#telepaths are being oppressed

[saturngalore]

afrofuturism🪐

☆ one ~ solange hair by darknightt (tsr warning) ☆ two ~ loretta hair by @simtric ☆ three ~ bahati braids by @sheabuttyr ☆ four ~ isonoe hair by octetsica ☆ five ~ binah braids by @sheabuttyr ☆ six ~ cornrows & curls hair by @leeleesims1 ☆ seven ~ indie hair by @sashima ☆ eight ~ loc petals by @shespeakssimlish ☆ nine ~ mnemosyne hair by octetsica ☆

mini dedication essay to black simmers and ts4 creators below! pls read if you have the chance! <3

this edit is a small homage to afrofuturism and the various unique black hairstyles (and especially the black creators of most of these hairs) that i have downloaded and admired over the years! some of these are old and some of these are new.

to me, afrofuturism means constantly honoring/reclaiming/challenging the past while constantly creating/dreaming of a better society/world/future. a society/world/future that embraces and empowers all of our differences, ingenuity, aspirations, and unique lived/cultural experiences. a society/world/future that does not limit us through the various systems of marginalization and oppression (racism, homophobia, transphobia, fatphobia, sexism, xenophobia, ableism, classism, colorism, etc.) that often affects how we, as black people, live today.

blackness is so diverse and intricate yet it's always been a struggle to find my culture within a game that's known for being so limiting, bland, and extremely eurocentric when it comes to hairstyles, clothing, food traditions/events, etc. black simmers have always had to figure out how to make this game more inclusive and make it resemble either more like how our ancestors lived, how our current lives are, or how we would want our lives (and even our children's lives) to look like in the future no matter how dystopian the real world look and feel now. fortunately, these hairs and their uniqueness bring a huge sense of culture and style to this game. they have always inspired me and made me feel extremely proud to a part of the lovely african diaspora (and the ever-growing black simmer community).

in a way, being a black simmer and cc creator usually means that we are often digitally creating our own worlds as afrofuturists to varying degrees (whether we know it or not) every time we open our game, make our sims, make houses, and/or make black cultural cc. also, now i know that cc making is not easy to do and is extremely time-consuming so this post is also just me giving all black cc creators especially those who create for free their well-deserved flowers! here are some other black cc creators who created cc that have greatly impacted my game since i first started playing sims 4: @/leeleesims1 @/simtric @/hi-land @/yuyulie @/sims4bradshaw @/ebonixsims @/xmiramira @/sheabuttyr @/qwertysims @/oplerims @/sleepingsims @/shespeakssimlish and so many more im forgetting probably (im too shy rn to tag ppl but i greatly appreciate y’all fr i hope y’all telepathically get this message somehow 😭).

last but not least, i am hoping that this inspires somebody to keep creating or start creating regardless of what they think their skill level is! somebody will absolutely fall in love with your work and/or your art/work will 100% change someone's game forever <333

[ffverr]

On the discourse (that somehow still exists) of why the X-Men are feared and hated but other genetically modified heroes like the Fantastic Four or some of the Avengers aren't :

I still see this argument online that some people, usually not X-Men fans, pull out in a sort of gotcha moment. To kind of stick it to Marvel for being unrealistic or to vouch for the fearing of other heroes in the marvel universe to tip the scales.

There are two points for the "why is *random x-men* oppressed and not *random marvel hero*" discourse that people are always intentionally missing.

One- A base of mutant fear and repression is the argument that "it could happen to your children too". It could happen to ANYONE, from birth, and there is nothing you can do about it. No being careful of scientific experiences can stop your close ones from becoming a mutant. (Kind of like people are okay with gay celebrities as long as they're doing their thing from afar but it's a threat when it comes to their children/Friends/family being gay)

They layed it on thick with this amazing advertisment back in the day: "do you know what your children are"??? I mean come on it's not rocket science

Fun fact, the kid labeled "mutie" here is actually Franklin Richards, son of Mister Fantastic and Invisible woman. He used to be a mutant and this goes to show how somehow johnny storm can be beloved but his super powered nephew doesn't get the same treatment.

Two- Spider-Man, the F4, the Avengers etc... All these heros who get some powers by some incident. They're supposed to be rare and few in between. The fear of mutants mainly comes from the fact that they started popping up in the MILLIONS. A mutant isn't necessarly seen as an honorable individual that acquires powers and realises they have the responsibility to use it for good. To humans, they're millions of people (or at least hundreds of thousands) that are, just by existing, threatening the status quo of humanity. They are changing the natural dominance of humans for good.

So of course humans love the F4 (usually). Because they're not scared to be replaced by them in their day to day life, however they are scared to be rendered obsolete by mutants. When humans look at the F4 they see brave selfless HUMAN heroes. They relate to them, they identify with them. They're a sweet family dedicated to the world's safety. In contrast, the mutants represent a world changing threat that truly shifts the balance. And that's not comfy at all no matter how cute or harmless the power is.

This difference can even cause very understandable tension in between the X-men and other super powered groups:

In short, the mutant moral panic comes from the fact that for exemple:

-humans are afraid to loose their jobs to super powered level talents.

-humans are scared from groups of super powered people that could threaten their safety.

-Governments are scared of these groups being the equivalent of entire armies concentrated in a single individual.

- They're scared that their children could turn into something unimaginable once they hit puberty

-And some just hate the idea of being manipulated by a random telepath on the street without ever knowing.

In contrast of Spider-Man, humans feel like nature is done with homo sapiens and THAT'S what brings hate and fear.

That's why everytime a mutant hate crime happens in the comics, it's always accompanied by some human saying "y'think you're better than us weirdo".

+ Contrary to the avengers, mutants also claim a culture, a shared history and common experiences between thousands. This binds them together in a way they doesn't necessarly make them identify with humans. And this is overall irritating and scary to humans.

Also, religious fear-mongering of mutants is rampant!!! It does a ton to set appart the mutants from the scientifically modified heros of the marvel universe.

In the end, one of the best comic to portray this whole thing is still God loves man Kills.

It depicts a villain, Striker, that gains popularity by spreading religious propaganda to justify mutant hate. In an emotional and shocking twist, we come to find that Striker has had a mutant son, that he killed with his own hand because he was a "monster".

You can understand how Captain America, with his super body, doesn't really evoke the same existential dread. Bigotry isn't rational, but also, a shit ton of things complicate the mutant's inclusion into society that doesn't necessarly parallel perfectly with real world struggles so that's also to take into consideration.

[aphroditelovesu]

Cyrus and Aella Headcanons

❝commission: headcannons about the twins (Cyrus and Aella). — requested by 💻 anon.

❝ 📜 — lady l: I spent a few days thinking about how to create a different but complementary personality for the twins and this came out, I think it turned out good. They're my babies, my first OC's to be honest, and I need to write more for them. I hope you like it and forgive me if there are any mistakes! ❤️

❝tw: none.

❝📜word count: 1,208.

Cyrus and Aella have complementary personalities. Cyrus is calmer and more reflective, while Aella is energetic and adventurous. 

From a young age, Cyrus has always demonstrated a serene and contemplative nature. He is a deep thinker, often lost in his own thoughts. He prefers to analyze situations before acting, evaluating all possible consequences.

His ability to formulate complex strategies is unparalleled. Cyrus loves studying ancient texts on military tactics and philosophy, drawing inspiration from great thinkers like Aristotle, who was also a mentor to his father.

Aella, on the other hand, is a true free spirit. Since she was a child, she was known for her tireless energy and thirst for adventure. Always looking for new experiences, she loves exploring unknown territories and engaging in challenging activities.

Aella has a natural talent for leadership. Her courage and determination inspire those around her, and she quickly gains the loyalty of her followers. On the battlefield, her presence is motivating, and her strategy skills are admirable. If she could (and perhaps can) carry a sword, she will.

Unlike Cyrus, Aella often acts on intuition. She trusts her instincts and is willing to take risks that others would avoid. This approach, while risky, often leads to surprisingly positive results.

Aella has a strong sense of justice and is a fervent defender of the oppressed. She does not hesitate to fight for causes she believes are just, even if it means confronting powerful adversaries and defying the laws that prohibit her from doing what she wants just because she is a woman.

The combination of her personalities creates a perfect balance. While Cyrus plans and calculates every move with precision, Aella is ready to act quickly and face any challenge with courage and vigor. If they decided to rule together, it would be almost impossible to stop them.

In crises, Cyrus can calm and guide Aella, while she can encourage him to step out of his comfort zone and make bolder decisions. They complement each other.

Communication between the twins is almost telepathic. They understand each other with a simple exchange of glances, allowing for fluid and efficient collaboration, whether in strategic discussions or battles.

This complementarity makes them unbeatable, whether in the administration of the empire, in leading armies, or in diplomacy. They support each other, using their strengths to cover each other's weaknesses.

Since they were little, Cyrus and Aella have developed a secret language that they use to communicate without others understanding. This makes them even more united and inseparable.

Language includes a combination of hand gestures, facial expressions, small sounds, and even visual cues. Each gesture or sound has a specific meaning, allowing for quick and effective communication.

In situations where they need to communicate without being overheard by others, such as in strategic meetings or on the battlefield or just to hide secrets from their parents, secret language is essential. It allows them to share critical information with others.

Alexander's passion for exploring and conquering unknown lands is inherited by Aella, who frequently ventures beyond the borders of the empire, always accompanied by Cyrus, who prefers to explore through study and diplomacy.

From an early age, Alexander the Great recognized the extraordinary potential of his twin children, Cyrus and Aella. He made sure that they both received exhaustive training in combat and strategy, aware that their skills would be essential to the continuity and expansion of the empire.

In addition to practical training, Cyrus dedicated himself intensely to theoretical studies. He read the texts of Aristotle, Socrates and other philosophers and historians, seeking to understand the dynamics of power, war and politics. His evenings were often spent in the library, where he studied maps and developed new strategies. Cyrus has developed a close bond with his uncle Hephaestion, mainly because they look so much alike.

Cyrus saw Hephaestion as a trusted figure to whom he could turn for advice and emotional support. Hephaestion, in turn, saw in Cyrus a reflection of himself and was dedicated to guiding him in the best way possible. Hephaestion helped Cyrus hone his diplomatic skills, teaching him to negotiate and mediate conflicts with the same effectiveness he demonstrated on the battlefield.

Aella, from a young age, showed an innate talent for combat, despite not actually fighting because she was not allowed to. Her training included a wide range of fighting techniques, from wielding swords and spears to hand-to-hand combat. She trained daily with the best warriors in the army, improving her strength, agility and precision. Due to her aptitude for fighting, although it was not common at the time, Aella ended up becoming quite close to Cleitus, who was mainly the one who taught her.

Cleitus, known for his skill and bravery on the battlefield, dedicated himself to training Aella in advanced hand-to-hand combat techniques. Under his guidance, Aella perfected her use of swords, spears and unarmed combat. Cleitus also focused on developing Aella's stamina and agility, subjecting her to rigorous exercises that made her not only strong but also quick and flexible. This prepared her to face opponents of different sizes and fighting styles.

Aella has a strong connection with nature and animals. She often spends her time in forests and mountains, while Cyrus prefers gardens and libraries. However, they both share a deep love for the natural world.

(Y/N), Alexandre's wife and mother of the twins ensures that her children receive a complete education, with tutors from different areas of knowledge. Cyrus shows great interest in philosophy and history, while Aella is interested in poetry and music.

Cyrus devotes hours to the study of great philosophers, including Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. He enjoys debates about ethics, politics and the nature of knowledge, often discussing these ideas with his tutors and applying them to his life and strategic decisions.

He analyzes the strategies of historical leaders, learning from their successes and failures. This enriches his own strategic capabilities, helping him develop innovative tactics for military campaigns.

Aella studies the works of great Greek poets, such as Homer and Hesiod, as well as the lyrics of Sappho and Pindar. She writes her own verses, expressing her emotions and experiences through poetry. There is no doubt that she inherited her father's love of reading, especially the Iliad.

Aella learns to play several instruments, such as the lyre and the flute and receives training in singing. Her tutors teach her about music theory, composition, and the Greek musical tradition.

The twins feel an innate curiosity about their mother's heritage and if given the opportunity, they will visit their mother's time to learn about her origins and cultures other than Greek.

Over time, Alexandre begins to trust his children's advice more and more. Cyrus becomes a trusted strategist, while Aella helps inspire and lead the troops, earning the soldiers' respect, just as her mother did years ago.

Despite the fierce love and loyalty that exists between the twins, there is a healthy rivalry between Cyrus and Aella, especially during training and games. This rivalry encourages them to constantly surpass each other.

After Alexander's death, Cyrus and Aella assume central roles in preserving and expanding the empire. Cyrus focuses on strengthening diplomatic alliances, while Aella leads military campaigns, both keeping their father's legacy alive.

[icanseethefuture333]

The Astrological Observation of Gen Z, (a series)

Part I 👼🏽🩷:

The rise & fall of "chick flicks" & the possible resurgence of those films thanks to Barbie? 💗 + Victoria's Secret Angels/fashion show makes a come back, will it succeed 👼🏽?

SPOILER ALERT

Here is the birth chart (placidus) of the most loved and adored doll of all time, Barbie! The Barbie movie begun filming in March 2022, had it's first premiere on July 9th, 2023, and was aired officially on July 21st, 2023. If the movie started to be filmed in March 2022, then that means the movie would have been created during Barbie's solar return. The movie was going to have a big impact on the world from the moment it was produced. Although, yes of course it's Barbie who's super famous, but I believe that the intention behind the film was more sincere than other movies in comparison. In Barbie's solar return chart, there is a fear of being "forgotten" or "lost", which is exactly what Barbie struggled with in the movie. There is an Aquarius dominance and a 11th and 9th house stellium. Her North node, Moon, and Uranus are in her 12th house which deals with the subconscious. In the film, Barbie and the woman who owned her as a little girl had a telepathic connection (Aquarius Venus at 2° in the 9th house), which she did not know until she started having "oppressive thoughts about death" (Aquarius Mercury in the 10th house at 28°). Which Weird Barbie gives her a "choice" of going back to normal or knowing the secrets of the universe (a spiritual awakening). Which then explains how her 11th house and 9th house partnered together in the film. Friendship, philosophy, and wisdom all being important lessons that Barbie was forced to experience. Barbie's journey throughout the movie was painful and scary. She wasn't able to be the one to give advice or help little girls anymore, this time - people had to help her, which gave her the confidence to become the woman she wanted to become (Barbie has so many squares and conjuctions in her solar return chart, like let me go buy a Barbie doll and tell her how much I love her, I'm so sorryyyy 💔😭).

Barbie's transits on the day of the Barbie movie's official release. Aspects that are standing out to me are Part of Fortune sextile Pluto, Uranus sextile Moon, Pluto sextile Jupiter, Mercury trine Venus, and Mars square Ascendant. The movie will go down as a cult classic. It globally is a big hit on social media and caused people to even dress, think, and feel differently (especially regarding their femininity). The mars square ascendant could be why men or people with internalized toxic masculinity feel uncomfortable with the movie. It triggers something in them and I feel like secretly that men who say they hate Barbie, actually love her??? They could be remembering childhood memories of the doll and possibly even wanted to play with one but weren't allowed to or wished they spent more time with their moms or sisters. The Mercury trine Venus represents how the film was able to convey women's thoughts well and the things they wish they could say but were suppressed due to the patriarchy. Women as a whole really love Barbie or think highly of her. The film's hypothetical birth chart has a 12th house stellium and still conveys the significance of intuition and the subconscious mind. What's beautiful is the film's Pluto is in the 5th house at 29° in retrograde. If they intended to have people reconnect with their inner child, then it was done successfully. Which confirms my belief and also hope for sweet, sappy, inspiring chick flicks about friendships and self love happening again.

This wouldn't be a post about the 2000's if we didn't discuss the Victoria Secret's fashion show. The first episode was released on August 1st, 1995 during prime time so around 8 pm PST / 10 pm EST. Here is the hypothetical chart (placidus) of the Victoria's Secret Fashion show. I have never in my life seen so many retrogrades before, YIKES! The show has a lot of karmic debt and with the amount of scandals the company had, I'm not even surprised. Saturn in the 1st house, so there is a strict beauty standard that the show wants to uphold and dislikes when someone else tries to break the mold. I watched the Victoria Secret documentary and this is what was said as well. The women who worked there tried to bring more inclusivity to the company and the men acted very pompous and stubborn whenever they tried to create positive changes. They wanted to get away with their cookie cutter looks and corrupted desires. North node being at 0° the fashion show was supposed to embrace change and throughout the years resisted it's main intention or purpose of making women feel sexy. Now that they are trying to rebrand, they'd really have to really get over their ego in order to succeed. The exact date and time of the upcoming fashion show is unsure but it will be aired sometime in the fall. With the Victoria Secret's Fashion Show Sun sign being in Leo, then that means the episode will air right after it's solar return (I'm noticing a pattern here of companies releasing projects after it's solar return👀). Things seem to be going in the show's favor and it will be fair or more inclusive as they said it would be. There is a 7th house stellium here and a Moon in the 1st house so it seems as though they want to come off as genuine as possible. Saturn still remains in the 1st house, so there is still some stern energy here, maybe the rules for the models is strict or there is some sort of tight schedule for the show? Jupiter in the 3rd house, people will be talking about it or there's going to be articles/podcasts about the show. Pluto square South Node, the company's past scandals will still linger in the air. Uranus trine Chiron, someone in PR could write formal apologies to the staff? Saturn square Jupiter, Saturn is not done with them yet. It's literally grabbing them by the throat and saying "repent for your sins". It's not great, but not terrible either, but I'm leaning towards the fashion show will do just fine. The women will be exceptionally beautiful and the style of the clothes is gonna be different. It could take some time for people to be on board again with the show airing due to past controversies. Some will enjoy it for nostalgia, while others will not care to watch because it's not their thing or won't watch out of support for the victims.

The Tour '23's birth chart (whole sign)

The show having its Aquarius Moon in the 12th house 24° is very significant in my opinion given the fact it displays the hidden nature of women and the different aspects of the divine feminine. I watched it today and there was a lot of focus on motherhood, feeling unique or out of place in the world (a lot of people saying they felt like an alien), and having different body types, attributes, or features being seen. With an Aries chiron and north node, I feel their way of approaching things was more blunt and why they were more comfortable exhibiting/talking about scars, stretch marks, protesting, and (tw:) eating disorders. Another interesting aspect I noticed was mostly the narrator Gigi Hadid and the show has a Virgo Mercury in the 7th house 16°. Quite a few of the women narrating were mothers themselves, such as Gigi Hadid. Gigi has her Mercury in the 1st house and she has a Taurus stellium. The 7th house is connected to Venus and it is known for beauty, femininity, and love. There was also 5 segments all around the world but the show made its debut in Lagos, Nigeria. The Pisces ascendant I believe explains the fluidity and ability to transform or adapt to your environment. As well as being sensitive, free spirited, and having spiritual consciousness, for example, there was the use of Yoruba and Igbo mythology in the fashion show. The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show originally had a Leo stellium and it was more superficial, a lot of hyper focus on glitz and glam. Where as now there is a Pisces stellium and still has a familiarity of signs from its original birth chart (the essence of Libra, Taurus, and Leo still being there). The Capricorn Pluto in the 11th house 27° acknowledges what they have done in the past and their problematic behavior. With 27° being a Gemini degree, its as if the company is wanting to say to the generation: "Let's talk about it". The fashion designers in the documentary all discussed the importance of self expression and their hardships to get there. Doja Cat being the main performer of the series isn't surprising given the fact she is also a Libra Sun. Similar to the show, Doja and Victoria's Secret, are both known for being quite controversial (perfect pair, don't you think?). With The Tour 23's Sun being in the 8th house, it feels that it is the death of their ego. A new chapter for the company, while still keeping some parts of itself and it's past. Neptune and Saturn being in the 1st house explains why everyone was so vulnerable about their journey, insecurities, and dealing with self criticism. With its ascendant being a leo degree (5°) I believe it will gain some traction or buzz because of the individualistic style and fresh new faces / designers, but it won't be anything that will people talk about long term.

[oblivionbladetd]

As much as I enjoy reading everyone's 50 Villains lists (they're basically rec lists! complex villains are fun!) I have to rattle the bar cages for a moment to emphasize that the actual challenge has always been dumb as hell because Lily is, once again, over-generalizing a specific strain of criticism, explaining it poorly, and being embarrassingly smug about her own failure to communicate.

In an attempt to keep this brief, I'll just point at the discourse around Daisy Fitzroy from Bioshock Infinite, which is extensive and covers all the fundamental points: A (black!) character with a righteous cause was abruptly tarred by the brush of unforgivable extremism, making her a 'villain'. It was done very poorly and received a lot of understandable backlash, and spurred wider discussion around the trend of revolutionary characters in particular having their political grievances cheaply undercut because oh no they killed kids and kicked puppies, instead of the narrative fairly engaging with their arguments.

THIS IS THE DISCOURSE LILY IS ULTIMATELY GETTING AT. It's recognizable if you're the kind of big old nerd who's sat around in relevant corners of Tumblr and TV Tropes long enough to spot its echoes at 30 paces.

Alas, Lily being Lily, she dumbed it down Lily's Writing Tips style to "it's impossible to write a villain with a point and do it well (because if they have a point, why are they the villain)", didn't really explain the context when people were clearly confused, didn't explain the specifics of the generalized terms she was using, and thus set up a 'challenge' that was impossible to actually 'beat', because of course she's not interested in creating a fair and fun competition for people to thoughtfully engage with, she's interested in setting up people to dunk on for the crime of not being telepathic.

Anyway. I hope people continue to make lists. I just hope they're also aware Lily's challenge was a dead end from the start.

Absolutely. A huge part of my personal beef with her is she is a fucking master of glancing off of, but never actually hitting the point. It's fuckin all over her work too.

Her two "is garbage " videos very conveniently leave out the mismanagement at the levels higher than executive producer that hurt the shows far more than anything anyone on the ground did.

Her talk of Mary Sue's have some merit as more than a few dudebro's will just slap it on a female character being any level of competent, but does end up divorcing it from it's original use as a signifier that a protagonist isn’t very compelling by way of authorial bias.

G is an absolute fountain of potential to say so much about the pokemon and real worlds, but alas, in Lily's hands, that fountain remains bone dry.

As you said with the list of 50, she's glancing the very real discourse of villainizing victims of oppression only to land on every villain should be some guy that huffed bad vibes out of a sandwich bag and has been the worst ever since... A villain that doesn't have any semblance of a point is just a flat character, fine if that's all you need, but sorely lacking as the complexity of the story increases.

[cuttyclowngirl]

Daima EP.4 (Spoiler) review/theories

• My bad Glorio, I wasn't familiar with your game. He actually can fly & is a league stronger than I thought. I was wrong. Good. He's even more fascinating than before. How does a demon from the 3rd world obtain such strength? Why would he need it if he was a simple bounty hunter/assassin as viewers suspect? All that & he can't sense ki?

• Glorio & Shin's (Supreme Kai's) "U can't fool me" dynamic continues to grow ever more tense. Who's going to crack first?

• Glorio sorta gave up on on finding his plane almost immediately in favor of finding a new vehicle. Was the plane even his to begin with? He also doesn't seem to care that about being late to see King Kandan. The nearest Tamagami is miles in the opposite direction they've been heading so far & Glorio still insisted they just gather the balls instead of prioritizing the meeting with Kadan, which tells me he never actually intended to see the 3rd world King & probably wasn't sent by King Kadan.

• Glorio suddenly switching up & almost insisting they gather the balls, coupled with that "All according to plan" smirk/hmph is further feeding into my theory about him working for Dr Arinsu. (There were two shots in the conversation where Glorio's eyes are suspiciously off screen) She was probably watching on a Magic Monitor & sent Glorio a telepathic message/order.

• The shopkeeper couple are absolutely lovely "one & done" type silly characters. Love their designs, their bits, their voices & interactions. I hope they'll be featured in future video games. (Glorio is such an experienced haggler, he even saw through a not so obvious deafness trick. Tells me Glorio socializes a lot.)

• "Medi Bugs". Toriyama never missed an opportunity to remind everyone that JRPGs were one of his special interests, huh? Revive Bug restores stamina. (Compared to Senzu, but wasn't stated to have healing properties. Let's remember that.) Achichi Bug heals burns, Zutsu Bug cures headaches, Beaut Bugs make your skin silky. JOIN BUG: "Feed halves to 2 people & they can fuse for a while". Introducing a Demon Realm exclusive type fusion. Can't wait to see what it looks like.

• Aside from the multiple unnamed Medi Bugs Goku made Glorio ("Goliro" lmao) buy, which we saw in his bag, the shopkeeper lady said they had "most of the different types of Medi Bugs", meaning even more might be introduced later. She also called the Medi Bugs "souvenirs" so they're clearly not rare/hard to find.

• The heavy air yields yet another obstacle in the form of even lower mobility in any attempt at flying at high speeds. "It expends a lot of energy & will tire you out quickly".

• Poor Shin has to keep Goku on task like a kid on a leash, reminding him that the main mission is rescuing baby Dende.

• As I had hoped, the Tamagamis are strong, even by Glorio's standards to the point he's never heard of anyone gathering all 3 balls. So Goku & crew will be the first in ages to do so.

• Demons apparently believe their set of D balls are the originals. Fandom discourse fuel right there.

• "Sky seeds". Shin said he's never heard of one, meaning the "Great Fiend Flower" & their Sky seeds are 3rd world exclusive. The whimsical orchestral cover of Jaka Jann coupled with Goku's attitude throughout the Sky seed riding sequence was pure dragon ball charm. (I got a lil emotional.)

• The Supreme King's military police are called "Gendarmerie" a word derived from the medieval French phrase "gens d'armes" meaning "Men-at-arms".

• Finding out that the red Magic Collars we've seen several demons already wearing are actually oppression devices really hurt me when I remembered that those lovely shopkeepers were wearing them too... I think the scarf Panzy wears is either hiding her collar or concealing an awful scar caused by her manually removing her's that she'd rather no one see.

• What could the life force sucked out of poor demons by that awful machine possibly be for? Keeping the Supreme King young and strong? Like in "Go Go Ackman" where the souls of dead humans kept the demon king young & strong?

•Goku & crew are fugitives now. The obstacles just keep staking. (Bulma's def gonna yell at someone.)

• Panzy seems to be your classic plucky eccentric rebel who's inventions only work half the time, which already sorta sets her apart from Bulma the giga genius & GT's Pan. I look forward to her future antics & discovering her motivation for traveling with Goku & crew. (She should either learn how to fly or make herself a pair of roller skates for quick getaways.) There seemed to be some focus on her eyes. Could her eye color be an additional plot point? I don't remember any other demon having purple eyes like her's specifically, but I'm probably reading into it too much.

[stitching-in-time]

Voyager rewatch s3 ep6: Remember

I love B'Elanna episodes, and this is one of her best. There's so much good material for B'Elanna here, and Roxann Dawson gives a fantastically nuanced and hearfelt performance, playing both her and the character of Korenna in this one.

This is probably one of the best episodes of the whole series in terms of directly, confrontationally taking on a relevant social issue, in the way that the original series did in the 60s. The absolutely terrifying thing about it is how much more revelant it's gotten since it first aired, and it just shows how important Star Trek is in terms of saying things that no other show would talk about, or would even be allowed to talk about, in today's political climate.

It starts off nice and normal, with some aliens, the Enarans, visiting Voyager and helping them make some improvements in engineering. B'Elanna is working with two of the scientists, who have been there for a few days, and who she has a good rapport with. We get a little scene with B'Elanna being Harry's wingman with the younger scientist, who likes him (B'Elanna and Harry are such cute bffs!!! I love it!!!) and then B'Elanna goes back to her quarters, where she goes to sleep and has a very racy dream, and has to be woken up from it the next morning because she missed the start of her duty shift. She then tells her other bff Chakotay all about her racy dream, and he's all like 'get it girl, I won't telll anybody you were late for work because of your sex dream, I got you fam.' (Because on Star Trek, people just tell their friends about their sex dreams, or the sexy candle ghosts they inherit, whatever. Nobody has any boundaries on a starship, I guess! lol)

But she keeps having the dreams, and in them she seems to be experiencing someone else's life. Eventually the dreams break through when she's awake, and when she collapses in the corridor, they realize their telepathic alien visitors must be behind it somehow, but they deny intentionally doing anything.

Meanwhile, the dreams go from being fun and romantic to more and more serious. Korenna, the woman whose life B'Elanna is experiencing, is torn between her lover, who comes from a culture outside her society's mainstream, and her father, who's part of the ruling class that oppresses her lovers people. We learn the love affair is clandestine because his people are subject to curfews, and ID checkpoints, and forced deportations. Korenna starts out sweet and innocent and sympathetic to his people, but as he tells her more of what's really going on, she doesn't want to believe that her father could be involved in something so terrible. Her father uses every manipulation tactic to justify his actions, and preys on his daughter's fears to win her over to his side. It's an absolutely devastating scene. Watching her descent into radicalization is horrifying and tragic, and all too familar a sight in our real world of alt-right conspiracy theories- chillingly, the things her father says are the same right-wing talking points we see today on the news.

B'Elanna eventually learns the memories belong to Jora Mirell, the older scientist she was working with, who regretted what she'd done, and wanted someone who would care and understand to know what her society had tried so hard to scrub from their history. When she dies, B'Elanna interupts the farewell party for the Enarans, and confronts their leader for the cover up of the genocide his people perpetrated. He denies and makes excuses, the other Enarans don't want to believe it, and the Voyager crew looks uncomfortable, and suggests that she shouldn't say it in the middle of the party. But B'Elanna's not anywhere in the vicinity of fucking around, and she says it all right there, where everyone can hear it.

Later, Captain Janeway tells B'Elanna she believes her, but that Voyager can't interfere with another society, and they must let the Enarans go, and leave them to do what they will, even if it means burying the knowledge again. B'Elanna is still distraught and outraged that no one will acknowledge what happened, and that no justice will be done. But Janeway tells her to go talk to the younger scientist she worked with before she leaves. B'Elanna does, and appeals to her to open her mind and think about what she told them. The Enaran woman agrees to telepathically link with B'Elanna so she can experience Jora Mirell's memories and see what happened for herself. The last shot is of her in the first memory, in Korenna's place, just like B'Elanna was. We're left with the hope that now that someone on their planet had the courage to look the truth in the eye, maybe their society can acknowlege it, and change for the better.

This whole story just hits so hard in light of current events. Are there Israeli parents, right now, telling their children the same things the father in this episode told his daughter, to justify their govenment's genocide against the Palestinians? Somewhere, on some news network, right now, I guarantee there's a right-wing pundit making the same speech the father makes in the town square in this episode, telling his followers how immigrants, or trans people, are dangerous, and undermining our society, and must be controlled or exterminated, for our safety. It's happened so many times in the US, and around the world, and then they say it was for the best, or that it didn't happen at all, so that when they do it again, they can claim that they would never, that it could never happen, don't be ridiculous, we're not evil, what we're doing is right, and for your own good. It makes me want to scream with rage, and I teared up watching B'Elanna march into that party full of complacent people, and speak truth to power, and force them to confront their own complicity in the evil system they benefit from. B'Elanna was and is such an important character to me, because here was a female character who was allowed to express her rage, and the audience was allowed, and even encouraged (some of the time at least), to sympathize with her. I hate when they try to write off her anger as being 'just Klingon things lol' because that is absolutely not what it is, at all. It's the anger of someone who's been marginalized, who's seen injustice, and won't fucking stand for it anymore, anywhere. Who knows everyone deserves better, and will fucking fight for it, whenever, wherever. I love that this episode lets us see that, and that in this story, her outrage is what drives the first steps for these people to start down the path to healing and change. The Enarans are telepathic, so Korenna choosing B'Elanna to relive her experiences wasn't just because she was there. She must have felt that B'Elanna was the person who would feel it the most deeply and fight hardest for what was right.

This episode makes me sad and angry, but it's supposed to. In a country where people are trying to ban teaching our history in our schools, an episode like this is more important than ever. Maybe in some state where schools aren't allowed to teach children about slavery, or the holocaust, or the genocide of Native Americans, or any queer history, maybe some kid will see this Star Trek episode, because their conservative parents think it's just a show about spaceships. And maybe this story will stick with them when their parents try to tell them that it's okay to hate one group of people or another. Maybe they'll hear their parents echoing a villain's words, and they'll start to consider that maybe their parents are wrong. And maybe they'll start to think critically enough to resist the poison of bigotry and break free one day. All it takes is one person to start questioning, and that's how things start to change.

I'm sure there's someone out there who doesn't like this episode, who could find plot holes, or something to criticize, but not me. That's not what's important to me here. This story is what Star Trek is about, at it's core. It's anti-fascist, anti-racist, it's about challenging and dismantling systems of oppression. Since 1966, it's been there to say something hopeful for all us who believe humanity can do better, and I'm profoundly grateful to have it.

Tl;dr: A hard-hitting episode that explores how easily even good people can become indoctrinated to bigoted, xenophobic ideas, and which shows us how even one person standing up and looking it in the eye can make a difference. Absolutely top notch, essential Star Trek viewing.

[shipposttt]

Ship of the Day: Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr

Character Names: Charles Xavier x Erik Lehnsherr 

Ship name: Cherik 

Original Content: X-Men (also present in the comics but for the purpose of this post, focused on the movies)

Ship Info:

Before getting too far into it, what you must know is that Cherik is not mainly shipped as a fully happy together ship, these two have gone through a divorce and are only just coming back together after a whole bunch of stuff. Either that or fans are being delusional and  ignoring the canon “Beach Divorce” (will be explained later, don’t worry).

The X-Men franchise is an institution in the comics world, a product of some of the best minds at Marvel in the 60s. Homo Sapien Superior are the next stage of human development, dubbed mutants, these people are born with superhuman powers, from telekinesis to intangibility, super speed to power absorption. Standing as metaphors and representations for oppression, the othering of the non-majority, racism, genocide, government control and the fight for equality, the X-Men have stood the test of time and come out of it as a present-forward moving media.

And at the centre of this media is two figures, Charles Xavier, powerful telepath and creator and head of the X-Men and Erik Lensherr, metallokinetic and leader of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (if going by comics). Two leaders on what would traditionally be thought of as opposing sides, but in the case of the X-Men sphere, they instead play as two sides of the same coin against the true enemy.

The Government.

(Yeah, the writers weren’t playing about with subtlety, were they?)

(And people complain that modern comics are too liberal. This shit has always been here, complainers have just been blind to it. Somehow. I really don’t know how. It is a very much integral part of understanding the world the X-Men live in.)

Charles and Erik meet when they are both in their 20s, Charles recently graduated from Oxford with his doctorate in Genetics and Erik continuing his path of Nazi hunting while searching for the man that killed his mother when they were taken to Auschwitz when Erik was a child. They meet, stuff happens and almost the entirety of X-Men: First Class is just a getting to know you, whirlwind romance summer with a couple of breaks between the flirting and longing stares to further the plot which includes working with the CIA, building a team and, at the culmination of the film, being at the centre of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Ah yes, because we needed more of a reminder that we’re in the mid 60s, it’s not like the USSR being a big deal, or the middle-aged Nazi officers or the young looking Holocaust survivors didn’t do a good job of illustrating this point. 

Thus we reach the height of the movie, the missiles are on their way to Cuba and are currently being held in the air by Erik. Erik views the shooting of these missiles as a betrayal as they have been working with those who just sent the missiles for the duration of the movie and wants retaliation so spins the rockets around and sends them back in the direction of the US and Soviet fleets. Charles is also feeling pretty betrayed but does not believe that the men on the ships should die for it. And in a moment of what is probably one of the stupidest moments of Charles Francis Xavier’s life, he tells a child survivor of the Holocaust that the soldiers who have just fired upon them with the intention to kill them are “simply following orders”.

Yikes, Charles.

They have a grapple across the floor, Erik loses concentration, he wins the fight, regains control of the missiles, continues them on their course for the ships before getting interrupted by one of the X-Men team shooting his metal helmet to break his concentration. He deflects the bullets, cause, ya know, metallokinetic. It just so happens that he deflects one of these bullets into Charles’ back. More specifically his spine. Instantly paralysing him. 

There’s a whole moment of Erik cradling Charles' body and apologising. A bunch of other things happen that ends with Erik leaving Charles on that beach with no way to go home and only a couple allies. 

Thus, the beach divorce. 

It is here that Charles and Erik’s stories can go two ways, because the X-Men movies have fully canon time travel that they used to end the old early 2000’s timeline and restart, allowing them to make more money. In both of these, Erik is arrested for the murder of JFK, in the original timeline he stays there until the mid-2000s and is often visited by Charles. On these visits they play chess and have civil conversations. As elder men, they greatly respect one another and in fact, Erik even comes to Charles’ defence against one of his own brotherhood members when they disparage Charles. Both see that the other is working towards the same goal, they simply have differing opinions on how mutants should get to the equality they are fighting for. Charles believes it can be fostered through education, defanging misinformation and working alongside the human governments. Erik believes that it is too systemic and instead mutants must take their place in the world and not fear or be afraid of humans. By the end of their timeline, they are back to being by each other's sides, any differences are put to the side due to the nature of their existence dwindling. Instead they work together and stay by each other, giving each other comfort in the others continued existence. 

In the alternate timeline, Erik is broken out of prison in the mid 70s by the combined effort of a time travelling Wolverine, Charles, Charles and Erik’s past teammate and Charles’ caretaker Hank and a very young Quicksilver, who is not yet aware that Erik is his father. Though to be fair, no one on that mission knows that. In these films, Erik attempts to build a life, getting a quickly fridge-ed wife and daughter and goes on to build the mutant nation safe haven island Genosha. Charles goes on to found his school for mutants, as he did in the original timeline. This timeline ends with Erik and Charles meeting at a cafe in Paris (romantic, huh) and sitting down to play some chess (yes, chess is almost definitely a flirting metaphor, the amount they do it).  

Type of ship: Queer Read

Despite the fact that all 4 actors who have portrayed Erik and Charles in these movies have shipped them, at the end of the day there was never an intentional move done by any of the creatives to intentionally mislead fans to the idea that a romantic relationship may develop between the two. 

Both characters have had female partners throughout the duration of the movies and yet, neither of them last. Erik’s wife dies simply to further the plot within 10 minutes of introducing her on screen and Charles has a kind of girlfriend who he ends up wiping the memory of and leaving alone. By the end of the timeline, they don’t have any partners and are instead with each other. 

Erik and Charles are so compelling as characters, both separately and in combination and one of the reasons for that is how they act as foils for one another. Differing values, same mission, the utmost respect for each other. They are lovers ripped from each other by tragedy, both in terms of the divorce and in terms of being on opposite sides. But they are not just on opposite sides, instead they lead them and that is one of the most tragic parts of their existence. They love each other, but not more than the fight they lead, the ideas they believe. 

At the end, in 1983, when they both finish their missions, passing them on to the next generation, they come together in the romance capital of the world and play chess together. They come back together after so long apart and simply begin to exist in each other's presence in a way they haven’t done since the 60s.

Admin🦉

[lilacs-in-space]

What do you think about VorikxSeven ship? I haven't seen any fanfic of the ship (unfortunately) but after reading a reddit discussion about it (it was about something else, but it got sidetracked, lol) I started thinking…. What do you think? does it have potential? ? Would they be compatible?

Someone pointed out once that Seven and Vorik were the same age before they retconned her age so I've been the peanut gallery for many lively conversations about Vorik and Seven's potential arcs funnily enough.

I think early Seven and Vorik have more in common than people might think, and they could have done each other some good when she first came on board. They're both outcasts who struggle with their emotions, they're both missing a mental link that leaves them profoundly lonely, and they both interact with people in ways they find abrasive or off putting. But fundamentally I think they'd be oil and water and wouldn't last.

Vulcans are about control and Seven was just freed from oppressive control. There are elements of Vulcan culture that would be appealing to Seven, as I imagine a telepathic bond would be comforting for her after being disconnected from the Borg hivemind, but I'm not sure how good having a back door into tremendous amounts of trauma would be for Vorik. I also think Vorik would hinder her quest to get back in touch with her humanity (whether he intended to or not).

From Vorik's side, I think he is relatively flexible for a Vulcan but would have difficulty with Seven's rapid experimentation and non-traditional viewpoints. Their combined inexperience in the romantic area would also be quite disastrous.

Vorik absolutely needs a strong woman to step all over him but while I could see them having an awkward dalliance and amicably parting ways, I think they'd make each other miserable if they tried anything long term.

I do wish Seven interacted with the Vulcans on Voyager more. I really loved the little bits of her and Tuvok we'd get and I really liked that they touched on it in Picard.

[ghooostbaby]

what if mu qing had saved hong hong'er instead?

my guy simply would not do that. that kid is falling to his death SO fast.

you think if xie lian, the darling prince, got in serious trouble and it was even suggested his actions would bring their kingdom bad luck, that mu qing would survive something like that?

most people already don't like him or trust him when he's doing nothing wrong, and he knows this. all of his actions and behaviour and emotional responses revolve around the fact that he knows this. central to his entire character is that he is practical and realistic and wants to succeed. He does not publicly do things he knows would endanger him to simply do a good deed.

he is the one who repeatedly suggests the gruesome sacrifices that all the characters with the luxury to be noble won't accept. he does all his good deeds in secret. even 800 years later.

the fact that it HAS to be xie lian who catches hong hong'er is what communicates the oppressive class system.

in the end, mu qing conforms a lot more to the system that oppressed him and rises to the top of it, while xie lian is cast out of it and struggles in poverty for many centuries - when he could have been saved from that if he hadn't resisted / insisted on his idealism. this is a lot more interesting and realistic exploration of class to me. being a hero was ultimately not a luxury either of them could afford.

i could get behind a version where mu qing already knows hong hong'er from the slums, though. brings him cherries? if hong hong'er still ends up in the palace and xie lian & co are trying to ask him questions mu qing is glaring at hong'er from the back telepathically communicating DON'T SAY ANYTHING

[outofgloom]

WORLD THAT FEEDS THE WORLD

Full Size Version (Recommended)

The ground trembled faintly beneath. The air was still oppressively hot, though the magma of the chamber had begun to cool. Alhalu groaned off to the side where he crouched, holding the Thing at arm’s length.

“Shut up,” Seah hissed. “Pathetic excuse for a Toa. If it hasn’t done anything to you yet, you’re fine. Be happy it didn’t evaporate you like it did Ekket. Bad intel, I say...”

Toa Jovan ignored them both. He focused his mind through the mental aperture of the Kanohi Suletu, sending out another telepathic burst into the empty shell of the Toa of Stone that sat cross-legged on the volcanic stone before him:

“Report. Satha, have you found it yet?”

The reply was somewhat faint, preceded by a burst of static. The connection of Satha’s Iden was being stretched, it seemed.

“Jovan...I am far...traveled... <Static>...Layers of magma...earth below... <Static>...Strata of the Great Beings...<Static>...Dark...almost there I think.”

“How far?”

“<Static>...Kio downward...sending data... <Static>...Seah can interpret.”

A set of calculations and numbers washed through Jovan’s mind. He printed the figures magnetically onto the metal datapad in his hand.

“Check the tether,” Jovan sent. “This mask is risky.”

“Affirmative... <Static>...Tether is thin...still secure. I’m passing through... <Static>...Wait, there’s a barrier here.”

“What kind of barrier?”

“Physical only... <Static>...Should be fine...I think this is it, Jovan--pushing ahead.”

“Proceed with caution.”

Jovan raised his head and glanced around the dull red chamber. Seah was watching him from several bio away, tapping her foot impatiently. Jovan signaled all well, resting back on his heels.

There was a sudden telepathic shriek that made Jovan wince. He blocked the mental aperture for a moment to let it pass, then opened it again:

“What is it, Satha?”

The reply was even fainter now. Worrisome.

“Brother... <Static>...Can see...vast hollow beneath us...the air glows...”

“You’ve made it through? Good. That data is all we need, now--”

“--such power,” Satha continued, as if he hadn’t heard Jovan. “<Static>...power for the whole world...”

“Satha, confirm my message. The data is sufficient.”

“Light is fading here, Jovan... <Static>...It’s dying, and the world... <Static>...Fading out...No time to waste.”

“Turn around.”

Silence.

“Turn around, Satha.”

“<Static>...barrier...can’t... <Static>”

“Say again.”

“Jovan, the tether... <Static>...Too thin...too far...”

“Satha? Pull back; that’s an order. It’s time to turn around. We’ve already lost one Toa today.”

“Too far... <Static>...this barrier... <Static>...Strange interference, can’t... <Static>...losing resolution.”

“Hold on.”

Jovan dove into the mind-space of his comrade, and his vision of the world went fractal, crystalline. He groped with psychic fingers, seeking his goal. He had to find it. There! The psionic tether was stretched taut, but still holding. They had been warned that this method of astral projection was dangerous, but it was the only way they could probe so far so quickly, and there was so little time...Still, he wished now that they had chosen another way.

Jovan readied himself, as he had been trained, and then took action, pouring his psychic energies into the link, to fortify it and give Satha the strength to overcome whatever strange obstacle he had encountered deep below. Fragments of words came through the link as he worked:

“Tearing at me...it’s strong...storm of energy...almost...no...”

“Keep going!”

“Trying to...tether is decaying, Jovan...”

“You can do it.”

“I...yes, I’m almost... <Static>...The barrier...no!”

A psychic shock echoed along the link, stunning Jovan. He let go, and for a moment an insane roaring filled his brain--a roar of energy, of measureless power. A storm of cosmic fire that rent and fused the fabric of the world, of the body, of the mind.

Jovan snapped back to his physical senses.

“Satha!”

Silence crackled in the mind-shell of Toa Satha.

“Satha, pull back...please...”

Nothing, and then, very faintly:

“Jovan...Jovan do you read? <Static>...I’m unmoored, Jovan... <Static>...No control...”

“I...I hear you,” he replied, helpless. “Can you still hear me?”

“Can hear, but fading...I’m moving rapidly, Jovan... <Static>...Interference here.”

“You’ve got to try on your own then. Try to get back.”

“I’m trying, but there’s too much... <Static>...Gone too far.”

“Don’t tell me that.”

“Jovan it’s no use... <Static>...I’m weary...”

“Unacceptable.”

“I know, but I think... <Static>...I’m adrift, Jovan...moving faster every second... <Static>...I’m falling.”

“I said that’s unacceptable, Satha!”

“Will report what I see... <Static>...More intel for you...to finish this...<Static>...All I can do.”

Jovan did not reply. He cursed quietly. The mind-voice continued:

“Something’s pulling me in...vortex of energy...hard to see beyond. I’m moving through...It’s spinning...bright--”

Static.

“I’m through. Would’ve made me sick if I wasn’t just a spirit...”

Static. A long pause.

“There, I can see now...By Mata, I can see it all...”

Static.

“It’s a sphere...a great sphere. Beneath the foundations of stone...to think I would look upon it...”

Static.

“Like the oracle said: the core of universes...the World That Feeds the World. Ah, I understand--”

“Stop, Satha. I’ve heard enough.”

Static.

“I can’t stop, Jovan. I’m sorry...Not in control. This is destiny, my friend--Destiny takes everything from us, in the end. Remember that.”

“Yes. It takes all.”

“...I’m heading further...deeper...”

More static. Another long pause.

“It’s dark now...Moving faster...Caverns and empty spaces...I see--”

“--huge beyond imagining--”

“...there are machines...vast, empty...They move...”

“...I’m falling...can you hear me?”

“I’m here, but Satha, please--”

“--I’m sorry, brother...I’m falling... <Static>...Can’t hear you... <Static>...Oh! By Mata...”

An interminable moment passed. Jovan waited, waited.

Waited...

And then, weakly:

“Endless...endless dark and cold...there are...”

Static.

“There are stars!--”

The voice cut off. The aperture snapped shut. Jovan trembled and released his clenched jaw slowly, expelling a shuddering sigh. The body of Toa Satha sat before him, peaceful.

Toa Seah was at his shoulder.

“So, what’s new?”

A moment passed.

“How’s Alhalu?” Jovan asked.

“Terrified,” Seah replied. “How’s our old Toa of Stone? He’s been out for a bit.”

“He found what we were looking for. Had to go a bit farther than expected, but it’s there. I’ve got the data.”

Jovan handed over the datapad.

“We’ll go immediately.”

“Shouldn’t we wait for him to...get back to his body?”

“He’ll be fine. He said it was urgent for us to go. The others on the surface will be down soon to watch over him.”

“He’ll be fine, huh?”

“Yes.”

Seah smiled, “Liar.” 

She straightened up and walked away. Jovan rose slowly to his feet.

“Alhalu,” he called across the Chamber of Life without looking. “It’s time. Your task is next. I expect you to acquit yourself like a Toa of the Great Spirit, as have others today.”

The eyes of Toa Satha were blank, staring at Jovan from that accursed Iden.

“Seah,” Jovan continued. “Ready the Olmak. Start your calculations.”

“Already started, boss. Do you know where we’re going, exactly? Hopefully a cooler climate.”

“Farther than we’ve ever been,” Jovan replied, “or ever will go.”

In his mind the words echoed:

A great sphere...the core of universes...the World That Feeds the World...Ah, I understand--

What did you understand, my friend? Perhaps you can tell me one day, if we meet again.

In the endless dark and cold.

Where there are stars.

[terriblewomanyuri]

When I started Hoshikuzu Telepath, I expected a mediocre CGDCT and slight yuri undertones that started and ended at the forehead-elepathy.

DAMN was I wrong.

Warning: MAJOR spoilers. This is pretty much a summary occasionally mixed in with my thoughts.

In short, if you haven't read Hoshikuzu Telepath, you should read it. It's really fucking good.

In long:

First off, Umika is a believable anxious character. She doesn't just get sad or withdrawn, she'll cry if she gets too overwhelmed or worried. That isn't to say there aren't anxious people who just shut down, but it is nice to see a character who cries and is still presented as emotionally strong.

Because Umika is! So many stories present protagonists that supposedly get up after being knocked down, but there's never the impressions that they're knocked down, just pushed back. They don't cry, get frustrated, or react poorly, they just have an obstacle they need to get around and, while the progress they make feels satisfying, it never feels like they overcome the internal strife they supposedly have.

With Hoshikuzu Telepath, things actually get worse before they get better. There's almost always something stressing out one of the members of the main cast, because they're all girls with some level of trauma, but it doesn't become oppressive at any point.

To start, Matataki joining was pretty lighthearted. There were some rough spots, but it kind of felt inevitable she'd join. The subsequent competition, Umika's panic attack during her speech, and the listless air of defeat after the competition was not where I expected the story to go, but it was what got me hooked.

The heartfelt conversation between Umika and Yuu in the lighthouse... that was YURI! It also sets up the core of Umika and Yuu's relationship and it's connection to light. And, of course, the fact that while Umika thinks she's an absolute failure, other people at school think its awesome that she makes model rockets is great! Because, yeah, that's what all people in a field of expertise experience at some point, or at least what they deserve. You have experience and think you're terrible, but someone without experience thinks its cool.

To be honest, I think Matataki is my favorite character. I'm a sucker for mechanics, I'm a sucker for characters with a gay little fang, and I relate to a lot of her character. Her relationship with Haruno is great, especially when she realizes she can't blow the material down the rocket tube because that would mean an indirect kiss. And of course, Haruno coming in when she's brooding, yelling about how she's gonna beat her in a competition and make her lose, then taking her goggles... excellent.

Side note: I would not object if this managed to become poly yuri. The relationships between our four main characters are all well established and they aren't relegated to only having deep and intimate character moments with their narrative foil.

Matataki facing off against Haruno, Umika, and Yuu was great, and her losing on purpose so she could go back to being alone was an amazing character moment. And then Haruno calling that she used an engine too small? AGHHH! Matataki getting pissed off and trying to push everyone away again is great! She's not just someone who says some kinda mean things and doesn't ever mean them, she genuinely says this to hurt, not because she hates anyone, but because she distrusts them. And earlier, she made Umika cry with her words, which just makes Umika coming back and making a speech about wanting to make a place where all of them can pursue their dreams and be comfortable... it feels so genuine because we've SEEN her pursue this goal!

Umika getting sick from all this exertion is a bit contrived, but it leads to some good yuri, so I have no complaints. Also Umika's mom works at the aquarium. I wonder if we'll get the state-mandated aquarium yuri date? Umika's gay little dream about Yuu is cute, and her asking Yuu to not do forehead-elepathy with anyone else is not just adorable, but a portent of the drama to come, as Yuu immediately does whatever Umika wants due to her desperation for someone who cares for her. While it just looks like a cute, two-sided yuri crush at this point, we can tell it's sowing the seeds for something that could be seriously codependent looking back. Also, while forehead-elepathy is obviously a (debatably) platonic stand-in for kissing, it feels way gayer. This is also where Yuu starts becoming aware of her feelings for Umika.

And here is where I start going feral over the chapter taglines. "I must be the only one who noticed that our hands are touching," shows Yuu's love for Umika so clearly. Umika is thrilled to have a companion like Yuu, and while she's pretty gay about it, she does not realize the extent of her influence on Yuu. Yuu thinks that Umika is the only one who truly and wholly accepts her and thus is desperate to be exactly what Umika wants her to be. Yet she also doesn't think that Umika could reciprocate those feelings, and thus worries about how their relationship would progress. Thus, she thinks that she's the only one who notices their hands touching.

The lighthouse meeting here demonstrates this perfectly. Yuu is following a request Umika gave her while delirious from fever with immense discipline. Then, Yuu is thrilled when Umika gets better at talking to other people. Then she's terrified. Terrified of Umika drifting away from her, terrified that if Umika doesn't need her anymore, she won't want her.

Umika gets better at talking to people and gives her presentation at the club leader meeting pretty well and tells Yuu about it. Yuu tries to voice her worries, but ultimately is afraid that Umika will push her away and plays it off and tells Umika that she's not doing forehead-elepathy with anyone else because Umika asked her too. And Umika doesn't remember, she apologizes, and Yuu calls herself stupid for it.

And the ending tagline here is GRAHHH. "An arm's length is so frustratingly short." Yuu wants to keep herself away, because she's becoming worried. She wants Umika to get better, and if Yuu gets too obsessed with Umika, she might try to stop that.

Yuu thinks that it's fine if Umika doesn't get better at talking to other people, because Yuu will always be able to understand her. And she feels terrible, because she wants Umika to get better at talking to other people, so the only person she can blame is herself.

She gets worse, but lets take a diversion to look at Haruno and Matataki and their gay ol' times together. Haruno arriving to Matataki, ready to ride on her motorcycle in a skirt, only for Matataki to put her in jeans and a biker jacket is great, but the fact that they talk about it being to Matataki's "taste," is... GRAHHHHH!!!

Haruno pouring out her worries about herself, talking about how she's grown, and thanking Matataki for helping improve is adorable. Haruno leaning over the railing, losing her balance, and falling back into Matataki's arms is adorable. And then Haruno says "I love it when... you're so strong and kind, Matataki-chan!" She was about to confess, I guarantee you.

Then Matataki gives her a new choker??? And Haruno grins like an idiot when she gets it and asks if she fits Matataki's tastes more now??? And then when Haruno asks her for help finding out what her grandfather's dreams were, she says "I love you!" when Matataki agrees????? They're so girlfriends.

Anyways, they've got a radio to the aliens now that only works intermittently and Yuu is FUCKED UP. She is panicking, torn between elation at possibly meeting her people and fear at leaving Umika. When they go to the coordinates, in the woods, where they think the UFO is going to land eventually, it doesn't come immediately. Then night passes and Matataki and Haruno leave Umika and Yuu to it.

Umika is positive, as usual, but then Yuu starts getting worried about her possessiveness. And then it gets fuckin' wild. The 4koma template that's only been broken for big moments is broken again as Yuu pins Umika to the ground and covers her mouth and starts talking about how "Only you could tug at my heart like that..." Then she starts caressing Umika's hand and face and talking about how Umika doesn't need other people, about how Yuu can understand her just fine, about how they should "stay together... forever." Then Yuu is overwhelmed with guilt and says that she doesn't really want to do any of that and runs off terrified.

I was NOT FUCKING EXPECTING THIS. I did not anticipate the series would delve into an actual toxic lesbian relationship, but here we are!

And, of course, Umika doesn't give up. Her digging through the grounds with her bare hands because she thinks that what the coordinates marked was actually a piece of meteorite that could restore the function of the radio... she really does love Yuu.

I'm getting a bit tired, so I won't go into their reconciliation, but it's nice seeing Umika realize her feelings for Yuu. And the fact that they both realize and say, in front of Haruno and Matataki, that they feel jealousy over each other in a way different than from friendship... c'monnnnn canon lesbians lets go, canon lesbians.

Also Matataki is getting interested in the Cosmic language (which is Esperanto! Pretty nice.) and I'm betting she's going to confess to Haruno in it so she can admit to herself that she's in love and then pass it off as an insult when Haruno asks what she said. Of course, this is going to be followed by Haruno saying it to Umika or Yuu, who will tell her what it actually means. Investing in this now.

The series does seem to be getting lighter now, what with Matataki in a maid outfit for the culture festival. I do like the scene where the middle schooler looks at the display from the Rocket Research Association and Umika shows her what everything does. It's nice seeing someone passing on their knowledge to someone and getting them interested in the field while sharing their passion. Even if they're only 15 (Umika, probably) and 14 (the middle schooler, probably) years old.

Also the yuri is getting cranked up after that mutual confession of jealousy, with Yuu and Umika pretty much flirting in public.

Also, can't remember when it happened, but Matataki really did say "Fuck them kids." Poor teacher gets constantly ignored, too.

This ended up being more of a summary than an analysis. Ah well.

The TVTropes page is also desperate to emphasize that these girls AREN'T EXPLICITLY ATTRACTED TO EACHOTHER GUYS ALRIGHT THIS IS DEFINITELY NOT CANONICALLY YURI!

TVTropes is wrong btw. They're gay. Gay as fuck.

[thornsent]

another fucked up housing update is that there is something here with us, we're pretty sure.

When I first moved in I didn't sense or see anything here. It felt pretty liminal, transient, like a lot of people who have lived here (and there are lots, I can feel it) stayed for at most a year or two before leaving. It used to be a dorm, after all, so that informs the read there. But I didn't feel anything active here. I didn't feel any other presence, I felt rather alone aside from the spirit of the building itself, yeah?

Since right before the heat turned on it's been different. Areas of the house that are usually still pretty light at night have become oppressively dark, I went from being able to see into my partner's room down the hall to thinking her door was shut because I couldn't see a thing. It wasn't. Her room faces the moon at its peak typically but it was pitch black in there.

There has been something standing right about at the ladder to my bed, at 3 am naturally. It doesn't seem humanoid, it's more like a pillar of black smoke nearly reaching the ceiling. It's tall enough to 'look' over the top of the mattress and onto the bed. It feels heavy and it makes me genuinely nervous, and while it hasn't messed with me beyond having a strange energy it hasn't been affected by my wards either.

It's got this gravity to it.

As I write I'm theorizing it might be some kind of attachment to me but I don't think it could be what my instinct says it is, so I'm at a loss really. For context, when I was young (idk like 8) up until I was around 13 or so there would be this reoccuring figure in my dreams. He was tall, with messy black hair that's reminiscent of Robert Smith's, white skin, pure black eyes, and no mouth.

Sometimes he had feathers in his hair, sometimes he had black wings, sometimes he'd manifest more as groups of corvids (usually ravens and crows) and sometimes there was a slight glint or glow in his eyes. He looked (and behaved) a lot like Morpheus from Sandman, only this was years before I even knew that comic existed. This (and friends of mine being visited by him at one point) is kind of why I rule out this guy being just a fictive or alter.

Typically, he would appear when I was having an especially difficult nightmare. He wouldn't snap his fingers and make it all better, but it was like the dream had to warp itself around him. If I died, he would arrive at my funeral and help me out of my own coffin, for example.

But he'd show up in less frightening contexts as well. At one point I even saw him peek into my room at night, to reassure me that I was safe.

The last dream I knew was "about" him, was when I think I was 14? I walked outside of my childhood home in the dream and the ground was black. I looked closer, and it was because it was covered in dead ravens. I felt a deep, sickening sense of dread, and woke up, and never saw him again.

I've given him a few different names over the years but I don't know if he actually had one. "Lucid" was the first one I remember hearing, Then after that Lucien. Then Wraith. Then Crow. Though he never spoke a word to me.

It was more like he "spoke" in abstract concepts that he conveyed to me telepathically. No mouth and all that.

[12pt-times-new-roman]

c3e60

"That's the story of a wizard, right? My magic is all work." I'm feeling some kind of way about Prism's bitterness about this

"See, scrying is like--" "This one I know. This one I know." So Ashton is familiar with scrying, but Orym is not.

Chetney giving everyone gifts also inadvertently gave them scrying focuses, because those items were technically created by Chetney. If that was intentional, that's a genius move on Travis' part.

Prism is from a thusfar-unmentioned Cobalt Soul branch in Emon! She hails from "Ablieras"? I didn't catch that name. But this means that she knows about the Cerberus Assembly -- she knows just about as much as we do -- but not anything specific, like she would if she was an apprentice at the Valley Archive or the Rexxentrum Archive.

They find a road and a sign. One side points west to Endovar, and one points east to Hearthdale. In older ink, the sign also points east to Othanzia, which is the northeastern part of Issylra of which Vasselheim is the capitol. Dynios identifies the road as the Outer Walk.

On the way to Hearthdale, at a crossroads, they come upon a ruined, long-disused gallows. That always bodes well.

Matt described the leylines as being "caught by the continuing Apogee Solstice."

As they grow nearer to the village, the taste of the air changes to metallic and the hairs on their arms stand up. It feels the same as their approach to the excavation site, and they see that they are approaching a leyline nexus hanging above it.

The locals of Hearthdale seem to be afraid of talking about the nexus, and when the Hells ask about it, they're interrupted by a guard. But someone points them toward two people they can ask about it.

They notice that all of the guards they can see are wearing symbols of the Dawnfather, despite religion-based "police forces" being extremely rare (mostly only found in and around Vasselheim). The town also has an uncharacteristically large temple to the Dawnfather.

They head to Prolef's shop; he tells them that the town lost 11 people, and they didn't have anything obvious in common. The temple has been in the town for a while, but in the past few months, Vasselheim sent guards and specialists to the town because of its proximity to a nexus point. There have also been a lot of Othanzian agents, including at least one Judicator, passing through.

People in this town are of the Loam and the Leaf, led by the Elder Abadena and her family line who communes with the spirits of the hill. It's a more druidic, "pagan" existence, in tune with nature, listening to the spirits of the world. Othanzian agents built the temple to encourage its residents to convert to Pelor's faith; the religion is not forced upon them violently or physically, but its presence in the town is oppressive, and the people have been becoming more and more afraid.

Every single person in this town heard Ludinus' voice. It wasn't telepathic, it came from the sky. So everyone in Exandria could have heard it.

The temple was constructed 20 years ago, but it only increased its guard presence in the past few months ahead of the solstice. They didn't used to walk the streets or listen in on conversations, but the solstice looming changed that.

"Do you have a wizard here?" "Oh, we don't have anybody here from fancy, learned colleges or anything." there's the balance to Prism's bitterness.

Bor'dor buying a very strong laxative has the same vibe as when you're rewatching C2 and Jester buys the dust of deliciousness

THATS what's so familiar about this. The Bells Hells view of the gods is the same flavor as the Mighty Nein's early view of the Kryn. Except the Bells Hells justifying the destruction of the gods is so much more frustrating.

Also, this campaign is kind of the epitome of "the enemy of my enemy." Maybe it's because there are two distinct stances and

"Wizards don't give a fuck about copyright." Liam O'Brien, 2023

(Reminder that we have absolutely no confirmation that the texts that were stolen from Vasselheim by the Grim Verity were not stolen from the Cobalt Vault, the Vasselheim branch of the Cobalt Soul.)

Laudna/Marisha theorizes that the people who were teleported were moved because of their proximity to a nexus, not because of any other common trait. This falls apart at the seams a little bit, because we don't know whether there was a nexus above Emon or the Cyrios Mountains, but it does apply to the Bells Hells themselves and the people in Hearthdale. This would also explain why Frida and Deanna were not teleported, since it tracks that Eiselcross' anomalies would interfere with that.

They arrive at the Knotburrow Cottage, a two-story wooden estate that's wrapped in vines as though nature itself is embracing the structure.

Abadena answers the door, and, when they tell her that they just appeared here, comments that the Bells Hells were "caught up in the winds of the solstice." She is a tall (6'5) half-giant woman in her 60s or so, with long gray hair woven with trinkets. She has deep gray-brown skin and faded tattoos on her arms.

Orym druidcrafts a big white flower. "I know we might be strangers... but that doesn't mean we can't be friends."

Bor'dor speaks giant! Because he's said that he has been in the Cyrios Mountains for most of his life, this implies that there is a pretty significant population of giants, half-giants, goliaths, or firbolgs in that region.

Point of order: We cannot be sure whether Matt means half-giant or goliath here. Because of her tattoos and grayish skin, Abadena fits the physical description of a goliath, but Matt specifically called her a half-giant. "Half-giant" isn't an official race in D&D 5e (the only ones I could find were homebrew), so this may be another case of Matt using his own descriptors in place of Wizards of the Coast intellectual property, which goliaths are (and which he has also done for multiple other lineages, like aeormatons (warforged) and eisfurra (aarakocra)).

Abadena tells them that all magic is amplified beneath the leyline nexus. The people of this town look to her as a spiritual advisor, because she can communicate with the denuthur eidolons, the spirits of the land.

"What do you think of the entities that call themselves the Prime Deities?" hhhhhhh

Orym has the right idea, 110%. The followers are the problem, not the gods themselves. "The problems I'm seeing here, in your home, are a response, an overreach."

ohohoho, a circle of spores druid!

Orym inhales the spores, and Abadena recalls Orym's memories. The key, Keyleth, Otohan, a cluster of experiences until he can't help but cough. (Sounds like detect thoughts to me!)

"We are born free people. It is only those with money and power and wills to exert that rob us of that freedom. And if history has proven anything, there is no higher form of government and control than what begins at the temples of Vasselheim... The nature of existence is to fight, is to struggle. And, yes, should one government fall, history has shown through our nature that another will try to rise. But maybe things need to crumble before they can be rebuilt. I would take a vacuum and the banishing of the greatest oppressors for a chance to remake things better, than to remain under these shackles that have held us down since we were created, yes? Someone with vision has taken steps that I can feel the gods quake at. The first mortal since the Matron ascended to truly fill them again with fear. That is worth something, yes? Is that not an opportunity?"

Orym is having none of it. Like Ashton, like Team Wildemount, Orym wants his friends back.

Abadena exits the house, and points to the north, toward the temple. "You help me free my families... and I'll help you return to yours. Come with me to a meeting. I think you'll hear what you need to hear there. We meet at the brewery in about 15 minutes."

Okay I get the sense that this is going to be way too much dialogue for me to transcribe, so I'll do my best but take it all with a grain of salt. (edit from future Note: incorrect. I'm pretty confident that at least 85% of my transcription is accurate.)

Upon asking how they can trust Abadena, she opens a secret door leading to a bird bath-type construct. Prism notices that it's a scry well, and Abadena says that they can use it upon the completion of their "mission." "There has been a rich history of outsiders promising things and then leaving us... so forgive me for my reticence." She has only had the time to scry on 3 missing members of her village: one lay adrift in the ocean, one walks through the outskirts of a swamp, and the last is amongst snow in the northern edges of Wildemount." With a nat20 insight check, Prism believes that the scry well is working correctly.

(A slight insight to my own thoughts right now, as someone who knows frankly way too much about Exandria (blame the adhd): Orym is the only person here who is differentiating between the gods and their followers. Everyone else is blaming the gods themselves, not the followers of the gods, for the actions of the followers of the gods, which is frankly fucking ridiculous when they are not also questioning the source of Prism's or Bor'dor's spellcasting. Sometimes neither the end nor the means justifies the casualties, and Orym seems to be the only one who knows that.)

Like, I'm not kidding. Every single person at this meeting is right -- the presence of a temple, guards who worship Pelor, and Judicators are oppressive, stifling, and imperialist. But there is absolutely nothing to prove that these actions were of Pelor's command -- and, actually, there is more evidence (via Deanna) to support that all of this is the reaction of Vasselheim itself, not the gods. Of the clerics, the paladins, the worshipers of the gods, not the gods themselves.

Anyway, the Bells Hells attend the meeting that Abadena invited them to.

Locals are complaining about their fear, about the sense that they'll be rounded up, about guards flirting with spouses.

Inside the room, there are about 80 people -- just below 10% of this 1,000-person town.

(Prism is comorbid adhd/asd solidarity and, as someone with both, I stand by this)

In the crowd, there is anxiety and pressure, an emotional crowd, people mourning loss, people afraid it was all a part of a plan. But all of these things are the fault of Vasselheim and Ludinus, and none of them necessarily are the fault of the gods themselves.

Elder Abadena takes the stage at the meeting, leaning on a staff. It appears to be a quarterstaff-like walking stick, but there are runes burned into it.

"We all stand here in the echoes of a terrifying event. We've lost some we care for, some perhaps not until we missed them that they be realized we cared for. I've found a few threads, and some, I can confirm lie safe, if lost. I will continue to bind my will with the eidolons, to bring them home. But now more than ever the ominous shadow of the gods' oppression pushes down upon us, and there is a sense, a growing fear I think, that this was engineered, if not by them then to be bent toward their interests and will. Many of you can feel the growth of possibility, the very vibration of what can ignite change in this world. You heard the voice, such as I did, and looking around, we are not alone. Many people across Exandira begin to awaken. Many who have felt powerless and hopeless stand up for the first time. And the reason that they loom and press and stare and beat and threaten is because they are as scared as the gods that brought them here. For once, the world can sense the fear of us, and we realize their demands are meritless. This opportunity in the solstice, and the distraction holding their eyes and ears across this world cannot be squandered. By the ancient elemental, Eideurns (?), with whom we share the lands, who has long hid from the judgement of the gods since the founding -- I wish to know if we all think of like mine, to seize this moment and drive teem from our homes... I know there is fear in your eyes, but this is the fear we will live with every day, should we not take this moment where the spirits are heightened, where our protectors are stronger than they've ever been. We do this when they are focused to their north, and their retribution will be swift and absolute. We do nothing, and we submit to their will, for we are nothing but resource gatherers for their pockets lined with gold. We do something now -- either we fall with pride, or we take back this hill, we take back this valley, and perhaps, if we are not alone, we take back this world. And we will all be free once more."

"Are there are any in our way? Those who would stand aside, there is no shame in not standing by our side, but I would bid thee, stay safe, while we bid fire to the walls of the unwelcome." Some back away, to the back of the room -- people with children, elders, people with doubt in their eyes. "By outsiders, us being here at this meeting means that we're in." Ashton.... bb....

Bor'dor has never killed anyone. Prism has only killed plants. Everyone else steps up. Prism does too, though she's invisible.

Abadena comments that the Hells are "walking the path of the solstice... and if they walk the path of the righteous, then they walk with us. Lend them your strength, as I am sure they will lend theirs... we can use [pathways] to approach the temple unseen, then, with mercy, we give them the option to leave of their own accord. Should they refuse, should they hear where they are unwelcome and raise their weapons or deny our demands, then we take the temple." Someone notes that the "recent god-amounts," the recent armed Bastions, number 6 within the temple, but 3 are on the opposite side of the village and would not have time to participate in this parlay. Meanwhile, Kiro, the Flame Guide (the head of the temple) resides within, and there are two judicators that have been cited within the town.

The name of the town's guards are Bastions.

With a high history/religion check, they realize that "Flame Guide" is a title usually given to someone who has proven themselves in both combat and politics, which is why they're perfect missionaries.

Essentially, the Bells Hells have agreed to accompany Abadena on her crusade to drive the temple of Pelor to go away. A parlay is on the table -- it's possible that the temple will simply concede and go away, in the face of 60 people (of whom 10 are trained in combat, 30 are farmers with weapons, and 20 are teenagers trying to prove themselves) -- but Prism is not optimistic that it will not end in a fight.

Abadena also notes that the town has had people convert to Pelor's faith, and she refers to them as dissenters and traitors.

Bor'dor offers to talk to the guards at the front, to distract them with alcohol and tabaco. Utkarsh playing into the high-charisma low-int low-wis build is my favorite thing, I stg--

YESSSSS Orym finally pulls the card. People from Vasselheim do not agree with Da'leth, and the Bells Hells have a direct line of communication as well as information from the center of their greatest fear that they can leverage against Vasselheim. Orym is really getting to the heart of it -- the Bells Hells are not fighting against Vasselheim, they are not fighting against the gods, they are fighting against the Ruby Vanguard and anything they can possibly use to gain an advantage there is a possibility.

"Roll up with a wagon full of fun, just to soften the pill of 'we've come from the front line.'" man, thank the fucking gods for Orym, the voice of reason. It's so nice to have a group with an actual voice of reason.

The Bells Hells create a plan that involves distracting guards with booze and weed. Abadena notes that others among them have similar experiences, but she does so unconvincingly.

Prism has an "illegal spell" -- a "really big, unstable distraction" -- which is summon greater demon. But Orym offers a different plan: if they can convince the guards that they should be in Marquet, not here, if they want to do something. So the Hells will go first, before everyone else, and they'll "fuck around... then everyone will find out." The Bells Hells resolve to lead this initiative, so they are the front line, trying to get the people in the temple to leave before the fighting starts -- and the faces of the crowd confirms that they would prefer this.

This is so reminiscent of the Legend of Korra s1, it's insane

Abadena takes a drink. "Gather your armaments, the resources you have... for tonight, the children inherit the world."

Bor'dor and Orym approach the temple under the guise of wanting to convert their faith. An offer of spirits and tobacco (and/or weed? unclear) eases the guards for a moment, as Orym tells of the tension and hardship of themselves and of this town.

THERE IT IS. Bor'dor puts the bottle of laxative into the drinks he pours for the guards, before passing drinks around.

"It's very much appreciated, for you to bring us gifts from the glorious Dawnfather... here's to another sunrise to bring sun to the crops, heat to the world, light to the unjust."

"I come from across the ocean, from the front line of the threat your order fears. I've seen first-hand, with my own eyes, what has transpired, what's taking advantage of [the leylines.] I desperately want to communicate what it is we've seen, and to help your order do what it means to hold up the Dawnfather and the sanctity of their crop. But it must be, must be to whoever's in charge here, because it is of importance." With a 22 persuasion check, Orym convinces the guards that he's serious, he's for real. They agree to go get the Flame Guard, and give another two barrels of alcohol to the scouts on the ramparts.

With Orym's passive perception, he notices two things. First, the mist that shifts and moves on the outside of this temple, almost like it has a consciousness. The thorny bushes and trees that surround the temple begin to grow and press against the walls. Secondly, there are two large groups of people -- the villagers, and the rest of the Bells Hells -- lying in wait outside the temple walls.

In the meantime, Prism has cast invisibility on her familiar to find the Flame Guide, and placed the manifest mind (an order of scrolls ability) within visual range. She tries to prepare a casting of summon greater demon, but does not have the material components -- the same problem that plagued Fjord in almost the same episode of C2 (it was C2E79, IIRC).

With a double nat20, Prism's familiar is absolutely unseen while invisible as it sneaks through the temple and find the Flame Guide. In the central worship chamber, the familiar sees a stained glass depiction of the Dawnfather holding down what can only be assumed to be the Lord of the Hells, as his head burns like a sun.

In here, too, there is research and study, a frenetic energy. There is also a humanoid figure standing 8-10 feet tall, with muscular arms, swirling tattoos, and where their face would be there is a dark, metallic mask with designs moving in a water-flow-type pattern. A Judicator. Prism does a whole series of held actions that will both create her manifest mind within the chamber with enemies and will allow her to cast arcane lock on the door to said chamber.

And yet, the Bells Hells notices one of the rampart doors open, and the Flame Guide exits it. She's a woman in her late 30s, short black hair, a severe expression; a scar that runs behind her eye down to her chin. "So! You have come to our temple this hour, given my men alcohol, and made promises of great reveals. Tell me what it is you wish to say in the next minute, or my men will throw you from this village and prevent you from ever returning."

Orym lays bare what they all saw, lays bare how Ludinus Da'leth is looking to tear the gods to the sky, lays bare how the enemy of his enemy is his friend -- so they are friends, and share a common goal. "Where you want to be, where all of Vasselheim's forces want to be, is the Hellcatch Valley... and you and your order's time is best spent across the ocean, rather than putting your boots on the necks of farmers." To aid, Laudna uses silent image to make Ruidus burn as bright as the burning sun, to allude a sign from the Dawnfather himself.

Liam rolls a 10 on both a Catha and a Ruidus die, both with the same modifier. With a semi-successful roll, the Flame Guard asserts that the Bells Hells and their companions will be brought to Vasselheim to plead their case. They all find this distasteful, and as Prism shoots a magic missile, Orym successfully grapples a guard and slams them into the wall.

Combat begins between the Bells Hells and Abadena's forces against the forces of this entire temple, against a fucking Judicator

As they hear dozens and dozens of war-cries from the villagers surrounding the temple, we end the episode.

[wanderingmind867]

My new take on Martian Manhunter pt 1:

Martian Manhunter/J'onn J'onzz and his younger brother Ma'alefa'ak were from Mars, a civilization built by and worshipful of the Roman deity of Mars. J'onn was a Manhunter, the equivalent of a police officer in martian society. He had a wife and a young daughter and all was peaceful and content for him. Ma'alefa'ak meanwhile was a recluse, shunned because he was the only Martian without telepathy. He grew bitter towards his people because of this, but it actually ended up becoming a great boon for him.

You see, the Martians have a natural enemy in the Saturnians. The Saturnians are the natural enemy of everyone in the solar system, in fact. That's because they're the chosen people of Saturn/Kronos, the evil titan who oppressed humanity back in antiquity. Although Saturn/Kronos is rotting in Tartarus, his chosen people continue to worship him and pray to him. And when he spoke to his people and told them they had to raise an army and enslave the chosen peoples of the other olympians, the saturnians answered the call.

Assembling an army, the Saturnians pillshed the Solar System.They enslaved the people of Mars (as well as the people of every planet in the solar system besides Jupiter and Neptune and Pluto), and planned to bend them to their will. Being a very militaristic but dignified society (as befitting their patron god), the martians fought back. J'onn was on the frontlines for some of it. The war was bloody, and horrifying. This is when J'onn was first pulled away from Mars.

You see, back on earth, Dr. Saul Erdel of Colorado was attempting to make contact with alien life. And by a strange twist of fate, he did. Except he didn't merely build a communication device. No, instead he built a virtual magnet for brain waves. To a telepath like J'onn, the pull of the machine was irresistible. He went from mars to earth in the blink of an eye, leaving his people and family all alone back on mars, to be enslaved by the cruel and savage saturnians.

J'onn ends up now on earth, being nursed back to health by Dr. Erdel. After a month or two of recovery, J'onn prepares to leave for Mars again. But before he gets the chance, he discovers a Saturnian plot to invade earth the same way they tried to invade mars. Using his telepathy and shapeshifting powers, J'onn manages to assemble a team of 6 earth heroes to help him repel the Saturnian invasion. After the invasion, the Justice League is born, it's members the 7 defenders of earth.

So while the demigods of earth dealt with the actual titans and saved olympus, J'onn and the League was saving the cosmos. This is my way of outright telling you: this universe is the same universe as Percy Jackson. We're never gonna have anyone comment on that, but it allows us to show a third front in the Titan War: the space front.

Anyways, J'onn gets permission from his fellow martians to go and study earth by living there for a few years. He blends in on earth society by taking the name of John Jones and hiding out with the Erdel family. Posing as a detective in Colorado, he has many adventures with his detective co-worker Diane Meade and his interdimensional sidekick Zook. For around 2-3 years, he stayed as John Jones like this, having superheroic adventures on earth both solo and with the Justice League.

But then J'onn had to deal with the Idol Head of Diabolu. This evil statue expelled toxic gas, which John Jones heroically jumped in front of to save a young child's life. But since John Jones was a human, everyone assumed he had died there that day. And J'onn was getting tired of leading this double life as a martian and as an ordinary earthman, so he willingly faked his death. Diane Meade and his friends on the force were all lead to believe he'd died. The only ones he actually told the truth to were Zook and the Erdel family.

From here, Martian Manhunter and Zook worked to destroy the Idol Head of Diabolu. For almost a year they fought the monsters released by that menacing Idol, but eventually they managed to destroy the Idol Head and clear up all their earthly loose ends. With the Idol Head that killed his human persona of "John Jones" gone, J'onn should have been able to go back to Mars. He wanted to. But fate wouldn't let him.

You see, J'onn and Zook end up getting wrapped into one final earthly adventure: they had to infiltrate and take down an international criminal organization known as Vulture. To combat Vulture, J'onn takes the secret identity of Marco Xavier, a multi-millionaire with reported ties to Vulture who died in a fatal car crash in France. From here, J'onn completely infiltrates the organization of Vulture, and eventually unmasks their ringmaster.

And here's the big twist in our story: the ringmaster of Vulture was the Marco Xavier! He faked his death in that car crash, and merely allowed J'onn to continue taking his identity so he could lure him into a trap. On that note, the trap Marco Xavier set for J'onn ends up levelling the building, and killing everyone but Martian Manhunter. Sickened and repulsed by what the past few months infiltrating Vulture has shown him, J'onn decides he needs to leave earth and finally go back to Mars.

[sunset-a-story]

Writer Q&A Tag Game!

I got tagged by @touloserlautrec on this one and you can see their answers here.

I'm not sure who hasn't gotten this one yet but I'm no pressure tagging @squarebracket-trick @captain-kraken @vsnotresponding & @tisiphonewolfe (and open tag)

1. What motivates you to write?

The whole absurdly-large scope of Sunset is going on in my head whether I'm writing it or not. You know when you have a song oppressively stuck in your head and the only thing that helps is to listen to the song all the way through? It's like that. If I don't write it out, my brain just churns it over and over on a loop.

2. A line/short snippet of your writing that you are most proud/happy of. If not maybe share a line of someone else's work you love (just please credit them)

Ooo. Hrm. Here's something from Arc 2.

Gerrit's heart sank. The idea that this sort of attack was more than a sporadic phenomenon was a dreadful, heavy thing that he didn't have proper words for. But that was the benefit of telepaths--he didn’t have to. When Gerrit would normally have needed to look away, attempting to grasp his fingers around some sort of words that even remotely fit the gravity of what he was being told, instead he just looked at Penn and felt. Penn held his gaze for a moment and Gerrit felt a gentle nudge of his telepathy. Penn understood. “Go.” Penn clapped him on the back.

3. Which OC makes you smile every time you think/talk about them and what are they like?

It's tough to pick! I'll say Marek just because I enjoy his antics and stalwart refusal to be a "serious corporate adult" while being one of the most competent people in the Corp. (Plus he and Baguette are a package deal.)

5. What part of writing do you think you are the best at? (Yes stroke your own ego it's okay)

I guess I'd have to say planning/mapping the big picture. Sunset covers a lot of threads that all branch out to affect others down the line with cascading consequences. It's all connected somehow and I feel like I do a decent holding it all in my head.

(That and I think I can write some pretty damn funny dialogue to break up the tension of the rest of the story.)

6. What is something in the writeblr community is most enjoyable?

The people! It's so amazing to meet so many supportive writers and get to get excited about everyone's projects. Listening to other rant about their oc babies brings me so much joy.

7. A writing tool/device you use that helps you with writing? (It could be speech to text, a writing program etc)

I've been using StimuWrite 2 which has been a great motivating tool. It's a program helps to keep me focused and I can create a mini fake coffee shop background with it.

8. A piece of worldbuilding that you like in your own story? (It could be the magic system, a particular place in the story, a law etc)

I love our take on telepaths because it's not a matter of just hearing thoughts or seeing them like on a movie screen. It's synesthetic and young telepaths have to learn to translate this internal language.

Each telepath's experience is different. Penn's is heavily smell-based like information he takes into his body from outside. Jake's is more external with sounds and physical sensations pressing themselves onto his skin, wrapping around him. Reeve's is more internal with tastes and colors that flow from the backs of his eyes and down his throat like a liquid--so if his knack gets overwhelming it can make him feel like he's choking or drowning.

I like to think that how telepaths perceive their knack has an influence on them in the same way that what knack someone has will influence who they are. (This also makes conflict between telepaths really interesting to write!)

9. What piece of advice would you say to encourage others to write if they are having a rough patch?

Allow yourself to have fallow times where you aren't writing. That's part of the process. I think the saying is something like anything in nature that is producing endlessly without rest or renewal is dying.

Don't give up on your projects, write that shitty first draft, but don't beat yourself up with guilt when your brain needs a break.