#i also think they humanize each other a lot but that’s a whole ‘nother post i am not writing tonight

[rengerines]

i could never be normal about chiscara, like ik they are very unlikely lore wise but idgaf!!!

pre irminsul arc they’re two people who find love and warmth in such a cold environment. the fatui are a distinctly distant organization, and the harbingers are clearly not very close (eg. childe and arlechinno voicelines ab eachother). the only thing connecting each of them is the mutual goal of collecting the gnoses for the tsaritsa, but the way they all go about this is vastly different from each other, and this connection can be rather weak when compared to their personal goals, usually treated as a sort of after thought in a lot of the later archon quests (and clearly some of them js don’t gaf ab the tsaritsa *cough* scara defection).

so i really like the idea of chiscara connecting despite this, and also the thought that they have to sneak around about it too. obviously, they’re not exactly *good* for each other. they’re fatui harbingers, both with more than a few screws loose. but they’re still capable of caring for each other nonetheless.

considering their situation, and the two of them as people with their baggage and all that, i doubt they ever got past a weird sort of fwb-situationship-not-dating-but-probably-in-love relationship, but i still think they were somewhat aware of their mutual romantic feelings, they would js never label it.

post irminsul arc, i think about them two ways.

obviously in canon-verse, they’re doomed. childe is born and of teyvat, he’s not gonna be going against teyvat’s founding principles and remembering scara so easily. he’d need someone to tell him, either the traveler or scara, and both are unlikely to do so. the traveler would js not know to, and scara isn’t the type to seek childe out.

in this case i see scara silently yearning like crazy for a man who doesn’t even remember who he is. it’s interesting, as even when they were ‘together,’ scara was constantly telling himself how bad of an idea this was, and here he is now suffering the consequences. their love was real at some point, but scara is doomed to be the only one to remember it. it’ll eat him up from the inside out until he forces himself to move on. if childe decides to visit sumeru at some point, maybe for fun, maybe on business, they might talk, and it would all hurt that much more.

however, through some weird canon-divergence shenanigans, i can see post-irminsul chiscara, in a world where childe somehow remembers, building a proper relationship of sorts. they could never have a perfectly ‘normal’ relationship, childe’s still a fatui harbinger, but they could have some semblance of a cute domestic life when childe’s off work. i’m thinking rare mornings waking up together, and scara reluctantly introducing childe to sethos, only for them to get on so well and cause him both a headache and for his heart to swell. i see scara, childe and nahida sharing a meal together, nahida listening intently to childe talking about his family, and later nahida telling scara that she’s happy for him. they could one day visit childe’s family together, and scara would feel out of place but slowly adjust to all the many children around him. i think teucer would adore him, maybe even more than childe, which would drive him crazy. scara would hold it over his head constantly, and they’d bicker and kiss afterwards. the two of them could love each other properly, they’d get a second chance post-irminsul. all that has to happen is for childe to remember.

[writing-for-life]

Hey there! I hope you’re having a good day. I just saw a post you made about Dream’s type romantically. Thoughts on Calliope and Dream’s relationship specifically? It always stands out to me how though Dream has had a number of lovers throughout the millennia, Calliope is the only one he married. (And of course, Melissanthi Mahut and Tom Sturridge’s blistering chemistry in the show is an additional component for me xD but feel free to respond only based on the comics if you wish!)

Hey, always happy to see your asks in my inbox!

So, first of all; I don’t care what everyone else thinks:

Dream and Calliope are the OTP even though I’m not a shipper. There, I said it, hit me over the head with a hammer, I live well in that tiny little corner of fandom 🤣

Conceptually, they are very, very alike. There is definitely something in there about dreams marrying epic poetry (and eloquence!) that’s just so on the nose.

But I also can’t help thinking: Slight power imbalance maybe, and we also get this more directly via the “all gods get born and die in the Dreaming.” I think often about how this would have played out for them once Calliope’s last worshippers have died—it’s certainly a tough one, even if their relationship hadn’t soured.

But even so: She is the Muse of Epic Poetry, he is the Prince of Stories, so there is A LOT of overlap between what they stand for. And hence, a lot of mutual understanding. They always struck me as *getting* each other (probably why they fell in love in the first place)—until they didn’t. The fact they didn’t live together was good for them I think, because thoughts need to be allowed freedom to form and develop. Plus, there’s also a lot to be said for Calliope keeping her independence that way. Not just in terms of personhood, but again if you think of how she was essentially created in, and will return to, the Dreaming. It’s probably wise for her (in conceptual terms) not to hang out there ALL the time?

She seems a lot more grounded in the mortal world than Dream is though. I always thought that was down to the fact that humans know her, as in actively worship her/ask her for inspiration, which must make her much closer in a way? Because bar a few, no one really *knows* Dream exists, although everyone does, if that makes any sense? Mortals know him on a subconscious level (that’s why he’s forever nebulous and *lonely*), but people know Calliope as a deity and seek connection explicitly. I’m not sure what I’m trying to say here, but to me, that was always a reason why, although a goddess, she seemed far less removed from the mortal plight than Dream was (at least when they were still an item—we all know he changed, even if he didn’t admit it [well, he did in the end to Nuala, which is a whole ‘nother topic]).

And when I think about why they didn’t work out, I can only think: “Orpheus”.

I mean yes, she said that they were already starting to drift apart slightly before she was with child, but there was still a lot of love between them even so. I think the death knell was to have a child on these wonky foundations. Why they did, we’ll never know.

Conceptually, there’s again something very deep and painful about dreams and poetry becoming something real. And then, that mortal child becoming immortal (until his father finally intervenes). But Orpheus was still all mortal and human to his core, even when he became immortal for a while, and that was *always* at the base of their rift. But I digress…

Back to why was Orpheus the death of their marriage? Dream’s advice to Orpheus was sound, yet it was unfeeling and lacked empathy. Calliope’s was maybe (?) not as reasonable, but she understood her child because a mother’s love is (usually) unconditional. We all know Dream’s wasn’t for a long time although it should have been.

I think if they’d all sat together as a family, supported their son in his grief in a balanced way, this whole catastrophe could have been avoided (I mean no, not really—it’s a tragedy, “doomed by the narrative” and all that). But all of Dream’s relationships (be that to his son or his lovers) fail because he is unreality (hence he has a hard time when things quite literally get real), and despite *knowing* mortals on a very deep level, I don’t believe he truly *understood* them at this point. But I think Calliope did—maybe due to who she was, maybe just because she actually *allowed* them in? Because Dream never truly did that. And when he finally did and truly understood what unconditional love actually means, he came apart at the seams and unravelled.

There’s also something really interesting conceptually in thinking of the Prince of Stories who doesn’t believe he has his own, and the Muse of Epic Poetry who inspires. Who is trying to control whom in this scenario? It’s mirrored in how they behave when the whole Orpheus tragedy takes off:

Calliope tries to inspire and, dare I say try to control the narrative a bit, and I don’t mean this in a bad way, quite the opposite: She looks for the most favourable outcome for everyone involved, even if it means bending the rules: She tries to convince Dream to put in a good word with Hades and believes he would listen because Gods respect him and, dare I say it, are even a bit scared of him.

Dream is rigid. Which is so mind-bending for someone who is the personification of hopes, wishes and possibility. But he is an immovable object: If he’s right, he’s right. That’s the rules, that’s it. And he won’t bend them, not even for his son. I’m not saying that it’s not understandable from his point of view, because he might know things we don’t (potentially also that although he *could* bend the rules because he has the power to do so, it might have knock-on effects no one else can understand or see—it’s impossible to say), only that they are fundamentally different in their approach although they are *both* about inspiration. And inspiration is so closely related to bringing on change (ouch!).

Part of me wants to say that Calliope uses it to control the narrative while Dream doesn’t, that Calliope believes that we can change our destiny while Dream doesn’t, but that’s also too simple. Because Dream *can* be controlling, but in totally different ways and areas.

I feel like I’m rambling out a lot of unordered thoughts, but I guess what I’m trying to say is that Dream and Calliope were so close because they are so similar in so many ways bar one:

Their understanding how inspiration can be used to bring on change. I would somehow go as far as saying that Calliope understands what it means to have personhood, also for herself, and that’s why she understands it in others (I think this is made *very* clear when Richard Madoc holds her hostage). Dream doesn’t—least not at the point where it would have mattered with regards to their relationship, because I think the fishbowl has changed him in that regard. This is also why he wants to make things right with her I believe. But of course he would never openly admit it (he basically stops himself before blurting it out), simply because it would also mean he’d need to admit it to himself…

With regard to that meta:

I definitely think they were highly romantically attracted, purely down to who/what they are. I can’t say too much about their sexual attraction, but after Calliope’s speech at his wake, it would be somewhat unlikely to assume they weren’t 🙈🤣

Was it unconditional though? No.

Was it pragmatic (that sounds so bad and unfeeling, but it’s not a bad thing, because a certain level of pragmatism is what grounds love in reality and makes it last)? I think they tried. But ultimately, he can never live that way because he is unreality, and I often wonder if they both knew 😭

@two-hands-toward-the-sun ask answered

[gay-mooshrooms]

Part 1 of Spock TOS vs AOS

Ok so from popular demand I’m posting this. I made a post a lil while ago about writing an "essay" looking at the differences in Spock's characterization and relationship with kirk in TOS vs AOS so this is the first part of that cus I actually polished it up XD. First couple paragraphs under to cut :)

A lot of things bug me about the AOS movies and there’s a whole nother essay there, BUT, one of the biggest things that’s always bugged me is the difference in Kirk and Spock’s dynamic from TOS to AOS. If you’ve seen both you know exactly what I’m talking about. Obviously a large portion of the difference comes from the changes in individual stories and personalities. Kirk is made much more aggressive and the “macho man” he has become known to be in popular culture, and Spock is also shown to be more assertive. The timing in AOS is also different, in TOS they’ve already known each other for a short period of time, Kirk is already the captain of the Enterprise and Spock is already the First Officer, we meet them when they already have professional respect and admiration for each other. In AOS we don’t get that. They meet each other much earlier and at very different stages of their character development. This causes tension from the get-go which will continue pretty much throughout all 3 movies to some extent.

However, I think a lot of the changes in the relationship and personality, specifically on Spock’s front, can be attributed to the change in his relationship with his parents. In TOS we see, primarily in the episode Journey to Babel where we first meet Spock’s parents, that he has at least a semi-strained relationship with both of them. He hasn’t visited either of them in years, and Sarek declines to have him as a guide around the Enterprise. Amanda tells Kirk that the reason for this strain was Spock’s choice to enlist in Starfleet, which went directly against Sareks wishes and Vulcan teaching that he had been forcing on Spock from an extremely young age. In AOS we see something entirely different, while it is true Spock was originally going to go to the Vulcan Science Academy, as his father wished, he chose to enlist in Starfleet not due to a sense of alienation or a longing for a place to belong, but out of righteous anger at his and his mother’s treatment from the Vulcan’s of the Academy, so while Sarek might not have approved entirely, he didn’t object either. 

Sarek is not the only change we see, Amanda is changed a lot in AOS, and her change is arguably more important. The Amanda we see in AOS is a very kind and understanding woman, and Spock is shown to care very deeply for her and she was likely the person he was closest to before enlisting in Starfleet, which we can tell from how he reacts to her death. But the most important thing is how she treats him and his choices. It is established extremely early on that she would love and support Spock no matter what path he goes down, even when he asks outright if she would support him going through Kohlinar(the purging of all emotions), which would effectively eliminate his human side(or at least he hopes it would), and permanently distance her from him. This is EXTREMELY different from the Amanda we see in TOS. In TOS Amanda does seem to somewhat understand her son’s struggle, but she neglects to realize her own hand in that struggle. She so badly wants Spock to be human like her and tries to force him in that direction many times even when it’s clear he is unwilling or unable to do so, going so far as to slap him. Spock in TOS effectively comes from a divided household, as Sarek and Amanda have such different ideas about who they think he “should” be, Vulcan vs Human, which causes Spock himself to have even more inner turmoil. He is constantly being pulled in two different directions depending on what will make Sarek or Amanda the most pleased, rather than them trying to think what will actually be best for Spock himself.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Will post the other bits later <3

@neil-perrys-glasses i know you wanted to read this so here ya go <3333

[wolame-o-ccx]

Hey there! Just discovered your blog and your TOH AUs and look SO interesting but I can't find any easy way to get through your comics in order (or where to begin, what each AU is about etc)

Is there a post with a summary or some link for the chronological order I may have missed?

And if you're taking suggestions, a pinned post with all the info would be great to help newcomers like me get into it!

Thank you for your time!

Hellooo!!! Yeah welcome to this side of the toh fandom - my space is especially unorganized 😭 I'll take up the idea to make a post summary!! For now I'll just state them here for you while that's in progress :3

For any other newcomers, this post might help you! Click more if you're interested :)

- PITMDAU (Philip In The Modern AU)

MASTERPOST LINK !! CLICK HERE!!

This AU is just what you think! Philip in the modern AU :)

Just to quickly brief you on how this happened ;

Philip managed to escape the demon realm ahead of the hexsquad but passed out straight after he went through the portal. Hexsquad finds him and decides to bring him home, because better a watchful eye than a risk or mystery right? He woke up two days later confused and even tried to kill someone but didn't work and he passed out again and then he woke up another day later less aggravated.

Quick note! This Philip is a little less bad than canon but can still be considered a bad guy :3

For a whole month it was awkward living with him and he barely ate anything but Hunter did give him leftovers. After a month of adjusting to their situation, (and seeing that he doesn't seem to have any intention of violence) Luz starts teaching him modern day technology along with the rest of the Hexsquad!

Or TL;DR : old man confused about the modern day

Final notes!!

• There is a spin off to the AU, which is Gamer Grandpa where, Philip has a Twitch channel and streams and you can ask him questions! (I have not been answering them 😭 don't pressure me but I'm genuinely sorry 😭🌹)

• There are also crossovers with my other AU, SCAU (scroll down to read about that!) And also future canon!! :3

• Philip eats glyphs and hexes holdem cards to keep his curse at bay! :) no palisman sacrificing!! No siree! Don't argue with me on this! Its canon! /lhj

• Also Caleb is there too to mess with Pip giggles

- SCAU (Sharing Caleb AU)

MASTERPOST LINK!!! CLICK HERE!!

Sharing Caleb AU is an AU wherein Philip and Evelyn, well, share Caleb! Nothing went horribly wrong, Caleb didn't get killed by Philip and so on. But wait! Its more complex than you think!

In the masterpost and the first few links to the first few comics you'll see, I'd like to note that they were posted before what canon SCAU is now so Philip didn't find Caleb (and Evelyn) in his 20s or so, but when he was 8! Philip stumbled upon Evelyn in the forest rambling about Caleb after a month of wandering around alone in the BI and she takes him home and Caleb gets a beating /lhj

They then at some point find the starchild The Collector in the woods (again lol) somewhere and bring him home — Caleb adopts him, inevitably creating the Witteclaw Siblings (TC&Pip) (the chaos bringers) (Witteclaw are their parents) <3 (also we call him Enzo instead of TC it's like their deadname lol)

Final notes!!

• Philip is a WHOLE LOT more tame than canon, he's in fact even a whole nother person (he was still racist for a bit but he grew out of that)

• Philip is a mama's boy as we like to call him here :3

• This AU had a crossover with PITMDAU, as you'd know!

→ following that crossover, surfaces Pipson! A slash mlm ship between Pip and Jason, a character I made as a joke originally from PITMDAU. Jason, you'll find similar to a certain um.. god.. is a human, orphaned and has a younger sibling (I self inserted myself but I promise I'm nowhere to be seen, it's just like one brief mention once) (Me and Jason because I share the same birthday as Jesus lol)

• There's also already a future SCAU timeline but so far only glimpses :) it's still in the works as I try to make Hunter exist somehow.

• Philip still gets his curse thingy! Except! He carved glyphs into his arms thinking he would be able to open the door to the human realm (obviously, didn't work) and he's now immortal and in pain and needs to drink elixirs and eat glyphs.

EDIT : FORGOT TO ADD BELPAPA AU (don't send me hate pls ☺️🌹)

- BELPAPA AU

FUCKING CRIES it's a .. it's.. it's um.. it's a. Au where.. Philip and Papa Titan fall in love ... No there's no masterpost but if you click on the tag.. belpapa au .. you can find the comics.. very ez navigation I posted like 5 comics of these only so.. um.. um.. 😭😭😭 HEAR ME OUR HEAR ME OUT!!!1! no I am not elaborating further I will cry

I have not updated the masterposts navigation in a long time, and seeing that my sketchbook is full and I haven't bought a new one, maybe I can find time to arrange them! So bare with me ok :)

EXTRA GENERAL NOTES

The crossovers that happen are NOT CANON to any of the AU stories, else it will just disrupt the story as a whole and I do not have the brain capacity or power to change everything while trying to make it make sense

I mostly won't focus on lore, the crossovers being an exception because that's what it's purpose is and has always been

Most of these comics are for silly fun times!! So have fun!! Or if you don't like it, that's cool!

Feel free to ask anything you want involving AUs and I'll even take suggestions or headcanons you may have! :3 Fanwork is cool and I'm fine with anyone using my art with the condition of crediting so you don't need to ask me!

Don't be shy to interact with my posts! I promise I'm a nice person! I've seen plenty of people being scared to comment, they always tell me they're too shy and I just wanna say guys I don't bite 🌹

There's also a Philip exclusive crossover (very short, only like three posts?) where PITMDAU, SCAU, Canon and Belpapa AU Philips meet eo.. that's all..

[maybebecomingms]

715-husband

January 29, 2024

I was thinking back to a church small group I was in over 10 years ago where the leader had unexpectedly become a close friend of mine. (People also sometimes got us confused for each other, too, which baffled me. I always thought she was way cooler and prettier than me, and I didn't understand why she liked me at all!)

Anyway, I was thinking about how we shared really personal stuff about our sex lives with each other at the time. She was a registered nurse (physician's assistant now!) and I remember my first post-nuptial pregnancy scare. I had an IUD, and she said "Sam, you know it's like a bowling alley in there, right? Nothing's gonna stick."

I remember talking her down off the ledge from at least one pregnancy scare, too (she did later go on to have one child). I remember talking about my frustration when my ex husband mistakenly assumed I was some wild, adventurous woman in the bedroom because of my "past," when I was mostly just terrified. "It's like... slow down, boy scout," she lamented. I remember her talking about how she underwent an entire physical therapy program in attempt to treat the chronic pain she had with sex. I often thought about doing something similar.

Anyway, she's divorced now, too.

I was thinking about how apparently evangelical folks experience vaginismus at a rate THREE TIMES higher than non-religious folks. I was thinking about how the Christian literature that was our church's bread and butter taught that women *might* enjoy sex, and that's cute and all, but men literally require it and will wither and die if you say no even once. You are defiling your marriage and denying Christ. Among this advice was that it's a woman's job to give hand jobs if she is postpartum and cannot safely have intercourse. As if she is somehow at fault for having pushed a whole 'nother human out of her body and owes him one?!

I was thinking about how viewing porn and masturbation are grave sins in those circles, and if you're going to utilize either, you might as well be cheating on your spouse. Don't get me wrong - I know both can be harmful under certain circumstances, and that porn especially can cause one's partner to feel betrayed. But to say that taking care of your own needs is sinful and forcing your exhausted wife to do it for you is godly seems more than a little fucked.

I was thinking about all of these things and sometimes I'm impressed that I found my way out as well as I did. That it wasn't a whole lot worse than it ended up being. I didn't need physical therapy, or any sort of special equipment. I just needed to feel safe and try things out on my own terms.

I hope my friend was or is able to do the same, if that is something she wants to do.

And I hope everyone influenced by purity culture is able to break free, whatever that looks like for them.

[gotta-hug-em-all]

The end? or the beginning?

Hiya cuties! I’m uh… not used to writing in this sorta way, I usually post on other websites, but this one is kinda too long to put anywhere else. So you’re stuck with me blogging it instead! Hope that’s ok with all the fine residents of Rotomblr! Just some background, I can’t keep Pokemon because I didn’t pass the really easy yearly “are you smart enough to raise Pokemon '' competency exam. Like ya know, the one that like 99.9% of people pass? So I’ve been going around collecting hugs instead of Pokemon. Gym leaders each give me a challenge to do so I can hug their Pokemon, and today I did the final gym, Drayden’s. His was pretty simple: slay three dragons. More specifically, beat his three dragon type Pokemon in battle. So that’s what I was doing! I’m gonna be like really dramatic about it cuz that’s fun, but I promise I’m not making anything up. This is Jace Embrace letting you in to see his (very large sized) heart. Aaaanyways, without further ado, here’s the story of how I beat Drayden!

So it all started with a waiver. Standard stuff really, most of the time the stuff I do for fun is really dangerous, so you gotta sign away your right to like do stuff if you get hurt and stuff, but this one was like… way different. The agreement that the other person is trying to hurt you kinda makes it go to a whole nother level. I’d prefer if I didn’t die, after all, but also if I go out fighting a dragon type in my knight outfit, I guess that’d be a pretty fun way to go. This waiver was like at least 30 pages longer than all the other ones I’ve signed before. It’s that kinda anxiety I live for, the kind that makes me scared, the kind that makes me want to run away. Not running away is the best part. Standing my ground and telling myself I can do something even if my subconscious tells me I shouldn’t. Being the master of my own subconscious makes it all worth it. The only thing that brought me conscious resistance was the understanding that my friends, boyfriend, and Frank (A love variant Solosis I created on accident/on purpose) would miss me if I were gone. But I think just like people who go climbing and caving, they accepted that my hobby was dangerous, and supported me despite that baggage. Honestly… I can’t thank them enough for that. It’s been nice to have that off my shoulders, even if there was a time where it dragged me down so much I almost turned into someone I hated. But all that’s behind me by a lot now, I’m a new man (new femboy? Is that a saying people use?) now, and I couldn’t love myself more. Rough around the edges a bit, but hopefully that changes. I’m pretty damn hopeful it will, especially after the events of this story. Oh shit I got off track again, so I signed that waiver. It's so ironic that I feel the most alive when I put my life on the line, but I’ve found happiness in it.

The countdown rushed by, Drayden sent out his Fraxure first, I guess he was doing this gym leader style. I felt pretty confident about this, which for reasons I’ll get into later, was stupid. But that’s ok, stupid isn’t a dealbreaker, just an issue to work around. So I charged into combat, and of course this did not go super well. I am a human. Humans don’t have super special magic powers, they have super normal mundane powers, like calculus. I don’t know calculus and even if I did I don’t think it’d help me fight a dragon type. Anyways, I started getting my ass absolutely kicked, like so hard, like it hurt a lot. I tried to like… unlock my inner anime self, but obviously that doesn’t exist in real life so I kinda just looked like a dude shouting at a Fraxure while getting his ass beat first. Drayden wasn’t even giving commands, just sorta letting it fight like a Pokemon in the wild. I ended up getting knocked to the ground several times. 

Drayden honestly trains his Pokemon well, the rule was that I wasn’t allowed to faint, otherwise I’d lose the battle. Kinda like a normal Pokemon battle. He definitely trained it well cause I didn’t die, and it was definitely being soft. I think the goal was to get me to quit. After a few minutes of getting roughed up, I stumbled back, clutching my sword arm, which had been heavily wounded in the process. My sword was all the way across the room, and between it and me was the Fraxure. For the first time in the whole fight, Drayden barked out a command.

“Finish him. Dragon Tail.” There was nothing I could do. Simply put. It was faster than me, stronger than me, it had more stamina than me, even my tiny-ass brain could put that together. I was fucked. I didn’t run though. I never run. I stood my ground, holding up both arms, gritting my teeth as the movement brought stabs of pain to me. What was coming for me would hurt, I knew that, so I braced for that pain. As the Fraxure charged me at full speed, I heard a voice, but not with my ears, with my brain. It spoke loudly, with a deep and monotone voice, almost like a robot. “{Anomaly. On. Your. Six.}”

Before I could even look behind me, there was a burst of force I felt on my back. Not enough to move me, but enough to feel it. The Fraxure in front of me seemed to hit an invisible wall inches before its attack made contact, dropping to the ground, fainted. I gasped, shocked that I was still conscious. As I looked behind myself, Drayden returned his Fraxure to his pokeball. Behind me was a rather large Sigilyph, its patterns looked strange, its markings having much more complexity than what I was used to seeing on my adventures. Yet… it looked familiar to me. “{Anomaly I am… rather I was… the Keeper. I sense you do not recognize me. It has been 8 months since I last met with you face to face. I now wish to fight alongside you. I await a new purpose. To fight alongside you like the knights and Sigilyph of old. Let me aid you in combat. Now, and until we part.}” Not gonna lie. I kinda cried a lot. But I had to keep fighting. I ran up and hugged it, gasping in pain of course, my right arm was still injured. After a short hug, I stepped back. Suddenly, the Sigilyph’s eye began to glow a soft purple as I felt the pain in my arm fade away. It was definitely still wounded, I still couldn’t move it right, but at least it didn’t hurt. I looked behind me, back at Drayden. He gave me a smile under his white beard. What a GILF. I still don’t know if he knew this would happen, oh well.

Drayden threw out his second pokeball, letting out a hearty chuckle as a Druddigon appeared. I figured I should give a name to my first ever pokemon “I guess this is where the real battle starts. I’m gonna start calling you Squire, is that ok?” the Sigilyph responded “{Your wish is my command. You are right handed. For now, you will be left handed. Fight with your left arm as your right is wounded.}” Its eye began to glow again, and I could feel a weird sensation in my hands and head. Squire didn’t explain until later that handedness is determined by both genetics and the way the brain develops. He couldn’t change the way my body was genetically routed, but he could subtly rewrite my mind to make me temporarily ambidextrous, turning all my (admittedly low) sword muscle memory into muscle memory for a mirrored stance. I don’t quite understand it all, but I understand it enough to know it works. This weird feeling didn’t last long, and I was quickly snapped out of it by Drayden giving a command to his Druddigon.

“Druddigon, Revenge.” He ordered the pokemon, which caused it to charge me with brutal intent. From Squire, I once again heard his voice in my head “{Anomaly, I am casting the protective seal of reflection and the protective screen of light.}” Its patterns began to glow and shake, and two different translucent layers of energy surrounded me, as if to serve as a miniature forcefield clinging to my skin. I took up a defensive stance, knowing I still couldn’t dodge this attack either. It hit me with an all things considered quite forceful shoulder check, and I was sent flying across the battle arena. We weren’t using the two dragons for obvious reasons, so instead we were using a flat arena so I didn’t accidentally fall to my death. As I flew, I realized something. I wasn’t actually hurt all too bad. None of me felt broken, just a few cuts here and there. Time seemed to slow down as my mind was driven into overdrive. I heard Squire’s voice in my head once more. “{I have taken the liberty of temporarily increasing the speed at which your brain functions. I will also cast the seal of the tailwind to allow you to move faster so your body moves at the speed your mind thinks. This is how the knights of Relic Castle once fought. Fight with bravery and purity of heart. I will serve as your spotter.}”

My movement sped up once more as it beat its wings, causing a magical wind to press my body to move faster, catching up with my sped up mind. I was able to grab ahold of one of the rafters of the arena, slowing the impact and hanging from above. “Follow him, Night Slash” Drayden shouted at his Druddigon, which flapped its wings and began pursuit. It would normally be way faster than me, but with Squires assistance, I now fought with it on an even playing field. I still needed my sword, and I knew just how I’d get to it.

As the Druddigon flew into the air, I swung myself down from the rafters, landing feet first on its head, moving far faster than it expected. Its guard wasn’t up yet, so I was able to kick it in the snout with both my metal armored boots. Using its face as a springboard, I jumped off of it in the direction of my sword, the Tailwind carrying me until I was very close. I ran up and as I leaned down to snatch the sword, I felt a subtle suggestion in the back of my mind telling me to do a flip. So I did a flip, grabbing the sword in my left hand as I did. I’m glad I heeded the advice of the suggestion, since doing the flip allowed me to see what was behind me: a full speed charging Druddigon with a claw wrapped in darkness aimed directly at me.

In midair I raised my sword to parry the claw, in a movement the felt familiar but I knew I had never used. It was around this point I realized Squire wasn’t just watching me, he was helping me, teaching me moves on the spot I had never learned, giving me muscle memory that I’d never had before. The human body was versatile, I had never really thought about it much, but with Squire’s help covering for my statistical weaknesses I was able to employ these techniques, techniques used by knights of old, stored in the Sigilyph’s memory to help people like me fight. No wonder he followed me for so long. I had accidentally unearthed an ancient tradition that he was purpose-built to serve. His mental assistance was clearing up the brain fog that my ADHD caused, making it easier to enter the flow state. I could think clearer, coming to these realizations in the split seconds before the Druddigon struck at me. My sword parried the blow effortlessly, transferring the energy of the slash into the ground instead of my face, causing the Druddigon to let out a roar as it smashed its claw on the metal ground, making sparks fly.

“Dragon Tail.” Drayden barked orders at the Druddigon as I looked down at my sword. I was expecting the sword to be heavily damaged, but whatever protective barrier that Squire applied to me also had enveloped the sword, also strengthening its durability. Before the Druddigon could begin his attack, I began mine. I charged it with the tip of my sword pointed at it, unleashing a flurry of whirling slashes and stabs. From here on, I fell into a rhythm, my body almost moving on its own as I fought with my mind in tandem with Squire, using both its view and my view, a third person view and a first person view, an experienced mind and a brave mind. The Druddigon had thick hide that allowed it to shrug off most attacks, but by aiming for weak points and getting it to slam into walls, I eventually brought it down. 

Drayden sent out his final Pokemon, his Haxorous. This was his ace, I did do a little bit of research before the fight (watching one mewtube video that I fell asleep right before the midway point of), but Squire was bringing the knowledge of that video that I had passively absorbed to the forefront of my mind. I knew he would try to have it set up with Dragon Dance, then strike at me with Dragon Tail until it won. I could win if I didn’t allow it space to set up, so that’s exactly what I did.

The rest of the fight was a blur as I sunk into tactics, once again entering a trancelike state as I was assisted by Squire. Before I fully realized what was going on, I brought the Haxorus to the ground, finishing the fight by smashing the pommel of my sword into its head hard enough to knock it out. By now my sword, despite its increased durability, was heavily damaged, so I quickly sheathed it and bowed to Drayden in true fashionable Jace style. “Good fight! I had a lot of fu- oop…” I said as I suddenly felt all the strength drain from my body, causing me to fall to the ground. “{As a downside to increasing your speed and mental capacity… battles such as these will be very physically taxing on your mind and body. A good night’s rest will do you good, but for now just sit and take a breather.}” 

I laid there for a few minutes as Drayden approached me, withdrawing his Haxorus. Once I felt I was physically able, I sat up and reached a hand towards Drayden, which he knelt down to shake before picking me up like a baby and taking me to a bench for me to sit down on. “You fought well.” His normally ever-present glare had softened a bit, making him seem almost like a grandfather. “I will allow you to hug my Pokemon now, and I will grant you this badge. It’s not the normal badge we give, you will have to return and fight me in a Pokemon vs. Pokemon battle for that, but it is a badge. The Opelucid badge of honor. I don’t normally give these out to just any person who enters my gym, but you have shown outstanding courage, determination, and most importantly of all, kindness. You’ve made friends along the way in your journey and fostered relationships that will last you a lifetime should you cultivate them with great care. Your optimistic personality is admirable as well, for you shine as a light in other people’s darkness, although you might want to make sure that your light is not blinding, even legends have flaws and I urge you to keep that in mind as you continue your journey across Unova. Lastly… I’ll get to my point in all this. You have two Pokemon that would call you their master if you had the means to have them join your party. One of them is here, the other you have sent off to stay with someone else. Both of these could only exist in the way they do because of your love. I believe if you were allowed to raise them, you would do so far better than most trainers. I cannot change the current establishment to allow for people like you to prove yourselves, but I do intend to fund a project for people like you who struggled in school to get the help they need. Your story has taught me something valuable: sometimes all someone needs to be great is a little help here and there. I’m going to appeal to the league and ask that they give you a two month temporary license. I trust during this time you will study hard for your next exam. I believe in your ability to succeed this time. Keep your head held high Jace, I hope that one day you surpass me in strength.”

The rest of the day was a blur. There’s plans for me to get a whole ceremony celebrating my accomplishments and stuff. I won’t complain but I think it’s a bit much for little ol me… I plan to study hard like Drayden said. Squire has already agreed to help me, and I have convinced him to start calling me “Jace” or “Knight” instead of “Anomaly” so that’s cool. I look forward to my future. I might’ve failed my trainers license exam 9 times in a row, but I wasn’t built different back then. When I was on the journey back to the hotel room I was staying in with my boyfriend, we were talking about the trainer license exam. The conversation went a little something like this:

“Do you think you can learn enough to pass in two months? It’s been a while since you’ve been to school.”

“If I were to take the whole exam in one sitting… it might be a little tough.”

“Would you fail?”

“Nah, I’d pass.”

[imagionationstation]

Just saw ur post/answer to an ask, and:

"I have a Mutant World au, MW AU, which is my 2012 separated AU-type project. Tis my baby. So young, but so full of trauma"

And God, I am now in love with this AU. I love me a good separated type AU.

And one that Leo and Donnie separated together in the TMNT 2012 version (honestly, I just love Leo and Donnie's relationship/dynamic in general, so I am always happy to see more of it. And TMNT 2012 is a fav. of mine too), and basically alone/only have each other. And being the only humans in a world full of mutants, but like, also Kraang experimented on humans (Damn, they got Leatherheaded, April/April family'ed. The poor boys; happy they escaped. Even if they still have to be in hiding) - which makes me wonder if they might got some April powers stuff going on; that would be so cool, and then when two mutant bros (Raph and Mikey) do stumble in their lair, Leo tries to just straight up murder them (protective mama bear mode. We only have each other mode), and Donnie has to talk him out of it, and then they get to be not so alone anymore with Raph, Mikey, and Splinter.

It is just great, and now I want this as actual story or something someday; it just sounds so good.

Also makes me curious about some of the human characters (well, kinda/mostly/sometimes human characters for some of these) like April and her Dad (kindaaaa to both of those though), Casey (also kinda a bit), Shredder (until later on), and Karai (again, until later on). Oh the blind chef that I love a lot, but his name is hard for me to spell/remember.

The hypothetical other separated AU you talked about was interesting to me. Not the usually my cup of tea (i.e., how and/or who was separated and who stayed), but you did make it sound interesting. And I liked Leo and Raph just trying not to hurt their missing, now found little bros, and Mikey believing them first after trying to kill them for a bit, and Donnie being a little slower doing so, because he is loyal. It is just all very good.

Last of all, and not related to that one post at all, but thank you for making that post, about how the universes/dimensions and the people of the different universes/dimensions; in that case 2012 and ROTTMNT are different and each universe/dimension has different laws, because God, do I feel like some people forgot that/don't' realize that/don't take it into account as much as they should imo. Not all ofc; just you, some/a few at least.

First off: I totally forgot this ask existed and I am so sorry for that! Things have been hectic or else I would have responded much sooner 😓😓

Secondly: No problem! I think people forget how different so many aspects of the universes are, and that the differences are what make them awesome, and not flawed!

Thirdly: YEEE, MY BOIS *hugs BB and LB* 2012Leo&Donnie never get their own outcasted separated world together (or so I’ve seen) and so I have lowkey given them one. Raph and Mikey have their own kind of traumatic past, but these boys are on a whole ‘nother level…

I love Big Brother(BB) and Little Brother(LB) so much because they understand very little, and yet what they do understand matters more than anything else. They need each other, they can’t let the Kraang find them, and Mutants are never to be trusted.

They pick up the basics of the world outside the Kraang labs as they go, but BB spends so much time protecting LB from it that LB never gets his chance to see the ✨wonders✨ of the planet so unlike Dimension X. He has his books, but it’s not the same. BB gets surface time, but his fear blocks him from seeing anything other than dangers up there.

Of course, then they meet the boys, and Mikey helps LB to see everything he missed, and Raph helps BB to understand there’s a balance between protecting and shielding. If BB shields LB from everything, then LB won’t learn to really protect himself and will never get the freedom he deserves~

I briefly considered giving them psychic powers, but that’s still a ‘to be decided’ for now. We shall see ;)

HAVE THIS THING THAT BRINGS ME JOY

M7Craft from DeviantArt made this. It’s how she imagines Leo, and even though that’s not how I see him- I LOVE IT WITH MY HEART AND SOUL BECAUSE BB HAS LIFE! LOOKIT THE BROODING BOY!

They have names and designations. The names are what they call each other (Big Brother and Little Brother), but they consider themselves to be the Kraang experiment designations, 1683(Leo) and 1684(Donnie).

We talk story sometimes and M7Craft is working on art for me because we want to give it life since I’ve already got too much on my plate to write a full story and comics are not my forté.

One day 🥺

I make clips and stuff sometimes, which spawn from a random statement or question. Like this-

"How much longer?"

1683's whisper came out harsher than intended, but he felt too exposed in the alleyway, in full view of any mutants who happened to be walking by. 

They wore their protective armor, their hoods and mouth pieces- what had Little Brother called them? Visors?- that hide a fair amount of their face from view, but anything could happen on the surface, and he was experienced enough with mutant mindsets to know that they did not trust anyone whose face they couldn't see. 

A wise suspicion to uphold, but dangerous nonetheless. 

Unable to use his hands to speak while picking the lock, 1684 consented to vocal communication. "New lock. Different than practice one... Almost- there..." 

There was a click and 1684 quietly cheered, "Success!" 

1683 ruffled his hair in congratulations and then moved to push open the door as his Little Brother got to his feet. 1684 remained in the alley until 1683 reasoned it safe. After a quick motion for him to enter, his Little Brother darted past him and through the back room, searching through the boxed and canned items.

All his senses on alert, 1683 left the door ajar to keep from being locked in and then placed an empty can in front of it, as a warning if someone tried to enter. Little Brother began filling his bag, so 1683 allowed him out of his sight long enough to move from food to supplies, examining the options.

Little Brother already tinkered with anything that they could get their hands on, so necessities other than food were few and far between.

Considering everything 1684 did was for them, he always indulged his Little Brother's comforts whenever he could, paying special care to the stacks of books, trying to aim for ones that could prove useful.

He picked out two, both with words that he could not understand, and knew that Little Brother might get another chance to use his prized dictionary. He grabbed more matches for their lantern and then joined Little Brother once more. Sitting on the floor, his finger seemed to tap the air as he counted the prices in his head, slowly moving his collected items into his bag. 

1683 placed his objects on the pile and Little Brother paused, giving him a curious look that questioned the decision. He gave one nod and 1684 picked up his prizes with interest, a warm feeling flooding 1683's chest as tired eyes slowly lit up. Even that bit of subtle joy was enough to make this trip worth it.

Little Brother checked the price on the cover- they only took the books that had those because they seemed cheaper than the rest- and then picked up the other one. 

1683 let him have a minute to browse that one as well before he raised a hand, the motion gathering his Little Brother’s attention. He informed him that they needed to get moving, and 1684 apologized, adding that he had something for Big Brother as well. 

Before he could deny the gift, his Little Brother pulled out a package of mint tea leaves and 1683 lowered his hand, realizing that his one weakness had been discovered. Brown eyes danced as Little Brother put it back in the bag, adding what he'd brought and closing the flap, zipping open a side pocket and then counting out the mutant's trading paper- money- from what they had. 

1684 handed it to him and he held up five fingers, reminding him that if he didn't come back in five minutes, he was to head to the Bunker and not look back. Little Brother rolled his eyes, and 1683 huffed at his inability to take the danger seriously. 

They didn't know if there was someone waiting in the store itself, and just because they'd never seen anyone yet, didn't mean that wouldn't change. 

1683 waited until he got a nod of consent, one that seemed more to pacify him than anything, and then he made his way out into the store. He remained on the defensive as he located one of the money storing machines and then slipped their payment within, racing to the back again. 

There was a moment of intense panic when Little Brother was nowhere to be found, and then he realized the can had been moved and he was standing by the door.

The adrenaline in his veins hardened the glare 1683 gave him, but Little Brother was undisturbed, locking the door and silently heading out into the alley. 

He let his nerves out in a long sigh, but obediently followed suit. It was about time they got below anyway. They had their supplies, and Little Brother would be safe and underground for another week or so. He'd check the windows for new projects after Little Brother was settled in the Bunker. 

1684 shivered and 1683 realized that the temperature had dropped some. Knowing how easily Little Brother tended to get sick, he locked a hand on his elbow and urged him forward. They didn't have the resources that mutants did and their Bunker was surrounded by area that was far from sanitary, so the less they taunted fate, the better. 

Little Brother allowed it, taking one last look at the street lights behind them before they dived deeper into the alley. Sometimes he felt bad that Little Brother didn't get to see much of the city, and was wary of the ignorance of mutants that 1684 bore because of it. 

However, this was the price he was willing to pay. Little Brother was safe and healthy, though he probably wouldn't sleep that day since he had new books to read. Even if his choices to keep him protected left Little Brother bitter on hard nights, as long as he still had a Little Brother to be annoyed with him, 1683 would have no regrets.

Waving him down the open manhole, he watched Little Brother descend into the dank sewers. With one last careful scan around them, 1683 leapt after him, leaving the dangers and worries of the surface behind.

This is one of my earliest works while examining the bros and their relationships and BB’s thoughts on everything and sometimes they seem pretty bland in my writing because even I cannot do them justice but that’s okay because I love them so much!

Perhaps one day the world shall too. 💚💜💙💚

[vriskacircus]

17 + 33 + 72 :P!!!!

17 (favorite beta kid): Rose. rose lalonde has the power to make me cry so hard at things that really don't warrant it -> the venn diagram of rose lalonde and me as a kid is almost a circle (except that im allergic to cats)

33 (favorite pale ship): well iirc (its been a while since i really focused on homestuck) vrisrezi was pale but theyre so complicated and ive talked about them enough that im not counting them. i Do have a huge soft spot for nepeta and equius cause i drew them one time and had a lot of fun doing it. Also i think tavros and jake would be great for each other but thatd be a whole nother post that is too much brain work for me rn

72 (character headcanons): ummmmmmm hm. i make up and forget headcanons at the drop of a hat lmao. my consistent hcs though are

- roxy is the only tall strilonde and jane is the only short crockenglisharleybert, jade is the tallest human kid and either rose or dirk is shortest depending on whats funnier. they try to out-little guy each other as part of their father-daughter psychic warfare

- its impossible to sneak up on jade she Will sense you coming. even if you teleport she'd feel the disturbance in space

- jade gave tavros the entire animorphs book series and he absolutely loved it. jade, egbert, tavros and jake watch the tv series annually to dunk on it as a bonding exercise

- jane's got a funky gender but he figures that out relatively easily. the crisis comes once she realizes shes also a lesbian hes like you gotta be Kidding me what was all that love triangle drama for

[ohlookitsthearkhamknight]

Lillian Worth

Okay so heres a lil run down of who lillian worth is and why i somewhat disagree about the “shes the usual asain babymama trope” (WHILE SHE ABSOLUTELY PLAYS INTO SOME TROPES SHE DOESNT PLAY INTO ALL OF THEM) and imma explain that.

If you dont know Lillian Worth is Rose Wilson’s mother. Rose’s father slade wilson (deathstoke) met lillian in veitnam where he rescued her. Im not gonna give the full run down because there is other posts that talk all about it. But basically they fell in “love” and lillian and slade err became friends with benefits and continued over multiple years

So lillian got pregnant from one of those encounters and this is where i get iffy on the whole trope subject. lily and her girls are not presented as exotic. Ever. They were treated like humans (read next paragraph)

(Before i continue i need to tell you that lili and her girls are sex workers. When she came to the states she continued to be one. But this is one thing marv did that i rly liked. HE PORTRAYED THEM ALL AS HUMAN. He never made them horrible. He showed them helping women and children. A lot of comic writers back then did not touch the sex work topic but he did and he did it in a respectful way. Now while you could argue is disrespectful to make women sex workers i dont see it that way. Its only disrespectful if portrayed in a disrespectful way)

Okay now lets continue now that ive told you what lillians job is.

Okay so we have lillian pregnant she goes to new york has the baby AND IT HAS WHITE HAIR. Now one of the parts of the trope is that the woman doesnt tell the father or let him know.

And while yes lillian doesnt tell slade i do not think its for the racist stereotype.

Think about it. You have a kid with WHITE HAIR and happens to be the daughter OF A VERY HATED MAN. In the end lillian loses her life trying to save rose. (And thats another part of the trope but hold up) the thing is she couldnt tell slade. What was she supposed to do. Tell him??!? SHE KNEW HE SUCKED AT BEING A FATHER. She knew it would be extremely dangerous knowing his enemies. While yes she does play into other parts of this trope, that part there was 0 chance she could.

And it wasnt untill later they made her into the racist asain tiger mom.

Also on the retconed love interest in the og comics her and slade continued to see each other.(this was later retconed by priest because hes stupid)

Rly she only plays into like one trope and thats her dieing but well think about it. Its a comic. Someone has to die for the story. At least she was treated like a human before she died. It would be a whole nother thing if she played DIRECTLY into the stereotype but she doesnt.

So waht im all saying is that while yes lillian does somewhat play into the stereotype she doesnt FULLY play into it. It wasnt untill more recent comics she become ur average sexy asain tiger mom that has nothing to do with the story only to exist for rose’s story.

All in all i think the og representation was respectful and the more recent ones sidelined the fuck outta lilian.

THIS IS AN OPEN DISCUSSION I WOULD RLY LIKE TO HEAR YOUR OPINIONS ON IT.

[ghoulciifer]

new follower and wow your writing is so good 😩🔥 so glad I found you! 👉🏻👈🏻🥺 if you are still doing requests, could I get a SFW snippet of Kageyama’s first reaction when seeing his future s/o. I imagine he wouldn’t know what to do with himself and I love imagining him getting flustered and then his team making fun of him because they’ve never seen him like that before 😂 well thanks for having requests open! Have a lovely day! 🙏🏻☺️

request: Kageyama meeting his future s/o + the team’s reaction.

word count: 1.1k

tw: none

tags: embarrassed kags, sweet, sweet fluff

notes: anon 🥺 you are the sweetest thing, oh my goodness. you made my day. thank you so much for following me and enjoying my content, that makes me so happy!! please feel free to interact or request as often as you like (w/o spamming ofc), my inbox is always open. this is actually the first time i’m posting a drabble on tumblr so, here you go! as always, thank you for the request and ily ❥

“Another, Kageyama!”

“Right!” 

Sweat dribbled down his temple, tickling his skin until the drop caught the curve of his jaw and slid down to his chin. He brought the hem of his practice jersey to wipe at his mouth swiftly before adjusting his stance once more. Fingers at the ready, eyes trained on the ball, Kageyama’s body moved on instinct to meet the flying object mere inches away from the net. 

Fingertips. Air. Palm. 

Another successful set sent to Hinata’s powerful swing, another successful quick attack. The orange-haired boy practically jumped for joy as he slapped his reddened palm against Kageyama’s in celebration. This was it - their hard work was finally showing results, their goals coming to fruition. Nationals were so close they could taste it. 

“Alright boys, take 5. We’ll do one more round of laps before wrapping up with another practice match.” 

Ukai’s voice echoed off the gym walls and bounced right into boys’ ears, who all grunted a quick ‘yes, coach’ in response. Kageyama wiped the sweat from his forehead with the drenched collar of his shirt once more before making his way to the collection of water bottles sitting at the corner of the gym. Strange, he thinks, usually Yachi is there to pass the bottles around during breaks. He does a quick look around and realizes she was nowhere to be seen - a pang of guilt hits him at not noticing their co-manager’s absence. 

“Oi, where’s Yachi today? Asahi finally scare her off or something?” As if on cue, Tanaka inquires just what Kageyama is thinking. 

Asahi looks as if he might pass out, most likely thinking he just might have scared her off. The shy ace’s reaction makes the team laugh. 

“Nah,” Daichi slaps a reassuring palm against Asahi’s shoulder, “She just had a lot of class work to catch up on from being sick last week.” 

“Besides, aren’t we supposed to meet another candidate for co-manager today? I think that’s where Kiyoko’s been this whole time.” Suga adds while holding a towel from both ends around his nape. 

Tanaka and Nishinoya scramble over each other to pester the silver-haired boy into giving more information about the ‘new babe’ joining the team, but he reveals he’s just as clueless as the rest of them. Kageyama also wonders briefly who this candidate might be, another first year, maybe? He shakes his head - it doesn’t matter. Whoever they might be really wasn’t any of his business. Besides, his only concern at the moment was perfecting his technique in preparation for nationals. He could get to know the new manager once they reached the top. 

“Wow, looks a lot bigger on the inside.” A soft, unfamiliar female voice breaches the testosterone filled air and suddenly all eyes turn to the source at the entrance of the gym. 

Kiyoko stands clad in her usual black tracksuit, clipboard in hand, and engaged in conversation with the culprit at hand. Kageyama swore his heart stopped beating for a moment. Could a human being truly be that beautiful? 

“WOAH, KIYOKO, BABY, WHO’S YOUR FRIEND, HUH?” Tanaka and Noya blabber in unison while Daichi and Ennoshita hold them back like a pair of rabid dogs. The soft giggle that erupts from your lips in response to Kiyoko’s annoyed sigh resonates all throughout Kageyama’s body, urging his heart to beat even harder against his chest - God does he want to hear that laugh again. He decides right then and there he would do anything to be the reason you make such a sweet sound, all for him. The mere sight of you doesn’t allow him to fully register that you are, in fact, still a stranger… and he’s been staring slack jawed this entire time. 

“Woah, Kageyama, why is your face so red? And why is your mouth open like that?” Hinata innocently pokes at the awestruck boy’s shoulder and speaks with a voice far too loud for Kageyama’s liking, exposing this embarrassing moment in its full glory to the rest of the room. Yourself included. 

Kageyama is quick to clamp his jaw shut and turn slightly with a pout etched into his lip just before your eyes land on him, face much redder than before. However, his reflexes weren’t quick enough to avoid the wandering eyes of the rest of his teammates. 

“Ooooh, does the king see something he likes? A crush, perhaps?” Tsukishima is the first to deliver a teasing blow, adjusting his glasses with a playful glint in his eye. Yamaguchi can’t help but snicker at his side. 

“A crush? Who would he have a crush on??”

“Isn’t it obvious, basketball head? The pretty girl he’s never seen before.” 

“Ooooh! She is pretty! I can see why you like her, Kageyama!” 

Death. That’s what Kageyama wishes for the most at this very moment. A swift death that will take him away from this torture. He tries to hide the mortification in his features as the team continues to tease him for acting so out of character. 

Meanwhile, as you watch the scene unfurl before you, you can’t help the heat that rises to your cheeks and crawls up to the tips of your ears. Did he really think you were that pretty? This boy you’ve never seen before, so enamored by the sight of you that he just… shut down? Perhaps the tall blonde was right, and the way Kageyama was now avoiding your gaze was answer enough to your question. 

Kiyoko once again apologized on behalf of the herd of boys clambering around Kageyama and swore ‘they weren’t usually like this’, pulling you aside to have a chat with coach Ukai about your upcoming training. Admittedly, he was unsure about having two managers next season but, Kiyoko definitely talked you up enough to convince him that it might not be a bad idea, what with the team’s continuous growth. Besides, it was fairly obvious the boys had already taken a liking to you. 

Kageyama spared a glance your way while being put in a headlock by Tanaka, Nishinoya gripping his shoulders and bouncing around while Daichi, Suga, and Asahi stood by with their faces buried within their palms. Perhaps it was chance that you happened to look his way during that exact moment, but the second your eyes met for the first time, it was as if the world stood still and all he could feel was you, even all the way across the gym… and the soft smile you sent his way only made his body melt further. 

Maybe he would make an effort to get to know you before nationals. 

[vivrcard]

TAKE A BREAK TAKE A BREAK and if youre vibing with it i'd love to hear about 26 and/or 37

THANKS FOR THE ASK SAARNA listen.. i was doing so well with taking breaks but suddenly it’s all getting far more difficult……. also this replys a long one because of how my thought process typically works and how ive avoided thinking about economical stuff so tee hee this is going under a read more

Is the economy currency based or based on bartering physical goods? What is most valuable? What is least?

there wouldnt have been much time for doing more “meaningless” things like using time and effort to create monetary items (coins, paper money, etc) and people probably wouldnt have put much value on things like this because the goal was survival and that was that. gold isnt going to get you anything in terms of surviving. so that leaves trading and things of that nature. im on the fence about this because i think that, given aitarans views on physical/emotional bonds (they are important as HELL) it’s safe to say that these beliefs had roots in pre split aitaran, especially since aitarans pretty traditional to begin with. so! considering that, it’s also safe to believe that people were doing a fair amount of leaning on each other and so trading wouldnt have been as big of a deal! just giving stuff for free so that everyone can keep surviving. if anything, i imagine that larger scenarios where people give another party a LOT of stuff would end in there being some sort of trade. it could also be a scenario where it was on the condition of ok! i will give you X things of great value but im taking one of your kids (for help on the farm etc) OR seeing if we can get two of our kids to hook up (because mortality rate was incredibly high, lots of people were dying young what with the whole apocalyptic setting, people were really freaking out about whether or not humanity would survive as a whole).

obviously humanity keeps on going and does not die out because we wind up with wthi a solid ~1900 years later (barring timeline resets). i would imagine that over time, people resume trading materials instead of giving things for free. again, though, these are material trades and not monetary. the thing is though! now there are multiple gods because we’re post split! people have become very careful about making sure that all gods are worshipped almost equally (some people pick and choose which gods to worship but religion is a whole nother can of worms). what IM thinking is that different gods enjoy different offerings, so that would mean that some economies would be booming. lets use different minerals as an example. assuming that different gods enjoy different minerals (copper, bronze, silver, gold, hell, maybe something more fun like lapis), i think itd be reasonable to think that there are multiple industries involved with mining, polishing, and selling/trading these minerals so that they can be used as offerings for gods. in turn, these minerals could become a sort of currency, some being more valuable than others. theres probably some sort of conversion rate between all of the minerals depending on what is most commonly found in the mines. obv i have to think more about how many types of coins exist, but im thinking 3-5 at minimum. the other thing with this is! lets say that a business owner is one of the people that pick and choose what god they wanna worship. theyre not gonna care as much about certain currencies because they offer X currency to X god and thats it. so! you wind up with some businesses only accepting X type of coin and no others.

so! i guess in a way you could interpret these coins as indulgences when theyre offered to gods. people essentially just pay the gods to leave them the hell alone and not try to start another apocalypse lmaoooo. this DOES raise the question as to what medriva and vanaam (euvimanite society) do for money. vanaam, being incredibly closed off, probably sticks to trading objects and not money. medriva deals with an entirely different religion for the most part but began as part of aitaran, so they probably have retained some aspects of aitaranian money with some minor differences (ie no offering it to gods, maybe less forms of currency. this also all hinges on the availability of some minerals up north since trade between aitaran and medriva is very very difficult).

ok. whew. question 37. How do people navigate? Do they have maps, compasses, or something else? How are these things made?

i think for the most part people just use maps! probably ones made out of some kind of paper as opposed to tanned hides or something of that nature. some dark magic users have started on trying to create technology that allows you to locate places/things more easily, but dark magic tech is a long ways away from being fully usable because of how few people are capable of using it proficiently

[artificialqueens]

Sober (Symnali) - Pazinae

Summary: College girl Symone and her house love throwing parties. Denali loves a fun time, and finds herself there every weekend. Just to get drunk and party of course. No other reason. (AKA pretty lesbians in denial)

AN: a drabble inspired by denali coming over to the house of avalon a while ago, getting v drunk and dancing w symone (the outfit symone wears in the fic is from that day www.instagram.com/p/CODlQtnp-KM/ denali is wearing the pink dress from one of her older posts). also the time they streamed and were just drunkenly complimenting each other is the absolute Cutest and symnali is underrated. i have a lot of ideas for this so if yall are interested ill write a whole thing of what happened that night <3. my first fic and concrit is very much welcome!! song is sober by lorde :>

—

//Night, midnight, lose my mind

Night, midnight, lose my mind

Night, midnight, lose my mind

Night, midnight−//

They called themselves House Of Avalon. They had all pitched in to rent a house near campus over the summer, and a place leased for a year consisting of young 20 year olds can only go as well as you can imagine. Yet getting ready for their parties surrounded by constant noise and the dozens of paintings, framed photos, and tchotchkes lining the wall, was a comfortable kind of chaos. As chaotic as they may be, they undeniably threw the best parties. Not to mention their outfits never missed, especially not Symone.

The madness of creative, raging queers all shoehorned together to form the most disorderly harmony was a type of home Symone wanted to bask in forever, and, quite honestly, the driving reason to stay in the boring hell hole that is college. The obligation of finishing this shit for a flimsy paper and bragging rights was a little more grounded when it’s the only reason her friends are currently living with her. One day this will all be done, and they can find a job with their degrees. Finish college like everyone wants her too, make everyone proud that yes, she did it, and together the House Of Avalon can buy a huge house with 5 guest bedrooms so everyone and their mama can visit. Throw the biggest parties, a pool in their backyard with an outdoor kitchen, a huge patio out front by the house gates, and they could even install a stripper pole in the living room. Until then she’ll be up at 7:30am to ride the train for her morning class. 

The thought of the a certain dimpled blonde helped make the week bearable because at least on the weekends she can fly to somewhere else. With someone else. 

Symone, Gigi and Rosy hung around the sofa together, getting tipsy as they waited for more people to pour in. They chattered mindlessly, the comfort between the three was an indescribable kind, so effortless and familiar. But in between each pause in conversation, when the laughs and talk of annoying professors and ugly hair trends came to a brief end, Symone couldn’t help but scan the room. Peeking out the corner of her eye for a certain pair of hooded eyes hopefully lingering around. A girl with the most distinct, beautifully symmetric face that can charm a room, and a sugary voice so addictive to listen to even without a sweet tooth. She could listen to Denali talk and ramble as much as she wanted about anything in the world, and she’d eagerly nod along. Her hazy tone when she’s slurring and half awake, to the chirps and goofy grins at the height of the night. The adorable glint in her eyes of passion and excitement when she drunkenly goes off about some kpop group Symones never heard of before, but might just happen to start coming across more. Her dancing like a duck that makes Symone squeal, and cheer, and hide her face in her shoulder so no one can see the smile she’s unable to bite back. She dawdles around with her infectious giddiness and smile so comforting it eases the absurdity and rushing high Symone constantly lives with. And it helps that she’s built like some athlete godsend with the prettiest arms and perfect curves and the most stunning thighs and calves and soft warm blonde hair with icy blue tips to frame her angelic face. She’s been drinking and it’s definitely just the alcohol that makes her head waiver and ramble. 

Time rushes by wedged between her sisters, and soon Symone holds an empty cup for the second already. The house has certainly been getting fuller and fuller. Glancing around, she finds the only person she could (and frankly would) look at for all of eternity, staring at her. Denali’s hair is scooped into two high ponytails at either side, and her body’s fit into a little off the shoulder pink mini dress that hugged her body all too well. Symone wanted nothing more than to just hold her, dance the night away until the jumble of noises and bodies fade out. Seeing her just standing there, perfect and still, a toothy grin is plastered on Symone’s face without her consent. She barely even knows Denali but her sheer presence brightens the room, sends butterflies to flutter around like she’s having some cheesy school girl crush. She can’t tell you what Denali’s favorite TV show, movie or season is, or how she likes her coffee. But if the world were to close in on them right now, have the walls disintegrate, ceilings crumble and the heaps of flesh around them melt into the floorboards under them- they’d still be yelling out the wrong lyrics while they twirl against the counter tops. Rush outside and run in the pitch black where nothing exists but each other in their hands- and that’s good enough for her. 

Denali just likes Symone because she wants to have fun, and Symone’s good at that. It’s okay that she won’t ever like Symone when she’s sober; When she’s quiet, and wrapped in a blanket over her hoodie starring at the ceiling. When she’s fidgeting with her nails and playing with her the tips of her hair instead of talking. When she burns mac and cheese and decides to have a bag of ketchup chips for lunch. Whatever it is they have; it’s still good enough for her. 

Damn maybe Symone does think a little too much. She winks at the dumbstruck skater. The night’s just begun, and the only exit signs in the labyrinth in her sinkhole of a mind is alcohol and/or Denali. Symone wants the and version. 

//Oh, God, I’m clean out of air in my lungs

It’s all gone, played it so nonchalant//

When Denali came through the door she not-so-subtly headed straight to the living room. She had barely glanced in their direction- but she saw her. She was laughing, in her little squad of pretty girls. The clique of long legged doe-eyed queens stand in the center of the living room in their mini skirts and low waisted pants- lifelike statues seemingly taking up all the air in the crowded room. She can’t help it if she stares a bit! They have cute outfits and Denali just wants some inspiration. Everyone’s gawked at the trio anyways. She looks at Symone, because of the cute fuzzy blue bucket hat adorned on her head. No other reason.

 But it’s hard to look away when her face- her makeup is so stunning. With a shimmery pink cut crease, and glossy lips, and dabbles of pink brightening her cheeks. Lashes that make her eyes pop, and the highlight on her glistening skin matched with her flimsy silver spaghetti strap crop top that made her shine even more like a radiant disco ball. The backless top is tied together behind, with a thin string leaving the space between her neck to ass as exposed skin. How could a person be so perfect? And addicting to look at? Unzipped jeans hung at the curve of her hip to show her pink thong, which rose to hug her waist. Pink wedge heels lie under her painted toe nails, and fuck was she a living bratz doll. It wasn’t Denali’s fault that she was objectively so head to toe stunning. It wasn’t her fault that she bit the inside of her lip a litte. It wasn’t her fault that her heart skipped when she was bent over in laughter and cupping her manicured hands over her mouth. It wasn’t her fault that she forgot to look away. It wasn’t her fault that when Symone caught her gaze she stood there frozen  (if the options are fight, flight or freeze, which do you think the ice girl is gonna do?). It wasn’t her fault that she forgot how to breathe when the enchantress gave her a wink. She smiles and waves in return. Someone taps Symone’s shoulder for her attention, and she looks busy. 

Denali pushes away, swimming through the sea of humans swarming the halls until she can identify the way to the kitchen. She needs a drink. It’s early and she’s far too sober for this.

//It’s time we danced with the truth

Move along with the truth//

There’s no reason why she’d be into Denali. She could literally get anyone she wanted, with her gleaming smile and cute laugh, and the way she can make you smile and feel important and wanted. The way she stops sipping in her red solo cup to look at you, to nod at every word and stare like you’re beautiful and matter. The way it’s impossible for her to not be the prettiest in the room. Denali takes a shot, the burning taste a welcome pain at the back of her tongue.

Five months ago when Denali took a sharp breath outside the main door, she made Rose come with her because, fuck, she wasn’t going to a party by herself. Not back then, at least. When she was a flustered freshman in October who didn’t know how to have a good time. Back when she first met the party throwers, and a certain captivating spirit with braided honey gold hair in a skimpy black dress took shots with her. Complimented her wispy hair dyed blue at the ends. Told her she looked amazing in slurred giggles. Because she was tipsy. The truth is the only time this will mean anything is when the world starts spinning, the room gets hot, and their minds start to blur. 

//Ooh (Hey)

We’re sleepin’ through all the days

I’m actin’ like I don’t see

Every ribbon you used to tie yourself to me// 

“You good diva?“ 

"Nnnm, gimme uh ‘nother few minutes"  Symone’s head is pounding, and the only thing on her mind is the dazy blanketing warmth of sleep. Her mind is a knotted, jumbled up mess and trying to think about anything other than passing out makes her head throb. Natural light from the outside pours through the windows, and through her squinted eyes, the wooden table across the room is glowing from the suns heat. A vague need to eat, drink water, and vomit creep up on her. She turns to lay on her side, wedges the blanket between her arms, pulls it higher up and tucks her hands under her head.

"You sure?”

“You still have your makeup you want to wash it off?”

“We can take it off”

“Girl its 2pm" 

"Let her sleep!" 

Half asleep, all the different voices mesh as one blob of noise. Indistinct chatter fades as Symone slowly luls back to sleep. Until-

"Where should I put the polaroids of Symone and Denali making out?” Peaceful slumber is very quickly forgotten when realization is drawn. 

“What the fuck happened last night?” Is the only thing Symone can muster out before throwing her head deeper into the pillow, all of a sudden quite awake. Focusing on the vague mist of memories from the night before, she replays it through her head starting from when she went up to Denali, taking shots in the kitchen.

[beautifulterriblequeen]

It’s discussed a lot about how Callum will react to Runaan when he gets out of the coin, but how do you think some of the other human characters would react to him? Like Soren, Amaya and Gren (it’s unclear if Gren ever actually *saw* Runaan, but for argument’s sake, let’s say he did.)

Ooh what a fun question, anon!

Let’s see, Soren. Well, by the time Runaan is freed, Soren will probably have had months or years as Rayla’s ally, even if he spends all his time with Ezran as his Crownguard. I also hope that Soren gets some real-world experience and education at the Storm Spire and in Lux Aurea before he returns to Katolis, if Ezran’s going to return to being king (which, idk, technically I think Soren’s king now, actually, as VIren’s heir, but that’s a whole ‘nother post). 

Soren is a genuinely warm guy. If he gets some time to learn about what Avizandum and Zubeia’s side of the war has been like, as well as Khessa and Janai’s, he’ll have a pretty balanced viewpoint on the conflict as a whole, which will make him a really solid adviser for Ezran, considering the training and actual battle experience he already has.

He may even contribute to the chain of events that frees Runaan, since he’s the one who put Runaan in the dungeon in the first place. His piece of the puzzle is that Runaan isn’t dead, and was imprisoned instead of being killed, and he knows exactly where and how, and also what Runaan looks like. He got a fistful of that long white hair, which is Runaan’s most distinctive physical trait (out of several, okay), so if anyone ever brings up that hair–Soren included–it’ll be obvious who’s being referred to, and that could direct various characters in their hunt/quest to free/locate him.

But what would he do upon seeing Runaan again? They’ll definitely remember each other. I think the key element will be this: time has passed eventfully for Soren, but it won’t have passed in the same way for Runaan. He’ll be stuck, trapped out of the world, alone with the same thoughts over and over again and no new input to help him grow and change. So Soren will probably have come a long way in his personal development, while Runaan won’t have done much more than spin in circles and rethink his choices.

I think the first thing Runaan would do is go on the defensive–or the offensive–with any weapon he can possibly get his hands on, and the first thing Soren would do is to hold up his hands and say, “Whoa there, Rayla’s Pointy Dad Number Two, I’m not gonna pull your hair this time. Promise. 

“And uhh, look. I wanna apologize on behalf of my dad. Viren. The old High Mage who kept you prisoner? I made some bad choices when I listened to him. And what he did to you was wrong. And I was wrong to help him. I thought I was helping my country when I did what he and my sister told me to do. But I ended up hurting people who didn’t deserve it. 

“And Rayla–she’s great, by the way, taught me how to sweep the leg and everything–she’s helped me understand a lot about myself.. Because she and I, we have a lot in common. Trying to do the best we can for our dads being one of those things, and all. 

“So, what I’m trying to say while you’re still deciding if you’re gonna stab me is this: I’m sorry. I’ve been to the Storm Spire, I’ve lived in Lux Aurea, and I, I get it now. The whole war thing. And, who we are inside it. People like you and me. Warriors, fighting to protect people we love. I’ve learned to see more than I ever thought I could. More than my dad wanted me to. 

“So… really please don’t stab me, because I’m just trying to do what my king says: we don’t have to fight back. We don’t have to continue the cycle. You killed my last king, and I couldn’t stop you. And, yeah, that still hurts, not gonna lie. But Ezran’s my king now. And I’d follow him to the ends of the earth. If… the earth… has ends. Geometry wasn’t my best class.  Anyway. So how about we talk, you and me, okay, just a couple of badasses, and we’ll try not to fall back on old habits, yeah? Cool. And… how many pushups do you think you can do?”

And Runaan hasn’t said a single word the whole time. He’s just let Soren go on and on and on. But Soren’s been paying attention to Rayla, trying to understand his new ally whenever he can. So he’s been very slowly stepping closer to Runaan, keeping his hands in sight and open, using Rayla’s mannerisms. And that whole message hits Runaan just as hard as hearing Rayla’s name on Soren’s lips. Soren does know Rayla. Knows her well. Things have changed. And he’s going to need to go slow so he doesn’t make a mistake. He’ll never let Soren into his blind spot, but he’ll play along after that show of information. He’ll look Soren up and down and say, “More than you can,” and Soren will grin like a little kid, because he’s just made peace instead of war, and he’s so proud of himself!

Aww, Soren is like hay. He’s great.

Amaya: afawk she hasn’t met Runaan directly, so unless they have some clashy backstory, Amaya’s attitude toward him will be a combination of “This dude killed my brother-in-law/king” and “this dude is my nephew’s girlfriend’s dad”.

By the time Amaya meets Runaan, she’ll know about Rayllum and how strong and steady it’s become. She’ll have Janai by her side. She’ll know about the power of love, and that overt aggression toward Runaan for taking Harrow won’t go over well with Rayla, and maybe not with Callum either. Plus, they’re all trying to move forward in peace, and her relationship with Janai is a big symbol of that. So on one hand, she’s a walking symbol of peace through love. And on the other, she can offer Runaan an olive branch to achieve peace through forgiveness.

A big influence is going to be how well Amaya and Rayla get along. I’d love to see Amaya teaching Rayla ASL because Rayla wants to be able to send silent messages. It’s a very Moonshadow form of communication, and Runaan talks a lot with his hands already, so Rayla’s primed for a new language there, I think. And the more time they spend bonding, the more Amaya’s tolerance will rise. 

She may have the hardest time forgiving Runaan, out of everyone. Callum has a huge heart. Ezran is a soft boy through and through. Soren would identify with Rayla pretty strongly, with their dark dads. Gren’s too nice not to feel for Runaan. But Amaya’s whole job has been defending Katolis from elves. And she failed, and her brother-in-law died at Runaan’s hands. So part of her hangup with him will be her own guilt. I’m not sure they’ll ever be friendly. 

Callum has more reason to hate Runaan than Amaya, but he’s young and in love with Runaan’s daughter, so he’s got motive and ability to be emotionally flexible. Amaya, for all her love of Janai, might not be quite as flexible toward a Moonshadow assassin whose actions put her nephew on the throne and destabilized Katolis, leaving it vulnerable to a coup and warmongering at Viren’s hands.

So, I think their meeting might go a bit like this: Amaya sees Runaan for the first time after he’s freed. It’s probably not immediately after. He’ll have a chance to find some shirts and eat something, probably heal up as much as he’s going to. And then they’ll come face to face. They’ll warily study each other for a long moment. And then Amaya will shrug and smirk, and Runaan will narrow his eyes, and she’ll punch him as hard as she can, and he’ll let her. Everyone will get caught off guard. Janai and Ethari, if they’re there, will step forward immediately to see to their partners and eye each other warily. But it’ll be Amaya and Runaan who tell them to calm down. Everything just got worked out, as much as it’s ever going to be.

Unless someone attacks Rayllum. Then I’ll get my cherished hc of Runaan and Amaya fighting back to back. It won’t matter what they’re fighting against. They’ll both be all in. Trusting Rayllum’s other stabby parent would definitely bond them more than anything else ever could.

And now for my sweet boy Gren: Gren is really empathetic, and he knows what Runaan’s last days before the coin were like. Gren had it easy--food, water, light, getting to stand up, not having to endure the odd magical experiment. Runaan wasn’t so lucky. We all saw the level of concern Gren had for his fellow prisoner down the hallway when Runaan started screaming. We saw his horror as he realized what Viren had done and how Runaan was still alive inside that creepy tiny prison coin. 

Gren probably didn’t get a very good look at Runaan in the coin, but he’s very good with voices, and he’d recognize Runaan’s in a heartbeat. He could hear everything he and Viren said down the hall. He knew to ask about Xadian fruit, which means he overheard the “Moonshadow elf thing” comment. He knew darn well that Runaan was a Moonshadow--could easily guess that he was one of the assassins--and he was still horrified at his fate. Gren doesn’t carry a weapon--he prefers to talk. And talk and talk and talk. I bet there are plenty of things Gren wouldn’t wish on his worst enemy, and getting coined is one of them now.

So this poor soft dungeon boy, who called down the hall trying to get Runaan to chat and never got an answer, only heard him talking to Viren, what would his reaction be upon seeing Runaan again? Upon hearing him?

Gren would wait for all the “more important” people to speak to Runaan first. Janai, Amaya, Rayla and Callum. And then he’d step forward when Runaan was available and try to have a quick word. He’d stand mirroring Runaan, trying to use Moonshadow body language as best he could. Maybe he picked some of it up from Rayla. And he’d want to speak, but have no real idea what to say. 

“Hey. I’m glad you’re okay. What Viren did to you was... wrong. Really wrong. No one should have to go through that, no matter what. I... just wanted you to know that I’m sorry. I... would’ve helped you out... but...” And here Gren gets caught up in his own memories. He’d tried to stay positive in the dungeon, and he could help himself all day long, but he couldn’t help the guy screaming down the hall. Gren’s no pushover, but that whole experience was really hard for him. The walls of that dungeon start to close in around him again.

“You did,” Runaan says. Reluctantly, but not unkindly. He was too busy trying to hunger strike to appreciate Gren’s overtures of friendliness, but once in the coin, Runaan had ages to contemplate every tiny detail of his imprisonment and what led to it. And Gren would be a bafflingly bright spot. No discernible motive. Just a soft, genuine human who tried to cheer Runaan up despite knowing who he was and what he had done.

And that’s all the encouragement Gren needs. He got to be helpful and communicate and do something good, and that’s all he’s ever wanted to do. He’ll glue himself to Runaan’s side for as long as the elf will put up with him, trying to learn as much as he can about Moonshadows. And Runaan will let him, for the most part, because the true measure of a person is how they treat someone who can do nothing for them. And when Runaan could offer Gren absolutely nothing in the dungeon, Gren offered him kindness and consideration. That’s worth a little bit of Moonshadow trust, and Gren will eagerly use what he leans from Runaan to aid in his ability to make peaceful overtures between Xadia and Katolis.

I think that in general, human reactions to Runaan will be muted by the existence of Rayllum. If Rayla weren’t his daughter, and if Callum weren’t her boyfriend, then I do think some characters would react more angrily to him. But Rayllum is bringing peace and holding it together as the first link, and no one wants to challenge that and cause war again over an enemy combatant who was doing his job by taking out a kingkiller. In the face of Rayllum’s peace and love, Runaan will probably get a bit softer of a landing than he deserves. The humans will get a chance to do what Ezran did: to forgive instead of striking back.

[heartlesslywhumping]

I have three characters who end up on the streets throughout the entire month of December, so it's cold and snowy and just all in all miserable for them. Do you have any idea what they might have to deal with in terms of physical jazz like hypothermia, as well as how they can find warmth and stuff?

Reeeeally long post incoming!

Hypothermia for sure (which I’ll talk about below), frostbite (which I don’t address to save too long of a post), overfilled shelters, snow, slush, wind, the elements in general.

They likely wouldn’t sleep well. Not only is it cold and they’re going to be stuck in doorways or staircases. They’re likely going to be out in the open which...everyone gets nervous out in the open at night, can you imagine trying to sleep out in the open at night? Even if they sleep in shifts, which adds another layer of terror and trying to fight exhaustion, there’s nerves there. If they get to a shelter, there’s all the other people around, the shelters are usually stuffed with more people than they can really handle and some people are afraid to go into shelters because you’re still sleeping with a ton of strangers. 

Emotionally and mentally there’s a whole nother level. They’d be without family or friends but each other and surrounded by advertising about home and family.They’re out in the elements, poorly rested, suffering from the cold and wet. They have no deodorant, underwear, toothbrushes, toothpaste, (pads or tampons for those with the parts to have periods), no nail clippers, lotion, chapstick, one pair of clothes likely, no razors, no hair brushes or combs, they’re sleeping in the trash, etc. Also, most people are raised to be wary of the homeless and some are raised to be outright hostile to the homeless, being treated that way by humans takes its own toll on you.

A human’s normal, healthy body temperature is around 98.6 F (37 C). Hypothermia happens when a body drops below 95 F (35 C). Severe cases can even lead 82 F (27.8)

Symptoms include:

Shivering, which may stop as hypothermia progresses (shivering is actually a good sign that a person's heat regulation systems are still active. )

Slurred speech or mumbling

Slow, shallow breathing

Clumsiness and/or lack of coordination

Drowsiness and/or very low energy

Confusion and/or memory loss

Loss of consciousness

dizziness

hunger and nausea

difficulty speaking

If it turns too severe these things may also appear

Shivering may stop

Slurred speech

Significant confusion

Drowsiness

Apathy or lack of concern

Weak pulse

The individual is at risk of lying down, falling asleep, and dying. In some cases, people will paradoxically remove their clothes just before this occurs

Someone with hypothermia usually isn't aware of their condition because the symptoms often begin gradually. Also, the confused thinking associated with hypothermia prevents self-awareness. The confused thinking can also lead to risk-taking behavior.

A body can lose heat through:

Radiated heat. Most heat loss is due to heat radiated from unprotected surfaces of the body.

Direct contact. Being in direct contact with something cold, such as water or the ground, conducts the heat away from the body. Because water is good at transferring heat from the body, body heat is lost much faster in cold water than in cold air. Similarly, heat loss from the body is much faster if one’s clothes are wet, such as snow or rain.

Wind. A wind chill factor is important in causing heat loss.

Risk factors for hypothermia include:

Exhaustion. Tolerance for cold diminishes when one is fatigued.

Older age. The body's ability to regulate temperature and to sense cold may lessen with age. And some older adults may not be able to communicate when they are cold or to move to a warm location if they do feel cold.

Very young age. Children lose heat faster than adults do. Children may also ignore the cold because they're having too much fun to think about it. And they may not have the judgment to dress properly in cold weather or to get out of the cold when they should.

Mental problems. People with a mental illness, dementia or other conditions that interfere with judgment may not dress appropriately for the weather or understand the risk of cold weather. People with dementia may wander from home or get lost easily, making them more likely to be stranded outside in cold or wet weather.

Alcohol and drug use. Alcohol may make a body feel warm inside, but it causes blood vessels to expand, resulting in more rapid heat loss from the surface of the skin. The body's natural shivering response is diminished in people who've been drinking alcohol. In addition, the use of alcohol or recreational drugs can affect judgment about the need to get inside or wear warm clothes in cold weather conditions. If a person is intoxicated and passes out in cold weather, they are  likely to develop hypothermia.

Certain medical conditions. Some health disorders affect the body's ability to regulate body temperature. Examples include an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), poor nutrition or anorexia nervosa, diabetes, stroke, severe arthritis, Parkinson's disease, trauma, and spinal cord injuries.

Medications. Some drugs can change the body's ability to regulate its temperature. Examples include certain antidepressants, antipsychotics, narcotic pain medications and sedatives.

Care for hypothermia needs medical attention right away but

If medical care isn't immediately available:

Remove any wet clothes, hats, gloves, shoes, and socks. Cut away items if necessary

Protect the person against wind, drafts, and further heat loss with warm, dry clothes and blankets.

Move gently to a warm, dry shelter as soon as possible.

Begin rewarming the person with extra clothing. Use warm blankets. Cover their whole body and head with blankets, leaving only the face clear.  Other helpful items for warming are: an electric blanket to the torso area and hot packs and heating pad on the torso, armpits, neck, and groin; however, these can cause burns to the skin and can also trigger irregular heartbeats and, potentially, lead to cardiac arrest.  

Use your own body heat if nothing else is available. providing skin-to-skin contact, if possible, by removing clothing and wrapping yourself and the individual in the blanket together to transfer heat

Take the person's temperature if a thermometer is available.

Offer warm liquids, but avoid alcohol and caffeine, which speed up heat loss. Don't try to give fluids to an unconscious person.

moving the person to a warm, dry place, if possible, or sheltering them from the elements

Do not rub or massage the person either, as these potentially jarring movements could also cause cardiac arrest.

If the hypothermic person is unconscious, or has no pulse or signs of breathing, call for emergency help right away. CPR should be given immediately if a pulse can’t be felt and there is no sign of breathing. Feel for the pulse for up to a whole minute before starting CPR, because the heart rate may be extremely slow and one should not start CPR if there is any heartbeat present.

CPR should be continued, in the absence of signs of breathing or a pulse, until paramedics arrive or the person is taken to a hospital.

Here’s some common stuff that I’ve found on homeless people generally survive the winter.

Stuff hand warmers in whatever they’re using as bedding and/or cover themselves with industrial garbage bags

Sleep in tents with donated propane heaters (but some cities clear tents out and it’s illegal for the homeless to have them)

Burn barrels

Bundle up with blankets and jackets

If homeless shelters are available, they could go there

Squat in abandoned buildings. Houses are preferable due to the insulation and potential carpeting

Libraries or other buildings for free during the day

Squat in doorways, alleys, enclosed bus stops, trash bins, dig into the snow for an impromptu igloo (although there was once a man that was crushed because a snowplow drove over his igloo in the middle of the night)

The underground subway

I’ve heard of some people living in sewers?

Layer materials in big boxes

Dress in layers

Crumple newspapers up and stuff it between layers of clothing. This also works with foam pieces, blankets, plastic bags, even dry leaves. NOT fiberglass (pink fiber between paper in houses. They have little glass fibers that could cut skin/lead to infection)

String blankets from trees to make a makeshift shelter

Keep moving

Don’t let your stuff get wet

Try not to sleep directly on the ground 

Avoid sweating a lot as wet clothes/bodies with cold weather is bad news

Don’t drink alcohol or caffeine

Sleep on top of air vents blowing warm air

I read about someone sleeping in a porta potty

That’s what I’ve got for you! Let me know if you would like additional information at any time!

[marshmallowgoop]

Sushio’s latest Kill la Kill fanart got me thinking.

[Image description: A sketch. Ryuko walks briskly, her hands in the pockets of her jacket. She smiles at Senketsu beside her, who appears to be very happy.]

See, Senketsu... doesn’t exactly get a ton of stuff like this. Kill la Kill animator doujin and Twitter accounts won’t include much content featuring him.

And that’s totally fine, of course! These are drawings the staff do for fun, and I completely understand if drawing Senketsu ain’t as fun as drawing human characters.

But I actually got the Kill la Kill Starter Book recently, which was originally sold at Comiket 84 and then included as a purchase bonus on Aniplex+:

[Image description: The cover of the Kill la Kill Starter Book. It's an illustration of Ryuko Matoi and Senketsu by Hiroyuki Imaishi. Ryuko stands, smiling, wearing an untransformed Senketsu and holding her Scissor Blade.]

And flipping through the book, I was reminded that while Senketsu may not get a lot of animator fanart, he does get some good official art.

Now, I dunno how "official" the Starter Book really is. (I mean, it was sold at Comiket originally, so maybe it’s more in the “animator fanart” category, but at the same time, it is also a product kind of featured on the official Kill la Kill site, and, like, the SSSS. Gridman Starter Book was sold on Trigger’s online shop....)

But if you do consider the starter book to be official merchandise, then Sachiko Yajima's piece is not only my favorite in the collection but one of my favorite pieces of official Kill la Kill art, period.

The image is very simple; it's an illustration of Ryuko holding her bag behind her, smiling down at Senketsu. It’s nothing elaborate, but its sweetness means the world to me. With Kill la Kill’s fast pace, we rarely get those quiet moments where these two are just happy together.

And there’s more good stuff where that came from! Here are some more of my favorite pieces of official/semi-official Kill la Kill artwork that feature Senketsu!

1. Hug

[Image source]

[Image description: Ryuko hugs Senketsu, naked, smiling. He looks up at her, his mouth around her arms. Sparkles surround them, implying that they're Synchronizing through the hug.]

First, the final Blu-ray/DVD cover, by Sushio (sushio_)! So sweet. This is what Kill la Kill ultimately wants you to take away from it. 

The recently released Promare Blu-ray/DVD cover gave me flashbacks:

Two characters and a representation of their synchronized way of fighting together. My heart.

2. Waving Goodbye

[Image source]

[Image description: Three characters are pictured. On the top, Senketsu waves goodbye. Below them, Ryuko smiles in Senketsu-Kisaragi and waves goodbye, winking. At the bottom, Guts sleeps with a big snot bubble coming out of his nose.]

Then, also from the final Kill la Kill volume, the adorable side art by Mago (magodesu)! Ryuko and Senketsu happy in Senketsu-Kisaragi, and Senketsu waving goodbye? My heart. Again.

I love Ryuko's winking. Her hand covers Senketsu's right eye, she's closing her left... the symmetry....

3. Date

[Image sources: 1, 2, 3, 4]

[Image descriptions: The first image depicts Ryuko in a yellow bikini, smiling as she holds Senketsu’s sleeves. The second image is of a figure designed after this image. The third and fourth images are cards made from this image, called “Swimsuit Ryuko” and “Senketsu’s Date with Ryuko.”]

And of course, I can't talk about favorite official Senketsu art without mentioning Akira Amemiya's "Senketsu's Date with Ryuko"! An illustration, two cards, a figure... this is one image they really want you to see. Kill la Kill is actually adorable.

4. Don’t Look...

[Image source]

[Image description: A double-sided dakimakura, with one side featuring Ryuko in Synchronized Senketsu and the other side featuring Satsuki in Overridden Junketsu. Ryuko looks bashful and tries to cover Senketsu's eye. Satsuki looks angry and ready to attack with her sword, Bakuzan.]

Next up, I don't think I'd call this a "fave" exactly; it breaks my heart. But I appreciate (?) that Senketsu is acknowledged in the semi-official dakimakura.

Ryuko and Senketsu were drawn by Shota Iwasaki (tarou2), and Satsuki and Junketsu were drawn by Mai Yoneyama (yonema).

5. Shocked

[Image source]

[Image description: Official Kill la Kill breast mousepads. There is one for Ryuko in Synchronized Senketsu and one for Satsuki in Overridden Junketsu. Both girls have their arms up. Ryuko looks bashful. Satsuki looks angry. Senketsu is shocked.]

On the same note, I could say similar things about these official mousepads found on Trigger's Kill la Kill site. Why is it that fanservice products pay more attention to Senketsu's character than a lot of discussion on the show? I cry. 

6. Bath Time

[Image source]

[Image description: A figure. The description on the site reads, “This figure captures the Kill La Kill protagonist at an awkward time, as she's just getting out of a hot spring. Water drips down her body, and the only thing keeping her from being totally exposed is a tiny, soaked towel. While she looks shamed and demure, she still has a chance to take it out on you with severe prejudice. Her trusty Scissor Blade is just mere feet behind her, and Senketsu, her sentient uniform, is grasping onto her thigh, ready to help her suit up and unleash all her power towards any peeping toms foolish enough to sneak a peek.”]

And I’ve already talked up a storm about the bath figures, but to keep it short, let’s just say that I’m glad Senketsu is included because he wants to cover Ryuko and prevent any creeps from peeping on her. And also Synchronize with her so they can take out the creeps together. He is drinking all the Respect Women Juice.

7. Stickers!

[Image source]

[Image description: Ryuko and Senketsu stickers sold in Trigger's online shop. There's a sticker of Ryuko in her tracksuit wearing scarf!Senketsu. There's a sticker of Ryuko in untransformed Senketsu. There's a sticker of Senketsu posing and a sticker of Ryuko posing. There's also a plain sticker of Senketsu looking forward.]

But on the more adorable side, these stickers by Sushio! The artwork is from SUSHIO CLUB LOVE LOVE KLKL, which has tons of cute Kill la Kill content. Of all the stickers from the book sold in Trigger's shop, these are the only ones sold out....

8. Dressing Up

[Image source]

[Image description: Senketsu has become a red dress, and his eye and eyepatch are integrated into a ruffled design. Ryuko wears two red bracelets on her left wrist, red lipstick, and brown boots. She has her jacket slung over her shoulder, and her hair is styled with a clip.]

Another Sushio piece, Ryuko and Senketsu being fancy together! The art was done for an Aniplex display at AnimeJapan in 2014 and is also included in SUSHIO THE IDOL. 

See that extra bit of red in Ryuko's hair? It implies they Synced to make that dress!

9. Bikini!Senketsu

[Image source]

[Image description: A sketch. Ryuko wears bikini!Senketsu and sandals.]

I also totally headcanon that Senketsu can transform into other outfits, and the official manga adaptation with art by Ryo Akizuki (akizuki072) includes a snippet of Ryuko in bikini!Senketsu in the third volume! The full image (above) was posted on Twitter.

10. Nendoroid Love

[Image source]

[Image description: Chaos. Aikuro sits at a table and has a huge glass of wine. Next to him, Tsumugu cleans... something? Shiro scowls at Houka, who has perhaps taken Mako's laptop, as its adorned with a bunny image. Mako opens a fridge; a chicken comes out. Satsuki has her arms around a horde of Nendos of her, Ryuko, and Mako. Nonon and Uzu are scowling in the back. Ryuko smiles at her Nendo.]

This next one is more minor, but Sushio's art for this Kill la Kill Radio CD just gets to me. Ryuko's admiring her Nendoroid... which features her and Senketsu. She's like, "We look so good together, don't we, Sen?" 

 Idk, I think it's cute....

11. Into the Stars

[Image description: My photo of the “ambiguous” and “Sirius” album art. Both are star themed. For the “ambiguous” art, Ryuko smiles in Synchronized Senketsu, up in the stars. Below her, Satsuki, Soroi, and the Elite Four (with Mako on Ira's shoulders, looking up in awe) watch. For “Sirius,” Ryuko and Senketsu shoot up towards the stars. The Mankanshoku family try to run after them, their arms outstretched, but can't keep up.]

And on the topic of CD art, the "ambiguous" and "Sirius" album art by Sushio are adorable! My photo isn't great, but I get so emotional at Ryuko and Senketsu flying up into the stars together. Nobody can keep up with them. They are on a whole 'nother level. So precious.

12. OT3

[Image source]

[Image description: Ryuko, Senketsu, and Mako hold each other, posing for the camera.]

For this next one, a WonderGOO purchase bonus for the Kill la Kill game drawn by Kengo Saito (kengo1212), I know Senketsu is often ignored. But I was so happy to see him acknowledged and posing for a photo with his loved ones. So cute. I bought this bonus!

13. I Don’t Think He’s Her Dad...

[Image source]

[Image description: A poster of Ryuko transforming with Senketsu. She is naked, her eyes shut as strands of Senketsu's fabric wrap around her.]

For another poster, by Sushio (thank you for confirming, @dont-lose-your-edge​!), I wouldn't say Senketsu is characterized exactly, but I think it's one of the most sensual pieces of official Kill la Kill art. It really makes the “Senketsu is/is like Ryuko’s dad” reading very implausible to me....

14. Best Box

[Image source]

[Image description: An image of the All the Anime Collector's box. The right side has the Kill la Kill logo, the left side has art of Ryuko and Satsuki looking at each other, and the spine has Ryuko hugging Senketsu. The three volumes that All the Anime sold the series in can be placed inside the box.]

I don't have much else, but since I love that final volume cover art so much, I have to say that I so appreciate All the Anime for placing it on the spine of their collector's box. 

That is what Kill la Kill is all about, y'all. Not fighting. Not fanservice. Shirt friendship.

[ineffablefool]

Some meditations on being a fat human being, in the era of Good Omens series fandom.  Not n//sf/w, really (hi my name is Jack I’m ace and supremely uninterested in sexytimes), but really personal and also long, so I’ll stick it behind a readmore.  I suppose if another fat human being had thoughts they wanted to tack on, they could reblog to do so, but I don’t expect this to be a particularly rebloggable thing.  Just thinkin’ out loud (via clickety fingies).

I have been... okay, more or less, with how my body looks, for a while.  (Minus all the things about it that make me get “she” and “her” and “ma’am” everywhere I go, with exactly three glorious exceptions in the ~4 years since I realized that those weren’t right.  That is a whole ‘nother bucket of bears.)  I’ve been on Tumblr over on my main account since 2013, and the entire time I’ve been immersing myself in fat positivity and in fat activism by wonderful accounts like ok2befat and bigfatscience and thisisthinprivilege.  So I’ve been basically okay. 

It sucks how hard it is to find clothing that I like which doesn’t completely exclude my particular set of proportions.  It sucks that my saint of a boss had to literally fight our HR department to change the company policy on flights for business, because the previous policy would have forced me to fly 18 hours in an economy-class seat much smaller than I am when I visit India in a couple months.  It sucks that my body is still the “oh, is this disgusting thing a dealbreaker for you” question on dating websites, and that it’s still the butt of every third Trump joke.  It sucks.  But I’ve gotten better over the years at the skill of seeing my body as not the problem, but an innocent bystander in everyone else’s bullshit.  Clothing and plane seats and humor don’t spring from the earth to be harvested and consumed raw.  People decide how to make them.  People can decide differently.

Anyway.  I’ve been pretty much okay with Body.  Body’s fine.  It’s a good pal.  It gets me where I need to be, and it lets me run around in little circles pretending to be an airplane when I’m bored.  I spend some time with it in partial states of undress now and then (I’m too much of a germaphobe to ever be a naturist, let’s put it that way), just so I can keep myself familiar with what it really looks like.  Y’know how the horror movie monster is really scary up until they actually show it?  Same thing, except fewer blood squibs.

But here’s all this Good Omens stuff.

A lot of the fandom has embraced the slight pudginess of Michael Sheen’s Aziraphale, and a lot of artists are putting that into their work.  And a blessed wonderful few aren’t stopping there.  They’re drawing Aziraphales that are more than just a tiny bit pudgy, sometimes that are just plain fat, unquestionably, not just “a little larger than the very thin rendition of Crowley” or “wearing a lot of layers” or “the clothes are just cut that way”.  Really, really adorable renditions of fat angels who are clearly loveable and clearly loved because look, the artist drew them together, Crowley is right there and he doesn’t have that look on his face by accident.

(There are book renditions floating around too where people have headcanoned a fatter Aziraphale, but I’m still talking miniseries right now.  Also, there are plenty of sort of... cartoony/stylized/silly renditions out there with fatter Aziraphales, but I’m not really talking about those either.  There’s a sort of area of artwork where the style or the scene being depicted is such that my brain is surprised when any of the characters is fat, because this is a pretty drawing of two people kissing or whatever and therefore obviously they have to both be thin.  Obviously.  Internalized fatphobia nonsense.  But that’s the kind of artwork I’m thinking when I type all these zillions of words.)

And that’s a choice, to say “I’m an artist and I’m going to draw this character who is worth being the recipient of a 6000-year-long love, and that character is fat, and that’s just how it is”.  And to keep doing it in one piece of art after the other.

speremint was the first artist I noticed doing this, drawing an Aziraphale who is loved by Crowley (the sacred apple tree art still cracks me up, poor Crowley) and who is definitely fat and who is adorable, and if you’ve read the notes on any of my fics you know that she singlehandedly changed how I picture my headcanon’d Aziraphale.  Then I discovered that dotstronaut and lonicera-caprifolium and toastedbuckwheat are out there too, giving me lovely art to shove into my eyeballs and extend my lifespan potentially indefinitely.  I bet there’s more I haven’t noticed yet.  I want there to be like a hundred more I haven’t noticed yet.

And this all ticks over into the second half of what’s apparently a manifesto at this point, boy it’s a good thing I’m a fast typist, which is the fact that in addition to being a fat human, I am also romantically and aesthetically attracted to fat humans.  It’s something I’ve pretty much literally had no opportunity to ever express, because in my Real Life I don’t really admit to having feelings per se and also I am... not the type of human who is the recipient of romantic thoughts from others.  Or who would ever act on my own unless the other party said something first.  (Which nobody ever has since 2006, you guys.  Supremely not the recipient of romance over here.)

So there’s this fandom environment where a fat character is being celebrated and loved, and I started writing fanfiction for the first time this century, and all of a sudden there’s a place for me to express feelings that I’ve been sitting on since I finally realized in about 2001 what it was about that one guy in high school that made me want to hug him, even though I also couldn’t stand his attitude.

Going through my fics from oldest to most recent, it is clear that I am getting more and more comfortable with that expression.  It’s getting ridiculous.  At this rate, in three weeks’ time I’m just going to be writing “Aziraphale is fat and beautiful and I just want to cuddle his belly forever” over and over again for five thousand words at a stretch.

But that means Brain is thinking a lot about how Aziraphale is fat, and beautiful, and perfect exactly how he is.  And then Brain looks down at Body and is like “hmm.  Same hat.  ineffablefool is fat too.  Therefore, [insert math lady meme here]”.  And I will be, like, “okay, so if Crowley were to put his hand on Aziraphale’s belly, what would that feel or look like?  How would his internal narration describe it?  Well, there’s a belly right here, let’s do some science.”  And then the thoughts that I start associating with the experience of my own body are completely good thoughts, all of them, because they’re going to be going in Crowley’s head.  And my written Crowley is never going to be anything other than madly in asexual romantic love with my written Aziraphale, and is never going to see him as anything other than perfect, physically, no matter what he looks like.

And it’s just being a really good positive feedback mechanism, I guess is the tl;dr version.  External validation (via art, via others’ fics, via comments on my own fics, btw if you’ve left any of those then you are also helping extend my lifespan, especially the people who come back to comment on each new story, yes I recognize you and I do a little happy dance every time a familiar name pops up, please rejoin me on Monday I’m going to post my dickwheelie letters fic) is all well and good.  But the mental loop of “own body can be used for realistic descriptions of a fat body -> descriptions based on own body are all lovingly positive -> own body is therefore described by self as lovingly positive” is... it’s nice, is what I’m saying.  It’s very nice.  Last week I expressed, out loud in a group of coworkers, my desire that something be more size-inclusive.  Do you even know how many deaths I would once have suffered rather than say something like that in mixed company.  But why shouldn’t I say it!  There’s nothing wrong with my being fat!  In fact, it’s within the realm of possibility to see it as a positive thing, so let’s just all admit that we have eyes and then move on!  Geez!

So those are some of my thoughts on being a fat human being, in the era of Good Omens series fandom.

now if I can just score a hot fat ace Ineffable Significant Other out of this fandom, I’ll be set