#expanded from my discord musings

[zykamiliah]

shen jiu is ashamed of his past

it's interesting because shen jiu concludes that by abandoning him yue qinyuan wants to put his past behind and remake himself but the one that actually does that is shen jiu.

Once the peak lord gave their head disciple new names, their original ones would be discarded (…) of the thousands of possible names in this world, the peak lord had just happened to name him “Qingqiu.” But no matter how laughable, no matter how it made him gnash his teeth, Shen Qingqiu still wanted that name, for this name represented that from now onward, a shining new life was his. “That name irritates me whenever I hear it. I’ve long forgotten it. So please, Zhangmen-shixiong, you should also discard it.” Yue Qingyuan said, “Then the day you respond to it would be the day it no longer irritates you?” A pause. Shen Qingqiu sneered. “That will never happen. Yue Qingyuan, allow me to say it once more: never let me hear that name, ever again.”

he's projecting his own thoughts and self-worth issues on yqy. yqy doesn't want to let the past behind. he's the only one sad the new sqq doesn't remember it. he's the one that tries to use sj's old name and nickname. he's the one asking "Are you determined to never call me Qi-ge again?"(Chapter 21: Always Together) and every single time yqy tried to call him xiao-jiu sj would shut him down.

he'd rather have the "Qiu" character reminding him of his old master and abuser than be called by his old name, because he doesn't want to be shen jiu anymore.

he lets people like liu qingge think he is an young master from a wealthy family rather than tell others he was a poor orphan. he'd rather let people think he's similar to qiu jianluo than admit his true origins.

[novantinuum]

Pink Onyx AU- An Analysis and Theory Post, Part 1

[Part 1- You are here!] | [Part 2] | [Part 3] | [Part 4] | [Part 5]

~

Howdy! Those of you who have followed me for a while have probably been seeing my reblogs of the @pink-onyx-au comic made by @ceephorsshitshow. Well, today I wanna share with you something a little different than my usual SU meta… because today I’m gonna analyze this really cool fan work with the same level of seriousness as I do canon. (Like. Seriously. This first post alone is really, really long. I put most of it under a cut.)

This particular comic is a very special one for me to watch unfold, because it’s evident that a lot of deep care and attention to detail has been poured into its creation. There’s fascinating bits of expanded character development to chew into here, as well as plenty of mysteries and lingering questions for us readers to muse and theorize over. If you follow me for Steven Universe and haven’t read this AU yet I highly recommend you check it out. The most basic pitch is that it explores what a fusion between Steven and Jasper might look like, and does a LOT of deep-diving into the similarities and differences of both of those characters’ psyches.

Here’s the episode masterpost on tumblr.

And you can find it on Tapas, too! 

(Note: For the purposes of these posts, I was given permission by the comic artist to post screenshots of various pages where relevant in this discussion. For each frame used I will list the episode and page number for easy reference. Additionally, this post and all future ones on the topic will contain full spoilers for the comic thus far.)

Now with all that introductory stuff out of the way, here we go!

__

So, on the final page of the most recent update, we get one hell of a visual plot bomb for Steven as ol’ Onyx unfuses:

(Episode 9: Page 22)

He’s now visually expressing remnants of his corruption, where before he was not.

And it’s this mysterious plot point in particular that got me wanting to analyze this comic more deeply in the first place. This is completely new for him in this story. Thus far, he’s never expressed any of these remnants when he’s just himself- not in the way Jasper does. So it made me wonder… how might this shift in his appearance play into the ultimate trajectory of the plot? How does Steven suddenly showcasing corruption scars integrate into the larger story that is being spun here about him and Jasper and how they relate to each other?

Well, there’s a lot of comic details and story lore we need to unpack first before I can take my best theorizer’s stab at this. Let’s dig right in.

__

Prelude: The analyst’s treasure is in the speech bubbles

Anyone who’s been a fan of this comic for a while has probably noticed these fun visual details already, but I’m going to take a moment to break down what I believe each speech bubble style signifies for folks who may not have context. It’ll make some of my analysis later a bit easier, too, ahah.

So. Speech bubbles. What kinds do we have here? 

(Episode 1: Page 6)

Style number one: Solid with black text

This style is standard for non-fused characters, and is also utilized when a fused character is speaking whilst in a state of internal harmony.

Steven is pink and Jasper is orange, of course. Onyx’s speech bubbles are a distinct darker pink, and the main three Crystal Gems get their own colors as well. More minor characters get white bubbles.

(Episode 1: Page 10)

Style number two: Scribbly pink lettering overlaying black text

Whenever you see this type of speech bubble, it’s a sign that there is some level of internal discord going on within Steven or Onyx that is related to their diamond side. It usually shows up when one of the two is in pink mode, but from what I can tell this is not a solid rule.

(Episode 2: Page 12)

Style number three: Pink/orange mixed bubbles

This is how we see Onyx talking for a good portion of the early comic. Their speech bubbles are a clean mix of Steven’s pink and Jasper’s orange. And most vitally, the color on the top and the tail signifies which of them is “fronting” at that moment.

(Episode 3: Page 11)

Style number four: White bubble with solid pink text

So far, this style has only been used to represent dialogue that is being spoken by Steven’s gem half exclusively. Which makes things very interesting, as in Steven’s own remembrances of shattering Jasper on the very first page of the comic, the line “I have been holding back!” is shown in this specific style, instead of the scribbly pink lettering that signifies internal discord.

There is one additional sub-style here- and this is the one moment where we get Onyx’s mixed bubble but WITH the solid pink text. 

(Episode 3: Page 11)

I believe these two styles pretty much mean the same thing… only, the white/pink text is either viewed within memory or a metaphoric fusion mindscape where we the viewer are actually “seeing” Steven’s instability, and thus can “see” his gem half as a separate entity there. While, in reality, this is an argument Onyx is having with the disparate pieces of themself.

(Episode 4: Page 9)

Style number five: Pink/orange tye-dye mixed bubbles

When you see that darker shade of pink start dappling into the standard mixed bubbles, this indicates that there are small whispers of Onyx’s true personality beginning to surface, instead of them constantly being wrested back and forth between Steven and Jasper’s conscious control.

(Episode 4: Page 16)

Style number six: Pink/orange mixed bubbles, but with a darker pink tail

From this page onwards, Onyx’s speech bubbles always have their darker pink shading the tail no matter who is fronting. Sometimes there are little lines of another color etched out of it, and sometimes the tail is solid dark pink. I like to believe that when it’s solid, it means that Onyx is just a little closer to reaching a fully harmonious state than when it’s not.

(Episode 9: Page 6)

Style number seven: Onyx speech/thought bubbles with a hint of pink/orange underlying

This style seems to signify moments where it’s still Onyx fully in control of themself and their actions/words/thoughts, but they’re taking subtle influence from their components or accessing their memory a bit.

These are all of the distinct styles I have caught so far, but quite honestly, it would not surprise me if I am missing something. All of this to say… pay close attention to the speech bubbles. They can tell you a lot about Onyx’s state of mind throughout the story.

Now with all this established, I’d like to finish off this first post with my first big discussion point.

__

Question One: What does Jasper actually know about Steven’s “meltdown,” if anything?

The AU author recently solidified this comic’s placement in the SUF timeline in an ask response, saying that the first episode takes place just a week after Steven’s corruption event.

I’m glad this point was clarified, because it was super vital information which deeply influenced the way I analyzed Steven’s actions and responses in my recent re-read… it means this experience is still super raw for him. This is VERY important and we’ll get back to this in more depth later in future posts. But first, let’s explore what Jasper knows of this event.

The full extent of her knowledge is unclear-

(Episode 1: Page 6)

In Episode 1, Steven briefly alludes to his corruption as seen above… referring to it as “[his] meltdown.” Notably, Jasper does not seem to ask any questions about this stray comment. This COULD suggest that she knows what happened to him a week prior via hearsay, but given the context of the rest of the scene and the fact that she’s as isolated as she is out here I genuinely wonder if she thinks Steven’s so-described “meltdown” is his shattering of her.

This idea would make a good deal of sense, as she doesn’t start to make any commentary on the topic of corruption at all until they’re actually fused- with Steven bringing it up first.

(Episode 2: Page 14)

On this page, Steven takes note of Onyx’s very visible spikes (which are Overtly in the same placement as his own when he was corrupted), and initiates the musing upon his own corruption himself.

With the way Jasper phrases her response, the vibe I get is that she somehow gleans a bit of ambient shared knowledge about what happened to him through their fusion.

(Episode 2: Page 15) 

“That human form you wear must have been hiding your markings.” This quote is SUPER vital. We’ll come back to this later on in this post series, too.

(Episode 2: Page 15)

It’s clear that Jasper doesn’t REALLY understand what he went through or what caused it, since she then outright mistakes the casual woes and body pains of organic life as corruption. (As seen above.) 

(Episode 8: Page 4)

But later on, she outright relates to him over their shared experience of past corruption, so she must at least know enough from mere ambient thought-sharing by this point to recognize it happened.  

It’s obvious that she’s barely scratched the surface on fully understanding her fusion partner, though. Neither of them have. It’s gonna take a lot of fusion, comedic mishaps, and genuine conversation to get there. All in good time, I’m sure.

__

Please do join me tomorrow at 7am PST for the next post in this series! This has been a blast to write up and muse upon.

[traversalpeaks]

Hello! We’re Traversal Peaks— a Discord roleplay group centered around farming sims such as Harvest Moon, Rune Factory, and many more!

Set in an alternate universe to the canon games, players can choose a character from a list of our accepted games and make them their own: interact with fellow muses, participate in community events, and take part in a world that is continuously being updated and expanded. 

What we have to offer:

◇ A warm, welcoming space with tons of creatives! With a thriving art community and plenty of talented writers, we’re proud of the growing community we’ve fostered.

◇ Consistent activity, events, and festivals! We hold frequent events for members to participate in, and have a year-round running festival calendar. In addition, members are permitted to run special events of their own! With over 50 active muses such as Gray, Popuri, Forte and Volkanon, Traversal Peaks is a consistently active and constantly growing community.

◇ A wide selection of canon characters to choose from! Though we initially started as a Story of Seasons and Rune Factory server, our masterlist has expanded to include characters from games such as Stardew Valley, My Time at Sandrock, and more! Choose your favorite characters and play out their day to day lives. Additionally, the masterlist is planned to expand once Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma releases! 

Some additional points to know about the server:

◇ Traversal Peaks uses canon characters only— meaning, no OCs. That being said, characters in the server’s universe are considered altered versions, meaning that they can be changed and customized within reasonable limitations.

◇ Traversal Peaks is an 18+ server. While the majority of server content is PG-13, we do have NSFW channels, and thus do not accept members under the age of 18.

Though the roleplay scene in the farming sim community is sparse, we’re proud of the community we’re building, and hope to welcome other fans of this genre into it. If you love writing, worldbuilding, and farming sims, come join us in Traversal Peaks!

[fiendishfinesse]

ℌ𝔢𝔩𝔩, 𝔥𝔢𝔩𝔩, 𝔥𝔢𝔩𝔩 𝔥𝔞𝔰 𝔦𝔱'𝔰 𝔩𝔞𝔴𝔰

❝ In my world, in my HOUSE, there is order, and there is decorum. ❞

⚠️ Trigger Warning: This blog is R-rated. I write mature and dark themes from time to time. I do my best to tag potential triggers and upsetting content, but I’m only human, something might slip through. If you’re sensitive to some DDDNE topics, please proceed with care. Mature content is tagged as #tw:nsft — [ infernal indulgences ], if you wish to blacklist it.

I. OC-Friendly & Duplicate-Friendly

I’m very OC-friendly (I love it!). That said, I’m not comfortable with self-inserts or projection characters. If you're playing an OC, I’ll take time to review your bio and find common plot hooks. That might make my replies slower, but it’s so our characters can have a more meaningful interaction. I'm also duplicate/twin friendly. Bring on the devils.

II. Interactions

I don’t mind personal or non-RP blogs (I adore y'all), as long as they don’t interact with RP threads. Liking the post is totally fine. Just don’t reblog my RP threads with others. My headcanons and OOC posts are free to reblog and comment on. (It's just the so called rp etiquette! But I won't get mad or block you if you "breach" that).

As a matter of fact, my "rules" are more like suggestions and information about my blog. Don't worry too much about them. Either way, I'm happy you're here!

III. Mature Themes

Smutty interactions only happen with mutual interest between muses and if the mun is on board too. No worries, even if Raphael flirts, feel free to shut him down or slap him. I won’t take it personally. In fact, I won’t take anything you do or say to him personally. Go wild, lol. He’s a villain, and I’m fully aware he’s a dick (and being a dick comes with consequences)

IV. Character Portrayal

I stick close to canon but expand where needed. Some liberties may appear to smooth out RP flow or enhance character dynamics. You’ll catch bits of my personal interpretation, especially in headcanons. Raphael is a character we know little about, so I take creative liberties to fill in the blanks where canon is vague or silent.

V. RP Settings

I primarily roleplay in Baldur’s Gate 3 and Dungeons & Dragons settings. My Raphael has verses and AUs. Canon divergences and alternate universes are welcome. I only do crossovers sometimes. If I don’t know your fandom at all, I probably won’t do it. I would rather prefer to at least know a bit about your universe.

VI. Responses & Writing Style

I write in third person, usually 1 to 5 paragraphs, but I can adjust. No pressure to match pace or length. Asks and memes are always open. Feel free to turn them into threads or not if you’d like. I don’t care how you format. Be happy. I write RPs both on the Tumblr and on Discord (ask for my username there!)

VII. Shipping & Smut

I love shipping and smut, don’t get me wrong, but that’s not all this blog is about. I’m open to a variety of dynamics and connections. Platonic. Romantic. Sexual. Chaotic. Let’s discuss and see what works.

VIII. Priorities

I’m here for fun plots and good stories. Some days I’ll gravitate toward short threads or low-effort replies. Other days, I’m in deep and want to explore specific themes. It’s nothing personal . I don’t reply in order. I go where the inspiration hits.

IX. Experience

I’ve been roleplaying and playing RPGs for years on my native language and platforms, but on Tumblr is a first for me! It’s been a blast so far :)

X. No Pressure

No pressure to reply quickly. No pressure to match my length. Prioritize your mental health and what makes writing fun for you. Let me know what you need and what works best for you. I’ll always respect your preferences, boundaries, and limits around certain topics. > Communication is key. <

Meet the mortal behind the devil:

Hi. I’m Lyco, a 28yo Brazilian scribbling devils for fun. Always up for chats, memes, lore dumps, cursed ships, and unhinged questions. Tag me. Drop threads. Reply whenever. I’m just here for a good time. Villain lover. Beer enjoyer. Gothic lit addict with a tendency for writing annoying purple prose and poetic nonsense (sorry about that? lol). I code, design, work out, and occasionally touch grass. Mostly active at night and may disappear for a bit when life gets loud. Anyway, nice to meet ya 👋🏻

Note 01: MUN ≠ MUSE. Don’t confuse the two. 😉 Note 02: Want my Discord? Just ask! I don’t bite... unless you’re into that.

[kirkewrites]

looking for more rp partners on discord!! would absolutely love another small town mumu (multimuse) or two, extra info about me & what i'm looking for under the cut!

hi, thanks for looking!! my name is mo, i'm 29, she/her, and i'm in the PST (GMT-8) timezone! i'm exclusively looking for rp partners who are 24+ please! i write on discord only in a private rp server (using tupperbox!) that i'll make for us! i looove organization and will include plenty of different channels and categories for us to get super invested in this rp!

i write all genders, but only write f/f, m/f, and nb ships. i'm looking for a writing partner who is similar in enjoying and wanting to write all genders (and who have equal muse for all their ocs regardless of gender) as i'm interested in exploring multiple types of ships and characters! i am also looking for a partner who likes to write a wide variety of ages, as I enjoy writing characters anywhere between the ages of 20s-50s. i prefer using & being opposite by faceclaims with resources from films & tv (i'm not interested in opposites such as sabrina carpenter, harry styles, madison beer, and the like)

i'd love a rp partner who loves to worldbuild, plot, write headcanons (or do little rp memes), share inspo stuff, and chat ooc! pinterest boards and playlists are a bonus! i really enjoy building a friendship with my rp partners as well as a fun, collaborative writing experience! as for the rp itself, i would absolutely LOVE to create a small town with a new partner and come up with its location, the names of shops and other places, some NPC names, maybe plot up some modern town lore & history, ect, and fill it up with a bunch of diverse characters and relationships we can continue to add on to over time! i'm interested in exploring relationships of all kinds, including romantic, platonic, familial, antagonistic, ect! i love being able to write a living, breathing town filled with characters who can all freely interact with each other. side bonus, if you watch soap operas (especially general hospital!) and want a soap opera inspired mumu, i am definitely the gal for you!

because i'd love a slowly expanding cast of characters (start with 2-4 characters each and go from there?), it's very preferable to me that replies stay on the short side, as in one paragraph or less (with some exceptions ofc!). this way we can prioritize quality over quantity, and actually get to see relationships & plots evolve over time in many threads rather than spend weeks or more on a single thread that results in us never actually getting to all the good stuff we've plotted. in my experience, it's way more fun to have an evolving mumu where replies are short and take maybe 5-10 minutes to write. it also allows us to keep the progress of the rp going at a continual pace, which keeps it fun, exciting, and fresh!

i can write smut when the relationship/thread calls for it, and i also enjoy talking about nsfw headcanons alongside sfw hcs, but i'd say i prefer a 80/20 story to smut ratio. this ofc only applies if my partner is comfortable with it, it's by no means a strict requirement! i am also comfortable with most dark or complicated themes, but this will be case by case basis. what i'm looking for is a good variety mix of drama & intrigue, angst & fluff, smut & sweetness, tragedy & other dark themes, ect! but nothing too intensely or consistently dark or taboo.

i'd consider myself to be a pretty active rp partner for the most part, as my work schedule is partially WFH and allows me a fair bit of free time. when replies are around 1 paragraph, i can usually do at least one set of replies a day (if we are writing multiple threads at a time, i personally enjoy writing 2 at a time!), and i'm down for rapid-fire sessions as well when able! i prefer my partner to have similar activity (it's difficult for me to stay invested in a rp when the majority of it consists of hcs & shared inspo with very little actual writing happening), though i don't at ALL want my partner to feel pressured to write replies!! it's just a hobby, not a jobby! things happen & life gets busy! i really appreciate communication and transparency with rp friends! just lmk what's up and i'll do the same for you! and if you can't do replies, i'm always happy to just chat ooc or do some inspo chatting, musings, or plotting!

this got so long, if you read all of it ily! if you have any questions or are interested in all this shit by me, please send me an IM!! if you like or comment on this ad, i'll try to reach out to you! ty!! if i don't reach out it's likely because i found something in your guidelines that i don't think is compatible with this plot ad (usually has to do with desired reply length being multi-paragraph/novella, activity being listed as low, if the blog is heavily smut-centric, or if rules state exclusively wanting to write one gender or one kind of ship)

[red-man-of-mustache]

Starting Over

Waow, I sure have been absent a lot lately huh? More than usual, but also more fierce in trying to say "I'll be back" or not go on hiatus.

We've had a good run. Mario and I. Literally ten years. On and off yes but still, a full decade of me writing the guy and enjoying every second of it. I still say he's one of the muses that came most naturally to me.

It's been a while since I've had a full day of replying to things, getting asks out or musing ... and truthfully, I'm done. This time, I've come to realize that my muse is so far away that I don't see this being remedied. There will be no more coming back from the brink of hiatus hell, no more popping back in to revive the flame. It's over. My run with Mario is at it's end and it pains me to say that really. At least, portraying him. I'll always be a huge fan of his media.

That's the TLDR. If you'd like the rest of my thoughts they'll be below the cut so as to not clutter the dash. Mostly reminiscing and clarifying why I've come to this decision.

I've made Ganondorf his own blog. He's not going down with the plumber.

Any questions, thoughts, anything really, my discord is available upon request. Just reach out in messages. ^^

One thing about Mario is he's, in my opinion, timeless. Certain aspects of his media are products of their time but still the message, the overall goofiness, and the content within can be enjoyed when or wherever. I remember being a kid and my first foray into his world. It was magical. I fell in love with the simple mechanic of running and jumping to get where you needed mixed in with the other things that came about when the situation called for it. Then I discovered his other escapades into certain genres, chief of all being RPG's. Legend Of The Seven Stars, Paper Mario, and the M&L series. We all know how excellent these titles are for expanding on most corners of this universe with admittedly surface level characters.

But, that's what I think makes this particular franchise beautiful: simple motivations and character archetypes that cascade to make the plots of these games we all love. Mario is a hero. Wherever he can, he will help. The Mushroom Kingdom receives most of his attention naturally but he's not foreign to traveling, getting into a bind and helping people locally. We see parts of him peek out along all his adventures: he's brash, aggressive, passionate, and so many other shades of human.

This inspired me way back when to role-play him. Specifically however I was spurred to come here, tumblr, to be him by my Girlfriend. Usually I'd shrug off specific requests for characters as I have a need for things to flow naturally but I followed her request and never looked back. Ten years later, I'm still typing on this blue wall of a site.

The ups, downs, and all arounds of life have all taken me in various directions but I always would come back ready to be a goof again amongst like-minded people.

Not this time however.

There's just.... something in the air. I don't have the will to force out another reply or even crop another icon. I don't have it in me to muse over the games like I used to. And it's not to say I'm soured to the media. Quite the contrary actually. I bought Brothership day 1 and although I believe there's pacing issues (A la Dream Team) I'm hooked.

I don't feel at home anymore dwelling on this blog.

That's not anyone's fault. And that's okay really. We need to be able to look ourselves in the eye and say when things aren't working out. Being afraid of starting over has held me back in a lot of areas in life, specifically with interpersonal relationships. Not anymore.

I won't be starting again with Mario however. This chapter of my life has come to a close. I hold Mario and by extension my writing as him very close to my heart. Yet, I just don't have it in me anymore.

I'll be honest: I wish to bring joy to people with what I do. It's as much for me as it is you, the person reading this. I can't fake that. I have been for a bit actually. That's not okay.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm using Mario to fill a void in my life.

These kinds of thoughts don't "get to me" per se but why am I asking myself such questions? It all comes full circle to the simple act of logging on and writing for him. I can choose not to be here as I've unfortunately been doing. I can choose to step away and recuperate. What I can't choose however is where my heart lies.

So this is goodbye. Goodbye Mario and all the things I've conjured around him. We had a great run. The spirit of it will live on while I play his games and cheer him on.

This blog and it's predecessor represent an especially tender part of me. Both of them will stay up as a testament to that. I believe I've contacted most of the people I speak with regularly before making this public but if you have any questions OR want further clarification just reach out. I think I've rambled long enough here.

I love you all. Being Mario has been a feeling I'll never be able to replicate or capture ever again and honestly? That's a good thing. These fond memories will live on and I can come back to look at them whenever.

[uhmoeba-writes]

Hi, my name is Moe and in the past few months I've slowly gotten back into writing. While I may not have the best punctuation I adore writi as a hobby and past-time. I use as fun and a learning tool!

That being said, I am currently only looking for OCxOC only plotting, world-building, multi- character creation, the whole nine yards. I only use real life people as faceclaims and would like my partner to do so as well.

(21+, but at the very least 18+. I will NOT rp with minors)

My writing style can span from a few sentences to multiple paragraphs depending on muse and the scene at hand. I only rp on Discord, but would be willing to chat and bond on tumblr. Since I started writing I have always been a sucker for romantic plots and I will always ask for it to be at least one plot we are doing amongst the many other plots we might have together!We can even make multiple characters in one universe to have a full world-building moment, I just ask for romance and queer pairings only!

Nsfw on the other hand is not something that I need, but I'm willing to add it in, moderation.

(PSA: You do not have to be interested in this plot below to still want to rp with me. I will state, I am 18+ only, with a heavy preference for queer pairings. I do not need smut in my plots, but am also not against it as long as it isn't the main plot point. I personally do not have any triggers, but will do my best to avoid any as long as you are willing to present them to me beforehand.)

Anyhow, I recently fell back into the rabbit hole obsession that is 'Summer Sons' a book written by Lee Mandelo. I bring this up because I have the urge to create a plot heavily inspired by the book, with a few creative liberties to make it more personal to us.

Some themes from this book are, ghosts, folklore specifically rooted in the south, southern gothic language and general vibes (think beautiful old barn style church with stained glass windows, that hasn't been used in 30+ years because many swear they hear crying every night at exactly 11pm on the dot.) the ability to talk/feel/see certain ghosts (often times more so the unforgiving/spiteful spirits), a lot of southern charm mixed with some underlying angst (can be decided as I would like this to stray from the book a bit) — I can expand more on this if anybody is interested and even bring in small subplots from the book we could include.

[lettheworldburn4you]

MxM LONG TERM ROLEPLAY PARTNER SEARCH ! 🎀

Hey and welcome! I’m looking for some new long term roleplay partners ^^

Sorry in advance if my rp request sounds picky! 🥺😩 (I am also a yapper uh-oh). I would appreciate if you read through it before giving it a like, however. 💕

MY WRITING

& WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR :

⋆⠀҂҂ I’ve been writing for over 8 years now. I range from advanced literate to novella depending on what’s going on in the roleplay.

⋆⠀҂҂ Considering that I’m an adult and I tend to write sensitive or mature topics, I will not write with minors. 18+ please :)

⋆⠀҂҂ My average of words is 500. I pay attention to quality and do my best to make the replies read well! Mistakes are natural and they can happen, though I always proof read no matter what.

⋆⠀҂҂ My replies tend to be frequent 1-4 days depending on my partner’s frequency.

⋆⠀҂҂ Overall, I prefer consistent replies, so please do not request me if you reply once a week. No pressure whatsoever, just personal preference <3 Of course, I do understand that it gets busy sometimes — me too! I’ll let you know in advance if anything. 💕

⋆⠀҂҂ I’d like to exchange writing samples to make sure we match beforehand!

⋆⠀҂҂ Smut is fine with me as long as there’s plot to it! I can write switches: top/dom & bottom/sub depending on the muse and pairing, and I will not write with somebody who isn’t comfortable doing the same. ^^

⋆⠀҂҂ When it comes to my muses, I can write anyone from enha depending on how I feel atm. Yet, I have the most experience writing Jungwon, Heeseung, and Sunghoon.

⋆⠀҂҂ No OCs unless they’re side characters.

⋆⠀҂҂ About pairings, I do only MxM. I can expand to FxF once we’ve been writing for a while! I am not comfortable with MxF so please don’t ask for it.

⋆⠀҂҂ Multiple characters, side pairings, switching between ships and scenes once in a while, love that! Let’s make our universe feel like a book! 🌸

However, I DO NOT do doubles!!

⋆⠀҂҂ I do only AUs. I tend to mix multiple genres with supernatural (i love vampires, witches, fairies, etc), so if you like that too, then we can discuss further in DMs! I can do both modern and historical (1300s preferred).

⋆⠀҂҂ Would love to do something inspired by Game of Thrones or The Witcher! <3 Of course, I’m not limited to it.

⋆⠀҂҂ Fiction is fiction!

⋆⠀҂҂ Ghosting is pretty common and unavoidable, I know 😔 But I would greatly appreciate if you could tell me if there’s anything! Dropping the rp or not, it’s fine, it happens. Letting me know is better than making me wait endlessly ^^

⋆⠀҂҂ Discord writing only.

Sorry if this has gotten long! Anyways, I think that’s about it for now. Thank you for reaching the end ^^ Feel free to drop a like (they can be bugged sometimes so a message would be better), comment, or message me directly if I’ve caught your interest. Thank you!

[ocrpsearch]

Honestly just loving futurist and cyberpunk vibes and would love some action filleed, gritty plots in that sort of setting! If you’re familiar with the game Cyberpunk2077, I’d be happy to keep it in that universe, but if not I’m just imagining something a few decades in the future, rapidly advanced technology, cybernetics commonplace, and a country now riddled with corruption home to mega cities ruled by corrupt politicians, filthy rich elites and leading cyberware companies, gangs and crime. Violence and corruption and all things bad and/or graphic everywhere. Would love someone who’s open to multi-muse/multiple threads as I have a few ocs I’d love to use! Even better if you’re open to all sorts of ocs and pairings - mxf, mxm, fxf, trans characters and poc! All my characters are mid 20s min and upwards, and I’d prefer similar ages ocs with some backstory in the city.

Some characters/ideas I have to throw your way at first, open to expanding:

- A street doctor. Once working for privatised healthcare and offering some of the best services, now screwed over and came crashing from everything he once had. New to the ways of the streets but has a good heart not yet infected by the bleak reality of the streets. Treats anyone who comes through his doors. Pairs best with generally good aligned peopled. Mxm, mxf, mxnb pairings available.

- A gang/mob boss’ son. Bounty hounter, merc, whatever he wants to be. Brutal, fierce, a bit twisted. Lives and breathes the streets. Would pair well with another tough person who can handle him/chaotic/morally grey people. Mxm.

- A born and raised streetkid, a woman who knows how the city works and knows how to survive it. Clawed her way out of the dingiest of alleys and has become a decent spy, thief or merc. Does what needs doing to get by and is here for some fun off the clock. Pairs best with fellow chaotic and slightly morally grey people, or good aligned people. Fxm or fxf.

- Futuristic cowboy nomad who lives beyond the city, travelling, stealing from cargo transports, and smuggles things/people in/out of the city. Free spirit, caring, chaotic yet also a bit of dad energy at times. Pairs best with chaotic good types. Mxm, mxf, mxnb.

- AI experiment that gained consciousness and is attempting to learn humanity. Means well but morally grey in odd ways. Morbid and incredibly intelligent but naive about human behaviour and real life over statistics.

- Raised corpo military agent living a double life and slowly learning that they could actually have their own life and identity, on the verge of defecting and getting themselves lost in the streets. Pairs best with chaotic good types. Mxm.

Probably more ideas and I’m more than happy to make characters together if we both come up with a new idea! But we can work out details together. I am 21+, and would love a detailed (adv lit - novella) writer who can brainstorm and plot with me and bring unique characters! Please, please, I’m not interested if you only write mxf or the ‘submissive’ roles. I love fleshed out ocs and dynamics and different kinds of pairings and don’t want to restrict this setting! Otherwise, please be over 21 as well, willing to write on either discord or gdocs, and ready to chat!🌇

interact and anon will reach out!

[zykamiliah]

this is a half formed thought, but one of the biggest themes in svsss is agency and how the characters should

be aware of their own agency, responsible and aware of the impact their actions have in the world and the people around them, and

respecting other people's agency and acknowledging they are their own persons and should make their own decisions

you see it in how sqq isn't aware of the impact he has in the world around him and how he disregards lbh's agency before their resolution in maigu ridge. you see it in how zzl disregards sqq's agency, thinking he's doing what's best for sqq.

and we see it in how sj blatantly denies he has any agency over the things that he does and the things that happen to him.

he victimizes himself. constantly. "lqg makes him angry. it's lbh's fault that sj abused him. yqy makes him angry. the world makes him angry." it's really sad because he never escapes the slave mentality (he's a thing and things happen to him, he's a victim of the world around him, and everyone deserves his hate and derision), not until the last moment where he somewhat acknowledges his own agency and that he basically dug his own grave, and that he is who is is, a person that enjoys other people's unhappiness.

[polizwrites]

PoliZ's WIP Update - 4 Jun 2025

Starting out June with a bit of a bang, compared to May.   I touched 4 fics (3 new and 1 WIPs) for a total of 2007  words this week! 

On Ao3, I posted: 

Too Close to See Clearly - mutual pining → love confessions  WinterIron ficlet 

On Tumblr I posted: 

Words Left Unsaid -   Sam & Bucky post-Thunderbolts (angsty) ficlet 

Typos and Innuendos - No Powers AU WinterIron semi-spicy ficlet

I’m juggling 10-ish  active/semi-active WIPs with my current  deadlines being  the  Tony Stark and Beginning  bingos.  

See  below cut for what I’m working on/planning to work on - arranged more or less by bingos/challenges/etc.  As always, feel free to send me   prompts or plot bunnies as well as asks regarding  any of these projects  or any other WIPs I’ve got out there.   Interaction really helps feed the Muse and keep me motivated!

Beginnings  Bingo  [BB_25]   (Ends 31 May 2025)

This new all-fandoms bingo event (courtesy of  @sweetspicybingo) celebrates beginnings. I’ve got a 3x3 card (plus two alternates) and ended up with a blackout.  Will be posting my Masterlist sometime later this week. 

Tony Stark Bingo - Mark VIII [TSB_R8]  (Ends 31 May)

Another round of this fun bingo event hosted by @tonystarkbingo is in the books!  I will be assembling & sharing my masterpost Real Soon.  

Post July Break Bingo 2024  [pJBB_24] (Ends 30 Jun 2025)

I requested two 2x3 cards for this  Discord-server only event from @julybreakbingo.  I ended up blacking out both cards and making my  Masterlist.   

* C1_B1 - Fear of showing affection because of past rejection  - posted  Too Close to See Clearly on Friday - combining this prompt with the May YOTP prompt “We’re dating? Since when?”  and FFB Dec: Alt1 - Surprise Kiss  for a mutual pining/alternating POV WinterIron fic. It finally came together and ended up at 1225 words.   

Hot Bucky Summer [HBS_25] (Ends 30 Aug 2025) 

This steamy event - brought to you by the fine folks over at @buckybarnesevents  - is a go for this year!  Weekly themes and prompts (as well as the rules) have been posted here on Tumblr and  participants can create whatever their smutty (or not so smutty) hearts desire, as long as Bucky is in the mix!  I’ve picked out a few prompts and crossovers  to work with - my goal is to complete at least two fics/month, with a stretch goal of creating something for every week.   So far so good…

* Week 1: I used pretty much all the prompts (“Mind your own damn business.” | [Secret Sex/Relationship | Embarrassment | Denial) for  Typos and Innuendos. It’s a Mature-rated No Powers Workplace  AU ficlet where Bucky’s inappropriate/blatantly suggestive typo (inspired by a Tumblr post & real-life text) gets Tony’s attention; their resulting innuendos and banter ramp the workplace UST up to the boiling point (and beyond).  It came in at 550 words and will get posted to Ao3 probably on Friday.    

* Week 2: Am using the prompts  “Did I give you permission?” | Orgasm Delay/Denial | Master/Pet Roleplay] for an Explicit Winterhawk fic where Bucky plays the pet role.  Tentatively titled His Master’s Touch, the fic is currently sitting at 746 words with probably about 200-ish to go. Planning on posting to Ao3 on the 13th.  

Fandom Free Bingo - FFB

The @fandom-free-bingo blog offers up themed cards on a monthly basis - either 3x3 or 5x5 - you have a year to create your fanworks if you want them reblogged. 

Gingerbread Edition (December) - Ends 30 Nov 2025 

Eight of nine fills completed - zero WIPs 

* A2 - "I can't believe you!"  Combined this with the Flash Fiction Friday prompt [#FFF299 Stranger Than Fiction] for Caught In the Act  - a Tony & Pepper IM1 canon-compliant double drabble - expanding a bit on the scene where Pepper walks in on Tony being extricated from the armor after Gulmira.  It came in at 200 words and will get posted to Ao3 before the event ends.  

* Alt1 - Surprise Kiss  - see  pJBB - * C1_B1 - Fear of showing affection because of past rejection

* Alt3 - "Work your magic" -  Combined this with the Flash Fiction Friday prompt  [#FFF305 Divine Questioning]   for  Even a God Has Limits - a double drabble where Tony discovers that Loki’s powers have their limits - and that they have a heartbreak in common.  

Half-Baked Edition (February) - Ends 31 Jan 2026

Six of nine fills completed with one bingo - no WIPs at the moment. 

* B2 - FREE - I combined this with a previous Flash Fiction Friday prompt   [FFF#294 - Cursed Trio] for Horning In - a SamBuckyJoaquin ficlet where Brock tries to hit on Sam’s two partners at the club.  It came in at 222 words and will get posted to Ao3 before this event ends. 

Fool's Edition (April) - Ends 31 March 2026

Three fills and 1 WIPs 

* A2 - "I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve."  - Combined this with three Flash Fic Friday prompts:   prompts:  [#FFF300 Let Me Go] [#FFF300 Burn It Down] [#FFF300 Rise and Fall]  for  A Mysterious Musician - a No Powers College AU WinterIron fic where Tony falls at first sight for the singer of a local band, only to discover that he knows him from somewhere else.  It came in at 747 words and ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. I may expand it at some point before posting to Ao3. 

* B3 - Pirate AU - I was inspired by a Tumblr post talking about MIT’s Pirate Certificate and am tinkering with a Tony & Rhodey shenanigans fic - Tentatively titled “Really Bad Eggs”  - it’s sitting at 213 words at the moment. 

Madness May (Ends 30 Apr 2026]

I requested a May card - still trying to work out crossovers and have a couple of duplicates from previous cards.  

* A1 - Medicalized – may combine this with the HBS prompt for the final week:  (13 August 24th - August 30th) | FREE WEEK | [Optional Prompts: “M” - (Mutual) Masturbation, Masochism, Medical Play, Milking, Musk, Multiple Orgasms]

Year of the OTP [YOTP_25]   (Ends Dec 31 2025)

Making good progress on this challenge where you create (at least) twelve works for a specific pairing by using the monthly prompts provided. I’m a bit of an over-achiever with nine prompts filled so far! 

* May - “We’re dating?  Since when?”    see  pJBB - * C1_B1 - Fear of showing affection because of past rejection

WinterIron Bingo Round 3 [WIB_R3] (Ends 16 Jan 2026)

@winterironevents is bringing back their WinterIron Bingo for a third round! I help co-mod this event and we will have pre-made cards available probably starting next month. I've got two fills so far -  need to look for more crossovers with my active cards! . 

Warm and Fluffy   Bingo  [WFB]   (no end date)

Nine fills on my card, courtesy of   @warmandfluffybingocards  - need to try for another crossover or two!

————

On  other creative fronts:  I’m working on a  Bruce the Shark  figure for an upcoming con with some fandom and pride mini-dragons on the way!  

If  you’re looking for one of a kind gifts for birthdays or other celebrations, check  out Stuffed With Character    over on Facebook for a full list of my designs (now over 150!).   These soft stuffed figures are  mostly Marvel and monsters, but I have some Star Wars, Star Trek, DC   and Disney figures as well. Plus I love to take custom design   requests  for any fandom!  I have one commission slot open for June and two for July  - feel free to reach out via DM or to  StuffedWithCharacter@gmail.com!  

[thebardbullseye]

“Philosophical and Personal Musings on the Wizard Stone and the Axiom of Proliferation” – An Essay and Divinations for Arc 3 of “The Wizard, the Witch, and the Wild One”

From the Desk of The Bard Bullseye

Happy Birthday, Worlds Beyond Number!

Spoilers abound! This is an essay discussing the actual-play podcast “The Wizard, the Witch, and the Wild One” from the fine folks at @worldsbeyondpod It is an expression of my analysis of and engagement with the content of the second arc of the show and also contains some speculation about future plot and current themes. These interpretations are my own, include some reflections on my personal philosophy, and are written in a mostly academic style of writing (be warned, it’s around 3,000 words!). If you do read through it, I hope you find my points interesting and thought-provoking regardless of whether or not any of it turns out to be true (and I have done my level best to adhere to the facts of the story thus far, with transcript pages and timestamps cited when available/applicable).

Abstract (TL;DR, or I ain’t reading all that, but I’m happy for you):

The Wizard Stone’s discovery that the Axiom of Proliferation is untrue has major implications for the overarching story and the direction of the next arc. Herein, I explore my reaction to this moment in Episode 19 and how my experience and own philosophy potentially align with Stone’s. Then, I examine the logic of her argument and its implications for the greater worldbuilding in Umora. Specifically, there is a fundamental problem with the way that wizards are using the lingua arcana that is affecting the link between the Spirit and the Mortal worlds (i.e., the “greater binding”), and this is leading to detrimental effects. This, I believe is ultimately what Grandmother Wren (and now Ame) and Coven of Elders (and possibly the Man in Black?) are concerned with, though they have come to vastly different conclusions about who is at fault and how to solve this problem, which are yet to be revealed in the forthcoming third arc (see footnote 5).

Introduction

Something has piqued my interest and scratched a deep philosophical itch for me in the second arc of “The Wizard, the Witch, and the Wild One.” While the first arc introduced the characters, explored ideas of ‘quest fever,’ and masterfully wove in lore and character motivations for reclaiming Eursulon’s sword, Wavebreaker, the second arc has expanded upon the characters and their relationship to the greater philosophy of the Citadel and Umora.

I don’t usually speculate where stories might go next or craft my own fan theories. Especially for ongoing projects (i.e. TV shows, actual plays, books in a series, etc.), I tend to be along for the ride, and I spend time analyzing the story being told and the characters within. And rarely do I put these thoughts to paper, at least not coherently; I am more likely to ramble endlessly to a friend or lurk on Discord for others’ opinions, chiming in occasionally. However, I have noticed some things brewing in this arc that I wish to discuss at-length and even speculate upon: my perspective and analysis of the philosophy of the Wizard Stone, and the possible implications for the forthcoming third arc.

I don’t often see myself in stories. Not to say that I don’t see myself or parts of myself represented in media: i.e. demographically, socially, politically, etc., but rarely do I find a specific character or character motivation that ‘snipes through the duplex door’ where I go “oh shit that’s me” or “I relate to this on a deeper level.” This happened to me in Episode 19, when Suvi is investigating the records of her mother’s early time in the Citadel: her expulsion from the College of Divination and readmittance to the College of Abjuration because she had accused one of her professors of “treason against magic itself.”

Upon her dismissal from the Citadel, Stone wrote a dissenting missive to the Archmagi of the Citadel regarding one of the three metaphysical axioms, the Axiom of Proliferation, and how this particular axiom “does not describe any actual truth of the lingua arcana, nor does it more broadly describe any facet of the greater binding” (Ep. 19, transcript p. 12). She goes on to posit that not only is it “pure intellectual technology,” but that its continued acceptance as fact is a “danger to the future of wizardry” and “[a] stain on the face of magic itself” (Ep. 19, p. 12). An axiom in this context is described as “simple… laws that are given to young wizards about broad truths of spell casting in general… that are true across spells [and], … different schools of magic” (Ep. 19, p. 13). That is, “the Axiom of Proliferation is essentially that the more times a spell is written down … the weaker the spell becomes” (Ep. 19, p. 13).

An axiom as defined in philosophy is a statement that is self-evidently true and serves as a starting point for reasoning. Therefore, any argument against its truth would call into greater question the philosophical foundation of the Citadel itself. If Stone’s claim that this was not a true axiom had not been dismissed swiftly and discredited, it is possible (though highly unlikely, given the power of empire) that this would have led to a redefinition of the philosophy of wizardry in Umora.

This is what struck me like a bolt of lightning while listening to this episode. I did almost this exact thing when I was in grad school!

Stone is… me? Faulty logic and its effects

As part of my master’s degree, I took a philosophy seminar on bioethics, which covered some polarizing subjects and more fringe points of view. Most of these topics cannot be directly studied or supported by scientific evidence, so the conversation and academic debate is largely conceptual or theoretical (i.e., conducting research to investigate these ideas have varying states of legality and moral acceptability) (see footnote 1). This course was excellent and a bit out of my comfort zone, but it challenged me to think critically about fundamental logic and accepted ideas that often go unexamined until they are taken to the extreme. At one point in the semester, we were discussing a particular topic and the current state of debate surrounding it. Immediately, I was perplexed by some of arguments made to justify it, and at first, I didn’t have the language to express why. Much like Stone, I found myself screaming (internally) “you’re all idiots!” or “you’re missing the point/the bigger picture!” or “that’s not how that works!” Essentially, I had arrived at the conclusion that if this idea were to be implemented broadly in society, it would likely have major negative ramifications, and furthermore, not even achieve the desired and purported effect that they were arguing for! 

Eventually, I figured out what the underlying problem was: a logical fallacy inherent and unidentified within the current debate. Since scholars had just accepted the argument at face value and moved on, most of the debate was concerned with its future implementation or theoretical follow-on effects on individuals and society at large. I did find some existing papers that danced around the idea of fallacious reasoning (i.e., that the theoretical benefits were greatly exaggerated, if not a zero-sum game, or that the negative long-term effects may outweigh the short-term benefits), but none named it specifically or even examined the logical argument the entire debate was predicated on. So, for my term paper, I researched and wrote about this fallacy, and in it, I discussed how the discovery and acknowledgment of it would reframe the debate and perhaps even bring about reform to existing systems!

In the process of writing and researching, I felt incredibly isolated intellectually (this was also peak-COVID so that didn’t help either). Now that I had put the pieces together, it seemed quite obvious to me, but it was difficult to find supporting evidence or other similar arguments to mine (even if they weren’t breaking the logic down so specifically). Was this thing I had reasoned actually true? Why had no one pointed this out before? What if I’m wrong? What if they’re right and I’m a fool for daring to challenge them? What does my professor think? They’re an expert and approved the topic, so I know I’m not entirely off-base, but do they agree with me? I knew that if I wrote a strong, supported, and persuasive argument, that I couldn’t fail, but I deeply cared whether or not I was actually right. It was also probably one of the first times that I wrote with passion (and specific planning ahead of time!), rather than churning out yet another good-enough research paper (that I may or may not have written days ahead of the deadline or the night before).

Thankfully, unlike Stone, my fears that I would not be taken seriously, or worse, told that I was flat out wrong (and be silenced) did not come to pass—my professor agreed wholeheartedly with my argument that this fallacy is pervasive in the current literature. (Though I feel must disclaim that I still could be wrong in some other aspect of my argument, and that simply arguing the existence of a fallacy can be treacherous! In philosophy, no one ever has the only or complete answer—if they claim to, they are either lying or ignorant.) As part of the course, we did a mock peer review in class and my professor sent us further feedback on our papers after we submitted our initial draft of the term paper.

One particular piece of feedback stands out to me upon reflection and comparison to Stone’s experience and the philosophy of wizardry. It said something along the lines of ‘We think that is a very admirable and unique take on this subject. No one found any fault in your logic; however, it is important to consider the practical implications of identifying this fallacy.’ Point taken, of course, that the mere identification of a flaw in logic is not the end of the conversation—it is merely the start of a new discussion and opportunity to surface new arguments.  

In my case, the identification of the fallacy was the concrete thing I felt I could verifiably yell about (academically) to explain why I disagreed so vehemently with current literature (and some truly wild propositions made by certain scholars). Of course, one should not commit the ‘fallacy fallacy,’ which is that simply pointing out a fallacy invalidates the argument. Instead, it was a means to discuss practical implications: some less harmful methods, some overlooked existing solutions, and to pull knowledge from other related disciplines that had not yet been considered because this fallacy had yet to be identified (see footnote 2).

The philosophy of Stone’s accusation of ‘treason’ and treatise to the Archmagi

In listening to and reflecting upon this episode and the conclusion of the second arc, I wonder if Stone felt similarly to me: that she had a fundamental disagreement with the way that wizards (and the Empire) conduct magic. I wonder if she learned about the Axioms and something didn't sit right with her, so she dug into the philosophy or history of it. Moreover, I find it particularly striking that her original specialization was divination. Although it has not been stated outright, I think it can be plausibly inferred that Stone divined some kind of knowledge about the fundamental ‘wrongness’ of current wizardry and the disastrous follow-on effects it would have. She may have been unable to fully convey her revelation in the moment, and so just shouted ‘treason against magic’ at her mentor. As was the case with me, the Axiom of Proliferation was just the most concrete thing that Stone could point at to explain herself.

But beyond my own biases and affinity for Stone, it follows that she may well have examined or done a proof on the Axiom of Proliferation which led to her discovery that the premise of the Axiom was false. Let’s examine the argument that Stone may have made (and the one that Suvi may have done a poor proof of, by her own admission). The argument is as follows:

All Axioms of magic describe a truth about the fundamental nature of magic

The Axiom of Proliferation states that the more times a spell is written down (proliferated), the weaker the spell becomes, which is a truth about the fundamental nature of magic.

Therefore, the Axiom of Proliferation is an Axiom of magic.

This can be simplified:

All A’s have property B

C has property B

Therefore, C is A

This does not necessarily lead to a false conclusion, and while the argument may be valid, it may not always be logically sound, see for example:

All people are mortals.

John is a mortal

Therefore, John is a person.

In the Citadel’s view, there is no flaw here, because they teach (and presume) that the Axiom of Proliferation is true in the lingua arcana. Wizards, of course, are known by their secrets, so it follows that in their philosophy of magic, they would have some kind of justification for keeping magic limited to the select few. But, if one of the premises is false (in this case, premise 2), then this justification is in jeopardy. It stands to reason that Stone must have had serious evidence to declare that premise false, and as she was studying divination, it was likely a vision or prophecy of some kind. Presuming she is correct, then it also speaks to her incredible intelligence (although she did not have the social grace at 19 years old to deftly navigate this accusation) (see footnote 3a).

Although (as far as we know), Stone did not make another public ruckus about the Axiom upon returning to the Citadel, I don’t think this caused her to abandon the belief that the axiom was erroneous. Upon her readmission, she joined the College of Abjuration, specifically studying “counterspelling, dispelling magic, [and] sort of metamagic, … the magic of magic itself” (Ep. 19, p. 11). This might seem to be an odd choice for a backup specialization, but Stone’s issue with the Axiom and metamagic are deeply intwined philosophical concepts, as metamagic is essentially the equivalent to metaphysics in our world.

Wizardry and the nature of magic in Umora

Wizards are defined in Umora to be people that can use a “language of magic” the “lingua arcana” to cast magic, and importantly, that “they believe [the lingua arcana] is the language the universe uses to understand itself,” which was only coined about 250 years prior to the present story (Ep. 19, p. 16). At the end of the first arc, Suvi discovers from her father’s notes that the reflexive indicative, which was taught to her as a necessary component of the lingua arcana, is in fact entirely unnecessary for spellcasting. And further, Stone also doesn’t use the reflexive indicative, which is demonstrated through her unique casting of Mending in the very first episode. It is unclear so far in the worldbuilding (to me, at least) if the lingua arcana is the language the universe uses to understand itself, or if it is a construct used by people to explain, communicate, and more importantly cast magic in Umora (much like math and science are ‘constructs’ that describe the nature of our world, though the fact that it is constructed does not mean it is not true). If it is the latter, then there is likely to be forces at work, be it the components of spell casting (such as the reflexive indicative), the casters themselves, or others yet to be revealed, that are manipulating and restricting the nature of magic in Umora (see footnote 3b).

Thus, I would posit that there is some issue in the way that the restriction of the lingua arcana is affecting the “greater binding,” which is “the theory of magic, that magic is the interplay between the Spirit and the Real—or the Spirit and the Mortal” (Ep. 19, p. 14). Essentially, the lingua arcana describes the nature of the relationship between the Spirit and the Mortal world, while the greater binding is the metaphysical link between them. Stone all but confirms this in her letter to the Archmagi, that if the issue is left unresolved, it would endanger the future of wizardry (Ep. 19, p. 12).

Other pertinent wizarding history and context

Stone and Soft were also part of a group called the Acadator, which was dedicated to rooting out corruption and bad actors within the Citadel. We don’t really know too much else about them, the exact specifics of their philosophy, or if they still exist as a group (given that Steel and Eiorghorain were members). There is also some history surrounding two early wizarding groups pre-Citadel, the Antivoli and the Accordati, that had a philosophical disagreement about accepting the help of the Saraz Imperium for building the Citadel (specifically related to the sharing of magic), which led to a civil war called the Cataclysm of Carrow (Ep. 19, p. 16). In terms of timeline, the lingua arcana was coined in 1423, the term ‘wizard’ was coined in 1456, the Cataclysm of Carrow was in 1467, and three years later, in 1470, the Erien (Citadel) was built. The current story with the three protagonists is taking place in 1670, so it has only been 200 years since the Citadel was created, and the lingua arcana coined only 47 years prior to that (in less than a human lifespan).

Further, the creation of the Irulian Desert, the Erien, and the Citadel is a destructive history—wizards razed a verdant forest and turned it into a hot, unlivable desert with a miles high glass tower at the center. Additionally, the Wizards of the Citadel pool their magic beneath the Erien in an ‘Aerith,’ into which they deposit magical reserves and draw upon its combined strength when in crisis (see footnote 4). Mechanically, we see Suvi ‘donate’ unused spell slots at the end of the day.

We do know that Grandmother Wren’s cottage is located on top of a source of great magical power and serves as her sanctum. Wizards also use the towers of the Citadel as their sanctums, and I believe the following is speculation, as I do not think it has been canonized yet, but it is possible that the Aerith serves a similar purpose as a source of great magical power that previously belonged to the Spirits that wizards alone now use and control. This control is the key difference that may be contributing to, or even causing, detrimental effects on the greater binding.

The Witch(es)’s and the Wild One(s)’s perspectives

Additional evidence to support this theory of the Aerith's origins and purpose comes in Episode 23, when Eursulon meets the Man in Black and discusses their opinions on mortals, particularly wizards and their desire for control. Specifically, the Man in Black states, “that tower is the handle of a knife plunged deep into the heart of this world, a heart that is responsible for… a murder to the world of Spirits” (Ep. 23, 0:09:45-0:10:07).

Later, in a flashback with Mirara and Grandmother Wren, Mirara argues that “the world has burned before” (perhaps in reference to the creation of the Irulian Desert), that “[wizards] cannot be allowed to do this thing” (still unclear what that thing is), and the coven must make some kind of decision before it is too late (Ep. 23, 0:58:46-0:59:00). Wren pleas for another option, points this out as a false dichotomy, that they must not “be forced to choose between one slaughter and another,” and they should work to find common ground and coexist (Ep. 23, 0:59:07-0:59:33). Mirara retorts that she could never imagine the day that she would see “the will of wizards debase themselves” (i.e., that wizards would ever lower themselves from their current position of power) (Ep. 23, 0:59:39-0:59:52).

Wren then asserts a key point that correlates directly with Stone’s perspective: “There is nothing I have seen in the world of Mortals or of Spirits that shows me that there is a path that is wrong to tread” or anything that proves the pursuit of wizardry as inherently wrong (i.e., the lingua arcana), only those who “tread paths hurtfully, with cruel intention” (i.e., those abusing the lingua arcana for political purposes and imperial gain) (Ep. 23, 1:00:08-1:00:28). Wren also questions Mirara’s stance of wizardry as “an abomination against the natural order of the world” (Ep. 23, 1:00:40-1:00:47). Mirara then challenges her to consider her point of view and insists that even Wren cannot deny that “the poison of wizards does not spread so quickly as to choke the life from this world” (Ep. 23, 1:01:03-1:01:09).

My pure speculation and fan theory:

From this conversation, I postulate that Mirara and the Coven has taken an extremist and doomed perspective on the harm that is resulting partially from the Axiom of Proliferation (and perhaps the Aerith as well), while Grandmother Wren took a reformist stance. This would put her and her position as the Witch of the World’s Heart at odds with whatever plan the Coven intends to enact. Given what we know of the Witch Class and the other domains of the Coven, their plan is quite possibly violent, retributive, and holds little to no concern for the Mortals or people of Umora.

The third arc will begin with Ame’s meeting with the Coven of Elders at the North Pole, where they will attempt to destroy her station as the Witch of the World’s Heart. For all of the reasons above, I believe this event will connect directly to Stone’s declaration of “treason against magic itself,” but I will just have to (patiently) wait and see (see footnote 5).

Footnotes:

(1) I am well aware that I am being quite vague and obtuse regarding this subject and what specifically I was researching. Mainly because a) that’s not really the point of these musings, this is just some background info and context to explain my philosophy which is already longer than I would like, b) it would be impossible to do justice to an overview of this complex subject in an essay about something that resonated with me in a D&D podcast (and which does not engage with that subject directly, at least not in this context), c) I’ve already written a paper on this subject and am not interested in regurgitating it here, and d) Nunya Binyess (i.e. I could still be wrong about this fallacy and I’d rather discuss WWW than start a tangential IRL philosophical or political argument on this forum).

(2) Though on a deeper level, I partially disagree with the idea that I needed to account for the practical implications of the fallacy within the paper. I disagree that when challenging the fundamental nature of something (e.g., an erroneous argument, a misinformed policy, or an unjust system), there must be an immediate remedy or solution offered up. In my philosophical opinion, once a fallacy like that is identified for something that we hold to be fundamentally true, we need to sit in that revelation and undo the thought processes created by the incorrect assumptions. You cannot flip a switch and suddenly reverse all of the justifications that have gone into supporting a flawed, ingrained argument. To undo a pervasive, incorrect fundamental idea that has been implemented, internalized, or proliferated, first it must be fully examined for all its flaws, rescinded, and only then do we start from square one and think about practical changes (in a perfect world, of course, I am fully aware that the world does not work this way). I do often wonder about this reactive nature in society to demand immediate alternatives and solutions when norms are challenged, though I recognize this is a result of different lived experiences and worldviews. After all, this reactionary nature is true in Umora as well, and the wizards of the Citadel “tend to be a lot more about praxis and practice” (Ep. 19, p. 14).

(3a) Perhaps Stone rolled a nat 20 on some kind of intelligence check for the vision, but rolled a nat 1 on her Persuasion check against Sleep!

(3b) There is another essay I could write here about the history of science and empire (another grad school course) and the reflection of this in the Imperium, its taxonomy, and the (anti)-democratization of knowledge, but perhaps another time.

(4)  Something that occurred to me when piecing together the Erien and the Aerith was the similarity to Morrow’s derrick that harnessed Naram’s power in the first arc. Both serve similar purposes as well, of generating magic and magical items. It makes me wonder if it was intended for the derrick to be Morrow’s poor attempt at recreating the glory of the Citadel, or if this is just a happy coincidence/connection between the arcs.

(5) I do want to briefly acknowledge the nature of improvisational storytelling in this situation, and that anything can change, be clarified, canonized, etc. at any point. This is partly why I don’t like to speculate much myself, because I trust the creators to tell the story the way they want to and follow the paths that appear, without projecting my own hopes or prescriptions when I listen to their wonderful creation that has been crafted with such care. It is also why my theory in the end is limited to the meeting with the coven- truly anything could happen at the beginning of the next arc, and whatever I might come up with is likely less interesting than what will happen. (NB: There is nothing wrong with fan theories or head canons! It’s just not usually something that interests me!) I merely saw a connection and through-line that deeply resonated with me in this second arc and felt compelled to write about it. Also, Worlds Beyond Number and WWW is just so fucking great, and it truly astounds me that this story is so deep that I have somehow written a 12-page essay analyzing essentially a 20-minute segment of one episode. I pray to Enzo that there are no grievous errors or spelling mistakes, but I wanted to post this on WBN’s first birthday! 🧡

[traversalpeaks]

Hello! We’re Traversal Peaks— a Discord roleplay group centered around farming sims such as Harvest Moon, Rune Factory, and many more!

Set in an alternate universe to the canon games, players can choose a character from a list of our accepted games and make them their own: interact with fellow muses, participate in community events, and take part in a world that is continuously being updated and expanded. 

What we have to offer:

◇ A warm, welcoming space with tons of creatives! With a thriving art community and plenty of talented writers, we’re proud of the growing community we’ve fostered.

◇ Consistent activity, events, and festivals! We hold frequent events for members to participate in, and have a year-round running festival calendar. In addition, members are permitted to run special events of their own! With over 50 active muses such as Gray, Elli, Forte and Volkanon, Traversal Peaks is a consistently active and constantly growing community.

◇ A wide selection of canon characters to choose from! Though we initially started as a Story of Seasons and Rune Factory server, our masterlist has expanded to include characters from games such as Stardew Valley, My Time at Sandrock, and more! Choose your favorite characters and play out their day to day lives. Currently available characters include Popuri, Vishnal, Kai, Raven, Karen, and hundreds more. Additionally, the masterlist is planned to expand once Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma releases! 

Some additional points to know about the server:

◇ Traversal Peaks uses canon characters only— meaning, no OCs. That being said, characters in the server’s universe are considered altered versions, meaning that they can be changed and customized within reasonable limitations.

◇ Traversal Peaks is an 18+ server. While the majority of server content is PG-13, we do have NSFW channels, and thus do not accept members under the age of 18.

Though the roleplay scene in the farming sim community is sparse, we’re proud of the community we’re building, and hope to welcome other fans of this genre into it. If you love writing, worldbuilding, and farming sims, come join us in Traversal Peaks!

Mod Doc (character list, town map, etc.)

Join Traversal Peaks!

[hebiejebies]

hi there! putting up an ad to look for 1x1 rp partners on discord. i'm 23+, she/her, and in the kst zone 𖹭 i'd like to find writing partners who are 21+!

about me:

i prefer to write ocs and i'm open to all ships! my current roster of muses is mostly female with a few male faces, but i like creating muses for plots instead of having preset ones!

good with lit/semi lit and prefer 1-3 paragraph threads (200-300 words). i prefer to mirror writing styles and tenses too, comfortable with nsfw if you like writing that

my activity usually ranges from one to three replies a week. i'll send a message if life gets busy, so i'd appreciate if you do the same! i usually check in after ~2 weeks of inactivity, and i won't drop an rp without letting you know first

i like plotting as much as i do writing, it helps me with muse! i love sending headcanons, sharing music/muse inspirations, and chatting about our muses or life ooc too

plots & tropes i'm looking for:

angst, fluff, drama, mutual pining

enemies to lovers, exes to lovers

best friends or childhood friends to lovers

sneaky links, friends with benefits, enemies with benefits

relationships that are reaching their end or on the brink, rebound relationships

contract/fake relationships

codependent/toxic relationships

celebrity tropes of pr stunts, secret relationships, reality/dating show contestants

the i can fix him/her/them experience

ceo x secretary

rebel x royal, rebel x rebel

hero x villain, superpowers

time travel (based on lovely runner/a time called you)

i'm comfortable writing nsfw & darker topics with discussion

these are some but not all of the plots i'm interested in writing and we can expand on them together with what you're looking for too! if you'd like to write, please heart this or send a message and i'll get back to you soon 𖹭

[kirkewrites]

looking for more rp partners on discord!! would absolutely love another small town mumu (multimuse) or two, extra info about me & what i'm looking for under the cut!

hi, thanks for looking!! my name is mo, i'm 29, she/her, and i'm in the PST (GMT-8) timezone! i'm exclusively looking for rp partners who are 24+ please! i write on discord only in a private rp server (using tupperbox!) that i'll make for us! i looove organization and will include plenty of different channels and categories for us to get super invested in this rp!

i write all genders, but only write f/f, m/f, and nb ships. i'm looking for a writing partner who is similar in enjoying and wanting to write all genders (and who have equal muse for all their ocs regardless of gender) as i'm interested in exploring multiple types of ships and characters! i am also looking for a partner who likes to write a wide variety of ages, as I enjoy writing characters anywhere between the ages of 20s-50s. i prefer using & being opposite by faceclaims with resources/gifs from films & tv (i'm not interested in models, musicians, or opposites such as sabrina carpenter, harry styles, madison beer, and the like)

i'd love a rp partner who loves to worldbuild, plot, write headcanons (or do little rp memes), share inspo stuff, and chat ooc! pinterest boards and playlists are a bonus! i really enjoy building a friendship with my rp partners as well as a fun, collaborative writing experience! as for the rp itself, i would absolutely LOVE to create a small town with a new partner and come up with its location, the names of shops and other places, some NPC names, maybe plot up some modern town lore & history, ect, and fill it up with a bunch of diverse characters and relationships we can continue to add on to over time! i'm interested in exploring relationships of all kinds, including romantic, platonic, familial, antagonistic, ect! i love being able to write a living, breathing town filled with characters who can all freely interact with each other. side bonus, if you watch soap operas (especially general hospital!) and want a soap opera inspired mumu, i am definitely the gal for you!

because i'd love a slowly expanding cast of characters (start with 2-4 characters each and go from there?), it's very preferable to me that replies typically stay on the short side, as in one paragraph or less. this way we can prioritize quality over quantity, and actually get to see relationships & plots evolve over time in many threads rather than spend weeks or more on a single thread that results in us never actually getting to all the good stuff we've plotted. in my experience, it's way more fun to have an evolving mumu where replies are short and take maybe 5-10 minutes to write. it also allows us to keep the progress of the rp going at a continual pace, which keeps it fun, exciting, and fresh!

i can write smut when the relationship/thread calls for it, and i also enjoy talking about nsfw headcanons alongside sfw hcs, but i prefer a 80/20 story to smut ratio. this ofc only applies if my partner is comfortable with it, it's by no means a requirement! i am also comfortable with most dark and/or complicated themes, but this will be case by case basis. what i'm looking for is a good variety mix of drama & intrigue, angst & fluff, smut & sweetness, tragedy & other dark themes, ect! but nothing too intensely or consistently dark or taboo.

i'd consider myself to be a pretty active rp partner for the most part, as my work schedule is partially WFH and allows me a fair bit of free time. when replies are around 1 paragraph, i can usually do at least one set of replies a day (if we are writing multiple threads at a time, i personally enjoy writing 2 at a time!), and i'm down for rapid-fire sessions as well when able! i prefer my partner to have similar activity (it's difficult for me to stay invested in a rp when the majority of it consists of hcs & shared inspo with very little actual writing happening), though i don't at ALL want my partner to feel pressured to write replies!! it's just a hobby, not a jobby! things happen & life gets busy! i really appreciate communication and transparency with rp friends tho, just lmk what's up and i'll do the same for you! and if you can't do replies, i'm always happy to just chat ooc or do some inspo chatting, musings, or plotting!

this got so long, if you read all of it ily! if you have any questions or are interested in all this shit by me, please send me an IM!! if you like or comment on this ad, i'll try to reach out to you! ty!! if i don't reach out it's likely because i found something in your guidelines that i don't think is compatible with this plot ad (usually has to do with desired reply length being multi-paragraph/novella, activity being listed as low, if the blog is heavily smut-centric, or if rules state exclusively wanting to write one gender or one kind of ship)

[gracklekeyer2000]

shoutout to @junesolace for being an absolute lifesaver

y'all are about to get a glimpse into the MADNESS that is this SDV fanfic (specifically STT).

Where do I even begin?

Maybe with the list of STT-related files? 23 (including text files, multiple spreadsheets with multiple pages each, and not one but two powerpoints? Also not including game recordings or art?) (edit: between drafting this and posting, i have created another text file dedicated to scripting animatics. send help)

Maybe with the length of one massive notes document that simply is not organized (29 pages at 12pt font in times new roman)?

Maybe with the number of days that need to be recorded in order to ensure any deviation from canon is understood and intentional rather than simply missing details? (I have to redo the math, but at least 28 days - 1 week of each season - plus every tuesday and thursday for appointments (18 more days), plus each festival [which, btw, the desert festival will have to be recorded an ungodly amount of times due to the randomization; so that's 11 plus the desert festival.])

Maybe the fact that, after those recordings are made (which i intend to post to YouTube or at least Tumblr at some point so that whoever is running the wiki can maybe add a bit more accuracy in the details for my fellow insane fan project creators), I then have spreadsheets of every relevant character in which to plot their schedule and adjust it as necessary for the story to progress as desired?

Maybe the fact that between the time I started this post and the day that I post it, Juniper and I worked together to create an entire discord server because the writing team has just expanded to include her as a tech specialist and modpack manager?

Maybe the fact that her and I are working on putting together a huge modpack specifically for the purposes of recording the schedule and trying to make shit as believable as possible?

Anyways. shoutout to Juniper, and my co-author (who shall remain unnamed unless he decides he would like to be named), and everyone else who has contributed to keeping me alive and sane enough to make it to this point.

The muse is stirring. The machine is warming to life. The WIP is progressing. I dare to hope that we may have a new chapter before the end of the year, possibly even sooner.

(and hey, if you're here from A03, be sure to follow! I know it's been probably well over a year or even two since the last proper update posted there, but rest assured i have not stopped rotating these blorbos. they're still cooking. they still have a deathgrip on my psyche. this fic won't be abandoned til it's done or i'm dead.)