#this is vaguely celestial... nebulous
EEE OKI
Axenlector - Genderhoarder, but for xenogenders in particular.
Transxenine - A term used to describe a transgender individual who identifies fully or partially as xenine/xenic.
Egogender - A xenogender where the only way to describe one’s gender is simply as oneself. One's gender can only be described as themselves and is therefore unique to them.
Autogender - A gender experience that is deeply connected and personal to oneself. It cannot be described with existing terms due to how deeply personal the experience is.
Noungender - A type of xenogender that can be best described as being, or being like, a thing, concept, animal, imaginary being, part of nature, or a symbol.
Kingender - A gender identity under the alterhumangender umbrella to describe someone with a gender related to their kintype. A kintype (or otherkin) relates to a non-human identification.
Glitchgender - A gender that is described as ill-defined, glitchy, crowded, or staticky.
Wuywigender - A gender identity where one feels as if their gender can’t be explained using human terms/language, usually due to lack of terms to describe it. This is exclusive to otherkin and other nonhuman identities.
Abimegender - A xenogender which is profound, deep, and infinite. It is best described as when one mirror is reflecting into another mirror, creating an infinite reflection.
Confusigender - A term where one's gender, or part of their gender, seems confusing, meddled, or strange.
Staticgender - A xenogender which is best described as TV static; fuzzy and incomprehensible.
Luxcaligic - A gender that is cute and delicate, but at the same time it is creepy, weird, and/or melancholic.
Percemulkeyic - A gender that is multifaceted and unique to the user, it’s hard to describe in a single term. It may be contradictory to others but feels perfect for the user themself. It feels like a gender only the user has the metaphorical ‘key’ to.
Galeavenial - A gender related to galaxies, angels, holiness, the vastness of space, and the word “celestial” in both meanings.
Verinix - A gender that's a paradox; A gender that is genderless but also full of gender, a gender that's un-aligned & aligned, a gender that’s one gender but also many at the same time, a gender that’s fluid but also static, a gender that’s everything at once but nothing at all.
Queerfreak - A gender related to being queer and a freak.
Gendershattering - A gender that periodically breaks to reveal another gender identity underneath.
Kenochoric - An umbrella term that is centered around the idea of kenopsia. (Kenochoric is an umbrella term for gender identity that's centered around, among other things, the unknown, eerieness, the uncanny valley, obscurity, nostalgia, emptiness or vastness, liminal spaces, nonhumanity, and things that can evoke any or all of those things. It's an identity of its own, but it can also describe any identity with characteristics that fit its "vibe."
Kenochoric is an intentionally broad and vague term, as gender identity is nebulous and hard to exactly pin down. It may encompass a very wide range of identification, and what does and does not "count" has no strict rules. The term was created to describe gender identity, however some have taken to using it for other kinds of identification.
Kenochoric is not a xenogender, nor is it in any other category or umbrella term. It is fully autonomous in itself and should not be mislabelled.)
Daroric - A gender alignment that is completely separate from male, female, or neutral, and is instead connected to darkness or shadows.
Errorgender - A gender relating to errors. Errorgender people experience gender as if it is a glitch and not meant to exist but does.
Dymalic - A gender and umbrella term related to fog, mist, or haze. It may feel lost, hard to make out, eerie, or hollow.
Cryptix - A gender and umbrella term related to cryptic media and/or distorted videos.
Genderdark - A kenochoric gender that feels dark or distorted. Their gender does not necessarily feel bad or evil, their gender just has a dark aura or distorted atmosphere.
Kenoflorestial - A kenochoric gender that’s like a dreamy scene where there’s a starry sky, but all the stars have been replaced by flowers, so it’s a night sky that’s like a starry sky, but with flowers, it’s serene, ethereal, celestial, and floral, like a sky of shining, starry/starlight flowers, with additional feelings of mystery, kenopsia, and darkness.
Aesthetigender - A series of xenogenders that are either derived from, are the embodiment of, are similar to, related to, or share the qualities with an aesthetic or a sensory experience. Aesthetigenders can be based on symbols, ideas, or things. And are typically described using things like texture, size, shape, light, sound, or other sensory characteristics.
Multicoric - A term for identifying as 2 or more coric genders.
Oddcoric - A coric keingender centered around the aesthetics of oddcore/weirdcore, which is based around bizarre imagery and objects, generally with an unnerving atmosphere.
Hoardingcomfic - Hoarding genders/labels/terms/pronouns for comfort.
Dreamcoric - A coric xenogender that is based off of dreamcore, which is based around bizarre imagery and objects. It is closely related to oddcoric, but has more of a dream-like and/or nostalgic quality to it.
Softcoric - An aesthetigender either centered around or related to softcore, an aesthetic based on soft things like blankets, slippers, pastels, plushies, etc. Softcoric people may feel that their gender is soft and comforting and cute like those things, or may feel connected to those things and try to incorporate them into their gender however possible.
Trendercoric - A coric xenogender related to trendercore. It is based on the reclamation of the term "transtrender" which has been used to demean non-binary, xenic, and gender non-conforming individuals, neopronoun users, non-dysphoric trans individuals, and many others. Trendercore as an aesthetic revolves around bright colors, self-love, inclusivity, and the use of things such as pride flags, pronoun pins, dyed hair, and other alternative aesthetics.
Scenecoric - A coric xenogender related to scenecore. It is based on the aesthetic of the scene subculture. It involves the imagery of neon colors, black stripes or checkered patterns, fingerless gloves, rainbows, colorful and chunky beads, as well as scene music and other media associated with the subculture.
Pastelcoric - A gender based on pastelcore.
Traumacoric - A coric xenogender relating to traumacore. It is centered around childhood trauma and nostalgia. It may often be described as painful, dissociated, or lost.
Cutecoric - An aesthetigender related to cutecore (an aesthetic based on cuteness/cute things, soft and pink pastels, fluffy things and plushies).
Emocoric - A coric xenogender related to emocore. It is based on the aesthetic of traditionally emo things, including dark clothing, skinny jeans, band tees, and hoodies, as well as emo music.
Demoncoric - A coric xenogender related to demoncore.
Plushycomfic - A comfic xenogender related to plushies being one's comfort item.
Cybercoric - A coric xenogender connected to the aesthetics of cyberpunk, such as futuristic technology, cityscapes, dystopia, and neons against dark colors.
Cringecoric - A xenogender that also falls under the Aesthetigender umbrella term. It is a gender that is linked strongly to rejecting gender stereotypes and societal constructs. Someone who identifies as cringegender may feel that their gender is linked to bright colors, loud music, and typically "cringe" words, phrases, and terms. Cringecoric is also linked to the scene kid / scenecore aesthetic. Cringecoric is intended for neurodivergent individuals, but this is not exclusive to these groups.
Glitchcoric - A coric xenogender connected to the aesthetics of glitchcore, including errors, technology malfunctions, early internet, and static.
Deviloveic - A gender related to demons and lovecore.
Serenic - A gender that relates to comfort or a nostalgic feeling from plushies, blankets, cartoons, coloring books, pastels, rainy days, clouds, and comfy socks.
Plushiecoric - A xenogender where your gender relates to the aesthetic of soft plushies, well loved plushies, and just general plushies.
Blankecomfic - A comfic xenogender related to one's comfort item being blankets.
Fogcomfic - A gender connected to fog, but in a peaceful/comforting way.
Librarycomfic - A gender related to a library being one’s comfort place.
Oversizecomfic - A gender connected to the comfort of wearing oversized clothes, maybe even flapping your arms around as the sleeves swing up and down or side to side.
Drestalitraurre - A xenogender that is related to dreamcore, nostalgiacore, liminalcore, traumacore, oddcore, and weirdcore (or a combination thereof); being dreamcoric, nostalgiacoric, liminalcoric, traumacoric, oddcoric, and weirdcoric, with those identities being inherently linked with one another.
Thifoginix - A gender that feels like very thick fog.
Octobrisine - A slightly neutral gender that is comfortable and warm. It relates to autumn, candles, snow, leaves, bare trees, pumpkins, allspice and plants, pie, blankets, and clear air. It is slightly fluid, but not flux. It may take up a good chunk of the identity, but overall is very pristine and held closely to the user and may flow away on occasion.
Galesensic - A gender related to the sensory aspects of rain and/or thunderstorms. Examples of such are the feeling of being rained on, the smell of rain, the feeling of having water soak through your clothes, the pitter patter sound of rain drops, the booming sound of thunder, watching rain hit your window, the feeling of wet hair sticking to your face, etc.
Galesensic - A gender related to smooth river stones and/or stone balancing, rivers themselves, palm stones, collecting rocks, meditation.
Nightoceanic - A xenogender in which one may feel like their gender is like the ocean, the sea animals, the waves, the sand and the water but at nighttime.
Neurogender - When one's gender is in some way linked to one's neurodivergence, mental illness, or neurological conditions. It is an umbrella term for any gender related to being neurodivergent, but it can also be used as an identity on its own. Neurogender is not neurodivergence as a gender, but rather is a gender or experience of gender that is so heavily influenced by one's neurodivergence that one's gender and neurodivergence cannot be unlinked.
Cloudgender - A gender which can't be fully realized or seen clearly due to depersonalization/ derealization disorder.
Autigender - A neurogender which can only be understood in the context of being autistic, or when one's autism greatly affects one's gender and/or how one experiences gender.
404gender - A neurogender that feels like it cannot be located due to one's neurodivergence.
Affectugender - A neurogender in which one's gender is fluid or fluctuating and is effected by one's neurodivergency, particularly, fluctuating emotions, mood, and state of mind.
Afisgender - A xenogender and neurogender that feels hazy, dreamlike, or is hard to conceptualize, due to neurodivergence.
Bitgender - A neurogender for people who feel robotic, feel comfort in being a robot, or want to be a robot.
Walkstimmic - Gender related to walking as a stim.
Improcolion - A gender that, as one's mental health improves, becomes less liminal and grey and more brightly colored and present.
Pilwegender - A xenogender described as soft, fluffy, relaxing, and comforting. It can also be related to nighttime in some way.
Coigender - An audiogender that feels as though it is on mute, repressed, and unable to be fully expressed.
Plushyic - An aesthetigender defined as a xenogender related to plushies/stuffed toys.
Dorlunaesic - A gender related to sleepy aesthetics, dreams, clouds, desaturated pastels, comfort, lullabies, moons and stars, safety and being tired.
Mellic - An umbrella term for genders centered around the themes of sleepiness, stars, blankets, pyjamas, plushies, nighttime, moons, stars and other similar concepts.
Gendersploof - An aesthetigender that describes an experience of gender is related to puffy or poofy things and soft blankets and feels soft and poofy.
Cindersploof - An aesthetigender that describes an experience of gender is related to fire, poofy things, warm blankets, and soft things.
Nachtine - A xenogender that is related to the abyss, ice, the night, soft cloth, and the unknown. It is fluid and cold.
Väpplinine - A gender that feels soft and comforting, large and omnipresent, but ethereal, like a patch of clover.
Cuddlegender - A xenogender that is childlike and soft, and focused on the love and security one feels around their stuffed toys. Like a child’s nightlight, it keeps the owner of the gender safe from monsters under the bed, and like a teddy bear, it protects and loves the owner.
Gendercute - An aestheticgender where one's gender feels connected to anything that is cute.
Nascigender - A gender related to soft sprinkles of rain, morning fog, naturistic scent, and a soft, fresh breeze.
Gendermoth - A soft and unique gender. It can feel dainty, mighty, majestic or a mix of positive feelings unique to the person identifying as such.
Heartgender - A xenogender related to lovecore, valentines, and love in general.
Gremlingender - A soft, chaotic feeling gender associated with the forest and abandoned places overrun with plants and garbage. Defies 'normal' standards of respectability.
Edgecute - A gender identity that feels both edgy and cute. May involve having a gender that is both edgy and cute, experiencing both edgy and cute genders simultaneously, or being fluid/fluctuating between edgy and cute genders/gendered feelings.
Adorlosus - A gender which is related to being cute but scary, similar to pastel goth.
Deathcute - A xenogender that feels like death, darkness, horror, and monsters, but in a wholesome way that is also endearing, comforting, beautiful, and whimsical.
Dulcreepic - A gender relating to being cute, creepiness, gore, sweets. it can be described as having a sweet and charming outside with bits that show a hidden, creepier inside.
Kenocutie - A for when you're kenochoric and you're a cutie.
Coloransian - A fluid gender that is powerful, colorful, fluid between bright, airy, and calming genders exclusively, and can be connected to rainbows, bright colors, the sun, and summer.
Huegender - A xenogender that is a mix of all colorgenders and fluidflux meaning that the color of one’s gender could change to any color and any shade such as dark purple, cyan, scarlet, etc.
Glitchofluid - A gender that's fluid between genders related to glitch and eyestrain colors.
Zloveschian - A xenogender described as being dark and mysterious. It is at times very intimidating, and other times oddly serene and comforting. The gender feels off, as if it is being experienced in a dream you are having while on your deathbed. It is associated with cold and misty conifer forests at night, candles, lanterns, bones, rotting wood, moss, decrepit cabins in the middle of the forest, and the looming feeling of a demonic presence.
Gendersolus - A gender that’s at peace and alone, like a cool spring night sitting on a roof, gazing at the nearby view.
Fatum - A xenogender connected to death, Halloween, and decoration. Fatum people have an experience with gender that can best be described as empty and gone.
Goreaeic - A gender connected to gore, blood, and death.
Rotaeus - A gender related to rot and decay.
Pastelgoregender - A gender relating to pastel gore.
Unholylexic - A gender relating to the word "Unholy" and/or being unholy.
Pincusmic - A gender relating to being androgynous, mischievous, the color neon pink, and demons/incubi.
Lovegoreic - A gender related to lovecore, anatomy, reddish pinks, blood, and gore. may or may not be related to reclaiming the yandere trope.
Externusgender - An AGIN (agender in nature) gender that feels distanced from earth and its gender binary and alienated from other gender identities. It is based on and/or related to aliens and other extraterrestrial life forms.
Aliengender - When one's interpretation of gender / their gender(s) feels as though it's from a nonhuman perspective. One may or may not adopt a gender or attempt to fit into a gender but it feels like it's in an "alien trying out foreign species’ gender" sort of way.
Etheric - A gender that feels ethereal and otherworldly, with xenic energy.
Celestae - A xenogender that can be defined as “celestial”. It feels ethereal and angelic as well as extraterrestrial and as though it relates to outer space.
Contigender - A gender which flows through space and time and constantly changes, always moving, and/or is of space and time or is related to space and time.
Cosmobangic - A gender related to or similar to the Big Bang. It is explosive, starting from a small pinpoint until it expands into a larger gender.
Espamoric - A gender related to love, love letters, UFOs, stargazing and pink planets.
Moonshadowic - A xenogender that is related/connected to, feels like, or is described as the shadows caused by the light reflected from the moon.
Technosic - A xenic alignment to robots, artificial intelligence, or other technology.
Botic - A technogender defined as "gender alignment with botgender/robots/bots/etc.
Cybergender - A fluid technogender where one has one or more primary identities, but sometimes "glitches" to an identity they don't usually identify with.
Vurilic - A gender connected to computer viruses and can be used as a modifier.
Pixaesic - A gender related to or resembling pixel art/graphics/aesthetics.
Glopixic - A pixaesic gender related to neon (+ glow in the dark, blacklight, arcade colors, etc.) and pixel art/graphics/aesthetics.
Horrorpixic - A pixaesic gender related to pixel art/graphics and horror. May bear relation to horror indie games, itch.io, and pixelated gore.
Gloompixic - A pixaesic gender related to pixel art/graphics with little to no color. May also bear relation to indie games with gloomy or spooky atmosphere/themes.
Faunagender - A xenogender that is, in some way, influenced by or related to animals. Faunagender can be used as a specific term if referring to a gender is related to many animals, or is related to animals in general.
Catgender - A xenogender in which one feels an extremely strong connection to cats or other felines, either strongly identifying with them or simply wanting to incorporate them into their gender to better understand their identity.
Aliencatgender - A xenogender/ kingender/neurogender in which someone is partially or wholly disconnected from human ideas of gender, and instead describe their experience as that of an alien cat from outer space. It encompasses a lack of attraction or understanding of humanity, as well as a complete disregard for societal norms and the status quo, and a fondness of cats.
Catcute - A combonation of catgender and gendercute.
Catnipgender - A catgender, but also another gender that is silly/wacky/crazy/fun in nature.
Eldritchcatgender - A subset of catgender related to being an eldritch being and a cat. This gender may be otherworldly, horrifying, mysterious while also being catlike at the same time.
Devilcatgender - A subset of Catgender that is "devilish" or mischievous.
Evilcatgender - A xenogender relating to cats "in an evil way." It may be considered a combination of catgender and evilgender.
Hallowdecorcatic - A gender that is connected to Halloween decorations, cats, and candy.
Lumicattic - A xenogender and subset of catgender intended for those who have a deep connection to stars, cloudy night skies, space, celestial bodies, cats, galaxies, and the universe as a whole. It can also be for those who feel a connection to outer space and cats, or those whose gender can be described as a celestial cat.
Misfortunix - A gender related to black cats, broken mirrors, walking under ladders, and other traditionally unlucky things. This gender also has ties to Halloween and scary things.
Medicattic - A xenogender and subset of catgender intended for those who have a connection to medical and nursecore aesthetics, pastel pills, cats, needles, blood, and other cutesy medical items. It can also be used by those who feel a connection to medical aesthetics and cats, those whose gender can be described as a medic cat.
Psyhorcatgender - A catgender related to psychological horror and the psychological horror genre. It is tied to themes of cats, terror and psychological horror in general.
Robocatgender - A xenogender and subset of catgender connected to AI cats , robot cats , cyborg cats and all other types of “machine” cats.
Sillycatgender - A catgender connected to playfulness, hyperactivity, and the warmth of both cats/kittens and clowns/circuses. It has also been defined as a gender connected to silly little cats and/or silliness and cats.
Warmkittygender - A gender that feels like a small fluffy white cat sleeping next to a fireplace in a cabin in the middle of winter. This gender maybe related to cats, warmth, coziness, winter, or anything else similar.
Weirdcattic - A xenogender/faunagender/catgender that is related to weirdcore, surrealism, disorientation, nostalgia, and a lingering sense of dread. For when you feel a connection to weirdcore aesthetics and cats, or a gender that can be described as a weirdcore cat.
Glitchcatic - A gender connected to both glitches and cats/kittens, this gender feels like a glitch that happens to take a form of a cat/kitten. Could be a hybrid of glitchgender and catgender, but doesn’t have to be.
Gothcattic - A gender connecting to black cats , gothic styles , & old victorian objects.
Chattedollic - A gender related to cats and dolls
Lunosol - A gender related to the moon (me) being in love with the sun (my boyfie)
Rebelcoric - a gender that goes against what people think gender should be, a gender that breaks rules and sort of walks to the beat of it's own drum
Livweaponic - a gender related to being a living weapon
Frauroraesin - A gender connected to the Frutiger Aurora aesthetic
Vimorengel - a gender connected to being a guardian angel so devoted to the one you are guarding that you are willing to die for them
Nocstuffic - a gender connected to walking around at night carrying a plushie
Staricangel - a gender that relates to an angel sitting in the clouds on a starry night
Constellangelic - a gender connected to the stars, constellations, being a prince, being an angel, lovecore, and the color blue
Angelovious : a gender connected to being an angel who takes care of others and protects them under their wings
Scarredangel - A gender related to being an angel with scars / covered in scars
That's all of them so far :3
stolen
mine now
this is the best gender tho uwu
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Do not remove alignment from DnD. It’s not what you think it is. It doesn’t say that all orcs are evil, it’s not a straightjacket for your players’ actions, and it’s not some impossibly vague or nebulous moral system that lets paladins massacre drow children because they’re evil.
Firstly, alignment is a description of a fundament of ‘standard’ DnD settings: good and evil are objective realities. In that fantasy world, they represent facets of nature as real to the characters as physics and chemistry are to us. This means that there are acts that are inarguably good or evil. If you murder someone, that is evil. If you torture, oppress, or enslave people, that is evil. Even if your motivation is for good, evil acts are still evil. Conversely, if you act altruistically, redeem evil individuals, save those in need, provide for the less fortunate, or otherwise put the needs of others before your own, that is good. For more examples and common objections, I’d point you towards two handbooks from the 3.x era: the Book of Exalted Deeds and the Book of Vile Darkness. Do be advised though... The BoVD was written to be edgy, so a lot of the items and spells are intentionally provocative. Both BoED and BoVD cover the nature of good and evil in the first chapter of each book, so you can get what you need without delving into sweaty degeneracy.
There’s some wiggle room for discussion or debate about morality in DnD worlds, primarily around concepts of whether one’s motivation or the outcome is more important, but in the 20 years I’ve been tossing dice, I can count the number of times the players and DM couldn’t come to an agreement on one hand.
Alright, we’re good? If you can accept that a core assumption about DnD worlds is an objective morality, we’ll move on. If you can’t or won’t accept that aspect of the game, feel free to throw alignment out; you’re on your own though when your players justify torturing an NPC for vital information or robbing the village’s peasants for all their money is fine because the heroes serve the greater good.
For the rest of us, let’s plow ahead and hit the point that I think trips most people up: how does alignment work with intelligent creatures and free will? Player characters obviously have free will, but what about all the monsters and NPC races? If drow or orcs or goblins are evil inherently, isn’t that reductive and somehow translate to racism in the real world? Crack open any monster book from 3.x or earlier and you’ll find this bit in the section describing how to read the monsters’ stat blocks:
So, when DnD tells you that Drow are Usually Neutral Evil and Orcs are Usually Chaotic Evil, it is not saying that ALL of them are irredeemably evil! They are just very likely to be evil, as they’ve come from cultures steeped in evil or are influenced by an evil god or are touched by a fiendish plane of evil. There’s still room for exceptions, but it will be better than a coin toss’s odds that the creature is evil. This doesn’t negate free will or prevent you from writing stories about outcasts trying to reform their peoples’ evil ways. It simply means that those uncommon examples aren’t the norm.
The only creatures that you will find that are Always an alignment are base, elemental creatures that are deeply entwined with the magical nature of the planes or divine forces. Demons, Devils, Celestials, Dragons, Elementals, Slaad, Undead, Modrons, and the like are always (still room for renegades, though much more rare!) are too intrinsically influenced by the alignments to vary. There is an interesting conversation to be had about whether or not these Always creatures have free will or not.
Note: I’m not sure if 4e or 5e monster manuals have this same setup and am too lazy to check, but I’ll bet it’s in there somewhere.
Lastly, and perhaps the easiest point, a player character’s alignment isn’t a straightjacket that limits their options. Alignment is descriptive rather than proscriptive: a character is good or evil because they do good or evil rather than doing good or evil because they are good or evil. A good character can have a moment of weakness and do something evil just as readily as an evil character might have a pang of conscience and do good. If a character consistently starts to behave in a way contrary to their alignment, then it might be time to consider if character’s alignment has shifted to something new. Has their outlook changed? Is a deeply held belief shaken? Some new information giving them a new perspective? In the business, we call that roleplaying gold. Generally, this is something that takes place over a longer period of time, but if the character encounters something that absolutely shatters their perception of the world, don’t be afraid to let that impact shift a character’s alignment.
If I’ve done my grognard’s duty with anything approaching competence, you now understand alignment better and can make an informed decision about whether or not to keep it in your home games rather than kept swept up in reductive arguments from twitter people that don’t play the game in the first place. If folks are interested, I’ll do a bit about ways you can really make alignment shine in your games.
Also, in case it wasn’t common knowledge, law and chaos follow the same principles... But instead of being two diametrically opposed forces as good and evil, law is simply better than chaos. Chaos is dumb.
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Okay, everything is in place for my selfship with SOLARIA now!~
As a reminder, my tag for her as a character is “love: voice of a goddess (SOLARIA)”. However, the tag for my selfship with her is “selfship: a song that shines eternal (SOLARIA/seralune)”, since I decided that the name of this selfship is “a song that shines eternal”.
From that tag, you can see that my self-insert I’ll be using to selfship with Sol is called Seralune; she is a fellow vocalsynth (specifically an UTAUloid, because I’m hoping to be able to record a voicebank for her!) with a celestial theme that complements SOLARIA’s sun goddess theme. At the moment, my tag for her is “self-insert: starless sound (seralune)”, but that may change as I develop her more - I have some vague ideas for character concepts, but not much is concrete yet, especially given the nebulous nature of vocalsynth selfshipping in terms of establishing actual story.
I hope all this makes sense - please feel free to filter out any of the relevant tags as desired. Tomorrow is the day that SOLARIA’s voicebank is actually releasing to the general public, so I’m very excited to see what people are able to make with her in the future ^-^
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Underwing challenge 4
4. What’s the world of your WIP like?
So technically, according to the multiverse theory I’ve introduced in Astral, there’s like an infinite number of different universes, meaning that technically all my AUs are canon according to the lore of Astral.
But in all actuality, there’s only two (and a half, but that half only becomes relevant somewhat in Part 2) worlds we care about. There’s the “real world” which I honestly don’t know how to otherwise refer to it lmao, and then there’s Astral.
The “real world” is basically just your normal, average, high-school setting based in somewhere-generic Minnesota, because I am from somewhere-generic Minnesota lol. Nothing special, just full of snow bc it’s the dead of winter for the duration of Part 1.
Now Astral is...... well, I’m not entirely sure how large it is as a country, but in terms of worldbuilding, phew. So we’re gonna start with a lil geography lesson and go from there (also just focusing on Part 1 geography, considering how nebulous Part 2 currently is lol)
So the continent Astral is on consists of 5 distinct areas (at least that we care about). Across the mountains to the north, there’s a currently-unnamed country which is the home of the elves. How exactly they weave into the story of Astral is still a little up in the air, but I can say for certain that Celia does contribute to that.
To the south of Astral is the desert. It’s unclaimed by any sort of formally-recognized government, but occupied by a handful of nomadic tribes. Again, haven’t quite figured out how they weave in, other than Nashira and her mother and others of their tribe joining the resistance at some point. (I have a vague idea, but this post is gonna be long enough as it is lmao so if you’re curious, feel free to ask about it :) )
Astral itself is separated into three parts: The Eastern Kingdom, the Western Kingdom, and the Dragon Ridge that splits the two halves. Now, culture-wise, I’m pretty sure the Western and Eastern Kingdoms would be pretty distinct; After all, they’re separated by a pretty hefty mountain range, not to mention the fact that humans have been in the West for less time than they’ve been in the East. One thing for sure: there’s a lot more Celestial ruins in the West than the East, since the Celestials inhabited the West for a lot longer than they inhabited the East.
The Dragon Ridge is home to its own culture, as well as the dragons. Due to Reasons that I rambled on about a few days ago, the people who live in the mountains Do Not Trust people from the lowlands, as well as regard the dragons as gods without knowing they’re dragons. (Very paraphrased from this ramble).
Now for some “current events” in Astral:
The story of The Astral Chronicles starts ~10 years before Aiden even falls into Astral, when Maddox seizes the throne of Astral by murdering the current king and queen. He takes the prince hostage, while the princess and true heir to the throne flees into the night, disappearing so effectively that people wonder if she isn’t dead.
This sets into motion all the dominos of Astral, until we reach the moment where Aiden enters: Maddox has essentially spent the last 10 years being a dick and caring more about power than about the people of Astral. In the Western Kingdom (because the capital is in the East and they’re trying to stay under the radar), a rebellion is growing against Maddox, waiting for their two key players: the missing princess, and a mage that is supposedly Aiden.
I feel like Astral, at the beginning of Aiden’s journey is sorta... bleak, I guess, but with a light at the end of the tunnel if you get what I mean? Actually, I’m just gonna steal this line from one of my Astral summaries bc Rose puts it best:
“Ten years ago,” Rose says, looking out over the city, “Astral was full of lights. Even in the darkest nights you could always see a light in the distance. The night Maddox took over was the first night I had ever seen it truly dark.”
...
“Back then, the lights meant safety for me. But now, they mean hope.” Rose meets Aiden’s eyes as the city flickers to life below.
Gotta love all the light symbolism that starts popping up lol
Aight, I think that’s where I’m gonna leave off on this, though I’m sure I’ve overexplained some parts and underexplained others lol
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The World Is Not Enough: Isekai and the Hope for More
When it comes to anime and light novels, you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting an isekai series or six. Countless stories spanning many genres have used the person-travels-to-another-world premise. To borrow language from the infamous TV Tropes, the isekai concept has been played straight, played with, inverted, subverted, parodied, deconstructed, reconstructed, and more.
People must like isekai stories (I know I do!), otherwise there wouldn’t be approximately 47 million of them, with new ones coming out all the time. Regarding this topic, I recently actually-a-while-ago-but-it-took-me-a-long-time-to-write-this happened to see a post by Twitter user Sashimi Princess Maddie which was retweeted by J-Novel Club:
This post struck a chord with me because I’m fascinated by the connection between fantasy and faith. J.R.R. Tolkien’s essay “On Fairy-Stories” is of course required reading on this topic, as is Chapter IV — “The Ethics of Elfland” — in G.K. Chesterton’s book Orthodoxy. They discussed fantasy generally, and logically what is true of all fantasy is also true of the specific subset of fantasy we call isekai. Now, the tweet is obviously partly humorous, so it would be unjust to respond to or critique it as if it were a serious essay. However, I do want to highlight one point of possible disagreement that I believe is relevant to my own thoughts. (I say “possible” because without a full-fledged essay from Maddie, I may be overlooking or misunderstanding points that a more complete argument would resolve.)
Japan is ground zero for isekai. The isekai stories we consume overwhelmingly originate in Japan, and are written by Japanese people for Japanese people. And Japan is a place where Christianity’s influence has been meager, at best, since the Tokugawa period. Meanwhile, the religions with any sizeable footprint in Japan, namely Shinto and Buddhism, don’t contain a concept of heaven comparable to that found in the teachings of, say, Christianity or Islam. Christians make up 1% to 2% of Japan’s population (depending on which estimate you read), which means many Japanese people have probably never even met a Christian! Thus the appeal of isekai in Japan cannot be explained in terms of filling in a gap left behind by the decline of traditional religious hope for heaven.
The OP’s argument would work better if the vast majority of isekai came from, say, western Europe or the United States. Throughout much of the west, Christianity formerly held immense cultural influence. However, Christianity’s influence in these places has declined greatly in the past century or three. If such places produced most isekai stories, we could make a more plausible case that isekai draws upon lingering notions of heavenly reward, relics of a discarded traditional religion whose notions permeated society, in order to fill the hope-deficit created by that religion’s decline.
I believe while Maddie is correct to find conceptual connections between isekai and religion, I just find the specific relationship posited by the OP inadequate, especially with regard to Japanese people. Thus I invite you, dear reader, to consider other Bible teachings that do more to explain the appeal of isekai even in a culture where Christianity (including its notions of heaven) never held much sway. The picture of our world and human nature painted in the Old Testament provides a partial explanation for why we like isekai, an explanation that is not contingent on lingering cultural debris left behind by Christianity.
Let’s look “In the beginning” — yes, the one where “God created the heavens and the earth.” As God completes his creative work in Genesis 1, we read “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” *That* is the world in which God intended us to live. And all this “very good” stuff includes humans, too, who the text says God created in his own image. Alas, we humans ruined things. To put it another way, long ago God and man lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation sin attacked.
Yeah, after God created all this good stuff (including we humans!), Genesis 3 introduces a slew of bad things that weren’t supposed to be part of this world: sin, death, the curse. Of course, God knew this would happen, and already had a plan in place. That plan reached its climax in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, but in some respects it is (at least from our point of view) not yet completed. For now, we still live in a cursed and corrupted post-Genesis 3 world, a place where sin and death run rampant. We ourselves are broken by sin, and we must endure in a world unlike the one God originally created for humans.
The entire Bible is stories of humans sinning, which goes a long way toward showing what mess this world is, but the Bible also contains an entire treatise specifically exploring how awful our post-Genesis 3 world really is. Speaking of our world as “under the sun,” Ecclesiastes incessantly hammers home the “vanity” of this life. “Under the sun” is an unreasonable, unjust, and oppressive place that we can’t understand or fix. “Under the sun” is a place where bad things *will* happen to us no matter how hard we try to avoid them. “Under the sun,” all our labors will accomplish nothing of lasting value. “Under the sun,” we’re all gonna die just like dumb animals, no matter how we lived. And then the cherry on top is that after we die, no one “under the sun” will even remember us, and any stuff we had will be misused by people who don’t deserve to have it.
Our own experiences validate this picture of pointlessness. I had an abusive childhood; I’ve faced a slew of physical and mental health issues; I’m presently almost 35 and I’ve never so much as gone on a date, let alone gotten married or had a family; I’m unemployed and living with my parents because I’m failing so hard at adulting. I’m not hopelessly miserable–God has abundantly blessed me in certain respects–but that doesn’t negate the reality that in some meaningful ways, my life is a big huge disappointment. You, O reader mine, will have different points of sadness and frustration and failure than I do, but I suspect most of us, if we’re honest, would have to concede that our lives are painfully disappointing, or at the very least have not followed the tracks we dreamed they would.
This image of the incomparable Kanami from the isekai series Log Horizon serves no purpose except to break up my wall of text and make me (you?) laugh.
Creation and the Fall provide the starting point for the appeal of isekai. God wanted us to be good and to live in a good world, but thanks to our sin, both we and this world are in far worse shape than he originally intended. Since we weren’t made for a cursed world, it is entirely natural that on some level we long for a place that is somehow more, or better, than the one we inhabit. Likewise, since we weren’t created so sin and death could dominate our lives, it is entirely natural that on some level we long to be somehow more, or better, than who we are. Even if we don’t have a clear idea of what exactly we really want, we still long for a vague something beyond our present existence.
We intuitively sense that something is off about both ourselves and our world, and this leaves us wanting a world and selves that are different from the world and selves we know. In the beginning, we were made for more, and now our existence isn’t quite right. Isekai appeals to this nebulous desire for something better that stems from our latent awareness of the Fall. Isekai stories give more concrete form to the desire to be different than who and what we are, and to live in a reality that isn’t entirely like ours. We may not want to live in the setting of every isekai story, but even grimdark isekai is still isekai, and thus shares the inherent appeal of the idea of other worlds.
Ecclesiastes is again relevant at this point. Perhaps the most hopeful part the book’s message is unstated. As noted above, Ecclesiastes keeps emphasizing how everything “under the sun” is terrible. This raises a question: Is “under the sun” all there is? And here we find the implicit note of hope: the one thing mentioned in Ecclesiastes that isn’t “under the sun” is God. Throughout the Bible, God is consistently depicted as up above. So when Ecclesiastes mentions God, this gloomy book is hinting that there is more to reality than just our world “under the sun.” There might be a chance to escape the utter vanity of this life, if we seek somewhere–and more importantly, Someone–outside and beyond the world we know.
“Now let me be clear,” God is an almighty spirit unbound by the constraints of space and time. Thus, the Bible’s references to God dwelling in the heavens are obviously metaphorical and do not affirm some sort of literal spatial relationship between God and any celestial bodies or astronomical coordinates. That said, the Bible regularly pictures God as being in heaven, and if we follow the logic of that metaphor, then God is not “under the sun.” This is supported by one of the titles repeatedly ascribed to God throughout the scriptures (most often in the Psalms and the book of Daniel): “the Most High.” Again, this superlative is metaphorical, not a literal claim about physical altitude, but to be “the Most High,” God is, in a conceptual sense, above everything else — the sun included.
The core premise of isekai stories is the idea that other worlds exist and that it’s possible to pass between them. Since we already desire something more, better, different than our present existence, isekai has a natural appeal. What distinguishes isekai from other fantasy / sci-fi stories is how directly it addresses this innate post-Fall desire for a different world. Non-isekai stories offer the possibility implicitly, not unlike Ecclesiastes: They ask us to imagine a reality different from our lived experience, but don’t necessarily give any indication that we can do more than imagine. Contrariwise, isekai takes as its explicit premise the idea that a person just like us, from the very world in which you and I live, can somehow go to a different world, and there experience significant personal changes of some kind.
All fantasy / sci-fi stories at least touch on the notion of a world unlike ours. Even if their setting is very much based on our world, by their very nature they include phenomena never seen here. Arthur C. Clarke famously captured the overlap between sorcery and science: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” All fantasy / sci-fi stories occur in a world where mechanical or supernatural forces beyond our experience or comprehension offer new possibilities. Isekai stories not only show us such worlds, they depict these worlds as existing in addition to (rather than instead of) our own, and as being possible for us to visit.
All of this ultimately brings us to the New Testament’s teachings about hope and resurrection and heaven. I think the OP was correct to see a connection between the appeal of isekai and the Christian hope of heaven. But heaven is only the fulfillment of our longing, not the origin of it. The Bible’s depiction of the Fall and its consequences explains better why we would find the idea of heaven, and isekai, appealing in the first place. We wouldn’t need heaven—or isekai—if we were perfectly satisfied with this world. But we aren’t satisfied, and the Bible’s account of the Fall and its effects explains why we find our present state dissatisfying. And so, reading isekai stories is really about hope for something beyond the reality we know. We feel rightly disappointed with our lives and with this world. We desire something else, and isekai supplies our imagination with more concrete ideas about other worlds.
For now, heaven is an incomprehensible wonderfulness. We know almost nothing about heaven, after all. Given how light on specifics the Bible is, even the most devout Christian is still limited to an amorphous notion of hope. But isekai stories are something I can wrap my mind around. The heroism, the adventure, the romance, the supernatural creatures—all of it speaks to my desire to be more, to experience more. The worlds I can imagine through isekai help strengthen my longing for the even better world I can’t yet imagine. Isekai stories help bridge the gap between the unsatisfactory reality I live with and the heavenly realm so glorious that human language can’t describe it. While we can’t really imagine heaven, isekai at least helps us envision something beyond our lives under the sun. Isekai cannot truly satiate our desire our desire to go somewhere different and be something different (that’s what heaven is for), but it does help us explore and understand our sense of longing.
People can enjoy isekai stories regardless of how much they accept or know anything about Christianity, which makes sense if our desire for an existence that is more, better, different than what we know far predates even Christianity. Isekai has not “taken the place of traditional religion as a promise that our suffering will be worthwhile” in a chronological or causal sense (e.g., religion held sway, and it declined, and that decline contributed to the popularity of isekai as a substitute). I believe it is more accurate to see isekai and the Bible’s teaching on heaven as parallel responses to the Fall. We can choose either or both, but they aren’t in competition. Isekai can be an expression of hope and longing both for those who believe in heaven as a religious doctrine, and also for people in places (e.g., Japan) where Christianity’s impact is minimal.
“In the beginning,” God intended for us to be better and to live in a better world, but sin broke the world and broke us, and now we’re all coping with this disappointing life under the sun and desiring something more. Thankfully, God promises that this world and our present condition are not final. He encourages us to hope for a world and a self that is perfect. We don’t know what that will be like, but isekai grants our imaginations a glimpse of possibilities beyond this world. Depending on isekai alone for hope, apart from Jesus, is not unlike eating a ton of junk food before supper and being unable to enjoy the real meal, but isekai can also be an hors d’oeuvre that whets our appetite for the heavenly banquet to come. To me, reading and watching isekai stories is an act of hope, helping me endure this present world by reminding me that I really do have hope of living in another world as a perfected version of myself.
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Trying to semi-organize my thoughts on what exactly I am wanting out of spn fic and hm let's see. If I remember this post in the future, I may update it as I think of/on things and use this for reference so I, also, don't forget lol
Okay so, wants/likes:
Cas prominent. He is my, as I believe the kpop kids say, bias, so he is kind of non-negotiable. Sorry I am just not interested in fics where he is not prominent
Destiel not required but a good plus. Slight preference for intricate courtship rituals over ones where they figure things out ridiculously easy, unless it is established relationship. If the revelation comes too quick and easy then I get taken out of the moment :')
Optional: Angels treating Cas like their baby brother :3 Cas can be somewhat put out by it or not. Actually maybe bonus if he IS, bc they are all angels of the lord and relative by rank and experience, And Yet [whoever] just cannot help but be *points* Baby
canonverse is plus. canon divergence is okay but idk how close to canon I'm looking for, if it's too close to an episode rewrite I may not be into that either
casefics are cool. If it's got that canon-typical vaguely racist sht then pls warn me going in 😔
Found family. Family don't end in blood!!! Spn may forget this but I never will!!!
Any exploration of the whole fucky destiel thematic dichotomies, the whole free will vs destiny shit, stuff like words of prophets are written on subway walls, like.. idk, something that is intricate-rituals-gay and also makes me think of the philosophy of thehuman condition
corollary: slow burns ig?? or like mutual pining? canon typical thinking they are not worthy or that it is something they cannot have? canon typical did not realize until later but even then they have their individual canon-typical reasons for not acting on it, until they do bc it's fic so they can get together for realsies?
trope: Cas and/or Destiel being parents. I read one recently where it was like single dad Cas (to Claire and Jack) and then Dean came (back) into his life recently and I rly liked it
AUs are fine but highly subject to mood so we'll see. I did read a Star Trek-y AU I liked
I'm down for a lot of various other kinds of plot tropes and stuff, tho I want stuff that's more character and plot and less, like, pwp or fuck or die or that kinda thing
trope: curses maybe? I've found a couple curse-focused fics which were interesting
trope: Hurt/Comfort of the Cas whump kind but not necessarily have to be just Cas. But like.. u know when Uriel is beating him up and he looks all bloody and beautiful, or when he flexes his sexy angel powers and transports the Winchesters to the past but then collapses bc he overtaxed himself, or when he had that blanket on when he was suffering from the attack dog spell.... yeah,,,
trope: Anything with like the Winchesters caring about and caring for Cas. I just rly like Cas being taken care of :') pls wrap him in a blanket and pat his shoulder brusque-softly in ur emotionally repressed way Dean
bottom line my emphasis tends to be more on character and plot. I can't do plot without character, the relationships - whether ship or gen - are important to my enjoyment of a fic. I can sit thru a lot if the characters/character dynamics are good and chewy lmao like u can rly sink ur teeth into it
Bonus features:
eldritch horror angels are a bonus. Give me unfathomable trueform angels, I feel like I don't see that enough
wings* but.... caveat I like my spn wings more metaphysical than literal unless they're literal for a point, but this isn't set in stone either. I'm just... slightly tired of the physicality of the wings I guess. Like it's not the physicality that's the issue, ig, but when it's not treated as metaphysical (as well)
wouldn't mind some good endverse fics to chew on altho that might also make me sad
Cas being cute, a la crazy!Cas (who is.... so soft.... his innocence.. *clutches chest*) or like when Cas and Dean went to talk to that police guy and Cas was like you tell them it's angels and demons warring and he will tell you what he knows, or when Cas was like I'm gonna become a hunter :3, or interrogating the cat, or this is his serious face, yes
Powerful af Cas?? I miss season 4/5 Cas, when he was powerful and self-assured and wasn't "mentally deficient puppy" as Metatron meanly put it Cas. I feel like we get less of that as the seasons go on... I miss Cas being powerful and exuding energy that I'm sure is what had ppl assigning him as top energy. Like yes flex ur sexy sexy angel powers pls. There's one ep where my notes just say "ANGEL SMITE ANGEL SMITE / HEAAALING." Season 6 Cas where he is more out of touch with humanity and more brusque was also intriguing even tho he was like that bc of extenuating circumstances. But him flexing his sexy angel powers sure was sexy
Do not wants :(
Endgame human!Cas. Sorry I like short-lived Cassidy am more into feathered Cas than human!Cas. endgame human!Cas just isn't a good solution/happy ending to me, I don't think Cas needs to change to be able to live happily, and also I like to chew on the like philosophical underpinnings of an immortal/mortal pairing if that does get called into question lol
Human AU* but like asterisk bc I will take human AU if the plot is compelling and/or the characterization still manages to capture that je nais se quoi of canonverse. If they are, like, middle age dads being domestic, as an example, tho, then I can probs do that, I just like.. have limited capacity for career-based AUs for the sake of it, if that makes sense... But character/character dynamics trumps all, like I said lmao.. I've sat thru scenarios/setups that lowkey dealt me psychic damage bc of the nature of the set dressing, bc I checked it out out of morbid curiosity but the way they did the characterization ended up working for me
A/B/O - I am not seeking A/B/O at the moment
Hurt no Comfort - it would make me too sad :(
fics that treat angels like literal physical feathered beings. Idk I just like... want the whole angel thing to be treated more metaphysically. They are multidimensional wavelengths of celestial intent in holy corporate/business attire visages but they are still very much multidimensional wavelengths of celestial intent the ballpark size of our Chrysler building. If the wings are treated too literally I find I start getting bored, ironically. This is ironic bc I'm a slut for wingfic. But with spn I find that a conventional kind of wingfic/angel conception where the wings are just limbs with maybe some slight handwaved dimension-shifting stowing is.. slightly passe for my tastes. Unless it's like a forced manifestation or sth. Just like.. get the metaphysics involved, tie it to angelic grace. Something. Make is racy. But not too racy, the whole wings-as-erogenous-zones thing I'm a bit over too, xenobiology to humans would just be biology to these beings, it doesn't make sense to me to be like "oh they have a tail and it's EXTRA sensitive," like are you suggesting your arm/armpit is an extra special species-typical erogenous zone too?
deaging unless it ties to some other kinda plotty deal somehow ig? Like... I got invested in this fandom for them as they are now I'm not too interesting in unseasoned nibling vers
this maybe goes with the human aus tho that's a slight asterisk but hard line no high school aus. pls I cannot take the psychic damage that would deal to me personal
I have no conclusion even tho I feel like I need one. here's wonderwall? ig I can stumble around looking for reclists and see if anything sticks out, trawling thru tags so far has been a mixed bag
Anyway haha lol, stand-up-style-tone I mean I'm not asking for a lot amirite. Just a nebulously specific set of intricate rituals wrapped around a plot and also found family or something, like you know, just a trifling
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Discovery: Despite Yourself
Ok, so obvsl I’ve already watched this one so it’s a second viewing, but I tried to get at my initial reactions even if, now, from a perspective of having seen up to ep 12.
Saru says “almost nothing else is where it’s supposed to be!” having the position of celestial bodies be different in the Mirrorverse is wonderful attention to detail ouo Having even their targeting computers and sensors confused is another great way to convey that the MV is different down to the atomic level.
“Quantum signature” is typical technobabble, but functional and better than the obsession with “resonance” in the more string-theory-obsessed 90s.
I’ve never noticed it before, but one of their casting directors is named Orly Sitowitz. Imagine living to see your perfectly ordinary name rendered unfortunate by Memes :|
Another clue for Lorca’s jump double-cross I missed the first time: he claims Stamets was “eager” to work with him on multiple universe tech after the war. Taking advantage of Stamets’s non-responsive state puts a time-limit on his plans which I’m not sure really fits with how nebulous they end up being, but I guess there’s little choice. Also: maybe he was hoping communication with Discovery would be difficult once he got Burnham off the ship.
The cloak algorithm! The first time I watched that I didn’t really think about it, but if Discovery ever had made it back, then Klingon cloak-tech would have been useless. So either 1)Discovery doesn’t make it back or 2)this is a way to allow the Klingons to still get their cloak tech from the Romulans as pre-Disc canon states; the Fed has a solution to their “native” cloak tech, but then they bought a different vers from the Romulans that was invulnerable to the algorithm.
Unrelated, but I just realized that the way Disc establishes Klingon cloak -as a secret specific to T’Kuvma’s house before the war- works really well with the idea of Klingon tech being based mostly on salvaging from Hur’q tech after they were driven off. If the only surviving Hur’q ship with a cloaking device able to be studied belonged to T’Kuvma’s ancestors for some reason, then it’d make sense that they’d keep its secrets to themselves in an aristocratic society like theirs. I doubt that’s what they were going for, of course.
He waves them off even LOOKING at the NavLogs: yeah that wasn’t suspicious at all X| X| I do like, however, the way the writers have him do that -defraying suspicion by blaming himself, bamboozling them with a believable but technical explanation, then using emotional appeal through hyping the danger of the situation to direct their attention elsewhere-, which is the way an actual manipulator would protect themselves in that situation. Stuff like this is the difference between writers who know what they’re talking about, and writers faking it by writing what they think a certain type of character should be like based on tropes.
Tilly is so great, and I love that they allow her to know things, and to use that knowledge creatively. Rare to see women characters written like that, and rarer still when the character is not just allowed to be emotionally competent, but the Most Emotionally Competent person on the show. Ditto with Culber on that actually: emotional competence does not preclude technical competence and I’m glad for at least one show that doesn’t argue it does.
“Paul is your superior officer; he gave you an order. You’re not responsible for this.” Can I also just say how wonderful this portrayal of a sensitive, nurturing, truth-abiding military organization which cares about the people who make it up Discovery continues to be?
Discovery’s virtual U-Is are excellent, and I like how they activate and use them through specific hand-postures. I don’t really talk about it much, but the “chunkier” sci-fi aspects of Discovery like this are very satisfying.
The intersection of brainwashing, dubcon, secret-agent, double-life, hurt-comfort, psychdrama in the Voq storyline -and particularly the Prayer scene- is just so Delicious&Ficcy owo owo owo
It is both supremely painful, and supremely sympathetic, to watch Burnham open up to someone in a way she never has before, to trust them in a fashion her Vulcan culture completely discourages, and see it used to betray her. I do wish we’d see more flashes of Vulcan in this second half of the season, though.
Tilly’s first attempt at Evil!Tilly ans Issac’s Scottish accent are Wonderful and Good u_u Also well acted.
This is kind of detail oriented but: the “comet” the Fed uses on their command insignia strikes me as almost an inversion of the sword through earth insignia the Empire uses. Don’t know if that’s intentional or just some iconoclastic observation of my own but, if it IS intentional, that’s another great little world-building detail.
That the Emperor would 1)send Burnham to deal with a rebellion personally, and 2) personally respond to Burnham’s death, when their initial intel spoke of a “faceless emperor”(suggesting a buffering bureaucracy) is a big sign they had a personal connection.
The “Destiny” exchange was weird at the time, but much creepier knowing Mirror!Lorca’s history of grooming Burnham.
Obvsl there was nothing on Defiant in the datacube. The Rebels Burnham finds know nothing of the Federation or Defiant(if such intel were on a random datacube, it’d have to be well-known), and the files accessible from Shenzhou are under heavy security(such that Burnham has to access them clandestinely), only to those captain or higher, and heavily redacted even then. And the complete, unredacted files are only available from the Palace-ship. There’s no way the rebels would have gotten access to that.
I feel like Tyler not, actually, being Tyler is going to be important to the Lorca plotline somehow. Like: Perhaps Lorca knew Mirror!Tyler, and that’s why he recruited him, and he’s relying on Tyler to act in certain vague ways like the Tyler he knew(as he is with Burnham and others), but at some significant point Tyler’s going to do something Voqish that upsets Lorca’s plans significantly.
“Well my mother would definitely approve” at her straightened, blonded hair, is such a small line, but it adds so much more nuance to Tilly’s relationship with her mom which, until now, has been portrayed as entirely positive(at least, iirc). Also a bit disappointing that negative attitudes towards curly and red hair still persist in the 23rd century |:T |:T
Burnham’s mastery of metaphor is… Masterful(X| X| X|) “Painted Rust” damn! I wonder if that’s a Vulcan thing; they do love aphorisms
I don’t like that they killed Culber. I understand the narrative inevitability of it -there has to be a payoff to Tyler being, I’m pretty sure, an engram patterned over a surgically altered Voq and Culber’s the only doctor we know on the ship- but given the persistence of “kill your gays” writing, and how good this show typically is on that and many other fronts, I’d have preferred them writing something else. Even if they find a way to “resurrect” him.
Voq knowing all the access codes on Discovery is… Ominous :| :|
The short, shifting look of pride/affection/approval/attraction on Keyla’s face when Burnham walks into the bridge over Connor’s corpse gives me Life u_u
I feel like there is A Lot of Voq in that speech Tyler gives to Burnham at the end of the ep; as if he’s speaking from Voq’s own experience hiding among enemies without realizing it.
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Patti Smith’s Just Kids captures the epicenter of art and grime that was New York in the 1970s. She centers the story upon the unorthodox girl she was in her twenties, and her predestined relationship with the late photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. The story Smith unfolds is a mesmerizing cluster of moments, each as brilliantly imaged as her cherished blue star. While her autobiographical account is rooted in the happenings of her intimate routine, the novel is read as a field guide to her version of the vast city. Yet, Smith disregards the objective city by blending the real and the otherworldly in her seamless streams of consciousness. The constant that threads together the contradiction of her city life is her love for Robert. Their relationship is celestial; they are two soulmates brought together almost divinely, and yet their closeness is physically distant and intertwined with the figures around them. Intimacy and multiplicity are figuratively mutually exclusive yet in practice interdependent in Smith’s depiction of New York.
The structure of Just Kids is artefactual, organized by a series of moments through which the reader is guided like an observer in a museum. Smith is a skillful curator, constructing her personal enclave within the larger city. One of these moments is Christmas at her and Robert’s first apartment:
“He liked the boxes of Joseph and often transformed significant bits of jetsam, colored string, paper lace, discarded rosaries, scrap, and pearls into a visual poem. He would stay awake late into the night, sewing, cutting, gluing, and then adding touches of gouache. When I awoke there would be a finished box for me, like a valentine. Robert made a wooden manger for the little lamb. He painted it white with a bleeding heart and we added sacred numbers entwining like vines. Spiritually beautiful, it served as our Christmas tree. We placed our gifts for one another around it.” (Smith 51-52) Smith illustrates moments palpably to craft their intimate world. She and Robert physicalize their isolation from the outside; the act of making their own original talismans mimics creating a new reality. Smith’s description of Robert fashioning the manger is almost ironic: it depicts him in reference to the stereotype of handy man of the house, constructing practical objects for his family. Their concept of practical or necessary, however, is unusual. Smith cherishes the manger painted with a “bleeding heart” and “sacred numbers”, despite having little functional furniture in their apartment. (51-52) The manger serving as a Christmas tree also holds meaning. The two Catholics are at once rejecting the tradition of the classic decorated tree and celebrating their own eccentric version of the popular holiday. Thus, Smith’s capture of this creative moment is both decidedly intimate yet still connected to the multiplicity of daily life.
These snapshots of creation may appear to some readers to trivialize her journey of self-discovery or render it superficial, but they do not. In broad terms, the moments she writes are the intricate pieces of the mosaic that is her perception of New York: each piece is different, entirely sustainable as a world of its own, yet fits perfectly within the grand scheme. Hence, Smith’s structure enables the formation of her intimate world but grounds it in the colorful context of the city, successfully interconnecting intimacy and multiplicity.
Furthermore, Smith’s novel entertains a duality between the real and the unreal. Her dichotomized place in New York is introduced in early stages of Smith and Robert’s relationship, as Smith describes:
“One Indian summer day we dressed in our favorite things (…) we took the subway to West Fourth Street and spent the afternoon in Washington Square. We shared coffee from a thermos, watching the stream of tourists, stoners, and folksingers. Agitated revolutionaries distributed anti-war leaflets. Chess players drew a crowd of their own. Everyone coexisted within the continuous drone of verbal diatribes, bongos, and barking dogs.” (Smith 47)
This scene offers an image rife with energy and movement in the public environment. Yet, while Smith speaks of coexistence, she refrains from placing herself into the context she defines. She serves only as the observer, sipping coffee with Mapplethorpe gazing onto the outside from within their transcendent experience, displaying an otherwise dynamic sequence as coldly as a still-life. It is only when an older couple comments on her and Robert’s roles that Smith closes their distance from their surroundings. The woman tells the accompanying man to take a picture of the two characters that seem like artists to her. “’Oh, go on,” he shrugged. They’re just kids.” (Smith 44) Significant enough to inspire the title, this encounter introduces the ideas of intimacy and multiplicity within Smith’s world and the city around her. As much as she and Robert seek to elevate and enchant their realities, they have become stereotypical, two of many inhabiting the city. They may present themselves as the personas associated with their alternative lifestyle, but ultimately Smith recognizes their commonality. In this way, she calls the distinction between intimacy and multiplicity into question, refusing to abandon one to obtain the other.
The line between real and unreal is rendered particularly nebulous in the context of the Chelsea Hotel.
“In between I clock the action. Eyeing the traffic circulating the lobby hung with bad art. Big invasive stuff unloaded on Stanley Bard in exchange for rent. The hotel is an energetic, desperate haven for scores of gifted hustling children from every rung of the ladder. Guitar bums and stoned-out beauties in Victorian dresses. Junkie poets, playwrights, broke-down filmmakers, and French actors. Everybody passing through here is somebody, if nobody in the outside world.” (Smith 91)
The graphic use of italics here visually signals a shift in Smith’s narrative. It underlines the dreamlike sequence that is Smith and Mapplethorpe’s experience at the Chelsea Hotel, distancing the people and happenings in the hotel from the urban exterior. The mention of “stoned out beauties in Victorian dresses” widens this distance by adding an epochal dimension to the hotel’s otherworldliness. (Smith 91) Lastly, the last sentence draws a boldly strict line between the hotel and the “outside world”. (Smith 91) Yet, the ideas of being “somebody” at the Chelsea and “nobody” in the vaster realm of Manhattan are inextricably linked. (Smith 91) Within the environment of the Chelsea, Smith belonged to a circle of drug-infused artists and patrons: society’s misfits bound together through shared estrangement. They had become somebodies amongst themselves evidently because they had all experienced the isolation of having been nobodies. Therefore, Smith underlines a causal relationship between the intimacy of the Chelsea Hotel and the inhabitants’ incongruence with New York city’s multiplicity.
Smith’s definition of intimacy is explored in distinct instances of Just Kids. It is a central theme to Smith and Mapplethorpe’s epic love story. It appears that their relationship guides the plot’s development, and hence mirrors Smith’s grander depiction of the city in terms of intimacy. From the moment they meet, Smith and Mapplethorpe are drawn to each other. Their initial encounters recall fairytale lovers who credit fate for their meeting. Disregarding courtship, they readily accept each other into their lives, as Smith states not long after their first meeting, “(...) I understood that in this small space of time we had mutually surrendered our loneliness and replaced it with trust”. (Smith 40) From this moment, much of Smith’s writing about their relationship is description of their routine. Painting and creating side by side was their ritual; in this way their daily lives were engulfed in the other’s. Despite this, Smith consciously refrains from including information that would define their relationship. While they were in love or perhaps they cared profoundly for the other, the lack of romantic intimacy conveyed alluded to the idea that their relationship was platonic. Smith’s ambiguous account of her and Robert’s bond calls intimacy into question, and perhaps deliberately pushes against its singular definition.
Multiplicity also plays a part in building Smith and Mapplethorpe’s intricate relationship. The number and diversity of figures they encounter allows them to create their intimate world away from reality. At the Hotel Chelsea, they meet an array of people including Mr. Bard, Harry Smith, Peggy Biderman, Ann Powell, Bruce Rudow, Sandy Daley, and Matthew Reich. Each person elicited a form of self-discovery for both Smith and Mapplethorpe. The introduction of these figures play an integral role in both of their artistic pursuits, and therefore reinforce their mutual creative inspiration for one and other. Thus, their intimacy is invigorated by the multiplicity of creative characters around them.
However, Smith and Mapplethorpe’s world undergoes growing tension throughout the novel. One instance in the novel that represents a striking turning point in their relationship occurs when Robert goes to an abandoned hospital and finds a fetus preserved in jar. Convinced he should transform the fetus into art, he steals the jar, but on their way home he inadvertently drops it. Smith describes the effect of this accident with the following citation:
“The purloined jar had sat on a shelf for decades, undisturbed. It was almost as if he had taken its life. 'Go upstairs,' he said. 'I'll clean it up.' We never mentioned it again. There was something about that jar. The shards of heavy glass seemed to foreshadow the deepening of our days; we didn’t speak of it but each of us seemed inflicted with a vague internal restlessness.” (Smith 69)
The jar appears to be a symbol that represents a tonal shift in Smith’s description of their relationship. Though Robert did not actually take the fetus’s life, Smith mentioning this represents birth and death simultaneously. The incident undoubtedly brought her own abortion and the trauma associated with it to mind. It could also be said that the scene underlines the limitations of Smith and Mapplethorpe’s nontraditional intimacy in terms of family-making. In this sense, the jar evokes the multiplicity within the intimacy, or the complexity that is the essence of Smith and Mapplethorpe’s feelings for each other, and for their perceptions of themselves. In fact, it is the very multiplicity within their relationship that eventually redraws its own confines. Thus, the “internal restlessness” Smith refers to foreshadows the increased strain on their world and the unease that accompanies these complexities. (69)
The themes of intimacy and multiplicity can be perceived to define not only the relationship between the two central characters of Just Kids, but also urban life itself. Manhattan is the singular backdrop for this story. This island, surrounded by water yet the heart of the world, is the essence of intimacy within multiplicity, of a patchwork of surface, sound, sight, scent, and taste. At any moment, this kaleidoscope of experience can collapse or delicately fold into the intimacy of a bedroom, a café table, a hospital bed. The structure of the book, the otherworldliness Smith references, and Robert and Patti’s complex relationship strengthen these interconnections between intimacy and multiplicity that are central to her New York story.
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Hello tumblr! AP EnglishLiiterature is among the AP classes most commonly taken by juniors ans seniors, and the skills it involves - analytical thought, communication, effective reading - are applicable in every walk of life. Given the nebulous nature of these components, however, studying for it can seem daunting.
General
Possibly one of the most essential skills for lit classes in general is the ability to read quickly and effectively. For the most part, this is something which is built up over the course of years of interaction with the English language. Brushing it up can absolutely help, though.
Learn to skim. That is, don’t read all the words on a page, but pay special attention to first and last sentences, and pick out words from in between to see what the gist of the paragraphs is.
If you have time and don’t often read older works, read some ~classical English literature. Pride and Prejudice is a good place to start. Familiarize yourself with the style and vocabulary; it will come up.
Write down any words you don't know as you encounter them. Look them up in the dictionary later and learn them.
If you have a particularly hard time with a particular genre -e.g. eighteenth century romantic poetry - try to read some independently. Just spend fifteen minutes on it every other day until you can functionally decipher what it's about.
As a general rule, look briefly through a set questions before reading the text they’re about. This way, you’ll know what to look out for. Often, you can knock off a couple of the easy ones right there.
If a question - even an essay question - stumps you, read it thoroughly, then move on. Come back when you’ve done the easy ones and take your very best stab at it, but don’t let it drain valuable time to useless pondering.
When you need to analyze and you don’t know where to start:
How does it make you feel? That’s the mood.
How does the author sound? That’s the tone.
Any weird details in there? They’re probably important to the text’s meaning. Examine them closely. In fact, keep a careful eye on details in general.
Is something compared to something else? e.g. “the light in his eyes” to “the stars of the heavens”? Get some adjectives for the latter. The stars of the heavens, for instance, are beautiful, distant, celestial, and eternal. Chances are whoever said that thinks “his eyes” have some of those qualities too.
Don’t let go there. Why do they think that? What does that signify for them, for their relationship, for their eyesight? Is this a metaphor? What does it signify then?
Do the same thing with metaphors.
There are some larger themes which often appear in literature, and especially that you are likely to read. among them are:
Conflict and relations between the old and new.
Humanity and the environment
Technology and nature
Society and the individual
If you can find such a theme in the piece you are working with, that may often be a door to an ~overarching, larger meaning^TM. Anything said about the settings, objects, characters, and ideas involved, can then be extended to the author’s statement about these themes.
The tiniest details can be enormously meaningful. If you follow a train of thought, you can get a lot out of them. This is particularly useful for essays.
Multiple Choice
These questions come in a few different flavors. Generally, they will ask you about the meaning of words in a text, the application of literary terms and concepts thereto, and its overall meaning/message.
The questions about any particular passage will tend to follow an order corresponding to the progression of the text and of its ~deeper meaning~ as the test writers want you to understand it. It makes sense to answer them, for the most part, as you read the text.
Sit down with a list of literary terminology, and memorize them. Practice applying them to all the material you work with throughout the year.
This one is daunting, but very comprehensive. The first three pages of this one are more relevant.
If you’re not getting one quickly, draw a star next to it and come back later. If a couple answers are just plain wrong, cross them out immediately; then you won’t have to think about them second time around.
If you’re not sure about an answer, put a lil’ question mark next to it. Only change it if you come back later and are absolutely certain you were wrong the first time.
The Essays
Do. Not. Get hung up on any one of them. They should all take roughly the same amount of time to write, and drafting your master’s thesis for one will do you no good if you have no time left for the other two.
Ideally, your first sentence, should be highly specific, and should encapsulate the intended meaning of your whole essay.
It might make sense for you to leave a space at the top blank to write your intro paragraph after the rest, if you don’t know where you’re going.
Be very specific about everything you say. Vague statements will take up time and space and get you nothing.
If you’re stuck, just state an obvious fact. Then say what it means. Insert some details supporting this interpretation. Connect it to other facts. See if you can connect it to a larger theme. Bam. Paragraph.
If you’re strapped for time, don’t worry about conclusions.
Do try to stay organized, though. Don’t jump between thoughts. One paragraph per point.
Use some literary terminology if it fits. Don’t use it if you can’t quite remember what it means, though.
For poetry, the actual rhyme structure, rhythm, and shape on the paper of the poem can often tie in nicely. Read the piece out loud in your head. Often, you can relate regular or irregular meter, a recurring pattern, or a change or disruption to the actual content and theme of a poem. Learning a few specific words to describe this will make you sound sophisticated af, just saying.
That Dreaded Last Essay
Don’t worry about reading lots of the books on the list of books which might be relevant. The very clichéd “quality over quantity” is super relevant here. You really only need to have two or three books prepared.
Given that, those books should rich in themes, and very different from one another. And you should know them like the back of your hand. Be able to summarize, analyze, and discuss them comfortably. Knowing an important quote from each, while not necessary, could be a good touch.
Your class will probably read and analyze several such books. If you are not in a class, look through the list of books which have appeared on the test. I found The Great Gatsby, Their Eyes Were Watching God, and Heart of Darkness particularly useful.
Whatever books you decide to prepare, have them ready a few weeks before the exam. Go through past questions, and make sure you could answer them with one (or more!) of your chosen works. Practice writing outlines if you like.
This question is not written to trip you up. It’s there to make you think on your feet about something you know more deeply than any of the passages which will actually be on the test. If you have an appropriate selection of works which you have analyzed and understand, and if you can write an essay, you will be able to answer it.
This course, and test, is a great chance to read some good books, learn to pick them apart, and refine your use of English. Enjoy it, and crush that exam. If an MCQ answer is really dumb, let yourself laugh a little; it’s good for de-stressing. :)
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Neptune: How we unify
Neptune is one of my favorites. It is the planet of idealism, intuition, psychic energies, inspiration, and healing.
Neptune: Relates to the Sign Pisces and the 12th House.
Keyphrase: My capacity to transcend the finite self through expressing unity with a greater whole.
Key Principles of Neptune:
Dissolver of form: cosmic solvent, unity, oneness, wholeness, the need to merge, disorder, disintegration, chaos.
Intangibility: nebulousness, vagueness, fantasies, understanding beyond reason, divinity, dreams, clouds, visions, ghosts, spirits, imaginings, confusion, illusion, unreality, deception, delusion.
Refinement: impressionability, sensitivity, clairvoyance, psychic abilities, the mediumship, chaotic, mentality.
Idealism: The dreamer, utopian, visionary healer, artist, savior or martyr, empathy, compassion, sacrifice, surrender, devotion, celestial music.
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Advanced (College)
A.1
intensification
justification
correlation
fluctuation
impassive
innate
pragmatic
marginalize
innocuous
hunch
paradigm
obscure
esoteric
solicitous
obsequious
peril
perilous
imperil
deliberate
virulent
indifferent
responsive
formulate
divergence
concession
estimate
hypothesis
conjecture
irrelevant
convoluted
petty
concise
abstruse
germane
sophistry
acumen
substantiation
resolution
erudite
assiduously
contrite
painstaking
insularity
insinuation
consistent
narcissism
dominate
inaugural
cynicism
objectivity
unreliable
sentiment
manipulate
mourn
poll
foremost
unique
govern
essence
conspiracy
regiment
inferior
prerogative
intolerable
apt
seldom
contrary
inefficient
tyrannical
lavishness
associate
oppression
prosperity
inequality
magnificence
discontent
pomp
impoverishment
envy
persecution
commerce
symbol
abundant
substantial
artisan
grandeur
A.2
versatile
indisputable
homogeneous
nebulous
consistent
majority
achieve
evidence
refute
substantiate
disappoint
intimidate
chasten
conceal
ignore
bolster
exaggerate
itinerant
indigenous
subdued
nocturnal
arboreal
trek
skeptical
contemptible
sanguine
magnanimous
disparaging
callous
enthusiastic
immaterial
cynical
altruistic
discerning
derivative
competent
prose
gauche
sublime
diligent
innovative
servile
controversy
radiological
gradually
proportion
misconception
technique
inaccurate
exceptionally
sympathy
tragedy
quantity
cynic
unrealistic
imbue
ignoble
self-serving
immense
threshold
enterprise
arduous
spectator
interfere
tropical
celestial
communion
flit
ministerial
urgently
sneer
significance
consequence
adequacy
analysis
reflective
anxious
anticipation
skepticism
apprehension
perplexed
meticulously
eradicate
A.3
tolerance
revere
conservatism
overlook
rehabilitation
perseverance
beneficial
assuage
physiological
ameliorate
circumstantial
exacerbate
premeditate
rebuff
communicable
concentrated
headstrong
complaisant
truculent
tactless
revive
facilitate
debilitate
expedite
reform
postpone
table
preempt
subsidize
caviler
diviner
requite
repudiate
portend
rescind
expropriate
stalwart
antagonist
skeptic
constitute
misconception
notion
clinch
dramatize
secular
commodity
virtually
bourgeois
habitue
materialistic
disorder
indicate
acknowledge
bigoted
inspiration
bias
fascination
aloofness
ambition
comradery
vibrant
prosperous
iconoclasm
affectation
depravity
arrogance
B.1
cryptic
prolific
appeal
provocative
attest
garish
whisper
arrogant
amplify
condemn
eschew
vilify
embrace
denounce
anticipate
incorporate
agile
adept
abyss
abysmal
insipid
eloquent
insubordination
insubordinate
subordinate
disseminate
assuage
improvidence
provoke
subterfuge
expedite
impudence
inundate
perpetuate
thwart
console
reproach
exhort
modicum
respite
dearth
turpitude
perspicacity
consolation
metaphysics
various
mutual
dedicate
instrumental
quantity
occurrence
confound
oracle
reciprocally
purify
represent
infinitude
encircle
posit
mystical
conspicuously
sect
righteousness
ascend
transgression
ideological
ratio
vindicated
capricious
obscure
inexorable
interrelated
primary
intersection
precept
adhere
B.2
ingratiate
invigorate
exculpate
enervate
debilitate
candor
dissuade
frivolity
frivolous
ratify
ratification
nullify
nullification
refute
refutation
supplant
atrocity
atrocious
elocution
eloquent
eloquence
idiosyncrasy
idiosyncratic
omen
ominous
impediment
impede
impetus
fickle
fickleness
recalcitrant
pugnacious
lucrative
spurious
savory
unsavory
cacophony
cacophonous
pungent
conflagration
abhor
abhorrence
abomination
abominable
lethargic
lethargy
scourge
irascible
rapacious
rapacity
convoluted
convolution
ostentatious
ostentatiously
unostentatious
ostentation
copious
provident
providence
provide
provision
improvident
clairvoyant
clairvoyance
impassive
matriculate
matriculation
venal
venality
scrupulous
unscrupulous
scruple
virility
virile
macerate
B.3
blatant
suspension
miniscule
egregious
obligatory
nautical
ceremony
gratuity
dormancy
lethargy
capriciousness
diligence
altruistic
dislike
charlatan
prerequisite
philanthropist
philanthropy
penchant
nihilist
despot
culpable
culpability
laconic
verbose
lugubrious
sonorous
antiquated
lofty
impecunious
prescient
pusillanimous
irrigation
apex
alluvial
societal
dramatically
technological
geographical
sedimentary
boon
exaggerate
attribute
virility
endowment
adornment
mysterious
merit
vestigial
convey
inherit
legendary
Sherpa
ideally
stout
revered
aptitude
combination
porter
expedition
harsh
unaware
summit
heterogeneous
awed
antagonistic
detached
endure
aloof
barren
sustain
interact
imitate
identical
deference
announce
utter
transitivity
disoriented
sophisticated
associate
C.1
conservation
prudence
initiative
diplomacy
activism
responsibility
restraint
isolation
esteemed
unconventional
disparage
replicate
resent
parochial
cosmopolitan
altruistic
intractable
taciturn
rational
diffident
holism
replenishment
pretension
catharsis
purgative
vociferous
alluring
caprice
enticing
mockingly
treacherous
providential
effervescent
flimsy
deceptive
inclination
inane
passion
enumeration
emergence
enhance
sabotage
arbitrary
cardinal
aesthetic
chiding
expository
revulsion
bewilderment
inform
primary
emblazon
immutable
coincidence
converge
poised
undulate
silhouette
haiku
disquieting
shroud
veiled
awe
obsession
confidence
speculation
midst
marvelous
spectacular
cataclysmic
splendor
photon
thwart
primordial
cosmological
phenomenon
astonishing
remarkable
parameter
plausible
alternative
C.2
growth
ignore
curtailment
raze
reduce
reduction
correlation
permit
construct
dormitory
accommodate
prominently
repudiate
reveal
irrelevant
demonstrate
significant
refute
tolerate
tolerance
dispensable
indispensable
pinnacle
nadir
paradigm
inception
periphery
corporate
detrimental
dubious
salutary
perverse
converse
polymath
recluse
dilettante
ascetic
pundit
faction
clique
substantial
poignant
indifference
modest
parsimony
adequate
infirmity
breakthrough
exorbitant
headway
intuition
attune
sanguine
encroachment
adorn
veneer
emanate
stimulus
instantaneously
evasive
cerebral cortex
heuristic
proportionately
disproportionately
illusory
repertoire
peculiar
cognitive
accuse
entrust
probable
energize
intrusion
rudimentary
superstition
skeptical
sentimental
bewilderment
C.3
validity
controversy
resent
invariance
irrelevant
disgust
affinity
indifference
intolerance
corollary
distorted
coherent
sparse
spontaneous
economy
meager
subjectivity
colloquial
abundant
admire
laud
repudiate
disdain
dismiss
contradict
extol
reassert
retract
therapeutic
incongruous
ameliorate
ameliorative
prehensile
suppress
entail
resolve
reiterate
promote
pedantry
pragmatism
exclusion
evanescence
deprecation
dissect
sensory
phenomenon
kaleidoscopic
flux
ascribe
codify
continuum
uniformly
combined
continuous
stimulus
indentation
perception
discrete
abstraction
comforting
familiarity
palliative
memorable
regard
escapist
recollection
kinaesthetic
alienation
interactive
impression
analysis
prose
vivid
interpretation
detour
communication
incapable
nuance
expose
summarize
contrast
directly
D.1
pragmatic
querulous
dejected
jubilant
indifferent
outlandish
histrionic
commissioned
politicize
streamlined
aggregate
mundane
depreciatory
invigorating
lugubrious
soporific
latency
dissemination
complacency
circumspection
salvation
discretion
husbandry
improvidence
partisanship
immoderation
burgeon
wane
attenuated
dispersed
conflate
cynicism
bedraggled
ardor
sully
mendacity
dilapidated
earnestness
substantiate
autonomy
buttressed
inadequacy
superficial
complexity
unintelligible
profusion
surfeit
obtuse
dearth
comprehensive
dub
alter
altar
plume
paleontology
descendant
intimidation
lingering
shaman
trivial
savor
analysis
particular
essential
intrepid
monotonous
senile
tedious
jocular
technical
humorous
tainted
compassionate
meteorology
frequently
vicissitude
aspect
enliven
ensure
D.2
mediocre
laconic
versatile
lethargic
transcend
aggregation
degenerate
aesthetics
streamline
manifestation
sporadically
sporadic
gluttony
gluttonous
meticulous
munificent
vicarious
mundane
hackneyed
spare
poignant
bucolic
melancholic
lugubrious
buoyant
doleful
upbeat
sprightly
voluble
inchoate
tedious
bombastic
analogy
controversy
division
progressive
vague
essential
depiction
analysis
activity
treatise
inordinate
personify
appreciation
mortality
superior
evocative
purity
deceit
corruption
prejudice
enclave
periphery
splendor
brash
profligacy
mutilation
hostage
differentiation
sanitarium
integrated
remediate
sympathetic
ambivalence
idiosyncrasy
prodigal
ceremonial
sophisticated
sadistic
facilitate
physiotherapy
merge
tepid
partisan
conspicuously
adamant
denounce
chastise
D.3
delectable
palliative
compulsive
fortified
provident
prosperity
scrutiny
infamy
spontaneity
negligence
precision
exacerbate
paucity
compensate
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Advanced (College) was originally published on PinkWrite
0 notes
Name: Cecil
Age & Date of birth: Immortal being, technically has no age, several hundred years old at least.
Species: Celestial angel (from another dimension/outer space kinda, it’s a little unclear what they actually are)
Gender: Agender, zi/zir
Orientation: Pansexual, panromantic
Biography: Cecil is a “fallen angel” condemned to banishment on Earth after sneaking away from zir nebulous home realm to live out a mortal lifetime, and falling in love with a human woman (treated like a casual, impulsive decision, like a one-night-stand, where zi comes from). The caveat of zir punishment is that zi can’t physically or emotionally touch another person without being chased by pain and misfortune afterwards. In spite of this, zi eventually meets another mortal on Earth – a philosopher, and a man this time – and falls in love again, for better or worse.
Appearance: Pale, almost translucent skin even in human form, choppy, unevenly-shorn off silvery hair, normally blue eyes (can change color with mood), large black wings that were once clear/white before zi was banished, and that can’t be seen by (most) mortals.
Personality: ISFP, true neutral.Cynical and nihilistic, rather bitter and defeatist after zir banishment. Still fascinated, however, by the fragility and, at times, futility of life, and by human bonds and emotions.
Favourite & Least Favourite things:Appreciates, but doesn’t quite understand human art and emotional expression, likes to observe from afar and gather information at zir own pace, and enjoys the beauty and unpredictable behavior of the natural world. Dislikes restrictions and structure, and absolutely despises “just because” logic, and those who assume they know better just because they are older/higher ranking.
Strengths and Weaknesses: Strengths: perceptive and quick to learn, a focused data-hoarder and logic-driven thinker with a vast, inhuman capacity for memorization and comprehension. Weaknesses: rather emotionally detached and withdrawn from others, rebellious, cocky, and impulsive with a tendency to jump to conclusions and fail to consider consequences for zir words and actions.
Additional notes: This OC was intended to be part of a bigger story, but the whole thing is still up in the air, and really vague in terms of plot and characters. But if nothing else, Cecil is a compelling character, and kind of relaxing and fun to draw.
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