#these bio major delights

[pollenallergie]

just got assigned the species i’m gonna be researching this summer… do y’all wanna see ‘em????

[greatbigbellies]

I did multi womb math. I could only find monthly milestones, so it'll have to be nine wombs. I also searched "woman average sizes" so idk how accurate some of the numbers are. I used the average baby weight a birth being 8 pounds. Weight is in pounds, uterus volume is in cubic inches

My math is: Standard singleton: 50 lbs gained and uterus volume is 470 cu in. Standard nonuplets: 225 lbs gained and uterus volume is 4238 cu in. Mutliwomb: 165 lbs gained and uterus volume 1608 cu in.

You guess was close, maybe even right, I can't tell. The closest I could get for uterus volume without changing baby weight was quads (1608 for multi, 1883 for quads) but the mutliwomb still gained 50 lbs more overall. It probably evens out but a lot would have to got to the hips/butt to stand such a belly. I imagine the lower volume is due to how little space any of the first few months take up, especially the first month which listed no change except for the high order multiples.

Other things and details I wanted to address about this mutliwomb. Morning sickness is caused by hormone changes, but always being pregnant means there is no imbalance, no sickness. I have no clue how to calculate breast growth or milk production. Finally, the pregnancy weight should eventually plateau as they fall into the schedule of birthing every month, but I'm curious if they would still have cravings.

This is how you know you're in too deep, when you're willing to do MATH for your kink. I'm proud! Averages are close enough in my opinion, there's wiggle room in a situation like this. Someone undergoing this rotating pregnancy would have to be super bottom heavy, both to support the immense weight, and have wide hips for the regular births. Makes sense it's considerably less than straight nonuplets, only one baby is full size at a time. I'm not sure if morning sickness would be an issue or not... on one hand, a body going through that constant rotation would probably be a hormonal nightmare... though in this hypothetical situation there may be some ways to stabilize it to make it more bearable. On the other hand, I guess it would depend on which baby the body is producing hormones' for, if it's regularly for the oldest one than you're right, it'd be much more even. Weight would definitely plateau, probably only fluctuating due to the removal of one of the babies before the next one grew to take their place as biggest little guy. I think cravings would remain, cause those tend to come from the pregnant person in question needing specific nutrients for the baby (need vitamin c? Crave oranges). So growing such a constant brood would still necessitate an income of specific nutrients. I think if anything they would get really strong but also maybe the craved items in question would be more consistent... but then again every pregnancy is different so... could be all over the place. What I'm learning here is that this situation has so many variables it's really up to interpretation on its execution, unless a maiesiophile biology major has more insight.

Oh and one last thing... to put into perspective the size of belly this person would have...

The belly would be big enough to functionally hold 7 goddamn gallons... and as explained above, it'd be 165 lbs, just from pregnancy.

Hot shit...

[quitealotofsodapop]

"He accidentally comes away from the shopping trip with some fellow reptillian-demon acquaintances + the details to an after-school club for demons like him. :3"

So Nezha gets to make some friends, right?

Maybe some of them come over or he has to leave the club early for work and they offer to help or walk home with him and then Nezha's new friends get to meet his family consisting of one normal human, one pig demon chef, and two demon monkeys one of whom is pregnant. And they end up staying for dinner because they came all this way they should get some food.

I just really like the idea of Nezha having reptile demon friend!

prev post.

The hilarious part is that Nezha has never been to school, and begs Wukong and Mac to help him enroll. The adults are a little confused, but they understand that Nezha can't hang around the shop all day. Tang helps him with the enrollment process using the details from the after-school club, lying a bit to the principal that "Nez" is a transfer from a very rural part of China (not uncommon). Nezha is now experiencing his own personal slice-of-life school anime as he makes friends and experiences academic life for the first time. :3

His fellow reptile demons are delighted to see him *finally* attend school, and he quickly becomes part of their friend group. Even if he seems to be more independent/regal than the majority of them, his mischievous nature (long buried by his time among Celestials) is always a breath of fresh air. He's also very protective of his new friends, defending them from harassers and poor treatment by mortals and other demons alike.

Nezha is awed by the smallest details of his new friends. Some love video games, some love sports, some love both! Some have visited countries he didn't even now existed! One of his snake-demon friends is even better at dancing with ribbons than he is!

He rambles all these details at the dinner table, and the adults just smile. Nez is a good kid, it's good that he's making friends.

Ocassioanlly said friends walk Nez home from school, and you know Pigsy isn't letting them go without a decent lunch or a side dish to bring home. They are a little confused by Nez's family situation, but they completely understand that it's a matter of family of choice. Not everyone has the privilege of good bio parents.

Needless to say, these very same friends aren't shocked when Nezha reveals himself to be a depowered God during the events of LMK S3. They've known Nez for years now, and since his little bro is literally the Monkey King's successor, it was pretty easy to comprehend. Nezha starts crying and his friends pull him into a nearly-crushing hug.

[feroshgirlsims]

Chapter 1.4 - Bad Dreams Are for the Birds

[POV: VLAD]

“You’re really not going to move any of your stuff in or sleep here?” William demands as he storms into the study room. 

“And deprive you of the joy of having a room to yourself?” 

“Don’t try to turn this shit back on me.”

Bemused, Vlad takes a sip of his coffee. He would prefer a mocha, but there’s no way he’s trekking over to the Commons. “You don’t even want to sleep here.”

“Yes, but that’s because graduate housing is…” William glances around the dorm, his disdain clear, "I’ve stayed in nicer hotels.” 

“I see you’ve spent the morning with your family.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

William knows what it means, just like he knows that Vlad prefers living at home and the bliss of not sharing a space with random sims who talk and breathe in ways that annoy him. He only sleeps in the dorm when he’s too drunk to get himself back to Henford-on-Bagley. 

“Maybe I would like a little companionship,” William grumbles, “Maybe I want to spend time with my best friend while we enjoy our last year of freedom.”

“But then where would you bring your non-Christopher boyfriends?” Vlad smiles, “In fact, it's lunchtime. Shouldn’t Vaea be on his way here?” 

“And what about you?” William snaps, ignoring the question. “There isn’t a single speck of free space in that entire compound you call a home, assuming you could find a sim willing to take the train to the countryside for a hook-up.”

Vlad doesn’t do hook-ups. He barely likes to be touched. Most of the time, masturbation suits him just fine. His ex was confused about this. Fuifui took great pride in being his first until he discovered that Vlad didn’t attach any morality to sex; he simply hated most sims so much he could never quiet his mind down.

“William, bringing my delightful brand of friendship to strangers is low on my priority list.” 

“Well, this is our last year of law school, Vladislaus. You are supposed to be meeting strangers, living it up, having fun.” 

Vlad wasn’t a hermit by any stretch of the definition. He let William drag him to any number of social activities. But it wasn’t his preference. He was better when he was alone.

“The Volkovs were wrong,” William continues, reading Vlad’s mind in a way that is only possible when you’ve been friends since the 5th grade. “You are fit for public consumption.”

Actually, Fuifui and his adopted family were far more specific than that. Their exact words were that Vlad lacked a conscience and a heart. The first part was accurate, but the second part? 

The second part filled Vlad with an unending desire to flay open his chest and see if it was true.

“Quit being so difficult and put yourself out there,” William scolds, “You don’t need to study, so you might as well use your time for something.”

“I could plan your wedding,” Vlad quips as he returns the book he was reading to the shelf. Truthfully, he just wants to rile William up so he can secretly check his phone. 

There’s no reason to admit it yet, but he is putting himself “out there.” Judging by the available profiles on Cupid’s Corner, though, it’s a wasted effort. 

The app loves to tout its “secret algorithmic formula”—and yes, Vlad read the entire website. The urge to read every single detail on a topic is one he can’t often subdue. But clearly, the algorithm is broken. Every single sim on this app is insufferable except—

Vlad’s finger hovers over the message button. There are a million things wrong with this profile that should send him screaming—typos, misspellings, terrible grammar. But her username makes it seem like she’s daring him to bring up even one of her faults, and Watcher helps him; he likes it. 

Her real name is Alice, and the title of her bio is “Nothing to see here folks!” Instead of describing her hobbies and university major, she just lists her top ten Tea and Treachery hot takes. 

Vlad fires off a message and grins when he gets an immediate response. 

“Are you even listening?” William cries. “I asked if you had nightmares.”

“I slept fine,” Vlad murmurs, focusing on crafting the perfect reply to Alice’s challenge.

Finally, he looks up from his phone to find William staring at him strangely.

“You know I don’t dream,” Vlad sighs. “Never have. Probably never will.”

(not for nothing but I love this dorm built by @bojanastarcevic and idc if makes my sims pay like $3000 a semester for tuition)

PREV | NEXT

[cyberrose2001]

I stumbled upon the NSFW Alphabet with Bay!OP weeks ago and i saw your requests were open in your bio. 😳

Could you write one about Options being stressed out and being unable to stop groping the thighs of his human? Squeezing and groping his human like his little personal stress ball while or after doing paperwork (and maybe getting them all worked up with his worshipping.)

he/him masc (or transmasc) reader, please? it can be sfw, suggestive or nsfw 🫢🤭

Bayverse Optimus x masc!reader

Hey, Anon! Here's a little drabble for you, I can never resist Optimus's love for thighs. Thank you for reading my stuff and requesting!!

Pronouns for reader are he/him!

Warnings: Suggestive/NSFW, teasing, slight dom.

Word count: 553

When Optimus said he wanted you to accompany him while he does his paperwork, you knew those words had a deeper connotation. Resting against the wall of his private garage in the NEST base with you sprawled out on his lap, Optimus kept your legs spread wide with his own knees. One servo on your thigh and the other holding up a data pad.

Optimus tried his best to finish off the rest of his report, he really did, but he underestimated how much of a distraction you are to him and struggles to type out even the simplest of sentences. It also doesn’t help that his spike is painfully pressurised and squished between his abdominal plating and your back.

Despite being a major distraction, he came to enjoy utilising your thighs as a stress relief. Your thigh felt so soft against his contradictorily cold servo and he admires how your flesh concaves around his digits when he gives it a squeeze, enjoying your little whines as he does so.

“Optimus… please tell me you’re almost finished.” You managed to whimper out as Optimus gropes your thigh again. You’re not sure how much longer you can put up with his teasing and at this point in time your patience is dwindling. A solid two hours of you being a human stress ball was enough to get your core heated and turn your brain into mush.

“If you stop talking, I will finish quicker.” Optimus growls and gives your thigh another squeeze, his thumb rubbing oh so close to your inner groin.

“Well, if you keep rubbing me like that, I’ll be the one to finish first at this point.” You scoff, folding your arms across your chest.

Optimus narrowed his optics down onto you and swiftly removes his servo from your thigh. He’s not finishing at all if he talks to me like that, he thought with a sly smirk on his dermas.

The Prime was pleased when he heard his human whine at the loss of the servo. The only way to teach you patience is denying you of any touch until you begged for him, and Optimus fucking loves it.

“Sorry! Sorry…” You mewl, reaching a shaky hand towards his servo that’s hovering above your thigh, “Please… I’ll be patient.”

Optimus is satisfied at your apology and returns his servo back to its rightful place on your thigh, continuing to grope and squeeze at your flesh while he returns his attention to finishing of his paperwork.

Another half hour had passed, Optimus had just finished his work and you were an absolute mess. Your body felt like it was on fire, and you desperately needed a release. You tilted your head up to look at him in his optics, begging with your eyes for him to fuck you, for anything.

Thankfully, he nodded, moving his servo to the hem of your pants and slips his digits under. He spreads your thighs apart to allow himself more access to your aching heat. You let out a cry as he finally strokes you, relieving the tenson in your stomach that has been building up for the last three hours.

Optimus leans down and whispers in your ear, experienced digits touching you in the most delightful way, “Patient boys are good boys, don’t you agree?”

[dangermousie]

The Killing Vote - all these excellent dramas are killing my free time

Full disclosure - I rarely like police/killer/etc dramas (or narratives in any medium) and only checked out The Killing Vote because of my utterly irrational and unhinged thing for Park Hae Jin. We are all anonymous here so I can admit that when he first showed up on the screen I literally exclaimed "oh, fuck me!" in Pavlovian delight. The man just does it for me, OK?

(That's not his first moment but I like this cap.)

However, to my pleasant surprise, as I expected to be forwarding for a few glimpses of PHJ, I really really REALLY like the dark and unhinged the first episode.

The set-up is fairly simple, a little like Devil Judge Only Not Legal. Basically some mysterious dude sends "questions" to all citizens of Korea to vote on whether some criminal who escaped sufficient punishment should die or not; if majority votes yes, he kills them. The government is in uproar and forms a team to track the man down. Park Hae Jin's character is the leader of the team (about him more later.)

OK, why do I love it? It's a very dark show - I don't mean just visually (so many scenes take place at night) but narratively - the place is portrayed as a cesspit of humanity and nothing is clear cut. In fact, the drama very interestingly (it remains to be determined if they will develop it properly) posits of how much everyone is on continuum of vigilantism and what is acceptable. For example, our protagonist, the cop played by PHJ is, while clearly not a murderer, is hella unhinged.

He himself is a vigilante with a badge, which can be a very dangerous thing (we don't know why he is so relentlessly driven but if I were a betting person, I'd bet that scene in the prologue, where he had to arrest a man who killed his daughter's killer because said killer walked is one of his goads.)

Honestly, one of the big draws to me is just how utterly unhinged he is. He really has no stops. Look at him with the human trafficker:

And then he makes sure the camera won't catch it and bangs his own head on the table a few times as hard as he can until it bleeds. !!!!!!!

He has no stops and you begin to wonder if it's really a difference merely in degree of extreme between him and the killer he is supposed to catch. You can tell a large part of him sympathizes.

The matter of fact his assistant says as he's bandaging up PHJ's face after that little stunt says volumes.

One of the reasons I love PHJ is his unnerving intense vibe on screen - he can play someone where you don't know if they will be loving or they are secretly a serial killer, and do so incredibly convincingly. (The first drama I've seen him in was East of Eden, a sprawling epic of nurture versus nature, where he was the swapped at birth bio son of a noble worker brought up by evil businessman and he was magnetic and repulsive all at once - his "father" was so unhappy about him having genuine feeling for the girl he was obsessed with since childhood, he paid someone to drug and force him into sex and later sonny turned around and raped the girl he was obsessed with since childhood because monsters and abuse beget monsters and abuse. Childhood friends to rapist and victim is quite an arc. The drama tried to later redeem him with mixed success - it was a vvvvvv long drama - whether it worked out is something up to each viewer to decide - I - am biased by his hotness in the safe confines of fiction - but he was a truly fascinating character to watch.) The whole episode he is so on edge; you can see it burn in him when he has to protect the scumbag who got early release despite being a rapist, abuser etc etc and a part of him definitely sympathizes with the killer who eventually does the man in. His no holds barred character appears to be why despite his insane success rate he's not promoted and disliked by higher ups. He and cyber whistleblower cop girl both appear to be not good at fitting in.

This is not a drama that is likely to have any romance (alas) but I actually do like the vibe between them - they are very very different but both pretty damn unhinged.

PS This bit from East of Eden is basically what crack is like:

Here is Park Hae Jin ripping open his shirt so as to make it easier for Han Ji Hye to stab him. Ahahahaha god I miss old kdramas and their insanity.

[funky-gobbo-art]

Pretty sloppy refsheet since I haven't made a proper one in a while (don't think I ever did for any past fursonas/furry oc's.).

Bitter-Berry was born into the world sometime in the mid-90's to a white-tailed deer mother and a timber wolf father. His mother named him "Juniper" and raised him away from his father, and while growing up, she demonized every aspects of wolves and any predator type species. B.B was raised to fear wolves and suppress his urges which did not mix well with his own deer instincts.

Growing up, B.B had issues making and keeping friends, if he wasn't quietly keeping to himself he was lashing out, which lead to him becoming isolated.

The wolf instincts became worse as a teenager (raging hormones and all that) and he completely lost himself when he attacked and killed a fellow deer. He couldn't help but to eat the corpse when he took them down. He was ousted from the herd and his mother fully disowned him.

Lost and isolated, he met a human woodsman, who took him in after convincing him he was special and they'd make something great together. B.B became the man's "hunting dog" which satisfied his predator urges and gave him a sense of usefulness and belonging.

This seemingly nice setup didn't last long, after a few years, his domestication training turned into full on torture, the woodsman revealed himself to be some type of sorcerer. He would preform torturous rituals on B.B, making him experience death and resurrection.

The only thing that was a silver lining for Bitter-Berry was the fact the more the woodsman used his magic, it would slowly kill him, though it took B.B awhile to realize it would be an open door to escape. He endured this for a full decade until the woodsman became too weak to overpower B.B and eventually die.

Now Bitter-Berry spends his newfound freedom seeing the limits of his supposed immortality and regenerative abilities. He may be a danger to others but he's not invincible, he can still be knocked down and he's pretty weak overall.

He's not sure if he can live a normal life after everything, but at least there's some things that make him happy; like weed, energy drinks, video games and doing art...and other earthly delights.

Extra notes:

B.B has autism and low self esteem, as the years went on his anxiety got worse and he got major depression along with the trauma.

He discovered he was trans near the end of his time stuck with the woodsman.

His antlers started growing after one of the last rituals he was subjected to, it was a mistake by the woodsman but he decided he can take the antlers for whatever he wanted.

B.B can appear in feral, toony and anthro whenever the mood calls for it.

Because of his shifting forms, his legs in anthro mode are mostly digitigrade but can also be plantigrade depending.

Got top surgery at some point but the scars can appear or disappear depending on how the regeneration process is.

B.B chose the name "Bitter-Berry" as a somewhat similar name to his deadname.

Fashion wise B.B dresses more alternatively, fitting with his music tastes. Mostly settles for what's comfortable and listens to a lot of other things too (polyjamorous lol).

B.B appears sickly due to an unbalanced diet, but default is kinda chubby.

Sometimes his wolf instincts clash with his deer instincts to the point of self destructive behavior.

Despite the dark subject matter, he has the ability to be silly and laugh at dumb things or odd coincidences.

There's a lot of darker stuff and not-safe-for-tumblr subject matter but hopefully that can be gauged with the bio there.

[cosmiclion]

I've been working on my Familiar AU more and finished another old sketch. Meet another of my OCs, her name's Maggie.

She’s like a wet cat and I love her. Also she’s Grell’s biological mother (I wouldn’t have bothered to make parents for Grell but I felt like they were needed to explain her personality and behavior lol).

-Margaret Katherine Müller (née O’Sullivan) -Irish -Born in May 20th, 1838 -Widow

Full backstory under the cut, be warned that it's very long lmao.

The following character bio deals with topics like violent death of a significant other, major injury and trauma, reproductive coercion, unwanted parenthood, child emotional neglect and eventual abandonment, and misogyny. Also I’ll be using he/him for Grell for most of it as she figured herself out years after these events and she views her past self as a different person (I won't be revealing her deadname tho).

Maggie emigrated to England with her elderly aunt and uncle and an older cousin, the latter of whom set off to work in a farm in the other side of the country.

She befriended a boy called Gustav, son of a German couple who owned a shop that Maggie’s aunt visited often. By their teenage years they were sweethearts.

When Maggie’s aunt and uncle passed away, Gustav's parents were delighted to take her in.

They got married as soon as they legally could. They did talk about children, but agreed that it wasn’t something they really wanted. They didn’t change their minds even after six years of marriage.

Their neighbourhood was peaceful, the only time they heard about anything unusual was when the neighbours started warning each other about a werebeast that had been seen roaming nearby.

One night they were taking a stroll through the park and that’s where they saw it. It looked like a starving stray cat, only as big as a horse. As soon as they made a move, the beast charged at them. It mauled Gustav beyond recognition and would’ve mauled Maggie too if it wasn’t for a group of armed neighbors that were patrolling nearby and shot it dead just in time as it was biting her leg.

The woman was rushed to the hospital. The doctors managed to save her leg, but said she’d probably need a cane to walk.

After some rehabilitation she was finally ready to go home and the doctor came in to give his final report. He said they wanted to run a few tests first but now could safely say it: she was pregnant.

They got home and she heard her in-laws talking excitedly. She finally snapped out of it. She didn’t want a child, she could never be a good mother. All she wanted was to mourn in peace, to be left alone. She didn’t want this baby and didn’t want this pregnancy.

You can’t just say that. Your husband has left you the most precious gift a woman could ever receive. We know you can be a wonderful mother. This child will bring us so much joy, please don’t deny that to us.

And so she complied. She kept telling herself that maybe this child would really be a beautiful reminder of her husband. And when she finally had the baby in her arms, she looked down at him and felt nothing but regret.

She still hoped that she’d bond with the baby over time but that never happened. Her in-laws had her come live with them and they didn’t leave her side for the first months. After a while they went back to their usual routine and the new mother was left alone with the infant for long periods, thinking What now?

The kid was spoiled rotten by his grandparents. Maggie did her best to hide her unhappiness behind a polite smile, but at the same time she just did the bare minimum to keep the kid alive and wasn’t really there emotionally.

Maggie thought that maybe she could endure this until the kid was old enough to not want to be around her as often, but BY GOD was it hard. One day he was being particularly fussy and, in the middle of a tantrum, she finally snapped and grabbed him by his arm a little too roughly. He broke into tears, shrieking dramatically. Maggie had had enough.

And so one day she finally bailed out. She had previously written to her cousin, who agreed to take her in to live and work at the farm without questioning her.

Her in-laws were LIVID. What kind of woman abandons her own child without looking back? They continued to raise their grandkid as best as they could, which meant spoiling him even more and turning him into an entitled brat in the process.

The kid started hating his mother. All his life all he’d ever wanted was to be hugged by her, to hear some words of affection. But he never got anything beyond some headpats and faint smiles and now she was gone, that whore.

It wasn’t easy for Maggie to begin her new life, but she didn’t regret it for one second. With enough time she got used to the demanding farm life and became happier than she had been in a long time. She never remarried and lived a long, fullfiling life.

A couple of years later, when Grell was rummaging through her grandparents' belongings to see what she could take before running away in search of adventure, she found a letter addressed to them. It was from her mother, apparently answering to another letter they had sent to her in which they begged her to come visit Grell. The last lines read Do not contact me about this child again, he is not my responsibility, I do not have anything to do with him anymore. In fact, do not contact me again at all, we are not family anymore.

〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️〰️

If you've made it this far then thank you, I might have gotten a bit carried away lmao 🙏🏻

[imsevenn]

across my memory, once upon a winter: svarog × architect!reader ★ major character death!! pre-jarilo apocalypse

&. the entire fic is but a product of the writer's imagination. this is not canon, and this is also not proofread. please excuse the errors that you might find.

Sparks of metal fabrication ensued as the last bolt completed the ensemble. It takes patience and years of trial and error to successfully accomplish the masterpiece she longed to create. Being the odd one out of all the architects, she wished to mold a mechanical being that can empathize with humanity. A robot with a mind of its own, a mech that can make rational decisions for the sake of the greater good. And most importantly, a companion whom she could impart the knowledge of this world, a work of art who can immortalize the beauty of all creations. 

“Wake up, Svarog.” She whispered softly, like an order, like a calling. 

The mechanical creation that sits listlessly started to move. From its hands to its feet, the static sound that it produced made the architect’s eyes gleam. However, the happiness she felt was incomparable when her sole creation finally opened his eyes. His cyclopean eye gave her a sense of warmth that she never felt for a long period of time.

Svarog: Bio heat reaction detected — Identifying bio information...

Svarog: Identification result: Creator (Architect) — Hostility level: None.

The architect gasped. The apotheosis of her intelligence, the proof of her imagination has finally breathed life! 

“That’s right, ‘tis I, your creator, your fleeting companion!” She exclaimed with passion as she jumped towards the mech with delight who instinctively caught her arms to keep her balance.

Although she is aware that Svarog’s sequence of actions was due to the program she installed inside him, she still can’t help but be in awe at the gentlemanly attitude of her creation. If all men are like her Svarog, then maybe the world would be a lot easier for her to live in. 

Svarog: Understood. Recalculating — Result Creator’s relationship is identical to previous seventy-five calculated results. Existing data will temporarily not be altered. The relationship between creator and the machine is best defined as that of a master and servant.  Existing data will temporarily not be altered.

The architect smiled radiantly, “If that’s what you think, then certainly it must be accurate.” She said in agreement whilst opening the doors of the workshop that she secluded herself in. 

“Svarog, come. Let us see the world you will come to love!” 

-

Her mundane days of tinkering with machineries has become a little bit more bearable with a companion by her side. Svarog was also a big help when it comes to moving things in her abandoned workshop where the only living resident is she until she managed to create a company for herself. Architects tend to abandon their laboratories when their project fails and move on to another. She was the only one who choose to remain and complete a humanoid mech that can move and speak like as if they are one of the living. Although, she failed to give Svarog a face and a skin similar to men, she considers him a success still. She only has a single worry. While Svarog may live for an extended amount of eternity, he would still need modifications and upgrades from time to time. She already tried making him a little bit more sociable but as it appears, he only tolerates other living being. Aside from his own master, Svarog doesn’t seem to consider other mortals as important. If she were to die or disappear, who will Svarog allow to take good care of his parts? She already tried to rewrite his memory bank of her and his initial views but to no avail. Svarog doesn’t allow her to reset the data stored in his core. He considers her existence important and has placed protection from anything that concerns her identity to him. Even if she were to place an order of deletion, Svarog’s independent functioning system overrides her authority. 

“Svar, do you know what family is?” If she cannot remove herself from his memory, then she must create a new data that will allow other people to come near him and possibly help him in the future that she will no longer be part of. 

Svarog:  Processing Master’s inquiry... Recalculating — Result:  A family is a group of two or more persons related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together; all such related persons are considered as members of one family.

The architect giggled at Svarog’s answer. His answer sounded something completely out of dictionary. The mech’s eye then flickered at her reaction. The sudden spike of her hear rate, arched eyebrows and an involuntary dilation of her pupils, accompanied by a pleasant sound coming from her lightly parted lips indicates that she is happy. Svarog then concluded, his answer was sufficient.

“While what you have said was the general meaning of it, a family can also be someone you’re completely unrelated to. As long you both care for each other and you want them to live a comfortable happy life, they can already be considered as family, Svar. Do you understand?” 

It took a few seconds before Svarog responded. He must be processing this new information and is probably debating whether what she said was credible. 

Svarog: After multiple calculations, master’s definition of family is akin to forty-nine existing meaning of  "family." according to Belobogian traditions. 

Svarog: Reaffirming...

Svarog: Alternating existing data...

Svarog:  Update completed.

The architect smiled happily. If she cannot rewrite her role in Svarog’s memory bank, she must at least give him a new variable that will aid him in the near future. 

“Well, all is well, now that you understand. We should go grocery shopping and...” 

Before she could even finish her words, Svarog has already tackled her to the ground, completely shielding her from the falling debris of the laboratory. She was encased in his embrace for hours while his hands covered her ears in an attempt to shield her from the sound of sudden bombing that came out of nowhere. However, Svarog’s abled body is starting to tremble. Even his eye is starting to lose its light. The sound of static mumbling was clearer than the onslaught of bombs that go off around them. At this rate, the masterpiece that she built, her sole companion who gave her days of pure bliss, the one she cares for most in this world will be ruined and will disappear. 

“Get off, Svar... I need to fix you, right now!” she shouted, while pushing the mech away from her futilely. 

Svarog:  Proc...sing....Ma..t...er...ord...r

Svarog:  Fai..l.. System...fail...

Svarog’s eye blinked wildly as he struggled to deliver a decent response. She can already see a slab of metal stick out of her creation’s body. Svarog has been impaled by one of the debris that he’s trying to shield her from. It didn’t take a while before Svarog completely shut down, unable to respond to any of her callings, to any of her orders. 

With much struggle, she managed to slip out of Svarog’s protection. She doesn’t know how many hours has passed but during the time he protected her, Belobog was under attack. The city had turned into a sea of flames and beings which are not known to her crawled Jarilo-Vi. But that is the least of her concern. Svarog needs fixing and she also needs to pull him out of that rubble. The invaders don’t matter but the state of her creation does. 

Digging Svarog’s huge body from the rubble, the architect searched for surviving materials silently to avoid attracting the attention of the beasts that lay waste upon Belobog’s majestic city. It was easy enough to find the bolts and screws. But the machine that she needs to fix him was the tricky one for not only does it produce a loud noise, she also needs to pull it out from the debris. But it matters not. The dangers that lies from attracting the attention of the monsters is a small price to pay if it means that Svarog’s existence will continue to persist. Bracing herself for the worst, walls of ice raised from the ground as she created a temporary refuse. Her elemental power is not strong but it should be able to buy her time to fix Svarog. 

Picking up the welding rod, she started to replace the broken parts of her creation. Anxiety brews inside her as the monsters started to scratch and tear on the wall that she built. Securing his data bank and core, the architect hastily sealed and added protective frames to preserve Svarog’s lifeline. However, it seems that the damage he incurred was greater than she imagined. The system activation was taking too long. And unfortunately, the walls that shielded them both has already crumbled. 

Monsters surged from all sides. But they must not reach her beloved creation, the light of her seemingly boorish life. The activation must not be interrupted. If she needs to stand her ground against these invaders and put her life on the line, then it must be what fate begs her to do.

-

The sun rose from the other side of the horizon. The calamity is yet to be quelled but somehow, the monster had backed off once the sun had shown itself. Jarilo-Vi’s luscious terrain was no more. The biting winter had come earlier than summer and as it appears, it will be a long, long, long time before they can escape this bitter cold. 

Breathing a sigh of relief, the architect brushed the snow that is starting to build around Svarog’s body. She never had any fighting experience but she managed to stand her ground against those monsters and now, Svarog’s activation has finally reached its finale. 

Weakly, she sat beside the awakening robot. The architect leaned on Svarog’s shoulder, her breathing controlled and labored as her vision blurs a little more. 

“Svar... are you awake now?” her question came off as a quiet whisper. She can no longer hear his voice nor can she see if he’s truly awoken from his deep slumber. Her impending death is starting to rob her of her senses. Thankfully, she can still feel his frigid touches as he lifted her body from the cold sensation of snow. 

Breathing languidly, she raised her trembling hand in an attempt to search and reach Svarog’s face but her hands were clasped by a pair of cold metals. He must be trying to fend off the cold given by how he’s rubbing her skin to his. It was pretty touching to witness her creation’s humanity during her final moment. 

The architect had never feared death. After all, she thinks that it is but a process of human life. She was brought to this world with a purpose to cease and to exist. The cessation of her life is but a stage that she must tread like everyone else. But she never expected nor did she dream to have such a fulfilling death. 

“Nothing in this world could ease my heart more than to be held in your icy metallic embrace, my most beloved creation, my magnum opus, dearest, Svarog." She said quietly as her eyes drifted off to an eternal sleep and maybe another journey that pales in comparison to the one she’s had with him. Either way, her life became a little bit happier with him by her side. She can only hope that he finds himself a light of his own, just as she did in him during her protracted period of seclusion throughout her darkest night.

[brown-spider]

Just wanna say I've never seen a major multi-million franchise where the fans seem to be primarily black and/or latino

Every single time i go to people's bios and see "black" there its such a delight like-!!

My people!!!

[loregoddess]

Whoo, finished Echoes of Wisdom today! still plan to run around and try to finish things I skipped over or missed, but overall it was such a fun game, even if it was a bit shorter (it's also entirely possible I went a bit crazy and played through faster than usual). Definitely gonna be a top-5 LoZ game for me, it was so delightful...

some extra spoiler-y thoughts under the cut

Really enjoyed the final dungeon and final boss, bio-castles are one of my all-time favorite environments for fantasy worlds, and the "primordial cosmic horror" feel that Null had as a character is something else I love a lot. Also the way the mechanics were set up to have Zelda and Link fight side-by-side worked out surprisingly well, and the dungeon was fun to navigate with Link as an active partner. I'd love to see a future game expand those mechanics even further honestly, they were a delight, and it's a shame they were limited to one dungeon.

It was cool that the golden goddesses were like, actual characters w/ speaking parts too, I don't think that's ever happened in a game before. Actually, the game overall had a lot of little things I'd wanted to see in a LoZ game in general like, how the King and soldiers actually do mobilize to help Zelda and the citizens of Hyrule (they're unusually passive in most games), or just how natural a lot of the writing felt for characterization in general.

Really liked the King in this game a lot, it's funny since the last Major Hylian King (Rhoam) was Not very popular with fans bc he was a bit of an asshole, and then EoW's King is like, "This is my daughter Zelda, who is amazing and wonderful and I love her so much and will support her in whatever she does" like, very doting father character that doesn't come off as overbearing, which is refreshing (Rhoam was interesting in his own right, but he was also like, dead, so it was interesting more in a "chasing ghosts" sort of way and less in a "this is a character who can actively and presently affect what is going on").

Actually seeing Zelda get to interact with other characters and really shine as her own character was really nice too. Like, all the people in castle town really seem to know her more casually, and seeing her interact w/ other rulers was super fun too. (Not that Zelda isn't a character in other games, but she doesn't always get to be as present as EoW Zelda).

Overall I loved the game a lot, from beginning to end. The gameplay and mechanics were super fun to play around with, the music was very notably present and felt unique to every area, the art style was so pretty and cute, and the story and characters were solid from start to finish. I know I'm a bit biased, having grown up with older LoZ games, but EoW really does play and feel like a classic Zelda game, from the top-down gameplay to the dungeon design to the quirky one-off characters to the bittersweet story ending.

I don't follow the business side of the game industry that closely, but just based off the lack of a line to wait in for preordering the game on release day, I'm worried that EoW won't do as well and therefore Nintendo will be like "well, that game was a flop, so we won't do something like it again" (bc it kinda feels like they set it up to fail, I mean it even released on a Thursday instead of Friday like most games do), but damn do I hope the game actually does really well and pulls off a Metroid Dread, bc I would love to see more LoZ games like this one. Playable Zelda was great, and the entire game design was so fun, I would love to have another game like this but a bit larger/longer.

Anyhow, now off to unblock the tags for EoW and finally take peeks at guides and fanstuffs (I was only missing two echoes at the end of the game and I have NO idea what they are even if I know where they're supposed to be, thanks to the clear-game giving the player access to the number of things they're missing).

Absolutely delightful game, will probably replay it lots and lots.

[philcoulson-redtapeninja]

Hiya!

📝

For any character you want, please and thank you.

Here are some of my headcanons for Mark “Ik” Ikagami (Real Genius)!

From the Seattle area, probably a Virgo Five other Marks in the dorm his first year, so went by Ikagami which was eventually shortened to Ik by Chris Big fan of motorcycles, used to ride mopeds before upgrading Has to buy a size up for his Harley Davidson shirts bc Chris keeps stealing them Decent pingpong player(based on his line in the script “I'm depressed. Why did I listen to my parents? I should have become a ping-pong pro.”) Major/Master is in Bio Chemistry(from the script "MARK IKAGAMI, better know as ICK. Ick is a bio-chemist who spends a great deal of time in his lab experimenting with various fun compounds that do things ranging from making artificial ice to increasing memory.") Has a strong interest in agricultural genetics, especially in radiations effects on plant DNA He'd be delighted to learn about the new research into the mathematical link to genetic mutations. Also by whole genome sequencing and genetic algebra. Stims by drawing fractals and  the Fibonacci spiral.(I'm sorry did ANYONE think that these folk were neurotypical?) Like looking for math on nature Incredibly sarcastic but in such an utterly deadpan way that no one is entirely sure if it was sarcasm.  Hell of a poker face. Can only be beaten by Mitch counting cards Y'all know that tweet about getting away with stealing chairs by saying they were for a math meet next door? Yeah, that's him No one expects him to be just as much of a being of chaos as Chris, but he is~

I just think he's neat!

[solradguy]

GG2OMC (ENGLISH): KY - JUSTICE FOR WHO?

Word Count: 1,699 Warnings: Pregnancy (no birth) Chapter Index & Credits Page・ Mobile Friendly Version Archive.org download page (.PDF + uncompressed art scans)

2024 Oct. 30: This is an old version of this translation and isn’t as good as the one on my Neocities: https://solradguy.neocities.org/GG2OMC%20Stories/gg2omc-index

Gears are mindless biological killing machines created by mankind. However, among such abominable bio-weapons, a kind-hearted girl was born. She was the Half-Gear offspring of a human and a Gear, and was a charming young woman with a gentle and compassionate heart. Despite her peaceful disposition, for the sole purpose of being a Gear, she was hunted by humans and her life was constantly threatened.

Ky Kiske, the former leader of the Sacred Order of Holy Knights, a group specializing in warfare against Gears, had his first encounter with the Half-Gear two years ago. For Ky, who had engaged in mortal combat with Gears on the front lines, the encounter with a gentle Gear that despised destruction and carnage was both new and strange.

After that, through several reunions, the existence of the Half-Gear woman gradually transformed into something to be protected in Ky's mind. If one were to define the beginning of their love, it would be this time. Ky decided to offer her safe harbor and defend her.

He knew that this was a rebellious act against the justice and humanity he believed in.

They began to live together. Ky, a public servant, worked diligently to fulfill his official duties, while the Half-Gear waited for Ky to return home and did her best to take care of the household. It did not take long for the two of them to develop a bond of mutual trust and desire for each other's presence. Ky loved her with all his heart, and she sang to and loved him in equal measure. Ky could no longer hide his true love for her.

Since she had no nationality and no family record, the Half-Gear could not legally marry. Ky, knowing that she wanted to propose, asked her to marry him first. The two exchanged vows of eternal love without public recognition. Tormented by guilt…

The two spent a year or so in happiness, which gradually faded away that sense of guilt and immorality that had been nagging at the back of Ky's mind. However, something happened to reawaken those feelings: his wife became pregnant.

As a young couple in love, this result itself was not surprising. They were delighted when the doctor, one of the few people who understood the couple's situation, told them the news, hand in hand.

However, the changes to her body caused by the pregnancy were different from those of a human’s. Her abdomen had swelled to the size of a human halfway through pregnancy in about a week. Her growth was much too rapid. Ky was once again confronted with the fact that she was a Gear and that the child in her belly was also a Gear. The sense of guilt that had been lying dormant in his heart rekindled at once, and the doctor's report was a dark cloud hovering over Ky's mind.

“I can't see the fetus. It appears to be encased in a hard shell.”

"…I don’t… What does that mean?”

Ky asked, feeling his eyes darken as he started to lose hope.

“Gear… Pardon me… Your wife seems to be oviparous…"

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

The long-standing Crusades, the name given to the war against Gears, had left devastating damage to major cities around the world, leaving many people without a livelihood. But still, people had to live. The ultimate concern for many was simply "to live." People at that time avoided the ravages of war and worked together to develop new land and rebuild cities.

As their efforts bore fruit and the reconstruction of the city progressed, life became more stable, and problems that had remained hidden until then began to surface. The community that had been formed to focus solely on "living" had become a melting pot of many different ideas, philosophies, and religious beliefs. Ironically, it was not until the reconstruction of the city that people became aware of this abnormal situation. Fortunately, the people of that time, who were painfully aware of the bitterness of war, did not engage in major conflicts, and those who shared a common ideology and religious beliefs naturally diverged and re-formed their own societies.

Under these circumstances, officials from the United Nations invested vast amounts of capital to support the communities that were being formed. As a result, they gained a powerful voice and influence over these communities, and eventually succeeded in gaining control over the whole of Europe and western Eurasia.

Thus, the world became polarized in terms of the structure of governance: the power of the United Nations member states versus that of other states and municipalities.

In recent years, seeking to further strengthen their control, the United Nations embarked on a national restructuring. This was a major transformation of the system, in which the national government they controlled was divided into three regions, each ruled by its own king. To date, two kingdoms have already been established, with only one remaining: Illyria, where Ky lived. When this country, which had already been named the United Kingdoms of Illyria, was born, it would only be the second largest in the world in terms of total area, but it would have the largest commercial market in the world. There was no doubt that it would be the center of humanity’s reconstruction.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

On the same day Ky learned of his wife’s condition, he accepted an invitation to appear before the United Nations. In a small, gloomy, conference room, he was surrounded by people representing the Senate of the United Nations. He wondered what the sudden order to appear meant. If it had been discovered that he was harboring a Gear, they would not have summoned him with something as leisurely as a letter. He could surround his home with a large army if he had to, but he could not let his guard down.

“International Police Force Captain Ky Kiske, reporting for duty.”

“You have been called in here today for one reason: to ask for your cooperation.”

Ky was relieved; it was not about his wife. His mind regained its composure.

“I am a public servant under the jurisdiction of the United Nations and will not disobey a proper order. However, do you have the authority to issue such orders to me?"

It was a check and balance. At the same time, it was also an attempt to discover the true nature of the organization known as the Senate.

“This isn’t an order… it’s cooperation. As I said a moment ago, did I not?”

“Understood. Then, what is it you need my cooperation for?”

A moment of silence. The man with the low voice coughed before he spoke again.

“I want you to be the king of the Kingdom of Illyria.”

Ky was surprised by this unexpected statement.

“The Kingdom of Illyria will be born soon. At the beginning of the new year, a referendum will be held to choose the king. I would like you to run in this election.”

“You are a hero. You’re a genius in swordsmanship and law, and at a young age you became the leader of the Sacred Order of Holy Knights. In addition, you are a handsome man.”

"Indeed. You will be quite popular with the people.”

"We promise to support you to the fullest extent of our ability. If that sounds appealing to you. What do you think?”

Ky hesitated. In fact, he had seriously considered running for king before. Becoming king meant that he would be able to change the world and gain real power over it. For the sake of his suffering people, his wife and unborn child… he wanted to change the world, and this was the perfect opportunity! But what was the Senate's true intention? Ky decided that he should wait and see before giving an answer.

“I am honored by your nomination, but I am a military officer. I don't think I can engage in politics…"

He chose his words carefully and reserved his attitude. He did not expect a straightforward response.

“That’s alright, you don't have to play politics. You can sit on the throne in silence.”

There was no better response; Ky understood completely. They wanted a puppet… an ornamental king who would do their bidding. What was frightening was that they didn't even try to hide it. It was a sign of their confidence, and they had already decided that he was someone they could play with. Ky needed time to think now.

"…I can't make an immediate decision. I'd like some time to think about it.”

"Hmm… Well, that's all right. You may have some time to consider our proposition.”

“Thank you…”

"By the way… Your common-law wife is terribly charming, isn’t she?"

"…What?!”

“I remember seeing your wife somewhere. Now, where was it..?”

A high-pitched voice spoke, the words coming from a grinning mouth. Ky shuddered. They probably knew everything.

"I'm expecting a good answer.”

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

That day, Ky Kiske went to his familiar church early in the morning. In front of the statue of the Virgin Mary, he placed his sword beside her and dropped to one knee as if in a crumpled heap. The days of suffering were a staggering burden, weighing down both his heart and body.

The answer was still not clear. There were many different threads of justice to choose from. In the past, he had the courage and pride to fight for the justice he believed in. But now…

Where is my justice? Who is my justice for?

Can I build such a world where humans and Gears coexist?

Am I qualified to lead the world with my many sins as I have..?

Ky kept asking himself these questions. He lost track of how much time had passed before he heard footsteps behind him.

It was rare to hear footsteps at that hour. When he turned around, Ky saw the man whose face he wanted to avoid seeing the most.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

This story connects to Sol's: UNPARALLELED CONFESSION.

Chapter Index & Credits Page・ Mobile Friendly Version

[yellowocaballero]

HEY!! Your trigun swap au is so very good!! I've always loved roleswap aus as a concept, and yours is the perfect example of why. it's all about the balancing act of twisting the (swapped) character's background/mentalities for maximum domino effect while not actually *destroying* the character ya know? you still gotta recognize them, it's half of the fun. just some little nudges here... and there... with the delightful result of a changed plot/world that you can discover anew

Also I surprisingly vibe with Dr Knives. a lot. what can I say I guess it's the fucked up superiority-inferiority/guilt complex with a dash of imposter syndrome. also the transgenderism. he's just like me fr fr (minus the speciesism and bloodlust) 1/3

SPEAKING OF! I'm literally a week late for that but chapter 4 may be my favorite so far. it's got it all: Ww's bloodlust coming through and being given a GUN, M&M being #JustNormalGunsmokeKidsThings about it, Knives being incredibly tired and enthusiastically murderous in turns, TRANS PEOPLE!! Funky morally dubious trans men ! Intersex nonbinary Knives (in humans terms) !! small internal rants about ecosystems!

I particularly like that one bc I too found myself twitching whenever I see (in fics or fandom at large) Gunsmoke being shown as a ~hostile, barren~ planet when, like.... *waves agitedly at the Tomases* *waves frantically at the WORMS, in all their INCREDIBLY DIVERSIFIED sizes and shapes* tell me there isn't an entire ecosystem supporting and including these bad boys. And god do I wanna know about it. Terraforming this terraforming that. Enough. I want bio-worldbuilding fics that are just as weird and unhinged as the rest of trigun (2/3)

To go back to Nicholas : I loved his discussion with Knives about fate and predestination and stuff (esp since -I may be reading too much into it, but it’s interesting that Knives says he doesn’t believe in predestination anymore, and just a bit later goes about how his personality is Like That bc he’s Biologically Programmed for it), and his last words in it are especially ominous. WHAT were you gonna say about Vash. How does it concern Nicholas. This is gonna bite them in the ass later isn’t it.

Also ur last asks/answers REALLY doesn’t reassure me about woowoo’s fate. Is he gonna die. Is he gonna end up going thru the same things than his canon counterpart (concentrate of medical-and-general unethicality). Idk what those flags are for but boy They Are There.

Aallll that to say I absolutely love that fic and can't wait to see what you do next with it, thank you so much !! (3/3)

This is so nice thank you so much :D :D :D To comment in order:

Roleswaps are no fun if you can't recognize the character. You're absolutely right - the funnest part is to make the smallest changes possible, and see how they cause the biggest differences. That's true of every AU, honestly - you guys know those 600k shonen manga aus where something major is different but every story beat is identical to canon? Or they're identical to every other au? They're addictive but without substance. Also sounds boring to write.

It's so funny that you (and others) vibe with Dr. Knives! From my end, he has my own very wry deadpan and self-esteem problems. Characters who have both a ridiculously inflated ego for comedy purposes and some real self-esteem problems for drama purposes work great.

I was surprised that so many people enjoyed the trans thing so much! I didn't expect it to make people so happy. Of course it's a nice surprise. I don't remember why I made the BDN decision (funny, probably) or the 'Knives invented gender reassignment surgery' thing (funny definitely), but a very active decision and something that made Knives above every other character fun to write is that he is not a human being and does not think of himself as such. The way his body experiences emotion is different, his body itself is different in a way that probably includes genitalia, and there's no reason for him to experience gender the same way. As I'm about to talk about in the upcoming chapter, he casually refers to himself as a thing and with it/its and it doesn't affect his superiority complex whatsoever.

I...would not have said that this is trans by myself, if that makes sense, because I wouldn't have wanted to say "in order to really hammer in how this character is INHUMAN then I'm gonna make him not male or female and prefer neopronouns!". It's just the shape of the character, to me. BUT LIKE IF Y'ALL LIKE IT! NO PROBLEM! I was just worried I might be saying the wrong thing, so I didn't want to say it, if that makes sense. Y'all can say it though.

Trigun worldbuilding is nonsensical and hideously vague and as a writer if you stop and think too hard about silly questions like "where does the wood come from" or "why is Vash eating salmon sandwiches" then you go insane. But...yeah, Gunsmoke's like any other ecosystem, and its worms and thomases seem to be doing great! It's not Gunsmoke's fault it is almost completely uninhabitable to humans. It sucks for us, but...does Knives care about that??? Lmfao???

There is a shitton to say about Knives' relationship with predestination and inevitability, because it's why he made the worst decision of his life. I think of it as...reasonable, in a lot of ways. If all you knew about humanity was what you read in history textbooks, and human history ended with the destruction of Earth and themselves, how would you feel? Everything humans have done, they do again. And if they dissected your sister, in an act of cruelty that they had done to even themselves...of course you'd worry. Of course. If you're young and scared and you can hear the screams of the dead in your ears, of course you feel like it's going to be you or them. And if you're.........Millions Knives.......and reverse!Vash.....then eliminating the threat is just good business sense.

And you aren't reading too much into it - Trigun in so many ways is about choices, and the impact of your choices. Your decisions are you own, and you must take responsibility for them. Decisions have weight in Trigun. I think what ppl miss sometimes about Vash is that he also wants to fuckin' murder people sometimes. He wants to be violent, he wants to hurt. He just chooses not to. Sometimes choosing pacifism is a hard fucking choice, and I think wiping that away does a disservice to the character. So if Knives would say, "Well, it's just who I am, I had no choice, I had no control, I just go nuts and murder it's not on me..." - what does that mean, in Trigun? It's??? Like??? A pussy thing to say???

But, the way I thought about it - what Knives is fighting is his internal sense that he is predestined for cruelty. He knows "who he really is" and any attempt at goodness is futile, because he's secretly bad and will always be bad. And he fucks up sometimes and starts exploding worms. But Knives chooses goodness, and I don't think he's really cottoned on that his choice to do good is more important than his internal desires to do bad and his history of badness. Because he hates himself.

I think what Knives knows now as an adult is that our lives have paved a path for us to tread. Sometimes that path is innocent, and sometimes your life paves a very nasty path. But it's our choice if we walk it or not. Knives knows what his path is, and it gives him extreme shame - but he chose which one he walked, and that's what I judge him on. Still funny how much he loves murder though.

[pvnkhcze]

JAMISON PAUL MICHAELS (original- 'the coach')

full name: jamison paul michaels nicknames: james age: 42 birthday: july 23 years on campus: 12 occupation/job: personal trainer, fitness instructor, and community coach relationship status: widowed sexuality: heterosexual positive traits (+): honest, fair, compassionate, hardworking negative traits (-): stubborn, withdrawn, moody, aloof

bio hc's: tw- poverty, injury, spousal death

jamison was born and raised in chicago, illinois to a family that struggled their entire lives to brush the low end of the poverty line. his mother, madeline, worked 6 days per week (and on occasion 7) at a small, run-down diner in town. she was a waitress doing her best to provide for her family. his father, frank, worked maintenance and janitorial for the local high school, and was paid absolute peanuts

academics weren't necessarily anything jamison excelled at, though he wasn't terrible either- primarily, his report cards consisted of B's and high C's

despite his less-than-stellar interest in academics, sports had fascinated jamison from a young age. the moment he could walk, he began tossing and kicking balls around. this delighted his father, who loved spending time with his son during the precious few off hours he had

as jamison grew, so did his talent for sports, with one in particular making its way to the forefront- baseball. his passion was evident and the talent simply added the cherry on top. madeline enrolled him in his first community league at only 4-years-old, and from then on he never missed a season, game, or even practice. as a freshman in high school, he became the youngest student ever to be recruited for the varsity team, and by the second semester of his sophomore year, he was team captain

with his decent grades and his baseball talent, the future was brighter than bright for james. directly out of high school he was recruited to join the college team at the university of illinois, where he attended on a full scholarship (much to the pride and relief of madeline and frank). double majoring in nutrition and sports therapy, jamison's interest in academics peaked as he was finally able to study specifically what he wanted

a year and a half into his college journey, james met the woman who became his wife. while hadn't ever believed in love at first sight, that particular point of view flew out the window the moment 19-year-old jamison laid eyes on evelyn. he asked her out immediately, she accepted, and the rest was history

upon graduation, jamison was scouted by a professional baseball team, and eventually (following bootcamp and bids) offically joined the cardinals. four months later he and evelyn were married, and it appeared as though smooth sailing had been granted

after playing for the cardinals for only three years, jamison incurred an injury mid-game that he knew immediately would end his career. while it was a fact he knew he couldn't avoid, he anger and bitterness he felt at the reality took quite some time for him to overcome- feelings of failure, and of letting down his family and his wife

after several surgeries and a two separate stints in a physical rehab facility, jamison was finally released from his medical treatments, and allowed to re-join the workforce, though not in the capacity he had once enjoyed. blessedly, his stats and record during his time on the professional team bought him respect and, in turn, job offers from several very reputable people and sources. though, jamison turned them all down, finding himself disinterested in virtually everything. that was, until a coaching position opened up at the university of colorado. having always been interested in the state as a whole, jamison took the truly generous offer to evelyn, and the decision was made- they would move

the couple had only been in boulder for approximately a year when the virus struck. jamison was quarantined and trapped at the university, while his wife was at her office. the belief that she was strong, smart, and resourceful carried james through the early weeks following the outbreak, as he was confident that eventually evelyn would make her way to campus, and they would resume, together. months passed and evelyn didn't come. finally, four months into the outbreak, a newcomer arrived to campus- someone jamison recognized as one of his wife's former co-workers. the man recognized him too, and with a tearful admission, shattered jamison's heart- evelyn hadn't made it

the devastation overcame james in a way no words could describe, and in that moment he felt the last piece of himself break. he completely changed that day, neary 12 years ago, and it seems as though no one has truly been able to break him from his fog since. he is, essentially, going through the motions.

[artofthemindblog]

Karin Valis on Magic and Artificial Intelligence – The Secret History of Western Esotericism Podcast (SHWEP)

A House with Many Rooms Interview 2

We are delighted to speak with Karin Valis, machine-learning engineer and esoteric explorer, on the vast subject of how the fields of artificial intelligence and magic overlap, intertwine, and inform each other. We discuss:

The uncanny oracular effects and synchronistic weirdnesses exhibited by large language models,

Conversations with ChatGPT considered as invocation,

AI as the fulfilment of the dream of the homonculus (with the attendant ethical problems which arise),

AI as the fulfilment of esoteric alphanumeric cosmologies (and maybe, like the Sepher Yetsirah, this isn’t so esoteric after all; maybe it’s just science),

And much more.

Interview Bio:

Karin Valis is a Berlin-based machine learning engineer and writer with a deep passion for everything occult and weird. Her work focuses mainly on combining technology with the esoteric, with projects such as Tarot of the Latent Spaces (visual extraction of the Major Arcana Archetypes) and Cellulare (a tool for exploring digital non-ordinary reality for the Foundation for Shamanic Studies Europe). She co-hosted workshops, talks and panel discussions such as Arana in the Feed (Uroboros 2021), Language in the Age of AI: Deciphering Voynich Manuscript (Trans-States 2022) and Remembering Our Future: Shamanism, Oracles and AI (NYU Shanghai 2022). She writes Mercurial Minutes and hosts monthly meetings of the occult and technology enthusiasts Gnostic Technology.

Works Cited in this Episode (roughly in the order cited):

The homonculus passage in the Pseudo-Clementines: Homilies 3.26; cf. Recognitions 2.9, 10, 13–15; 3.47.

On the Book of the Cow/Liber vaccæ: see e.g. Liana Saif. The Cows and the Bees: Arabic Sources and Parallels for Pseudo- Plato’s Liber Vaccæ (Kitab al-Nawams). Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, LXXIX:147, 2016.

‘The Measure of a Man’, Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 2, Episode 9, first aired 13 February, 1989.

Doctor Strange, dir. Scott Derrickson, 2016 Marvel Studios.

Recommended Reading:

Karin has a substack where she posts interesting things. Her recent essay Divine Embeddings is particularly relevant to the discussion of alphanumericism in the interview.