#mostly because of the hundreds and hundreds of distinct people

[avoicebehindthestars]

About bootlegging Good Omens...

I don't have the ranges to reach a lot of people, but I'm going to say this nonetheless.

If you feel like you can't bare anything that NG has ever created, you don't want to hear about Good Omens, Sandman, Coraline etc. ever again, that's perfectly fine and a decision to be respected. Quite frankly, I've found myself feeling uneasy while I tried to read Sandman recently because I can't stop perceiving it through what I found out about the author. Hell, even the sex scene in Stardust doesn't sit right with me anymore...

BUT

If you are still a fan of any of Neil's ongoing franchise (GO, Sandman, DBD, Anansi Boys) and choosing to bootleg them just to "punish" him - think again. Neil's current net worth is $18M. Even if he doesn't ever earn another penny, he can spend up to $0.5M a year and live to be nearly a hundred without a care in the world.

What you'll actually be doing is informing the streaming networks (Prime and Netflix) that Neil's franchise isn't worth investing in anymore. And, as a result, you guessed it - the shows you still love WILL get CANCELLED. Make no mistake, just because Prime has greenlit Good Omens s3 doesn't mean that can't pull out on a whim.

Neil hates showrunning, he said as much himself. He's only persevering on Good Omens because he'd made a promise to Pratchett. So let me say it again: by bootlegging, you won't be punishing Neil. You'll be punishing YOURSELVES by literally telling the networks to cancel the show, because they won't get any money out of it. Or, if not cancel - limit the investment, as they did with GO s2, which will result in shorter episodes (in case of GO right now we're looking at 6x45m... would you rather get 6x30m instead?), fewer extras, lower budget on CGI and sets, and overall poorer quality.

In other words - you'll be cutting multiple artists' income. I'm not talking about top-tier actors like MS or DT - they'll do all right either way (although MS will mostly likely be heartbroken, as we know how much he loves Good Omens). I'm talking about all the extras and less known actors who perform minor roles! I'm talking about everyone involved in the production - in making of the sets, in creating the special effects, hell, in carrying equipment and pouring coffee! Those are the people you'll be punishing.

Seriously, aside from his promise to Terry, I'm convinced Neil couldn't care less. Otherwise why would he be so adamant about wrapping it up in just 3 seasons when it's winning distinction after distinction?

Last but not least, watching Good Omens legally and buying franchise doesn't harm the victims. If Neil really committed the atrocities he's accussed of, he'll be punished by the court! Punishing Neil isn't your responsibility!

So before you make a decision, please remember:

if the show you bootleg is cancelled as a result, you will have punished: yourself, the fandom, all the artists and people involved in the production

punishing Neil is NOT your responsibility

wanting the networks to continue the franchise you like doesn't harm the victims

[shewhowas39]

a quick note on elven maturity

all right. time for another lore dump, brought to you by a big DnD fangirl.

so i see a lot of conversation around Astarion's age at the time of being turned (39 years old) and how, in DnD, that would make him a "child." this comes from rules and lore that state that elves can live to be about 750 years old (or older) and are considered adults at 100 years old. and i can absolutely see why that is confusing, but let me break it down a bit.

Elves reach physical maturity at the same age as humans, but after that point, their aging slows down tremendously. a 39 year old elf may be "considered a child" but has the physical maturity of a human in their 20s and mental maturity of a 39 year old human.

so let's talk about that "considered a child" business. this might be cleared up by adding the caveat "by other elves" at the end.

the distinction of "childhood" is cultural. because elves live so long, they see those under the age of 100 as youthful. think about it: if you had seen five hundred years of shit, you'd think an 80 year old was a sweet summer child, too. hell, i'm in my 30s and sometimes it's hard not to look at people in their early 20s as "kids" because we're just in such different places in our lives, even though they are legally adults.

even in the real world, maturity and adulthood are seen differently across cultures. different countries have different drinking ages, different ages for driving cars, different ages of consent. those standards may seem odd to an outsider, used to their own cultural norms, but every community is different.

elves don't just see other elves under age 100 as children. they see other races this way as well. high elves tend to view humans as immature - even in their old age - because 80 years to them is nothing.

i was a legal adult at 18, but 18 year old me didn't know half the shit 33 year old me does. and i'm sure 45 year old me will think 33 year old me was "young" by comparison.

now, i've seen some takes that Astarion might be lying about being a magistrate because he was "a child" and why would they make a child a magistrate? that argument might hold up in an elven dominated city, but Baldur's Gate is mostly human. by human standards, Astarion had the same mental capacity as any other 39 year old man.

Astarion, at age 39, may have been seen as a "child" by other high elves, but this isn't literal. it merely means he had yet to reach a major cultural milestone of a very, very long lived race. a milestone even the most elderly of humans likely will never reach.

would you call an 80 year old human a child? no. but a high elf very well might see them that way. not in the physical sense, but in a "oh to be young and naive and know less of the world than I do" sense. the way that we all inevitably look at those a decade younger than us, even though they are adults, and see their youth in comparison to our own.

it's 5am here and i'm babbling. the point is, the "child" bit of elven lore in DnD is confusing, i get it. but it's purely cultural. in Baldur's Gate, a city primarily run by humans, Astarion was not seen as a child by most. he was a grown man. he had the mental maturity of a 39 year old man. the only people who would have seen him as a child are other, older high elves (mostly those who grew up in a place like Evermeet) and maybe elders of other races - even humans - who were like "oh, to be 39 again!" (lol, me the day i turn 40 probably.)

tl;dr elves in dnd are not LITERALLY children until they turn 100. it's an elven culture thing, similar to how in real life different cultures have different standards for things like driving, drinking, joining the army, and age of consent.

[specialagentartemis]

ykw i am having so much fan watching you be a hater, that i’ve decided to ask for more. PLEASE give us a rant about a book you hated.

Haha aw I'm honored. And uh I hope you don't have any particular attachment to Becky Chambers. Sorry in advance.

But A Psalm for the Wild-Built won a Hugo and I do not get the love. Book 1 was nice enough, yeah. Book 2 had me tearing my hair out.

Sibling Dex is a restless Tea Monk who serves the God of Small comforts on the science-fantasy planet of Panga. I genuinely love the idea of a tea monk - part therapist, part confessor, travels around to the different towns, mixes tea blends for people, lets them talk about their worries and fears and stresses, and gives them, if not advice, then sympathy and a listening ear and some calming tea. This is meaningful work but they're unhappy. After doing this for a while they're still unsatisfied with their life, so they go into the woods searching for self-actualization, and meet a robot named Mosscap, a wild robot that lives in the woods. See, hundreds of years ago, all the robots "woke up" and became sentient one day, then they staged a quiet rebellion against humanity's greed and industrialization by walking into the woods and never coming back. Now, the continent is split in half: humans stay on the Human Side, and robots stay on the Robot Side. The Robot Side is kept wild and humans are discouraged from going in there because humans can't be trusted not to ruin Nature. The rpbots are welcome to come to the Human Side, they just never have. Dex is the first person in a While to venture into the woods of the Robot Side, and the first human since the great walkout to see a robot. Mosscap gives Dex a lot of philosophical pep talks about not pushing themself so hard, about allowing themself to just rest and appreciate the world without feeling like they need to be Providing A Service to justify their existence. It's a nice theme. Underbaked, imo, but nice. Relateable.

Book 2 was a goddamn mess.

Book 1 mostly takes place in the wilderness of the woods, so it's okay if the nice utopian human community Dex comes from was sketchily-built. It Just Works, and everyone Is Just Nice, this is a science-fantasy parable. There were some issues I had with it - like the strict ideological and physical divide between Nature and Humans, and the fact that Dex's religion seems to be the Only Religion In The World, and it's vaguely secular-humanist with the gods being not "really" gods but names given to primordial forces and philosophical concepts, and the religion not really making any demands of its adherents in any way except to become their best selves and devote themselves to what they like... it's potentially interesting, but overall kinda lazy. It felt like Becky Chambers was aware of the idea that having an enlightened-atheist sci-fi utopia is Problematic, so she made there be a central religion, but she also didn't want it to have any of the ~icky~ things religions have, like belief in anything supernatural, or dietary restrictions, or creeds, or codes of behavior, or expectations to make any kind of sacrifice in any way. All the gods "ask" is that humans observe and appreciate the world. But whatever.

In book 2, Dex and Mosscap return to Dex's society, and the book seems to want to explain how the world works, and oh my GOD is Chambers not prepared to do this.

"Observe and appreciate" is all anyone is asked to do. Book 2, A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, is an ode to ultimate virtue of Doing Nothing. There's this attitude I see in a LOT of utopian fiction, where the author is bluntly just not a good enough author to imagine a utopian society where people act like people, so in the world of Panga, utopian society is achieved through 1) homogeneity 2) no one giving a crap about anything.

As far as I can tell, there is the one religion. Most people are Fine with this. Most people are Fine with anything. There are no characters with distinct personalities. There's no money, except there is, except it's not real money and no one will deny you anything if your balance is in the red, even though your balance is available to be seen by anyone - this does not cause any kind of shame or pride or competition in any way, and Dex doesn't understand why it might. There are no hierarchies or governing bodies, people just volunteer to step up when things need doing (this is portrayed as great and not deeply concerning). There are different communities, but in them, everyone is uniformly nice, friendly, and helpful at all times. There are some parts of nature, like the seashore, where people are not allowed to go because they'll ruin the environment, and this is accepted as correct and necessary. Most people live in hippie, pro-recycling, high-tech, end-of-history green communities; there's one group they visit, however, that doesn't trust technology, and lives in a vaguely sci-fi-Amish way. You might think, Dex travelling around with a robot, this might cause conflict! It does not. The people from this community calmly explain their anti-technology position, Dex calmly explains their pro-technology position, and they politely respect each other. "Not bothered either way" is a phrase that turns up in various permutations a lot and is held up as the good, mature, responsible way to be.

There's a scene where they catch a fish for dinner, and instead of killing it, the scifi-Amish guy says "We let the air do that for us, and they let the fish slowly suffocate to death in the air while they all look on solemnly and sadly. This is portrayed as a deep, beautiful moment of them witnessing and honoring the final moments of a living being's life. And not. y'know. them torturing a living being to death so they can keep their own hands clean.

This is what I mean about the valorization of passivity: observing is all you are ever obligated to do. Letting a fish die in the air is better than killing it quickly and humanely, because doing things gets your hands dirty, while letting things simply happen is the Correct way to do it.

At the end, Mosscap and Dex blow off all their promises and appointments and just hang out at the beach chilling out instead, because do what you want forever, you don't have to do shit. This is the happy affirming ending. Mosscap you fucking said you'd meet with the city leaders as the robot ambassador to the humans, did you tell them you were blowing off this commitment because you didn't feel like doing that anymore??? Did you even let them know??????

It is SUCH a baffling book. The theme wants to be "you are more than your job, you deserve to just Be" and ends up feeling like "you don't have to do anything ever, and no one can make you do anything you don't want to do if you don't feel like it, and you don't owe anyone anything and searching for a purpose in your life is just making you stressed out so chill at the beach instead."

The thing that drives me crazy is like. Mosscap cheerfully tells Dex about robots that spend twenty years in a cave watching stalactites form because they think it's beautiful, and those robots are just as much a valued part of society as anyone else. Appreciating beauty and wonder is good enough, you don't need to be productive. And I'm just. fuckin. like. Humans are not robots! Robots don't need to eat or sleep! Humans need food, and clothes, and shelter, and medical care, and if we don't have SOMEONE working to provide that, we Die! Nice as it would be, we CAN'T just all do nothing forever until we feel like it! We can't do that!

And at the same time, the book bizarrely treats wanting a purpose in life as like... almost disordered. If you are seeking a purpose in life it's because you just haven't let go of your guilt and relaxed enough. It's bizarre. Valorization of passivity. Humans aren't meant to be in nature so we just Shouldn't. Doing nothing and having no strong opinions is the most self-affirmed you can possibly be. Letting a fish suffocate is more moral than quickly breaking its neck or spiking its brain. Someone else will do it. Who, if we're all supposed to be resting and only doing what we feel like? Don't worry about it.

"The heart of this book is comfort [...] There is nothing in it that can hurt you." YOU LIAR BECKY CHAMBERS THE FISH SCENE STILL DISTURBS AND UPSETS ME TO THIS DAY

[stllmnstr]

signed, sealed, delivered

Another drabble from an anon prompt! Started with this:

And turned into poor commoner Jaeyun x rich princess oc in a historical kingdom (so different setting but I hope you still enjoyyyyy 🫡) ps I usually write his name as jake but kept it jaeyun here to match the ask!

pps again I wrote this on my phone and it somehow ended up at 3k AND it's 4 in the morning. that's what you call a triple whammy, folks. enjoy and please excuse any mistakes 😭

⋆.˚⟡ ࣪ ˖⋆.˚⟡ ࣪ ˖⋆.˚⟡ ࣪ ˖

Sim Jaeyun is turning twenty-two years old today. It’s an impressive feat, in a kingdom where making it to eighteen without succumbing to disease or illness or something more directly borne of war is becoming more and more rare.

But Jaeyun made it to eighteen. Four long years ago. And the years have only been adding up, surely, if not also incredibly slowly, since then.

The only reason he’s made it this far is because he’s smart. Not in the textbook kind of way. Jaeyun wasn’t born into a family important enough to be literate, so it’s nothing but a blessing that he’s as good with words as he is, considering that he can't read them.

It's mostly because he uses them so sparingly. After all, Jaeyun hasn’t made it twenty-two years by talking. He’s done it by keeping his head down and his mouth shut. Just like any good commoner.

He pays his taxes on time and only participates in illicit activities - namely, harvesting crops from one of the sixteen royal gardens - after the sun goes down. He wears average clothes and eats average meals and spends his days with other average people.

From a lot of angles, it’s uninspired. It’s hardly a life at all. But it’s his reality, and for the vast majority of the kingdom’s population, it’s their reality, too.

So Jaeyun, even on his twenty-second birthday, doesn’t have any grand plans. The only thing he wants to do is barter for enough flour and sugar in the marketplace, and maybe even some butter if the dairy farmer takes pity on him, to make himself something sweet over the fire tonight.

As he walks towards the town square, there’s a lightness in his step. Even with midday sun beating on his back and perspiration beginning to gather on his nape, he’s sure that today will be a perfectly ordinary day. In his mind, that alone is something to be immensely grateful for.

By the time he’s secured minuscule amounts of flour and sugar, his mood is still in high spirits. Even though the dairy farmer does not seem to be in an agreeable mood.

“I’ll bring you an extra bag of corn,” Jaeyun whispers conspiratorially over a stack of delectable looking cheeses. He doesn’t even spare them a glance. There’s no point, really. The grumpy old farmer still seems reluctant to give up a fraction of a stick of butter.

“What am I going to do with corn?” The man waves a dismissive hand at him. Jaeyun suppresses the urge to roll his eyes. At least the woman selling sugar had been susceptible to a little old-fashioned flirting. He has the distinct feeling the same tricks won’t work here.

“Potatoes, then.” Jaeyun has no idea where he’ll get potatoes. The royal groundskeepers have a tight leash on that particular crop, but he’s getting desperate.

That, at least, seems to catch the dairy farmer’s attention. Jaeyun’s gut is starting to twist a bit in dread at the prospect of making good on his promise, but the thought of having butter is already enough to make his mouth water.

Before he has the chance to find out if his offer was accepted, the sound of trumpets cuts through the clamor of the market like a knife.

Immediately, conversations cease. Identical flashes of panic flicker through a hundred sets of eyes.

Three sharp, short notes. A beat of silence, and then they’re repeated. It’s a pattern that every citizen knows well.

The announcement of a royal.

Which also means it’s Jaeyun’s cue to craft a stealthy exit. It’s not that he’s a wanted man, per se, but he’d rather not be on the list of people the royal guard are familiar with.

Turning quietly on his heel, he silently mourns the loss of his precious butter with a small pout. And then he bumps straight into Park Sunghoon.

He’s an acquaintance, more than a friend. But he’s also one of the people Jaeyun is closest to in this world.

“Woah,” Sunghoon raises an eyebrow when he notes the swiftness of Jaeyun’s escape attempt. “Didn’t you hear the trumpets?”

“I think everyone on this side of the border heard them,” Jake grumbles, not pleased to be stalled. “That’s why I’m leaving.”

Sunghoon just shrugs, stepping to the side to let him pass. But Jaeyun barely makes it three steps before he’s asking, “You’re not curious?”

Jaeyun pauses, eyes going towards the sky above him in exasperation. He’s not sure why Sunghoon always insists on speaking in riddles, and especially when he’s trying to be discreet.

Turning back to face him, he bites, “Curious about what?”

Sunghoon smirks. He has a piece of information that Jaeyun doesn’t. It’s a rare situation, and he’s planning to milk the hell out of it. “The princess,” he finally says. “Princess ___” He adds in a sing-song voice.

The space between Jaeyun’s eyebrows begins to crease. “What are you talking about?”

“Rumor has it that’s who’s coming right now. Our lovely, fearless, princess is about to be paraded through the marketplace.”

“You’re lying.” Jaeyun shakes his head. He’s sure of it. He doesn’t know much about the king that he supposedly serves, other than his penchant for stationing rather incompetent guards by the crop fields that grow corn, but he does know how he treats his children. Namely, his daughter.

His oldest son is actively being groomed to become the next king, of course. The second born has a nasty chip on his shoulder about it and tries to make up for it by training until he can defeat every last member of the military in hand-to-hand combat and outsmart them in strategy meetings.

And you. The youngest. The only girl.

Much like your mother, you’ve been relegated to little more than a prop. Rumors of your beauty have spread far and wide, but that’s the only thing you’re allowed to be known for. Your days are spent learning how to sit correctly, how to curtsy nicely, how to embroider with alarming precision. How to please others.

Jaeyun’s never lost too much sleep about it. After all, a life in the palace, even a suffocating one, is still a luxury. He doubts you’ve ever had to wonder where your next meal would come from. You probably have actual cake on your birthdays, not makeshift concoctions that would taste significantly better if only you had a bit of butter.

But Sunghoon is insistent. “It’s true. I heard it from Sunoo. You know, he’s friends with that boy that works at the palace.”

“Well then Sunoo’s lying too.” Jaeyun’s words are clipped. He doesn’t have long to slip away if he wants to be gone by the time the procession arrives. “She’s never been in public before.”

Locked up in a palace for your whole life. For a moment, Jaeyun almost feels sorry for you. There’s nothing he loves more than an open field, wide and endless, under a starlit sky.

Taking a step forward, Sunghoon shakes his head. His voice is low when he adds, “Apparently it’s her birthday today. That’s why she’s here. They want to show her off a bit.”

The shock fades quickly. It’s not that strange of a coincidence, Jaeyun supposes, that the two of you share a birthday.

Jaeyun shakes his head firmly. He hopes it conveys a sense of finality. “I’m not staying.”

Sunghoon shrugs. “Suit yourself. But I know a spot with a great view.” He jerks his chin to the left. “Just over the butcher’s shop. An old abandoned attic that no one uses anymore.”

Jaeyun hates himself for hesitating. Mostly because that small window of uncertainty is all Sunghoon needs.

“Come on,” he urges. “No one will see you. I promise.”

And it’s not like Jaeyun has that much stake in all of this, but Sunghoon was right. He is curious.

What is it like, he wonders, as Sunghoon leads him up a hidden set of stairs to the attic he pointed to earlier, to live your life at the epicenter of a well-oiled machine?

Do you know? That people like him have to fight to survive? That making it to twenty-two is something remarkable? Do you care?

Jaeyun can’t imagine why you would.

Still, as the procession draws near, Jaeyun feels his heartbeat quicken with it. Until it matches the cadence of the horse hooves coming closer and closer.

Until finally, finally, he gets his first glimpse of the first real royal procession he’s stuck around for in years.

Until he gets his first glimpse of you.

You’re pretty, he’ll give you that, but the more he studies you, the stronger the strange flicker of… disappointment begins to swirl in his gut.

From your seat in the pristine carriage you ride in, your posture is impeccable and your wave towards the crowd is fit for royalty.

You look exactly like a princess. He’s not sure why he expected anything different.

Sunghoon, on the other hand, doesn’t seem so satisfied with the glimpses of you he gets from the attic window. Eyes still locked on your carriage, he says, “I’m going to get closer.”

“What?” Jaeyun hisses. It’s a bad idea. A terrible one, actually. And no matter how much Sunghoon annoys him, he doesn’t want to see the boy thrown in prison. Or worse, dead. “What do you mean, closer?”

But Sunghoon is already gone. Disappeared down the stairs that the two boys entered from only a handful of minutes ago. And now Jaeyun is alone.

Sliding an open palm down his face, he watches as your carriage fades from his limited view. Flour and sugar still in his pocket, he’ll have to wait now. At least an hour, probably, before the coast is clear enough to return home. He just prays Sunghoon manages not to do something too stupid before then.

Maybe he does have a bit of birthday luck, after all. A few moments later, he hears footsteps on the stairs again.

“You finally saw sense,” he calls out over his shoulder. “I tried to tell you that a closer look at some girl isn’t worth risking your life for.”

But Sunghoon doesn’t respond. Eyes rolling, Jaeyun assumes that he must not have found a better view and is deciding to sulk about it now. Fully prepared to rub salt in the wound. Jaeyun turns around fully.

But he was wrong. It’s not Sunghoon that he’s looking at. Or at least, he doesn’t think it is.

The figure who stands motionless at the top of the stairs is covered in a dark, shapeless cloak that extends all the way to the floor and has a hood that fully conceals its wearer’s face.

It’s also at least a head shorter than his friend.

Still, Jaeyun can’t help but hope. “Sunghoon?”

As if suddenly remembering themselves, the figure spins on their heel, turning back the way they came.

A thick sense of unease is building in Jaeyun’s gut. He has no idea who this stranger is, but it’s not Sunghoon. Quickly, awful scenarios begin to plague his mind.

What if it’s a spy? He wonders. A member of the royal guard. Someone here to report him for trespassing, if not one of his worse crimes.

Jaeyun can’t let that happen. Not when he’s made it this far. With all of his reflexes locking into gear, he lunges forward. His long fingers encircle the stranger’s wrist in a vice-like grip.

Still, they try to shake him. And for a moment, they’re successful. The wrist in his hand slips from his grip. But Jaeyun doubles down.

This time, he’s less hesitant. When he reaches for the figure, he grabs them by the waist instead. The struggle is noble, but brief.

In the span of a single heartbeat, Jaeyun has the cloaked stranger pinned beneath him on the attic floor, his knees encircling their rib cage as his hands pin both arms above their head.

Chest heaving, Jaeyun assesses the sight beneath him. In the struggle, the stranger’s hood has fallen loose, revealing a striking set of features.

And hair. Lots of it.

“You’re a girl,” Jaeyun’s breathes, just at the same time a devastatingly feminine voice accuses,

“You.”

“Me?” Jaeyun frowns. He’s never seen you before. Of that, at least, he’s positive. He would have remembered a face like yours.

Delicate and feminine and pretty in all the ways that make his mind spin, you’re a vision beneath him. One that almost has him forgetting the severity of the situation.

That is, until you lay another scathing accusation at his feet. “The corn thief.”

“Corn thief?” Warning bells are starting to sound in Jaeyun’s mind again. He’s been seen. He’s been caught. “You do work for the palace.”

Still on your back between his knees, your hands pinned above your head, your gaze is discerning. With rather flat intonation, you state, “We’re all citizens of the crown, are we not? We all serve the king.”

“Sure,” Jaeyun concedes, “but you actually work for them.” The reality of the situation, the severity of jt, is not lost on him. “You’ll report me to your superior and have me thrown in jail.” Or worse.

The only acknowledgement you give is a slightly raised eyebrow. Jaeyun hates himself a little for thinking that it makes you even prettier. “You make a lot of assumptions don’t you?”

“Are you new here?” He retorts. Sarcasm embeds itself into every word. “That’s kind of how things work.”

For a moment, you just look at him. Even though he’s above you, even though your arms are still firmly within his grip, Jaeyun has to fight the urge to squirm under your gaze. And then you sigh. “I’m not going to report you.” Sending a meaningful look towards his hands above your head, you ask, “Could you get off of me now?”

It’s probably stupid, the way he obeys your command so quickly. But there’s something in your voice, something that rings with authority. He’s scrambling off of you with a speed that’s almost comical.

You are slower to rise, rubbing at your freed wrists while you draw yourself to full height. Looking at you like this, Jaeyun almost thinks that he must have hit his head in the scuffle.

You’re not just pretty. You’re gorgeous. Disarmingly so. Jaeyun would be the first to admit that he hasn’t spent much time around girls, that he doesn’t have much to compare you to, but he’s still certain you’re in possession of a rare kind of beauty. Or, at least, one tailored specifically for him.

Despite his sudden fixation, your last words still ring in his mind. I’m not going to report you.

“You’re not?” He’s hesitant to believe it.

“No, I…” you trail off for a moment, unsure how to phrase your desire. “I want to help you, actually.”

He really must be concussed. “You want to help me?”

“I mean, not you specifically.” Looking around the attic, you seem to be talking to yourself more than him when you mutter, “Ugh. Jungwon swore this room would be empty.”

Still, Jake hears you. And he’s stuck on one word. Jungwon. It sounds so familiar. But why? Why does he know that name?

It takes him another minute of wracking his brain, but he does eventually locate the source of the familiarity. Sunoo. Jungwon is the name of Sunoo’s friend who works at the…

At the palace.

It’s not like he’s surprised that you’re closely associated with the royals, but based on what Sunoo gossips about with Sunghoon, Jungwon works rather closely with the royal family themselves. With the princess.

For a moment, all Jaeyun can do is stare at you. And then he asks, “Who are you?”

Your smile is wry, and it doesn’t reach your eyes. But your curtsy is perfect, even if you’re mocking him. “Princess ___. It’s a pleasure.”

Jaeyun rolls his eyes. How stupid do you think he is? He may just be a commoner, but he’s not an idiot. “Does that actually work on people? You know, the whole town just saw her ride by in a carriage. Literally less than ten minutes ago. And you,” Jaeyun makes quick work of scanning you head to toe, “are not her.”

“The whole town just saw Karina ride by in a carriage,” you correct.

Jaeyun frowns. “Who’s Karina?”

“My favorite handmaiden.”

Again, all Jaeyun can do is look at you. His jaw opens. Closes again. He has the distinct feeling he looks rather similar to the fish laid out on ice in the market beneath you. “You… you’re actually the princess.”

“Like I said,” you don’t bother to curtsy fully this time, just nod in a small bow, “it’s a pleasure. It’s actually kind of lucky that I ran into you here.” Jaeyun watches as your demeanor shifts, sarcasm turning to something far more serious. “So, corn thief, what can you tell me about the patrols they run near the corn crop fields?”

“Why?” Jaeyun doesn’t bother to mask his suspicion. “So you can reinforce them? Or apprehend me next time?”

“No,” you counter, “so I can pass the information along.”

It’s far too vague for his liking. “To…”

You look at him for a moment, as if deciding how much or your trust you’re willing to place in him, too. Finally, you say, “To people who might need it.”

Before he can press you further or ask what that means, Jaeyun hears the sound of trumpets again. A slightly different three note pattern than before.

“Shit…” You curse under your breath, Jaeyun hates the way it makes him feel hot beneath his clothes. “I have to go,” you tell him. “You know the old oak tree? The one near the mouth of the river?”

Jaeyun nods, suddenly distrustful of his voice.

“I’ll leave you a note there.” You’re already pulling your hood up over your head again, wrapping the cloak back around your body. “Check it tomorrow after midnight. It will tell you when and where to meet me.”

Jaeyun frowns. “But I—”

“What’s your name?” you interrupt. “I can’t call you corn thief forever.”

“Jaeyun,” he tells you after a beat. “Sim Jaeyun. But wait, I—”

“Tomorrow,” you reiterate, looking at him one last time. “After midnight.”

“But—” Jaeyun tries to protest one final time. It’s no use. You're already gone.

Out loud to an empty attic, Sim Jaeyun finally admits, “But I can’t read.”

⋆.˚⟡ ࣪ ˖⋆.˚⟡ ࣪ ˖⋆.˚⟡ ࣪ ˖

STOPPP I'm kind of obsessed with them......

send me an idea for a drabble!

[pochiperpe90]

[ENG] Esquire Italia: The natural and collective duty of anti-fascism

In the country that invented fascism, where a widespread rate of intellectual hypocrisy is such that it isn’t ashamed to distinguish between being anti-fascist and defining oneself as "not fascist", Sky Studios and Lorenzo Mieli for The Apartment, a company of the Fremantle group (which will have international distribution), in co-production with Pathé, in association with Small Forward Productions, in collaboration with Fremantle and Cinecittà, have launched the series M. II figlio del secolo, based on the novel by Antonio Scurati, directed by Joe Wright, on SkyAtlantic in January. Presenting it first, without fanfare, at the 81st Venice Film Festival.

This is the most important cinematographic work ever created in Italy, on the deafening truth of its fascist history. Never before has fascism been so authentically described in its identity as a criminal movement, constantly violent, dedicated to political murder, torture, brutality in all its forms, first to the punishment, and then the destruction, of democracy.

Benito Mussolini is a murderer, a criminal dictator, a hitman of freedom. Fascism has never had a shred of decency, historical truth condemns it for its massacres of civilians, for its racial laws, for the devastation it brought to all of Europe through the excitement of the idea of ​​war as a heroic necessity. But the memory of fascism, its traces, become confused until they dissolve in the family channels of Italians, who easily prefer to dilute, but without managing to absolve, the collective conscience of the least national State in Europe. In a country that should have the courage to be ashamed, through which to build civil conscience, M. Il figlio del secolo, is a visual text, a tool for reflection and teaching. Effective not only because it’s a bearer of truth, but above all because the language that composes it is dictated by the plurality of contemporary elements that are indispensable to maintain the attention and empathy of the public. From the piercing soundtrack composed by Tom Rowlands of The Chemical Brothers, to the adrenaline-filled screenplay by Stefani Bises and Davide Serino, to the epic photography by Seamus McGarvey: the energy is constant. The light on the crime of an ideology without principles and therefore opportunistic, changeable, unscrupulous, is always on.

Those who don’t understand that Luca Marinelli, the protagonist of this eight-part film, suffered in dissolving principles and humanity to identify with the opposite of himself, offers the measure of the sensitivity with which they relates to the honesty of an actor's cultural work. Always reducing everything to the amount of material compensation that should justify and compensate for every disturbance.

Luca Marinelli had the courage to abandon himself to the evil that Benito Mussolini embodied. Evil is pervasive, it’s grotesque, it’s a caricature that becomes monstrosity, it’s many other nuances, but in its entirety it’s what opposes humanism, with the sole purpose of hurting others, for oneself.

Joe Wright, the director of M. Il figlio del secolo, is English. Did this help in placing violence at the center of the narrative as the identity of fascism, without discounts? 

LM After a hundred years we are still experiencing the aftermath and the new involutions of the story we tell. Hatred and violence are a concept that every human being can understand, in every latitude. Joe is geographically English, yes. But as he always said, it’s important to talk about people and not nations. The concept of nation is something that is mostly used by the powerful to foment distinctions that can lead to heavy tragedies. What we tell is a universal story: the life of a person, and of a country, that we seem to have forgotten. If you know history you cannot be a fascist.

And yet, Italians were fascists. Even the many who did not oppose were guilty. Is this the weight of history?

LM I am not a historian but I can say that in that period politics, power, institutions, the monarchy and the Church played their part. But there was also a popular responsibility. History is astonishing: the succession of its events leaves you stunned.

Your Benito Mussolini is intimate, theatrical, it tells of the fascination that the man was able to transmit to others. What explanation did you give yourself?

LM I think that the trauma that the devastation of the First World War left on Europe and Italy is underestimated. Violence had become an integral part of society, but this didn’t justify it. Mussolini applied it to everyday politics, surrounding himself with people accustomed to the use of violence and quick to exercise it. Mussolini exploited emptiness and desperation, with skill and unscrupulousness has generated a new mix, a political form that fools everyone and continually changes direction according to convenience. But violence is an indispensable constant.

When Mussolini has to prepare the lists for the elections of April 6, 1924, he realizes the unpresentability and unreliability of his gang of thugs. He enlists other politicians, of different affiliations, who surrender to fascism in order to sit in Parliament. The scene in the film says: humanity is disgusting, and it’s on this tragedy that we will build our triumph.

LM Having been an opportunist politician, I think he had no trouble recognizing these attitudes in others. It’s his ruthlessness that is associated with contempt in the human race. In the monologue magnificently written around his gigantic effigy, he says: wanting more and more until you take everything, this is fascism. And this is Mussolini.

What did you learn?

LM A lot, both from myself and from the people around me. I had never spent seven months on a set with three hundred colleagues. But above all I loved Joe's dedication, his placing himself before art as if it were a divinity. And humble before his craft, he is guided by this: for me, a fundamental guide, an inspiration. The long period of filming gave me the opportunity to look at what was happening at different times and confirm how art is a process of communion.

In the film you give many speeches. Have you built a relationship with words? 

LM They are frightening words in their ruthlessness and cruelty. They exude criminal ingenuity. The words were the first sound approach to the film. When I read the eight scripts in a row, I understood that I would have to do a great job of mnemonic organization. In many dialogues and speeches, the precision of each word was important. I made a plan to learn with the right timing, because his speeches, the role, required theatricality, but also authenticity. I didn't want memory to prevent me from feeling free to be there, in that moment.

What did you feel?

LM First a lot of curiosity, to understand how everything that was written in the script would be realized. Then I heard Joe explaining to four hundred people that they shouldn't be extras, but actors. That they couldn't just appear, that they had a collective responsibility. I knew we were all listening and their help was fundamental.

A challenging acting test?

LM A lot. The fifteen days in the Parliament chamber, reconstructed in an extraordinary way, were one of the most difficult periods. When we finished filming there was a moment that will be difficult to forget: a collective embrace between people who for seven months, ten hours a day, traveled together through history. A testimony to the common awareness of having explored the dark sides of the human soul and having touched the abyss. It's something that marks you. It took time to move away from hatred.

Have you ever had a moment of diabolical attraction?

LM No. I was just fascinated by the idea of ​​being able to honestly tell the truth with this project. I felt the freedom of being able to ride history without the risk of being misunderstood.

"After a hundred years we are still experiencing the aftermath and new involutions of the history we tell"

Among the criticisms received, that of having played a grotesque Duce.

LM Life is also made up of grotesque moments. But from a comedy situation we can quickly slip into a tragedy. We must be very careful to notice these dynamics.

In Italy there are not many fascists, but many non-antifascists.

LM In my opinion, for all those who care about the idea of ​​humanity and collectivity, it’s a natural moral duty to be anti-fascist.

[sophieinwonderland]

r/systemscringe with DID disinformation and the most despicable takes...

Let's jump into it!

Now, before I share the screenshot of what u/Competitive_Watch121 is complaining about, I want you to take that little nugget about the the system they know "somehow throwing their parents under the bus" and tuck it away for now. That's going to be important later!

To be completely fair, I can see that there are absolutely valid criticisms of how this was written. It comes off as very amateurish. I support them raising awareness of plurality and DID, but yeah... maybe edit it a bit better.

And I think u/frost_squash733 makes a sort of good point about OSDD-1b not technically being an official disorder, but I want to add a bit more nuance to this...

What's said above is mostly true. I would argue the subtypes still kind of exist though. They just aren't labeled as such. Here's the DSM-5:

These are not labeled as 1a and 1b, but OSDD-1 still encompasses both types. And it's just easier to say that you have OSDD-1b than to say "I have the variant of OSDD-1 with distinct alters and no amnesia."

I think it's important to remind people when you can that these aren't clinical terms. But they are still useful terms for differentiating between different presentations.

No! Please don't u/acceptable-box4996! I can count the number of times something intelligent and valuable has come out of your mouth on a closed fist!

I promise you that you aren't going to say anything intelligent this time either, and would highly advise you stop trying!

Even the diagnosed ones are faking! 🙄

Do you know just how ARROGANT you have to be to claim that not only are these strangers you don't know faking, not only do you know their mental state better than they know themselves, but you also have a better understanding of their mental state than the psychologists who are educated in the matter and have actually worked directly with the people in question to diagnose them.

There is something to be said of the sheer ego in making such a claim.

Especially when spreading active disinformation. Because "system" originated from the medical community.

Seriously. Just look up "system of alters" on Google Scholar and click some links. It's not hard to find!

And yes, people DID do refer to themselves using "we" pronouns too.

Here's one from a case study back in 1964.

This was before TikTok. It was before the system community formed online in the 90s. It was before the explosion of cases in the 80s. This was during a period where there were only about a hundred cases recognized worldwide.

DID systems have always talked like this!

What are you talking about???

This is completely wrong. DID treatment recommends building relationships between the parts. MANY articles talk about this, but here's a favorite of mine that discusses applying DID treatment to other types of voice hearing.

Notice that listening to the other parts is a key aspect of this treatment!

Ignoring what parts are saying worsens dissociative barriers!

You are supposed to talk to them. To validate them. To build connection!

Saying that treatment just focuses on the trauma and not the parts is misinformation.

And it's dangerous misinformation that will get people killed!

While the article has some minor inaccuracies, it's overall far more accurate than what you're claiming in this comment. I would be much more concerned about people believing you and others on your hatesub, because you clearly have no idea what you're talking about while pretending to be experts and spitting lies that are completely contrary to reality and go against real treatment strategies used by experts!

And here (un)Acceptable-Box, whose own post was filled with dangerous lies, ends by recommending trying to get the DID awareness article taken down!

Yikes!

Yes, u/kosherginger, that about sums my thoughts up about (un)Acceptable-Box's post.

But somehow, it's still not as much as I want to smack the OP who I've been saving for last.

Haha... yeah... system oppression is just being grounded from VR Chat... /s

But seriously, I have a hard time believing that even this hate sub is THAT stupid!

Like surely, at a certain level, they HAVE to know that DID is a heavily stigmatized disorder. That there's a long history of fakeclaiming systems. Including accused child molesters like the False Memory Syndrome Foundation leading smear campaigns against their accusers to claim the accusers were making up their memories of abuse.

People with DID are treated as if they're crazy. They're dehumanized. Being 'out' with DID endangers your personal relationships. It endangers your career.

Beyond the typical ableism, alters of different genders tend to suffer the same type of oppression as trans people do, enduring the exact same stigma when they front and want to identify by their own name and gender identity. And sometimes having DID can make it more difficult to get gender-affirming care if you are a trans system.

When you tell me that people with DID aren't oppressed... I just have a hard time believing that even you could be that obtuse.

Now... remember that thing about the DID system "throwing their parents under the bus" that I told you all to tuck away at the beginning??? Well, now it's finally time to pull it out! Because we're about to get a huge piece of context!

Yeah! That's right!

The parents that u/Competitive_Watch121 defended in the first post because they "pay their kid's car insurance" were queerphobic pieces of shit, who kicked out their 14-year-old child for being queer!

And I mean, good for you, I guess, for taking in the kid. 🤷‍♀️

This whole thing gives heavy abuser vibes.

Like, legitimate abusers.

Normal, well-adjusted parents don't kick out their 14-year-old children for being queer. And it's well-known that DID often comes from childhood trauma. That alone makes me wonder what happened prior to them being kicked out.

I've only heard this one side of the story, but it paints a picture doesn't it?

A child is abused growing up and develops DID. Their parents, presumably religious conservatives, kick them out at 14 for being queer. The child is sent to live with other abusers who defend the queerphobic parents and fakeclaim the kid's DID.

I'm going to assume here that it wasn't JUST the DID being fakeclaimed either, but whatever abuse led to it. You can see that in how they accuse the child of "throwing their parents under the bus" while KNOWING their parents, at the very least, kicked them out for being queer. Of course if the child reported being abused, they would deny that too.

"Think of the poor innocent parents saddled with such an unruly and ungrateful queer child who tells nothing but lies about them." 🤮

And I'm sure they are helping pay for their kid's insurance. Because what better way for abusers to make sure that their secrets stay secret and their reputations stay intact that maintaining some financial control over their child into adulthood?

Abusers love to financially support their grown children because the money is a leash and a muzzle. It's something they can hold over them to maintain power and control.

It's not something done out of the kindness of their hearts. If they loved their child, they wouldn't have kicked them out for being queer.

Do you know what I think u/Competitive_Watch121? You were not "made a villain." You are the villain. You are a monster. At the very least, you defend despicable monsters who would kick out a 14-year-old child for being queer while portraying the parents as the victims.

That alone would be monstrous and indefensible!

But I would be willing to bet you've defended the parents from far worse than you've been willing to talk about in these posts.

And THEN you have the nerve to go and publicly mock this system online!

You, u/Competitive_Watch121, are a horrible piece of garbage! Shame on you!

[catboymoments]

Also eda and lilith being pale doesnt make them less "indigenous" or mean that their ancestors like evelyn must have appeared different racially! There are plenty of people considered indigenous who might have very pale skin or appear "white" in the way that western countries have tried to define thet in the last few hundred years! Not to bring up the irish again, but there are people who would certainly be considered white and maybe the palest people on earth like me, but are "indigenous" in the sense rhey havent been removed from their ancestral homelands on the far western coast. Esp the Traveller people who are culturslly considered indigenous.

People like the Sámi who are "racially white" are indigenous to Norway and Sweden, and maintain cultural traditions local to the area and highly distinct from Christianised people of those countries.

There are also the turkic peoples all across russia, siberia and northern asia. Certainly indigenous and maintaining cultural lifestyles far removed from the Slavics of the western areas.

This isnt an attack or like. Wahwahwahwqqhh youre not woke 😡 but its more like indigenous is best considered as cultural and not racial because any race can be indigenous, there isnt a special quality that makes a race More Indigenous, its about cultural traditions and ways of living that are better criteria for classification.

In my country, "indigenous" is very racialised in meaning just like in the USA but it's sort of like. Something thats sort of specific by country to country and wont apply well to a fantasy world without those histories and classification systems.

YOURE SO CORRECT DONT WORRY I was mostly bringing up them being pale because I know a lot of people associate them being soooo pale with them being white BUT YKWIM YOURE NOT OUTWOKING ME CISJFNKVNVKDNFJV I actually thought this was super interesting!!!

[starsfic]

Erlang Shen is Supposed to Be on Vacation

S5 theory fic: Erlang Shen is supposed to be on vacation. However, in an hour, he learns that his uncle is dead, someone is trying to do another coup, and Sun Wukong has been filleted again. The people who deliver this news, including mass criminal Master Subodhi, the duo of Ao Lie's descendant and Iron Fan's son, and the creation goddess Nuwa, make things... difficult.

Erlang Shen was on vacation.

He honestly needed one after centuries of work, both doing whatever dirty work his uncle supposedly needed and the day-to-day running of his territory. The gods of fate had been merciful, creating a summer where Jian didn’t have anything important to do until autumn. Heaven could be handled by Li Nezha or any of the hundreds of other warriors (mostly by his student because he knew how the guards could be), the training of his personal guards and army could be handled by his head guards, and any paperwork could be handled by his staff. With all that, Jian found himself luxuriously stretching in his garden, soaking up the sun. Even Xiaotian Quan stretched out, making a happy little dog noise.

His private garden was his favorite place in his palace. Most of the plants grew naturally in the Sichuan province, but the air was sweet with the smell of blossoming Flower Fruit Mountain trees. The saplings had been a gift from Sun Wukong on his birthday, and Jian found no shame in enjoying the gift.

Hm…with the thought of Wukong floating around, Jian wondered if he could invite him over. Despite their rocky beginnings, Jian enjoyed the company of his sworn brother, both platonically and in a more romantic light. He had recently heard that Wukong had also taken up a student, so maybe they could talk about that?

The summer seemed full of possibilities. 

Right now, Jian just wanted to sunbathe.

So lost in his relaxation, he didn’t notice a magpie settle on the branches of one of the peach trees, staring down at him. Xiaotian raised his head, but the magpie fluttered away before the dog could notice anything. The large hound, after a quick scan around, settled back down into the grass.

The magpie poked its head out and, deciding it was safe, flew down from the branches.

“Ahem. Prince Erlang Shen.”

He shouldn’t have tempted the gods of fate.

Jian pushed up his sunglasses.

Silver robes and a long white beard met his eyes. If he didn’t recognize that distinctive style, the feeling of the old man’s power gave his identity away. “Master Subodhi,” Jian said, sitting up. “I thought I warned you to stay away from my property unless you wanted me to fulfill my promise of bringing you in.”

Was he risking his uncle’s ire by not fulfilling the bounty on the daoist’s head for gaining immortality in an illegal way? Yes. Did he care? Eh, not really. Wukong had racked up way more charges against him in his long life and he wasn’t exactly the biggest fan of his uncle.

“Are you aware of the state of the world?”

The question came so out of left field that Erlang Shen blinked. “Uh…it’s summer?” he said, gesturing to the perfect summer day with big white fluffy clouds drifting carelessly in a blue sky. “It’s a nice day? My uncle isn’t calling to bother me?”

Subodhi raised a brow. “I can see why, considering he’s dead.”

There was a long pause.

“...excuse me?”

He…didn’t know how to process that. 

“Have you not seen the kid? Did you not see reality start to tear apart?”

Oh. That. “That happens sometimes, especially as my uncle gets older. He must’ve slipped up to have everyone see.” Erlang sighed. Honestly, the dramatics of old men. “If he died, someone would’ve told me-”

THWACK!

“OW!”

“Are you telling me that communication in Heaven has so broken down-”

“My lord!” Before Subodhi could finish his yelling or Erlang could grab and throw that stupid ruler far away, several guards marched in. “We have captured two trespassers. They insisted on talking to you.”

“YEAH!” A female voice called from the center of the huddle. “We have some questions for you.”

Erlang blinked. She sounded young and probably better than the gaping immortal, who for once looked surprised. “Allow them forward,” he called. “Let me see them.”

The guards stepped aside, revealing a girl in a green jacket- her features were familiar, although Jian couldn’t put his finger on why- and…hm. He had heard stories and seen pictures of Princess Iron Fan’s son, although he had never met him in person. He had the same dark eyes and noble bearing his former sworn sister had.

“What are you doing here?” Subodhi said, interrupting his thoughts with his baffled words. “Did you follow me?”

“Master Subodhi? What are you doing here?” the girl said. “You-”

Before she could finish, Red Son grabbed her and forced her to bow at the waist. “Remember what we talked about,” he hissed quietly to his companion. “Manners or we aren’t gonna get anything.”

“Yeah, but-”

He stomped on her foot. “Erlang Shen, Illustrious Sage and True Lord of Sichuan, we are Hong Ha-eir, son of the Demon Bull King and Princess Iron Fan, and Long Xiaojiao, descendant of Ao Jie-”

“Oh, that explains why you look familiar.” She looked strikingly like Ao Lie’s older sister…what had been her name again? Jian stood up with a sigh. “Rise, please, nephew.”

Red Son bristled at the address, but rose. Long Xiaojiao stepped forward. “Lord Erlang Shen, we came to plead for mercy for Sun Wukong, Liu’Er Mihou, and my best friend, Qi Xiaotian,” She got fully on her knees, pressing her forehead to the grass in a kowtow. “The charges leveled against them are false. None of them helped Azure Lion reach Heaven and kill the Jade Emperor. Any actions they did to help him were unwilling, done with manipulation-”

Several things stuck out at him. “Wait, what do you mean, kill the Jade Emperor?” Jian nodded to Subodhi, who’s shocked expression had been replaced by a strangely protective look. “He just told me my uncle died, but I have received no news about his death.”

“You…haven’t?” She rose up from her kowtow, looking confused. “But, you sent out a notice. He’s been dead for what, three weeks now?”

“A month,” Subodhi corrected. “I don’t know what you or your friends did. But it’s been over a month since the previous Jade Emperor was slain.”

“And two days since Heaven violated their agreement with me,” another female voice called. Jian felt himself stiffen, just in time for a hand to cup his face and lips to press against his cheek. “Shen, my dear.”

The pet name given by the goddess dressed in earthly tones only made his brow rise higher. While he had a few brief conversations with the ancient goddess at the few parties they both attended, she had never referred to him with fondness. Something was clearly up and Erlang Shen had a feeling he didn’t want to be part of it, but he would have to be.

“What brings you here, my lady?” he said, dipping into a deep bow. 

“Oh, I came here to help my son’s little friends and my son’s…master.” Nuwa’s pause on the last word felt mocking. Subodhi clearly noticed it as well, based on his snort. “I also came here for an explanation.”

Her smile was serene. Her aura was not. 

“An…explanation for what?”

“Wait, you’re Sun Wukong’s mother?”

“Wait, you’re XIAOTIAN’S MOTHER?!” Xiaotian raised his head at his name. “Sorry, puppy,” Long Xiaojiao cooed. “Not you.” The dog huffed and settled back down.

“It’s complicated and yes,” Nuwa said before turning to him. “And an explanation for the court’s recent actions. As you must be aware, when the Jade Emperor took the throne, he held up my agreement with his predecessors. Any issue with the stones of the universe must be handled by me directly.”

“...okay? Did something happen?”

That was apparently the wrong thing to say, based on Nuwa’s darkening face. Jian was tempted to deflect, considering he just received the news of his uncle’s…unfortunate passing. But that was the coward’s way out. 

Nuwa stared at him. Then she snapped her fingers. “Girl, dearest one,” she called. “Bring him the announcement.”

Xiaojiao and Red Son exchanged looks, but she stepped forward, pulling a scroll out of her pocket. “Li Jing gave us this after he put a filet on Sun Wukong’s head and sucked my best friend into his pagoda,” she reported as he took it.

Jian was too busy studying the scroll to hear the shocked gasps from both Subodhi and Nuwa. 

Well, that was his seal.

Jian opened it.

That wasn’t his handwriting.

He scanned it over, reading it quickly. It was all very formal, claiming that the royal family, including the Queen Mother of the West, who was slated to rule until the next emperor would be chosen according to his uncle’s will last he checked, would be taking time to grieve at the sudden loss. Li Jing was to be put in charge for the next few months, supported by the ten kings of the Diyu. Someone had even put the Gold Star of Venus’s seal at the bottom, signifying it as legit.

Jian raised a brow. “Did any of you see the Gold Star of Venus?” he asked the Long girl. She stared blankly at him. He sighed. “Either a goddess in yellow with a cockscomb hat or an older man, about…” He put his hand to about his chin. “Yay high or so?”

She and Red Son exchanged looks. “No,” she finally said. “I don’t think so. Honestly, the only celestials we saw during the trial were Li Jing and Nezha and the ten kings. And I honestly expected to see a few peach maidens.”

Huh? “Why?”

She paused, as if realizing she wasn’t supposed to say that. “No reason,” she lied. “But, to answer your question, no.”

Something was afoot. Jian was tempted to ask if they were just pulling a prank on him, but Subodhi hated his guts, Nuwa was clearly furious, and he barely knew the younger two. Pranks didn’t seem to be in their skillset. Something popped out.

“Did you say that Wukong has the filet?”

“Yes! At least a filet! Li Jing said he wouldn’t take it off unless we got all the universal stones together and fixed the universe.”

“Which you cannot do without my help,” Nuwa said, crossing her arms with a hiss. “There was no quest needed in the first place. The holders would hand them over to me without a problem. Several Heavenly servants saw you attack Azure to defend the Jade Emperor. Nezha’s testimony alone should be evidence.”

Another thought popped into his mind.

“Where was Nezha when this was happening?”

Silence met him. Faintly, the girl sucked air through her teeth. The boy coughed into his fist. He could practically hear the words rise and fall.

A soft hand once again pressed against his shoulder.

“You know where,” Nuwa whispered. She sounded like she was laughing, even if it was silent.

Jian did.

“It seems someone or several someones have lied,” Erlang Shen dropped the scroll- he hadn’t even realized he was crumpling it- and turned. He was met with anger, but not at him. Good. It would fuel them all. “Now, let me go get changed and call my aunt.”

His vacation was over.

[voxofthevoid]

I took a nap the other day and woke up, not particularly rested, to word vomit a 1.5k outline featuring alpha fem!Yuuji with alpha masc!Gojou into @nearalways' DMs.

So, yeah, we're doing goyuu het with fem!Yuuji now. That's another goyuu dynamic struck off the list. Or added, depending on how you view it.

The chances of me actually writing this are low. The outline is complete, but the number of JJK ideas I want to write is now 95, excluding the hole mission concepts. So, below, you have the basic premise and a few hundred words of omegaverse worldbuilding and cockwarming ft. Gojou being a horny creep and Yuuji being far too okay with it.

The section below has detailed descriptions of fantasy bottom growth, so give this a pass if that's a sensitive topic for you.

Title: wield her, use and yield her

Premise: The years after puberty is particularly volatile for female alphas, both physically and mentally, owing to secondary genital development. Gojou volunteers his mouth to ease his new favorite student’s distress.

Female alphas' most distinctive anatomical feature is that their cocks grow, knots develop, and balls drop during the presentation period, which happens 1-2 years after puberty.

Yuuji's smack in the middle of it when she's yanked into jujutsu society, and that's considered the most volatile time for female alphas, even more than their male counterparts, because the ongoing discomfort of bottom growth plus the raging hormonal/pheromonal changes keep them on edge almost 24/7. Yuuji being Yuuji, she keeps her irritability contained for the most part, but it's a more visible mask than usual and even she doesn't manage to hide the physical aspects—squirming and flushing when her growing cock aches, breaking into cold sweats, pupils dilating etc. It's identical to arousal except for the way her scent is an unpleasant blend of pain and desire, obvious to everyone in a closed classroom environment.

Now, Gojou, being the kind and helpful teacher he is, decides he can't just let his newly acquired favorite student...suffer. Maybe a week into Yuuji joining the school, he holds her back after a class in which she seemed particularly bothered and very casually gestures at her crotch and asks if it's bothering her. Yuuji replies bluntly, if sheepishly.

Gojou says he knows something that can help; does Yuuji-chan trust him? Yuuji does because she's insane and has bad taste in people. Gojou tells her to lean against her desk and then drops to his knees. And Yuuji is shocked and a bit scandalized, but she doesn't stop Gojou when he nuzzles her crotch—have Gojou describe how she flushes darker, how her scent thickens with the arousal drowning out the hurt, how her fists clench in the wood till it creaks. Cue explanation where Gojou lays out that the right kind of pressure and heat can soothe the ache. Yuuji rasps out: but, sensei, it's too sensitive, I can't even jerk off properly anymore.

Gojou nods, aware of a variation of it since his knot felt like that too coming in, but says Yuuji was probably too rough. There is a fine difference between a horny teen's hand and an adult's experienced mouth. Unzips her pants and demonstrates.

Her cock is like a micropenis in its current state: some 2–3 inches, distinct from a beta woman's clit because of how thick it's grown. Her cunt already seems to be atrophying, no wetness despite the need thick in her scent. 

Gojou closing his mouth around the cock, licking but not sucking. Mostly just staying there, something warm and soothing around her. Yuuji reacting with gutted sounds and grasping hands, hips bucking into Gojou's mouth one moment and flinching away the next, and it carries on until she comes, which takes longer than it should for any virgin, and afterward, Gojou stays, mouth sweetly still and behaved, and Yuuji just looks at him like he's a miracle.

[loveandlegacy]

shoutout to @biderverse over on twitter for putting these two images side by side and remarking on how they both have tear-tracks on their faces. i truly fully lost my mind.

it probably comes as no surprise that i spend 946 hours a day thinking about how Fucked orianna's life and situation is, but i think (aside from the 'stuck in a body that isn't recognizably her own' and 'is only able to exist because several hundreds if not thousands of people were murdered') one of the things we should collectively dwell on a little more is how unsettling and weird it is that viktor is effectively a brother and a father to her. the brother thing is slightly less literal and mostly hinges on the sharing the same father figure (singed) – but it's also there if you take singed to be viktor's partial creator, or a symbolic father for viktor's final stage of evolution into the herald of the arcane, something that wouldn't have been possible without singed's ingenuity, as viktor puts it.

but orianna as partly viktor's actual progeny seems pretty literal.

like if we're to understand that viktor let singed use some of his cocoon juice to concoct whatever resurrection serum singed needed for orianna, then we can understand that viktor literally contributed his own biological matter to this cyborg un-child's genetic makeup.

or you have to assume that, on his way to blow up piltover, viktor took a detour and stopped by singed's cave to literally hand-to-the-face evolve orianna into the un-child that she is today. the latter seems less likely because she doesn't have any of the signature markings of viktor's cultists, like the fingerprints or the asymmetrical gold filigree they manifested once they were forcibly evolved. idk. footonte. if it's this one, he isn't genetically related to her, but he is her 'creator' in a very victor frankenstein and the monster way.

but, you might protest! this seems like a reach when all viktor really did was help (in some unspecified way) bring her back from the dead, not really rebirth her. to which i say a: what is the meaningful distinction between resurrection and rebirth? and b: if nothing else, orianna's design changes upon her resurrection. she isn't just 'orianna, but made of porcelain' – she actually looks somewhat older, she's taller, her hair texture changes, and her face shape and eye size change as well. she doesn't just come back to life normal style, something about her has – dare i say – evolved as a result of viktor's intervention.

someone else on reddit made the case that orianna isn't just singed's daughter, but the "real" endpoint of viktor's glorious evolution, and i'm inclined to agree.

anyway, my point is that among the many upsetting things surrounding orianna and the circumstances of her (re)birth, the story gives us just enough detail to read viktor as a duplicate-progenitor of orianna if we so choose.

it's eerie on its own, but i think also adds meaningful weight to who orianna is as a person. without her say, she has become what viktor sought to be – a creature that 'supersedes' nature by virtue of an impossible birth and impossible parentage. she's the only one of her kind (all the other people even slightly similar to her are dead), possessed of a body she didn't ask for, and halfway crafted in the image of "perfection" as specified by a progenitor she'll never meet.

[way2manyusernamez]

Long ramble (discusses ex radqueer stuff, grooming, abuse, a bit about cults)

Been thinking about that time I ran a MOGAI-themed blog named @mogaiballs. I drew little doodles of neolabels in a simple style. People seemed to like it. It was fun for a while but I started feeling stressed trying to keep up with requests + posting regularly. Then I stopped posting. This was in 2021 when I was 15 years old.

Then a few months later I made another blog where I posted the same type of thing, except it had a paraphilia and transID focus. Basically a radqueer version of @mogaiballs. I wasn't trying to hide that I was the same person. I kept the same distinct art style.

But nobody seemed to notice. Nobody made a post that was like, "oh no, our beloved @mogaiballs has turned to the dark side and is now posting about Pedophile Ball Pride and seems to be contact neutral?!" Which felt odd considering how it was soon-ish after plurgai was getting cancelled for basically being the same, but strongly anti-contact (plurgai’s opinions on that seem to have changed since then, but I digress). At the time I didn’t really have strong opinions on contact discourse and didn't say much about it even though I was posting paraphilia pride.

Sometimes I even made edits including pro-contact labels. For a brief time I edited on a radqueer wiki that had a proud pro-contact as its admin, and it didn't really click for me how bad that was until (if I remember correctly) he got cancelled for grooming minors and watching CSEM. Which in hindsight, wasn't that surprising, considering the fact he frequently posted memes (""jokes"") about grooming/CP on his pediverse social media. That was near the end of all of this. This was like 2024 and I was 18, and I think that maybe finally started me down the path of realizing how fucked up everything around me was. That what I thought of as acceptable to believe had been completely warped.

Now I see that "contact discourse" is actually fucking important and it’s awful to pretend that it doesn’t matter. I look at the radqueer community and a lot of what I feel is disgust. I wish I acted differently. For so long I thought radqueer stuff was the solution to so many of society’s problems, that I was part of the secret revolution, now I feel like I wasted years of my life being obsessed with a stupid child grooming / animal rape apologia community. (And sure, some people there weren't pro-contact, but is that really enough?)

I made a lot of other accounts for posting radqueer stuff. Mostly pride edits and occasional discourse posts. I made new accounts frequently and tried to stay semi-anonymous. (Here's a link to just one of many.)

Sometimes I wonder if I ever influenced someone to get into the radqueer community or stay in it. If I ever influenced someone getting groomed into pro-contact ideology. If my blogs ever led to abuse. I don't have proof, but I feel like they lead to someone going through what I went through, at least a little bit.

I’m not sure how much I should think of myself as a grooming victim or someone who was contributing to the problem. I feel like I can’t be a "traditional/real grooming victim" because it was less like being groomed by one person for the purpose of being abused, and more like being groomed a little bit semi-anonymously by a hundred people over a long time. I think I was 15 years old when I started identifying as radqueer / something similar, 18 when I stopped. though I never told people about my age. Some people would probably describe me as a "child groomed by the radqueer community". But people also say that when you turn 18, you should know better and your actions are your responsibility. I think it's somewhere in-between - I made really awful, stupid decisions that hurt people but at the same time I was young/lonely/dumb/unwell and being influenced by others.

For the future... I think I should have more honest connections to people in real life. I should be open and honest and tell people about my feelings. I think that's what finally pulled me out of this. Talking to someone in real life about the radqueer community, after years of holding back, thinking that no one else could understand, and being ... idk, radicalized? There's been a lot of debate about whether or not it's right to call the radqueer community a cult or cult-like... I am not here to answer that question but I feel like I relate to ex-cult members in some ways. But yeah I think it'll be better for me (and everyone else I interact with) if I work on myself and heal. Preferably offline or at least not on social media.

I hope paraphiles and transID individuals can find peace/joy/euphoria/fulfillment/love/community/autonomy/etc away from the people who seek to normalize child abuse & animal abuse.

I don’t have access to @mogaiballs any more; I lost the login. If you were a fan of mogaiballs I’m sorry. If you were a fan of my radqueer accounts I’m sorry. If you were/are a fan of my other unrelated social media accounts, idk if this whole thing effects you but I'm sorry if it did/does.

[buck-tick-stash]

The Live House Experience (for those who've never had one before): The Good, the Bad, and the FUBAR

If I do any details particular to the Subrosa tour, they will be in a separate post. This one is is meant to be a more general "How to Prepare for War".

Cayce of This is Not Greatest Site posted an excellent write up of both the hall (seated) tours and the live house (standing) tours. (Link is mirror.) So definitely read that as well for a rounded perspective.

Live house tours (a.k.a. "standing" tours) are generally simpler stages and a wide pit. In many countries/cultures, this space is used for dancing and moshing, but here in Japan, it's mostly for human compression experimentation.

Live houses provide two distinct experiences (three, if you're counting the assigned seats at the venues that offer them).

Cram against the stage at a chance to see the members up close, possibly touch them, and a guaranteed experience being a liquid particle and overheating; and

Dance in place and rest when you feel like it.

If you have a ticket with a low number (earlier to enter the venue), you have your choice of experiences. If you have a higher number, you're far less likely (but not impossible) to experience number 1, but honestly, you might be very happy with number 2. I'll go into more details below as to why.

BATTLE DRESS

For health and safety, dress more conservatively and coolly (as in, not retaining heat) for live pits than for concert seats. Delicate clothing and jewelry can catch and snap, and likely no one will notice, much less help you if something falls to the ground.

You also want to be in fabrics that can handle being seriously rough-housed, as you'll be compressed against other bodies on all sides, and, even with the guidance of the band, they will not be moving in sync.

You'll sweat. A LOT. Plan for it and make sure you're hydrating well in the days and morning leading up to the event. (Don't neglect a bathroom break before getting in the ticket line though!)

Get yourself a slim pouch, lanyard with sufficient pocket space, or prep your phone case in advance. Since you can't just put your bag under your non-existent chair, you'll want to leave it at your hotel or in one of the coin lockers at or near the venue. Bags are cumbersome, and just like you don't want to have it weighing you down and bouncing around, your very, very, very close neighbors won't want it protruding into their physical space, either. Do make sure you have with you your phone and/or passport, other ID if no passport, and sufficient cash for the venue's drink ticket. And if you do use a coin locker, don't lose your key!

And, of course, you'll need a comfortable pair of shoes for constant standing. Make sure you're protecting the arches of your feet and have sufficient support for your back.

TICKETS AND ENTERING THE VENUE

There are designated staff available to handle "no ticket" ticket holders in advance of the venue opening. If you can't get your ticket because the SMS won't work for your overseas phone, bring your passport to them to get what your number is and a wristband.

About a half hour or so before the venue doors open, staff will place numbers for lines to form, up to several hundred at a time. You'll want to look for the general space where your ticket would put you. You do NOT need to line up exactly.

You will, however, need to KNOW YOUR NUMBERS IN JAPANESE AND HOW TO COUNT. The staff will start calling people in by number, between 5 and 10 at a time, and you'll want to be listening for that.

Make sure your phone is on and open to your ticket as you enter! You'll pay for your drink ticket/coin at this time, too. Whether you want to use it immediately or save it for after the show is entirely up to you, but if you're going for the first experience listed above, you'll want to go directly to the pit doors.

FINDING YOUR SPOT

Once you're inside the doors, the ticket number loses all meaning. Many people who go in first select spots further back, prioritizing a view of the stage with less crush. Of course, there is a rush for the front.

Even if you get an early entry ticket and find space relatively close, there is a high likelihood of getting squeezed backward once the show starts. From this point on, the front block is going to be cutthroat, so be prepared.

THE PRE-SHOW RUSH

If you're in the first set to enter, finding your spot initially will be relatively stress free. Only the first fifty or so will rush to be the very, very front row, after which, everyone filters to their preferred space. As the second several hundred ticket holders are lined up outside and called in, there is a mad rush to fill the front block to capacity... or greater. If you were dancing in place to the waiting music, you won't be able to now.

And here I'll need to put the first trigger warning for claustrophobia. It will be obvious to regular live house goers that this would be an issue, but some new folks may be taken by surprise. After all, don't lines thin out at points? Aren't their barricades at many live houses to prevent issues?

Sold out shows will be packed front to back. Barricades prevent the worst possible scenario of hundreds of people crushing, but, even still, experiencing dozens pressing in is highly likely.

THE HUNGER GAMES BEGIN

The next big rush forward in the first few blocks, and especially nearest the stage, starts with the entry of the band to the stage. Frequent live house goers will have been scoping out the competition up to this point, looking for weak spaces between attendees to shove themselves in. There is no sense of "first come, first served." It's only Black Friday.

To a degree, this sense continues throughout the concert. If you detect a shoulder is starting to slip in front of yours, pull your shoulders like a "self-hug", and slip yours forward back into the spot you fought so hard for. Keep your feet firmly on the ground, though you likely have no hope of keeping them square for the whole show.

Not everyone is an asshole. Another live house newbie and I would check on each other during breaks in the music to see that we were okay, still breathing, not over heating. Someone behind me was tearing my back up with her (beautiful, but completely inappropriate for the venue) massive pendant necklace. It was unintentional, and she slipped it under her shirt for me. Apologies in various forms were passed between several neighbors.

And then there's the tall people. You're all rotten to the core. No, no! Don't tell me that you "would never!" Don't try to convince me you're a gentle giant. I do believe you... OUTSIDE the venue. But I know the beast that lies within. I've seen how live houses reveal you. You're not stepping back for anyone smaller than you. And the heads that are in front of you? They're great arm rests! And who cares if your overreaching limbs directly block views or lob the ears off the shorties in front of you? You don't have to, because "out of sight, out of mind," right?

I don't begrudge any fellow hobbits who get sharp claws done up for live house concerts. You literally have to protect yourself.

Regardless of height, it's a good idea to keep one arm around your midsection. When things get too tight, you should have just enough leeway to pull the other down and take a boxing stance to force room for your lungs. If you've got sensitive cushioning on the front (i.e., chest pillows), you can lift your protecting hand up to cover when the crowd starts to jolt. No one will notice or care that you're grabbing your own tiddies. It's worth it to prevent bruising a boob.

So herein lies the next, and perhaps more serious, trigger warning. When I talk about being compressed against other bodies, I am in no way joking or exaggerating. Additionally, you will lose bodily autonomy. Once the crush starts, you will not move so much as be moved. You will not dance so much as be danced. For many at the front, this is part of the fun of the live house. But strangers moving their bodies against yours is very much a part of that first experience listed above, and even if you don't count it among your personal triggers, it can be a bit shocking when experiencing it for the first time.

Finally, in terms of overall safety... while the barricades do much to reduce the sheer number of people in a crush, that doesn't mean accidents don't happen, or—gods forbid—you're in a pit with no barricades and the danger of people behind you is greater. Falling, especially to the side when the entire crowd is in motion, is a risk, along with general crush.

When in doubt, squat your knees to drop your center of gravity and make yourself more stable. You can always come back up when you feel safe. In the absolute worst case, drop to a boxer's stance, stiffening bent arms in front of you to brace the space around your chest to ensure enough to breathe. Staff will be watching from the balconies and sides of the pit.

IS IT WORTH IT?

It depends. As mentioned, for many, this is very specifically the fun of the live house. Assuming you're not next to a complete pervert—I did not take any chances with a (tall) dude who tried to force his way right behind to me during the show-start rush and very deliberately pushed him back where he came from—you're in a consensual, non-sexual orgy of excitement and energy right there in front of your favorite band, surrounded by others as excited and hot and sweaty and cheering as loudly as you.

And yes, at that front block, you get great views of the band. If they're so inclined, they might even swipe their hand at the audience's outstretched fingers.

SO, ABOUT THAT 2ND EXPERIENCE? DANCING IN THE BACK?

If you don't want, or don't have the chance, to participate in the front block crush, by all means, make the most of this! Ideal for pairing up with friends or groups of friends, you'll have the best chance to meet in the more open spaces, and being able to move more freely goes a long way to preventing pain in legs and back from standing the entire time.

WAIT. DIDN'T YOU SAY THERE WAS A 3RD EXPERIENCE? WITH SEATING?

Some venues have assigned seating on their second floor. Venue entry for these comes after the first floor ticket holders have all been announced to enter. The good thing is that there's no rush or crush, and no one will worm their way into your spot. There's also significantly less issue with tall attendees in front of you, as seats are generally staggered, and the view of the stage is clear, even if not close. (Damn closer than the higher floors in Budokan, though!!)

...

Whatever spot you aim to be in, select it with a balance of comfort, safety, and enjoyment in mind. Know your limits as well as the experiences you both want and are most likely to have, and you can make the most of your live house tour experience!

[zelenbug]

thinking world building for the main species in raymans.... so heres more headcanons

-

greenbottles generally arent seen a lot cuz theyre too busy hanging out in their tree villages and other high up places, alongside mosqitos and other people that can fly. this is not a strict rule obviously, sometimes they live down on the ground somewhere, like murfy ! and conversely some more adventurous ground people would live here too, you cant really avoid seeing teensies in most places

the houses in the tree villages would average fairly small for a globox person due to not having to accomodate for them, as all the bug people tend to be fairly tiny (because theyre bugs). and are generally sort of annoying to navigate (though not impossible) if you cant fly. lots of vertical architecture and rope ladders

-

teensies are in general just. freakin everywhere. theyre the most common type of guy you see, villages/other settlements with a majority population of some other species will still have teensies. thus even in these places, the architecture and furniture and stuff often has to account for the fact that it might be used by people who are under a meter tall (which is also nice for, yknow, greenbottles and others)

a lot of villages/towns/whatever are majority teensy ones and of course they also mix in some other species. and the architecture and furniture and stuff in those has to account for the fact that it might be used by people OVER a meter tall instead. so what i mean is that they generally accomodate globoxes, though sometimes teensy houses would still be fairly cramped and sort of difficult to use for globoxes

-

as for goboxes. theyre also kind of everywhere (to a lesser extent), but often have their own fairly sizeable villages where the population might mostly consist of a few families or even just one! take globox village for instance. thats entirely just globox, his wife and kids and like 1 sibling (globu), and rayman.

just 1 family is fairly rare cuz raising hundreds of kids is a LOT of effort even when the kids hatch as remarkably precocial (vs our altricial human babys see wikipedia). so of course globox and uglette are kind of crazy for only having like 4 adults at the village to help out and one of them has been banned from babysitting (rayman) and the rest arent here 24/7. even if htey try to get some of their nicer siblings to help out, those ESPECIALLY arent here 24/7. And globox&uglette are just shrugging it off like its fine somehow

anyway yeah. most villages are filled with people who all know each other pretty well, due to family ties or the fact that there arent a lot of families there in general. of course theres often globoxes that arent related to much other people in the village or anyone else in general, and other species

like all the red wizard villages, mostly scattered around the sea of serendipity and mystical pique. they got teensies! red wizards arent the most sizeable group though, theyre mostly just off doing their own thing and not having any idea what goes on in the glade outside of their village (and how much one of them (globox) keeps getting tied into these situations)

-

oops i thought a LOT here. knaaren are not even my favorites theyre just really easy to come up with a million headcanons for

so knaaren are interesting. they dont really have distinct sexes exactly, and reproduce purely through magic. and theyve just kinda adopted genders for themselves off the other species but most of them are men and just assumed to be men on birth/hatching/creation/whatever they do. i guess. this is just a convoluted explanation for these cut (probably for coming off misogynistic) rayman 3 lines

(also they literally can and do run so LOL)

anyway there is very much such a thing as a female knaaren. theyre just all trans. this is more commonly seen in knaaren who have more contact with other glade cultures (ie dont just live in hte same caves forever, though this isnt a rule or anything) who actually do have more of an understanding of gender (typical cis knaaren just assumes male is the default unfortunately)

and yeah this means the vast majority of knaaren are just gay also. obviously. they (moreso the cis guys) also generally dont realise this is something that could register as unusual to other glade people though

anyway knaaren have a culture heavily respecting its , gladiators i guess, and they as i said mostly just hang out in the caves in the same one desert. they dont surface often because evidently they really dont do well in sunlight

and presumably just the hot surface temperatures in general. even though they literally live in a desert. they just hang out underground which is why theyre like that

anyway theres definitely knaaren that live outside of the desert and instead live in some other glade settlements in colder regions, and because theyre not great with the suns theyre mostly just nocturnal. which is why you dont tend to see a lot of them i guess

but the knaaren that go to live elsewhere in the glade will generally be more friendly and approachable than those who still live in their original home land, as the desert ones do not like outsiders and will throw them into gladiatorial arenas to watch a big guy stomp them into a puddle. the ones that specifically left the desert might have left it due to feeling like an outcast back home, and are also generally more willing to just live calmly in the same settlement as like. a teensy. so they dont really cause trouble despite what someone might expect

-

aeropolis is one of the more technologically advanced cities in the glade and the vast majority of the population consists of the same aeropolis people, who are generally too attached to their cars and other things to live in other settlements. so theyre mostly just concentrated around aeropolis and maybe some other villages that have the aeropolis people and thats it

theres some exceptions though, particularly razoff, who comes from a family of hunters who left aeropolis forever ago to pursue prey in other places. as a result he inherited a huge mansion in the middle of a swamp where he lives alone and just comissions teensies to make statues of himself, and his supposed prey (that he, often, did not actually catch (ie ssssam)) for him. i dont know if he has ever seen a car in his life. he just rides like. horse equivalents

-

the fairy council mostly has a population of fairies [citation needed], and various teensies and other people who are mostly here to collectively watch over the heart of the world, and repair it in the case some badguy shatters it again

the teensies are also chosen by whichever king here has the most authority, and are trained specifically to be good with magic to deal with conflicts, but they mostly slack off and do little but have dance parties and pester all the fairies (who also join in the dance parties). which is why the badguys get little to no resistance from shattering the heart of the world again

minimus, like the main one, generally resides in the fairy council in the heart of the world room, and theres a throne specifically for him and everything. hes meant to be the main one watching over it but is also constantly slacking off and going to hang out with rayman etc, and yell orders at goth teensy (who is also constantly slacking off from watching over the dead door for the reason of he forgor)

anyway the fairy council is super close to clearleaf forest where sylkins live in their own various villages, and they often pass by. theyre just not really interested in helping out with the heart of the world though

-

on the topic of r3 teensies, tufkins and nookins live basically next to each other, but nookins are inside of a volcano (that has lava but never erupts for whatever reason), the tufkins are outside of it. theyre ethnically kind of the same but tufkins are shorter and nookins are taller on average, but they have like, the same skin color and everything

anyway they do meet each other quite a lot, and contrary to living in extreme opposites of climate, can hang out surprisingly fine in the opposing climate at least for a little bit. i have no idea how the Wearing Nothing But A Big Hat And A Skirt nookins manage to fare surprisingly fine in the cold but whatever. i guess this is another area in which theyre just built different

they do have very different cultures but are also very friendly with each other. tufkin/nookin mix families are fairly common, and solve the extreme opposites of climate in different ways. sometimes they just pick a middle ground and live in a nearby more temperate place, sometimes they just pick one or the other extreme, sometimes they just kinda travel between both and as a result you get teensies that fare in every dang temperature perfectly fine almost without the need of acclimatizing

[43501]

Part 1 of 10 of one hundred yumeshipping questions from Twitter/X user chevaliergender, for Near x Ophelia. (I think you're supposed to answer 1 of these per day for 100 days, but I'm doing 10 at a time and weekly.)

1) In a world where one character is the fork and can taste cakes, people with specific flavors, who's the cake and what do they taste like?

Skipping this because I have no idea what the fuck it means.

2) What Sanrio characters are they?

Near = Cinnamorroll or Hana-Maru (in this case, Mello would be Badtz-Maru lol). Ophelia = Azuki of the Cinnamonangels, but none of them really suit her perfectly...

3) How would they survive in an apocalypse?

I'm reframing this question because I have exactly one AU for these two (and actually, everybody around them too) and it's a Fallout-style post-apocalypse AU. It's pretty out there, bear with me.

Ophelia is a medic associated with a religious organization (if the setting is straight up Fallout, she's a member of the Followers of the Apocalypse and was raised by them). She's mostly confined to the outpost she works out of, cleaning wounds, stitching people up, producing various chems etc. She is Near's doctor/caregiver and fabricates the medication he requires to keep his affliction at bay, and is doing what she can to research a cure for it.

Near is something like a refugee from a fascistic, insular faction that collapsed entirely due to a novel disease (again, if the setting is literally Fallout, he's ex-Enclave - not by choice but because he was just born into it and had no capacity to leave). He is the sole survivor and therefore valuable as a keeper of knowledge, everything that was discovered and invented in his sect, every project that was being worked on. There's some hanging implication that his exceptional intelligence and memory are genetically engineered, and a vague suggestion that the disease he carries (and that wiped out his settlement) is a bioweapon gone awry (as many are, in the Fallout universe).

Near lives in perpetual quarantine on the fringe of the outpost. Ophelia's medication keeps the illness from progressing. It also prevents its spread, but everyone except her and Mello are fearful of him and don't dare approach. Near's continued survival is a matter of hot debate at the outpost, with many believing Ophelia should just "let him die", reasoning that the components in the medication keeping him alive are too valuable and could be put to better use. They also justify this cruel outlook by referencing his Enclave background (or... whatever the non-Fallout equivalent is).

(If a guy from a nazi-lite camp showed up asking for help, would you waste valuable resources keeping him alive? I mean, I would, but I could see a lot of people who would say no to this.)

Their relationship has a lot of texture in this setting, more so than canon Death Note. Near never fully bought into the social darwinist dogma of the Enclave (or Legally Distinct Group (TM)), but it's still shaped his thinking (he's a utilitarian) and this is the first time he's left his settlement. He's physically disabled by the disease, and a lot of that will likely persist even if a cure is found. He's been catapulted into a radically different life. He probably would be dead if Ophelia and Mello weren't there to advocate for him. He's not used to the tenderness Ophelia shows him. She relays the realities of the world to him, reshapes his understanding. What begins as a doctor/patient, caregiver/dependent relationship blossoms into romance.

The cherry on the top is that in this tale, Mello is actually the main character and the hero who shapes the story. The Near-plot is just one of several. He's an ex-mercenary stuck in the Outpost (Matt is there too).

4) What poses fit them?

Accidentally a good question because Ohba/Obata put a lot of thought into character postures in Death Note, so this is something I've given consideration. Obviously Near is super sedentary and inert (sitting slumped, sometimes even rolling around on the floor, almost always sits with one leg up and one folded under him) and Ophelia has a ruler-straight posture, hands folded in front of her. She was coached to hold herself like this in her original orphanage before Wammy's House (an institution founded by Carmelite nuns and which emphasized discipline and propriety).

5) What canon x canon ship fits them?

I am a passionate Mello/Near fan and even Near/Ophelia doesn't preclude that. Near harbor(s/ed) romantic feelings for Mello.

6) What AU would you like of them more, slice-of-life or thriller/horror?

Slice of life is already boring and would be unimaginably dull with these two very low-key, reserved characters. So thriller/horror. Gives them more opportunities to display their personalities.

7) What are their pet names for each other?

Ophelia has a never-ending stream of ardent, poetic, borderline hyperbolic epithets for him. The most regular one seems to be "moonlit prince", but her terms for endearment toward him are truly endless. He finds this endearing and an illuminating example of "how her mind works" and "how she views the world". When she eventually learns his real name, she sometimes calls him that to grab his attention…

Near doesn't have any for her, he just calls her "Ophelia". Rarely he surprises her with a "dear".

8) If they met when they were younger, how would things have changed?

They already met nebulously around 10~ years old, so if they met even younger… probably no different.

9) What figurines suit them most?

Gundam Fix Figuration - Snow White Prelude for Near. I don't know for Ophelia and the question isn't interesting enough for me to wrack my brain on it.

10) What are their Pokemon teams?

Ophelia:

+ Lilligant Her partner Pokemon that walks around with her - Hisuian variant works too, I can't decide… maybe it's a vanilla Lilligant in ending A (the one she ends up with Near in) and a Hisuian one in ending B (the one where she suffers a lot and dies). The Petilil it started as has been with her since childhood.

+ Serperior Her strongest Pokemon and main battler.

+ Lotad Unevolved pet Pokemon that complements the "Ophelia" (the Shakespeare character) theme, it doesn't battle, just hangs around her house/apartment.

Her theme elements are grass/water. She doesn't have one of her own, but she likes Oddishes and Sunkern and tends to feed them when she finds them hanging out in garden plots.

Near:

+ Meowstic (Male) His partner Pokemon. I know Espurr is the go-to pick for Near because of the physical resemblance and psychic-type, but I think he let it evolve eventually.

+ Alolan Ninetales He needs an ice-type and the Alolan Ninetails is just an amazing looks-match for A-Kira Near.

+ Magnezone Wanted something that alludes to his collection of robot toys, he's fond of it but doesn't let it out very much because it interferes with nearby electronics (it doesn't mind).

Gardevoir and Frolass both suit him a lot, but I've decided to give him one of each of the elements I associate him with (psychic/ice/steel) and a team that just look really cool and cohesive together.

[lifesteal-headcanons]

i literally have so many spoke hcs it’s insane (he’s my favorite :3)

- created by the void in a weird, incredibly rare event. voidians only exist once every few hundred years and are one of the rarest beings in minecraft

- because the void is mostly in the end and all that, he has some similarities to endermen. he can make certain enderman sounds like the warbles and shrieks on occasion. he has a few physical similarities too, like the tail, longer ears, and some horns. he could almost be mistaken for a enderman hybrid at first glance until you really look and see the differences

- natural night vision and relies less on oxygen to survive. he still needs a bit of it, but can go without breathing longer than the average player and can survive in thinner air climates like the end

- he cannot teleport, he doesnt have THAT in common with endermen

- dumped into 2b2t for being a voidian when he was young (some people are scared of voidians because of stigma and how dangerous they can be) and was taught how the place works by a few players with some morals left. he eventually left around 15 and server-hopped until he joined lifesteal because some of the members (cough cough the nerds. aka parrot.) were intrigued by him being a voidian

- his eyes are indeed just plain white. they glow when he feels strong emotions of any kind

- herobrine was the first ever voidian, so in a way he’s kinda a descendant of herobrine?

- the glowing white eyes are a very distinct way to tell enderman and voidians apart

- he wears his rainbows because 2b2t is really boring color wise. the land is mostly destroyed by the players and everything is built out of obsidian. so theres not an abundance of color there. he likes colorful things partly because of this

spoke hcs bestowed upon you all by me, emethystald

.

[theoutcastrogue]

by Mike Shea on 5 August 2024:

Hasbro may be hurling D&D towards a digital future but we already have everything we need to enjoy this game for the rest of our lives. Hasbro is super-excited for a digital D&D future. They're tired of selling us, as Penny Arcade perfectly describes, a single hamburger we can share with our friends every week for thirty years. Hasbro wants subscription revenue from every player every month – not just the single purchase of a book you can keep, share, and use for the rest of your life. Hasbro doesn't want to sell you D&D. They want you to pay rent. Chris Cocks, Hasbro's president and former president of Wizards of the Coast, is pushing hard for a digital future. He already said they're running experiments with artificial intelligence saying "D&D has 50 years of content that we can mine". The new head of Wizards of the Coast, the subsidiary of Hasbro in charge of D&D, is a former Blizzard executive who replaced a former Amazon and Microsoft executive. They posted a new D&D product architect job with a clear focus on digital gaming and a new "monetization designer" which is as close to "professional enshittifier" as I've heard of in a job description. So yeah, Hasbro is really excited to charge monthly fees and microtransactions for D&D and ensure you never stop paying for it. But I have good news for you. It doesn't matter. Here are four reasons why: 1. The three D&D core books are the only D&D books that really matter and they're going to be physical books. 2. With rulesets released into the Creative Commons, anyone can build digital tools, adventures, supplements, and even entire RPGs – all fully compatible with D&D. 3. We have 50 years of previous versions of D&D we can play, multiple competing and compatible 5e variants from other publishers, and hundreds of other RPGs we can enjoy. 4. We have several independent digital platforms we can use to run our games online.

[keep reading]

So Mike Shea's argument here is that no matter what Hasbro does, D&D is enshittification-proof. Personally, I agree that tabletop games (all of them, not just D&D) are to a large extent resistant to that, due to the nature of the game, but digital platforms are another matter. Then again, I have zero interest in digital platforms, so I don't know how they work. Can you incorporate non-SRD material in an independent VTT, for example? Does it matter? No idea!

For traditional D&D, I think it's always had (in its entire history, all editions!) two distinct modes of attracting people:

here is an Official Book of Rules! I should buy it (or borrow it, or pirate it) and use it, because it's an official and authoritative publication

here is a Good Rule! I should incorporate it in my D&D game because I like it, and I don't care where it came from and in what format, official book, third party, homebrew, DMs Guild, hardcover book, piece of paper, pdf, a reddit post, my own noggin.

But last year, they tried an new thing and released a set of 25 monsters for $6 only on D&D Beyond. No physical print, and no pdf. (Previously there had been digital-only releases, mostly short adventures, but in pdf form.) And although I have no way of knowing how sales went, I strongly suspect this will NEVER work. It's just a bunch of "assets", it doesn't register as an Official Publication, there's no incentive to get it as such. So we're left with "is it a good rule?", and there it competes with a million other rules published for fun and/or profit by other people. Why "buy" that one? (You're not quite buying it: if D&D Beyond goes down, poof go the monsters!)

So yeah, I think they'll try to enshittify tabletop D&D, but they'll go about it half-heartedly (to go full in, they'd have to drop the printed books, and there's NO WAY they'll do that), and simply no one will care, D&D doesn't work like that.