#specifically re: their fear ritual | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

steddieunderdogfics · 14 days

Text

This week’s writer spotlight feature is: Capriciously_Terminal! @capriciouslyterminal has 106 fics on ao3 in the Stranger Things fandom and 105 of them are in the Steddie tag!

@mustardyellowlilac recommends the following works by Capriciously_Terminal:

Where the Sun Can't Reach

Spit Me out, You Don't Know Where I've Been

It's the Ritual of the Thing

Baby I'm Your Man (Don't Fear the Reaper)

It's as if she writes memories, rather than stories, and that makes them tangible and devastating -- @mustardyellowlilac

Below the cut, @capriciouslyterminal answered some questions about their writing process and some of their recommended work!

Why do you write Steddie?

I started writing Steddie because the characters of Steve and Eddie have such specific and human voices that I literally couldn’t get them out of my head after watching the first drop of S4. (Also I’d just gotten a new puppy who didn’t love sleeping through the night so I had plenty of time to think). The more I wrote for them the deeper I found myself in their voices and thinking about what they could do and I had to keep going until I ran out of steam.

What’s your favorite trope to READ?

I love a good “Steddie interwoven into previous seasons’ canon events” story. Especially if an author makes it SO specific. I want Steve and Eddie in Starcourt. I want Eddie Munson popping up at the pumpkin patch. I want Eddie Munson in the background at Starcourt drooling. I want him to spend this whole time watching Steve’s character growth and finding it impossibly hot before getting twisted up in the horror.

What’s your favorite trope to WRITE?

I definitely love adding Eddie Munson to canon (thinking about him and life-guard Steve Harrington is where this all began, afterall). However I think that I, as a person, am just as obsessed with The Horrors. As such adding monstrosity/new flavors of spooky to this show was my favorite thing to do.

What’s your favorite Steddie fic?

I can narrow it down to two! My favorite piece of Steddie fic that changed my brain chemistry has got to be fastcardotmp3’s “that’s just wasteland, baby!” (https://archiveofourown.org/works/42351597) because the scene in the lake? The genuine wonderful take on in media res apocalypse living? Dot’s talent for characterization/love? I’ll never live it down. Actually, go read everything by fastcardotmp3. Do yourself a favor. The other has to be “every mistake was made purposefully” by birthdaycandles (https://archiveofourown.org/works/41795838/chapters/104862381). It turns out I’m a sucker for excellent narration and watching Steddie/plot shenanigans from Tommy Hagan’s prickly point of view. It gave me everything I’ve ever wanted.

Is there a trope you’re excited to explore in a future work but haven’t yet?

I always wanted to write a When Harry Met Sally AU about Steve and Eddie meeting throughout their lives/development. I don’t know if I’ll ever pick it up again but it’s still there knocking at the back of my mind. I’ve also got like fifteen of the drabbles in i love you you dope with bits of continuation in my head too.

What is your writing process like?

In general, my writing is a very all or nothing process. It’s either going to go all day, through meals, and not stop until the idea is finished OR I’m going to be stalled completely. Generally, though, if I’m in my crazy inspired phase I’ll have an idea (specifically the beginning of something) and if that idea sticks in my head for more than a single day then I probably can’t leave it until it’s done. However, this did change with my writing i love you you dope. I decided to answer p0ck3tf0x's "100 Ways to Say I Love You" list one prompt at a time. Once a day. RIP. This led to a writing process which was more of a sit down after work and immediately write the first thing you could think of until it’s done kind of affair. I can’t recommend that style lol. It led to some pretty intense burnout by the end but I am proud of how many ideas came because of it. It showed that, through tenacity, most ideas could be something worth pursuing.

Do you have any writing quirks?

I can’t help but put first and second person pronouns in descriptions as if speaking to the reader and I’m a frequent and blatant tense shifter. It’s all over the place at times lol. I also LOVE a good stream of consciousness description, flitting from one image to another, which probably lead to these grammatical quirks and a shit ton of run-on sentences.

Do you prefer posting when you’ve finished writing or on a schedule?

Before I started writing i love you you dope I very much preferred finishing my writing before I posted it. It took ages but nothing felt worse than having to leave something unfinished because I’d lost the plot (which has happened several times). However, part of the draw of i love you you dope was that (as a challenge) I had to write and post daily. While I learned I can write on such a grueling schedule, I can safely say after finishing it that I prefer having the time to ensure something’s to my standards. Or, at least, until I’m tired of looking at it and just want other people to see it.

Which fic are you most proud of?

If we branch outside of my Steddie work it’s a fic for a little show called Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency that I think I’ll never top. A Road Song in Quartet that Smells like a Trio is basically my novel/brain-child about my favorite rowdy vampire boys and I have to shout it out everywhere I go. However, to stick to the Steddie, I had such a great time with characterization in writing It’s the Ritual of the Thing. Some of those descriptions are still some of my best work. Or, I’d have to say, Can We Both Be Lonely If We’re Both Looking at Each Other? It’s an AU modeled after the world of The Magnus Archives Podcast and not only was I proud of the way I was able to layer monstrosity on both Eddie and Steve but I just loved the world. I actually planned out a whole main plot for the world that never saw the light of day.

How did you get the idea for Baby I'm Your Man (Don't Fear the Reaper)?

I can’t remember which came first, the title or the idea of Eddie meeting Death as played by Steve Harrington, but the song title by Blue Öyster Cult had definitely been sitting in my head for a while. The idea initially started as a Seventh Seal reference with Eddie having to challenge Death with Steve Harrington’s face to a game of basketball but that scene wasn’t working so instead we got a trip through various S4 locales and a fun Death with good hair.

When writing Spit Me out, You Don't Know Where I've Been, what was something you didn’t expect?

I honestly didn’t know if anyone would vibe with the language/story. For a fic that focused a lot on unease, offal, and how hard it would be to picture a future in a small town I was waiting for people to not touch this one with a ten foot pole. So to hear that it actually channeled people’s feelings or that it was something that people enjoyed (as opposed to just me shouting stressful things at the sky) was a big expectation dodge.

What inspired It's the Ritual of the Thing?

When I was in high school I had a friend who asked me out once, the first person to ever do so, and my first instinctual response was to genuinely ask him why he was really calling me after school. He insisted that he really did want to ask me out and for some reason that made my blood run cold. The date did not go well, obviously, but I remembered the gut punch to think someone wouldn’t want you/the desire to say no just because it frightened you for years afterwards. It felt like such an Eddie thing to feel, especially if Steve Harrington was the one to ask him out. Honestly…I poured a lot of my own worldview into Eddie Munson as I wrote him and that’s where a lot of this came from.

What was your favorite part to write from Ritual of the Thing?

I’d have to say it’s a toss up between two parts. Firstly, I’ll never get over the descriptive imagery in the beginning (I’ll never forget lines like “Suddenly it’s like he’s a Jack-O-Lantern with his mouth carved open. A candle sits on his tongue and its light is shining out of his eyes”). It was the kind of sentence I was thrilled to read after I wrote it. Secondly, I was really proud of Eddie and Robin’s conversation after Steve told her about his asking Eddie out. I loved both of their voices in that moment and the thought of Robin trying to explain how much Steve could love you even after you’d had to let him down…and her little fake nightmare discussion.

How do/did you feel writing Where the Sun Can't Reach?

On one hand it felt like I was exorcizing something because I show my class The Sandlot once a year and that means for one day I watch the scene where the kid fakes drowning to make-out with the lifeguard four times. That’s too many times. I had to process that. But I do remember that feeling of loneliness that could come with summer. That could come with wishing for a room somewhere with someone you loved when it felt impossible. I remember when the smallest of things could mean the world when you had nothing else…so in a way maybe I was exorcizing that too.

What was the most difficult part of writing Where the Sun Can't Reach?

Besides the jokey answer of reliving the aforementioned scene from The Sandlot on purpose, I’d have to say trying to accurately consider the physics/feelings of Eddie’s trip into the water. The feelings/actual consequences of hitting his head. I’m not too sure I got the details right but I remember working on it so many times that I eventually threw in the towel and went with what I had.

Do you have a favorite scene and/or line from any of your fics?

I think…it’s gotta go to my lone vampire Steddie fic I Go Hungry Every Night. The whole thing’s one big treatise to Upside Down skinned vampires and food/service as a love language? And also the fact that I love vampires/monstrosity. I just went way too hard with the line: “If you asked Steve what the opposite of tracing constellations in someone’s freckles in the afterglow would be he’d say this, making shapes in the pieces of the wound they’ve given you. The one that weeps red slowly.”

Do you have any upcoming projects or fics you’d like to share/promote?

While I wish I did, and I’m always thinking about various unfinished fics in the strangest moments of my life, I think I’m pretty knocked from my Steddie writing mojo. I love you you dope was an incredible process and I am so proud of it…but I think it cauterized my writing brain for Steddie. I’d love for people to poke around the fics I wrote and I will say that other people’s intrigue sometimes pulls my attention back to old ideas…but I do believe I’m a bit out to pasture here lol.

Outside of these questions, Is there anything YOU would like to add?

Writing Steddie was something that kept me sane during a really stressful transition from college to adulthood. These characters and all the people I got to meet/talk with in this fandom have been one of the greatest joys in my life. I’m so honored, like honestly floored, that anyone would nominate me for something like this. The thing about writing fic is that oftentimes when you start it can feel like you can’t possibly amount to what other people do. Like you’re just a little voice that doesn’t have anything special about it even when you tried so hard. But I stand as someone who felt that way and still found that people did enjoy what I wrote and if I can do it, honestly, anyone can. <3

Thank you to our author, @capriciouslyterminal, and our nominator, @mustardyellowlilac! See more of Capriciously_Terminal's works featured on our page throughout the day!

Writer’s Spotlight is every Wednesday! Want to nominate an author? You can nominate them here!

#writer's wednesday #writer's spotlight #steddie #steddie fic recs #steve harrington #eddie munson #steve x eddie #stranger things #ao3 writer #steddie writers

22 notes · View notes

broomsick · 2 years

Text

Just in time for Samhain (Vetrnaetr)!

This challenge is meant for you to develop your bond with a chosen deity, or deities. Indeed, you can use it to honor as many deities as you want. You could choose a single deity to devote this challenge to, or you can switch it up as you go and devote certain days to certain deities! Since this challenge’s goal is to improve one’s connection to a deity/deities, it won’t require of you to do any active magical work or elborate ritual. These are all simple actions that can fit into your schedule easily. Enjoy!

Day 1: Draw a symbol of the chosen deity on your skin so that you feel closer to them throughout the day. If you don’t feel comfortable drawing, then simply write their name instead!

Day 2: Meditate on a picture or multiple pictures of your chosen deity in adoration. Notice what feelings the picture/pictures evoke and take them in.

Day 3: Read a myth or myths that pertain to the chosen deity, even if you’ve read them multiple times in the past! Re-discover them as if it were your first time. It’s always useful to approach myths with a fresh eye!

Day 4: Sincerely tell them about your day, or a current concern. If you can, light them a candle during this process!

Day 5: Devote a song, poem or dance to the chosen deity. Even a whispered song/poem works, as long as you put your heart into it and verbally dedicate it to the deity.

Day 6: Take a little moment to sit outside and listen to some music that reminds you of them. Clear your mind of any other thought and simply think about them. Such an activity is akin to meditation.

Day 7: List out reasons you admire and love them, and bury the paper in the earth, in order to keep these thoughts close to you.

Day 8: List out areas of your life where you would appreciate their assistance. You are free to go as specifically as you want. Then, through prayer, humbly share this wish with them.

Day 9: Either pour them a glass of wine (or any drink they would appreciate, depending on their tastes and what you have access to), and/or save them a part of your meal as offering.

Day 10: Add something new to your altar! If you don’t already have an altar, simply assemble a few items which are specific to the chosen deity (honey, milk, leaves found outside, anything, really) and leave them as an overnight offering. On a windowsill for example, or hidden if you want to be discreet.

Day 11: Engage in an activity which you like (cooking, hiking, drawing, etc...) and invite them to join you!

Day 12: Build them a temple! Either mentally, like during meditation, by drawing it, or even using a website or game!

Day 13: Pick a kenning/epithet, or nickname that is associated with this deity and reflect on it. Why are they described that way? How do you feel about that aspect of them? How does this aspect affect your vision of the deity? Etc…

Day 14: Draw or paint the way you picture them, either physically or using sites like Picrew. Feel free to get creative, as long as the image feels right!

Day 15: For the entire day, truly embody one of their values, or tastes. Are they associated with knowledge? Then be curious: ask questions, research on a topic which interests you, watch a documentary, etc... Are they a deity of the hearth and family? Then have a little fun time with your family, or the ones you live with! Take the opportunity to talk to your loved ones, or even bond. These can be considered devotional activities. Now, a simple way to approach this challenge is to simply ask yourself: what does this deity like, and what do they dislike?

Day 16: Create them a short little chant, something you can whisper in situations where you want to be reminded of them (like in moments of stress, fear, or sadness, for example). Examples: “Víðarr, silent one, be with me”, or “Kind Sif, protect me”, etc...

Day 17: Think about this deity’s influence on your life. The way you experienced their presence, at what sorts of moments do they manifest themselves, what have they helped you with… If none of these apply, then simply think of how you expect them to manifest, and what sort of part you believe they play in your life.

Day 18: Offer them something which means a lot to you. For example: a childhood toy, a recipe your mother used to make, a souvenir from your most treasured trip abroad, etc... Take the time to explain to them why it’s important to you, and why you wish to share it with them.

Day 19: List out things you are grateful to them for. Specific things that pertain to you and your life, or general areas where they benefit to mankind (prosperity of the land, inspiration for artists, etc...).

Day 20: Last day of the challenge! Either write down or share on this platform what you have learned from this experience. In the light of this challenge, what would you say this deity means to you? Have your views on them changed, and if so, how do you perceive them now? What do you plan on doing to honor them next? What do you think are your favorite means to bond with this deity/deities? Basically, just share or acknowledge the work that has been done in order to get closer to this deity, or deities. You have done well, and your deity/deities are proud of you!

#deity work #deities #challenge #polytheism #spirituality #witchy tips #witchcraft #samhain #norse paganism #heathenry #norse polytheism #hellenic paganism #hellenic polytheism #wiccanism #paganism

655 notes · View notes

maryishappy · 10 months

Note

So this might be a stupid question, but how do you know if you’re developing an eating disorder/tendencies?

honestly that’s a really good question!!!

here goes a really informative post with all research made by me:

you may have to look at some behaviors and attitudes like:

- extremely frequent dieting, and control of food becoming primary concern;

- insecure and worry with weight, calories, carbohydrates and fat grams(others too);

- refusing to eat certain foods (fear foods), and restricting against whole categories of food (like carbohydrates, dairy);

- looks uncomfortable eating around others;

- food rituals (eats only a particular food or food group, excessive chewing);

- skipping meals or taking small portions of food at regular meals;

- extreme concern with body size and shape;

-frequent checking in the mirror for perceived flaws in appearance;

- wanting to look unhealthily thin;

- wanting to fast and doing it for unhealthy periods of time (varying from days to weeks).

Now some specific Eds to separate each one! (some may have the same characteristics as others)

4N0REX1A NERVOSA:

- may dress in layers bc of insecurity;

- extreme worry with weight, food, calories, and dieting;

- some make frequent comments about feeling “fat”;

- wanting to have a body weight inappropriate for their age, height, and build;

- presence of packages of l4xatives;

- drinks extreme amounts of water or non-caloric beverages;

- maintains an excessive, heavy exercise routine.

BUL1M14 NERVOSA:

- evidence of binge eating, including disappearance of large amounts of food in short periods of time;

- also evidence of p^rging behaviors, including frequent trips to the bathroom after meals, signs and smells of vomiting;

- presence of packages of l4xatives;

- drinks extreme amounts of water or non-caloric beverages;

- does self-induced v^miting;

- dental problems, such as cavities, discoloration of teeth from vomiting, and tooth sensitivity(bc of the above);

B1NG3 EATING DI1S0RD3R (BED):

- secret recurring episodes of binge eating (eating in a discrete period of time an amount of food that is much larger than most individuals would eat);

- feels lack of control over ability to stop eating;

- feelings of disgust, d3pr3ss1on, or guilt after overeating, or feelings of low self-esteem;

- may steal food;

- evidence of binge eating, including the disappearance of large amounts of food in a short time period.

OTHERWISE SPECIFIED FEEDING OR EATING D1S0RD3R (OSFED):

Because OSFED has a wide variety of eating dis0rd3red behaviors, any or all of the following symptoms may be present in people with OSFED.

- frequent episodes of consuming very large amount of food followed by behaviors to prevent weight gain, such as self-induced vomiting or st4rv1ng (fasting);

- evidence of binge eating, including disappearance of large amounts of food in short periods of time;

- self-esteem overly related to body image;

- extreme dieting behavior (reducing the amount or types of foods consumed);

- expresses a need to “burn off” calories taken in;

- evidence of p^rging behaviors, including frequent trips to the bathroom after meals, signs or smells of vomiting;

- presence of packages of laxatives or diuretics.

AVOIDANT RESTRICTIVE FOOD INTAKE D1S0RD3R (ARFID):

-limited range of preferred foods that becomes narrower over time (like picky eating that progressively worsens);

- fears of choking or vomiting;

-may have no body image disturbance or fear of weight gain.

RUMINATION D1S0RD3R:

- repeated regurgitation of food for a period of at least one month. Regurgitated food may be re-chewed, re-swallowed, or spit out.

Other Food & Behavior Concerns:

ORTHOREXIA:

- cutting out an increasing number of food groups (all sugar, all carbs, all dairy, all meat, all animal products);

- an increase in concern about the health of ingredients;

- an inability to eat anything but a narrow group of foods that are deemed ‘healthy’ or ‘pure’;

- may have body image concerns.

C0MPULSIVE EXERCISING:

- Exercise that significantly interferes with important activities, occurs at inappropriate times or in inappropriate settings;

- intense anxiety, depression or distress if unable to exercise;

- Exercise takes place despite injury or fatigue.

This is just my research and my own and other experiences, if i missed/used wrong information please let me know! 😊

140 notes · View notes

rozieramati · 3 months

Text

i think i've discovered the meaning of life

3/9/24

i have an affinity towards crows. it runs very deeply in the lore of my contract with the universe (ketu is rampant in my chart.) there's a herd of crows that: wake me up in the morning, leave feathers (from other birds) in the screen of my door, are always on the part of the roof that's above my bedroom, etc. one time i caught them organizing things they found in a straight line. it feels so strange, especially because it always happens when there's a huge change in my life. intuitively it feels like protection of some sort. i don't know. i usually divert from sharing stuff like this on the internet for fear of literally sounding insane. there's just this whole mystical side of existing that i really don't have a choice in ignoring. elephants in asia are burying their young at a specific gravesite and i'm supposed to wistfully let that go? there's rituals and lives and thoughts and emotions all around us. within a phone screen and beyond the screen view, in the walls of your room. there's emotions in the air when dust particles strike your nose to make you sneeze and get the fuck up. there's emotions in the first person you talk to, if you decide to get out of bed that day. there's emotions in the atmosphere of your neighbor's house, who may or may not notice you slamming the gate on your way to the coffee shop every morning. there's emotions in the barista who asks if you want the green tea or the latte, as they anxiously hover their hand over the ipad that holds your answer in its system. the emotions, the atmosphere, the divine, it slaps me in the face everyday whether i like it or not. that's why i make music, it feels like one of the most widely accepted forms of divinity in our current world. creation in itself is magic. every fabric of our being is working within a framework particularly built for us to toy with, to alchemize and create from. i hope they ban tik tok. it's not a place for creativity anymore. it's ruining everything it means to be human. what is everything it means to be human? creation.

humans create simply by existing. the seat you sit in on the bus creates the instant that someone sees you taking up that space and decides to sit next to you, across from you, or to stand instead. humans create when they breathe and one germ coalesces with another. then it runs through the body of someone strong, but not strong enough to be woken up without a sore throat. then that sore throat takes itself to a doctor. then it goes to the pharmacy and runs into a person they don't know yet, but will not be able to live without within the next couple of months. sore throats, bus seats, doctors, and pharmaceutical soul mates, all of which were created by us. the sore throat was created by some doctor or linguist, i'd presume. why does love always come when we're inconveniently stricken with illness? why are subway chairs that slippery muddy orange color? why why why. it's because we created it, it's because we are human and even more so, we are animal, we are mud, we are lily petal, oxygen, and feather in the screen door, a hand with lines on its palm braided between the fates and free will. the crows have something to say and create, just as much as we do. that is the meaning of life. from the creation in which we are born, we must continually give back by creating ourselves and others.

sometimes i forget where the beauty lies. i'll re-read this to remember.

#diary entry

8 notes · View notes

chainofclovers · 1 year

Text

Ted Lasso 3x10 Thoughts

I intended to write this last week, but I’ve been really busy. But 3x10 was a real joy, so I do want to capture something about it, so I’m just gonna try to quickly hit the highlights and any of it sounds similar to stuff I said in discord, so be it. 🙂

Rebecca spit tea in Ted’s face! She was planning it! He liked it! I loved it!

OK but really, everything about that moment…Rebecca reclaiming the Hockney, and the way it no longer signifies the loss of her marriage (and I think it’s so interesting that Rebecca says in 1x1 that she and Rupert bought it together on their fifth anniversary, but in this episode Rupert asks her about the Hockney “he” bought for “her”), and now that it’s back on the wall the drawing is about football again, and she’s wearing a flowy pink dress reminiscent of what she wore on the boat in Amsterdam but this time it’s something she would have picked out and purchased herself that suits her perfectly, and the Hockney scene blends so perfectly into her telling Ted that her reasons for wanting to win. Exchanging victory plans followed by a quick but thorough dousing of liquid via spitting ritual…it was so 1x10 of them.

@talldecafcappuccino said something about Nate facing some of his worst fears (as articulated at the team movie night in s1) in this episode—he is unemployed, and he makes a return (albeit temporary) to his parents’ house—and that really stuck with me. That moment when he reminds his dad that he literally told him he hated the sound of Nate playing violin is a remember-forever moment for me. Some of the parents on this show are true villains, but I think it’s as important if not more important to depict the very real pain that comes from that mismatch between thought and speech, the damage that can be done bit by bit even when intentions are good, even when a parent genuinely desires good things for their child. I’m doing a terrible job articulating it, but I appreciated the small-yet-ultra-concentrated scale of all the Nate moments very much.

Speaking of the scale of things, the grand yet quiet gesture of Nate getting Rene from the sewers to let him into the club (why are sewers so important to this show?) to fix up the locker room for Will…the sprig of lavender…the simple heartfelt apology…the intentional use of “Wonder Kid." Loved it. Completely loved it. I’m really looking forward to what’s going to happen with Nate and Ted talk, but it was completely essential that he reaches out to Will first, and that it’s an action-oriented apology that is specifically about the nature of a kitman’s work.

Speaking again of the scale of things: Rebecca’s speech to the other potential Akufo League owners. I’m very glad it was a monologue and not a soliloquy. In-scene, non-fourth-wall-breaking speeches are always a tiny bit bigger than what my personal sensibilities w/r/t secondhand embarrassment would prefer. But they are essential to Ted Lasso. And I think Rebecca’s speech absolutely had to be scaled big—she literally made herself bigger right beforehand, in this lovely moment of honoring her child self and connecting to the silliness of the ritual and the absurdities of childhood and adulthood. And it had to be big because it was in front of Rupert, who has literally interrupted her mid-speech before, stealing all the thunder for himself. I really appreciated that Rupert becomes human before our very eyes, and that Rebecca is able to genuinely draw from the things that made her love him in the first place, while there is nothing unclear about how bleak and miserable and awful Rupert is. He fucking tries to kiss her after the cathartic moment with the speech and the food tantrum, and her rejection is so clear and strong. I can’t think of a better way to almost purely visually illustrate (although the words are important, Rebecca's face says it all) what it means for her to be free of the hold he had over her for so many years.

I am soooo excited that we (re)met Roy’s sister and she really is that doctor from the A&E and she’s awesome and clearly a very good and fun mom and she’s having such a good time teasing Roy out of love which is basically the adult version of the incredibly important role Phoebe plays in his life. Also, Elodie Blomfield is so good as Phoebe. The moment when she figures out the “Roy Kunt” kit is so great. And everything about Jamie being there and his familiarity with the family!?!

Roy and Keeley! Roy’s tiny terrible handwriting! I like that we didn’t get the big moment of Roy and Keeley kissing and reconnecting to each other, and I also like that we didn’t get the moment of Nate resigning from his job. In both stories, we got the most important gestures, the most important decisions that led up to these moments and came after these moments, and considering the show needed to go big for Rebecca’s speech I think it’s essential to have a little restraint elsewhere.

Barbara! Everything with the snow globe reimbursements! Ahhhhhhhh! Barbara is the coolest and I would pay the big bucks to hear Katy Wix talk (in a good thoughtful environment obviously) about her autism and her acting choices when playing Barbara because her timings are so incredible and so hilarious and she’s built a side character into someone who fully enriches the overall story and I assume it’s all connected but I’d love to hear about this role straight from the source. I was already such a Katy Wix fan from Taskmaster and reading some of her writing online, and she was just perfection in this episode.

Beard. Oh God. Beard. What are you doing. His grudge against Nate and the kind of willful immaturity of his character in this stage of his relationship with Jane. Other than the day out with Henry in 3x8, when is the last time Beard was critical and compassionate with anyone in his life? Ted looks so bummed about that axe-throwing offer. I think Beard had to know deep down that Ted and Roy were never in a million years going to be saying yes to this invitation; it’s not that Jane would want them there. I think 3x11 and 3x12 are going to have a lot of Ted-and-Beard by necessity and I’m basically on pins and needles.

I am nervous about many things for the rest of this season, not because I think they’ll be handled badly in the show but because I can see so many different possibilities (for the truth bomb, for all the moms, for what Rebecca understands about her life today and what it could be, same for Ted, same for Beard, because I feel like Ted has to leave in some way but something’s telling me it’s not as simple as leaving or not leaving) and it’s making me feel insane. But 3x10 was a wonderful time and the lavender sprig and the spitting hit that perfect sweet spot of callbacks that propel the narrative forward and I’m grateful to have had it.

#i didn't touch at all on the players or the international matches or sam's restaurant OOPS #(i loved all the sam-and-jamie moments this ep so much)#ted lasso #meta by me #ted lasso meta #ted lasso s3 spoilers #ted lasso 3x10 #hot dork club

33 notes · View notes

sparky-is-spiders · 10 months

Text

If I may be weird and petty for a moment, I don't get AUs where Martin is the Archivist when Melanie and Sasha are right there?? I mean I get why: roleswaps are popular AUs and martin is a popular character. And maybe its just my specific headcanons re: archivist requirements but I feel like the other two would be so much better?

Yes, Martin reads statements and yes, he gets marked, but I really don't think those are the Only Requirements to do the big ritual? Cause at that point Elias could've chosen any web-marked dude off the street, especially if they have the mark of another entity as well already.

Melanie and Sasha shared several important traits with Jon, most notably a burning curiosity, a willingness to put themselves in trouble for information, and (in Melanie's case (and Sasha's too, arguably) an ability to antagonize extremely dangerous fear avatars. Sasha's whole statement is her putting herself in a dangerous situation without telling anyone or acquiring any help (remind you of any main characters?) and running face first into supernatural dangers (sometimes to protect her friends, sometimes out of curiosity). Useful for collecting marks, but also useful for collecting information and developing her own powers as the Archivist. Considering her seemingly unrepentant willingness to look through her friends' and coworkers' personal files via accessing their accounts, I'd argue that her curiosity and boundary crossing could easily get stronger when investigating supernatural entities. Obviously, this never happened because of how early on she died, but I think you could make a strong case for Sasha's strong curiosity making some avatars incredibly mad. Not to mention how incredibly Beholding it is of her. None of this is criticism btw, I think Sasha should have access to whatever personal info she wants and I love it when characters are so obviously Eye-aligned. I know "Sasha wasn't promoted because she'd solve all the problems and find a way to kill Jonah" is also a popular headcanon but please think for a MOMENT about her appearances in podcast. There weren't many, but there's a very obvious through-line in almost all of them. She's curious, she takes risks in the face of the supernatural, she wants to Know. It's literally what caused the circumstances of her statement. Those traits are arguably the ones that got her KILLED. I'm sorry this went off on a tangent. I just love Sasha very much and I'm constantly filled with Thoughts of Sasha.

Melanie also has curiosity about the supernatural AND a much more obviously antagonistic personality!! Her first appearance is being a total asshole to Jon, mocking him, the place he works at, the equipment they use, and what they do. But she also dedicated basically her entire career into uncovering the supernatural? She ran a Youtube channel about it, and when she discovered that everyone was sticking to the same "safe" sites, she started looking off the beaten path for the real stuff. And she found it! She went looking for ghosts of war and violence and even without access to statements, probably working alone and sifting through bunk on the internet, she found them! She got stabbed by a ghost and instead of trying to avoid ghosts in the future, she decided to look for more violent ghosts. The slaughter tendencies might be a drawback for her becoming the Archivist, yes, but by that point Jon had already survived multiple marks and was developing his powers. If he failed by that point, Elias might've wanted an Archivist who'd be better able to defend themselves. By S4 Melanie was probably far enough gone to the Slaughter (and hated the Eye enough) that she was probably off the table as a candidate. By that point, however, Jon was expected to fully Become and only needed a few more marks.

I understand that Sasha was approved for a transfer to the Archives because Elias let Jon choose who take with him and Jon chose Sasha. And Melanie was almost certainly chosen to keep Jon in close proximity of a Slaughter-aligned person who'd be likely to mark him but unlikely to kill him. But I think that they served a secondary purpose of being backup Archivists in case something happened to Jon.

Obviously this is more headcanon than theory (not to mention it relies on other headcanons to fully stand) but I'm very fond of it. I guess I think that, even if Elias wasn't really looking for another Archivist when Jon seems like the perfect candidate in every way (and I'm not saying this JUST because I love him), I think that if something did happen to Jon, they'd be Elias' next candidates.

#I hope this makes sense?#I've been rotating this idea for a while but I'm not sure if its fully baked yet #might need more time in the oven #if you're wondering why I opened with petty complaints about martin being the archivist #it's because I am Filled With Spite and I Do Not Like Him #and I think he'd be a bad candidate #which is its own post #anyway my Sasha opinions are almost as high as my Jon opinions #my Melanie opinions are... mixed leaning negative #but I think she has archivist potential #I think its important for the archivist to be curious #and for a majority of the marks to stem from active choices they made #to interact with the supernatural #anyway not maintagging this #I've only just started a relisten after not listening in a while #so let me know if I've forgotten something important #or missed a line that invalidates all my headcanon-crafting #I know I post a lot of jonship stuff but I PROMISE I care about other aspects of the show #I got some meta stuff thats been percolating in the brain soup so you can possibly expect more of that in the next couple days #anyway I gotta go now #goodbye

16 notes · View notes

monstersdownthepath · 1 year

Text

Demigod Dossier: Asura Rana, part 2

Pictured: Not any of the Rana, but the closest thing we’re likely to get to an image of them: the highest CR Asura, the Asurendra from Bestiary 3, pg. 23. I could have re-used the same pic from last time, but that might be too confusing...

Lawful Evil Mistakes of the Gods The Complete Book of the Damned, pg. 110~111

Aah, the poor Asura Rana... Among fiendish demigods, they’re one of the least developed, having barely any lore in ANY book, not a single representative with a statblock, and most damning? Not a single piece of art depicting any of them. It’s a shame, because they have some of the more compelling lore of any of the fiends, being directly created by the gods’ mistakes and acting as living representations of divine failures and frustrations. If any fiend should have an easy time spreading apostasy and heresy and weakening the overall amount of faith of the world, it should be them.

As I discussed in the last post that introduced the majority of their lore, Asura Rana are not traditionally ascended from lessers of their kind, but rather born from one specific, apocalyptic tragedy that caused death and trauma across a whole nation, continent, or even an entire planet. This isn’t ALWAYS the case, mind, as some lesser asura can be reborn into greater and greater forms--usually, but not always, with the blessing of another Rana--due to achieving some physical or spiritual apotheosis and blooming into a semi-divine entity... and, rarely, suffering a humiliating but enlightening defeat can see an asura reincarnating into a form stronger than the one before it.

The three we’ll be discussing are one of each: Chupurvagasti, born fully-formed when an entire planet was covered in toxic mists by an enraged god; Gavidya, who ascended over time as he wove lies and apostasies into a hundred different religious groups, causing them to fracture and self-destruct; and Ioramvul, who died thousands of times by his own hand and became stronger with every death until he ascended to the status of a Rana. I also, for many reasons, find each of them amusing or interesting enough to review. So how about we look at what these lore-less fiends offer...

The Asura Rana work freely with mortals, seeing them as potential allies and tools in their battles against the divine… if only to destroy them once they’ve outlived their usefulness. Worshipers receive Boons that are are relatively simple: a trio of spell-like abilities, each of which may be used 1/day. Boons are normally gained slowly, at levels 12, 16, and 20, however entering the Evangelist, Exalted, or Sentinel Prestige Classes can see the Boons gained as early as levels 10, 13, and 16. Note that while they are Lawful Evil fiends that live in Hell, they are not devils, thus you cannot enter the Diabolist Prestige Class to obtain their Boons without DM fiat.

Chupurvagasti, the Lady of Poison Mist Rana of Mists, Poison, and Veils Domains: Air, Evil, Law, Trickery Subdomains: Cloud, Deception, Fear, Wind

Obedience: Meditate while wearing a veil soaked in acrid, toxic chemicals that induce minor rashes. Benefit: Gain a +4 profane bonus on saving throws against poison effects.

Off to a rough start! While the chemicals are stated to only be foul enough to cause ‘minor rashes,’ you can bet that over time, that nastiness will build up. Good thing your chosen goddess also gives you protection from poison! And that most DMs won’t bother with tracking your long-term exposure to dangerous chemicals. It’s hard to be scared of anything that’d take 20~30 years to start having side-effects, especially when Neutralize Poison (or Lesser Restoration) will likely be available to you within a year or two at most.

Like most of the Rana, this Obedience is quite subtle and easy to hide, despite the awful first impression it’ll probably leave on anyone seeing you do it for the first time. Even the resulting rashes can be explained away if you wave off the ritual as some sort of esoteric skin-cleansing or beauty regimen. Or the precursor to one, as you apply ointment and balm to the rashes to soothe them! One whiff of the Narsty coming off your rags, and few people will likely stick around to actually investigate further and figure out you’re worshiping a nihilistic destroyer deity. It’s even easier if you’re an Alchemist, or even just a regular chemist, as you can synthesize your own mixtures to minimize their potential damage to you and remove the complications of getting them in the first place! All in all, quite simple... but, of course, impossible to do if your belongings get stolen, which I always ding points off for.

The benefit isn’t anything we haven’t seen before. Extra protection from poison is good at all levels and in every campaign (except Evil vs Good, as goody-goods are unlikely to wield poison), and while poisons are rarely dangerous to a given party after level 8 or so, they can certainly be a resource-drain when trying to handle them and especially when trying to undo their damage before it begins to stack up. If nothing else, having a bit of a buffer between yourself and needing to waste a party spell slot on Neutralize Poison is good.

Boon 1: Displacement Boon 2: Quickened Stinking Cloud Boon 3: Quickened Cloudkill

And here we are in the meat of it! Chupur gives quite the handy selection of spells to her followers as they level, all three of them being excellent defensive tools. Displacement is a one-size fits all buff for anyone expecting to be attacked a lot, imposing a 50% miss chance to attacks against yourself or another character expected to go into the front line. While the duration leaves much to be desired, it’s hard to hate a free cast of Displacement saved for a particularly gnarly fight with an enemy that has a lot of attacks. That it lets you cast it on someone else instead of just yourself is a nice ribbon, as it lets you pick whether you want to save your tank some HP, or your backline from any stray blows that get through.

Next-- hey! HEY! HEY!!! That’s CHEATING, you little rat! It’s spell level 3, 6, and 9 for Boons 1, 2, and 3 (respective) for Asura Rana! You thought you were being sneaky, didn’t you? But I caught you right in the act! Trying to get your followers a level 7 spell when you thought no one was looking! Well I’m onto you!

... anyway. Yes, while Chupur may be [through gritted teeth] breaking the established rules to get her followers Quickened Stinking Cloud, she at least broke them to get them a great spell. I can’t think of any reason you WOULDN’T want a Quickened spell of any sort, least of all a spell that not only breaks line of sight between you and hostiles, but can outright stop entire groups of enemies from fighting back at all once it’s used. Anything not immune to poison that gets caught in a Stinking Cloud has to save versus nausea that lasts for as long as they remain in the fog, and then for 1d4+1 extra rounds on top of that once they exit, so even if they managed to stumble out and spot you, they won’t be able to do anything for--at the very least--two more entire rounds. And because it’s Quickened? You can lob a Fireball into a crowd, then fart all over whoever survived to keep them from firing back.

Worst case scenario, it’s a more expensive Obscuring Fog, which itself is already a great defensive spell. I can’t be angry at this, no matter how much it breaks the rules. [grumbling] lawful evil my ass...

This, of course, leads nicely into Cloudkill. Take everything I said about Stinking Cloud and put it here as well, but add in the caveat that instead of just nauseating everyone inside, Cloudkill... well, kills them. Innocent commoners and weaker minions are slain outright, while moderately stronger ones must save every turn or die. Anything with more than 6 HD takes 1d4 Con damage every round they remain in the cloud, which builds quickly since there’s no actual way to resist the Con damage unless you’re immune to poison (making the save only cuts the damage in half, min 1).

Perhaps to keep down potential cheese strats with Forcecage, the cloud automatically moves 10ft forward each round until it can simply go no further, preventing you from using the Quickened nature of the spell to perform a one-two punch of locking an enemy in a box and then spraying them with RAID... but you CAN enclose an enemy (or enemies) in a U-shaped Wall of Force (which unlike Forcecage, doesn’t allow a save), as the cloud cannot move past the Wall and will simply stop once it touches it. If you or an ally can coordinate your spells, you can Wall of Force, then Quickened Cloudkill into the gap, then another ally can seal the remaining exit point with another Wall spell of any sort to assure the deaths of all creatures inside.

While this can work with Wall of Stone or similar spells, it’s up to the DM how they interpret the cloud’s inexorable movement; I specifically chose WoF because it says ‘spells cannot pass through it,’ so the cloud would stop moving once it reached the wall. If the DM states, reasonably, that the cloud stops if it cannot penetrate a substance, you can get away with Wall of Stone, Ice, Bone, or similar. Or you can eschew lethal combos and just spray it over a crowd of enemies to mop up everyone not worth your time! Much like with stanky cloud, it’s hard to not be excited for Quickened Mass Extinction.

------

Gavidya, the Numberless Rana of Corruption, Indoctrination, and Lies Domains: Community, Evil, Law, Trickery Subdomains: Deception, Family, Slavery, Thievery

Obedience: Count the bearings inside a sap, assigning each the name of someone you know and intend to indoctrinate or deceive. Benefit: Gain a +4 profane bonus on Bluff checks to tell lies and on saving throws against Divination effects.

Again, continuing the trend Asura Rana tend to have of making an Obedience subtle, if odd. Your behavior is likely to come off as obsessive-compulsive rather than any level of Evil, especially since you don’t have to state aloud the names on your list. I enjoy the idea of a character starting out with a single name on their list, but over the course of the campaign, they eventually acquire a name for every individual bearing inside their sacred weapon (note, Gavidya is one of THREE whole deities whose sacred weapon is the sap!). So, yes; easily concealed Obedience which requires very little investment--a sap can be replaced if stolen for a measly 1 gold in anything but a desolate dungeon--only minorly complicated by the fact that saps in Pathfinder tend to be metal or wood beatsticks, not socks full of beans, stones, or ball bearings, as the Obedience implies. Still, a sack of ball bearings isn’t exp-- wait

wait what?

hold on, am I blind? Am I crazy?? Am I stupid??? where on earth in equipment are the ball bearings?! I could have SWORN...

... huh. I guess they don’t exist in Pathfinder! This is odd, considering the modernity of some of its tech. I suppose you could get away with filling a leather or burlap bag with wooden bearings, which should absolutely exist on Golarion, or marbles, which not only exist but are statted out (costing 1sp for a bag, adventurer pocket change), in place of metallic bearings to replace a lost or stolen sap.

Anyway, the benefit. Benefit’s good, because any Divination spell that has a saving throw is typically one you really want to save against to keep an enemy from having an easy time analyzing you, especially if you’re going to be living up to your Rana’s standards of lying at every available opportunity. Top contenders are Scrying and the entire Detect Thoughts family along with their imitators, but there’s also the niche case of Mind Thrust and its line of Except Bigger versions being incredibly rare cases of offensive Divination spells. It’s not as valuable in a battle as having saves against Necromancy or Enchantment, but it’s very valuable OUT of battle whenever someone out there is trying to get a read on you.

Boon 1: Glibness Boon 2: Create Greater Mindscape Boon 3: Microcosm

Well, this first one’s easy! Glibness should be a spell familiar to anyone who’s ever played as, with, or against a Bard. The absolutely divine +20 bonus it gives to make your lies believable cancels out the -20 penalty associated with telling impossible lies, allowing you to gaslight and girlboss (gender neutral) your way past pretty much anyone trying to gatekeep you. Even if your lie contradicts everything they know, they’ll at least give it some thought and sometimes even a take a moment to double-check their own knowledge, which gives you enough time to think of something even more convincing (or just run). If you’re not brave enough to go around trying to convince people you’re Aroden reborn, the +20 bonus is quite handy even if you’re not the party’s face, turning you into one for the absolutely monstrous duration of 10 min/level. If you ARE the party’s face it’s practically unnecessary overkill, but if you’re going to be lying ANYWAY, you may as well lie in style.

This second one, though? This one requires a bit more explanation than I could ever fit into a single article, but I’ll do my best: So long as you have a vague idea about who you’re going to aim the spell at, it’s a Save-or-Suck sleep effect on upwards to 13 creatures at once (+1 per level)... and you don’t need line-of-effect. The Mindscape spell operates similarly to Dimension Door, in that you need only paint an area and the spell locks onto whatever target falls into that area, without you needing to be able to draw line-of-effect or even know what you’re shooting at. If you need a room cleared, you can target a soldier garrison and say you’re affecting as many people as possible... but if, say, you saw someone of high rank enter that same garrison, or if you know the king is in his chambers, or the big bad evil guy is in the hall next door, or have any other sort of firsthand knowledge that there’s a specific target or targets you want to pick for this spell (as in, you must have seen or heard that they’re within the spell’s area), the spell automatically and unerringly seeks them out even among a crowd.

I’m actually going to take a second paragraph here to explain what Greater Create Mindscape does in the simplest terms I can: You pick the area of the spell, pick how many targets (or specify targets) you want to affect, and then any target that fails their save AS WELL AS YOURSELF are drawn into a mindscape of your design. The mindscape is essentially a temporary dream demiplane; you choose what it looks like, how big it is, if certain magics are empowered or suppressed (as though it were a proper plane), what sorts of monsters or beasts are inside (you can directly control a number of those monsters equal to your caster level; all others are mindless constructs), whether or not damage taken within the mindscape translates to the victim’s actual HP bar, and the method by which the mindscape can be escaped, which must be possible for all creatures within the mindscape (”Make it to the edge of the forest,” “open the front door of the manor,” “defeat this boss monster,” “catch this rabbit,” etc).

Already a hell of a spell! Snare an entire crowd of enemies in your imagination zone, putting them through a gauntlet of deadly traps and hostile monster encounters... while also being there yourself, as your mental avatar must also be present. Tempting as it may be to lock away dozens of foes at a time in your mind palace where damage done to them is also dealt to the real them, the reverse is true for you as well, and now suddenly you have 13+ people who want you gone. While you possess your full retinue of abilities, so do they, and while YOU’RE probably extremely powerful, your mental constructs can’t be so overpowering that your victims have no hope of defeating them; victory must be possible, even if it’s difficult. No conjuring 20 mental Tarrasques (okay, you can, but they’ll only be strong enough to challenge your weakest enemy)! The most generically good use of this spell, in my opinion, is akin to a Mass Hold Monster, as any creature trapped in a mindscape becomes effectively catatonic and cannot be awoken even if their body takes damage, allowing your allies to execute them one at a time... or defend your carcass from everyone who made their save.

Whoof, that was long, and we’re still not done talking about the power offered by the Numberless! Microcosm is a hell of a spell to give out, only otherwise being available to Psychics, and for good reason: it’s a rare example of a Save-And-Suck. It can affect only 30 HD worth of creatures (significantly less than you’d think, especially if you’re fighting anything but Humanoids and Monstrous Humanoids), but any creature with less than 10 HD gets no saving throw to avoid being trapped in a permanent mindscape. Anything with 11 to 15 HD is trapped for 10 minutes per level even if they successfully save, and permanently if they fail, so it’s basically a confirmed kill on anything not immune to the spell no matter what. Anything with 16 HD or higher--like any boss or even midboss-level threat you’ll be facing at the level you get this power--avoids the effect if they succeed their save. Microcosm is an off-switch for combats with creatures that would waste your time, and an extremely potent Save-or-Suck against anything worth your time.

Of all the Rana we’ve seen so far, Gavidya has the best record so far, with all three of his spells being extremely useful!

------

Ioramvul, With the Mouth Full of Boulders Rana of Caverns, Cliffs, and Premature Burials Domains: Death, Earth, Evil, Law Subdomains: Caves, Fear, Murder, Undead

Obedience: Partially bury yourself in dirt or gravel while meditating. Benefit: Gain a +4 profane bonus on saving throws against earth effects and petrification.

Three for three on the ‘easily hidden Obedience ritual’ front (two for three if you consider Chupur’s acrid facemask routine difficult to hide), and probably one of the simplest and easiest Obediences ever. Dirt and gravel are all over the god dang planet, so unless you’re in space, in the arctic, in an Elemental Plane besides Earth, or are somehow in a dungeon made of plastic or metal, you can perform this Obedience. “partially” is also a key phrase here, because it means you don’t need a full covering; in a pinch, enough to cover your feet or both hands (or, in the tradition of your Rana, half your face) will satisfy the conditions.

Simple, easy, and can be performed in just about any condition. What more could you want? A good benefit, perhaps. Earth effects aren’t the most common thing on the planet--if something’s demanding a saving throw, it’s probably Fire or Water--so the majority of this time, this effect will probably just be sitting pretty and unused on your character sheet. The extra protection against petrification is welcome, at least; any protection against a Save-or-Suck as damning as petrification is a good ribbon, even if it IS uncommon.

Boon 1: Spiked Pit Boon 2: Statue Boon 3: Clashing Rocks

I will sing the praises of the Pit spells all the live-long day if I have to. I won’t stop until I see them on the list of every caster who wants control of the battlefield! The Pit spells work on everything, are useful even if the target makes their save (because they linger, and thus more enemies can be pushed in), shaft any enemy without a climb or fly speed, combo well with anything that can take advantage of shooting fish in barrels, and with a bit of creativity can be used to temporarily remove traps or other obstacles. Their major downside is that they’re useless against enemies that can fly, but that’s what the rest of your repertoire is for (or a well-placed tanglefoot bag when they’re hovering over the hole). As battlefield control goes, there’s little better than narrowing where your enemies can move by opening a pit of spikes on part of the map, and Rangers and Hunters love few things more than enemies they have the high ground over. The extra damage from the spikes is more of a ribbon on top of this present than anything else.

I will be first to admit, though, that for all the good I see in making pits, Statue took a while to grow on me. I never saw it as ever worth preparing or even having, considering that using it optimally locks you out of AoOs and immediate actions, but if you’re going full-caster? Why not have 8 Hardness between you and whatever your enemies are doing? Not like you’ll miss the loss of AC since you barely had any anyway. It also--and this is the part that turned me around on the spell--renders you immune to an enormous variety of spells and effects, because the majority of offensive magic only affects creatures, and while you’re in statue form, you’re considered an object. No mind-affecting effects for you, thanks! Just watch out for enemies with heavy picks or warhammers...

Oh, also, even if you’re not the party’s caster, you can just hand the spell over to them anyway. It affects whoever you touch!

Speaking of stone, though, we end on one of the funniest spells in Pathfinder. Possibly the most ‘unga bunga’ level 9 spell you could have on your list, and one of the most effective to boot. High-level enemies tend to have immunity to enormous lists of status ailments, wide elemental resistances and some protection from Save-or-Sucks... but do you know what few enemies have defenses against? Being hit with a huge rock. Let alone two huge rocks! Clashing Rocks conjures two enormous boulders on either side of the target and then sandwich-smashes them, dealing 20d6 damage and knocking the target prone with nothing but a successful ranged touch attack to hit; this averages to about 75, so it’s not especially jaw-dropping, but it’s an attack instead of a save and knocks them prone... and, if they fail a Reflex saving throw, they take an additional 8d6 bludgeoning damage (Reflex DC 15 half) and get buried under tons of stone. potentially taking them out of the fight entirely or even killing them via suffocation if they can’t make the DC 25 Strength check to escape.

Even if the attack misses, the stones still deal 10d6 damage and knock the victim prone (Reflex save for half and avoid being knocked over), and the same damage/knockdown effect occurs to every creature and object in the 30x30 space of the stones when they appear and the 30ft distance they travel to smash into the target. That’s a lot of sure damage over a wide area to a lot of potential targets, but also there’s just something special about hitting something like a dragon or a vampire with enormous rocks. Like how I complimented the Pit spells, Clashing Rocks works on everything and alters the battlefield when it’s used, because those rocks don’t go away after the spell ends. Now there’s a 30x60 mound of difficult terrain smack dab where an enemy used to be, and everyone has to deal with it.

... also, even if you didn’t need it for the damage, a creative player could come up with at least three or four uses for 80 tons of earth and stone that can just be waved into existence as needed.

#Spiritual Spotlight #Demigod Dossier #Sinister Spotlight

27 notes · View notes

spurgie-cousin · 5 days

Note

hi, i was wondering if i could get any advice? i suspect i have autism, and i always struggled with social relationships all my life. i kept to myself as a child and teenager, and it wasn't until i was in university, did i try to make friends. it took a while, a lot of tears, and pain, but now i do have some great and understanding friends and i hang out with them at least once a week. however, i can't seem to get over the feelings of rejection and isolation. how to cope with that.

I relate to that feeling a lot ❤️ my go to coping mechanism for a really long time was just self isolation (very bad for you do not recommend) and I still really struggle with feeling alone even when I have no obvious reason to feel that way.

In the moment when I'm feeling that, I have a few rituals I do to distract myself, the main one is I kind of interview myself about the feeling. For example, "did something specific cause this" "are there any distinct thoughts or fears I am feeling", but what helps me most personally is "is what I'm feeling objectively true? What does being alone/rejected look like, and does it reflect my life?" That usually leads to me thinking about all the ways I'm actually not alone, and that is usually helpful. If you can, it helps to tell at least one person you feel safe with about this feeling, not only to take a load off your chest but to maybe have a go to buddy to help you out when you're struggling. For me, it's my husband or brother, and we don't always have to have a big deep conversation, honestly it helps me more to just talk about something light hearted or laugh.

Something that's also been really helpful is finding other autistic/adhd folks to relate to and talk to about these kinds of things. Outside of a few friends I do this on the internet for the most part, in groups usually for advice or venting, and it can be really helpful just to get stuff off your chest and have people who've been through exactly what you're talking about weigh in.

Longer term, I've been working with a psychiatrist for my overall neurodivergent struggles which I highly recommend for ADHD/autistic folks in particular if possible, just because I've had just a smoother experience overall with a psych vs a regular therapist (my psych also does talk therapy though). I work with her through GrowTherapy which is a more insurance friendly version of BetterHelp basically, so fully remote. I know that's not an option for everyone, it wasn't for me for a long time, but definitely worth looking into if it is an option. I hope it becomes something that's more accessible, talking with an expert is so helpful for so many things re: mental health and neurodivergence, especially as someone who was diagnosed late and is still learning.

#advice #mental health

4 notes · View notes

dangans-ur-ronpas · 2 months

Text

some world-building stuff for my danganronpa monsters and mythics (mnm) au

long post below vvv i should space this out to different posts but i dont want to. so.

society stuff:

there are nonsentient 'monsters', as in, non-human creatures that are so rare in human populated areas or are hard to be perceived by humans due to magic, they end up being considered myths

re: above point, these creatures may either be wild or cultivated like livestock for sentient species (i.e: harpies raising pegasi specifically for meat)

all species mostly have their own societal structure. there are cases where there may be cross-interaction between different species, but most of the time humans are excluded from these

re: above point, not all interactions are neutral or have good intentions. i.e: vampires and werewolves have traditionally feuded, humans have been preyed upon by kitsunes and harpies

humans have been considered one of the weakest and 'the most paranoid' species, given how so few humans can use magic compared to other species

humans in general have a hard time mixing with other species. most of them can't perceive or understand magic so it becomes a strange and unnatural concept, which creates a sense of fear. only in modern times has there been attempts to integrate humans to nonhuman society

the official title of 'monster-hunter' is a purely human concept. traditionally hunters were used to eradicate non-human creatures for the sake of protecting humans, nowadays they try to settle issues between humans and non-humans and only resort to violence when necessary

monster-hunters are also tasked with minimizing contact between non-human creatures and human populations and preventing spread of knowledge. this is both intended as 'a way to protect humans' and also 'a way to protect the profession'

(most monster-hunter organizations suck btw they're like the cops of this world. but solitary hunters exist and they can either be like vigilantes or. cop +)

hope's peak academy traditionally has taken in exceptional students of different species, excluding humans, though it has had human instructors

latest class of hpa has, on jin kirigiri's instruction, numerous students of partial or entire human descent. specifically, this year's class aimed to recruit students who have some link to humans, whether by bloodline or just living in human societies

it's kind of like 'mairimashita! iruma-kun' where it's a bunch of demons of different races with different abilities and cultures all living under one roof and then there's one human guy who can't do magic or fly or anything (makoto)

cultural stuff:

many species carry the belief of consuming something and gaining its power. some species will make it a ritual thing, i.e: a dragon eating another dragon's heart to gain strength and magic, a vampire drinking another vampire's blood to symbolize dominance/transference of power and title

the implications and potential taboo of eating sentient creatures of other species varies. traditionally, this sort of thing was fine and normalized - nowadays, especially in places with many different species residing, it's less accepted to hunt others for the sake of eating

with that said, among nonhumans it's considered a sign of friendship/love/trust to give someone permission to eat you if you die

kinda like beastars i guess but the instinct to hunt or be hunted isn't as big a factor or an obstacle for cross-species interactions

similarly, some monster-hunters groups will take trophies as a symbol of growing stronger or use nonhuman parts as tools. some will even eat what they hunt - this is usually less smiled upon among non-humans because it's considered killing for the sake of killing, and disrespecting the dead

the word humans use for nonhumans is 'monster', but all other species usually also have a word to refer to 'everyone else'

cross-hybrids, especially with humans, are usually inclined to have some genetic troubles because of it. because of that they are usually shunned and disregarded - the same goes for those who grow too fond of humans

humans in general are considered weak, ignorant and needing to turn to trickery and dishonorable methods to make up for their general lack of magic. hence another reason intermarriage with humans is frowned upon

not a small amount of species have and will hunt humans for sustenance. several have evolved to specialize to hunt humans

monster-hunters will sometimes use another human as bait. because of moral concerns, nowadays monster-hunters mostly use human-like artificial beings instead. but now there's conflict on whether this is ethical, as making a convincing artificial human requires the parts of other humans

humans are the most populous species on the planet. because of this, the spread of human cultures may end up drawing from or adding to the cultures of the other populations around them (i.e: legends and myths about various species may influence how that species chooses to portray itself around humans)

some species may choose to live among humans to take advantage of them, to consume them or otherwise

re: above, because of this there is also a lot of linguistic 'borrowing' between species. i.e: species that reside in japan might communicate in japanese or a language derived from that. vice versa, many human languages have words, characters, phrases etc that might be borrowed from nonhuman languages

#dgr mnm au #danganronpa #can u tell i have no idea how to start these kinds of au posts. i'm just going off vibes #i was working from home earlier today and. my manager was also not working. and. i was not doing Anything #i mean i was trying to work but i also had to catch a flight in a few hours so.....#calling this 'monsters and mythics' bc it sounds like dungeons and dragons and no other reason #the term 'monsters' will go from makoto using it to describe people negatively to a term of affection for those who are considered misfits #among humans and nonhumans alike. due to their outstanding ability and strange behaviors #if anythign in this au seems off-color or not cool please let me know #im not specifically basing any dynamics here off of anything irl this is mostly from. beastars. dungeon meshi. marimashita iruma kun #i'll make a master post for this at some point sure

2 notes · View notes

rollercoasterwords · 1 year

Note

I LOVE ZOMBIES TOO

I have this zombie hyperfixation that comes back every few years and at least one tri-yearly zombie apocalypse dream.

I have this podcast where I talk about spooky stuff I find interesting and the zombie episode was at least twice as long as all the other ones.

Ok so what I find rlly interesting is ancient Hatian zombies, which were real. It wasn't like an actual zombie but basically somebody was tricked into thinking they were dead with drugs and herbs and medicine or smth, then actually buried, then dug up again to be used for slavery. And theyre actually called zombies too. And it's just. wow.

LOOK https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/10/how-america-erased-the-tragic-history-of-the-zombie/412264/

lol love the enthusiasm!! i am definitely the same way about zombies as previously stated they are probably my favorite monster <3 and this response got very long so i am putting it under a cut lol

personally i have not studied actual ritual practices enough to really talk about how much truth there is to the notion of "real-life zombies," what that practice might have looked like, or how widespread it was. i've read a bit of ethnography + anthropological writing about zombi rituals, but my understanding is that the extent to which there may have been "real" zombies has been largely exagerrated and exoticized in a way that is...not great. so while it's definitely super interesting to research what sort of historical practices + rituals were/are attached to cultural understandings of zombiism, i'd just caution against any portrayal that inaccurately exagerrates the history or seems to be mysticizing "real-life zombies."

if u (or anyone) are interested in some reading that adds a bit more nuance to cultural conceptions + origins of the zombie, some recs!

haitian zombie, myth, and modern identity by kette thomas

new narratives of haiti; or, how to empathize with a zombie by kaima l. glover

zombi narratives: transatlantic circulations by gudrun rath

figures of terror: the "zombie" and the haitian revolution by raphael hoermann

not all of these scholars are in complete agreement with each other, but all of them are doing really interesting things re: questioning the way the zombi has historically been tied to Haiti + Africa in scholarship + pop culture, and how oftentimes those ties have been examined or portrayed largely through a neocolonial + racialized lens

anyway--thank u for sharing that article (here's a link minus the paywall for anyone interested)! another great jumping-off point for anyone interested in zombie history. i definitely appreciate the point he's getting at--the idea that zombie media has become so immersed in consumer culture that it no longer contains any meaningful critique of such a culture, and instead functions largely as a mechanism for escapist fantasies. this echoes some other interesting research i came across in undergrad about the idea that the "dystopian" genre has really become the new "utopian" genre, though i can't remember where specifically i first encountered the idea (i think it was somewhere in my zombie research, but i'd have to go hunt for the specific article/book/etc).

personally, though, i think it's a bit of a reach to imply that the zombie used to contain a significant critique of "societal ills." specifically, where he writes:

For a brief period, the living dead served as a handy Rorschach test for America’s social ills. At various times, they represented capitalism, the Vietnam War, nuclear fear, even the tension surrounding the civil-rights movement. Today zombies are almost always linked with the end of the world via the “zombie apocalypse,” a global pandemic that turns most of the human population into beasts ravenous for the flesh of their own kind. But there’s no longer any clear metaphor. While America may still suffer major social ills—economic inequality, policy brutality, systemic racism, mass murder—zombies have been absorbed as entertainment that’s completely independent from these dilemmas.

what i think he's perhaps overlooking here is that--yes, zombies have historically represented different "social ills," that doesn't necessarily mean that representation has been somehow more radical or liberatory than the zombie media of his time (2010s--article was written in 2015). even in the earlier 20th century when "zombie" media stuck more closely to the original lore of the zombi, the zombie was still typically represented in a way meant to reinforce existing systems of power rather than call them into question, and this has been a theme of much zombie media throughout the 20th and early 21st centuries. i also think to suggest that there was no longer any clear metaphor by the time 2015 rolled around is a bit facetious; i can think of two zombie movies from 2015 specifically where zombies are being used as a clear cultural critique in different ways, and multiple other zombie movies from the 2010s where this was also the case. so while i appreciate what he's trying to do here re: making a point about dystopia-as-utopia and how western reimaginings of the zombie have fundamentally altered it, i think he's detracting from his own argument a bit when he suggests that using zombies as a tool for valorizing western individualism rather than exploring oppressive power dynamics that result in dehumanization is reflective of some sort of deterioration in modern media, and not part of the way zombies have pretty much always been used in western media since their co-option

#ask #book recs #not really book recs tho these are all articles #but feel like i need 2 tag in case i want 2 find this post again

10 notes · View notes

meant-to-be-a-hero · 1 year

Note

heya~ for the writer ask: 1-40, please 💚 ilu

This took a long time, but you did ask me all the questions so I feel like I get a pass for that.

Under a cut, because this is long.

1. What font do you write in? Do you actually care or is that just the default setting?

Garamond. I think I read somewhere that it’s like, a good one for people to read, and I’ve just never moved away from it. I like it.

2. If you had to give up your keyboard and write your stories exclusively by hand, could you do it? If you already write everything by hand, a) are you a wizard and b) pen or pencil?

Oh god no. I edit and change my mind far too much, and I type much faster than I could ever write by hand. I’d end up getting a typewriter or a Dictaphone instead.

3. What is your writing ritual and why is it cursed?

I tend to write my first drafts on my tablet downstairs. It’s mostly just a skeleton for a plot, and then I edit upstairs on my desktop computer, in like, total silence so I can concentrate. That’s where I flesh out all the stuff I’ve written, and it goes from a draft to a proper story.

4. What’s a word that makes you go absolutely feral?

Silhouette. Or manoeuvre. Or camouflage. I spelt two of them wrong, because they are Evil Words.

5. Do you have any writing superstitions? What are they and why are they 100% true?

I dunno, I don’t think I’ve ever thought about it. Probably not?

6. What is your darkest fear about writing?

That I’m honestly just writing the same thing over and over, with different characters. Even if the story’s different, that the message is the same. Or that my writing’s like, hollow – it’s just a story, and it doesn’t have a message at all outside of that. Which is fine, obviously, not every piece of writing has to have some Big Meaning behind it, but. Yeah.

7. What is your deepest joy about writing?

Re-reading something I wrote and haven’t read for a while and going ‘I did that’. Even better if I can go ‘I did that and it’s just as good now as I thought it was when I wrote it’.

8. If you had to write an entire story without either action or dialogue, which would you choose and how would it go?

Action. I could probably write like a pure love story, Love, Simon-esque. But no dialogue would be very hard.

9. Do you believe in ghosts? This isn’t about writing I just wanna know

Yeah, absolutely.

10. Has a piece of writing ever “haunted” you? Has your own writing haunted you? What does that mean to you?

Not a specific piece of writing but when I write a metaphor and I’m like ‘I’ve used this before’ and I know for a fact that I have but I can’t remember where, which feeds back into that whole ‘all I’m doing is writing the same thing over and over again’ thing, that haunts me a lot. Haunted by my own narrative.

11. Do you believe in the old advice to “kill your darlings?” Are you a ruthless darling assassin? What happens to the darlings you murder? Do you have a darling graveyard? Do you grieve?

I don’t think it always applies, but definitely sometimes. I don’t like doing it, obviously, because it’s Murder, but sometimes trying to make three paragraphs work because you really like one sentence just isn’t the way to go. I don’t save them, they just get deleted and I’ll cry a little bit.

12. If a genie offered you three writing wishes, what would they be? Btw if you wish for more wishes the genie turns all your current WIPs into Lorem Ipsum, I don’t make the rules

Being able to type without ever misspelling a word again. The amount of times I misspell shit and have to go back and change it, I could probably have written twice as many words.

The ability to have Fresh Eyes right away. I tend to write in the morning/afternoon then step away from it and edit in the evenings, but sometimes it’d be nice to just be able to edit right away.

Maybe like, the ability to just stop myself from being so fucking critical about my writing, that’d be nice.

13. What is a subject matter that is incredibly difficult for you write about? What is easy?

I dunno, I don’t think I write things that are hard for me, like, on purpose? Maybe that’s not pushing myself, I guess, but. I tend to worry that when I introduce problems, especially relationship problems, I solve them too quickly and easily? Maybe that’s it.

Melodrama’s easy for me, because I love it. Stupid sweeping sentences and ridiculous descriptions and big explosive set-pieces. That’s my shit.

14. Do you lend your books to people? Are people scared to borrow books from you? Do you know exactly where all your “lost” books are and which specific friend from school you haven’t seen in twelve years still possesses them? Will you ever get them back?

Yes, yes, yes, and no, in that order. I’m very particular about my books, I don’t like them being damaged, so I’m happy to lend them to people, but they have to understand that they have to look after them.

15. Do you write in the margins of your books? Dog-ear your pages? Read in the bath? Why or why not? Do you judge people who do these things? Can we still be friends?

Dear god no. I don’t judge people who do any of those things, just don’t do them with my books. We can still be friends, Quiz. But you’re on thin ice.

16. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever used as a bookmark?

Oh probably food. I think I used one of those liquorice straws covered in sugar once, and had sugar stuck in the spine of the book forever after. I definitely try not to do that any more lol. This always reminds me of that post where the guy used a slice of cheese.

17. Talk to me about the minutiae of your current WIP. Tell me about the lore, the history, the detail, the things that won’t make it in the text.

Ooh, good question. I don’t think I’ve worked out all of that stuff either, so it’s hard to say. I think most of it’s explicit? Or it will be when I finish it.

18. Choose a passage from your writing. Tell me about the backstory of this moment. How you came up with it, how it changed from start to end. Spicy addition: Questioner provides the passage.

Ok, not a passage, but there’s like two chapters in the middle of A Pack Of Two that I wrote when I was right at the end of the story. I didn’t know how the story was supposed to end, not really – like I knew I wanted a happy ending and stuff but I didn’t know how to get there, so I went back and wrote these nice fluffy chapters where Steve and Eddie did some fun things together that added a little conflict and fleshed out how they felt about each a bit more, and by the time I’d finished them, I knew how I wanted the story to end properly. So sometimes, going back on yourself can be helpful.

19. Tell me a story about your writing journey. When did you start? Why did you start? Were there bumps along the way? Where are you now and where are you going?

I guess I’ve always written fanfic, even if it never really went anywhere. I had some stories on an old comic book forum, there was some Spider-Man, Runaways, Green Lantern, and Thunderbolts that I remember.

Then I did my first x Reader insert thing for Teen Wolf, and that took on a life of its own. I really liked the whole idea of adding a new character to continuity, like dancing between the raindrops so you can get your own character in there without changing the original narrative. That was what kept me writing for a bit, I did a Krypton one and a Stargirl one too. Oh and a Zombies one, nearly forgot that.

And somewhere in there, I started doing NaNoWriMo – my mum suggested something to me once, about writing a story I wanted to read because I didn’t find it on a shelf, and that was where I got my first three novels, The Ormere Chronicles, from.

I also wrote my High Fantasy book, Shall Set You Free, and then my Terry Pratchett-esque book, Death Vs. The Zombie Apocalypse (which I think is still my best book, tbh).

When the pandemic hit, that was when I started writing my Lovecraft stuff, because it was fucking depressing. I’ve still gotta finish those, I’m like 1/3 of the way through the final book.

And since like, July of last year, I’ve been writing Stranger Things fanfic pretty much non-stop, which is probably the most consistently I’ve written for a long time, and I like that.

In terms of where I’m going, I don’t really know. I’m writing stories I like writing, about things I like, and I’m gonna keep doing that. I hope I don’t ever stop, honestly.

20. If a witch offered you the choice between eternal happiness with your one true love and the ability to finally finish, perfect, and publish your dearest, darlingest, most precious WIP in exactly the way you’ve always imagined it — which would you choose? You can’t have both sorry, life’s a bitch

Oh, probably the first one. I’m never entirely happy with what I write, and I think having one perfect piece of writing and then not being able to live up to that for the rest of my life would be so depressing. I’d rather have 50 nearly perfect bits of writing (and my true love) than 1 flawless one.

21. Could you ever quit writing? Do you ever wish you could? Why or why not?

I hope not? I can go a long time without doing it sometimes, but I don’t think I could ever out and out stop. I don’t feel like it’s a chore, so I don’t wish I could stop, no. It’s fun, and while it’d be nice to like, make a career out of it, I enjoy it too much to really want to monetize it.

Or y’know, I’m too scared to try, but we won’t talk about that.

22. How organized are you with your writing? Describe to me your organization method, if it exists. What tools do you use? Notebooks? Binders? Apps? The Cloud?

Notes-wise, I tend to write a lot of stuff down on paper to start with when I’m getting the story in order, and then transpose them into a Word doc.

I then proceed to basically ignore said Word doc, write the story, and then check the notes at the end and laugh at how close/far away I was from what I’d intended.

23. Describe the physical environment in which you write. Be as detailed as possible. Tell me what’s around you as you work. Paint me a picture.

It’s either a dining table with a tablet on it, usually with a mug of hot chocolate and/or something to snack on, or my desk upstairs that’s full of the usual desk things, nothing particularly special. I don’t think I’m interesting enough for this question.

24. How much prep work do you put into your stories? What does that look like for you? Do you enjoy this part or do you just want to get on with it?

I let the ideas percolate for a while. I don’t need a whole beginning/middle/end before I start writing, but I like to have the big beats, like the Point of what I’m writing, rather than just totally winging it. I tried that once, and it failed miserably.

It’s a lot of thinking, and then writing notes. If I get stuck, I try and go for a walk or do some kind of activity where I can’t do anything but think about my story, so my brain can sort out any problems or connect the dots that I can’t connect usually.

I don’t mind this part, but I definitely prefer the actual writing bit.

25. What is a weird, hyper-specific detail you know about one of your characters that is completely irrelevant to the story?

In my head, Alicia from The Ormere Chronicles literally looks like “If River Song Was Black”. I don’t know if that’s like, explicit in the text, but it is now.

26. How do you get into your character’s head? How do you get out? Do you ever regret going in there in the first place?

Writing fanfic, it’s easier, because I can just rewatch the shows or whatever that I’m basing things on. I like doing that to get their voices down properly, so at least they sound right when I write them. I read all my dialogue over a few times, sometimes out loud, to make sure it sounds natural, and like what they’d actually say.

For my original characters, it’s a lot of ‘what would X do in this situation’ kind of conversations with myself. Once I’m in, I try and stay there until the story’s done – I only work on one WIP at a time, usually.

27. Who is the most stressful character you’ve ever written? Why?

Oh god, probably some of the insufferable characters from Death Vs. The Zombie Apocalypse, like the whole point of them was to be horrible representations of human beings, but I think maybe I was a little too good at that. Read into that what you will.

28. Who is the most delightful character you’ve ever written? Why?

This question was really sticking for me, until I remembered, there’s a character in the Ormere Chronicles, the third book of the three, who is literally my nan. She passed away before she could read any of my books, but she’s a character in one of them who’s in a bus station at two separate points, and she meets the two main characters who missed each other, and she talks them through their problems so that they can reunite.

I don’t think I realised why I did that until now, including her because she couldn’t read them before she died. Oh, now I’m sad.

29. Where do you draw your inspiration? What do you do when the inspiration well runs dry?

That’s a good question. With fanfic, it’s usually ‘I want to write these characters in this kind of situation’, and the situation is one I’ve seen in other media, like transposing them from their universe to another. Or with x Reader stuff, it’s ‘I want to be in this situation with this character’ which is entirely self-indulgent and I love it.

For original stuff, I like to pick a genre, and then go from there, that’s my starting point that dictates the characters, setting, and such.

30. Talk to me about the role dreams play in your writing life. Have you ever used material from your dreams in your writing? Have you ever written in a dream? Did you remember it when you woke up?

I barely ever remember my dreams after I wake up, so I don’t have much to say on this one. I’ve used dreams a few times in my writing, to be like prophetic or to help put things into perspective for my characters, that’s about it.

31. Write a short love letter to your readers.

I always sign off my fics with “I hope you had as much reading this as I did writing it”, which I think sums up how I feel about my readers, honestly.

32. What is a line from a poem/novel/fanfic etc that you return to from time and time again? How did you find it? What does it mean to you?

I honestly don’t read a lot of other people’s fanfic, because I have this weird thing of not wanting to write things that other people have written, so if I don’t know that they’ve written them, then I can’t have copied them, if that makes sense?

33. Do you practice any other art besides writing? Does that art ever tie into your writing, or is it entirely separate?

Nah, writing’s my expression. I am art.txt, not art.jpeg, as the meme goes.

34. Thoughts on the Oxford comma, Go:

Yes, love it, best comma. All the commas.

35. What’s your favorite writing rule to smash into smithereens?

Starting sentences with prepositions, probably. Because I can. And I will. Sometimes it’s just necessary.

36. They say to Write What You Know. Setting aside for a moment the fact that this is terrible advice…what do you Know?

Closeted/confused queer boy finds himself. Anything more than that is usually veering into the Things I Wish I Knew category.

37. If you were to be remembered only by the words you’ve put on the page, what would future historians think of you?

God, he wrote a lot about those dudes from Stranger Things falling in love, didn’t he?

38. What is something about your writing process YOU think is Really Weird? If you are comfortable, please share. If you’re not comfortable, what do you think cats say about us?

I have this odd hang-up with sex scenes that I’m trying to get around. I have been writing more of them, and getting more comfortable with them, but a lot of my sex scenes are very much metaphor and inference rather than ‘he put his dick in his ass’, because it feels really weird to me to never mention sexual stuff until The Sex Chapter, and then it’s all dicks and shit. But I’m working on it.

39. What keeps you writing when you feel like giving up?

Re-reading my own stuff, and knowing that a) I did that, b) I can do that again, and c) I can do better than that now. Reminding myself what I’ve accomplished already and what I can do in the future.

And reminding myself that, at the end of the day, everything I write is for me first.

40. Please share a poem with me, I need it.

Oh, uh, erm. I haven’t written poetry in a very long time, I’m sorry, Quiz.

#catboy-jaebeom #Writing

2 notes · View notes

badass-at-fandoming · 1 year

Text

I posted 6,055 times in 2022

179 posts created (3%)

5,876 posts reblogged (97%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@violettduchess

@ryttu3k

@missn11

@fictifgames

@aquagirl1978

I tagged 6,053 of my posts in 2022

#vtm - 2,653 posts

#vampire oc - 1,157 posts

#ikevamp - 875 posts

#lovestruck - 670 posts

#ikerev - 586 posts

#fictif - 389 posts

#vtmb - 307 posts

#cuthbert beckett - 296 posts

#text post - 291 posts

#lol - 282 posts

Longest Tag: 68 characters

#i re-read the date night short and all these feels came rushing back

My Top Posts in 2022:

List of Amusing Beckett Facts We Learn in the Year of the Scarab Trilogy, which I read so you don't have to (really, it's Bad Art)

About mid-March, I finished the Year of the Scarab Trilogy and…honestly, it's second worst White Wolf book I've ever read. To save everyone the pain of drudging through it, I wanted to share screenshots, but typing those up inflicted psychic damage. So, instead, here's a list of cool Beckett fun facts. If you have a specific question about the Trilogy and its plot, characters etc, my ask box is open.

Beckett gets ensnarled in the novel's plot because he wants to interview Mother Inyanga about her personal history and the history of Kindred, as she knows it. She agrees to the interview if Beckett writes a book report on the Chicago hunter community.

Beckett handles his financials through a "small, private Swiss bank" in Geneva. It's called Witz-Kohn, which I think translates to "joke?" Anyway, Manfred Von Reis handles his account. The bank wires Beckett money on demand and auto-pays off his credit card bill every month. Cuthbert has a credit card!

Beckett flies American Airlines, first class preferred. I'm guessing Cesare's character was invented later. For reference, the novels take place February 2001 to March 2001. Don't worry: there IS a prophecy-written-on-the-subway-walls-esque joke of "hehe what if an iconic American tower blew up would that be fucked up or what"

Beckett has learned "some thaumaturgical rites." Unclear how many. He uses two rituals in the book. One's a tracking spell, which he uses to find a person who previously ingested his blood. The other enchants a murder victim's finger to point at whoever murdered them. That ritual sounds creepy, and the author intended the scene to be a ~creepy blood magic~ moment. But what happens is Beckett pinky promises to avenge this dead Gangrel, and braids his own hair into a necklace, so he can wear the pinky close to the skin. That's like Addams Family wholesome, bro.

Beckett thinks email is pretty neat. He frets that laptops are too big to meld into him when he transforms, so he hasn't purchased one yet.

Beckett (on accident!) finds Menele's haven, and our Gangrel boyo just. Turns right the fuck back around. He goes through all this effort to find who's emitting this massive, looming Presence over Chicago, only to decide he will Not Mess With That, No Thank You.

Beckett lectures not once but /twice/ on how Caine can't possibly be real. He gets miffed when someone inevitably interrupts him.

Becket clarifies he's not after the Heart of Osiris (the book's MacGuffin) for power, but for knowledge. His ultimate goal is to repatriate the Heart to the Egyptian supernatural community. Once it's clear the Heart's headed to Egypt anyway, he ends his pursuit.

Beckett starts the novel with No Fear and ends the novel with One Fear that Menele's influencing his actions. Like, he has a whole crisis over it, as a treat. Given what happens in the Diary, Beckett and Chicago really don't mix well.

Beckett has a cabin in upstate New York, not far from the Stillwater Reservoir. The cabin stands on an outcropping far from the nearest road and is only accessible via game trails. The nearest town is Big Moose. Towards the end of the story, Beckett spends upwards of a month there, recovering from a weird ghost stabbing. He's cranky about it.

Beckett gets his first mobile phone in March 2001. He asked Von Reis to shop around for satellite phones, buy what Von Reis thought best, and ship the phone to Beckett at his PO Box in Big Moose. I didn't realize that was a thing you could ask a bank to do for you(?). After carefully reading the instructional booklet front to back, Beckett made his first call to Nola.

I'm mildly dazzled by Beckett's Look™️ throughout the book. He wears a sheepskin jacket, which he changes to a leather one once it gets too ratty. Of course there's the little round, red sunglasses. His hair is long enough to braid, loop around his chest to the opposite shoulder, and dangle an enchanted pinky from. Nola gives him a silver charm bracelet, which he likes aesthetically. My brain shorted out.

In the novel's epilogue, Beckett searches for hidden tomes around the fjords of Norway. The books belong to an elder Kindred, and nobody knows exactly what they're about. Theories include (a) journals of the Kindred's contemporaries from the time of Carthage's fall; (b) a translation of the precursor to the Book of Nod; (c) Lapplander mating customs; or (d) musings on vitae's powers, a treatise that might bestow insight as to where Kindreds' abilities came from and what else Kindred might be capable of. Beckett thinks (d).

Thanks for reading! Onto Nights of Prophecy.

107 notes - Posted April 18, 2022

Hello???

HELLO????

"William Shakespeare loves waking up to the sight of Vincent's face" and "Leonardo fucks Comte to the point of exhaustion" is not what I thought I'd learn today, but here we are.

109 notes - Posted October 5, 2022

Source: https://twitter.com/outstarwalker/status/1016805107986587653

Artist: https://twitter.com/outstarart

112 notes - Posted March 26, 2022

Jean's route: You have atoned enough. You deserve love and joy.

Arthur's route: Failure neither defines, nor determines the worth of, a life.

Will's route: Your productivity doesn't determine your value. We love you for you, not your art.

Charles's route, probably: Some people deserve to get murdered.

333 notes - Posted February 9, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Have you ever wanted to run away from your problems? Kiss girls?? Become a werewolf???

Now you can!!!*

Experience the heartwarming terror of Moonrise! In a video game made by a queer woman and for queer women and sapphic folk, this supernatural celebration of queer femininity takes you into the darkness and lets you own it. Use your compassion and sense of responsibility to make connections and fall in love. Or use your newfound fangs and claws to rip, shred, and tear through your problems. Is this the start of a satisfying, shape-shifting life full of romance, or the blood-soaked birth of a new deity of the forest? You decide!

Play as a trans woman, cis woman, or nonbinary person; lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, or asexual. Polyamory options included!

Date your nonbinary best friend, the ruthless Rogue leader, or the lycanthropic goddess amongst werewolves.

Build up your Empathy, Bloodthirst, Snark, Responsibility, Uncanny Valley, and Defense to survive lethal encounters and protect those you hold dear.

Pledge allegiance to the tradition of the Masquerade or the desperate, volatile Rogues.

Expose the supernatural underground to the blistering light or keep their secrets in the deep dark.

Embrace the feral monster within or hold fast to your humanity.

Get your spooky time on for the low, low price of $1.99. Available on iOS and Android, plus inside the Hosted Games app!

Play the demo here: https://www.choiceofgames.com/user-contributed/moonrise/

*Moonrise is a 49,000-word urban fantasy interactive novel by Natalie Cannon, where your choices control the story. It's entirely text-based—without graphics or sound effects—and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination. Cannot guarantee real life girls or werewolf transformation.

337 notes - Posted October 25, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

3 notes · View notes