#since magic in this universe isn't really ELABORATED

[magnifiico]

H-hi your majesty. Uh, I have a question. What are your magic abilities besides wish granting? Can you shape shift into things? Specifically small animals such as mice or kittens? Cuz let's say future issues contain of somebody stealing your wishes and bringing it to their house. It wouldn't be a good idea to just barge into their house as yourself and threaten them to give them back cuz then you'll be forced to fight them and if you're not able to fight them then that would cause other issues like them sucking you into a magic artifact. Don't question how I came up with this scenario. Anyways, I think it would be a good idea if you shapeshifted as something that people mostly trust like a kitten since kittens are usually harmless. If you go into the thief's house as a stray kitten, the residents will most likely let their guard down and they would leave you on your own for a while. That will give you time to get your wishes back and go back to your castle without the residents of the house knowing. It's just a suggestion but it might not work cuz I don't know your magic capabilities or limits. I don't know if shapeshifting for too long can drain your energy or anything. The house in this scenario is relatively far from your castle so if you can't keep yourself as a cat for long then that might cause problems but if that's not the case then that's good. Also if you don't know how to shapeshift, please learn or try to. I just saved you from the future, your welcome. Bye your majesty.

*jumps out of the broken window that I came in the castle out of*

cut to me sweeping up the shards of broken window in the bg u-u

“Why, this is all… very specific.” Or, rather, concerning might be the better word, but King Magnifico masks any such apprehensions behind a calm smile. “I do think I ought to ask precisely where this exact scenario came from; that’d be an interesting conversation for later.” He knows where all his loyal subjects live, after all—should he have a sudden inclination to grace a curious citizen with a visit. (An intimate and proper discussion, naturally.)

The consideration is neatly filed away.

“For the sake of humoring innocent curiosities, I’ll raise you this: would it not defeat the very purpose of shapeshifting—in this case, at least—if I told you it’s a talent of mine?” His hands tuck behind his back. Expectantly—practically challenging—he arches a brow, and a momentary pause dares his subject to utter another word. Truly, Magnifico welcomes it.

But eventually, a shrug rolls through his shoulders. “I’d not spare these worries another thought. The wishes are safe,” he says simply, and despite the pleasant curve on his lips, something less cordial flashes through his eyes. “I guarantee any threats will be dealt with in whatever means are most effective at the time.”

[bonefall]

a while ago you said that Starclan cats design kittens and customize them with patterns and colors from their parents genes. So, do the clan cats raise any eyebrows when it comes to people who know cat genetics? Is there a geneticist who is holding their head wondering how these two cats have this colored kit while their starclan designer was just playing around? Or do the Starclan designers still have to stay within the rules?

Basically, do the humans notice that some of these clan cats are sparkle cats lol

I try to not get too "lost in the weeds" since the humans aren't the focus of the story, just taking care that they DO have real motivations behind their actions rather than construction crews materializing out of nowhere to Do A Chaos, but...

First, the genetics of cats in Albion are different than humans in equivalent Great Britain.

Partially, this is because I honestly just don't really enjoy learning about in-depth genetics or applying them realistically. I like drawing anime characters and writing anime battles, so they have anime genetics. But more than that, off-screen, the intelligence of cats has altered the timeline of this world.

If cats really were capable of higher thinking, that totally would have had some butterfly effects. I like dropping crazy alt-history and then not elaborating on it, because it's funny. Archimedes' cat helped him invent a death ray, btw.

On that note of genetics though, you guessed right. StarClan designers DO have to work with what they have. Whatever the genetics of this alternate universe of cats are, every kit born still abides by the laws of nature.

Which brings me to...

Second, the researchers do notice that the Clan cats are special. In fact, there is a "study of magic" in this universe-- Thaumatology. "The science of wonder."

(There's no world where magic actually factually exists that science isn't all over it lmao)

Thaumatology facts I haven't shared so far since it's all offscreen and just Bonus Worldbuilding;

It is a "soft science," not a hard one.

It has a LOT of problems with replicability. Thaumatologists and Quantum Physicists have a lot of in-jokes.

The most well known (to the point of being a cliche) is "magic and quantum particles both hate being watched."

Magic is highly variable based on a bajillion very personal factors, like emotion, environment, culture, personal background, etc, so it's severely difficult to re-create it in controlled environments.

Thaumatology has a lot of overlap with sociology, archeology, and theology, so people from these fields work together a lot.

There was absolutely not a dedicated Thaumatologist working in the Research Team early on, sadly.

It was probably discovered when the Battle of the True Eclipse blew out a bunch of field cameras.

It's pretty common that photography equipment fritzes out a bit during "supernatural" times like eclipses, but the damage was extensive enough to be noteworty

The Clan cats were initially notable just for the fact they had advanced culture.

Cats are usually comparable to crows and monkeys, in this universe. So cats with fire and a crude writing system were enough to SHAKE the field of zoology.

The fact they're cats helped a lot. The public loves cats, enough that since their discovery after Speckletail attacked a bulldozer, massive outcry has secretly helped the Clans several times.

The discovery that the culture also has Thaumatological elements is more of a goldmine for a scientist than the public, though.

It's common knowledge that "animals are magic," because humanity projects traits onto them. "Of course they do, they're cats...?"

The Thaumatologist is freaking out because "THE CAT IS PROVABLY DOING ITS OWN THAUMATURGY"

Most people don't know the difference between Thaumaturgy (the functional work it does on the world) and Thaumology (the study of that as a whole), so this particular scientist is going to have a hard time explaining WHY this distinction is so special.

(And possibly even offensive to certain groups, who would insist only humans are capable of this)

In any case, eventually there would be Thaumatological interest in the Clan cats, but they weren't there in the mid to late 2010s when BB!ASC takes place.

[deepseagraveyard]

They totally leaned way too hard on the framing of their incredibly complex and loving relationship with literally so many beats that has subliminally been this underlying cornerstone of the whole series since as early as season 4-5 as this "totally definitetly more on the toxic side + is totally unchangeable and unfixable" which isn't entirely deniable but its tone feels way more antagonistic than necesary

obviously the tragedy and unhealthiness in their relationship is their cycle of self-sacrifice for the other + undervaluing themselves, but that love and that compatibility was still there! It majorly ignored how mutual the incredibly long chain of both simon and betty spending ages trying to see/save the other, and I'm glad that betty's perspective is elaborated on slightly (again the last episodes had really rushed pacing and didn't take advantage of all of its incredibly unique cast, concepts, settings and universe, etc) but it overviewed everything they had together and created this really tone-deaf take that simon didn't appreciate her as much as he should as if he hasn't been spending next-to-forever grieving over all of her sacrifice and how much he knows and loves her. Their relationship is wonderful and complex and has so much depth, and I'm worried about the kind of misinterpretations of them and their characters that could stem from this ending.

Also, it was probably intentional, but it also just felt incredibly anticlimatic, especially compared to the A-plot in fionna's world. This isn't like when ships don't get together in other media either, after all of this series focusing on how this specific relationship between these two subliminally being the key defining factor to the entire universe existing the way it did, they just break up so easily without so much as a single struggle or tears or anything? and then they're just fine afterwards so easily never seeing each other again despite the love that shaped and impacted and rewrote the entire planes of existence they lived in. You're going to tell me there's literally no way in this magical multiverse with curses and dieties and paradoxes and everything imaginable that there is no way they can be safe and happy together. that's what's impossible? My tone's really salty but the buildup vs the execution is unbelievable. that doesn't feel like well-written tragedy, more like a climax that wasn't really thought through fully. I thought I was satisfied with the ending initially, and while it feels alright on the surface, actually thinking about it for more than five minutes really has me feeling dissapointed. They deserved so much more and so much better.

[iscdisc]

I wish the 2012 writers went into the magic system of the world a bit more ESPECIALLY with the magic hands/shinigami. Speaking about shinigami we actually don’t know her real name (to my understanding at least), since shinigami refers to beings that push people towards death. It feels more like a title she has rather than a name to me if that makes sense?

It would have been interesting to see her working alongside ghosts and to see more of witches in universe since the show implies that there’s families of them.

I totally agree with this !!

It really sucks that Shinigami came so late into the series, because I feel like her and Y'gthba ("Mona Lisa") were done a disservice in regards to their character exploration for this exact reason. Neither of them had enough time to properly establish and explore their characters outside of Y'gthba being Raph's love interest / girlfriend and Shinigami being Karai second in command / and also girlfriend because that's real to me (Plus, I'm sure I've mentioned it before at some point, but someone who worked on her character concept art even referred to Shinigami as, "Kara's girlfriend" in a tweet that they made- I wish I could find that image but I don't know where it is anymore- 😭 || I guess whether or not this proves anything is up to the person, but it's enough for me- LMAO).

And you're right, the name Shinigami feels more like a title than her actual name, and I wish we could have known more about her backstory and how she even met Karai in the first place (Considering they've been friends for a long time, and in my opinion more implies the two of them being childhood friends-) ! I wouldn't be surprised if maybe Shini and her family / extended family were like clairvoyants or something in a similar realm for the Foot Clan- You know what I mean? I personally think it would have been really cool for Shinigami to be really knowledgeable about the spiritual plane and be into tarot cards and candle readings and such ! 👀✨

I also agree with the point about magic within the 2012 universe ! I think one of the earliest and unexplained examples of magic within the series was the episode, "Mazes and Mutants"- Malachi's ability to mentally transport the Brothers into this D&D esque situation that also included personal allies (Leatherhead as a "Dragon" and April as "The Princess"-) never gets elaborated on whatsoever-?? Like, this dude got mutated into a sparrow (I think?), why does he have hallucinogenic powers? 🤨 Lmao || Also it's so odd to me Malachi never came back after this episode in Season 2- Having an ally that can make their enemies see + experience things that aren't real would've been a powerful asset- 😭

There's also the episode, "Pizza Face" which has a similarly unexplainable premise by the end of it, as well as a majority of Mikey's personal experiences that get called into the question in the episode, "Buried Secrets" (i.e. Leo bringing up the time Mikey claimed his nunchucks got stolen by tiny elves and replaced with mozzarella sticks- Something that understandably has a childlike whimsy to it, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was actually real considering the episode, "Pizza Face"-). Not to mention the episode, "A Chinatown Ghost Story" and the existence of Ho Chan and his usage of spiritual magic (i.e. Granting both the Purple Dragons and Leo / Raph / and Mikey elemental abilities while under his control-), as well as the Kavaxas plotline of early Season 5 (Where Casey even goes out of his way to comment on the fact that he hates magic when discussing the scroll that Kavaxas originates from-).

So I think we can reasonably assume that magic does in fact exist in the 2012 universe, but like you already said, it isn't expanded upon as much as it could have been and is usually kind of sideline throughout the show,, I think it would have been really interesting if there was a more magical aspect to the show at times, especially considering it would be a good reference to the '03 series with the Brothers taking on mystical Dragon forms at some point- 😭👍 (I I have to say though, I have very limited knowledge on the context surrounding that in '03-!)

[axolotlonamelon]

Hello! I wanted to create a shared timeline between some Disney Shows

Warnings before we begin:

I did mess with the ages of the characters and presumed years each show takes place for the purposes of the au I was working with and what would make more sense (Hello Anne 'I made varsity tennis at age 12', I am talking to you)

This is meant to tie in with my Amphibia au '4 Stars'. While it's not going to break any of these shows much, it does impact some of the decisions I'm making, such as having The Owl House earlier in the timeline, as well as how much focus I'm giving Amphibia's side of the universe.

2013:

June: Dipper and Mabel Pines (Age 13) arrive in Gravity Falls

August: Bill Cypher invades Earth and almost destroys it

AN: The Pines Twins' ages have never made sense to me. Turning 13 should only set them up to enter 8th grade which isn't the beginning of high school in the American school system. Also, Mabel at least would have already noticeably started puberty.

December: Star Butterfly turns 15 and is given the royal wand

2014:

January: The creation of the Calamity Stones, the creation of the Calamity Box, the box sending itself to Amphibia, and the beginning of the Leviathan dynasty's imperial conquest of other dimensions (please see below for elaboration)

Also January: Star is sent to Mewni's sister realm, Earth, and meets Marco Diaz (Age 15) in Echo Creek (East LA), California

AN: I see the wand as being given at the very beginning of Mewman adulthood, so I wanted to age Star up a bit. Because the Diaz's are a Mexican-American family, I wanted to make her 15 since the symbolic and social transition to adult responsibilities seemed fitting for Star and her journey.

October: Star loses the Royal Magic Book of Spells and Glossaryck to Ludo. A couple months later, Glossaryck's current physical form (at the time) is destroyed.

2015:

June: Star returns to Mewni with her mother after Toffee kills and/or temporarily kills the entire Magical High Commission. A few days later, Star fully unlocks her magical potential

Also June: Luz Noceda (Age 14) travels through a magic door portal from Gravesfield, Connecticut to the Demon Realm. Less than 10 days later, the portal seemingly spontaneously combusts with almost no one the wiser.

October: Luz meets Vee, a basilisk impersonating her and their mom finds out that Luz is in The Demon Realm.

AN: Much like Amphibia, time also passes differently in The Demon Realm. Theres a couple different pockets of time (see below for elaboration) but 6 weeks on The Boiling Isles= ~9.4 days on Earth.

2016:

April: Luz and her friends arrive back on Earth

June: Queen Moon goes missing, Star is temporarily made queen, and she gives the wand and throne back to Eclipsa

October: Luz, her mom, and her friends go back to the Boiling Isles to save it, and Luz and Camila Noceda come back victorious.

November: Scientists discover that the lake around an old graveyard in Gravesfield, Connecticut contains strange structures, artifacts, plant matter, and an unknown script.

AN: Being alone with scientists starting to look into Gravesfield is terrifying for Vee. The Pines family finds out about the oddities going on in Gravesfield and go to check it out. Eda and Stan reunite, and it is very strange for everyone involved except for Ford who finds it hilarious.

2017:

January: Meteora Butterfly is aged up by the Neverzone to be about 16 years old. Meteora and her mom come to an agreement to split the difference since she doesn't want to forget her time here, turning her eight years old. About two weeks later, Eclipsa is officially crowned queen.

AN: I chose 6 months between Eclipsa being given the wand back and her coronation as queen due to the different developmental milestones Meteora displays. She is swaddled at the end of Conquer despite not really needing to be, so I put her at about 4 months. Babies crawl at around 10 and she does in Cornonation.

May: Leif comes to Earth with the rightfully stolen Calamity Box and hides it among a bunch of antiques.

June: Dr. Wu accepts a job offer for early next year studying the strange plant matter found in a lakebed in Gravesfield, Connecticut. Believing that his family would enjoy the quiet and mysterious atmosphere of this small town, he and his wife decide to move.

August: Marcy Wu, Sasha Waybright, Anne Boonchuy, and [4th star] steal the Calamity Box and activate it, getting sent to Amphibia. About 12 hours later, Anne, [the 4th star], and the alien frog child Polly return.

Also August: Two weeks later, the trio and a squad of human allies go back to Amphibia to stop Andrias and save Sasha and Marcy. About an hour later, they return victorious.

AN: A bunch of people either sense or have technology that senses when the box is opened. Dipper was coincidentally in the area visiting various universities in Southern California with Mabel and Grunkle Ford, so they rush to check it out.

September: The Wu family completely moves to Connecticut slightly later than planned. Marcy befriends and swaps stories with Luz and Vee Noceda, eventually convincing them to tell Dr. Wu about the existence of The Demon Realm.

2018:

January: Dr. Wu begins studying the Gravesfield site. While he is aware of where these plants likely came from and the potential dangers, he continues on all the more fascinated, focusing on dating them and analyzing their internal structure and the impact they have on the soil. Marcy and Luz are even allowed to help, both having studied plants from other dimensions before.

September: Dipper begins attending UCSD dual majoring in Zoology and Environmental Science. Mabel and Pacifica go to cosmetic and business school respectively.

AN: I picked UCSD specifically because it is both a prominent university with a focus in research and is the closest and biggest school to Oceanside, CA (which is a real place and idk why the wiki says it isn't)

2020:

September: Marcy and Sasha both begin attending UCSD as Marine Biology and Social Psychology majors respectively.

AN: Anne goes to a community college in Los Angeles instead (like financially responsible people). Anne is getting a certificate in horticulture while working at her family's restaurant

AN: [4th Star] will get a certificate in photography while building her underwater photography portfolio.

2021:

October: Molly McGee (Age 13) moves to Brighton, Iowa and encounters/ befriends the paranormal

2022:

January: Haley Banks (Age 16) is visited by a person from the future and gains access to some futuristic tech and knowledge

July: Dipper (22) begins studying under Dr. Wu in the budding field that is interdimensional biology

AN: Dipper didn't peruse his master's/ PhD under his Grunkle Ford due to both ethical reasons and the fact that Dipper is a bio-centered scientist. Luckily for him, Dr. Wu has been publishing papers on supernatural plant matter discovered in Gravesfield.

AN: When Haley eventually graduates, she will actually ask to peruse her master's under Dr. Stanford Pines in environmental engineering.

November: The Pines twins and Pacifica go to Brighton to check and see if everything is okay. Mabel and Molly really bond and the whole situation ends on good terms with open communication.

2023:

March: Scratch comes back to life

Beginning of January, 2014:

Glossaryck becomes worried that between the dream demon's failed takeover last year and Princess Butterfly's presence on top of Earth's ambient magic this upcoming year, Earth will be thrown into the interdimensional limelight sooner than they can handle. As a result, he conspires with the Cosmic Axolotl to minimize Earth's aura by condensing all of Earth's ambient magic into 4 gemstones that they call 'The Calamity Stones'.

These stones would give someone incredible power and The Axolotl, wanting to see what someone with a good heart could do with power like this, leaves them in the possession of Hailey Banks. While Hailey would one day be a brilliant scientist who changes the world, she is eight years old when immense cosmic power falls into her possession. She instead imbeds the stones into a music box she made. When she steps back to admire her handiwork, the box vanishes.

The Box would then be found by Valeriana, a salamander priestess of the Cosmic Axolotl (though not known by that name). She would present the box to her king, Atlas Leviathan, who uses them to conquer many of the smaller worlds surrounding Amphibia, claiming them in the name of the Leviathan Empire.

If this is you first time here: Hello! I'm hope you're enjoying my timeline so far! Amphibia and Earth run on different speeds. Much like the planets in our solar system, a year on Earth is not the same as a year in Amphibia. 10,000 years pass on Amphibia between the box sending itself to Amphibia and Leif taking it back to Earth whereas on Earth, it has been approximately 3 years and 5 months.

How Dr P's plays into this: Instead of Dr. P's being a book, it's a blog that Dipper (with the help of Grunkle Ford and others) runs to inform others about oddities that aren't in Gravity Falls that they want to keep an eye or obtain if they can. When Leif brought the box back to Earth, The Cosmic Axolotl, in the form of Frilliam, informed Ford of its presence and danger. He then told Dipper, and they created the post to ask if anyone had seen it.

The Demon Realm's Time:

Time moves differently on every continent. The only two that we have to worry about for now are The Boiling Isles and The Neverzone (the place Hekapoo resides and makes dimensional scissors).

The conversion is: Earth: BI: NZ = 1 Day: 4.8 Months: 388,800 Years

When it comes to The Owl House's timeline, Luz graduates from Hexside before the Day of Unity. The portal is destroyed after six weeks and she spends (in total) 4 years there, most of that time trying to fix the door and become the best witch she can be to beat Emperor Belos.

When Eda takes Luz on as an apprentice, she gives her a potion that will keep her aging consistent with time passing on Earth as opposed to time passing on The Boiling Isles. Because no witch has ever seen a human before or understands how they work, she doesn't have to explain her lack of physical aging.

AN: When it comes to Amphibia, the girls flip flop back and forth between the ages they should be in the world that they are currently in. During the events of Amphibia, the girls are 15 on Earth and 15-20 on Amphibia.

[ominous-faechild]

i don't know how to word this, so i'm just gonna say

sammy. breaking the rules. <- that stuff. please elaborate if there is any coherence in this request

I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ACTUALLY SENT AN ASK!!! (people actually do that for non-ask posts???)

Okay, to be completely honest, I think we had a misunderstanding! (I was exhausted when typing that up and was just about to sleep--) I meant that you could/should ask about Sammy, but I wouldn't answer about his magic... but I've done some thinking.

I'll tell you a bit about his magic. 👀

Fair warning: long post!!!

The Way Magic Works™

So, magic. I'll definitely give a much more in-depth explanation one day--I know @honeybewrites REALLY wants one 😂--but I need to give a bit of an explanation here for you to be able to understand why Sammy is Special™.

In my writing, there's technically four different kinds of magic. I describe them as such:

Existential (all-encompassing and literal)

Axiomatic (abstract and "type-casted")

Faerie (abstract and encompassing)

Runic (wizards hurrr durrr)

Each "kind" of magic is named, appropriately, by its source--Existential magic comes from the Existential gods, Axiomatic magic comes from axiom, Faerie magic (or "pure" magic) comes from the Faewildes and is typically associated with faeries, and runic magic originated from the runes non-magical people used in an attempt to match the power of the others.

(I mean, technically runic magic itself is a combination of axiomatic and faerie magic, but--)

Essence Is Equivalent

The one thing all kinds of magic have in common is their shared resource--essence. No matter what kind of magic you use, you're always using up essence in order to do it. The same magical tasks always cost the same amount of essence, meaning the only way to "advance" in magic-casting is to grow your mana pool.

Except for runic magic, but we'll get into that later--

(I hop between using "essence" and "mana" for this explanation, but in-universe it's always called "essence". As a fan of DnD and fantasy games, sometimes using the word "mana" makes more sense to me, haha. Idk if that understanding applies to everyone, but. Essence is essentially just "magical energy".)

Long story short--let's say we have four different people, each with their magic coming from one of each of the different sources. Except, they all have Water magic.

Existential user lifts 1 gram of water. It takes x amount of essence

Axiomatic user lifts 1 gram of water. It takes x essence

Faerie/Pure user lifts 1 gram of water. It takes x essence

Runic user lifts 1 gram of water. It takes .5x essence

Wait, what? Okay, let's try that again--

A different Runic user lifts 1 gram of water. It takes 1.7x essence

A third Runic user lifts 1 gram of water. It takes x essence

What??? What's the deal with that???

Well, this isn't the time to explain Runic magic in-depth, but long story short? Let's just say it's because they're not doing magic "normally". The other kinds of magic users will always use the same amount of essence, so we'll just stop including the variety for now. Just know it'll be the same amount by default. Except... you won't often run into "default" with runic users. Regardless!

Existential user lifts 1 kg of water. It takes 1000x essence

Axiomatic user lifts 1 kg of water. It takes 1000x essence

Faerie/Pure user lifts 1 kg of water. It takes 1000x essence

The first Runic user lifts 1 kg of water. It takes 500x essence

As you can see, it's all equivalent. Both across "types" of magic and in effort-to-gain ratio. So none of them have any sort of advantage!... except literally all of them do.

Similarly, since they're all drawing from essence as their source, there's no "backup" magic system one can use if they run out. If they're out of essence, they're out--nothing they can do.

Actually, wait. I lied. (aka Essence Banks)

There's a way to store essence for later use--essence banks! Basically, they're just magical items infused with essence. They can be literally everything. Except, they aren't everything.

Confused?

Essence Banks were a runic invention and have to be engraved with appropriate runes to be able to contain essence. Some have actually been commodified and turned into "temporary conduits" (aka, items that allow a non-magic user to wield magic like a mage) through people infusing them with their essence.

This is a case where "pure" magic technically separates from a faerie's magic. Pure magic can be used for literally anything, but faeries... well, it's complicated. Regardless, pure magic originates from the Faewildes, but is different from a faerie's magic.

Pure essence can be used for anything, but an individual's essence can only be used for their respective magic type. (Like, elemental / conceptual, not Existential / Axiomatic and such. That explanation's for another day, though.) Pure magic can only be gotten from the Faewildes through the use of runic magic.

People have turned essence banks into commodities by giving them to others who don't have their magic and allowing them to use it. However, as you can probably imagine, essence banks and conduits of both kinds (permanent and temporary) are expennnnnsive!!! Most who have them use them for themselves, to store their own essence to use later.

Just know--there is no way to just "create" essence! It all comes from SOMEWHERE! The most common places are from one's self or from the Faewildes.

Essence Banks Do Not Cross "Types" Of Magic

If someone with fire magic got their hands on an essence bank with essence from someone with water magic in it, they wouldn't be able to utilize it for fire magic--only water magic.

Except... not really.

The fire user could use the essence, it would just cost a lot more of the water essence to instead use fire magic.

Why does this sound familiar...?

Hm. Anyway!

I bet you've been wondering--how does any of this relate to Sammy?

Sammy Breaks The Rules of Magic™

So, now that you have an understanding of how magic works in my stories, you can better appreciate Sammy.

Remember what I just said?

Y'know, about how magic all always costs the same amount of essence, how "types" of essence don't translate well to others, and how essence can't just be created?

Well, Sammy heard that, laughed, and said "I'm built different."

"Amplification" doesn't exist in the world of my stories. There's simply no concept of it because of how inherent the idea of "essence is always equivalent" is to magic.

Except... Sammy is an amplifier.

So what does that mean in the universe of my stories?

He's able to make others' magic use less essence. He's able to enhance their abilities, let them do things they couldn't otherwise do. And it doesn't matter what kind of magic either of them have.

Oh! And since he's the amplifier?

His other magic is also always amplified.

Yeah, long story short? He's OP af. Both as an individual, and as a support character.

CONCLUSION!

I actually can't say any more about amplifying because, omfg, it's actually such a spoiler! As I said to you (almost) yesterday, I plan out the series I write to build up to things I'm going to eventually write! Amplifiers are suuuuper important for a number of reasons and, as I said, they basically don't exist! There's only two others wandering about at the time of Rising From the Ashes (the story Sammy's in)! And one of them is a complete hermit who 99.99% of people have no idea exists!

The other... well. He's actually an avatar. An agent of one of the gods. Who knows if/when he'll ever show up? 👀

If you're curious, the (albeit vague) Overarching Goals™ of the series are as follows:

The Arcane Rifts: explores the Faewildes and some of how they've impacted the world. Specifically explores in-universe political relations of Jhandar and Glavnran; the Existential War; the Existence of Magic; and how the Existential gods mess with the world. Oh... and is Gene's origin story. 😉😘

Sun and Shadow: strongly explores the Faewildes' impact on "the Real World" through their patchworking Lynsmouth into the city it is today. Hints towards plots in RFtA and tCC. Explores faeries themselves through the Major Faerie Characters and the highlights the role of magic in society. Is intended to be an introduction into my weird worldbuilding tbh, haha. Hints at Existential War and is also where a HUGE worldwide-plot event occurs. Thanks, Quinn! 😈

Rising From the Ashes: explores in-universe political relations, more directly builds on the worldbuilding through the character of Kieran Caron and his school, does some more planting in info about the Existential War, and showcases people in-universe trying to experiment with magic and expand on its capabilities.

The Calamity Crew (name to change): lots of worldbuilding through the literal crew of a merchant ship sailing across the world; builds up in-universe local Axiomatic gods; showcases the literal birth of a lesser god and explores the powers and abilities of gods; showcases people in-universe trying to experiment with magic and expand on its capabilities.

I plan to somehow make stories on the Existential gods' avatars, but don't know how I'll go about that, haha. Also intend to probably make some stories REALLY early in the in-universe timeline completely taking place within the Faewildes. Might merge those ideas together, idk.

If you can't tell, the Existential gods are super important to the overarching story I plan on writing, haha. Part of how I'm planning to build them out is through the very fact that they appear everywhere.

Yknow--because they are!

They're the puppeteers manipulating the entire world in their little game. Their Existential War.

To anyone who read through this all--congrats and omfg, thank you so much???

I know this is a lot and not all of it is exactly easy to understand, haha. I wanted to create a magic system that felt magical, but also was planted in "real" stuff like conservation of matter, haha. I want there to be, like, a limit to it, but also for things to have those good 'ole fashioned "fairy tale"/"gods rule over us all" vibes. Hopefully I've done a good job!

Tysm again and feel free to reblog and share!

Tagging list: @the-golden-comet @illarian-rambling @ashirisu @urnumber1star @aalinaaaaaa

@paeliae-occasionally ; to anyone else, ask and ye shall be added!

Divider from @cafekitsune

[kaeoticneutral]

OC Meme: Katia "Rook" de Riva

GENERAL

Name: Katia de Riva

Alias(es): Rook

Gender: Female

Age: 30

Place of birth: Near Salle

Spoken languages: Common, Antivan, and a bit of Tevene that she's picked up from books

Sexual orientation: Pansexual

Occupation: Crow assassin, de facto leader of the Veilguard

FAVOURITE

Colour: Purple 💜

Entertainment: She actually likes going to the theatre when she has a chance, which... isn't as often as she would like. She enjoys dancing too.

Pastime: Reading, gardening (she has a small garden of herbs and poisonous plants on her apartment's balcony), mixing up her own poisons and potions. Whatever the Thedas equivalent of yoga would be (gotta keep that flexibility up!). Playing cards (she may or may not be banned from playing at the Cantori Diamond).

Food: She loves chocolate (all kinds of sweets, really) and pasta.

Drink: Coffee (sweet and light), ciaccolata calda, red wine

Books: Romance or mystery

HAVE THEY

Passed university: Katia completed her Crow training, as well as the supplementary magic training.

Had sex: Yes, she's had a few partners.

Had sex in public: Uhhhh she's fooled around in public but not gone all the way.

Gotten tattoos: She has two. A rose on her right thigh that she got when she was 16 just for fun, and an elaborate feather on her lower back that she got after becoming a full Crow.

Gotten piercings: Multiple ear piercings, but she doesn't always wear earrings. When she does it's either simple silver hoops, or fancy dangles.

Had a broken heart: She's had some minor heartbreaks but she hadn't really let anyone close enough to fully have her heart broken.

Been in love: Yes, Lucanis 💕

ARE THEY

A cuddler: Extremely so. She's a very tactile person.

Scared easily: She's easily startled but not easily scared. Whenever she gets truly scared, she tends to shut down.

Jealous easily: Only when she is insecure about her partner's affection. So, not really with Lucanis, once they actually start a relationship.

Trustworthy: She's fiercely loyal to her friends and loved ones. Her lies are more of the variety to spare someone's feelings.

FAMILY

Sibling(s): None that she knows, she has half-siblings from her father's side but they're strangers to her.

Parents: Both dead. Her mother died when she was 5 from an illness, and her father didn't want anything to do with her (he was a wealthy noble and her mother was not his wife), so to the Crows she went. Luckily for her, her cousin Viago was there. Much later, a contract was taken out on her father, which Teia fulfilled eagerly.

Children: Eventually Katia and Lucanis will have children, but it hasn't happened for them yet.

Pets: None before since she wasn't at home enough, but after she and Lucanis get together and they move into the Dellamorte villa, they adopt a cat and call her Lace. And of course Lucanis has his pet snake.

Thanks for the tag @lotusrhys, this was fun! I'd like to tag @lipstickghoulie, @shinyredgloss, @starryjuicebox, @pinkberrytea because I'd love to see y'all's answers to this as well!

[lunarianebula872]

(tried something a little different for my chibi design but I think it works well for Cloud Rhapsodos/Hewely here also yes Genesis made sure the inside of Cloud's jacket is lined to keep him warm/comfortable)

Genesis adopting Cloud [when Cloud is around 7] due to sensing a ton of mana in Cloud, Angeal though slightly hesitant warms up to Cloud as what's going on isn't his fault so he ends up becoming Cloud's 2nd dad.

Claudia in this universe is already dead but it didn't stop Cloud from his dreams but he is more reclusive then before however with Angeal and Genesis's help he gains some confidence like a young kid should

While waiting to be old enough to sign up and join Angeal comes back with his student Zack and they become really good friends [like they're brothers] and while waiting for trials and of coming of age for Cloud is when Genesis, Angeal, and Zack set up games to aid Cloud in the trails when it comes to joining SOLDIER

Sephiroth returns after a long mission and encounters Cloud with Genesis which Sephiroth questions Genesis of and Genesis explains it to Sephiroth which actually surprises him since he didn't take Genesis to be a parent at all though he's glad Angeal is there to help out and to make sure Genesis's temper doesn't go to the kid [which luckily never happens and he's a good dad along with Angeal]

Genesis will have to elaborate with Sephiroth that he wouldn't hurt the kid however he has snapped at people who tried to hurt Cloud [he can slay people even with his words lol] but has taught Cloud stubbornness and how to use magic, Angeal has always made sure Cloud is respected that's for sure and even teaches Cloud honor and loyalty on top of how to cook along with gardening, Zack teaches Cloud companionship, Sephiroth teaches Cloud to be observant and even how to read [the reading part can also be added to Genesis as well], all four of them teach Cloud how to use swords

Kunsel when he meets Cloud and even knows who Cloud is due to his snooping and everything so he ends up introducing himself and teaches Cloud how to read maps and how cameras work and their locations in the building [not sure if that's a mistake on his part or not]

While Cloud [when he's 13] is tending to Angeal's plants he gets a message from Kunsel that something is wrong and to stay in Angeal's apartment and to let the big three and Zack take care of it however when they return Genesis has a wound that isn't healing, Angeal is feeling unwell, Zack isn't as cheerful and seems to be seriously injured, and Sephiroth is even more distant then normal which worries Cloud so he decides to make food for them and hopes to cheer them up a bit and even tries to help Genesis heal but is starting to feel like he's not accomplishing anything and starting to get depressed and wishes that he can at least do something to help them and even figure out what is wrong but the four he greatly cares for won't tell him what's wrong

Cloud at this point does all he can via training his ass off and to find a cure for the injuries and ailment Angeal, Genesis, and Zack are going through which he hopes also cheers Sephiroth up as well

One day Cloud is doing some work with materia and suddenly gets teleported somewhere which is where he meets Calamity Zack which he doesn't know how to respond but he does end up breaking down and crying while believing Angeal, Genesis, and Zack are going to die on him and Sephiroth

This is probably where Calamity Zack will bring Cloud to Aerith for holy water to help Angeal, Genesis, and Zack recover however Cloud will have to figure out how to get back unaware that Calamity Zack can get him home however Calamity Zack probably wants to calm him down first.

@aimeelouart how is Calamity Zack going to react to Cloud Rhapsodos/Hewely? Maybe sees him as a scared kid who because of what's going on is growing up to quick even though he's still a kid but can even see how much Cloud cares [and probably is going to be happy for this Cloud when things become happier for his 14th birthday]

[summercosmos]

Fablehaven Pokemon AU; pt. 1 (Kendra)

what i have worked out so far:

Kendra as an aspiring pokemon researcher; she and Seth are sent to Fablehaven (daycare/sanctuary) to help out their grandparents

the main point to that is to get them some field experience with a variety of pokemon. you can't get the full experience of pkm handling as a city kid!!!

child labor laws in the pokemon universe are extremely dubious, but still, Kendra and Seth don't really work Work like Dale. they get the menial jobs, i.e, grooming, feeding, and occasionally training pkm

this works out great for Kendra!!! she gets to see (and register in her pokedex) all types of pkm while also learning all about their behavioral patterns

I can't really see Kendra as a big fan of battling; she has the occasional friendly battle when prompted, sure, but her team selection is in no way geared towards competitive strategies

they are just Her Little Guys 🙁

absolutely a fan of contests. those are basically the equivalent of idols for the teenage girls in the pkm universe

obligatorily i have to make most of her team fairy types but i think she'd enjoy the occasional water and grass type

NOT immune to magical horse propaganda! her biggest little-girl wish was a galarian ponyta

the Sorenson are all the way over in Unova unfortunately . sorry kendra no unicorns for you

(she doesn't Know)

Kendra drifts more toward defensive pokemon — the ones that can take a hit and hit back harder

speed isn't much of a priority (leafeon & rapidash as the only outliers)

she spends her time differently depending on the pokemon. swimming with azumarill, going on runs with leafeon, making the psychic horse read Jane Austen, etcetera

team! from oldest to newest

Azumarill: azurill is a fairly easy pokemon to raise — that's why it was the first one Kendra ever trained, a gift from her parents. high friendship comes easy after a few months, and a marill quickly evolves into Azumarill. they so sunbathe together by the edge of the pool

Leafeon: originally an eevee, given as a graduation present for trainer's school. it only evolved after Kendra was already in Fablehaven — there was most definitely a mossy rock in the middle of those woods. they make a good match! leafeon as a species don't enjoy battling all that much

Altaria (Raxtus): same old story of dragon egg raised by fairies except this time they were actually fairy-type pokemon. methinks Raxtus was a wild pokemon who took a liking to Fablehaven as a sanctuary, and upon interacting with Kendra, took a liking to her as well. technically, Kendra hasn't caught him, since a pokeball would restrict his ability to wander around, but Raxtus always comes back to hang out or to help with anything important, so! they're besties. also he mega-evolves bc that's about as close as a can get to canon Kendra's battery abilities.

Galarian Ponyta: remember when i said she wouldn't get to have the unicorn bc she hadn't ever been to galar. well. SOMEONE who does a fair amount of traveling may have ACCIDENTALLY stumbled upon a wild ponyta and decided to catch it and bring it back all the way to unova upon hearing Kendra did very much wish to have one. who would do that though haha. loser behavior (→→→→→ bracken ←←←←←)

Decidueye: originally a dartrix Seth caught in a ranger mission (will elaborate on this. eventually)! they got along fine but this whole evolution line is unbelievably prissy. they need one grooming down daily at LEAST. it was simply not feasible for Seth to take care of it especially since rangers spend most of their time with their partner pokemon only. so Kendra kinda takes care of it unofficially. when it evolves they start practicing archery together. yay

this au has been gnawing on my brain for a while now and im happy to share my genius. seth should be next!

[cliff-and-the-kid]

(Noodling around with different 'verses, since that seems to be a Thing happening more often lately)

Main TFP universe, aka Cliff Lives

My first and foremost setting for Cliffjumper and Sierra, based on some fan fiction I wrote several years ago. Unless otherwise specified, this is where I'm working from concerning interactions, whether that means a thread is taking place in my AU, or Cliff and Sierra have un/intentionally gone universe hopping. Their groundbridge acts screwy plenty often, no need to elaborate beyond that.

Fae!verse

This one comes from @sparkmender, who's shared a frankly fascinating giant-magic-insect AU that I'm dipping my toes into, with red lily beetle Cliffjumper pretending he isn't breaking any rules by smuggling a teenage human into Iacon Hive, and said human changeling Sierra figuring out how to poke her magic into revealing itself. And also how to avoid being eaten.

Sarant!verse

Look. I'm a self-published author with one (1) novel to my name so far. Sarant is a big massive complex world I've been building over the past fourteen years, there's a tabletop roleplaying game I started crafting alongside the various book plots, and I will absolutely take any excuse to put some free publicity out there while also having fun amusing myself and friends. Hence Minotaur!Cliff and Quirren!Sierra and a few others I've been putting together.

Jedi!verse

Aaand this one I blame @ghostlyvisage for; mentioning a Mandalorian bounty version of Ghostspire instantly catapulted my brain towards all the space-magic shenanigans Cliff and Sierra could get into with the Force. So, introducing Devaronian Jedi Master Cliff Jammp'r and his human padawan Sierra Redsand, blue and green lightsabers respectively.

Cyberkid!verse

SO THIS ONE HAS A FEW DIFFERENT ITERATIONS, depending on which way the cards fell in Sierra being cyberformed via Omega Lock, yes there will eventually be fics for each. The main line is her alone going into the goop and coming out a brand new Cybertronian, except in an initially inert form that means Cliff and the others leave her for dead. Once the kid wakes up, however, the Decepticons quickly scoop her up as a 'recruit' (aka ace in the hole for taunting the bots), and it isn't until her path crosses with Cliffjumper again that Sierra remembers herself, remembers being human, remembers him. They escape, and the 'verse goes from there. Alternate Option! My girl isn't the only one cyberformed, because @convenientkeystorage and I are suckers for letting Sierra and Jack act like bonded cats even when they've become amnesiac alien robots. These posts are additionally labeled Sunset AU

Adventure!verse

Vaguely D&D, mainly just high fantasy shenanigans, with dragon!Cliff toting around young elf wizardling Sierra. So far this one's mostly art, we'll see if I ever get around to writing for it

Squire!verse

Less sorcery and more swords, featuring Sir Cliff the Jumper, Knight of the Autobot Order, and his young squire Sierra of Jasper. Also mainly art for the moment

Supers!verse

I'm not calling this one an X-Men AU, but. That's essentially what it's based off of. Established superhero and mutant boarding school gym teacher Cliffjumper generally likes all his students, but there's this one little spitfire with energy powers that he takes a bigger shine towards and invites to be his part-time sidekick

Future!verse

There are really only two ships I'll ever write on this blog, and that's Sierra/Jack and Cliff/Arcee, with a longterm endgoal of next gen fluff. I've got the name 'Gatecrasher' picked out for a dark magenta colored mechling, and 'April' for a human great-granddaughter, and at some point there might be some time travel shenanigans purely so I can give them a bit of the spotlight

[kiiyome-art]

I've been thinking a lot about destiny lately, and how I want to go about writing and drawing out my warlock, Vienna's, story, now that the light and dark saga is coming to a close. I was a bit late to the destiny scene, all things considered, and between my creative struggles and (trying) to be a functional human being, I've not created as much as id have liked to. So come along with me on my little rant as I think allowed my thoughts, if you feel so inclined.^^

There's still so much I want to write, and stories to tell within the destiny universe.

I started playing the game during season of the plunder, when my friends introduced me to it, and we became a glorious fireteam! I was drawn to the pretty warlock space magic immediately, and thus, Vienna was born. ( Though I've since become a hunter main, she's still my favorite blorbo. )

I quickly fell in love with the story and it's characters, dug deep into the lore and since then, her story has gone through a LOT of changes. I try to stick close to the canon story for the most part, in my universe Vienna is the young wolf who was risen in D1, and has since gone through most of what we see throughout the dlcs and seasons past then, I'll probably elaborate on that further at one point.

Most of my drawings that I've posted here are fun little doodles, occasional quips between characters, and overall "for fun" stuff. The majority of what I've thought up for Vienna has been confined to my own head and the rare rants to my friends. And now with final shape being so close, I feel myself pressured to know, and write down, everything that I can. Which, realistically, is silly.

I had plans to make a three minute animatic of Vienna during forsaken since it was a MASSIVE turning point for her, have it out by final shape, then make an entirely NEW animatic based off OF final shape, mostly inspired by Caydes return. Whilst I had mapped out most of it and gotten some rough sketches down, I didn't even begin on the actual project. Could I have? Probably. Do i feel guilty about it? Yes. Will those projects still happen? Hopefully.

I know for all you creatives out there that might be reading this, the feeling of having plans, and not being able to carry through with them, or it not turning out how you wanted, is a shitty feeling, not foreign to ANY of us.

I felt myself compelled to write this in the first place because I know that, well, I'm not alone.

There's many creatives out there feeling the same pressure to get stuff done as I am, even if we don't say it. We want to have everything figured out, to create something wonderful, with the final shape feeling like "the end" of destiny as we know it and all. So this is me calling out to whoever might be listening; be nicer to yourself.

You have all the time in the world to create that animation, paint that painting, write that story. Just because final shape is "an ending," doesn't mean you can't still work on and have fun with the story beats you have in mind prior to Final Shape. No ones gunna call it silly, were all equally starved for content here. And who knows, once we all know how final shape ends, it might inspire you and help your story flow together better.

I'll try my best to tag my posts relating to Vienna and her fireteam with time stamps from now on, as I tend to jump all over the place and it could get really confusing really fast. The TLDR of it all;

Don't feel guilty about unfinished projects. Final shape isn't the end, dont let it be, and dont feel confined to just creating content relating to post final shape.

That's all! I appreciate you reading if you got this far, and im excited to see the amazing things the Destiny corner of tumblr will come up with next.

See you starside! ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

[multiversewatchpost]

Ohh, idk why i assumed the au would be like pmmm, just the most common magical girl media i saw in a while, ig

Oh well, more questions!

So what's the actual plot of the au? Who are the most relevant characters?

Can we get the new names the gang picked for themselves? What were their reasons to make a deal with Nightmare?

What kind of things does Nightmare even make them do? How well does the "stripping of all identity" thing even work? I'd imagine Dust at the very least would be really defiant.

What happened to Cross? Did he die or somehow managed to escape?

Is Dream an 'incubator' too? Does him and Nightmare fight each other?

The actual main plotline isn't fully planned out yet but I can tell you more about the setting

First of. It doesn't take place on a multiversal scale, it's one universe(modern surface au/monsters were never trapped)

The most relevant characters would be nightmare's group where the main focus will be on(and important associates of them)

And yeah! I can explain the names

So, first of we have Killer. Hes going by Pluto, which is the name nebula/nightmare picked out for him.(Nightmare in this au is big on space references btw..which will probably become rather obvious rather quickly)

As I have just mentioned nightmare is called nebula in this au. He has a whole theme going-

Dust/murder got dubbed Mercury by nebula. He doesn't really want to use it but he also doesn't really have much of a choice. Refusing to respond to that name doesn't usually end well. It somehow always gets back to nebula when he tries to go by something else so he has eventually relented to using said name. At least until he can escape

Horror has been renamed Saturn. He has decided to cope with it by seeing it as a title instead of a name.

Cross is going by cross again now but while under nightmares rule he was called Neptune

Mercury absolutely hates nebula. Saturn also does but hes less obvious with it.

Quick list:

Dust - mercury

Killer - pluto

Horror - saturn

Nightmare - nebula

Dream - dream, solar by nm

Cross - cross formerly neptune

Nebula uses them mainly for fighting out his battles, since he isn't allowed to directly do anything that has any real impact on the mortal world.

As mentioned before, Saturn joined only because nebula threatened his brother. Mercury was literally kidnapped and kept prisoner until he eventually agreed to make a deal. Killer was offered an escape from the previous living situation he was in.

Nebula is very particular on who he recruits, he won't accept a refusal.

Cross isn't dead, he managed to get out.

Dream is the same kind of being as nebula.(So are ink error and reaper, tho they don't often use mortals in the way that dream and nebula do) And yeah they fight, they kind of have a war going on. Dream goes by dream but nebula will usually call him solar.

Dream sees the whole situation as a war at least. For nebula it's more like a game or an elaborate play. Don't get me wrong, he takes it seriously, but not as in he sees the situation as something inherently serious. It's just an act for him, something to pass the time with. He doesn't care for the lives of mortals and doesn't see them as being on an equal level to him and dream. He also doesn't quite understand that dream doesn't see this the same way as he does.

[dollhouseirl]

The Last World

My game jam VN is set in/led me to work out a setting I want to elaborate on called The Last World. As a writer, there is a big verse I have wanted to work on for about ten or so years based on forum RPs with my friends when I was a teenager. I've spent the entire time since elaborating on everything, thinking up characters, and trying to set everything into a kind of order. I was always on the cusp of succeeding but could never quite get there until this project. Purple Prose for Purple Hearts and the work I have done for it is a kind of screwdriver for my work. If you don't mind too much, I want to do a bit of free associative worldbuilding.

Lucia lives in the Last World. It is basically our world but stranger because it is set in a multiverse that extends far more broadly beyond our conceptions of space and the universe. There is a fourth dimension we are not privy to that is its own space where entities exist. Strangely, they are not beyond our comprehension; they are quite within it if we listen to them. They are just kind of off from our comprehension. Adjacent to it. They resemble what we comprehend but don't seem possible or realistic.

Why is it called the Last World? Well... You won't need any of this knowledge to enjoy my VN. This is a bonus post of sorts because I like the idea of talking about my work's broader purpose and having there be creator's thoughts for readers to engage with or ignore as they please. But: there are two universes in my setting - the old and the new and a single door between the two that will only allow one person to go through.

Very Homestuck, right? I swear, I hadn't even thought of it but I did read and enjoy it up to Act 6. Definitely owe it a creative debt but it isn't the same thing, I swear. Much anyway.

The Last World is existentially baffling: most worlds in the old universe have magic, superpowers, angels, elves, aliens, a patchwork of gods, devils, fantastical things taking place every day in front of people all the time. The Last World is desperately torn between being mundane and more deeply insane than any other world out there. It looks like there is nothing to it other than faith and insanity as everything heads towards a human extinction-level event that no humans are willing to stop.

But it is not normal.

It is receiving emanations from the new universe. Universes cast a type of light through the fourth dimension that holds these two universes together so it is actually deeply strange in a way that the people in it just do not see any more.

The Stanford Prison Experiment was the first step in a broad scale project to craft a sorcery intended by the powerful to label the powerless. It looked like a failure but was an unqualified success that plays out through all the mental hospitals in Last World America. Dr. Harlow captured the human soul in miniature with a clutch of infant monkeys and emotionally battered them by trapping them and us within the Pit of Despair before changing his mind and working to undo his work. Dwight David Eisenhower was lead to a sword in a stone, pulled it out, and told everyone assembled: my name is Ike; we all like Ike; I do not want anything to do with this, and then did just like Washington had done and left an America that would never come to terms with itself.

There are more things besides. I want to think and dream on an alternative magical America as I would write it. The Last World falls victim constantly to a fourth dimensional phenomenon called a Contrivance. I say phenomenon but it is really a sentient non-being. A sentient device for misery or for breaking reality. Something like that. In many worlds in the old universe, Contrivances can adopt human form; the Last World is not so lucky and they can be almost invisible. That is why they have been far more effective there and why the Last World will break for good if no one does something about it.

The Last World is under the watchful eye of a being known as the Harvester for now (he will have a proper name later). The Harvester believes the old universe is going to die and believes only the Last World has the keys necessary to save it. So he harvests and his harvests are senseless to those being harvested, brutal to those being harvested, but, in truth, clinical and highly sensible if you but understood the terms under which a being like the Harvester, a fourth-dimensional being, sees the world and operates and where he came from.

Purple Prose is the first story in the setting chronologically. It represents a woman who seems unremarkable and who isn't especially remarkable deciding that she is fed up with the Last World. She doesn't understand what the Harvester is, emanations, isn't privy to the truths I've set forth as examples about why the Last World's America isn't ours but has come to suspect a couple due to her manic episodes. The Last World is a world where magic and insanity are alternative forms of the same 'thing'; you can be magic and neurotypical and have mental illness without being magic. That said, however, the Last World has a kind of gravity where one and the other are like magnets. Lucia is a witch with bipolar I who has decided to take a course of action that will invite more of the fourth dimension into the Last World, for better or worse.

[iamnmbr3]

To each their own opinion, but personally I like book 1, and this actually makes me think of another area where book 7 falls short. One of the reasons I like it is that it has reread value. There's fun little nods to things that are revealed later and so when you read it again there's all sorts of fun stuff. I feel like the first 6 books all have that. There's a certain depth and ornateness to them that makes it very fun to go back through them. And I feel like that's another area where for the most part book 7 falls completely flat. The writing style is boring and very economical. Just "this happened then that happened" type stuff with no sense of wonder and no elaborate descriptions and nothing with any depth to analyze or to notice little details on reread. Plus, even on a first read most of what is being described just isn't very interesting.

I can go back to book 3 and write a ton of meta analyzing Snape and Sirius's interactions or to book 6 and break down the world building implications of what's revealed in the Riddle memories or to book 5 and trace Ron's relationship with his family and how it informs his character. There's not much I can do with most scenes in book 7. They're just kind of there and very surface level. And even the surface level isn't exciting. Sorry but I didn't come into the final book of a 7 part series of epic fantasy books about wizards to read about wedding planning and camping trips gone wrong.

And I totally agree that there were a ton of missed opportunities with the locket (and other Horcruxes). Imagine a locket that gave us an interactive, Borgin and Burkes era Tom Riddle - very sentient and aware and dangerous. Imagine them perhaps trying to trick him into giving information that could be used to find and destroy other Horcruxes and him in turn trying to trick and manipulate them and figure out what they want in turn. Imagine the potential for them to have to face destroying the locket in a situation where it very clearly fees like killing a person.

I also love the idea of them going on the run in a more magical way - perhaps kind of like what Slughorn did - and having to deal with the consequences of that. (Btw love that JKR intended for Slughorn to be in hiding bc he feared Voldemort, but then she forgot about that and in book 7 he's just chilling and teaching at the Voldemort-controlled school which in-universe makes it seem pretty clear that he was actually hiding from Dumbledore).

I also agree that adding Fiendfyre as a means of destruction was a bad call (although I feel a bit conflicted about this since for drarry reasons I do love the Fiendfyre sequence lol) with simple ways to get around it like what you mentioned.

I also agree about not seeing the war. I have mixed feelings about this though I do think the fact that there is a stealth takeover of the Ministry and that most people go along with it is really interesting and builds on the them of Voldemort's movement being a symptom of the larger systemic problems in the wizarding world. The problem is that this theme, which was heavily built up from book 3 on - and especially in book 5 it feels like the reader is really cudgeled over the head with it - suddenly gets abandoned. For me this is the biggest missed opportunity in book 7 and the most bizarre writing choice on JKR's part.

Because the wizarding world being very flawed and bigoted in a number of ways isn't just something that you notice if you think about it (though certainly I think if you do some deep analysis it's even more flawed then perhaps originally intended). It's very much something that the text intentionally highlights and the characters discuss. I mean it's discussed very openly that werewolves and giants for example, mostly back Voldemort because things are so bad for them that they think he might actually be marginally better.

That's why even the first time I read it as a child, I thought it was obvious that part of the happy ending was going to be the formation of a new, less divided society that dealt with these divisions. And then it all gets dropped. Without the epilogue it kinda could've still worked bc book 7 ends with everyone sitting together regardless of house or species and that could've implied that they were going to build a better world with less divisions and prejudices. But then the epilogue shows us that nope, that doesn't happen at all.

It could've been so cool if the trio/Order ended up rallying the goblins to their cause by making meaningful concessions. If if Ron had to truly confront his own prejudices and the way a lot of his attitudes are not that different from the Malfoys' and he got to grow beyond that in a substantive manner rather than just a sort of throwaway line during the battle.

There are bits I love in book 7 - like pretty much all of the Battle of Hogwarts sequence - but there are so many missed opportunities and it feels like it doesn't really deliver on the promise of the previous books. It doesn't match them in terms of quality, contradicts them on a number of plot and characterization points, and most damningly drops a lot of major plot and thematic elements that were set up throughout the rest of the series.

Normally, I post theories on this blog, and what I usually do is solve plot holes, but I'm currently rereading Deathly Hallows, and I honestly forgot how stupid some decisions there are. So, I'm compiling some of them here to maybe theorize and solve these plot holes later. But for now, I'm baffled.

1. I just reached the part where they started camping in the woods, and Harry just started being hungry, and I don't think I can adequately describe how dumb that is. Like, I can get wanting to stay hidden and stuff, but why not call Kreacher?

I mean, Harry showed in HBP he can just call Kreacher to him:

But the question was, how to call him? What did you do? Quietly, tentatively, Harry spoke into the darkness. “Kreacher?” There was a very loud crack, and the sounds of scuffling and squeaks filled the silent room.

(HBP, 419)

Why not call Kreacher and tell him to bring food to the tent? He's a house-elf, so he could apparate through their wards with no problem. They could've had Kreacher's cooking still, I just don't get it.

2. They didn't actually need to leave Grimmauld Place at all. The book explains it like this:

“Harry, I think he can. I—I forced him to let go with a Revulsion Jinx, but I’d already taken him inside the Fidelius Charm’s protection. Since Dumbledore died, we’re Secret-Keepers, so I’ve given him the secret, haven’t I?” There was no pretending; Harry was sure she was right. It was a serious blow. If Yaxley could now get inside the house, there was no way that they could return. Even now, he could be bringing other Death Eaters in there by Apparition.

(DH, 271)

But Yaxley wouldn't be a Secret Keeper, he couldn't bring other Death Eaters inside. This isn't how the magic works.

After Dumbledore dies, everyone he told the secret to becomes the Secret Keeper. Hermione is a Secret Keeper. She can reveal the secret to Yaxley by appparating him, but that doesn't turn Yaxley into a Secret Keeeper. It's just one Death Eater who knows how to get in that Harry and Co can kidnap, obliviate, or kill if they're really stressed about it. Yaxley couldn't bring anyone else inside regardless of how much he wanted to. He isn't a Secret Keeper, so all the other Death Eaters would've had to wait outside and watch the place the house should be in like they did up to this point.

And sure, Snape is a Secret Keeper but considering he somehow lied his way out of telling them the secret, even though we see Death Eaters stationed outside Grimmauld Place, I think it's safe to say, he wouldn't tell even after Yaxley knew and potentially returned with this information. I mean, the fact the Death Eaters are watching outside Grimmauld Place tells us Snape didn't tell them, and it should tell Harry, Ron, and Hermione Snape didn't betray the secret, as otherwise, the Death Eaters would've just broken in to search for them.

3. If we're talking of the Fidelius Charm and Secret Keepers, I don't get why Bill and Arthur Weasley have to be their own Secret Keepers. Why create this plot hole so late in the game? I mean, up until book 7, I didn't question why James and Lily had to have a third party as their Secret Keeper. It was just how the spell worked. Well, not anymore.

So, now I have to wonder why they were convinced they needed someone else, someone outside the house? Perhaps it was out of paranoia? So that if something happened to them anyway there'd be someone outside who could bring help?

4. And don't even get me started on the Battle of the Seven Potters. I mean, apparition or side-along apparition are completely viable methods of transportation, so why brooms? Wtf?

I mean, the Order makes this same ludicrous decision in OotP, when they transport Harry from the Dursleys to Grimmauld Place on brooms, so at least they're consistent in their stupidity.

Like, I could make an excuse for the use of brooms if they're trying to evade the Trace. According to how I believe the Trace works, the Trace wouldn't pick up on a broom the same way it didn't pick up on the flying Ford Angelica. It's an item already enchanted, magic isn't being cast, so it doesn't pick on it. So, while the Trace would pick up on apparition, it won't pick up on broom flight.

The problem with this is that in OotP we see the Order cast magic inside the Dursleys' house, making any chance of avoiding the Trace moot:

“Don’t be stupid, it’ll be much quicker if I — pack!” cried Tonks, waving her wand in a long, sweeping movement over the floor. Books, clothes, telescope, and scales all soared into the air and flew pell-mell into the trunk.

(OotP, 53)

And in DH, Harry is already 17, and the Trace shouldn't be a problem for him, so this excuse doesn't really hold water...

I'm sure I'll remember more as I continue reading, but these are the ones that really bother me now. Rant over (at least until I find a hopefully not super contrived way to make all this make sense in-universe).

[comicaurora]

Hi, Red! Love your work! 1. How do you deal with writing characters different from yourself? I've been struggling with that.

2.Any tips on worldbuilding? I've got decent OCs but worldbuilding...how do you even start!? There's so much to do and my mind blanks!

3.Kyana is lovely and I would befriend and hug her if I could! Thanks!

this is hilarious because two out of three of these questions are massive subjective mysteries you could fill tomes discussing and still not be done with just casually fired off in the same breath as "nice OC"

This question has two answers that are both equally true and equally unhelpful: every writer puts a piece of themself into their characters and it is impossible for them to write someone completely unlike themself, and every writer is a creative engine capable of conceiving an entire universe of unique characters that are utterly distinct from one another and their creator. The only requirement to write a character is that the writer needs to understand their internal logic, which can have very little in common with how the writer acts or thinks of themself, but must make sense to the author in order for the character to feel coherent and internally solid. This is most obvious in villains; The Collector is essentially a hyperextension of scientific curiosity coupled with a complete disconnect from the lives and well-being of the people she involves in her work, because she's operating on a sense of scale from which mortal lives are absolutely inconsequential. Doesn't mean I think murder is fine, it just means I understand why she thinks that. I find it helps to start simple, with how a character feels about certain things - what do they want, what do they fear, what makes them mad, what doesn't bother them. This can have very little in common with what you, the writer, feel about those things, and that's a good starting point to work from in building out a complete character who functions as more than just a vessel for the writer.

This isn't what you're supposed to do for pure hard worldbuilding, but honestly start with what you need. If your character has to come from a culture with specific traits in order to justify them having certain ideas/skills/experiences, build that first and then logic out from there. If you want a cool-ass wizard with a specific set of abilities, fix those as key points of your burgeoning magic system and then fill in the connecting bits in-between. If you have one super cool moment you really want to play out, figure out what parts you need for that moment to happen - weapons, locations, powers, supporting characters - and lock them in. Building a world too rigidly and too thoroughly can impede your ability to write new cool stuff, and that's not good at this early stage of the process, so give yourself wiggle-room to figure things out or add more interesting concepts later. Start with the people and places that matter to those OCs you already have, then start bridging gaps. As a general rule, adults don't ask "why?" more than twice about the same thing, so if you're worrying about depth of development, just answer two layers deep. "Why is this character such an incredibly cool badass?" "They're from a culture of warriors that train them starting very young." "Why does their culture train warriors so early?" "The environment they live in is very dangerous so they have to be able to take care of themselves starting early." Boom, two layers done. If you want to elaborate either of those answers with specific fun details, you absolutely can and should - what specific training is involved, what kinds of threats they know how to handle, what they consider to be dangerous, etc. Since the backbone of the question has already been answered, the rest is icing and flavor that gives your worldbuilding detail and character.

[snikerdoodle-kukis]

What if My MC and Phoebe Met?

Phoebe isn't my oc, she's @phoenix-manga 's oc! This person is actually the reason I got to inspiration to make a twisted wonderland x pokemon crossover fanfic. I wanted to do something nice for them, because why not. I was going to draw Phoebe and my Mc, Iridia together, but artists block stopped that idea. Then I wanted to write a short story with them, but I couldn't get any ideas, so in the end I just stuck with a couple of headcanons thrown together in the middle of the night. I hope i didn't butcher Phoebe's personality. Enjoy!

How would these two even meet? Well, anything is possible in the Pokémon universe, considering how the og Archer and Maxie designs appeared in pkmn sun and moon (I think)

So yeah, these two are from alternate universes, and they just so happened to meet. Hey, with Arceus, anything is possible!

Iridia would just love Phoebe. She'd see her as a little sister, despite there (technically) only being a one year difference between them.

Iridia would tell Phoebe about the (very concerning) things that had happened to her. Like that time an Alpha Garchomp almost bit her head off.

"And then BAM! Before I knew it, there was an Alpha Garchomp's teeth around my neck!"

"What?! :0"

Speaking of Alpha pokemon, Iridia has an alpha drifblim named Cloud! Cloud is about 9 feet tall, so Iridia would take Phoebe on a ride. Phoebe was wary of Cloud, because of its size and Pokédex entries, but she warmed up to it rather quickly

Iridia showing Phoebe her Currydéx that she got from Galar. Iridia made her a dish and she was in absolute heaven

Phoebe wondering how Iridia could have so many Pokémon. Like, she has a Steelix and multiple Alpha pokemon. How does she keep up with all of them?? But whenever she asks, Iridia gives her an awkward pat on her back and tells her not to worry about it

Iridia has a bag filled with everything she needs on her travels: a camp set up, her pc, a storage pocket for her berries, changes of clothes… if you can name it, she probably has it in her bag. She had this bag custom made for her so it could fit all that stuff. Iridia offered to get Phoebe one made, since she wanted her to have a little souvenir when she went back to her universe.

Iridia finds it funny how some of her and Phoebe's experiences in Twisted Wonderland were similar. Like how they were both the Prefect of Ramshackle, how Grim crashed the entrance ceremony… so on

Phoebe was absolutely shocked, gobsmacked, bamboozled, at how Iridia ate a tamato berry with little to no struggle. (She honestly should've seen it coming with how many spicy curry dishes she had in her Currydéx)

Iridia introduced Phoebe to this show called Teenage Mutant Ninja Carracosta and they both binged it at (Phoebe's) Ramshackle. The Adeuce duo and Grim were very shocked to see Iridia there, to say the least

Phoebe and Iridia's Rotomdéxes do not get along for whatever reason. When Iridia asked why they didn't get along, Dexter, Phoebe's Rotomdéx, said something along the lines of "They think they're smarter than me just because they're older…" He didn't elaborate and Iridia didn't ask again.

Iridia says that upon her entering twisted wonderland, her pc box broke, scattering her pokemon all across the island. Phoebe could only imagine what chaos ensued.

Like the time Iridia's Garboder was found in Pomefiore, eating the trash, and how her Chandelure was found on top of one of the chandeliers in the cafeteria, or how her 7 feet tall Octillery was found in Mostro Lounge's kitchen, eating some of the leftovers. Good times, good times.

Iridia's Miraidon really didn't like Ace for some reason. They seem to have this unseen rivalry.

Speaking of Miraidon, Iridia fell off it while Deuce was driving (it reminded him of a magical wheel so he wanted to drive) and Miraidon noticed she fell off but didn't bother stopping… what a menace

Iridia had challenged Pheobe to a Pokémon battle in Ramshackle's yard. The first years were super nosey and watched the battle go down. To put it short, Iridia was like Cynthia, but on steroids. Scary. After a solid hour and 30 max revives later, Phoebe didn't end up winning, but she did come dangerously close. The first years were floored at seeing a battle between their friend and a Champion.

Once it was time for Iridia to leave, she gave Phoebe a Champion badge (I know Champions don't give out badges but I like to think they do) even though she lost. Phoebe was shocked, but she kept the badge somewhere safe.

Phoebe wondered if she'd see Iridia again. With how weird the world is, most likely

It's a bit lazy, but I hope you like it. And part two? Uhhh, maybe??? And Merry Christmas to anyone who celebrates it