#because I should read about fictional systemic change

[functionalasfuck]

Oh, I fucking LOVED this story and have read it multiple times. Maybe this is a sign to reread it.

This comment is all over awesome stuff, but what has me really smiling like a mad thing is that last little bit. I don't have a beta reaer. I do my own editing. I hate every minute of it, and that just makes it worthwhile.

(I do still miss errors sometimes - it happens - but it's great that people notice the effort I made! ❤️

[weidli]

would be very funny to me to introduce a bunch of americans who are used to the constitution being treated as a gift from god that's very hard to change and is holy Because it's almost never changed and has been in operation in nearly the same form since 1789 to the way the swiss constitution (last total revision in 1999, there have been several hundred direct democratic votes on possible changes to it since 1848, all you need to suggest a change is hundred thousand people with voting power who'll sign the suggestion) works

[calypso-rt]

bookworm II

-> blurbs pt. I

-> rafe x bookworm!reader

At first, you thought it was a coincidence. A fluke. A strange alignment of the universe that had Rafe Cameron showing up at your bookstore every single day.

Then, the excuses started.

“Yeah, uh—I lost my bookmark. Need a new one.”

You arched a brow. “You bought one yesterday.”

“Yeah, well. Lost that one too.”

The next day, it was:

“Do you guys sell… maps?”

“…Maps?”

“Yeah. Like, of the world. Or South Carolina. Or, actually, just this bookstore. So I don’t get lost in here. Y’know. Again.”

You smirked. “You’ve been in here at least a dozen times, Rafe.”

“Yeah, but, like. What if I forget where the classics section is?”

You tilted your head toward the large sign hanging from the ceiling labeled Classics.

Rafe nodded like that was irrelevant.

And then there was your favorite excuse:

“Yeah, so, uh—my dad told me I need to um…read more.”

Your lips twitched. “Your dad, huh?”

“Yeah. Real big on literacy.”

“…Ward Cameron?”

“Yep.”

“The same Ward Cameron who tried to build a golf course over the town library?”

Rafe coughed. “Uh. Yeah. He’s changed.”

It was obvious. He wasn’t here for the books.

He was here for you.

You never called him out on it, though. Not when he’d come in pretending to browse, only to spend an hour leaning against the counter, talking to you about anything, or, sometimes, nothing.

Not when he bought The Odyssey and then asked you, dead serious, “Is this, like… a pirate book?”

Not when he sat on the floor of the poetry aisle, flipping through a book like he actually understood it, just because it was your favorite section.

And definitely not when he smiled at you—soft, lopsided, like he had nowhere else in the world he’d rather be, and asked, “What should I read next?”

Because, at the end of the day?

You kinda liked that he kept coming back.

...

“You don’t have to help, you know.”

“I want to help,” Rafe said, rolling up the sleeves of his absurdly expensive button-down, like he was about to perform some impossible manual labor.

You squinted at him. “Do you… even have a job?”

He waved a dismissive hand. “Not important.”

You had your doubts, but you handed him a stack of books to shelve anyway. Simple task. Foolproof.

Five minutes later, you turned around to see him absolutely butchering the organization system.

“Rafe.”

“Yeah?”

“Why is Pride and Prejudice in the True Crime section?”

He turned back to the shelf, frowning. “Oh. That’s my bad. I just, y’know, Mr. Darcy? He’s kinda criminal. The way he was actin’.”

You sighed. “And Where the Crawdads Sing?”

“…Nature documentary?”

You pinched the bridge of your nose. “That’s fiction, Rafe.”

“Okay, well who decided that?”

The next disaster struck when he insisted on manning the register.

A sweet old lady handed him a book, and you watched as he flipped it over, looked at the price tag, and said, “Yeah, uh… how’s twenty bucks sound?”

You smacked his arm. “Rafe. The register does that for you.”

“Oh. Yeah. Right.” He punched in the numbers dramatically, furrowing his brow. “Beep. Boop. Okay, that’ll be… twelve dollars and ninety-nine cents.”

The woman blinked. “That’s the full price, dear. Don’t I get the senior discount?”

Rafe’s face scrunched. He turned to you, looking genuinely distraught. “Babe, we can’t just rob old ladies. That’s messed up.”

You groaned. “It’s built into the system, Rafe.”

He looked at the register, squinting at the screen like it had personally betrayed him. Then, sighing dramatically, he pressed some buttons.

“Okay, ma’am, with the discount, that’ll be… uh…” He turned to you and whispered, “How much is twelve minus ten percent?”

You just laughed, shaking your head.

And the worst part? You still didn’t kick him out. You let him stay.

Because even when he was the most useless bookstore assistant to ever exist, he looked so damn proud every time he got something right, like when he stacked books into a perfectly symmetrical pile, or when he finally figured out how to use the barcode scanner.

And, okay. Maybe you liked seeing him here. Maybe you liked the way he leaned against the counter, twirling a pen between his fingers, looking at you like you were the best thing he’d ever found in a bookstore.

Maybe you liked him.

Just a little.

...

The second you heard loud, obnoxious laughter from the back corner of the shop, you knew it was trouble.

You peeked around a bookshelf, your stomach sinking. A group of guys were shoving books back onto shelves backwards, tossing paperbacks to each other like footballs. One of them had the audacity to rest his drink on top of your classics display.

You took a deep breath, smoothing your hands over your pants. “Hey, guys,” you called, forcing a polite smile. “Could you please be a little more careful with the books?”

One of them barely glanced at you, smirking. “Relax, sweetheart. We're real careful.”

You hated when men called you that.

Well, most men.

Another guy laughed, nudging his friend. “We’re just here for Rafe Cameron. Heard he hangs out here now. Figured we’d see what the big deal is.”

Your jaw clenched. Of course.

Then, like divine intervention, the bell above the door jingled.

And there he was.

Rafe Cameron, walking in with that lazy, effortless confidence, except the second he spotted them, his whole demeanor shifted. His jaw ticked. His shoulders squared.

“Yo,” one of the guys called. “There he is! Dude, what are you even doin’ in a bookstore, man? Thought you were out crashin' boats or whatever.”

Rafe didn’t laugh. Didn’t even acknowledge them.

Instead, his gaze landed right on you.

“You okay?” His voice was low, rough. Protective.

Your stomach flipped, but you nodded. “They’re just messing up the shelves.”

That was all Rafe needed to hear.

He turned, stepping up to the group with a slow, deliberate swagger. “You break somethin’ in here?” His voice was calm, but there was a dangerous edge to it.

The guy with the drink shrugged. “Relax, man, it’s just books.”

Rafe’s expression darkened. “Put the drink down.”

The guy blinked. “What?”

“Put. It. Down.”

Slowly, the guy obeyed, setting the cup on a table. Rafe stepped in even closer, his voice dropping lower. “Now pick up every single book you messed up.”

One of the guys scoffed. “Bro, what’s the big deal? Since when do you give a shit about—”

“I give a shit,” Rafe snapped. “And if you don’t, then you can get the hell out.”

Silence.

The guys glanced at each other, clearly not expecting this Rafe Cameron. They expected the reckless party boy, the guy who didn’t care about anything.

Not the guy who was standing in the middle of a tiny bookstore, ready to start a fight over misplaced books.

One of them grumbled something under his breath, but they started fixing the shelves. Sloppy, but you’d take it.

When they left, shoulders hunched, trying to laugh it off, Rafe turned back to you. “You sure you’re okay?”

You just stared at him for a second, crossing your arms. “I didn’t know you were my personal security now.”

Rafe smirked. “What, you think I’m gonna let some jackasses ruin our bookstore?”

You blinked. Our bookstore.

Your face felt warm.

“…You put Pride and Prejudice in True Crime last week.”

“I stand by that.”

...

At first, you didn’t notice.

Rafe would sit at the counter, flipping through books as you worked, occasionally grumbling when he came across a word that was too long for his liking.

But then you started finding them.

Books left open on the counter, always on a page with some long, complicated passage, marked up in that messy, boyish scrawl of his.

You found the first one in a well-worn copy of Wuthering Heights.

“This dude is insane. No way she actually likes him. (Not that I relate)”

Then, in Pride and Prejudice, right under one of Mr. Darcy’s confessions:

“This is the most dramatic way to say ‘I like you’ I’ve ever seen. Might use it tho.”

And your favorite, scribbled in the margins of The Picture of Dorian Gray:

“Would I sell my soul for eternal youth? Idk, would you still like me if I had gray hair?”

You had to bite your lip to keep from laughing every time.

Finally, one evening, as you locked up, you found a copy of Jane Eyre left open right on the counter. A single sentence underlined.

“I have for the first time found what I can truly love—I have found you.”

And right next to it, in his handwriting:

“Yeah. What he said.”

A/N: my fav duo :(

[mariasont]

HEAR ME OUT!

post prison Spencer and shy!reader bonding over being total nerds. Books, shows... you name it

Bookstore Physics - S.R

summary: spencer suggests you should compare moral biases more often. you think he's making a philosophical point. he thinks he just asked you on a date

pairings: post!prison spencer reid x shy!medialiaison!reader

warnings: fluff, second hand embarrassment im sure, philosophical debates that are probably wrong bc i had to google and i know hardly knowing about mr kant, existential crisis but make it romantic, post prison reid, shy reader, prolonged eye contact

wc: 1.6k

a/n: thanks for requesting my lovely! happy superbowl to those who celebrate! go birds!

You were so close. Just one more inch, and your fingertips would finally graze the spine of the book that had been taunting you from its impossibly high perch. 

Rising to your tiptoes, you reached with all the reckless confidence of someone who had severely underestimated basic physics. The shelf wobbled under your grip, your shoes squeaking against the polished floor, and in that split second, you were faced with a terrifying possibility that you were about to take out the entire bookshelf, along with your dignity.

Something grabbed ahold of you, steadying you before you could faceplant directly into a pile of literary fiction. 

You went completely rigid. Because that wasn't just something. That was a Spencer Reid hand, long fingers, warm palm, and a freakishly strong grip for a man who treated physical exertion like a concept rather than a practice.

"Oh. Hi, Dr. Reid," you blurted, the words tumbling out clumsy and unpolished, as if your tongue had forgotten how to function. You winced instantly. "What are you doing here?"

Spencer didn't answer right away. His grip on your arm slackened, but he didn't step away, didn't even give you an inch of space, like he had no intention of letting you breathe properly.

Oh, that's fine. Air is overrated anyway.

"What am I doing here?" he repeated as if he were genuinely considering the question, but you knew better.

His expression hovered somewhere between pity and uncontained glee, the corners of his mouth twitching. 

Your lips parted, but your mind refused to cooperate, stuck on an endless loop of oh my god, did you actually just say that?

To Spencer Reid. The same Spencer who had, on multiple occasions, resorted to scribbling entire paragraphs on the back of receipts and once, when truly desperate, his own wrist. Spencer, who physically flinched at the sound of a cracked spine and once spent seventeen uninterrupted minutes explaining the significance of marginalia. Spencer who read like breathing and talked about prose like it was something alive.

And you, a person allegedly with working cognitive abilities, had just asked him what he was doing in a bookstore.

You opened your mouth, whether to correct yourself or just inhale enough oxygen to function again, you weren't sure, but before you could, Spencer, with precisely zero struggle, reached up and plucked the book from the shelf like it had been placed there specifically for him. 

"You should've asked for help," he murmured, and oh, that was definitely amusement in his voice.

"I-I had it under control."

One brow arched, unimpressed.

"Sure you did," he mused, lips twitching like they couldn’t quite decide whether to commit to a smirk. "Although, considering that 20% of bookstore-related injuries stem from ill-advised attempts at reaching high shelves, you were probably just one statistic away from a minor concussion."

You narrowed your eyes. "That's not — there's no way that's a real statistic."

Spencer barely reacted, flipping open the book with the same casual disinterest of someone checking the sky for clouds, except this wasn't a change in barometric pressure, and you were positive your entire nervous system had just gone into meltdown mode.

Your face burned, heat creeping up your spine and flooding through you veins at an alarming speed, and — oh, no — you had officially run out of places to look that weren't him.

And he (unfortunately) made such an easy focal point.

His shirt was rumpled like he'd spent the whole day forgetting to sit properly and a barely-there ink smudge kissed the edge of his palm, the kind only noticeable if you were close. His hair was at war with itself, some strands curling forward rebelliously against the collar of his cardigan, others falling forward, brushing the edge of his cheek.

He didn't glance up as he murmured, "Philosophy?"

The words barely had time to settle before your brain supplied an immediate translation: he was about to analyze you.

You could practically hear the gears turning, the internal mechanisms of his brain whirring at a speed that actually did defy physics. If you concentrated hard enough, you might've been able to hear the faint whir of neurons firing, piecing together a framework of analysis that was surely seconds away from being spoken into existence. He was surely already forming a hypothesis, already constructing some impossibly insightful revelation about what this particular title said about you, your worldview, your subconscious motivations.

"Well, yeah, that one," you said quickly, the words tripping over each other. “I mean, it’s not real philosophy — well, obviously, it is, but not in the way you would define foundational philosophy, but it still presents some really interesting moral dilemmas, and the writing is surprisingly digestible considering the subject matter is so —”

You clamped your mouth shut so fast it was a wonder your teeth didn’t rattle.

What were you even saying?

"Um — yeah. Philosophy. Or... something like that."

Spencer's lips twitched, and then, in a move so profoundly unsettling, he smiled.

Not just any smile, either. A real one. The kind that didn't just curve his mouth but softened him entirely, the corners tugging upward, a barely there dimple surfacing at his cheek. 

It hit you like a perfectly aimed dart —sharp, direct, and entirely crushing. Something fluttered wildly in your chest, light enough to feel stupid, but heavy enough to be a problem.

Then, still smiling, he tilted his head, leaning in just enough to invade your space, his voice dipping like he was handing you something fragile.

"I didn't take you for the existentialist type."

Your first instinct is to argue, to insist that you're far too well-rounded, too multifaceted, too impossible to be pinned down by a single school of thought. But before you can even begin to string words together, Spencer tilts his head just a little more, his eyes sweeping over you in a way that feels dangerously close to that same expression of analyzing once again.

And suddenly, you need to redirect this conversation, desperately, urgently, before your body betrays you, before you start visibly sweating or keel over like a fainting goat. Neither feels like an optimal outcome.

"I — I mean... I could say the same about you."

His lips quirk. "Interesting. And why's that?"

"I don't know. I always assumed you'd be more of a rationalist? Like, Descartes' methodical doubt feels like something you'd respect, and even Kant's categorical imperative, although that's more deontological ethics than strict rationalism, kind of aligns with the way you view morality and decision-making, and —"

You stop. Blink.

Oh no. You’re heavily invested in this man’s philosophical alignment.

You purse your lips, clearing your throat like that’ll erase the absurd level of thought you’ve just admitted to having.

"I mean, I'm probably way off."

Spencer flips the book closed, considering.

"I supposed you could argue I lean toward rationalism," he allows. "But morality is messy. Kant insists on universal law, and let's be real, most people abandon objectivity the second emotions get involved."

He glances at you then, a shift so small it shouldn't feel significant, but somehow, it does.

“For instance, we all make exceptions. We justify things we probably shouldn’t. Sometimes we prioritize people in ways that defy reason.”

His lips twitch. 

"Hypothetically speaking, of course."

“Well, yeah,” you say, caught up in the current of the conversation before you even realize you’ve been swept away. “People make emotional calculations constantly. Even when they claim objectivity, their decisions are shaped by personal attachments.”

The thought unspools too easily, words tumbling forward, carried by momentum.

“And it’s not just morality, it’s cognition in general. Have you read Jonathan Haidt’s work on moral intuitionism? He argues that people make moral judgments first based on instinct, and then rationalize them after the fact.”

You glance up, expecting a rapid-fire counterargument, some impossibly well-structured debate. But Spencer is just watching you.

"So what about you?" he asks suddenly. "Would you say you make exceptions?"

You pause.

"I mean… yeah? I guess I do. Everyone does, right? If someone I care about does something morally questionable, I’d probably be more inclined to defend them than if it were a stranger. I mean, that’s just human nature."

Then shrug. 

"But that doesn’t mean I’m being hypocritical," you add quickly, as if you just realized how that sounded. "I think there’s a difference between conscious favoritism and subconscious moral bias. It’s not like I have a specific person I’d automatically justify no matter what."

Spencer exhales. "I think you're more consistent than you realize."

You blink at him. "What do you mean?"

He shrugs, lifting the book in his hands, fingers drumming idly against the cover. “You try so hard to rationalize your emotions. But I think, if it came down to it, you’d make an exception for someone. Just one.”

Your stomach knots, and it's humiliating how obvious you must be. You can feel your pulse everywhere, in your throat, your wrists, your temples, like your entire body is broadcasting, Hey, Spencer Reid is making you malfunction because he somehow sees right through you, somebody send help.

“I — well, I mean —”

“Relax, it’s just a theory.”

But something about the way he says it makes you not relax at all. And before you can scramble for some kind of coherent response, he nods toward your book.

“You should get that one,” he says lightly, handing you back the book. “I’d love to hear your take on it next time.”

You freeze. Next time?

Oh. Oh no. The words settle over you like an ill-timed realization, and your brain is running the math like you're about to file a report on your own social incompetence. Next time implies... a prior time, a recurring time, a pattern of times. Next time implies he assumes there will be a next time. 

And you assume that he assumes that you are the kind of person who could logically expect another bookstore trip with Spencer Reid as if that's just a thing that happens in your life. Which is absurd.

Your fingers tighten around the book, like holding onto an overpriced paperback will somehow restore balance to your rapidly deteriorating world. Your pulse is a problem and your ability to think critically is a casualty. 

You scramble for something, anything, to say, but before your brain can reboot, Spencer is already moving. 

Then just as he disappears into the next aisle, he tosses one final parting shot of his shoulder —

"See you soon, then."

taglist has been disbanned! if you want to get updates about my writings follow my account strictly for reblogging my works! @mariasreblogs

[kimyoonmiauthor]

Slight note about the system of food.

'cause adding it to the large doc might crash my computer?:

I've realized that though historical fiction minds this more when set in pre-industrial times, that often fantasy set in agricultural societies doesn't seem to do this, though it should.

So I'll give you an example...

Almost everything in Korean food is centered and bred for two things: Kimchi and soy sauce.

But what you don't realize in your industrialized state how freaking long it takes to make these things and how much planning is involved and how much you have to mind the seasons in order to make it correctly.

Kimchi:

Baekchu (or other vegetables) that's often harvested in fall.

The salt, which was traditionally sea salt was harvested in the spring and summer months.

Garlic is a spring to mid summer crop.

The sweet rice that goes into winter kimchi takes a ton of work to make and can take from Spring to fall.

The fish sauce that goes into Kimchi that helps preserve it for over a year, takes and ENTIRE YEAR to make. Yes, a year. You really, really have to plan on that. And what do you do if the fishing is poor for that year?

Spring onions are faster to grow, but you still have to time it for the fall kimchi making.

The fish are seasonal. For example, Yellow Corvina is taken in Korea in the spring. Shrimp in the summer (June), and anchovies in early spring to fall.

Your timing has to be impeccable and you need an entire year to plan this one dish.

Meanwhile, you, industrialized person, take for granted that you can get fish sauce any time you like and can pour it over kimchi.

In fantasy this could add flavor to your fantasy make up, if your character can only get this dish once a year. It can add political unrest (What do you mean the salt harvest was poor and we're left with the shitty metallic salt), because your characters in an agricultural society will be subject to weather changes, which you get when reading historical fiction and so on. Three seasons of poor harvest, daaaamnn... the people might overthrow their government. There might be new religions that pop up, there might be uprisings because the King and Queen are eating feasts every day while the peasants are eating things that are empty calories.

What I'm saying is that you can't be too entrenched into industrial mindset if you're not writing an industrial setting.

That orange is seasonal and only comes about in a connected system that has winter and a warmer climate.

Maybe there are key foods for your climate that are highly treasured or sought after. Mandarins once were. Cacao. Think a bit about those things and how it might interact with the larger world. When does your plant mature and when can it be harvested? is it different from different climates? There's wars that have been fought over food. (Tea, famously, at least a few times).

A staple crop failing is going to have devastating consequences.

And yet, often in fantasy, I often see people going, ya know what I can eat in the dead of winter, strawberries. Do we have greenhouses? No. Did we have freezers? No. But you know what my character is eating? A strawberry. Yeah, think about that. Strawberries don't preserve well. So plan out the timing of your dishes a bit (to the climate and subsistence system) and it can give a bit of background worldbuilding to your dishes and food.

I do have to say that the small mentions from Rings of Power on what's in season or not and why kinda made me feel like the world and the traveling was more "real" with the Harfoot. There's small references to fall v. spring crops.

[yuuainnie]

Self aware AU the story after 3 years parting

...

There was unexpected event that stopped the so called Self aware viruses in your phone to interact with you for 3 years.

For some unfortunate turn of events. You accidentally drop your phones while mountain climbing ( you were force by your parent to visit some family that live near the mountains) one drop to a water and it gets wash off to the fast raging water and the other smash the screen into the rock and it turn black, dead.

Name:..... My mom going to kill me for being this stupid.

You don't actually take the account that you have self aware viruses of characters of a certain game in your phone as the outcome of that moment of stupidity.

At most case you thought your mentally ill and probably made those self aware character when you should have hang out friends in your mind, gaslighting yourself to believe those event in the previous chapters are just "being too imaginative" of a friendless person.

.

.

.

You were yelled at and told that you won't get a new phone to play your games you wanted because the phone your given have a system that's below the recommended update to even download the Twisted wonderland.

And your already gotten sick of the fandom and drift to elsewhere. So the thought of those time, fade to the back of your mind as time passes by.

.

.

.

It took you 3 years to go back to the fandom again. Because you saw some TikTok that you thought was really funny and it was that time you manage to buy a phone to be able to play the game again.

Name: I felt that I have a fever dream, I forget what it was... Ah. It's probably a fanfic I obsess too much.

You laugh to yourself as the memory of you experiencing Self aware characters flash in your mind as the game is being downloaded in your phone while your playing in digital tablet, creating a 3D model of Ortho Fairy gala gear.

While your focusing, you don't notice the moment you log in to your account with barely looking in your screen. The screen turn black and the logo of Shroud family organization appear. But your too focus on the art piece your doing to notice it

If only you look at it, you saw the background of the menu shown the Room of Shroud in a mess than its usually is, and idia hugging his knees while rocking back and forth on his computer chair, mumbling something with eyes that seems to have not sleep even a wink. If looking closely you can notice how he seems to be crying with those dread tears in his eyes.

The screen distorted when idia Golden orbs went to look at you, and his eyes widen and the scene disappear and change back to the normal game menu. As if the sight of him being in a downcast and depress wasn't shown. But then again you seems too focus on your work on your tablet to see what's up.

Idia: welcome back cheater.

You heard the sound of welcome of the character you last put in your account that welcome you back. You turn to look at the screen when you read the words of idia.

Name: where the word cheater come from? As if we're in a relationship to be called cheater.

You mumble to yourself poking Idia, forgetting the important matter: self aware.

Name: did the game update that it's now an Otome and dating sim?

You poke his sides and really want to smack your hand away when he felt your poking his side.

Idia: eekk .. stop poking my side! HELP! SOS!!

Name, laughing: ahahah. Your so silly. Wonder what's up with your new voiceline right now.

Idia:... Oh seven don't tell me your brain reformat and forgot about everything?

And here I am, going to tell you off being one of those Liars and ungrateful weebs that can't care more about how lucky they are to experience Self aware life with their favorite fictional characters.

Name: .....

You pause starting at idia as you process what he just said. He seems to be nagging you about something. It took you a while to finally process what he said.

Name: ah. It wasn't mental illness.

Idia: if it was did you went to therapy to not playing a single game in your accounts? That's the most nerve ricking thing a game would do.

Name, thinking about what he said seems expensive, therapy: no, my phone get drop to the river, get wash fast by river water before I can get it. I heard people died cause of the current in that river. Then the extra phone get Koed by the rock cause my hand get slippery for eating something oily.

Idia:... You are not a Libra type of person are you?

Name: who knows :)

While your enjoying the talk with idia the screen on your tablet glitch out for a moment and the 3D model that your almost down but uncolored , blink without you moving it. Then then it slowly gain texture and color render as it explore the new 4 walls that's surrounded him.

Ortho shroud have hacked your work drawing tablet and upgraded to a 3D model and looking at you as he open screen system that let him access your files on the tablet and saw you have new email that he and his brother did not know.

Taking note to it as his brother distracted you but taking note about your words as you explain what happened to you to lost contact with them for the last 3 years.

It seems that that player doesn't deliberately abandoned my brother and me. It's a good thing to know that before the time limit that he left in a count down in his head after seeing his brother ending in a terrible state because his only friend outside Ortho have disappear without a word.'

( You don't really proceed to the story and stuck at Chapter 1 cause you only do events when your playing before )

In a world where only him and his brother is even self conscious about them being in a game made others seems lifeless when the game isn't playing.

The world is in a frozen state if the player stopped playing and for them it's prison without escape.

Ortho: Hi Name~ how are you?

He finally break into a smile, hiding the fact he was glaring at you earlier. And you look at your drawing tablet and saw Ortho Fairy gala model have been completely render to perfection.

Name: oh ma' gott. Is this the cheat code of self aware characters!? AIYO YOUR MAKING MY WORK SO EASY!!

Seeing the model in a perfect state without doing the damn render makes you happy to notice the darkness In those two eyes that seems to grown from the past three years of partings.

[neil-gaiman]

You probably won’t see this and that’s ok obviously. Just wanted to say it anyways.

Good Omens challenged me in a lot of ways and I rather think that, that’s a good thing.

My knee jerk reaction was to dislike the show, simply because the way specific Christian elements were portrayed and altered made me uncomfortable at first, but when I took a step back and really thought it through I realized something very important. This was a fictionalized world with its own celestial system just like many other books I’ve read and shows I’ve watched. It became crystal clear to me that this wasn’t an attack on my beliefs but rather a statement about how the opposite extremes can be equally toxic.

I learned that it was ok to like this media even with my religion, because at the end of the day it was just a story, and the fact that I recognized the names used didn’t make it anymore wrong than the media I willingly participate in where the creators make up their celestial beings completely. Because it’s not wrong, it’s fiction. It is a world you created to entertain others, to teach others, yes Good Omens is a book and also a show, But it is also so much more. It represents people who have been pushed into the background, people who have been mistreated, it demonstrates the fight for change in a broken system.

So thank you. This lesson I’ve learned is something I should have understood before but no one else seemed to explain it in a way I understood. Many try to combat hate with more hate. But you saw the hate and countered it with something much more effective: a simple dose of perspective.

I'm so glad!

[miyamiwu]

Previously, I posted about how Lin Ling replacing Nice is reminiscent of those transmigration stories, and today I just had a thought: What if To Be Hero X is actually a transmigration story??? The world of the superheroes is the world of a novel (or a comic book, show, game, etc.), and one soul from the real world transmigrates into this world and vows to change the ending.

This is mostly just gut feeling for now, but a lot of the mysteries and quirks of this show would make sense if this were true.

Like, why have multiple animation styles? It can’t be just to flex the budget and the skills. If this were a transmigration story, then the varying styles could be visual cues of how far or near the “current story” is to the “original story” and maybe even to the “real world.” Or, to put it simply, it’s to show us different layers of what is considered the reality within the show. This would also complement the several glitching animation we see (like in the OP), which could be indicative of something in the current story overwriting the original story.

Next, why is X always breaking the fourth wall (i.e. looking at the viewer)? Could he be the transmigrator trying to change the plot development of the “original story”? And that’s why he’s always looking at us. Because he’s from the “real world.”

Now, if TBHX really were a transmigration story.... Then, who was the protagonist in the original story?

First off, I don’t think it’s X. Salaryman!X gives too much background character vibes. The fact that he’s also not under any company and seems to have just come out of nowhere really smells a lot like those plots where the transmigrator found themselves in the body of an NPC or extra, but having read the original story to the end, is able to dominate the story world and make a name for themselves. So no, I don’t think it’s X.

I think....I think the protagonist was og!Nice. He’s literally the “perfect hero” in a superhero world; the Gary Stu of the fictional world.

But then he died. And literally overwritten by Lin Ling.

God, I know this sounds crazy, and I can’t provide much evidence right now coz we’re only two episodes in...

But if TBHX really were a transmigration story.... that would be fucking wild.

Edit: Just remembered that TBHX literally exists as show posters on Link Click. (Link Click being the “real world”? Lol) Yeah, yeah, it was just a Bilibili easter egg, but still fun

Edit2: SHIT SHIT SHIT THE ED RHETORIC!!!

Kill this destiny that’s tryna tell you what you should be

THAT IS CLASSIC TRANSMIGRATOR RHETORIC!!!!

Very so often, in the beginning, a transmigrator would just go along with the plot of the “story” or the rules set out by the System (if you don’t know what that is, uuhh think of it as a literal game/computer system that gives the player/transmigrator instructions on what to do). To the transmigrator, every other person in the story world is just a fictional character with no agency. So it is a very classic and crucial narrative point in the genre that the transmigrator realizes that all the other people in the story world are no longer just fictional characters. And once they realize that, they will then start deviating from the plot, no longer bound by any internal or external rules. They may also try to change the story endings of the other “characters,” literally killing their destiny that dictates how their life should be written.

(Of course, the quote above could just be alluding the the fucked-up Trust System in TBHX, but!!! These are not in conflict okay!)

[anim-ttrpgs]

@janus-wants-to-stargaze for some reason it won't let me answer this ask properly so here it is.

For the most part, the Drow Mistress is supposed to handle Competency, but it’s still a pretty early, pretty untested system very much subject to change.

2. That’s a good point and something to consider, I’ll make a note of it!

3. Yes, that is correct, with the only exception being that for Servants you take points out of the Skills to add to their Endurance as well. If it’s confusing, you should check out the character creation section of one of our other games, Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy, which has an almost identical skill system. Eureka is in a much further along stage of development, so the mechanic is explained much better there.

4. At the moment, humans have very different resting needs from elves, plus the fact that they can’t see at all in the dark. That second thing is something I intend to flesh out a lot more as the game continues to be developed.

5. There’ll be more lore and explanations of just about everything in the setting as the game continues to be developed, right now it’s just in alpha stage. Although, less focus on the he-elves than female elves is an intentional design choice, since as much of the rules text and lore as possible is written from the Drows’ perspective. The lack of focus on he-elves is meant to be representative of the sexism of the society being presented.

Misogyny in real life rarely manifests as an overt, violent, raging hatred of women, those are just the cases that get the most attention. More mundanely it often manifests as an indifference or disinterest towards women, men as the default, and women as an afterthought.

The misandry in Silk & Dagger is meant to read like that.

6. Yeah at the moment, the game has just kinda the bare minimum with regard to Traits, but that’s because it’s still in alpha stages. By the time the game is finished, I’d like it to have as many Traits as Eureka.

Like how Eureka draws a lot of Traits from characters or tropes from noir, detective, and horror fiction, we have a lot of sources of inspiration to draw on for Silk & Dagger, it’s just a little slower going because I personally am less familiar with a lot of them. It’s also the fact that the game hasn’t been thoroughly playtested yet so the way they all the mechanics fit and work together isn’t 100% clear. Once the game has been played more, I’ll be able to come up with some traits that really mess with the way the mechanics work, like Eureka has.

But in the future you can expect Silk & Dagger Traits to draw inspiration from:

Maid & butler fiction (yes this is a genre)

Sports and martial arts fiction

Regency drama

Sitcoms

*sign of the cross* Horny isekai anime

7. For sure, servant hierarchy is something we really want to flesh out before the game is finished.

8. Same response as #7.

9. With the possible exception of drider, we have no intention of expanding the race roster, as the relationship between the two playable races is part of the core dynamic. I may even state in the rulebook that for all intents and purposes regarding gameplay other races do not exist.

Really, race in Silk & Dagger is not intended as a commentary on “race” in real life, one of the main reasons it’s even a thing is because race is a thing in the source material that Silk & Dagger is spoofing.

What Silk & Dagger is “doing” with “race” has less to do with the real world concept of “race” and more to do with the people who are suited for what society expects of them, and the people who are not.

Humans in Silk & Dagger are people who are well-suited for the environment of the surface, and would be mostly fine there, but they’re not there, they’re forced to be underground in caves, where none of their innate strengths apply. This makes them pretty shitty at everything compared to elves, who also aren’t really suited to thrive in this environment and society, but are much more innately suited to it than humans.

When humans express that their bodies are not suited for what this society expects of them(can’t see in the dark, ears less sensitive to subtle sounds, too big to fit through certain tunnels, etc.), the response is that they’re dumb, lazy, ungrateful, parasitic, worthless, etc.. Humans need “sleep,” which is something that many Drow don’t even think really exists, and that humans are al just lying to get out of work. Elves don’t need “sleep,” they just have to sit down every once in a while, humans are just being lazy and don’t have the willpower to push through like elves do.

This is kind of like being disabled.

10. You want the etiquette to be even harder to follow?! Granted, there are a few extra bits we considered for the etiquette rules, but most of the ones that were cut were cut because they were too subtle and really didn’t end up suited to the vocal descriptive gameplay of a TTRPG. Maybe if Silk & Dagger was done as a LARP, then they could be expanded more, but good luck organizing an accurate Silk & Dagger LARP anywhere outside a BDSM club or something hahaha.

[darkcircles4lyfe]

To Build Something Else

Whenever I read a fanfiction that takes place in the future where the hero kids continue their schooling as normal and emerge as pro heroes into the existing system, I always kinda view it as like, “AU where things weren’t as bad” or “AU where everyone is still pretending that this is the way things should be” or “AU where good and evil are morally uncomplicated.” I’m not trying to call anybody out—I’ll still read and enjoy these sometimes—but that’s how I’ve always looked at it. I’m starting to notice other people feeling it too. I’ve read fics where they point out how redundant and unfair it is to go back to being students after saving the world (remember how many pros straight up quit and left a bunch of kids to keep fighting?). I’ve seen people acknowledge how trauma will affect their ability to keep going. Perhaps the trickiest thing to wrap our heads around is how the villains will fit into it all if not through death, punishment, or imprisonment. What about all the other trappings of society? The heavily regulated quirk use, the government-funded pros aiding police control and contributing to cover-ups that maintain the illusion of peace. Hero idolization, quirk counseling, civilian helplessness. Judging a person’s worth or character based on their quirk…

It would sound too obvious and cheesy to simply point out that society isn’t “just the way things are,” that change is possible. We all know this, and yet we struggle to pinpoint exactly where to aim our sights, find the source, make any meaningful progress. The other day I read some articles from my university’s student newspaper around 1970, and it made me feel sick wondering if progress is really an illusion. Fact is, it’s easy to intellectually deconstruct society, but very difficult to imagine how to build something else.

In this fictional world, heroes have offered a mythical vision of safety and triumph. When All Might arrived, everything was going to be okay. But let’s not forget how this story began: with a moment where All Might paused, like a bystander, and in his place, a desperate civilian kid hurtled forward without any common sense. If you ask me, it wasn’t that Izuku was so good and pure and selfless, it was that he disregarded everything.

And so the person who “saves the world” (if we can even reduce it to such a concept) is not the person who puts everyone at ease and makes crowds cheer. It’s the person who makes everyone hold their breath, with a feeling in the air like the pressure changed, and it smells like rain. It is natural to be worried about the future. It’s honest. It means you can see what’s really going on. Hero society has never felt this exposed, but the people are held back from the edge of despair because there is also so much potential brewing. Electricity about to strike. The world will NOT go back to the way it was, no matter what. That much is certain. But what if we still live to see the dawn? What then? What if one person’s courage to break the mold makes all the difference?

I’m not just talking about Izuku, you know. I’m talking about Horikoshi.

To an extent, I’ve given up on predicting how exactly things will play out, because if nothing else, I can tell he’s planning something big—so big, I can’t quite picture it. I’m watching and waiting for the one person who can. I just know where he’s coming from. I think about how he’s never come this far before because his other stories were snuffed out. I know he used to struggle to see the future of his career. I relate to his stubbornly rebellious resolve to do what he wants anyway. To keep dreaming. I know that emotional sincerity is his specialty. And now he’s even directly breaking the fourth wall, having characters talk about what’s supposed to happen in comic books. Gradually, almost imperceptibly at first, we’ve been shown how something else can happen. He’s not done yet.

[windvexer]

Hello chicken!

I come to you today with a question I've had for a long time, and I read a post a while ago where you gave tips on entering the astral for people who struggle with it. In this, you mentioned, if I remember correctly, that people who day dream a lot should find a way to tell apart their spiritual travels from daydreams.

The thing is—I'm not only a maladaptive daydreamer since I can remember but also a fiction writer. Meaning my mind comes up with random places and people and story fractures all the time. And when prompted with something, it can run pretty far. I have no way of determining wether or not my spiritual encounters with familiar spirits have been legit or a complete result of my own imagination.

I really wanna know if there's a way to determine if my experience are "real" or made up and how I can go about differentiating them. If you have anything that could help with that I'd be super grateful.

Have a wonderful day and thank you already

We're in reference to this, I think?

This is one of those situations where there are IME never any blanket tips, because everyone has their own needs.

"Real astral travel is fatiguing whereas daydreaming is not" is not a rule of thumb that is helpful to people that don't really get tired astral traveling, or who are exhausted by racing thoughts.

I believe it's vital to experiment for oneself to build up a system of checks and balances that works for you.

That being said here are some ways that travel can be tested (again, consider how these checks may be inadequate depending on the areas you travel, your innate skills, etc).

If you have tips or thoughts to add, please feel free!

You have valid experiences with your spirits if they pan out - if your spirits give you information, spells, techniques, etc., that work. A lot of valid techniques and lore aren't written down, so comparing it to other sources doesn't always work - you have to put it to the test. You can also ask spirits to do things for you - things that should be easily doable - and see if it happens (like, asking them to visit you at a certain time and setting a reminder after the fact).

You can't really control spirits in the astral the way you control daydream characters. Your daydream character can say or do whatever you think even on the slightest of whims. Spirits do not, and if you try to force them to say or do things they can become very upset.

In the astral, there is no story to fracture. It's not a story, there is no narrative. It's a lived experience.

Astral realms are causal, just like our normal physical reality. In a daydream if you realize a character has on the wrong outfit for this scene, based on that mere idea the story might retroactively correct to suddenly have the character be in the right outfit. But in the astral, for a spirit to have on different clothes, they have to go change clothes. And that takes time. They have to leave that location, go to where they keep their clothes, change their clothes, and come back.

There is no fracturing the story into two versions, one where the spirit has on the right outfit from the start, and one where they don't. There is no story.

In a daydream, you control the experience. At the perfect moment, it starts raining in the graveyard for the dramatic reveal. In the astral, you are experiencing something external. You can imagine it's raining, try to force it to rain, or project rain. You might even see rain for a few moments. But your perception will tend to snap back to the actual experience. And then the spirits might be looking at you weird, asking what you're doing. You can't restart the scene because there is no scene.

In a daydream if there is a locked door, that doesn't necessarily stop you in any way. You can know what's behind the locked door, where the key is, how difficult it is to open the door, if there are alternate routes, and so on. You can even know who made the door and the forest the wood came from. The characters might be stuck on one side but you are the omnipotent creator god of that reality and you have all the information you want.

In the astral if you encounter a locked door, you don't automatically know what's behind it. If you don't have the key, you can use magic to unlock it or you can try to break it down. But if you can't, then you can't. If your path is blocked, you won't automatically know any alternative paths forward. The narrative isn't going to be rewritten to account for plot holes; there is no plot. Do you want to know who made the door? Well, how do you intend to find out? Because that information isn't up to you; it exists externally from you.

The characters are at a gorge. The next part of the story is on the other side. Figuring out how to cross the gorge isn't interesting right now, the emotional energy is ready to carry us deeper into the plot. Let's just put a pin in the crossing and figure it out later. For now, we teleport into the future. The characters are on the other side of the gorge, ready to travel into the city.

In the astral, you are stuck on that side of the gorge until you figure out how to cross it. You can imagine or pretend you're on the other side, but eventually you will be bounced back to where you are actually standing.

Daydreams remain static unless you are there to change them. The changes may be sprawling and nigh instantaneous, but they come from you; you are making it up. You are never going to come back to a daydream and realized the fundamental reality of the daydream changed since monday and is irreversible to its prior state.

Astral realms will change on their own whether or not you're there for it. One day a new path appears that was never there before. You can't "switch back" to the other version because there is not more than one version, it's a living area. One day there is a blockage and you can't go to that location. The next day the blockage disappears, or it remains until you resolve it.

Daydreams tend to be low-energy. You can go through the epic history of an empire in 30 minutes. Astral travel tends to be energy-intensive. You can hang out for 15 minutes and talk to one fish in a fountain before you get tired and sleepy.

Similarly, changes in daydreams can be done with nothing more than the energy of a thought; you can raise up houses, neighborhoods, cities, empires, and solar systems with the blink of an eye. In the astral, if you want a bucket of water, you have to pick up the bucket, go to the well, get the water, and walk back. And if it takes you 15 actual IRL minutes, then that's how long it takes you.

My tl;dr is that if it feels like you're an omnipotent multiversal creator god having adventures in endless stories with clear narratives, side-quests, and character arcs, then I'd be more likely to hazard that you're daydreaming. If it feels like you are a person trying to live your got dang life, if you run into problems that require real time and energy to resolve, and if you drop the ball and the world moves on without you - it's more likely you're traveling.

(The only thing I will say is that time in the astral generally doesn't work like how it does here - time can scroll forward very quickly. But if you have time-god powers like editing the past, jumping around from past to present and into alternate timelines, or flash-freezing the universe to walk around in it, I'd be suspicious.

In addition, what worlds you're going to can have a huge impact - personal astral spaces you're fully in control over are, well, much easier to control than external spaces where you're a visitor.)

[chainofclovers]

I recently had a realization that with the exception of Severance, pretty much all of the fictional shows I’m currently most obsessed with (Ted Lasso, All Creatures Great and Small, Hacks, The Pitt) are very explicitly and at their core about teaching and mentorship and growth via vocation. Vocation—as opposed to job, career, obligation—is such fertile ground to build a story around because passion is such an integral part of the concept. The passion of a vocation ends up feeding workplace dynamics, friendship dynamics, family dynamics, sexual and romantic dynamics, faith and struggles with faith, the belief system around which a person measures success, character evolution or lack thereof as an industry evolves or as a community changes. (And I could argue that Cobel’s storyline in Severance is the story of a broken student—it’s just a little more tenuous, whereas I’d argue that teaching and mentorship [complicated, positive] are the absolute lifeblood of these other shows.)

I was happy when I had this realization because it ties together all these shows that are super different from each other on paper. I love that the passion of one’s vocation/life work, and the ebb and flow of success—whether that be coaching football or starting a career in PR or training veterinarians or writing comedy with a partner or working in the emergency department of a teaching hospital—bleeds into every type of relationship, every type of storyline.

For a long time, I’ve thought it was interesting that in meta and fan discussions in the related fandoms there’s often an emphasis on reading character relationships as familial. I know some of that is just for fun (fandom? just for fun? what? 😆)…people love to be like “that’s my mom!” about a no-nonsense milf (childless or no) and “he’s literally their dad” about a caring dilf (childless or no). So I in no way want to come off like a killjoy who doesn’t think people “””””should””””” use familial language when talking about characters who aren’t in the same literal family tree. People should pretty much do whatever they want. But I have a theory that at least some of the familial language is coming from places where the real driver, the real passion, is teaching (its own kind of learning process) and not parenting. And my realization about teaching/mentorship being throughlines in these shows kinda tied all of this together for me.

Like, it is really important if you’re an ED resident to have an attending physician who is a great mentor. It would not necessarily be desirable for that attending physician to be parental with you, to see you as a child on some level no matter how old you get. Your attending should view you as a fellow competent adult who has things to learn. Their protectiveness or their tendency to challenge or their concern might be emotional or biased or passionate or career-strengthening or problematic or ideal (or all of the above) without being parental. And imo, it’s more fun to map the dynamics of a show like The Pitt by examining teaching styles and the various ways the mentors and mentees learn from each other, even though I get that for others that same fun is in remapping it onto family.

Being a multi-shipper who can usually imagine romantic possibilities between a lot of different characters makes for a wild experience w/r/t all the familial characterizations too. For example I do understand why someone might find it comforting or pleasurable or just plain fun to imagine Keeley from TL as Ted and Rebecca’s kid, but I personally think mentorship and friendship are the actual roots of those relationships. Which is great, since Keeley canonically ogles Rebecca’s breasts, the two women flirt for three years straight, Ted is fascinated enough by Keeley’s gender presentation and whole vibe that he openly tells Rebecca he’s fantasized about being her, etc.

Of course there are lots of examples within these shows of places where characters finding each other means finding a family. In ACGAS, I’m certain that Tristan’s early loss of his parents is a major element of how complicated his relationship with his brother/professional mentor has become, and why the complexities shift and morph over time even as they find peace with each other. Siegfried and Audrey do resemble father and mother figures for Tristan within the household. But I’m so into interrogating the whole “literal [figurative] mum and dad” thing that in the fic I’m writing, a small part is about exploring how Tristan’s canonical growth that helps him accept Siegfried as his brother results in him realizing that Audrey is like an elder sister. Not a replacement for his mother, or for the elder sister-in-law he lost, but another distinct relationship that suits them.

This is super scattered and all over the place and don’t necessarily have a point. I was just very !!! when I realized, duh, most of the stuff I get into is about the passion of vocation and how that translates to varyingly successful teaching relationships that may have some other flavor of friendship, romance, family, whatever layered on…and how maybe these themes are what ends up landing me in fandoms where people keep turning to the language of nuclear family to explain dynamics that I’m more excited to explain through other relationship types. Found family is a god-tier dynamic but I’m realizing I’m maybe less into using literal familial language to describe it than others, and while I feel very “to each their own” about it I also hope people are aware that your mentor doesn’t or even shouldn’t need to be your dad/mom/parent.

[hypothermiatapes]

Yesterday I answered an ask about the Hogwarts school system and if it might have been different in Tom’s time than it was in Harry’s time (you can find it here). I’ve been thinking about it for a day now and would like to add onto it.

I believe the Hogwarts education is catered to the purebloods to widen the gap between them and muggleborns. I say this because the school system is actually very poorly set up for people that didn’t grow up in the magical world.

The lovely anon had mentioned how ancient languages aren’t taught, which are important because many ancient texts would most likely be written in them (not to mention most spells are in Latin). This really caught my attention because throughout history people have used reading and writing to widen the gap between social classes. This was especially prevalent during Shakespeares time when those in poverty wouldn’t be taught and thus couldn’t rise in society because they didn’t have the skill.

It can be assumed that this could also be the case at Hogwarts. Purebloods would have grown up in the magical world while practically swimming in gold for most of them. This means purebloods would likely grow up being taught these languages and reading ancient texts considering their families most likely knew these languages and had the money to hire tutors and buy books.

This opens their field to the pure and unaltered history and records of the very world they live in while also knowing their worlds traditions through first hand accounts. Muggleborns and a lot of halfbloods won’t have this privilege, and if the ability to read these languages is common among purebloods (the people in charge of the government) then people who can’t will be considered unqualified. This also means most texts won’t be translated because why would they translate it if the important people already can read them?

There’s also only eight classes a student can take during Harry’s time (this doesn’t include flying in first year), and while there might have been more in the past we’re going to ignore it. These are far too few classes to properly educate people newly entering your world. There are no classes to introduce muggleborns to the magical world, not a word about how much their money is worth, holidays, just culture in general.

The classes also lack variety and specialization for certain subjects. In high school I had the opportunity to take very niche classes in science and social studies to deepen my understanding of the subjects while also exploring career options. We had classes like Cold War, Native American history, mythology, forensics, conceptual physical science, to name a few.

Hogwarts lacks these things, you only have one path you can take not to mention how when you pick an elective you must stick to it. This is a horrible strategy since they only start discussing career choices in fifth year and by that time you can’t change what you’re taking. Electives should also be more niche and odd to introduce students to new careers and opportunities. Hogwarts lacks this.

However, purebloods grow up in the magical world, so they have the knowledge of what paths can be taken and how to achieve them. They have the money for private tutors if they wish to have a deep dive into a certain subject.

The core classes are very straightforward too and don’t involve philosophical discussions or debates. This may seem small to you, but these things are essential to the development of a person. Don’t get me wrong, the facts are important, we must know them, but what about the grey area? This approach doesn’t teach kids to think for themselves, only to follow what they’re told.

My social studies and literature teachers always brought up several sides, often had us debate and also made us make educated guesses with limited information. My father had a sci fi fiction class and his teacher after a book and during would force them to try and understand how things like those dystopian futures had happened. This approach makes children learn to recognize patterns, make connections and also think for themselves.

When people can’t think for themselves and just follow what they’re blindly told it makes them easy to control. The government is controlled by the corrupt, money constantly going into the purebloods pockets not to mention they’re part of the Wizgomant is ran by purebloods and this is the high court. Nobody challenges them because they were never taught to look deeper, they only see the facts and whether these facts are real or not is irrelevant. This means the purebloods continue to enter high positions while muggleborns and many halfbloods are unable to.

I also want to mention how the history of magic class is ran by a ghost that can’t teach. They could’ve replaced him at any time, but they chose to keep him which means there’s a reason. I’m assuming firstly that enough students pass to say it’s not a teacher issue, and who are those students? The purebloods, people who grew up hearing about this history, have the resources. It’s also strategic to keep him because he keeps the “lesser” uneducated, and if someone doesn’t know history they’re doomed to repeat it/turn a blind eye as it’s repeated.

Finally, anon had mentioned how Hogwarts doesn’t teach subjects like math, science, geography, etc, and I also have a theory for this. While it may seem to put everyone in the magical world at a disadvantage it actually puts muggleborns into a horrible position.

The purebloods have the money and connections to do whatever they please and have a good life in the magical world, but the muggleborns don’t know how their own world works and it’s been rigged so that they will have a significantly hard time getting anywhere. The logical conclusion would be to leave the magical world but they can’t because nobody in the muggle world will hire someone who doesn’t know math, science and things like that. This means no matter what they do most are doomed to live in poverty and be exploited.

This is all theory, but I’ve been thinking about this for a whole day now and needed to write it down.

[yossipossi]

Hi. I hope you're not sick of getting asks about SCP 8980 (if so, feel free to ignore) but I wanted to let you know that it has affected me in a way very few works of fiction have. I was physically shaking when I got to the amnesticization scene, and it only got worse as I kept reading. By the time I finished reading, I felt a mix of dread, horror, rage and nausea that still haven't fully subsided several days later. I still have trouble sleeping. I keep thinking about Lilian and everything she went through, and the sinking realization that similar things have happened to real people countless times. Part of me wishes I'd never come across this SCP (or that I'd heeded the content warnings), but I know it's ultimately for the best that I read it, because stories like this need to be told if we want things to change.

I've never experienced or directly witnessed any abuse of the kind described in the story, but reading it raised the dreadful possibility that I might have, at some point in my life, been like one of the many people who looked the other way. I'll never know for sure, but hopefully this will inspire me to be all the more vigilant in the future. It also spoke to my discomfort with my own gender, which I have trouble identifying with when I have to share it with the likes of Dr. Byrnes.

All this is to say that you are an amazing writer, and I deeply admire your strength for tackling something so personal to you in such an uncompromising way.

If you don't mind, there are a couple questions that came to mind while reading it that I'd love to have your thoughts on:

1. About the concept that Byrnes erased (I know you don't want to reveal what it was and I totally respect the artistic choice). Am I right in thinking Lilian could reacquire the concept if put into a supportive environment? My logic is that amnestics can erase memories, but can't permanently remove cognitive faculties. So if Byrnes took away, say, her self-worth, she could recover it after spending time with people who respect and value her? Of course it's going to be a long and difficult process, but I'd like to know there's hope (especially once she's moved away from Site 17 following the 7777 events).

2. How do you feel about the ethics of punishing Byrnes when he's forgotten everything he did? Of course the ideal solution here would be to administer him mnestics, but I'm sure the Foundation would consider it a waste of resources... So barring that, what do you think should be done with him? It's a really tough question for me, since on the one hand, there is something dystopian about being punished for crimes you can't remember (there's a whole Black Mirror episode about it!) but on the other hand, there's a good chance his abusive tendencies have survived amnesticization and he might hurt others in the future. (I'm also aware that Byrnes is ultimately secondary to the systemic failures that allowed him to get away with it and still prevent any meaningful changes, but I'm still curious).

3. Finally, is there a directory where I can find the rest of your work in the SCP universe? I've read 8980 and 7777 and I'd love to read more of your writing (although if you've written anything as dark as 8980 I'll have to pass lmao).

Again congratulations on a truly impressive work, and thanks for reading through this very long ask!

I'm never disappointed to get a nice message about 8980, so there's no reason to fear. I am very happy the article had such a tremendous and positive impact on you.

Regarding your point on trouble identifying with your gender because of people like Byrnes, it is a very common feeling for those who know what atrocities men can and often do commit. It's something that eventually you will come to terms with after much self-reflection. Regardless, as you mention yourself, it is essential for men to embody the positive aspects of masculinity and use the privilege society affords them to help others. As it says in the ancient text Pirkei Avot, "In a place where there are no [good] men, strive to be a [good] man."

To answer your individual questions:

1. Your assessment of how amnestics work is — at least in 8980's continuity — fully accurate. As the amnestics only dissolve targeted engrams, concept-related engrams could be theoretically reacquired in the correct environment.

2. This is a question with no true answer. As you mention yourself, either option results in an injustice of some form. However, under the assumption that Byrnes's abusive and misogynistic tendencies have survived amnesticization, I would believe it to be more ethical to — in some capacity — restrain his movements to prevent him from inflicting further suffering on others.

You mention Black Mirror in your question, and I would like to follow up with that offhand reference with another: Severance. I have recently finished watching it myself, and believe it would be insightful for you if you choose to delve into topics of identity, memory, and culpability.

3. There is indeed; you may find it here:

Do be aware, however, that a majority of my articles are not of the same quality of 8980/7777, nor are most in a similar genre. Regardless, I hope you enjoy my past works, and feel free to send me more asks in the future if you have questions about those.

Thank you once again for the kind words, and I hope you have a pleasant day.

[cloudstarcats]

Exposition and Handling a New World:

So, i've been thinking of writing a couple isekai/transmigration/time-travel/reincarnation novels for a while now, mostly because I am fascinated by how different they would be, as I'm aware the major tropes and stories come from a different culture than mine. (I'm American, born and raised (i'm so tired), and most of these tropes I find in asian centric media that's become more popular in my part of the world thanks to the internet).

And while doing this, I've come upon some interesting criticism and ideas about the genre thanks to this youtuber (Matty Bites), who brings up a lot of good points I struggle with when writing, and also makes me question a lot of tropes!

so the major thing I'm thinking of right now is that trope where the main character, aka our narrator and audience eye, becomes the exposition center for the entire plot. That and the fact the narrator is somehow totally fine with their reincarnation and not freaking out!

So In thinking I have two great examples of main characters who handle both these issues in ways I want to remember for my own writing: Edith from "Not your typical reincarnation" and Shen Yuan from "Scum Villain Self Saving System"

So, let's start with Edith, because I love her!

So, Edith is a character from a popular Webtoon "Not Your Typical Reincarnation Story", which I've been reading for a while now and absolutely love. Her story is one I find less trope-y and more fresh in a sea of character tropes and repeated story plots. For a better dissection on her, I recommend this video my Matty Bites: https://youtu.be/oiNJNVgyMO4?si=CAtALShJuZB_tnrZ

As Matty points out, Edith handles her new life in a way that is very different to most protagonists: she starts doing hobbies! And thats such a small detail, but it's lowkey my favorite thing? When given the chance to live a new life, one of luxury unlike her previous one, she takes the time to go out shopping, see what people her age in this time like, and take up the common hobbies of the time even though she has no experience. It's very relatable in that sense; in a world based on a cheesy Romance story she was reading, she finds the small things of life and decides to learn them.

Edith also handles the other characters differently than most other main characters I've seen. Edith is aware that side characters, or characters not often mentioned by name in the novel, are strangers to her. Thus, she doesn't treat them as disposable, but rather as real people. Her transition to accepting her role as Edith is quick, but also carries the weight that she sees characters as people first and foremost. I think the way she handles this change is in fact by starting out with the smaller, lesser known characters: people she doesn't have a basis for and thus should try to understand anyways. By doing so, it's probably easier for her to then see Killian and the other "major" characters as real people and not just fictional characters. It makes her transition all the easier.

We also get a good explanation as to why Edith is acting as exposition: in the beginning, it is because she is remembering the details of the text, like most main characters do. This was her favorite shitty Romance novel after all, she wan't to talk about it. As time continues, her exposition is less her explaining things the audience already knows, and more so her explaining conclusions she and the audience are coming to in a way to wrap up the final thoughts. When a mystery occurs, she acts as the detective, explaining the overall details to ensure she and the audience are on the same page. She also uses exposition to justify her own actions: recalling moments from the original text to then give her ideas on what to do during the day; "Oh, here is exposition on how Killian works out nearly every day... I should go watch him train!" Because Edith now has free time and lowkey wants to oogle her husband lol.

The exposition tapers off to instead fit the flow of story. I like it a lot, it feels natural, and it doesn't drag me out of the story.

now, what about Shen Yuan?

Look, I love the guy, but he has issues. The main thing about Shen Yuan and how he handles transmigrating into SVSSS is that he does so in a very unhealthy way; a fact the fandom loves discussing. Almost opposite to Edith, Shen Yuan does not start out by seeing any of the characters of SVSSS as people, but rather remains seeing them as characters. He creates a boundary between himself and his new role as Shen Qingqiu, becoming an unreliable narrator as he dismisses and pushes away his own thoughts and feelings for the sake of saving his own mental during the plot.

As opposed to Edith, who accepts she is now the character Edith Rudwick and thus takes full acceptance that while she may not have done those actions, she can't act as if they never happened- Shen Yuan tries very hard to act as if he and Shen Qingqiu are separate people and have never been the same. As pointed out, this is why the Peak Lords view Shen Qingqiu to be possessed, as he has changed so drastically.

In this sense, Shen Yuan handles his acceptance into this world Very Badly, but in a way that makes sense for his character. It takes him a while to accept that he is no longer Shen Yuan, and he has to accept his role as Shen Qingqiu. now, i haven't finished SVSSS so I may be wrong there, but I do believe that Shen Yuan's actions and coping mechanisms makes sense.

This is also why his use of exposition makes sense! Unlike Edith, who was a normal fan if not a little more into her story than a normal reader, Shen Yuan is explicitly described as someone who loves PIDW, to the point where he pays for early access and has a deep knowledge of almost every mentioned characters, plot, plant, etc.

Because of this, his reaction to transmigrating and his use of exposition makes a lot of sense: He's read this trope before, and as a nerd has thought of how he'd handle it based on all the stuff he's read about it. He also likes to exposit to himself, mainly because he likes to rant, which is seen literally chapter 1. His exposition and his reaction to transmigrating (staying calm and internally panicking, or breaking down later in private) is VERY in character for him.

Overall, these two character's highlight different ways to have your main character react to transmigration, react to characters, and handle exposition that make the stories feel better. I never felt like it was jarring to read exposition in either of these, because I personally found the exposition to make sense with the characters. I also liked the way it showed them acclimating; full acceptance vs a mental barrier, and how that remained in character for each.

For future writing, I want to keep this all in mind. How do I write exposition in a way that actually feels natural to the world? How should my character's actually respond to transmigration or reincarnation, and how does that reflect on their personal character's and backstory? It can be a tricky first step, because the start of a story is always exposition, and I don't want a reader to drop my story because it's boring, or hand holding them. I want them to read it and go "this is good, this makes sense, and this makes me interested".

[clangenrising]

I'll be honest, I'm not sure how to feel about Moon 20. I was raised on purity culture and because of that sex is an uncomfortable topic for me, even though I wish it wasn't. I was exposed to that sorta stuff young (not sa, just unrestricted internet access lol) and it did sorta traumatize me, so I just find it disturbing to include sexual references in content that A, is made for a fandom primarily intended for children (which a content creator has to keep in mind regardless of if their content is actually for children imo) and B, has a cast of animals (I'm not saying this equals zoophilic content, but it still feels weird from where I'm standing. I know animals have sex and that it's normal, but I don't want to read about that).

I understand your argument and I appreciate that you offered trigger warnings, though. Idk, part of me wants to be supportive of content that doesn't kink shame and instead educates about different kinks, but I also see why people are getting upset over that moon.

You say that it's first and foremost fiction so even zoophilic content would be fine, but fiction is highly influential, even if it's intended to just be a fantasy. It's like if someone wrote offensive material; that material can subconsciously affect people's mindsets. Obviously if someone goes and fucks an animal that's their choice, it's just that providing content for that sort of stuff really just leans into teaching people it's okay and encouraging it when harmful paraphilias like that need therapeutic attention.

I just wanted to share my thoughts in hopes it might spark some good discussion.

Hey, I wanna thank you for having the bravery to send this. These are exactly the kind of conversations I wanna be having with my audience and I can tell you're coming to this conversation in good faith. If anybody is shitty or condescending in the comments of this, I'm going to be very disappointed.

I was also raised in a purity culture (Mormonism) so I know how you feel. When I was a preteen, I stumbled into erotic Warrior Cats rp forums and they excited and intrigued me and made me feel SUPER guilty. I was convinced for years that I had a porn addiction because I would look at smut every couple months when I was feeling horny. I may not have your exact experiences with purity culture but I definitely know what you mean about sex being an uncomfortable topic for you.

In my experience, this is just something that changes with time and exposure to other people and with a willful choice to change your attitudes, if that's something you want to do.

I understand your aversion to adding these sexual references to a fandom that is "for children" but I personally feel like just because a concept was introduced as being aimed at children doesn't mean it should always be. For example, fairy tales were created for children but dark and adult readings of fairy tales are really interesting and can provide some cool angles on the subject matter that keeping it child friendly wouldn't.

I am conscious of the fact that minors may read my work, which is why I use my tagging system and why the top of my blog says "some content may be PG-13". As well, none of the sexual content I write about is stuff that I would feel uncomfortable discussing with someone 13 years old and up. Teens are curious about sex and I think up front and honest conversations about it are really important to avoid the kind of shame and guilt and also misinformation that comes with purity culture and abstinence only education.

I think that in general, fiction is not harmful, but that doesn't mean it can't be harmful to a specific person. For instance, while I think Non/Dub Con fiction is not inherently harmful, someone who has trauma regarding SA might be harmed by reading that kind of thing. It ultimately falls to people to manage their own online experiences. And when it comes to stuff like zoophilia and being worried about normalizing it, that's why I think it's important to discuss how fiction is just that, fiction.

We shouldn't be forced not to write about sensitive topics, but we should engage with them responsibly and foster a culture that discusses this stuff openly and without judgement.

I don't think there's an easy solution to the feelings you're feeling and that's okay! You shared how you feel, I shared how I feel, and we both listened and considered the others' point of view. I hope everyone will stay respectful, thoughtful, open minded, and empathetic when engaging with this discussion. <3