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ohnococo · 3 months

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Satoru Gojo SFW Alphabet

(under the cut for length)

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Gojo is extremely affectionate. He craves affection, in fact. He’ll outright pout if he hasn’t been hugged when you see him. He’s absolutely that Kirby meme that’s like “I didn’t get no mfin forehead kiss 😡”

He just wants to hold your hand constantly, be draped off of you. He’s like this even as friends, so everyone around you will think nothing of it until they see him giving you a kiss - something he doesn’t mind doing in front of others.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

Gojo is that friend that shows his love by hanging all over you and also by purposefully bugging you. He just loves a little playful banter and even if he didn’t he has zero boundaries when it comes to friendship.

He’s that friend who will come to your house and treat it like his own. He’s the friend that will be talking to you on the phone and then 10 mins into the conversation he’s like “hold on lemme flush” like excuse me???

It’s just that if you’ve gotten to the point of being his very best friend he’s got zero self-consciousness around you. You two are basically a living breathing unit now.

As for how that friendship starts… you can’t know how close you’ll become to Gojo. People certainly know when he doesn’t like them, but outside of that he’s so casual with everyone. So he’s also casual with you. Then you get to know each other, and he’s even more casual. Next thing you know he’s talking to someone and refers to you as his best friend. A good tell is if he lets you see him being serious, upset even. When he feels safe enough with you to let you see his less-than-pleasant emotions you know you two are close.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

He’s a big cuddler. King of physical touch. If he lets himself get close enough he’ll actually complain about not being able to fall asleep when you two have to be apart. His cuddling is essentially acting like some kind of shawl draped across you, leaning into you, lying across your lap, acting like you’re some kind of living pillow. God help you in the summer, he’ll complain about being sweaty while he’s choosing to be stuck to you.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

In canon? He doesn’t. His legacy is his students, his relationships are platonic, where there’s at least a small layer of separation. As for actually getting married or starting a family, he doesn’t want to actively bring someone into his world like that, and he doesn’t want to risk losing them. Even if they’re strong, he knows the expectations placed on him alone, and having someone he cares for like that is a risk that doesn’t line up with who he knows he has to be.

In a no curse AU though, absolutely. He loves intimacy, and closeness, and feeling like he has a unit. Settling down is a goal for him.

As for cooking and cleaning, in every universe this man is hopeless. A simple recipe works for him, but two burners on at once? Or a recipe where he needs to be occasionally stirring something between prepping other things? Nah stuff is getting forgotten, or burned, and the kitchen is going to be a mess afterwards. He just keeps using spoons then throwing them in the sink before he’s done. Stop it Gojo, stop using so many goddamn spoons now you have to wash one and the onions are burning.

Cleaning, he is perfectly capable of doing, but he hasn’t had to - going straight from having others to do it for him because it’s not something this chosen one was meant to worry about, to being able to pay people to handle it for him. I don’t blame him, no one wants to scrub a toilet, but he’s not what I’d call “domestic” and can tend to act like someone who’s never had to clean up after himself.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

I’m so sorry y’all… this man would break up with you over a text… it’s not a short text, at least. It’s a long one he’s typed and typed and retyped 100 times, and might have had to take a break and go for a walk in between. But it’s a text nonetheless. It’s just that if he’s decided to break things off, he’s not in a place to be able to put his big boy panties on and deal with the messy emotions that might come up in a face to face breakup.

Besides, he doesn’t want to make it worse, and the first words that come to mind to whatever you say might not come across how he wants them to, he wants to be able to think and say the right things.

It feels cold, but that’s how he is on the outside when he’s ending things because he thinks he has to force himself to be.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

I’ll go non curse au with this answer, for reasons stated above, but Gojo does know he wants commitment long term. He’s a weird one though, in that when he falls he’s absolutely head over heels in love. He wants to spend all of his time with you, drag you along on all of his whims, and he will even jokingly call you his husband/wife at a certain point and talk about being together long term while cuddling, but…

This man is gonna take fucking AGES to propose. He’ll take ages to even ask to move in together. It’s not that he doesn’t want to, it’s just that you guys are at each other’s houses so often that it’s like half of your stuff is split between the two places. And he loves you and thinks of you in terms of that long term commitment already, so the ring or the key just don’t come up in his mind.

He’s the type you have to drop hints to, maybe even outright say “my lease is up in spring, let’s move in together.”

It’s an enthusiastic yes from him. And when the proposal happens he’s the one grabbing your hand to show your ring to strangers and calling you his fiancée with a sparkly lilt in his voice, but damn Gojo just focus.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

He can be gentle physically, tracing his fingers over your skin, rubbing his thumb against your hand while you’re holding hands. Sometimes when he’s cuddled up with his head resting in the crook of your neck he’ll blink against your skin, tickling you with his long lashes in a little butterfly kiss. But as gentle as he can be, he can also be one to roughhouse with you a bit (though always in a restrained way that doesn’t intend to hurt).

Hugging you tight and swinging you from side to side, tugging you along by your hand when he’s excited to show you something, tickling you til you’re squealing, he might even play wrestle a bit when he’s kissing you. The man contains multitudes.

Emotionally… he can be a bit clumsy. Sometimes he just doesn’t consider how his words or tone will come across before he’s speaking.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

Gojo loves hugging. It’s like it clears his head, so he gives you long firm hugs often. He wraps his arms around you, putting his weight on your shoulders as you wrap your arms around his waist, and presses his face to the top of your head. He’ll rock you both side to side in the hug, and you have no choice but to go along with his movements because he’s got you so tightly pressed together. Always finishes the hugs with a big happy sigh.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

In canon, it’s hard to get out of him outright. It’s scary to give himself away just that much, knowing he can’t always protect everyone. Knowing you could very well go and get yourself hurt. You’ll know in other ways though.

In a no curse au, Gojo loves with no restraint. He’s saying it fast, too fast in some relationships. Almost casually. He feels so, so much, and doesn’t think twice before he speaks sometimes.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

Gojo doesn’t get jealous. He’s too self-assured for that. And he doesn’t have any insecurities about you or your commitment, otherwise he wouldn’t be with you.

The closest to jealousy he gets is when he feels like he hasn’t had enough time with you. It’s not that he thinks anything is going on with you and whichever friends you’ve been spending time with, it’s just that he doesn’t understand why he can’t come along too.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

Gojo’s kisses are slow and sweet - teasing even. His soft lips are gentle against yours, so light sometimes it tickles, and show any sign of enjoyment or even desperation, and he’s smiling into your kiss. He’s not using tongue at first, and if you try to initiate too soon he’ll pull back, brushing your noses together. When he finally does kiss you properly it’s gently, restrained, a crooked finger tilting your chin up for him, a thumb on your chin keeping your mouth softly open so he can beckon you to make a little noise for him. Once you’re making out the intensity ramps up considerably, then Gojo’s kisses are deep and wet and needy.

As for kisses elsewhere, Gojo loves a forehead kiss. Sometimes he’ll just bend his head down and point to his forehead, then once he gets that kiss he looks SO pleased with himself about it. As if you’d deny him… as if his pouty self would let you deny him! He loves giving those forehead kisses in return, or when you’re holding hands he’ll often bring your hand to his mouth to kiss.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

Gojo is great with children. He’s rambunctious, matches their energy, and is great at saying silly things with a straight face that make them laugh. He’s one of those people that babies always smile and wave to, and comes across as a safe adult to children.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

Getting out of bed is the first struggle for mornings with Gojo. A chronic “5 more minutes” type. Even if you get out of bed easily in the mornings, you won’t with him. He’s wrapping an arm and a leg around you and groggily pouting if you try to end your sleepy cuddle session. He just loves the closeness while everything is so quiet and still in the mornings.

His stomach beckons him out of bed eventually, though, and he’ll have the audacity to insist you get ready and go to a cafe for pastries even though you’re both starving after a solid hour and a half of cuddling in bed.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Gojo is one of those people that gets a second wind at night. He can tend to stay up late because of it. If you don’t mind, he’ll love to watch movies or play games with you until late into the night, head resting on your lap the whole time. Once you’re in bed is when the “would you love me if I was a worm” questions start though.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

Gojo is one of those people that reveal things without revealing things. He’ll tell you something so earnest, embarrassing even, that would be a sign of closeness or vulnerability from other people - but for him it’s just his usual oversharing. The real things that matter to him he keeps close to his chest and reveal slowly and after a good while.

When he eventually says them he does so with that same casual tone he’s used to tell you about the time he laughed so hard he peed himself at the tender age of 23, but by then you’ll understand it means a lot that he’s being open about things he usually wouldn’t.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

Gojo can almost be impossibly hard to anger, so if you’re the type to want an argument over something you’re going to be hard pressed to get it. He’s more the type to awkwardly laugh at the wrong time, which would just make someone already mad at him even more angry.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

He doesn’t really let on how much he remembers, but he does. He’ll get you your exact order from a coffee shop, or buy you something you’d mentioned craving to someone else when he happened to be in the room, then if you ask how he knew he’ll just smile and say “lucky guess.”

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

Gojo’s favourite moment is the first time you’d comforted him. He’ll never ask for that from anyone, and most of the time people assume he doesn’t need that assurance and comfort because he always seems so happy and unbothered by things that would worry most. But you notice, even if he’s acting perfectly normal, and offer to lend him an ear - even asking if he just wanted a hug. He does, and even if it was one of a hundred random kind gestures for you, it meant the world to him.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

He’s the type to protect from afar. He lets you handle things first, because he’s the type to have faith in you, but the minute you need help he’s there. Basically he’s always back up, but will never have you looking helpless.

He doesn’t want protection, to the point where it can feel like out of nowhere when he stops you from intervening or defending him. He just prefers to handle his own matters himself.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

This man makes AN EFFORT for special days. If grand gestures aren’t your thing, it might be a problem, but he’s the type to book the nicest restaurant in town, buy you loads of roses, commemorate anniversaries with pretty jewellery (matching, in a lot of cases).

Day to day though, he’s more lowkey. His love is shown in his physical affection, but the way he splashes out on birthdays, anniversaries, and Valentine’s Day more than accommodates that.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

He’s got a few bad habits for sure, and they’ll take a lot of reminding (like years of it) to get him out of it. Leaving the toilet seat up, squeezing toothpaste from the middle, stealing bites of food off your plate, barging in when you’re on the toilet. Things that don’t bother some people, but can be annoying to others.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

His appearance means a lot to him, and he’s not ashamed of that fact. He’s always well groomed, and when out of school attire he wears expensive clothes that are carefully curated to his tastes. He takes care of himself: good skincare regimen, chooses outfits carefully, he even uses purple shampoo and hair treatments to keep his naturally white hair looking bright and soft.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

Absolutely. If he’s not with you he’s thinking about you and wishing he was with you. If he has plans he wants you there, because everything will always be better if you’re there too.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

If you’re up to it, Gojo loves to be one of those couples with matching sets of things. Matching rings, him wearing a bracelet that’s from a set with your necklace, and if you’re down to be one of those especially obnoxious couples full on matching outfits when you go on dates. Not necessarily the same outfit, but coordinating colours or patterns. He has no qualms about being that couple that makes everyone cringe.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

He has a few things he doesn’t love, and it’s honestly hard to pinpoint what set of things make someone a fit for him because it’s not obvious to even him.

He definitely isn’t a fan of his partner smoking cigarettes, refusing him affection or giving him the silent treatment as a “punishment” for arguments, or poor communication. The last one isn’t a deal breaker for him, but if you expect him to read your mind when you’re upset about something, you’re in for a lot of disappointment. He needs to be told things outright.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habit of theirs?)

The whole bed is his side of the bed. You’re also his side of the bed. He can start off contained, happily falling asleep as your big spoon (or little spoon depending on his mood), but soon enough he’s hogging the whole thing. A leg over your waist, his head on your pillow, his other leg half hanging off his side of the bed. Get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and you’ll come back to him sleeping with his limbs out like a starfish. Nudge him a bit and he’ll go back to barnacle mode without even waking up, pulling you in to be his little spoon again.

#reminder minors and ageless blogs get blocked #my writing #jjk headcanons #sfw alphabet #satoru gojo #gojo #reader insert #gojo x reader #satoru gojo x reader

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y-rhywbeth2 · 4 months

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Lore: Elven Culture #1

(An incomplete compilation.) Link: Disclaimer regarding D&D "canon" & Index [tldr: D&D lore is a giant conflicting mess and it's borderline impossible to cover everything. Larian's lore is also a conflicting mess. You learn to take what you want and leave the rest]

--- How to flip somebody off in elven culture. Random elven pan-cultural highlights ranging from marital traditions to poker.

Key elven philosophical concepts that inform their entire cultures. Farming, architecture, opinions on undeath, stages of life (Astarion's 200 years too old to be acting like an ardavanshee, but there we go)

Default elven society, including the family units (Clans and Houses), nobility, and the absolute monarchies with the divine right of kings that're tasked with herding cats.

Forewarning, this is a long post! And I still cut stuff... I was going to include the specifics of the seven individual surface elven cultures, but it was getting too damn long.

---

Random little things before we get into the wordy stuff:

The equivalent to giving somebody the finger amongst elves is to crook the middle finger inwards towards oneself and then bring it upwards in a diagonal movement across the body. For the greatest show of insolence, the elf in question may then hold eye contact and slowly lick the tip of that finger. I have no context for how this come to be, or why it's insulting, but I'm sure it's quite the story.

Elves rarely make their piercings out of metal, instead preferring to craft them from the bone of their ancestors and departed loved ones.

The elven term for their own people is Tel'Quessir ("of the people," or simply "the people). The name refers to the fact that all elves are inherently spiritually linked to each other, the Seldarine and the Weave. They are capable of a form of low-level telepathy where they can share emotions, surface level thoughts and reverie with each other. As a result, non-elves who are not part of this interconnected whole are N'Tel'Quessir or N'Quess - "not of the people."

The elven spirit, or soul, is referred to as ues. The ability for elves to link their minds and share feelings and thoughts is a state referred to as "communion."

The elven term for "stick-in-the-mud" is irrquarlan - which I'd imagine is often used by moon and copper elves to refer to sun elves.

When an issue is considered to be "black and white" - as in a choice lacking any moral ambiguity, where one is wrong and the other right - elves would say it is "sun and moon," as in anybody with working eyes can tell the difference between sunlight and moonlight.

The elven equivalent of "no shit sherlock" is “Trees grow, no?”

Elves have a gambling game called kholiast, involving a deck of over 1,000 cards. The hands are determined randomly by dice roll, and the point system would apparently "drive even the most dedicated Candlekeep scholar completely mad." Needless to say, moon elves love it and probably invented it.

Haven't found much on elven coinage, but the one familiar in human lands is the "blueshine" coins; silver coins with a blue-green lustre bearing the image of a crescent moon (the holy symbol of Corellon Larethian). Presumably equivalent to a silver coin in any currency.

While they can be made of the materials used in reality, elven bowstrings may be crafted from spider silk (especially if of dark elven make), elven hair, and sometimes magically-treated spun silver.

Elven fashion varies by specific culture, location and individual tastes. The trend is for loose and flowing garments with no footwear (except for the sun elves, who refuse to go out in public without some kind of shoes). An alternative to shoes is to use some kind of minor magical accessory that allows one to hover just above the ground, able to glide around without getting one's feet dirty or damaged. They tend to have few or no taboos about nudity, so garments may be quite revealing. Elves believe that their dress should be a reflection of their home nation, and the peace and prosperity that it cultivates.

The generic term of reference for ones committed romantic partners is one's "mate." Elves practice marriage, and the terms "husband" and "wife" have been seen, although it seems "consort" is just as - if not more - popular.

Elven marriages may be sealed through the use of one or two lower level High Magic rituals;

Quamaniith, "the vow made tangible," causes a vow made to be woven into physical form. In the case of a wedding, it's about the size of a fist. It usually takes the form of a stone, carved with inscriptions relating to the vow, though artistic mages may craft a figurine. When used for marriage vows, the created object is called an Aestar'Khol, a "marriage stone." Should the two divorce, or betray their vows, the stone will shatter. There is no other way to damage it, it will always remain perfectly unblemished.

U'Aestar'Kess, "One Heart, One Mind, One Breath" - this ritual creates a permanent passive mental bond between an elf and another living being (who may also be an elf), and it sees use most often as part of marriage rites. It allows the linked beings to know instinctively when their partner is in danger, detect and sometimes share their mood, and if they concentrate they can communicate telepathically.

Due to the fact that elves don't sleep, instead spending four hours in reverie, an elven home will not include a bedroom. Personal rooms resemble something closer to studies and sitting rooms; furnished with comfortable chairs, lounges and divans, furnished with personal affects and whatever projects the owner might be working on.

The other side effect of the reverie is that since elves have a full 20 hours of activity, can see just fine at night, and don't necessarily have fixed sleeping hours, elven communities don't fluctuate in activity levels. Villages, towns and cities will be as busy in the dead of the night as they are at every hour, and elves have more free time than others.

Elves have perfected birth control. While technically the magic rituals involved in this came about for practical reasons - including ensuring a child would not be conceived in harsh conditions like famines, plagues and wars, where its birth would cause suffering for both it and its family - elves now just use it as an everyday thing when they don't want to get pregnant. No elf will be having children if they don't want them, those who do want them will only be conceiving them when they intend to, and attempting to change their mind will be considered an infringement of their personal freedoms and bodily autonomy, and be met with hostility.

Linguistics: The elven language is called Lalur, "the Singing." All elven languages are written in the Espruar script, which has two forms. One features more loops and curls, and the other features a series of curved lines, dots and dashes, which has come into fashion more recently. Another elven language is Seldruin, which is almost extinct. It's the language used in the casting of elven High Magic, and is written in a unique script called Hamarfae.

Similarly, elven accents are usually described as "musical" - they tend to pronounce "s" softly, drawing it out and their voices shift up and down the vocal register more than is usual. Elven vocal chords are odd, allowing them to reach over an octave-and-a-half, which they can sustain for longer than a human could. Elven vocal chords are capable of producing two completely different notes at the same time. The overall effect of the elven voice and accent is likened to chiming, or little bells.

Elven songs are usually either wordless vocalisation, or feature multiple overlapping voices singing different lyrics. The typical "mood" of the music varies by culture: for example, sun elves prefer solemn songs with gravitas; wood elves enjoy a good rhythm; moon elves prefer something fun, whimsical, and sometimes bawdy. Some elves have a rare genetic quirk that allows them to use their vocal chords to speak two different things at the same time; the "secondary" voice is much fainter, and limited, but in music is allows the singer to produce a layered, echoing quality.

Elven musical performances feature galadrae - three dimensional illusions depicting scenes to go along with the song, not dissimilar to what one might see at a modern concert.

Musical instruments most often seen are woodwinds and strings, especially harps (which are strongly associated with elves). Elves are the only people thus far who have worked out how to build their instruments to be capable of sustain. Elven music has been compared (out of universe) to Enya, Loreena McKennit, Genesis and ELO.

Music and song is an important part of romance in elven culture... alongside erotic dances, apparently. But anyway, courting is accomplished by writing each other love songs and singing them to each other, or by composing poems for similar effect.

Non-elven languages are rather charmingly referred to as Glahkery, which translates into something like "strifeful sounds."

Key Philosophies: An important part of elven cultures is the concept of laraelever - technically referring to undamaged forest, "as it should be." This does not mean nature should be "pristine" or untouched by humanoid life. It means that the way the world is found in its untouched state, unmodified by another's desire, is how it is meant to be. The lives of others should not impose on the world more than they need to. The natural world is to be without blight, unburnt and unharmed by careless logging, overhunting or depletion of resources.

It also applies to the elven approach to life and the passage of time: things will generally occur when they're ready and grow/proceed at the speed they're intended to. One should never rush. Non-elves and younger elves tend to find this attitude incredibly frustrating, while "adult" elves find them dangerously impatient.

This may also be a part of why elven cultures tend to value independence and individual freedom - that one must "accept life as it is", implies you can't force things to be anything else.

The "way life is supposed to be" does not include dark magics that tamper with natural cycles, and the elven word for undeath is mormhaor - "corrupted death." Undeath is a blasphemous attempt to impose one's will on the world and force it into a shape in the most horrific way possible, and is heavily tied to the loss and violation of free will, and its believed that undeath destroys the soul (whether this is correct or not in D&D varies by source). The state is generally considered worse than death - the elf is cut off from their people, their gods and their path, and denied their chance for spiritual enlightenment and the afterlife. The sole acceptable form of undeath exists in the baelnorn; a form of elven lich that was created willingly and is sustained by positive energy instead of negative, in the name of continuing some duty or other for the sake of their people. They are sponsored by the Seldarine, and tolerated by the elven deity of death. Elves respect their sacrifice, but are usually still uneasy around them.

This philosophy appears in the rest of their societies in the way that they build their homes and furniture; a chair may be "constructed" of wood that was carefully grown into shape and harvested with careful consideration to the timing, rather than by unnecessarily cutting down an entire living tree and taking more wood than is technically needed and whittling it down to shape.

Elven architecture is built to complement its natural surroundings, blending in with it. The design concept is that a building should seen as much a part of the landscape as the trees or mountains and enhance their beauty. To help these buildings blend in, elven doors are designed to disappear into their surroundings, and they can be incredibly annoying for outsiders to spot (elven children grow up learning to see them, and so elves don't have this problem).

Buildings are preferably constructed by growing trees into shape rather than by constructing from timber or stone. If they are made of stone, they're still usually "grown" by shaping them with magic, creating a seamless mineral structures.

From non-elven perspectives, an elven city resembles a garden or park more than a settlement. They favour building in the trees themselves more than anything else (for example, the city of Suldanessellar in Baldur's Gate 2 is built on platforms built around the trees, high in the canopy). The higher constructions are linked by bridges and swinging ropes.

Ground dwellings are typically built for children, the elderly, and the disabled, and others who might be unsafe with heights and getting up and down them. It's also where elven realms that have contact with outsiders build their inns, taverns, warehouses and businesses. Elves don't clear the area a great deal when building their ground dwellings, their roads and streets are built around pre-existing natural structures and can meander a lot.

The ground level and higher parts of the city may be linked by teleport magics and enchanted platforms that function as lifts/elevators.

This preference to leave things untouched doesn't mean that elves never alter the world for their own desires - especially since obsessive, eccentric artists are a staple of the elven population. Wealthy Houses are known to make roofing materials out of precious stones. Some cities, such as Leuthilspar, get artistic with their roads. The main road there is magically constructed from some kind of glassy, clear crystal and is nicknamed the Diamond Road.

Each building typically belongs to a single Clan or House (often the building is an entire living, ancient tree), and if they belong to a culture that builds tombs, they will also have a family tomb. The rest of the city, outside of residential buildings, is not considered owned by the elves but simply under their care and stewardship. It belongs to the other lives as much as them. Elven communities often have neighbours from other fey races; dryads, faerie dragons, treants, fauns, nymphs, pixies, etc. Elves and fey tend to be relatively close, and the elven and seelie fey pantheons are often worshipped by all of them.

Elves do not farm in pastures and fields - it's more that they cultivate the world around them without disturbing it too much (I don't remember the technical agricultural jargon here.) They'll try not to disturb the rest of the ecosystem too much, but elven farmers will nurture the plants they desire while removing harmful plants and pests. They don't introduce plants or disturb the soil, merely encourage what's already there for healthier and higher yields of whatever grows. A lot of outsiders can easily stroll through a farm without realising it. Farmers are the only elves who count the passing of years, due to the need to keep track of crop yields and the ages of plants and animals. The equivalent of a year to elves is a grouping of four years known as an aeloulaev, or more commonly as a pyesigen - "four snows" (plural pyesigeni).

While Houses might have their lorekeepers, who preserve and record history, the typical elven opinion on time tends to be that "history is the weave of things outside of life, not for those still within its loom." They see history in their reverie, they don't need to worry about it in their waking hours.

Yet another elven philosophy is of the Road of Life: a multi-staged, twisting spiritual path every elf walks, and one with many potential branching paths to explore.

It is, in part, a shared path because all elves are part of the greater whole that is the Tel'Quessir - but at the same time, no elf can walk the path for another. All should care for the community and support fellow elves in being able to walk their path, so that the community can support them as they walk theirs; “We are on this shared path together, but at the same time all of us are finding our own way.”

Elves under 100 years old are walking the first section of the road. Their life experience and perspective is the equivalent of a human of the same age. They don't yet perceive time and think in terms of the passage of decades and centuries as a "mature" elf does, and from their elder's perspective are incredibly (annoyingly) impatient. Due to this gap in understanding, young elves often find themselves more comfortable in the company of humans, who share their feelings and perceptions.

It's the elves in their first stage of the road who are usually found adventuring and living in human cities, they're "whimsical dabblers, ‘flighty’ and inclined to plunge into something new or [grow] tired of something and move on without feeling the need to shoulder responsibilities, or [care] overmuch about consequences," "...almost like the humans in their passions of youth, and they adapt to their more transient surroundings. They eat over-spiced animal flesh and other abominable foods; they wield simpler, cruder, combat-oriented human magics; and they even mate with non-elves."

These younger elves, in the throes of rebellious youth and lack of patience, may be prone to selfishness, ruthless ambition and disrespecting their elders as they turn their nose up at elven values. This particular phase is referred to as Ardavanshee - "the restless young ones."

Older elves mostly leave the youth alone to make their own mistakes, assuming they'll grow out of their crueller and selfish behaviours with time and experience.

An elf under 90 years old is not considered experienced enough to be allowed to hold leadership positions.

All elves will begin their journey on the road with a basic magical education during childhood: Magic is an everyday part of elven cultures at every level of society, and every elf grows up surrounded by it. Even the copper elves, who have little interest in arcane magic, surround themselves with druidry.

Basic martial training in traditional elven martial arts is also part of the standard for all elven cultures, involving the bow, sword and rapier - elven blades tend towards being long, very thin and flexible. Elves have a long and bloody history of conflict, and every one of them is be expected to be able to defend themselves and their home, should the need arise.

Whatever other education their family sets for them, elves have childhoods much like any other race's children. They learn their history through creative retellings form their elders and are let loose to run around and engage in physical activities - climbing trees and swimming. They're taken to play in the outdoors and encouraged to take interest in the natural world, learning of the animals and plants they share the world with.

Reaching the elven age of majority, and the second stage of the path, occurs some time in their second century of life (120 years old, on average). As they mature and outlive the human lifespan they tend to settle into the elven ways, and focus on their spiritual ties to their communities and faith.

Mature elves typically take things very slowly. They spend a lot of time in contemplation, consider all facets and nuances in a problem, and try to predict all potential consequences that could be born of a choice (even those domino effects that may occur decades after the fact). They prefer to implement these choices very slowly, watching what ripples are caused through the course of years and responding accordingly - they may continue, stop, or make revisions as they go.

Occasionally an "adult" finds themselves drawn back to adventuring and a faster paced life outside of the elven homelands. This is accepted as simply a natural part of that elf's particular path.

The other branch on the road is one where an elf finds a passion and devotes themselves to it; fine art, playwriting, magic, architecture, the martial arts, literature, faith, music, whatever. They become hyperfixated on whatever has caught their eye; they keep the company of others who share their interest and talk about it to the exclusion of almost everything else (others are warned to beware engaging an elf in conversation about a topic dear to them, because they will tell you every single detail there is to know and will not stop).

Elves will dedicate months and years preparing for their projects; spending time in reverie and contemplation as they meditate on ideas, praying to the gods for guidance, and traveling leagues to gather materials and discuss with experts or observe others' works for inspiration.

The last stages of the road are stages of seeking spiritual enlightenment; they reflect on their long lives and many, many experiences with the world and contemplate the bigger picture and the nature of the universe and the People. They will begin to feel the Seldarine calling to them in their reverie, summoning them to the afterlife in Arvandor (Sehanine Moonbow's call, in particular).

The mythical final stage, occurring past 700 years of age, is one where an elf's contemplation successfully leads them to enlightenment. They become at peace, and their understanding puts them in perfect unity with the universe. These elves are faced with the choice of returning to Arvandor to join the gods, or to remain in the mortal world and use their wisdom to guide their people. Thus far the only elf said to have achieved this state was the elven queen Amlaruil, who chose to stay behind.

---

All this philosophy aside, elves still run businesses, have class and wealth divides and squabble amongst each other for power and prestige like anybody else does. The common elf is a priest, a guard, a farmer, a hunter, a cook, a maid, a tavernmaster... In daily life, most of the daily function of the realm involves cultivating the plants that grow in it (farming, construction, maintenance) and security (scouting, guarding, patrolling).

Although, elven society is steeped in magic all over the place, so in regards to things like maids and household chores, elves are more likely to simply use magic to clean the house and lessen the amount of physical labour involved.

---

Society (Houses and Clans, and the Government):

The concept of the Merchant Clans and Noble Houses aren't unique to drow; these family dynasties are part of larger elven culture, be they categorised as high, wood or dark. All elves are part of a larger extended family, known either as a House or a Clan, from which they take their surname.

Elves will generally be loyal to their Clan and House before their nation, and they have their own laws that members must follow, generally set by the matriarch or patriarch (the later only existing in non-drow cultures). Some have multiple leaders, ranging from a duo (House Nightstar is governed by twin sisters) to a council of elders. Each clan/house has different methods for choosing their leader/s, some are hereditary and others are elected. For larger Houses that span multiple regions, there will be a hierarchy with local leaders who answer to a family head that oversees the entire bloodline.

Elven nobility belong to Houses, which are generally known for each having certain political ideologies, and they often specialise in training their members in specific skills.

The elven concept of "aristocracy" is granted by a ruler, who makes that elf and their clan a Noble House as a reward for some exceptional service to elvenkind (this is very hard to achieve). The status cannot be revoked by a ruler, nobles can only be exiled and stripped of their House name by their own family.

Some families restrict their membership, and will not acknowledge the spouses or children of their relatives who are of certain elven cultures, non-elven races or half-elves. As a rule of thumb, moon elven culture would frown upon excluding anybody of elven blood from the family. Everybody tends to make an exception for drow - you are not bringing a dark elf into this family tree. Houses may adopt others into their family, and it's also possible for a House to adopt N'Quess into their ranks, usually as servants (so one could find a human cook who happens to be a member of an elven House).

Houses are generally associated with a specific elven culture, although the family usually contains a mixture of backgrounds. House Le'Quella, for example, has prominent mixed moon elven and green elven ancestry. The copper elves have mostly abandoned the concept of Houses, though some prestigious and historically important ones remain. Green elven cultures have long forsaken the concept, along with most of the trappings of the elven society that caused them thousands of years of suffering. Sun elves pay greater attention to their elders and important ancestors, and consider their Houses more "legitimate" than moon elven or wood elven Houses, and take House politics and affiliation far more seriously. Due to this, their Houses usually hold greater status than those of other elves'. Within the vast majority of dark elven societies, House affiliation and prestige is a matter of life and death, and being without a House to protect you leaves you open to enslavement and death.

Each House has two colours associated with it (sometimes they have more, less strongly associated colours), as well as an insignia (for example House Aelorothi's colours are pale blue and green, with a red swan for a crest. House Starym's colours are silver and maroon, with two falling silver dragons on the crest.) It seems like Clans may also have colours and insignias, but that may only be for the most prestigious of them. Even within the larger Houses, there will be members of the House who are nobility, and those who are common servants and footmen.

Clans and Houses are not tied to specific realms, and members and family units may be encountered anywhere in the world. "It's a mistake to think of elven Houses as equivalent to human [noble] Houses [...] in some respects you can almost think of an elven House as a small, extremely long-lived organisation with blood-ties."

Some Houses have existed for over 10,000 years, and these houses usually boast the highest status.

Status is a fluctuating thing; it depends on many factors such as wealth and prestige, the actions and reputation of its members, its relationship with other houses (feuds and alliances), how many powerful and talented mages - especially High Mages - it hold in its ranks...

Elven Houses may have smaller, related Houses attached to them called Septs, much like human dynasties have cadet branches. Septs are formed when a noble marries a commoner and takes their clan name, rather than having their lover marry into their House. A Greater House has many Septs, and a Lesser House fewer or none.

Arranged marriages do - or did - exist. They're primarily practiced as part of House politics, mainly by sun elves, and this historically caused some irritation in the time of Myth Drannor, when the Houses started using arranged marriages to call dibs on promising mages to bolster their own family's retinues and reputations. When elves marry, the elf of the less prestigious Clan/House will be considered as marrying into their spouse's more prominent Clan/House.

Surface elven Houses are as prone to intrigue and politicking as their Underdark equivalents, but they are significantly less likely to murder over it.

Most surface elven realms are city states, ruled by a Coronal, who is "speaker among the trees with Corellon's voice and bidding."

While this means that Coronal has absolute authority, the assumed role of the ruler is to keep the peace and maintain harmony between the various elven peoples and Houses within their realm. On an individual level, elves won't necessarily respond well to attempts to meddle in their personal lives, and sometimes trying to organise the masses is like herding cats.

The Coronal's word is law, but the entire realm may discuss and debate it before that word becomes law, and the Coronal cannot pass a law before at least a month has passed since its proposal.

While elves must accept the law of the land once made, mass migrations of entire clans and houses are known to occur in response to an unpopular proclamation as the elves leave for somewhere they don't have to listen (assuming the response isn't something more along the lines of an assassination...). While they might move to another elven settlement entirely, these elves won't necessarily leave the geographic area, they may simply settle on a patch just outside of the Coronal's jurisdiction and govern themselves. Sometimes elves just build an entire demiplane (small alternate universe) and move there instead.

In larger realms, such as the former empire of Cormanthyr, the Coronal oversees the realm and the individual cities within are been governed by a local council made up of the heads of the most influential Houses, who govern the minutia of daily life in their own city and have no influence outside of it.

Coronal is not usually an inherited position (especially in the modern day). How one achieves the position varies by place. In Cormanthyr, this was determined by blade-rite. The applicant draws an enchanted, sentient blade from its sheath, and the sword judges their intentions for the power they seek. If it decides they don't have the Tel'Quessir's wellbeing at heart and will abuse their power, then it kills them on the spot.

Rulers are advised by a council of elders, who as always are usually the family heads of the local Houses.

Larger surface elven society saw a slight shift towards matriarchy in the reign of Queen Amlaruil Moonflower on Evermeet, and women usually wield the most influence in elven politics.

The entirety of elvendom was technically ruled by a (popular) royal family at one point, situated in Evermeet. However the queen has vanished in the last century, and it seems the monarchy no longer applies. Even when she was alive, some of the elves were merely humouring the notion and didn't pay it much mind. Loyalty came mostly because she was likable and her people felt she cared for them and served them well.

Nobility is defined as the Houses in "good standing." Those who possess more "wealth" - although elves don't value things like gold the way others do, so they don't put the same weight on it - and those who have a fancier family history, which gives the family more weight when councils convene to make realm-wide decisions about enterprises and social policies being made for the good of all.

Some particularly arrogant Houses feel they have "claim" to a particular patch of forest, in the same way a human noble might claim estates, but nobody else would agree with them, and collective elven society considers the world outside of their front doors to be public property that happens to be under the People's care.

While no house is beholden to the realm it resides in, and owes no duties, society expects the elven aristocracy to provide warriors, funds and resources to the wellbeing of the realm as a matter of honour. In peacetime this means providing the guard patrols and hunting parties, and providing for the sick and elderly of their communities who require aid.

---

While the dwarves and some human cultures can give them a run for their money, elves are quite possibly the proudest people on Toril. Theirs was the first and longest humanoid empire, theirs is the greatest grasp of magic, theirs is the longest lived of the common races of Toril, theirs is the blood that runs in the veins of a god... Suffice to say, the People tend towards being arrogant and stubborn. It never occurs to a number of elves that their ways might not be the way, and between that and their resistance to being governed when the rulers want to change things, the dwarves have invented a saying regarding attempting to change their minds on something: "If you want to tell an elf what to do, be sure to bring your axe."

Where the halflings and gnomes blend in, elves (and dwarves) are the most likely to stand out as distinct, separate cultures within human cities. On average they're proud of their history and their ways of life, and won't be trading them for others. How aloof they are exactly will depend on factors like personality, and how fairly treated they feel they are being by their neighbours.

#astarion #astarion ancunin #elf tav #This took so long #Shoot me.#Please.#two sourcebooks. tweets. forums. youtube.#all it cost me was my sanity

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m3r1m4r5u333 · 26 days

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Argh. I'm in an emotional rollercoaster about this storyline in which Buck gets jealous when Eddie gets close to Tommy.

I mean, on one hand, it's hilarious that it's Tommy, Eddie's male friend, and not Marisol, Eddie's girlfriend, who ignites this jealousy in Buck.

Because doesn't it kinda hint that Buck has (maybe sub-consciously) internalized that Mr. "Imagine Jello with me" Diaz truly is so bad with women...

that any relationship he has with a woman can be happily ignored, as it clearly poses no threat to Eddie's and Buck's relationship.

...HOWEVER!!

On the other hand, the fact that it's Tommy, not Eddie's girlfriend, that sparks this jealousy... ?

It wrecks me because it also is pretty damn heart-breaking and sad if you look at it another way!!

Maybe this jealousy, sparked by a male friend, tells another story of Buck's thought progress.

Maybe it tells us a tale of Buck getting burned before, and learning from that, and then, to avoid further hurt, rethinking his role in Eddie's life, and clinging to what he thinks is safe and certain.

After all, there was a time when Buck, Eddie and Chris did so much together, all the time. They were close, Buck was absolutely parenting, Buck felt like he really belonged. They were a family.

And then all of a sudden, it was taken away from him!!

Imagine how deeply that would hurt.

This severed connection is btw, pretty heavily implied/canon, I think - we pretty much know, I'd argue, that when Eddie started dating Ana, there was a time when Buck did not get to see Chris much.

In the episode in which Ana and Chris visit Eddie at the firestation in 5x02...

Buck is overjoyed to see Chris, he gives him a really fierce hug, immediately asking Chris "How are you?"

I really get the impression that they haven't seen in a while.

It's supported by the way Eddie watches and grins like it's such a thrill for him, to see Buck and Chris meet - that's not really something he'd do if he saw them interact all the time, is it?

What Eddie says after he forgets to introduce Ana (too spellbound by Buck and Chris to remember her existence, basically) and has a panic attack - further supports this faltering connection.

Eddie runs off under the pretense of needing to put the salads Ana brought to the fridge.As he's making his escape, in panic, he mutters

"I don't want these things to wilt."

It's supposed to be an explanation - must save the salads from wilting! - but combined with the way he says that soon after he's just witnessed Buck and Chris meet, and the subtext telling us that it's been a while...

Eddie has just been reminded of how well the Diaz-Buckley family fits together,

and does not want those bonds to wilt - and he's realising that they have been, due to Ana pretty much taking over Buck's former parental duties. (And hey, then Eddie pretty promptly dumps Ana.)

But that doesn't erase or entirely fix what has already happened.

Buck has learned that he is replacable, that his status in the Diaz family is not guaranteed. He can be family one day, and then all of a sudden, shut out.

Learning that he's written in Eddie's will would not really cheer him up much, either. It's not security to know that he can be a parent, truly, without question - if Eddie is dead.

And then that talk he has with Eddie about a ready-made family. It really makes it clear that Buck is hurt. He tries to hide it, but it's so visible when Eddie talks becoming a ready-made family, and Eddie not knowing if he's ready for that.

Supposedly Eddie is talking about his ready-made family with Ana... But he's looking at Buck. He says "we became a ready-made family". And looks Buck in the eyes.

They aren't total idiots, they would have realised how much this whole unit of Chris+Eddie+Buck spending time together really imitates other families.

So there's no way that they don't realise that on some really repressed, strange level, this talk is about them, being a family.

Also, why would Buck look so hurt and sad, why would he look down, if he was fine with the way things have been? If Eddie was really talking about just Ana, and Buck had never felt like he was family, why would that talk about a ready-made family make him feel so uncomfortable?

Buck is hurt because he knows he was family, and he knows he was replaced, and then Eddie even kinda admits it.

And Eddie also implies that he's not ready for that.

That's really not an invite to get invested again. Nope, it's a life lesson for Buck:

Do not take these family interactions for granted. Who knows when Eddie is done with them, and you find yourself outside in the cold again!

So Buck deals with that by clinging to what is safe. What is secure. What he thinks he can have, and keep.

He decides that even if his role as a co-parent is uncertain, and may end up in the bin whenever... His role as a best friend? That's guaranteed.

So he does not feel threatened by Eddie's girlfriends. He understands now what space Eddie's partners may take in Eddie's and Christopher's life,

but that's fine because Buck can set up another spot for himself. It's maybe not ideal, not what he'd choose, but it's a spot nevertheless!

After all, Eddie finding another girlfriend, or even a wife, another co-parent... Does not remove Eddie's need for a best friend. Even married people crave friendships! So that role is available, that Buck can do, holding onto that won't get him burned!

He thinks.

And then this fucker Tommy steps into the picture, and Eddie bonds with him.

Buck gets nervous. What if he's wrong? What if even the friendship, the best friend status, is something that can be suddenly ripped away from him?

So Tommy is now competition, a threat, someone who could steal the one position by Eddie's side that Buck thought he had, for certain, for good.

Buck is worried. Jealous. Angry. Scared.

...

Anyway! See now, why this storyline is absolutely destroying me?!

#911 abc #buddie #911 buddie #eddie diaz #evan buckley #buddie 911 #evan buck buckley #911 on abc #911 speculation #eddie díaz #abc 911 #tommy kinard #ana flores #christopher diaz #the buckley diaz family

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youhideastar · 3 months

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Recs: Canon-verse WLW Wangxian

This fandom loves modern AU wlw!Wangxian, but sometimes you want your Wangxian ladies-in-love to come with all the sword-riding, hanfu-wearing, and talisman-wielding that we love from canon. ❤️ Here are my favorite wlw Wangxian fics set in the canon universe:

hold her where you want her by damnslippyplanet (7000 words, Burial Mounds, sort of a PWP and sort of a fix-it)

I am OBSESSED with this fic, O-B-S-E-S-S-E-D. You could summarize it as, “LWJ visits WWX in the Burial Mounds and, in effect, fucks her into letting LWJ stay,” but that vastly undersells the depth of feeling, the exquisite LWJ POV, and the beauty of the prose. The line “Their foreheads are touching, but Wei Ying has touched Lan Zhan’s ribbon before, so many times. It hardly matters. Lan Zhan will let her fly it as a banner from the entrance to this place if she wants.” lives rent-free in my head for all of time. And there’s so much more! Run, don’t walk, to read this one.

Married to the Demon by @iamwestiec (10,000 words, AU, warprize!LWJ, yllzhot!WWX, Big Switch Energy)

A captured LWJ is claimed as a war prize and married by WRH’s most powerful ally, the Demon of Qishan… who promptly solicits LWJ’s help in overthrowing WRH. But they still have to keep up a façade in public--and WWX is driving LWJ up a horny wall with the public groping and resentacle-collar-and-handcuffs situation. I love their vibe here—so playful in spite of the terrible situation they’re in—and extra, extra love how much they like calling each other “wife.”

the biggest tits in history by @dulosiswrites /el_em_en_oh_pee (6000 words, very horny, 5 Things, canon retelling)

This fic is really neat because you go in expecting, from the title and tags and summary (“Five times Wei Wuxian notices how absolutely enormous Lan Zhan's tits are, and one time she does something about it.”), that this is going to be crack or porn or both. And there is definitely porn at the end, and it’s very good! But this fic is actually five very sweet snapshots of WWX and LWJ’s relationship, from Cloud Recesses to Xuanwu Cave to the Burial Mounds to WWX’s resurrection (plus the aforementioned porn), each one slightly and delightfully different from canon… and yes, all united by WWX’s fixation on LWJ’s enormous breasts. 😂

out of breath, out of mind by mme_anxious (4000 words, post-canon, PWP, bondage, adorable)

About-to-be-married Wangxian get a book of pornography as an engagement present and are inspired to try bondage for the first time. This is soooo cute, and also really beautifully written – so many gorgeous sentences. Plus, extremely hot. What could be better?

It would be tacky to write loving paeans to my own work 🤣, but I'll quickly throw in three of mine since they fit the theme!

Dangerous by Deastar (14,000 words, A/B/O, canon retelling, angst with a happy ending): Beta!LWJ has been raised to fear alphas—aggressive, ungovernable, promiscuous—and meeting alpha!WWX does nothing to change her mind… at first. Then, it changes everything.

scarcely trust my candid heart by Deastar (7000 words, Cloud Recesses arc, fluff and smut, A/B/O, humor): Beta/beta Wangxian with a LWJ who has gotten the incorrect impression that all betas are asexual and therefore finds WWX’s whole, like, everything extremely perplexing.

The Certainty of the Answer by Deastar (1300 words, Xuanwu Cave, fluff): A Xuanwu Cave amuse-bouche in which LWJ kisses WWX and then is stymied re: how to go about securing her hand in marriage.

#fic recs #the untamed #wangxian #wlw wangxian #mdzs #cql

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jewishconvertthings · 7 months

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Hi! So, I’m a fictive in a plural system. The body is halachally Jewish by reform standards (patrilinear) but in exomemories, my family was WASP-y as hell. I’m reasonably sure I need to go through the process to convert and I consider myself a Jew in progress, however, I’ve got absolutely no idea how to explain the situation to a rabbi. I actually tried reaching out over email to one at the shul we half heartedly attend, but I didn’t get an answer. I’m not sure if it ended up in spam somehow or if he did see it and thought I was fucking with him or crazy. Or both. I don’t have any guarantees I’ll be in the system forever, though I’ve been here for like three years now. Is it worth trying again? The shul is Reform and super chill with LGBT stuff, but I don’t know what that means for the scarier neurodivergences.

Hi there!

So you are definitely not the first (and I doubt you'll be the last) person to ask about plurality and conversion to Judaism here. Because of that, I am giving a much more extensive answer that may exceed the scope of your question, because I want to be able to hopefully assist others with similar questions. Thank you in advance for your patience!

Here's the thing about being plural and conversion - you convert as a unit. Once the body is halachicly Jewish, that's it, you all are. Judaism is interesting in that we already canonically believe in (at least Jews) having multiple souls. Additionally, there is the mystical idea that the soul of every convert was at Sinai and therefore that when someone is driven to convert it's because they already had a Jewish soul. However, they still need to convert.

Why? Because Judaism is an embodied religion. It is very much about taking things that exist in the animal world and elevating them to sanctity through mitzvot. Every human and animal pees, but Jews say a bracha afterwards because we are grateful that our body's innards are working correctly enough to make that possible. Every human and animal eats, but Jews keep kosher and say brachot to sanctify what goes into our bodies. Judaism even has mitzvot related to married couples' conduct with their spouse, especially in relationship to menstruation. For as much as Judaism believes in souls, it equally believes in grounding those souls in the earthly realm and therefore liberating the divine sparks of creation in the process.

Which is all to say: Judaism is also a group project. We are judged collectively as a nation on Rosh Hashana and repent as a nation on Yom Kippur. Even if you were a singlet, you would still need to consider carefully whether you were prepared to join in the collective project of mitzvot. People who have existing familial ties to others may find it more challenging to convert. What if your spouse or teenage children do not wish to convert with you? It is often still possible to convert (I did, and my spouse did not convert with me) but it requires at least some amount of buy-in support from those you live with and are permanently tied to, even if they are not directly joining you. My spouse, who again is not Jewish and did not convert with me, still knows at least as much about kashrut as I do because he does the vast majority of the cooking, he helps me clean and prep for Pesach every year, and he actually eats pesadik food with me every year so as not to bring chametz into the house. He helps me prepare the house for Shabbat and does not interfere with the setup, and works around my observance. It's a huge commitment from a gentile who does not believe in G-d and appreciates but does not wish to join the Jewish people.

Your system has to be on board. They just do. Because if/when you decide not to front or determine that it's time to move on or what-not, the body will still be halachicly Jewish and it will be up to those running it to determine how to act in light of that reality.

For what it's worth, I am very familiar with a system who converted, and I have learned about what their internal conversation was like beforehand. It was extensive! They operate like a family, and there are six of them. Two it was clear right away were dyed-in-the-wool Jewish and were they singlets, nothing could have stopped them from becoming observant Jews. (One probably would have tried to become a rebbetzin and the other would've become a gay yeshiva bochur. Alas ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.) Two of them were people who would make excellent Jews, but probably also could've stayed excellent pagans. The fifth is very much a skeptic and the sixth was very much a Witch. The middle two were easy to sway after being exposed to queer-friendly Judaism. The fifth only agreed after understanding enough about Yiddish socialism and the history of Jewish leftism and secular culture that he realized he could very much appreciate yiddishkeit even if he didn't really believe in G-d (or if G-d is real, didn't really trust or like G-d given the state of the world.) He basically agreed that as long as he never had to do the davening or ritual mitzvot, he was cool with it.

The sixth acquiesced to the majority. She was very uneasy about making an eternal vow of any kind to any being, but especially one as powerful as the Almighty, and especially with something as complicated to follow as the mitzvot. She was reassured by the process of Yom Kippur to annul vows (Kol Nidrei) and to reset the slate through teshuva and collective forgiveness. She was also very nervous about the concept of tying one's fate to the collective fate of the Jewish people in terms of said agreement to keep the mitzvot. Her position was basically: You Don't Make Deals With Things You Can't See, and YES That Absolutely Includes Hashem. But! If the rest were going to insist on doing that anyway, well. They'd better be willing to hold by that Forever, even after death. How frum were they willing to be? After some further discussion (fifth alter's reluctance notwithstanding) they collectively agreed that they would agree to the mitzvot on the terms of the Conservative movement. The fifth alter agreed that he would not do anything to disrupt the others' observance even if he personally might have done differently as a secular/atheist Jew, e.g. watched TV on Shabbat or driven somewhere besides shul.

It's worth noting that I got this story because we are friends and that once they had full system buy-in, they decided for safety reasons *not* to discuss this particular wrinkle of psychology with their rabbis. Now, part of that decision was that that are a healthy system that works well together, has had extensive post-trauma therapy that *did* work with each alter individually as well as the system collectively, and were totally functional (after therapy) without any sort of psychiatric intervention. They were unwilling to jeopardize the relative safety from mental health institutions and their professional career by "coming out" about their plurality to anyone of authority in person or online. (I have obtained their collective permission to share this story as anonymized through myself as a third party to help other systems who are considering giyur.)

So to be clear, this is the advice I would offer as a layperson and as an informed friend.

**Major important reminder that I am not a rabbi or a mental health professional.**

Now, your situation is somewhat different from theirs, in that any conversion you make is going to be to solidify your halachic status as someone who is already Jewish in a major way and probably considered Jewish by the Reform movement already. They did not have previously existing ties to Judaism, whereas even if you do nothing, you will still be Jewish (even if not halachicly so by the traditional movements.)

I would recommend having a full system discussion. You want to figure out what your system, as a collective unit, needs, wants, and is willing to go along with. You will want, as part of this discussion, to do a major mental health and system balance analysis as well. How stable is your system? How functional are you as a group in the broader world? How healthy are your relationships to one another? Do you have trauma to unpack first? Need some type of therapeutic intervention? Do it now; do it first.

Then, if everyone is on board (enough) and working well together as a system, I would approach a rabbi to convert as a unit. It's up to you to determine how much, if anything, to disclose about your plurality to the Rabbi, so long as you can honestly tell him that you are [all] mentally well and stable. It is very possible to be a healthy system and/or to have long-term chronic mental illnesses while still being relatively stable and mentally well. Lots of people with well-managed mood disorders, personality disorders, developmental disorders, and even reality and dissociation disorders can and have converted. Judaism can truly be a place of peace and a shelter for the troubled. However, you must know yourself(/ves) well and you must be willing to seek professional help first or along the way if needed.

All of the plural stuff aside, I would recommend reaching out again after the high holidays and/or considering reaching out to a Conservative rabbi. The Reform movement may already consider you Jewish and therefore may not want to do a giyur l'chumra. The Conservative movement (much as I might personally disagree with it on this point) would not consider you halachicly Jewish and would be delighted to help you solidify your Jewish identity. If you ultimately decide not to convert but rather to reclaim and learn through the Reform movement, please know that you still have a place here. It's labeled as a gerische space, but the same types of resources and communities tend to help both gerim and reclaimants. We would be delighted to help you connect to your heritage and people and to support you doing so in a way that feels the most correct and appropriate to you.

Wishing you all the best in your exploration, a shana tova, and a meaningful Yom Kippur if you are observing it!

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dayseternal-blog · 3 months

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Hi! Before asking my request I just wanted to say that I absolutely love your fic “Nightdreams”. It is so comforting to read and the fact that it was mostly set during nights made it so cozy! I was wondering if you knew any nh where Kiba is protective of Hinata and doesn’t want her to get hurt

:D I'm so happy that you enjoyed Nightdreams!!!!! Thank you for the kind comment :D

I don't know too many overprotective Kiba, but I know quite a few where he's very invested and involved in being Hinata's wingman.

Hovering/Protective/Wingman Kiba - NaruHina Fics

Chapter 38 from "Postscripts" by waterrolls - Rated T, Canon-Compliant, One-shot. Request: Kiba & Shino are being the annoying (and embarrassing) overprotective brothers threatening Naruto while Naruto and Hinata prepare for their first mission together after The Last?

"The Set-Up" by @ohhipstaplease - Rated T, Canon-Divergent AU, One-shot. After Hinata confesses to Naruto—and her “I love you” goes right over his head—Kiba takes matters into his hands to (finally) get the two idiots together.

"Grape Juice" from "Sunbeams" by mangospoons - Rated T, Canon-Compliant, One-shot. Prompt: Wrong. Her best interest was at heart.

"Holding Hands" from "Naruhina Month" by Nanimok - Rated T, Canon-Divergent AU, One-shot. Kiba has devised a plan of action for Hinata's weak immunity for long exposures of Naruto.

"Practicing" by Kinich Ahau - Rated G, Canon-Compliant, One-shot. Kiba helps Hinata out with her Naruto problem.

"Torment Me" by @peppercornpress - Rated T, Canon-Compliant, One-shot. A story told by one of Naruto and Hinata's bullies.

"The Loving Type" by peppercornpress - Rated E, Canon-Divergent AU, Multi-chapter, Complete. A few years have passed since the Fourth Shinobi War, in which... Rookie Nine steadily advances in rank. Naruto gets engaged. Hinata leaves Konoha. And Kakashi schemes for days.

"A Push in the Right Direction" by Shawny Wong - Rated T, Canon-Divergent AU, One-shot. Kiba and Shino are ticked off. Hinata’s many suitors have become a real nuisance. No matter how often she turns them down, they keep coming back! If only she had a steady boyfriend…

"White Dog Night" by Nate Grey - Rated T, Canon-Divergent AU, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. Kiba gives his life to save Hinata, and she and Akamaru must unite to save each other. But with the biggest threat to their lives being her own clan, the only safe place for a shy girl and her little white dog may be outside Konoha's gates...

"Dancing" from "On Being Brave" by Mintacia - Rated T, Canon-Divergent AU, Three-shot (Ch. 2, 3, & 6). Yea, I thought, glancing into the bag and grimacing, this is gonna prove to be an interesting mission.

“Oblivious” by PervyNinja - Rated T, Canon-Divergent, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. After the war, Naruto is not the only one to be approached by admirers - Hinata is oblivious, Kiba, Shino & Akamaru are protective and Naruto is just so confused.

I'm sure there are others!

#anon #naruhina fanfic recs #naruhina canon-divergent au

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aspionagee · 2 months

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hii! i just want to say, i love LOVE your works. especially the patchwork family. it’s my favourite fic and i’ve been following it for so long that it has been an intricate part of my life now so i don’t know what i’m going to do when it’s finished 😭

a question, what inspired you to write the patchwork family? was it a specific fic? a physical novel? an idea? i’m really interested :D

Thank you so much! Honestly what inspired A Patchwork Family was just my general love of Severitus fics. The first Harry Potter fanfic I actually read involved Snape adopting a deaf Harry who was sorted into Slytherin, and ever since then I feel like I've read every Severitus fic in this fandom xD

One of my specific influences was, of course, the amazing A Year Like None Other. I absolutely love this fic, and I was so shocked when that was one of the only fics I could find that involved Snape not just adopting Harry, but also Draco. For genuinely about two years after reading AYLNO for the first time I was thinking about what their dynamic would be like if I was to write it, how Draco and Harry's age being younger might affect things, where in the canon would be best to set it, how Draco would respond to learning about the Dursleys and how Harry would respond to the Malfoys' arrest, etc. I found the idea of them coexisting in a family unit to be such an interesting setup overall, and it sort of just possessed me!

After spending so long thinking about it all, in June of last year I just sat down and ended up writing like 60k in a week, and decided it was finally time to start posting A Patchwork Family! :)

#ao3 #fanfic #harry potter #severitus #A Patchwork Family

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urfavnegronerd · 4 months

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percy jackson brain-rot as i begin the books again

as someone whos hopelessly devoted to the workings of rick riordon i absolutely never understood percabeth

like,

they're literally 12, children, CANNOT LEGALLY DRIVE OR CONSENT TO SEX at the end of the og series (chalice of the gods) and niggas really out here shipping the fuck outta them

shit dig hard enough on a03 and there's prolly smut of the two of em

never understood it, like i get a cute lil mutual pining thing where they both like each other but a whole ass ship never made sense. like no, the two don't make babies. why? CUZ THEYRE BABIES THEMSELVES

edit:

okay to clear things up cs people are in the comments saying i don't know what a ship is (i'm literally a fanfic writer on here but okay)

i'm just saying that these are literally little kids in middle school. i'm not saying that middle school kids don't have relationships, but it's still weird. and from, i'm boutta geek out about this incredibly obscure topic i'm sorry, a developmental standpoint middle grade children are nowhere near psychologically ready to be in a relationship which is why it's extremely rare to see couples who have been together since middle school (that one episode of abbott elementary). if you go on tiktok and look for people who broke up with someone they were in a relationship with from middle school- high school, those breakups are traumatic

all breakups are traumatic in some way, but there have been several people who have developed traits of borderline personality disorder because they broke up with someone they had been romantically involved with since middle school.

also let's not forget how warped your view on intimate relationships go (fucking. imma say it the way you think about fucking is skewed). the people i've spoken to who broke up with their middle school partner in their older parts of high school have recounted just how awful their view on sex was, some have even pondered if they were asexual because they couldn't picture themselves up under anyone else.

like i get it, it's cute to see little kids who like each other, but most of this fandom are of age to drive, to study for the SATS/gsces, some are able to legally drink in the united states, or applying to college. these are little baby children that high school students and young adults should not be playing match maker for. ALSO WALKER SCOBELL IS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL/ HIS FIRST YEAR IN HS HE WAS BORN IN 2009.

anyway,

i get it, we all have head canons, but shipping two middle schoolers who a) may or may not have started puberty b) did not stay at one school for too long c) don't know trig formulas d) may or may not have had their first period/ voice dropped/ you get the picture.

i don't understand percabeth as a whole romantic ship, but mostly as a fluffy little middle school flirty thing (prolonged eye contact, stealing hats, asking if they can hug/kiss at a certain time, etc.)

i love love love the concept of seaweed brain and wise girl, smartwater, percabeth, whatever, I THINK THEY'RE ADORABLE but i don't understand the draw of why people feel the incessant need to make it extremely romantic. like why why whyyyyyyy. can we js let them be kids, because lets be real a lot of the newer additions to this fandom only know about the show (and its okay we love you guys anyway its just that some of us have read the books too, its not required for you to love the show that you need to read the books) and are already talking about 'annabeth and percy need to just kiss already' no they don't. cs percy just lost his mom (i know something you dooonttttttt) and our cutie patootie annabeth is still lowkey a mystery (i'm guessing?? idk i haven't watched the show yet i think im gonna pirate it soon or smth, im js assuming because idk what point the show is at in relation to the first book), etc. can we maybe not make them a whole ass ship until the show is in relation to the last few books of the series. lets js let them be kids for now.

AND THIS IS NOT TO SAY THAT I DIDN'T LIKE WHEN THEY WERE AN ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIP IN THE LATER BOOKS OKAY ITS NOT TO SAY THAT im just saying that i didn't understand the concept of percabeth within the first few books because it was a little wonky to really really want two twelve year olds to be in a relationship. they're cute when its in the last few books but come on yall. lets not ship them yet. also report any smut you see of them that's not cool or rick riordon approved.

theyre still babies, even if some of the fandom has read all of the books and others didn't.

does this make sense?

xoxo,

rae <3

#percabeth #grover underwood #percy jackon and the olympians #pjo #pjo series #percy jackson #annabeth #annabeth chase #percy and annabeth #annabeth pjo #annabeth percy jackson #perseus jackson

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hammyham-o-o · 3 months

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intro post??

HELLOO random internet strangers that find this!

if you've somehow stumbled across my blog, there is a 99.99% chance you're just as obsessed with a musical about dead founding fathers as I am~

LETS GOOOOO HAMILTRASH UNITE

Just a heads up: I won't be posting much original content, just reblogging cool Hamilton stuff I find :)

Feel free to ask me anything, but keep in mind I am a minor !!

(Look, I made a Hamilton friend! Go check out their blog. @iwrotetheother51 ) :D

OH I JUST REALIZED I should probably tell you my a03 is it_flies_at_night :D I haven't posted anything (yet?? who knows hehe) BUT if you get any likes or kudos now you know it's me ^_^

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hey guys, just letting you all know that I won't be as active on here as I have been for the foreseeable future, life's gotten pretty busy so I'm just not gonna be able to be online as much (everything's okay, I'm just busy :))

My inbox is always open (ofc), but it might take a while for me to respond, cuz I probably won't see it right away (I promise I'm not ignoring you!!)

This is for All My Moots, but especially @half-eaten-baguetteee, @ashlamsms, @iwrotetheother51, @yunseowrites, @lil-gae-disaster, @moose-driving, @lavaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, @musicalfan78, @almaprincess66, @unicornsaures, @lams-is-canon, @kwilooo, @ivanisdying, @lemonlord14, @evan-at-deaths-doorstep, @thehangingswiftie, @winterzz7, @imobsessedwiththeatre, @c0nsumemy5oul, @thomasfvine, @probablyfrance, @notreallyfrance

(also not a moot but @hamalicious-soup I absolutely ADORE your comics)

I love and appreciate you guys sm, I promise I'm not ghosting you :') I'm just not gonna be online as much ^^

#hamilton musical #alexander hamilton #hamilton fanart #hamiltrash #The fandom survives #hey guys

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spacemagicandlaserswords · 9 months

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The Clone Wars: Return of the Thoughts

I’m over half way through my first watch through of The Clone Wars (I’m part way through the Onderon rebels arc at the moment) and it has been An Experience. I have really enjoyed watching it, even though so much of the story is just pain and despair. If it isn’t already completely obvious from my reaction posts, I have completely fallen for the clones. New hyperfixation unlocked. I love and adore all of them. This brings about its own problems because for a show called The Clone Wars, there isn’t exactly a great focus on the clones. They’ve basically been sidelined in their own show (Hmmm, I wonder where we’ve seen that done to a clone before?). When we do finally get some decent clone-centric episodes, they are all just pain, misery, angst and despair. Which explains why I’ve been dreading watching so many of the various arcs in TCW.

I’ve found that my anticipation of episodes falls into either 'outright dreading', 'generally looking forward to', 'somewhat interested in', or 'fairly ambivalent about'. Out of the three seasons I have left to watch, the only arc I’m actually looking forward to is the opening arc of season 7, because:

a) Baby Bad Batch b) ECHO c) More clones! More clone interactions and personality and character development and depth and emotions and all the things! d) Jesse and his ARC tits running around being an absolute unit e) Kix! *weeps for his beautiful hair* f) Rex being a BAMF as usual but also being all soft and concerned when he gets one of his Domino Twins back after he thought he’d lost them both. g) We even get a bit of Cody too, before he gets squished by a larty and Wrecker has to lift it off him. h) Non-chip controlled Crosshair! He smiles! He laughs! He’s snarky and sarcastic! We finally get to see the toothpick with a soul before it’s ripped out and trampled into the ground by the Empire. i) I think the season 7 premiere is where Obi-Wan cuts an actual missile in half to save Cody, and if that isn’t the most hyper competent way of conveying your love for your space husband, then I don’t know what is.

On the other side of things, there are a number of arcs that I am dreading and almost don’t want to watch.

I’m not overly looking forward to the Mandalore arc in season 5, mainly because we have to watch Obi-Wan watch Satine get brutally murdered in front of him by Maul. Along with being utterly cruel and completely devastating, it’s also another wholly unnecessary fridging of a female character. There’s already enough man pain in this series as it is, we don’t need to add to it by killing off one of the few female characters with depth.

Straight after this is the Jedi temple bombing arc, which I almost don’t want to watch. The way Ahsoka was treated was utterly horrendous and appalling. No wonder she left! What they did to Barriss was just as awful.

Then it’s straight into the chip conspiracy arc, which is just more pain, misery, suffering and death for the clones. First Tup, then Fives, in what seems to be generally regarded as one of the most devastating deaths of the entire Clone Wars series. I’m pretty sure there’s going to be a lot of sobbing at the end of it. I also cannot wrap my head around the fact that Fox is the one to shoot Fives. I cannot believe that a clone would ever shoot another clone. That a vod would kill another vod. It’s just inconceivable. From what I’ve read, the generally received headcanon seems to be that Palps was controlling Fox via the chip or the Darkside. This makes complete sense, is a believable in-universe reason, and is definitely the headcanon that I’ve accepted. Blasters have a stun setting! Fox is the Commander of the Coruscant Guard. He’s a command class clone and he has a kama so presumably he’s got ARC training as well. There’s no way he’d be that sloppy as to not have his blaster set to stun. I know this is leading up to my inevitable internal conflict between fandom Fox and canon Fox (which is already brewing), but that’s another rant for another day. Either way, I'm absolutely dreading watching this arc.

I’m not really looking forward to watching the Rush Clovis arc in season 6. I touched on this in 2.04 ‘Senate Spy’ and I should imagine that this arc involves more of Anakin being abusive and controlling of Padmé, which both @0bianidalas and @coraex basically confirmed in the comments. For a multitude of personal reasons, I am really not comfortable with watching something like this. That said, I should imagine it will be a clear example of Anakin’s further descent to the Dark side and give a greater understanding to how it happened, which I gather was a key reason for the existence of The Clone Wars series in the first place.

Finally, there’s the Siege of Mandalore arc, which is just pain, misery, death and despair for everyone involved. We have to watch another perspective of the genocide that is Order 66, and by all accounts this one seems to be one of the most heart-wrenching and devastating. All of the clones are forced against their will to turn into brainwashed, controlled, mindless monsters. Jesse is turned into the very opposite of everything that he is, stood for, and believed in. Ahsoka is hunted by the very men she thought were her friends. Rex has to shoot his brothers out of self defense and to protect Ahsoka. All of the 322nd die. Rex cries. The only saving grace to all of this is that Rex is finally free, but at what cost. At what cost.

(Editor Me: My heart is already aching just going through the various gifs from these arcs. I'm going to be an absolute wreck I watch the actual episodes.)

After all of this, I somehow have to power through 4 seasons of Rebels before Ahsoka premiers on August 23. I’m probably going to have to binge watch Rebels and come back to it later for the reaction posts but we’ll see. While I have spoiled myself on Rebels in the same way I did for TCW, I haven’t been looking up what happens in Rebels quite as much as TCW. I’ve forgotten a fair amount of what happens so I think I’m going to try and keep myself as spoiler free as possible for Rebels. Hopefully that way I’ll be able to avoid this ‘dreading watching particular arcs’ problem that I’m encountering with TCW.

It’s not all doom and gloom though. There are moments in particular episodes that I’m looking forward to.

Hondo turns up again in the younglings arc and I am all for more Hondo. My interest in this arc falls somewhere between ‘somewhat interested’ and ‘fairly ambivalent’ but Hondo is an absolute riot and I love his particular brand of chaos. He was hilarious in the season 5 premiere and stole every scene he was in so I’m very glad to see him appear again.

We finally get to meet Gregor! He seems like a fan favourite and I’ve been looking forward to meeting him. If the droids mission is anything like R2-D2 and the reprogrammed B1 droids in the Citadel arc then this should be fairly amusing too so I’m generally looking forward to this.

In a way, I am looking forward to parts of the Mandalore arc in season 5. Obi-Wan in Mandalorian armour! More sass and snark from Obi-Wan is always enjoyable and at least we get to see him rescue Satine before it all goes horribly wrong. I know I’ve made this point before but I also love it when we get to see just how damn good a Jedi Obi-Wan is. There’s a little bit of this in the season 4 finale when Obi-Wan teams up with Ventress to fight Maul and Savage (after he’s thrown about like a rag doll and we get even more Obi-Wan whump. TCW has been a surprisingly excellent source of Obi-Wan whump.) But you really get to see it in the season 5 premiere. At one stage Obi-Wan is dual wielding lightsabers like an absolute madman while fighting both Maul and Savage at the same time. Sir, your lightsaber form is Soresu, what are you doing?

I’m looking forward to ‘The Lost One’ because we get to see a bit more of Wolffe, Plo and the Wolf Pack and I am always happy when we get to see more of them. Even if it's only for a tiny bit at the start of the episode.

As painful as the Siege of Mandalore arc is going to be, there are also some good moments that I’m looking forward to. Rex and Ahsoka reunite after she left the Order. I’ve really been enjoying watching the gradual evolution of their relationship, from Captain and Commander, to colleagues that respect each other, to friends, and then brother and sister. Or ori’vod and vod’ika, if we’re going with the headcanon of clones knowing Mando’a and creating their own culture out of what they can glean from their Mandalorian origins. Rex is definitely ori’vod.

Rex is finally promoted to commander so we get a little bit of Commander Rex for a while, and isn’t that just a delicious thought thot.

Ahsoka essentially gets her own company in the form of the 332nd and they all paint their helmets in a pattern inspired by the markings on her montrals, which is just so damn sweet and adorable.

Rex and Ahsoka fighting side by side, even if some of it is against chip controlled clones.

From what I can gather, this entire arc is mainly about Rex and Ahsoka, with a showdown with Maul thrown in. They both go through the wringer and there’s going to be everything from hilarious one liners, to heartfelt moments, to the absolute emotional devastation that is Order 66 and all that it wrought upon them.

Out of the arcs that are left, they’re a mix of ‘somewhat interested’, ‘fairly ambivalent’ and ‘really not sure what to expect’. I’m fairly ambivalent about the rest of the Onderon rebels arc, which ends in another unnecessary fridging of a female character. At least Steela was more sensible and had more nuance. I could see her evolving into a great leader, in a similar vein to Leia. Saw is just another boring arrogant male who turns into a ‘for the greater good’ monster. The consequences of his actions have disastrous effects for the Empire and the rebels, or anyone who even slightly opposes the Empire. He’s not a good person and definitely falls into the ‘an enemy of my enemy is my friend/temporary ally’ camp.

I’m ‘fairly ambivalent’ to almost disinterested in ‘The Disappeared’ arc. Anything involving Jar Jar Binks is always deeply painful and uncomfortable to watch, a point I’ve made before, so I’m not going to blither on about it again.

The final arc of season 6 just sounds weird and all very ~mystical~ Jedi. Or more Jedi osik as the more cynical of the clones would probably say.

The Ahsoka arc in the middle of season 7 is one I’m really not sure what to expect from. I’m looking forward to meeting Trace and Rafa and I’m all for more women of colour in Star Wars. It’ll also give more context to the episode ‘Decommissioned’ from The Bad Batch and help understand exactly who they are and why they’re coincidentally looking for the same Separatist tactical droid as the Batch. It’ll also be interesting to see what happens to Ahsoka after she leaves the order and get a sense for what she’s been up to and how she’s managed to survive and cope since. I’m not sure if this arc is in chronological order with the rest of the season. Though the last episode does appear to link into the Siege of Mandalore arc, so maybe it is. The official chronological order lists this arc as happening before the Bad Batch arc and after the season 6 finale arc, so I guess that solves that then.

Aside from The Bad Batch arc, there’s no whole episode or arc that I’m actually looking forward to watching. This seems to be the main structure to TCW, hilarious comedic moments and heartfelt scenes interspersed between a whole lot of emotional devastation and heart wrenching endings. I’m still glad I’m finally watching The Clone Wars but the emotional ride from certain episodes and arcs has been something else. I’m so glad fix-it fics exist, because I’m going to need to read so many after all of this is said and done.

I know this might seem like I’m complaining but I’m not. I’m simply being open and honest about my experiences watching The Clone Wars. I am enjoying watching it all, even if ‘enjoying’ doesn’t quite feel like the right word with all of the pain and despair and misery that happens.

I’ve got a lot left to watch and not much time to watch it in but I’m also going to make sure I enjoy it as well. I’ll be sad when it’s finished but I am very happy and glad that I finally started watching The Clone Wars.

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jinxed-sinner · 26 days

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Analyzing Niffty Receiving A Lobotomy Because This Is Actually A Lot More Interesting Than People Realize

Alright so I've seen a lot of people theorize that Niffty suffered a lobotomy before she died and I'm here to add onto it because this is actually really interesting to analyze, to the point I hope Niffty canonically had a lobotomy because it just makes everything about Niffty make a hell of a lot more sense.

First of all, some trigger warnings.

Obviously, we're talking about lobotomies. If medical malpractice and abuse bother you, I would not recommend reading this post. Additionally, Rosemary Kennedy is used as an example of the effects lobotomies have; if you don't know Rosemary's story, it's frankly horrific and the details of her lobotomy is not for the faint of heart. Proceed with caution.

Now let's do some analysis. (putting the rest of this under a read more cut because lobotomies are absolutely horrific)

First of all, what is a lobotomy?

A lobotomy is a medical procedure that was introduced in the United States in 1935. It involves severing connections in the prefrontal cortex, usually by drilling a hole in the skull (although a technique that involved going underneath the eyelid, known as a transorbital lobotomy, was introduced in 1946). Multiple techniques existed. Lobotomies were used to treat violent tendencies, psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations, and depression, among other things.

When lobotomies weren't fatal (and it's worth noting that in the 1940s, the mortality rate of a lobotomy was 5%; the average mortality rate* for modern brain tumor removal is approximately 2.3% for comparison), a person who received one usually had their emotions and cognitive and intellectual abilities stunted to that of a young child.

*Average because it depends on the type of tumor you're having removed, as well as how bad the tumor is

Rosemary Kennedy

The most well-known lobotomy victim is probably Rosemary Kennedy, who experienced seizures and violent mood swings. She received a lobotomy at the age of 23 in 1941 in response to these problems, which left her unable to take care of herself, and permanently at the mental capacity of a 2-year-old. Her lobotomy is described as follows:

After Rosemary was mildly sedated, "We went through the top of the head," Dr. Watts recalled. "I think she was awake. She had a mild tranquilizer. I made a surgical incision in the brain through the skull. It was near the front. It was on both sides. We just made a small incision, no more than an inch." The instrument Dr. Watts used looked like a butter knife. He swung it up and down to cut brain tissue. "We put an instrument inside", he said. As Dr. Watts cut, Dr. Freeman asked Rosemary, for example, to recite the Lord's Prayer or sing "God Bless America" or count backwards;... "We tried to estimate thus, how far to further cut, based on how Rosemary responded." When she began incoherent, they ceased cutting.

I want to point out that even in modern neurosurgery, keeping someone conscious during the surgery isn't uncommon. The brain doesn't have pain receptors, and therefore you don't feel pain on your brain. Keeping someone conscious, as suggested above, is an important part of making sure you're making the right incisions and not cutting into something you shouldn't.

What happened to Rosemary Kennedy is disgusting. I need to emphasize that. I'm not bringing up Rosemary Kennedy in my Hazbin analysis post just because; I'm bringing her up because she's the most notable case of what can happen when you survive a lobotomy (in my mind at least), and I think if you're going to discuss the theory that Niffty was lobotomized in depth, it's important to know what you're talking about.

Now let's discuss Niffty's behaviors.

Niffty

In my opinion, Niffty's most clear trait is her violent tendencies. Additionally, a lot her behavior is reminiscent of OCD. Niffty's behavior is also very childlike, which brings me to an interesting conclusion: as a demon, Niffty's personality and behavior are a combination of her pre-lobotomy self and her post-lobotomy self (violent tendencies and OCD that led to her lobotomy combined with the post-lobotomy personality of being more child-like and socially unaware). In addition to both of these, when I see her design I think of a transorbital lobotomy gone wrong.

Like her behavior feels like someone who got a lobotomy but eventually gained a form where they weren't as affected by that lobotomy. It's really interesting to me and it makes me kinda sad that I haven't seen anyone really analyze the theory that Niffty was a lobotomy victim beyond just "Niffty got a lobotomy when she was alive" because it just explains too much for that to not be the intention. Like I don't think it's a coincidence that she died when lobotomies were happening left and right and her personality fits a combination of pre- and post-lobotomy personalities.

Makes me excited to learn more about her honestly.

#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel analysis #hazbin hotel niffty #tw medical malpractice #tw lobotomy #tw abuse #if i said anything wrong or weird pls let me know

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accirax · 1 month

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initial thoughts on DCAS episode 6

THIS EPISODE WAS SO GOOD!!! the fact that it was a musical episode is totally the cherry on top; i love it when series come with their own music (cough cough me @ project sekai). but overall it was also really funny, and had some great character moments, too.

i'll save my thoughts on strategy and where the season might be headed for my next power ranking post (whenever that is :,( ), but were some of my other thoughts/highlights.

specifically the phrase "fuck my life" and Yul saying it made me cackle. seems like Emily ISN'T Yul's manager, but she might still kinda take on that role this season? we'll see. the lack of phones is really having an effect on the plot.

they hate her so fucking bad

okay, i guess i forgot to consider this angle when i was saying it would've made more sense for them to vote out Fiore. however, having started with 18 participants, the merge will probably happen at, what, 10 people? (modern Survivor describes the merge as "at least 11," but obviously this isn't survivor.) sure, Hunter is a bit of a challenge beast, but he can't protect all three of them every episode. if this trio is only 3/10 of the votes, you could literally split the votes on Ally and Tess in a 3-3-4 if you can get everyone else to unite against them. you know what you should be worried about? THE VILLAINS ALLIANCE HAVING 6/"10" VOTES AT THE MERGE!!! sigh. why am i relying on Jake to be smart (/j)

i'm more impressed that there was hot water in the first place. this thing is in the middle of a field, no?

i'm finally starting to see how Yul can be a hilarious "love to hate him" kind of villain. he had some of the best lines this episode hands down.

TREVEK BECOME CANON???

there was absolutely no reason to put the apple on the stick other than to fit in. love this for her.

idk if this is a winner's cut moment or not. glad that the money would go towards schools and NOT the police force, though.

man, now i want to go back and check the other episodes to see if Tess has had the "Cyan Team narrator" role the whole time. in Survivor, that's indicative of a deep run. ...i really need to stop applying Survivor logic to everything.

and why are you thinking about what would make Oliver laugh, Kristal? ',:)

i appreciate the s1 callback, but Trevor doing this dance move gives me so much second hand embarrassment that i keep inadvertently closing my eyes every time i have to "see" it again. anyways, given how most of the episode songs had lyrics related to the Team's emotional state, it's interesting to see that Trevor is singing a romance song. trevek become canon pt 2?

this was an interesting parallel. with Kristal laughing at Derek's joke, it seems like they were trying to show how she's growing closer to Derek, in a way which Trevor might fear is romantic. were there supposed to be romantic undertones to Alec being the only one to laugh at Connor's joke? and, if there were, was that just a fun nod to the aleconnor shippers, or will it actually be canon/relevant to later in the season?

NOT a surprise. i need to see the "i want you died" poetry he wrote about Fiore after last season.

of course you were, you fucking fruit (affectionate)

the anguish: i love my gf :D let's frolick through a field together

"trust me dude i'm the divorce man"

GABBY?????

mood but also damn is Ellie really leaning into the villain thing this season. this doesn't even help her win the season, she JUST wants to see him suffer.

i forgot that the s1 contestants didn't know that Nina was her own separate being yet

they were NOT lying, Aiden's VA is a great singer! Tom's backing vocals and Ellie and Gabby's harmonies(?) were also really nice too, though. this was probably my favorite song of the episode just bc i think Cyan had the strongest singers. all of the rocking, shoulder-moving dances are also impossible not to imitate.

well, there's the thumbnail. their choice of thumbnail made me laugh bc i remember, back when i was watching s1, seeing all the thumbnails of Aiden kissing both James and Hunter and thinking that Aiden was going to be some sort of troublemaking flirty antagonistic character only to be blindsided by his actual characterization. i'm sure the s1 watching me would have only added this to her arsenal of evidence, although hilariously idk if i would have been able to tell the other character was Tom at the time. anyways, i was pretty certain from the start that this must be part of the performance. although, while i'm happy that Aiden seems to think that James will be okay with the performance, i wish we could have cut to James somehow just to confirm that that was true. i don't want the next time we see James, whether in the finale or some other time, to show that he was actually really jealous and upset at Aiden for kissing another man while in a committed relationship. also gabbielle(?) super cute in the bg :D

he's so fucking stupid... (/pos)

bold of you to say this to Ashley, who has been in a two year relationship with the guy who went home in episode 2.

i also really liked this song :D i understand why they made Jake and Ally the main singers, because they best encompassed what the theme of the song was about, but i think i actually liked Ashley's vocals the best. i wish she'd gotten to sing more. also for a moment i thought Marcus had a trans flag on his hat. it's still close enough. trans Marcus canon.

this was probably my least favorite performance of the episode, although idk how much of that was just how much i hate Alec's outfit. glassesless Alec scares me so bad... no hate to the VAs, obviously, i think they have nice voices! it's actually the way that they didn't sound like they had confidence in their singing abilities that made the performance feel a little shakier to me. i do think that this song had the best lyrics in terms of encapsulating each member of their team, though. i really like how Yul and Riya are the ones to sing "i'm going to chase it" as a duo, because they're the ones chasing fame and the limelight, and then Grett sings that she can't ignore it, because eventually she's going to have to realize that her entire relationship with Yul was a result of him clout chasing. Connor only singing "live in the moment until i die" is also very fitting given his placement... in both seasons. L.

really surprised that Riya (or anyone else) didn't even mention Yul's foot injury as part of this equation. Riya just said that she didn't want to lose any more challenges, and Yul's bad foot could totally lead to a loss. maybe i'm just overestimating the extent to which that foot injury will stick around, though.

season 2 characters are REALLY suffering out here.

HELP??????

love to see Alec and Fiore's kinda sorta dual redemptions. i have high hopes for them.

and those were my initial thoughts, which got way longer than i expected. thanks if you wound up reading towards all the way down here. i have no idea who the leakers are, obviously, but i really hope that they stop acting up soon so that the series can continue. i would hate to have the artists have to take a pay hit and/or stop making the series just because of some people's impatience and delusions of power, or have the honest patrons lose out on being able to watch the episodes early to protect from others' immaturity. see ya!

#disventure camp #dcas #sorry for no image descriptions this time i'm lazy and this has already taken up more of my day than i anticipated #disventure camp spoilers #dcas initial thoughts

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nikethestatue · 2 months

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Why do you think the fandom has become so divided? I mean I’m it it for elriel but if elucian happened I wouldn’t be devastated or anything and I’d still read the book. I don’t get how all this name calling, lack of reading comprehension my ship is better because of x y z even came about? Was it around before the 3rd ship entered the race or do you think it has more to do with the amount of time people have had to get so fully invested in a ship theyve lost all sense of civility. The thing with reading comprehension when it comes to yet to be written narratives is that it’s somewhat retrospective. Meaning if it turns out you were right u comprehended the txt correctly but if your wrong you didn’t. But this isn’t black and white because an author can drop storyline’s, change original storyline’s, retcon already canon events, have continuity errors etc and you interpreted it right but the author decided to take the storyline away from the original plan. But at present as far as I can tell the only things we know for certain because it was stated in actual canon is A) that elain and Lucian have a mate bond (wether this turns out to be a true mate bond or the work of a corrupt cauldron or something is yet to be determined) B) that elain is uncomfortable around lucian and isn’t open to the bond at present (altho obviously this could change if sjm wants to write that story) C) elains and azriels characters have a lot of interactions and there on page storyline’s are entwined with each other (he’s protective of her, her seeks her out, he didn’t hesitate to rescue her, truth teller all the stuff that came up in the bonus chapter etc etc etc) and this means something and D) Elain and Azriel are indeed attracted to each, but it was not stated in canon that he only thinks of her sexually, contrary to what some people say, there wasn’t enough on page information to make concrete claims like that (wether any of this will go on to mean something more is also yet to be determined) That’s why theories and txt analysis is suppose to be fun but it also needs to lean into canon, which is completely different than a headcanon which brings me to Gwynriel. There is absolutely and I can’t state this enough no canon evidence of gwynriel (wether they go on to be a canon couple once again is yet to be determined) but at the moment all “evidence” of this ship is based of of individual interpretation that has no actual canon backing. Thinking 2 people would be better together doesn’t make something canon, so this ship to me is a crack ship. I will say I think part of the reason the gwynriel ship is so present in social media is because the elucians decided to support that ship because it suited their narrative not because they actually think or care if they become a couple or not so it’s like 2 ships against one. If you took all the eluciens out of the equation I think the gwynriel ship fandom would be a lot smaller.

I think ACOSF happened.

It was a divisive book, needlessly so. It pitted the IC against Nesta and then Nesta with her 'found family' formed almost this separate narrative and a separate unit of girlbosses. And instead of unity, you have division in the fandom. Half of the fandom are older, Feysand-centric readers and then the rest are newer, Nesta-centric readers, who can pin all their hopes and dreams on Gwyn, who is single, straight, pretty and spunky. She is not some vision-seeing weirdo who likes flowers and cream buns. No! Gwyn is your generic, uncomplicated, easily digestible Miss Awesome. Nesta is mated and odd and too tormented, while Emerie would've been okayish, but now she seems to be no longer straight and she's got those ungainly clipped wings. (Let's not kid ourselves, there is plenty of misogyny and racism in this fandom). SO that leaves Gwyn and the last available batboy, who also had a monster cock apparently, the ubiquitous shadows and who is handsome and mysterious.

The relationship between the sisters isnt really resolved at the end of the book. It's fashionable to hate Elain even harder, because she was 'mean to Nesta' and because she is 'mean to Lucien'. So obviously such a revolting character cannot be paired with the handsome Azriel. But who can? Gwyn! Uncomplicated Gwyn, whom you are not allowed to critique in any fashion because .... SA!

And from there on, I think it just grew and grew.

Yes, there is no basis for the Gwynriel ship. But you dont need a basis, you just need access to others via social media, do a lot of posturing as an 'expert', highlight some random passages from the books, creating vague connections. and BOOM! you got a ship. And yes, the viciousness came with Gwynriels, who began acting like they were experts themselves and who descended on anyone who argued like a swarm of bees. They hounded numerous artists off platforms, others refused to even entertain the idea of painting Elriel art, they attacked people on every platform, they doxxed, they berated and insulted. 2021 was a crazy year.

Now they are all gone because they don't give a shit anymore. Other things came about that are more interesting.

The newer Gwynriels arent as psychotic or nasty. They'll argue, which is their right, but like they won't set your grandma on fire over Gwynriel. First Gen Gwynriels were something else. But so many people left the fandom in 21-22 because of the negativity, older fans, who were not into all of this.

There were a ton of Elriels, I remember, in 21-22 on here. Now, there is like me. And a few others, newer ones. From the OG group, there might be 10 left? Sad really, but it is what it is.

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leaf-kei · 4 months

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Hello! Love your Time squad posts ! Canon wise: do you think Larry was in love with Tuddrussel? What about XJ5 being in love with Sheila idea ? I really love checking for canon evidences it is so fun

HI!!!! I AM SO SORRY it took me so long to answer you ;__; My bad... I wanted to wait until I could give this ask my Full attention (tbh I've had Team Fortress 2 brain worms for weeks and have been unable to focus on anything GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT).

I'm so glad you like my posts! ;w; In general, I don't think things need to be canon to be worth thinking about & exploring creatively... but buddy? Larry being in love with Tuddrussel? That is IN THE SHOW. I can't stress enough that this HAPPENS in Time Squad. I would venture to say Larry wanting a loving relationship with Tudd and Tudd not giving it to him is a reoccurring theme (along with history and slapstick comedy and. gender roles, weirdly??? tune in for THAT essay later lmao). You may have seen it already, but I compiled a bunch of my favorite TuddLarry moments in a video here! It also includes moments where Something Gay Happens On Screen no matter what characters are involved... I know it's all there for comedy, but for the most part, the gay jokes in TS don't feel like they come from a hateful place to me. Everyone gets made fun of equally in this show... it has that kind of mean-spirited early 2000s humor lol

My absolute favorite underrated TuddLarry canon moment of all time is in A Thrilla At Attila's. In Tudd's fantasy recollection of the mission, Otto and Larry look up to him as a great leader... it's VERY CUTE that Tudd's dream is to be genuinely admired by them 😭 BUT at one point, the fantasy Larry (who is inexplicably wearing a tutu) swoons over Tudd with little hearts over his head while Tudd is fighting some other guy?! THIS IS IN TUDD'S FANTASY HE WISHES THIS WOULD HAPPEN

U know what, I'm gonna take this opportunity to ramble about family commitment as a central theme of the show!!

- Otto is literally adopted by Tudd and Larry (Larry calls it adoption in Kubla Khan't), and Otto's addition to the squad forces their business-only relationship to change. Time Squad is (at least partly) about three very different characters navigating a new family dynamic formed by chance.

- They naturally fall into typical sitcom family roles: Tudd's the manchild fun dad, Larry's the homemaking strict mom, and Otto's the sweet kid who's trying to keep the peace... their personalities clash as they try to live and work and be happy together. It's significant that they're alone on the satellite they live on; with no one else from their own time period around them while they're at home, they're isolated with one another like a family unit in a suburban house. Even though they fight, they grow to love each other over time... what's that thing people say about hate and love being two sides of the same coin? I feel like Larry's love for Tudd manifests as anger a lot of the time—he gets upset whenever Tudd doesn't measure up to his ideal of a domestic partner. Is that healthy? Idk, probably not, but that's the way it is for them (at least in the two seasons that exist 👀).

- Of course, family commitments aren't always harmonious, and for these guys things are chaotic MOST of the time... but no matter what historical figures they meet or temptations they face, at the end of the day, they always come back together. They're a family, it's as simple as that. Otto doesn't need to have a logical reason to turn down George Washington's offer to adopt him in Father Figure of Our Country—no one can replace Tuddrussel, and that's it.

So tl;dr, Time Squad is about two men adopting a child and having a domestic committed relationship, and it uses that setup to tell funny stories and introduce fun conflict !?? And it's all in a cute art style AND there's HISTORY??? Cartoon Network should ABSOLUTELY bring it back and make a new season HEAR MY PLEA

—Of course, I think Tudd and Larry's relationship developing into a romantic (but still wacky) one would be a great setup for such a new season! But that's just my post-canon fantasy ;^) ... and what all my fanart and little writings are about lol

ANYWAYS HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Edit: SHIT I forgot to mention XJ5!! I ADORE the idea they have a crush on Sheila, that's my headcanon too!! BUT instead of being a jerk like Tudd is to Larry, Sheila is only ever considerate and nice and professional and friendly to XJ5 🤲 And XJ5 is so awkward with social situations (a real Robot's Robot) that they have no idea how to approach these feelings or how to articulate them at all... they could use a few lessons in human behavior from Larry hmmm?

#time squad #larry 3000 #buck tuddrussel #otto osworth #cartoon network #cartoon cartoons #asks #tuddlarry #THANKS AGAIN

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emanation-aura · 3 months

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I know you've talked about it a bit in the Discord already, but I'd still enjoy a BTS DVD commentary of your favorite scene so far in Yellow Flicker Beat!

(Also, but heads up that even though they look like links, the "ao3" and "fic writing" in your header don't seem to be clickable.)

(Behind-The-Scenes is for Yellow Flicker Beat, a fic I wrote about the Sumeru AQ as an uprising.)

(I'm also aware of my header issue and can't quite seem to fix it D: I gave up trying a while ago but might give it a shot again)

So, um. I have a lot I could talk about for YFB, and honestly I'd be hard-pressed to pick a single favourite scene out of all of them, but the scene I worked the most on was People of Sumeru & Traveler (Wisdom Gathered) vs Shouki no Kami, as I internally titled these scenes, where Nahida gathers the power of the people as she does in canon through the Akasha, but instead of the ambiguous whatever she does, Nahida casts the net of the 168 samsaras out and asks: "People of Sumeru, how do you defeat tyranny?". The people (all mentioned Allogenes, essentially) respond and the Traveler curbstomps Shouki no Kami with it.

As a bit of commentary on the background of the fight, I always knew I was going to set up the fight against Shouki no Kami as a fight against the force of tyranny itself, as a fight between god (people's will) and god (power). The revolution started as a fight against Azar and his unfair edicts, it's never really about Azar, only what he represented (given that he doesn't actually make a physical appearance in the fic at all despite his role in events).

Tyranny is the absolute power invested as the Grand Sage, the totalitarian dictum with which decisions are made, and then it is the overwhelming singularity of Shouki no Kami's power as a justification for his impending rule. Tyranny is also the unjust oppression of the grievances of the people by the cold-hearted Matra, beating defenseless civilians in raids, spraying 'stinging-gas' (tear gas) everywhere indiscriminately, shooting Charlotte in the eye (with a rubber bullet, granted), arresting Tighnari for trying to save people, shooting the unarmed medic Collei, kicking the man on the floor begging for the Matra to stop firing tear gas.

When Nahida asks the people of Sumeru how do you defeat tyranny, of course it isn't perfectly literal. But it's an ideological question rooted in the reality of the past (year, six months, I'm not sure of the time frame). Thus, each one of them has a unique answer because of the atrocities they witnessed in this uprising— they've each found a core, inner strength or ideal that drives their actions to why and how they fight and protest. As Nahida gathers their answers, Nahida herself is answering the question through her actions— similar to Dori's "unite the wisdom of the people into one" and Kaveh's "with the knowledge that people are always connected, and that connection is a power that is only waiting to be unleashed", Nahida is representing connection. If I had to phrase it in a way that paralleled how everyone answered, I'd say:

"With the knowledge that you are the commonality in the heart of the people; that you are their ideal in pursuit, that you are their will of rebellion."

Nahida is the connection that binds the people of Sumeru together, splintered as they are by the forest-desert divide as well as many individual ones. Because, ultimately, she is their God— the Archon of Sumeru, whether she or the Sages like it or not, and thus the only real thing that everyone in Sumeru has in common (I separate this from belief; not everyone believes in her, but the undeniable reality is that she "rules" over all Sumeru). But she doesn't earn the status of 'connector' by just owning the position of Archon— she earns it by reaching out to her people during the uprising, trying to understand their hearts and assist in what little way she can, apologetic for her lack of power but determined and keen and willing to adapt— hence "she does not believe yet that she can. But she must, therefore she will."

I could go on talking for ages about Nahida but let's return to the main point. Earning the power of "the web that connects Sumeru", she then grants the answer of how to defeat tyranny to the Traveler, and Traveler (Wisdom Gathered) vs Shouki no Kami occurs.

I actually wrote this scene specifically to resonate with every Allogene's answer to Nahida during her wisdom-gathering, as I wanted a tangible way to demonstrate that it is the people's power that defeats Shouki no Kami, and the Traveler is merely a conduit for it. Luckily, I colour-coded my text to try to figure it out when writing, so it's easy to show:

Crimson, Kazuha, "someone will always dare to brave the lightning's glow", and this person is metaphysically the people of Sumeru and, in this moment, the Traveler, stepping forward. Because before everything else, there must be the first, single moment of bravery that throws someone into the arena.

Lime, Collei, "the desire to do good[...], you can change something, no matter how small." To fight without even knowing or believing that you can win because you hold that you must at least try for the sake of your ideals, and the Traveler shouldering that idea without fear.

Blue, Dori, "Unite the wisdom of the people into one. Channel their strengths together, flow like water." Hydro!Dori's definition of the union of the people's wisdom is their strength— intelligence and capability, which I'd define as the ability to do, and what the Traveler physically/mentally obtains: not superhuman godly knowledge, but human skill and ability but on the scale of thousands, which itself can rival the power of gods.

Red, Dehya, "you find a flashpoint of anger and push until it cracks, and you peel out each bloody piece until you know exactly why you must fight." Traveler physically feels the anger of the people of Sumeru transmitted into their cranium, but also through the events of past year they've witnessed as "the witness to Teyvat" themselves, seeing humanity at its rawest and laid bare and therefore understanding, sympathising, with why they must fight. It is anger and understanding that gives the Traveler the identifiable reason with which they fight for Sumeru.

Violet, Cyno, "the ability to change[...] learn from your mistakes. Anyone can change. Water is only constrained by its container." Traveler's taunt to Shouki no Kami is the recognition that Scaramouche has limited himself by trapping himself in one form, just as Cyno limited himself by allowing the Akademiya to dictate his justice.

Navy, Candace, "home[...] is a community you build with your bare, bleeding hands", and the recognition that Shouki no Kami has no idea how to protect, only destroy (an ideal but also a literal physical attack pattern).

Forest green, Tighnari, "belief in the good that exists... the inherent capacity for good." A weakness of Shouki no Kami, of tyranny itself, is that it does not trust the people (for Scaramouche: his three betrayals). It leaves it isolated and unable to understand or comprehend the power of the united people.

Light green, Kaveh, "the[..] people are always connected, and that connection is a power that is only waiting to be unleashed." Pretty self-explanatory. "Each citizen of Sumeru carries a dream within them" is partially taken from a song and also perfectly exemplifies Kaveh; the lyrics are "and there is a dream / that will never die / no matter how it rains / the flower of freedom survives"

Light blue, Layla, "the belief in every side of you[...], worth something even if you feel as though there is nothing left to give." Sun and moon imagery here to parallel the Traveler (Aether - sun or Lumine - moon) with Day/Night Layla, reflecting that your 'light' is the gathering of a thousand different forces of fortuity aligning— Layla with the Rtawahist siege and Traveler literally with the fortuitous alignment of the People of Sumeru.

Dark green, Alhaitham, "you do not capitulate[...] you must survive, therefore you can, therefore you do." Slight overlap with Collei on 'fighting without even knowing or believing you can win', but an adult version of it as dogged persistence. Forcefully shaping your knowledge (I must not capitulate, therefore I will not) into reality no matter how impossible it may seem, Traveler getting up again and again to ratify this belief.

Azure, Nilou, "let your convictions never die." Traveler takes from Nilou her unbending will— for her art, for her dance, but more generally, the righteous power of knowing you are doing the right thing and the strength of will this gives the Traveler, because this allows their morals to never waver.

Teal, Faruzan, "don’t stop and say ‘that’s good enough’ or ‘this problem will never be solved’[...] no problem is impossible for us." Faruzan demonstrates the ability to innovate, adapt, predict, and this innovation is (part of) what allows the Traveler to interpret and analyse the meaning of the 168 samsaras and formulate it into useful information, alongside the thousand-human equivalent of intelligence given to them by the people.

Highlighted Black, Charlotte, "the sanctity of truth and the desire to know". The very reason why Shouki no Kami lays defeated by the Traveler is because of the indomitable will of truth— for people, including the Traveler upon first entering Sumeru, to know and understand what went wrong, instead of blindly accepting the course of events. It is the triumph of human curiosity over divine inflexibility.

And yeah, I spent probably way too long slotting in lines that would work, but I'm very proud of how things came together for Traveler (Wisdom Gathered) vs Shouki no Kami. I think it's the favourite 'fight scene' (questionable, given that half of it is an internal monologue) I've ever written.

As an addendum: this has been addressed in various Discord messages, but the various interlude poems/songs are indeed sung by Venti as a backdrop to the entire revolution. Here's all of them for posterity:

We pledge no more tears on our land In wrath, doubts dispelled we’ll make our stand; Arise! Ye who would not be slaves again, May true wisdom bless our land.

Break now the dawn, liberate Sumeru In common breath: revolution for all men May wisdom reign, proud and free, now and evermore Glory be to thee, ▉▉▉▉.

When the beating of your heart echoes the beating of the drums There is a life about to start when tomorrow comes.

One and two are taken from the same source. I don't think I need to elaborate on how song and music tends to form a strong vector of resistance against authoritarian governments; Venti cannot interfere, but he can become the 'song on the wind' that carries the message far and wide, and bolsters the morale and spirit of the people. Why is 'glory be to thee, ▉▉▉▉' censored? I'm sorry I might make the story less cool by saying this, but I couldn't actually think of a word to put there that would rhyme + fit with the rhythm of the song. My favourite interpretation I came up with after the fact is that this is Rukkhadevata or her demon name, which may or may not have been Buer, because of course it's been erased from history... but this is open to interpretation.

Three is obviously taken Do You Hear the People Sing from Les Misérables. It is the best and rawest song that fits with the context - the transition from each Allogene donating wisdom, to the Traveler's fight. In that moment, I really think the beating of the Traveler's heart aligns and echoes with the beating of the drums (Sumeru's will, metaphorically) and brings about a force to defeat god and dawn tomorrow. Arise, ye who would not be slaves again is obviously also inspired by Do You Hear the People Sing but is not actually part of that song as I'm referencing it.

There's a line from the reprise that I couldn't work in, since Venti shows up relatively late, but it's still extremely important to me: "for the wretched of the earth / there is a flame that never dies / even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise." Ultimately this never shows up in YFB because the people of Sumeru win. So while their struggles are tremendous and painful, there's no need for me to work in themes of endurance/resistance beyond what Alhaitham represents (I must, therefore I will). If the revolution had lost, I might have worked it in, but we all like happy endings, and the AQ does end with the defeat of Azar and Shouki no Kami, so.

Anyway, thank you so much for giving me an opportunity to ramble about Yellow Flicker Beat, it's such an intensely personal piece of work and it's one of the rare fics were I enjoyed every single second of writing it (usually on other fics I get stuck on scenes and feel frustrated on occasion, but this never happened here).

Topics I did not cover in this Behind-The-Scenes and I might eventually cover at some point: Setaria (goddamn you, Setaria), Kaveh and Alhaitham, Collei being shot, Cyno's face-heel turn and morality, Charlotte and freedom of the press.

#genshin impact #fic writing #fic meta

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