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fontainescape · 9 months

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Speculation on Childe's "Guilty" Verdict

So my headcanon on Childe's presence in Fontaine to safeguard the traveller from being convicted to a crime is immediately thrown out the window. The situation is actually reversed! Beautiful. Sounds way better, story-wise.

The Oratrice has concluded that Childe is guilty of being involved in the serial disappearances case. I have read many posts and comments stating how it's impossible because Childe is only 21 while the case had been around for 20 years. However, it is possible.

When we met Childe in Fontaine, it is no coincidence that they now bring up Skirk and what Childe saw when he fell into the abyss. We knew that for some time now but it's only mentioned in the archon quests in this 4.0 update.

Let's break down what Childe said.

"I'm not sure... It's as if I suddenly lost control of my Hydro powers when I needed them. Maybe there's something wrong with my Vision?"

"But recently, there seems to be some sort of restless power stirring inside of me... And I don't know why, but every now and then I feel like I'm in a terrible mood."

Here, I assume Childe means he has been feeling this terrible mood upon arriving Fontaine. On top of that, he's losing control of his Vision. Possibly, it's because of the power he felt inside him. Paimon and Traveller thinks so.

I also believe this is the "it" Skirk mentioned. Childe awakened something and its traces remained on him, which is why she accepted him as her apprentice.

"Because I had awakened "it," and traces of "it" remained on me. She said that all my combat training would be useful in the future."

Should also probably take note that Skirk taught him the Foul Legacy, apparently. But I don't think that has anything to do with this case. Just feel like I have to add it because she said this would be useful for him, regarding "it" in the future.

Childe/Tartaglia's Namecard Description: ... Yet, his "Foul Legacy" was not originally his. Rather, it was taught to him by that solitary girl who dwelt in the darkest corners of the universe.

Childe believes this is related to the dream he saw when he fell into the unknown abyss.

"In my dream, I was in the deepest depths of the sea, and the boundless seabed was all around me. But in front of me appeared a whale that was so massive I felt like I couldn't breathe."

I think Childe did not see a dream, but that it actually happened. And maybe it wasn't a whale, but an Oceanid.

I have yet to explore the entire Fontaine region yet, but there was a preview in Genshin 4.0 Livestream of a dormant Oceanid underwater, hugging a huge building. During Act I and Act II, I waited for the appearance of this Oceanid but it didn't really go there.

It doesn't have to be this Oceanid, I'm just comparing its size to how Childe envisioned the whale he saw, but I think Childe accidentally got involved somehow and at least saw something but refused or couldn't help, or even caused it but didn't really understand what happened hence why he remembers it as a dream. Boi probably got traumatized, fr. He might have been in Fontaine during this. And then it made him fled to a snowy forest, where he would then fall to the abyss.

Excerpt from Tartaglia Character Story 4: That 14-year-old boy got lost in the snowy forest. Pursued by bears and wolf packs, he lost his footing and fell into a bottomless crack in the earth's surface. There, he witnessed the endless possibilities of another ancient world. There, he would meet a mysterious swordswoman... Or perhaps one should say that this dark realm had sensed the burning ambition in this boy's heart. This darkness was something that the Harbinger Childe could never again delve into. In those three months, the swordswoman taught Tartaglia how to pass through the Abyss unhindered, and more importantly, nurtured the ability to stir up endless havoc from within Ajax's trouble-mongering nature. No one knew what happened within that darkness during those three months, nor would Ajax ever speak of this to anyone.

Childe was running from "wolves and bears" it said and then abyss sensed a burning ambition. It doesn't sound like just wolves and bears that sparked this ambition, I'd say. What if Childe dreamed to be more "brave" or "confident." And yet, running away from home in itself seems brave enough to me. Something must have happened before he fell to the abyss.

Or was it actually referring to the traces of "it" that is now inside of Childe? It's probably what made him change personality drastically, and not just simply because of his training with Skirk.

It's also interesting that we don't know how he got his Hydro Vision in the first place. Traveller now is safekeeping it, so I wonder if they will find out something through this Hydro Vision.

And I wonder, how did Childe awaken "it"?

Finally, the Oratrice decided Childe is guilty. This was what Neuvillette said in his own judgment of the case:

"Through evidence presented in the public trial that was just held, it has been established that Mr. Tartaglia has no direct connection to the serial disappearances case."

"The guilty party has been identified, and thus, it is logical to suppose Mr. Tartaglia is innocent of the charges."

I really like how Neuvillette says "logical to suppose", cause as Chief Justice, he cannot be firmly sure if one is innocent or guilty unless proven or disproven with evidence. Childe simply didn't have an alibi nor even was mentioned in Vacher's confession.

But Oratrice really said, "no bruh, this dude did something. I ain't letting him get away with it even if he is unaware."

Additional Notes

Now, I did mention about the Foul Legacy before, and that I don't think it has anything to do with what's currently happening in the archon quest. But, as of writing this, I remember that Neuvillette only stopped Childe when he transformed into his Foul Legacy. Some people wondered why?

Foul Legacy looks similar to Abyss Heralds and Abyss Lectors. Additionally, the cape looks like it's of abyss. If you don't know, Foul Legacy has nothing to do with his Delusion.

So I suspect that Neuvillette was either just slow to react, or he only felt it was unsafe for everyone in the court when he saw this form. Because surely, the Gardemeks wouldn't be able to handle that.

And that is all for my speculations regarding Childe's case.

Toodle-oo~

#didnt post yesterday i was playing genshin tehee #genshin impact #fontaine #childe #tartaglia #neuvillette #oceanid #skirk #abyss

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cheeto-flavoured-pasta · 10 months

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An (Albeit Late) Writeblr Intro

I'm seeing all the Writeblr introduction posts going around and I'm starting to realize that, damn, I should have started my blog that way. But I didn't, so I might as well post my intro a while after I've written and reblogged other things, because it's the least I can do.

So, with that out of the way: excuse my fuck-ups, and here's a really late Writeblr intro…

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Hi! I don't think anyone wants to type out my long username whenever they're referring to me, so just call me 'A.' (He/him). I've been lurking on Tumblr for a while and I figured I'd actually get up and make a blog for writing. I don't exactly have any particular focus outside of just "random crap that relates to writing in any way, shape, or form" so I could be putting up memes, drabbles I wrote, excerpts from my WIPs, writing memes, etc. etc. I'll make other blogs if I wanna focus in on one specific writing aspect later, but for now, I'm keeping things general.

My current major WIP as of now is APS (stands for 'A Powerful Secret' but I usually just call it the acronym since it sounds cooler). It's a sci-fi dystopia trilogy centering around the idea of superhumans being discovered by an already-corrupt government. There's also a spinoff I want to work on, but that's way off into the future. I'm currently working on B2 of the trilogy; it's currently in the first draft. Considering that this series is still a major work-in-progress, I might not be able to post anything about it until a bit later.

I do have plenty of other side projects that I most certainly want to share on here, since I feel more confident posting those first (when I get back to writing them, of course). Some of these side-WIPs include:

The Devil On My Shoulder: A fiction centering around a depressed college-aged student, and how his life changes when a demon is kicked out from hell and comes crashing right into his home.

This is probably the story I'm most excited to work on, given that I've mapped out all the twists and turns in my head already, and all I need to do is write it.

ATM (placeholder title): A story — possibly a series — revolving around a civilization that relies heavily on elemental magic which takes the form of specific jewelry (ex: elemental rings, necklaces, wristbands, etc.). It's often used to fight back against the monsters that invaded the world decades ago. The source of the creatures is something that nobody knows, but the protagonist, Nadeline, is dead set on finding out.

This story may take a longer while to write, considering that it's a high-fantasy type of story, which is a genre I don't write often but want to write more of.

Don't Leave: (That may or may not be a placeholder title; it depends). A novel that focuses on the town of Bayholde, which forbids anyone from traveling outside of it and has closed itself off from the world almost entirely. Kaguya, a young man who is fed up with being trapped inside, makes his escape from Bayholde one night just to see what lies in the outside world. What he finds is most certainly not pretty.

______________________________________________

You can bet I'll be posting at least something related to the first or third WIP sometime soon. In the meantime, though, I'll probably fill up the blog with all the other things I mentioned before: drabbles, excerpts, memes, maybe the occasional writing prompt/idea if I feel like it.

I really look forward to seeing what the rest of Writeblr brings, along with reading everyone else's works/WIPs! :)

— A.

#writeblr #writers of tumblr #writing #writing community #writeblr introduction #writeblr intro #wip intro

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not-poignant · 11 months

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That excerpt got me excited to read the next chapter of UtB! Kadek is a character we didn't get to explore much in FFS so I'm pumped. Question: does Kadek's past actions at the other rehabilitation facility still effect him? Does he see himself as a perpetrator or deal with any self-hatred? Does he suffer from his PTSD or something like second-hand trauma? I know that being violent towards others/hurting others or seeing other people suffer can cause a trauma response. So I'm curious

Hi anon,

A person who can honestly call what they've done 'rape' instead of 'oh I mean technically it was rape and they still wanted it' is definitely in the arena of seeing himself as a perpetrator and still being affected by it. He literally says to Efnisien that he's allowed to think of Kadek as a monster, because Kadek was a monster. He calls the story 'a sad story.' The story is literally in relation to him talking about how fucked up the world is. So a lot of the answers to your question/s are actually in the excerpt that mentions all this stuff in the language Kadek is using.

People who haven't taken responsibility for their actions talk about the act of rape in a very different way. And Kadek will talk more about it and it should become a lot clearer even after those first two paragraphs talking about the story.

(More to follow, also just a correction that it's not at all secondhand trauma to hurt someone else, that is 100% primary trauma).

Also, being a rapist isn't 'secondhand trauma.' It's just straight-up traumatising to many people, and fractures their personality to a degree where they can often no longer confront reality afterwards. It's especially traumatising to people who don't realise they're raping someone (usually due to ignorance / lack of education / misogyny) and then become aware, and then have to deal with the aftermath of that. Intentional rapists experience a different journey to people who really don't think of themselves that way, and then find out they're in the category of rapist anyway, which is what Kadek is.

Accidentally inflicting trauma on someone and realising later is traumatic. It's not 'secondhand trauma' by default (though that can be there too - there's 100% primary trauma). If you hit an animal with your car and kill or hurt it, that's not 'secondhand trauma' because the animal was likely more hurt than you were. That's primary trauma, it often can cause post-trauma and even PTSD. If you hit/injure/kill someone with your car, that's not secondhand trauma, even though the other person died and you still lived, that's a hell of a primary trauma likely compounded with survivor's guilt.

Even Efnisien in Falling Falling Stars doesn't have secondhand trauma from hurting Gwyn. He has primary trauma over it, that's why he has panic attacks when he thinks about hurting people and animals in the future. That's just straight-up PTSD. You may not have read that though, anon! But it's a decent exploration of perpetrator + victim PTSD if I do say so myself. :)

People who learn they have hurt other people or animals, and who didn't want to do that, experience primary trauma if they're genuinely able to comprehend the hurt that they've caused.

So we know from the excerpt that Kadek sees himself as the perpetrator because he calls it rape and calls himself a monster, and talks like someone who has owned the reality of what he's done. When folks use this kind of language (and they're not intentionally being manipulative, and we have no reason to believe Kadek is), it means they're owning responsibility. It is people who defer or refuse to own responsibility who will not see themselves as a perpetrator. These people do not call what they've done rape. In fact they will go out of their way to call it literally anything else.

Generally, a person who calls themselves a monster has experienced some self-hatred over what they've done (Falling Falling Stars actually confronts this too!)

As for everything else, you'll find out in the chapter! :D Kadek's definitely talking about the story of how he found out that what he was doing was bad, so we will get to hear how that happened, and what the aftermath was.

#asks and answers #kadek setiawan #efnisien ap wledig #underline the black #people who can say 'this is rape and i've done this'#are people who see themselves as perpetrators #but yeah i wanted to be clear that is 100% not secondhand trauma #it's just straight up trauma to the people who realise #that's why it's so hard for folks when they hit someone with their car #and people who discover they've sexually assaulted someone #after the fact #often go through a similar process of realisation #it doesn't have to hurt your body to be profoundly traumatising #i'd say kadek more than anyone else at Hillview #knows what the truth of ORFs is really like #but Hillview all along has been very clear that they are places where rape happens #and we know that this is where Kadek comes from #since Gary shares that with Efnisien in an early chapter lkdsfjsa

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aurathian · 6 months

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Yes, I'm asking about 'love me (and leave me to die)', what about it? 😆

How did you come up with the idea? What's your favorite part of the story (mine is Impa lying to Zelda).

thank you zelmo this fic is like a beast lying dormant within me waiting to be unleashed i need to talk about it so bad 24/7 (read it here)

TOTK SPOILERS AHEAD BEWARE <;/3

i don't remember entirely how i came up with the idea, but i was inspired by the carvings the player finds underneath the castle in totk, ESPECIALLY when you can go back and unveil the rest of the carvings covered by rock. i found the lore it revealed so intriguing, and it inspired my favorite part of the story, the scene where link and zelda secretly meet in the middle of the night underneath the castle. (this is the excerpt below the cut!), which in turn inspired the whole fic.

this is usually how most of my fics come about--i get inspired by something and have a scene in my head that i base the story around, which is what happened here. i played around with ways i could fit it into the various zelink week prompts and had to do some tweaking to make it work, but i am so so proud of this fic and everything that it is. like... my planning doc has SO MUCH worldbuilding in it that i just couldnt ultimately fit into the final fic i put so much thought into it.

i also got the idea from botw with zelda's struggle to awaken her powers. she knows what she has to do but she can't do it. the zelda in this story has a similar but not identical dilemma--she (thinks she) knows what she has to do and is willing to do it but when she finds out the truth, she doesn't know if she can. but in the end she accepts it and angst occurs lol.

i already mentioned my fav part of the story but to elaborate. ow they hurt me so much i love angst and tragedy and oh my god they are sooooo in love and sad. this is such a quiet and tender and lonely scene and i love it. here it is (very long excerpt):

“You are much more hopeful than me,” she teases with a grin. “I don’t dare fantasize.” And even though she has convinced herself there is no point in imagining a future, she pictures it in her mind. The tension in her muscles starts to dissipate and she worries she’ll melt. A sparkling blue lake brimming with fish, surrounded by dense forests, in the middle of nowhere, where nobody can reach them…

“You should try it sometime. It’s good for you,” Link suggests, and although his expression is teasing, his words are sincere. So, Zelda tries.

“On warm days, we can swim in the lake,” she musters, entertaining the idea. “Then we can go home and enjoy some tea afterwards, before turning in for the night.” Imagining such a peaceful scene feels like a sin, but when his palm comes to rest on her face, cupping her cheek, all notions of divinity leave her mind. With a sigh, she relaxes into his hand.

“We can get married,” Link dares to say. “Just us, by that lake, with only the birds and the water as our witnesses.”

Her breath catches in her throat and she wants to say yes right then and there, but her holy senses return for just a moment and she blurts, “And the Goddess Hylia.”

“No.” The Hero, chosen by her, shakes his head. “By that lake, there are no goddesses or calamities. There is only us.”

Then surely this lake is fictional, Zelda thinks. For so long she has tied herself to the Goddess and her wishes that to even think of a world without her is blasphemous. But something about the idea is charming… alluring, even, something she desires deep within her. A land, green and lush with sparkling blue waters, untouched by divinity or holy, otherworldly ambitions, a land where the Hero and the Princess are no longer tied to destiny or fate or duty. A land where they are simply Link and Zelda, where they are in love and they hope.

“I would like that,” is all she whispers.

“We have children.” Link strokes her cheek with his thumb. “Two of them, and a pet. A cat, maybe. And we live on that lake and teach them what normal kids are taught and we play with them, raise cows and ponies.”

“They are carefree.”

“Yes, and we live there for the rest of our days.”

Tears are pricking her eyes and she angles her head so he can’t see through the fickle light. “And those kids grow up, have children, and they spend their days there until we become part of the Long Ago, too.”

“And they are not Princess or Hero. Simply our sons and daughters.”

A silence looms, floating in the dusty air between them, and Zelda cannot bring her teary eyes to meet his once again. Because she knows–she knows it's wishful thinking, and that such a thing will never come to pass. For this eternity and the next and the next and the next, there will always be a Hero and a Princess, doomed and destined to save the world. The Princess and the Hero, by blood and soul, bound by fate, were doomed to a life of calamities. In the Now, in the Long Ago, and in the Far Away Future, there would never be a lake void of calamities and goddesses.

“Not in this life, Link.”

“No.” He looks down. “Not in this life.”

“And not in the next, either, or the one after,” she proceeds. Her posture straightens in an effort to hide the shaking she feels in her hands and the quivering in her lips as tears threaten to fall. “Perhaps it is not meant to be.”

She curses herself as his thumb swipes away an escaped tear and he moves to pull her in close, his other hand finding her back and nudging her into him. He is warm and strong, arms firmly wrapped around her, head placed atop hers. He knows it cannot be, and still he fantasizes, bringing her into his head and allowing her to live peacefully if only for a few moments, even in the shadow of her fate.

Her regrets are amplified when she is in his arms, the guilt washing over like a strong wave. In his arms, she is reminded of the talks from her mother and Impa that if she were to be romantic with him, as so many Heroes and Princesses had been before, it would spell the world’s doom. And yet she can’t help it. From such a young age they have relied on each other, understood one another in a way no one else could. It’s only natural, Zelda knows, that sharing a fate so deeply intertwined through thousands and thousands of years would result in, perhaps, a small kiss that became much more over the years; a kiss that turned the Princess and the Hero from an obligatory pair to a couple utterly devoted to each other.

As duty-bound and destiny-aware as the Princess of Hyrule is, she cannot deny her heart.

Link murmurs something in her ear and it makes her heart flutter and sink into her chest all at the same time, so full of love but also brimming with despair.

“My Zelda,” he sighs.

Not in this life, she thinks.

#totk #ask game #zeldaelmo #thanks for the ask!! <3

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lampmanliveblogs · 6 months

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The Symbolic Significance of Snakes

An Incomplete and Amateurish Exploration of the Symbolism Surrounding Snakes and its Significance to the Story of The Owl House (up to and including For the Future)

I love alliteration.

I gushed a lot in my liveblog of For the Future about Luz’ newly hatched palisman Stringbean (and should this be the first post of mine you read, I have not seen Watching and Dreaming yet, so please, no spoilers) And while I pointed out some of the snake imagery that hinted at the serpentine shape of Luz’ familiar, I really didn’t go into the symbolism of snakes. So I’m gonna do that.

But first, a quick recap of the aforementioned snake imagery that hinted at. This list may be incomplete or missing things since I’m just going off of memory.

Class: Reptilia (a.k.a all the foreshadowing)

As far back as episode one, season one, Luz was paying with snakes, capturing several to use during her book presentation. It might also be worth mentioning that the Good Witch Azura’s enemy in the book she was doing her report on had a Gildersnake as an enemy. Also in episode one, Camila mentions that Luz should make some friends that aren’t made up, or reptiles. So even from the beginning, Luz has had a bit of an affinity for reptiles.

(and since birds are reptiles, it makes sense she ended up with a bird-themed witch)

We also have the recent addition to the Noceda family in Vee, a basilisk/naga/legless lizard/snake type creature. Not only is she all of those things, she is also a shapeshifter, just like Stringbean would turn out to be.

Thanks to Them had a bunch of foreshadowing. In Camila’s nightmare/falshback, we see Little Luz finding a ”snake pajamas” which she excitedly shows off to the other kids at the playground. The same snake skin is framed and displayed in Camila’s bedroom.

(the snake pajamas framed and displayed in Camila’’s bedroom form a circle. This could represent infinity or a cycle of rebirth, and indeed, snakes do represent reincarnation and healing, more on that later. Or, it could be a reference to the Lindworm, a creature from Nordic myth. The lindworm is a large snake, related to dragons that will sometimes bite its own tail and roll around like a wheel. For a funny fairy tale involving a lindworm, check out THIS video by Overly Sarcastic Productions)

Also in Thanks to Them, Luz wears a shirt with an interesting design, with what looks like a staff with a snake coiled around it. One of the doodles in her notebook when she wonders what her palisman would turn out to be was also a snake.

Order: Squamata (a.k.a Snake symbolism in religion, myth, and legend)

Now, when one considers the symbolism of snakes as it relates to Luz Noceda, the main character of The Owl House, there is one particular that likely springs to mind. Trust me, I am going to talk about that one, but I have this really big book all about symbolism and I’m gonna use it.

Speaking of which, most of the information I’m getting for this segment comes from a book called Signs & Symbols, written by Miranda Bruce-Mitford. It’s great book, I highly recommend it, it’s got information about all sorts of things. And while you’re at it, consider getting Myths & Legends by Philip Wilkinson as well. It’s made in the same style.

Of note is that I’m reading the Swedish translated version, and I’m translating that back to English. The original version likely varies considerably.

Signs & Symbols has a page dedicated to snakes (pages 66-67 in my version). Here is an excerpt:

”With its unusual appearance and unique way of moving, the snake has garnered both fascination and disgust. The snake’s simple beauty is contrasted with its complex and mighty symbolic meanings.”

”The snake’s peculiarity, mystery, and the fact that it lives in holes in the ground makes it a creature of the underground. Its twisting way of moving reminded many early cultures of winding rivers, flowing hills, scrubby roots, and even the spiraling cosmos. The result was a multifaceted symbolism which encompasses dualism, fertility, primordial power, and creation.”

”Within mythology and religion, the snake is a dual force that can have both positive and negative symbolic value. It is a guardian and a destroyer, light and darkness, good and evil. Snakes can have deadly venom and swallow animals much bigger than themselves. At the same time, them shedding their skin is associated with reincarnation and healing.”

It goes on to talk about how in Christianity, a snake in the Garden of Eden convinced the first woman Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. God cursed the snake, and thus the snake became a symbol of the devil. Meanwhile, in Buddhism, the serpent king offered the Buddha protection, and is thus viewed in a much more positive light.

Since snakes often live in dark holes, they are often connected to the underworld and the power of the dead. But at the same time, they are also often associated with gods and divine power.

Snakes are often also associated with wisdom. In ancient Egypt, the cobra represented godly and kingly wisdom. The Māori people associate the snake with earthly wisdom while other cultures consider the snake a wise and cunning mediator between heaven, earth, and the underworld.

In Chinese horoscopes, the snake is sensual, creative, careful, and responsible. It can also be secretive and suspicious.

Caduceus is a winged staff with two snakes coiled around it. It is the staff of the Greek god Hermes and has a number of symbolic meanings. In alchemy, it represents the combination of two opposites, the power of transformation and the resulting balance. While interesting, a perhaps more relevant symbolic meaning is its connection to healing, as a winged staff with two snakes entwining it has often been used to represent medicine.

Interestingly enough (and this is something I learned while skimming wikipedia) is that that while the caduceus has been used as a symbol for medicine and doctors, some argue that it’s the wrongful use of the symbol. A more appropriate symbol would be the Rod of Asclepius, a rod entwined by a single snake, and carried by Asclepius, the Greek god of healing and medicine. Many emergency medical services use the Star of Life, a blue, six-pointed star with the Rod of Asclepius in it.

Suborder: Serpentes (a.k.a What does it all mean?)

Alright, alright, but how does any of this relate to our dear protagonist girl and her adorable little familiar?

I did mention in my liveblog of the episode that Stringbean being a shapeshifter represented how Luz’ may not know exactly what her future is going to look like, but so long as she puts her mind to it, anything is possible. I didn’t use those exact words, I said that ”She is Luz’ own infinite potential given physical form,” which is pretty much the same thing. Luz is a person who does not fit into any mold and shape.

So that’s the ”shifter” part of snakeshifter. What about the first half.

While not explicitly stated it is understood that Philip ”Emperor Belos” Wittebane’s motivation is heavily influenced by his religious upbringing. He grew up in the times of the Connecticut Witch Trials (which I won’t go into right now, you can look it up if you’re). Therefore, when looking at the symbolic significance of snakes as they relate to Luz, we might want to start by looking at the snake in the Garden of Eden.

Someone more knowledgable than me could probably go in depth, but to be frank, the study of extant religions has never interested me much. The important part is this: the snake in the Garden of Eden is thought of as a symbol of the devil (or is the devil in some interpretations). The devil is an opposed force to God. What does this have to do with our plucky protagonist girl going on whacky adventures and learning to be a witch?

For one thing, witches were believed to draw their magical powers from the devil. Luz desires to become a witch, so there you have a connection. This being me, I can take it a big step further and connect the palisman with something like a spiritus or milkhare from nordic mythology; these creatures are usually created by witches for various tasks.

More importantly, at several times during my liveblog of season two, I called Belos a cult leader and a false prophet, and not to toot my own horn, but I was totally right about that. He presented himself as a prophet, the only man who could speak with the Titan and communicate his will to the people of the Isles. The Titan, whose very body makes up the Boiling Isles, and who gives shelter and power to the creatures living on it, is essentially the god of the people there.

In Christianity, the only way into the paradise of heaven is through Jesus Christ. Similarly, Belos claimed that the only way for the people of the Boiling Isles to reach a perfect utopia free of wild magic, war, and traffic accidents was through following him. Follow his every word, and the Titan shall reward you.

Cause the Titan he knows me And he knows I’m right I’ve been talking to the Titan All my life Oh yes he knows me And he knows I’m right And he’s been telling me Everything’s alright

Enter Luz ”The Human” Noceda. A being from another realm, who will do everything in her powerto get people to stray from the path Belos has laid out before them. She is the rebellious upriser leading the loyal sheep the wrong way. She is the accuser, the adversary, the opposer to his divinely inspired teachings. By now I’m sure you can see the connections.

Beyond that connection, the snake is a fascinating animal, symbolically speaking, as I went over in the previous segment.

Snakes being ”dual forces” as my book put it, could be tied into the idea of Luz being, as I call it, a child of two worlds. She might’ve been born by humans in the Human Realm, but the Demon Realm has provided much for her and indeed become a part of her. It was there she found people who accepted her for who she is and liked that person. She found a mentor and mother figure in Eda, and a little brother in King. She found friends in Willow and Gus, and an awesome girlfriend in Amity. The life, fate, and soul of Luz Noceda is very much connected with the Demon Realm, easily as much as it is with the Human Realm.

As mentioned before, symbolically, snakes have a lot of double meanings, they’ve been connected to the vast cosmos, as well as the underground, with light and dark, with good and evil. This is kinda similar to how the Human Realm and the Demon Realm mirror each other in a lot of ways. The red trees of the Demon Realm mirror the green trees of the Human Real, rain in the Human Realm is cool while Demon Realm is scalding hot, etc.

There’s also the idea of snakes representing healing and rebirth. It might be said that Stringbean’s hatching following the heart-to-hear conversation with Camila could be said to be a rebirth of some kind. And if not an outright rebirth, then it could be seen as Luz symbolically shedding an ld skin that was holding her back from growing.

There’s also the aspect of healing. As I mentioned above, the Rod of Asclepius, a staff with a snake coiled around it, represents healing. And indeed, Luz was wearing a shirt with a similar symbol in Thanks to Them. One could see Stringbean hatching as a moment of healing for Luz. It could also be symbolic of Luz as a healer that will help heal the Demon Realm of the sickening influence of Belos (who at that moment had been reduced to little more than a parasite, sucking the life out of anything he touches).

Turns out taxonomy is mad complicated and I don’t understand it all that well (a.k.a conclusion)

I was gonna take the opportunity to talk a little about some True Facts about snakes. But to be honest, with the exception of cute cartoon snakes like my beloved snake daughter Vee, I actually find snakes kinda repulsive, sooooo….. but yeah, pretty much everything I know about snakes, I’ve learned against my will. Like did you know that male snakes have two penises? Oh, you didn’t know that and you would have preferred to not know that? Well too bad! If I gotta know, then so do you! Thanks a lot, Hank Green!

Also, HERE is a video of a snake eating an egg.

But yeah, for an actual conclusion… snakes have a lot of interesting symbolism surrounding them and I found some interesting connections to this silly cartoon. I hope you learned something interesting today. I’ll see you next time. Until then, take care of the planet Earth, and remember that anything can happen in space!

#the owl house #liveblog #the owl house liveblog #for the future #toh s3e2

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juantheashura · 1 year

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Is it spoiler to ask for BK and BQ powers/power set?

Kind of. :)

Both the BK and BQ have extensive powers, mostly due to their longevity (the BQ wasn't immortal, but she had her powers essentially since she was born. That's nearly 60 years of experimentation and training). They have found many, many, many different applications to them, so the list of things they can do with them is relatively vast, and some of them may have even shown up in the story so far as set-up for future reveals.

That said, if you're particularly observant, you may be able to catch onto some hints regarding the Broken King's powers if you read the excerpts of his diary I have shared: https://ataleofheroes.blogspot.com/2022/04/the-ramblings-of-king.html and https://ataleofheroes.blogspot.com/2022/09/the-ramblings-of-king-pt-2.html (also, you see that shield at the top? That's the heraldry for the Hero Monarchs's noble house! c:)

Combining these two articles with some of the stuff in the game (preferably the stuff that shows up when the BQ is mentioned c;) should give you a general idea of what his powerset is, though there is still much, much more to discover.

PS: If there's anything you'd like me to write a blog entry about, please suggest it! Those 'lore blogs' I write can be about essentially anything in the setting. There's some about Ignis, some about Crete, others about politics in America (like the formation of Stratton's/Gloria's party), and also one about superheroes from other countries. Basically all topics (except writing about Aki from ages 0-19) are open.

#wip ask #superpowers #BK and BQ 2 op #plz nerf #anon ask #ask me anything #a tale of heroes

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melodygatesauthor · 1 year

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Sad Tuesday :( This is, out of EVERY story I've written, the SADDEST chapter I've ever written. Hit me in all the feels, I'm sorry for doing this to anyone who has been reading this story. THERE IS ALSO AN AUTHOR'S NOTE AFTER THE EXCERPT. If anyone is interested in what's coming next for this story...

Chapter 8 Excerpt:

Maxim surprised you. He didn’t respond right away, but instead he looked at your hand before sheepishly reaching his own out and placing his palm over your fingers. He squeezed and ran his thumb over the back of your hand. He looked at you, and you looked at him.

He chuckled, “I should have been able to handle the guy in front of me, no problem, but I was not focused.”

You heard him, but your eyes were trained on his hand, and the way it felt on yours.

“Max…” the beeping was still rapid and consistent on your left. “Did…” You almost didn’t want to say it, “did you kiss me?”

You can read the full chapter on AO3

Story is updated every Tuesday!

A/N BELOW: TL/DR: I'm adding some extra smutty chapters to the story coming up in a couple of weeks, hang tight, if you want to know why, please read the full author's note. I also want input on future r6 stories. Details below.

Alright guys I have heard your cries. So I want to say that I normally don't let people's comments or requests for a fic I am working on change the way I planned something to go from the start (when regarding long fics). I'm usually very stubborn about that for various reasons, all of which involve my own personal integrity and the integrity of the story. I don't want to seem like a writer who will change a story for the sake of attention. THAT IS NOT WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE to be clear...

I have really been on the fence for a while about adding smut to this story. It was originally NEVER meant to contain any. I wanted to create a cute fluffy romance between Kapkan and an inexperienced recruit girl. However, all of this mutual pining has got me feeling some type of way, and I was already trying to think about ways that I could change it to add smut without jeopardizing what I was already planning to do. So when a couple of you came to me asking for smut to be added, I was already halfway there, I just needed someone to push me over the edge. The first plan was to create a one-shot AFTER the story concluded. Now I'm resolving to add a few extra chapters just to flesh out their sex life a little before the story ends.

The other thing I wanted to mention, is that I keep seeing people talk about how there isn't enough Rainbow Six content like this out there. I agree, which is why I wrote it. I remember looking for a fic to read and couldn't find it so I said "fuck it I'm going to write something" and here we are. So I ask you guys...what is it you look for in Rainbow Six stories? As a writer for the fanfic community of R6, since it is on the smaller side of fanfic communities, I feel like I should be making an effort to bring more works to the fan space and I'd LOVE to do that. So if you have any thoughts on what you want to see more of, who your favorite characters are, different tropes you wish you saw more of in R6 stories, e.t.c. please let me know. Nothing is off limits, I'm just curious and I don't judge. I mean, I have a series of non-con one-shots so come on lol. Either comment here, message me on Tumblr, or email me at: [email protected]

#kapkan #r6s kapkan #r6s fan fiction #kapkan x reader #kapkan x you #kapkan fanfiction #r6s #rainbow six siege #rainbow six siege x reader #kapkan/reader #kapkan/you

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smokefalls · 10 months

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Title: Cloud Cuckoo Land Author: Anthony Doerr Publication Year: 2021 Publisher: Scribner Genre: fiction

Doerr was far too ambitious with this novel and bit off more than he could chew. I really wanted to like this one, especially as someone who enjoys sprawling novels with different plotlines and characters that all come together in a unique fashion. In addition, there was something akin to a love letter to books and environment that existed in this novel, which… yes, I also love. And then, there’s the fact that Doerr writes beautifully, and as someone who loves lyrical prose, you would think all these components would result in me singing about how wonderful of an experience it was to read Cloud Cuckoo Land.

It took me a little over a month to get through this tome, which I thought was at least 300 pages too long. As much as I love beautiful writing, I need things to happen to really appreciate that beautiful writing. When things happened in Cloud Cuckoo Land, it was wonderful. Other times, though, it made reading feel like an absolute chore. I felt like there was a little too much self-indulgent writing that was happening. Relatedly, Doerr barely—and I cannot emphasize “barely” enough—pulled off the intertwining stories at the end. Each timeline and their respective plotlines had their flaws, but I thought the one that took place in the present was by far the strongest and most interesting. The plotlines that took place in the past were somewhat engaging but not all that interesting. Meanwhile, the plotline that took place in the future was interesting but not at all engaging. (This is to say, Doerr should not venture into sci-fi writing, because I don’t think he would be very good at it.) All of them had beautiful writing, but your mileage varied on how much impact any of it had on the story (raising the question, what actually was the story). And, speaking of impact, I found the codex excerpts at the start of chapters rather tiring after a while. It didn’t leave much of an impression on me, especially because it rarely tied to the actual chapter content.

Something else to scrutinize about this book is how an autistic character is represented. While it is not explicitly stated by Doerr that Seymour is autistic (and I don’t know why he shied away from this…), the fact that he is vilified and turned into a bit of a "troubled child” caricature left a bad taste in my mouth.

This is making me realize that I may have to revisit All the Light We Cannot See, which I enjoyed when I read it way back when. I wonder if something changed or it just ended up that Cloud Cuckoo Land was a miss. Whatever the reason, I just know I won’t be getting many hours back that was spent reading this book.

Content Warning: war, death, violence, terrorism, plague, confinement, ableism, animal cruelty, some bullying, homophobia mentions, rape mention

#Anthony Doerr #Cloud Cuckoo Land #book review #fiction #2023 reads #booklr

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ruckis--rookie · 2 years

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Hello Ruckis!

Through a friend I came across your blog the other day and I'm really enthusiastic about your drawings! But I'm also curious about what the characters Xerxes and Geragera are about!

I asked my friend if she could tell me more about the two, but she said I should bish ask you instead! Well and now I'm doing exactly that! Can you maybe give me some rough information about their story?

I'm really interested!

I would love to talk about my characters??? Thank you for asking! Honestly I expected this much popularity from Geragera but I was not expecting Xerxes to be a close second.

PS: oh my god I went overboard I need to add a cut below because a summary would not do their stories justice. I hope you like reading I am so SORRY-

I'll give a tiny excerpt from each story for others who might be interested

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Xerxes: As a child he lived in a tribe of Jackalope with his mother and father. He was closer to his mother than anything else. Being a hybrid and noticing that he wasn't the same as his peers made him nervous...

...He figured since there's a very high population of malevolent or mischievous ghosts, demons and ghouls that like to haunt and hunt the people of Xedor, as well as the fact that in his life he had seen a lot of death around him as Jackalope's lifestyle also make them susceptible to complications and therefore death, Xerxes decided to take up exorcism as an occupation.

---

Geragera: He was a part of the royal family of Xedor. His future was foretold by a great sage named Adzukihi. It was told he would cause several great calamities and that he would be be killer of thousands, potentially millions. That paired with the royal family figuring out about his father Dexter's history of coming from a long line of of clinically insane criminals notoriously known as "the Bogsworth's", keeping the kid alive didn't bide well. Dexter not wanting to kill his unborn child and Adzukihi not having the heart to, Dexter passed the egg off to her to protect. She panics and figures that sending him back in time would help.

As I may or may not have mentioned Xerxes is a hybrid between his mother, a vampire bat, and his father a Jackalope with the help of magic from his mother. This resulted in curious features such as longer funneled ears, cotton tail, and tiiiiny wings that he usually hides under his clothes and cape out of shame because they can't hope to lift him off the ground and only serve as a means of making him look cute (which he hates).

As a child he lived in a tribe of Jackalope with his mother and father. He was closer to his mother than anything else. Being a hybrid and noticing that he wasn't the same as his peers made him nervous. He was even distant with his own father, if not only because his father didn't know how to parent a child who has different care standards than a Jackalope. He wasn't trying to be distant, he truly just didn't know how to bond with his kid without making it awkward. His mother unfortunately was slain, as the land of Xedor isn't too fond of Vampiric types and she unfortunately ran into a particularly bigoted group. Luckily this was not before she had the time to teach him how to hunt to satiate the taste for blood responsibly.

Obviously this development hit him hard. It's one of the few times where he was actually able to express intense emotion (as normally he is stoic and has trouble emoting). From there on he felt an intense desire to hold more power. He was tired of being pushed down because of genetics. Because he was vampiric. He lived out the rest of his young life with his father, whom died later from complications and illness. Luckily he was up there in age and was completely satisfied with his life. Having both his parents died and little to no attachment to his clan, he set out to leave his tribal life behind and go to the castle town in Xedor in search of a new, easier life where he didnt have to worry about fighting to survive as much.

Now keep in mind, Jackalopes in this story are very primal. Outside of basic human intelligence, they hunt, farm, etc, on their own. They view technology as unsavory and unholy because the God of Neo-Earth, Kitsuneoctua, has a distaste for tech. The way they view it the closer to nature you are the closer to God you are. Meaning that the life of luxury and power Xerxes set out to obtain would be frowned upon by his tribe and he is most likely not welcome back into it as to not taint their lands.

The first thing Xerxes set out to do was find a well paying job. He figured since there's a very high population of malevolent or mischievous ghosts, demons and ghouls that like to haunt and hunt the people of Xedor, as well as the fact that in his life he had seen a lot of death around him as Jackalope's lifestyle also make them susceptible to complications and therefore death, Xerxes decided to take up exorcism as an occupation. Seeing as it would be a very well paying job at the time especially considering Xedor neighbors Neverliv Woods which is dead undead central. He was initially hired as a joke as it was ironic for something like a Vampiric to be an exorcist. But then he turned out to be actually good at his job and made a name of himself, especially considering the severe lack of exorcist that their were.

He got himself a cheap place to start, but with his well paying income he managed to buy the infamous mansion up on the hill that had been marked down by an astonishing amount. Nobody had been able to buy it in years. The only reason it hadn't been torn down? Tales of ferocious monsters abiding in that house, eating anyone who dare enter it. Xerxes figured after all the ghouls he had handled it would be no problem.

Come to find out that said monsters was just a fellow Vampiric living there, who was also a witch. Xerxes spared her. The two were in the same situation after all. Given the house was technically now in his name legally Xerxes became the man of the house, with Jijinko as his co leader.

He also had enough funds to try out gambling and then he got addicted. Yay! His impulse control is awful and he cheats more often then not but at least he has more of a name.

---

Now as for Geragera I'm gonna start with after his soul was reincarnated on Neo-Earth, which all starts with him being thrown into a portal leading to the past! As to why he was thrown into the past, he was a part of the royal family of Xedor. His future was foretold by a great sage named Adzukihi. It was told he would cause several great calamities and that he would be be killer of thousands, potentially millions. That paired with the royal family figuring out about his father Dexter's history of coming from a long line of of clinically insane criminals notoriously known as "the Bogsworth's", keeping the kid alive didn't bide well. Dexter not wanting to kill his unborn child and Adzukihi not having the heart to, Dexter passed the egg off to her to protect. She panics and figures that sending him back in time would help. And thus Geragera was thrown into a river some several hundred years back. He hatches and raises himself in the wild for years until he meets a curious face. At this time period animals are evolving but don't quite have human level intelligence, and the humans are just now starting to recover their race. Geragera in the pond he stays in meets a woman named Guffaw. She seemed awfully kind! She played with him, talked to him, even taught him how to speak. To him it seemed like she could do no wrong. How naive Gera was.

When he grew a bit older she basically abducted him, taking him to an island that conducted cruel experiments on these rapidly evolving animals in attempts to create an army of super mutants. Gera of course started getting the worst of it seeing as he was the most advanced out of these animals thusfar. That's where his hatred for these hairless monkeys that stole him from his home so they could hurt him started. But he was no fool, oh no, he was a quick learner. Watching his "fellow scientists" build and create as well as snooping and prying, he began to pick up technical know-how.

Some years later he lead a revolt. Alongside a strange white dog that could breathe fire. The place was burnt to the ground. Most of the humans slain. Including Guffaw who was taken out by Geragera himself. He wouldn't allow her peace though, oh no, he vowed to take her first name as his last and carry her with him as he carried out acts of bloodshed and violence. Just so she could be as volatile in death as she was in life. To this day that old building still stands. Empty and abandoned.

From there Geragera paired up with the strange white dog whom was dubbed Ruckis and returned to the wild. Literally hundreds of years later Jijinko finds the two, thinking that it was just some homeless lost kid and his dog. She took the two in only to find out that this "kid" was actually older than he looked and the dog wasn't actually a primordial dog. Obviously it's at this point Ruckis and Geragera also figure they aren't normal modern animals either, having lived for hundreds of years and Gera's growth being stunted. The reason she thought this was because they didn't talk at first and Ruckis favored walking on fours. As they grew closer to the household the dynamic duo started being more vocal. Geragera was allowed to stay not only because of attachment reasons but he genuinely does help protect the house from intruders, bring back food and even help with house technology.

that's only like half of Gera's story if you could believe it. Tysm for asking and letting me talk about my characters, I hope this wasn't too much of a read!

#mail found under the secret rock #xerxes zarek #geragera guffaw #order of the stars #oc talk #original characters

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the12thnightproject · 2 years

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A Mitsunari Night's Dream Chapter 21: Exuent, Pursued by a Bear?

Okatsu's reunion with her brother and Sasuke is postponed as they all prepare their attacks on Iekane's army. Mitsunari heads out on a dangerous mission.

Chapter Excerpt:

“Anyway, eventually, I pulled myself together and went back to school." He lifted up a medical bag that looked far too anachronistic to my eyes.

"Look at you. Are you a doctor now?" It was hard to take in. While I'd had a life here, Toshiie had - eventually - picked up where he left off. It felt jarring, like we were two pieces of a puzzle that looked like they would fit but didn't.

"Not yet. Close. I have another year of residency." He glanced at Sasuke. "A couple weeks ago, I saw an announcement for a lecture about time travel. Since I've never had anyone to talk to about it, I went, and that’s where I met Sasuke. After he was done talking, I followed him out of the lecture hall, and said, you're not going to believe this, but what you described happened to me. We went out for a drink, and I told him everything.”

Sasuke and Mitsunari had made their way over in time to hear the last bit of Toshiie’s story. "And I told him, I do believe you... and I know your sister. She's not dead. I had already been making plans to return to-" He sideeyed Mitsunari. "To this part of the county."

"To this era. You may say that. I am aware Okatsu is a time traveler." Mitsunari spoke as casually as if he were offering tea.

He knows?

I must have looked stunned, for Mitsunari patted my arm before continuing. "I was already aware that Mai is from the future as she mentioned it on the day she arrived, and after observing her actions for a few days, I concluded she had not been lying. As you once noted you are from the same place as Mai, the logical conclusion was that you are also from the future. Since you did not mention it to me, I presumed you did not wish to discuss it." The words were mild, but his tone sounded hurt.

"I never mention it to anyone. Even Aki, who I've worked for for many years, doesn't know." Then because I wanted to give Mitsunari something of myself, a truth he could hold onto, I added, "My name actually is Katsuko. Mitsuhide changed it when he made me a princess." I put the word ‘princess’ in air quotes, although probably he wouldn’t understand the gesture.

That dazzling smile came out. "Katsuko." It sounded like he was tasting the name on his tongue. “Katsuko,” he repeated, and coming from his mouth it sounded like a song. "It is a pretty name. It suits you." Then he sighed. “I am terrible at remembering names though. I apologize in advance if I forget and call you Okatsu.”

For the sake of our charade, he likely should continue to call me Okatsu anyway, but it was nice to know that I was no longer lying to him about one thing.

Toshiie gave him a ‘back-off dude,’ big brother type look, then picked up the story. "Sasuke has a friend who is very ill, so he asked if I would also come along to-”

"- Where I work," Sasuke jumped in very quickly. Yeah, it wouldn’t be a good idea to advertise to an Oda that you worked for-.

"I'm also aware you work for Uesugi Kenshin. Do not censor yourself on my account." Mitsunari calmly sat with his hands resting on his knees as if he was doing nothing more than discussing the best brand of tea, instead of chatting with an enemy.

"Er. Alright then." Sasuke pushed glasses further up nose. "In any case, as Toshiie and I came through a wormhole at Honno-ji, it was simple enough to detour to Genba, but Mitsunari has briefed me on your current situation, and clearly it's not that simple."

"You'll help us though." It wasn't question. I knew he would do that for Mai. And I suppose given that he also was aware of Japan's future, it was vital that unification happened.

Sasuke nodded. "Mitsunari has been discussing strategy with me." He began pulling all manner of ninja tools out of his pack. "I understand we'd be practicing guerilla tactics to carry out attacks on the enemy until reinforcements arrive."

Finally, Mitsunari looked confused. "Gorillas... we need monkeys?"

Link to full chapter:

@arrthurpendragon

#ikemen sengoku fanfic #ikemen sengoku #fanfiction #ikesen mitsunari #ikemen mitsunari #mitsunari ishida #ikemen sasuke #ikesen sasuke #ao3 link #ocapp #ocfairygodmother #ikesen fanfic #fanfic #cybird #cybird ikemen series

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chessanator · 8 days

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🎀 [Bow] How many named characters are in this WIP? How many do get a POV?

💖 [Heart] What is your favorite moment in this WIP? as you can probably guess i am asking primarily about zero escape but if that does not currently apply, anything

Hi! Unfortunately I only have the one WIP going, my Haruhi Suzumiya/Danganronpa crossover (I probs should have tagged that when reblogging the ask meme, sorry). Hopefully my answers for that are interesting for you.

🎀 How many named characters are in this WIP? How many do get a POV?

Only one POV, Kyon's.

In the future side of the story: 7 named Haruhi Suzumiya characters + 9 named DR-style OCs + Monokuma + main villain of Danganronpa + 2 other Danganronpa characters.

In the past side... I haven't planned all the details yet, but at the very least: all of the above + main casts of DR1 and SDR2 + I want to do various bits of the DR3 prequel anime better, so I'll need at least some characters from that.

💖 What is your favorite moment in this WIP?

From what's currently written: I think I've used as an answer to an ask meme a while back one of my favourite moments - an excerpt where Koizumi confronts Kyon and threatens him with a knife. It's really important to me that my AU has changed things like that - that in different circumstances Koizumi could view Kyon as an enemy while still being recognisably Koizumi.

I'll also throw in a moment I haven't mentioned before, since I hadn't written it when I answered that previous meme. There's a bit in Arc 3 where something bad happens to the fabric of reality after Haruhi (over)reacts to the motive. I think I handled it well in the text formatting, though I'll have to see how readers find it.

From what isn't yet in words: One moment I'm really looking forward to comes from my system of titling all the chapters using TvTropes pages. So... (Rot13'd, spoilers for the solution of trial 5)

Gur (crahygvzngr?) puncgre va gevny 5 jvyy or gvgyrq 'Erirefr Jubqhaavg'. Bapr vg'f orra fubja gung xlba vf gur ivpgvz, vg vf vzzrqvngryl boivbhf gung elbxb nfnxhen vf uvf xvyyre.

Naq nebhaq gura (hasbeghangryl va gur puncgre orsber gung bar) xlba ernyvfrf ur'f jbhaqrq ol pbhtuvat hc oybbq. Juvpu tvirf gur cynlre n gehgu ohyyrg gb hfr. Ur pbhtuf hc n ohyyrg.

#ask meme #fanfic #@graceisprettygreat #TUoHS #Wasn't sure how familiar with DR you were so tried to obfuscate some details so they wouldn't spoil #Rot13

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firstwatercapital · 1 month

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Too early to say inflation war is won; infra a bright spot: Arun Chulani of First Water

Arun Chulani, Co-founder of First Water Capital Fund, believes it is the investors’ job to try and create a diversified weather-proof portfolio that one can feel comfortable holding. In an interview with MintGenie, he shared his views on inflation, rate hikes and sectors he is positive about.

Edited excerpts:

What are your expectations from the Q4 numbers of India Inc? IT is expected to witness a lacklustre quarter. Do you see value emerging in this sector?

Of course, one should look at expectations on a sector-wise basis rather than a blanket approach.

Some thoughts are: For metals and more specifically steel, there has been a softening in coking coal prices, so I would imagine that margins should improve compared to the last quarter but is likely to be softer than last year as realisations have generally come off.

Textiles should also see a softening in the numbers, as recessionary fears impact orders.

The IT sector has seen growth so far, but once again the impact on its key customer segment, that of BFSI, will create a softening of future earnings as clients look to re-negotiate or put a hold on projects.

One bright spot should be infra as raw material prices are down, while the government continues to push its infra-led agenda.

How do you expect the trajectory of inflation and rate hikes for the rest of the year? Is the worst behind us?

When it comes to the near-term macro, anything can happen. But, at least to me, it seems that both have started to soften for now.

However, it is too early to say if the war on inflation has been won. Energy, one of the key protagonists of last year, has come off in comparison to last year.

While OPEC+ are aiming to keep a floor, future price hikes should hopefully not be as pronounced given that some producers have increased output and the world seems to be in a heightened phase of energy transition and strategic diversification.

The central bank is going to continue doing its key job, which is to tame inflation, but the decision-makers will be cognizant of the impact on growth prospects. And so, the RBI will likely look to balance between the two.

The Indian market has underperformed most of the major markets this year so far. We see the FPIs have started coming back. The concerns over valuation have eased and the RBI has taken a pause. What is your outlook for the domestic market for the next six months?

Six months is too short a time frame to take a view. Many have been dashed on the rocks of volatility trying to time the markets.

Better to take a long-term view and focus on finding well value stocks or screening for good managers.

Can the RBI remain on pause mode for a protracted period while crude oil prices are rising, and El Nino is looming which can impact monsoon and crop production? Do we have fresh risks of inflation?

Again, as I mentioned, trying to second-guess the impact of all these macro factors in the near term may leave one dizzy.

There is also the question of China’s opening up – why hasn’t there been any real inflation occurring as a result?

Is it because growth boosters have yet to kick in or is there limited juice left in the tank?

On average, China is 40-50 percent of global demand for most basic commodities, so what is happening here? There are too many factors out there and unfortunately, I am not a macro specialist.

But what I do believe is that India does have strong long-term tailwinds.

I would personally prefer to focus on companies that are relatively well-valued and should be in a good position to benefit from these macros.

That way should there be near-term macro-violence, I am not that worried as long as the structural story of my selected companies remains intact.

What sectors are you betting on at this time? Should one look at real estate stocks?

We are sticking to our bets of infra, chemicals, packaging, and metals. Again, while there be booms and busts, we believe that due to the various winds of China+1, the government-heavy infra focus, rising incomes, and per-capita catch-up, many of our stocks should be direct beneficiaries.

What are the key challenges which can upset the market? Can they trigger a knee-jerk reaction?

Market participants seem sensitive at the moment and who can blame them?

Recently we have seen a lot of things we haven’t experienced for a while – pandemic, major conflict, heightened geopolitical concerns, inflation, rate hikes and financial fragility. But still, we are standing.

Any escalation or negative news can create a knee-jerk reaction.

But I believe that it is the investors’ job to try and create a diversified weather-proof portfolio that one can feel comfortable holding and even add to when the storm clouds are out.

The views expressed are the authors own. Please consult your financial advisor before making any investment decisions.

To know more information visit us on:

#best equity funds in india #hedgefunds #india

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eicenrellarchives · 4 months

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Welcome to Ky of Sonder's Eicenrell Archives!

Like the description says, this is a side blog for @kyofsonder that's specifically focused on my writing. While I enjoy mixing my writing work with more passive reblogging and not-fiction-related personal posts on my main blog, it can get frustrating not having a central archive of the stories/poems/writeblr things I've posted to Tumblr. To solve this problem and give readers a place to just easily rad what they want from my works, I've created this archive.

There's no requirement to follow my main blog in order to follow this one, and I couldn't enforce it if there was. It's also perfectly fine to address writeblr ask and tag games here, but know that if you ask anything that's not writing related I'll answer it on my main blog (or another side blog if I make others).

Content Notice:

All writing will have content warnings where applicable, if I ever forget or if a reader has a specific thing they would like included in these warnings (ex: I don't think birds need a warning, but someone with a phobia of them might prefer bracing themself before reading descriptions of them) please send an ask or message and I will fo my best to add it to my warnings in the future.

Commission Info:

I'm currently rebuilding my writing habits and haven't had time to do research on standard commission rates, but I'm open to taking a commission or two from those willing to discuss price in messages until proper rates and slots can be decided. Thank you for your patience, and please reach out if you are also willing to be patient about price negotiations.

Tag System:

Spoons providing, I tag my work for organization purposes first and give my thoughts in the tags after. These tags include

sonder stories - all prose, including any asks or tags involving prose, and OC development

sonder songs - all poems and lyrics, including any asks or tags involving poetry, and poetry development

sonder solos - all prose created/assisted by playing solo TTRPGs involving mechanics like flipping over playing cards, rolling dice, drawing straws, etc.

sonder snippets - all excerpts and short content taken from longer works and/or works in progress

story link - all fully finished stories presented in the form of an external link to a site such as google docs or AO3 or somewhere else

eicenrell archive - all archived copies of writing, most posts should have this tag

analogue media - all screenshots of handwritten prose, poetry, etc.

eicenrell info - all worldbuilding related to the eicenrell universe where my stories take place

eicenrell worlds - when specific worlds from the eicenrell universe are mentioned by name

eicenrell magic - when specific magic systems from the eicenrell universe are mentioned by name

night write - all transcriptions or photos of prose and poetry handwritten in a journal on a (mostly, spoons and other factors permitting) nightly basis

sonder speaks - announcements and personal info, while this is largely restricted to the main blog it'll come up here sometimes

tag games - all content responding to or joining in tag games from various corners of the writeblr community

ask games - all content responding to or joining in ask games from various corners of the writeblr community

a place to return novel - all content related to a novel wip of mine titled A Place to Return

apricots novel - all content related to a novel wip of mine titled Apricots

to be honest novel- all content related to a novel wip of mine titled To Be Honest

stray identities novel - all content related to a novel wip of mine titled stray identities

love as indicated wip - all content related to a story collection/novel wip of mine titled love as indicated

Other Tags Pending...

OC Masterpost

Pending...

#sonder speaks #eicenrell archive #eicenrell masterpost #eicenrell reference #I'll do my best to keep this archive orderly #it should be easy when my main blog exists to hold the not orderly posts

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seeyouafter · 6 months

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SYA Extended Notes Ch. 6

Excerpt from "See You After" Chapter 6: June 4: Bakugou to Todoroki

We win by saving people and sometimes that means letting other people save you. So stop thinking you gotta do everything on your own. Were you not paying attention the whole time when we were trying to save Izuku? That applies to you too, dumbass.

Oh Boy. I had a LOT of thoughts while editing this chapter (most of them are related to manga spoilers which I'll put at the end).

Katsuki's nicknames for Shouto

Katsuki's ongoing rotation through various names for Shouto continues with "Peppermint Idiot" being a reference to the little girl Shouto met in the previous chapter. I feel like his use of nicknames for the people he's talking to/about says a lot.

Quirk suppressants

Even though they're used a lot in fanfics, quirk suppressants are technically not canon. At any rate, they did not exist during the Overhaul arc, as shown by everyone's reaction when Tamaki gets shot with the quirk-erasing bullets.

However, I feel like it's entirely reasonable that after the events of that arc, scientists would have worked to create a legitimate quirk-suppressing drug for medical uses. (That's my personal headcanon and I'm going with it)

Orange by Takano Ichigo

The manga Katsuki mentions that Sero lent him is Orange by Takano Ichigo. It's not necessary to know anything about it but it will be referenced again briefly in future letters/chapters (no spoilers). But it's really good and not super long so maybe go read it anyway. (If you do though, be sure to check the trigger warnings and be ready to cry.)

Ok, now the main thing:

The Edgeshot situation, Ch. 405, and giving up on keeping this fic canon compliant

I've been trying to keep this fic as close to canon as possible but after Ch. 405 of the manga, I'm tapping out. (I'll probably still reference some things depending on if they fit the story I'm trying to tell) Major spoilers for the manga chapter below.

I have so many mixed feelings on this chapter but I don't want to start discourse so I'm just keeping this in the context of this fic.

We already knew Katsuki was going to survive because of Ch. 364 and I expected him to wake up in time to help win the war. Basically, my explanation going into this fic was that Edgeshot did his thing, Katsuki got up, helped save the day, then passed out again once the adrenaline wore off, which is actually still plausible because Ch. 405 makes it clear that he should absolutely not be up and fighting. (but of course he's gonna do it anyway)

I understand the narrative reason of having Edgeshot explain things to him in this scene (it's basically to answer questions about how Katsuki survived, especially for casual readers of the manga), but for the purposes of "See You After", this conversation did not happen.

I'm choosing to ignore it for several reasons:

1. I've already written a ton of this story (I'm currently at October of in-universe events in my drafting process) and there's no way I'm changing anything major at this point regardless of what canon is doing.

2. Katsuki not knowing (yet) how he survived is a major plot point in the current arc of this fic (more on that when we get there)

3. I think several things about this chapter cheapened/trivialized Edgeshot's sacrifice

I mean, I guess it's nice that Katsuki got to thank him, but it was rushed (because they're in the middle of a battle) and while I don't have a problem with Katsuki restarting his own heart with his quirk, the framing of it sort of downplayed the massive sacrifice Edgeshot made for his sake.

Also, is Edgeshot even dead or is he just going to exist as a little spaghetti noodle?

#sya extended notes #sya: letters #dancing girl writes #see you after fic #spoilers for ch 405 but i'm not using the usual chapter tag #because i want to avoid the current discourse #let me live happily in my own little universe...this is the whole reason i write fanfic

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cogentranting · 8 months

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Just finished reading The Hidden Girl and Other Stories by Ken Liu (a short story collection) and so here is my ranking of all 19 stories

Ghost Days- I would teach this one (which would entail reading it repeatedly)

Grey Rabbit, Crimson Mare, Coal Leopard- I wish this was a full novel that I could read

The Reborn- It's a really interesting exploration of ideas about memory and identity

Maxwell's Demon- really good blending of historical fiction and fantasy/science fiction

The Hidden Girl- Fun concept, good execution. Would watch this one as a movie or short film.

The Message- A sweet character piece, and some good thematic material

Cutting- This is like a page and a half long, it's not really a story, more of a snippet of an idea but its an interesting idea

Thoughts and Prayers- this story is gut-wrenching and very effective and kind of horrifying

Real Artists- well done but far too close to real life right now to be more than depressing

Staying Behind-- of the Singularity stories this is the most interesting precisely because it's the most human

Memories of My Mother- it works and it is interesting

Altogether Elsewhere, Vast Herds of Reindeer- In the Singularity stories this one has the most affecting look at human experiences

The Gods will not be Chained- the start of this trilogy is the most interesting

A Chase Beyond the Storms- it's not a short story, it's an excerpt from the third book of a novel series, and that's what it reads like. It's not uninteresting but it doesn't stand on its own particuarly well. It dissuade me from reading that novel series but it didn't convince me either.

Dispatches from the Cradle: the Hermit-- Forty-Eight Hours in the Sea of Massachusetts- Some interesting ideas but ultimately lacks real narrative drive and thematic development

The Gods Will Not Be Slain- this trilogy and the singularity stories dragged more and more as it went on

The Gods Have Not Died in Vain- see above. Also weirdly pro-letting the machines take over?

Byzantine Empathy- way too much of this story is spent explaining cryptocurrency. Ultimately it has some interesting themes but it is super boring (and at times reads like a cryptocurrency sales pitch)

Seven Birthdays- I literally don't know what this story is about. The good parts of it are basically what Memories of My Mother did better, and then it has the boring over-explaining of Byzantine Empathy (but without being totally clear about what it's explaining or what's happening), and is the worst of the Singularity stories about having a weirdly reductionist view of humanity

Side note-- The Singularity stories, which all take place in the same world and feature a future where people's minds are digitially uploaded and a new "digital humanity" replaces human existence, all reference something called "the singularity" and after reading all six of them, I have no idea what the singularity is.

1-8 on this list are all really good and well worth reading. 9-12 are pretty good 13-17 are okay with that endorsement getting progressively less enthusiastic as you go 18-19 I don't recommend though I think 18 has a salvageable idea within it and gives glimpses of a much better version of itself

Additional thoughts: As much as I liked some of the early ones on this list, Liu's best story is Paper Menagerie and you should read that one (and that one I have taught and hope to teach again and the kids also like it)

I would not have named this collection after the Hidden Girl because that story is one of the most atypical of this collection. Most are hard sci fi and that and two others are fantasy. I think Ghost Days, Staying Behind or the Gods Will Not be Chained are all more indicative of what the book is (though I suppose mentioning ghosts or gods does give more fantasy vibes).

#ken liu #the hidden girl and other stories #cogent reads

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