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just-some-guy-joust · 1 year

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this is the amedeo post

shoving this under the cut so people who could not give a fuck about my silly lil ocs do not have to deal with the hell i am about to unleash. this is going to be long. you've been warned. if you actually read all this i'm kissing you on the lips. This is 24 paragraphs long

(TW for: Emotional abuse/manipulation, murder <3, demons/monsters, and general just fucked up shit his story is not a pleasant one)

(all art is by me unless stated otherwise. all links on character names lead to their Toyhou.se profiles)

THIS IS AMEDEO KENZIE AND HE'S THE WORLDS SADDEST MOST PATHETIC MAN. ABSOLUTE WET MOP. Basic info. Age: 27-30. Pronouns: He/it (gender? don't worry about it. Calls itself a man and uses masc terms but the gender is a mystery). Occupation: Twitch streamer?? College student. Whatever it's not important. Height: 6'1

Amedeo is a member of his college's Gamer Club, run by his now-roommate Kazooie. Amedeo loves this club SOOOO much it's the best place in the world to be and all of his friends are in it <3 But none of them really like him :( He's kind of an annoying lil bastard and he does not realize this and he doesn't understand why nobody wants to hang out with him. He doesn't realize violating their boundaries and making them feel guilty when they're not nice to him and insisting that if he's nice to them they have to be nice to him and never letting them speak, none of this is how friendship works, he doesn't know nobody ever told him! So his biggest goal is to figure out how to be the best friend in the world, without knowing how friendship is even supposed to work. He just loves love so much.

The plot of the story it's in starts when Viorel, a demon prince from the monster world, is found very lost and confused with no memories by Aiden, another member of the club. Viorel's very curious about the club so Aiden invites him and Amedeo's sooo happy cause that's a new friend! Unfortunately for everyone involved, Viorel's appearance in the human world was not an isolated event. For weeks Viorel deals with them contacting him when he doesn't know who they even are and frankly it's quite frustrating. They seem to want him dead. He doesn't know why. He doesn't really care, he has robotics homework to do.

Amedeo is unaware that Viorel has enemies.

When Vivian takes Amedeo aside and so sweetly offers him the secret to being the best friend possible and maybe some kisses in exchange for information on Viorel... how could he refuse? All she wanted was for him to tell her so many personal details about Viorel, all of which Amedeo obviously knew already, friends don't hide secrets :) So he knows everything about Viorel, whether or not they're aware he knows! He'd happily stalk Viorel learn more about Viorel for her if she asked! She's so beautiful and she can help Amedeo with his friendship problems, of course of course of course. So she hands him a funny orange drink in a bottle and tells him it'll magically make him a better friend, and sends him on his way. He drinks it all. A week passes and he goes back to visit her every day.

Aiden gets kidnapped. It was ok in the end. Viorel saved them. They're fine. They ended up fine. It wasn't Amedeo's fault. It couldn't have been Amedeo's fault. Vivian didn't tell it that's why she wanted Aiden in that specific location at that specific time that WASN'T its fault, it led them there knowing she would be there too but it WASN'T ITS FAULT. Does she want to hurt its friends? No she wouldn't, she's trying to HELP. Right? Of course she is. The "friendship potions" as Amedeo's been calling them, they've HELPED. Everyone treats him differently now :) It's subtle but that must still mean it's doing something. Nobody knows Amedeo helped with Aiden's kidnapping so why should it stop? Vivian wants more from it and it. It loves her and what she's doing for it. She asks for more. She always asks for more.

Those funny lil potions are definitely having an affect and everyone can tell now. Everyone knows. His eyes are shaped like hearts, fangs start to grow in, little bug wings pop out of his back, his fingers are becoming claws. Everyone knows. Something is wrong and everyone knows. They avoid him even more now. When he enters the room everyone gets quieter and looks away. He doesn't understand.

It's not working! As he gets worse and worse everyone hates him more than they already did. His mood swings are getting more violent and he can see it happening but he can't make it stop. Why the fuck would he want it to stop? This is what he wanted it's not HIM it's THEM. IT'S ALWAYS BEEN THEM. WHY WON'T THEY UNDERSTAND HE'S DOING ALL OF THIS FOR THEM WHY WON'T THEY LOOK AT HIM ANYMORE??? IT'S THEIR FUCKING FAULT HE'S LIKE THIS!!! HE NEVER WANTED TO HURT THEM THEY MADE HIM DO IT WHEN THEY WOULDN'T LOOK AT HIM WHEN THEY REFUSED TO EVEN SAY HELLO IT'S THEIR FAULT THAt Eden ends up in the hospital because she tried to ask him if he was ok and he attacked her.

It's taken to a vote and it is officially kicked out of the club. So it leaves. It doesn't know where to go, so it goes the only place it can think of. Right back to Vivian.

He explains thinking maybe she'd understand or help or just tell him what went wrong. But she's... different now. Instead of doting on him and telling him how wonderful she thinks he is, she seems bored. Unimpressed. Annoyed. Finally she cuts him off, asking him if he's really so useless now. Before he can even respond, she shoves one more potion down his throat, finishing the transformation he's been going through over all these weeks. She hadn't been helping him with his friendship problems at all. The potions had slowly been turning him into a demon, a mindless creature, a monster that's so much easier to control.

(art/design by @hershelchocolateart)

She almost kills him afterwards too, she doesn't have much need for a demon she already has hoards of them, but her partner, Engel, decides he's much more fun this way and keeps him around as a pet <3 Their giant 6'3 demonic cat <3 They think he's so sweet and lovable like this <3 How ironic that the first time anyone ever thinks he's fun to be around is when he's not even himself anymore.

For a while that's all that really happens. Engel keeps it around cause it's so fluffy soft and cute and sometimes they let it go wander and it brings back corpses like a cat leaving a dead lizard as a gift for their owner except worse because those are human people. They think it's awesome of it <3

Vivian HATES not having a use for him tho she still thinks he's annoying as fuck so Engel agrees to let her try to "make him useful". She does what she does best: Sends him to go kill Viorel. But he's not even good at that. He gets into the manor where they're staying with Aiden and waits until they're all asleep and goes to kill them. But Amedeo is just a silly little creature now. He doesn't have a thought behind those heart shaped eyes. He hears a noise, and goes to follow it. It's Aiden, going to their room for the night.

Viorel wakes up to Aiden's screams, and gets to them too late. Amedeo is already tearing them apart.

Viorel, as a demon prince, has the interesting ability to force a demon to switch forms, and what better revenge for finding a demon killing your partner than to switch him back and force him to look at what he's done. And he's just killed one of his friends! Amedeo panics, saying he can fix this, please god just let him try to fix it, and pulls out one of Vivian's potions. Between Viorel being incredibly violent with him and his shaky hands, he can't even get the potion to Aiden before dropping it, shattering the glass and splashing it all over their corpse and their computer which had fallen next to them during the struggle. What a waste.

(Little does Amedeo know, he did save them, in some kind of way. It was enough. Aiden may not be alive but they're still living in their computer now thanks to this. But that's a different rant entirely)

Amedeo barely gets away from Viorel alive, but it's just out of the frying pan into the fire for him. Vivian finds him again, puts him back into demon form, and brings him back home <3 He'd had only a short amount of time to be a person again and he'd spent all of that time having a panic attack. 👍

Ok. Cool. So I've just explained Amedeo's main plot over 15 paragraphs. Do you understand how insane about him I am yet? There's more I'm not even done but I'm not gonna drag this out dramatically like I did for all that LAISDHASDLIU

Basically, Amedeo is eventually saved from Vivian and Engel by Vidette, Viorel's sister who can also force demons to switch forms, but she's not as good at it. Amedeo ends up in a state sort of in between human and demon.

^ I might change some things about it, this is older art, but like. Like This

His legs fucked, his hand's weird, one of his eyes is shaped and the other isn't, he has so many problems now congratulations to this guy for becoming disabled. I'll give him a crutch to help with that leg at Some Point prommy <3

Vidette drops Amedeo off back at Aiden's manor (awkward as fuck) because she knows Viorel is there and thinks she can help him. She is so unaware of the horrors. Amedeo kind of just stays in the backyard unsure what to do for several days before Eden (who also lives there) finds him and invites him inside to actually eat food and take a nap. At this point Amedeo is so convinced he's unlovable, Vidette and Eden being nice to him kind of breaks his mind. In a good way. In a "ohhhh THIS is how friendship was supposed to work this entire god damn time" kind of way. He understands now. Eden lets him stay (much to Viorel and Aiden's disgust but whatever they can tolerate him) so he has a mostly safe place to work through his issues and figure out how the fuck to be a good person. Good for him good for him!

He gets a very funny arc where Viorel, Aiden, and Eden have to leave the manor so Amedeo has to stay and babysit the other demon and the 7 year old living in the house and it's just. Amedeo's no good awful terrible horrible no good very bad day. He is not a responsible adult. The 7 year old loves to bite and maim. And other demon in the house eats the drywall constantly. It's a disaster but the manor doesn't collapse so I'd call that a success.

Eventually Amedeo moves back in with Kazooie, who is the only person who has ever genuinely loved to be around him and has missed him So So Much, and they get to be besties again <3

Vivian shows up again after her millionth plan to kill Viorel doesn't work and she decides to just do it herself, but Amedeo kills her instead. We love it when a gayboy gets to kill its abuser. Get fucked idiot.

That's pretty much it Amedeo gets to spend the rest of the story just chilling and people actually like hanging out with it now because it's learned how to not be annoying and mean and I love it so fucking much and I'm so proud of it. The end

If you have gotten this far somehow and you have questions about Amedeo and the story, please god do not send them to this blog this is supposed to be a lovecore competition blog please send them to my OC blog @oc-cinematic-universe IALSUDHASUILDh but don't feel obligated to ask at all, I'm adding this just in case. I'm trying so hard to keep this blog clean and organized I swear-

#sorry i blacked out and wrote 24 paragraphs about my most blorbo in the entire world. are you mad at me #lovecore showdown

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adragonhoardingstories · 4 years

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Of Blood and Bonds - Chapter 4

@mystery-5-5 @synnesstra @thesunanditsangel

@abrx2002 @clumsy-owl-4178 @daminett4life @zalladane

@heaven428 @unmaskedagain

@dawnwave16 @kris-pines04 @emeraldpuffguide @hypnosharkrebeldreamer

@weird-pale-blonde-person

@ravennightingaleandavatempus

@persephonebutkore

@be-happy-every-day-please @blue-peach14 @annabellabrookes

@jaynintodd @st0rmy-w1th1n @bluerosette23 @ladysblackcat @18-fandoms-unite-08

@vixen-uchiha @novicevoice @jessigurl-design @tinyterror333

@rebecarojas07 @sparkle9510 @magicalfirebird

@mewwitch @shamefullove

@ravennightingaleandavatempus

@sassydepression @caffeinetheory

@reyna-avila-ramirez-alreanaldo

@krispydefendorpolice @mermaidofthelost @zalladane @drarryismylife101 @ladybug-182 @northernbluetongue @i-like-fairytail-and-stuff @iloontjeboontje @mjisntme

@dorkus-minimus @firesong323 @chocolatecatsthero @wargraymon0709 @bamagirlkrista

@moonlightstar64 @captain-lostkid @angelicbookfangirl @lunar-wolf-warrior @roseunivers999 @dur55 @emeraldpuffguide @evil-elf16 @crazylittlemunchkin @moonlightstar64 @semaalcocer-blog @skyel0ve

On that note, this book will contain swearing, mentions of rape and torture. I will try not be explicit but that's really relative. Read at your own risk. There will be warning before if I make a explicit scene so that you can skip it.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy and don't hunt me down for this.

___________________________________

"Colin this is Marinette, my sister, Marinette this is Colin." Damian introduced the redhead who seemed a bit bewildered but he recovered quickly.

"Pleased to meet you ma'am. I didn't know that Damian had another sibling."

"Well neither did he before yesterday." Marinette laughed good-naturedly. "So you're his best friend."

"Yep!" Damian didn't refute the statement.

"So Miss Marinette where are you from?"

"Just Marinette is fine Colin."

"Bu-"

"Miss makes me feel old, you don't want that now, do you?" The boy looked scandalised. "I'm only about two years older than Damian anyways so if you want to call me by a nickname, that's fine too."

The boy grinned shyly. "Okay Marinette."

Damian looked distinctly surprised. "Well done, he still calls the others Mr, they are going to be annoyed by this development."

"Oh Damian." Marinette turned on her heels and winked at them, eyes full of mischief. "This is nothing. I got Alfred to call me by just my first name?"

Now, both boys looked very impressed but still disbelieving. "I'll believe it when I see it." The redhead claimed. Marinette laughed but said nothing more on the matter.

"So where are you bringing me?"

"The Gotham's Botanical Garden. I think you'll enjoy it. However, I must warn you to stay clear of anything that may anger Poison Ivy. "

She took it in stride. "Of course, I'll ask before I do anything."

"It'll be so fun. People don't talk about it because of Ivy but the gardens are so beautiful." Colin started ranting and Marinette hid a smile at the fond expression on her little brother's face. If one didn't know what to be looking for, they would miss it but Marinette had become very very attuned to emotions, especially after she gained the Miraculous and became Guardian.

"-attract so many different kinds of butterflies."

"Huh." Marinette mused. "It'll be nice seeing some actual butterflies and not akumas for once."

"You mentioned akumas before too." Damian interrupted. "What are they?"

She seemed a little surprised. "Do you - do you really have no idea of what's going on in Paris?"

Both of the boys shook their head. Even Colin looked curious now.

"It's pretty surreal but, when I was twelve, this guy surfaced. He calls himself Hawkmoth. He sends out these magic butterflies called akumas to anyone who's experiencing any negative emotion to possess them. He makes a deal with the victims to give them powers for them to be able to take revenge upon whatever wrong happened to them and return he asks for the Miraculous of Ladybug and Chat Noir."

"Who?" Colin interrupted and Marinette blinked. She had sounded so...old, so burdened as she spoke - so different from the bubbly macaroon making girl that Damian had learnt to know.

"Right, context. After his first akuma, two heroes surfaced in Paris too. They're powered by the Miraculous too. Hawkmoth wants Ladybug's earrings and Chat Noir's ring. No one knows why exactly and well we're not interested to find out. More power in that madman's hands can only cause harm."

"You mean to say." Damian's voice was flat. "That there has been a sociopathic terrorist in Paris for five years and no one knows of it. Why didn't the mayor call for the Justice League?"

Marinette's face darkened. It almost made both if the boys shudder and take a step back.

"Oh but we did. More than once, more than ten times in fact. We only stopped whenthe Leaguers asked us to stop wasting their time with pranks."

"What?" Damian exploded. "They just disregarded all the damage that must have been caused, all the phone calls. They didn't even look into it."

Marinette placed a hand in his shoulder, urging her aura to seek his and calm him down. "The thing is one of Ladybug's powers is the Miraculous Cure. It fixes all the damage caused in the midst of battle."

"All the damage?" Even Damian didn't seem to believe it at that point.

"I know it seems too good to be true." She fished out her phone and tried to look for a video. "And we understood that but everyone in Paris is pissed that they didn't even bother come verify our so called claims. I mean for God's sake, they have aliens, shapeshifters, magicians and even guys who are themselves powered by magical jewelry if I'm not wrong."

Marinette huffed as she found a video. It was one of the first ones from the Ladyblog, when Alya was still a reliable reporter. She played the video. It was of The Mime and it showed how he cut the Eiffel Tower in two as well as the Miraculous Cure taking effect.

The boys especially Damian seemed horrified and Marinette felt a little of guilt for subjecting them to that.

But then Damian looked up at her and his lazarus green eyes of reminded her that he probably had seen worse.

"That's…" He didn't seemed to know what to say.

"Terrifying." Colin said. "Are they all really that strong?" Marinette winced, debating whether to tell them the truth of not.

Damian seemed to sense that. "You can tell us." He prompted and she sighed, reaching out to ruffle his hair.

"That's actually one of the tamer villians." She admitted. "The Mime appeared during the first year of Hawkmoth's reign of terror. One of the worst akumas back then that come to mind is Syren. She flooded the entirety of Paris, about three quarter of the population died and were brought back by the cure." She took another look at them and decided that she wasn't going to be the cause of their further trauma.

"Hey, this is it, right?" She promptly changed the subject, knowing very well that she hadn't been subtle at all. "Gotham Botanical Gardens." She beamed down at them.

"Wow, it's beautiful." She took a moment to appreciate the sight. "Hey you're right, there's a lot of butterflies. Can we go there first?" She was basically bouncing as she turned to look at her brother and his best friend.

Colin looked gleeful while Damian seemed just amused. "You act like a child." Her brother informed her. She stuck out her tongue at him. "And you speak like an old man but you don't see me complaining."

"Fair enough." He chuckled. "What are you waiting for? Let's go then."

He couldn't help the full-blown smile appearing on his face as both his sister and his best friend literally ran to the butterflies and started gushing together.

He started to make his way to them when someone appeared in front of him blocking his view. His usual scowl and glare were back on his face when he looked up. The boy seemed to recoil slightly at his look but it didn't deter him more that that.

"I don't know who you are." His tone clearly gave away that he felt like he was the one in power here. Damian cursed the time when he used to act like that. He had learnt that lesson the hard way - had learnt not to underestimate an enemy. "But you're gonna stay away from my princess. She doesn't need children like you around."

Damian took a second to analyze him. Blond Hair. Green eyes. He remembered reading those as Marinette's triggers during his research. He had to clench his fists to stop himself from reaching out to his weapons.

"She can decide that for himself." He said instead and went to walk around him but the boy grabbed his shoulder.

The next thing he knew he was standing behind his sister. "Adrien." She cut in smoothly. "I didn't expect to see you here, especially not without your bodyguard." Damian could see that she was tense, her back muscles were coiled as if she was ready for a fight.

"Princess." He was beaming. "I snuck out." He said almost proudly. "We need to talk."

"Gotham isn't Paris." Her words seemed more like a warning rather than the facts they were which the blond idiot obviously didn't catch on. "And I want nothing to do with you, haven't for three years. I owe you nothing. Give up."

That was a clear dismissal if Damian knew one. "Princess you need to listen to me-" He reached out to grab her hand but was cut off.

The younger boy had seen her lurking but she hadn't seemed a threat so he didn't know whether he was thankful or not that she had jumped in.

Ivy spoke "The girl asked you to go away." Thankful, he finally decided.

The boy looked a little nervous - so he did have some braincells. "Ma'am, respectfully, this does not concern you." Well not enough it seemed.

"Oh well, respectfully." Her plants towered behind them. "I don't give a damn. Stay away from them."

The plants grabbed him and threw him just outside the park boundaries. It seemed a little tame for the likes of Ivy but then again she always did go softer for children even if they were brats.

Damian watched as the boy scrambled back to his feet and glared in their direction before he stomped off.

"Damian." His sister was clearly fretting over him, he would never admit it but it felt good, he felt loved. "Are you alright? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"I'm alright, I'm alright. I told you, I can take care of myself."

She smiled, soft and relieved. "I don't doubt it but promise me if you see either him or Lila from yesterday, you need go the other way."

"Why?" He frowned. He had a doubt on blondie but what about that Lila girl?

"And by Lila, do you mean the sausage haired girl?"

His sister cracked a grin at that thought she was still serious. "Yeah her."

"Why?" He repeated and she became grim at once. "Because he's sick in the head and she's a psychopath so please, promise me." She met his eyes and really, faced to that did Damian have any other choice but to accept?

She beamed at him as Colin approached them. "That was so cool. Are you okay Dames?" He turned to talk to his best friend and gave him a once over before nodding.

"Thank you for stepping in." He heard his sister and turned around. Ivy may be one of the villains-turned-anti-hero but it didn't mean that people didn't need to be wary around her. What was Marinette thinking?

"Boys like him need to be taught a lesson before it's too late." Damian's mind immediately went to Harley's and Joker's relationship.

"I don't think a lesson would do him any kind of good at this point but thank you."

It was very apparent that her words made Ivy re-evaluate her.

The woman gave a nod. "Don't mention it." She said nothing else but didn't move away.

Marinette smiled. "By the way, I love that flower in your hair. That's a lily right?"

"Yes." She said slowly but the spark in her eye showed that she was now interested. "You know flowers?"

"I have a garden of my own." Marinette revealed. "I tried growing some lilies but they're no where as beautiful as this one." Marinette fished for her phone again and started showing her images. The older woman didn't say anything but Damian could see that she was interested and she seemed almost pleased.

Deeming it safe for now, he slowly turned to Colin who was staring at the scene with amazement.

"Colin." His friend turned to him wide-eyed, "Your sister is amazing."

He couldn't help but feel smug at the words. "Obviously." He said but then lowered his voice. "Tell me, how did she get to me so fast when she was watching butterflies with you."

Colin sobered up at that. "She was talking to me when suddenly she just snapped her head up to look at you. I think that's when the boy came. She told me to stay there and started walking towards you. The thing is when the guy touched you, she was about half-way there, I didn't register but the next thing I knew she was standing between you and the blond." He shook his head. "There's something about her…it's not necessarily bad but she's just...different…special."

"I know what you mean." Damian agreed.

"-and then she spoke with Poison Ivy for one hour straight about plants and gardening. Ivy even gave us a personal tour of the botanical gardens."

"Seriously? She usually takes forever to warm up to someone especially if the other sirens aren't with her."

"Marinette seems to be the exception." The youngest Wayne said as he but into another macaroon. Once again, he had been ambushed on his return home - this time however, it was only his brothers and that had demanded he tell them all about her.

His felt his phone vibrate and knew it was the message he was awaiting. "She's busy during the day." He informed his brothers. "But she invited us for dinner."

His brothers looked at each other and grinned. Tommorow looked promising.

#maribat #platonic daminette #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #damian wayne #bruce wayne #dick grayson #jason todd #tim drake #torture #mentions of rape #bamf marinette #badass marinette #bruce tries to be a good dad but he doesn't always succeed #lila salt #adrien salt

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starvels · 3 years

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Maybe, sometimes, Steve might not like watching, but he likes the idea of Tony being “alone” and vulnerable with others even less (unless it’s like close teammates or friends I imagine Steve doesn’t trust them) and he does like the end result so he does sit in a corner of the room and stew until he gets to kick everyone else out and “clean up”

mmm i first wrote: i don't think this interp is the kink for me, but you do you bb! in response to this, but the more i think about it, the more i wanna see if we can deconstruct this a bit.

this is a trope i see a lot in fanfic. and while we're just talking about fic, it worries me bc as in an adult in a relationship, i find this behavior rly...uncool dfkjbnkdjb

if steve is choosing to sit in on a session of tony with other folks, why is he upset??

if he made that choice, i would hope its because seeing tony w other folks is what he enjoys about the situation/everyone has consented to. if he's worried about tony in those moments, but doesn't actually like to see tony with other people, that's fine - he could express that and they could problem solve, safewords, vetting the people tony is sleeping with, an AI keeping watch, etc etc. but if he's in the room and he does things like saying i don't trust you w these people, i'm gonna be in here and stew and then kick everyone out - i don't wanna frame that as ~sexy or healthy, bc its not to me.

personally, possessiveness or 'stew'ing while your partner engages in an activity that you have both agreed on, partly for your own benefit seems yeurk! to me. its actively concerning esp bc you and your partner both agreed on this activity and it's supposed to be you both exploring something and seeing if you do find it fun. it's supposed to feel good for both of you and be safe and consensual. and if you don't find it fun or trust it or it doesn't make you feel good - why would you do it? what purpose does it serve to have to endure something in your relationship, that you don't have to?

that's why i wrote it like: the subtle difference of steve not liking to watch other partners with tony, but liking to be with tony after…other partners are done…with tony…..

bc that's the difference - steve expressing what he enjoys in a communicative and boundary recognizing way. that's what i love to see! he wants to see tony worn out and messy and rode hard and put away wet like he spent the whole day giving rumiko head or letting rhodey fuck his thighs, etc. steve loves to see the aftermath of that, to touch tony after, loves when tony is overwhelmed by being touched and loved and cared for. but the thought of watching it, of not not being a part of it, of not being tony's focus is not as fun, doesn't give him that spine zesty tingle of anticipation.

as a whole, i like open relationships and poly explorations! i like people enjoying imagining/seeing their partner with other partners or having many types of intimate relationships. the joy of s/t exploring it specifically to me, is both in the physical fun they can have, kinks they can explore with themselves and others and also the compersion! of them loving how the other loves. i think that would be really satisfying for poly s/t to know how good they are to other people. or to, at the least, be curious about whether or not they would enjoy seeing it.

and that could be: tony giving oral to 5 people in a row while steve praises tony and the other person. that could be steve giving sharon a nice body worshiping day off, then hand washing her bras gently and hanging them up and tony smiling so fondly from the doorway when steve calls out, just one sec! or it could be that it turns out steve doesn't like watching tony and others and instead of sitting there not enjoying it, steve says his safeword in the middle of tony going down on thor and steve! asks for the scene to end! and says he needs to walk away for a bit. communication! consent! acknowledgement that we are human and its not bad to feel possessive or to not like your partner with other folks, but it is bad to let it boil inside of you and make things uncomfortable or not what everyone agreed to for pleasure because it is pointless to endure if the point, the whole ass point is you enjoying being with your partner(s).

so, in short to circle back around, i think its really important steve doesn't push himself to watch if what he's enjoying isn't watching, actually!

and, so! while i think we could all talk through this trope a little more and i don't think this interp is the kink for me, everyone should still do them! absolutely no shame. just love to complicate the convo haha.

#stevetony #stevetony asks #our talk #relationship negotiation #fic talk #fandom talk #tonyothers #in case it hasn't been obvious on this blog - i was well known in previous fandom spaces for just taking stuff and ADDING COMPLICATION TO I #it #i gotta! add some media critique or interpersonal communication discussion to things! i gotta do it dkjnbkjdnb

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zuzuslastbraincell · 3 years

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☕ Aang.

He's a character I don't see you talk about much, so I'm curious about you thoughts on him, his character arc, what you like or dislike about him, etc.

The short answer: Love Aang. He’s great! Feel like a lot of the dislike of his character (while fading, at least in the circles I’m in) is misplaced. People who think Aang didn’t make the right end game decisions don’t understand his character / miss the point, IMO. That said, dislike some of the character decisions especially r.e. Katara/Aang.

The longer answer: I really love Aang and I feel like the hate he receives from various parts of the fandom is very unwarranted, though I wonder if it stems from watching the show as a child his age and finding his playfulness unrelatable - like as a kid I might have found it exasperating but as an adult I find it very refreshing and it is so obvious to me that Aang is A Child, it informs how he behaves and his decisions massively, and I wonder if the dislike comes from the lack of perspective and being unable to view Aang as a kid, being kids themselves when these haters watched the show?

That said, all kinds of people do dismiss Aang as immature and it frustrates me to no end, because being cynical =/= maturity, a willingness to make difficult decisions that betray deeply held beliefs =/= maturity, and Aang’s decision to stick to his beliefs should always be viewed in tandem with the context that he is a victim of genocide, that genocide includes the destruction of a culture’s common beliefs and practices too, and whether those beliefs live or die in the future starts and ends with him.

Additionally, I feel like Aang does possess a lot of emotional maturity for his age, even if he has bouts of being immature (like, normal, honestly). Like he processes his anger in a way that is largely healthy, actually? I think that’s a thing most people don’t understand, they don’t see that as part of Aang, when really Aang processes his emotions like someone who’s had very clear healthy models for it. He does feel anger, and grief. When Aang tells Katara in the southern raiders episode vengeance isn’t the way, that’s something that he’s fought hard internally to believe in, that’s something that he’s learned.

Tying into that, I think an overlooked aspect of Aang’s development is how in season 1 Aang spent a lot of time looking for Fire Nation citizens who were good / who could be good, because the idea that the Fire Nation is fundamentally evil contradicts his world view (”the monks taught us all life was sacred”), but I think that was probably a perspective he clung onto as well as a way of dealing with his grief. Like, I feel like Aang has fought hard to reaffirm his beliefs in a world that seems determined to “prove him wrong”, surrounded with characters who largely don’t share or understand them & see it as naivety because they lack perspective and have only known war / understand the brutality of the opponent they’re facing on a personal level. I think we don’t see a lot of this explicitly, it’s largely subtext and often an internal debate -- Aang doesn’t have many people to soundboard these kind of thoughts off, there’s no one who is an air nomad or of a similar kind of upbringing around.

Tbh I feel that Aang is best in season 1, largely because his developments in later seasons also incorporate his feelings about Katara as part of his general development, and if I’m just completely honest with you all, I mean no disrespect to Katara/Aang folks you’re cool in my books but I’m just not sold by it at all. For example, because Aang’s journey mastering the avatar state involves him reckoning with his earthly attachments and the idea of letting go, and that conflict revolves around his feelings for Katara, and because I am not particularly sold by Aang and Katara, that impacts on how I view that whole arc. I love a good friends to lovers arc where the depth of those feelings extends to both friendship and romance but I feel like the way ATLA writes romantic arcs often involves a character suddenly looking at another with heart eyes and very little actual bonding to justify that sudden change, very few *journeys* or *arcs* that culminate in feelings (unrelated, but this is my theory as to why Zuko is shipped with almost everyone, because he literally has several life-changing journeys with other characters at the tail end of S3), and it’s fairly unconvincing / pretty flat to me? Especially since we do not get anywhere near as much an insight into Katara’s feelings in that regard? I get that romance isn’t always a grand arc or whatever but given that it’s tied to a lot of Aang’s S2 development, I think it ought to have more prominence.

If I’m honest, I also feel like Aang’s development regarding Katara and the Avatar State was incomplete, and that made a lot of his S3 development frustrating because in other aspects I think he came into his own and matured - usually in subtle ways, like his attitude in the Southern Raiders, but also we see him from being understandably upset about having to hide his identity, to incorporate aspects of Fire Nation dress into his final late S3 look - but in that aspect, his arc felt incomplete to me? This might be a poor reading of it, but to expand on how I see it, in S2, Aang is incapable of letting go of Katara until literally the most critical moment, when he has to -- at which point, he is struck down by chance. In S3, the concept of entering into the Avatar State being a matter of difficulty is literally not mentioned, so we can presume he’s come to terms with letting go of Katara - which directly contradicts the pushy behaviour he shows in Ember Island Players, the way he ignores her boundaries? And then that’s literally never addressed, Aang never apologises, Katara and Aang never have an important conversation resolving the conflict there, and in the end Aang gets the girl? It’s frustrating.

Like, the way I see it, “letting go” of Katara shouldn’t mean putting no importance on her - I actually like the idea of Aang not being willing to leave his friends behind, his compassion and care is important in this aspect. Rather, if I were in the writer’s chair, I would have it that “letting go” means a willingness to face rejection. Aang lets go of a romantic prospect of Katara - and acknowledges she can and might reject him, and that’s always a possibility, but opens his heart to her anyway out of trust (and when they get together, it’s not because he’s proven himself worthy, but because Katara wants to be with him). I think that would have been such a monumentally *powerful* message, especially in a late 00s cartoon, prior to the likes of Adventure Time and Gravity Falls quite explicitly deconstructing the idea of the male protagonist always getting with their crush (I feel like a vital context new viewers miss r.e. Katara/Aang is that the male protagonist would always always get with the girl in cartoons, it always happened, to the extent that female characters existed as much as love interests as characters in their own rights). I honestly don’t think it would even require that much in terms of change! I might show that in S3 Aang still has difficulty with the Avatar state at times - he can go into it at will, but not always - and that’s because he’s in the process of letting Katara as a crush go. I’d still keep the kiss in Day of Black Sun - tbh, I have no issues there, he thought he’d never see her again quite possibly, he’s impulsive, it makes sense - but I’d maybe highlight a slight awkwardness afterwards. I might even keep the awful Ember Island Players conflict - but crucially, I think Aang would have to learn from this. I think when Aang might realise he’s still struggling with the Avatar state as late as Sozin’s Comet episode 1, panic, realise he needs to internalise that belief more, and I think he’d leave Katara a note - including an apology for his actions before, for pushing her when she wasn’t ready, but explaining also, that he needs to go on a journey by himself to figure this out. Rest of Sozin’s comet goes ahead as normal, more or less. I’d end with Katara, maybe at the tea shop afterwards, talking to Aang and asking him why he went off by himself, explaining that she & the gaang would be there for him, he didn’t have to go on a journey alone. Aang would explain that he didn’t expect they’d understand, they’re not monks, and Katara explaining that maybe they wouldn’t, but he could *try*, that’s a risk you sometimes take (but concedes they could have been more understanding). And I think over that conversation it hits Aang it’s not about being alone. Everything’s connected. It’s about not clinging on. it’s about being willing to lose. It’s about trust. I think by the end, they agree to try and communicate better, and Aang then asks Katara out - mirroring “Do you want to go penguin sledding with me?”, similar kind of activity. He almost tries to over-explain and say ‘listen it doesn’t have to go anywhere’ but Katara just smiles and says yeah. And they leave to go on their first real date.

Anyway that’s how I *would* have handled it and that is what I think could be an interesting and compelling arc that wouldn’t take much adjustment to add. Aang is afraid of losing Katara, and realising that he can and might lose her is important.

.... that’s way more than I intended to write but yeah. I feel like a lot of Aang’s development ties in with his feelings for Katara and that’s where I take issue.

#aang #soozenwrites

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stilesedit · 5 years

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Do you think Stiles as straight or bisexual? This question has nothing to do with Sterek or any other ship. I'm just purely curious. I mean, I think there are many scenes that indicated Stiles is bisexual. But few days ago argued with me saying I'm 'delusional' and I should stop 'forcing' homosexuality/bisexuality on a straight character. Your page is my favourite Stiles fanpage. So I just wanted to know your opinion on this. (Btw I love your "Top 20 Stiles Dynamics" so so much. Thanks for it

look. in my not so humble opinion. if a character does not explicitly state their sexual identity, it’s completely ridiculous to insist that they are anything whatsoever. frankly i’ve been exploring the opinion that perhaps everyone is inherently not strictly hetero until proven otherwise by life experience (i don’t mean one’s imagination, i mean actually testing your own boundaries). again, just an opinion i’m exploring. as for stiles, he clearly enjoys kissing and sleeping with women, and besides being very vocal about it you can see it in his face when he’s into a girl (not to mention the make out scenes like.. excuse me). as for guys, we have to be content to interpret what we will from his behavior/body language/offhand remarks. because the writers created stiles as this ‘comic relief’ type of character, they were able to inject (imo) subtle hints about the exploration of his own identity without committing to anything in particular (who do you think invited the drag queens to lydia’s party?). by letting people laugh off his comments about being attractive/attracted to guys, stiles could be seen as being serious or sarcastic- it’s up to the viewer to decide because nothing was ever drawn to conclusion. the best moment is when he asks caitlin if she likes guys, and she’s like “of course. do you?” and he looks off into the distance thinking about his answer (which he never offers). here are just a few more examples that most people would point to when considering stiles’ sexual identity:

when one doesn’t work, try the other

why did he need to ask this question though? why?

and why did he need to scream it out into the hallway???

don’t even get me started on every not so sarcastic sciles comment

look at how he keeps checking out the guy after he picks up the drink

how dare even his DAD make assumptions!!

HE REALLY WOULD HAVE DONE DON’T YOU TELL ME OTHERWISE

convenient camera cutaways always lsdjkkghkjhfjfdh HOW COULD THIS BE A THROWAWAY LINE?? also look how casually he considers the conversation

he could give no shits that liam is a boy he would kiss the hell out of him

many.. so so sooooooooo many scenes..... anyway. i hope this helps!

#Anonymous #stiles stilinski #fyteenwolf #dobedit #dylanobrienedit #stilesedit #teen wolf #flashing gif #just my opinion folks #because that's all we can have when it comes to fictional characters #especially considering stiles wasn't created/written by any one human person #so the writers might have had their own opinions as well #canon negates NONE of these things #also thank you for your kind words!!#i'm glad you're enjoying my work :))

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thoughtsofalostwitch · 4 years

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Hi how do I become a male witch for real to support to women I love who is a witch and because I'm honestly curious and interested in being a male witch

✧･ﾟ:* Sᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴘʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʀᴀғᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ʟᴇᴀʀɴ sᴏᴍᴇ ᴍᴀɢɪᴄᴋ ᴀs ᴀ ᴍᴀʟᴇ ᴡɪᴛᴄʜ! *:･ﾟ✧ Merry Meet! ☆ Thank you for being my first ask! First I would like to begin with the fact that being a witch means something different to everyone.

” Witch for me is my most powerful self. Deeply grounded. Always healing and protecting myself and those I love. Bending attraction into my direction. Spreading peace and love wherever I go. Respecting nature. Following my intuition. Calling on my guides. Working with my inner wolf. Connecting with myself on all levels. Increasing my vibration. Meditation. Gratitude. Love. Light. This is what witch means to me. ” -Lunas Grimoire " I think that magic plays a part in my day-to-day effort to visualize goals, deal with problems, and connect myself to nature. Spells and visualization are all about intentionality and channeling your life force!" -HS “To put it simply, witchcraft is the practice of magick. This isn't to be confused with magic, which is what magicians do. Magick is a series of techniques a witch uses to harness energy (both external and internal) in order to change one's surroundings as well as one's self. It's also important to note that being a witch is not the same thing as being Wiccan. Unlike witchcraft, Wicca is a religion. However, it is common to meet witches who are Wiccan and vice versa. And most importantly, anyone can become a witch. Witchcraft is truly for everyone.” -The Witch Mommy ☆ So what is a witch?! ”First, many people do still use “witch” to mean “someone who worships the Devil and/or evil and who engages in gratuitous malevolence.” Present-day Witches generally feel that such a definition of “witch” results merely from Christian politics and propaganda. True, there are now “Satanic” churches, the most prominent having been Anton LeVay’s Church of Satan and the Temple of Set, and its members do call themselves “witches,” which certainly confuses outsiders. However, as J. Gordon Melton has pointed out, the members of these churches are actually atheistic, hedonistic, and egoistic in their ethics. Pagan Witches regard Satanist witches as Christian heretics and not Pagan at all. Setting all that aside, we can look at the more positive usages of the term.First, “witch” is often used to mean “someone who practices some form of magic.” But “folk magic” is ubiquitous, and those who practice it usually consider themselves to be devout members of the faith community around them, just with a special gift. They very rarely seem to think that their magical practice constitutes a unique religion. Nevertheless, there are quite a few such “magical witches,” and they logically must be considered part of the Craft movement.Second, “witch” is often used to mean “someone who has and uses unusual psychic talents.” It can thus be applied to Spiritualist mediums, to clairvoyant readers, to diviners, and so on. Again, such people almost always consider them to be members of the surrounding faith community, just with a special talent, and likewise do not regard that talent as constituting a different religion.Third, “witch” is now (and only recently) used to mean “someone who honors or worships the Old Gods” of whatever pantheon, though “Pagan” is also used with this meaning. Here the self-concept is that one is pursuing a religious path different from that of the surrounding community, but such pursuit does not necessarily involve any use of magic or psychic talents.It is only within the Pagan movement as inspired by Gardnerian Witchcraft that these three different meanings have been bundled together into the current concept of the Pagan Witch as practicing a unique and magical religion.At first, before the rise of the festival movement in America about 1980, a fourth meaning of “Witch” was included in this bundle: “someone who has been initiated as a member of an organized group (yes, a coven) that practices Witchcraft as a Pagan religion or as an apprentice of a master teacher of witchcraft.” Once the festivals had evolved to provide people with a way to celebrate the Wheel of the Year, and once enough “how to” books had been published to give people all the information they needed to practice the Craft as a solitary or only within their own families, joining a coven was no longer the only way to follow Wicca or a more generic form of Witchcraft as a spiritual path.There had been some solitaries even in the 1960s and 1970s, but as a result of the festivals, around 1980 the movement divided into two categories, one being a laity, who now constitute at least 90 percent of all Witches in America, the other being those who have been initiated into and practice the Craft within a coven or equivalent group. However, a First-Degree initiate of a coven is not regarded as having any special authority or expertise, given that anyone can learn from the published books about 99 percent of what that initiate would know. Instead, there is another level of meaning.” -Aidan Kelly Before you get started you must understand, there are many different paths or well types of witchcraft. ☆ The most common types usually include: 1: GARDNERIAN WITCH: A Gardnerian Witch is someone who follows the belief system of Gardnerian Wicca, which was created by Gerald Garner in the 1950s. Gardnerian Wicca is hierarchical system that consists of a high priest and priestess as well as various initiations. So, one is not a Gardnerian Witch until they have learned their specific traditions and have gone through proper initiation. 2: ALEXANDRIAN WITCH: Alexandrian Witchcraft is like Guardian Wicca in that it is a formalized belief system which contains it’s own traditions and initiations. Alexandrian witches follow some of the similar traditions in Guardian Wicca, but also incorporate ceremonial magic as well as the Qabalah. 3. SOLITARY WITCH: A solitary witch is someone who performs spellwork and rituals alone and without a coven. This may be by choice, or perhaps they just haven’t yet found a group of fellow witches they would like to work with. A solitary witch can incorporate various different paths based on their interest and may or may not use witchcraft as part of a wider spiritual path or religion. 4. ECLECTIC WITCH: An Eclectic witch is someone who pulls from various witchcraft traditions for their spellwork and rituals. They rely on a variety of different cultures, beliefs, and systems to formulate their own personal witchcraft practice which may change and evolve over time. 5. TRADITIONAL WITCH: A traditional witch is someone who takes a historical approach to witchcraft. They look at old grimoires, witch trials, various witch lore, and historical accounts to lay the foundation for their own spells and rituals. Often traditional witches focus on working with the nature and history of the place they live and may work with the genius loci, or the local spirits. 6. HEREDITARY WITCH: A Hereditary witch is someone who was born into a family that practices witchcraft. Usually their knowledge is passed down through generations and each family may have their own traditions and belief system. Though, just because someone is born in a witch family it does not necessarily mean that they will be more knowledgeable or powerful than a non-hereditary witch. 7. HEDGE WITCH: A Hedge witch works with the liminal spaces and the spirit realm. In the past a ‘hedge’ would mark a boundary of a village or settlement and thus represents the boundary between our physical reality and the spirit world. A hedge witch may be skilled at crossing that boundary through practices like astral travel. 8. KITCHEN WITCH: A kitchen witch enjoys making their home and surroundings a sacred space. They often like to incorporate witchcraft with their cooking and put their energy and focus into to the food and the meals they create. They care deeply about the ingredients, and may have their own herb and vegetable garden. 9. GREEN WITCH: Green witches are extremely nature based. They are likely to be in-tune with the seasons and often use natural materials to create their own magical tools. They most likely try to perform all their spellwork and rituals outside in nature when possible. 10. COSMIC WITCH: A cosmic witch incorporates astrology and astronomy into their witchcraft. They most likely closely follow the alignment of the planets and they will often will coordinate their spells and rituals based on the location of the planets and the moon. ☆ Labels.. Labels.. and more labels! Also, here are a few labels that are commonly passed around as well! It’s very important to remember that labels should never limit your practice. These are just classifications that I find useful in describing myself, and others have used to describe themselves. This list was made purely for fun. This is, by no means, a complete list. You do not have to ‘fit’ into any of these. A person’s craft is unique to them, that’s what makes it so awesome. (Warning: you may see some repeats from the previous list!) Omni Witch: A bookworm and a know it all, this type of witch studies and practices all the fields of magick. They are innately curious about everything, and love to learn. They are talkative and eager to share the massive amount of knowledge they have absorbed. Eclectic Witch: The Boho witch. She uses a combination or mix of whatever paths suit her best. Typically specializes in 2-4 different sects of the craft. She often will wear a mix-match of clothing, but enjoys long flowing things. She tends to be very random and eccentric, but is friendly nonetheless. Kitchen Witch: This type of witch uses easily obtained items and weaves magick into every aspect of their life. They are particularly fond of cooking, arts and crafts, sewing, cleaning, gardening and baking. They are skilled in potions, herbology, and subtle magick. Cottage Witch: A Witch who focuses on hearth magick. Much like the Kitchen witch, but with less emphasis on the cooking. They are the homemakers, the ones who decorate the house for the holidays. Usually empaths who are very sensitive to the people around them. Practical Witch: A branch of kitchen witch, they are adept at spellwork, and use their magick for everyday, mundane things. They adore the use of sigils and put them everywhere. Very down to earth individuals, who enjoy experimenting with ways to use magick to may their daily life easier and more enjoyable. Stitch Witch: A brand of Kitchen and Cottage witchery that holds magickal fabric work in high regard. They focus primarily on knot and stitch magick. Very scatter-brained individuals. Their room are always in disarray, fabric and thread everywhere. Usually fond of cosplay. LOVE making Halloween costumes for their family and friends. Green Witch: The woodland witches, these earthy individuals protect plants and love to garden. They usually are adept at spirit communication, hearing and responding to the needs of their many leaf-bearing friends. They thrive in natural environments such as forests, lakes, rivers and gardens. Green witches enjoy sunlight, growing plants and collecting rocks. They focus on holistic medicine and are learned healers. They are very familiar with their local region, having memorized all the species of plants, trees, insects, wildlife and flowers. They truly love the earth. Crystal Witch: A branch of Green witchery, these witches primarily work with stones, gems, crystals, and rocks. They LOVE geology, spend a lot of time hiking and collecting crystals. Usually very organized individuals that are in tune with the earth. They always know when the next local rock and mineral show is. Usually broke because they are always buying new rocks. So many rocks. Fucking rocks everywhere omg. Creature Witch: Another branch of Green witchery, mixed with spirit working and hedgecraft, these witches primarily work with Magickal and Astral creatures and spirits. They are very friendly people, and get along with all kinds of physical, and not so physical creatures. They collect fossils and bones and skulls and know the names and personalities of each spirit attached to them.Hedge Witch: A witch that lives between two worlds. They easily cross over into Elsewhere, the astral realm, and do so with ease. Often skilled at working with magickal creatures and familiars, they are very creative and artistic individuals. They are also very adept at psychometry, spirit communication, energy work, and time travel. Also called Astral Witches. Energy Witch: Witches that perform all of their magic internally. Their magic is one of pure energy, using circles cast in their heads and their imaginations to bring their will to life. Are usually shy and keep to themselves. They enjoy divination and astral projection. Also called Intrinsic Witches. Shadow Worker: A combination of energy and hedge magick, the shadow worker tames and summons Shadows of their own past and personality. They regret nothing, are very in tune with their emotions, and spend a lot of time meditating. They are not afraid to confront their mistakes, because accepting the flawed pieces of their personality gives them power. Spirit Worker: A Witch who communes with the dead spirits of humans, animals, and others entities. Some can even communicate with the spirits of trees, rocks, and man-made items. They are usually very outspoken, opinionated people. They use spirit boards and pendulums, among many other tools. They enjoy taking strolls in graveyards and having casual chats with the dead. Also called Mediums. Exorcist: A branch of Spirit Worker. They are usually hereditary, clairvoyant and raised into their practice. They learn their craft as it is passed down from their family members. They practice the archaic tradition of exorcism, aka banishment of dark or foul entities. Very somber individuals, who try their best to be optimistic. Oracle/Diviner: Branch of Spirit worker. Witches who primarily focus their practice on divination. Tarot, runes, pendulums, spirit boards, scrying, crystal gazing, aeromancy, stichomancy, sea gazing, animal gazing, bird watching, lynchomancy, ceromancy, astrology, numerology, amathomancy, dream interpretation, shufflemancy, tea leaf reading, people watching, palm reading, face reading. You name it, they probably know how to do it. Usually clairvoyant and have a number of other psychic abilities. Chaos Witch: A witch who uses baneful magick in their craft. They enjoy working with bones and are skilled at channeling and communicating with spirits. They will sometimes use demons, storm magick, blood magick, and cursing in their practice. They fear nothing. Commonly mislabeled ‘black’ or ‘dark’ witch. Which is not correct. Tsk tsk. Necromancer: A branch of Chaos magick, these witches take spirit working a step further, and are adept at communicating and controlling the dead. Necromancers usually have a familiar ‘wraith’ that acts much like an astral or spirit guide. Some can even raise the dead for a period of time to converse with them. Blood Witch: Another branch of Chaos magick, these witches primarily use blood in their rituals. They have a high pain tolerance, care little about what others think or say, and are very set in their ways. Some do it to prove how strong they are or devotion to their deities. Nonetheless, nice people once you get to know them. Perhaps a bit misunderstood. Sun Witch: A witch who draws their power more from the sun, than the moon as most witches tend to do. Adept at fire magic and are usually very spirited individuals. They use candles often in their practice, and love to throw barbecues and bonfires with their many friends. They enjoy sunbathing. Their magick comes in giant bursts and they will often use a lot of energy at once. Lunar Witch: A witch who primarily draws their power from the moon. They adore her and are usually adept at making moon water and knowing exactly what phase of the moon it is at any given time. They do not fear the dark, do much of their magick after the sun goes down, and have the ability to speak with the Lady Luna herself. These witches also may choose (or be chosen by) one of the moons of another planet, such as Miranda or Europa., and will work with that particular celestial body. Star Witch: Not to be confused with a Space witch, who works with all of the cosmos, primarily aliens and astrology. Star witches draw their power from constellations, stars, and the sun. They love star gazing, have star charts hanging on the walls of their room, and never miss a meteor shower. Very chipper individuals who always want to go to the planetarium rather than out to see a movie or to the park. They may also work with planets as well as stars. Storm Witch: This breed of witch is both terrifying and thrilling. They have a great sense of humor, and are usually very cryptic. They give zero fucks what people think of them and march to the beat of their own drum. They whistle up the winds and summon lightning. These witches are usually very adept at cursing and fear nothing. They like horror movies, cloudy weather, and casting emotionally charged spells. They are empathic individuals and always feel things to the extreme, there is no middle ground with them. Its black or white. Winter Witch: Witches who reside in the colder climates of the world. They cast snowstorms, collect hail and make poppets from snow. Blizzards are their best friends. They love cold weather, and usually draw their power from the snow and clouds, rather than the sun or the moon, as neither are usually very visible during storms. Despite their chilly disposition, they are warm and friendly once you get to know them. Sea Witch: These witches hone their craft near a body of water, and center their practice around it. Some sea witches will work with fresh water, such as rivers or lakes (in which case they will usually call themselves ‘river’ or ‘lake’ witches), some with the ocean. Sea witches without immediate access to a body of water are called ‘land-locked’. They often form connections with fish of all kinds, know their local areas very well, are good at predicting the weather, and are friendly with the nymphs, fae and dragons of their region. They enjoy collecting sand and seashells and are adept at storm and sun magic. Swamp Witch: A witch who works in the rivers and bayous of the world. They are adept at spirit communication and are versed in the traditions of their area. They enjoy wandering around their swamps, meeting familiars and befriending creepy crawlies. Their craft is usually a mix of traditional southern witchcraft and Hoodoo. They are very warm, hospitable individuals, but you should NEVER cross a Swamp witch. They are not afraid to curse your ass. These witches favor the healing powers of mud, enjoy mixing potions, reading next to a roaring fire and being with their family. Witch of the Waste: Desert witches who work with sand and limited supplies. Hardy herbs are their best friends and they often use a lot of bone magic. They have an extensive fossil and skull collection and are constantly pouring over old field guilds for their local area. They can whip up sandstorms in the blink of an eye, and befriend scorpions, snakes, and coyotes alike. They are an enduring species of witch, weathering everything the world has to throw at them. Few things dampen their spirits. Urban Witch: City witches who graffiti sigils on abandoned buildings, grow herbs in pots in their apartments and are very technologically savvy. Technomagic is their jam, usually rocking enchanted headphones, weaving spells from their favorite songs and using their cell phones as scrying mirrors.Tech Witch: A branch of Urban witchcraft, they work with html and other computer codes, have virtual altars to their deities, use old circuit boards as wards, old keypads from cell phones and laptops as spirit boards, and old broken electronic screens for scrying. They typically keep their grimoires as blogs. Very intelligent witches who are always on tumblr. Pop Culture Witch: A branch of Urban witchcraft. Witches that craft their spells based on popular music, movies, books and poetry. They are artistic and very educated and love to laugh. They can also curse the hell out of you. It’s not all Disney movies, folks. Artistic Witch: A witch usually covered in paint from head to toe. They draw, paint, dance, sing, and sew their way through their practice. They enchant their tablet pens and paintbrushes, use storm water for their watercolors, and strike real emotion into their audience. Dance Witch: Branch of Artistic Witch. They use dance in their practice, and are very physically sound. They may practice one on many kinds of dance, or even martial art. And they do so skillfully. They are usually very quiet people, but not at all shy or unsure of themselves. They would rather express their thoughts through movement and body language than actually speaking. Theatrical Witch: Branch of Artistic witch. A player. They act and perform in plays to honor their deities, spend countless hours perfecting their lines and adore being dramatic. Very charismatic people who take pride in their work. Persistent. Never take no for an answer. Melodic Witch: A branch of Artistic that primarily uses song and musical instruments in their practice. They are very busy people, constantly practicing whatever instrument has currently caught their fancy. They easily make friends with Sirens and Lorelai in their common love of song, and attract Fae and Nymphs alike with the sounds of their voices. Fae Witch: These witches are educated on all types of faeries, but usually prefer to work with a certain species or one they are familiar with. They are usually very playful and mischievous individuals, mimicking the creatures they work with. They are very attracted to shiny things and are easily offended. Nymphatic Witch: These cutie pies are usually Hellenistic in their choice of deities, and are well versed in all the species of Nymphs, what they like, and where they live. They usually work with the ones that live in their local area and mirror them in their personalities. They hate wearing clothes, but when they do they prefer pastel colors. They are very whimsical, pleasant people to be around. Draconic Witch: These witches are fearsome. They are knowledgable in all the species of dragons, their personalities and their migration patterns. They usually will have one or more dragon companion from their local area. They are skilled in astral projecting, storm magick and cursing. They love to collect things such as books and crystals. Vampiric Witch: A witch that either works with or is a vampire. They feed off the energy or emotions of others and use it to power their magick. They tend to be kind of clingy, but they are loyal as fuck and treasure their few friends. They have many secrets, and usually a dark past. They enjoy using blood in magick and are adept at healing and cursing. They are kind of vain, love gothic clothing, jewelry and expensive things. Astro/Space Witch: A witch who works with aliens. Usually very paranoid individuals, they adore star gazing, always know when the next astronomical event is, and love the documentary TV Show ‘ancient aliens’. They are usually adept at astral travel, astrology and sun magick. Demonic Witch: These witches work with Demons. They differ from Exorcists in that they actually summon them and get them to go their bidding, rather than casting them out. Can usually hold a grudge a hella long time. Not people to mess with. Stubborn and bull headed. Otherkin Witch: A witch who is Otherkin. They relate to an inhuman or an animal in either personality or spirit, or believe they are a reincarnation of such. They behaviors and choice in deities and certain practices in their craft will usually reflect their kind of Kin. An example would be that a Felinekin might like using catnip in their rituals, and might call on Bastet, Sekhmet or Freya in their magick. Ceremonial Witch: A combination of ceremonial magic and witchcraft. They focus on rituals and formal casting of magic. With robes and altars and everything. Also called Ritualistic Witchcraft or Traditional Witchcraft. Solitary Witch: A witch who works in isolation. Usually very independent and stubborn, they take orders from no one. Subtle Witch: A witch who cannot be openly witchy due to their family, friends or environment. Hereditary Witch: Someone who is born into a witch family and brought up learning about witchcraft, or folk magic. They take great pride in certain traditional magic passed down through the generations. Secular Witch: A witch who does not involve religion in their craft. Now that you’re a bit more familiar with the paths and labels- ☆ Let’s hit the books! Many people assume that becoming a witch simply means giving yourself the title of witch and then casting the occasional spell. This would be like buying yoga pants and mala beads, and calling yourself a yogi. But the truth is, becoming a witch takes a lot of hard work, discipline, and time. Therefore, after you decide which kind of witchcraft you are interested in, it's time to start studying. In order to learn about your craft, get your hands on as many books and articles as possible. Thanks to the internet, you can now watch videos online about becoming a witch, and you can even take witchcraft courses. Being a novice witch can be very overwhelming, so it's also a good idea to find a guide. An experienced witch can recommend reading, teach you some techniques for spells, and encourage you along your journey. ☆ Next gather your supplies!! You can never have to much in my opinion! Of course, you may also wish to buy some supplies in order to practice magick and cast spells. While you don't need to buy everything at once, here are some of the most common witchcraft supplies and tools: Mortar and pestle: These are used to mix herbs and other ingredients in order to create your blends and remedies.

Crystals: Crystals can help purify a sacred space before a ritual, as well as provide healing and protection.

Wand: This is a short stick (often selected from specific trees) used to cast a circle

Salt: Typically used to cast a protective circle

Book of Shadows: This is where you will organize and record things you are learning within the craft, as well as spells and rituals.

Herbs: These are used in spell workings, rituals, and magickal preparations.

God and Goddess statues: Used to decorate the altar and as a focal point during rituals, to draw attention to a particular god or goddess.

Altar: This is where you will hold sacred space, practice your craft, as well as keep your crystals, statues, and other witchcraft supplies. While there is more we could include on this list, these are the basic supplies witches use. As you refine your area of focus, you will have a better idea of the supplies that your brand of witchery calls for. ☆ What about spells?! Now, you're probably wondering, "Ok, but how do I cast a spell?".. The truth is, as frustrating as it sounds, there is no exact answer on how to cast a spell. This is because every witch is different and every witch has their own path. This means that a spell that works for one witch may not work for another. Learning to cast spells that work for you takes research, practice, and introspection. That being said, it can help to have some basic guidelines to get started. Then, you can tweak spells based on your own individual needs. This Simple Pleasures in Life spell is a great place to start. As you can see, becoming a witch and practicing witchcraft involves a lot more than just waving a wand around. ☆ Witch Youtube Channels: https://www.youtube.com/user/VideoJamGarden https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZfyjjVFNqNBLRg6p964AWQ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO6HYyldrzr3fTUWXLyJ3yg https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChHS4NI6U4XgCuYgsrygVCA https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoJQafFd9es78EhaqXl4WNA ♡ All credit goes to their due sources. ♡

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bananannabeth · 7 years

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Your book looks fun, but do you worry sometimes that it looks like a YA paranormal romance, which might be outdated? Like maybe I just haven't read enough about it yet, I'm sorry if this comes across as mean, I'm genuinely curious. Thanks for all the fic your write!

Okay so my goal when writing Not So Shore was to take all the tropes I loved from the done-to-death ‘mortals meet’ genre of fanfic (the fun of the reader having information the point of view character doesn’t, dropping subtle references to the canon characters’ powers and experiences, having everyone be in awe of how cool the canon characters are) and write them without any of the horrible negative tropes that always seem to feature in those fics (over the top jealousy, slut shaming, unnecessary violence, no subtlety anywhere to be seen). I had so much fun writing it, and the response from all of you suggests you had fun reading it, too.

And I’m basically trying to do a very similar thing with my novel. I grew up riding the wave of popular Paranormal YA. I was there for the publication of Twilight and the thousands of series inspired by it. I’ve read most of them, because as a child I adored the stories of people like me visiting magical lands (Alice in Wonderland, HP, PJO, Narnia, LotR [in which the people like me are the hobbits lol], etc.) so it seemed a natural extension that as I entered my teen years I would follow this genre to its teenage equivalent.

It was supposed to be like the fantasy I loved reading, but darker and more mature, with slightly more graphic violence and more adult risks and consequences. But in its hormone ridden angst, Paranormal YA/Urban Fantasy lost a lot of the things that made me fall in love with fantasy in the first place.

Gone was the focus on proving yourself worthy by doing good deeds and helping others; Instead you had to be snarky and “not like other girls” and worry more about your love interest than the fate of the world.

Instead of quests completed by fire-forged friends, the only relationships developed (and I use that word loosely, in some cases) over the course of the books were the romantic ones. Friends were always pushed aside, no one ever understood the protagonist, but the protagonist never tried to get anyone to understand, because they were dark and moody and needed to do things on their own -

Except, oh, no, they can’t do it on their own, because they’re a girl, and so they’re just going to sort of dither about before their big, strong male love interest comes along to save the day with physical violence. The protagonists rarely had the power, even when they were ‘the chosen one’ or when they should have had the opportunity to grow over the course of the novel. Or if they did have power, it was often so poorly developed that it just read like a massive deus-ex-machina invented purely for the finale.

Their male love interests were rude to the point of abusive, had no sense of appropriate personal boundaries, and treated the protagonists as idiots who had to be talked down to at every opportunity, rather than people who were discovering entirely new worlds and were entitled to ask some questions.

Protagonists no longer had strong morals; instead they flipped back and forth between choices (often between two love interests, hurting both in the process) and were reactive to circumstances changing around them, rather than forces for change.

Dialogue was no longer inspiring, something to repeat to myself on dark days, to remind myself that there was always some good worth fighting for. Instead, everything was one of two extremes: It had to be sassy and referential, or it had to be so pretentious and faux-philosophical that no teenager alive would ever dare utter it for fear of eternal ridicule.

(This is not so say, of course, that the fantasy books I had enjoyed as a child did not have their own faults. They were overwhelmingly cast with straight, white men, or straight, white women who weren’t anywhere near as well developed. Any other diversity was hard to find, and women as romantic interests were often treated as props or rewards. Trouble was, these problematic aspects carried over into Paranormal YA/Urban Fantasy without bringing most of the good stuff with them.)

Obviously not every single Paranormal YA/Urban Fantasy was as disastrous as I am describing them here. But enough were for it to become a well known fact among the industry and readers that Paranormal YA was formulaic to the point where if you had read one you’d read fifty. I still loved the concept of the genre, obviously, or I wouldn’t have kept reading it, but the execution was letting me down.

So in my novel I’m taking the things I love about it - the mystery, the magic, the overlap of our world with something so entirely new and different hovering just beyond our perception, characters and things from that new world crossing over to ours, the dark overtones and the threat of real danger and violence - and I’m adding all the things I adored from fantasy back in, and putting the emphasis on female friendship.

YA has taken great leaps forward in terms of representation of marginalised groups, less problematic love interests, and more unique plotting, all of which is so amazing and absolutely fantastic to read. But I still find close, supportive, realistic female friendships lacking, and as most of the books I read are written by women I always find this preference to have their female protagonists always hanging out with guys puzzling. So although there is a romance between my female protagonist and a male character, it’s tertiary, behind the plot and the core group of female friends that drive it forward. I’ve tried to write each of the girls as unique individuals rather than stereotypes, as characters with their own goals and personalities and no tokenism, and I hope that their friendship reads as strongly and sincerely to you as it does to me.

I’m hoping that this distinction, the focus on characters and the relatively less-popular type of mythology I’ve decided to write about will be enough to convince a publisher to give me a chance. (The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater is the series that comes closest to what I’m trying to achieve in terms of tone and themes with my novel, which also gives me hope that there’s still a market for it. Although obviously I am nowhere near as skilled a writer as Maggie, and I can only aspire to one day be anywhere near her level.)

So, to finally come to the end of this extremely long winded answer to your relatively straight-forward question: This novel is like my love letter to everything I enjoyed about growing up reading Paranormal YA and Urban Fantasy, but with modern day priorities and diversity included, and all the shit bits thrown out (hopefully).

#my novel #novel ask #whoa this got outta hand #who knew i had so much to say on this matter #NOT ME THATS FOR SURE #sorry about the essay yikes #ya #reading #writing #anon #iris message

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