#gem society backstory

[delawaredetroit]

Yeah, these three Overhaul lackeys are teasers for Toga, Touya, and Shigaraki's backstories respectively.

"Some were tossed aside when they didn't mesh with society" - The guy with the eating quirk is a narrative parallel for Toga. They both had impulses from their quirk that were rejected by society. Toga was tossed out of of her home after she lost control. Even further, their quirk related impulses unchecked both became cannibalism adjacent in nature.

"Another was betrayed by a lover and beset with crushing debt. Not even allowed to die..." - Hear me out, Larceny is a Touya parallel. From Touya's point of view he was betrayed by the most important figure in his life when Endeavor chose someone else as his successor and Endeavor wouldn't look at him anymore. Touya paid the debt for his father's sins every day by having to live every day in a body unsuited to his quirk due to his father's attempts at eugenics. He wasn't even allowed death after Sekoto Peak and had to survive alone on the street.

"And another became the tool of some money-grubber. And when that pig figured out my fake gems were worthless..." - This one is a stretch, but Shigaraki and this crystal guy have a vague parallel of people exploited as tools by people more powerful than them. Visually, how this villain was using his crystal quirk looked similar to Shigaraki's growths that became so large they engulfed him in the final war arc. Shigaraki is a difficult character to parallel with ordinary heroes or villains because being groomed as a vessel of hatred to be body snatched to steal an ancient eldritch quirk is pretty far outside the norm.

[yallemagne]

Meet Hematite and Jasper, a gem power couple and both halves of the fusion Bloodstone [design not yet made].

Yes, this is a Steven Universe/Dracula AU. Am I the first to ever do it? I doubt so, but I definitely am the best to ever do it.

I have all the gems lined up though I have not yet designed any. Pray for me if/when I try. A few of the gems are simple variations of the types we see in the show (like Green Jasper), though there are some that I had to conceptualize a place in gem society for (like Hematite). None of the main characters are human, though if I were to make any character human, it would be Arthur. That would change the story, dramatically, so I won't.

She/her pronouns for all the characters because I am not forcing a system as archaic as gender on a genderless society like that of Homeworld. We have the Gem Caste System to make the characters suffer under anyhow.

Character backstory and individual images under the cut.

Also, I have a Ko-fi.

Hematite is part of a class of gems whose role in gem society is most akin to human property lawyers. You might notice the resemblance to Zircons, which serve as attorneys in gem society. They deal in the management of transferring ownership of gem colonies. Gem colonies are most often given to high-ranking gems as proof of valour. As such, Hematites are few in number and they rarely if ever face combat.

(Green) Jasper is a Quartz soldier that was formed slightly offcolour. Instead of being broad and muscular, she formed thin and tall. Despite this, she retains much of the same strength of a regular Quartz and strives to prove her worth to her peers and her commander, Onyx.

Hematite was working with Onyx when she met Jasper, and something indescribable pulled them toward each other. Onyx, noticing their interest in each other, offered to let Jasper act as a bodyguard on Hematite's missions. It was on one of these missions that they met their friend Padparadscha, a noble gem with the power to see the future.

The day they fused, Jasper knew that she could not return to her life as a Quartz soldier, and Hematite no longer wanted to push papers to divvy out colonies. All they wanted was to find a place where they would be safe to be together. So, they turned to Padparadscha, who greeted their fusion with giddiness as she had known all along that they would fuse. With her foresight, she named the fusion Bloodstone, and with her influence, protected Bloodstone from Homeworld.

Bloodstone was uninvolved in the conflict on Earth, but when Steven Universe established Little Homeworld, she took the opportunity to live freely amongst other gems like her.

One day, she came upon the concept of human marriage and was enchanted. Hematite and Jasper unfused in preparation for the wedding. At that time, Hematite was to go on a mission to a faraway moon colony owned by a militant Andradite to inform her that the war was over and invite her to Little Homeworld... but what lies in store for her there?

In case it's not clear, I know I've been sitting with this for a while, so I am painfully familiar with all the inner workings, and y'all ain't:

Hematite: Jonathan Harker

(Green) Jasper: Mina Murray

Onyx: Peter Hawkins

(Star) Padparadscha: Lucy Westenra

Andradite: Count Dracula

[dailyadventureprompts]

Monsters Reimagined: Svirfneblin

While not as problematic or desperately in need of an overhaul as some of the other monsters in this series, I thought I'd share my take on the deepgnomes to round out my posts on duergar and drow as well as my overall thoughts on life in the underdark.

To put it simply the Svirfneblin fall prey to the one note lore that d&d even more than their subterranian neighbors, having a backstory that effectively amounts to " they live in caves, like gems, and don't trust outsiders". Picking around some different soruces though I found some interesting tidbits about how the gnomes fled underground leaving behind cities upon which people built new settlements, and talk about how their distrusting natures come from living in such a dangerous place as the underdark. This got me thinking about societies where secrecy was key, and cultural touchstones of fleeing underground to avoid disaster.

TLDR: My take on the deepgnomes has them as a fusion of brits during the blitz, survivalists, and the "preparing for armegeddon" culture of the cold war. Their society is suffused with a deepseated worry that the end is coming soon, whether it be a ruinous diaster, an attack from outside, or simply the end of the world. To brace against this ever-approaching calamity they stockpile, build hidden vault cities, and etch their history onto monuments and time capsuls so that the survivors won't have to rebuild from scratch. They build ramparts and artillery batteries in the tunnels of the underdark to defend against foes they haven't met yet, and dig ever deeper hoping to find a home where nothing can find them.

Imagine the party is traveling through a mistshrouded stretch of the underdark only to stumble across a village of deepgnomes hidden away in a terraced valley of mossfarms and blindfish shoals that you'd absolutely mistake for a naturally bountiful area if you wern't looking for it. The svirfneblin shun the use of fire outside of a sheltered hearth and never talk above a whisper, but after days of interrogation the party are deemed not to be spies of "the enemy" and allowed to move about the village with supervision. It is a quiet and placid existance, cut off from the wider world, and the party bears witness to the season's harvest being brought in. While a portion of it is preserved and placed into the village's larders, a far larger potion is prepared according to a "state standard" and put aside under strict guard. A few days later, a signal sounds and everyone retreats to their hidden dwellings. From the home of their hosts the party watch as caravan of other deepgnomes comes into town and loads up the harvest without a word being exchanged. Later, the villagers reveal that they don't know where the food goes. To a city they suspect, but the name and location of it was not haded down by their forebearers after the village's founding. Their best guess is that the tribute is to support the war effort, though how long the war has lasted, and who it's against is for anyone to say.

I wanted to preserve an element of svirfneblin's simplicity but use it as a front, a mystery for the party to poke at rather than that being all there was to them. The culture of jewlsmiths with a deepset connection to elemental earth is still there, but I want it to smack the audience in the face when they realize that it's not just pretty jewlery that the deepgnomes are adept at building, but arcane/blackpowder artillery.

The element of secrecy and paranoia likewise lets the dm play with what deepgnome society is REALLY like, beyond the rugged survivalist enclaves. Is there some great sage soverign maintaining an archave with knowledge about the coming end of days? A desperate ruin where survivors live off the tribute of other settlements while battling in the shadow of shattered art? A toltalitarian bastion building up their warfooting for a tactical fist strike?

Also, I wanted to pay tribute to the fact that the neblin part of the svirfneblin name has to do with mist, and I just liked the idea that their parts of the underdark were cloaked in constant fog as a means of weaving their gnomish illusions.

[just1gnome]

shout out to the person who ate my last rock au post like a snake i made four more

aheemheem lore under the cut

ranboo as a snowflake obsidian is obvious, we never had a choice fr. i like to imagine that snowflake obsidians are very rare(having incredible terrakinesis abilities in a society of rock people is not something that should come in large numbers) so when he just randomly appeared on the rebel planet it was quite a shock. he literally came out of nowhere and doesnt even remember his own origins and not even the most historically inclined of them can figure out what those red and green insignias are.

for some reason i was REARING to add sam as SOON as possible so hes a mossy agate. he was assigned to a newer colony close to the lmanburg planet(name still pending) and was in charge of overseeing the construction of important structures; he grew very fond of the building and aided his workers a little more than he was probably allowed but nobody really stopped him. he worked alongside bad(black opal), antfrost(tigers eye), and ponk(clinohumite) and we will get to them. eventually. because of his proximity to the rebels, he'd grown pretty attached to that silly little rutile and offered him protection if ever he needed it. he never fully removes himself from homeworld, he doesnt really have a reason to, but he does offer help from behind the scenes on occasion. he still builds for them, particularly the prison which is sort of like the human zoo in canon in that it is a station floating around up there as opposed to being on a planet. also sam nook is his pearl that he asks to go check on tommy and hang out with him when he cant be there in person

i am going to be so incredibly honest i dont think ive written down any quackity lore i just really wanted to draw him. i think he was just pretty chill doing stuff for homeworld but then he heard about these rebels and was like. uhm bye i wanna know whats going on over there. i feel like his lore is so well understood and hes an established canon gem type so i dont have to do a lot of work for him hes already the perfect boy

as stated before, tubbo is a nephrite who had a lot of time to hang out with tommy before they all ran off to lmanplanet. he worked one station above tommy, but he wasnt a captain. i dont have much written for tubbo either, but it is safe to say that snowchester is on the moon and the fur is completely cosmetic.

These little character bits are mostly backstory unfortunately Tubbo and Quackity's lore happens on screen so I don't have much for them

I would love to explore their arcs in this au tho but y'all gotta wait

[electronickingdomfox]

"Vulcan's Glory" review

Hey look! It's SNW's Spock... in the 80's!

Novel from 1989, by Dorothy C. Fontana. This author is better known as the writer of several TOS episodes, like "Journey to Babel", and as the producer for TAS. Given these credentials, I expected more from this novel. But it turned out to be one of the worst I've recently read.

The plot (or rather, the several mini-plots) were pretty dull, and the slow pace isn't helping. The writing style is so meandering and flowery, that it takes forever to move from point A to point B. (Some spoilers ahead): Set in the Pike era, shortly after Spock arrives at the Enterprise, the main story concerns a legendary emerald revered in Vulcan, the titular "Vulcan's Glory". The gem is easily found in the first chapters, after being presumed lost for a long time. But soon thereafter, an assassin kills a couple of scientists aboard the Enterprise, using a Vulcan killing technique (rehashed plot from "Journey to Babel") and steals the emerald. The murder mystery lacks any tension, and I found the identity and motives of the culprit really contrived (also, it presents a backstory that completely messes up Spock's unique identity as a Vulcan-human hybrid). Apart from this, Pike has his own adventure in the planet of Arete, which has no connection at all with the murder mystery. The civilization of Arete is yet another generic ancient society, divided into townspeople, nomads and outcasts (mutants, in this case). After a nuclear holocaust, they somehow have forgotten any previous technology, and Pike's mission is to check whether communication and trading between the different groups proceeds smoothly. This mission is quickly forgotten in favor of a story about two teenagers in love, who have run from home and now need to be rescued. Again, I found the whole thing pretty boring and predictable. Finally, the novel shoehorns Scotty into Pike's Enterprise, but his only role is brewing moonshine in the engine room, with no concern for sanitary measures (or the proper use of the engines, by the way). Apparently, you can distill liquor the same way you brew tea, as people is already consuming the thing a few hours after the distillery is set up... This subplot was so unnecessary, that I guess it was just included to increase the page count.

Now the characters... I gotta admit, I'm not a fan of the Pike era. But I wasn't particularly interested in Robert April (the previous captain) either, and yet Diane Carey's Final Frontier made me love the characters. This time, however, I can't say I care more for this crew after reading the book. Pike and Dr. Boyce seem like mere sketches for Kirk and McCoy. This may have been understandable in the pilot episode, but here I hoped they'd get a bit more of a personality of their own. In fact, I'd say that Pike was much more his own character in "The Cage". Number One gets a bit more development, but in general, she's simply a cold, perfect woman, created through genetic engineering (you know, the same kind of eugenicist stuff that Khan gets criticized for). And then there's young Spock... His personality in the first chapters is alright. But then the story makes him develop a pulpy romance with a Vulcan woman from the crew, and I simply can't buy the whole thing. Regardless of whether you believe that Spock ever loved T'Pring or not, he was committed enough to his betrothal in "Amok Time" to divert the ship and honor his engagement. He didn't just take the first person available to get him out of pon farr. Less than a marriage but more than a betrothal, indeed. Yet here, he's ready to ditch T'Pring for the first woman that makes a pass at him. Certainly, Spock describes the affair as "true love", and "the only woman he will ever love" yadda, yadda... But let's be honest, they just had a couple of quickies, nothing more. Add to this Spock's unrestrained and vengeful behavior in the last chapters, shouting things like "You bastard!" at the villain (no, for real), and I was left wondering who was this guy.

Last but not least, this novel has a certain, annoying sexism going on, and this is almost the 90's not the 60's. All women get cliche descriptions upon being introduced, which focus on their physical attributes and little more. T'Pring is villanized as a dirty cheater (yet Spock's no better, as seen before). Amanda is particularly submissive towards Sarek (compare with Diane Duane's far better portrayal in Spock's World). Pike and Number One are starting a romantic relationship at the end, because God forbids a female first officer is just doing her job. It seems that Vulcan males can break their engagement at any point (but Vulcan women would still need to invoke the kal-if-fee, with all that entails). And then there's the story of a Vulcan woman who, after being raped by a man, was seen as a disgrace and shame for her family, and banished from the planet! (this in the "most logical" culture of the Federation). But don't you worry, the narrative still manages to villanize this woman as well... Sigh.

Spirk Meter: 0/10. First, Kirk isn't even there. Second, Spock is super-ultra-heterosexual. Third, D. C. Fontana disliked K/S to begin with, to nobody's surprise.

[merfairymakes]

For Poison Ivy, I went with a Petrified Wood because of course I had to go with something plant-based. She's also the first of the gems I'm drawing without a canon counterpart.

Credit goes to @artifiziell again for the base, and for the gem type.

Now, time to get into her lore! First I want to start out by explaining the role Petrified Woods have in Gotham gem society. Initially their purpose was to prepare planets for colonization by bringing all life to peak fertility.

But after a major civil war and the remaining diamonds stepping down as leaders, Gotham began shifting it's gem production into more sustainable methods. Petrified Woods were a key part in this, maintaining the organic life Kindergartens instead of letting gem production to suck all the life away.

Eventually a new way to produce gems was discovered and developed, but I won't get too into that just yet. The important part is that the process involves growing and harvesting organics.

All Petrified Woods have an innate ability to sense how a plant is doing, whether it needs water or sunlight, how deep its roots go, or if there's some kind of affliction keeping it from growing.

For Poison Ivy specifically, her connection with plants has always been much higher than most, to the point where being around plants that are being harmed causes her a great amount of distress. So you can imagine how she feels about the practice of harvesting plants to make new gems.

The last straw for her is when the land that nature preserve she was maintaining gets taken away from her to make room for a new prison for defective gems. The project of course, being headed by Brown Zircon (aka Harvey Dent). Her backstory differs from BTAS in that instead of poisoning her, she lures Zircon into her greenhouse and imprisons her in a plant, leading Batquartz to investigate where she went.

As usual transparent close-ups are under the cut

[justsomerandomplanet]

pls bestow upon us ur gems of wisdom (ur take on jjk ending and such)

I'm gonna start this with an upfront statement since this will be a long post and i don't think anyone wants to read most of the things i will say/I do not want to be misunderstood;

I like the jjk ending enough that it satisfies me, but still leaves me feeling a bit disappointed. Overall, as a series, I rate it a 17 out of 20 Sukuna fingers.

That being said, jjk is an extremely important manga to me on a personal level that will probably be formative for me moving forward. Regardless of the (valid) critiques on jjk, everything I will be saying in this post will end up being subjective, personal opinions that may be a bit biased.

And to akutami, thank you for making this manga and all your hard work; I look forward to whatever they have planned next!

[ read more to hear my more rambly thoughts of the story now ]

I think the last five chapters or so of jjk could have benefited from being 2-3 chapters longer, simply because it feels like a lot was packed into them.

In fact, jjk would probably benefit from having roughly an added 20 chapters or so in total, sprinkled between different story arcs here and there to really explore the lore, plot, and characters more. However, in real time, that would mean an added half a year for the work to be ongoing (more or less), and the reality of the situation is that I simply don't think akutami has the desire to do that. I am not going to claim akutami doesn't like the story they made, but I do think the exertion of weekly manga has clearly taken a toll on them in some way.

Nevertheless, I actually really enjoyed where we ended. JJK was never about "everyone dies and it sucks, despair!!!". In comparison to other stories I've read, JJK has always felt hopeful. Of course, there are plot points I Wish was explored, like:

Megumi's Domain Expansion - Never got to see it fully realise. A shame, really, since it would show his growth as a character. I understand why this never really happened, but considering the level of build up we did have of his character...a shame!

Yuuji's Domain Expansion Name - Not important enough in the grand scheme of things, but it is kinda disappointing. However, leaving it unnamed suits him, a boy who had no specific CT initially with a nameless domain (as far as we know)

New Shadow School clan lore - Kinda have a gripe about this simply because we didn't explore this early on. A very vague thing to leave for the last few chapters

Sukuna's Afterlife - As an endpoint, I like it! However, because we didn't get a lot of exploration on the backstory of Sukuna, Uraume, and that woman (his mother?), it leaves a sense of confusion. I don't really need a whole backstory for Sukuna cause as a character, he can stand without it, but because we've never really seen their whole dynamics really explored, it leaves me feeling disappointed we know so little.

The state of jujutsu society - It's very vague in that we aren't really sure what's happening now. We already know the higher ups and those behind the large political plays are out of the picture, and it seems the three big clans are on the verge of collapse, but the characters seem to still be conducting themselves in the old system. It ended how I did want it, in that the entire old system of jujutsu society is dismantled (aka the old guys are dead lol), and yet its not explored enough for there to be a clear picture (how does the reformation look like? how do we build a system that prevents what happened? we're still using tengen's foundations, how are you sure it would be beneficial? etcetc).

Heian - this is just a me thing but PLEASEEE I NEED HEIAN ARC

I could list down more and more points here, that range from personal disappointments to actual parts that actively hindered the story, but I'm really not here to talk about that. I want to take this time to appreciate the parts I really like, namely gojo's end and yuuji's character.

I speak this genuinely, but Gojo's death and character as a whole is one of the things I have always found to be good and consistent in this entire series. That last conversation he had with Yuuji really clarified how I've always seen Gojo. He is a teacher.

What really always bothered me about the Gojo revival theories (as much as they were fun) always boiled down to one question: "Why?" In the grand narrative of it all, what purpose would Gojo have coming back really? As per the theory, he would lose his powers upon the revival, and then what? Lead the students?

I understand his dream was to reset jujutsu society, and for that, he became a teacher. But more than that, with that last conversation, it shows that gojo wanted his students to reach their full potential more than anything. The world revolved around Gojo Satoru's birth, and he wanted the world to break from that ("Haven't we had enough Gojo Satoru?"). He trusted in his students that they could do it, and that it was okay for him to let them do it on their own. The idea this is self hatred talking feels weird because to me, its a realisation that Gojo believes in reform without himself in the picture. That he doesn't need to be "The Strongest" for the sake of others, but for himself to be like the rest, Gojo Satoru.

A teacher doesn't need to be the lead, for the students to be dependent on them; a teacher is someone that shows the path to where their students can reach their potential, and it is for the student to grab onto it.

The fact that we saw the strongests, Gojo and Sukuna, go in the complete opposite directions of what was initially thought makes this feel even more good. Gojo, who had his youth taken away from him and was entitled "the strongest" by destiny, went south because he was satisfied with what was his life and the dreams he left behind for others to pick up; Sukuna, who lived by his own values in a life purely for hedonistic pleasure and isolation and defied his destiny as a twin, went north because he realised such a life was not the only way you could live in. It is the marks we leave behind that decide whether it is worth staying as who we were (south), or to change and find a new path (north).

As for Yuuji, I love that he's still just Yuuji. His conversation with Sukuna, his empathy towards Megumi, his philosophy about life and the value of life, I love Yuuji so much because he is a boy who was born out of an experiment, who was lonely in childhood save for a grandfather who was there to guide him, who was forced in a situation that was unforgiving and cruel, in a world that did not reward kindness, and yet still chose a path of mercy and understanding.

It's easy to like characters that go off the rails, that do things for the sake of pleasure for themselves, and its Very easy to think it's boring for a character to be kind. But knowing that even in the path of hopeless despair, Yuuji still chose kindness, because that was the way he saw the value of life. And it was a realistic kindness, understanding that total optimism is impossible but still wanting to choose the harder, more unforgiving path because it is kindness that made him who he was. I love that, so much.

I could go off more on other things, but these were mainly my thoughts of the JJK ending! The things I've said here may be a bit of an over analysis, and could be interpreted differently in a different lens, but what I wanted to get out of this is that I genuinely love JJK. With the way things ended, there could be a part two of JJK and I wouldn't be surprised at all, but with where things are at, I like it!

Anyway, sorry for the rambles on that, I just had many thoughts on it

[krimsonkatt]

Ji (Spirit Roamer)

The main character of a future game I'm making called "Spirit Roamer", a sci-fi RPG inspired by Star Wars, Xenosaga, and Gnostism. Her title is Ji and that's what she goes by at the end of the game, but her original name was Zin. Zin is destined to be the legendary "Spirit Roamer" JI, the savior of the universe and the liberator of the light spirits, whatever that means. Here is the full plot of Spirit Roamer:

Zin is a 16 year old human boy living a peaceful life on the colony of Phantos-5. He lives in a futuristic society capable of interstellar travel, where every piece of technology no matter how big or small is powered by special crystals called "NRG Gems." In this galaxy, the vast world of Galaxio, there are two opposing factions: The Republic of Jeto and the Gordoom Empire. Recently, the Gordoom Empire has been blowing up Republic-aligned planets using their "annihilation class starships," seeking to harvest the planets NRG crystals for some mysterious goal, though this news has not reached Phantos-5 which exists on the outer rim of the galaxy. But one day, a crazy old man named Kino No Hakama arrives in town warning that in mere hours their planet will be destroyed and that they all need to evacuate immediately. Kino takes special interest in Zin and when they get close to one another, both of them receive a strange vision where first Zin's planet is blown up before showing other scenes of flying in a spaceship, Zin's arm being chopped off, a female android awakening, and a ghost of light fighting against a massive purple ghost of darkness. Both are shocked by these visions, and Kino reveals to Zin that he is "The Ji," a legendary warrior spoken in an ancient prophecy that will "free the world from its shackles," though Kino does not know exactly what that means. However, the Gordoom Empire has arrived and the planet is going to be blown up, so Zin runs away with Kino on his dinky spaceship. They escape the planet's explosion and Zin swears revenge on the Empire for destroying his planet.

While on the spaceship Kino tells Zin of the empire's plan and that they must head to the resistance base in empire territory to get help. The Jeto Republic signed a strict peace treaty ages ago with Gordoom after losing a war with them that required them to never take action against Gordoom and start another war unless Gordoon "starts another war or invasion of allied planets." The republic also lost all their stocked weapons and military grade starships. Since Gordoom destroyed planets instantly from space, they technically haven't broken the contract and thus the republic is helpless. Zin also tells Kino of his backstory, that his mother disappeared 10 years ago suddenly and without reason and since then he has been living with his aunt and uncle until his planet was destroyed. Kino then gives Zin an ancient weapon called a "Razor Saber" that can only be activated by one in-tune with "phantos," a mystical energy source at the core of the NRG Gems.

However, their conversation is cut short as their spaceship runs out of energy and crash lands on a small moon. Luckily, that moon happens to have tons of NRG crystals within a lunar cave. Zin enters alone at Kino's suggestion to do some training and starts hearing voices calling for help, but doesn't know where they're coming from. Zin reaches the bottom of the cavern and finds a massive NRG Gem, just the right size needed to power the ship. However, the NRG Gem begins to move on its own and stabs into a nearby rock, turning the rock alive and prompting a fight with a giant rock monster powered by the NRG Gem. Zin's blaster has no effect on the rock monster, but by focusing his willpower Zin is able to tap into the "power of phantos" and awaken the Razor Saber to cut right through the rock monster and disable it. Zin then grabs the crystal, leaves the cave, and heads back to Kino. They then make their way to the resistance base on their spaceship and meet with the leader, a woman named Cypress. 

Cypress is currently testing out an artificial human made out of metal named Fades, and after Zin tells his story of the crystal causing the rocks to become alive, Cypress decides to merge an NRG crystal into the android's cortex chip and it ends up working, awakening Fades for the first time. However, soon after Fade's awakening the empire is able to find their base and attack it, and leading the charge is a mysterious general known as the Crimson Samurai. Cypress orders the resistance to evacuate and find a new base, as this current base is a lost cause since the Empire now knows where it is and can destroy it at any time. Everyone is able to escape, but the Crimson Samurai corners Kino and Zin while they are all separated and fleeing for their lives. Kino decides to sacrifice himself to hold the samurai off, and Zin watches helplessly as he runs away, seeing Kino being cut down by the samurai right as they're leaving on Kino's spaceship. Zin is consumed by rage and wants to run in guns blazing on the Empire's base to get revenge on the samurai for killing Kino, but Cypress warns him not to and forbids him to leave. Zin escapes anyways and makes his way to the Empire's home planet, sneaking in as a maid. The opportunity was there and he took it, he didn't mind crossdressing to achieve his goals. Actually, he kind of enjoyed it. He then made his way into the Samurai's chambers and fought against them in an epic battle (after getting changed of course) but upon cutting open their mask it was revealed that the Crimson Samurai was actually Zin's missing mother, shocking Zin. The Samurai took this opportunity to chop off Zin's arm, causing him to lose the Razor Saber in the pit below. Zin, now weakened, was kicked into the pit and fell into the eternal blackness of space…

Zin wakes up without a body in a strange, ethereal plane. There, Kino visits him and explains to him the truth of his destiny. Lore-dump time. In primordial times, the physical world did not exist. All life lived as transcendent spirit beings able to shape reality as they pleased, one with the phantos. However, everything changed when a wicked spirit named Gordoom wanted to control everything. So, Gordoom trapped all life within crystal and created the physical world along with "false vessels" for their true spiritual forms to be trapped inside, stuck in an endless cycle of death and rebirth. These crystals are the "NRG Gems'' that make up all technology. The goal of the Ji is to destroy all the NRG Gems and free everyone's spirits, eventually destroying the entire physical realm and revert the world to a primordial non-material state. Zin is initially hesitant to do so, but when promised that in this new world there will be no more suffering and that it is the only way to free his mother from her brainwashing, Zin is convinced. Kino then finally tells Zin of Gordoom's ultimate plan, to use a superweapon known as the "Zohar Emulator" in order to destroy all of reality and create a new reality in Gordoom's image, as Gordoom realized over time that he cannot control the physical beings he created to be his slaves because of the spirits held within that possessed free will.

However, the spiritual world that Zin now resides could not interact with the physical world unless Zin gets a new physical vessel, as his body is now dead, frozen, and lost in space. However, Kino has an idea, and as Zin and Kino say goodbye for the time being Kino sends Zin's spirit to possess an old, broken down model of Fades within Cypress' storage, giving Zin a female android body. However, Zin's new body did not have arms or legs, so Zin had to make quite a bit of noise to get Cypress' attention, who was grieving both the loss of her mentor Kino as well as Zin, who seemingly died in his raid of Gordoom's base. Cypress is shocked to see Zin still alive and in one of Fade's old bodies as well, and Zin agrees to be upgraded and repaired in order to return to fighting shape. Zin suggests that her new body stay female for the time being and to give her a new voice, which Cypress accepts. Zin then emerges as the new and improved Zin 2.0, a stunningly beautiful female android with both the spiritual powers of the Ji and all the strengths that come with being an android, greatly improved physically from her previous form.

Zin 2.0, Cypress, and Fades all then begin their full assault on Gordoom's base, eventually leading to Zin's rematch with his mother. However, with her new powers as an awakened Ji, Zin is able to free her mother from her brainwashing and she joins the party as their final member. At long last the party finally faces off with Gordoom, the big bad controlling everything who has a massive robot body with the Zohar Emulator embedded into it. However, once Gordoom's body is nearly destroyed, he activates the Zohar Emulator and destroys all of reality, killing everyone but him and Zin who opposes the will of Gordoom as the Ji. At the crux of the new world's formation, Gordoom explains to Zin his reasoning.

While yes, the primordial spirits lived in peace and harmony, their strong resonance with the universal flow was causing a tear in reality which would cause Elzakalas, the dark god, to break free from his 100 trillion year long prison in the farplane, a realm beyond regular reality. So, Gordoom resorted to drastic measures, trapping the primordial spirits in physical bodies in order to stop the tear in reality from growing any bigger. However, Zin regardless wants to set the spirits free and stop Gordoom from creating a new world where he is the sole ruler and erasing all the primordial spirits from existence, so the final battle begins between Zin the Ji and Gordoom the wicked spirit. Zin is victorious and proceeds to reverse the power of the emulator and restore the world to how it once was and the spirits that inhabited it, bringing peace to their world. However, in the post credits scene, Elzakalas is seen breaking free from his prison in the farplane and says "Kill… I will kill the goddess… I swear it."

[skayafair]

Arcane and Gender

One of the things about Arcane I like the most is that gender (as in gender roles and expectations, as a social construct) essentially doesn't exist there. You're a person, that's it. It's nice seeing a media showing the world the way I usually see it, being agender myself.

That's in-universe. Outside of it, from our perspective, a lot of "gender roles" are subverted compared to stereotypical irl ones.

Since I was like 20 I've decided that if one can change a gender of a character and nothing changes in the plot just because of this, it's a well-written story (unless gender is one of its focuses intentionally). I'd say Arcane is one of these rare gems. However, if we look at it within the irl context, a lot of characters would have been a bit more stereotypical and boring in a "we saw it billion times" way.

For example, would Vi be the same as a person if she was a guy? Sure, and I think an older brother dedicated to going through hell and back for younger one's sake would still be just as popular among the audience. /caugh/ Supernatural /cough/ Swinging fists left and right and shooting cheesy lines at one's supposed LI also seems pretty traditional for a male MC, as well as being hot-headed and punching first thinking later. Like, it probably can't get more stereotypical than that. Also, teenage Vi reminds me of Jim from Treasure Planet design-wise a lot 😅 Pretty much same with Caitlyn. Her family would have been just your average traditional one, too.

In Jinx's case little would change, I think. It's not like we didn't see male "pretty little psychos" with tragic backstories before but they aren't as much of a stereotype yet so gender really isn't all that relevant here, I guess.

Jayce having patrons and being introduced to the higher society because a person of the opposite gender took interest in a promising young inventor both professionally and personally would be a lot like just another Cinderella story.

Mel being genderswapped is probably not as stereotypical but then again we've seen plenty of male manipulative characters weaponizing their high attractiveness for their own purposes. Mel's mom and her escort are… well, you know.

A woman in Victor's shoes would probably be a breath of a fresh air since I can't recall a character like that. Huh.

Same with Silco - I'd be curious to see a female villain like this.

Sevika would have been just a stereotypical right hand man, again.

And so on.

So for an outside observer the gender of the characters probably DOES matter. (I for one am verrry grateful Vi is a girl since I'm sapphic and she's basically irresistible 😁🤷‍♀️) But in-universe, the way they are treated shows the world of Arcane is well past such a redundant thing. And that is beautiful ✨

[lunarthing159]

So, Since The Main 8 Cast Have Been Revealed For The WitchCraftSMP Gemcyt AU, I Suppose It's About Time For A Summary Post!

If You Don't Know What I'm Talking About, Look At The Tags Of This Post And/Or Go To My Blog And Check For Those Tags Before Clicking Read-More. That'll Show You The Progress So-Far! Also, I Will Try Writing The Below Without My Usual Typing Style As To Make It Easier To Read ^v^

● Starting Up, A Height Lineup!

In order from Shortest to Tallest, we have:

Citrine/Eloise, GoldPearl/Shelby, Jade/Scott, LapisLazuli/Prismarina, GrapeAgate/Lauren, CherryBlossomJasper/Cupquake, Amethyst/Cleo, & Spessartine/Joey

Eloise & Joey were purposefully placed next to eachother in the heights lineup as to showcase the height range of the whole cast. I also tried making sure that no two colored gems were next to eachother as to make it more apparent where everyone starts and ends. As shown with Citrine & Spessartine, I was not always able to do this ^v^"

● Next Up, Worldbuilding!

This AU takes place in a similar worldbuilding to Steven Universe. With the Diamond Authority and Gem Hierarchy System, including it's stance on 'Off-Color' Gems. Off-Color Gems are basically the outcasts of society, cross-gem fusions, flukes, and rebels fall into this category. If a gem isn't useful or otherwise challenges authority, they are Off-Color.

The AU's worldbuilding has everyone, through one way or another, end up on the same rebel planet. On this planet, they are hosting a competition between their resident 'Off-Colors' to showcase they can be useful outside the boundaries of which they were created. Pearls don't have to be servants, nor do Agates have to lead. They can choose their own fate and thrive! If a gem likes their role, that's fine! But if they don't, they shouldn't be labeled a fluke simply because they long for change.

Everyone's Off-Color traits are explained and elaborated on in their own posts, so look to those if you'd like more information. I also plan to write some stories about how everyone got onto the rebel planet from their life before. Some starting at the beginning of their life, others starting at whenever they gained their off-colored trait.

● Fusions!

I already have a few fusions between the cast members planned out, however I will wait to post anything for one reason, You All! Same with the base Gemcyt AU that started this all, I want all of you to be able to draw your own fusions! Whether they become canon or not, whether I take inspiration or not (I will ask if I can before tho if I do), I want to see y'all's creativity with these gem-ified block people!

● What About The Others?

The Others, in this case, refer to people like Bertha, Mertha, The Supreme Witch, Milo, & ect. For now, I have yet to make them, however (for the majority) I already have gems picked out for them. I just gotta draw them.

● Extras?

Extras! The main thing I want to talk about first is that, while I may change some/alot of backstory to fit into the worldbuilding, the character dynamics themselves will remain the same. Lapis Lazuli & Gold Pearl will remain friends just like Prismarina & Shelby, the same applies for Amethyst & Jade / Cleo & Scott. Lapis & Amethyst will have a rivalry just like Pris & Cleo did. And, of course, Grape Agate AKA Lauren will likely have a strained dynamic with Spessartine Garnet AKA Joey.

Another thing is that, while the art above may seem very simplistic, I mainly did so as to make color-palettes easier to replicate! I might draw more detailed versions of them another time, but for now, the blank colors with minimal shading is good for color-picking & quick refrence!

And finally, if you have any more questions about this AU, feel free to plop an ask into the ask-box and I will either answer your question or tell you if it's already been answered!

|

With That Said, I Am Now Going To @chrisrin And Say "Hello! I Have Spent The Past 2-3 Weeks Drawing / Writing Some Magic Gem People" ^v^

If You Don't Know Who This 'chrisrin' Is Or Why I Am @ -ing Them? Go Check Out Their Blog! They Are The Creator Of The Initial Gemcyt AU That Started It All & They Also Have Alot Of Other Really Cool Stuffs!

[kabutone]

CRYING ABOUT SENSEI

this means so much more after knowing his backstory 🥺🥺🥺🥺

i think. he is meant to take after humans in more ways than one. not only was he designed to look like one, but he has human emotions too. not that the other gems don’t, but it doesn’t seem to be to as much of an extent, which is what sets phos apart

and i think ultimately . sensei is very lonely. later in the manga the lunarians say he adopted the gems and dressed them and made a human-like society for them bc they reminded him of humans. he was on earth all alone for who knows how many years, until the first gem appeared. he doesn’t want to lose them bc now they are all he has …. and he doesn’t want to pray bc ultimately he will be left behind again. and that sounds so torturous to be the only being on earth for thousands of years, and then to be alone for possibly the rest of time

[seriouslycromulent]

One of the things I like most about the new Night Court

... is how it seems to be turning into a popular gig for comedic actors to do a quick and fun sitcom appearance. Which in a way, is in keeping with the spirit of the original.

So many character actors, comedians and comedy legends made their way onto the original Night Court over its 9 seasons that it's nice to see some folks are taking the new one as an opportunity to do the same.

So far, in 2 seasons, we have seen (and this is not all of them, just the folks I can remember off the top of my head):

Wendie Malick - as the unstable woman from Dan's past who is trying to destroy him

Dave Foley - as the valet to Gurgs' Duke boyfriend

Rhys Darby - as the Duke boyfriend

Jenifer Lewis - as the Anna Wintour-esque fashion magazine editor

Richard Kind - as the down-on-his-luck Broadway producer

Melissa Villaseñor - as Neil's old high school crush

Betsy Sodaro - as the churlish janitor who didn't want to help save Dan's favorite bench

Jackie Hoffman - as the mean keeper of the government bureaucratic forms who forced the court to hire her son

Faith Ford - as Abby's mom

Melissa Fumero - as the scary PTA Karen mom from the school Wyatt's daughters attend

Gary Anthony Williams - as the recurring/semi-regular employee Murray Flobert*

Jim Meskimen - as the voiceover for the Shot Clock Showdown basketball game

Stephnie Weir - as the podcast host trying to sling mud for ratings

Kurt Fuller - as the skeevy DA who tries to manipulate Abby and later get her suspended

Julia Duffy - as Abby's boyfriend's mom [added on 28-Mar]

And of course, the show is also in a wonderful position to give other actors a small onscreen role as defendants in the regular court cases that don't get much backstory or are just there to set up a joke or two. For actors just starting out or who usually play background characters, this is a nice little gem on the resume.

I'm not sure how many seasons the new show will get, but as a fan of sitcoms and lighter entertainment fare that I feel our society desperately needs right now, I'm just happy that the show can make such a positive contribution to the TV landscape again.

*Since he's a semi-regular, he probably shouldn't be included on this list, but I'm a huge fan of Gary's so I wanted to show him some love. Plus, he's a great addition to the cast.

[chinchillasinunison]

Welcome Homeworld

(aka Welcome Home characters as SU Gems because it's something I'm compelled to do for every fandom I join)

Wally: Parti Sapphire

Gem Placement: Back of Head

Doesn't have…. future vision, persay…. instead he can perceive extra-dimensional beings (us)

This means he's not very attentive to his own plane of reality most of the time, giving him a "space cadet" vibe

Because of that, no one knows where he came from because he never talks about his life before finding Home… or much besides the current moment, really…

Home is powered by harvested gem shards formed into a cluster (sorta like a Frybo thing but a building), it was there long before anyone else and no one knows its original purpose

Barnaby: Pietersite

Gem Placement: Navel

His quartz squadron took a brief pit-stop on the neighborhood planet for "maintenance"

He was assigned sentry duty to make sure no organics attacked the ship

Took a short nap while on lookout, and when he woke up, the ship was gone

Was then looked after by a chicken-like alien native for a while before he found Parti and Home

Julie: Blush Spinel

Gem Placement: Left Palm

Part of a small spinel batch cooked up on the neighborhood planet

The fact that she and her batch came out "defective" with horns and such is why it was abandoned for colonization

They were left behind in their Kindergarten to fend for themselves

Eventually, she stumbled her way into the neighborhood on her search for new friends and fun

Frank: Labradorite

Gem Placement: Forehead

Labradorite doesn't like to talk about his past, so no one knows how precisely he got here

In the gem hierarchy, plagioclases (labradorite, spectrolite, and rainbow moonstone) are interrogators. They have the ability to absorb a portion of a gem's color in order to weaken them physically and emotionally, which is used as a pressuring tactic to get confessions. Generally, the more colorful the plagioclase, the more decorated and well-respected they are by Homeworld society.

What does that imply about our Labradorite? We can only speculate…

Sally: Sunstone

Gem Placement: Nose

Has the classic "crashed my ship on this planet with no way to repair it, so I gotta just stay here" backstory

She enjoys it, though. It allows her to actually tap into her latent creativity

Her old job was monitoring the star of her assigned colony, ensuring ships didn't fly into it and containing solar flares and stuff like that

It was so boring that she just left

Poppy: Ammolite

Gem Placement: Upper Back

Ammolites are like pearls but bigger and more for entertainment than service (think chorus girls in a cabaret)

That still didn't suit her well because she's still an agoraphobe

The irony of her nervous temperament better fitting Sunstone's original role and Sunstone's creative spunk fitting hers is not lost on her

She flew herself out here. She's actually a great (albeit anxious) pilot if she says so herself

Eddie: Topaz

Gem Placement: Right Calf

Though technically a bodyguard, he was used mainly as a delivery gem for elites (guarding precious cargo)

Rejuvenated a lot because he often walked in on stuff he wasn't supposed to see, which eventually gave him permanent memory issues

Was paired with the aquamarine that became half of Chrysocolla

Howdy: Chrysocolla

Gem Placement: Nose (aquamarine) and Chest (zircon)

Fusion of an aquamarine and a green zircon

Components were well-respected in their respective fields, but after a couple millenia of the same old grind, anyone would want a change in scenery

Aquamarine and Zircon aren't even romantically involved. They consider themselves merely business partners

Aquamarine is more of the business-savvy one while Zircon brings the charisma

[geodetojoy]

For the ask game!

-If money weren’t an issue and you didn’t have to worry about work/paying rent/surviving capitalist hellscape what would you do with your life?

-What’s your favorite fic you’ve ever read and why?

-If you go back and relive one memory, which one would it be?

Ooo hello anon!!

Also this gets a bit personal near the end, especially in 3, which I guess is the point, but be warned!!!

1. I gave an answer for this a bit ago, I rb’d mysti’s post (I’m assuming you’re referencing that, I could be wrong)

But I’ll summarize anyway lmao

First, I’d run away. No exact place in mind, just away from where I am now. The only fragments of my past id bring with me are my cats, maybe one irl friend, and my online friends. Everything else, I’d leave behind.

I wanna give my cats the kind of life they deserve, bc right now they live in a basement with quite literally no access to the sun and it fucking breaks my heart.

I’d live somewhere pretty far out from society, likely near some forest, and I’d surround myself with plants and animals. I’d just love to be in a place with little to no light pollution and beautiful scenery. Not only would I love to live it, but I’d love to paint it too.

I’d focus on art more than anything. I’d finish WIPs, I’d have a studio in my house, I’d write, I’d study game design and make games, and so so much more.

I’d catch up on all of the videos and movies and music I need to see/hear

I’d let myself focus even more on my hyperfixations and throw myself into them entirely

And on top of that, I wouldn’t be afraid to accommodate anything for myself. I’d get rid of everything that causes sensory issues, I’d let myself stim constantly, etc. I just wouldn’t be afraid to be me.

(I think there were a few more things that I’m forgetting lmao so if you wanna dig for my last post feel free)

2. This is. The hardest fucking question I’ve ever gotten. How could you anon /j

There’s no way I could give just one answer so you get a list

1. Ok I can’t find a title bc I read this fucking ages ago but I loved it so fucking much it was a Pokémon fic where Ash and his greninja reunited and they had like telepathy, and it threw in a little bit of amourshipping as well which I used to be a huge sucker for. It’s mainly in this list bc of how well I can/could remember it; I would literally recite it to myself any night I couldn’t sleep bc a. I knew it so well and b. I wasn’t allowed on my phone after a certain time. It was also one of the first fanfics I ever read!

OK OK WAIT I FOUND IT ITS CALLED RETURN OF GRENINJA: UNITED BY ALEXANDRIA PRIME ON FANFICTION.NET

2. You Belong To Me by Smytherines!!!! I fucking love Spies Are Forever so fucking much and this fic kills me every time. Let my boys be happy!!!! Let them be soft!!!! Gah it’s just so beautiful and the art in it is fucking incredible!!! I could talk about it forever

3. Burning flames or paradise? Series by Insomnia!!!!!

Gah I love me some Smalletho!!! My boys just need to have a normal fucking conversation for once!!!

I’m also loving all of the new character additions and all of the relationships- I LOVE GEMS CHARACTER IN IT SMMM DUDE

4. To cradle love in open palms by svnnybee!!!!

The first Scarian fic I ever read and GOD is it a good one

Feat. scar being a big dumb boss and Grian being a little mischievous mole (but not for long bc he falls HARD for the guy he’s trying to spy on)

It’s just soooo fucking precious and sweet and I love them ok?

5. There is nothing more artistic than loving someone by Froggiestarrock!!!

Another Scarian one lmao but college au this time!!! Makes me cry every fucking time I read it dude it’s sooo good and we love some well-written disability rep for scar!!!! And aroace mumbo!!!!!

6. Take it all (even though I have nothing left) by Emojiconuser_456!!!

My absolute FAVORITE Qsmp fic

Charlie centric!!! My fav boy

I just looooove the way this is written and I loooove Charlie’s backstory and I loooove the way the slimes/magmas are written it’s all so beautiful and the WORLD BUILDING oh my god.

7. And how could I make this list without mentioning my writer friends!!!!

First we have eowynarchives with your lucky charm!!! A beautifully written treebark fic with wanderer Martyn and wizard ren!!!! I am in love with how it’s going so far it’s such a good story!!!!!

8. And continuing on we have my dearest soul-bound mother CharBeloved :DDDDD

They’ve written tons of stuff but my fav is Missing Memories, which is being rewritten with a new title of Found but Lost!!! It’s a really interesting genloss story with ciphers/puzzles (which I adore) and it’s got some fuckin crazy lore and I love it

9. Not a fic, but an author whose work I adore soooooo dearly!!! Quillandinktwink!!!! They also write spies stuff, curtwen specifically, and I could read all of their work until the end of eternity and never get tired of it. My fav of theirs right now is and you can savor every word which is a silly little confession story bc of silly little curt mega and his silly little hobby of journaling :)

10 ok I am cutting it here but the Ashamed series by TheBananaOwenSlippedOn (omg spies again who could have guessed) is an incredibly written au about Owen’s past (autistic Owen my beloved) and it’s soooooo painfully tragic and it makes me so fucking sad to think about the implications /ref

There’s so so many more that I didn’t include but I just genuinely can’t pick a favorite I just love fanfiction dude

3. Oooo another hard one!!!

I don’t wanna get too sad and depressing lmao but I don’t have too many good memories tbh?? Like I’ve had good experiences, I know I have, I just usually remember the bad ones, or smth happens that ruins what was once a good memory :/

And there’s tons of stuff that I’d love to go back and change, even if just a little bit, but that’s not the question LMAO

But I’ve got some in mind! And you’re getting another list deal with it /lh

1. My first ever dnd session!!! One part specifically that I’m SUPER fucking proud of-

So our party was kidnapped and imprisoned on a boat, and after we broke out we had to fight the crew. My character was a Druid, and she knew the spell Create or Destroy Water. So what I did was destroy the water in the sea surrounding one side of the boat so that the boat would fall backwards, sending everyone on board soaring in that direction :DDDD

My dm also played into this reaaaaaaly well and said that the lanterns lining the walls fell too and set the whole boat aflame it was fuckin AWESOME

2. My first time(s) talking to my moots!!!!! Mads, char, mysti, and now royal, if any of u see this, y’all have been the fuckin best part of my life and ily all so much I’m so glad to have met you :) <333333

3. The day I got two of my four (now one of my two, we have two away) kitties!!! I used to write about this every time we got a narrative writing assignment in school lmaoo so I’ll do a shortened version of that here >:)

So at my public library one summer, they were holding an event called Cat-urday where they brought a bunch of kitties from the local humane society for people to adopt! We went in, just having moved to a new house, planning to get two cats. I would get to pick one and my brother would get to pick another. I wandered around for a bit until one caught my eye. She was a mixed breed, almost resembling a tabby cat but with a white face, stomach, and boots, she was a few weeks old, and she had sprained her wrist trying to reach out of her cage. I picked her up to see if she would like me, and she practically melted into my chest.

Then, when we brought her home, she made my bed her temporary nest until she was fully nursed to health <33333

In summary, I fucking love my cats

(Btw I still have her, her name is snickers and she is so very dear to me :))) )

4. The day my mom discovered that I’m probably autistic

(I’m self diagnosed, that’s the only reason it’s worded like that)

While not necessarily something I remember fondly, it was an extreme fucking relief to hear that, a, someone else saw it too which really fucking helped with imposter syndrome, and b, I didn’t have to hide it anymore bc I thought that everyone I knew was veeeeeery ableist. Don’t get me wrong she’s still not great about it but just her knowing has made things a lot easier

5. Not one in specific, but I’d like to go back to a good time I had with my dad before I cut contact with him. Back when I thought he was a good person. Just so I could remember what it’s like for a lil bit

Edit: 6. I’d go back to the first time I watched spies are forever :))))))) GOD I fucking love that musical

This got….. incredibly long, sorry anon LMAOOOO

[merfairymakes]

Next up is Mister Freeze! Or just Freeze here, since there's no misters in gem society.

Her backstory is roughly the same as it is in BTAS, with some adjustments to make it work with gem biology.

Basically, Nora (who is a Pearl in this AU) was shattered and then repaired, but something went wrong with the process and her gem couldn't fully reform a physical form for her, just kinda glitching out and keeping her in the floating, humanoid but otherwise featureless phase.

Freeze is still a scientist in this AU, and so she uses her position to try and find a cure for Nora, but is ultimately found out, and in the process she spills some of the chemicals she was using on her gem.

This gives her ice powers instead of water powers, along with a similar condition to Nora where she loses her physical form when her gem is above freezing.

So, she makes a coldness gauntlet to cover her gem, and armor for the rest of her since she can't fly anymore due to her ice powers just freezing her wings every time she tries to form them.

As usual, transparent close-ups of her forms are under the cut

Credit to @artifiziell for the base, and to the show for the left hand.

[theultimatenonbinarynerd]

Aesthetic Of Mel's 2023 Reads- Almost There

This book was an absolute gem of a Twisted tale. It reminded why I loved these series of books when I was younger. Despite a few plot convinces I really enjoyed it especially with the mystery aspect. It really felt like a Disney version of a Black Mirror episode.

It also developed the orginal movie, like Dr Faciller's full motivation and backstory as well as expanding how Tiana refuses to accept help in a society that doesn't want to treat her equally due to the colour of her skin.

Also great that Tiana got to be human for the whole book, what a relief.

Almost There Aesthetic

This book is definitely going on my re read list.

-Melody-

They/Them