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mumms-the-word · 22 days

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Illithid Souls - Part 3

The Case Studies: Karlach and Gale

Welcome to the third and final part of this wild deep dive rabbit hole monstrosity that is the three-part series about illithid souls and whether mind flayers, or specifically you as a mind flayer, have a soul.

If you read Part 1 and Part 2, then you know that yes, illithids have souls, they're just different souls that the gods don't recognize as souls because they're non-apostolic, or incapable of divine worship (as opposed to being apostolic like most humanoid souls). You now also know that you turning into a mind flayer is a bit of a special case because of the Netherese magic in the tadpoles, and this might be why you retain more of your soul than normal mind flayers would.

Also, a quick reminder of the two theories we're working with here: Theory 1 is that when someone becomes a mind flayer they essentially just die and their (apostolic) soul moves on to the Fugue Plane and the mind flayer body just gets a new illithid soul from somewhere. Theory 2 is that when someone becomes a mind flayer their soul is transformed and altered into an illithid soul, which remains tethered to the mind flayer body. BG3 seems to operate more on the Theory 2 side of things, but as we'll see with Karlach and Gale, it's more complicated than you think.

So let's deep dive, shall we?

The Case of Karlach

I'm going to be candid here and say that the mind flayer ending for Karlach makes me really sad, even knowing that there's a very high chance that her soul is mostly intact and she is mostly still Karlach. But there's no denying she's at least a little different, though the game tries to comfort us otherwise after she transforms.

Narrator: *She is transformed. Her body is no longer hers, but her eyes, her heart - she is still Karlach, for now. Only - there's a hunger in her eyes that wasn't there before.*

That "for now" is rather ominous, isn't it? But we have enough evidence from Tav/Durge/other Origins and Orpheus to suggest that the likelihood of her retaining her memories and her personality is very high. In fact, when you talk to her during the epilogue, she does seem mostly the same, though her language has mellowed out to a more formal tone and she speaks less colloquially (and swears less and less).

If you talk to her immediately after she transforms, she marvels that she's still "herself" but also "more," which again reinforces that we all get to be special mind flayers who don't completely lose our souls. But I think there are some interesting lines in this dialogue:

Karlach: This is wild. I'm myself but... but more. Player: I don't like the sound of that. Karlach: Don't worry, soldier. It's still your old pal under all this purple. But suddenly 'I' am different than I ever knew. And my engine, it's... it's... silent. No heat. No gears. Still there, but no longer threatening to explode. Soldier... Player: I guess turning into an illithid has its perks. Karlach: Here I thought I was making a sacrifice. Thank the gods I'm a noble fuck! Shit. I'm gonna be all right. I get to be alive. I get to stay. As a hideous monster, sure. But one that can feel. Think. Live. But I'm still myself. And I know what our mission is. I'm glad I get to the do the honours.

Karlach reiterates over and over that she's still herself, but you can literally hear the change in her voice. Where normally her tone and volume would be boisterous, loud, and energetic, she's now calm and mellow, even when she's swearing. Her tone here is more one of wonder. It isn't just the internal and external fires that have calmed down, her overall demeanor seems "cooler" too.

Also, in her romance ending just before the epilogue, where you're both in the Elfsong Tavern room, you can mention that she does seem a little altered.

Player: I still love you, Karlach. I still want to be with you. Karlach: I love you too. Before, that love was an irrepressible inferno. Now it is a calm, cool object of beauty. Player: I can see you're still yourself, but there's something else in there too. An illithid calm. Karlach: Maybe you're right. I feel less... changeable. Less afraid. I feel ready for whatever is to come.

It doesn't tell us much, but it does reinforce that when we or any of our companions turn into a mind flayer, we likely retain a lot of our former personality, but in a much more calm, even-keeled kind of way. Again going back to the idea that our soul is still there, still mostly the same, but has been made a bit more illithid.

What is more interesting for Karlach, specifically, is her discussion of her diet as a mind flayer. Remember what souls are allegedly made up of? Intelligence, personality, and what else?

Memories.

Karlach: For example, my favourite food used to be mutton chops. Do you know what it is now? Brains, soldier. Brains. Player: Comes with the illithid territory, I suppose. Karlach: True. But I've found ways to maintain my values while respecting that which I am - that which made it possible for me to live. I've made arrangements with a healer in the city. When a patient is beyond saving, but still able to speak for themselves, they're offered a choice. They can go as nature intends to take them. Or, when they're ready - when their goodbyes have been said, their affairs settled, and all that awaits them is pain - I relieve them. When I consume their brains, I am nourished by much more than the physical nutrition. Their memories - from birth to death - become part of me. I've lived hundreds of childhoods, first loves, marriages, feuds and friendships. I remember them all. And in this way, we all live on. Together.

There's so much to unpack here. One, she still remembers her values, even six months later, but is trying to negotiate her former humanoid values (and personality, I imagine) with her needs as a mind flayer. That seems very Karlach, through and through.

But then, when she consumes these dying patients' brains, she absorbs and retains their memories. I imagine their souls still go on to the Fugue Plane, because I highly doubt that mind flayers also consume souls when they eat brains, but it still leaves me with questions. Karlach isn't part of a hivemind, which normally circulates memories between each other, but she's becoming a similar kind of receptacle for memories, and only she is the one that contains them, rather than an entire hivemind.

I have to wonder how much something like constantly consuming and remembering memories that are not your own affects you as a person/creature. Does that eventually lead to a loss of self, as you begin to "live" multiple different lives? Or does it all count as mere knowledge?

In some ways this would put her in competition with any elder brains still out there, but she's also not collecting knowledge for the sake of knowledge. She's collecting memories and living them out in her mind, which is a certain kind of tragedy. She's literally living vicariously through these people because her mind flayer body is too scary to go out and about in, and she's making up for a decade of life she didn't get to live. She's alive, but she's not...living if that makes sense. And again...how long before all these memories start to change who she is?

(An aside. I really don’t think her eating brains and collecting memories keeps someone’s soul from moving on. If you use the spell Speak with Dead, you don’t call back an entire soul, but the corpse still has access to its memories. I think in this case, even though memories make up part of a soul, Karlach consuming brains and collecting memories is more like her downloading a copy of the memories for herself. The dead person likely still takes their own memories with them to the Fugue Plane, where they will be judged by Kelemvor or collected by their favorite deity. She’s just copy/pasting data, not transferring everything from one hard drive to another, if that analogy makes sense.)

This arrangement where Karlach consumes the brains of dying patients is expanded or clarified a bit if you're romancing her during the epilogue, and also includes a reference to souls as well.

Karlach: I can’t wait to say hello, but to be honest, I’m keen to visit the doctor before it gets too late. He said there’s a potential in his infirmary. A very old woman recently diagnosed with a wasting sickness. She seemed interested in what I have to offer. I’ll want to have a good long talk with her before we make an arrangement. Though if I’m being very selfish, I hope she’ll say yes. I’m absolutely famished - and think of all those memories. Player: Glad to hear. I was worried you were getting hungry. Karlach: I don’t hide it well, do I? Some things don’t change, even when everything else does. It’s funny. I’m hungry in my body, but in my soul too. That woman has lived a long life - births, deaths, love, misfortune. And if she agrees, I’ll be able to give her a dignified end, and remember it all in her honour.

Or if you go with a different option:

Player: I'm still not sure how I feel about this arrangement. Are you sure it's ethical to feed on the dying? Karlach: I'm sure of very little these days. But at least this way, I can live. And those who offer themselves to me can live on too. Births, first loves, marriages, losses - I remember them all and always will. Each memory I've consumed is of value.

It's just so interesting to me. One, her remark that she's eager to say hello but slightly more interested in chatting to a doctor about her next meal suggests that some elements of becoming a mind flayer are much harder to ignore. I imagine if she's hungry, she feels less like Karlach. (And I have thoughts, for another post, about whether she becomes "too fixated" on living when she's a mind flayer, given the cost of what it means to stay alive as a mind flayer.)

But she also says she's hungry in her soul. Her soul seems deeply interested in these memories, and I wonder if that's because memories are (or could be) part of souls themselves. Maybe the remark isn't really that deep, but she specifically connects the hunger of her soul to all the memories a long-lived woman will have. It's almost as if these memories nurture her soul, but it's unclear whether that is because it's somehow healing to see and "experience" life in ways she can't now that she's a mind flayer, or if it's because the memories have some kind of tangible effect on her soul/souls in general.

I suppose we won't know for sure. What we do know from Karlach's case, however, is that a great deal of the original soul (personality, memories, etc) seems to stick around even six months later, though there are noticeable changes in personality, such as an overall calm demeanor. There are also hints that consuming brains could lead to further changes down the road, but there's nothing really concrete. Just hints.

In the end, Karlach is still Karlach, and her soul still has plenty of elements of the original Karlach, even six months later. This is a good sign, but we can't completely ignore that her new body/mind as a mind flayer will necessarily mean some things have permanently changed. Whether you judge those changes as good or bad is up to you.

With that said, let's move on to the final and most mind-boggling case.

The Case of Gale

If you play a companion as an Origin run, the mind flayer decision typically works out the same way as Tav...unless you're playing as Gale. Gale gets some extra options at the end of the game.

This is mostly because Gale has perhaps the most apostolic soul that hangs in the balance, second only to Shadowheart, and her soul pendulum swings between Selûne and Shar. Gale, however, seems to be walking on a knife's edge trying to retain or earn back entry into Elysium, Mystra's domain in the Outer Planes. He's allegedly already been there, though not as a dead soul, so he knows what's at stake if his soul suddenly becomes non-apostolic or disappears.

In other words, Gale has a formerly Faithful apostolic soul, but he spends much of the game probably worried his soul will be judged as False when he dies (since he lost Mystra's favor) until Mystra offers her brand of forgiveness, which is essentially "if you sacrifice your own life, I'll let you into Elyisum again." It's a guarantee that he ends up in the afterlife he wants to be in. That's what Mystra's forgiveness really boils down to.

Now, this is a man who does not want to sacrifice his soul, and also (Netherese orb aside) does not want to die if his soul is going to be judged as False by Kelemvor rather than welcomed into Elysium as a Faithful soul. We know that Gale finds the Fugue Plane exceedingly depressing, so I can't imagine he has any desire to wander around it for any stretch of time, even if Mystra does eventually deign to invite him into Elysium. I'm sure the thought of becoming part of the Wall of the Faithless might as well be hell to him.

Gale: It’s a relief to be back in beautiful Faerûn. The dreariness of the Fugue Plane oppresses one’s soul so very quickly.

[mumm's note: yes my man died in service of a Tactician battle against Grym, but he got better]

It's a little surprising to see how adamantly Gale would prefer to choose the Netherese orb over letting himself or anyone he cares for become illithid. Look at some of what he says when he tries to offer the orb as an option for the final battle:

Gale: An easy proposition for the Emperor to make - 'become a mind flayer' - it has no soul to sacrifice. If it did - perhaps it would understand the weight of what it's asking of us. And why we might seek an alternative.

I couldn't get this next dialogue to trigger in my game, but in the same conversation as above you might potentially get the option to remind him about Mystra's offer to cure his orb condition, and even then he reminds you of the stakes that come with becoming a mind flayer.

Player: Mystra will cure you if we bring her the Crown of Karsus. You don't need to do this. Gale: To cure me of the orb, yes. But what of the guilt of allowing one of my friends to sacrifice their very soul and become illithid?

Now keep in mind, up to this point no one has shown any evidence that turning into a mind flayer won't actually mean the total destruction of one's soul. Up until now, the only evidence anyone has of an original soul remaining intact inside a mind flayer body is the Emperor (we have no frame of reference for who Omeluum was before he was a mind flayer), and most of the companions do not trust the Emperor one bit. So Gale genuinely thinks that becoming a mind flayer means your soul is either destroyed or changed so much that it's no longer you.

I mean, think about it. He's half expecting you to take the tadpole the Emperor offers and literally cease to exist. He's expecting to fight alongside a mind flayer who has, at best, your name and a few scraps of your memory, and at worst, no shred of you at all. Because again, up until this point in the game, none of them realize that they could become a special mind flayer who does actually retain most (if not all) of their soul, including their personality and memories.

Gale literally thinks that blowing up and going to the Fugue Plane is better than you or any companion becoming a mind flayer.

But that's in a companion run. Obviously, if you play him as an Origin, you can have him turn into a mind flayer as a different kind of ultimate sacrifice. The decision plays out the same as a Tav/Durge run or any other Origin run. But after the game ends, Gale gets unique dialogue if he (1) sacrifices himself or (2) does not sacrifice himself and goes to meet Mystra with the Crown in hand.

Any run of his sacrifice (aka, using the orb, regardless of whether or not he is illithid) results in Withers finding him in the Fugue Plane for a brief conversation. This conversation isn't much different if Gale is a mind flayer when he uses the orb, since all it does is add an extra option to their conversation that references being illithid ("One illithid for the whole of Faerûn seems like a fair trade to me," which replaces the option "One wizard for the whole of Faerûn...etc").

(An aside, I don't have an Origin Gale run so I can't test this, but I think if he ends his life on the docks as a mind flayer, the way Tav/Durge can with a knife got the stomach, then he just gets the usual Tav/Durge conversation with Withers about how his form has "something of the spirit" about him. See Part 2 if you're curious about that conversation.)

What this conversation with Withers reveals is how much control Mystra seems to have over his soul, especially if/when he's a mind flayer. If Gale decides to sacrifice himself using the Netherese Orb, Withers remarks about how surprising it is that Mystra hasn’t picked him up yet.

Withers: Who flickers there ‘twixt the shadows? Gale, who didst surrender his very self for the salvation of Faerûn. I feared I might not find thee here - that Mystra would have already plucked thy thread from the tapestry of fate. But she may wait a while yet.

It’s a little unclear if Withers uses “plucked thy thread from the tapestry of fate” to mean Gale gets to go to Elysium or something else, and it’s equally unclear whether Mystra waiting is a sign of displeasure or a sign that she is interested in sending Gale back to the Material Plane. She is capable of doing that, after all, and has frequently resurrected her Chosens, like Elminster, if it suits her.

But I highlight this conversation to show that you can get it as a mind flayer, and (if you are a mind flayer during this scene) that Mystra waiting isn't because he's a mind flayer and she can't find his soul. She waits for a minute regardless of whether he's illithid or not. But Withers is certain Mystra will be able to find Gale's soul, because he was able to find Gale's soul and recognize it as Gale.

So, not to harp on this again and again, but it's proof that turning into a mind flayer didn't destroy Gale's soul. It's still Gale's soul, even in the Fugue Plane, even if he's mind-flayer-shaped, and that soul is still capable of journeying to Elysium, should Mystra bother to find it wandering the Fugue Plane (or wherever he is).

But things are a little different if Gale decides to become a mind flayer and then goes to visit Mystra with the Crown of Karsus in hand. Keep in mind, Origin!Gale always has the option to face off against Mystra after the defeat of the Netherbrain, and this face-off is where he decides to hand over the Crown, become the god of ambition, or straight up try to fight Mystra.

However! If Gale is a mind flayer, he gets a secret fourth option.

If Gale goes to meet Mystra as an illithid with the Crown of Karsus and then gives up the Crown to her, Mystra offers to take Gale to Elysium with her. More than that, she offers to literally restore his humanity and cure him of illithidness.

Sort of.

Mystra: So, Gale of Waterdeep, you have become the inheritor of Karsus’ powers at last. What do you intend to do with them? Gale: I came to surrender them. The Crown, the Karsite Weave - take it all. Mystra: This offering cost you greatly. There is no hope in life as an illithid, devoid of soul and conscience. It is within my power to restore your soul, and your humanity, if you are willing to leave the mortal realms behind. Return with me, to Elysium.

No one else is offering this kind of deal to an Origin-turned-mind-flayer. Selûne and Shar don’t care if Shadowheart turns illithid, and Withers isn’t exactly offering to restore souls and humanity (or…mortalness?) to everyone else. This is a signifier of the sheer amount of power Mystra has, yes, but this also hints at some other things.

One, despite evidence of the contrary, Mystra is adamant that Gale-as-illithid is or would be “devoid of soul and conscience,” even though we know that that likely isn’t true (just see Karlach, Tav/Durge, etc). Perhaps Mystra is unaware that Gale is a Special Mind Flayer (seems unlikely), or perhaps she’s simply trying to convince Gale to come with her. After all, what she’s offering is still a kind of reward.

Then again, maybe Gale and/or Mystra fear the long-term effects of illithidness. Maybe over time he would become less and less like Gale, perhaps due to consuming memories, or other factors that come with being a mind flayer. Still, though, saying that his life would be "devoid of soul and conscience" seems like a massive stretch on Mystra's part.

But anyway, the reward for him turning into a mind flayer and giving her the Crown is a restoration of his humanity...but only in death.

Mystra: Return with me, to Elysium. Devnote: respectful - Gale sacrificed his humanity to achieve what she asked. If he’s willing to die on the mortal planes, she will restore his soul and body but in the heavens.

Now before I get to what happens if Gale agrees to this reward, I want to point out that Mystra herself sort of acknowledges that Gale isn't exactly devoid of soul and conscience if he refuses her offer. Here are some of the ways Gale can turn her down, with her answer to each option being the same:

Gale: [Option 1] Thank you, but no. I have someone waiting for me. Gale: [Option 2] Perhaps one day, but for now there is more I need to accomplish. Gale: [Option 3] Being an illithid has its advantages. I'm content as I am. Mystra: Then you are free to go with both my thanks and my promise - henceforth, your prayers will always be answered.

The whole idea of an apostolic soul is that it means the person is capable of worshipping a divine being, and this worship ncludes prayers. She might have said that him being illithid would mean he would be devoid of soul and conscience, but in nearly the same breath she promises to answer all his prayers. So she recognizes something of a soul within him. So why say he would be devoid of soul?

Of course, things get weird if Gale accepts her offer to be restored and go to Elyisum. If Gale agrees, then she fulfills her promise and even restores his place as one of her Chosen.

Gale: I crave nothing more. Take me to Elysium. Mystra: So be it. Gale of Waterdeep, Chosen of Mystra. Cinematic Tag: Mystra transforms Mindflayer Gale back to his human form (hollow) and grabs Gale’s hand. They return to Elysium.

This is wild to me. You see, originally when I started this project I thought I was going to be writing posts about how interesting it is that when you become a mind flayer, your soul is probably hanging out in the Fugue Plane or something, and eventually I’d suggest that Mystra is able to restore Gale’s soul to him because it’s already gone to her domain or she knows how to find it because he used to be so faithful to her. But none of that works now.

Because now I’m convinced that the Netherese tadpole changes everyone into a Special Mind Flayer whose soul is still present in their mind flayer bodies, just altered or transformed. So what’s up with this stuff from Mystra? She recognizes Gale as Gale even when he's a mind flayer and promises to answer his prayers, so clearly there's some kind of apostolic soul thing going on here. So why does she offer to "restore his soul," and also, why only in death?

She does say that she will restore Gale’s humanity, so now I assume that somehow her powers allow her to un-alter Gale’s soul so that it isn’t so illithid anymore. My idea is that she’s essentially restoring his soul to its former state and not, as we might otherwise infer, literally giving him his soul back, as if it were separate from his body. Gale’s soul is still in his mind flayer body, if all the rest of the evidence holds any water, so Mystra must have merely changed it back to the way it was.

quick picture break, this is from Northalix's video, linked below

Which makes me wonder, can a completely original, apostolic-type soul exist in an illithid body? Or does the body dictate that the soul must be somewhat illithid in order to be compatible?

Because the thing is, this deal comes with an ultimatum. She’s not going to let him go back to the mortal realms after she’s restored his soul. She probably could—she’s probably capable of doing that, if only by giving him a completely new body (she's done that before with Elminster). But she doesn’t. The cure comes with a cost. He only gets to be human again if he agrees to die completely and join her in Elysium. There is no undoing the illithid sacrifice, which seems more like a game limitation than a Mystra limitation (although we can certainly brainstorm reasons why Mystra would be so petty as to basically say "I can make you human again but only if you die completely.")

I want to point out that Mystra doesn't offer to let Gale come back to Elysium as a dead guy if he's not a mind flayer. Like, we don't get the sparkly ascension scene if he blows up with the Netherese orb, we get the Withers visit in the Fugue Plane. This Elysium offer is an illithid-only option. If he's not a mind flayer and he returns the Crown, she cures him of the Netherese Orb and sends him back. There's no option to join her in Elysium. Why is this an illithid-only option?

Also, just...I need you to watch the scene.

youtube

There's a lot that bothers me about this. One, the gestures she makes are the exact gestures God!Gale makes when he ascends Tav/Durge if they romanced him and agreed to become a god with him. Do with that what you will. But two...it just gives me the ick. This is a different kind of ascension for Gale. It's a restoration of his place in Elysium, but it ultimately means his premature death. If this is the route you take as him...it's hardly better than him sacrificing himself using the Netherese Orb without becoming a mind flayer. Only this time, we get to see the scene where he goes to Elysium, I guess.

It also massively complicates the whole idea that everyone gets to be a special mind flayer with a mostly-intact, mostly-apostolic soul. If the soul didn't change, why does Mystra need to "restore" it? And if it did change, why is Mystra the only one capable of un-changing it back to its original form (is it because he’s her Chosen and is/was so faithful)?And if such a thing is possible, why offer it and then say "but you're dead now"?

It seems as though her "fixing" Gale's soul was really just her...I don't know, separating it from his physical mind flayer body so the illithid anatomy wouldn't mess with it as much, and then dusting off his soul, which is now bodyless, and taking it with her to Elysium. I'm not saying that's what she did, but that's the weird vibes I get from this interaction. Like, there seems to be some kind of implication that you can't have a fully humanoid, apostolic soul housed within an illithid body. The soul has to be altered somehow to work with the illithid body.

So why not just give him a new body, Mystra??? Fix is soul and give him a new body! You’re absolutely capable of that!

I have so many questions.

Of course, keep in mind that Gale can reject her, obviously, and return to the mortal realms as a mind flayer. She does acknowledge that he has at least something of a soul that can pray to her so...I mean, there's that.

Anyways, what have we learned?

The Summary

With Karlach, we see that being a mind flayer does necessarily change parts of a person's personality (which, again, is part of their soul). Usually this results in a person seeming calmer, more mellow, less emotional than they normally would have been, but it does seem that for Tav/Durge, the companions, and Orpheus that turning into a mind flayer doesn't completely destroy their soul. It just seems to alter it a bit. In my opinion, the soul just becomes a tiny bit more illithid. Karlach’s case does leave us with questions about how “good” consuming and retaining so many memories might be in the long run, but as of six months post-ceremorphosis, she seems fine.

From Gale, we learn that apparently it's possible to restore or un-alter a partly-illithid soul so that it goes back to normal, but this power is extremely rare and likely relegated to the gods alone (or a particularly powerful Wish spell). We're also reminded that keeping recognizable parts of one's soul, like the personality and memories, is a huge surprise, because that's not how normal mind flayers work. We know this from Orpheus, but Gale just kinda reinforced it.

I guess we also learned that Mystra is a massive—but I should keep this civil. We all know what Mystra is.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that she's unwilling to accept Gale into her domain while he is still a mind flayer, even though his soul obviously would fit the bill based on what a soul is/does for the gods. He has a viable apostolic soul, it’s just mind-flayer-shaped!I'm sure Mystra thinks she's being magnanimous by offering him eternity as a human in Elysium, but I think it ultimately just shows how shallow she can be. Gale only gets to come back if he’s not mind flayer shaped.

And I think, deep down, Gale has always suspected that would be the case.

And on that familiar note, my friends, thank you for joining me on this excessively long deep dive into mind flayer souls and things we can learn from the game and the lore.

~*~*~

If you made it to the end, congrats! More gold stars for you!

✨⭐️🌟⭐️✨⭐️🌟⭐️✨⭐️🌟⭐️✨

If you read through all three parts and also made it to the end of this one, you are the real MVP and I wish I had stickers or achievements to give you so you can be like "I survived another three-part deep dive from mumm." But I don't even have a lousy T-Shirt to offer you.

You can have this random picture instead though :> it's my Tav Dani looking very unimpressed by the Emperor's offer of sexy times (sorry not sorry Empy, she's got a man and his name is Gale and she prefers him and all her friends to be tentacle-free)

Enjoy the lore and remember that it's all up to you to decide what you want to keep or reject! I'm just showing you what's out there!

Tags for those who wanted an update! @galesdevoteewife @stuffforthestash

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 meta #bg3 lore #bg3 deep dive #bg3 discourse #gale #gale dekarios #karlach #mind flayer #IT'S DONE #this is the wildest one I think and the one I wanted to write the most so #yay #why do I DO THIS to myself omg

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valleyian · 5 months

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My Scorbus 7th year Headcanons and designs!

(CW/TW for healed SH scars)

Reasonings for HCs (if anyone’s curious):

Scars:

Albus’ scar HCs are based on injuries he gets during the play.

The first being from when the Time-Turner exploded in his face and breaks his arm

The second he gets from Fulgari, as I HC that spell to do actual physical harm to the victim, by its description being: “vicious luminous cords”, and also just them screaming whenever their hands were moved by the spell.

The third (throat scar) is based on West-End Y6 and Broadway Y4-5 choreography where Delphi draws her wand across Albus’ throat 🔥

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For Scorpius I also HC him having a scar from Fulgari around his wrists as he was also bound

Furthermore I Imagine him having scars of Roman numerals on his forearm that mirror the ones on his wand. I believe his wand worked somewhat the same way as the quill Umbridge used on Harry, where the marks Scorpius made on it manifested physically on himself. (This HC comes from the HPCC Journey book)

Identity/sexualities

Not going too much into depth about it. These are just my personal HCs, I respect anyone who thinks differently 👍 Since Scorpius’ crush on Rose was removed I HC him as gay (did that even pre-script change tho). For Albus I stand by my point he never liked Delphi romantically, he only looked up to her. Plus a 23 yr old hitting on a 14 yr old either way is creepy

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When it comes to Albus’ pronounces it’s based on that one time HPCC Broadway Insta used He/They pronounce for him in a post (Joel).

Both are neurodivergent, nobody will convince me otherwise 😌

Clothing

Albus still has no sense of style, and wears whatever he can find lmao. I imagine him wearing baggy and too big clothes (this is also canon from the play)

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Scorpius wears more tight fitting clothes, at least compared to Albus. I also imagine him wanting to wear light clothes, because he doesn’t want to look like the Scorpion Prince

(Please don’t steal/repost my art)

#scorbus #albus potter #scorpius malfoy #harry potter and the cursed child #hpcc #valleyianart #hp next gen #scorbus headcanons #valleyians scorbus headcanons

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eras-mus · 6 months

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HIII I HAD A THOIGHT THAT HAS BEEN KILLING MY MIND AND I NEED TO TELL IT TO SOMEONE OTHERWISE IM GNA EXPLODE

get this . everyone chilling at ramshackle dorm doing their own thing, yuu (and grimm by extension), ace and deuce sitting by the table talking about whatever crosses their mind

Eventually the conversation escalates to birthdays and holidays and ace asks how old Yuu is. Azul interjects with saying Yuu's age from the contract they signed a few months ago, but then Yuu pipes up and tells them that they're one year older than that.

Theres a small moment of confusion until it dawns onto Deuce that Yuy's birthday was a month or two ago and they never spoke a peep about it. Not even to grimm!! And when asked, Yuy makes an excuse like "that was when __ was kind of close to overblotting and I didn't want to make it about me because that'd be so nitpicky—"

It was based off an audio i heard and idk if i want to write it into a short drabble for myself i probably cant since im only on book 2 ueue). But like. its a fun prompt methinks. what would all of them do when they find out Yuu deliberately didn't say a thing about their birthday

🎉

THAT WAS YOUR BIRTHDAY???

★Reader is Yuu and is 17 years old

★gender neutral

★takes place after the third book

Sorry it's short, hope you like it!

"Can we start yet!" Ace complained, head slamming onto the table.

"I told you we're waiting on a couple more people." The perfect told him "I invited Kalim and Azul to join us since Sebek and Jack couldn't make it"

Tonight was the Ramshackle dorms weekly game night, normally it was just the freshmen but Sebek said that Malleus 'needs' his protection and Jack was just to tired from Spell Drive practice.

"They outta hurry up" Epel started, country accent slightly showing through "don't they know it's rude to be late."

A awkward silence fell over the dorm for a moment before a knock echoes through the dorm.

When y/n opened the dorm they were greeted with a cheerful smile and a hug.

"Thank you so much for inviting me!" Kalim smiled "I hope you don't mind that I brought Jamil, I also brought food, well Jamil did, he made it!"

Y/n blinked for a moment, taking in all the words one guy manged to say so fast. They looked over Kalim's shoulder just in time to see Jamil face plant.

"Thank you for the food Jamil" They smiled, giving him a wave.

"If was the least I could do perfect" he stated, not returning the wave.

Luckily Azul showed up before y/n could shut the door.

Just a few minutes later the group was playing some sort of trivia card game where they would either have to answer a question about someone else playing, a question about themselves, or just a random fact. If they got it wrong the next person would answer the same card, whoever got the most questions right won.

"Who is the most followed person in Magi Cam?" Epel read, "That's easy, Neige"

He revealed the answer to show it was correct.

"Of course you would get that one right" Ace complained "Vil never stops going on about it"

Every one just ignoring him looked over at Deuce, who was next to pick a card.

"How old is the person sitting to your right?" He looked over at y/n. "I'm not sure...18?"

They just shook their head.

"I know this one" Azul butted in, ready to take another point "Our contract from a while ago said that they were 16."

One again y/n shook their head. "I just turn 17 last month"

The room went silent for what seemed like forever.

"WE MISSED YOUR BIRTHDAY!" They all shouted in union.

"Riddle is going to have a heart attack when he finds out" Deuce commented, Ace nodding in agreement.

"You should've said something, we could've had a huge party" Kalim whined.

Y/n scratch the back of their head, "It's not big deal, it was right after one of the overblots, plus where I'm from birthdays aren't that big of a deal."

"Jamil we need to plan a party right now" Kalim said, getting up from his seat.

"We have to too" Ace said "Or get Trey and Riddle to do it for us"

Soon everyone had said something similar and got up and left leaving a confused Ramshackle perfect.

#kalim al asim #Jamil viper #azul ashengrotto #ace trapolla #deuce spade #epel felmier #grim twst #twst yuu #twst x reader #twst scenarios #twst x male reader #twst x female reader #Twst x reader

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piescornerstore · 4 months

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yknow i really like the headcanon where addisons, when they're tired or otherwise out of energy, can plug into some sort of cable and recharge at the end of a long day. but i also like the headcanon where their main source of energy is money. while they can eat anything, from regular human food to magic food to shoes, usually the most important nutrients an addison can get is from any type of currency. and i thought, why not both? humans do the same. addisons use food as the main source of energy, and connect themselves to a cable so they can clear their caches and be more ready than ever to be able to sell and work, which is all that they're supposed to be able to do.

and that made me think a little more about addispam's place in all that.

you guys know about the right to repair, right? that ever-looming fact that as consumerism becomes more and more dominant in our lives, and as corporations strive to make more and more money, the things we buy are reaching new levels of craptastic that they're basically made to break, and that older tech, while durable as hell, is basically totally accommodated for in the modern day.

and what about addispam in that context? in my fanon, he's a much older model of addison that accidentally rebooted, meant for the dump but is now roaming cyber city trying to fulfill the one purpose he was made for. but of course, the world isn't made for him anymore. maybe it never was

i'd think it'd really click for him once he tried to plug into a cable to recharge. it's practically necessary for any addison these days: if you want to sell properly, you need to clear your cache, or else your head will be swimming with endless noise that'll just fuck you up the longer it's allowed to accumulate. so, spamton bought itself a charging cable with the little money it had, after asking around to figure out what it was supposed to do (cause no one ever gave it a rulebook). but as soon as he tried to do it, the charger wouldn't fit. it went back to the store. tried another cable. didn't fit. turns out they don't sell chargers that fit its model anymore. nobody does. so addispam has to deal with a cache that keeps building and building.

and what about other things? updates are crucial to addisons. you HAVE to keep up with the styles, you HAVE to keep up with the trends, and you NEED to mimic every single little thing a lightner does but not TOO much or it might be too uncanny. so when a new update comes out, everyone's getting it.

except spamton. its model's far too old to receive such updates. it's not even on the table anymore. the last update for a model of his kind was probably a decade ago, and of course, there's no way to modify him to receive one in a way that won't kill him.

and modifications are another thing. as lines of code compressed to form sentient artificial organisms, cyber citizens can modify themselves in any way they want. tall, short, thin, fat, long hair, short hair, eye color, fingernails, even down to the way your voice sounds, you can modify yourself in any way you want. isn't that the dream? and hey, they still have modifications available for spamton's type of model? isn't that fantastic?

except they cost money. way too much money. these are the types of mods that if spamton had them, he'd probably be able to make a few sales, but he can't, because he doesn't have MONEY. and that's the thing that's fueling all of this.

everyone needs their cache cleared so they can make sales. everybody needs to update right away so they can make sales. everyone needs to modify themselves in just the right way so they can make sales. keeping everyone on their toes, their nerves ready to explode once the right mistake is made, is just the way an addison's world works. you wouldn't want to fail at your one and only purpose, would you? you wouldn't want to end up like that guy, you know him, everyone knows him, and everyone knows how much they DON'T want to be him. because they'd be failures if they were anything like him.

anyway i hate consumerism bye <3

#hi i like writing #deltarune addisons #spamton g spamton #addispam

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the-s1lly-corner · 6 months

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Hay...... Do you think you could do tadc characters with a reader who has super bad depth perception (due to an eye injury) and as a result often ends up walking into things because they didn't realise it was right in front of them?? :3 (aka me)

TADC cast x reader who has very bad depth perception!

fuck it we balling!! (admin is now on a small time crunch, theyre not going to explode if they fail to finish this before they timer is up, but they are weird about time stuff) rolls around ehehehhehe i hope you enjoy!! i must admit, admin was a little stumped on this so this might be a little..... meh </3

CAINE:

i think he blows it out way out of proportion... though im not sure thats the right word... i mean, if you manage to get close to caine (which is quite a feat considering before he didnt really. build genuine connections with circus members as well as being busy with... whatever it is he does...) he doesnt quite.. understand... so i think he insists on being your eyes, utilizing his... thousands of all seeing eyes. he can get overbearing at times so youre going to need to set the record straight and explain things to him... hes a little confused but hes got the spirit.... takes you to his room whenever things get hard (migraine, nausea, ect ect ect) and pampers you... so.. maybe him taking things too far/seriously isnt that bad...

POMNI:

has probably tossed you something before remembering your depth perception... the regret on her face is immediate, spreading over it before you even have the chance to react to whats going on... quick and long stream of apologies as she picks up the thing; it wasnt even likely anything important or fragile

eventually builds the habit to not toss things to people when they ask for something.. offers to read things out for you if you have trouble with it, as well as guiding you to dark places if you have trouble with migraines as well (while admin doesnt have depth perception he does have something funky with his eyes that make them sometimes roll and cross and it suuuucks)

RAGATHA:

oh she is so so so empathetic with you. as mentioned above in pomnis part, if youre prone to nausea or migraines, shes going to do all that she can to help you... usually lets you lay in her bed to collect yourself... helps you judge the distance things are, especially if its in a chaotic situation such as an in house adventure. if you open up to her about the reason behind your bad vision, her heart is going to hurt for you. if you need comfort, she will provide it; if you just need some ears, she will provide. generally very good about accommodating you

JAX:

has probably asked why your eyes look off, assuming they cross or otherwise arent "standard". doesnt really say it to be rude, well.. actually no this is jax hes likely just scoping to see what the deal is, though its more of a curiosity thing. gives a soft "oh" when you briefly explain why. honestly i think he has a habit of tossing things to people when they ask him for something, and i think this would carry over to you.... does sometimes feel bad, but hey! hes not trying to be mean (kinda...)

does not stoop low enough to use your poor depth perception to his advantage for pranks, though. hes an asshole but i dont think he would be that evil tbh...

KINGER:

honestly? same. like i dont think that he has bad eyes thanks to an injury, no rather i think its just because hes OLD!!! so theres times where you guys fail to be each others eyes. you have terrible depth perception, he is shortsighted... uh oh... good news is that hes always keeping an eye on you (no shitty pun intended) due to him constantly worrying about you, so the chance of you somehow being in the way of danger is fairly low.... probably.... if you tend to attract it, though, or are on the clumsier side, rest assured that hes keeping you in the pillow fort!/lh

ZOOBLE:

probably doesnt even notice it at first until you bring it up in passing, and honestly i dont think their view on you would change. sure they would try to be more accommodating for you since theyre not totally apathetic, especially since youre a friend and/or partner... but theyre not too... emotional, so unlike ragatha they wouldnt outwardly give you an excessive amount of.... pity? care? im struggling to find the right word, im afraid... will let you vent about it, though, if the issues that come with it cause any stress.. otherwise doesnt bring it up too much unless you bring it up, both because they dont think its too much of a big deal as well as not wanting to pry

GANGLE:

very sad very empathetic if you ever open up to her about the events leading up to your injury (assuming you remember/it was something that happened in the real world that carried into the digital world), and perhaps sheds a tear for you. helps you read and write things if you struggle with it, as well as even wrapping her ribbon around your eyes should any random bouts of nausea roll in. generally very sweet about it but is very careful about not stepping over any lines, tends to ask before doing something (especially with the blindfolding/nausea thing)

#tadc x reader #the amazing digital circus x reader #digital circus x reader #caine x reader #pomni x reader #ragatha x reader #jax x reader #kinger x reader #zooble x reader #gangle x reader

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bethanydelleman · 8 months

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Northanger Abbey Readthrough, Ch 4

Catherine is fully prepared to meet Mr. Tilney again but he is nowhere to be found! Disaster!

However, good is on the horizon, Mrs. Allen finally finds a friend, Mrs. Thorpe, an old schoolfellow. Austen throws in a great joke:

Their joy on this meeting was very great, as well it might, since they had been contented to know nothing of each other for the last fifteen years.

Austen brings up this again in Mansfield Park, where for all her sisterly love, Mrs. Norris will not put herself in any expense to see her sister:

It had, in fact, occurred to her, that though taken to Portsmouth for nothing, it would be hardly possible for her to avoid paying her own expenses back again. So her poor dear sister Price was left to all the disappointment of her missing such an opportunity, and another twenty years’ absence, perhaps, begun. (Ch 37)

It is such a true thing, a sad thing, that we claim to love people and yet are content to never see them... (Or even write) This is clearly performative friendship, but it happens with real ones too.

I love the "friendship" between Mrs. Allen and Mrs. Thorpe because it is so true to life, they both talk about themselves and really don't listen to the other:

they proceeded to make inquiries and give intelligence as to their families, sisters, and cousins, talking both together, far more ready to give than to receive information, and each hearing very little of what the other said.

Also, Mrs. Allen unable to brag about children contents herself by knowing she has more handsome lace!

So I have heard theories that this whole meeting was planned by the Thorpes, but honestly, the Thorpes are not that good at planning. Also, the childhood acquaintance is real. It seems likely to me that the Thorpes were already going to Bath to husband hunt and John Thorpe planned to bring James, but everything else was a "happy" coincidence.

We meet the three Thorpe sisters:

Her eldest daughter had great personal beauty, and the younger ones, by pretending to be as handsome as their sister, imitating her air, and dressing in the same style, did very well.

This comes much later, but the younger Thorpe sisters are basically clones of Isabella. We hear them talk and it's identical to Isabella. I cannot imagine spending time with this family! I would explode.

Miss Thorpe, however, being four years older than Miss Morland, and at least four years better informed, had a very decided advantage in discussing such points; she could compare the balls of Bath with those of Tunbridge, its fashions with the fashions of London; could rectify the opinions of her new friend in many articles of tasteful attire; could discover a flirtation between any gentleman and lady who only smiled on each other; and point out a quiz through the thickness of a crowd.

Quiz does not mean "a short test" until the 1850s. The word quiz is used a lot in Northanger Abbey and it's current meaning is, "odd person, person or thing deemed ridiculous".

This passage reminds me a lot of a section from Austen's Love and Freindship:

Isabel had seen the World. She had passed 2 Years at one of the first Boarding-schools in London; had spent a fortnight in Bath and had supped one night in Southampton. “Beware my Laura (she would often say) Beware of the insipid Vanities and idle Dissipations of the Metropolis of England; Beware of the unmeaning Luxuries of Bath and of the stinking fish of Southampton.”

In both passages, I believe we are meant to understand that the informant is not actually that informed, they just look worldly to our poor naive heroine.

This passage is a jab at the novel style of the era:

This brief account of the family is intended to supersede the necessity of a long and minute detail from Mrs. Thorpe herself, of her past adventures and sufferings, which might otherwise be expected to occupy the three or four following chapters; in which the worthlessness of lords and attorneys might be set forth, and conversations, which had passed twenty years before, be minutely repeated.

I didn't really understand the reference until I read Belinda by Maria Edgeworth, wherein a character gave a 36 PAGE history of herself. It was very strange to read and not very natural. So good on Austen for realizing that style was terrible.

Also, this much loved quote is so sarcastic:

Catherine was delighted with this extension of her Bath acquaintance, and almost forgot Mr. Tilney while she talked to Miss Thorpe. Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love.

Ah yes, her disappointed love of not seeing the guy she danced with for one evening! And her friendship of about 10 minutes.

#northanger abbey readthrough #ch 4 #northanger abbey #catherine morland #mrs. thorpe #mrs. allen #isabella thorpe

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ratcandy · 4 months

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OH YEAH and yeah idk maybe the big skull fungus very well could be like, a god. that it could be like, the one god shroom. i remember people before sotf were wondering if the mushroomos infected sozo(nious) on purpose because of the implication that its a god was in the file name even before the lore tablets mentioned it.. i think. i havent seen them for myself either besides small glances IT ALSO HAS A WHITE STEM?? INSTEAD OF A BLACK ONE LIKE SOZO HAS?? like?? is it a different type? what if its from an ancient ancestor? whats going on, whats the relation of the mushroomos to these similar but different fungi? im honestly just as confused as you are. i think about these things about the game, especially with sozo, so often and im glad someone else also does just as much LMAO. at this rate ive posted 3 fucking anon asks in a row im so sorry

COTL DEVS ANSWER ME WHAT IS THE SKULL SUPPSOED TO BE

If it is a god shroom then everything explodes because It's A God Shroom it could do whatever it wants for any reason . In which Sozo has a god in his body/brain(???) and that's why it can drag him with it when it's revived. and that is a Theory I've proposed before but then it's like. WHY would a god shroom NOT infect more than just Sozo. Surely it wants to propagate right??? Otherwise why infect at all?? Unless it just wanted a vessel??

I mean fuck if we really want to go insane about it, the fungi that kills Sozo doesn't even look like the same fungi

and it split the one on his head in HALF so like. I assume it's the same fungi and it just spores in a strange way, because otherwise we're going into complicated ass hyperparasitism territory (parasites that infect other parasites) which we COULD do but like WHY, but i mean.

like. maybe this is a neverending spiral of endless fungi. who knows Throws my hands into the air.

AND DIFFERENT STEM COLORS YOU'RE RIGHT I DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE?? COULD THEY BE DIFFERENT SPECIES THEN? BUT WHY ... Or is a maturity thing and maybe the one on Sozo is younger and will lose its darker colors as it ages????? I mean. And bear with me here, but. The shroom on the skull has fuckin age lines. So like. Old shroom? Old shroom gone white with age? Old? Shroom? Aged? Elderly shroom?

and don't even get me STARTED on the mushroomos who are themselves seemingly menticide (given they drop it when killed and sozo will eat them). like. the worldbuilding here is so fucked and I can only barely try to contain it into digestible boxes that make a vague amount of sense in my brain

#AND DON'T APOLOGIZE YOU'RE letting my brain whirr very loudly like an overloaded computer (positive)#cotl's biology-based worldbuilding makes me clutch my head in agony and double over in pain #I am just doing my best to file it away into somewhat understandable boxes without overthinking because this is where we end up #when we overthink. neverending fungi spiral #ask #cotl sozo #cotl #sozo

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fandomfluffandfuck · 11 days

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hi S ok you definitely dont have to answer this bc its basically just me venting and its pretty lame haha but im curious if its something you've ever dealt with or if u have advice... basically i have diagnosed ASD and marvel is my special interest and has been since i was a kid and im pretty positive its going to stay my favorite thing for the rest of my life lol. and sometimes i get so sooo sad and kinda lonely thinking about the fact that like .. i know its basically still one of the biggest fandoms out there but like all my favorite fics were posted like 5-10 years ago mostly from authors that arent even in the fandom anymore and theres never gonna be another movie with steve and bucky together that everyone gets excited about and wants to talk about and theres also just so much less of a fun goofy little tight knit community for stucky on tumblr and online like ... idk i just miss so bad when the mcu was at its peak and there was so much content to consume and so many people passionate about it... and i know theres definitely still a huge presence and like im so thankful that youre an author that i love thats still super active and im always glad to visit your page and to see that theres still so many fans out there that care and wanna interact yknow. but tumblrs different now and its been like ten years since peak stucky content and the actors are all doing their own thing now idk it just makes me sad 😩😩 i feel like such a loser saying it i swear i have other interests and an irl life that is very fruitful and lovely hahaha its just makes me a bit frustrated at my autism because i know i wont be able to ever really stop loving these characters even as others move on

Hey, sweets!

I understand what you mean and you're not a loser, not at all. It's fucking great to have an interest in something, anything--what else is life for? You gotta have something to be focused on and interested in that gives you joy, otherwise, what is there? Just blandness. And, yeah, Marvel fandom is still very much active and that's wonderful and great! But, it's also true that it will never be the same as it was in its heyday. Personally, I wasn't around when the stucky fandom was exploding along the release of CA:TWS/the general MCU height, but I certainly see all the old art, edits, cosplay, etc. that's still reblogged and I've read so many of the fics from years prior, so I have a grasp of what was happening. And I can totally see how you'd miss generally, but especially if your fixation has attached deeply to these characters.

I have a sibling on the autism spectrum (who's old enough to have been diagnosed with Aspergers's syndrome before that was phased out but they are, of course, on the spectrum regardless of arbitrary hierarchical labels that I will restrain from ranting about because I fucking hate that shit, don't talk to me about "high functioning" ugh) and they have a few different life-long hyperfixations as well. So, you're not alone, but, it is hard to think of any actual advice per se. I think you're already doing what you need to be doing, y'know? You're here and enjoying what is going on now, connecting to blogs that are active, finding space where you can talk about these characters, you've got other things to do that also capture your attention, and, of course, you know you're sad about what isn't going on anymore. It's okay to be sad. You can't control what you're passionate about in the same way you can't control who you fall in love with. Are these silly little fictional characters not just people we've fallen in love with a little or a lot, no matter if they don't "exist"? I love that for us. Humans are so cute and full of love.

Fandoms and people change and sometimes it fucking sucks when it happens, sometimes it's great. Either way, it's part of the ecosystem of life. Water and nutrients and air and sun--it makes people change, it makes them grow, and you're allowed to be sad about what they used to be, you just have to keep growing, too. Remember what they were and know who they are now.

Hopefully, something in there helped you feel better, even if it was just from telling someone how you feel.

#asks #stucky #fandom discourse

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mmmmalo · 2 months

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Two chains of thought for today:

First: another instance of Jake-oriented homophobic slander

When Jade questions Grandpa's decision to use geothermal power instead of nuclear (801), she shrugs it off as an example of his eclectic fursuits oops she means pursuits. The slip is consistent with Jade's furry coding but is otherwise incongruent with the page's content, unless we infer that the decision to use geothermal power was in some way bestial. Camels offer a solution: the twin volcanoes on Jade's island (her house is atop the smaller one) can be construed as the humps of camel, the arcs of which are occasionally superimposed upon the breasts. Jade's slip informs us that she finds milking the earth distasteful, in a sense: insofar as Jade herself represents the earth vis-a-vis Grandpa as Jupiter, its akin to disliking that Grandpa is extracting something from Jade... and since this would render Jade as the volcanic camel, the rhetorical 'fursuit' becomes Jade's own skin? So I think we have the colonial transphobia/homophobia angle again, posing the Feminine Man as an invader extracting femininity like oil.

This offers some explanation for why Jade reacts so strongly against fursuits on the next page -- within a sexist paradigm where women are posed as animals (later reinforced by the juxtaposition of Grandpa's Beauties with his game trophies), her irritable rejection of the fursuit as insufficiently Real is the rejection of cross-dressing as a path to womanhood. Rose picking leaves off of her tree modus (865) and subsequently picking a green box out of the huge green grid likewise strike me as subtle sexist barbs, coming as they do in the wake of Jade's woman-animal concerns.

Second: Sollux links abortion and terrorist bombs, I think

Volcanoes were explicitly linked to "females" by Karkat's "vomit volcano" quip, the eruption entails puking blood, and within the comic's anti-feminist circuits, this explosive image of menses is linked up with abortion. Sollux being a "sick hacker", understood as a retching, is a statement of his morbid femininity, and his being haunted by the "psychic screams of the imminently deceased" is a statement of guilt, of imagining the unborn agonizing over their imminent oblivion. Jaspers serves a similar function in relation Rose, becoming a ghostly child-like voice that encourages her to embrace her pretty princess planet

At the same time, Sollux is a terrorist, crafting innumerable bombs. His chat handle "twin armageddons", far from only representing his Gemini theme, seems to allude to the double-destruction of the Twin Towers: Sollux takes a weapon of the Orient (his ninja stars) and cuts open his skyscraper-looking computer, pantomiming 9/11. Afterward he is again possessed by guilt staring at the blood (well, honey) on his hands from the tower's destruction. I vaguely suspect that his double-i quiirk functions in part as an allusion to Arabic diacritics, much the same as Aradia's "pr0n0unced h0ll0wness" seems to allude to the dearth of vowels in written Arabic with her zeros (Or as Terezi's "num3r4ls of th3 bl1nd proph3ts" seem to refer simply to Arabic numerals, by way of an non-believing reference to the prophet Muhammad. Who knows, maybe the "missing" numeral 1 in Tavros's quirk was already present in his faltering commas, mimicking the function of the alif ا in Arabic writing as a glottal stop! But I digress)

These motifs intersect: when Aradia informs Sollux that the game will lead to mass death (blood on his hands!), we see the command "Sollux: Abort" as he tries to talk Karkat out of playing. And when Karkat blows his computer up with one of Sollux's bombs (more guilt!), Sollux aborts all his un-compiled creations to avert future fiascos. The apparent superposition of babies and bombs best related to WV's chess game, where Black mating White results in Brown exploding out of Pink -- as @randomuser678 observed in an old ask, defeat feminizes the loser. The losing cherub gets pregnant, period. Sollux castrates the WTC (a huge pissnozzle), and as the tower's inhabits yell at him (the screams of the imminently deceased, his own victims), we get the command to "calm those bees down", implicitly reducing the castrated losers to bitches ("bees") with a snap of his fingers. Later Sollux is in turn feminized, as Aradia puts him to sleep with a snap of her fingers, forcing him to become a vomit volcano (the mind-honey laser-blast/spit-take) and castrate his own tower.

That's my current assessment, at least

#homestuck commentary #east mapping #bubbles #transphobia cw #sollux #jake #jade

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cynthiaandsamus · 6 months

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Cynthia vs Diantha

"Heh, I expected you to have more respect for me than to go into this match with a disadvantage..." A small smile crossed Diantha's lips as she and Cynthia stood across from each other on the beach with Garchomp and Gardevoir between them.

"It's not disrespect, Garchomp's my strongest pokemon, and I wouldn't want to go into this with anything less than my best. For this battle I want to do things at my peak even if that makes it more difficult." Cynthia held up the lipstick tube holding her keystone while Diantha prepared her own Mega Charm.

"LET'S GO!" Twin orbs of light engulfed the Champions' ace pokemon sending shockwaves across the beach and rippling the waves as Garchomp and Gardevoir exploded with energy and transformed into their Mega Forms.

"They haven't even started yet and they're already making a mess..." Dawn sighed, shaking her head from the sidelines.

"Yeah, guess it makes sense why this one is on the beach instead of the usual arena, even this far away I bet they're feeling it back at the villa." Touko smirked, crossing her arms and glancing up towards the villa on the hill overlooking the beach.

"Shadow Ball!" Diantha called, a sphere of dark energy forming in front of the Mega Gardevoir and firing at Garchomp.

"Garchomp, Sandstorm!" With a single mighty stomp, Garchomp kicked up enough sand from the beach to create a massive torrent of swirling sand surrounding the arena, simultaneously obscuring its position for an instant to dodge the opposing projectile.

"I see, creating a home field advantage that'll hurt Gardevoir and power up your Garchomp's moves, now I'm the one on the backfoot." Diantha's mind puzzled through her options, knowing prep time inside the buffeting winds of the sandstorm would only whittle down her chances but rushing in against the behemoth would be equally foolish. "Gardevoir, Reflect!" Focusing her power, Gardevoir created a barrier wall around her to reduce Garchomp's ability to damage it, cancelling out its sandstorm boost and then some.

"Just what I thought you'd do." Cynthia grinned, wordlessly instructing Garchomp to close the distance between them, practically surfing on the wall of sand swirling around them and popping out right next to Gardevoir. "Brick Break!" Focusing the power of its claw into a karate chop, it struck Gardevoir in the side, shattering the Reflect's defensive abilities in an instant. It did minimal damage on its own but it was essentially making Diantha's efforts a waste of time which was all the more dangerous as she watched her pokemon take continuous damage from the Sandstorm with each passing moment.

Diantha didn't seem worried at all however, a thin smile crossing her lips again. "And that's just what I thought you'd do... Now you're in range and can't use the sandstorm as cover. Just because Garchomp is a special attacker doesn't mean I can't take advantage of point-blank range."

"Wait, what are you..."

"HYPER VOICE!" Like an acetelene torch firing up, a small focused burst of sound emerged from Gardevoir's mouth only to turn pink and explode into a dome of energy that pierced the veil of the sandstorm as Mega Gardevoir's Pixelate added power and Fairy Type to the otherwise Normal Hyper Voice.

"Garchomp!" Cynthia called out, but it was slightly too late to dodge, Garchomp barely able to turn out of the blast at all, making it not a direct hit but devastating all the same. "So you switched up your moveset since the last time we battled huh?"

"Can't keep coming to you with the same old tricks." Diantha grinned proudly. Once the smoke cleared Garchomp was on one knee, still standing but struggling to get upright. "It can't dodge, Gardevoir, Hyper Voice again!"

"Garchomp, DOWN!" Cynthia commanded in a way that wouldn't be immediately obvious to her opponent but was a clear indication to her partner that had spent hours and hours training with her and learning each others' signals intimately. Once again the Hyper Voice collected around Gardevoir's mouth before changing color and exploding outwards, in an energy blast that not only shook away the sandstorm completely but kept going across the sea line and into the nearby forest across the beach, ripping through several of the trees in its wake.

Expecting to see either her imminent victory or some desperate attempt to turn the tables, Diantha was surprised to see nothing when the smoke and sand cleared again. It took a moment too long for her mind to put the pieces together, partially due to the fact that the hole from where Garchomp had been standing was somewhat camoflauged by sand sinking into it. "Gardevoir, below you!"

"DIIIIG!!" Cynthia shouted as the land shark pokemon emerged right underneath Gardevoir's feet, delivering a powerup uppercut to the fairy-type pokemon along with all the rocks and debris it carried up with it buffeting Diantha's ace.

Expecting that to be the end of it, Diantha planned her next move, with Gardevoir having been hit with that and several turns of the Sandstorm's winds chipping away at her, it seemed both pokemon would be down to the wire soon, but she still had the type advantage. To her horror however, Cynthia wasn't about to give them the chance to regroup.

"Pin it!" The Champion shouted, Garchomp going straight from the connecting blow from Dig to spinning its whole body, rotating from the punch to knock Gardevoir off-balance and pin the Kalos Champion's pokemon under its large foot. "You're not the only one who likes point-blank attacks..."

Having enough of being caught a second behind, Diantha pivoted to an immediate offense, not willing to let the swift combo rob them of their chance to finish this. Even though it was pinned, she instructed her pokemon not to fight the position and simply hit her opponent with everything she had.

"Garchomp..."

"Gardevoir..."

"EARTHQUAKE!!!"

"MOONBLAST!!!"

The two signature moves went off within seconds of each other, Gardevoir channeling a huge amount of pink energy that was less intense than the Hyper Voice but covered a wider range while Garchomp struck the very earth itself hard enough to cause a massive fissure in the beach, rumbling with the foot directly on top of Gardevoir carrying with it the powerful tremor as if the natural disaster was coursing through every fiber of her being.

The ground split and the heavens erupted, the pink light from the Moonblast glistening in the sky as if there was a full moon in broad daylight and the spider-web of fissures caused by the Earthquake changing the landscape of the beach for quite some time.

The two Champions and their spectators watched with hardly a breath between them as the smoke cleared to see who would emerge victorious. With a mighty roar, Garchomp raised a scythe-like claw out of the scattered sand, panting and barely able to hold its Mega form any longer as the silver light reverted it back to its base physique, Gardevoir lying in the sand behind it thoroughly fainted.

"Heh, guess it missed, it's probably pretty hard to aim when you have an Earthquake going on on top of you..." Cynthia chuckled softly, amused with her victory.

"Good job Gardevoir." Diantha sighed, returning her pokemon. "It was pretty foolish of me to think I could win a quick draw when the enemy was literally on top of us..." The Kalos Champion shook her head but smiled over at Cynthia.

"Guess lunch is on me today."

#drabble #Pokemon #Cynthia #Shirona #Diantha #Carnet #Gardevoir #Garchomp

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apricops · 1 year

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David Graeber was kinda goofy. He was clever, compassionate, and unique, and his death was a loss for the world, but the books he wrote are also kinda goofy.

John Maynard Keynes once predicted that in a few generations we would have a 15-hour work week. Bullshit Jobs takes this gee-whiz prediction from an early 20th century economist and treats it with an unearned respect, as if a century-old economist’s gee-whiz prediction not coming true is some great aberration that demands explanation; people also predicted that we would have flying cars and personal jetpacks by now, and those predictions did not come true, because they were stupid.

Bullshit Jobs makes the observation that the administrative sector has exploded in size since the 20th century, and… leaves it at that, more or less. Given how central this observation is to the entire book, and how often Graeber was otherwise willing to quibble with himself about his own points, I kept expecting the book to say more: Couldn’t one argue that the administrative sector grew so much to keep up with growth in productivity and a globalized economy? If you have more beans, you need more bean-counters, and when you have an intercontinental system moving hundreds of different categories of beans, you need a lot more bean counters, and bean-counting serves a legitimate purpose in society, i.e. if there are no bean-counters you have no idea where all the goddamn beans are.

Having said all that, Bullshit Jobs is still a pleasure, it is simply less than the sum of its parts. It is, well, a short article that got stretched out into an entire book, and attempts to turn a few prescient observations - the terrible effects from the ideological shift of being ‘on the clock,’ the inefficiencies and cruelty inherent to wage labor, and the unwillingness of middle managers to automate away their serfs and peons - into some Grand Unified Theory of labor.

Graeber was - and again, is saddens me that I must use the past tense, pour one out to a legend - an anarchist, and some anarchists take their (justifiable and correct) hostility towards micromanagement and turn it into what seems like an implicit belief that the would just run itself if we let it. For the record, I think the outsourcing of government services to a growing cadre of middlemen has formed a malignant tumor on the American economy, but I don’t feel the same way about the very concept of a desk job.

#five paragraph essay #david graeber

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wanyinchen · 10 months

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GOOD OMENS SEASON 2 SPOILERS!!!!

What.

WHAT

OK DONT MIND ME I JUST NEED TO SCREAM HERE BECAUSE OTHERWISE I WILL EXPLODE

Ok. WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK I AM CRYING WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK

Ok. WHAT THE FUCKKKK. ok im normal once more. Well, normal for this paragraph. OK I LOVED SEASON 2 SO MUCH BUT THE ENDING. BUT THE ENDING—! BUT THE ENDING, WOOWHEE IT KILLED ME, IT DESTROYED ME, IT EVISCERATED ME WHAT THE FUCK. ok ok ok deep breaths ok ok. So this is what they meant that wouldn't be the same at the end ok ok ok cool cool cool cooool. WHAT THE FUCKKKKK. AZIRAPHALELEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE dont goooooooooooo FUCKKKKKKK FUCKK FUCKKKKKKK lies, i am not crying, it will come to that. I am currently in shock. I am pacing and my mind is numb what the fuck

MY HEART BROKE INTO INCONSOLABLE PIECES WHEN CROWLEY DROVE OFF ALL BY HIMSELF WHILE "A NIGHTINGALE IN BERKELEY SQUARE" PLAYS ON HIS RADIO. WHAT THE FUCK CROWLEY MY BABY BOY IM SO SORRY. IM SO SORRY. FUCK THAT HURTS. WHAT THE FUCK. I AM REELING. I AM STILL REELING. WHAT THE FUCK

I don't know

I dont know

I DONT KNOW😭😭

I don't— I NEED TO PROCESS BUT ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT THE LGBT COMMUNITY WON YALL IM SO HAPPYY, "GOOD OLD FASHIONED LOVER BOY" WAS FINALLY PLAYED LIKE IT WAS MEANT TO BE, AND I REALLY REALLY REALLY HOPE THAT AZIRAPHALE WOULDN'T GET HURT BY HIS DECISION TO GO BACK TO HEAVEN AND TAKE UP THE MANTLE OF SUPREME. I LOVE HIM, HE'S MY BABY, AND I HOPE HE WOULDN'T GET HURT AND REGRET HIS DECISION also I didn't see ineffable bureaucracy becoming canon coming as its not on my mental bingo card BUT FUCK YEAAH!!!

Also. The kiss. The kiss. THE KISS

The kiss was so bittersweet LIKE MY HEART BROKE AND HEALED AT THE SAME TIME WHAT THE FUCKKKKKKKK

This season was everything I didn't know i needed. A PART OF ME I DIDN'T KNOW WAS QUENCHED I AM CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF EXPIRING BECAUSE OF IT FUCK FUCK

FUCKKKKKK

#good omens #good omens season 2 #good omens 2 spoilers #good omens season 2 spoilers #spoilers

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imawa-borderland-dweller · 1 year

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A little depressing citizen quartet story as if you aren't sad enough already (also pls excuse my shitty writing)

"Three Sheep, One Wolf"

"The four of us are unexpectedly awesome, eh? I mean, it's not like we participate in games together, but we meet everyday, and so far, no one's died yet!" Ah, Kyuma, ever so optimistic. He couldn't exactly say the same for the other three, though.

One was an old man who often liked using the words "breathing" and "suffering" together in the same sentence, often implying the same meaning.

The other was some lawyer dude with glasses that talked about equality every possible conversation he gets into. (Okay fine, he doesn't, but he liked to add that in because he thought his boyfri- Uh, I mean, good friend had literally nothing interesting to write about).

And Mira was just... Mira.

Granted, she was fun to hang out with, but Kyuma couldn't help but find her a little creepy at times.

But make no mistake. He may have listed his friends as simply boring here, but he got along pretty well with them, and liked them a lot.

"Wow, even after becoming citizens, we still have to participate in games? Why tho?"

Their phones had just received a notification from an "unknown number": Congratulations on attaining citizenship! You are now all citizens of the Borderlands! However, let this be known that you still must participate in games like normal players would, and are not allowed to know the difficult or rules of the games beforehand, otherwise it just becomes boring! Well, have a lovely time, citizens of the Borderlands, it's GAME START! "

Shiirabi and Mira both scoffed a little. Kuzu showed no reaction. Well, how about that one over there? The one in the botanical garden. Looks fancy to me." The nudist pointed in the direction of the game arena.

"...ok" Kuzu responded monotonously. "Oh come on, gimme me more energ-woah, collars, terrible way to go, from ny experience," Kyuma was definitely a bit too optimistic for everyone else's likings. Their phones made the usual dinging sound whenever a game was about to start. "Difficulty, 7♡"

"The... 7♡?" The usually calm and collected Mira looked she might have even started to panic a little. Well, just a little, of course.

"Rules: One person will be the wolf and the three others will be the sheep. When a sleep kicks eye contact with a wolf, they will become the new wolf, and a sheep cannot become the wolf for the next three seconds. After 15 minute, the collars around all the sheep will explode. Hide well, little sheep, and have fun! It's GAME START!"

"A... single survivor game?" Kuzu exclaimed.

"!?!?" The old man in the cloak made a shocked face.

"Dingdingdingding...ding! Our first wolf today is... Ginji Kyuma!" The giant Game TV indicated on who the survivor role had been passed on to, accompanied with its iconic little "yay!".

"Wait wait wait, everyone don't panic, I know how we can all survive this, we have to use the tools they gave us to dismantle our collars," Mira (not as calmly as before, I'd like to add) announced to the gang of a possible no death solution to the horrid and gut-wrenching game they had gotten themselves into.

"Tools? There... aren't any." Kuzu gestured to the empty table that would have been otherwise displayed with plenty of interesting little killing "tools" to help the players tear into each other and spice the game up a little.

Actually, it wasn't completely empty. Two little collar dismantlers- designed specifically by Mira herself to dismantle collars safely without needing to use a screwdriver or gamer of some kind- were sitting on it, arranged in a neat little row.

But the strangest thing is that there were bombs attached to it. And no, they weren't the kind that would blow the entire place up- it looked more like it only had the firepower to blow up the collar dismantle itself.

"So if we use the collar dismantlers, it explodes? So only two people can have their collars dismantled, and with the wolf surviving, so..." The "ever so optimistic" one of the four was starting to turn out not so optimistic after all.

"This... is our retribution. It's our punishment for our sins, the people we killed and the people whose blood was at spilled in this place, it's... a taste of our own medicine"

Oh, Shiirabi really was the complete opposite of Kyuma.

A moment of silence followed as everyone silently mourned for the unnamed one among them destined to die.

"... So only one of us has to die this time, ... let me go. This will probably be the most equal death I can die, for everyone else, after all." Kuzu, voice cracking, was the first to pipe up after the *rather* long moment of silence.

"No, you're not dying. You're not going anywhere. I'll go. I've always wanted to die by a hearts game anyway ♡" Mira, tearing up a little, immediately spoke to take the position of the unnamed hero among them from Kuzu.

"...You two can stop fighting about who's going to die among you. I'll go. I've always seen birth as a curse and existence as a prison anyway, (and yes that was a good place reference) with death being the only salvation. So let me attain my salvation, please, and let me go peacefully." Shiirabi let out a loud sigh and spoke his profound and not really popular opinion on the value of life. He had been cleverly hiding his face from view then, as if to somehow mask the tears streaming down his face.

Kyuma, watching this all, suddenly wished he had a mask and some onions to chop. When the others came to ask him what was happening, he could just say he had been chopping onions.

Not that they would realise with the mask on, anyway.

Yes.

He could just put on the mask and everything would be fine.

They'd still be sitting in their comfortable citizen headquarters, with Kuzu trying to read and Mira constantly annoying him, and Shiirabi just rambling on about his "cultural beliefs", as he would like to call it.

Yes.

Everything was still alright.

It was just a dream.

It was all... just...a dream...

But he had to come back to reality eventually.

He couldn't keep the mask on forever.

His friends needed him.

"Alright, everyone, I'll be the one to go, okay? I wanna die with dignity, and dying for you guys..." He couldn't even finish his sentence properly without his throat turning traitor to his decision to hide everything he was feeling.

"... What a twisted game." Mira uttered under her breath. Everyone instinctively took a few steps back. Mira wasn't like someone to show emotions so easily.

She would always hide it with a smile.

A beautiful smile.

But the level of emotion Mira was showing was unlike something amt of the other citizens had seen. She was raging, like dynamite thrown into a roaring flame. Her eyes glared like razor-sharp daggers that threatened to kill anyone who even so much as thought of glancing at her when she was at this critical moment.

This moment of doom. A time to mourn.

It should have been a happy day for them all.

But now it was only going to be a happy day for the one who died.

Because the rest could never live with what they had done now.

"I'll kill you...I'll fucking kill you!!" She suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs.

Then she suddenly stopped in her tracks and just started to bawl her eyes out.

She realised now.

She was the one designated to design many such games like these games.

These "sick, twisted" games.

It really was "a taste of her own medicine"

The other citizens didn't know what to do. They had never seen Mira both so angered and so vulnerable at the same time ever before.

Kuzu had tried to comfort Mira a bit by patting her on the shoulder, but all it did was make her cry even more, which startled Kuzu and he didn't know what to do anymore.

Then he suddenly started to cry too, and then Shiirabi and Kyuma soon followed, and they all just hugged each other together.

Because the other citizens had realised it too.

Not that she was the creator of similar games as this.

But that who the one "destined to die" was didn't matter.

After all, the one "destined to die" physical body would have died, but mentally and spiritually they would have transcended beyond the stars.

But the three survivors would have been plunged into an eternal darkness not even Satan himself could get them out of.

They would have survived physically, but they would have lost all right to enjoy their lives or even just take their next breath.

And all because of three wolves and a sheep.

Phew, that was pretty long, but I got it down! Let me know if you enjoyed it and what you think! Oh, and since I'm still learning on different ways to improve my writing, if you have any comments or suggestions on how to improve it, do lemme know! 😀

btw this was inspired by @miraofhearts2point0 's post about the citizens playing the 7♡ and since I wanted to be sad and I'm also deprived of fanfic just about the citizens being a happy little family so I wrote this! It's terrible, but hey, at least I'm trying, right?

#imawa no kuni no alice #alice in borderland #alice in borderland mira #alice in borderland kuzuryu #alice in borderland kyuma #7♡#depressing shit #big happy citizen family

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