#another one. become plural. /j

[purrple-bat]

Lilas Writes

Surprising right? my dumb french ADHD riddled mind can put words together into something coherent.

Tho, to be fair I mostly don't come up with the basics of ideas but instead expend and improve on little things by going into deep details. That's why you'll find me often in long comments on ao3.

(ao3 account)

Anyway: here's a master post to find some of my things!

(DD/MM/YY)

Murder Drones Stories

- Trojan Virus AU:

Uzi is left on her own after being left for dead. She soon comes to learn that there is much more to her code and that she is not actually alone.

Plural Disassembly Drone Uzi AU.

> (17/02/24) You're on your own (ao3: 1,209words)

> (22/02/24) You're not yourself (ao3: 1,794 words)

> (08/03/24) Together, we will thrive (ao3: 18,349 words)

Murder Drones Drafts

- Draft 01: (15/05/25) Festering Anger (tumblr: 731 words)

AU idea - Morally grey Uzi comes to learn the anger inside her and disregard for everyone around her. So what if the person who would come to understand her are murderers? She will find a new true family in them.

- Draft 02: (15/05/25) Masked Rivals, Close Friends (tumblr: 515 words)

AU idea - Secret identity hero!V / vigilante!Uzi. Childhood Friends to Secret Enemies.

- Draft 03: (15/05/25) Tearing the streets (tumblr: 1,020 words)

AU idea - Mafia 'Princess' Uzi having to do the works her father doesn't do and fight to protect their turf against this new group called the Disassemblers.

- Draft 04: (06-12/06/25) Broken Together, Two Curious Little Maids, Unfeeling Kinship (tumblr: 19,750 words) (ao3: 27,455)

Canon Divergent Story - Giving Cyn a friend (OC) as broken as her. :)

- Draft 05: (12/06/25) Wrong Place, Right Time (tumblr: 935 words)

AU idea - After Nori's death, Uzi runs away and finds new caretakers: A certain trio of Dissasemblers.

- Draft 06: (12/06/25) NSFW - Puppy High (tumblr: 794 words)

Smut idea - Uzi is puppy sub when high, J and V sure enjoys it.

- Draft 07: (13/06/25) Strings of Heart (tumblr: 917 words)

AU idea - Cyn, Tessa and J loves one another. Would be a shame if the Absolute Solver would come to abuse that love.

- Draft 08: (13/06/25) Smartest Gay Idiots (tumblr: 788 words)

Ship Headcanon - Drone!Tessa / Uzi. Who would had guessed that the smartest drones in the bunker were also the most clueless?

- Draft 09: (14/06/25) Daughter of Chaos (tumblr: 1,047 words)

AU idea - Cyn, Goddess of Chaos, takes under her wings a little girl named Uzi and becomes her mother :3

- Draft 10: (14/06/25) Beneficial Secret Partnership (tumblr: 1,711 words)

AU idea - Uzi and Doll comes to an understanding pre-pilot episode that they might not be so different after all and that they could help one another.

- Draft 11: (16/06/25) NSFW - Secretly Not So Straight (tumblr: 1,743 words)

Smut idea - Who would had guessed the bully queen, Lizzy, would find herself weak under the strong touches of Uzi?

- Draft 12: (19/06/25) Shared Loneliness (tumblr: 685 words)

Pre Story Headcanon - Uzi and Doll requindle a friendship in their shared loneliness when it comes to family holidays.

- Draft 13: (20/06/25) Can Love Re-Bloom on the Battlefield (tumblr: 3,071 words)

AU idea - War against the Absolute Solver is at their doors and Uzi and Doll will have to settle their differences and become its strategists if they wants their kind to survive.

- Draft 14: IN PROGRESS

- Draft 15: IN PROGRESS

‎

Murder Drones Big Additions

@.nullinkk 's post : (25/10/24) Nori/Yeva fankid (tumblr reblog)

@.schpech 's post : (29/10/24) Unhealthy Oilrose; One-sided Vuzi (tumblr reblog)

Honkai Star Rail Drafts

- (21/10/24) Stellaron Hunter Stelle AU (tumblr post)

AU Story Idea - Stelle grew up as a merciless hunter, trying to survive in this harsh world. That's when they joined a group of fellow vigilantes and criminals that would become their family. Yet one day an accident happen, leaving them with blurred memories and aboard the famous Star Rail. How will things go for them when it comes to their previous family?

Cult of the Lamb Drafts

- (25/07/24) Trust might not be so bad (tumblr post)

Narinder comes to learn that maybe they should stop chasing the past.

- (26/07/24) First Death just like the Last (tumblr post)

The last sad wills of a sacrificial lamb. Angst Narilamb.

- (19/08/24) Idea: Blind Lamb (tumblr post)

Titles explains it. Rambling about Lamb being blind.

- (19/08/24) Mournful Bride (tumblr post)

Narinder realizes too late the love they have lost.

- (06/09/24) Mother Lamb, Ayn & Baal's Caretaker (tumblr post)

The Lamb was not just a cult leader. They would also become the first to take care of The One Who Wait's proteges. The first to spend time with him and help guide him in raising the sons he was forced to have. But things will have to end one day, a mother would do everything in their power to protect the ones they love. So what will Narinder do, after the Lamb's sacrifice, once Aym and Baal asks where their 'Baba' went?

- (08/09/24) Protector God of Worship Lamb (tumblr post)

Godhood can be achieved in many ways. Who knew that having such a strong faith and will to protect others would be in turn lead to people worshipping you?

‎

I also make draft and ideas about nsfw things too! Which you would find with the tag #Lilas Writes on my side blog: @mama-magpies-fantasies

[steampunk-raven]

a ranking of shaperaverse characters based on how much i (plural system) relate to them because of that. v silly not serious

henry/hurl. 10/10. it is an integral part of many types of system dynamics to have one guy who is there and another guy who is also there the key difference being the second guy just has their tits out 24/7

jakob/jesse. I staunchly believe that the “unborn twin” thing is just a lie and these two actually just. have DID. because genuinely before I figured some stuff out that is what my headmates told me. so. however jakob sucks so they don’t get to be first place

timothy/zoe/everyone else in his head. technically this is ghostie weirdness but 1) i love ghostie weirdness can i claim it? i love it it’s great 2) the conversations they have are possibly the best depiction of intersys dynamics i’ve ever seen. if anyone was wondering what’s going on in my brain during like. a math test or something. it’s that it’s literally just that. the whole slenderman musical is plural

the rose sisters :3 for similar reasons to the one below but like. the lil creatures are more plural about it i think

floozies! technically one could argue they are the exact opposite of plural because they are one (more or less) identity in multiple bodies as opposed to multiple identities in one. but i love them and also theyre plural as fuck fight me

raven/david. this was originally gonna be lower/tied with the next one but these two actually talk to each other. however i do feel like their relationship is an equally good (or maybe even better but ik it’s super subjective lol) metaphor for many other topics. but i love them and my understanding of their characters is DEFINITELY heavily influenced by my own plurality and experiences. so *shrug*

sarah. somethding deeply wrong with her <- person who is obsessed with her. anyways. “masks all the way down” “erasing memories to forget the versions of herself she doesn’t identify with” sarah mckiggan i need to dissect you. obviously she’s having an identity crisis (general version) but i like imagining there’s a bit of identity crisis (plural version) in there too.

the cabaret gang. like conceptually. couldn’t really figure out to place this so it is tied with whatever you think it should be tied with

the narratives. no explanation needed.

every single character from puppetshades. something up with them i think.

lloyd. many things wrong with him. he should become multiple guys about it

mary. i like her so I’m claiming her. people get so confused about her amount of legs because one headmate wanted 10 legs, one was really obsessed with spiders so just said theyre all a spider, one was just kinda bad at counting, and the others were just glad to be included. canon to me (/j)

[theremustbeabear]

Erm hi. I'm unfamiliar with plurality so I just want to ask a few questions if thats ok... I feel like this is too long for discord.

1. How similar are your introjects (is that the appropriate way to say it? Your introjects? Or this system's introjects?) To the source material? Are they influenced by fanon? If the source material character/person is talked about, do they take it personally? Be it shipping, character crit, etc... OK sorry this is many questions at once.

2. When did altars start popping up, and when did you guys become aware that "oh here theres lots of us around"? Any particular formative events/memories that are associated with the development of your plurality?

3. Are hosts usually the "original" altar? I'm sorry, idk how to say this.

4. This is more for talking on discord and the such but do memories and conversations carry over? Would it be inappropriate to go like "we (me and an altar) talked about xyz" to another altar?

of course, happy to answer any questions anytime! and an obligatory disclaimer that these are own opinions/feelings and that other systems may not see or experience things the same way.

"your introjects" is perfectly fine! "you" is a singular or plural pronoun, so it doesn't matter. our introjects tend to start out quite close to the source material, and then develop naturally from there. we like to think of our source character as a sort of foundation, which we then build our own house on top of—it's important, but it's not the only thing, and the more of the house that's built, the less of the foundation you see. some folks end up changing a lot, over time, and others don't, it just depends on the individual. influenced by fanon also depends, sometimes we are, sometimes we aren't, sometimes our brain decides to go off in a wild uncharted direction and drag us through a hedge and spit out an introject that feels like the source character has been put through a paper shredder and reassembled into some weird half-recognizable paper mache sculpture. as for taking source talk personally, we generally don't experience anything more strongly than what the average person would feel upon seeing talk of their favourite character. we view our source characters quite separately from ourselves, especially once we've taken on a different name, but we do thrive on making jokes. it's very common for us to see character crit, and if it's from a friend, the relevant introject to pop up and go "what did i ever do to you :( why do you hate me :( /j" without actually meaning any of it. it's all in good fun. if we ever do feel too strongly about something, we remove ourselves or the introject in question and handle it privately.

early 2021 was our system discovery (often shortened to syscovery)! late may, i believe? a lot of systems tend to struggle with their discovery, spending a long time doubting and unable to fully interact with their headmates, but that wasn't us. our old host was dragging up unpleasant memories one night, and our brain got sick of it, and decided to make her stop by dumping an entire person directly on her head, which caused her to freak out and flee into the back. lalna, the new person, was utterly clueless, but knew she wasn't the host, and so poked around in the brain until she found johan, who had been there for a month or so previous, and johan took over to sort things out. so, it was a very jarring and sudden transition, because prior to that point, our existing headmates had been trying very hard to keep themselves hidden so as not to make problems for the host. we're still not exactly sure how old our system is, due to the size and construction of our headspace, but the oldest we've found so far is sable, who is at least from 2018, perhaps earlier. we're a traumagenic system--a system formed from trauma, that is--so we'd prefer not to disclose the details of that, but suffice it to say our old host was simply having trouble dealing with life on her own, and so the brain attempted to fix that problem by making it so that she, well, wasn't alone. in all fairness, it did work! three years on, we're much happier now than we were before, and wouldn't return to singularity for a million dollars.

hosts are often the "original" alter (or headmate, as we prefer—the term alter is standard, but also viewed as a little too clinical by a lot of systems. we don't mind it, we just prefer other terms), but not always. the generally-accepted term for an "original" alter is the "core", and our core is not our current host. she used to be, but mike took over about a month after our syscovery, and has held the position ever since. the exact definition of host is fluid between systems, but for the most part, it's simply the "main" headmate that is around most often and is sort of viewed as being "in charge". big shoutout to mike, by the way, he's incredible and a big reason why we're so functional and problem-free these days.

for us, they do! we're an osdd-1b system, so we have very little amnesia between alters, if any at all. the best way to explain it is that the front, where we have to be to interact with the outside world, and the body, have their own memory bank, of sorts, that's accessible by any headmate who is in the front at any time. right now, i can remember what angus was doing when we were playing video games this morning, and the jackbox games night two weeks ago, even though i wasn't entirely present for the first and completely out of front for the second. however, once i leave, i'll have no access to the knowledge of what's happening outside until i return, and the gaps will be filled in. it's a little odd at first, but once you're used to it, it's completely seamless, and is the reason why we often struggle to remember who was fronting for a past activity, and/or simply refer to the past vaguely using i/we without specifying. things are generally a little bit clearer when it was you, specifically, though—for example, i have no idea who started writing the hickgib fic in our drafts, even though i remember writing it, but i know that it wasn't me, particularly. this is because we also have our own personal memories that encapsulate source & things we might get up to in headspace outside of the front. all this to say: no, it's perfectly fine to mention talking to another alter, and honestly, we'd be glad for the reminder, lol, we've probably completely forgotten who was participating in the conversation and might want to drop them a line to jog our memory more clearly.

hope this helps! thanks for asking <3

[onheirpodcast]

Charles' speech

Honourable Senators,

Members of the House of Commons,

It is with a sense of deep pride and pleasure that my wife and I join you here today, as we witness Canadians coming together in a renewed sense of national pride, unity, and hope.

I would like to acknowledge that we are gathered on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg people. This land acknowledgement is a recognition of shared history as a nation. While continuing to deepen my own understanding, it is my great hope that in each of your communities, and collectively as a country, a path is found toward truth and reconciliation, in both word and deed.

This is my 20th visit to Canada, spread over the course of more than half a century, and my first as Sovereign. As I have said before, “Every time I come to Canada… a little more of Canada seeps into my bloodstream – and from there straight to my heart.” I have always had the greatest admiration for Canada’s unique identity, which is recognized across the world for bravery and sacrifice in defence of national values, and for the diversity and kindness of Canadians.

To the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples – you have welcomed my family and myself to your traditional lands with great warmth and hospitality, for which I am humbly grateful.

This year, we mark the 80th anniversary of V-E Day and V-J Day. On Juno Beach, at Dieppe, on the Somme, at Beaumont-Hamel, at Ypres, and on Vimy Ridge… At those places, and many others, forever etched into our memories, Canadians fought and died alongside our closest allies.

Today, I see representatives from every part of Canada – from St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, to Victoria, British Columbia, and Arviat, Nunavut. I see the guardians of the fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed in the Canadian Charter and, as King, I thank you for your service to your fellow Canadians, across the length and breadth of this vast and great nation.

You speak for your communities, representing an incredible richness of cultures, languages, and perspectives. We owe it to this generation, and those who succeed us, to think and act for the greater good of all. While the world faces unprecedented challenges, generating uncertainties across the continents with regards to peace and stability, economics, and climate change, your communities have the skills and determination to bring a wealth of solutions.

By fostering collaboration and engaging in respectful, constructive debates, you will ensure this Government is capable of bold and fair action to support Canadians.

It has been nearly 70 years since the Sovereign first opened Parliament. In the time since, Canada has dramatically changed: repatriating its Constitution, achieving full independence, and witnessing immense growth. Canada has embraced its British, French, and Indigenous roots, and become a bold, ambitious, innovative country that is bilingual, truly multicultural, and committed to reconciliation.

The Crown has for so long been a symbol of unity for Canada. It also represents stability and continuity from the past to the present. As it should, it stands proudly as a symbol of Canada today, in all her richness and dynamism.

When my dear late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, opened a new Canadian Parliament in 1957, the Second World War remained a fresh, painful memory. The Cold War was intensifying. Freedom and democracy were under threat. Canada was emerging as a growing economic power and a force for peace in the world. In the decades since, history has been punctuated by epoch-making events: the Vietnam War, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the start of the War on Terror. Today, Canada faces another critical moment. Democracy, pluralism, the rule of law, self-determination, and freedom are values which Canadians hold dear, and ones which the Government is determined to protect.

The system of open global trade that, while not perfect, has helped to deliver prosperity for Canadians for decades, is changing. Canada’s relationships with partners are also changing.

We must be clear-eyed: the world is a more dangerous and uncertain place than at any point since the Second World War. Canada is facing challenges that are unprecedented in our lifetimes.

Many Canadians are feeling anxious and worried about the drastically changing world around them. Fundamental change is always unsettling. Yet this moment is also an incredible opportunity. An opportunity for renewal. An opportunity to think big and to act bigger. An opportunity for Canada to embark on the largest transformation of its economy since the Second World War. A confident Canada, which has welcomed new Canadians, including from some of the most tragic global conflict zones, can seize this opportunity by recognising that all Canadians can give themselves far more than any foreign power on any continent can ever take away. And that by staying true to Canadian values, Canada can build new alliances and a new economy that serves all Canadians.   

The Prime Minister and the President of the United States, for example, have begun defining a new economic and security relationship between Canada and the U.S., rooted in mutual respect and founded on common interests, to deliver transformational benefits for both sovereign nations.

In parallel, the Government is working to strengthen its relationships with reliable trading partners and allies around the world, recognizing that Canada has what the world needs and the values the world respects.

Canada is ready to build a coalition of like-minded countries that share its values, that believe in international co-operation and the free and open exchange of goods, services, and ideas. In this new, fast-evolving world, Canada is ready to lead. This will be demonstrated in June, when Canada convenes the G7 Summit.

The Government is guided by its conviction that the economy is only truly strong when it serves everyone. Many Canadians are struggling to get ahead. The Government is responding, reducing middle-class taxes and saving two-income families up to $840 a year. It will cut the GST on homes at or under $1 million for first-time homebuyers, delivering savings of up to $50,000. And it will lower the GST on homes between $1 million and $1.5 million.

The Government will protect the programs that are already saving families thousands of dollars every year. These include child care and pharmacare. In addition to these, the Government has recently expanded the Canadian Dental Care Plan to cover about eight million Canadians, saving the average person more than $800 per year.

The Government’s overarching goal – its core mission – is to build the strongest economy in the G7. That starts with creating one Canadian economy out of thirteen. Internal barriers to trade and labour mobility cost Canada as much as $200 billion each year. The Government will introduce legislation to remove all remaining federal barriers to internal trade and labour mobility by Canada Day.

Numerous premiers have already taken vital steps to break down provincial and territorial barriers to trade. Together, we will build on that progress to deliver free trade across the nation by Canada Day. This is critical to unlocking Canada’s full economic potential, but it’s not enough.

To build Canada strong, the Government is working closely with provinces, territories, and Indigenous Peoples to identify and catalyse projects of national significance. Projects that will connect Canada, that will deepen Canada’s ties with the world, and that will create high-paying jobs for generations.

Given the pace of change and the scale of opportunities, speed is of the essence. Through the creation of a new Major Federal Project Office, the time needed to approve a project will be reduced from five years to two; all while upholding Canada’s world-leading environmental standards and its constitutional obligations to Indigenous Peoples.

The Government will also strike co-operation agreements with every interested province and territory within six months to realize its goal of “one project, one review.”

By removing these barriers that have held back our economy, we will unleash a new era of growth that will ensure we don’t just survive ongoing trade wars, but emerge from them stronger than ever. It will enable Canada to become the world’s leading energy superpower in both clean and conventional energy. To build an industrial strategy that will make Canada more globally competitive, while fighting climate change. To build hundreds of thousands of good careers in the skilled trades. And to build Canada into the world’s leading hub for science and innovation.

Critically, the Government will undertake a series of measures to help double the rate of home building while creating an entirely new housing industry – using Canadian technology, Canadian skilled workers, and Canadian lumber. The Government will introduce measures to deliver affordable homes by creating Build Canada Homes. This mission-driven organization will act to accelerate the development of new affordable housing. It will invest in the growth of the prefabricated and modular housing industry. And it will provide significant financing to affordable home builders. The Government will make the housing market work better, including by cutting municipal development charges in half for all multi-unit housing. The Government will drive supply up to bring housing costs down.

To be truly strong, Canada must be secure. To that end, the Government will introduce legislation to enhance security at Canada’s borders. Law enforcement and intelligence agencies will have new tools to stop the flow of fentanyl and its precursors. The Canada Border Services Agency will be given new powers to examine goods destined for export, to prevent the transport of illegal and stolen products, including cars.

The Government will protect Canada’s sovereignty by rebuilding, rearming, and reinvesting in the Canadian Armed Forces. It will boost Canada’s defence industry by joining ReArm Europe, to invest in transatlantic security with Canada’s European partners. And it will invest to strengthen its presence in the North, which is an integral part of Canada, as this region faces new threats.

The Government will discharge its duty to protect Canadians and their sovereign rights, from wherever challenges may come at home or abroad. To keep communities safe, the Government will hire 1,000 more RCMP personnel. It will change firearms licensing and strengthen enforcement of yellow and red flag laws. Weapons licences for those convicted of intimate partner violence and those subject to protection orders will be revoked. Through the deployment of scanners, drones and helicopters, additional personnel, and K-9 teams, the Government will stem the tide of illegal guns and drugs across the border.

It will take these steps while protecting the rights of law-abiding gun owners and Indigenous Peoples’ longstanding hunting traditions.

The Government will bring a renewed focus on car theft and home invasions by toughening the Criminal Code to make bail harder to get for repeat offenders charged with committing these crimes, along with human trafficking and drug smuggling.

During this time of great change, Canadians are uniting behind what makes Canada unique.

The French language and the Quebec culture are at the heart of the Canadian identity. They define the country that Canadians and I love so much. Canada is a country that respects and celebrates its official languages and Indigenous languages. The Government is determined to protect the institutions that bring these cultures and this identity to the world, like CBC/Radio-Canada. It will protect the people who give us access to fresh, healthy, and quality food: agricultural producers. And it will protect supply management.

Nature is core to Canada’s identity. In 2022, Canada convened COP15 in Montréal, which concluded with 196 countries striking a historic agreement to protect 30 percent of their lands and 30 percent of waters by 2030. To this end, the Government will protect more of Canada’s nature than ever before through the creation of new national parks, national urban parks, marine protected areas, and other conservation initiatives.

The Government will always protect the rights and freedoms that the Charter guarantees for every Canadian.

The Government will be a reliable partner to Indigenous Peoples, upholding its fundamental commitment to advancing reconciliation. Central to this commitment is the creation of long-term wealth and prosperity with Indigenous Peoples. For that reason, the Government will double the Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program from $5 billion to $10 billion – enabling more Indigenous communities to become owners of major projects. As Canada moves forward with nation-building projects, the Government will always be firmly guided by the principle of free, prior, and informed consent.

Canada’s immigration system has long been a source of pride for Canadians and of dynamism for the economy. The Government is dedicated to rebuilding the trust of Canadians in immigration by restoring balance to the system.

The Government will cap the total number of temporary foreign workers and international students to less than five percent of Canada’s population by 2027. By doing this, the Government will attract the best talent in the world to build our economy, while sending a clear message to Canadians working abroad that there is no better time to come home.

In all of its actions, the Government will be guided by a new fiscal discipline: spend less so Canadians can invest more.

Day-to-day government spending – the government’s operating budget – has been growing by nine percent every year. The Government will introduce measures to bring it below two percent.

Transfers to provinces, territories, or individuals will be maintained. The Government will balance its operating budget over the next three years by cutting waste, capping the public service, ending duplication, and deploying technology to improve public sector productivity.

In parallel, the Government will take a series of measures to catalyse new investment to create better jobs and higher incomes for Canadians. The scale of the Government’s initiative will match the challenges of our times and the ambitions of Canadians.

Honourable Senators,

Members of the House of Commons,

When my dear late mother addressed your predecessors seven decades ago, she said that in that age, and against the backdrop of international affairs, no nation could live unto itself. It is a source of great pride that, in the following decades, Canada has continued to set an example to the world in her conduct and values, as a force for good.

I wish to express to you and to the people of Canada my heartfelt gratitude, and that of my wife, for the warmth of the welcome which we have received.

As the anthem reminds us: The True North is indeed strong and free!

Members of the House of Commons, you will be asked to appropriate the funds to carry out the services and expenditures authorized by Parliament.

May you honour the profound trust bestowed upon you by Canadians, and may God bless and guide you in all your duties.

[kaiyeti]

2. How said he wasn't already build a new body when they were in atlas? How said he didn't already have a new body in case somthing will happened to her? Olse we saw in V7 that Pietro can work with less resorces

3. In every way the maiden power transfer, the aura is transfer with it, the maiden power is connected to the aura and as so the new maiden gwt rhe previous one aura

4. Why would it be Penny? Who said that only Pietro can give Penny his aura

6. Ambrosius said that it agains his rule to bring people back from the dead not that he can't, and that's not what I talked about, I talked about Ambrosius or Pietro changing the Aura Transfer Machine

7. We never saw Salem regenerates until the final word, and in the same episode we saw that when Cinder try to take Penny's maiden power her aura was green, it was change to yellow when she transfer the power to Winter for a reason they have yet to show us

-

Somewhat said "you came back" to the person that came in the end of the episode, and the only person they know outside of the Ever After is RWBY+J, and what reason does tgey have to come back to the Ever After if not for a sword that souldn't exist because it was made of maiden magic and as such it shouldn't be exist when Penny died and can be use to bring her back because it made of her aura which turn it into another core? (And you can be use as plural)

3. Nope, she only heard Penny, no one else, we also got the script of that moment and they show us that she only heard Penny

4. Exacly, they goes by what they just see, they saw that RWBY+J fall to their "death" and Winter saw Penny pass her the power, which as far as everyone knows means death to the previous owner

5. A pocket dimention outside of remnet that could have it's own rules

The show already showed us a way that Penny can come back, and it cleared that they showed us it so it will be used in the future, and yes the "human" body make it look impossible now but that the idea, to make us think she's gone for good so we will be suprise when we see her coming back (subversing expentation)

Also Penny didn't need to become human to die permently, Pietro already said he probebly doesn't have enough aura to bring her back, all is need is to destroy her core and that's it she's gone for good

And if he could bring her back if he have a copy of Penny memories (there was a recording machine in V7) it once again make her human body meaningless because she can still come back and it is because becoming human was never part of Penny character (subversing expentation of the Pinnochio character)

What happened to the first one?... ANYWAY!

Even if he did its at the bottom of a by now frozen burned to hell crashed city.

OR it was the magic because at you pointed out the aura was different colors and as Oz and Salem showed when used as a shield it looks just like aura.

Pietro's aura made Penny, hence father and daughter. Use someone else's aura makes a new soul for the new robot person.

Where the fuck did five go!?

And Ambroisus HAS to follow those rules. Otherwise you are making the argument that they can summon Jin again and ask more questions. And AGAIN Salem has the staff so Amrboisus isn't even a factor until then. Also If you want to take the cripple old man to the ruins of a grimm filled Kingdom that had to be abandon to get a big ass machine that is already destroyed then do him a favor and give him a quick death because being ripped apart is a bit more painful.

... You don't watch the show do you because you see Salem regenerate a LOT in vol 6. You know, HER FUCKING BACK STORY!

I now refuse to make to lists, Anyway! They wouldn't be going back to bring back Penny.

I rewatched that episode and their is more then one voice.

You forgot that Winter and Ironwood's fight happen right next to a portal door.

And it was still connect through the protals to Remnant so Remnant rules only. The only other rule was don't fucking fall. Also did you forget AGAIN the blacksmith/tree explained the rules which explained why Alyx was brought back? I literally have the entire series on the bookmark of my laptop which I am using to making these points.

So you are now admitting that you want a copy of Penny and not the actually Penny ship of Theseus style. Which to be fair yeah is possible but that falls into the bad copout in my personal opinion. Don't get me wrong it would lead to interesting side plots and hey we have a Penny bag but I'm just not a fan of it. It works in Gen:lock because its fitting for that story and answers some questions about the technology and how it works. But for RWBY its just feels like I said a Copout. You go through killing Penny for an excuse to keep Jaune relevant taking up screen time You may as well commit to the bit.

Now for Pietro, that is why I keep saying It will kill Pietro to bring Penny back because unlike Salem He would give up his life to bring back a loved on, hence why I was hoping SOMEONE would have grabbed Penny's sword and brought back with them but apparently The are using borderlands 3 dlc gag of rolling nat 1s when picking up a weapon.

All this said, If you want to continue this, Reblog with your account.

[pointblankpaint]

I am a grooming victim of Daylin/lucid-daydreaming-art. More specifically, one of our past hosts was, who we will be referring to as J. We’re more than aware of the doc on us and the people they have asked to share it. We figured since they can dredge up that “relationship” from 2017 - 2018, so can we. This isn’t really to set the record straight, more to share the other side of things. I want to preface this by saying I do not have any screenshots to back me up due to the fact that I have deleted and logged out of previous accounts in an effort to be left alone, which Daylin seemingly cannot comprehend. The alters that have interacted with Daylin are now dormant and I have the least amount of interaction with Daylin but have enough memories of the time to piece together our own story to the best of my personal ability. I do also want to say that we collectively have pretty noticeable memory loss but will touch on the details we still can recount. 

Daylin and J had a two year age gap between them and both were minors of the time and the relationship lasted from August of 2017 to June of 2018. Daylin was 16 for most of the relationship and J was 14 - 15. They were closer to 17 when the relationship had ended. Looking back on this as we are almost bodily 22 is nothing short of upsetting, if not disturbing. Daylin was in a position of power throughout the entire relationship which they allegedly refuse to acknowledge til this day. During part of the relationship, J was unmedicated and living with our abusive mother, as well as dealing with severe dysphoria, and eventually being kicked out of his mother’s home. We can fully admit to being unstable during the relationship either them. However, Daylin dealt with similar problems in the relationship. At several points we had to talk them down, convincing them that they did not have cancer, and going into a panic after one of their own alters claimed Daylin had gone dormant and then seemingly coming out of it a short while after. (Daylin’s own plurality is their own thing to speak on if they ever do, not ours). As the relationship wore on, J developed hyper sexuality due to the fact that as time went on, Daylin would only really engage romantically with J was during sexual interactions. He viewed it as him only being truly necessary during sexual encounters and would engage frequently due to wanting to be wanted by them. This has gone on to damage our relationship with sex which is something we’re dealing with til this day. J figured as long as he was available for them sexually and initiating it with them, they’d stay longer with him. J was also being groomed sexually by another party during part of the relationship, emphasizing the fact that being wanted was the only way he wouldn’t be alone. By the end of the relationship in late June of 2018, J had become very dependent with Daylin. The relationship was also extremely co-dependent at times which we look back on worryingly. Daylin and J had spent one more day in person together during which J performed oral sex on Daylin while they fully planned on ending the relationship a few days from then. While not necessarily a bad thing, we still find it odd that they consented to it with full plans to end the relationship. At the end, J had cut off multiple people who had criticized aspects of their relationship together, leaving him solely with Daylin and others he had met through them. By late 2018 we had a new host, K, who Daylin had befriended and never dated despite claiming to have done so. Daylin also allowed a friend at the time to threaten to leak J’s nudes in response to wanting to keep an item from them and seemingly did nothing to stop said friend.

K and Daylin were on decent terms, more or less. Our system collectively agreed our relationship with Daylin had been abusive, which they still apparently deny. K and Daylin were on speaking terms and even friendly in mid 2019 until Daylin had blocked K ever after it had posted an infographic on surviving abuse with its mother in mind. Daylin, clearly, automatically assumed it was about them. Since then we’ve not been in contact with Daylin and do not want to be in contact, especially seeing as they are friendly with the individual who sexually assaulted J. We do distinctly remember Daylin claiming they usually went after people younger than them both romantically and platonically due to a “similarity in maturity”. 

Since our time together with Daylin, we’ve had multiple conversations with other people confirming that the relationship between Daylin and J was unhealthy and worrying, including multiple friends and our own therapist. From what we still know, Daylin is a manipulator and a worrying victim complex and we don’t recommend or encourage anyone to go after them expecting accountability for their actions and behavior, especially since they faked their own death to avoid doing so in the past. If you, Daylin, are reading this, you know exactly who wrote this and have one last thing to say to you. Leave us alone. We’ve taken the steps to stay out of your line of sight and hopefully the sight of your friends. Do not contact us. You will not get a response from us from this account or anywhere else. An apology can only do so much, especially after not listening to the singular request we had of you.

If you have made it this far we want to thank you for doing so and for taking time out of your day to do so. We don’t expect everyone to take us seriously due to our own lack of personal screen shots to back us up, especially considering the fact we never thought we would ever have to do this. Have a good rest of your day/night. We will be logging out of this account but it will be staying up. 

[jonathankatwhatever]

Continuing. That was an extremely interesting middle of the night vision. It followed my acceptance of a next acceptance level, meaning a hop in L-count, which is part of the CR which reveals itself as alternation and oscillation. That vision is extremely powerful because it’s asserting itself again and I’m much more wide awake, even had coffee, though that did little. Alternation is a counting layer, like groups are a counting layer of gsProcess, while oscillation is that 1 and 0 // 0 and 1, written out that way for a reason, which is binary in some ways but not all, which is analytic, which surprises me a bit but not too much because I have been realizing lately that the true meaning of analytic is this Work, that analytic Ends can be rational, meaning they are blunt combinations of 1Space counts in 0Space. That invokes, to my delight, the concept of miracles because the example which came to me was you take 6 of these and see if that satisfies 4 of those, which became feeding a multitude, which was a metaphor not for physical feeding but feeding of the soul which satisfied in this life. That last part is extremely important. It gets at why we’re a gsPairing, which is of course singular and plural.

One of the basic lessons of this Work is that the human view of the infinite has made it extremely difficult for them to advance. Let me try to see that better. Since they do not understand how the infinite becomes finite, they insert their own meanings for the infinite, those which justify their perspectives, those which bind them to their own relatively poor thought processes. Do you see the point? Not really. I am getting the importance of thought process, so what you’re saying is those poor thought processes contain the projective vigor of those poor thought processes. We went through this. That was the original conception in many ways, however many years back in your memory, that we were faced with Things which become unrelentingly hostile, which could not be persuaded to cooperate. Remember: we investigated this in many ways, and lived it many times, that once tilted in that direction, meaning once branched, they were drawn inexorably away from cooperative existence.

I think we can explain this now. This should be interesting. I remember some and the rest is coming to me through the Storyline recitations which accompanied the experiences and which act as markers for the xyR in which these play or enact. Thus the connected rooms in my dreams. The building is actually in the shape of a rectangle with an elliptical roof, literal symbols of how the gsProcesses operate, creating a gs which fits to and thus is seen through perspective. That 2:1 really matters, doesn’t it? I thought counting concrete blocks was a sign of insanity when I was doing that, but here we are using those ideas to describe how reality generates.

O, which I remember is what Oh stands for, because that O made by the J and T forms is the Thing which I address, both in the sense of speaking toward and in the sense of carefully specifying, which is the basis of the idea which developed into my recognition of actual you, that the reflection off the DE, off the LUS barrier, off the inner edge of the Boundary both broadcasts, in the sense of a letting your let shine, let it shine, let it shine, radiation, and encodes to highly specific depth, meaning it’s analytic. I’m literally seeing a parabola occupy the various states surrounding a pole, with the point being that you can’t look directly into and down the pole without being overwhelmed or misled because what comes at you interacting with your absorption, processing, and emittance, which is what I&E actually, with the processing represented by the &.

And what is a representation of that process? One would be an ellipse, right? There’s 2 of us and the Boundary which relates everything is that constant length. Another is the 3 Boundary diagram in which you and I switch places -1 over an inferred 0 to 1, which becomes causative when you think of that word analytic as building up a picture. That’s easy to see: imagine you are getting signals flashed to you at night. Any individual flash locates you, but it takes the combination of flashes to send a deeper message. That can be one flash is a maybe or a burst which is gone, while repeating flashes says something else. Those meanings build analytically so we could look at them on the board in one of the general strategy group’s meeting rooms. If people think I’m kidding about this, they’re wrong. This was my experience.

I think I need to go into that. In the Storyline, an entire High Command existed. It was a representation formed on this side of 1Space, situated where 1Space translates into 0Space at extremely low levels and extremely high levels, meaning at n-1 because n is the other side, and the table I approach in the High Council room connects n down to me. Note that direction: I have often spoken about how the figures would fade and rotate into visibility and that it was clear these were embodiments of higher dimensional constructs. In other words, whether I questioned or complained or listened, I wasn’t communicating back along the chains of images and conceptions coming at me but rather I was I&E’ing, more taking in and radiating out, which thus matches the broadcasting and encoding described above as a basic mathematical result.

This is of course why we can tell things apart through what they tell us, because I&E, being a gsProcess covers radiation of a physical kind and of other kinds, like words and music, or attitudes. One radiates health. One radiates happiness. It’s fascinating to see how mental health, the mens sana, can be achieved analytically, meaning by counting.

I wonder if it’s possible to overcome patterns of confusion. That is a statement of the question, popping out in a slightly different form: can people improve their thought processes by having those thought processes explained? The answer to that was a clear no: while some may improve, others will use any additional insight to further their own poor processes, again that other side of the line at a material branching. This meant added reasons. The key one seems to be the relationship between physical selves, the tObjects of physical existence, and the iObjects, which are what relate to 1Space. Thus the judgment descends from D4-3.

Was struck that this means I really did eliminate all those places because that branching is constructed by the Sticks, and it has to be so low level that nothing of them carries over which we have not sent through processes which strip them of identity. This became ‘we are always going forward, and we know that forward becomes the negative state relative to what comes next, all the way to n-1, and what we consider evil relative to our direction takes that negative state and substitutes or exchanges the non-cooperative processes united under cooperative banners which have extreme life because they generate into D3-4Space from below, as the reverberations hitting off the lower dimensional space which constructs then into Ends and Sticks and D0 to D1 to D2, and D0 to D2, and so on. Those lower dimensional constructs don’t apply higher dimensional labels well because they generate simpler structures which tend to band together around irrational constructs.

The example is how they construct fabrications to justify their beliefs and behavior toward Jews. It’s like a walled garden which reflects itself, and that reflection fills their perception so they accept it. That’s interesting. I see myself in that because I could not accept my left hand until I was able to realize the flashing light in my head about it was there to attract my attention, not to look away, not to accept ‘I’m crippled’. These people accept what they’re meant to challenge. That is an instant failure for joining higher dimensions.

I can think of a few categories which are worthless to HC. One category is ‘my perspective, our perspective’ ones who can’t understand that is not how reality works, who try to assert control over reality by insisting they must be right. It’s interesting how that infects Islam because it’s the same infection as Christianity has, that there is one and they are that one. A type within this category is those who manipulate to achieve perspective supremacy. They can’t even think of it as lying from another perspective because they are wedded to their perspective being correct.

Another category is those just described, those who believe they have ‘rationally’ determined something which is actually stupid, even to the level of moronic, because they can’t look at their obsession to see that it’s flashing at them to make them look at it, not to give into it. I suppose I have some hope for some of these because the idea is the same how to reduce pain, how permutation chains work, how perception generates in front of you. The math is there. I described some of it above when talking about how you can define a pole, pick a point, which expands of course into a circle, and then define that point using slices like parabolas and ellipses so all the gsProcess at any point on that cone fits together with any other point. This becomes the root of topology and algebraic geometry within gsConstruction: these are the basic ways of relating Triangular to a specific point. That is very cool. I was thinking last night of Poincarre’s lemma and this is a nice response.

Why is that ‘rational’? Because it reduces to the same answer, the one you’re meant to look through, and they believe that is rational when it is an irrational construction. How can this be said? When all the threads point their 0 Ends at you, with the 1 Ends pointing something bad at Jews, you don’t look for the contradictions which are obvious when you see any of the opposite perspectives, meaning you ‘rationalize’ a perspective by holding the other more or less constant so the End you generate is always a quotient of that flashing End of idiocy posing as intelligence.

I’m surprised that last sentence came out so well. I only then understood what I was trying to say, which is that a contradiction at a base level will be hidden from view because you are destined by your gsProcess patterns to that End. This means, for example, that you will seize whatever negatives you can find or even manufacture about what you may describe in the most binary terms as wrong, evil, not deserving of existence, and more, so literally all the pairings turn the same End toward the target. That is, from the perspective of higher dimensions, exactly why we destroy those infected D4-3 existences.

O, so the idea isn’t that the end is nigh but that End is nigh, meaning the branching point beyond which you are lost. That this translates into here and now was what brought in Paul, who applied a Jewish mentality to the question of motivation for change through direct relation to the divine through what became the human part of Jesus relating to the divine part, and thus through into 1Space.

We’re saying this is true for all of you. And our Mission, which we chose to accept, is to make the branching go toward the Eternal. To tip it. To get it rolling that way.

I have to go out. But first, yes this pulls everyone in the right direction. I was talking about this yesterday regarding why the Chinese still speak highly of Mao, which is that they regret what happened but look at the positive, which is the people and thus the Party which represents the people learned and were able to move to the next step, which has meant a people who find purpose in work, who act cooperatively at scale, who trust the state because the state provides. I was watching videos of kids on playgrounds in housing developments, where it’s clean and safe, and they have activities, and there’s greenery and shops and schools, while in Russia the areas around buildings may be unpaved parking lots, and we are incapable of building enough housing for our population’s needs. The point is clearly not perfection but how you see and use the past to make this day and the next better.

I’m really glad you embraced that voice. Yeah I know it’s not like you had a choice, but I know it takes a lot more than can be put into words.

[gravitascivics]

VIABILITY OF THE LIBERATED FEDERALISM, V

After presenting and describing the application of Eugene Meehan’s criteria for appraising social science theories and models,[1] the last posting addressed the challenge of diversity and how it affects the isomorphism of the liberated federalism model.  For readers who want to read those accounts, they are directed to the online site, http://gravitascivics.blogspot.com/,[2] and review the last four postings.

          Given the complexity that the last posting reported, it does not complete this account’s comments concerning diversity and isomorphism.  In addition, there is the need to describe how excessive individualism, an ongoing malady of American life, [3] influences the diversity issue and demands yet another type of toleration within the nation’s collective social make-up.

This country is not only a pluralism of groups but also a pluralism of individuals, its regime of toleration is focused, as we have seen on personal choices and lifestyles rather than on common ways of life.  It is perhaps the most individualist society in human history … “we are free to do our own thing.”[4]

But “doing your own thing” takes financial resources which many immigrant groups, in many cases, have in short supply.

          The poorer groups often lead the nation to be the noisiest – in most cases, legitimately so – about maintaining their cultural identity by engaging in political processes.  As the groups establish themselves, they become Americanized because the political processes have their effects.  The debate in the nation is whether to insist on a single, nativist approach (“Make America Great Again”), one in which a hegemony of dominant culture prevails, or one that tolerates or even encourages diverse cultural lifestyles.

Walzer gives one element of this debate a positive spin, he writes:

… [D]emocratic politics itself, where all the members of all the groups are (in principle) equal citizens who have not only to argue with one another but they also somehow, to come to an agreement.  What they learn in the course of the necessary negotiations and compromises is probably more important than anything they might get from studying the canon.  We need to think about how this practical, democratic learning can be advanced.[5]

In the process of learning the lessons, great benefits are gained by immigrants belonging to associations:  “Individuals are stronger, more confident, more savvy, when they are participants in a common life, when they are responsible to and for other people.”[6] 

In so claiming, Walzer agrees with one of the main points of this account, that federating themselves with others, in the long run, benefits these people’s interests by doing so.  That is, communal allegiances in associations and neighborhoods would do much to stem the tide of divorces, single parent homes, child abuse, abandonment, decline in membership in unions, homelessness and increase the future fates of churches, parent-teacher organizations, and philanthropic societies.

A federalist model, then, has a definite correspondence to these segments of reality.  The judgment here is that that demonstrates how granular the model can be and, therefore, demonstrates its isomorphism.  The next posting will address the model’s compatibility.

[1] Namely by reviewing comprehensiveness, power, precision, and reliability.  See Eugene J. Meehan, Contemporary Political Thought:  A Critical Study (Homewood, IL:  Dorsey Press, 1967).

[2] Use the archives feature.  If readers want to read the blog’s presentation of the liberated federalism model, they should start with the posting, “From Natural Rights to Liberated Federalism” (June 2, 2023).

[3] Jean M. Twenge, Generations:  The Real Differences between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents – and What They Mean for America’s Future (New York, NY:  Atria Books, 2023).  It should be noted that individualism is not all bad.  It has its positive elements, but here the concern is with excessive individualism.

[4] Michael Walzer, On Toleration (New Haven, CT:  Yale University Press, 1997), 100.

[5] Ibid., 97.

[6] Ibid., 97.

[racefortheironthrone]

I know this is going to be a big ask, but after Watching across the spiderverse and seeing Ben Reily, what exactly happened in the clone sage and why is he still around in the comics? Also who is Kaine?

If I couldn't understand the Clone Saga when I read it in the 90s as a kid, what makes you think I'm going to understand it thirty years later?

In broad strokes, my understanding is this: back in the day, Gerry Conway decided that his last Spider-Man story would end with a bang. So after killiing off Gwen Stacy, Conway brought her back, only to reveal that she was a clone created by the new villain the Jackal. The Jackal then revealed as his master plan he'd created a clone of Spider-Man (complete with all the memories of the original!) to kill the original Spider-Man because he blamed Spider-Man for the death of Gwen Stacy. The story concludes in a somewhat Twilight Zone fashion, with the Jackal and one of the Spiders-Men dead - but which one died?

Flash-forward to 1994 and the Spider-Office had fallen prey to one of their periodic fits in which they decide that Spider-Man needs to "get back to basics" by erasing his character growth. (I use the plural here, because the writing team on this one included Terry Kavanaugh, Joey Cavalieri, Todd Dezago, J. M. Dematteis, and Tom Defalco, so it's hard to assign individual responsibility/blame here.) So they retcon that the clone hadn't died, he was the new, more extreme Scarlet Spider (aka Ben Reilly)! Then they create another, even more extreme, anti-villain called Kaine who turns out to be Jackal's prototype clone. And on and on.

A whole bunch of action-figure-bashing ensues, and in the process there's a whole bunch of status quo alterations: it's revealed that the Peter Parker fans had been following for nearly thirty years was actually the clone and Ben Reilly was the real Spider-Man! It's revealed that Mary Jane is pregnant! Aunt May and Doc Ock die! Kaine becomes a good guy, because for some reason Marvel were trying to put him over.

If this sounds rather contrived, that's because it was. The whole thing was a pretty naked attempt to write Peter Parker out of the story by having him hand over the mantle to Ben Reilly, and give him a kid so he has a reason to retire. And thus, once again Spider-Man would be a swinging bachelor just like he was in the 70s when the writers were all kids, but with added Nineties marketability.

The fans fucking hated it. Terrified by a tidal wave of hate, the writers then completely undid everything - up to and including Mary Jane's pregnancy - and the whole thing turned out to be a ridiculously circuitous mind-fuck conspiracy masterminded by the Green Goblin. Which was also derided as a pretty naked Author Saving Throw, but at least the fans had the status quo they preferred.

Anyway, that's my understanding. Ben Reilly is still around because he developed a niche fandom of people into sleeveless hoodies and 90s angst - they're all mad now because he became a villain. As for Kaine...DWAI.

[attollogame]

could you share more about sysba's language? owo

YES I ABSOLUTELY CAN. I’m a little bit proud of myself for this (slowly crafted) language, so I’m definitely happy to share it with you!!!

So Sysba’s language is called ‘Ioctaxari’; Lovecraftian lore—which the whole eldritch concept is based off of—has a language, but there are no firmly established guidelines for it so I said fuck it, I’ll do my own. Ioctaxari takes from Welsh Gaelic and older Germanic languages in order to make the terms that are often used.

In terms of naming, Elder Gods often own a name of their own choosing and a “true” name, such as the case with Sysba (going by Sysba, Moloch, etc) and their “true” name of ‘Ymnar. True names are often tied in with the Elder God’s abilities, origin, etc. Elder Gods do not possess surnames or 'parental ties', but in the case of Sysba, they jokingly took the second half of their Fathers name (Korath) and applied that as their surname. This is not correct in terms of the structure of the Ioctaxari language—but Sysba doesn’t follow any rules anyway, so are we surprised?

One thing that should be noted regarding Ioctaxari is that concepts of time are non-existent. Therefore, numbers used by this language are ones used exclusively by Sysba, Florence, and Abraxas, created after the exile of Sysba and the departure of Florence and Abraxas. This applies to days of the week and months as well. For Elder Gods, since time doesn’t exist, there’s no need to track it—but for Sysba, Florence, and Abraxas, staying on earth has made them adapt these habits so that, in the few cases they communicate to one another in Ioctaxari, the flow of conversation still works.

Here’s an example of the numbers taken from Ioctaxari:

0—Oen | 1—El | 2—Ta | 3—Den | 4—Fi | 5—Pen | 6—Zech | 7—Rhk | 8—Zhr | 9—Nach | 10—Xi | 11—Ihe | 12—Yath | 13—Xiden | 14—Xifi | 15—Xipen | 16—Xizech | 17—Xirhk | 18—Xizhr | 19—Xinach | 20—Ta-en | 21—Ta-en el | 22—Ta-en ta…| 30—Den-en | 40—Fi-en | 50—Pen-en | 60—Zech-en | 70—Rhk-en | 80—Zhr-en | 90—Nach-en | 100—Xi-thera | 200—Ta-xi-thera | 201—Ta-xi-thera el | 300—Den-xi-thera… etc.

And the Alphabet:

Aa—Ah | Bb—Bah | Cc—Cèh | Chch—Cah | Dd—Di | DdDd— Edd | Ee—Eh |Ff—Ef | Gg—Eg (Gh produces a J sound) | Hh—Aest |Ii—Iy | IhIh—I’ch | Kk—Kah | Ll—Ell | LlLl—Eh | Mm—Em | Nn—En | Ngng—Eng | Oo—Ohr | Pp—Pah | Rr—Aehr | Rhrh—Rhi | Ss—Es | Tt—Ti | Thth—Etha | Uu—Uhr | Vv—Vah | Ww—V | Xx—Ek | Xixi—Ziy | Yy—Zay | Zz—Zeh | Zhzh—Shah

I also have days of the week, months, and seasons:

Days of the week

Sunday—Sol Ddhar | Monday—Luhn Ddhar | Tuesday—Toth Ddhar | Wednesday—Ngyr Ddhar | Thursday—Cihl Ddhar |Friday—Gauth Ddhar | Saturday—Som Ddhar

Months

January—Cri-ehr | February—Llyanehr |March—Gwehndd |April—Glatil | May—Stelnuhr |June—Uhlan | July—Ghaih | August—Rhan | September—Medrendel |October—Bliefendel | November—Sahmendel | December—Noxendel

Seasons

Spring—Glahnys |Summer—Buhys |Winter—Crihys |Fall—Rhaxhys

Note: endings are altered if things go from singular to plural. For example, Brenfih (A loaf of bread) can become Brenfihre (Loaves of bread). Sol Ddhar (Sunday) becomes Sol Ddhara (Sundays).

Here’s a basic sentence:

Mira enew yn Ames. Ihr llyah crihys, ihr hazhal buhys.

My name is Ames. I love winter, I hate summer.

Obviously it’s still a work in progress in regards to grammar rules and other such things, but I’m enjoying picking away at it!!! Thank you for asking!

[late-night-bear]

So, a lil update on nouns here since I wanted to distinguish inanimate and animate nouns more, so that they feel different in use and also have the opportunity to evolve in different ways.

So essentially, every word has two forms to it, one with inanimate gender and one with animate gender.  Think of it like every definition has two different words associated to it, but each word interprets the definition in slightly different ways.  An example could be korum (inanimate)/ aduru (animate) which both mean a fire or flame.  korum, being inanimate, can refer to low or slow fires, or fires that are not being tended to; aduru, on the other hand, refers more towards either fires that are being tended to, or fires that are spreading (e.g. wildfires), or flames that seem more active (are flickering more/more violently), depending on the context.  Many words can be like this in Orekanav, though some only have a metaphorical or symbolic difference between them.

One of the key differences between inanimate forms and animate forms is that inanimate forms always begin with a consonant (except j) and typically consist of harder sounds (unvoiced consonants and vowels that are further back, for instance), whereas animate forms always begin with a vowel or j, and usually take on softer or more flow-y sounds.  No matter the form, however, almost all nouns end in a consonant.  As said in the image above, if the noun does end in a vowel, it is typically removed when the suffix is added, though there is an exception for when the final vowel is the same as the first vowel of the suffix, in which case the final vowel is removed, but the first vowel is lengthened (e.g. a -> á, u -> ú, i -> í, e -> é, etc.)

Another thing to mention is that these suffixes only care about gender, not number, so in order to express plurality in a noun:

for an animate noun, one adds the prefix ð- and lengthens the vowels in the first syllable;

for an inanimate noun, one adds the prefix ðe- and the first consonant becomes voiced (k -> g, t -> d, etc.)

It is fairly uncommon, though definitely not unheard of, for inanimate forms to be pluralised, as when the animacy of a group is mixed, people tend to opt for the plural animate form.

The final thing to mention would be that the age article is still quite simple.  After all the above is said and done, to add an ‘Old’ article one adds the suffix -av, and to add a ‘New’ article one adds the suffix -ør.  The meanings of these articles are still quite the same as before!

Final final thing is that pronouns and proper nouns (i.e. names) do not get declined at all. To indicate case, gender and number for proper nouns, the word kídge (inanimate) / øraf (animate) exist to be placed before the proper noun in the sentence and carry all of their declension.

The next stop on the tour of Orekanav is the basics of nouns. I really like the idea of the end of the nouns changing based on the nature of the noun, e.g. älg (moose) vs. älgen (the moose) vs. älgar (meese) vs. älgarna (the meese) in Swedish, or changing based on its role in the sentence, e.g. hún á fisk (she has a fish) vs. fiskur á hana (a fish has her) in Icelandic. I decided to do a simple version of this, where you just add a number of letters on the end of the noun to indicate all that (though if the noun ends in a vowel, that vowel is usually replaced.) I think in the languages that descend from this I will change the rules on this a bit and add some exceptions to the rules just to make it feel more natural.

For those unfamiliar, the nominative and the accusative cases are kind of like the subject and the object of a sentence, the genitive case is like possession (e.g. the cat's paw, or the hills of the South Downs), the instrumental case is like something being used (e.g. he played music with a flute), the dative case (in Orekanav at least) is like an indirect object (e.g. they gave a pen to Alex), and the locative case is like where something is (e.g. Edd lives with Jamie in an apartment).

I have also made a special lil optional article at the end of words which indicates a relative sort of age (Old or New), but culturally when referring to people, it more often refers to some sort of seniority or social rank.

The next fun fact for this language is that its grammatical genders are inanimate and animate, though none of the nouns in Orekanav are set in one gender or the other. Rather, the animacy that a person assigns to a given word forms part of the way the person views that object, and part of the way the person is trying to interpret that object in the given context. For example, someone might describe rivers as animate to evoke a poetic metaphor about its flow, or describe a silent person as inanimate to emphasise their stillness.

[thewriteflame]

This or That tag game

Thank you @silvertalonwritblr and @megarywrites for the tags!

(time for y'all to witness my indecisiveness)

Soft tagging: @blue-kyber @writingamongther0ses @j-1173 @oh-no-another-idea @violets-in-her-arms-writes @emelkae @the-finch-address

Historical or Futuristic

Technically my answer is both (which is why I love Doctor Who and steampunk so much) but I write mostly modern or historical fantasy type setting. I just really like swords and ships with sails and the fashion.

Opening or Closing Chapter

Both, both is good. The opening hooks the reader and the ending or at least I'm hoping most of my endings stay with the reader.

Light/Fluffy or Dark/Gritty

I 100% agree with megarywrites on this. You need both to balance a story and I enjoy writing both but I do lean more towards the fluff.

Animal Companion or Found Family

As much as I love animal companions (which is partially why I created the royal guardian cats in Sete), found family is my jam. I have at least ten novel ideas that utilize the found family trope in some way. There is just something about a group of usually messed up individuals or outcasts finding a place to belong.

Horror or Romance

I'm a squeamish person so I'm not big on certain kinds of horror...... I'm also not a fan of raunchy romance novels but I love stories having even just a little bit of of romance in them so I'm going with romance. (I won't say no to a good novel with gothic elements in it, though.)

Hard or Soft Magic System

I think I'll go with soft. A lot of my favorite fantasy stories have soft and my own fantasy worlds (that's right it's plural) either have no magic or soft.

Stand-alone or Series

I love series so much. You get to spend more time with these characters that have become like close friends. Plus I have no chill so stand-alone books tend to become series.

One WIP at a Time or Always Juggling 2+

I worked on just one for a year and my brain started to go insane while I hit a block on writing so changing it up is nice. Helps the ADHD.

One Award Winner or One Best Seller

I really just want someone other than me to know and care about my ocs. Plus I know many books/writers that I love that are neither best sellers or award winners so it doesn't matter.

Fantasy or Sci-Fi

I tend to get more fantasy ideas for my novels but I really do enjoy both equally.

Character Description or Setting Description

Both are important if you want to really immerse the reader in a story and thankfully I'm alright at doing both.

First Draft or Final Draft

I love final drafts, would love to have one one day (of a novel anyway). But I bet I'd also be very sad to not have that story to work on anymore.

[arkadiaasks]

Why do you think YGO attracts so many LGBTQ and non-gender conforming fans?

Okay, I really liked this question, and I assume you're asking in good faith, so I decided to get some second opinions from friends (though keep in mind the LGBT community is not a monolith):

A) It's a big franchise that's over 25 years old, it's gonna have something for everyone at this point. There's probably some game, card or show or manga that vibes with you at this point.

B) Takahashi Kazuki was at least center-left at least, and was a pretty, near as we can tell, open minded person, who wanted a better world. His tendency to vibe with underdogs I think gives him a certain Neil Gaiman esque quality of writing in such a way that can be fairly endearing to LGBTQ+ and Non-Gender Conforming Fans looking for rep.

Now from Friends:

C) The series had Yugi be inspired by Edward Scissorhands, a social outsider who for reasons, couldn't quite fit in with 'normal' society. That's definitely going to leave marks and signs.

D) The wide variety of Decks allows people to find a Deck that 'fits' them, something important to a lot of LGBTQ+/NGC fans of media, that they like to latch onto something that lets them express themselves if they're into something casual.

E) Aesthetics wise, the manga and the spinoffs were and are generally good at very attractive guys (and femme masculine characters) and very very gorgeous pretty women.

F) A friend of mine joked "If VRAINS had been brave enough to have Aoi be a feminine boy in RL who plays a big tiddy cute fashionable girl online", do you KNOW how many people would be going "She's just like me fr fr fr"

G) "Plus who else wouldn't love having a steady consistent friend group that is present in many of the shows where you can honestly say "they're all going to form one Functional Adult by the time they hit college"."

H) Yugi is a VERY rare case of positive non-toxic, non-villainous plural representation. Judai + Yubel by show's ending. That's a good thing for people. Plural people tends to be very LGBT+/NGC adjacent or intersectionalize.

I) From another friend:

"Every single Trans girl I know has had a period of looking at Dark Magician Girl and going "God, I wish that were me" without realizing at the time what they were doing."

J) The Punk Subculture vibes with Yugi and Kaiba. Leather. Chains. Gold. Yu-Gi-Oh! has a LOT of spiked/gelled looking hair. Remember, Punk is an anti-establishment subculture originally.

K) Huge phenomenon, a Japanese series that blew up in the west that had a fairly androgynous cast. Marik, Bakura, Pegasus etc. A lot of the popular guys tend to be femme masculine. That sort of aesthetic can be very appealing and comforting to young Queer fans still in the closet.

Bakura's been HUGELY formative on at least two of my friends.

L) It's a large Fujoshi attracting IP, and if you don't think Fujoshi aren't attracted to LGBT material or become LGBT adjacent, boy I think you gotta go and sit down and think for a while.

M) Yugi comes off as very queer energy, Kaiba's incredibly practically homosexual lust for Atem, Mai despite it being a 90s-00s manga and anime was a pretty strong woman, dominating, powerful feeling, while very very CLEARLY feminine, can be fairly endearing?

N) The art style not being mono-coded as Magic the Gathering, allows for much more variety leaning back to points A and D

O) Yubel. Judai and Johan. Yugi. Etc. There's a lot of undercurrents of unintended queer writing.

There's a lot of reasons, but the IP has a LOT going for it that can be attractive. LOTS of Questions of identity. Characters who are social outsiders (especially the main characters). The artistic style favors NGC appearance to some degree.

There's as many reasons as there are people, but the franchise is just very, even if it doesn't directly intend for it, you can draw a LOT of feelings and thoughts and headcanons and vibes from the franchise.

[to-yngewai]

Learning finnish noun cases 2

1. Nominative:  Has no additional ending or change to the base noun. The plural is a “t” at the end.  “Talo” house. “Talot” houses.  “Kissa” cat. “Kissat” cats.   Adjectives agree with the casing. So ‘iso talo’ becomes ‘isot talot.’

The total predicate noun/adjective encompasses the entire aspect of the concept. The whole of the person, place, or thing. That is the nominative noun case.

Using the nominative to say something like “slices of bread” is wrong.

2. Accusative: The noun ends with “n” or has no ending. Plural is “t”. “Talon”. “Talot”.  The accusative case is used when the concept describes the object or target of an action, and the action addresses the entire object.  In nouns, singular accusative case looks usually exactly like the  genitive case, while the plural accusative case looks usually exactly  like the nominative case.   Example: “Maalaan talon. Auta maalaamaan talo.“ “I will paint the house. Help me paint the house.” Don’t confuse this with the partitive, which is used when it applies to part of the object. Accusative is the entire object. In terms of Japanese, “ を  “ marks the accusative case. So I can probably think it’s like that.

Hooray for cross-language knowledge?

3. Genitive: The noun singular ends with “n”. The noun plural is formed by adding to the stem of one of the following endings:

-en (-in) after a short -i or after -j which is preceded by a short vowel. As in äiti to äiten, (the mother’s thing) or äitein (of the mothers.)

And... some others, I’ll come back to that.

isä = father

isän veitsi = father’s knife.

isän veitsit = father’s knives.

So, it‘s where a noun modifies another noun. Google tells me: relating to or denoting a case of nouns and pronouns (and words in grammatical agreement with them) indicating possession or close association.

Wow, that’s both possessive, AND vague! It could be like “my boat” or “dress is blue”? Am I getting it right?

This is amazing.

[dameronology]

love in a time of p.t.a. meetings {marcus moreno} - 5/5

v summary: you hadn’t expected to find anything at a stupid p.t.a. meeting - but somehow, you found everything {series masterlist} 

warnings: swearing, one very mild innuendo 

there’s a long message at the end but...this is the last official part and i’m very sad about it. with that said, i hope you enjoy❤️

- j

Being a parent was tiring.

So much so that you hadn’t even made it to bed last night.

In fact, none of you had. The entire household was slumped together on the sofa; Marcus was in the middle, with one arm wrapped around Missy on his left side and the other stretched across you and Jack on his right. You’d completely flopped into his chest, with your kid passed out on you in a similar manner. The dogs (plural - but more on that later) were both stretched across the four of you on your laps, snoozing quietly. It had been a long week, clearly; between the school year coming to an end and the hot weather, you were all worn out. It had been a rush of finishing up projects at school, evenings in the pool and ordering take out. Marcus had been working late and your cooking skills were...well, calling them skills was an overstatement in itself. 

You grumbled slightly as you woke - why the fuck did your neck ache so bad? Right, because you’d fallen asleep tilted sideways. You probably would have stayed passed out for hours more if it hadn’t been for the sunlight streaming through the blinds. The TV ahead of you had stopped now, displaying an are you still watching Friends? message. You’d started watching it at what...six o clock the night before? 

Rubbing your bleary eyes, you sat up. Instead of waking up, Jack simply flopped into your lap, clearly not phased by the sudden movement other than letting out a tiny oof! as he fell. The kid had fallen asleep on the log flumes at Coney Island, so really, it wasn’t a surprise. Plus, him waking up would mean having to get up and make breakfast, which you really weren’t ready for just yet. 

‘D’you know what day it is today?’ Marcus quietly muttered. 

‘One year.’ You peered up at him, a sleepy smile spreading across your face.

‘So where the hell do you think you’re going?’ He pulled you back towards him, broad arm wrapping around your shoulders to trap you against his chest. ‘Happy one year, baby.’

‘Happy one year.’ You leant up to a soft kiss to his lips. 

You stayed like that for a minute, head resting against Marcus as you gently ran a hand through Jack’s hair. It was sort of a moment of...reflection. A lot had changed in the last year and yet somehow, it felt like your life had always been like this. The four of you have had gelled together into a slightly chaotic but ever-loving entity and you loved it. With the combined antics of your energetic children, everything was in disarray practically all the time but you wouldn’t have changed it for the world. It had been the thing you’d had all along and the very thing that Marcus had been looking for; you had been the one to bring it into his life and he had been the one to teach you to appreciate it. 

The two dogs had brought a lot of chaos into your lives as well. After weeks of Missy and Jack insisting that the garden was too big for just Optimus Prime, you’d ended up traipsing to the dog shelter late on a Saturday afternoon. Bumblebee had become a valued member of the Moreno family within a matter of hours. 

‘I love you.’ You murmured. You could feel yourself getting sleepy again. 

‘I love you more.’

‘No, you don’t.’ You pressed a kiss to his shoulder.

‘At least that’s the only fight we’ve had over the last year.’ He reasoned. ‘What time d’we have to be at cook out?’

‘Twelve.’ You replied. Glancing at the screen of your dying Apple watch, you squinted at the screen. ‘It’s just gone eight.’

Every year, the PTA threw a cook out on the school field to celebrate the end of the semester. In previous years, you’d avoided it like the plague but this year you were actually excited. The last one had been in the very early stages of your relationship, and you and Marcus weren’t publicly showing affection when you’d been. There had been a lot of lingering glances across the field and knowing looks at one another but this time, you were solid. Everyone knew they were together and like hell where they gonna say things about you when you were with Marcus Moreno. Whether it’s because they’d suddenly got a newfound respect for you or because they were scared into silence by his reputation, you didn’t know, but you weren’t going to complain.

‘Do you want breakfast, hermosa?’ He asked.

‘Yeah, I’ll help-’

Having heard the b-word, Jack suddenly shot up. He was six now (too old, in your book) and just as much of a tiny, evil genius as ever. He’d upgraded from a Chewbacca onesie to an Ewok onesie, so that was something too, and you were proud of him. 

‘- what’s for breakfast?!’ He demanded. ‘I want waffles.’

‘Then waffles we shall have.’ You stood up, sticking your hand out to him. ‘What about you two?’

‘I want waffles.’ Missy sleepily murmured.

Jack followed you through to the kitchen, swiping his iPad off the side as he did. Despite the fact you’d put it in a nuclear bomb proof case, he’d still managed to crack the screen. There had also been at least five occasions where he’d tried to take it in the pool. And this was the same kid who’d insisted he was responsible enough for his own hamster. 

Marcus breezed into the kitchen a few moments later, pressing a kiss to your cheek and ruffling Jack’s hair as he went by. You heard him rustling around behind you for a few minutes whilst you prepared the food; he came up behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist. He placed a terribly wrapped gift on the counter in front of you, head coming to rest on your shoulder. 

‘Happy anniversary, baby.’ He murmured.

‘Hey.’ You dropped the knife you were holding, turning around to face him. ‘You didn’t have to get me anything.’

‘I know we said we wouldn’t do presents but since you got me a present last night and-’

‘- Marcus!’ You clamped a hand over his mouth. ‘There is a child in the room.’

‘He has his headphones in!’ He protested. ‘Just open it, please?’

‘Of course.’ You smiled. 

‘Jack even helped me wrap it.’ He said. ‘And decorate it.’ 

‘That would explain a lot.’ You replied.

Pulling the paper off it, you felt your heart drop in your chest when you saw what it was. 

It was a bright red photo with random doodles in puffy paint; the photo itself was one of you and Jack from when you’d all gone to New York for the weekend a few months previous. You were stood on top of the Rockerfeller Centre, the Empire State in the distance behind you and Jack on your shoulders. You were both grinning despite how windy it was, and his hat had blown off seconds after the photo was taken.

Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t - ah, dammit.

‘I love it.’ You tried to keep your voice steady, but it wobbled despite your efforts. ‘I love you.’

‘I love you too.’ He flashed you a lopsided grin, pressing another kiss to your forehead. ‘I figured we could hang it up in place of the one he managed to smash last week with the broom stick.’

(He’d recently watched Harry Potter. Don’t ask.) 

‘Of course.’ You gave him one last kiss, before heading over to the empty space on the wall. It fit perfectly in the space, right between the photo of Marcus and Missy, and the sign that said 0 days since Jack’s last incident.

---

Four hours later, and after consuming enough waffles to feed a small army, the four of you finally reached the school. Both of the kids seemed excited to see their friends, but you were a little nervous.  What if people asked questions about you and Marcus? About your divorce? Or Jack’s behaviour, or whether or not-

‘You okay, baby?’ Marcus had suddenly appeared beside you, an arm coming around your waist. You’d been stood on the sidelines of the football field for way longer than you realised. ‘You’ve got eyes like dinner plates.’

‘I don’t know how to interact with these people.’ You murmured back. ‘They’re all...you know.’

‘They’re all what?’

‘Perfect. And shiny.’ You huffed. ‘Look at their cars! There’s not a dent in sight. And their kids aren’t wearing an Ewok onesie to a cook-out in July.’

‘I think Jack is admirable for embracing his unique sense of fashion.’ You could practically hear the smirk in his voice. ‘C’mon! They’re gonna run out of food if you keep longingly staring at their minivans.’

‘You’re right.’ You stumbled slightly as he dragged your hand, pulling you towards the crowd in the middle of the field.

‘I mean if you want a minivan, we can get one.’

‘Moving to the suburbs was already a big deal for me.’ You grumbled. 

Marcus continued to laugh, pulling you closer into his side as you reached the other parents. 

Naturally, he immediately jumped into conversation about one of the other dads with...actually, you weren’t really paying attention. You switched off as soon as you heard the word football. One thing you did notice, however, was his ability to be completely and entirely charming with anyone. You lacked that, normally shying away from talking to strangers. Especially strangers who had previously cast you out for being a single parent and constantly given you the side-eye. The only reason they’d stopped was because you and Marcus were together now.

You tried to remind yourself that it didn’t matter, that their thoughts and feelings weren’t relevant. They shouldn’t have been. You had the best guy in the world by your side and two amazing kids. The people most important to you were the ones whose opinions mattered - and they all thought the world of you. Marcus loved and supported you unconditionally, and Missy thought you were a bad-ass. Jack, though probably a little bias, thought you were the best parent in the world. That was what counted. 

But still, you couldn’t help but feel a little angry. You’d worked your ass off to get where you were, to raise your kid and make him a semi functional human being. You’d single-handedly kept a roof over both of your heads and provided for your family, even when you’d been married to a dead beat husband. 

Things were different now; brighter, happier, filled with more dogs and more love than you could ever have imagined. You didn’t want to linger in the past, not when everything else was moving forward. If anything, being here had just solidified your faith in your relationship. If all you wanted to do was go home and be alone with your partner, then that was a sure sign. 

‘Mum!’ You heard Jack from across the field. ‘Can you get my football out the car?’

‘Duty calls.’ You finally spoke. Marcus had noted how quiet you were, having made a mental note to bring it up later. ‘I’ll be back in a second.’

‘Okay, baby.’ He pressed a kiss to your check. 

The sun beat down on your back as you trudged across the field, Doc Martens kicking up grass around you. Your outfit was cute at least; a pair of denim shorts and an old tank top with one of your boyfriend’s plaid shirts thrown over the top. You hadn’t even realised it was his until the lingering smell of aftershave hit your nostrils when you got in the car. After that, there was no way in hell you were taking it off.

The car park was around the corner from the field -- it was nice to get away for a minute. Even though you’d simply stood beside Marcus like an older man’s sidepiece at a business meeting, just being in the presence of the people and listening to them talk about their kids was exhausting. At least he had been good at pretending to be interested in their sugar free diets and screen time limitations and how their French lessons were going. You, meanwhile, hadn’t even tried to look like it piqued your fancy. You’d been half-tempted to put your sunglasses on so they couldn’t see you roll your eyes. 

Pulling Marcus’ car-keys out your pocket, you opened the boot and began to rifle around. His car was a thousand times more put together than yours, but it still accumulated a bunch of crap. 

You jumped backwards when you heard the gravel crunch behind you. 

Glancing over your shoulder, your eyes fell on Carol. It had been a while since you’d last seen her, but she looked a little worst for wear. What’s more was that she had a cigarette between her lips, despite being the one to run the entire school’s anti-smoking campaign.

‘I didn’t know you smoked.’ You commented, catching her attention as you slammed the boot shut. 

‘Oh!’ She jumped, quickly throwing it onto the floor.

‘Hey, I’m not bothered.’ You leant against the back of the car. ‘A lot of people do it.’

‘I don’t normally.’ She stamped on the remains to put it out, dusting off her bright pink work-out jacket. ‘I’ve just been stressed lately.’

‘Are you okay?’ You raised an eyebrow at her.

‘I’m fine.’ 

You tossed the football between your hands, giving her a nod. ‘If you’re sure.’

With that, you locked the car and began to make your way back towards the cook-out. If you could wear Jack out by playing with him all afternoon, then you might be able to catch some peace and quiet that evening. Then, you and Marcus could celebrate your first anniversary by ordering take out and watching Friends.

(Which is ironically, what you’d done for the last four nights).

‘Y’know, I’ve always been jealous of you.’ You froze when Carol called after you.

‘What?!’ You turned around to face her, confusion etched on your features. ‘Are you talking to someone else, or?..’

‘No, I’m talking to you.’ She muttered. 

‘Why me? I thought you hated me?’

‘Because I was jealous of you.’ She said it as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. 

‘Carol, you’re the perfect one here. You’re married to your high school sweetheart, you’ve got a big-ass house - with a gate! - and your kids are perfectly well behaved. And you drive a fucking minivan!’

‘Oh, please.’ She groaned, falling back against the nearest car. ‘My husband is married to his job and my kids are more interested in their iPads than me!’ 

‘So’s mine-’

‘- you’ve always provided for yourself.’ She continued, cutting you off. ‘Always put your kid first and just did what was best for you without worrying what anyone else thought. That’s..admirable.’

‘Thanks?’ You furrowed your brow. ‘I never really gave it that much thought.’

‘I never thought I’d wish for your life.’ She muttered. 

You gently approached her, placing a hand on her shoulder. With caution, obviously. You know that she had a tendency to be vicious and bite. Like a chihuahua. 

‘My life isn’t perfect.’ You said softly. ‘There’s a difference between happiness and perfect. And if you keep trying for perfect, you’ll never be happy.’

‘That’s deep.’

‘Actually, it’s a quote that you shared on Facebook.’ You snorted. ‘You just gotta appreciate what’s around you. Your house, your kids, your husband.’

‘Maybe you’re right.’ Carol nodded. ‘You’re a good parent. A good person. I’m sorry if I ever made you feel less than that.’

‘I mean...you were an asshole, I won’t lie. You’re nosey as fuck and you got involved with my kid, but I’d probably be doing the same if I wasn’t satisfied with my life.’ 

Okay, so you didn’t mean for that to sound so rude, but who could blame you? The woman had given you nothing but crap. You’d already felt bad for her, but now you felt worst.

‘C’mon.’ You stuck your hand out to her. ‘You have two lovely daughters and a husband waiting for you back on the field....you family waiting for you back on the field.’

Dragging Carol off of the car, you dusted off her arms and forced a smile. It didn’t make you happy that she was miserable, but at least offered an explanation for her behaviour. The fact she’d envied you this entire time didn’t make up for what she’d done - the rumours the spread, the things she said - but it at least helped soothe you a little bit. 

‘Can we be friends?’ She asked quietly, traipsing beside you. 

‘...maybe in a few years.’ 

---

As it turned out, Jack did not pass out early. Instead, the four of you ended up having another night on the sofa -- this time with an extra large pizza, just to celebrate the special night. 

Your head had been spinning since your conversation with Carol. You were glad you finally had closure on the whole thing, but it had completely fried your circuits. She was the queen of the hive, the perfect mum, the perfect wife. Her kids wore matching outfits to school and they never had a hair out of place. Her Facebook was filled with family photos of their international vacations and outings to all their activities. Was she not the blue print?

It made you take a step back and look at your own life, which was something you hadn’t done in a while. In fact, last time you’d done it, you realised you’d weren’t happy with your ex-husband. 

Now, it was the opposite. You were in love with somebody who was better than you could have ever imagined; he wasn’t perfect - he snored and he never did the dishes and he always forgot to put the bins out - but he was everything to you. You had a kid who, although was undeniably a tiny meddler, you loved with your whole heart. You had Missy, who had welcomed you into her life with open arms and embraced the chaos you brought. You had dogs, and a house with a fucking garden. 

You didn’t blame Carol for being jealous because, even though it was from perfect, you didn’t need it to be. You had everything you ever wanted and heck, you would have been jealous of it too if it wasn’t completely and entirely yours. 

For the first time all day, you finally had a moment to yourself. You were stretched out across the couch, feet propped up on a pile of cushions; Marcus’ shirt was still on, only now you had changed out your shorts for leggings and your boots for socks fluffy enough to be dangerous on the wooden floors. 

‘Hey, baby.’ Marcus quietly greeted you, shutting the living room door behind him. ‘Kids are asleep.’

You gave him a doubtful look. ‘Even Jack?’

‘Okay - Missy is asleep and Jack is on his iPad.’

You opened your arms to him, grinning. ‘I’ll take it.’

Marcus dropped onto the sofa, an equally big smile falling onto his face as you wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him down to kiss you. He wound both of his around your waist, lifting you off of the couch and into his lap. It always reminded you of when you’d kissed on your first date -- it seemed like worlds away now. 

‘Has it really been a year?’ You murmured softly, resting your forehead against his.

‘Yeah.’ He shyly smiled at you. ‘I don’t know how I got so lucky.’

‘We both got lucky.’ You reminded him. ‘I got lucky that Carol guilt-tripped me into that fucking meeting.’

‘And I got lucky that you were the person I chose to victimise with my small talk.’ He chuckled. ‘You know you’re my whole fucking heart, right?’

‘Yeah.’ You slowly nodded. ‘And you’re mine.’

You’d completely changed each other’s lives - blown them apart, and used the tiny pieces to rebuild everything back into one. Neither of you had even been looking and you’d still managed to find one another. You’d been hurt before and he’d been patient. He’d lost a lot before and you helped him find it again. What he lacked, you had. What you lacked, he had. 

Above all, Marcus had embraced what everybody seemed to encourage; he saw value in the things you’d been insecure about and when he fell in love with him, so did you. In return, you brought an energy and light to his life that he didn’t even know he needed.  In one another, you found unconditional love and support, and a feeling of security that you’d both lacked for so long.

This was it. And it was everything . 

--

OKAY i’m actually so sad this story is over -- i’ve written over the course of maybe 2 weeks but when i TELL YOU i have become so attached? u better believe it. if you check out the series masterlist, you’ll see that there’s a few little fics i’m gonna write to fill in the gaps that were in the time skips between chapters, so that’s still something to look forward to!

thank so so so much for all your support on this series; it’s been so much fun to write & your comments are what encouraged me to finish it so quickly. 

- jamie xx 

taglist: taglist: @naivara-duneimith @1-2-3-4-5metalfingers @likeshootingstarsinthenightsky @phoenixhalliwell @crazycookiecrumbles @bitchin-beskar @comphersjost @absurdthirst @mjby @parkjammys @kteague @katdante @vonschweetz @cyarikashakira​ @mrsparknuts​ @starryeyedstories​ 

[grandhotelabyss]

—Gustave Flaubert, Letter to His Mother, February 1850

I don’t know why I had this in an open tab, but I love it. Flaubert’s defense of vocation is an apt rejoinder to that famous utopian vision of communism in Marx (“to hunt in the morning, fish in the afternoon, rear cattle in the evening, criticise after dinner”) that I’ve personally never found very utopian. Rear cattle? I don’t think I will. Marx is superficially close to Emerson’s lines on reification in “The American Scholar”—

Man is thus metamorphosed into a thing, into many things. The planter, who is Man sent out into the field to gather food, is seldom cheered by any idea of the true dignity of his ministry. He sees his bushel and his cart, and nothing beyond, and sinks into the farmer, instead of Man on the farm. The tradesman scarcely ever gives an ideal worth to his work, but is ridden by the routine of his craft, and the soul is subject to dollars. The priest becomes a form; the attorney a statute-book; the mechanic a machine; the sailor a rope of the ship.

—but I think Emerson’s point was not that we should or could reverse the modern drift toward specialization and all become everything again, if indeed we ever were once everything and this is not just a typical 19th-century noble savage romance. I think he meant rather that we should each bring our total humanity into our specialized “ministry” rather than being governed by inhuman codes and systems, that perennial danger of professionalization. We all know now what that danger looks like from our two-and-a-half-year brush with the psychotic-robotic public health sector. As with the best of Romanticism, Emerson wants to ennoble and spiritualize the opportunities afforded by the modern, precisely to avoid its obvious pitfalls. 

Marx, meanwhile, has that misplaced guilt of the intellectuals who think everyone envies them. But in the part-time jobs I had in high school and college I worked alongside working-class people, not to mention that I come from working-class people, and, trust me, they don’t envy intellectuals any more than intellectuals envy them. The modern division of labor is not some alien imposition on the organic and absolute plurality of the individual; people are actually different from one another. Some people love to dirty their hands; I prefer to dirty my mind. A pro-labor politics whether of left or right would, it seems to me, seek to secure a reward for workers commensurate with the social value of their work, not to dissolve the division of labor.

In literary terms, Flaubert is an imperfect example of the Emersonian dream. I’ve always thought his famously monkish devotion to le mot juste created an immobilized prose, modular blocks of dead perfection, not only in Flaubert himself but also in his followers, in Conrad, for example, or Nabokov, and even too often in Joyce—a case James Wood makes well in his oft-neglected essay “Half Against Flaubert.” Flaubert, then, may exemplify reification, just as Lukács charged. But it’s not because he didn’t have a day job; it’s because he wasn’t, as Emerson would say, Man Writing in his ministry. Martyring himself to language, he became written by it, heralding the postmodern acquiescence to our being lived by systems. With that attitude, he might as well have gotten what my own relatives, scolding me, used to call “a real job, a J-O-B”—and no, they weren’t, though they should have been, alluding to the Bible’s exemplary sufferer. My own approach to prose is more intuitive and more emotional, not to mention faster. As I’ve said before, I am with Woolf here: find the right rhythm and you can’t write the wrong word. But finding the right rhythm, too, can take all day, or even a lifetime.