#xanther

[dailydanielewski]

"Uhm, like there are these voices that know everything. Like voices that don't really live and can't die and have been around forever, before the start of things and will even be around after the end of things. You know, privileged with all that's that. Like Google, only true."

-Xanther, The Familiar v1, p.193

[chaaistheanswer]

It's my friend's birthday today so I drew them a present 😋

[tau1tvec]

"So I asked Isa to Homecoming."

[blindrapture]

apropos of nothing, you guys really need to read The Familiar. and by "you guys" I mean more people. and by "more people" I mean you guys.

[afklancelot]

see The Familiar may seem daunting w its nine storylines to follow but the setting is pretty simple. the world of TF is a computer simulation that’s p much in a time loop, and of the nine narrators, only isandorno is at least semi-aware of the time loop

[coleslawedcondor]

my hatchetfield theories/headcanons:

Wilber Cross can just summon green apples whenever he wants. One at a time. The next green apple can only be summoned once the previous one has been fully eaten or has rotted completely. It’s a really weird perk of the job of being close to Wiggly.

Since we know that to make a deal with the lords in black using the black book, one must give up what they desire most, then perhaps what Miss Holloway desired most was to be remembered. It’s (iirc) heavily implied that she was once a famous rock star in the 80s that has been forgotten (the one tree in Witchwood Forest that asked for her autograph, the t shirt being described as being a forgotten pop star). That, and the fact that when things go wrong she is forgotten by everyone, seems to imply she gave up being remembered for her powers.

when Pete tells people in Hatchetfield that he wants to become a chemist, they immediately shit on him. They always assume he means the Clivesdale Chemists and not the career path.

The chemists logo is a bubbling conical flask with green and yellow.

Every real tree in the witch wood forest—ALL of them—are those with a touch of the “gift” that have been killed by the hatchet men. For some reason planting new saplings doesn’t work in Hatchetfield soil, so policy makers are very wary of cutting down any trees.

General Macnamara wears a watch because of Wilbur Cross. Cross inspired him to: still, Cross wears his watch, perhaps some sliver of his consciousness won’t allow him to take it off even though he doesn’t know why.

PEIP is so secretive that no one knows about it in the U.S. government. Every U.S. President has no idea. There is no physical documents of Macnamara, Xanther Lee, or any other PEIP member’s existence because writing anything down would be a security threat.

Grace Chastity came back from abstinence camp and hung the axe on the wall as a treasured memory. Perhaps at some point during NPMD, Steph and Pete congregate at Grace’s house, during which they see the axe on the wall and are further convinced of her eccentricity.

When Pokey “put on” TGWDLM, none of the other LIB came. Musical theater was too nerdy for them.

Whenever the LIB are summoned, they take on an appearance tied to the where/when they were summoned and who is summoning them. In Holloweane they were trick or treaters. In NPMD they were dressed as high school teens.

Ted cherishes Pete the most. In another version of NPMD, Pete would turn to Ted for help, who would then be there for the summoning.

Pokey wanted Paul so bad that it did not matter for Paul to stay in character after being absorbed by the hive mind. Pokey was so overjoyed that he channeled that manic energy into Paul, puppeting him unrealistically.

[yourfriendlypal]

Hello! My name is Carter, if you're from Palpagos Islands you know me better as Stormchaser.

I'm a pal tamer, and I really just miss talking to other human beings. If you see me on my travels, give me a shout and a wave!

Right now, my main pals that I take with me on excursions are:

Xanther, my Eikthyrdeer. She is violent and I love her, and she loves the water.

Garg, my Jormuntide. Takes absolutely no shit. Slightly impulsive.

Casper, my Arsox. The most normal, despite being permanently on fire.

Thermia, my Chillet. Watches me sleep. Best emotional support.

Shadygrey, my Shadowbeak. If you're one of the PIDF that saw me going to Sanctuary 3 no you didn't. <3 Very sweet.

Fluffball, my Cremis. Knows a startling amount of electric skills.

Graham, my Direhowl. Thinks she's the leader, but it's Garg. Will bite if approached without warning.

Darkwing, my Anubis. Living lightning rod. I can never take her anywhere in a storm.

Recently, in another universe (or your world depending on whose reading this), I acquired Celebrity the Chatot. He/she knows how to swear.

(OOC UNDER CUT)

Hey! I'm surprised I seem to be the first to do a Palworld faller, since it's so similar to pokemon.

I'm the same mod as the one behind @teamtemplarofficial.

I fucking love this game. It's like "Ark: Survival Pokemon" but I haven't played Ark because my computer will kill me. Everyone interact. Magic anon, pelliper mail, and anything like that is welcome and on.

In universe, I imagine that Palworld has something like Rotomblr, but it gets taken out often. That's why Carter had this account already.

Trigger warnings are basically the same as Palworld. Animal abuse, gun violence, drugs, violence, and mental health issues. Carter himself tries to be good all he can, but after several months shipwrecked on an island with man-eating monsters and some very bad people, he has trauma. So he can be nonchalant about things other people wouldn't be.

Bonus Carter riding Shadygrey.

[rraimu]

comm for xanther!

[taravangianlistenstothebeachboys]

So I’m currently reading The Familiar by Daniel Z Danielewski, the author of House of Leaves. It’s truly incredible; the first of a series that I’m disappointed will probably never be concluded due to low sales. Xanther and Anwar are truly wonderful characters, and they deserve a full story. I’m eager to talk more about what it does well and where it falters in future posts, but one thing struck me on page 729:

Motherfucker decided to use the House of Leaves fontological rules again at the 11th hour! As far as I can tell, it’s the only time he brings in a rule from outside the text (already having plenty, in-between all the different narrator’s typing quirks writing styles, the different Narcons’ textual intrusions, and the rare mention of the “familiar”). There’s plenty of discussion of the family’s home before this point, it’s dilapidation reinforcing the threat of their poverty, but I don’t honestly remember if Danielewski used the word “house” without marking it blue until this point, or if he simply used synonyms beforehand. Either way, it’s obviously purposeful here in a way I’m not sure i understand.

(Spoilers below the cut)

…

It’s notable that the same paragraph is focused on color with the description of Xanther’s heterochromatic eyes, but what’s the significance of that? I was taking that to be one of the many physical parallels made between Xanther and her cat, but is the whole “different colors but with flecks of the same color in both and each wrapped in blue” meant to suggest a connection between the two texts? Maybe in themes and preoccupations, if not setting?

If that’s the case, then maybe it’s no coincidence that the paragraph is soon followed by one of the more obviously supernatural parts of the book: the description of Xanther breathing life into an apparently dead cat, one that she’d heard mewing from several blocks away in a rainstorm. This along with a description of her naming and petting a spider. Getting a connection to Danielewski’s horror novel could be meant to set the appropriate tone for the reveal of Xanther’s witch-like tendencies.

[cari-ad]

I just looked through your blog, and I feel like I can offer a good perspective.

In my world, I was shipwrecked on the Palpagos Islands. The first human I met there had just had their friends eaten by our version of pokemon, which are called Pals.

I have seen Pals who have eaten people. Many have tried to kill me. I have seen settlements destroyed, forests on fire, etc. I've had many near-death experiences there.

But, my Pals have saved me in all those near-death experiences. We've fought side by side. My last sight before I was knocked unconscious by a Mammorest was Xanther standing over me, ready to defend me.

I like to joke that "Palpagos is terrible, so many monsters there. And, then there's the Pals." Because the worst cruelty I've witnessed is from humans. Unlike them, my Pals will defend me against opponents much worse then I am.

If pokemon hunt children, they should be killed. I've done so to Pals who've started hunting humans specifically.

But, not every pal does it.

What I'm saying is you're painting everything with one paintbrush, and you probably shouldn't.

@yourfriendlypal

That's a nice perspective, thank you.

If they hurt children, then they don't deserve to live, that's honourable.

Maybe some pokémon do deserve to live, but I've been saying that from the start - but then you get into complications of what is and isn't worthy.

[dailydanielewski]

Xanther would've loved booping the cat and getting booped back 🐾

[chaaistheanswer]

Happy valentines from these guys 🥰

[tau1tvec]

[afklancelot]

The Familiar is a great series for bitches who differentiate and connect characters with the character’s favorite color

[theiloveyousong]

reading the familiar i think you'd like xanther

what is it with u and books w colored titles

[yourfriendlypal]

🤔

(OOC: I have a real palworld savefile which is where Carter and his team comes from. Casper and Xanther were named on the suggestion of a friend. Shadygrey was named after the backrooms level. Thermia is a shorthand for hypothermia. Graham I can't remember why I chose that name. Fluffball was named for obvious reasons. Darkwing was named after Darkwing Duck.)