#become less desirable past a certain age

[klanced]

i understand why it didnt happen. but i do legitimately think that the voltron fandom would have been better if shiro/coran was more popular. i was a #shirantruther from the start but imagine if some dude and his dilf bf was a cornerstone of the fandom

YOU ARE SO REAL FOR THIS‼️🗣️🔥💯💯

im not even joking like. can you imagine the neutralizing impact shiran would have had on the fandom dynamic. like imagine if it was as uncontested as a well-established fanfavorite het ship. like sure people would still ship them with other characters but there would have been like a mutually understood starting point. we could have had peace

also the dynamic of shiro being allura’s step-dad/step-uncle would have been so Peak

[robboyblunder]

As promised I went ahead and continued my "ghoul guide" with a part 2 (part one linked in replies)! This one covers stuff specifically with a made up lore guide of in-world ghoul stuff as if they were a sort of unique magic entity.

This one wound up way longer and had to be split so expect a third final one eventually lmao. for now though... I'm gonna take a break and yell. Bonus extra info plus the transcript under the cut!

ID in ALT text!

Bonus note: While not portrayed in the guide, it’s important to know a detail about ghouls’ origin called “memory echoes”. While ghouls are formed from humans past who lose all memory of their previous self while maintaining an assumed personality from before, at times certain instances of events, actions, items, and otherwise can trigger these “echoes”. Echoes are very rare, but a valued treasure to ghouls; they make them feel more connected to their past and more “human”. Upon triggering an echo, a ghoul will become completely listless, unable to respond or react until the echo has completed, usually within seconds.

“Memory echoes” are described as blurry faded memories that often show featureless shapes and colors, but a very strong “feeling” of a Deja-vu of the moment. They feel viscerally real and can have a mix of the senses i.e. touch and smell, but produce no recognizable faces or imagery of the self. No ghoul has ever reported fully remembering one, nor any semblance of their true past beyond the haunting leftovers.

Begin Transcript:

A Compendium of Hell’s Derivates

While there are many theories on the demonic nature of ghouls,

The true source is surprisingly Human.

Souls cannot be recreated; rather, they’re Recycled and Reborn

The cycle of ghoul creation started for unknown reasons…

But one thing is Certain:

Natural forces do not change easily.

Raw elements collide with the fuel of life itself until one connects

by His command

A violent injection of pure elemental magic

Rewrites and erases all memory and one’s past, drastically altering the soul…

These new powers lend to the powerful allies of the ministry,

However….

… new powers are a dangerous toy.

While coined as “Feral”, new ghouls would better be designated “Raw”, “Unbound”, and “Lawlessly Dangerous”

First formed, they are still elements;

Torrential, Aimless,

Incapable of coherent thought or rules

-but with time, coherence returns to the individual

Who grows much like a life cycle’s stages without necessarily aging.

The overall cycle is the same per ghoul, yet varied enough each rises differently…

First form: “Raw” – Second form (1): “Feral” – Second form (2) – Third form: “Stabilized”

Catalyst, violent, poor formation – Unaware, wild, chaotic – Conscious; can act like oneself; less raw – fully formed and recognizable

The first form, “Raw”, is notably so violent the devil himself does not release them until stage two.

The second form in stage one of a “Feral” ghoul is much like the forces of nature; free willed and wild, understanding minimal speech.

Take caution: they can be mischievous and cause decent damage.

In the second stage of a “Feral” ghoul, they behave like typical people; however, they’re still very free and may choose to never fully stabilize.

Note: you can tell they’ve reached this stage by presence of a tail and civil habits.

If desired, a ghoul reaches the final form: “Stabilized”. They’re transformed into a stable humanoid body, a form less powerful but safer.

Note: Talented ghouls can change form at will in this stage between secondary Feral and Stable.

When it comes to location, each form is most likely to be found:

Raw: Hell, contained

Feral (Stage 1): wilds/natural areas

Feral (Stage 2): wilds and civil areas

Stabilized: anywhere people go

Seeing feral ghouls is not uncommon, and can even be considered lucky!

They tend to provide free protection to keep their home

Ghouls can only stabilize via ministry ritual;

One can assume they’re ministry members if stable, even off duty.

Ghouls are uncommon, but found most places if looked for;

This seems especially true near ministry placements.

Ghouls only form from adults and don’t “age” traditionally, yet they���re still mortal

Deceased ghouls do not seem to return or recycle.

Summoning intentionally pulls only second stage feral ghouls or stable ghouls from anywhere,

They don’t always like this however (see other guide).

The cycle of ghouls serves a main purpose – as forces for the Dark One, in return for rebirth

However, there are two channels through which they serve.

1) Natural defense against corrupted holy magic

Non-stable ghouls defend at will naturally where they live

2) training to fight, protect, and uphold the ministry’s efforts in the name of the Devil.

Contrary to belief, summonings cannot grab from “nothing”;

Like the creation of a ghoul,

Their element, once developed, is what becomes pulled by nature

The force of such pull is incredible,

A disorientating test of will so great…

…it can render even the most sound minds rather violent.

This is why while some choose to stabilize, others may not;

But should a mind change, they can be freed or re-summoned.

Alternative to wild summoning, one can summon from trained ghouls over feral;

Many ghouls are trained for ministry positions all over, but any can be summoned if unassigned.

Though stabilized, unassigned ghouls are not contractually bound to anyone until assigned.

They’re great for extra work hands and being able to know what kind of team mates you’ll get without leaving it to chance.

Summoning any ghoul however reverts them to feral form, and the challenge to tame them remains the same.

Just because you know a ghoul does not mean an easy summon.

Finally, be warned: forcing unwanted breaking or upholding of a summoning contract

Will have dire consequences.

Aside from rarity of an element, there are “power classes” within each element.

Tiers:

Rarity of an element does not equal strength.

The break down is as follows:

Rare – extreme and dangerous power. These ghouls earn a specialized title.

Quite strong, stand out in their class and very sought after.

Most common tier; average and decent powers that are expectable.

Weak powers, but some uses are applicable.

Uncommon – ghouls who possess little to no powers. Ghouls in this tier may at times suddenly change power tier without warning to any other category.

S-Tier ghouls are quite rare and a sight to behold- truly, they embody nature’s power.

End transcript.

[tarotwithdanise]

WHAT MAKES YOU THE MAIN CHARACTER IN THE CROWD?

꒰⠀from left to right ; intuitively choose the pile your mind, heart and soul desire for. if you are having trouble choosing the right pile for you, here’s some tips you can do ; (1) take a deep breath (2) close your eyes (3) ask guidance from your guides (4) finally open your eyes and you can choose the right pile for you by the guidance you ask from your guides. if you are still having trouble by choosing the right pile for you let me know because i am willing to help and guide you.

send your donations here

PILE ONE

AoW, Temperance, 6oW.

you are the protagonist when you inspire people. when you become someone who lives actively and someone who became an inspiration to people with it's loving nature and unique ideas. you are the type of person who works for what you want instead of just waiting around the corner. you are the main character if you speak with some body movements or in short when you use have a body languages.

when you put much effort into your appearance for example to be well neat looking. you know what you are doing, you know your damn thing and you how to hype and warm yourself up. when you remain silent and calm when there's an argument, downfall or chaotic moment you are experiencing perhaps it can also determine as a reading for as you are someone who is quite influence people. well, maybe you have a sigma aura within you that's why.

when you talk, or if you put everything into how you look or look to people, and you can also know how to take care of yourself or when to warm up for you. others. if you stay calm even in such chaotic moments of life and if you are patient about something you want to achieve. It can also mean that you influence people's lives quietly or speak too quietly. You make yourself. you seem to enlighten them in a simple but calm way. and you can also be the kind of person who reminds someone not to judge others when they determine their future, like reminding them that just because a certain person has less education doesn't mean they can't achieve high goals in life . you can also be someone who is balanced in his life, someone who treats people with balance, like not rich or poor, but equally. it was also your mindset that makes you the main character. you are a person who achieves a lot in certain areas or wherever; you are talented and people may envy you for it. you are a protagonist when you show how you can communicate well or how you respond to people and their negative opinions about you like you simply know how to burn them without actually hurting them.

PILE TWO

6oC rx, 9oC, Judgement.

shocks, you got an alluring aura that may remain a lifetime for people. you are powerful, anyone you pass by turns their heads. you are hard to let go, it's not simple for people for you to forget even though you interact with them for only once. you were also matured and grew up that fast in such a very young age due to your past mostly childhood issues perhaps you are learning and openly willing to resolve this issues. you also know how to pleasure yourself in this world, you know what you deserve like you know how to spoil yourself in small and huge things.

you are aware in your dreams and are about to attain them, you are content from what you already have and you know to yourself that you are born lucky despite these past issues ruining you inside. people perceive you as someone who often changes their physical appearance, someone who puts a lot of effort in their outlook. you also know how to defend yourself in the crowd, you fear no one.

PILE THREE

High Priestess, Death, KoW.

you got a psychic ability and you were aware about that. most people may find you as mysterious and well kept, you are mindful about people who can do bad and harm things to you. you are the protagonist as well because due to your high energy, you are easily able to get comfortable with new people and places perhaps maybe sometimes it can take your energy but overall you enjoy new beginnings. you also love to learn and learn and learn a lot, learning new is a part of your everyday life and you may call them new experiences or lessons that you can use on your near future.

i also see here that many people may have crushes or you may be secret admirers, after all, many people perceive you as an attractive and charming individual. you are also focused and serious when we talk about studies and work, you don't want to disappoint yourself because you know you are the best. people view as light and dark, some may have good opinions about while others don't.

you are a knowledgeable person but you prefer to share this knowledge with those people who are worthy of receiving for you. you are quite picky about that because you know that not all this information can be shared to anyone that easily. you are an observant individual, you rather sit back and observe what is happening in your surroundings rather than be a center of attention but as i said you enjoy meeting new people and visiting new places. i describe you as someone who is naturally introvert but selectively extrovert as a protagonist here.

[tarotofhope]

PAC: 「What's your working style?」

(Please Read My Pinned post *IMPORTANT NOTE* before selecting a Pile)

Pick an Image by meditating and selecting the image you feel called to. You can be attracted towards more than 1 image. If you are not able to select maybe this reading isn't for you.

Pile 1

Cards: The Devil, The Star, Death, The Empress Reversed, Wheel of Fortune and The Magician.

Welcome to your reading, Pile 1. You are married to your work and you're a hard worker. You're very goal oriented and ambitious. Whatever you're working towards is not only work for you but much greater than that. Your work is your passion, your religion, your God. You even have good leadership qualities. You know how to give and earn respect. Even when you guys retire, you would still do some or the other thing as work. You just can't sit idle. You value money and you use your money wisely. I can also see one more thing here, you guys have this drive for becoming something in this world, doing something effective, having an impact, leaving a legacy. You guys are like a magnet for power and money just because you have a strong drive for work and you strive hard to achieve your goals. For a few of you, this could be the case that you had to take responsibilities at an early age because one of your parent passed away or you were stripped off of your financial support by your parents/guardian. You have good businessmanship and a lot of creative abilities. You want to become independent in your life and stand on your own two feet.

That's all I got for you, my dear Pile 1. Love, light, peace and hope to you..🌸🍁🌻🌼

Pile 2

Cards: Queen of Swords, The Hermit, The Tower, The Fool, Ace of Pentacles and 9 of Pentacles.

Welcome to your reading, Pile 2. You do your own thing and you don't like to follow any set rules or regulations. You might appear cold and tough and you somehow also know how to get other people to work for you if you want to. You have a lot of experience in life and you could be a street smart too. There could be a phase in your life(this could be your past, present or future because many people are reading this) where you had a huge financial loss and then you had to start from scratch and earn for your living and then become financially stable and satisfied. Yes, financial stability and satisfaction with material possessions is there but it will come after a lot of struggle. Whatever I said in the starting 2-3 sentences about your nature of work could be something which came after your struggle. You have learnt a lot from your struggles and that has shaped you the way you are. You are someone who would take the leap of faith, manifest a tower moment(sudden and drastic ups and downs) so that change can enter your life. You are not afraid of changes, you invite them..😉

That's all I got for you, my dear Pile 2. Love, light, peace and hope to you..🌸🍁🌻🌼

Pile 3

Cards: The Hierophant, Temperance, 5 of Swords, 7 of Wands, King of Cups and Knight of Wands.

Welcome to your reading, Pile 3. You have a great desire to follow your passion or maybe you wish you had more talents and choices in your life because you look stuck in a traditional work environment. You think you'd have your own working style if you had the opportunity to work on your own but somehow you're trapped in a normal office type job or traditional work style where there is less to no scope for creativity and personal growth and you have to follow certain rules and fulfil certain criterias. Maybe you feel stuck in a boring 9 to 5 job. This is also because of necessity, you need to pay bills and this and that, so what else you could have done? But there is this strong desire to do your dream job which is not like your normal office job. Either you are doing something as a side hustle but you earn very little from it and you want to make big in it but you also have a main job which gives you good enough money to pay your bills but you're not happy with it. There's this constant struggle to strike a balance. You don't get much time with your family due to this job and also very less holidays/vacations. There's a lot of judgement and competition at your workplace, ranks, scores and a hierarchical management which you're tired of. You don't want any of this. You want to reach at a level where you're emotionally satisfied in your work, where there is less stress and pressure.

That's all I got for you, my dear Pile 3. Love, light, peace and hope to you..🌸🍁🌻🌼

Pile 4

Cards: The High Priestess, The Sun, Page of Swords, The Magician, Empress and Knight of Cups.

Welcome to your reading, Pile 4. Looks like you're doing what your heart desires and something which pile 3 dreams of. You're very fortunate and blessed, pile 4. Your job has that proper balance of work and relaxation, work and creativity. I'm not saying that your job is easy or you don't work hard or work enough, it's just that your work is so full of creativity and enjoyment that you'd happily put more hard work in it. You'd happily and willingly struggle in it. You might feel very independent and free because of your work. You might also be very protective of your job, I mean to say that people get jealous of your job easily, whether or not you earn much from it, whether or not you're successful in it, I can see that people just couldn't digest your enjoyment and excitement which is associated with your work because they don't get to do the same. So, you could be wearing some evil eye protection talisman or bracelet/ring. The best part of your job is that you don't have to follow strict rules and regulations, you're mostly free to do your own thing. You could be into creative fields of work and you're doing this because people are known by the kind of job they're into and you want to attract like-minded people or you want to help other people who are less fortunate in regards to creative work.

That's all I got for you, my dear Pile 4. Love, light, peace and hope to you..🌸🍁🌻🌼

Pile 5

Cards: 9 of Swords, 9 of Pentacles, King of Wands, King of Pentacles, King of Cups and 6 of Pentacles.

Welcome to your reading, Pile 5. You could be into service related jobs mostly which involves doing a lot of charity and helping the needy. You don't want to see people struggling like you did in your past. Your job gets a lot of criticism by people because maybe you get to earn very little from it or because people don't understand your job, but you're happy and people don't see this. For some of you, this work could make you successful in future but it's a very slow and steady process so again people don't see any value in your work. You might be doing something unconventional and different, so you might not be supported at home too, so you're very protective of this job. Whatever you're doing is either within a community or a one man show, nothing in between. You serve a variety of people/customers involving foreigners too. You're very satisfied and content with this job and nobody can change your mind with their worldly philosophies. There is 9 of pentacles after the 9 of swords which can indicate that you got this job after a lot of struggle and bad experiences, this could be something very unattainable to you earlier, but you fought for it, worked hard for it and now you're not going to leave it. Maybe you're constantly trying to prove your worth and the value of your work, pile 5. You don't have to. The right people will admire you for your work and will also understand and respect your work choice.

That's all I got for you, my dear Pile 5. Love, light, peace and hope to you..🌸🍁🌻🌼

Thank you so much for being here. I post PAC readings every Tuesday and Friday. Do love and support by reblogging, liking or following.

——————————— ♡ ♡ ♡ ———————————

[justbelievinginmagic]

BEWITCHED - part 1: we're not in munchkinland anymore.

pairing(s): witch!seonghwa x witch!reader ft. honjoong & san. mini-series summary: all your life you've had this spark - a touch of magic to your heart. as a munchkinlander, it was both a blessing and a curse. after all, two horrible witches had ruled over the land - all your life you had been asked: would you be a good witch or a bad witch? you wanted to be a good witch. and, finally, you would be! the day arrived; you were going to shiz university, the most-esteemed magical college in oz! you were prepared to work hard and make your dreams come true. but when you stumble upon cold bullies and an even colder sorcerer-in-training named park seonghwa who seemed to captivate you at every turn, will you be able to achieve your magical goals or will you fall under his spell? warnings/tags: inspired by the musical and movie adaptation of wicked, magical college AU, wizard of oz AU, set at shiz university, fem!reader, 3rd person POV, use of YN, set after a divergent-wicked timeline (where the wizard or a wizard still rules), magic, angst, some bullying, oz references and lore, use of ozian vernacular, nervousness, second-hand embarrassment, mentions of panties/corset, name calling. let me know if there are more tags needed. word count: ~4.5k

It had been known throughout Oz, for as long as the Time Dragon Clock tick-tocked, that the only place to become a grand sorcerer was Shiz University. Established, expensive, and exclusivatory, the university was known throughout the land as the cradle to success. Anyone who wanted to be anything went there – or to the Wizard to have their heart’s desire granted. But, of course, a meeting with the Wizard was rare. So, the only other option to success was hard work. Work hard to one day get to Shiz University.

Staring up at the ancient buildings of Shiz, YN couldn’t help but feel a rush of exhilaration. She had made it. Spiraling towers, open-air patios, water canals weaving in and out of the architecture, she knew one thing for certain: she wasn’t in Munchkinland anymore.

A shoulder bumped into her, making her huff and stumble over the aged tiles. She righted herself with a small huff, a familiar zing in her chest making her pause and take a deep breath. That was the last thing she needed to happen. The bustling crowds of students surrounded her like a sea. Some in the perfectly-pressed navy-blue jackets and horizontal-striped uniform dresses of Shiz with the silver-stitched emblem proud across their chest. Others were like her, dressed in their best-to-impress as they entered the grand corridors of Shiz as a new student. It reminded her of stories of masquerades in grand ballrooms – their outfits were all so different and extravagant. Pinks of the lightest shades, deep-rubied vermillion, bright yellows, all in the strangest textures and designs. Far different from her own dress fabric but never the less fantasticamagical!

YN felt out of place like a lost air balloon amongst the clouds. Clinging to her luggage case, she took a tentative step away from the open-air waterfront. As she moved ever forward into the college, she realized just how different everything was here. The air was cool and humid; the sound of sea-salt water trickling between the canal-filled paths babbled; there was the smell of fresh-Ozma petals blooming on the large leaf-pads floating across the shimmering water. It was really nothing like Munchkinland, and its sprawling country-sides. There was no smell of Ozwheat-ground bread, of fresh upturned soil, fragrant tulips in every shade of the rainbow, or the towering blossom stalks of sweet-flowers.

It was strange.

Swallowing, she hugged her brown suitcase closer and continued to walk further into Shiz. The honey-soft yellow of the buildings was complimented by a once-royal, now-pastel blue in the awnings and in delicate hand-painted décor across the buildings. Sunshine flickered past the shingled rooftops to cast the center of Shiz in a golden glow. It was beautiful. A different beautiful than what she was used to, but an optimistic jingle in her heart said she could like it here.

Another person pushed past her purposely, and this time it sent her tumbling to the ground. A laughter grumbled from the crowd, surprised but cruel. A mean-looking girl with a pointy nose laughed as she crowed out, “Watch where you are going, little farm girl!”

“She’s used to being that low to the ground I bet,” another encouraged with a sneer.

YN’s face crumbled at the words. Eyes burning before her face flushed. All her things toppled across the bustling court-yard – her books scattered, her dresses tumbled, her keepsakes rolled. Her suitcase had broken open. The clasp was worn and old compared to the new fancy luggage the rich (but mostly their entourage) toted along, but she didn’t think it was that old.

Embarrassment burned more fervently than that spark in her chest. Her focus to split between the pain of in her knees, the hurt from their words, and the panic of needing to grab her things now.

YN didn’t understand their uttertodious rudeness. She wasn’t the first nor the last to attend Shiz as a Munchkinlander. She hadn’t expected the dirty looks, the cruel laughs, the cold whispers, the foul name-calling. How did they even know she was of Munchkinland? She wasn’t of Munckinland holy blood. She was no Eminent, nor of the upper-class. She was just… YN. Was that so offending? Was it her dress? Was that what they were whispering about behind their hands and falling into giggles? Was it hideoteous compared to the swankified fabrics of the upper-class? She didn’t think so. She had put on her prettiest – a dirndl-esque dress of a deep sapphire. Hand-embroidered vibrant poppies, delicate milk-flowers, and candy-chrysanthemums decorated the hem and décolletage. Fresh flowers decorated her pig-tailed hair; some had begun to wilt in the change of temperature, but they still were prettied pastel yellows, blues, and pinks.  Some of those petals now rested on the ground from her fall, crumpled.

She felt the burn flare like embers fanned by a wind. Her book pages rattled in a nonexistent wind unnoticed by the snickering students. Behind her, a man’s voice cleared itself, baritone and rumbly.

“Are you alright?” He asked beside her.

Oh, his voice so melodic it reminded her of the Lullaby League singers that would pass through Munchkinland during the holidays. It reminded her of honey being poured over fresh-bread, of warm summer nights in the fields, of a bed waiting for her to curl up in.  

Looking up at him, her breath was stolen. YN swore for a moment she saw a star, a wizard, a sorcerer, an otherworldly being. There, haloed in the light of the afternoon sun, was a man with hair as light as milk-flowers and a nose carved by an artist. His shapely lips pursed in a thoughtful yet neutral pout; his eyes were a dark shade of fresh-soil. And somehow, they twinkled with stars.

Or maybe her eyes were filled with hearts. She blinked. YN had never seen someone so beautiful. The burning spark in her chest faded with awe.

His hand outstretched to her after a moment.

“Are you okay?” he repeated, bleached brow raising faintly.

There was another blink of her pretty eyes before she was shaken from her stupor.

“Oh, yes, yes,” she insisted as she took his hand.

With ease, she was tugged to her feet. “Thank you,” she whispered, pink cheeked.

The figure was tall especially so with his heeled boots. His presence was one she imagined only the Wizard to embody. Peace, stoniness, wisdom. He struck her with wonder. His gaze flickered from her, a faint ghost of a smile on his lips disappearing at the sight of her dresses tumbling away, her books’ pages fluttering in the wind, and, mortifyingly, her panties tumbling from her luggage.

“Um,” he cleared his throat, chin nodding in their direction.

Red cheeked and mortified, she went to grab the frilly underthings before sliding to her knees once more to catch all of her belongings from blowing away. Laughter rang out as students rushed around her things. Someone stepped on her leatherbound book of the History of Shiz.

Her savior, her star, hadn’t bent at the knee to help. He simply watched on, glancing at the student who was cackling at the Munchkinlander’s humiliation.

“Seonghwa!” A cry from the side caught her attention as a red-haired man, shorter than the white-haired star that had helped her, rushed forward. His arm slung over the taller’s shoulders - despite their size differences. Seonghwa bent at the knee for him, letting the red-head adjust him ‘til he was comfortable half leaning on his counterpart.

“Your Highness,” Seonghwa replied.

Highness! Her face only seemed to grow hotter and hotter. She knew Shiz had the rich and royal but she didn’t expect to a royal highness to be watching her gather her intimates and shove them into her luggage today. If her face could burn any hotter, she’d be a furnace.

“Here.” A stray hand held out a blue nightgown her way, and she grabbed it with only the quickest glance.

Sweet Oz, was this entire school flooded with beauty? A strong-shouldered man in decorated regalia was kneeling down to offer more of her items her way. He had collected a handful in his arms - a book, another nightgown, her corset! Grabbing it quick, she thanked him under her breath as she pushed everything into her bag messily.

“Making the ladies swoon and lose their panties already?” the red-haired man teased.

The burn in her chest returned almost as if it could incinerate her away ‘til she was nothing but dust. She wished she could disappear. She didn’t even notice her fingertips fading away, disappearing as she accepted another book from the handsome knight. They sparkled a ghastly transparent shape, almost like she was part ghost. San’s eyes lingered on her hands for a moment, eyes widening. She didn’t even notice that as she shoved a balled-up sweater into the bag.

“She stumbled and fell on her own,” Seonghwa commented. His tone felt cooler than before, almost defensive.

“I was tripped,” she muttered under her breath as she placed the last of her things in her bag.

With the last thing safely tucked away and her bag firmly shut, the broad-shouldered man gave her a soft smile, charmingly so, before he rose and returned to the Star named Seonghwa and his Highness.

“No harm in swooning anyone; stop acting like it’s some scandalacious thing,” the red-head chuckled as he peered down at the Munchkinland woman. His hand rose to tilt his rose-tinted glasses down the fine bridge of his nose.

He winked at her, and her face nearly matched his crimson locks.

“We aren’t here to swoon, Prince Hongjoong. We are here to—”

“Study, yeah, yeah. You okay, miss?” This Prince Hongjoong’s smile, or well, smirk was deadly. Playful, seductive, charming, all wrapped up in one.

“She’s from Munchkinland; I’m sure she’s familiar with being in the dirt,” someone said from the crowd.

Snorts and giggles erupted around. It made her ears burn as she finally stood back on her own two feet, with no help from the strange trio in front of her. The only reassurance was that they didn’t laugh, well, much. Hongjoong giggled out a high-pitched thing as San whispered in his ear. It didn’t feel cruel, more jovial, but still her ego was bruised.

They were laughing at her.

“I’m fine,” she said firmly, trying to cling to her words’ truth as tightly as she clung to her luggage.

Water-chimes rang out; hummingbirds playing them to the tune of the Shiz University alma mater. Everyone’s heads turned; some exclamations of excitement rang out.

“Orientation time,” she heard a girl from behind her say. “We have to get a good seat, c’mon.” A trio of girls pushed past and soon everyone was heading in the direction of the quad.

Orientation… so that’s what those bells were all about. It felt so utterly strange to not know. Everything was so different here, no bell towers here. Everyone seemed to know what things were – even something as simple as orientation’s starting call. But with that, her disturberanceand bullies left in a herd of Ozians scrambling to the main courtyard of Shiz.

She sighed out watching their attentions shift. Like she was nothing but an ant. Momentary entertainment before they casted her aside. She didn’t know it was going to be like this when she left home. Humiliating. Teasing. They weren’t children – why did they act so childish?

After working hard in her classes, after studying day-in-day-out, after facing endless scribing of papers, and even after facing nay-sayers who would taunt her with the words, “are you a good witch or a bad witch?,” she made it here. And she wasn’t going to let some rich-snobs make her feel lesser. So, what she didn’t have money or status? So what she came from Munchkinland? She was going to make it for herself – live an Ozian dream.

Munchkins were simple-folk – small-minded some would say, but not her. No, she believed they were clever. Innovative. They were responsible for feeding Oz; they were the Ozwheat Bread Basket of the lands; their rainbow-tulips techni-colored Oz! That had to stand for something. She was something.

She deserved to be here. She made it. She did it. She was equal.

The burning flame in her chest eased as she reminded herself this, sighing out as color flooded back to her fingertips.

Following after the crowd, she noticed that the trio stayed near her. Hongjoong’s stance was lazy, half leaning on Seonghwa who stood tall as ever, towering over both him and the strong-shouldered man who had helped her.

None were in the standard uniform – did that mean they were freshman like her? The Prince’s attire wasn’t exactly sloppy but mismatched. Dark velveteen pants hugged his legs tight. Laced up black boots with far too many laces climbed up his calves. He wore an ivory-white button up with far too many buttons, far too unbuttoned to be appropriate. A cream suit-jacket-esque sweater rested overtop that. The pattern on it held delicate handstitched purple-flowers… maybe gillyflowers? Was he from Gillikin Country? Regardless, he wore a strand of pearls around his throat, haphazardly. His rose-tinted glasses perched on the tip of his nose and a large oversized blue suede fedora hat hid most of his vermillion hair.

Meanwhile, the two accompanying him wore more uniformed outfits. The broad-shouldered one wore a black-suited ensemble with golden embellishments. A cape draped over his shoulder in deep purple. The one who she thought came from a Star had all white linens on, sharp shouldered and corseted tight around his already lean waist. They looked more royal than the so-called prince.

“You’re staring,” Seonghwa stated, blankly.

His gaze caught hers solidly. His gaze was all-consuming. Like he could see right through her. Read her thoughts. Great Oz… she was both intimidated and intrigued by him. He felt magnetic. Her stomach clenched. He tilted his head.

“Sorry,” she blushed.

“Again.” he added, brow twitching into a sharp raise.

His expression made her feel little, like he was throwing her back to the floor metaphorically. Because, he just had to point out that he noticed her staring earlier. He probably thought she was a creep or some dumb farmgirl like the students cajoled.

“Sorry… again.” she said, finally glancing away from him and walking towards an empty spot on a bench instead. She shifted to hold her suitcase in her arms, hugging it close to her chest. The spark twinkled and she didn’t notice aura she put off. A physical manifestation of her magic. It was a gentle aura; something that was more felt and less seen. It felt like dark clouds were hovering around her. A bubble to keep her safe and hidden, subconsciously.

He didn’t stop looking at her still. She knew because she snuck a quick glance and, when their eyes met in that flash, her cheeks matched the red poppies on her dress. The one with the cape chuckled; his eyes flashing to meet hers once more with a playful gleam. He was laughing at her. Sitting down in an empty spot on a bench, she turned her face away to look down the row of students seated next to her. She offered a soft smile about to introduce herself to the one beside her before one after one they scooted away. Glancing at her like she was the plague. “She’s the Munchkin girl; no, no, she’s not of any royal blood – shes just a charity case – maybe she—” Gossip trickled out as the other students sitting there shifted and moved until she was the only one sitting there. An outcast.  

What in Oz was this place?! She knew it was exclusivatory but not like this. So hateful. She wrapped her arms around her suitcase. Her chin rested on top of it as she looked around, making sure not to look at Seonghwa… A third scolding? From him? She’d rather melt into a puddle.

Once everyone had been seated, there was a great hum of a tune – the same alma mater that had twinkled out in chimes to summon them. Some students sang out with pride, knowing every word despite it being their first day. She knew it too; she had read it in her history book. But she refused to embarrass herself anymore today. If she could get through orientation without drawing anymore attention to herself, YN would be content.

Her spark kept a small bubble around her as if telling the world to not disturb her. She heard someone murmur something about, “do you see that odd shimmer around the new girl?”

As if not everyone was new… she pressed her chin into her arms firmer. Orientation and then she can get settled and try to start tomorrow on a better foot.

“Welcome students!” cried out a fancy-looking woman approaching the podium. Her dress was swirling with ancient blue magic; her hat a sharp point upon her head. A sorceress, no, a Witch! YN’s eyes perked up and she gazed up at the Witch in wonder. A real-life witch… a Good Witch of the North! How oztastic.

“Welcome, welcome to Shiz University. I am Madame Ozma, Headmistress here. Whether you are here to study logic, literature, or linguification, I know I speak for my fellow faculty members when I say we have nothing but the highest hopes for… some of you,” it was said in jest and a chuckle waved through the crowd.

“While all subjects are valued here at Shiz, I do want to bring some attention to two very lucky, very talented students that will be joining my sorcery seminar this semester. As you all know – sorcery is the life blood of Oz, and it’s a blessing and duty to cultivate any magic talent that shows itself. As rare as it is. It’s been decades since there have been two students studying sorcery concurrently. Their powers brought into a new age – as we all know.”

There was a murmur of agreement. Everyone knew of the Wicked Witch and Glinda the Good.

“Such a gift should be celebrated.” Ozma exclaimed out. “Uplifted. Guided towards the Light”

There was a scattering of applause. Her cheeks were burning red once more. Her head tilted downwards. The letter hadn’t mentioned this. Good Oz, she wanted to hide.

“Please rise, Miss YN of Munchkinland.”

A silence washed over the crowd in shock. All eyes snapped to her. Hongjoong let out a laugh in the silence, the sound bursting forth from his chest without a care. Blink, blink, blink; she felt like she was an art display of exhibition. Could she just ignore it? What would happen if she didn’t stand? No one really knew if she was YN after all?

“Don’t be shy.” The Headmistress encouraged.

Oh, Great Oz… With poppy-tinted ears, she slowly stood, ruby-cheeked and tight-smiled. That feeling of magic tingled in her chest, fluttering as her anxiety grew. It wanted to burst out – protect her from the murmur that rose through the students. Gossip rolled in wave as they leaned into one another. Whispering what? She didn’t want to know.

“Thank you, dearie. And, rise Sir Seonghwa of Gillikin Country.” She beamed out, encouraging a round of applause once more.  

YN’s gaze flashed to where Seonghwa rose as well, waving polite and light. Unlike her, he held such an elegance she didn’t have. Of course, he had magic! Of course, he was a Knight! She was sure he could control it better than she could ever control her wild thing of a magic spark. And now they were going to have private lessons together? After his friends made fun of her? After school-wide ridicule? After he reprimanded her for staring! She wanted to crawl into a corn field and rot.

“Our two sorcerers-in-training,” she declared over polite clapping. “We will be seeing lots and lots of each other.” Madame Ozma promised her and Seonghwa before nodding and allowing them to sit. The Headmistress beamed at the students before shifting her attention to another professor who began to prattle about dormitories, their roommates, and where the halls were located.

Sitting down quick, she wished she could just sink into the ground. How was she going to stand being around him? She blushed if he even so looked at her. How would she focus?

-

Once orientation ended, it was like a stampede. The students shuffled and hustled around her, rushing towards the many faculty who were handing out keys to their dormitories and pointing on grand scrolls and proclaiming, “Yes, yes, Ms. Gale, you are in the North Dormitory. No, you can’t trade roommates. Yes, its permanent.” Overlapping and overwhelming, the world of Shiz was back in swing – the orientation a flurry of too many moments and moving bodies.

YN stayed on the outskirts of the chaos, peering through a navy sea of uniforms to peer up at the many scrolls, listing out name after name. She’s already embarrassed herself enough for today; she’ll wait ‘til the crowd dispersed she decided.

“There must have been a miscommunication,” she heard Seonghwa’s smooth voice like a siren’s call. She couldn’t help but have her eyes flicker towards him. How could she hear him so well? It was like her body was already in tune with him – he was so far away and yet she could pick him out of a crowd. He was a beautiful flower surrounded by weeds.

Seonghwa’s face was crinkled, divine confusion making his upturned brows

“This isn’t right,” he continued, raising a polite hand towards a faculty member. “The Gillikin Prince requested a private apartment – for himself, Sir Choi San, and myself. But I only see his Highness and San listed.”

“Name?” the bunny-faculty member chirped out.

“Park Seonghwa,” he told him.

There was a shuffling of papers, the rabbit-professor humming and bumbling.

“Ah, yes, yes,” the rabbit nodded, his mouth chittering a bit as he chewed on the edge of his pen. “I see – no, no mix up, Sir Seonghwa. Thank you.”

“Where is my dormitory then?” Seonghwa snapped, his tone sharp and authoritarian before he swallowed and followed it up with a soft ‘please’.

“With Miss YN, of course,” It wasn’t the rabbit-professor who spoke but the nearby Headmistress. She walked forward; the rabbit-professor bowed in her direction and Seonghwa followed suit, bowing his head politely.

“YN, dear,” Madame Ozma called, “Join us.”

Seonghwa’s gaze turned and met hers – because, of course, like two magnets their eyes found one another immediately. It felt like she was caught staring for the third time. Bumbling, YN nodded and stood with her suitcase, walking forward.

“Yes, Madame,” she called, curtsying and bowing and rushing forward to the Headmistress. “Honor to meet you.”

“What do you mean I am rooming with Miss YN?” Seonghwa redirected.

Nearby, she heard Hongjoong giggled out manically. “This is perfect,” the red-head commented.

“Hush, your Highness,” Seonghwa scolded over his shoulder with ease, not even glancing at the Prince. Too natural, too routine, like he knew where the Prince was at all times without even looking his way. The Prince still giggled, and surprisingly San joined him in his mischievousness.

“Yes, Seonghwa, you will be sharing an apartment with YN,” the Headmistress confirmed, her head nodding towards the Munchkinlander. “I thought that was made clear to you through our letters?”

Seonghwa’s head turned, almost like an owl, to stare down the chortling Royal and the smirking San.

“I must’ve missed that letter,” he replied slowly.

“As did I,” YN piped up. “I never received anything besides – well, besides entry into the school and your approval of joining the seminar.”

“Oh dear, I’m so sorry,” the Madame apologized, squeezing the arm of YN. “I will inquire my office about correspondence throughout Oz and where there were any mishaps.”

She nodded lightly before glancing towards Seonghwa who seemed so indifferent to her as he turned back to face the Headmistress. Like a statue, his facial features had settled into a calm, neutral glaze.

“However, I must apologize; there are not two room available for you both. There is only one apartment closest to my offices – I want to have myself available to you both as often as possible. Magical growth doesn’t happen overnight nor does it follow any class schedule,” she chuckled lightly. “The apartment is up to standards, one of the best if I do say so myself.”

The two sorcerers-in-training spoke over one another next.

“I don’t doubt that,” YN replied.

“It’s not about that!” Seonghwa exclaimed.

They locked gazes once more. The man swallowed, his Adam's apple jittering, before looking away forcibly.

Her face fell visibly. Was he so… disgustified by her that he couldn't even share a space with her? She was an adult. She wouldn’t be dirty or disrespectful as a roommate. She'd leave him be but with how he was acting - it was as if she was some lowly creature. He didnt even care if the apartment was the nicest ones on campus! She could only imagine its history and beauty and yet... he was acting so adamant.

“I am here as protection for his Highness,” Seonghwa stated whole-heartedly. “First-and-foremost.”

“I understand,” the Headmistress asserted. “His Highness, Prince Kim Hongjoong has written me most ardently over the summer requesting for his apartment to be furnished only for two – him and Sir Choi. He expressed his full support to your studies.”

At the new information, there was a flicker of dust whirling off of the sorcerer's bare skin; his honey skin glimmering as magic oozed from him. He rolled his tongue over his teeth before Seonghwa finally let out a huff of frustration. His perfect mask fell as he gritted his teeth.

“And I do,” Hongjoong drawled from behind them. He took a step forward, red glasses pushed into his hair as he looked at his friend earnestly. “Hwa, you’ve protected me your entire life – its time for your talent to grow.” It was said genuinely but Seonghwa’s anger, no matter how small buzzed and bubbled in the air. She could see his hair rise with static electricity just faintly. His magic was so reactive… just like hers.

She had never met another wizard or witch; only read about them. And to see his magic surging in a near invisible dust-like ember around him, the little tells of its reactions on his body, it felt like for once she had someone who would understand her.

If only he didn't despise her.

“There are no curfews,” the Headmistress reminded. “If you wish to stay at his Highness’ suite, no one will stop you. But I’m sorry; there are no other official accommodations I can provide.”

Seonghwa took in a deep breath through his nose before offering a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “That’s alright, Headmistress. Thank you for the clarification. I’m sure me and YN will – we'll be fine. We will find a solution.” He stumbled over the right word.

She felt like he was already planning to sneak out of their dorm or distance himself from her as soon as the Headmistress floated away. He hadnt looked at her since she joined them.

“Very good. That's what I like to hear - my two sorcerers working together” The Headmistress beamed. Her magic blared out in a whirl of golden light with her happiness, looking like a living candle for a moment. “I do look forward to our lessons, but for now… welcome to Shiz.”

Yeah, what a welcome.

[broodwoof]

davg spoilers

talking with @skip-the-clumsy-dragon about this has led me to really thinking it through, and i want to explore how dragon age can be viewed through an ecological/environment lens

particularly with respect to the actions solas has taken in the far-distant past and what he wants to do in the present

the veil as an inciting factor for a trophic cascade... the removal of the veil as an inciting factor for another trophic cascade...

the dissonance between a desire to restore and a desire to preserve. how sometimes preservation can mean maintaining the status quo; how sometimes restoration can mean destroying much - or even all - of what has supplanted what was

how complex the morality is in either situation. how the whole system needs to be analyzed, and how unethical it is to analyze the whole system, come to a conclusion, and implement it. the brutal mathematics of it all. the no-good-answer, only degrees of bad

restoration in dragon age means one thing for sure, but has many other possibilities

what it means for sure:

the veil and the 'waking world' will be connected again

what it might mean:

magic restored to the elves

magic restored to the dwarves (possibly?)

the titans could reawaken

spirits/demons are safer and less likely to be altered

what it will damage for sure:

the present world (the how remains unclear)

what it may damage:

mortals - both people and animals

landscapes

built environments and societies

existing cultures

as an example of this on a much smaller scale: a pond.

a pond is a habitat, teeming with life. many things are reliant upon it. but over time, nutrients build up in ponds until they become overwhelming. this leads to algae blooms, yes, but also to lower levels of oxygen in the water, lower levels of light penetrating the pond, and a further process of decomposition/nutrient dumping as the algae decays

on top of making the pond itself uninhabitable for some things, certain types of "algae" blooms - especially "blue green algae," or cyanobacteria - can make the water unsafe for non-aquatic creatures. it can be very dangerous for animals to drink from or go into water that has a cyanobacterial bloom

so sometimes, to preserve a pond as a habitat, one needs to get in there and destroy a lot of it. remove a lot of the algae, for one, but it's difficult to do that without destroying or harming some of the life that exists right then and now

the bugs, the tadpoles, the little near microscopic invertebrates you can't see but are definitely there... and you are of course destroying plant life

so do you let the whole pond die, become uninhabitable to anything and everything, or do you restore it, and know that in doing so, however hard you try to preserve the life currently there, you will inevitably end up destroying some of it?

so, am i comparing people with near-microscopic invertebrates? no. but this is a simple example of what i think solas' whole pov boils down to: does he let the world cycle into a slow death, with significant harm done along the way, or does he - doing his best to limit the damage - change it all at once, believing that it can be stabilized this way, that it is inherently more sustainable?

i don't know which way is more sustainable. none of us do. that's part of the underlying conflict of the game, that uncertainty, but i never got the impression that he's just out there trying to restore the glorious city of arlathan or whatever. he's out there specifically trying to restore the entire world to what it once was, and what he feels strongly that it should be. he is trying to preserve its inherent nature

and of course, this is not my discovery and i don't know who first figured it out or shared the information so i can't credit, but it's worth pointing out:

Solastalgia is a term coined by philosopher Glenn Albrecht to describe the emotional or existential distress caused by negatively perceived environmental change.

as a final note: i said i am not comparing people to near-microscopic invertebrates, but i don't think solas is doing the equivalent, either. perhaps at first, but that is dispelled as he spends time in the inquisition, as he gets to know the people of this age

yet the complexity remains. and it isn't clear-cut; there is harm to both sides, and good to both sides. it is painfully, gloriously complex, a narrative that has no single clear answer

[an-angel-so-called-satan]

2025 and I still laugh when someone complains that the author made a VADTD character dirty... And by this I mean that the author gives them problematic characteristics.. For example, Eckles, a guy who was chilling in his royal palace with his family until everything changed when the Eorka empire attacked...

To this day you can still read comments saying that if Penelope had been more empathetic and paid attention to him, he wouldn't have become like this or that without Laila's intervention, everything would have been fine... LOL

He is a victim of slavery with a lot of pain and post-traumatic stress, who clearly shows a resentment towards the empire, plus is canonically described as taciturn...

HOW THE HELL DO YOU THINK HE'S GOING TO RECOVER FROM THAT? With the power of love and friendship? With an epic tale of salvation and revenge?

... Yeah, it probably works in fanfics, but NO on VADTD. That's not how Gwon Gyeoeul's characters are.

Even in the same story, after the side stories, Penelope, who had a happy ending, still worried that someone would want to attack her family or that she would disappear from that world since she was a transmigrate. That's how PTSD works.

Eckles is Eckles precisely because of his painful past that shaped him into what he is in the future: someone with trauma who became obsessed with the one person he interacted with most often... and later an adrenaline junkie and mercenary lol

Derrick is Derrick for being an obtuse man who took refuge in his title of heir and in work from a young age, since he never healed the loss of his sister.

The funniest thing is that some people think the author was unfair to them and then, on the author's blog, you can see how she speaks affectionately of Eckles or Derrick lol

And all the other characters are like that because their cursed past made them distrustful, even cruel in some cases... or even with dark desires... And yes, I speak of dark desires because some turn a blind eye to the dark lock that certain characters have on their affection score and are visible in the manhwa. Each character has a twisted quality to a greater or lesser extent, a product of the author's decision, not necessarily influenced by Penelope or Laila, but by the author's taste and whim.

I mentioned it once and I do it again, while some believe that the author is making them dirty, what she actually does is pour honey on them... In a twisted way... I know, this is probably uncomfortable for someone who doesn't know the author's previous works, but I do...

And let me tell you that one of her first works was "미친 새끼 (crazy kid/bastard)". Do you know what it's about? According to the Naver reviews, because this book can't be found anymore, it's about a teenager who falls in love with his schoolmate and innocently fantasizes about her as his girlfriend, until one day by chance he starts spying on an apartment of lovers who sometimes have intimacy... Everything is more or less normal up to this point until the reviews say that there is a plot twist in the story:

The protagonist, after interacting with the female lover, realizes that she is actually kidnapped and is suffering from s*xual abuse. He then decides to help her escape, but at the climax of the story, while trying to free her and struggling with the kidnapper, he accidentally kills the victim and the kidnapper also dies in the event... Do you want to know how it ends? Traumatized by the event, he repeats the same patterns as the kidnapper and kidnaps his classmate and locks her in a place where no one can find them... THE END.

This peculiar story is just one of many stories that Gwon Gyeoeul has written with this theme of thriller and dark romance. And not to mention her works where the victim becomes the victimizer, because in almost all of them, her characters have a gray morality.

VADTD is by far a work with one of the few conclusive and happy endings in Gyeoeul's work history. So next time, don't tell me the author is dirtying the characters in VADTD, because by far, they are innocent next to other more twisted characters she has written.

[hedgehogoftime]

Dragon Age Origins Companions react to Gandalf the Gray joining their company (and his sacrifice in not!Moria (the Deep Roads) against a Balrog)

Alistair: At first Alistair is reminded far too strongly of old tutors, harsh of tongue and sharp of wit, seeing Alistair in every way that he lacks, his flaws and shortcomings. But there is a compassion in the strange old wizard that was not present in those others. A desire to see Alistair to become more, to grow beyond or with hiss flaws. Alistair comes to regard Gandalf well, a friend, even. And, secretly, a grandfatherly figure, though he's certain the old man would wallop him upside the head if he ever said it aloud. It's Gandalf who makes him think that, yeah, maybe he could be a king after all.

After Gandalf's sacrifice: There's a hole in his heart, Alistair realizes. An aching part of him where Gandalf and all his gruff compassion used to be. He hardly realized how much he'd come to rely on the old wizard, on his wisdom and council until now that he is gone. Sacrificed against a monster older even than the archdemons. But Alistair has no time for weeping. At last, he takes Gandalf's words to heart. Enough sitting around. Enough waiting. It's time to set aside the Grey Warden, and become who he was born to be. It's time to be the King of Ferelden.

Morrigan: At first she detests the old man. His cutting eyes, too perceptive by half. His high and grating words, too close to truth. His REFUSAL to leave her in peace. And yet, she comes to look forward to their verbal sparring. She is a proud creature, Morrigan, and she will not be held to judgement of any little old man who think he knows better than her. And yet... there's a respect she feels for him. And it feels reciprocated in turn. Their words become less barbed in time. Not friendly, but there's a certain... give there. A camaraderie that she... doesn't mind. And... she supposes he has some good ideas at times. Feh, what a bother.

After Gandalf's sacrifice: Heh. Funny. She never expected to feel this... weight on her from losing the old man. This heaviness of heart and spirit. Is this grief? She likes it not. It feels hollow, in her. An inconvenience. And yet, she cannot shake it. This feeling that she has lost something dear. And it is only now she realizes she considered Gandalf a friend, of sorts. She finds herself missing him, their verbal spars, even his advice. she refuses to show it to the others, but in private, or perhaps with the Warden if they romanced her, she allows a scant few tears to fall.

Leliana: She finds him delightful, truly! A little poorly dressed, perhaps, but a joy to be around. He's wise and kind and never seems to judge her for her past when its revealed, merely proud that she has chosen a better path. And his stories! The tales he tells. She loves them all. She would love to set them down in song if only she could find the words for them. But ugh, it's hard to find the right words, the right notes. Gandalf laughs at her anger, and promises to introduce her to a friend help her. Whoever this Bilbo is, he must be a supreme wordsmith to receive Gandalf's support.

After Gandalf's Sacrifice: She weeps. Openly. It's wrong. It's all wrong. This- this isn't how it should go. It isn't right that such a man should disappear like this. Claimed by some ancient evil to buy his friends a precious few seconds of escape. Her heart feels scarred by it, in a way it hasn't since Marjorline's betrayal. And yet... she refuses to allow it to harden. It would be a disgrace to her friend's memory. So instead, she takes up her harp, and begins to play a tune, with melody to break the heart. She hopes... hopes it might be worthy of what her friend meant to her.

Zevran: When Zevran joins the party, he at first doesn't know what to think of the strange old wizard who advocated for mercy in his name. He's strange, and Zevran's flattery and attempts to worm his way into his good graces fall on deaf ears. He feels dismissed. But then he finds, its when he's honest in his words and thoughts that Gandalf pays him heed. the two strike up a cordial relationship of sorts. They swap stories. Zevran his wild tales of his storied life, and Gandalf ancient tales of ancient people. Men who tried and failed, but mattered in the trying. He gets the feeling Gandalf is trying to tell him something.

After Gandalf's sacrifice: Well, isn't this a thing? It always seems to go this way, in the end. Men like Gandalf do last long in his life. Those with some mercy in their heart. It feels wrong that the wizard leave like this. Their time together cut short. But perhaps... perhaps its time he puzzled through those stories. Those tales Gandalf told. Perhaps its time he figured out who he should be.

Wynne: She like the old man. They develop a fast friendship, quicker than the others. She senses a kinship with the old wizard, not simply because of their age. And she has endless questions about his magic?! Since her... incident in the Fade, she's been more aware of its presence... and yet Gandalf does not seem to use it. It makes her suspicious at first. What is the Secret Fire he refers to? But it doesn't stop their early morning meet-up and the joy it brings. Though sometimes... she gets the feeling she's talking to someone else. That he sees through her to the Spirit of Faith within her. And one day, he tells her its name. She wonders, vaguely, who this Gil-Galad might have been.

After Gandalf's Sacrifice: Wynne, alone does not grieve, for she feels, in her heart of hearts, that Gandalf is not gone. Not truly. Maybe its the spirit in her. Maybe it's something else. But she knows that Gandalf has not left them. And yet, she knows what must be done. It's Wynne who holds the party together after Gandalf's fall. After all, things must be kept together, shan't they?

Sten: Of all of them, Sten most easily sense the command with Gandalf. the capacity for leadership and even rulership, though he thinks that the man would reject such dominion. Despite him being a mage, one of the Saarebas, Sten feels no danger from Gandalf. He stands... apart. So Sten defers to him and the Warden alike. They exchange few words, but there is a powerful understanding between them. Even when Sten's crime is revealed, Gandalf seems not to judge him. and yet, Gandalf also seems to defer to Sten. He once refers to Sten as Arishok, something Sten is quick to correct. Gandalf apologizes, but his smile is knowing.

After Gandalf's sacrifice: He grieves in the Qunari way, quietly and grimly, but he does not let it slow him. It would not do to stand and tarry in grief. There are things to do. Sten, along with Wynne, carry the group during the immediate aftermath. But despite it, Sten's heart grieves. Qunari discipline keeps him in line, and yet it grieves him all the same. Let the past fall where it may.

Oghren: The dwarf doesn't know Gandalf long, and at first they do not care for each other. The wizard seems too high and mighty for Oghren's liking. Andd yet, he knows another soldier when he sees it. And the way he slings that sword around! Heh, might be worth something after all. They come to like each other, somewhat, and Oghren's willing to share a drink with the old wizard, though he finds himself developing a love of that pipe-weed the old man shares. Hah! Maybe he's alright after all.

After Gandalf's Sacrifice: Well if that don't sod all. Just as he was starting to like the old codger. Still... he sees how hard the others are hit, and does his best to keep it together. Gandalf seemed a good guy. And, when they finally make camp, Oghren pours one out for the old man. He resolves to do his best by this little group, if the old wizard isn't around to.

Shale: Gandalf is more tolerable than the other fleshy things, at least. It doesn't poke and pry and attempt to make Shale feel more human, at least. Rather it seems content to talk of things that interest Shale. Their conversations are pleasant, and Shale finds themself lacking a desire to crush the head of the old wizard. But it's in Gandalf's presence that shale first recalls the name of Shayale of Cadash. It feels... strange.

After Gandalf's sacrifice: Ah. Well, that's they way it goes with squishy things isn't it. They break. And yet, against that nightmare of shadow and flame, Shale felt fear for the first time in their memory. And Gandalf... Gandalf stopped it. Shale finds themself grieving for the first time. Grieving for the strange wizard who helped them remember. It's odd... but it feel nice, almost. To love a friend so, and then mourn them. Heh, strange.

Dog: He loves the strange not-human! They always smell nice, and share treats with dog! Dog decides they have to protect the strange not-human from harm. They're pack, after all.

After Gandalf's sacrifce: Dog isn't worried. Not really. the not-human with bushy brows and funny hat will come back. Dog knows, in that strange doggy-way, that he will. In the meantime, dog's people are unhappy! They need love and kisses. And dog will give all they can.

[frozenjokes]

literally did not have room for his civillian alter ego ‘Micah’ so I’m just gonna describe him. Micah looks somewhat similar though he has more visible scars, darker, longer hair with a few gray streaks (often pulled back in a tiny ponytail), and generally looks a bit older. In the fic Grian mistakes him and HotGuy for brothers, though does not suspect anything otherwise because Micah is a complete freak in ways that are not the same as HotGuy. Micah also has to pretend not to be disabled, something very stressful given his legs and parts of his back are very Gone. (replaced by realistic looking prosthetics, and a lot of very unethical genetic experimentation, but look close enough and it’s relatively clear something is up.) Micah only tends to go out at night for this reason.

fic has shipping (cubscar, grub, eventually cubscarian) but if you’re interested here is the link. Most fics can be read without context of the others, so if you’re only interested in specific ships or characters then there is also that. here’s your food

As for backstory, Scar comes from a very wealthy family and was happily setting off to go to college in the big city when at the ripe age of 18, a bomb went off on campus, killing and injuring several students, including him. In an effort to save Scar’s life, his parents had his take part in several extremely unethical and extremely experimental procedures that lasted the course of years, altering the make-up of his body to such extremes that he is extraordinarily physically sturdy, and while he gets injured similarly to how normal people do, he remains unaffected by the damage, only needing to be stitched back together by doctors before he’s back in working order. It’s difficult for him to feel most physical sensations, and he longs to be close to people he doesn’t feel threatened by.

His venture into the work of a superhero was spurred on by a strong desire to prevent the things that happened to him from happening to others, and because of the circumstances of his disability and past, as well as his charisma and confidence, he ended up becoming famous relatively quickly, and has been working as a superhero ever since.

In a world of fantastical humanoid species where your only power is Not Easy To Kill, HotGuy doesn’t exceed at his job, but he does damn well for himself most of the time, and is an excellent entertainer. He often latches on to certain people and villains, dreaming of different approaches to improve lives and make the world he lives in just a tad less shitty.

btw if you have any questions or asked me anything about this au whether you’ve read the fic or not it would make my day <3 I love to talk about my ocs goodtimeswithscar, cubfan135, and grian

[mojo-bro-tho]

A Paean of Old and Present Days

Edit to include word count for AO3: 11,902 (I know)

I finally committed to posting the first 2 chapters of my emmrook fic with a Warden Rook! Still undecided on how I'll want to post the formatting for cross platform and since this first chapter is long as hell, (I'm so sorry) I'll be adding only a snippet below the cut in case it doesn't pique interest. I hope any who chose to read the full thing like it though! Warning can be found in ao3 tags and will be updated as needed.

A Warden In Name

Warden life wasn’t for most people. To be fair, most people don’t become Wardens with the reservations afforded to consider that fact. Sure, Recruits were common enough outside of a Blight but most wouldn’t take the first sip once the smell crushed their resolve. Lenore was never a traditional Warden though. 

She was chalk full of technicalities, hypocrisy, and at certain times unbridled foolishness. But if you asked the charges entrusted to her, a group of 7 Recruits, what they thought of their young leader? The answers were usually nothing short of praise, even though some of the praise could be seen as backhanded. 

Lenore was never the ‘leadership’ type, she did just fine with following orders and being led so long as the reasons made sense. Unfortunately for her and those aforementioned Recruits, tonight was shaping up to be one of those fateful exceptions. Even worse for the Recruits, Lenore was more accustomed to the taste of festering responsibility and would be more than willing to drink the chalice empty. 

She stood at the top of a building at the edge of town, watching the horde swirl below. She thought back to the moment that led her here. Orders from her Commander that a large stream of darkspawn was making an advance in the Deep Roads. Every Warden stationed under him was being deployed, Recruits included. While the majority of the experienced fighters would be sent out towards the nearest entrance, where they assumed the was legion heading, some smaller teams were deployed to secure neighboring settlements on the off chance of a breach or any splinter groups who may sneak past the vanguard. There shouldn’t have been any real danger, they were here as a precaution. But then the ground started to split open.

Lenore had sensed a shift in their movements, a cluster had veered off course into some sort of unmapped pocket of the Deep Roads. Or one that had been made recently. Her tendency to lean to the paranoid did her well in this case. She and the Recruits evacuated and barricaded the area she had sensed them congregating towards. That didn’t go over well with some of the more curmudgeon villagers, but Lenore could be persuasive for her age. Those who were smart enough to heed a Warden’s warning did well to help her charges with the barricade.

Still, having less than an hour to prepare meant it left plenty to be desired. A hodgepodge of commandeered doors, building materials, broken wagons, the more easily broken down structure of some farming buildings and sheds. If she had known the ground would split on its own, she would’ve had entire buildings broken down for parts. She was initially just worried about people interfering with the area. But this was as good as it was going to get, she supposed. A breath rushed in deep through her nose, hearing in her mind the hum of the blight getting louder and louder as they descended. Those barricades weren’t going to last much longer. 

The plan in place wasn’t too complicated, it just definitely wasn’t going to work as things stood. One Recruit, the best rider, would take off to the nearest outpost with the one horse afforded to her unit to send for reinforcements. The other’s would be divided up into rotating shifts. One group to watch the area and one to guard the amassed civillains. 

One archer and a mage wouldn’t be enough to take out a frenzy that big. They’d run out of arrows and lyrium before even making a good enough dent, Cecile’s quiver was already looking light. And going into the pit as infantry was a death sentence, no matter how good of a fighter one was. It didn’t help that the only shield bearers present were herself and another Recruit. The pit was too saturated with Blight and there wouldn’t be enough room to properly swing a sword. If they wanted a chance to actually slay the horde, they’d have to break part of the wall back down and hope the trickle that came through would be slow enough for them to pick off. Mass casualties were more likely.

The good news was that darkspawn weren’t incredibly smart. They all flooded in on the south facing wall, trying with all their claws and teeth to find a way up to gnaw at the archers with their backs to the villagers guarded by their fellow Recruits in the distance. All full of life and untainted blood. She could use that to her advantage. 

Cecile, Valwyn, and Hager held varying expressions. Staring into a cesspool of disgust and carnage would do that to anyone but they still stood firm. Lenore knew that if they all lived through this, those three at least would get a taste of what her dreams were like as a Warden. That taste might be enough to empty their stomachs of the whole thing. She would not blame them. Drawing her sword from her heightened position on the Town Hall, she called out to the three below.

“Hear me, soldiers! I’m calling for a retreat! Return to the village with the others and hold your ground.”

....

Link again in case this caught your fancy!

[liamthemailman]

♠️♥️House of Cards♣️♦️

♦️Jack of Diamonds♦️

Private Kyle 'Jack' Harper's Bio

- Information -

Name : Kyle Harper

Codename : Jack

Status : Alive

Rank : Private

Citizenship : American

Bit of a wild card, no?

- Physical Profile -

Height: 5'7 feet

Gender : ? [he/her/they]

Age : 21 years old

Blood type: AB Pos

Eye color: Light Brown

Hair color: Light Blond

Tattoos : Right forearm

Additional Notes : Ear piercings to be removed as ordered

- Personality -

Jack is easily the most outgoing person in any room. He seems to always have energy despite having gone through rigorous training or having just returned from a week long operation. It's easy for Jack to spread this positive influence among his friends but people can find Jack annoying when his energy is misplaced.

Jack is cocky. She thinks she's hot shit. While she is performing quite well for her little experience, Jack is far from the best. Jack lives by the motto of 'Fake it till you make it'.

In addition to their cocky behavior, Jack is not the easiest recruit to deal with. Jack does follow orders when required of them, but that is about as far as they would go. Jack is purposefully leaving in their piercings or generally being a bit of a brat, all trivial matters, and giving his superiors headaches.

This however, does not stop Jack from being the most loyal recruit to his team. Jack always has an eye out for her fellow soldiers, even helping out her superiors when their hour of need arises. Jack always tries to make it even with anyone who's helped them.

- Skill Set -

Weapon(s) : Jack relies on questionable gadgets to help him out in fights, ranging from dummy grenades to dupe his enemies to flat out thermal weapons like Molotov cocktails. Now, Jack isn't able to use fire in battle, so he turns to bombs.

Combat Style : The skills Jack picked up are skills taught to her by her mentor(s). This means he's learning marksmanship and close combat.

Specialized skill : While Jack has no solid specialized skill as of yet, they have a really good pair of legs, being able to outrun and outjump nearly everyone.

- Background -

Jack had always known he wanted to protect the community. That and she really didn't see herself at a boring job till she retires. Originally, Jack had planned on becoming a firefighter, but soon Jack learned that her passion lied with fires, not putting them out. So, Jack opted for the military when he reached of age right after his family relocated to Britain.

In the military however, Jack found themselves in a less than desirable situation of being underestimated. For being so short and unfamiliar with the local customs. Jack vowed not to let this weigh him down, using is as fuel to pass selection.

Jack's loud persona soon caught the attention of a certain Lieutenant Ace. Jack doesn't understand that Ace saw a bit of his past self in them. Causing trouble and diving head first into problems without a second thought. Jack continued to train under Ace until he was told that she had been recommended into joining Task Force Cards. Jack would grow attached to Ace, thinking of him as a good friend and lowkey father figure to herself.

There, Jack met King. King doubted him from the get-go, but seeing it was Ace who insisted that Jack is a strapping young man with lots of potential to grow into a good soldier, Jack was them welcomed into the team. King would then learn that Jack was reckless, needlessly loud and outright rebellious. They both keep it barely civil, but don't interact outside of work.

Jack met Queen right after meeting King. King had assigned Queen to mentor Jack, not knowing Ace was already guiding Jack in his own ways. Jack takes in stride, weighing out that the two had valuable skills they could pick up. Despite Queen obviously trying to straighten out Jack, he didn't get shaped according to her norm. Jack didn't find himself liking Queen, but she was loyal to her despite it all.

- Additional Information -

Jack carries around a rope everywhere, being able to utilize this piece of material in many scenarios. Jack is looking to use it in fights after seeing the use of the Punjab Lasso in Phantom of the Opera. Though, Jack doesn't like to admit they found inspiration for it through theatre

Jack doesn't bother to hide his love for fire. Jack would carry at least one source of fire on himself, be it a lighter or a box of matches. Jack also makes her own bombs, building for a more fiery reaction when set off. Her goal is to one day be able to roast an enemy with fire instead of a bomb. Just your local arsonist fighting against the Geneva convention.

Jack is the easiest person, and often the go-to for companionship. Jack cracks the best jokes and laughs at his own lame jokes and funny shenanigans. Jack smiling widely is also very cute, which says even more when all their teeth are jagged and sharp. Jack is also the recruit the called Ace's smile weird. She stands by what she says.

- Favourites -

Drink: Monster Mango Loco

Food: Strawberry Cake

Animal: Jackrabbits

Hobby: Going for jogs or walks along the beach, collecting lighters

Weather: Sunny beaches and clear blue skies

Song: Bad Boy - Yung Bae, bbno$, Billy Marchiafave

Colour: Neon pink

Flower: White Rose

Moodboard :

[voxaholic]

More Details About Heaven

Decide to compile a bit of misc worldbuilding info and relevant character information for The Heaven Ending of @randomly--accessed--memories

Heaven as Vox Enters It:

Over the century Vox spent with Velvette, Heaven has undergone a lot of changes and is now a much more authentic and less corrupt place. It’s as perfect as a place can get while still allowing both winners and heaven-born to have free will.

Ex-sinners are more or less fully integrated into Heaven society. There are still people that aren’t exactly comfortable with the fact that ex-sinners are here but they’re in the minority and most of them have semi-reasonable concerns.

There have been efforts to address the genuine safety concerns people may have about letting sinners into Heaven. Family of ex-sinners are immediately notified upon their relative’s ascension, so they can either meet up at the intake center or make arrangements to ensure that they never run into said relative. 

If the sinner one wants to avoid isn’t a relative, the winner can send in a request that said sinner be kept away from them in the event they do ascend.

Alcohol and certain other recreational substances still exist in Heaven but they are free of the risks/negative physiological impact that are associated with such substances on Earth and Hell. There’s a bit of a stigma around indulging in such among heaven-born specifically because bringing such substances to Heaven was a controversial decision born of winner’s desire that the seraphim reluctantly gave into.

A slim majority of ex-sinners manage to fully integrate into Heaven’s society, but there are a not insignificant amount who have more trouble.

As a result, pocket communities of ex-sinners who feel more comfortable interacting with other ex-sinners have popped up all over Heaven. In these communities going by your sinner name is almost expected as in much of Heaven an ex-sinner is expected to start going by their “real” name again, which can be hard for some to adjust to.

The small bar Vox frequents is one of those communities. Vox gets a lot of weird looks at first by choosing to go by “Vaughn” which is obviously his real name, but people quickly get used to it.

He frequents the bar for like a few years before he actually manages to become fully integrated into the small friend group his failed hookup adopted him into.

Three ex-sinners make up that group.

Sinner Name: Pyrite 

Real Name: August Murphy

Gender: Male

Age of Death: 23

How’d They Die: Murder

Why Was He In Hell?: He grew up wealthy and generally threw his money around and paid his way out of many sticky situations. He was more passively awful than anything, just someone who coasted through life taking advantage of the privilege he’d been born into.

A vaguely reptilian, dragon-like winner with golden scales and bright green eyes. Pyrite’s a one-night-stand turned casual drinking buddy. He’s charming, extroverted, and prone to oversharing. He’s just pushy enough to get past Vox’s initial refusal to ever acknowledge any of his one-night-stands outside of their one night together and reaches the status of casual acquaintance probably as fast as it’s possible to with Vox.

Comes off as kind of ditzy but is a lot smarter than he lets on. He was in college for pre-law when he died and was doing unfairly well for someone who spent most of his freetime partying and sleeping around. Ascended pretty soon after Valentino’s death, so he’s been in Heaven awhile. He’s one of the first to suspect Vox’s true identity but doesn’t really care aside from being curious about how exactly he ended up in Heaven. 

He’s the main driver of Vox’s integration into the friend group. They have a decent amount in common and Pyrite’s good at reading people and to him— Vox seemed lost and lonely. He also felt bad about accidentally triggering him during their ill-fated attempted hookup.

Sinner Name: Birdie 

Real Name: Robin Carmichael 

Gender: Male

Age of Death: 35

How’d They Die: Suicide by hanging

Why Was He In Hell?: His estranged abusive father showed up at his door one day begging for forgiveness and he beat him to death with his bare hands.

A mild-mannered and self-efacing bluebird winner. Birdie also started as a one-night-stand. He ended up staying in Vox’s orbit because he was friends with Pyrite, so when Pyrite started trying to befriend Vox, Birdie was sort of along for the ride.

He had an extremely troubled childhood and young adulthood (which he’s pretty tight lipped about) but with the help of a man who would become a father figure to him was able to turn his life around and was on track to probably getting into Heaven until the day his father showed up on his doorstep.

He was a third grade teacher while alive and has kept a lot of the mannerisms that come with that. He’s the type of selfless that’s born from severely low self-esteem and generally allows himself to be walked all over. He’s got a surprisingly wry and pretty dark sense of humor that he occasionally lets slip when people least expect it. 

He’s the one who starts organizing get-togethers outside of the bar. It’s very “elementary school field trip energy” but it’s good for everyone to hang out in places that aren’t bars.

Sinner Name: Stratus

Real Name: Lacey Anne Mullen

Gender: Female

Age of Death: 41

How’d They Die?: Skydiving accident

Why Was She In Hell?: Child abandonment, infidelity, being a pathological kkm liar, and a consistent pattern of running away from any and all responsibility

A human-like winner with hair like clouds. They change shape and color according to her mood. She’s a tall and curvy woman with medium toned skin and a penchant for bright colors and eccentric outfits.

She’s the one Vox takes the longest to warm up to because for the longest time, he’s convinced she’s fucking with him. She still lies, a lot, but mostly about harmless things that don’t negatively impact anyone but to Vox it felt too similar to how Alastor would sometimes purposefully feed him false information just to mess with him. Eventually he realizes that it’s not something she’s doing out of malice.

Eventually they’re able to bond over the extremely awkward process of reconnecting with your adult children in Heaven when you were a shitty parent (or not there at all in her case.)

She also feels like she hasn’t changed enough to really deserve Heaven. She went through all the motions but it never really felt like she became any better internally.

[incubationformadness]

I just finished the latest chapter and I’m absolutely obsessed with Effie and Corisande’s relationship. Her confession about what happened to her went so badly but I think I am becoming a Corisande defender because it’s clear she’s just as stunted by the trauma she endured as Effie is and while their experience is different they both firmly believe that the other is the one that got away/ had it easier and neither one of them is willing to let go of that perspective. Im very hopeful for a Trinket sister reunification in the future of this fic because it’s clear they’re not ready yet but maybe once they’ve had time to process what’s happened to them they will gain the mental capacity to feel empathy for the other. I don’t really know why, but Corisande is so fascinating to me, despite the fact that we only ever see her from Effie’s perspective so I was wondering if you have any headcanons about her character that you can disclose 🤍

Thank you so much!! Corisande (brief as her appearances have been) is such a polarising character because she's very much 'the abused becomes the abuser' while also being such a tortured soul under all that rage. I have a lot of empathy for her - for all that she wants to escape her childhood and remove herself from the past, she arguably clings to it even more than Effie. So, here are some thoughts I have about her:

•Corisande's occupation as a nurse comes from her desire to have complete control over other people. She probably would have become a doctor if the Trinkets had the money for the University - she's much smarter than Effie gives her credit for. I imagine that she abuses her power over patients who she takes a personal dislike to (i.e. denying them pain meds or pretending to be too busy for the call bell). Nonetheless, when dealing with a patient who she likes or feels neutrally about, she is genuinely good at what she does, and definitely has her softer moments. She specifically works with the elderly because she is less likely to face physical threats from them, and she is uncomfortable around children because they remind her of her younger, defenceless self.

•She is generally disliked by her co-workers - she's abrasive and domineering and does not like being told what to do.

•She has difficulties with impulse control - she has been a kleptomaniac from a young age (yes, she does steal from her patients and their families), and went through a period of fire-starting in early adolescence (aged about 13 or so). She received some psychiatric treatment for her self-harm as a teenager, which took the form of head-banging and burning herself, but she was combative with the doctors and so her behaviour was labelled as 'attention-seeking'. As an adult, she's mostly stopped her self-harm (she's still a kleptomaniac though).

•Unlike Effie, who was inclined towards promiscuity in her teenage years, Corisande is actually very sexually inexperienced. This comes from both her belief that she is fundamentally undesirable, and her dislike of the vulnerability which comes with sexual situations. She has instead hired sex workers in the past, which enables her to have control.

•I mention in the notes at the bottom of Chapter 14 that Corisande was subject to a grooming attempt by her father, Thyestes Trinket, which went extremely badly - I believe that due to Effie's confession, Corisande will begin re-evaluating that incident. Prior to Effie's revelation, Corisande simply saw it as an incident of love bombing. It will also help her pinpoint the onset of Effie's sexual abuse, seeing as Effie did not manage to tell her how old she was when it started.

•She does love Effie, in her own way, but she does not know how to deal with her. Her resentment of her younger sister has always overpowered their interactions in the past.

•Kind of random, but she likes to feed pigeons lol. She feels strongly about people giving them stuff that isn't bird food. She also likes raccoons. I think that she feels a certain comradeship with animals which her father would have considered 'vermin'.

���She's athletic and was a competitive speed climber when she was in high school. As an adult she still does climbing, and swims. She liked to draw when she was a teenager as a method of venting, but it was very dark stuff which she never showed to anyone.

•She was naturally a tomboy as a child, but I think that she has grown to dislike femininity as both her sister and mother are traditionally feminine and, in Corisande's view, 'allowed' Thyestes to dominate them (internalised misogyny is a helluva drug). In addition, Thyestes mocked Corisande for her interests, as he considered them 'unladylike'. For Corisande, whatever her father does not like is a win on her behalf.

I don't think that this will be the last we see of Corisande - there's too much emotion tangled up between her and Effie for them to just let go of each other after that. But you're right in saying that they're not ready to reunite just yet...both of them are stunted people, and they can't help but fall back into their childhood rivalry when they are around each other. I think that one of the biggest tragedies of their childhoods is that not only did Thyestes abuse them both, in different ways, but he also drove them apart from each other. Had they been given a healthy upbringing, Corisande would have probably just been the 'older-sister-who-is-sometimes-mean-but-looks-out-for-you', rather than the aggressive, vindictive character we know her as.

Corisande is a character I have considered for a POV chapter (her and Alseid are the biggest candidates)...I don't know if that will ever happen but the possibility is there.

[darkfictionjude]

About Taboo in IFs:

I think, as if often happens in most media, non sexual violence is incredibly common. There are some IFs were MC is experimented on, tortured, scarred, abused, etc. And there are IFs were MC is a murderer, a soldier, a villain, etc.

When it comes to sexual related taboos is where things get less and less present. Incest, which is probably the tamest one (after adultery and age gaps between adults), is rather rare. I often find it in IFs based on certain source material that includes it (mainly Arthuriana), and sometimes the MC is able to partake in incestual practices. The only RO I have seen as a proper romantic route of this kind, however, is just a cousin (although, technically, could count as a brother since the parents were identical twins). And even in that case, it could be justified with a fantasy/old timey setting focused on nobility. But nothing like ASOIAF where you have siblings marrying/ commiting adultery with each other (at least as an official romantic route, just as a one night stand), nor set in modern times (and there is fanfiction/original works of literature, as well as games, that do include siblings commiting incest in modern times).

In the case of Arthuriana, specifically, is rather impossible to avoid if Mordred is given any relevancy. And in Bastard of Camelot you play as Mordred, so incest (and rape) is unavoidable. Your character only exist because of it.

As for sexual abuse/rape, is never something I see as an option for the player as a thing they can do (understandably so), nor as something they can be a victim of. It may be suggested as something that could happen to MC, or that happened in the past (and in most cases is completely optional). And I understand this happening, since even the games set on dark fantasy settings try to evade this topics. And, as you said in your post, is most likely due to the level of identification between MC and player. But, I think there is also that aspect of IFs needing to be shared in social media like Tumblr and Reddit, where the inclusion of this topics is often met with disapproval or with the desire to exclude entirely from fiction.

But I think most artistic mediums with any level of interactivity would do their best to evade rape/sexual abuse. Not that it cannot be included, but is very unlikely you'll find anything that does it in the way you would be able to find in fanfiction. Simply due to that level of identification IFs have compared to the distance a fanfic has with the reader.

About the sharing on Twitter and Reddit that is true but there is a big space for those topics especially incest in fanfic like ao3. I have friends who are into those things and although they do clash with antis it’s becoming much less shocking to have incest and age gaps within fiction, humans adapt so quickly to what seems impossible at first huh? It’s kind of like how the term “daddy” in sexual sense was for so long seen as something incestuous but now has become kind of mainstream

Personally I would find it interesting to have an mc that might’ve experienced that type of abuse in their past but not have it there for drama or plot device but as an actual theme to be respected like for example if the mc is a sex worker. I also think identification with the mc depends on each individual story and author. Some authors are fine with self inserts, others like me are not and that’s why my mc does have a certain personality. So far none of my readers have ever complained to me to do this or that with the mc because they feel it’s right, there is a clear distance there. In that case I think it can be done. And ultimately each reader must play at their discretion, at their own personal boundaries

[balketh]

Pining For The Chjosts

It has been 44 days since Cohost closed, and the world is still worse for it.

I still think about it. I still think about chosting. I still think about the networks that formed and were forming there, and how those tethers, effectively, were severed.

I still think about how Discords aren't it. About how Reddit-likes aren't it. Forums weren't it. How it has changed over the years, as innovations continue in digital social circles. How Cohost wasn't perfect, but it was great.

Many folks tried their best to band together after the closure announcement, and small communities emerged from the fallout, but there's a reason that all the Cohost Leaver Discords got filled up, and then, for me, completely muted: Discord sucks. Chat rooms suck, once you get past a certain age - they're just too fast; channels are too big/prominent to be single threads of discussion, the threads feature sucks visibility-wise, and all the other forum-like features require allowing Discord even further privacy invasion.

And, IMO, forums are not the savior many folks think they are. They died out for reasons too. They also suck, in similar ways to Discord. People think forums would be great because 'you can read them when you want', and 'it slows things down' and 'they'll always be there unlike Discord'. But only the middle one is true: forums are just Discord servers in slow motion.

Whole subforums become too fast in posting, topics/threads get muted/ignored, and each individual topic is still singular in its focus, moreso than Discord due to the sometimes-days-long post-and-response cycle, just spread out in more layers of obtuse forum pages. Subforums are spun off, cliques form, social hierarchies come, fallout happens, rinse and repeat.

They were good! Don't get me wrong. They were good. It was great to be able to find and read threads, convos, from years ago, easily accessible with no fucking app in your way. But that element eventually split off to become the Diggs and Reddits and Slashdots of the world.

What remained is the desire for the social circle. And forums are just another small social circle, even if they have several hundred active users and a couple thousand lurkers. They were good, but they died out because we realised they weren't it.

And, trust me, they still get deleted. The drives they're stored on still die, and in a much less reliable timeframe than you'd hope for. Forums only persevere on the backs of peoples' effort and care, and that wanes with time, or drama. Plothook, an incredibly old RP forum with hundreds of thousands, if not millions of posts, games that had been running for 5-20 years, some peoples' whole creative lives, suddenly vanished, along with all its data, around July 2015. An entire, massive, old community, just... Vanished. Severed.

Even back then, in the height of 'things on the internet are forever!', things never were. Forums aren't any more the solution to community than Discord servers are. They're just an attempt at a structure to make it work, and so far, our attempts as a collective internet have been found wanting.

Cohost was better. It wasn't perfect. It wasn't a forum. It certainly sucked ass in discoverability. But it was better. Even after its first unexpected boom, when the quality of a social media platform usually begins a hard dive, Cohost stayed... Good. It was all the elements I wanted out of Social Media save for the forum-roleplay/games content (but, frankly, that's better served by the semi-automation and chat-like format of MUXs than forums.)

There was a feed, it was filled with tags you liked and people you followed. You could search for tags, but not post contents. (Because of that second part, there were discoverability issues from day 1.) (Someone made a global feed tag as a joke, and many despised it, including the staff, but I'll die on the hill that we wanted it and we made it real and not a joke, and it drove most of the discoverability on the site, which made it work for many people. You cannot convince me it wasn't worth its troubles - troubles that would still exist entirely unhindered without it.)

You could post, reblog, comment, and like. Likes were private. No numbers except total number of unread notifications. There was some really brain-warping logic around reblogging and how it affected tags/etc - I didn't understand the implementation, but it seemed to work reasonably well. Less issues than Tumblr. There were asks. There was an artist's alley for artist-paid self-made adverts. There were CSS Crimes (taking advantage of the shockingly lenient CSS allowances Cohost had to create the most incredible post customization, interactivity, and meme content I have seen online in a social media community at large, to date, bar none). It put even animated forum signatures to absolute shame.

It wasn't perfect.

But damn if it wasn't great.

... Now I'm thinking about MUX again. Fuck.

If you read this far, consider sending big ol' titties. Always brightens the day. They don't have to be yours.

[femmefatalevibe]

Hi Femme Fatale,

I hope your day has been great. I’m 25 and

I have a very traumatized past of DA in the household from a young age. This unfortunately kept me from being with a man of value/or just making the first move to date. I don’t understand the “signals,” that men may send to women if they’re interested. I get nervous when I see a man I find attractive and/or my standard and I walk right past them or avoid them. It even happens when I see the men showing interest in me while passing: eyes widen, eyebrows go up, they’re eyes linger on me. I dress well AT times.

But idk. I’m single, I would like to date but I don’t see it happening for me at any point rn. I’m also awkward and I blurt out things. I don’t feel “sexy” or secure— I’m constantly apologizing to a guy (I’m interested in) about little things I may have done on accident. I feel like I have to change my wholleeee self, I usually am makeup less and I wear pretty good clothing but I’m saving up to redo my wardrobe. I don’t feel like the woman I aspire to be like: dream hair, clothes, makeup etc.

I have to save up for that type of woman I want to be.

I’m just overwhelmed and saddened that I am self sabotaging myself from dating.

I don’t mind being single but I do feel like it’s time for me, and I’m ready. But with the abuse I experienced and me running from men and only being friends with “unattractive” men as my safety.

I hope that makes sense

Thanks !

Hi love! I'm sorry that you've had to go through these traumatic events and that these experiences have left you with (understandable!) self-image issues. While the art of socializing and flirting is definitely helpful and is a learnable skill set, from what you've told me, it seems like the most pivotal thing you can do for yourself is to begin seeing yourself as desirable and finding ways to feel desirable in your daily life. You don't need to change your whole self if that doesn't align with who you feel you are, but your life is your canvas, so change any aspects of yourself that you see fit to align with the person you aspire to be.

I'm glad you're able to work towards dressing like your best and most authentic self – this practice is so helpful for self-confidence! If you want to experiment with a little makeup, try something subtle (like a tinted lip balm or gloss, a cheek tint, tinted moisturizer, or mascara) or wear a certain scented lotion/perfume/body bronzing lotion, etc. to see how it makes you feel.

However, your most valuable and priceless asset is your self-perception and confidence. Certain ways to enhance these aspects of your life are completely free:

Posture: Standing up straight, getting comfortable with direct eye contact and smiling (short bursts to build up to tension-creating glances), laughing and allowing your personality to show through in conversations, and maintaining open, relaxed body language

Self-talk: Engage in positive self-talk – whether that's through affirmations or simply telling yourself that the other person will love you before entering a room/conversation. Remind yourself that you're worthy and desirable until it becomes your default narrative. This one takes a lot of inner work and some time, but you can get there if you believe you can/let your emotions run their course throughout your journey

Self-pleasure: Having a consistent, effective, and fun self-pleasure practice is key for sexual confidence, which can only elevate your flirtatious energy in general and allow you to reclaim ownership over your body/sexuality. Consider trying an orgasm manifestation/ affirmation ritual to help reclaim both your sense of self-confidence and sexuality through one practice

Once you get reclaim your sense of self and sexuality, the external parts of the dating puzzle will come considerably more naturally to you as you will have the confidence and instinctive gut training available to help guide you along the way.

Hope this helps xx