That's not Twitch... But then who is it??

I have questions about the Weave, and I thought you might know.

Since not all magic comes from Mystra (warlocks, sorcerers who get their magic from say, the Shadow Weave and the Feywild), do the magic casters who get their abilities from other sources use the Weave or no, since it’s “hers”? For example. If I had a Wild Magic sorcerer, or a Shadow Magic Sorcerer, are they like. Always manipulating the Shadow Weave or whatever the Feywild has, or are they “borrowing” use of Mystra’s Weave when they’re on the material plane/toril/etc since she sort of rules the roost in these areas? And, if she wanted these sorcerers, or warlocks I suppose, to be not able to do magic, would she be able to stop them if their magic doesn’t come from her? I guess the same might go for clerics, since their powers come from their own gods, which isn’t always Mystra, so I don’t know if that’s Weave-based or not.

I’m sorry if this is difficult to parse, these were falling asleep questions that I wanted to ask before I forgot. Also I really appreciate your lore dumps and things they’re super helpful and interesting.

With the sole exception of Shadow Magic, all magic on Toril comes from/relies on the Weave/Mystra: magic + the Weave, and Mystra are one and the same. As I recall Gale saying, Mystra is magic.

Different classes simply access the Weave differently. The Weave is a sort of gateway/safety barrier maintained by Mystra to keep magic anchored and prevent raw magic breaking lose and uncontrolled (wild magic) or becoming unreachable (dead magic). Spellcasters basically build roads through the Weave in order to reach, channel and shape that raw magic.

Arcane magic is "the Art": For sorcerers magic is an innate part of them, and through trial and error (and sometimes education) they build their own personal routes of access. Wild magic sorcerers are still trying to cast spells as normal, there's just a very high chance of things going haywire. Wild magic utilises the areas where the Weave is damaged; it still uses it and the Weave must exist for Wild Magic to exist, if the Weave is completely absent then the raw magic is inaccessible and you get Dead Magic zones where magic isn't possible at all. An analogy that's given for warlocks is that their patron basically gives them a magic GPS so that they can find a path through the Weave using a road set up by the patron. Wizards and Bards build their roads through study (which is more academia and scientific method like for wizards, and usually more prose/verse/music theory-esque for Bards)

Divine magic, as used by clerics, druids, paladins, rangers and etc, is "Power": Mortal reaches out via prayer, god reaches back, and the path in the Weave is formed that way. While this power is the power of the deity itself, implanted with instructions on "how to use" into the worshipper's brain, it still gets into their brain via the Weave, and so gods and worshippers must go through Mystra as an intermediate/conduit.

Spellcasters from other worlds who come to Toril must use the Weave while they are there. Torilian spellcasters who go planewalking are subject to the magic systems/rules that govern wherever they're going.

Mystra can and will destroy your roads or ban your access to them - and would genuinely love to ban access to evil deities and people who want to use magic to harm others - but policing single mortal on Toril is a bit of a pain in the ass, and she's also limited by the terms of her employment contract as goddess of magic.

Mystra, as the manifestation of the Weave, decides who can draw upon it and who is barred from accessing it. Deciding is somewhat taxing to her, for every attempted use of the Weave by the target of this ability draws her attention and some small bit of her power, but for a mortal (or even a hun- dred mortals) doing so, this distraction is trivial to the deity. Such a punishment is normally reserved for someone who has been abusive of magic, trying to inflict great harm to magic itself (such as by intentionally creating areas of wild or dead magic), or researching spells of mass destruc- tion, such as many of those known in Imaskar, Narfell, Netheril, and Raumathar. Such a being cannot access the power of the Weave, cannot cast spells or use spell comple- tion or spell trigger items or activate spell-like or supernat- ural abilities. However, magic and its effects can still harm them, and such beings typically are slain by their rivals or angry commoners for their cruel and mad works. Mystra can also bar a deity from accessing the Weave, which would prevent the deity from using magic while in Faerûn but not while the deity was on another plane where the Weave does not exist, such as any of the planar homes of the deities. Such an act is very draining to her, and she only does it to reduce the power of a deity intervening directly in Faerûn. She cannot block a deity’s ability to grant spells to wor- shipers without negating the ability of each worshiper to draw on the Weave. In addition to being time-consuming to locate each of the target deity’s followers and sever their individual connections to the Weave, such an act would greatly upset the balance of power between the deities, angering Lord Ao. - Magic of Faerûn

Mystra has also closed off all and any access to Netherese High Magic, which is clearly too powerful to trust such hubristic creatures as mages with. You will stay within the power cap of 9th level spells, and you will like it.

The two areas of magic outside of her control are: Psionics, apparently (although that's not what it's called on Toril. It's better known as "mind magic" colloquially, "metaphsychics" to academics, and "mindfire" to mages (or the "Invisible Art", to Duergar). Sources disagree here. Some will tell you that Psionics are something other: and others will say that they still tap into the Weave but for some reason Mystra has zero influence over it, although it's been suggested that this is more because Mystra is "too busy with all the arcane shenanigans!", and thus far has only kept a careful side eye on it. She can and will still slap you down if you start threatening the stability of the Weave/the health of the world.

Where the Weave is the tapestry of all reality, governed by Mystra, the Shadow Weave is a copy made by Shar using the gaps between the threads of the true Weave: absolute nonexistence. Shar's end goal is to spread use of the Shadow Weave until it's used more than the Weave, and then take Mystra's place as goddess of magic. Ultimately though, while the Shadow Weave is very good at illusion, enchantment, necromancy and etc it comes with a lot more limitations and drawbacks: for example it can't replicate any spells that create light and heat. Also channelling it is a traumatic experience, and most users end up converting to Shar, because at least then she does her thing and numbs them to the suffering using her "gift" causes. As the Shadow Weave is not part of Mystra, she has no way of knowing if somebody is using it or cutting them off.

That said, apparently the Shadow Weave still relies on the Weave to exist and function. :

The Shadow Weave is an alternative to the Weave crafted by Shar that literally rides atop the Weave; it is an echo of the Weave and can't survive without it. - Ed Greenwood

Ultimately, there is no real way to completely get around needing Mystra if you want to use magic on Toril.

answering asks tomorrow . 3 . ✨

feel free to drop them in my inbox-

no, you cannot ask when the next life mission update is or for requests. also the asks are for me, not for my characters~

Dose Roy or Maxwell have any siblings?

Indeed they both do!

Roy has his twin sister, Rose. I elaborated on their relationship a little in this post before: they're best friends :Dc

Coincidentally, Maxwell also has a twin, Patrick. He inherited the confidence when they were splitting personality traits, and is the aspiring musician to Maxwell's aspiring writer. He is never seen without his hat on - one time Max got a hold of it to wash it, which normally wouldn't be a problem but the thing was a good decade old at that point and it got a little tattered. Neither of them were happy that day. Max even contemplated asking Roy to hide him from the shame at one point.

There's also Trevor, who's a couple years younger than the twins, and still in his edgy phase. He doesn't leave his room often (at least until he gets his first car). We love him nonetheless.

I redrew Lauren so naturally I redrew Kevin too. He looks a tad more unhinged than before, go Kevin go

I'm gonna put them side by side too, Lauren had it coming.

I must admit I'm getting this horrible image in my head of Tarn as that type of creepy guy who donates way too much money to a streamer and then absolutely loses it when he hears they're not single.

That's probably accurate lol. Although unlike (seemingly) most people in this fandom, I blame Megatron more for turning Tarn into that kind of obsessed freak than I do Tarn for being a freak. I mean, my view is basically "you reap what you sow/the monster you created turned around and bit you" so I don't really have sympathy for Megatron with regards to Tarn showing up and ruining his life lol. I actually really like the DJD coming in MTMTE as basically the living embodiment of karma and Megatron's comeuppance about not being able to run away from/ignore his past.

Like blah blah "no matter how sad your backstory is you're still responsible for your own actions" but also Megatron is literally 100% the reason Tarn is Like That, and Megatron also used parasocial manipulation, propaganda, and his grandiose personality to manipulate the Decepticons into worshipping/following him without question. So like. It's fiction, I don't have to be all "well they're all problematic" I can just be like "lol, lmao even" and point and laugh as Megatron gets fucked up by Tarn and the DJD because he can't talk his way out of this problem.

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kili! i have a question! how do you keep up with a writing schedule the way you do? i have trouble keeping up with my own things but you seem to have your head on straight when it comes to an actual update schedule. do you have any advice for how to sit down and get work done? and/or how to keep up with a fic with chapters upon chapters like you do? thanks!

Oh boy oh boy, this is a tough one cause it took me years to figure this out and even now I'm not positive how I do it! xD For me, I had to take the time to create a buffer of chapters- currently, in my google docs, I have up to Chapter 31 completed and being looked at/edited by Phoenix before it's time to post. And I still try and keep making more chapters to keep me ahead. Honestly, I have a huge support network, which has been a huge help. With Phoenix as my Beta, they also serve as my bully to ensure I'm writing at least 2/3 times a week. (This isn't always FD focused, but it usually is- I do leave time for writing other things to hold off on burnout and take plenty of breaks! Which is why the buffer of chapters helps.) But then there's my friends all in @theguildawards server who join me for writing Sprints every Tuesday and Thursday. This has been a huge help because I'm not feeling alone and have others helping me to keep focus as we all work on our own projects! The writing program Stimuwrite also helps with my focus. That. Google docs. And having friends to keep me accountable to my decided writing schedule has been a blessing and has helped me a lot over the last year. So I suppose that would also be my advice. Find some friends, people you trust or are comfortable with, to help keep you writing on a weekly basis. And if you want to post on a schedule, maybe also create a buffer as I did, so you have chapters done ahead of time before the date comes up. On my own, I think I would have crashed and burned a long time ago.

i only have three more best picture nominees to watch before the oscars 👀 and i'm leaving the ones i'm most and least excited for til last so i think i'll watch poor things next

One of the worst things about the curse is just not knowing what I can do. It’s my college’s reunion weekend and someone offered to give me a ride so I can go to the folk singing, and I’ve been feeling better lately so maybe I could do it! Or maybe I would be so tired by the time of the actual event that I wouldn’t be able to sit up and it would send me into a crash cycle for the rest of the month. There’s no way of telling.

*waves* I want to start off by saying that your works have been a huge comfort in my life over the years. They've helped me through some really trialing times and I'm forever thankful for everything you've done, even when life hasn't been kind to you. I've slowly been coming to terms with the fact that I have chronic pain, maybe fatigue too, unknown still. But it's been a hard pill to swallow, I feel so angry that I can't do stuff. Do you or any of your followers have advice for accepting this?

Hi anon,

Firstly, I'm so sorry you're going through this process, especially one that also involves fatigue, because fatigue is a son of a bitch. (You can - to a degree - treat some forms of pain, but there's almost nothing out there for genuine fatigue except rest and the core needs, and even then, it rarely listens).

My advice is going to be from stuff I've mostly learned for myself, but everyone's journey is different. What I like to tell myself might hurt someone else, so if I say anything here that doesn't work for you, remember it's important to find your own things too.

If necessary, look for support groups, if you have no diagnosis yet but have chronic pain and fatigue, groups for ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) and Fibromyalgia are probably the best places to start.

As for advice, the first is that it's normal to be angry and it's normal to feel betrayed (by your body and by a very ableist society) and it's normal to feel sad and upset. Acceptance isn't the absence of these feelings, it's not a place you get to where you transcend these emotions, because it's normal to grieve what the course of life has taken from you. And part of the journey of chronic illness re: accepting where you find yourself, is also accepting the emotions that come with it, even if they feel really ugly or you don't want them. Not being able to do stuff you used to do, or the way you used to do it - of course you'd be angry, because that's loss. And loss by nature, creates grief.

Acceptance is the moment - for me - where you have a bad day re: anger and resentment and can stop and go 'oh of course I feel this way, I have lost a lot, but even though I'm annoyed or angry at my body today, I'm going to be kind to it and care for it to the best of my ability, because I'm sick, and that's what I'd want to do for anyone who was this sick. And I'm going to check if I need to ask for help, and remember that I don't have to do this alone.'

There might come a time when you're ready to brainstorm and problem solve, or days where you have more energy. For example, I can't hike for hours anymore, and haven't been able to for years. But I can stop and think 'what did I like most about hiking?' And it would be - the things in nature I can see. Well, I can still get out to nature, especially on accessible paths, or places that have carparks and botanical gardens. Or it would be physical exertion - well, I can do purposeful physical exertion with very gentle physiotherapy, it's not the same, but it still gives me a feeling of physical accomplishment. Or it would be I really like being in nature - thankfully there are a lot of places you can be in nature if you have friends or Ubers to take you there, and you can also bring nature to you re: plants in the home.

Generally speaking, getting creative with what is lost is part of the process of acceptance. But it doesn't always come straight away, and it doesn't always come without resentment. I have days where I'm still fiercely, fiercely angry that I can't do the things that I used to do. The fact is, the world is ableist, friends have internalised ableism, I'm often feeling guilty or frustrated that I can't do things when I just...can't do them and it's not my fault. I'm just sick.

Definitely consider organising some kind of therapy or even vent sessions with someone you trust (who has the capacity to handle it, though not many folks do, understandably) - medical trauma, and the experience of a chronic illness, can be traumatic. And look around for a good doctor and professional support network.

Pain on its own causes fatigue, so look at enrolling in a pain clinic (they have wait lists, so it's good to get the ball rolling now), and make sure that you've had at the very least a blood panel of your inflammatory markers because many causes of chronic pain can be treated or medically supported.

It's worth making friends with some folks who have chronic illnesses and spoonies, or the people who just 'get it' even if they don't. People who will never pressure you when you have to cancel. People who love you when you don't see them for months at a time. People who understand when you vanish from an online conversation halfway through without saying goodbye. These folks are worth their weight in gold.

There's things like - it's worth exploring concepts like mindfulness in chronic illness, as well as pacing (I hate pacing, but the one time I seriously tried it, I felt better and could do more - it's just so frustrating in concept). It's worth writing down the things that trigger bad episodes of pain or fatigue for you, and then thinking of ways to accommodate those things (for example, socialising causes flares for me, so I don't do it often, and I try not to do too much in one week). Research the 'energy envelope' and learn what yours is.

As to the grief and the anger, this is also something you will go through again and again, though the periods of acceptance may last longer, and feel more genuine. We're not trying to stop the emotions of grief and anger, but it is worth learning how to wrangle those emotions when you turn them against yourself, when you look for something to blame and hurt yourself in the process. Remember, if society accommodated disability and invisible illnesses better, your life would probably be a little easier, some things are actually down to how society treats us. If I knew I could access a program that delivered meals because I'm medically too tired to cook, my life would be easier. So when I go 'fuck my body is useless' - the truth is - society is pretty fucking useless, and my body is doing its goddamn best.

But you can be extremely mad at society for dropping the ball on all of this. Or upset. Or disgusted. Or betrayed. It's all valid. Society drops the ball on chronic pain and illness and fatigue every damn day.

The chronic illness train, for nearly all of us, is one that we board eventually, and it almost always has multiple stops. We never just acquire one thing, because age tends to give us age-related chronic illnesses too (arthritis, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, etc.). These declines can each come as a new shock, and going through one new illness or symptom isn't always going to look as the same process that preceded it. A new chronic illness might feel like nothing at all if it's easy to manage (see my acquisition of allergic eczema) or it might hit you really hard if it comes with pretty reduced mortality (see my acquisition of COPD). You might get decades between one thing and the next thing, or you might not, but it's a train that in the course of humankind billions of people have been on.

The people who treat you badly for being sick are the ones who refuse to believe the train exists and that it's coming for them. They often think that if they live 'well enough' they can avoid the train (they can't). Maybe that was something you once believed as well. I know I did (and sometimes still do).

And as for when we treat ourselves badly for being sick - some of it's grief and trauma, and a lot of it is internalised ableism. Having a chronic illness is not your fault anon. Even though it doesn't feel like it, your body is doing its best for you, and the process of acceptance is learning that we need to also do our best for our body, and that we should expect society to do the same, even though it often doesn't.

Idk if this was anything along the lines of what you're looking for. Tbh I still find it really hard. December just gone was one of the hardest months I've ever had the misfortune of living through not just because of chronic illness but because of my emotional reaction to three new diagnoses I wasn't prepared for, and I spiralled hard when I realised just how sick I was (no one likes to see 'possible severe liver disease' on a CT scan). We never just go through the anger or grief once, but it does get easier, and the periods of time where we just make our lives into a new shape that pleases us become longer.

Anon, you will find new things that please you and fulfill you even as you lose old things. The new things won't replace those old things, but they will bring moments of ease and comfort and joy. We all experience this process. But do chase them down. Look for them when you have moments of energy. Seek them out. The simple things in life that nourish you, whether it's soft blankets, or good food, or a particular movie or show, or a book. Pain and fatigue are bitches, but many of us with it are avid collectors of 'things that nourish, fulfill and are joyous to us.'

I wish you well with it all! The chronic illness train can feel like a very lonely one because it races us away from the people in our lives who aren't on it yet - but the truth is hundreds of millions of us are on it right now, and there will be lots of different types of advice and support waiting for you, and very few of them will deny you your anger at the situation you find yourself in. Very few people find themselves excited to board the chronic illness train, and often you don't realise it's picked you up until you learn you can't get off.

That part sucks. But accepting that it sucks goes a longer way than trying to convince yourself it shouldn't.

Can you make sure Demo is perhaps brought somewhere soft? It's, uhhhhmmm, a really. Good. Attack plan? Revenge? Thing? -Chef Anon

I don't want to red team to see me in their base.

Ruins the surprise attack.

But I can't leave him here.

(@meeeebbottalofscruhmpyuyy)

Here's the thing that gets me about the whole political situation right now. Yes our options suck. They are non options. Biden sucks. But the alternative is far far worse. The U.S. has /always/ had horrific policy. It's kind of odd to me we're only focusing on that now when Palestine has been facing atrocities for literal fucking decades??? The Middle East has faced genocide after genocide and war after war, Yemen has faced the worst famine in the world for years, all due to the U.S., but it only matters now? If Trump comes back into power the situation for Palestine and the Middle East will be far worse. Not to mention things here will be far worse.

The right has been clear they want to install Trump as a dictator and remove every right possible. Either way the foreign policy will suck, as it always has.

Conservatives have always had an edge on the left because they always unify to get their office in power. They are absolutely using the fact the left is divided and won't vote to punish Biden against us, and they will win, and also take the supreme court. Our actions right now also determine the next several decades. We have been facing the consequences of Trump's term in office in the form of reproductive and LGBT rights being stripped state by state, it will only get worse if we let it continue. This isn't just about Biden and Palestine, there is a bigger picture. By the time the left realizes it, it will be too late.

So murderer and warlord can be forgiven but when he's also an abuser then it's crossing the line? 🤨

Why is it so wrong for him to be both a good guy and a bad person?

I respect that you don't want to argue, just curious about your perpective.

Oh I know my lines are arbitrary as fuck and 100% projection, and technically it's Hasbro I'm mad at currently about this. Because they can just... Not with it. But basically:

''why is it so wrong for him to be a good guy and a bad person?''

I think I've actually got an answer for this, but it's taking me a lot of time to put it into words. Bias. It strikes me wrong because of personal bias. I've been in Starscream's place on this. Watching your abuser move on and everyone expects you to forgive them because they're "better" now but you, you can't.

I don't want to brag or sound too optimistic about it, but after three weeks of training at a private college, I think my lessons with this one particular immigrant student (who has serious motivational problems lemme tell ya) are finally starting to get through and there's been improvement.

Only slight improvement so far but I have spotted some, so maybe not all hope is lost yet.

Remains to be seen I guess.

4. which muse of yours is your all time favorite? if you stopped writing them: why?

Lysandre. By far.

I had a lot of time and work put into him, but ultimately I stopped writing him due to a combination of starting a new job, life stresses, having no time, and my own mental health issues. But he's still my favorite muse I've ever written — the amount of worldbuilding I and each of my writing partners ( and our non-roleplay friends via Skype ) did was massive. I worry that if I ever brought him back, a lot of his characterization / worldbuilding wouldn't make sense anymore, between a lack of people familiar with all his storylines as well as whatever development has happened in the rpc / anime / what have you. I contemplated it! But I don't think I could bring him back, tbh.

Which is a shame because his ending arc as the blog closed off dealt a lot with his newfound immortality after Xerneas decided to punish him. He was fun to watch develop because on one hand I had the funny cute haha shipping side, which back in the day of personals spectating rp blogs, got a lot of commentary — but on the other hand ( in the actual, more serious main verse ) he was slowly spiralling into a worse and worse version of himself that ultimately resulted in the destruction of flare and the end of his relationship that resulted in ( canonically, on my sycamore partner's blog ) years of therapy for Augustine to recover from the whiplash of everything that happened between them.

Also shout-out to the Serena I used to write with who made a side-verse with me where she was Lys's daughter and didn't know it. Lives in my mind rent-free all the time because GOD the torment of him being taken down by his own daughter who he thought he was protecting. 100/10 if I ever were able to write him again I'd go that route.