

I've seen opinions on her existence be pretty varied (tho I guess more recent years its a widely accepted fanon and uh some ppl treat her as canon when.. she's... not lmao..) so I'm curious on your opinion if you have one!

(I personally don't subscribe to the headcanon but otherwise I don't have any strong feelings about it ppl can do whatever they want forever lmao)

I've been vocal about this previously, but in my opinion, all J. Egbert is good J. Egbert. June, John, Transfem, Transmasc, Transneu, Nonbinary, Genderfluid, Multigender, whatever the fuck, I don't care, have fun. Whatever gender people subscribe to the character isn't my business, and I have zero way of telling what it means to people unless they're being super blatant about it, which... Doesn't actually happen often?

I have no way of telling if people subscribe to transfem!June wholesale because that gives them comfort, or transmasc!John because that gives them comfort, or genderfluid!Egbert because that gives them comfort, or even just... Cis Trans Ally John, because that gives them comfort. These are all things I've seen before. I just choose to assume good faith, as is healthier, and respect whatever OP is tagging. If they're tagging art as June, it doesn't matter if she looks the same as she does in canon, or if she's pre-transition, that's June to them, so I'll tag it as June myself. If they're tagging art as John, I tag it as John. I have no way of knowing what their idea of the sex of this character is, and I'd find it weird to "correct" them, when they could very easily just be drawing a headcanon they've had for years and found major comfort and gender euphoria in. I don't know their life.

I think the way people have been using June's confirmation- not canonization to HS^2/HS:BC, she hasn't appeared yet- as a way to be transphobic in any direction is vile. I think if you use June as a way to be transmisogynistic, you're an asshole and a transphobe. If you use June as a way to be bigoted against trans men, you're an asshole and a transphobe. If you're finding a way to use it to be bigoted against nonbinary or multigender people, you're an asshole and a transphobe. I would sure fucking hope this isn't a controversial statement. There's no good reason to be a bigot. A disagreement over gender headcanons is an especially pathetic reason to reduce yourself to transphobia. Come the fuck on now.

More Discussion Under the Cut:

Miscellaneous thoughts include... 1.) She is not canon to Homestuck proper. This is because every piece of Homestuck media outside of literal Homestuck (2009) itself has been very open about the fact that they are not canon to Homestuck (2009). Homestuck (2009) is canon to Homestuck (2009), and nothing else is. HS:BC is canon to itself. HS^2 is canon to itself. The Homestuck Epilogues is canon to itself. Pesterquest is canon to itself. Hiveswap is canon to itself. They are not canon to Homestuck, though. These aren't condemnations of these pieces of media, nor is it a reduction of the meaning of this form of the character to people, it just needs to be stated that they're not canon to Homestuck. This is by design, and is also a well advertised fact about them. 2.) She was not "always intended", or "always canon". I see a lot of people say that June was being intentionally alluded to since 2009, and... That's just... Really blatantly not the case? Extremely magical thinking happening there. I think if June was supposed to happen in Homestuck, and was allegedly intentionally alluded to in Homestuck constantly... She would have happened in Homestuck? There's nothing wrong with an author getting asked to make a certain gender headcanon canon and then, you know, canonizing it because they think it's cool, nor is there anything wrong with an author realizing that an interesting arc for a specific character would be a gender transition in sequel material. It doesn't have to always be a "This was all planned from the start" situation. As someone who is a writer... That's genuinely just not really how writing works, and it really isn't where Hussie's politics were at during the time. Hell, I know a lot of genders, pronouns, sexualities, races, ethnicities, religions, and disability statuses were changed throughout me working on my own writing projects. They weren't all "Planned from the Start", and there's nothing wrong with that. 3.) June fans, I am so sorry. You all deserve so much more than these years of J.K. Rowling-tier """canonization""". This was said to be something that was totally going to happen... On Twitter... Through a magical Toblerone wish... Several years ago. And nothing has really come of it since. Not even a hint!! That sucks so much. 4.) Not to be blunt, but some people are really misogynistic about her. Transitioning doesn't completely change your personality. It doesn't fix all of your problems and flaws. Growing into femininity doesn't magically make you a ditzy bimbo girly girl whose only personality traits are Cute, Stupid, and Female. That's just fucking weird, dog. The way some people treat her status as a woman reads very... Caliborn-esque...

[zettaiunmeis]

HI THANKS TO @raventrigonsdaughter LETTING ME KNOW THAT OG GAME CARMEN AND JULIA USED TO BE PARTNERS BEFORE CARMEN WENT ROGUE, LET ME PROPOSE: VILE!JULIA.

details under the cut because this got Long

jules is part of the either the same class the ~infamous~ black sheep

and they don’t? really like each other? like julia is still kinda Serious and she doesnt really appreciate the vile squad goofing around and tossing water balloons or whatever and black sheep finds julia a little too uptight even if she’s interested in a lot of the same things (history, etc.)

black sheep’s speciality is Being SLick, as we know, but julia’s is patterns (and also historical artifacts)

ok but the important part of this is that bc julia’s is patterns, she ends up being like a scout or smth along those lines bc she can analyse patterns and report back to help plan the caper

and that basically means that when she graduates, she ends up in far more long cons than any of the others

anyway, after black sheep gets in trouble for the water balloon thing, the faculty decide she’s far too mischievous, and so, they assign her a partner — julia

(side note: its kind of the same thing that ends up happening to jean-luc and antonio a bit later on, but thats more because they work well together, and less bc either one of them needed a grounding influence)

anyway black sheep and jules again. do not like each other. but that doesnt mean they dont work well together — julia’s got an eye for patterns, and black sheep has every thieving trick in the book ready and waiting up her sleeves (alongside an instinct for thievery)

slowly, as they are forced to work together more and more, they kind of reach a less tense partnership and then one day black sheep makes a history joke and thats how they become friends

like julia is still very pointedly Not friends with the rest of the vile squad bc they’re still very reckless and immature, etc

but shes sort of seen black sheep when she’s been more grounded and less hyper/feral and she?? kind of doesnt mind??

bc grounded black sheep isnt constantly trying to prove that she’s The Best and grounded black sheep isnt trying to prove that she’s more than just the teacher’s pet — she’s kind of just having fun with julia and julia’s been so serious about her training that she hasnt really made any other friends and…. its nice

its nice to have black sheep loudly slip into the seat next to her and and tease julia about whatever recent historical discovery she’s researching and pull her out of her own head once in a while

and its nice to have black sheep glance over in the middle of class when sheena — sorry tigress — whines about something or the other and roll her eyes in the same way julia feels like doing, even if something strange sticks in her throat when carmen does the same with gray

she can’t pinpoint the exact moment, but at some point, she starts thinking of black sheep as her friend and it’s an exciting enough thought that she’s got a little smile on her face next time black sheep slips into the seat next to her in professor maelstrom’s class

and at some point julia stops being just julia to black sheep, and starts being jules because we’re in a school for thieves, but we’ve already got plenty of ~jules~ right here and thats sincerely the worst joke i’ve ever heard and oh really ~jules~? bet i could find an even worse one

and like all the usual stuff is still happening in the background — shadowsan-black sheep rivalry, gray and the Squad being black sheep’s friends, the phone and player, etc.

its just that now, black sheep has a bit of a calming influence and that does help!

and they work well enough that most people assume that julia and black sheep will be partners after graduation 

even crackle acknowledges it — despite the jealousy he feels at the knowledge

so things continue and all this happens, but then comes finals.

things go the same. black sheep gets perfect scores in all of her exams, except stealth 101

julia — now the historian — can’t help but check for whether black sheep graduated too and just as she does, she hears crackle say it: she didn’t pass

and she wants to go to black sheep and ask if she’s okay because everyone knows how much black sheep’s wanted this, how much she’s been working for it, but by the time gray’s been dragged off by tigress, black sheep has disappeared and julia has no idea where she’s gone

so she waits for a bit in the cafeteria and in the dorms and anywhere else she thinks that black sheep would be and she sees… nothing

and about twelve hours after the results, the faculty pulls her for her first mission (for context, this is before the whole,,, hear the true name of vile thing) which is basically being a plant for the morocco mission, by pretending to be an archaeology phd student from oxford who’s come to study the findings in the excavation

and she’s busy enough with that that she barely gets to think about black sheep or graduation or anything other than the near-overwhelming anxiety that comes with the horrifying ordeal of potentially being Known but she just manages to figure out like,,, guard rotations, as well as the exact objects that are at the site for the vile squad to steal

and then she’s out before they even get there — julia’s pattern recognition and historical knowledge made her pretty useful when it comes to planning capers so it meant that she’s always travelling around the world ahead of each caper, but would also make her a pretty invaluable asset to vile, so they can’t afford to get her caught

julia doesnt hear about black sheep nearly messing up morocco until much later, and even then, she doesn’t have all the info

all she can do is wonder why the hell the faculty would fail someone who somehow managed to sneak out of vile island without anyone realising until much later

and yes, maybe a part of her misses her old partner, but she knows that it wouldn’t matter anyway — she was the mole, and she’d barely get to work directly with carmen so.

but then cut to a year later, when a vile counterfeit operation in boston is suddenly sabotaged

cut to the moment when, julia, despite not having seen her in a year, is still able to somehow recognise black sheep’s work

its Slick. its the Slickness that tips her off, and part of her is reluctant to tell the faculty who it is, but her allegiance demands it and she tells the faculty and she hates herself for it when she sees the murderous rage on each of their faces

and somehow, that — her ability to recognise this carmen sandiego — gets her in a new position, as a mole in interpol, passing on the information they get as they try to track the scarlet super thief as well

and then one day, in poitiers, julia sees her

its black sheep. it’s undeniably black sheep under that red trench coat and julia wants to go and talk to her capture her and bring her in to vile but her new partner ~chase devineaux~ is everything that once made her turn away from her interest in law enforcement and he orders her to call for backup while he tries to stroke his own ego

she does, of course, but maybe she delays it a bit, if only because she’d rather let carmen sandiego get away than have devineaux’s ego get any bigger

and the rest of the season goes much the same except after julia ends up in acme, she reports to vile about everything that’s going on, and they no longer suspect devineaux of helping carmen etc etc

and she can’t help but somewhat sympathise with what carmen’s doing — she’s returning invaluable historical artefacts and julia’s always loved history and- it’s just… altruistic. and that’s admirable. and that’s the only reason i feel so torn about helping vile. that’s it, that’s the only reason.

and then comes the chasing paper caper

what was originally the first real conversation between julia and carmen goes completely differently

(note that most vile operative outside of jules’ graduating class do not know of her existence bc she barely interacts with most of them since she’s more a spy/mole who’s out of the picture by the time anyone else gets on the scene)

carmen still needs to be able to spy on paper star without anyone noticing, so she still goes for the seat right in front of the cute short-haired girl sitting alo- and oh my god jules?

and its the first time julia has heard that nickname in over a year and oh God they were just friends this should Not hit this hard what the Heck

and carmen still sits down and just quietly grills her as to what the hell is going on bc she Knows that jules is a always a mole and never an active part of a caper and she doesn’t?? understand??

and jules is kind of in a daze, but she’s been Trained so she feeds carmen her cover story:

she defected from vile when she saw how they were treating historical artefacts — melting down gold, selling priceless works of art to the highest bidder, etc. etc. — and that since then she’s been silently helping interpol with taking down vile ops, etc.

and it takes a bit but carmen kind of starts to believe it — she knows julia loves history with all her heart, and she’s… well, she’s never been the kind of recruit that carmen’s expected to see in vile anyway, so. it’s not out of the realm of possibility, is it, for julia to be a defector working against vile? after all, isn’t she the same?

so she starts looking around, while waiting for paper star to make a move, and she ends up noticing the briefcase in the seat next to her, and for some reason, those initials — clearly chase devineaux — make her want to scowl

“new partner?” “oh… its… well, work. work... partner” “oh.”

uhhh anyway i might actually. write this? idk don’t count on anything lmaooo.

[infinity-warfare]

Death Eaters is a group of dark wizards, followers of Lord Voldemort, who fought as elite fighters in the First and Second Magic Wars. Dreadful? No, not at all! Especially when you are the future wife of one of them. How to handle this? An exclusive report by word of mouth of a young bride of one of the Death Eaters. 

To Marry a Death Eater

When it comes to the fact that mama and papa want to engage you with one of the Death Eaters, you should not faint immediately and voluptuously wait for the hour when this very exciting event happens. What if this marriage turns out to be not as perfect as your mama and papa marriage? Well, let us look closer to all main aspects of such a marriage.

Engagement

When we are referring to an engagement, for some reason most girls imagine a diamond ring and jewellery immediately. Not ordinary, but special, which settle in your casket in the boudoir. All the space covered in flowers, pleasant music plays, and nothing seems to spoil this sweet moment. However, something is rotten in the state of Denmark. The ring does not look catchy and most likely it has been demolished by four generations of women of this family. Most likely, you will have a rich inheritance in the future, but now this is something that you have to be content with for at least another six months. Moreover, couples do not marry immediately after the engagement! It is time to know this thing, girls! The thing that can really spoil this day... Probably it is the very first time when you first see your hubby. Traditions are traditions and love in noble families is not obligatory. Ew... I should remind you that not all young and promising ladies are lucky! You will certainly not have an ugly and blind husband, but… Not only his look matter, is it?

Wedding

If a white veil, treats, and dances are the first things to come to your mind, forget it! You will probably spend more than one evening together just making a list of all his relatives, who, undoubtedly, should be invited to the celebration. And no one will tell you facts that grandfather Roderick can be wildly drunken with ordinary apple cider and will certainly sing obscene dirty ditties and aunt Morgana will aggressively shout “Now a kiss!” every five minutes, of course. Oh, those vile Death Eaters! They will do anything to a noble lady kissed them all evening! The very same wedding day can be remembered by the endless number of relatives who are drunk with firewiskey, rubbing shoes from Madame Malkin's shop and passionate desire to take them off. In addition, when it seems that there is more blood in wedding shoes than your feet, then a granny-toastmaster named Sulpicia will organize a festive relay race for you, dividing all relatives into the bride and groom teams. Perhaps only there you will understand why the hubby mother rubbed her hands so hard when she emphasized her in the guest list. Relatives from your side, whom you have always considered adequate, already being slightly drunk, will perceive this idea as the most valuable diamond in the mud compartment. And do not forget that you have to dance with all the drunken and sober relatives, including other Death Eaters.      If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen! The result is miserable: the legs are not felt at all, it seems that something valuable was stolen from the house, several fights and unforgivable spells, broken windows in the smoking room, everything around in the garbage and even when you want to retire with the groom, most likely Auntie Albertina will go with you to conduct the initiation rite? What the hell?

The wedding night

As it is clear from what was written earlier, you will remember this first wedding night forever. Salutes and fireworks are still exploding around the house, the house is full of all sorts of psychopaths from the bride and groom sides, some floors resemble ancient Greek ruins more than the Parthenon in Greece, and Aunt Albertina drags into your bedroom. Therefore, close the door on fifteen protective spells, having stunk out Roderick and Morgana before. If you thought that intimacy begins here, then you are deeply mistaken. What did these psychopaths give you? Half the night passes in a wedding rush over the gifts that all those familiar and unfamiliar people bought for the young family. And when it turns out that the celebration cost more than all that was given by all these people - it certainly will not be up to sleep. How could they? Hasn’t even a three-story wedding cake paid off? All gifts to the last will be examined in the most thorough way, up to such household things as services. One of which, will break, of course, for good luck. Or was it originally broken? After all, when it turns out that, there is nothing in the last envelope except the greeting card; it will already be five in the morning. What a wedding night, think again! In addition, these bloody legs, after dancing with relative psychopaths. In the furnace. I am a bride. I was tortured all day, I survived and deserved to sleep. Intimacy? Some other time, honey.

Honeymoon

The honeymoon is not always going after the wedding and you should understand this especially when your husband is a Death Eater. No Bahamas and Caribs, a suburb of England and constantly leaving for some races (or maybe raids?) on the instructions of Oz, the Great and Terrible (wrong story villain?). If you suddenly want to spend time together (I do not exclude such a possibility), then you can go with your husband to do the task. And how do you like this? Yes, you have to dress all black and kill a couple of Order members, but is this really a problem? Good girls very rarely become wives of such bad boys. Therefore, you have enough gray matter. And generally speaking! The golden time that you spend before the birth of your first child is your honeymoon. Enjoy! It is possible that you are the same lucky girl who still gets to pull her hubby somewhere on the beaches and into the luxurious life by the sea - for this kind of rest, this instruction is very useful! First, stick down the mark on your husband's hand so that its signals are invisible and imperceptible; attach a cold for the latter. In case your man looks at other ladies in bathing suits, pull sharply on the plaster and remind this handsome man where to look! After all, the real goddess is you. If after this your husband is indestructible, there will always be a little witch mate – “Imperio”. What? All is fair in love and war!

The first year of marriage

According to statistics, the largest number of divorces occur in the first four years of marriage, and the first year of marriage is considered the most difficult and to some extent decisive. If you didn’t kill each other during this long busy year of joint scandals and tantrums on the basis of the husband’s constant absence at home (but the presence of the one at work and the service of the Lord, no brothels and the vail), you are a pretty promising couple for the magical world. It is possible that mama and papa were right, matchmaking you to this Death Eater. The art of marriage is to allow as little spoilage as possible! Try to be tolerant of your sweet Deathyeater. And then you will find the same answer in the form of jewellery, flowers and expensive things. This is a time when you can EVEN love your husband. But do not overdo it. So that a man does not get bored in a relationship and does not go in search of emotions on the side, you need to periodically drive him crazy. The main thing here is to drive him crazy, but not to screw the poor man’s brains out. And this is already a great art that not every nymph can master! But it is also worth remembering another, rather important rule. The less DE we love, the more he loves you back.

Everyday life

What you should not bother with is life. Cooking, washing and cleaning, all this will take home elves or house cleaners, as you wish. Now you are the lady who controls this infinitely troublesome process. Make sure that the poison for the Order of the Phoenix in the cauldron is cooked correctly, the bloodstains were washed down to squeak and snow-whiteness and the rooms of the house is clean and pleasant. If something is wrong, shout at the little minions, if they are guilty that something is wrong. And yes they all burn in hell ... You can follow the example of the Walburga, which hangs their little heads on the door handles. Another option is to tell your husband. Damn them, the next time they will be neater. Then why do we need living OP members, problems at work and dirty carpets for aristocratic clean feet? Remember that the house is in the first place and it is the face of the family. Finally, yet importantly, it must be clean. Several tactically correct decisions and your reputation will rise to a new level.

Husband's friends

Since your husband is a Death Eater, you should still accept the fact that all his friends are likely Death Eaters too. The first forty years in the boy's life are the most difficult. It is precisely for this reason that he communicates with them in order to make his own good way into life and provide it for your family too. Devoured circle, which is brought along by raincoats and masks from papier-mâché. Do not be angry with your husband, because this is not a club for trips to the Vails, but really for work. The better the job, the better your financial position and status in society. Stroke the raincoat, wave with a hand, and send a sweet kiss. This means that you will have a whole evening in the company of your beloved books, music, movies and a bottle of champagne. The main thing is to ensure that the husband returns home and does not cover the bed with blood, which in turn is made of very silk. Sometimes it may happen that the husband invites his friends to you for tea - in this case, offer all possible types of tea and bring a little house with a tray for tasting. Perhaps right now your husband will promote, and the promotion, as they say, is always only for the benefit.

Society

In any case, your family life should not end in seclusion as in lives of some noble ladies. Attend secular receptions as often as possible (especially those of Mrs. Goyle) and then your life will shine in new colours. Snake girlfriends will immediately understand your significance by the weight of the diamond necklace on your swan neck. Restaurants, expensive boutiques, and luxury items, this luxurious world is open to you like never before. Spending your husband's money is a pleasure with which nothing can compare, for sure, nothing in this beautiful, perfect world. Even if your husband is unpretentious and rather sparingly dressed for his billions, you should definitely shine for everyone to think for sure. “Yes, he spends all the money on his spouse, he loves her so much. It must be an excellent family. ” Image is quite important in modern society. Also, do not forget to invite pureblood relatives to you and send postcards with congratulations on all kinds of holidays. Who is Giovani Bulstrode? Nevermind! Happy New Year, Giovani. Happy Holidays. xoxo Aurora Travers.

Husband's family

You should not hope that the husband’s family will meet you with open arms. Yes, you are an enviable bride, but nevertheless, in their opinion, their son deserves much more than such as you. Without a doubt, in their eyes you are a beggar woman, without brains, you don’t do anything around the house and my little son could marry many better girls. Sooner or later, you will have to go into battle with the boss named Mother-in-law. Mother-in-law is still a leech. If you have ever heard the cry of Mandrake without headphones in the Miss Sprout greenhouse, then, believe me, these are the sounds you will wake up with every morning! So what are you, say, a ballet dancer and can you do all 32 fouettes? But can you cook borschsch like mom? And spit on her that she had never cooked that borschsch in her life! You just can not! But the photograph of the mother-in-law on the fridge is great for losing weight, I checked it myself.

Frequent problems

If your husband’s greatness increased exponentially, the Ministerial rats most likely began to suspect him of belonging to the Death Eaters. Visit your husband at work often, it is desirable to wear a badge with a quote “the Slytherin is just a slightly different side of Hufflepuff” on your chest. Smile to all the people in the Ministry and fill up your husband’s shirt where the mark is on or cover with your hand. And then the problems just get avoided. With such a wonderful wife.

Children

If your son or daughter grew up Gryffindor - then he or she, clearly, the shame of your pious little family. Since childhood, this is a little lump, tormenting you all nine months with kicks and pressure on the bladder. If after this hell, he or she did not stand in the way of truth, I mean Slytherin way; burn the child from your family tree so that the hole remains not only in the tapestry, but also in his or her heart, and in the whole Universe. You, as a wife and mother, should take care of raising your children. Around this point, you have to share sleepless nights with your hubby, because a one-year-old baby is an even bigger demon than any of the dragons of Bill Weasley. Kick your husband harder at night to get up to the baby, too, muttering sleepily under his breath that the first year is sure to nurse the little one yourself. Even after, when the child gets used not to cry in the arms of his father-devourer, you can change the tactics of education (for both father and son). By his or her five, the child should already be the subject of wealth and all sorts of investments. The best education. The best tutors. Severe upbringing. Ambitions are grafted from birth. Prospects for the future. Already before his first trip to the school of magic, the baby should know which faculties should be downgraded. Never let him or her just try to cheat and doesn’t get the faculty of Slytherin! Just not to say later that the mother 11 years raised a piglet, and he or she did not even congratulate her on March 8.

Decembrist's wife

Nevertheless, it may happen that your life will go downhill because your husband is a Death Eater. Not everyone justifies, not everyone manages to pay off his lot in Azkaban, and only a few can return to the ordinary life of luxury and nobility. Get ready to become the wife of the Decembrist and carry her husband to Azkaban, if that is at all possible. There you have to try so that the Dementors do not steal your soul, and so that the husband ate a little in this prison cell. Some husbands are somewhat more demanding, and then they will have to put in a shaving gel, new financial publications, and necessities, such as an elegant suit to get out of the slammer. Someday he will be released, that is for sure (in fact it is not accurate).

In general, that is all. I wish everyone to think carefully before marrying a Death Eater and have enough brains not to take credit for the wedding! With you was your favorite Miss Aurora Travers! Only love marriage matter! P. S. LOL

[snailchimera]

Dear Exalted Playing Friends: You Need To Know About Sun Mice

They’re a canonical creature listed in COTD: North (2e), and they are possibly the best thing. Here’s the entry for them (followed by commentary):

“The Solar temple-manse at the heart of Whitewall may be Creation's last pristine example of High First Age religious architecture. The numerous mosaics and bas-reliefs depicting the glory and deeds of the Unconquered Sun include numerous small figures of... mice. Such figures now puzzle savants of the Second Age. It has been too long since the Unconquered Sun sent his subtly powerful agents into Creation- the mice of the sun.

These rodents are somewhat larger than ordinary mice but look otherwise ordinary. Only when the light strikes them in the right way does the fur on their backs reflect the eight-point symbol of their master.

While the mice possess a few supernatural talents, their real power is to appear when and where a tiny action could have enormous consequences. They gnaw through the warrior's shield-straps so it breaks in the middle of battle. They guide a lost messenger who bears news of a noble's treachery... or they carry a plague into the town that has fallen into demon worship or other blasphemies.

In the Old Realm, the mice of the sun occasionally assisted the Lawgivers. After the Usurpation, the supernatural rodents saw increasing use- especially after the Marama’s Fell holocaust- to curb the excesses of the Dragon-Blooded Shogunate. The Unconquered Sun abruptly ceased using his tiny minions after the Great Gontagion, and some in Heaven believe the Deathlords somehow co-opted the mice for their own vile ends. With the return of the Lawgivers to Creation, however, the King of Heaven might once more send the mice of the sun to assist his Chosen... or convey his displeasure.

Motivation: To do the Unconquered Sun's bidding

Attributes: Strength 1, Dexterity 4, Stamina 1 Charisma 2, Manipulation 2, Appearance 2 Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 4

Virtues: Compassion 3, Conviction 5, Temperance 3, Valor 5 - cannot fail Conviction or Valor rolls

Abilities: Athletics 2, Awareness 3, Dodge 4, Integrity 3, Investigation 1, Larceny 3, Martial Arts 1, Resistance 3, Stealth 5

Powers

Anima Banner- Mice of the sun can project the anima banner of any Solar Caste, making use of any anima effect for the normal Essence cost

Paw of Destiny- As Hand of Destiny, but at no Essence or Willpower cost. Mice of the sun always act instinctively to fulfill some greater goal set by Heaven's King

Join Battle: 7 Attacks: Bite Spd 4 Acc 5, Dmg 2L, Parry DV --, Rate 1

Soak: 0L/2B

Health levels: -0/-1/-2/-4/incap

Dodge DV: 5 Willpower: 8 Essence: 2 Essence pool: (the following is not a typo) 60

Other Notes: On rare occasions, the King of Heaven sends a mouse of the sun to accompany an Exalt for a time. The mouse functions as Familiar 3. Such assignments never last long, and they happen when the Storyteller wants them to. Mice of the sun are not appropriate as familiars for starting characters.”

Now look. I know we all like to play fast and loose with a canon that frankly plays fast and loose with itself. Exalted 2e is full of obscurities you can pick up or ignore at your pleasure, some of them directly contradictory to each other, some irreconcilably different in tone, some just too damn hard to find for you to be expected to know they exist. But I need everyone to know and love the fact that Sol’s chosen animal, through whom he likes to work directly, to the point that his temples were covered in their likeness, is a mouse. A ridiculously OP mouse. Because this is perfect. It’s beautiful. Can you think of a better mascot for a god who overthrew his incomprehensibly powerful, inconceivably cruel creators by giving godlike power to easily underestimated humans? To a god who consistently uplifts the powerless to the point it is arguably his whole thing, even moreso than being Perfect, Shiny, and In Charge Of The Sun? And, having accepted this perfection, is there anything more UCS- more Exalted- than giving these mice sufficient stats to hold their own against enemies even a low-level Solar PC would struggle with? They look like normal mice! Mice who absolutely can and will kick your butt in the name of Justice. I love them. I love them so much.

Or, to quote my good friend @friendlytroll​

im so delighted Like I could not be happier that Sols direct agency in creation is done with slightly bigger then normal mice

[oldadastra]

Night falls: losing myself in the dark

Sometime last year, a funny post listing the Myers Briggs personality types of characters in The Force Awakens made the rounds. I happily reblogged it, partly because it made me laugh, but mostly because I was tickled that the OP had labeled Kylo Ren as INFP, the same type as me.

Comments on the original post expressed doubt that Ben Solo could be this personality type, and of course, this is an analysis of a fictional character, so it’s silly at its base. Nevertheless, Star Wars has always presented a lens through which we can explore elements of our culture and ourselves, so I found it useful to think about.  

To me, the INFP assignment felt like it could be true; an introverted type, driven my deeply-held beliefs, with a tendency to go all in on causes which felt important. An ability to see multiple positions on an issue. Emotional, moral, poetic, impractical.

Without going too far into the weeds of personality tests and types, here’s a link to a test I took recently, and a link to the description of the INFP personality type.If you aren’t familiar with or interested in the Myers Briggs, you’ll probably want to scroll on, as this post is going to focus on politics and my own struggles to come to terms with the dark, using Ben Solo as my metaphor.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot in recent weeks, as the political environment grows darker here in the United States. Each day unleashes some new horror in our civic realm, and I feel myself getting lost in the gathering darkness. 

A little bit about myself: Most people who read my stuff know I’m old within the fandom (I’m 50). Here’s what I do for a living; for most of the past 25 years I’ve worked as a sculptor (in collaboration with my husband), creating artwork for pubic spaces. It’s an arts job that has taken us to diverse communities around the US where our process is to spend time listening to people to try to understand what makes their particular place special or important to them. We then create artwork which makes those values visible; inviting people to spend time together in their shared civic spaces, and hopefully, creating a more inclusive, beautiful, and lively environment in our towns and cities. Our work shows up in libraries, town squares, universities, transit stops, veterans homes, hospitals, parks, and other public spaces.

In my spare time, I’m part of our town plan commission, and president of the village merchant’s association. I lead rural arts activities, help out at our local museum, history festival and art fair, teach community education classes, and rescue stray and feral kittens. In short; I try to be a nice person, not an asshole.

To use a Star Wars analogy (which also works for me as a self-identified witch): I serve the light. I always have.

Until lately.

Aside: If you want to know more about me and the place where I live, here’s a link to an article in Politico in which me (and a bunch of my neighbors) are quoted at length. It was published on the day of the Inauguration. 

Here’s a picture of me, taken by the photojournalist who came out to document my little part of the world. It was a sunny morning, about 15 below zero F, and I am feeding my sheep:

  What does it feel like when a good heart goes bad?

I have lots of time to think while I’m caring for my flock of sheep and goats. and occasionally, insight strikes while I’m working at these mundane tasks. My whole Bloodline thesis? While flinging hay. The convictions that show up in my Jedi Killer essay? Hauling buckets of water to and fro. The explorations of the new saga as a possible meditation on universal themes of war and an exploration of moral injury? Those were late-night ruminations during lambing season last spring. 

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the American political situation, and my response to it. I’ve been working on an essay about the ways in which Rogue One provides templates for contemporary resistance, but this other thing has been in the way, and I need to write about it first: the darkness. 

One of my friends, another handspinner who is also a therapist, was the one who told me to take a Myers Briggs test. When I told her I was INFP, she clapped her hands and said, “Ha! I thought so.” This was probably only a year ago, so it’s a new idea for me, but the category feels right. All those traits of an INFP personality - they feel familiar and true. Embracing the ‘label’ has helped me to better understand myself and the ways in which I prefer to engage with the world.

Which brings me back to Ben Solo. Kylo Ren.

In the weeks since the election, and in the days since the inauguration, I have felt myself falling to the dark side. As the process began, I thought about asking my friend, the therapist, 

“What does it look like when an INFP goes bad?” 

Then I realized I knew.

Kylo Ren is the template for a personality with a vivid moral code warped into violence. His is the pattern for strong emotion congealed into explosive rage burning, burning, burning, just beneath the surface; heavy, corrosive and hot in your chest. It is the outstretched hand twisting into the clenched fist. 

I know because I can feel it happening to me. 

In the Politico article, one of the local people interviewed by Michael Kruse said, 

“It’ll be turmoil for four years. [Trump]’s like a firecracker in a keg of dynamite.”

Why, then, I wondered, did he vote for him? He put down his brandy in a plastic cup and looked at me.“Why not?” he said flatly. “Let it blow.”

This, and the guy’s other hateful comments, are part of what’s stoking my rage; my fall. In the darkness, I disagree with everything he says, except for this:

Let it blow.

I voted for Clinton. I was never excited about her candidacy, but Trump represented then, and is demonstrating now, that he is a clear and present danger to democracy, and I voted against that. Now that the worst has come to pass, in a strange way I agree with the vile man in the article; I saw the threat Trump and his cabal represent and voted to maintain the status quo. My neighbors (some of them might have been my friends) chose a different path, and here we are.

So be it. Let it blow. 

And why not? The world is in trouble. If we are to build new ways of living, the old ones must pass away, yes? It feels as though the collapse is upon us; a self-induced crisis of epic proportions to which we must all respond. We’re invited to sweep the ground clean of everything that went before and start anew.

I know in my bones that these are dangerous times which demand the absolute best from all of us if people and institutions we care deeply about are to survive, and yet, every day I am failing. I am falling to the dark. I can feel it. and cannot find my way out. 

Hate, deception, and cruelty are the markers of the new regime, and it is so easy, so very easy, to meet hate with hate. 

Star Wars is helping me try to make sense of it. I spent much of the past year trying to understand the story of a fictional character, writing about the reasons he might have fallen - been seduced by the dark side, we like to say here in the GFFA - but I never really got it until now. 

Surrendering to the dark side is easy. When war is brought to your doorstep, it feels simple and correct to meet it with war. When the people around you display their ignorance and bigotry, how else should one meet it but with righteous fury?

I’m lost. I thought I was Jedi, but it turns out I’m Sith.

Or not. 

I’m struggling against this, the darkness. Even that is a revelation; the intensity of the struggle in my psyche, in my soul. It’s exhausting. I feel it as a heaviness in my chest, the hot buzz of too much blood in my veins. 

I am a shepherd, perhaps the most cliched pastoral and peaceful job a person can do, but these days I tend to my flock and fight fantasies of violence as I tear gobs of hay off the bales to carry to my gentle animals.  The steel tines of my pitchfork are polished with moving summer’s grass in winter, and they glitter in the guttering light of my headlamp.

I’m doing what I can; writing this helps, perhaps. Stepping out into the cold air of winter clears my head, if only temporarily. Marching helped. Speaking out and taking action helps. I’m talking to the wise ones in my circle; my friend Richard, a veteran activist who is headed back to Standing Rock this spring, and who seems to have cracked the code of non-violence. All the voices around me that feel less lost. I’m looking for the light. It’s there, I know it.

I’ve written so much about Ben Solo because I love him. He’s Han and Leia’s boy, after all. I’ve thought of him as though he were one of my own children, and the question of how to bring him out of the dark, how to get him home, has felt urgent for these reasons.  Now for the first time, I realize he’s me. 

Save Ben Solo