aotoreiki

[aotoreiki]

I love that folks are being more accepting of autism, but I don't love that autism is being sanitized into a quirk.

There's a cute and acceptable form of autism on social media, and I don't see any indication that folks are remotely ready for discussing the rest of it, which contains all the uncomfortable things that impede a person's everyday life, require support, and make acceptance almost impossible—where the hygiene struggles, inappropriate social behaviors, involuntary movements and outbursts, meltdowns, and emotional dependence issues live. And the cuter and more sanitized the "good" autism gets, the more unacceptable the "bad" autism becomes.

#ooc ✻ who opened the box

[aotoreiki]

Shadows of Almia has this kinda theme going on with darkness and shadows and light, and that's all well and good, but it's not really explored in a very... clear way. Like, man, they put Cresselia and Darkrai both in the game in some kind of semi-prominent role and then did nothing with it. Lorewise they're both really only there to act as bosses for their respective special stones (+ to be the final boss in Darkrai's case).

Similarly the game brings up the themes of the "darkness" in people's hearts, negative emotions (being embodied in the Shadow Crystal, and experienced by the folktale's king), rekindling light that has been submerged in darkness (the JPN-titular "vatonage") and the three stones shining with their own lights to purify the Shadow Crystal...

Which is, again, great, but very vague and nebulous. I mean, the characters in-game don't even know why the three gems work on the Shadow Crystal, why they exist beyond serving to seal the Shadow Crystal's power or what they actually are (or why the Pokémon guarding them are there and are what they are either!). The Ranger gang never figures that out, they're canonically just working with a very desperate plan that was put together on the fly. Supposedly the Altru side knew more considering they already knew about the fact the Gems even existed, which was only discovered on a stroke of luck almost for the Ranger Union, but we never hear anything on the subject from that side, so... it doesn't matter.

(We were this close to not even knowing wtf was up with the Shadow Crystal either but at least Hastings had those few throwaway lines of dialogue about how it's thousands of years old and contains immense negative emotions. That's... about it as far as the lore goes.)

SO, in my very generously headcanon-based Almia lore, a core theme of the Shadow Crystal and the Three Gems is that of balance.

In giving the three Gem Guardians more actual lore relevance, at some point in my disorganised reading I stumbled on the idea of the three primary virtues (in reference to Japanese culture). These being valour, wisdom, and benevolence. These are also speculated to have influenced the Lake Trio, which makes sense; they are about spirit, and Almia's name seems to come from a word meaning soul, so...

I matched Cresselia up with benevolence, Heatran up with valour, and Mew with wisdom (my lore-specific, later in history passing the role on to the in-game Lucario). Together they created the three gems to seal the power of the Shadow Crystal, a long, long time ago. The Shadow Crystal itself is an immense accumulation of negative emotions and is related to the "darkness" in people's hearts, those flaws of character that if unchecked lead to evil and harmful actions; implied to tap into it in some way in the case of Brighton and his son and in my interpretation, even the otherwise-benevolent king of legend. It was never supposed to be within reach of people to start with; it only became so after a disruption of its originator's balance, after - several evil acts caused immense harm to countless souls.

Basically, the idea is that with the three virtues (and the power of the legendaries corresponding with them), a certain balance is achieved that neutralises the out-of-control power of the Shadow Crystal (etc), same as with balance in self to control those "shadows" in the heart. On the other hand, if this balance is lacking and things get out of control, it causes pain for everyone, which can get worse and worse as it exacerbates itself.

Also, you can't neutralise the Crystal with only one Gem. It'll affect it to a degree for a moment, but it recovers. It has to be all three.

#i almost forgot i was going to reblog this post (this is what proceeded to start all the other stuff)

[aotoreiki]

Almia meta + headcanons collection

Useful for story and headcanon references and fun worldbuilding! All apply on this blog, and can be adjusted to a degree if necessary.

Almia, the region, in general…

Overview of the Almia region.

Located just southwest of Sinnoh, Almia includes part of the same island mass as Sinnoh (the area southwest of Canalave City), plus smaller nearby islands in the surrounding ocean, as well as a small part of the KanJoh etc. island mass in the southeast.

Almia has no Pokémon League or regular Trainers. Instead, Pokémon Rangers play a prominent role in life, safeguarding the ecosystem and Pokémon and helping out the general populace.

Almia is home to many Pokémon species rarely seen in the wild, including naturally surviving fossil Pokémon and Hisuian forms. The existence of these is one major reason for the ecosystem’s management differing to those of neighbouring regions.

Other reasons for Almia’s differing way of life stem from cultural differences, such as Poké Balls not having been introduced in the same way as they were to its closest neighbour (Sinnoh). Almia’s culture developed differently, because it lacked influences brought by those such as the Galaxy Expedition Team. Instead, the attitude of the region’s already mixed peoples in regard to Pokémon and the world around them carried with little interference into the modern day, and resulted in the creation of Pokémon Rangers.

Legendary Pokémon known to inhabit or appear in the region include Cresselia, Heatran, Regigigas, Darkrai, and Celebi.

Almia’s folklore, the Shadow Crystal, the Three Gems…

The original three guardians of Almia, who watched over and protected the region and its inhabitants, were also the creators of the three coloured gems. They are/were: Cresselia, Heatran, and a Shiny Mew. Only Cresselia and Heatran are known to still be active in the region in the present day; Mew’s presence is an unknown.

Coloured Gems/Tears of Princes. (Red, Yellow, Blue)

An overview of the Shadow Crystal, a massive crystal formation that was originally found within a cave system in the northeastern highlands, but was then excavated and set atop Altru Tower.

The material that composes both the Shadow Crystal and the smaller Dark Shards used in Gigaremo and Miniremo units will be referred to as Dark Stone. It is superficially similar to Dusk Stone.

Young Dark Stone is transparent or translucent and lacks a dense, dark colour, as it has yet to absorb much energy. The colour darkens and becomes more opaque as it absorbs more energy.

More about Dark Stone, and its natural role in the world.

The dangers of exposure to the Shadow Crystal and Dark Stone, regardless of your moral alignment or the specifics of your goals.

Themes of the Shadow Crystal and the Three Gems (and Shadows of Almia in general, plus a little on how/why they interact).

Almia’s history, both past and present…

History overview.

Region and people before the Almians’ arrival.

Almians’ relationship to Paldea.

Kingdom of Almia overview.

Dynamic between people there already and the Almians. (Didn’t start out poorly but became that way due to corruption which led to the destruction of the kingdom aspect.)

Etc etc all the stuff that’s in my brain but too nebulous to write

Other notes or fun stuff to know…

Facts about the Incredible Machine (Altru Tower).

#I was also possessed to rewrite this entire post. it's no longer messy or sucks!! #the linked posts within still need review and attention but that is for another day

[aotoreiki]

come to almia we got the original fucked up rocks

#see rock. love rock. dedicate your son to and rename him in honour of rock. get kicked out of your company by said son #leave behind a diary abt this and Vanish. watch the next 30-40 years of plot unfold because a guy unfortunately saw a freaking rock #ooc ✻ who opened the box

[aotoreiki]

Now on why the Shadow Crystal is a danger to almost anyone, as long as they have some kind of character flaw, insecurity, weakness or semi-strong desire (which is… the vast majority of people).

The Shadow Crystal is somewhat like the Ring in LotR in this regard: it can search out and twist almost anything in a person’s character to its purpose. It doesn’t matter if you have noble intentions or blatantly evil intentions or anywhere inbetween. Anything can be used to give it purchase, and then twisted, given enough time and negative character development.

Obviously something more gaping like Brighton’s fear about the future of Almia or the intense grief and regret experienced by the folktale’s king offers a far more exploitable opportunity, a faster and stronger influence, but it can also work insidiously and slowly. It has no time limit on what it does. It doesn’t even plan what it does, not the same way a thinking mind does. It just causes things by the very nature of its existence.

Half the work is done within the people exposed to it, by themselves. Both the zeal of a “righteous” hero and the selfish goals of an “evil” villain offer it opportunities. It doesn’t differentiate based on perceptions like that. It’s the strength of the emotionality or the desire that matters most.

The most resistant to the Shadow Crystal are those who are very at peace and grounded, or who have a very high degree of self-mastery.

The most vulnerable are those experiencing a greater degree of mental distress, or who have an unbalanced aspect of their personality. It can enrapture with only a brief exposure and with no explicable reason.

It latches onto the exposed heart in a moment. It does not present itself as inherently evil or terrible or even negative in any way at all. Being struck with awe and considering it a wondrous thing is the more noted response. Being aware of its real nature may help with fighting it off, but it doesn’t grant immunity, because at the end of the day it’s not something that operates based on rationality or conscious thought. It transcends that.

#copypasted from svern's blog. i will probably need to rewrite this at some point to vibe better but this is fine for now #tldr the shadow crystal is like the one ring which is why it's so bad. i will always make this comparison because it's correct #almia meta

[aotoreiki]

the people have spoken

do I put ALL of the expanded shadow crystal lore on this blog as well, because it IS almia lore and this blog is kind of my almia lore central regardless of its direct relevance to the muse, or do I leave it on svern's blog, where it is technically more relevant to the muse

#you guys are like my number one supporters about this and it means SO MUCH to me #ooc ✻ who opened the box

[aotoreiki]

do I put ALL of the expanded shadow crystal lore on this blog as well, because it IS almia lore and this blog is kind of my almia lore central regardless of its direct relevance to the muse, or do I leave it on svern's blog, where it is technically more relevant to the muse

#i like having things as comprehensive as possible so knowing me i'll probably repost it here (the stuff i haven't already) #if for no other reason than people who read things on this blog but not svern's #ooc ✻ who opened the box

[aotoreiki]

commissions are open again!

hello tumblr, i am having a bit of a Sexy Moment with my art right now so i thought i'd open commissions to strike while the iron is hot. if you'd like a full body piece of your fave similar to the above, i've got 5 slots open and it starts at $80 USD!

more info on my ko-fi here -- probably going to close these at the end of april but realistically i'll stop taking them whenever i get tired of art again so who knows

#promo ✻ not too shabby

[aotoreiki]

aim for legibility and accessibility over being ostentatious and aesthetic with your blog text, especially when it comes to your rules, your pages, and other important parts of your blog that need to be read by all to create interactions. tiny, illegible fonts in a dark color on a dark background make it incredibly difficult to read, and may limit your appeal and interactivity. you may be turning away very talented, passionate writers looking to plot with you, simply because they can't read your text (even when zoomed in or squinting).

the easier your blog is to explore, read, and understand, the easier it is to gain new followers, new plots, and new dynamics.

#please i'm so tired of opening carrds that have tiny ass text that i attempt to zoom in to read and then it doesn't work bc carrd is #weird with zooming in #it's not necessary. it won't kill you to use normal sized fonts instead of small font. i prommy #ooc ✻ who opened the box

[aotoreiki]

a small psa that, if you’re writing with me, there’s never any pressure.  you can always take as much time responding to things as you need.  days, weeks, months, it’s fine with me!   you and your well-being come first.   i never want you to feel like i’m expecting you to write, because that’s never the case.  and i never want you to feel rushed for replies.  you, the mun, always come first, full stop.  <3

#ooc ✻ who opened the box

[aotoreiki]

RPers, please reblog this if you’re okay with ICONLESS threads!

#i have Some icons now and will eventually draw more but like. lmao yeah this guy has No icons unless i make them myself #and i have never found a faceclaim that satisfied me #🫡 #as long as you just describe the tone / expression in your Writing then it's no biggie. icons are fun extras #ooc ✻ who opened the box

[aotoreiki]

4.5 months counting in dragon rabbithole. but here's my vision

#which one i end up with of these options will probably be whichever one i can get my hands on a suitable candidate for first #ooc ✻ who opened the box

[aotoreiki]

keep forgetting about rei being the name of the pla character. this isn't about him

#rei on this blog is short for reisei which is the muse's proper given name #i picked the name because rei (cold) before pla was a thing but im pretty sure i only formalised it on this blog like. #very shortly before or around the time pla was a thing. sighs #tbd #ooc ✻ who opened the box

[aotoreiki]

Rei's aura abilities, and how aura is written here...

Given the vagueness and general lack of information in canon about the exact mechanics of aura, different people have different interpretations of it and how it works for their muses and writing. The following is to reference for my muse and my own worldbuilding. It isn't intended to affect anyone else's and differences can be treated as natural variations of a complex mechanic; but please do respect this for my muse and my writing.

As of time of writing I haven't caught up with the Journeys section of the anime where aura is used more. I need to watch it so I can see how it works there and decide what to incorporate into my own stuff. Until then, my hcs are based only on the material preceding it.

The "aura" being referred to here is specifically the kind of aura in things like Riolu's and Lucario's dex entries, Aura Sphere's name, and aura guardians in the anime. There is a specific term for this in Japanese, differing from general-use "aura", which unfortunately doesn't carry over into the English. To explain a little better: While other instances of the word "aura" in Japanese such as those used in reference to Z-Moves or Xerneas' and Yveltal's Fairy and Dark Auras use オーラ (literally representing the pronunciation of the English word, written using katakana), there is a different word used for "aura" as relating to Riolu and Lucario. Words used for the latter are 波動 or 波導 (hadou, share the same pronunciation). A more literal translation is wave or wave-guiding, respectively. I find the fact that a different, specific term is used is interesting, that it's fun to explore the potential meaning of it, and I just always think it's a shame when a translation loses or muddies any original nuance... so that's why it matters to me, personally.  

I don't treat aura as being 100% synonymous with life energy. They're closely linked, but not entirely the same. Life energy or infinity energy is a more general and broad term. Not everything that contains life energy gives off a discernible aura wave, in the same way that a living thing does. Likewise, aura is based in the life energy or essence of a living thing, and is intrinsically linked to it. Life energy itself as found in other states is far more raw.

Disclaimer of course that anything is liable to change as I learn more and further develop my headcanons. Now, on to the muse...

Rei has always had a potential affinity for aura, which he inherited from his father. However, it was very weak and for most of his life it remained dormant, and did not manifest in a noticeable way. It only became active in his adult years, during/post-Team Dim Sun, due to exposure to the Shadow Crystal's energy and influence.  

He is very sensitive to the sensory aspect of aura, and he has a poor ability to regulate the information that he picks up through it. He gets easily overwhelmed, and so he often deliberately dampens or blocks his own aura-based sensory abilities.  

Speaking of which, he experiences aura as its very own separate and distinct sense. He does not literally "see" auras. The best he would be able to describe it would be like textured vibrations that carry various information, which he "knows" (intuitively decodes), but even this falls short because it's not a true physical sense. He can relay what he learns from them, and describe the impression they gave him as well as any associated mental imagery or traits (which is where things like colour or brightness would come in). This is referring to the typically invisible aura wave. If aura is manifested in a way that's visible to the ordinary naked eye, he can then literally see it in the same way that non-aura users can too.  

Similarly, he does not literally read minds or thoughts in a way that would give him a word-for-word representation of someone's inner monologue. He instead perceives the emotion, or the thought's core concept and its meaning near-instantaneously. He would be able to paraphrase your thoughts, rather than state them exactly.  

This is also how he potentially communicates via aura with other aura-sensitive beings. He would project his own aura wave, which carries his thought information and feelings, which they can then perceive and understand the meaning of. He's not at the stage of being able to use true telepathy or to speak in someone's mind.  

Aaand more about what he can do with it will be added here later.

#NEW REWRITTEN POST OF THIS #to replace the old one #wip of course but the foundational stuff is here #headcanon ✻ i’m doing this for peace

[aotoreiki]

You come across a family on your hike

#this is so cute #pokemon tag #takeo (garchomp)

[aotoreiki]

Happy autism acceptance month, I would enjoy seeing delving into muses being autistic that explores how it affects them and their life in a meaningful way, with the same amount of thought as how other life experiences or circumstances have had

#remember that it is an entire thing and not Just for sillies #sometimes. i do see a hc and i would not have noticed because it was barely mentioned before and wasn't really self evident at all #also i need more autistic muses who have tangible social interaction issues and not just some anxiety and awkwardness/not being too social #ooc ✻ who opened the box

[aotoreiki]

#muse vibes ✻ that’s blue; just like you want