#define themselves in space limited

[in-sightjournal]

Ask A Genius 1014: Quantum world informational fidelity shading

Rick Rosner, American Comedy Writer, www.rickrosner.org Scott Douglas Jacobsen, Independent Journalist, www.in-sightpublishing.com Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Have you ever seen a slider of an image enhancer? You can slide a vertical line left to right. It allows a before and after back-and-forth of the image, like a before and after acne treatment commercial or something. If Planck-scale quantum…

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Magic Systems

Magic - change wrought through unnatural means

Most fantasy can be placed along a spectrum where there are 3 main points: soft magic at one end, hard magic at the other, and a middle ground between the two.

Soft Magic

Magic that is not well-defined for the reader.

Generally, we don’t understand where the magic comes from, who can use it, or what its limitations are.

Readers can see this type of magic being used.

But they can never anticipate when magic will be used in the plot because they can’t begin to guess how it works.

You can’t break a rule if the rules don’t exist!

Most stories that feature this system will have the magic users be secondary characters, allowing them to avoid explaining exactly how the magic works.

It’s also argued that without knowing everything about the magic, it tends to hold more wonder and excitement for readers.

Hard Magic

Has very rigid boundaries.

Readers know where the magic comes from, how it’s used, who uses it, and what its boundaries and limitations are.

We know the limitations of the characters and can understand why they can’t simply magic themselves out of any particular challenge.

Stories with hard magic systems do not need to avoid the main character being a magic-wielder, as they have the capacity to explain to the reader what is going on.

A lot of writers this system because it gives them very explicit guidelines to follow in their plot and creates some more satisfying pay-offs for readers.

The Middle Ground

The meeting point between the soft and hard systems.

We might understand a bit about the way the magic works, but not all our questions are answered.

While most of the content adheres to rules, these rules aren’t fully explored.

This system relies on the reader’s suspension of disbelief.

The main character can be a magic-wielder or not, and it’s up to the writer to determine when magic will be used in terms of plot.

How to Choose a System

You can and should use these guiding principles to build your magic system. Remember that you don’t have to choose one or the other. Your system can draw from aspects of both. Just stay aware of the weaknesses of the path you choose, and ensure you utilize its strengths.

Use a hard magic system if:

You are going to use magic to solve problems

Your audience is accustomed to the tropes of hard magic

You are okay with jumping through hoops to expand your system

Your magic doesn’t convey a theme

Use a soft magic system if:

You want to convey a theme through magic

You want to create a sense of wonder

You want the ability to expand easily

You want to be accessible to a broader audience

Your magic won’t regularly be used to solve problems

Branches of Magic

Like most writing processes, there isn’t really a correct place to begin designing a magic system. A common, and efficient, place to start, however, is by choosing what type of magic system(s) you wish to employ, such as:

Nature-based magic: water, earth, fire, air, and everything in between

Divination magic: see beyond sight and peer through time and space

Conjuring magic: move objects through space over any distance

Psychic magic: master the world of the mind

Life and death magic: tap into the very forces of life, death, and un-death with this surprisingly versatile collection

Animal- or creature-exclusive magic: some creatures just do it better

Magitech systems: the blurring lines of sorcery and science give magic a next-gen, high-tech flair

Eclectic magic: it doesn’t have to be “real” magic to have a real effect

Uncommon magic systems: the unsung heroes of fantasy magic

AALC Method

How to create your own magic system using the AALC (Appearance, Abilities, Limits & Cost) Method

Appearance

What the magic looks like

Makes the world feel more exotic

Can cause problems for characters but cannot solve them

Usually tied to a character arc

Abilities

What the magic does

Points calculated based on magical effect, range, number of people affected, and duration

Characters have a finite amount of fuel (mana) to use abilities

More powerful abilities require more fuel

The fuel does not have to be overt for the audience to understand

If points not overt, cannot solve conflicts unless a cost system is added

Limits

Unlimited uses of magical abilities

Abilities stratified in codified levels defined by their limits

The more the levels' abilities and limits are known by the audience, the more they can be used to solve conflicts

Focused on clever uses of abilities against stronger foes

Cost system can be added to enhance dramatic moments

Cost

Costs must be greater than or equal to abilities to make them dramatically satisfying

Costs can include time, exhaustion, materials, sanity, morality, etc.

Adds dilemma to magic by forcing characters to make choices

The greater the character's sacrifice, the more audience satisfaction at conflict resolution

Each system builds on the previous ones, so that Cost Systems use all four, while Point Systems only care about Abilities and Appearance.

Multiple systems can exist within the same story, and systems can harden over the course of the story.

The Force, for instance, has been a Soft, Point, Level, and Cost System depending on who wrote it at the time.

SOFT SYSTEMS (Appearance Only)

Window Dressing - magic for secondary characters; can instigate conflict but cannot solve it; e.g., Gandalf

Soft Villain - No explanation or upper limits needed; makes villains more powerful to make heroes greater underdogs; e.g., The Emperor

Chosen One - Unknown power keeps hero safe throughout story; can be considered plot armor unless earned through character arc

Sort Hero Incomplete - Curse or positive ability the character cannot control; hero still learning limits of ability at story's end; powers and arc continued in next adventure

Soft Hero Complete - Hero embraces ability to complete arc and solve main conflict; magic must become harder in subsequent adventures

POINT SYSTEMS (Appearance + Abilities)

Points Opaque - Non-explicit reservoir of energy fuels powers; cannot solve main problems without cost option because characters finding hidden energy reserve feels like deus ex machina

Points Hard - Both abiliites and points system must be explicit like in video games; becomes about resource management; easy to understand but takes sense of wonder out of magic

LEVEL SYSTEMS (Appearance + Abilities + Limits)

Soft Level Static - Unchanging power without upper limits; cannot solve conflicts because feels repetitive; power must be used cleverly; e.g., Wolverine's healing factor

Soft Level Advancing - Increased powers or new powers with unknown limits; cannot solve conflicts unless tied to a character arc like Soft Hero Complete, at which point "unlocks" new abilities

Hard Level Static - Unchanging abilities with clear-cut limits; can solve conflicts so long as setup is properly seeded, usually resulting in sacrifice; e.g., Genie

Hard Level Advancing - Well-established abilities with limits; can solve conflicts based upon clever uses of abilities, usually against stronger foes; e.g., Airbender

COST SYSTEMS (Appearance + Abilities + Limits + Cost)

Static Cost - Well-established cost remains consistent for each use of ability; can solve conflicts since based on personal sacrifice

Cost Fluctuating - Costs change based upon dramatic need; costs must be greater than or equal to ability; possible costs include lost time, money, sanity, health, memory, life, morality, etc.

Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 6 ⚜ Writing Notes & References Writing Notes: Magic System ⚜ Fictional Items; Poisons ⚜ Fantasy

[ugly-anarchist]

While yes intersex people can use intersex as their gender identity, that isn't what intersex is. Intersex is a natural biological variation that cannot be transitioned into or out of. It is a description of the natural state of our bodies. It is the same as me being autistic, white, and short. These are descriptions of things about me that I cannot change but are still important facets of my life as a human being. (Obviously some are more important than others)

(While the body can be changed, there are separate words for someone who willingly changes the natural state of their body, like altersex. Intersex people can also be altersex.)

On the other hand, gender identity and transness are personal identifiers that can be chosen. (And by chosen I mean that while you can't choose your gender you can choose the label you use for it) And it is also fluid and can change over time. Gender looks different for everyone and isn't based on any material thing that can be observed in the physical world. Gender is based more-so in what makes you happiest, and the most satisfied with your life. Gender is just as real as everything else I've mentioned, but it's just not a physical thing.

This is why transness is self determined and intersexuality is not.

Trans and cis are adjectives that describe a person's experience with their gender. A trans man/woman is just a man/woman who has a different experience with their gender than cis people do.

But if a person exists who is rejected by both cis and trans people, then what are they? What are they supposed to do? How are they supposed to identify? Cis and trans as labels were not designed with intersex people in mind and often do not fit our experiences, but we're forced to use this binary because perisex trans people insist that you must be one if you're not the other.

But, trans people also insist that being intersex is inherently trans. Any deviation from the sex binary is seen as trans. Intersex history is seen as trans history, intersex animals are called biologically trans, and intersex experiences and terms are often taken by trans people and applied to themselves.

We're inherently trans but the trans experience is inherently a perisex one. Our experiences are identical to trans experiences but only trans people are allowed to say that. Our bodies are deemed the ideal trans bodies but the natural state of our bodies is used as proof that we don't fit in with trans people. Trans people wish they could gain access to the violence done to our bodies. Our bodies are held up as proof that gender and sex is a spectrum but if we talk about our complicated experiences with sex and gender then we're called terf psyops and cis invaders.

Where exactly are intersex people supposed to fit into the trans/cis binary? Our experiences cannot be defined in the same way that perisex trans people define themselves.

When an intersex person identifies as transfem when they were afab or as transmasc while they were amab or calls themselves cistrans or transmascfem or transfemmasc, this isn't an attempt to invade spaces we don't belong or destroy the trans community. We're trying to describe our very complicated experiences with gender with the limited tools that we have, the tools that have been forced on us but simultaneously denied to us.

Can we just let intersex trans people have their weird gender labels in peace? This isn't about you, it's not an attack on you or your community, it's just us trying to exist comfortably.

[inklings-challenge]

Inklings Challenge 2024: Official Announcement

The Event

The Inklings Challenge invites Christian writers to create science fiction and fantasy stories from a Christian worldview. All writers who sign up for the the challenge before October 1st, 2024 will be randomly assigned to one of three teams that are each challenged to write a story that fits at least one of two assigned genres. Writers will also choose at least one of seven Christian themes to inspire their story.

After teams are assigned on October 1, 2024, writers will have until October 21, 2024 to write a science fiction or fantasy story that fits their assigned genre and uses at least one of the Christian themes in the provided list. There is no maximum or minimum word limit, but because of the short time frame, the challenge is focused on short stories.

The Teams

Inspired by a similar challenge between J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis to write, respectively, a time travel story and a space travel story, the Inklings Challenge uses these authors (and G.K. Chesterton) as the inspiration for the genres assigned to each team. Each team is given both a fantasy and a science fiction option, so writers can choose the genre that is most comfortable for them. (However, writers shouldn’t be afraid to use the science fiction option as inspiration for a fantasy story, and vice versa. They can also choose to use both genres in one story, or write multiple stories). Writers may define for themselves which types of stories fit under each genre.

Team Lewis

Portal Fantasy: Stories where someone from the real world explores a new world

Space Travel: Stories about traveling through space or exploring other planets

Team Tolkien

Secondary World Fantasy: Stories that takes place in an imaginary realm that’s completely separate from our world

Time Travel: Stories exploring travel through time

Team Chesterton

Intrusive Fantasy: Stories where the fantastical elements intrude into the real world

Earth Travel: Science fiction or fantasy stories that feature any kind of land, sea, air, or underground travel on a past, present, future or alternate Earth

These teams will be assigned at random on October 1st, 2023. Writers are then encouraged to write a story before the deadline on October 21st.

The Themes

To add a Christian flavor to the event, writers are asked to use at least one of seven Christian themes from the list below somewhere within their stories. This year's themes feature the seven traditional spiritual acts of mercy which Christians are called to perform. Writers may use these themes to inspire any element of their story that they choose.

The seven themes writers may choose from are:

Admonish the sinner

Instruct the ignorant

Counsel the doubtful

Comfort the sorrowful

Bear wrongs patiently

Forgive all injuries

Pray for the living and the dead

Joining the Challenge

Writers who wish to join this year's Inklings Challenge must sign up before teams are assigned on October 1, 2024 by contacting this blog and signing up in one of the following ways:

Reply to this announcement post

Send a direct message to this blog

Leave an ask in this blog's inbox

This blog will reply to all writers who express interest once they are added to this year's participation list. A list of participants will be posted early in September and updated periodically through the month, so participants can make sure their usernames are included if they want to join the challenge, or can contact the blog to remove their username if they no longer wish to participate.

All tumblr users who are on the list on October 1st, 2024 will be assigned to one of the three Inklings Challenge teams on that date.

Posting the Stories

Completed stories can be posted to a tumblr blog anytime after the categories are assigned on October 1st. Writers are encouraged to post their stories–whether finished or incomplete–before the deadline on October 21st, but they can post their stories, or the remainders of unfinished stories, after that date.

All stories will be reblogged and archived on the main Inklings Challenge blog. To assist with organization, writers should tag their posts as follows:

Mention the main Challenge blog @inklings-challenge somewhere within the body of the post (which will hopefully alert the Challenge blog).

Tag the story #inklingschallenge, to ensure it shows up in the Challenge tag, and make it more likely that the Challenge blog will find it.

Tag the team that the author is writing for: #team lewis, #team tolkien, or #team chesterton. 

Tag the genre the story falls under: #genre: portal fantasy, #genre: space travel, #genre: secondary world, #genre: time travel, #genre: intrusive fantasy, #genre: earth travel

Tag any themes that were used within the story: #theme: admonish, #theme: instruct, #theme: counsel, #theme: comfort, #theme: patience, #theme: forgive, #theme: pray

Tag the completion status of the story: #story: complete or #story: unfinished

And that’s the Inklings Challenge! Any questions, comments or concerns that aren’t covered there can be sent to this blog, and I’ll do my best to answer them.

[myrquez]

In Motogp there’s so much money involved, performance anxiety dominates and builds up barriers. Everyone retreats into their own pack, nothing is done together anymore. And I just adapt to it, according to the theory that it’s better to be alone than to be in a group full of fake smiles. But relationships among athletes aren’t only the ones made via some direct, classic form of communication. In sport you can actually enter into communication with someone through other ways that are more mediated but, in some cases, even more profound. With Márquez, for example, we aren’t technically friends. We think highly of each other, we respect each other, we smile to each other when one sees the other one, over the past year he’s been very fair to me, often defining me as an ideal opponent. I think it’s because he knows that I can race him very hard, but always within the rules. Which is, even if for many may not seem like it, exactly the same thing he always did while racing against me. Marc may look crazy, but he actually stands out from clichés and defies physics laws in good conscience. Unlike other riders — those reckless ones with no sense of limit, who after a crash often say “I don’t know why I crashed” — Márquez knows very well why he crashes. He often precisely crashes on purpose, just to explore that limit. He does some experiments first, then goes on to elaborate his theory. In a way, he’s an empiricist exactly like my dad was, when he purposely kept taking more and more steps forward on the track to teach me how and where to brake. It’s just that in this case, it’s the rider that does it. I like Marc. And I interpreted our famous duels in 2017 as a means to get to know each other better. In Austria and Japan we indeed were extreme, but not crazy. Adventures-seekers who like to push themselves to the limit, but not insane and neither unfair to each other […] Deep down, he isn’t irresponsible, even if he often looks for some maneuvers that have no rhyme or reason. Theoretically, and practically, they don’t make any sense. Yet I never get angry about it, not even that time in Zeltweg when it looked like I told him to fuck off. It surprises me, instead, to see what he tried to do to get a win, something like “I can’t believe it”, an amazed curiosity to see how he tried to move into this uncharted territory, the same one where, thanks to him, I consequently went into as the well. And it’s so cool. As if we both dug together a whole new vein of gold: we won’t share the prize, of course, because to keep the gold is my goal, but we still dug through it together as if we were pioneers. And this indeed does create a bond, whatever is it.

And it’s even more incredible because I exactly know what Marc is going to do in that last turn in Zeltweg. Theoretically, he doesn’t have any more weapons to attack me: at this point his Honda has less traction, worn-out tyres, less power; generally speaking, Honda is less suited to this track than Ducati. And yet he got this far, in the end […] I well know that to have Marc right behind you while going through the last corner is way too much of a problem, the worst thing it could happen to you: he’s going to try it anyway anywhere. So I’ll be there, waiting for him […] Even if we’re going at 200 km/h, I can feel upon my skin how meters get marked bit by bit. One after another. I force myself to focus on his engine’s sound to understand when and where he will attack. And when the noise is there, almost unbearable, I brake hard and leave him a bit of space on the inside line, to force him to exaggerate a bit and then overtake him in acceleration. It’s almost as if I just accepted his invite, just to deceive him later. It might look like it’s just a technical challenge, or a stunt one, but it’s actually about mind games, an hand in glove tied relationship in which our minds get connected. As in bull and bullfighter kind of way. Or, in a I know that you know that I know kind of way. To get a win in this way is a much more difficult thing to achieve, but it is much more cooler as well. When Marc gets on the inside Iine I just know that I made it, because he’s a champion, but he cannot overcome the laws of psychic. My plan gets fulfilled and the dissolving noise of his bike as he goes wide resonates with liberation. That’s when I make that gesture, automatically. Fuck off, you just got played! Real subtitle is: what did you make me do, you bastard? It’s my third win this year. It’s now clear that I am the one challenging Márquez for the title. But to me this doesn’t matter. Like it doesn’t matter that much how I just won against the one who is recognized as the hand-to-hand duels master […] What matters most is that this race has been a way to get to know each other better. Márquez, with his usual Joker smile, confesses that if he hadn’t tried to surpass me he wouldn’t have slept at all that night. That’s what perfectly defines what he is: as long as he is breathing, he will try to pass you even if he had to go through a wall.

In Motegi it isn’t that different. Here, as well, Márquez is struggling a bit more than me, but I am sure he is going to try it in the last corner. Why shouldn’t he? We’ve been “beating” each other as if there was no tomorrow for the last six laps, in some apocalyptic conditions: heavy rain, curling-like grip, no visibility at all […] Ten minutes ago I wouldn’t have thought we’d get to this point, but as soon as Márquez did a little mistake I got back on track and now we’re here, us again. Ehi, Marc, how are you doing? Our connection in Zeltweg has been restored on the other side of the world. It’s now clear that everything that is going to happen now would not be possible without the other’s collaboration. Like two alpinists in a rope team, we will get ‘till the last meter together. We overtake and we get overtaken. We give and we take. We sting like bees, fly like butterflies, and more than anything we hit like blacksmiths. At Turn 10, I change my trajectory: I’ve been studying Marc for quite a lot from behind and now I imitate him, going a bit wider. This allows me to get into Turn 11 very fast, ready for my strong suit: braking. That’s how I easily overtake him. The Ducati is very stable, everything is under control. I’d be sure to get a win at that point but an alarm goes off in my mind: I won’t give it to you this easily. Exactly. Last corner is on the right. Giving my position it’s obvious that there isn’t any physical space to get on the inside, but imagine if he does really give a damn. When I’m about to lean into the Turn, Marc abruptly arrives out of nowhere as gracefully as Hulk in a china shop. It’s not even a dirty try, more like a circus number: his engine’s noise getting closer echoes into my helmet like the drum rolls that comes just before a trapeze artist jumps. Ladies and gentlemen, Marc Márquez! Where the fuck do you want to go? You’re still sitting straight, I’m already leaning: don’t you see that we’re touching? I don’t know how, but I keep the bike in control. I suspend my maneuver for a millisecond, just enough to let him slide on the outside as I go on riding through the apex. At that point he’s way too wide, he pulls half of a miracle by leaning all on the right to keep his bike on track but has no margin for anything else. Farewell, bye, goodbye. I win today. Again. After the finish line, we stop near the track side by side. Our gloves touch. Contact. Knowledge of the other has deepened. Relationship was preserved. Despite everything, no one cut the rope and we got to the mountaintop together. It’s an awesome feeling. That’s exactly the sport that I would always like. Especially because I won. On TV I eventually admit that to win against Márquez in what he does best really excites me: this is the boost that I need for the climb to the championship, at only 11 points from the lead. Marc showers me with compliments and says that it’s awesome to battle with me for the title, the living proof that professionalism and hard work pay off. He calls me a good guy as well, and I forgive him. Actually, no. Why should I be ashamed [of being a good guy]? To pretend to be a bad guy is something that everybody can do. To actually be one when it’s needed, and to do it with a certain style, it’s something for the few.

— andrea dovizioso talking about his relationship and his duels with marc márquez in asfalto (2018)

[11rosebunny]

Hi!! How are you:)? I hope you're doing okay! Can i request wind breaker boys (BOFURIN) with a crush that is super sweet (the sweetest in the town) who's also shy? + super oblivious and stupid when the topic is about romance? :3?

Character with dense!reader (BOFURIN)

Haruka Sakura

Whenever you would say fairly stupid things, you didn't understand why he would get all red and quiet out of nowhere. He is aware of your air-headed skull and tries to help you exist in general, but when you're saying things about how cute he is, you end up standing there with question marks clouding your head when he starts to childishly insult you.

He always claims it's a drag whenever he has to look out for you in case you end up setting a car on fire, but something that he was able to figure out is the only time you end up getting embarrassed is if romance is ever brought up.

The little moments when you realize the space between you and him is closing up a little too fast for your liking makes you start stuttering, asking him what he wants, and the way your eyes flicker everywhere in the room made him surprise that you were equally as awkward as him. He doesn't take advantage of the fact that when you're shy, but there is a part of him where he finds that side of you to be cute.

Hajime Umemiya

He thinks you're adorable.

The first time he met you, he didn't actually think you were serious about your rambles whenever you opened your mouth and said something diabolical and went about your day. However, when he realized it wasn't a joke, it took him a few days to understand that everything you've said, you meant it with 100% honesty.

You never understand any hints that people drop, and he is usually the one to break it down for you; otherwise, if it was another person, they may or may not have mauled you in the face for having to repeat themselves four times already. Hajime knows how to be patient, and it's very rare where he gets upset at your stupidity.

Aside from looking out for you, one thing that intrigues him is the way your behavior only changes when you find yourself trapped in a heated situation. It was a complete accident when he made you blush the first time; he was keeping you close to his body in a secluded area and told you to keep quiet. The moment he released you, he was shocked to see how you couldn't look him in the eye, the way your body grew hotter, and the way you refrained from speaking for a specific amount of time.

He found it odd that you got shy around him if all people. He doesn't try to make anyone nervous by any means, but the way you looked and the way you fell apart in his hands, he thinks about that from time to time and has intrusive thoughts to see you like that again.

Toma Hiragi

He wants to kill you. The majority of his time spent with you, he does enjoy your presence with him and the way you make him feel whenever you're spending time with each other. Despite those times, the other half spent is him growing white hairs because of your irrational decision making.

He doesn't mind seeing you mess up every once in a while; sometimes, he does that on purpose so you end up learning from your mistakes and afterwards helps you.

He still jokes around and treats you almost the same way he treats his closest friends (Umemiya), but even so, he has to set limitations to you because you somehow ended up being denser than his best friend.

It took him a while to notice that the only time your mood would shift was whenever something made you shy. He didn't notice it due to it mostly being out in public together, and he ends up rushing you to hurry up and follow him. But one day, when you went over to his house for the first time and you watched him take off his leather jacket revealing his well-defined back, began to remove his silver rings and lazily place them down on his desk, and cracked his neck to scavenge through his drawers to find you a shirt to wear somehow made you grow nervous.

You sat on your bed awkwardly watching him reach out one of his shirts that seemed way too oversized for your body, and when he called out your name, he noticed the way you jumped at him with wide eyes and blush covering your cheeks. He was a bit curious as to why you were so on edge all of a sudden until he came to terms it was generally because of him.

He kept it a secret from you that he knew he could make you nervous, and since then, he's sometimes used that as an advantage to make you listen to him...

Mitsuki Kiryu

A terrible influence. It's not that he influences you to take life risks, but he does influence you to continue with your stupid decision-making. He purely does it for a part of his entertainment but will also go out of his way if he thinks it's a bit too far and dangerous.

He's found mobile games as an outlet to put his boredom, however once he found you, there was a slight decrease in his screentime when you two started to grow close. Eventually, his screentime lowered drastically when you became the closest person in his life.

He wasn't aware of a specific trait of yours of growing shy whenever romance popped up. You two left a fast-food restaurant after grabbing a quick bite and walked down the street with drinks in your hand as you continued talking with him. After walking for a bit, two unfamiliar girls came up to the both of you and asked for his number.

During that moment, you stood there awkwardly as you watched him blink at the two girls you didn't recognize. If you were being honest, a tint of an unknown feeling lingered in your gut when you saw him smile at them. However, before giving him his number, he shot a glance at you making you widen your eyes when he caught you staring. You immediately looked away and even twisted your body slightly, moved away from him. In that moment, he couldn't care less about those girls in front of him because as soon as he saw you change moods for the first time, he worried if he had upset you.

Afterward, he understands that you were just shy since you weren't very fond of romance, but when he gains that piece of information about you, he doesn't know if he should abuse that power or not to see if you'd crumble in his hands if he ever made a move on you.

Hayato Suo

Surprisingly, he handles you very well. Hayato is known to look out for others while maintaining a devious side of his that he likes to reveal every once in a while (or more than). He oddly knows how to handle chaotic people better, rather than nonchalant individuals.

He genuinely enjoys spending time with you, even if you'd probably end up going to jail one way or another, he still steps in for you whenever you go a little too far. If it weren't for him, you'd probably be homeless living under a cardboard box.

He lets you do whatever you please, but he will stop you the moment he senses something will go wrong, even before you think of that decision. He somehow can pinpoint the things you think before you get to say them.

He doesn't exactly know you get shy whenever something romantic comes up until you ended up watching a romance film with him at his house. He invited you over for a hangout, and you two decided to watch a Chinese drama because he wanted to learn the language better by not reading the Japanese subtitles. He ended up putting it on anyway so you could at least enjoy the movie too.

It was late at night, and he noticed after thirty minutes into the movie, you stopped speaking and eventually grew quiet. Something he wasn't used to. So when he takes a glance at what you're doing, he scans the way your face almost seemed lost and sweaty, and the way your breathing went rugged, making your chest fall up and down quicker than usual. He paused the movie and asked if you were okay and turned on the switch when he noticed you were even redder in better lighting.

Ever since then, he's quickly learned that your mood only changed if something falls into the category of romance. He doesn't go out of his way to embarrass you over that, but he does keep it in mind and he's found out he can use that tactic as a way to get you to listen to him better.

[rosemariiaa]

~Lines We Drew~

part: 3

pairing- Paige x Azzi

a/n: this is pretty long so take your time! other than that, read away babe

warning: language, just 2 confused babies

Enjoy!!!

Practice today had been grueling, with the team pushing themselves to the limit since it’s almost time for the season to start. It felt like every drill was designed to test their endurance, and by the time they hit their water break, everyone was more than ready for a break. As they all gathered around the cooler, gulping down their water, Nika grinned mischievously, looking around at the sweaty, exhausted faces.

“Y’all trying to hit the bar tonight or what?” Nika said, wiping her face with a towel. “We haven’t been there in forever.” She said exaggerating. Ice chuckled, leaning against the bench. “Hell yeah, I’m down. We need a break from all this. Plus, it’s been too long since we’ve gone out, I need to get off campus for a minute.”

The rest of the team quickly voiced their agreement, tired smiles spreading across their faces. It didn’t take much convincing—everyone needed a night out.

Paige was quiet as she listened, her gaze flickering to Azzi, who was standing a few feet away, stretching. For a second, Paige’s thoughts drifted to how Azzi’s top clung to her back, highlighting the defined muscles she had developed over the years. She quickly shook the thought away, pretending to be focused on her water bottle instead. She wasn’t sure why Azzi still managed to take up so much space in her head after all this time, but it was becoming harder to ignore.

Azzi caught the tail end of Nika’s suggestion and nodded along with the rest of the team. She could use the distraction, too. Maybe a night out would help with the tension that had been building between her and Paige for weeks. And maybe… just maybe, they could start fixing whatever the hell was going on between them.

Later that night, all the girls hurried to their apartments to get ready. Azzi stood in front of Caroline’s mirror, pulling out a few pieces of curls and adjusting her black cropped top, leaving a few buttons undone for a more relaxed look. Her low-waisted cargo pants sat comfortably on her hips, her new heart shaped belly button ring glistening in the air, and she couldn’t help but feel a little more confident tonight.

“You look hot and i mean hot Az, planning on taking someone home tonight?” Caroline teased, leaning back on her bed. Azzi rolled her eyes but couldn’t help smiling. “It’s just a night out, nothing special and no, no one is coming here tonight.” Azzi chuckled.

Caroline raised an eyebrow. “Sure, Azzi. Just remember who’s gonna be watching you the most.”Azzi’s stomach flipped at the unspoken name. Paige. It was hard not to think about her, especially with all the tension between them lately. Something about tonight felt different, though. She could feel it in the air, like something was about to shift.

At the bar, the team settled in around a large table, drinks and laughter flowing easily. Azzi tried her best to relax and focus on the drink infront of her, but she couldn’t stop her eyes from wandering to Paige. Paige, dressed in a white crop top and low-rise jeans with a black cover-up, looked more effortlessly beautiful than ever. Azzi had caught Paige staring at her earlier, but now Paige was doing her best to look anywhere but at her.

It wasn’t long before Laila showed up, her usual bubbly energy filling the space. She immediately gravitated toward Azzi, pulling her into a hug and striking up a conversation. Azzi laughed along, though her attention was divided. Paige was unusually quiet, and when Azzi glanced her way, she noticed the cold glare Paige was shooting at Laila. It didn’t make sense, and yet somehow, it did. Paige had been acting weird around her for weeks now , and Azzi couldn’t figure out why.

———-

Paige’s POV

I couldn’t help it. I kept looking at her. The way Azzi was smiling with Laila, her laugh filling the space between them—it drove me crazy. And not in the way it should. I don’t even know why I was mad. Maybe because every time I looked at her, I remembered the past, and all the stupid unresolved stuff that came with it. But mostly, it was just because she got under my skin without even trying.

And that drive to the bar? That didn’t help either. Being squished against her in Nika’s car, accidentally putting my hand on her thigh when Nika hit the brakes hard —it was all too much. My pulse had quickened, and I couldn’t focus on anything else the rest of the night.

Azzi’s eyes had flicked over to me a few times since then, probably wondering why the hell I was being so weird. But I wasn’t ready to deal with that. Not tonight. Not when everything felt so confusing.

After Laila finally left, and the drinks started slowing down, we all headed back to my apartment. I pretended I wasn’t hyper-aware of Azzi falling asleep on the couch, but of course, I noticed. I noticed everything about her. It was driving me insane, and I didn’t know how much longer I could keep pretending it didn’t.

Eventually, everyone else headed out or crashed, leaving just me and Azzi. I couldn’t sleep. My mind was racing, filled with thoughts I didn’t want to deal with. So I found myself in the kitchen, snacking, trying to clear my head.

Of course, she showed up not long after. Azzi, looking groggy but still somehow perfect, came in for a glass of water.

“Couldn’t sleep?” I asked, trying to sound casual, even though my pulse was speeding up again. “Nope,” she said, her voice soft, the tiredness lacing her words. “You?”

“Same.”

Silence settled between us for a moment. It wasn’t uncomfortable, though. More like… a truce.

Azzi broke it first. “Practice was brutal today, huh?” I felt a small smile tug at the corner of my mouth. She was trying. Maybe this was her way of breaking the ice.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “How’s it going for you so far?”

Azzi seemed taken aback by the question, like she hadn’t expected me to care. “It’s good. I mean, you’re kind of a pain in the ass, but I can handle it.”

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding and laughed a little. “Yeah, about that. I guess I haven’t made things easy for you.” Azzi shrugged. “No, you haven’t. But I get it. It’s whatever.”

That stung a bit, but I knew I deserved it.

“Look, Azzi… I’m sorry.” The words felt foreign, heavy on my tongue, but I meant them. I hadn’t planned on apologizing tonight, but there it was—finally out in the open.

Azzi raised her eyebrows, her surprise clear. “Wait, did Paige Bueckers just apologize to me?” I rolled my eyes, though I couldn’t help the slight smirk tugging at my lips. “Don’t push it, Fudd.”

Azzi laughed, the sound light and infectious, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I felt like maybe we were okay. Or at least we could be.

“So… truce?” I offered, holding out my hand.

She looked at my hand, then back at me with a teasing grin. “You sure you’re not gonna take it back tomorrow at practice?” I shrugged, smirking. “No promises, but… I’ll try.” Azzi’s smile softened, and she took my hand, her grip warm and firm. God her hands were so soft. “Truce.”

For a moment, we just stood there, our hands lingering longer than necessary. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from hers. There was something in her gaze, something that made it impossible to look away.

But then she pulled back, breaking the spell. “Alright, goodnight, Paige.” “Goodnight,” I echoed, watching as she made her way back to the couch.

She disappeared into the darkness of the living room, leaving me standing there in the kitchen, alone with my thoughts. I stood there for a moment thinking, thinking about how I could never tell Azzi the real reason why I’ve been acting this way. The real reason I’d been so messed up around her.

———-

Azzi’s POV

As I settled back onto the couch, I couldn’t help but feel a weird sense of relief. That tension between me and Paige—it was finally starting to unravel. For weeks, I’d been trying to figure out what her problem was with me, why she’d been acting so cold and distant. And now, with her apology still ringing in my ears, I felt like maybe we were starting to get somewhere.

The kitchen light was still on, casting a faint glow into the living room. I could see Paige’s silhouette as she stood there, probably thinking about God knows what. For all her bravado on the court, Paige could be pretty hard to read off of it. But tonight had been different. She’d let her guard down, even if just a little.

I smiled to myself, remembering the way she’d tensed up in Nika’s car when our thighs touched. Paige had tried to play it off like nothing, but I’d felt it too—that spark, that heat. It was confusing as hell, but it was there, undeniable.

My mind drifted back to practice earlier that day. The arguments between us had simmered down, sure, but there was still something simmering beneath the surface. Every time we locked eyes, every time she shot some sarcastic comment my way, I couldn’t help but feel like there was more to it. Like maybe this wasn’t just about basketball, or competition, or whatever stupid rivalry we’d built up over the years.

Maybe it was about something else entirely.

I shifted on the couch, staring up at the ceiling, wondering if Paige was thinking the same thing.

———-

Paige leaned against the counter in the kitchen, her snack forgotten as her thoughts spiraled back in time. Her mind drifted to a flashback, to the days when everything between her and Azzi was simpler—or at least it seemed that way.

———-

Flashback Time

USA Basketball, 2017

Paige had been ecstatic when her and Azzi both made the team. They had just met a few weeks ago and already became good “friends”. Azzi was quieter back then, more reserved, but her skills on the court were undeniable. There was something about her—maybe the way she moved, or the way she could drain threes like it was nothing—that had drawn Paige to her instantly.

For a while, they were friends. Or at least Paige thought they were. They’d spent hours talking, joking around, building something that felt real. Next few days, one day in particular. It was Paige’s birthday but she still decided to go to practice, just to see Azzi and that dimpled smile of hers. Paige arriving at the gym couldn’t seem to find the brunette, she asked her coach and what she said left Paige heartbroken. Azzi was gone, out of nowhere. No warning. No goodbye. Just….gone.

It had crushed Paige. She remembered how angry she’d been, not just because Azzi left, especially on her birthday, but because she hadn’t said anything. They were supposed to be friends. Weren’t they? But Azzi had packed up and left without a word, and Paige had been left to wonder if their friendship had even meant anything to her.

AAU, 2019

Walking in the gym, getting ready for the competition, Paige starts stretching , eyes wandering around the room and then she stops. Frozen, seeing Azzi for the first time again at an AAU tournament had been like a punch to the gut. She had changed—grown taller, stronger, her dark curls longer and more defined. Paige couldn’t believe it. The girl she had known was gone, replaced by this version of Azzi that felt both familiar and completely foreign.

She stares as Azzi turns her head and they lock eyes across the gym, and for a second, Paige had thought maybe things would be okay. Maybe they could pick up where they left off. But then Azzi smiled—just a small, tentative smile—and waved.

And Paige had walked away.

The anger had flared up again, the old wounds reopening. How could she just expect things to be okay after leaving like that? After not even bothering to say goodbye?

———-

Present Day

Paige shook herself out of her thoughts. She had been standing in the kitchen long enough, and it was getting late. She glanced over at the couch, where Azzi was sleeping peacefully, her chest rising and falling with each breath.

Something in Paige’s chest tightened. She didn’t want to admit it—not even to herself—but the truth was, she missed what they had. Or what they could’ve had. And maybe, just maybe, she wanted it back.

Paige sighed, running a hand through her hair. She turned off the kitchen light and made her way to her room, but not before taking one last look at Azzi. She stood in the doorway for a moment, watching her sleep, and for a brief second, she let herself imagine what it would be like if Azzi were in her bed with her, curled up under the blankets, close enough to touch.

She shook the thought away. There was no way Azzi felt the same.

Slipping under her covers, Paige closed her eyes and whispered into the quiet room, “You’ll know one day, Az… not today… not tomorrow… maybe not even until college is over.” She let out a soft laugh. “But one day…”

And with that, she drifted off to sleep, her thoughts still lingering on the girl sleeping just outside her door.

[buffkitties]

Idk, even if there's a systemic ultimate/non-ultimate oppression axis outside of the game Komaeda wasn't just pointing out people's privilege, he was parroting the ideology at its highest extreme himself. An irl equivalent would be something like a gay person with severe internalised homophobia constantly expressing those ideas and trying to help a random straight person win the game, not someone talking about systemic homophobia and getting bad reactions for it.

The rest of them had zero autonomy over the killing game outside of- from their perspective- whether or not to go with Komaeda's idea to sacrifice everyone else to get one single ultimate out of the game, or to try to keep as many people alive as possible for as long as possible in case someone rescued them or they found a way to escape.

The former's insane to jump to at the very start of the game, knowing nothing about their broader situation, but Komaeda tried to force it immediately without discussing it with the group. He became partially responsible for Imposter's death in the process, justified it with rhetoric that reduced them to their Ultimate status and treated their lives as interchangeable, and repeatedly expressed intent to do it again afterwards.

On a meta level I hate how DR handles mentally unwell characters, Komaeda included, and I'll die on the hill of him being fundamentally good, but imo the others' ostracisation of him was completely understandable and not just avoidance of an uncomfortable topic. He wasn't the only character to cause problems, but he was a continuous threat that didn't show any intention of changing after the case he was involved in. And the cast were high schoolers with no expertise in mental health.

I finally have the mental capacity to respond, so here's the first thing: I don't know where you got me saying the privilege thing from since I've been saying this whole time that Komaeda makes them hyperaware of their privilege the way he talks rather than just mentioning an uncomfortable topic

Additionally, I think the gay/homophobia comparison in this case is a wrong example, especially since it wasn't taught to him, nor does he have anything internalised. A better example would be how religious trauma victims are born into a severely corrupt space and turn to cling to the only thing they know, while not exactly even believing it themselves.

I make the religious comparison a lot.

My original post was referring to the way Komaeda repeats things more directly and how he keeps to strict rules, including the toxic pedestal that society puts the talented on. While he does repeat them, that is because he clings onto the only ideals that he knows because they are the only things he could actually learn. Being a person who had to raise himself and distanced himself from people, only having access to media and probably limited human contact, he was merely observing. As a person who is a victim of talent and one who had to be observant of his surroundings and the people around him from a young age, he definitely noticed how worthless people are treated, and that the talented are superior in some way.

And while he doesn't believe in those himself, which is obvious by the fact that he is one of the only characters to see past talent and see the person—for example, Hinata in sdr2, who he definitely suspected had no talent, even in the prologue. Komaeda is perceptive, and there was no mention of memory loss at the moment, so the fact that Hinata did not remember his talent, a thing that mattered greatly in their society, and that defined him, told him all he needed to know. And even if you ignore that fact, he didn't know Hinata's talent (or lack thereof), yet he still treated him like everyone else, or better. But he implies through the entire game that he knows, even outside the free times, with things like comments about relating to Hinata and feeling the closest to him, etc. Yet, he believed in him, trusted him. He loved him. He believed he was worthy of the same things as everyone else. Or the others, and how he doesn't tolerate bullshit from them, and expresses distate for a lot of their actions and even interests, like he would towards anyone else.

And which is also obvious by the way he talks about them, with clear exaggeration and like he's using terms he doesn't even know the weight of, or like he's trying too hard.

He does that by speaking to them like he thinks he's supposed to.

I still stand by my word that he doesn't put them on a toxic pedestal because, to me, it seems like the opposite. It feels more like he's trying to be respectful because he believes that is how things are, and the hyperawareness of their social issues makes him act the only way he knows how toward people who are great compared to him. The only way it becomes toxic is because it has always been harmful and biased. And that's what I've been saying the whole time. Because people reduce this fact only to Komaeda and act like he invented the whole thing.

Moreover, I still believe that Komaeda was getting more frustrated/impatient with each chapter because everyone kept avoiding the truth and turning back to the same mindset and wanted to stop the killings, which was a meaningless situation for him. The way he talked about it seemed to prove it, especially with the "next time I'd appreciate it if you just talked to me and killed me" stuff.

While the others had no control over the killing game and their discomfort around Komaeda was understandable to some extent, his overall treatment is not okay.

They barely treat him like a person, and it's just pathetic that they hold so much hatred for him but then forgive the actual murderers. And yeah, they can feel uncomfortable. That's understandable. But they way they treat him? No, it's not. That's not justifiable, nor normal. To go as far as letting him starve? To constantly insult him? To act like he's not even a person? To treat him like he would be better off dead? To only consider him nothing but a bother? That's not okay. Avoiding him? Sure, I would understand that. It's a killing game, and the fact that they would go to the extremes is also understandable, but it goes beyond just the killing game, doesn't it? While I don't care for DR3 because it's horrible, I was talking about how people basically praise the cast for treating Komaeda like shit, and that includes that awful anime.

It was mostly aimed at how the fandom sees it and stuff

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Do you think it's okay for me to write for TWST even though I don't play the game?

Personally, I don’t think anyone ever “needs” to play a game in order to enjoy it and create for it. Sometimes you can just observe art from a distance and appreciate it, or you like hearing about how it brings joy to people you know. Maybe you like the aesthetic of it but can’t really see yourself getting heavily involved with it. Perhaps you don’t like gacha games so you can’t be motivated to engage with the mechanics. There are many possible avenues.

In the case of a game like Twisted Wonderland, there may be accessibility reasons why you don’t play since the game is only in English and Japanese—and even then, maybe your country doesn’t have a server to host it. In fact, I know there are many people who are TWST fans yet only read translations or watch videos about it without having played the game themselves. Maybe they found the manga or the light novel first. Whenever the anime comes out, people might discover TWST through that. We have to consider these aspects and be more open-minded about what constitutes as a “fan” rather than gatekeeping the label of “fan” to only those who play tie game for no discernible reason. What defines someone as a fan or not isn’t the labels other people put on you—you are the one that decides what you want to label yourself, and whether you are a fan or not.

I believe that also extends to content creation in fandom spaces. No one’s stopping you from making fan art or writing fanfic (or whatever it may be) just because you don’t play the game, and nor should you need anyone’s thumbs-up to do so. When you think that you do, you’re only imposing an arbitrary limit and holding yourself back. You have to be confident in deciding what you want to make without worrying how others might perceive you for it.

Now, that being said 💦 I don’t mean to scold anyone for asking me questions, but I feel that I again need to stress this: I am an internet stranger. My opinion or approval/disapproval shouldn’t hold any more weight than the next person’s. You should not put too much value in the advice of an internet stranger either. You shouldn’t care whether or not I think something is okay for you to do. The only person who can give you “permission” is you!

I understand that maybe people may feel uncertain about themselves or are looking for reassurance from a third party, but I do not feel I am the right place to go to for these kinds of things. Even though I answer in earnest, questions of this nature make me feel like I’m being put on the spot and pressured to provide timely comfort.

I don’t feel comfortable continuously being asked for very personalized advice like this; asks like this push on the boundary and start getting into uncomfortable territory for me. I’m here to talk about Disney anime pretty boys. I’m not here to be a fandom counselor 😅 Does that make sense?

This isn’t the only time I’ve received asks of this nature, nor is it the only time I’ve had to give a public warning about this. Please be mindful and respect the boundaries I have set.

[covn]

Tree of Void Emanation

The void of non-being emanates existence through a generative process and pattern which produces systems of increasing complexity and representative power. At the twelfth emanation we reach what is likely a limit of usefulness in balance with complexity.

Each emanation builds contains and is connected to the previous emanations. The term “sphere” is used as is common in platonic and qabalistic systems as an to reference the formative principles of each emanation. The term “path” describes the connections between the spheres.

Each sphere is counted in two ways, once by sequence starting from zero and again by prime number starting from one. Zero and one represent the identity functions of addition and multiplication. Each subsequent is then given its own sigil which is produced from merging the numeric sigils of its sequence and prime. The pronunciations of the spheres are similarly generated by combining the pronunciations of these numbers.

From this numeric skeleton the story of manifestation is developed upon it both as structured metaphor and ontological framework. Exploration of this framework reveals formulas and techniques for relating to and manipulating reality through the arts of magick.

Chaos 0⋮1 - nĕsh-hĭn - /nɛʃ.hɪn/

Existence emerges spontaneously and without reason from Void. Existence requires no reason. As the Void has no quality whatsoever it is in no way restricted making it the root generative force. This is the fundamental nature of existence. It is spontaneous and without purpose or design. All possibilities assert themselves into being at once, each becoming a “one”, a unity of existence unto itself while retaining nothing in itself.

Process 1⋮2 - hĕzh-ēsh - /hɛʒ.iʃ/

That which asserts itself into being does not exhaust possibility. Every aspect of being is incomplete, retaining its relation to void while constraining and permitting that which may follow. Each emmanation leaves space for the next emmanation so that the process may continue. All connection is made possible by what is left undetermined and reality is never fully manifest.

Pattern 2⋮3 - ēs-ŭzh - /is.ʌʒ/

As the process of manifestation proceeds the shape of the unmanifest spaces influences that which may follow. This causes patterns to arise that unify the discrete units of being. Though each is completely free and separate, they are also manifest as a unified pattern. It is precisely because of incompleteness that these units are able to also become a new unity.

Form 3⋮5 - ŭm-o͞os - /ʌm.us/

Within pattern there emerge forms defined by the pattern and yet independent within it. For example, 5 & 7 are a twin prime pair as they are both prime with a difference of 2. Other twin primes pairs include 11 & 13, 17 & 19, 29 & 31. All prime pairs greater than 3 & 5 have the property of having their sum being evenly divisible by 12. This form of a “prime pair” is well known in mathematics but primeness, divisibility, and addition were not in any way defined in order to produce this form. Number emanates the form of the prime pair. Likewise we may take nearly any game and learn its rules rather quickly, but to learn a strategy is an entirely different matter. Games like Chess or Go give rise to whole vocabularies for naming forms within them. Though the rules teach us how to play, one must become familiar with these forms to play well.

Change 4⋮7 - ăou-chăz - /aʊ̯.t͡ʃæz/

Manifestation may stop at Form to make a complete but static world. The universe of number is a perfect example of static manifestation. Alternately manifestation may remain forever in flux, manifesting and collapsing back into the unmanifest. This gives rise to time and change. Further manifestation takes on a destructive aspect as forms that were can now also cease to be. We move up a level in our analysis to describe types of change and change itself becomes a new type of form. The mathematically inclined may find it useful to meditate on the relationship of a mathematical function and its derivative.

Self 5⋮11 - o͞or-fĕm - /uɹ.fɛm/

In the flow of change through time forms emerge which influence change in order to sustain themselves. These forms are agents of change. Like the first cellular organisms self-organizing around volcanic vents on the ocean floor in the chemical soup of the earth’s ancient oceans. The basic aspect of these agents is homeostasis. These agents direct change to create a dynamic constant. As these agents guide change we may now call this activity Will. In the fullness of emanation we come to identify one of these agents with the self.

Sense 6⋮13 - jŏth-tŏi - /d͡ʒɑθ.tɔɪ/

Agents may be blind actors, no more than a self-catalyzing reaction, or the agent may develop the capability of sensing and reacting to its environment. Sense is the essential element of the encounter of that which is beyond the self. It is the beginning of external self-organization that leads to external manifestation. It is an echo of Process yielded through the incompleteness of the agent.

Thought 7⋮17 - chō-kou - /t͡ʃoʊ.kaʊ̯/

If what is sensed leaves its mark upon the agent then we find the seed for the emergence of representational systems. The agent can now experience itself in time, forming memories, and gains the ability to not just change behavior based on current circumstance but also based on past learning. These internal marks can then be sensed and manipulated and so give rise to symbol, language, and communication.

Desire 8⋮19 - ät-thĕl - /ɑt.θɛl/

Having formed memory the agent now is able to experience the external as something to be sought after or avoided. Want and fear and all the aspects of emotional attachment emerge. Desire attaches the agent to the external and so opens a channel for the external to truly manifest. It is attachment to the world that makes the world. We regard this as a positive development, an overcoming of the limited solipsistic self through desire.

Object 9⋮23 - ĕ-pĕp - /ɛ.pɛp/

Through desire the agent manifests the objectively real. The external is truly manifest beyond whatever sense, thoughts, or desires the agent may hold regarding it, so completing the self-overcoming of the agent. The objective binds the agent while also making possible the emergence of the next level of agency within objective reality. The agent has surrendered its naive omnipotence in its embrace of a new greater level of being in which it only has marginal and indirect power in exchange for a greater state of being.

Subject 10⋮29 - vŭ-sōb - /vʌ.soʊb/

The manifestation of objective reality allows the agent to itself become a manifest object. By surrendering itself into objectivity and becoming limited the agent is able to enter into a space where it can come into authentic contact with other agents manifest as other subjects. Each aspect of the agent obtains and is constrained by a physical correlation. For us humans, this is our brains. Every thought, sense element, and desire is within our brains and is lost to us with disruption of this fragile tissue.

Kia 11⋮31 - fĕ-shĕr - /fɛ.ʃɛɹ/

Kia is the void which remains within manifestation. In the twelfth tree all has manifested and yet Nothing remains. This Nothing is experienced as consciousness, free will, and ecstasy. More than that, Kia is the basis of having any experience whatsoever. All of the aspects of manifestation through the agent can carry on quite well without any conscious experience or free choice within it. In dreamless sleep and in normal waking when on auto-pilot Kia retreats. Kia manifests as the absurd, wonder, the presence of the undefined and unknown. Kia can arise in quiet contemplation, ecstatic overload, and in many ways that open the fundamental questions of being.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Character Sheet Template

Basic Information

Name (aliases, nicknames etc.): Explain the significance or origin of their name. Do they have a story behind a nickname?

Age: How does their age affect their worldview and behavior?

Gender: How do they identify and how does that shape their experiences?

Place of birth: How has their birthplace influenced their personality and opportunities?

Residence(s): Where have they lived, and where do they live now? What does their living space look like? Describe their present accommodations.

Ethnicity: How does their ethnic background influence their interactions and experiences?

Culture: What cultural values do they uphold? Have they faced any cultural conflicts?

Occupation(s) or specialties: What are the specific duties or skills in their job? How do they feel about their work?

Socioeconomic status: Has their economic background influenced their opportunities and personality? Has their status changed over time?

Appearance

Defining facial features: What do these features say about their character? How would a friend describe them? An enemy?

Height, build, body type: How do they feel about their physical appearance?

Mannerisms and gestures: How do they express themselves physically? Are these mannerisms a result of their background, or personal quirks?

Style: How does their style reflect their personality or status?

Dress: Do they dress differently for different occasions? How do they choose their clothes?

Accessories: Are there any accessories they never leave home without?

Other visual features: Do they have scars, tattoos, or other unique markers?

Personality

Defining traits: List of traits and attributes. What are the origins of these traits? Have they changed over time?

Personality type: MBTI, Enneagram, astrological sign, etc.

Archetype: Which common tropes do they exhibit?

Strengths and weaknesses: How do their strengths help them achieve goals? How do their weaknesses hinder them?

Flaws: How do their flaws affect their relationships and decisions?

Beliefs and spirituality: Do they believe in a higher power?

Morals and values: What events shaped their outlook on life?

Hopes and dreams: What steps are they taking towards these dreams? What obstacles stand in their way?

Skills: Which skills are they most proud of? Are there any skills they wish they had?

Interests or hobbies: How did they encounter their interests? How do others react to them?

Powers (if any): What are the limits and costs of their powers? How do they balance them with “normal” life?

Intimacy: How do they feel about physical intimacy? Emotional intimacy? Have they ever been in love?

Tastes and preferences: How do their preferences shape their daily choices?

Fears, phobias, or prejudices: How do they cope with their fears? Have they tried to overcome them?

Contradictions: How do they reconcile these contradictions, if at all?

Pet peeves: How do they react when annoyed?

Habits and quirks: Are their quirks known to others, or are they hidden?

Focus and obsessions: When did they acquire this focus? Do their obsessions cause problems or provide solutions?

Possessions of value: What sentimental items do they keep and why?

Health: Do they have any illnesses or conditions?

What they like about themselves: How do these positive aspects help them in difficult situations?

What they dislike about themselves: How do these negative aspects create internal conflict?

What they admire in others: What traits or worldviews do they consider positive? What makes them notice somebody?

What they dislike in others: What traits or worldviews rubs them the wrong way, and why?

Relationships

Family or guardians: How has their relationship with family members/caregivers shaped their personality?

Found family (if applicable): What binds them together?

Pets: What are their pet's personalities?

Friends: How did they meet these friends? What are their strongest memories together?

Allies and enemies: How did they gain allies and make enemies?

Past and current partners/love interests: Have they ever been in love? Describe any partners through the character’s eyes.

Mentors and confidants: How have these figures influenced their decisions and growth?

Heroes: Do they have idols, or someone to look up to? Which behaviors or traits influenced them the most?

Trust: How did they come to trust or distrust these individuals?

Background

Upbringing or parenting style: How did their childhood experiences shape their current behavior?

Formative memories: Which memories are most vivid for them, and why?

Education: How do they view their educational experiences? What subjects did they find fascinating, and which did they hate?

Major life events: How have these events redirected their path?

External experiences: Have any world events, conflicts or changes affected them?

Accomplishments: What achievements are they most proud of?

Failures: How have their failures impacted their self-esteem and future decisions?

Disappointments: How do they cope with disappointment? Have they learned from it?

Motivations

Goals: What short-term and long-term goals drive them?

What do they want?: How do their desires align with their goals?

How do they try to get it?: What strategies do they use to achieve their goals?

What happens if they do/don't succeed?: How do they handle success or failure?

Internal conflicts: What are their inner struggles and how do they manifest?

External conflicts: Who or what stands in their way, and how do they deal with these obstacles?

What are they trying to hide?: Why are they hiding this aspect of themselves? How would they manage its exposure?

How do they wish to be perceived?: How do they work towards this perception?

What are they proud of?: How does this pride influence their actions?

What are they ashamed of?: How does this shame affect their decisions and relationships?

What do they regret?: How do their regrets shape their present actions?

What is their legacy?: What impact do they hope to leave behind?

Communication Style

Language(s) spoken: How proficient are they in each language? Do they switch languages in different contexts?

Literacy: Are they good with words, or do they struggle to get their point across?

Accent: How does their accent influence others' perceptions of them?

Vocabulary and cadence: What unique speech patterns do they have?

Common turns of phrase or catchphrases: Are they funny, morose, profane, etc.? How do others respond to them?

Emotional range: How does their communication style change with their emotions?

Body language: What are their most noticeable non-verbal cues?

Visual cues or “tells”: How do others read their true feelings?

Style of humor: What type of humor do they prefer, and how do they use it in various interactions?

Emotional range

How do they display and react to...

Affection:

Joy:

Sadness:

Fear:

Surprise:

Anger:

Disappointment:

Praise:

Criticism:

Irritation:

Antagonism:

Attacks:

Sources: 1 2 3 4 Writing References: Plot ⚜ Character ⚜ Worldbuilding

[elysiansparadise]

Hello~~

I recently was going through your planet masterlist, specifically uranus, and I noticed you didn't have one for the 11th house.

So I was wondering if you could do a post on your thoughts on uranus in the 11th house?

Hello love! Sure, I can share my thoughts about this placement. 💙

Uranus in the 11th house

These natives are constantly thinking about the future, have a wide diversity of aspirations, and are very likely to be the kind of people with many different interests. These natives may find themselves constantly against those ideals rooted in the past, they are against concepts such as gender roles or the idea that if you are younger than someone you automatically have to respect and accept that they are right. From a very young age they work on developing their own criteria and mentality, it’s worth mentioning that they are people who do not easily get carried away by what their peers or people around them do. Ironically, they can even without realizing it be major influences on the lives of others and their lifestyles. They can become prominent and well-known either professionally or socially, so if they aspire to a career that involves contact with the public, it is likely that they will easily gain recognition. Although many of these people need their own space to enjoy their independence, they highly value friendship and give it a very important place in their lives. They are not the kind of people to desperately seek the company of others, but when they meet someone to call their friends, they are quite nice and encouraging towards them.

Since I mention the topic of friendship, here we find natives who will never try to exercise control over their friends, much less check what they do all the time. They are not consuming friends and enjoy watching their friends grow. In their social relationships, they are prudent and understanding. It is very likely that in environments such as school they could feel excluded, but this placement tells us about someone who can make friends both unexpectedly and in places or environments in which they did not imagine. Many of them are creative and inventive, their personality is authentic and they hate pretending to be someone they are not just to fit in. They can stand out for their way of thinking and their courage to speak their minds. They are very rational people while having a curious mind that loves to learn new things and different perspectives. They have a high amount of empathy and a strong sense of altruism, and it is not limited only to people they consider friends, as they like the idea of ​​helping people in need regardless of whether they know them or not. These people may have an interest in inventions, technology or electronic devices. Likewise, it is possible that they can forge very positive friendships on the internet. This placement increases the chances of success when it comes to working on things related to the internet.

Many of these people can easily introduce people to new ideas and concepts on a topic, they like to innovate when it comes to topics that they are passionate about. For many of them success is important, although they may have a different view of success compared to what other people see it as. Independence is a very important concept for them, they like to do things their own way and from a young age they will reject others placing expectations on them and, in turn, they will try to never expect things from people. They are not the type to want to change people, because if they don't want you as a friend they will only distance themselves from you. Once they define that they want you in their lives, they will appreciate you completely. Many of them probably take their time to open up emotionally to people, especially potential friends. This house also speaks of earnings through work; it is very likely that many of these natives aspire to jobs where they are their own bosses, jobs that are unusual or related to science, technology, or the internet. They may have diverse incomes, constantly change jobs or, if Uranus is making tense aspects, have somewhat unstable income.

-> Go back to the masterlist

[fans4wga]

Attention fandom: don't jump to conclusions about fans who might be scabbing. SAG-AFTRA guidelines aren't as clear as we might like yet.

Updated 5 August 2023: This post was made before SAG-AFTRA guidelines were further clarified. Please view this page on SAG-AFTRA's website about what constitutes an influencer. Influencers (both current and aspiring) should not do unpaid OR paid promo for studios. Fans/hobbyists who don't want to join SAG-AFTRA in the future are okay to keep posting about movies/shows.

Old post:

By now you might have seen these emails going around (tl;dr: a cosplayer emailed SAG-AFTRA for clarification about what fans can and can't do, which has mostly led to more confusion about if cosplaying/fanart/fanfic is scabbing or not.)

There's mixed messaging from the union right now, mostly surrounding what constitutes as an "influencer" or not, possibly because SAG-AFTRA just isn't familiar with fan spaces. (Is a cosplayer not making any money or ever partnering with studios an influencer? Is a Tumblr account with 1000 followers an influencer? It's not totally clear how they're defining promotion either.)

Yes, influencers should NOT promote struck work or work for studios right now, and we as fans should be careful about how we are interacting with publicity/marketing arms of the studios right now, because we want to fully support SAG-AFTRA and the WGA.

In the meantime, here are some general guidelines:

We don't fully know if fans/hobbyists who do not consider themselves influencers by any metric can still cosplay within SAG-AFTRA guidelines. Wait for a follow-up from the union about this.

Don't accuse people of scabbing unless it is EXTREMELY CLEAR from the WGA/SAG-AFTRA's rules that they are scabbing (scabbing = taking work from a union member)

Fanfic/fanart likely is NOT scabbing because it doesn't actively partner with studios for promotion/marketing and is not part of marketing/promotion

Do be careful about joining studio-led campaigns or social media posts that promote its products—it could be an attempt to get fans to do free marketing.

There is NO official call for a boycott; boycotting may actually harm the cause. WGA and SAG-AFTRA want you to continue your normal viewing habits to show how important their work is to audiences!

The point of SAG-AFTRA's guidelines is to limit the possibility of studios using influencers to replace celebrity/actor marketing and promotion. Don't take over a marketing role and it's not scabbing.

Remember that the real enemy is not fellow fans and working-class actors/writers who just want to have their livelihood intact and reasonably abide by the guidelines SAG-AFTRA is working to clarify. It is studios and CEOs we are fighting.

[sophie-frm-mars]

As someone who is poly, what is your perspective on emotional affairs? How do you navigate managing different relationships?

I think that the management of different relationships simultaneously is a lifelong practice that nobody will ever be perfect at and everyone will always need to learn new things. this requires patience, communication, patience, communication, patience and some more communication, and then probably a bit more patience and of course communication. As Catherine Angel observes in Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again, communicating our needs, desires and boundaries first requires that we understand what each of them are, and that's actually pretty fucking daunting. As Clementine Morrigan has pointed out, polyamorous people have to learn things about their attachment styles and the challenges of them just as much as monogamous people, and you don't get better at secure attachment without practice, so if you're poly you're probably going to spend some amount of time being insecurely attached to multiple people, probably in different ways. bell hooks says in All About Love that love is "the extension of ones self for the spiritual growth of yourself or someone else", and to that end love will always be as completely unique as human beings can be, and can't be perfectly analysed in terms and rules. Patience and communication.

You have to use some amount of trial and error to gain self knowledge in order to communicate to others what works for you and know when what someone else needs doesn't. I can't do long distance relationships, for instance, and I'm glad I know that about myself but finding out was a painful process.

Personally, having been poly for over a decade and found my own capacity for different things through trial and error, I personally approach relationships descriptively instead of prescriptively. I don't like saying that I'm using this or that model for being poly, "primary partner polyamory" or "relationship anarchy" or "solo poly" (as an aside, I think everyone should prioritise their relationship with themselves first and foremost and don't find this a useful distinction for people "doing solo poly", but when I think of it to myself as "needing more space for my relationship with myself" it works better). What I mean by descriptive rather than prescriptive is that if I am in a relationship and it is clear to me and another person that it is working in a way that is going to be long term, I like to have a conversation about what the relationship has become rather than name it some way and try to start acting differently according to that.

As for emotional affairs - I had to take some time to understand what you're asking so I'm going to try to define it here to be on the same page. You're asking about when someone becomes close to another person in a way that doesn't necessarily involve sex, but feels like a sharing of oneself with that person in a way that crosses the boundaries of their partner. All cases where someone shares something of themselves with another person in a way that crosses the boundaries of their partner have to do with the interdependency of their relationship and the conditional boundaries of their partner. What I mean by that is, Sue might agree to be in a relationship with Jen on the condition that they only have sex with each other, and therefore it would be crossing Sue's boundaries for Jen to have sex with Alex. Someone who takes a more anti-monogamy stance might say this is an unreasonable boundary to have as your boundaries should be your boundaries and shouldn't limit the freedoms of other people. However, if Sue and Jen have built a life together and depend on one another emotionally, financially, and for the logistics of their regular schedules, then Jen spending more time with Alex whether or not they have sex may feel threatening to Sue because she feels like the ways that she depends on Jen are at risk. However, here it is only useful for Sue to look at her relationship with Jen. If they are just as close as ever, spending the same amount of time together and so on, then Jen's time with Alex isn't actually doing anything to Sue: she is just experiencing jealousy, which is a tricky feeling for many people because it isn't often discussed and rarely discussed kindly, but a feeling like any other that we have to move through. If Sue looks at her relationship with Jen and realises what she needs is more time together, more intimacy, or whatever, she has to communicate that to Jen

[halluciniwaynia]

i think what makes rpgmaker games after (and including) one shot is that the engine is consistently and reliably pushed to limits by devs who want to either work within those limits or completely ignore them all together. well known old school rpgmaker games rarely if ever had significant combat because the turn of the 2000s saw people disinterested by the mechanical design of turn and roleplay, and opted instead to create something banally bizarre, and often abstract in artistic expression.

games like yume nikki, space funeral and hylics have their dna connected by this thread of blasé attitudes towards the fundamental mechanics baked into their engine, and yet are defined by its limitations in both scope, fidelity and overall progression. RPGmaker is a grimy, toolbox-laden shell of a program to build a game with—it requires workaround coding for unique mechanics and often intense knowledge of the base runtime program itself if you don’t want to completely destroy what you’re making into a mess of ruined ideas and bog-standard gameplay that often annoys people about rpgs. Because, like, RPGmaker will give you the most basic that you can get. You’re working out from the program instead of inside of it.

this is what later games (I think all rpgmaker games can be split into an era of “before oneshot” and “after oneshot”) like eulogy of an insect, fear and hunger and feldivek subvert—they don’t pretend to be above the engine they’re made in, but they also don’t box themselves into being a “normal” RPG like most people expect. Eulogy is drawn in a fucked up, unique “dirty” style, Fear&Hunger is brutally difficult, and Felvidek is more humorous than its aesthetic would suggest and is brimming with Eastern European sensibilities of humor. This marks a drastic departure from when old RPGmaker games tried to be anything *but* rpgs.

(Excluding OFF, because it’s just a weirdo in the timeline lol)

[rottenpumpkin13]

For pride month, how did the boys realize they were not straight?

Genesis: He realized pretty early on that it didn't make sense for him to be attracted only towards girls. Boys were equally attractive. If he could find space in his heart to love his parents, Angeal, his treasured books, and even the stray cat that wandered onto his parents' property, then surely his heart had the capacity to love all genders. Love and attraction weren't meant to be limited.

Angeal: He doesn't like labels, but always considered himself straight and never envisioned dating anyone other than women. He wasn’t opposed to the idea of being with a man, which over time left him confused. If he could date a man without issue, wouldn’t that make him bi? But he had never been attracted to a man, so it didn’t quite add up. He labeled himself as heteroflexible and moved on. Little did he know he was about to discover demisexuality and the consequences of being attracted to your best friend.

Sephiroth: He hadn't given much thought to love and sex until Genesis entered his life, urging him to define himself. "What are you?" "What are you attracted to?" "What do you like?" These questions left Sephiroth feeling overwhelmed. According to Professor Hojo, he was supposed to be attracted to women, but he had never developed a relationship with a girl long enough to find her attractive, and Genesis and Angeal weren't attractive to him either.

Years passed and both women and men threw themselves at him. He found himself in social circles where people asked his opinions on which woman he liked best, or what his first time was like. Sephiroth forced answers, pretending to find certain women attractive just to fit in. But he knew he was lying to himself. Many nights were spent awake wondering what was wrong with him, why he couldn't develop feelings for anyone, and why he had yet another thing that made him feel abnormal. It was confusing. He was human—wasn't he supposed to be attracted to people? Wasn't it biology?

"Maybe you're just aromantic," Genesis suggested one day, after Sephiroth confessed his frustrations. "Or asexual, or both, or somewhere in between."

Sephiroth blinked. "I'm what?"

Genesis sighed, pitying his friend who was so so lost, yet on the verge of a revelation. "You know how some people are attracted to all genders and some to just one?"

Sephiroth nodded. "Yes."

"Well, some don't feel attraction at all. Or they don't feel romantic attraction but feel sexual attraction, or they feel romantic attraction but don't feel sexual attraction. Or they're somewhere on that spectrum."

Sephiroth was mystified. "What spectrum?"

"May the Goddess have mercy on my soul," Genesis sighed, "welcome to the rainbow."