#i have...very mixed feelings on the mass shadow generator

[youremyheaven]

The Curse of Limitless Expansion: Jupiter's Shadow

I have covered the "negative" manifestations or the shadow side (as I prefer to call it) of different planetary influences, such as Venus, Moon, Rahu & Ketu and whilst I have explored Jupiter's different manifestations before, I thought it is time to do a more in-depth analysis of Jupiter's shadow.

Being the largest planet in our solar system, Jupiter is expansive and its natives are internally spacious and vast. I had observed previously that Jupiter is similar to Rahu in terms of its spaciousness (Claire had also observed the similarities between Punarvasu & Swati) but the difference is that Rahu is truly limitless in its expansive ability as it quite literally does not have physical form (Rahu refers to the north node of the Moon) Jupiter may be vast but it does have limits, it's bound by its massive capacity but since it does have a physical form, that means it also has limitations, it has a tipping point. This is why Jupiterean natives suffer or have the ability to realize they have "gone too far". Rahuvians have a "point of no return" mentality, they think they've gone too far but have to keep going since it no longer makes sense to return now.

Some people believe that since Jupiter is the planet of luck, abundance, growth and healing (or generally perceived as a "positive" planet) it somehow does not have a "dark side". This is untrue. Jupiter's darkness is just as terrifying as that of any other planet. The bigger the planet, the bigger the shadow.

Jupiter's shadow manifests as a god complex, messiah complex and megalomania, most commonly seen in men.

Men and women channel their nakshatras and planetary influence differently. Men tend to externalise their problems and women tend to internalise theirs. Men tend to inflict destruction upon others and women tend to self-destruct (@lasirenesensible tysm for pointing this out to me, it's a very valuable insight).

The scope of this post includes a few women but I'll discuss how Jupiter's shadow manifests in women on a separate post in the future.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that a planet known as the "Guru" or teacher is prone to making a lot of people under its influence proclaim themselves as Messiahs or divine teachers, many famous pseudo-spiritual "gurus" have Jupiter ruled naks in their big 3. They are merely charlatans with a Messiah complex driven by their ego to expand beyond reach. This is a toxic trait of Jupiter natives.

Ryuho Okawa- Punarvasu Sun, Purvabhadrapada Mars atmakaraka

He was a Japanese religious and political leader who was the CEO and founder of the Happy Science and the Happiness Realization Party. His organization has been widely criticised as a cult. Adherents of the religion worship Okawa, who claimed to be the current incarnation of a god called “El Cantare" and a number of other beings, including Hermes and Gautama Buddha.

L Ron Hubbard, Purvabhadrapada Sun conjunct Mercury and Jupiter conjunct Ketu in Vishaka (he also had Magha Moon)

He is the founder of Scientology lmao and basically co-opted a lot of eastern oriental thought mixed it with his malignant narcissism and created a religion based on spiritual hogwash. One of its most famous recruits is Tom Cruise, Punarvasu Moon

Jim Jones- Punarvasu Sun & Mercury (he was also Shatabhisha Moon)

He is known for being the (cult) leader of the Peoples Temple religious group and for the Jonestown Massacre, when he led the mass murder-suicide of more than 900 members of the group at their commune in Jonestown, Guyana, on November 18, 1978.

fun fact: Suga from BTS (Purvabhadrapada Sun conjunct Mercury) sampled a bit from a sermon given by Jim Jones for the track "what do you think" from his mixtape D-2, he removed it following the controversy

"… though you are dead, yet you shall live, and he that liveth and believeth shall never die."— Jim Jones

I feel like it is way too specific and niche for him to not have intended to put it there or have known who Jim Jones was lol but I digress

But on that note, this whole self-belief thing (as we see from Jim Jones' quote) also seems to be tied to Jupiter's nature. These natives have insane self belief.

Will Smith, Vishaka Moon is kind of an early proponent of manifestation. He's been talking about it since the early 90s.

Jim Carrey, Vishaka Rising is another celebrity who has been talking about manifestation since the 90s.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Punarvasu Rising (and stellium)

He has talked about the power of the mind and visualisation A LOT. The key to achieving anything in life is to believe you can do it but many experiences (including trauma, self doubt etc) makes it hard for many people to persist in their belief, they hold themselves back. Jupiter's strength lies in its ability to be so vast and bold in its belief, their spaciousness means no matter what they've been through, they just know there's a way through, that they will make it out. This is their inherent nature.

Nikola Tesla, Punarvasu Sun developed the 3 6 9 method of manifestation (as @brundlefly3333 pointed out)

Kanye West, Purvabhadrapada Moon is another celebrity who has spoken about the Law, the power of self-belief etc etc a LOT.

It goes to show how easy it is for self-belief to turn into delusions of grandeur and make someone a narcissist. It is truly dangerous because Jupiter's influence on the masses is immense so whatever a Jupiter native may proclaim, they have the ability to affect many people through it. Some of the men I mentioned above convinced others that they were God and even made them kill themselves for it. This is a scary, dangerous manifestation of Jupiter's "guru" nature wielding vast influence on others and being absolutely convinced of one's righteousness

anywayssss

Mussolini- Vishaka Rising, Jupiter in Punarvasu amatyakaraka (he was also a Rohini Moon and Pushya Sun👀)

Benito Mussolini is like the OG dictator. He created fascism, a movement that would plunge most of Europe into darkness. From undermining judges to indoctrinating children, he pioneered key tactics that other dictators would use to seize power.

I specify Nodal influence in these individuals because I think the limitlessness and expansiveness of Nodal influence wrecks havoc to the already expansive nature of Jupiter and makes these natives more reckless.

I also specify Moon influence because as I already discussed in my posts, Moon influence can easily morph into cruelty and corruption and I think Moon & Jupiter together can be a dangerous combo if the native is imbalanced.

If you take anything away from these posts it would be that literally anybody with any placement/nak/planet is capable of being truly evil. There is no specific nak/planet that is a "guarantee" against evil. It truly comes down to the individual to choose how they want to live (I believe in free will and I do not condone in using astrology in a fatalistic way at all).

Ferdinand Marcos- Punarvasu Moon (he also has Ardra ascendant conjunct Ketu and a lot of Moon influence)

Ferdinand Marcos developed a cult of personality as a way of remaining President of the Philippines for 20 years, in a way that political scientists have compared to other authoritarian and totalitarian leaders such as Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler, but also to more contemporary dictators such as Suharto in Indonesia, Saddam Hussein in Iraq, and the Kim dynasty of North Korea.

The propaganda techniques used, either by himself or by others, to mythologize Ferdinand Marcos, began with local political machinations in Ilocos Norte while Ferdinand was still the young son of politician and Japanese collaborator Mariano Marcos, and persist today in the efforts to revise the way Marcos is portrayed in Philippine history. According to members of his administration, such as Adrian Cristobal, Marcos's intent was to project an image of himself "the only patron, the king" of Philippine society, which he still saw as a society of tribes." Cristobal furthers that "Marcos and the First Lady wanted more than anything else [...] to be king and queen. They wished to shape the kingdom in their own image; [...] Marcos wanted to be able to say, 'L'État, c'est moi.'" ("the state, that is me") In some extreme cases where Marcos encouraged the formation of cults so that they could serve as a political weapon, Marcos came to be thought of as a God.

Sun Myung Moon- Mercury conjunct Rising in Purvabhadrapada (he also has Shatabhisha Sun)

He was the founder and leader of the Unification Church established in Seoul, South Korea, who considered himself the Second Coming of Christ, but not Jesus himself. It is generally believed by Unification Church members ("Moonies") that he was the Messiah and the Second Coming of Christ and was anointed to fulfil Jesus' unfinished mission.

The thing about all these men claiming to be God/Messiahs is that there were people who believed them and followed them blindly and uncritically. Anybody can claim these things but not everybody can acquire power and influence and lead people this way. This is another aspect of Jupiter (not to repeat myself again and again but yeah it's the whole "Guru" thing, people look at you as a figure of knowledge and wisdom, and these people project natural leadership qualities).

You can't just be crazy or narcissistic enough to believe these things, you also have to be strategic enough to amass a following. To be a leader and a guru requires a certain commitment and discipline. These are all Jupiterean qualities (that are used for malicious purposes here).

Augusto Pinochet- Punarvasu Moon conjunct Saturn, Mercury in Vishaka atmakaraka, Jupiter in Purva bhadrapada amatyakaraka

He was a dictator who ruled Chile and claimed he was a visionary who was "guided by the mysterious hand of God". He had a cult of personality surrounding him

After his rise to power, Pinochet persecuted leftists, socialists, and political critics, resulting in the executions of 1,200 to 3,200 people, the internment of as many as 80,000 people, and the torture of tens of thousands. According to the Chilean government, the number of executions and forced disappearances was at least 3,095. Operation Condor, a U.S.-supported terror operation focusing on South America, was founded at the behest of the Pinochet regime in late November 1975, his 60th birthday.

Jupiter's expansive nature manifests as greed when an individual is imbalanced or spiritually stunted. This drives a need to acquire massive wealth or spread their influence/reign/territories. If the individual is spiritually evolved, their focus will be to balance the spaciousness within and not project it outward in continuous expansion.

Hafez el Assad- Mars in Punarvasu atmakaraka, Jupiter in Punarvasu amatyakaraka and Venus in Vishaka (he also had Hasta Sun)

Syria's Hafez al-Assad, a Ba'athist officer who seized power through a coup d'état in 1970, established a pervasive cult of personality to maintain his dictatorship. As soon as he took over power, Ba'ath party loyalists designated him as "Al-Abad"; an Arabic terminology with deep religious dimensions. Linguistically, ''Al-Abad'' means "forever, infinite and immortality" and religious clerics use this term in relation to Divine Attributes. By designating Assad as "Al-Abad", Syrian Ba'ath Movement ideologically elevated Hafez al-Assad as its "Immortal", "god-like figure" who is supposed to represent the state as well as the Syrian nation itself. Another meaning of Al-Abad is "permanent", which is used in state propaganda to denote the perpetual status quo of an "eternal political order" created by Hafez al-Assad, who continues to live in Assadist ideology. The term's verbal form "Abada" means "to commit genocide" including the "symbolical; performative side of violence". This dimension has been weaponized by the Assad regime to monopolize violence against alleged dissidents and justify state terrorism, including genocidal acts of mass murder like the Hama Massacre, Qamishli Massacre and other massacres of the Syrian civil war.

Jayalalithaa- Punarvasu Rising (Shatabhisha Sun & Magha Moon)

She was the Chief Minister of the state of Tamil Nadu in India and was an actor turned politician who had a cult following (they called her "Amma" or "mother" which I think is interesting that she was this mother figure/matriarch because of Punarvasu's deity Aditi being the Cosmic mother). She was a corrupt politician but the masses largely overlooked this and she was known for being a bit of a tyrannical figure who expected absolute loyalty from her party members who often publicly prostrated before her (not kidding).

Not as brutal as some of the other people on this list but her personality cult and influence over her following is crazyyy (I'm Indian so I'd know) and when she died in 2016, her state observed a 7 day mourning period.

Mata Amritanandamayi Devi- Vishaka Rising (she also has Hasta Sun👀)

She's an Indian spiritual guru known as the "hugging saint", she's still alive and has millions of followers and there hasn't yet been a proper expose but her cult has been controversial for ages especially after it started recruiting spiritually confused white people into its mix. A lot of it is unexplained, she's most definitely a millionaire at this point and we have no idea what actually goes on behind closed doors. Many of the alleged miracles that she has performed have been debunked on many occasions. To think that she has football stadiums full of people who worship her and think she's the divine incarnate is sooo crazy

Ram Dass- Punarvasu Rising

He helped popularize yoga and Eastern spirituality in the West. I don't think he's cruel or shady, just a regular white guy who had a spiritual awakening in India and co-opted thousands of years of Vedic wisdom and teachings to "introduce" it to the West. But his influence is unmatched to say the least, he spearheaded a whole movement and made eastern spirituality mainstream in the west. This is a manifestation of Jupiter's boundless nature.

Oppenheimer- Punarvasu Moon

the man who developed the first ever nuclear weapons was a Punarvasu lol

he truly believed that he was doing the "right thing" because (you already know all this if you watched the movie) Germany was bound to develop these weapons and cause mass destruction and Oppenheimer thought he was on the right side of history by making these weapons for America and by extension for the Allies

"After Germany's surrender in 1945, some scientists questioned the bomb's relevance. Oppenheimer believed it would end the ongoing Pacific War and save Allied lives. The Trinity test is successful, and President Harry S. Truman orders the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, resulting in Japan's surrender. Though publicly praised, Oppenheimer is guilt-ridden and haunted by the destruction and mass fatalities. After Oppenheimer expresses his guilt to Truman, the president berates him and dismisses his plea to cease further atomic development." (this is an excerpt from the movie's wiki lol)

it just goes to show how self-belief isn't a good thing on its own because you can make yourself believe anything. I guess Oppenheimer's guilt has to count for something ??? Idk how many people mentioned on this list felt guilt because of the destruction they caused, Oppenheimer had a conscience et.al

Elon Musk, Punarvasu Rising

He is the richest man in the world and is on a quest to own everything he can and colonize Mars, need I say more? Idk if this is a strange manifestation of Punarvasu's deity Aditi being the Cosmic Mother (either that or the man has a breeding kink) but this guy procreates at the speed of light (he has 6 kids right now with 3 different women I believe)

Tommy Mottola- Punarvasu Sun (Swati Moon)

the asshole who trapped Mariah Carey (Punarvasu Moon) in a hellish controlling marriage for 8 years. He was the CEO of Sony Music in the 90s and was known for being a megalomaniac (look up his feud with Michael Jackson) he has ruined the careers of many and is known in the music industry for being a really scary controlling maniac

Anders Behring Breivik- Punarvasu Rising

He blew up a bomb in the centre of Oslo. Meanwhile went to an island where a political youth gathering was taking place. Dressed up as a cop he would kill 69 people on the island of Utøya, and call out to teenagers hiding saying it was safe to come out, those who believed him and came out were shot.

Alfred Hitchcock- Vishaka Moon (also Shatabhisha Rising with a lot of Moon influence in his chart)

He basically stalked some actresses and tried to control their lives; told them what they could/couldn’t eat, and where they could/couldn’t go. He sent Tippi Hedren inappropriate Valentine's letters. She claims he threw himself atop her in a hotel room and kissed her — and in her biography accused him of sexual assault. Yet another Jupiterean megalomaniac.

Al Capone- Purvabhadrapada Rising

 He joined the Five Points Gang as a teenager and became a bouncer in organized crime premises such as brothels. In his early twenties, Capone moved to Chicago and became a bodyguard and trusted factotum for Johnny Torrio, head of a criminal syndicate that illegally supplied alcohol—the forerunner of the Outfit—and was politically protected through the Unione Siciliana. A conflict with the North Side Gang was instrumental in Capone's rise and fall. Torrio went into retirement after North Side gunmen almost killed him, handing control to Capone. Capone expanded the bootlegging business through increasingly violent means, but his mutually profitable relationships with Mayor William Hale Thompson and the Chicago Police Department meant he seemed safe from law enforcement.

Capone apparently revelled in attention, such as the cheers from spectators when he appeared at baseball games. He made donations to various charities and was viewed by many as a "modern-day Robin Hood". However, the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre, in which seven gang rivals were murdered in broad daylight, damaged the public image of Chicago and Capone, leading influential citizens to demand government action and newspapers to dub Capone "Public Enemy No. 1".

Robert DeNiro played Al Capone in The Untouchables (1987)

Idk whats the link between PBP and the mafia but Scorsese (PBP Moon) has made manyyy mafia themed movies and Robert DeNiro (PBP Moon) has starred as a mob boss on multiple occasions.

Having Jupiter influence really is like having unwielded power and if a native isn't mature enough to channel it appropriately then they can easily lose themselves to malignant narcissism, god complex and megalomania.

It requires a great deal of wisdom to wield this ability wisely and for the greater good

Jupiter influence is very prominent in the charts of royalty, another group prone to megalomania and god complexes lol. Jupiter bestows its natives with power, status and affluence but one must wield it carefully.

Punarvasu is widely accepted as the most auspicious of Jupiter-ruled naks (due to its themes and its deity) whereas Vishaka and Purvabhadrapada are both harsher manifestations of Jupiterean energy but even the most "gentle" of Jupiterean naks still came up in the charts of some of the horrible people I mention in this post. Basically, no one is exempt from being cruel, obviously, everything depends on the chart as a whole (a person is more than the sum of their parts) but that said the presence of a nakshatra considered "auspicious" (Jupiter ruled or otherwise) does not automatically qualify as some kind of redeeming quality lol. Everybody has to consciously choose their actions and be good and do good aka anybody can be cruel and evil and yes even Jupiter has its dark side/shadow.

hope this post was interesting xx

#astrology notes #astrology observations #sidereal astrology #vedic astro notes #nakshatras #astrology #astroblr #astro observations #astro notes #vedic astrology #jyotish #purva bhadrapada #vishaka #punarvasu #jupiter #Youtube

[bedtimestoriesforbrokengirls]

The Daily Dad — Dec 21, 2023

Things you might want to know:

Olivia Dunne alleges she's been 'shadow banned' by TikTok as views plummet 💭 Whenever I see quotes from Livvy Dunne, I’m slightly surprised to remember she has a voice. On my phone, the girl’s always on mute.

Jonathan Majors Dropped By Marvel After Guilty Verdict, Will No Longer Play Kang The Conqueror In Upcoming Films 💭 Fuck it, call Eddie Murphy. Kang can be played by literally anyone, while Eddie’s got the balls to step into the middle of a massive franchise-in-motion, the acting chops to deliver solid work, and the ability to bring a winking bit of fun to what would otherwise be an awkward recasting.

What Happens When Facebook Heats Your Home ❝ Big Tech data centers are not only being used to power the internet but also to heat people’s homes. But who’s really winning when Facebook keeps you warm at night?

Tom Cruise, 61, spotted canoodling with Russian socialite, 36, who has $1M handbag collection: report 💭 Does a gentleman canoodle before or after finger-banging his lady fair?

Donald Trump Used to Get Nazi Greeting at Work: Ivana 💭 I’m less struck by Trump’s everyday fetishization of genocidal lunatics than by the blasé reaction of everyone around him. He was never crazy-rich, after all, and his zero-sum greed was legendary… so kissing his ass wasn’t that profitable. I feel like people just “let it go” because it was impossible to take seriously the actions of such a trivial man.

The Scott Pilgrim Anime Backlash, Explained ❝ Netflix’s Scott Pilgrim Takes Off doesn’t adapt the source material, and reactions have been mixed

They Didn’t Ask to Go Viral. Posting on Social Media Without Consent Is Immoral 💭 Mass-media outlets used to conduct themselves with a level of decorum: they’d illustrate a story about obesity with a sidewalk shot of dozens of fat people, but they’d always crop out or blur the heads. Today’s internet prank fucks and click-chasing scolds have no concept of restraint. And this is why we can’t have nice things.

Suspects can refuse to provide phone passcodes to police, court rules ❝ Phone-unlocking case law is "total mess," may be ripe for Supreme Court review.

Gossip TikToks Are Carving Away Privacy IRL 💭 This is super-creepy, and is one of those weird little phenomena that are actually more relevant to day-to-day life than the techno-panic over a half-dozen dumbfucks deliriously jerking off to Bin Laden’s manifesto on TikTok.

Gen Z falls for online scams more than their boomer grandparents do 💭 Well of course they do. Boomer grandparents get scammed via phone calls, while the Permanently Online get screwed via text. Into every generation are born a host of dumbasses.

Lara Croft: The Art of Virtual Seduction is the ultimate cringey relic of late '90s game advertising 💭 I can honestly say that nothing about ‘90s Lara Croft ever gave me a boner, but the novelty of the character design did make me play the original game for an hour or two more than I would have if Lara had been replaced by a more masculine set of triangles.

Twitch immediately rescinds its artistic nudity policy ❝ Mere days after Twitch updated its content policy to permit certain kinds of sexual content, the platform has withdrawn the portion of the policy permitting “artistic nudity.”

The buttons on Zenith’s original ‘clicker’ remote were a mechanical marvel 💭 We had one of these when I was a kid, and their mechanical nature meant that most primordial dads were super-protective of their Space Commands. It was entirely possible to wear out the mechanism, so no one else was allowed to touch The Precious. Naturally, I clicked the fuck out of it anytime he was gone.

John Waters and David Lynch really love Lana Del Rey ❝ This isn’t the first time Waters has praised Del Rey. “She’s very David Lynch to me,” he added in the RS interview. “She infuriates people, but I think she’s in on it. I really want her to hook up with David Lynch, because he produces great albums these days.”

Next Beeper Mini Fix Requires Users to Have a Mac - MacRumors 💭 This whole micro-drama is like watching a bored cat playing with an ambitiously stupid mouse.

Walton Goggins' Fallout Role Is Far More Interesting Than It May Seem ❝ Nolan also revealed that they intentionally dialed back on The Ghoul’s prosthetics in order to ensure that Goggins’ performance comes through all that makeup. As Nolan explains, the team didn’t want to hinder the reasons they cast Goggins in the first place by burying him in makeup.

Holly Marie Combs Reveals That 'Charmed' Co-Star Alyssa Milano Got Shannen Doherty Fired: "By Today's Standards, It Wouldn’t F***ing Fly" ❝ And he said, ‘We didn’t mean to.’ He said that we’ve been backed into this corner. We’re basically in a position where it’s one or the other. We were told that’s her or me, and Alyssa [Milano] has threatened to sue us for a hostile workplace environment.

2023 in social media: the case for the fediverse ❝ A new kind of social internet is currently forming. Right now it might still look like “Twitter and Reddit, only different,” but that’s only the very beginning of what’s to come. Hopefully.

GoodLinks Adds Even Deeper Shortcuts Integration with Ability to Retrieve Current Article, Selections, and More 💭 I’m experimenting with using this as the basis for my Daily Dad workflow… unlike the previous process, I can write these blurbs outside Tumblr and keep them searchable and organized in a dedicated datastore. We’ll see how it works.

#news

[legionofpotatoes]

The AI art thing is killing me. I started painting six years ago out of love of the medium and creation, I've worked hard to learn the fundamentals and get to a standard in my own art where I feel pride in it. I'm still learning, I'm still not where I want to be, and these AI-generated images have already surpassed me, by mashing together the work of everyone I look up to. It makes me wonder why I'm trying. What is my art for, when an algorithm can do what takes me months in minutes?

Listen to me. There are two contexts here. Art as self-fulfillment and art as a job.

The first, and the more important one, contains your pride in your work and the love you have for the medium that you mentioned. What these АI platforms have actually excelled at is tricking you into thinking they have surpassed you, but they have not. This is not a platitude, this is not a pat on your back, it is stone-cold fact. They will never have your intentionality. They will never have a goal beyond chasing those surface-level prompts, and they will never come close to your iteration process in which you're discovering and creating at the same time. They will never apply your joy and your love and your pain and your experiences to the holistic approach that you put into planning AND making a painting; its mood, composition, subject choice, lighting, lineweight, color palettes, all consciously or subconsciously working out of your selfhood. Undeniably human and yours. What the machines will do is cherry pick products of these impulses from other artists in order to fit those initial prompts, and end up reverse-engineering frankenstein monsters of mixed signals and hollow intent. They essentially work backwards. While you identify both the humanity and the building blocks of those you look up to, and understand the utility of those blocks on a much, much deeper level. True inspiration.

So to answer your question of what your art is for, look right there in your first sentence, and see the answer; you love creation. Feel that truth, understand how vital it is to your very bones, and make it be enough. Because trust me, it is. Sorry for the pathos. But I need you to hear this. There is no version of this universe or any other where a backwards abstraction engine touches your love for your craft. That is a monumental fallacy. You are utterly beyond that.

Now; what the machines will get better at is copying a wider and wider array of techniques and responding to the evolving zeitgeist in order to maximize profit; and, as you said, they will learn to do it much faster and better than us. Their outputs will look polished, high-end, and derivative of the highest level players in the game. That can be crushing, especially if you mean to make money doing art; and it brings us to the second context: these things are only made to make money. They are a raw business model for generating revenue and moving the needle in employable disciplines (to generate revenue). Full stop. Look into who founded OpenАI and what their response has been to authorship in visual arts in the past. Look into the technocratic ideals that these engines exist to propagate, and how they really view the human condition. It is a transparent agenda masking an endless chase for profit, and as such it is very, very good at masquerading as a democratic tool or a shortcut for newcomers. Which it can be! I've said many many times that in a vacuum these tools can be incredibly valuable to a hundred different disciplines (rapid kitbashing for visual development, for example); but all these tertiary benefits live under the shadow of their real final goal, which is to crunch down the collective visual arts output into actionable data and deploy it as a product that can be sold. Thus supplanting more expensive alternatives on a saturated market. It is a blue ocean capitalist scheme, plain and simple, and it is very very important to always view it through this framework.

It is simply another mass innovation trying to automate a market, and whether or not it calcifies into success depends wholly on its own adaptability and our awareness to it. Which is why I get all up in arms about it and advocate for the marginalized illustrators fearing for their jobs, and even sometimes try and shake sense into the tragically isolated folk whose insecurities were exploited by these platforms for cheap word of mouth. This whole part, the part that deals with us reconciling this machine with our livelihoods, is much harder to deal with. And I don't have a good answer on how to navigate it, except to maybe remain cognizant of it. But it does perhaps give us a way to compartmentalize the entire issue, like so:

1. The АI will only take your art away if you allow it to convince you that it has surpassed your skill level. It has not, and it never will. It is an abstraction engine responding to the market on the whims of someone seeking profit. It is not a person living and interpreting a life. It is no more a threat to your craft than a particularly puffy crow building a cute nest in the woods. It is simply another thing.

2. The АI will only take your job away if its hostile takeover of certain parts of the industry succeeds, and if you happen to be a part of them (I currently only see it targeting online art influencer culture, freelance illustration gigs, and the weird digital fine art niche). If your career lies elsewhere, you should be good. It is nowhere near tricking the vast majority of employers yet, and some creative pipelines will simply fall apart without a human iterative element within them. Concept art is a good example. So yeah, while this point is shakier, we can make some noise and push back.

But please stay aware of this divide. Of these two separate contexts. Your art is yours and comparing it to a dataset vomit isn't just wrong, it is not fair to yourself. All the algorithms in the world won't be able to come up with the person that is reading this right now. Know this in your heart.

When that truly does change and the geth start shooting at us though, well. I'm gonna be switching camps no question 🤫

#anon #asks #long post

[something-pithy]

Notes and an Update: What's in a Name?

Chapter 16 of an echo, a stain features Astarion doing what he does best -- feeling terror, spiraling and at the very least contemplating terrible choices as a result. lol.

SPOILERS FOR ACT 2 OF BG3 BELOW

Those of you who are mostly caught up on an echo, a stain know I love me a flashback (and now the rest of y'all know, too lol). There are two in this new chapter, one of which is set in the Shadow-Cursed lands after Astarion has confessed his initial intentions toward and current feelings/desires for Tav to Tav (post-Orthon confession). As a result of that conversation, they've put a pin in the sexual aspects of their relationship, but are still together romantically. Then, the Araj Moment happens (spoiler alert: nobody bit that heifer), Thaniel is reunited with Oliver, Halsin's... admiration of Tav is becoming more apparent, and Astarion is... yes! Spiraling!

I think that flashback speaks for itself, and I'll let y'all get what you will from when / where in the story it appears.

The OTHER flashback, which is much more brief, is about this Tav's name. Now, I'm not trying to make any secret of the fact that the Tav in this story and I have a lot in common in terms of ethnic backgrounds when you remove the high fantasy fake world element from Tav's lol. FIRST I want to say, I don't give a fuck. There is no shame in my game. Nobody comes for George R.R. Martin or Robert Jordan or J.R.R. (the Rs are for REALLY RACIST) Tolkein (don't @ me -- or do, go ahead and send me an ask if you really want to know my feels on that one looool) for writing about characters whose ethnic and cultural backgrounds are Western European / British.

Second of all, maybe I'm being unnecessarily defensive because I'm an old head who came up in a time when writing a self-insert character was like THE VERY WORST POSSIBLE THING YOU COULD DO AS A WRITER, but once again I don't give a fuck.

The lived experiences of ethnic minorities, people of mixed ethnic and cultural heritage (not fucking half-elves who most of the time are just people of the Caucasian persuasion with pointy ears and shorter lifespans than regular elves), first generation children of immigrants, and all manner of permutations of non-white, non-Western "others" are in extremely short supply in all forms of media / popular narratives in the Western world (shit honestly, it ain't just the West but that's another struggle for another day). This is especially true, from what I've experienced as a lifelong nerdalerd, in speculative fiction.

So yeah, I conceived my Tav as a mixed-race (kind of, she's all high elf, but mixed sun, moon, and sea because she's a motherfucking unicorn, come at me bro looool -- no, there are other reasons too but also she's a unicorn lol), mixed-ethnic-and-cultural-heritage person whose life choices are NOT aligned with a lot of the conventions and values of the cultures in which she was raised.

Because that story and perspective is wildly underrepresented in literature, mass media, speculative fiction, and fan fiction.

So here we are. loooool

Having said all that, I got a comment from my fucking delightful beta and queen of my soul, Komo, asking about the naming conventions I reference in this chapter (or their real-world analogues).

So for the notes part of this episode of "Notes and an Update," I'm going to quote part of the comment she left on AO3 about the story and my response, which adheres to my policy of "why say it in five words if you can say it in EIGHT MILLION." Let me know what you think!

NAMING CONVENTIONS IN AEAS

(FROM THE COMMENTS SECTION OF AN ECHO, A STAIN CHAPTER 16:)

Komo wrote:

I have so many questions about naming conventions, both from the corner of the world that Tav’s family hails from and BG proper. Like, in American and Japanese culture, women take their husband’s last names when heterosexual couples get married. In the States, there are exceptions to this rule, of course, with some women hyphenating. In China, women do not change their last names, but kids are almost always named after the father’s side (the old one child policy may have affected this, but the top 100 most common surnames make up 85% of the population anyways). If Tav and Astarion do end up together, would names be a thing they’d have to navigate? Astarion is such a possessive little yandere after all.

I wrote:

OK so this Tav's ethnic and cultural background, as we know, is mixed

(I'm not even getting into her racial background I just can't with fucking elvish loool and her families on both sides are far-enough removed from immersion in elven culture where I'm like LOOOOOOOOOOOOOL SEE YOU LATER TOLKEIN).

On her father's side, she's Zakharan / DnD-analogue MENA (Middle Eastern North African, with apologies to Said for the orientalism of the term Middle Eastern).

On her mother's side, Amnian / New Amnian / DnD-analogue Latina but -- oh lordt OK without getting into the complexities of codified colonial Spanish racism and colorism, that identity is complicated. Through a combination of executive decision-making about elves and race and how they interact with culture on the material plane (aka not in the Feywild) AND really leaning into the idea of cultural analogues in Toril / the Forgotten Realms, her Latina-analogue ethnicity comprises a mix of indigenous and colonizer racial/ethnic heritage.

(I also can't with how fucking convoluted figuring this out was, is, has been, will forever be looool.)

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, for the sake of brevity (looooooooooooooooool), we'll say Tav's full name results from the combination of her parents' names using Amnian/New Amnian (Spanish) naming conventions, BUT that means her full name (which is not even as long as it could be but is LONG) incorporates both Arabic naming conventions AND Spanish naming conventions that result in impressively / annoyingly long names loool.

In modern Spain, at least, when women marry, some don't even take their husband's name. But the kids' names are composites of parents' family names.

A Spanish child takes the surnames of both their father and mother. The structure is usually [father's surname] y [mother's surname] (though in modern Spain and Spanish-speaking countries a lot of people no longer use the "y"), but the main surname would be the father's surname. So for example, someone's full last name might be Juana Garcia y Martinez or Juana Garcia Martinez, but she might just go by Juana Garcia.

ALSO, especially for children of families of some kind of note / nobility when the dad's family was not as well-known as the mother's, this would include the composite names of both parents.

So Juana's name might be Juana [Garcia de Manzanilla (dad's composite surname)] y [Martinez de Hierro (mom's composite surname)].

So Juana Garcia de Manzanilla y Martinez de Hierro. And like, when people get real into it this can go back generations. Like, I don't even remember my mom's whole-ass name. looool.

NOW, Arabic names are composites, too, but incorporate the father's first name, the grandfather's first name, then the family name -- back in the day, they'd link these things with words that indicated the relationships. So for example, if Yemina's dad is Yusuf and HIS dad is Muhammad and their family name is Rashid, Yemina's name would then be Yemina bint/bin (daughter of) Yusuf ibn (son of) Muhammad al-(of the family) Rashid.

So Yemina bin Yusuf ibn Muhammad al-Rashid.

OK SO THERE'S ANOTHER COMPLICATION (aren't you glad you asked this question loooooooooooooooooooool): with regard to Spanish naming conventions, apparently this patrilineal thing hasn't always been the case and only came to be the norm around the mid-1700s. Before that, surname transmission was often matrilineal.

(This comes into play here because the year in BG3 is like, idk, 1492-98 or something? I forget whatever who cares it's before the mid-1700s and I'm just making it vaguely and very much not perfectly analogous with the time / calendar of the Western world because I don't have the bandwidth for anything else loooooooooool).

In this Tav's case, her mom ditched her dad and the kids were young enough at the time that she was able to, as a sign of DEEP FUCKING DISRESPECT TO HIM loooool, change their names to MATRILINEAL AMNIAN-STYLE COMPOSITE SURNAMES LOOOOOOOOOOOOL

(So for a while Tav's government name was Zeneida Nqa Tavares de la Torre de López Jimenez y bin Harun ibn Ishaq al-Jazairi loooool)

I mean this was like looooooooooooooool FUCKING PROFOUNDLY SCANDALOUSLY DISRESPECTFUL FOR HER TO DO TO A ZAKHARAN MAN especially one of SOME NOTE WHO WAS SELF-MADE

That shit was mad personal and a level of petty that mere mortals can only aspire to it was so deep

But TAV'S MOM DOES NOT PLAY

(Now, could she have just cut Tav's father's name out entirely? Sure, but 1) THAT MOTHERFUCKER IS NOT GETTING OUT OF CLAIMING THESE KIDS / PAYING CHILD SUPPORT esp if he ever got married again HER KIDS ARE THE FUCKING HEIRS AND HE AIN'T GON FORGET IT and 2) (possibly more importantly) FUCK HIS COUCH, PEOPLE ARE GONNA KNOW HE FUCKED AROUND AND FOUND OUT)

Even though he's deadass like "lol wtfever I don't give a fuck, I know what their real legal names are" and also this resulted in a protracted, multinational legal battle that was never actually resolved until each kid reached the age of majority and decided what their own legal name would be.

Ahem, anyway as a consequence of all this, Tav's full-ass, whole-ass, government name is:

Zeneida (first given name)

Nqa (middle given name)

bin Harun ibn Ishaq al-Jazairi (full Arabic/"Midani" patrilineal surname)

y (conjunction [means 'and'])

Tavares de la Torre de López Jimenez (mother's full surname)

So: Zeneida Nqa bin Harun ibn Ishaq al-Jazairi y Tavares de la Torre de López Jimenez

But as we know, she just goes by Zeneida Tavares, and she wasn't lying when she said on most docs it's just "Zeneida Nqa Jazairi Tavares."

Second...

tl;dr: Tavvy for short. Ms. Tavares if you nasty.

ALSO LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL

If Tav and Astarion do end up together, Astarion better adjust them expectations, bc after all the drama that's existed around her name, he gonna have a hard time getting her to change it looool

Not to mention, she has a career based in part on people knowing who she is so... loooool

SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO IF THE STARS AND PLANETS EVER ALIGN FOR THEM / THEY EVER GET THEIR HEADS OUT OF ASSES

#bg3 #ascended astarion #astarion fic #meta #characterization #poc in genre #woc in genre #bg3 fic #bard!tav #astarion x tav #bg3 astarion #astarion #banter #slow burn #tolkein was a racist #i said what i said #sorry not sorry

[dopepoisonivyoncrack]

We wouldn't exist without plants in more than 1 way, aside from an evolutionary stand-point. We wouldn't survive without plants that do so much for us every.fuckin.day and its taken for granted. From the air we breathe, to food, drinks, cleaning and cosmetic products, medicines, furniture and other objects and supplies, clothes, dyes, rubber, art, being base material or ingredient in more things than I can count, ornamentals that bring to life any landscape or room, improving our mental and emotional state, all the ecosystem services that literally keep our world together and without which we would literally all suffer and die (and we do suffer and many die when these services are affected by harming and destroying plants). This is not even an exhaustive list. And people can't even meet the bare minimum of consideration that these are alive beings and treat them with care.

They are alive, they move, they see, they feel, they communicate, they recognize and care for their kin, they learn, they can transmit the knowledge to the next generation (although I bet the new generations get more isolated and vulnerable not having old plants around them anymore) they hurt, they get sick, they get wounds that can get infected.

Yet people complain about being bothered by them. Treat them like annoyances, disposable objects. Mass deforestation without a single fuck given about the consequences. Daily cutting and mutilation of trees and vegetation in the most grotesque, incompetent, inconsiderate and, I can't stress this enough, unnecessary ways (for urban projects, laziness to not have leaves to clean up and what not). Its damaging, no matter what excuse they bring, its counterproductive.

Yes, some, species can grow new branches if cut. No, not all species can do that. I've seen fir and thuja horribly mutilated with their top cut. It will stay like that forever, hollow half-pyramid like. And it always comes at a cost, sometimes at the cost of its health and even life. The cut branch doesn't regenerate, it remains cut, it just gives branches in other parts... if some leaves or mix buds remain. The fresh cut is registered by the plant, they know its been cut. They can even alert nearby plants that someone is cutting, and they might be next. It is a stress factor for them. It leaves them vulnerable to microbial and fungus infections, parasites, to environmental factors like drought and extreme weather. Usually the factors act simultaneously. The regeneration requires them to consume their reserves that got accumulated throughout the previous year(s). If the frequency at which the tree is harmed exceeds its capacity to restore its supplies and feed itself, it dies. All the energy that was supposed to go on growing, blooming, making fruits, is now redirected to regeneration and healing and battling infections. (Think of a human getting a bad open wound, a limb cut off)

There is a time and precise way, sometimes species-specific, to cut OLD or UNHEALTHY branches, or to direct the way of the crown growth like some bonsai owners do. It's done with care and consideration and at least some basic knowledge for godsake. It can't be done any time, cutting like a blindfolded fool with a chainsaw.

I've seen in my town the audacity of calling the all-year round of trees topping (cutting whole branches or the whole crown) for urban regeneration. Some were cut down even in bloom, leaves and flowers and all. Cut in very unsightly way too, to the point the town looks desolating and depressing. In summer there is no shadow, or breeze, just suffocating heated concrete. Planting a few frail trees that might not even survive cannot make up for the damage. Cannot replace tall, old trees with big crowns and experience and strength build in decades. Did you know that what counts for the benefits offered by trees (air purification, oxygen,protection from heat, dust and pollution etc) is the leaf surface?! Less branches, less leaves, less services. And it severely diminishes the plant's capacity to restore the reserves it consumes for regeneration and all its functions. Also, asphalting every m2, or covering it with plastic and rocks means rain can't get in the ground. Not only it leads to flooded streets and houses, the trees and nearby vegetation can't get enough water. A few cm around the tree trunk doesn't allow enough water to sustain it.

They cut and harm trees and other plants every fuckin day, in more ways than I can count, and when trees get sick and fall at the first little storm, they get hysteric and cut even more.

We don't have forest curtains anymore so in the winter the snow and ice gets on the road, the wind feels stronger, more accidents happen. In summer, the heat is unbearable and the crops are not protected. When its not straight land, it leads more often to landslides.

Also plants in summer must be watered either early morning or late evening, when it cools down, not when the sun and heat is high, it just fucking steams them dead.

Honestly, I could go on all night. I've been going on for years along other scientists in conferences and more professional settings. For what? when most people can't find it in them to be the least bit considerate. To come on mf blr and see people joking at the sight of trees being cut in the most stupid, dangerous, illegal ways, and getting more worried about some lines, assumed to be power lines, that were not cut (there was only the risk of being cut) while the trees were massacred as a fact. My only worry about the lines was that if electric and cut, might start a fire, that, again, would burn the vegetation. Yes the people at the end of the cable MIGHT suffer some non-life-threatening inconveniences. The trees however were already suffering and no one care. God forbid I make a tag that I CARE and retreat for a few days so I wouldn't have to stand any more crap on a website I come for fun. Also people not liking plants, both irl and now online. Idc what motive for actively disliking or hating plants, its wrong. I hate you. I don't trust you. I wish all people that hate plants a very die.

#very very long rant #and vent #if anyone dares to play the devils advocate or some crap I will block u on sight #while it may seem as an overreaction at a simple post #It was not. I have more reasons. that was just a drop in an ocean. I think it does me good to stay away at times #I had cases that pissed me off way more. this was nothing #it just highlighted once again how virtually nonexistent the care for plants is

[jaeharu26]

Very curious still if the Stable Diffusion and other AI lawsuits are going to result in another Napster-like situation. Adobe has already basically copy-pasted Stable Diffusion and is marketing it as Firefly. The more likely end result of the lawsuits looks like taking it away from the majority now and putting it in the hands of mega corps to sell instead (if it doesn’t win as transformative, that is). Still mixed feels on it all. And still neutral. As a piece of software doing what it was designed to do, it’s a major success. As an artist, I do have a problem with the term “Artist” being tacked on to people who make art with it, because they’re not. And that’s just a clear cut fact. Writing text into a prompt box, copy-pasting code and messing with sliders teaches you NOTHING about art or the fundamentals to make it outside of this magic box and requires you to know nothing about art or the fundamentals to use it to make something in. If you’re a visual artist, then you learn the same fundamentals that all of the visual mediums learn, value, composition, anatomy, color theory, light and shadow, line, et cetera. You aren’t no longer an artist if you switch tools from painting to sculpting, because you’ve already learned the basic rules and fundamentals to make it regardless of the tool set, et cetera. It’s the same with any traditional or digital medium be it sculpting or painting or animating or anything else. A majority of the people using AI to make art, and specifically the ones who talk-down to the understandably upset artists, are not artists themselves. The software is the one doing the work and the one who has been visually trained, not the person behind the screen inputting prompts. Not saying they’re not doing any work, but the work they’re doing to help the software produce the artworks is not the work an artist would have to do. I have no problem with Ai Artists making art with AI or doing their own thing with it, people SHOULD be free to explore creative mediums and outlets of any kind as much as they want to and open to experiment. I just wish there was a better term to coin them as than ‘artists’ though, personally. As an artist who studied and dedicated myself upwards of 20 years of my life now to get better at and closer to mastering the fundamentals and who threw away literal decades of my life to improve my craft on the literal back-bone of my own sweat, blood, hard work and actual tears, it’s a huge slap in the face to have someone be treated as if they made the same life-long sacrifice and put in the work for clicking a button and have a code generate an image. Ai Art itself still looks fucking incredible and keeps getting better. That’s also a clear cut fact. I still think it’s provided an invaluable abundance of AMAZING fucking reference material like never before for artists to learn from and study from and I still think its potential at streamlining a pipeline is insane and will continue to have insane potential for classically trained artists as well, if more could set aside their egos and try it out. My biggest personal issue still just lies mostly with the general public en masse. Seeing week old AI Art accounts spring up left and right and hit 1-2k followers after spending again, decades of your life and getting nothing, is one of the worst fucking feelings in the fucking world as an artist and one of the most demotivating. It’s very easy to see and sympathize with artists’ concerns and upset around it. But it’s not the fault of the AI or the people using it. The end result is designed to be good and designed to be appealing. It’s not at fault for doing exactly what it was meant to do. And whether it was around or not wouldn’t change the shitty fucking nature of the general publics’ shitty fucking lack of support and hunger for consumerism that puts a lot of artists out in the first place. It is just kinda sad to see a whole new way that artists can be undermined and under-appreciated and treated like shit now. And it does make it really hard to not want to just fucking kill myself after wasting my entire life honing a craft I loved and praying that “One day i’ll make it if i just get good enough!” to keep myself going, mean fucking nothing, because some guy sitting in front of his computer with a piece of software installed is typing into a text box right now making some fat anime tiddies and getting paid more for it in less time than I have my entire struggling, soul-wrenching career. I didn’t mean for this to get this long. Sorry followers for clogging up your dash. AI Art is unavoidable, and I’ve had a lot on my mind about it lately because of that I guess that I needed to get out so what better place than fucking tumblr.com fml

[kinetic-elaboration]

November 21: Halloween III

I finally sat down to watch Halloween III yesterday (and do some more sewing... I remain in the vast middle of this blanket) and...you know, it wasn’t bad. I have very mixed feelings on it being in the Halloween franchise. I think perhaps people would have appreciated it more at the time if they hadn’t come in with expectations from the first two films, but on the other hand, how many people would bother to watch it NOW if they weren’t trying to watch all the Halloweens?

But then to the first point, I think people now are still judging it too harshly because, again, they are looking for more of Halloween I and II and they can’t get over the name.

Overall, I’d put it on par with Halloween II. It’s hard to compare because they’re totally different genres, which, again, is part of the problem in everyone’s reaction to it. If they were going to make Halloween an anthology, they shouldn’t have made Halloween II. I don’t think it added much to the story honestly, and Halloween I is a near-perfect film.

Anyway. Halloween I and II are slashers and Halloween III is more of a science fiction horror-thriller. Extremely 80s. It had some ideas I thought were really creative and creepy and weird and a few distinctly scary moments. I thought it was interesting trying to find the recurring motifs from the first two. The use of the TV commercial as a constant, background hypnosis, and how it reminded me of the deft use of TV in the first two Halloweens, was really good. And I give credit for the ever-present Halloween Pumpkin’s new form as a digital image and mask, even if the digital image does date the movie extremely quickly. Including a twist on the concept of an Iconic Mask--before, it belonged to one man, now it belongs to everyone, and what the mask does to YOU is the terror--was very smart. The unease builds up over time in a way that isn’t unique to Halloweens I and II, it’s part of any good horror in one way or another, but Halloween I always thought was especially notable for how it builds creepiness during the day, and Halloween III was similarly not hindered by daylight at all.

But other hallmarks of Halloween were noticeably absent, like the type of scares you could expect: no real jump scares here, minimal looming figures in the shadows. Halloween I and II focused the story on one person, one figure of terror, but Halloween III was more about the conspiracy, the ghost town, the surveillance. The type of terror this one inspired was totally different.

I wasn’t really scared at any point, though to be fair I was also sewing and so I wasn’t fully into the experience, but I thought there were good Scary Ideas in it. I especially loved the design of the masks. Masks in general are very scary to me and these had that Old Time feel to them. Similarly, I love a good Ghost Town conceit, and they built up the Shamrock town really effectively: the sets, the cameras, the men in the shadows, the warning from a drunk, the cast of wacky characters giving just a little comic relief even though you know they’re only here as eventual victims...

The idea was sufficiently creative that even though I saw where some stuff was going, I didn’t figure everything out until the Big Bad explains it. It was all over the place in some ways--robots and mysticism and bugs and a guy that’s just evil for no reason and also hypnosis and world domination and computers and TV--but I don’t count that as a negative. It kept me on my toes. It was fun.

I also think there’s something... dated and resonant into today about the concept of hypnotizing everyone through the TVs. Like I can tell by the credits that they were trying to Move Into the 80s in a very purposeful way: mass advertising through televisions, modern tools used for Ancient Evil ends, the planets align for a massacre as of old but we are perpetuating it on a new scale because we have new tools. But would it not be even EASIER to do that today? I mean in one sense no because audiences are more fragmented but in another sense? How could the doctor even begin to stop a viral marketing campaign that was placed on a million different websites, watched by people wherever from the little screens they carry in their pockets? You can’t just cal up one TV station and ask them to pull the plug. The idea that The Youth are really into something that adults can’t understand, that this is happening without adults even fully realizing it, on phones and tablets and laptops in kids’ rooms, would also be a particularly terrifying twist in a 2022 version of the story.

My favorite scenes were the “misfire” in the hotel room (truly disgusting and the first part that really scared me); the knitting robot (no idea what that was about, but a cool image); Challis in the chair with the mask on; and the ending, because it was a great cliffhanger. And my very favorite was the test family scene. Absolutely terrible from first to last: scary, disgusting--strong images, good pacing.

I also appreciated that the deaths in it were all part of the story. Unlike Halloween I, and more similar to Halloween I even though it is a slasher, people died to further the plot or make a point, not just to include another Murder Tableau.

The worst bits for me... it took a while to come together imo. I didn’t really start getting interested until they got to the ghost town. There were hints of something interesting before that but it was a little meh. Starting off with a long chase sequence between two characters I don’t know or care anything about is not my favorite thing. I also don’t think any of the characters hold a candle to Laurie or the others in Halloween I. The Challis and Ellie romance was extremely unnecessary--very “he was a boy, she was a girl, can I make it any more obvious.”

So overall... yeah, I would probably watch it again. It wasn’t my favorite of all time but I will be supremely shocked if I make it through all the Halloweens and rank this one the worst.

#the year 2022 #2022: fandom thoughts #2022: movies #halloween iii season of the witch #a franchise as bloated as halloween and this is the worst? friends take your goggles off it cannot be

[thatwitchrevan]

and I will never get tired of betrayal but boy am i tired of superweapons. 

#the only ones i'm totally cool with are.. #wait no scratch that #the only ONE i'm cool with is the original death star #yes it destroyed alderaan and i HATE it #but it existed for one movie and got blown up #it was the original and therefore justified #the others are all...more and more copies #starkiller base is 1000% bullshit #the star forge is okay because at least it's not 'planet killer 3.0' #i have...very mixed feelings on the mass shadow generator #and the second death star is...stupid but also Classic Star Wars #and like okay i'm sorry but #rotj is great #i love it #i don't care if they recycled the death star plot i enjoyed it #but after that??? they should have Stopped #kthx bye

[tippenfunkaport]

How Glimmer's magic works

I got a great ask about how I think Glimmer's magic works from @little-spotted-kiwi and my answer got a little long and nerdy so I am going to shamelessly use it for today's @glimbowweek prompt Sparkles and Arrows.

To me, teleporting (and magic in general) is more interesting if it's manual and involves effort. So, while teleporting has become instinctual to some extent for Glimmer, it's not automatic and she has to think about it.

The actual transporting part involves having not just a picture but a sense of a place solid enough that Glimmer can grab it and pull herself there with magic. When she was first starting out, she needed to actually have been to the place she was trying to teleport to before but, as she got more experienced, she could do the jump based off an impression or an image.

Bow didn't pick Physics for Glimmer's fake major out of nowhere. When she makes the jump, she has to account on the fly for force, mass and acceleration. Think of the number of times she teleports herself or others while they are running or falling and needs to somehow deliver them safely to the ground afterwards. She has to have an amazing sense of how objects in motion work and adjust based on who she's got with her and where she is planning to make them appear, making sure not only that they don't crash but that they have enough space to occupy.

As for the actual mechanics of teleporting, sort of like the transporter on Star Trek, when you teleport you come apart into individual molecules and Glimmer has to manually reassemble them on the other side using magic. And if she has someone with her, their molecules mix while in transit and she needs to be able to separate them and reassemble both of them on the other side (which is why it's harder and involves more power). In my fic, The B-Team, this becomes an issue because when the magic goes haywire it takes even more concentration than usual for her to keep pulling herself (and others) back together and the more tired she gets, the more at risk she is of doing it wrong (which is how she leaves a bot halfway through a tree and Bow and Catra are freaking out about her accidentally doing the same to herself).

Which is where leaving a leg behind comes in, but that's not the whole issue.

Because think about it. If you're constantly taking people apart and putting them back together, you get used to the "feel" of people. Glimmer could probably teleport herself in her sleep but someone she just met would take a lot more concentration to put back together, right? She's not as familiar with their molecules.

Which is why I think teleportation probably was more jarring for Catra than it would be for someone like Adora or Bow. Glimmer has been teleporting Bow for most of their lives, she is VERY practiced in taking him apart and putting him back together. (Which is either creepy or romantic depending on how you want to think about it.) But someone like Catra, who she has only teleported three-ish times before An Ill Wind vs everyone in the alliance that she's probably been shuttling around Etheria by teleport for years, Glimmer's not as familiar with how Catra fits together. So while some of that was Catra being disoriented because she wasn't used to the sensation, it was also probably a lot rougher for her than it was for the others. (If you want specific, to me it's like feeling yourself reassembling gently like puzzle pieces going back into place vs someone slamming your molecules back together haphazardly.)

So, when Glimmer's in Shadow Weavers bonds? What SW's magic was doing to her was TRYING to rip her apart, which of course hurt like heck, and it was taking all her effort to keep herself together. So when she teleported out, she basically did so at the risk of losing herself entirely, not knowing if she'd have enough magic to fight it and pull herself back together again. (I wrote a POV of this scene but it's in my Glimbow Swap so it's Bow going through it instead of Glimmer though same basic idea.)

And, honestly, when you think about her power this way it makes it a lot cooler than if it's automatic, She's got to be super smart and badass to pull off everything she does and make it look easy. (Because she is awesome and the best but that just goes without saying!)

If you are wondering, yes, I do see all the princess's magic working similarly (ie, more manual, less automatic) including She-Ra's but I haven't given any of them nearly as much thought as Glimmer (because I love her.)

#glimmer #catra #adora #spop #shera #she ra #spop headcanons #bow #shadow weaver #spop glimmer #queen glimmer #glimbow

[venustar-r]

𝐩𝐞𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐤𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 | daisuke kambe (1/2)

daisuke kambe fluff, part 2 is smut so...

enjoy! word count: 2.8k

❝ 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐚, 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩; 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞. ❞

- WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Daisuke Kambe found that mornings in her apartment were much more pleasant than those at the Kambe residency.

It was the way that the smell of food being made danced through the ajar door and into the bedroom, tempting his nose with the aroma of coffee and breakfast. The kitchen at his house was sealed away shut by large wooden doors and unpractically far so that he wouldn't ever have a chance of smelling food being made until it was on a plate served in front of him.

It was the way the sun swam into the room, resting comfortably on his bare back as he snuggled deeper into the pillow. In his own room, the curtains were thick and sealed closed. Unless he got up and opened them, or a maid did so, he wouldn't get to be welcomed by the morning sun as he did there.

He liked the mess of blankets on the small bed. They weren't silk or cashmere, but he enjoyed how light they felt. The soft noise they made when he shifted around, how cool they felt with the sudden change of position. With the mess of pillows, he felt he was sinking into his own fortress, the child in him enjoying how they closed around his figure. Almost like a hug. At the house, he'd have a mass of harsh pillows at his back at he slept straight up (because they insisted he sleep like that), the heavy blankets feeling oddly suffocating.

He would be awakened into a cold, dark room, his suit resting on his chair that's shadow he could make out, though it was far. He appreciated the largeness of his room, he did, but it was never ... homely. No, not at all. It was harsh and chilled. Icy, even in the middle of summer.

But his heart smiled when a soft kiss was pressed to his forehead, a cold hand (though not uncomfortable in the slightest) resting on his shoulders.

"Morning, Dai," the voice he had grown to love cooed.

His eyes fluttered open and were met by the flourish of plants that sat on her windowsill, the sun feeding them with its generous brilliance. His gaze travelled to the person above him, a blurry image of her sparkling (E/C) eyes looking down at him, "Too early,"

She let out a laugh, one that sounded like absolute heaven in his dazed state, "Breakfast's in ten minutes. Stay there for nine of those, get your beauty sleep," She teased lightly, stepping away from him. He rested for a quick second, hearing the door swing open and close slightly, though it didn't click shut. He was going out soon anyway.

It was a struggle to get up as the mattress sunk with his body weight, almost as if begging him to stay. As his eyes lazily made their way around the room, and he slowly gained consciousness, he registered the sound of cooking. The mouth-watering smell was probably the few things coaxing him out of the comfort of the bed, along with the image of a certain someone cooking said meal.

He had never wanted to stay in bed more, and at the same time, he had never had a reason to get up like the grinning face of his girlfriend and the day that lay before him.

Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, he took the glass of water and medication and sculled it. A single drop escaped his mouth and began sliding down the side of his chin, which he wiped away with his hand, a liberty he appreciated with utmost honesty. He would've gotten yelled at if he had not done so with a handkerchief.

With a groan, he got up, his legs feeling like jelly from not having any weight on them for hours, and maybe from the night before. A slight smirk played his lips at the thought.

He looked around on the floor for his discarded t-shirt, realizing quickly that he didn't need it. He could walk around in just his black sweatpants if he wanted to and no Grandma of HEUSC or whatever could tell him off about it. Plus, he had an inkling that his item of clothing had been stolen by a certain someone.

Swinging open the door, he found that his theory was correct.

(Y/N) (L/N) stood there, back facing him, clad in his oversized plain white T-Shirt and boxers she no doubt took from the drawer in her room reserved for his clothes, cooking what smelled like eggs. Not that he minded her wearing his stuff. In complete honesty, he really liked it. A piece of him that she had, other than his heart, as cheesy as it was.

A window lay in the wall in front of her, once again having an abnormal amount of plants resting by it. Well, plants were splayed out everywhere. If a place on a shelf didn't have books or some other more practical item, it was very likely that a plant would be squeezed in there. Other than a few flowers in expensive vases, his house never had any plants. He believed they added a lively touch, the sun that lit up the room aiding them in doing so.

He tried to sneak up on her, but he knew it was a futile attempt. She'd probably heard him as soon as he stepped out of the bedroom.

Trudging over to her, he wrapped his arms around her waist, planting a small peck on the bare piece of skin where her neck met her shoulders before burrowing into said crook, closing his eyes as he felt her head turn.

"Dai...?" She mumbled, a smile present in her words.

He slowly glanced up at her, positive he looked like a lost puppy.

"I don't see how I’m supposed to cook when I have a giant teddy bear weighing me down,” She said teasingly, a single brow quirked on her gorgeous face. He was smitten. Absolutely, positively smitten.

“Well, then. Guess we can’t eat,” He said back.

She gave him a look, “We have time for all your cutesy shit later. Get off me and eat your breakfast,”

He complied. He would comply with anything she said, really. She had him wrapped around her finger.

Now at the small table in the cutesy apartment, eating (Y/N)’s heavenly food (at one point caviar and lobsters had gotten boring), he hummed happily. 

She looked at him softly, a tender smile gracing her lips. “I’m going grocery shopping today, yeah?”

He looked up from his food, eyes wide with the thought of having to lounge around all alone all day, “Like, just you?”

She frowned, “Uhm, yeah? Haru said you were, uhm, lost when you went last time.”

His mouth widened, feigned offence written all over his face, “I was not. Why are you talking to Kato anyway? All he’ll do is lie about me,”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes, “I used to work with Haru. But I mean, if you want to come, come. There’s nothing stopping you,”

And like a child finding out they were going to Disney, Daisuke practically inhaled his food to get ready to go out, excitedly going into (Y/N)’s room to change. 

And (Y/N), who watched him with an incredulous expression, shook her head, eating the rest of her food at a more reasonable pace, “I swear, he’s a different person entirely in bed,”

“Uhm…” Daisuke had wandered away from (Y/N), and was most definitely lost.

He had no idea how it happened, really, but this thing had caught his eye. It was colourful and looked absolutely mouth-watering, as if they had sprinkled rainbows on this piece of cookie. They were called… Pop-Tarts. Yes, that was it. 

Pop-Tarts.

Either way, the colourful blue box with the pretty looking dessert on the front cover had caught his attention, and he had chased this curiosity, and after staring at them for a good minute, he looked around to find that (Y/N) was gone.

The panic hadn’t set in until he saw a balloon to advertise some sort of chocolate milk powder, and had brought him back to an absolutely terrifying movie (Y/N) had decided to make him watch. He was alone, in this very strange world, and there was a big chance he would be kidnapped by a killer clown. 

None of this panic had actually appeared on his features, though. It was internal, as externally, he just looked like a normal young adult who was wandering around the supermarket with a box of Pop-Tarts in hand. 

Eventually, once he had wandered what was most of the supermarket (there were certain parts that were terrifying, though, because why the hell was there this giant tower of plastic bouncy balls) (it seemed like a health and safety risk, in all honesty), he finally decided to wait outside.

If he recalled correctly, he’d have to go to the cashier’s and pay for his Pop-Tarts. He was sure that was how it worked… (Y/N) had given him money, and half of him guessed it was because she had predicted something like this would happen.

It went smoothly. The cashier had asked him if he’d care to donate to the National Foundation for Cancer Research and Daisuke just put most of his money in there, saving ten dollars in case he saw any more multicoloured food somewhere. 

The cashier had given him an odd look though, thanking him profusely...

Oh well. He had thought. Now out of the one thousand dollars (Y/N) gave me, I have ten. I’d say that’s pretty good. 

He had very little knowledge of money, because why would he need to? He had an unlimited amount. 

He was now outside the supermarket, and he hadn’t much of an idea what he was going to do. He vaguely recalled hearing about children having to wait where they were when they’re lost. Should he wait? Stand by the door awkwardly?

Can you eat raw Pop-Tarts? It said to put them in a toaster, but they looked rather delicious.

Daisuke got over his panic of being lost quickly. 

Halfway through his very first Pop-Tart (slightly disappointing, but not bad), he had spotted another colourful thing. Not food, really, but most definitely bright, a plethora of hues burning his eyes.

He went over, eyeing the flower stall. He liked colourful things, yes, but (Y/N) did always like the more simple ones. He could mix the two, maybe. It was romantic to get flowers, right? For your girlfriend? 

The old man selling them watched him peculiarly. Maybe it was because Daisuke was looking at the flowers as if picking one were a life-changing decision.

In his mind, it was. He needed to get the perfect flowers for (Y/N). For various reasons.

1) He loved her.

2) He needed her not to be mad at him for getting lost.

3) He really loved her. 

So really, this was a life or death situation.

“I can wrap them in pretty fabric if you want,” The florist guy said, pulling him out of his thoughts as he scrutinized his decision. 

Daisuke met his eyes, “Can you?”

“Yeah, two more dollars though,”

Maybe if he got a plain flower and a nice pretty material to wrap it with…

“What colours do you have?” Daisuke asked, eyes sparkling at his ingenious idea.

The old man blinked, but answered nonetheless, “Erm… Red? Green? Blue-”

“Can I see the blue?” Daisuke interrupted, looking way too eager for a fabric to wrap flowers around.

“Sure…” 

And then he pulled out the most gorgeous baby blue, which Daisuke loved, and he knew (Y/N) would love.

“So which flower will it be? Or a mixed bouquet?” He had asked after guessing his customers oggled eyes were a yes.

Right, flowers.

Once again, Daisuke returned his gaze toward the many many rows of single flowers, complete bouquets, etc. analyzing and considering every option. He went back to her apartment, the plants that flourished verdant green, the nice light colours of the white tablecloth and the yellow vase with the dying tulips she needed to replace.

He couldn’t get tulips, because he wanted something different.

Maybe, say, something equally simple and elegant. 

The lilies.

Yeah, the lilies. They were perfect. A nice white, not too plain, not too basic, the yellow went nicely with the blue.

It was perfect.

And so, “The lilies, please!” With way too much enthusiasm.

But the old man got ten dollars and Daisuke got his lilies wrapped in a pastel blue doily-like fabric so everyone was happy.

Daisuke whistled merrily as he went his way back to the exit of the supermarket, when over the speakers came a voice, saying, “There is a report of a missing child. He’s uhm, quite tall, around 170cm, with dark black hair with bluish grayis eyes. He goes by the name Daisuke Kambe-”

Oh.

He was getting a few stares, given that he matched that description, but he just ignored them, going to find the lost and found child place, wherever that was in a supermarket, to find (Y/N) and give the flowers to her.

He was quite excited to give her the flowers.

That afternoon, after (Y/N) had found him, chastised him, thanked him for the flowers, they made out in the car, and they got back to her apartment, they cuddled on the couch.

On the shelf on top of the TV, where the tulips had once occupied the vase, bloomed a bouquet of white lilies, looking like it was right at home nestled along with the other plants. 

It had been a tradition for (Y/N) to read to him, and he loved every second of it. She would have her back pressed up against his chest, and his arms would wrap around her loosely, and the sun would begin its descent, enveloping the world with its golden buttery glow, and everything was alright.

She read him what he would call ‘intellectual books’. Daisuke was a bookworm. Well, not really. But he had spent countless hours wandering the empty halls of his house, and they had a library, so naturally, he’d found himself reading quite a bit. But, either way, he much preferred listening to the voice of the girl he loved as he got to hold her. 

“Why should it be essential to love rarely in order to love much?” She read softly. Camus, today. The Myth of Sisyphus. He’d generally stay away from the philosophy section of the library, but with the way she read he would’ve brought every single one and listened to each and every word.

Sometimes she’d fall asleep, and he’d get HEUSC out of a soundproof box in his pocket and do some work, because despite being away from the Kambe residency, there was always stuff to do.

He seldom returned, these days. The place where he found solace was here, in her arms, so there wasn’t much of a reason to return. 

And then dinner would roll around, and they’d cook together. Well, (Y/N) would cook and Daisuke would distract her with teasing, flirting, and anything really. Usually, she’d call him endlessly annoying and pepper his face with kisses.

“Alexa-” (He’d refuse to put HEUSC in her apartment)

“Dai, no,” (Y/N) said sternly, stirring the broth for Pho while also chopping the toppings while also boiling the noodles.

“Put More Than a Woman on,” He grinned, mischief dancing behind his eyes.

The familiar cheesy beginning of the song started playing from the speaker as Daisuke went over to (Y/N), prying the knife and wooden spoon away from her hands, replacing the cooking equipment with his hands instead, intertwining them.

She shook her head, though couldn’t help but let the smile that she had failed to suppress grow on her lips.

“You’re impossible,” She said, with an eye roll as he wrapped his arm around her waist, beginning to sway them around the kitchen to the music.

“Impossibly handsome? Kind? Amazing?” He grinned, nose oh-so-very close to touching hers.

“Impossibly idiotic,” She said, but then pecked his lips quickly, happily complying with his wish to dance, because she, like him, was smitten. 

More than a woman, More than a woman to me~

He mumbled the words in a squeaky high voice, much like Barry Gibb but, well, treacherous for the ears.

A laugh bubbled up her throat, her smile impossibly wide as they did an impossibly domestic thing after a domestic day.

And that was enough. Them with their pet plants and their kitchen dances.

#daisuke kambe #fluff #x reader #daisuke x reader #xreader #x reader fluff #the millionare detective balance: unlimited

[celiabowens]

underrated SFF books (YA and Adult)

So uhm, since I keep seeing the same books on my dash all the time (and I like them too, just...there’s more! to read!) here’s a list of less popular SFF books, divided into YA and Adult. I’ve tried to mention when there is lgbt rep and the trigger warnings. Also, books written by poc will be in bold. Please point out any typo or mistake or if I’ve forgotten specific rep/tw mentions.

All of these are books that I’ve read and enjoyed (by enjoyed I mean anything from 3 stars and above), but if anyone wants to add titles please feel free to do so!!

YA:

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi: beautifully written, fairytale-like story rich in mythology (inspired by several Hindu myths. There’s a full list on goodreads indicated by the author herself). Roshani’s prose is gorgeous.

A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi: it’s a companion novel to The Star-Touched Queen, but both can be read as a standalone. I liked this one more than its companion and I particularly loved how the romance was written (slow burn, but specifically, the author really highlights the mutual respect between the characters, we love to see it).

The Young Elites by Marie Lu: fantasy trilogy set in a world inspired by Renaissance Italy, in which children who survived a mysterious and deadly illness ended up with strange and dangerous powers. Secret societies and a female villain!

The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu: historical fantasy following Mozart’s sister, Nannerl, a girl as talented as her brother, but afraid of being forgotten because of the lack of opportunities she has to be seen and heard. Nuanced sibling relationship, no romance.  

The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski: fantasy f/f romance! Both a coming of age story set in a society with a rigid class system and a slow burn f/f romance with a lot of banter. TW: abuse.

The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore: magical realism. The book follows two families of traveling performers that have been locked in a feud for over a generation. This was the author’s debut and I remember getting an arc of it and being impressed by both the prose and how the forbidden love trope was handled.

When the Moon was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore: another magical realism novel. One of the main characters is a trans boy and the book focuses on issues of racism and gender. One of my favorite YA!

Strange Grace by Tessa Gratton: fantasy romance set in a village that periodically sacrifices a young man in order to keep a deal with the devil that ensures their prosperity. Also, polyamorous and non-binary rep.

The Rise of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee: first book in a duology following avatar Kyoshi’s life. It explores the political and cultural aspect of the Earth Kingdom and Kyoshi’s past. Bisexual rep.

Descendant of the Crane by Joan He: sort of a murder mystery fantasy, as the main character finds herself suddenly thrust into power once her father has been murdered. The story has a slow build up to a last part full of twists and machinations and it features lots of court intrigue. Warning: the ending is quite open and afaik there isn’t a sequel planned as of now.

The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones: a quite unique take on zombies influenced by Welsh mythology (it’s super cool). The novel follows Ryn and their siblings, as they try to get by after their parents’ death by working as gravediggers. Only well, the dead don’t always stay dead. The characters read a bit younger than they are imo. There is chronic pain rep.

The Magnolia Sword by Sherry Thomas: retelling of the original ballad of Mulan. The book follows Mulan, who’s trained her whole life to win a duel for a priceless heirloom, as she joins the army. There’s a lot of political and historical details, which I really appreciated. Do not go into it expecting a fun adventure though. The descriptions of war aren’t extremely graphic, but be aware of the fact that most of the book is set during a conflict.

The Candle and The Flame by Nafiza Azad: standalone fantasy set in a city on the Silk Road! It’s a quite slow-paced tale about love, family and politics. It has lush descriptions of landscapes and cultures (and FOOD, there are some really great descriptions of food). It’s a very atmospheric book and while I struggled a bit with the pace I’d still recommend it.

Forest of a Thousand Lanters by Julie C. Dao: sort of an East Asian inspired retelling of Snow White, but following the Evil Queen before she became Snow White’s stepmother. I honestly haven’t read its sequel (which should focus on Snow White herself), but I do think this can be read and enjoyed as a standalone too.

The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner: it’s hard to point out exactly what this series is about because it has evolved so much with time. It starts out as classic quest/adventure series with The Thief (which may seem a classic and simple book, but is actually full of foreshadowing and has a really clever set up), but develops into a complex and intriguing political fantasy in The Queen of Attolia and The King of Attolia (and then goes back to the quest theme in book 5, Thick as Thieves).

Adult:

A Fist of Permutations in Lightning and Wildflowers by Alyssa Wong: I’m cheating with this one because it’s technically a short story but I love Alyssa Wong’s stories so I’m putting it here anyway. It can be read for free and you should just...read it.

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang: grimdark fantasy (TW: abuse, self harm, rape, drug abuse), inspired by Chinese history. It’s adult, but follows younger MCs and the unique blend of different historical periods/inspirations makes it extremely interesting. The characters are extremely fucked up in the best possible way, plus the use of shamanism is awesome. Please make sure you check all the TW before reading.

The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang: a Japanese-inspired militaristic fantasy, with elemental magic, a badass housewife dealing with her past and hiding a sword in her kitchen’s floor. It has interesting and nuanced family dynamics and a great reflection on propaganda and the use of narratives.

Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri: first book in an epic fantasy duology inspired by Mughal India (TW: abuse, slavery). I really liked both Empire of Sand and its companion and I find them pretty underrated. Both books have great slow burn romance (with a focus on mutual trust and respect) and focus on culture, religion, self acceptance and politics.

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia: a fantasy bildungsroman set in Mexico during the Jazz age. It’s a great approach to adult SFF as it follows a young girl on a life changing adventure. It features Mayan mythology and a god slowly becoming human (this trope is everything!).

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden: a coming of age story inspired by Russian folklore. The trilogy as a whole has one of the best arcs I’ve ever seen: each book is perfectly self-contained and has its own arc, but also fits perfectly in the bigger picture of the trilogy. The atmosphere is amazing, the cast of characters is extremely well developed. Also frost demons are better than men.

The Binding by Bridget Collins: historical fantasy, but with very minimal fantasy elements. It’s set in a world vaguely reminiscent of 19th century England. I’d say this book is about humans and self discovery. It’s about cowardice and the lies we tell ourselves and those we wish we could tell ourselves. Gay rep. (TW: abuse, sexual assault, pretty graphic suicide scene).

The Divine Cities trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett: starting with City of Stairs, it follows a female diplomat and spymaster(!!). The whole trilogy features an interesting discussion about godhood, religion, fanatism, politics, without ever being boring or preachy. It has complex and rich world building and a pretty compelling mystery.

Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett: heist fantasy following a thief as she’s hired to steal a powerful artifact that may change magical technology as she knows it. Set in a Venice-like merchant city. Also, slow burn f/f romance.

Jade City by Fonda Lee: sort of a gangster urban fantasy, heavily inspired by wuxia and set in an Asian-inspired metropolis. It follows a pretty big cast of characters, each with their own journey and development. It features nuanced family dynamics and a lot of political and economical subplots. Not extremely prominent, but book 2 features m/m side rep.

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse: inspired by Native American culture and specifically by the idea of subsequent worlds. It has a kickass MC and a good mix of original elements and typical UF tropes. TW: the book isn’t extremely violent but there is death and some gore.

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine: space opera inspired by the Mexica and middle period Byzantium. It focuses on topics like colonialism and the power of narratives and language. It has one of the best descriptions of what it’s like to live in between spaces I’ve ever read. Also very interesting political intrigue and has a slow burn f/f romance (and a poly relationship recalled through flashbacks). I ranted a lot about it already.

Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee: a Korean-inspired space opera with a magic system based on math. It’s honestly quite convoluted and difficult to follow, but it also features some of the best political intrigue I’ve ever read. Plenty of lying, backstabbing and mind games. It also features lesbian and bisexual rep and an aroace side character (TW: mass shooting, sexual assault, abuse). I also really recommend Yoon Ha Lee’s short-story collection Conservation of Shadows.

The long way to a small angry planet by Becky Chambers: character driven space opera featuring a found family journeying through space. A fun read, that also deals with topics such as sexuality and race. Quite easy to go through, as the world building and plot aren’t particularly complex themselves. f/f romance.  

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo: an Asian-inspired fantasy novella that gives a voice to people usually silenced by history. It follows a cleric (non binary rep) as they chronicle the story of the late empress, retold through objects that she used in her life. It focuses on bonds between women and the power that lies in being unnoticed. f/f side rep.

The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark: an urban fantasy novella, based on Orisha mythology and set in an alternate, sort of steampunk, New Orleans. I really like how creative Clark’s worlds are and how good he is at writing female characters (which rarely happens with male authors).

The haunting of tram car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark: novella set in an alternate steampunk Cairo populated by supernatural entities. It’s set in the same world of a Dead Djinn in Cairo, which is a short story you can read for free.

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone: epistolary novella set during a time-travel war. It has gorgeous writing and an amazing f/f romance. As a novella, it’s quite short but it’s beautifully crafted and so complex for such a short book!

The Citadel of Weeping Pearls by Aliette de Bodard: a novella set in the Xuya universe (a series of novellas/short stories set in a timeline where Asia became dominant, and where the space age has empires of Vietnamese and Chinese inspiration), but can be read as a standalone. It’s a space opera featuring a disappeared citadel and the complex relationship between the empress and her daughter as war threatens her empire.

One for My Enemy by Olivie Blake: self-published urban fantasy following two rival families in New York. Sort of a Romeo and Juliette retelling but with gangster families and magic. Honestly recommend all of her books, I love how Olivie writes and especially how she writes female characters.

#book recs #book recommendations #adult sff #ya literature #lgbt fiction #litblr #listen this doesn't show in tags i'm DONE #done with this tagging system lol #also if there are mistakes please tell me!! #book rec

[zoopzopp]

A post for some BAMF Izuku fics <3 (more of these will be added and the list will be updated as i read them)

Fics i've read:

The Secret Ingredient is Crime- Izuku only had a whole month to further prove himself worthy of Yuuei's golden acceptance, and he was going to do whatever it took to make it in. Yuuei would never truly know what hit them until it was too late. (The secret crime AU in it entirety is fucking amazing and what wouldn't i give to read more stuff with it)

Deku the Villain Hunter: Support Hero - We all know the story: After being told he couldn't be a Hero by All Might, Midoriya Izuku still wandered over to a supervillain attack where he could save Bakugou Katsuki. But what if he had made the other turn? The answer is a butterfly effect that would lead him on a path to paving his own future. A path of revenge, finding his own moral compass, and doing the impossible. (OKAY MANY THOUGHTS. Very cool story and aspects. I binged it overnight and lost a bit of sleep the next night as well.)

The Story of How Midoriya Izuku Asserted His Dominance (And Traumatized Japan) - The Sports Festival was supposed to be a break from stress. Shouta should have known there is no such thing as a break with his class.

making it right (for real this time) - - Izuku is a support course student at UA, and Katsuki's neighbor, best friend, and former bullying victim. After Izuku's performance at the sports festival, Katsuki realizes something. He has to make things right. -

Hero Fall (UA Civil War Exercise) - It's now the end of the first year of UA for our students. Nedzu had decided to bring back the annual Heroes vs Villain fight. The fight shall last 5 days and the villain leader is Izuku Midoriya, with the commanding officer of the hero team being Katsuki Bakugo. But, what happens when Izuku is left alone?

Hero Class Civil Warfare - Heroes lead by Bakugo. Villains lead by Midoriya. Seven days prep time. Three days for Izuku Midoriya to show why they should be glad he's not a real villain.

"I Didn't Know You Had It In You." - Midoriya goes feral rage mode in his fight against Overhaul. The beat down still happens, but with Eri no longer at his back, he gets more violent. One For All reacts in an interesting way and Midoriya commits a terrible and unheroic act - the cold blooded murder and maiming of Chisaki Kai. Shigaraki is there to watch it all unfold.

Plan C meets Plan A - Even if All Might is right and Izuku can't be a hero, Izuku refuses to be useless. So Izuku uses his analysis skills to develop Plan C: Consulting in order to help the heroes. Eraserhead is impressed by this mysterious new consultant but alarm bells in Deku's behaviour quickly have Aizawa recruiting help for Plan A: Adoption.

Q. A. B. - One month after @hawks_unofficial's initial viral post, the blog titled "Quirk Analysis Blog for the Future", otherwise known as "Q. A. B.", has gone from an average of 10 views per post to an average of 20,000 views per post. Midoriya Izuku does not know how to view the impressions analysis for his suddenly popular blog, and only notices that sometimes, people actually comment on his posts now. He does not google himself or his moniker and thus does not see the rise in online articles and speculation. He is unaware that the "kyuu-ei-bee" he begins to hear about in passing refers to his own blog. He does not have a Twitter account. At the time, Midoriya Izuku is 15 years old.

How to murder your father - It's dangerous to be a bad father when you have a life insurance. Just saying.

Negation - Passive Quirks are a bitch. Izuku is reasonably done with the situation.

Thanks For Your Support - Izuku has the talent and the intellect to be the first Quirkless pro hero, and everyone at UA knows it. Unfortunately, his desire to become a hero has long since been buried thanks to the words of his childhood friend and childhood hero.

Policed To Meet You - Izuku takes All Might's advice and becomes a cop.

Vigilante Work And Other After School Activities - Izuku is a vigilante, Aizawa likes cats and therefore kids who help cats, and sometimes breaks must be forced upon overachieving teenagers.

When the Commission Lost Total Control - The hero polls have a small part where one can suggest their own hero. This is done just because of the amount of heroes is to great to name them all. This creates a little problem for the commission because a vigilante is assumed to be a brand new hero by the public- and ranks pretty high. Because of that, this vigilante now is too popular to hide and they can't come out with their mistake either! Think of the chaos that would bring.

Izuku being Badass but like in not that grand of a way but still tearing-people-down-in-some-way kind of way

He Was Quirkless - Midoriya get's sick of discrimination against the quirkless and decides to do something about it. It leads to some interesting situations. A trilogy.

bloody, but unbowed- It's Advocacy Week for Yuuei's hero students and it gives Midoriya Izuku a lot to think about about what kind of hero he wants Deku to be.

Called Out - When Izuku is hit by a quirk that will cause him to call out the first person to be rude to him on the way to school with every mistake they've made in the affected persons presence or have otherwise effected said affected person, Aizawa is in for a rough ride. In other words, with some help from a quirk, Izuku rakes Aizawa over the hot coals until he gives out. (a great fic but i've got mixed feelings on this one because on one hand, izuku is badass but on the other its Aizawa bashing and really like him skhdskdb so yea! Read it as per your tastes!!)

The time when everyone learned that izuku respects Bakugo more than all might. - I didn't like how Bakugo was tied up during the sports festival and so izuku didn't. Badass izuku roasted all might and midnight.

Villainous Sunshine - After an innocent question, Class 1-A learns just how terrifying Izuku's analysis is. Nedzu's along for the ride.

Never understand ( and you can't ) - Midoriya is sick and tried of his classmates bias and prejudice against the quirkless community and finally breaks

Mastermind: Strategist For Hire - Izuku Midoriya never got the chance to save Bakugo from the sludge villain and impress All Might. With his dream crushed, Izuku becomes bitter and angry. It also doesn't help that he faces discrimination at every turn. All he ever wanted was to be appreciated, so when the villains are the ones to recognize his talents rather than the heroes, well, Izuku just can't resist. He might as well help those who actually want him around. Mistakes were made, and now society must face a villain of their own making: Mastermind.

Malignance - Deku is far scarier than anyone gives him credit for.

Fics in my to read list which has/probably has BAMF izuku

Young Midoriya - Izuku Midoriya couldn't help himself when he saw someone in trouble. Even at 12 years old, his instincts drive him to help those in need. So when he sees Kacchan and his goons about to ambush another student, he has to step in, right? It's not like this hasn't happened before. What is different this time though, is that he's never had an audience that consisted of the Number One Hero.

Heroics and Other Things That Don't Require Superpowers - Izuku doesn't have a quirk. That's the long and short of it. After being told his whole life he can't be a hero, General Education at UA is the best he can hope for, right? Wrong. Dead Wrong. So super wrong that his best friend from Gen Ed, all of Class 1A and a whole mess of Pro Heroes are going to prove to him how wrong he is. Izuku has the makings of a hero, and his lack of a quirk only throws those qualities into starker relief. After all, who wants to be as strong as All Might when you can be the cleverest hero in the business?

Cases of More Than - Izuku is known as Deku online. He's an analyst of quirks, sometimes even working with the local detective, Tsukauchi, on a case. He meets new friends, builds a few relationships, and slowly crushes on his best friend. But then he's thrown into the General Studies Course at U.A. It doesn't help that All for One is showing an interest in him at all.

No Regret - In this world there is no hard set villain or hero. No victim and aggressor. Everyone is at fault for something and Izuku, with his own villain group, will make everyone pay. Even the bystanders who did nothing. This is what society gets for abandoning it's people. Deku will manipulate everyone and be the greatest villain, all so the world can be a better a place. With the stakes so high there is no time for regret.

We Are a Different Kind - Mirio doesn’t think he can be a hero anymore now that he’s quirkless, Izuku calls bullshit.

Live a Hero - "You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." Or, you're raised a villain, rebel when you're nine, and fight against the odds to become a hero anyway. That's how it is in Izuku's case.

Prodigal - After being convinced to give One for All to Mirio, Midoriya Izuku must rebuild his shattered dreams with bloody hands.

Two Sides of the Same Coin: Vigilante - Izuku is orphaned at the age of four and is sent into the Japanese Foster Care System. After multiple failed attempts at finding a forever home and some unfortunate circumstance, he ends up on the streets. Eventually, the vigilante, Deku appears. Eraserhead must gain his trust to bring Deku back to the right side of the law. If he he does, however, the untrustful but pure-hearted boy may just be a bit more than Aizawa Shota can handle.

From Muddy Waters - - but the sleeve of his tracksuit was bulging, tearing and ripping and a mass of twisted flesh, nearly as big as the boy himself and nauseatingly familiar (the arm of the man that had torn a hole in his side with a grin and left him a frail shadow of himself) swung forward and slammed into the flat face of the giant robot. Izuku wants to be a hero more than anything.

Pieces are easily sacrificed when they're nameless - Nobody ever thought quirkless, weak, weird Midoriya Izuku was dangerous. This perception carried over to his first year high school class, because really despite the super strength Midoriya didn't have it in him to be dangerous. That was their first mistake. And the one that would see them fall.

Not exactly BAMF izuku but i just wanted to rec these fics <3

In the shade of a sunflower - Being biologically quirkless came more with an extra pinkie joint in the toes and a stunning lack of vestiges mutations. It came with smaller things, like extra teeth that did virtually nothing, exploding organs, and weird exposed nerves that weren't designed to feel pain.

Throat Punch - In which Aizawa attempts to teach Izuku how to use various battle tactics and it goes just about as well as you'd expect. At least Shinsou is there with his fantastic commentary. (just a fun lil thing where izuku is really stronk and trains with shinsou and aizawa)

So Be It - He could still do good. Midoriya could show them all what a hero without powers looked like. If he had to break a few rules to do it, so be it. So be it… (as stated not exactly BAMF but its a vigilante izuku so ye-)

Never Enter a Drinking Game with Bakugo or Izuku - Izuku walks in on Kirishima and Kaminari having a drinking competition (no alcohol involved). And it reminds him of an old story.

5 Times Midoriya Taught Class 1A about Memes and 1 Time they Found a Villain that Understood Them - After being diagnosed as quirkless, Midoriya gets into pre-guirk media and finds memes. He shares them with Class 1A. Aizawa doesn't get paid enough for this. (THIS FIC???? FUCKING AWESOME. LITERALLY WHAT I WANTED TO SEE)

Midoriya: JD Version - Nedzu has decided that a play should be put on so that the students can learn how to "go undercover", an idea which Aizawa thinks is utter bullshit. They're putting on Heathers and when Nedzu chooses to cast Midoriya for JD, everyone objects. Midoriya is a much better actor than they thought.

that is a lot!! I hope you have fun reading it!!!

#fic recs #bnha #bamf izuku midoriya #izuku midoriya

[herenortherenearnorfar]

This Tornado Tolerates And Respects You

A little story about Gothmog and orcs that I’ll probably put on other sites later. But for now, a tumblr exclusive! CW for the terrible reproductive politics of evil (implied reproductive coercion, forced childbearing, light eugenics), orc awfulness, disdain for incarnates, radiation poisoning, chemical weapons, Fingon’s fate, mentions of cannibalism, malnourishment, ear cropping, and all of the above with the implied harm to children.

Orcs, Lord Melkor’s special pet project, a blasphemy first and a strategic asset second, didn’t make the best troops. They could swarm over a target in a useful mass of bodies but they lacked skill and drive. For the Captain of Angband’s own force of fire and shadow, spirits sprung free from the tyranny of the Valar, orcs were a sea of troublesome bodies, cluttering up the field of battle. More flesh to whip through, barbed wire quick, more lungs to choke with lime gas. An annoyance, not an ally.

He didn’t have very high expectations of them as a source of soldiers and there were very few individual orcs who he respected. Gorfaunt was one of those rare exceptions.

They’d fought on the same battlefield under the taunting stars, in those blissful days before the heavens changed, and he’d been impressed by the orc commanders ability to marshal troops. Very few in that division ended up trampled beneath Balrog feet. Even the retreat was prompt, almost orderly, without sacrificing that wild spirit which was one of the orcs’ few redeeming qualities.

When it came time to capture the stripling-king of the elves he’d requested Gorfaunt’s orcs in particular. Once again they’d proven their mettle and the commander had become of of the Captain’s favorites. If orcs had to be stationed next to their betters it was preferable that it be Gorfaunt’s orcs, who knew how to comport themselves and could fight near Balrogs without dying in droves.

Now with the latest glorious battle (and another successful collaboration, the Captain still glowed at the memory of the Noldor’s latest king cracking open to spill his red insides over his silver banner) behind them and Lord Melkor demanding Nargothrond and Gondolin, they met once a month to strategize, share intelligence, and complain about everyone else. To an outsider they might have passed as friends. There was less formality between the two of them than another high general of the iron fortress might have demanded, they sat at the same table and spoke freely.

(The Lieutenant still asked commanders to bow before him; that was why even his own troops called him Sauron behind his back. Gothmog was a superior appellation, less insulting, more fearful, but he still didn’t hasten to encourage its use.)

Despite their surface level amicability and the handful of tried-and-true inside jokes—mostly having to do with how enemies had died— they could bat at each other, they knew very little about each other’s lives. Meat and smoke only mixed when making a brisket, trying to relate two such different ways of being seemed impossible.

But when he saw Gorfaunt waddling into their monthly kvetch with a belly round and swollen like a tick’s, the Captain felt driven to say something. He was the marshal of Angband, he couldn’t let his king’s forces go to seed.

“Are you ill? Cursed?”

Gorfaunt managed to pull out a chair, made for a Balrog three times the size of an orc, and hoist themselves into it with rangy arms. “No? Just five months with a baby kicking around in my insides. The little bugger’s finally starting to show itself.”

That took a second to decipher. “You’re having a baby?”

Of course the Captain knew the basics of how incarnates made more of themselves. It was a topic of great fascination in the old days, when Yavanna was first figuring the system out, and of course the Lieutenant would prattle on about warg breeding to anyone who’d listen. They had sex— another thing that did not come naturally to beings of spirits, though some Maiar had made astounding progress in the field, for pleasure was pleasure and even Nienna’s acolytes sought catharsis and comfort—then there was lots of squishy biology on a level invisible to the incarnates themselves, then a little parasite was somehow blessed with Erú’s fire, to be nurtured until it could nurture itself.

He also knew that orcs, like elves and dwarves, had little distinction between men and womenfolk. Useful when it meant you could channel your entire adult population to battle. Startling when you realized that a key ally had been quietly pregnant for months without you, a greater being able to perceive stalactites growing and the scales on insect wings, noticing.

In truth he’d been doing a lot less noticing of late. His senses were dulling. Perhaps it was the light of the cursed gems, which painted everything in blinding, indistinguishable holiness. Or he was just losing his touch.

If he focused now he could see it. It was easiest to sense on the plane of wraiths. There was Gorfaunt, a guttering candle; wheezing, weak. All orcs had that fire, however dim. No one had managed to fully extinguish it though it had been much suppressed. Tucked against her, nearly imperceptible, was a little spark. Not much yet but given tinder and carefully fanned it could grow. “You’re having a baby,” he marveled.

Gorfaunt’s face was… orcs were hard to read at the best of times, bubbling over with noisy pain and anger that obscured their true emotions, prone to skin diseases and horrendous eye infections that muddled their expressions. She didn’t wear her gas mask around him anymore, though most were quick to cover up around any Maia of Morgoth. It helped little, her face was still opaque as the mountain itself. “Yep, Captain.”

“Good?” You congratulated an ally on a new weapon, a new bond, a promotion. Which one was an infant classified as? What was the correct form?

“Hopefully it’ll be over and the little goblin will be in the caves with the old’uns by the time we find either of the cities.” Gorfaunt provided, only barely contextualizing his felicitations. She was chewing on the inside on her cheek; sometimes she would gnaw until she spat black blood. “Terrible time for it. Terrible time. But the high ups are worried about reinforcements down the line, I suppose.”

Orcs came from orcs. It was a fact so simple it barely bore considering. Another department handled it. The new ones just showed up, springy and long limbed, faces still soft and unmarred. “Goblins” he’d heard older orcs call those fresh pale creatures. Barely even monsters, more like stunted, crepuscular versions of the elves and dwarves they fought.

“How much longer?” They had a few good leads on Nargothrond, a promising word about Túrin Turambar. The Captain could not sack that city himself, the honor had already been promised to the sulfurous worm. Apparently they wanted to test the mettle of these dragons. But Gothmog could assign a few good orc commanders to supervise, make sure the worm was not overstepping his bounds.

Dark blood trickled out of the corner of Gorfaunt’s mouth. “Five months, I’m told. Could be more, could be less. Then I have to wait until the thing is independent enough to leave alone, that’s another few months.” She was probably counting months as the orcs had started to, by the moon. Wretched traitor, Tilion, who’d laughed with them at the idea of running away then turned his face when the time came to flee for freedom. They hated it as much as everyone else but in their hatred they were aware of its cycles. They rejoiced when it went dark.

“You’ll still be able to manage your underlings?” Orcs, and freed Maiar, were fractious. They did not respect a leader who lacked the strength to force them to obey. It could be exhausting. And Gorfaunt was already so round. The Captain did not wish to lose her support over one orcling.

“I think so. So far… in old days you’d den up somewhere for a year, avoid everyone prowling for blood, but I don’t want to fight my way up the ranks again. I’ve got an ax and I’m using it.” Despite that she sounded tired.

Long heartbeats stretched between them, that exquisite embarrassment of two coworkers suddenly forced to talk about private affairs.

“This is your first,” the Captain didn’t reach the tone of a question with that one.

“Yes. The recruiters were getting growly so I grabbed a fellow. I’ve been avoiding it for too long.”

“You don’t want a child.” Again, not quite a question. He was feeling it out as he goes along. This is the longest conversation about orc reproduction he’s ever paid attention to, for the Lieutenants diatribes we’re always dull.

It was no matter to him, except that this was the only orc commander he could tolerate working with and she was chewing through her own cheek in discomfort.

“They take something from you,” Gorfaunt admitted. “Dame and sire both, but worse for the dame since she has to carry the clot. You go… stretchy. Bleached like old bone. I’ve seen soldiers and after twenty children they’re not good for anything but shoving onto a line of pikes. Raw meat for the wargs.”

That didn’t make sense to him, but he was never a scholar of flesh or spirit. He knew how a skull split and how a soul fled, how this matter-sprung life withered, how it died. That was all that counted. He also knew how to value a resource.

“There won’t be any after this,” he said firmly. “Not if you don’t want them.” If need be he’d escalate to Lord Melkor, frame it as sapping strength from their command structure and propose making officers off limits from breeding programmes.

“As you command, Captain,” she said with a bowed head, but she looked gratifyingly relieved, and their conversation could finally move on to the latest stories of occupied territories and the search for the hidden cities.

The next few months Gorfaunt somehow managed to get bigger and bigger, until she was no longer able to swing herself into a chair and had to take their meeting standing. Her leather armor no longer fit and with just a thin layer of rags over her distended stomach it was easy to see the squirming creature inside.

Ferocious little animal. It would go so still and then kick out again, as if it could burst free of its creator by force of will alone. The kernel of its mind was forming too, a hazy bubble of sensation and half formed emotion. He could see what had the Lieutenant fascinated. It wasn’t his field but it was morbidly interesting, seeing the shape of something new and moldable come together right in front of you.

But he had not been made a sculptor or a craftsman. He’d been born a wild thing, a tornado, a volcano, every disaster meant to fell cities, and though he had not known the words yet he’d sensed in his core, seen in glimpses in the song, that he was a creature of war. Like many other wild things—Ossë, the simpering coward tied up in Uinen’s tresses, excluded— he’d found his way to Melkor in the end. Oh, he’d idled for a time with Vána, heard Námo’s dolorous call, but it was Melkor who he came back to and Melkor who he picked in the end.

Melkor taught him so many more ways to be. The smoke, the blood, the screaming not in sorrow but in anger. He taught the others who came to him as well. In the Captain’s little squad alone there was one who learned the slaver’s whip and the threat of fire, one who learned the ooze of pus and malodorous air, one who came to appreciate the ravenings of rabid beasts. From the dragons in the treasure-caves to the cat in the kitchen to the vampires in the highest towers, they were all Melkor’s creations.

Gorfaunt, born and raised here in the shadow of his ancient power, was even more Melkor’s than most. This was how the Captain rationalized his continuing fondness for her as she weakened, his interest in her spawn. Works of the same maker might gravitate together. They could see parts of themselves in each other, the way he could once see himself in other Ëalar born of the same bit of song.

When Gorfaunt came in four months after their revelatory meeting with a sagging belly and a bundle nestled against her chest he was excited to finally see what had been made.

It took a bit of coaxing to get her to show him the baby but no orc would outright refuse an order from anyone stronger than them, they knew better than that. The newborn was dutifully unwrapped and presented, though Gorfaunt’s expression suggested that she considered this all a silly waste of time.

It was a rumpled wet creature; mostly skin and bones, with a cranium as big as its rounded torso. Small too, barely bigger than Gorfaunt’s hand, and Gorfaunt was smaller than all elves and many humans; based on overheard complaints failure to grow was an ongoing issue with their kind. When it was unswaddled sticklike limbs flailed out and began batting at the air ineffectually. Despite this wriggling its face remained in a sleepy scowl. It wasn’t until Gothmog moved one cherry-hot finger closer to it that it opened its hazy grey eyes and tried to focus on him. Even then the dismayed frown stayed put.

An unscarred orc was always an interesting sight; for it revealed the scale of their reworking. How much orcishness was self-replicating, as the Lieutenant liked to claim, and how much had to be beaten in? This one had a droopy brow bone and already peeling corpse-grey skin but it did not look much like an orc besides that. It even had hair, which most orcs lacked (aside from a few lank patches). The fine red down covered its whole body, thickest on the head and face and arms.

“It’s supposed to fall out,” Gorfaunt said, “Everyone says it’ll fall out soon. Even the prisoners lose their hair after a while, especially in the deep mines.”

That was probably because of the miasma of decay that emanated from the ores of Angband. Not macro-decay, of skin and bone (that came later) but the infitesimal decay. Every piece of metal— every piece of existence, when you got down to it— was made of little stars. There was a gaseous center of energy and little orbiting specks around that, spinning in probabilistic loops. Like stars some were bigger and some were smaller and some were ready to collapse. Ilmarë loved to speak of supernovas. The yellow and blue metals below the mountain were full of little stars collapsing, reforming, giving off energy in great sums as they did so.

The Captain had noted the negative effects of this energetic output on incarnates some time ago. Elves sickened and humans just died— Lord Melkor had moved the man he hoped would give him the location of Gondolin far from those mines for a reason. A few of the spirits with natures inclined towards metal, salt, and industry had already incorporated the burning energy into their signatures. The Lieutenant doubtless had some wicked little experiment running with it. It was a part of life here, that background hum of a trillion crumbling particles, and the Captain never thought of the effect on orcs, though they were exposed from birth.

Now that he focused he could see the little crumbs of decay glancing off the baby.

Hmm.

It would probably be fine.

It was already rubbing its eyes and going back to sleep, one hand curled next to a crumpled, not-yet-cropped ear.

“Are you recovered?” he asked Gorfaunt.

“I’m fit enough to fight,” she said shortly, defensively, as if afraid he’d snatch her command from her. “I’ll be better soon when this thing is gone.”

The Captain’s huge palm hovered over her infant. He knew better than to touch; his ability to change forms was not what it once was, he could not stop being a bipedal avalanche, to strong, too close, too dangerous. Even just containing the noxious gases— the pustulent yellow and choking green— simmering inside this war shaped body was difficult. If he kept a few feet distance the chaotic heat of his skin faded into the air and the baby wriggled contentedly in the ambient glow, like a little lizard.

“And how long will that be?”

Gorfaunt’s hand twitched. Another few months, till it can manage worm meal and listen to the grands.”

It seemed impossible that anything could be big enough to leave alone in such a short time; but incarnation was not the Captain’s specialty. “And that’s the accepted practice?”

“A little young, but safe now that the master put a stop to the baby eating problem.”

“I wouldn’t want it to be a concern,” the Captain said very seriously, even though his fingers curled slightly around the baby’s limp body. “We can make modifications if the child must stay longer.”

Gorfaunt glanced down at her sprawled offspring. “I don’t— I don’t want this to last any longer. I’d rather have my life go back to normal.”

That, at least, he could understand. It has been a rather troubling experience overall. Revelations are not always useful and though he’s gained some knowledge it’s not very practical stuff.

“One more question, commander, then I’ll drop the matter. What is it named??”

That nascent mind bubble had sharpened with time and experience but was still comprised mostly of sensation. He could not even grasp at a basic sense of self. The child’s mother should know what if calls itself, if anyone did.

(He wanted to remember the name, for forty years from now, when he needed more good orcs. All those rants about the fundamentals of inheritance left him with some ideas about how incarnates develop traits. Another Gorfaunt would be a helpful tool to have on hand.)

The question left Gorfaunt unimpressed. “It doesn’t name itself anything yet, it hasn’t got the common sense. And no one’s given it a name because it hasn’t done anything interesting.”

“It has an interesting look” the Captain pointed out, “Tell them to call it Red Cap,” he slipped into the elf tongue, which had better color words than the one the Lieutenant devised, and in the process accidentally named the child after a former king of the Noldor. “Or something like that.”

Gorfaunt apparently had a better memory for politics than he gave her credit for, or perhaps just a distaste for the elf cant, because she quickly translated it back into Angband’s crackly tongue . “Rotbint.”

“Yes.” A Balrog, even the chief of Balrogs, could not give much to something so soft and incarnadine. A name, incorporeal, existing in the plane the Captain knew best, was the only thing he could offer. “Now, to business?”

Gorfaunt wrapped the little creature away— it woke halfway through the rolling to stare at them once more— then tucked it against her chest.

The Captain was sad to see it go, though he couldn’t say why.

He remembered that he had come to this physical world for a reason once. He had wanted to see all there was to see, to feel and taste everything, chew chunks of Arda up and spit it out new. Disasters hungered as much as anyone. Yet all he’d had lately was war fare; blood-soaked mud and rage-tinged fear.

Deprived of fresh experiences, he clung to the potential, the novelty, of new life.

Perhaps Gondolin would see him out of his funk, he thought. It couldn’t hide forever.

“We’ll find it, Captain,” Gorfaunt assured him stubbornly. “And we’ll tear it down brick by brick, raze their gardens, fill their streets with blood.”

Even with a baby trying to gum her collarbone her firm tone allowed no questions.

Orcs were, as a rule, bothersome, unruly, walking corpses. Fractious, ugly, difficult, bothersome, recklessly stupid. The Maiar serving under the Captain were sometimes stereotyped as simpleminded brutes but at least they were able to perceive the world around them, even if few bothered to use that perception. In comparison orcs were stumbling around in the dark. They were inefficient as well, you needed three of them to take down any decent enemy. But when they were well made they were well made. Those were the ones that made it all worth it.

It had to be worth it. This was freedom, after all.

#the silmarillion #gothmog #orcs #silmarillion fanfiction #angband #fanfic #Sauron gets some mentions

[avengerscompound]

Moving On - Chapter 3

Moving On: A Falcon & Captain Marvel Fanfic

Masterlist PREVIOUS //

Buy me a ☕ Character Pairing:  Sam Wilson x F!Reader, Carol Danvers x F! Reader

Word Count:  2003

Rating:  E

Warnings:  just a little canon complaint drama this chapter

Synopsis:  You thought Sam Wilson was the love of your life.  You had planned to do it all with him - marriage, kids, see the world.  Even when you’re life gets turned upside down, and you both end up international fugitives, he’s there by your side.

Then Thanos comes.

When Sam is one of the many turned to dust, leaving you alone and pregnant, you don’t think you’ll ever stop grieving.  Yet, everyone tells you that Sam would want you to move on and live your life - that he’d want you to be happy. Gradually you open your heart up to another.  Carol Danvers has lost people too.  First her daughter, then her wife.  As the two of you lean on each other, feelings grow and you move on together.

So what happens when Sam is returned to you?

Chapter 3: The Accords

When Sam had left on his mission to Lagos, you had been worried but not in a major way.  You had thought maybe he might come home bruised up or with a cracked rib.  The last thing you had expected was for a lapse in attention would allow Rumlow to detonate a block leveling amount of C-4, and that when Wanda had tried to contain it and it had taken out a floor of a building instead, she’d get the blame.

Still, while that was bad, it wasn’t something that you had thought would directly affect you.  It might mean there was some argument with governments about Wanda being in the custody of the Avengers and how training should be done to prevent things like that from happening again.  You were fairly sure the insurance policy the Avengers held for such things was going to be hit hard.  But for you and Sam - life and love and wedding plans wouldn’t have been affected.

And then Tony Stark had shown up with General Thaddeus Ross.

Ross had dropped a bomb into the compound and run.  Not a literal bomb, but one that had the potential to be just as damaging.  The Sokovia accords had been dropped off - a document stating that any enhanced individual would have to register themselves with their country's government and the UN and provide them with biometrics as a way to keep tabs on them.  Along with that, anyone working for facilities such as SHIELD, SWORD, or the Avengers as operatives, and any of these enhanced individuals were unable to act on matters of security without the go-ahead from their countries government or the UN.

While that didn’t change too much for you, according to the document, Sam’s wings counted as enhancements.  Steve Rogers and Wanda Maximoff were also both enhanced and would need to provide DNA to the government.   Wanda would be registered as a weapon of mass destruction.

It meant you and Sam had to decide what you wanted to do.  You knew there was no way Sam would sign.  He had already left the airforce, he wasn’t going back to working for the government again so soon.  Especially not with the added condition of registering humans with them.  You also knew he was unlikely to stop fighting - it just wasn’t in his nature.

Unfortunately, you didn’t have a chance to even talk about it before Sam was out the door again.

“Look,” Sam said as he got his best suit out of the closet.  “This is a big deal.  It kinda changes everything for us.  So maybe decide what you really want to do and what you’re okay with?  I mean… worst case scenario I could end up an international war criminal.”

“How likely is that though?”  You asked as you watched him zip the suit into a suit bag.

“I doubt it’s very likely but you gotta consider it, babe,” he said.  “I love you.  I want a life with you, but I don’t want you to end up resenting me because we end up on the run from the law together or something.”

“Right,” you said with a nod.  “You wouldn’t consider… I dunno… retiring?”

“Of course,” Sam said, moving on to the underwear drawer.  “And if these things go through and they make me sign, that’s what I’m gonna say I’m doing.  But you know me, I’m never gonna take some back seat when a big bad goes down.”

“No, I know,” you said.  “Me too.  You sure you don’t want me to come to this?”

Sam shook his head.  “This is Steve’s thing,” he said.  “I didn’t even know Peggy.  I’m gonna be there for him.  I’ll be back in a couple of days.  You think while I’m gone.”

“You know I’m just going to do whatever you do,” you said.  “Right?  I mean, the whole premise sounds a little -” you paused and rocked your hand back and forth “- the whole ‘registering people for being different’ thing?  And then to muzzle them and treat them as dangerous weapons.  It’s fucked up.  And besides.  You’re my man.  Where you go, I go.”

He smiled and came over and kissed your forehead.  “I’m your man, huh?”

“Mm-hmm… my fine man,” you hummed.

He laughed and touched the tip of your nose with his finger.  “Stop trying to distract me, woman.  I’ve got a funeral to go to.”

“Alright, alright,” you said, zipping up his bag.  “You’ll call me when you get there?”

He kissed your forehead again.  “Of course.”

You grabbed his t-shirt before he could pull away and dragged him down into a deep kiss.  He hummed softly and caressed your jaw, before pulling back and grabbing his bag.  “You think on it.  Okay?  No rash decisions.”

You agreed you would and watched him leave, not realizing how this was the point where everything would change.

You had been watching the news in your room when the word about the attack on the UN at the Vienna International Centre.  It hadn’t taken you long to realize if the number one suspect was James Barnes that Steve would be quick to take after him.  Sam had been on the trail of the infamous Winter Soldier since the day you’d met him, there was no way that Steve would let anyone else bring him in.

You also knew that if Steve went, Sam would likely go too.  Not because Sam was Steve’s shadow, but because they both had their moral compasses so inline that they ended up having the same thoughts at the same time.

Which would mean they were breaking international law and that unlikely scenario where they would become fugitives was a little more likely than you thought.

You needed to contact him, but you knew it was dangerous.  You sent him a text.  The two of you had gotten into the habit of sending large groups of emojis with little messages hidden inside.  Most of the time they were for no reason.  There would be a string of eggplants and peaches and then a random egg and milk carton to let the other person know you needed eggs and milk.  It was a habit that was built out of the paranoia you had drilled into you as a spy.  If something happened and you need to message each other covertly, seeing a string of random emojis would at a passing glance just look like the cute-coupley thing you both always did.  It wouldn’t withstand any deep probing, but it would be enough to let each other know that one of you was in trouble or to go grab the burner phone and run.

You texted Sam a string of hearts in kiss emojis with an American flag, a bird, a jogging emoji, and a snowflake mixed in.

He texted back a similar string with a thumbs up in the mix.

You replied with the more sexual emojis, eggplants, peaches, the droplets, the tongue, and among them was the girl with the hand raised in the air.

Sam replied with the same only instead of the girl was a thumbs down.

Yes, they were going after James Barnes.  No, he didn’t want you to come.

You didn’t hear from Sam again for two days.  Two days that only seemed to make matters worse.

Steve had indeed tracked down Barnes, but so had just about everyone else.  It ended with a car chase through the streets of Romania where Steve, Sam, Barnes, and weirdly the new king of Wakanda had been arrested by Rhodey of all people.

Sam called you when they had been taken back to Germany.

“I know you’re antsy, baby,” Sam said.  “But you need to stay put.  Right now they’ve confiscated my wings and Cap’s shield, but we think we’ll be let go.  We went after Barnes.  He’s captured.  That’s it.  Slap on the wrist, don’t do it again, type of bullshit.  Worse comes to worst… well, it’s not the first time they’ve tried taking my wings off me, is it?”

“Sam!”  You yelped.  “This line…”

“I’m joking!  I’m joking!”  Sam said, holding his hands up in front of the screen.  You knew he wasn’t.

“Anyway…” Sam continued.  “I think Tony’s trying to talk Steve into signing the accords.  I dunno if he will or not.  Maybe just to keep the peace.  But there’s no way I’m going to.”

“I want to be there with you,” you pouted.  “I could help.”

“It’ll just make things messy,” Sam said.  “Trust me.  You’re better off there.  It’s not like I can get in any more trouble now Barnes is captured.”

He was wrong.

The next you heard Barnes had broken out and Sam and Steve had taken after him.  You received a text not long after the news broke with a series of hearts and a cellphone emoji.

You went to your closet, grabbed the burner phone, and went out for a run.  You were just leaving the perimeter of the compound when the burner rang.

“Sam?”  You said, pressing the phone to your ear.

“Yeah, baby,” Sam said.  “It’s me.  Did you hear?”

“They’re saying you’re on the run with Barnes,” you said. “Please tell me you were just recapturing him.”

Sam laughed.  “That was the idea,” he said.  “This shit is going deep and we need help.  There’s this guy - wanted to get to Barnes to find out about some other Super Soldiers and where they’re kept.  So now we might have a bunch of really psychotic super soldiers being released on the world by someone even more psychotic than they are.”

“Where are you?  What do you need me to do?”  You asked.

“I’m tempted to tell you to stay put,” Sam said.

“Sam, I’m not…”

“No, I know,” he said.  “But think about it.  You do this - you come after me and we’re fugitives.  We can’t go home.  All this talk of weddings and babies?  It’s not happening.  It’ll be you and me on the run from everywhere.  Best we can hope for is one day when we’re both too old to run we settle in some country that doesn’t extradite.”

“I heard Montenegro didn’t sign,” you half-joke.  “It looks pretty nice there.”

Sam laughed.  “See I was thinking Cape Verde.”

You let out a breath and smiled a little.  “Always thinking, you are.”

“You know it, baby,” Sam said.  “Now, Clint’s coming…”

“What?  But his family?”  You yelped.

“I know… but like you, you can’t tell him no,” Sam said.  “He’s going to grab Wanda.  When you get back, go to her, but say nothing.  Just a little girl’s bonding time.  Okay?  I’m sure Vizh will be hanging around her.  He always is.  Don’t leave her side even if they do make it clear that you’re third-wheeling.”

“Should I pack?”  You asked.

“No,” Sam said quickly.  “I’m even a little worried you grabbing the burner might be too much of a giveaway to what’s going on.”

“I did it while I changed into my jogging gear,” you said.  “Nabbed it with my heart rate monitor.”

“Good.  Well hopefully that covered that gorgeous ass of yours,” he said.  “But aside from deciding you want to hang with Wanda you’re not doing anything strange, okay?  Clint will get there and you go.  Tony’s an asshole, but not that big of an asshole, I don’t think he’d burn our things, so we’re gonna have to trust that the compound will act as our storage until this is sorted out.  If it ever is.”

“Okay,” you said with a sigh.

“I love you,” Sam said softly.  “You take care of yourself.”

“You too, Sammy,” you said.  “Don’t do anything dumber than you already have until I get there and can join in.”

Sam laughed.  “You got it.  I’ll see you soon.”

“Yeah.  See you.”

You disconnected the call and shoved it back behind your heart rate monitor and turned to run back to the compound.  You had a fight to prepare for.

//  NEXT

#sam wilson #carol danvers #sam wilson x reader #carol danvers x reader #falcon #captain marvel #falcon fanfic #captain marvel fanfic #fanfic #fanfiction #reader insert #moving on

[gamergirlshelby]

Alright so I got very bored so I am attempting to create another writing tool for anyone hoping to write for the bnha oc comeback.

This will go into detail explaining each of the students, and teachers' quirk types, and how each characters' physical form is effected by it.

If any of the original creator's of the characters find any details that need to be corrected please let me know.

Now without further adieu, the writings will be under the read more:

Quirk Types

There are three types of Quirks according to the My Hero Academia wiki, along with one known sub-type. I will be paraphrasing the explanations from the wiki, so if you are interested the full descriptions can be found here.

First there is the Emitter type. The Emitter type allows the user to control "emissions". These emissions are basically external elements that the quirk user can control, whether these elements are external or are created by the quirk user. Where the emissions come from is different depending on the quirk.

Second there is the Transformation type. The Transformation type is a type of quirk can alter the quirk users different features, sometimes enhancing features, sometimes removing or adding features. Transformation type quirks require a lot of concentration to stay active. It is also important to note that transformation types can only effect the user, and no external forces.

Third there is the Mutant type. The Mutant type is one of the few types that could have been awakened since the birth of the quirk user. How Mutant types work is that they give the user a more complex abilities. It is also the most common quirk type to be passed down due to it being caused by a change in genetics. The best example that I can use here is how Tokoyami has a bird like head, but it does not inherently effect how his quirk, Dark Shadow, works. Mutant types also can not be "turned off" or stopped in any way, being forced to always be active.

Then lastly, there is the only known sub-type as of writing this, the Accumulation type. I'm going to use the wiki definition for this type because it is short and simple, so I thought it fit well. "Accumulation-type Quirks are powers that, in order to function properly, require the user accumulate something ahead of time, such as power, energy, mass, or a particular resource. Some such Quirks are One For All, Stress, Rewind, Fa Jin, and Fat Absorption." Nobody in either class seems to have this quirk type, but it is important to bring up since it is one of the more impactful types in the show, since One for All falls into this category.

I will be using colored text to help show what each student and teacher's quirk type, but I will not be coloring the text for quirk types that do not corelate with the characters.

Class 1-X

Osamu Sato (@dantelionwishes)

First off we have Osamu Sato, Class 1-X's homeroom teacher. Sato has an Emitter type, because he is able to create the emission out of his own saliva that can work as a stimulant. But because of issues from Sato's past, he chooses to act as if he is quirkless.

Moa Fuwa (@you-may-call-me-meme)

Moa Fuwa has two quirks, one being her main quirk Pressure Control. According to Moa's bio, Pressure Control, which she inherited from her father, which allows her to move objects over a certain distance , solidify objects, and even strengthen an object's gravitational pull. This quirk can be classified as an Emitter since it does not rely on the user needing to be transformed or on any physical mutations. Next is the quirk that she inherited from her mother, giving her traits that would resemble a sheep. This quirk would be classified as a Mutant due to it inherently being a part of her physical appearance.

Hibiki Manami (@3080-manami-hibiki)

Hibiki's quirk is quite clearly a Mutant type due to it appearing to never be able to turn off, and significantly changing her physical appearance.

Burai Banzai (@buraibanzai)

Burai is actually almost threw me off, so I'm glad I've been reading over the character bios, but Burai actually has a Transformation type quirk. This is because Burai's quirk allows him to transfrom some of his cells into electricity, making it a Transformation type.

Amorette Calhoun (@napstennoji)

Amorette is another tough case, but I think she would be an Emitter type. This is because she is able to control an outside force, being able to increase her opponents dopamine or norepinephrine.

Akihiko Arakan (@captainbaeremy)

Okay, so it is common knowledge that Akihiko does not have a quirk, but I did want to point out that he is still very competent, being able to make it into the Hero Course and passing the practical exam, which for those unfamiliar consists of the possible hero course students of having to beat robots and gain points for the different robots they destroy. So even though Akihiko is quirkless, I would argue he is probably one of the strongest students between classes 1-X and 1-Y combined.

Michiko Watanabe (@residentquirksupport)

Michiko's quirk is an Emitter type, because it is an emission that boosts the quirks of others. Michiko also has a small Mutant being the suits under her eye that would change under her eye depending on how she is feeling.

Makoto Shiba (@dantelionwishes)

Makoto is a bit hard to place because of how it inherently works. I think it is safe to assume that it is not an Emitter type. It is hard to tell if Makoto is primarily a Transformation type or a Mutant type. Makoto is most certainly at least a Mutant type due to her... virtual appearance? I would also argue that their quirk can work as a Transformation type because she is able to transform to get into whatever piece of electronics she would need to get into.

Jiro Yukimura (@zer0-10)

Jiro is very simple to identify, being an Emitter type, due to being able to make the emissions of his slime from his mouth.

Taishiro Watanabe (@angrymemesandicecreams)

Taishiro is also pretty easy to identify, with him being primarily an Emitter type, due to his control over the way time effects someone. Taishiro also has a small Mutant type quirk, being his eyes. I'm not gonna count the black gradient on Taishiro's arms and legs as a part of the mutation, since it seems that it is more connected to the Emitter part of his quirk.

Jetsam Kisa (@jetsam-kisa)

Jetsam is an Emitter type, with the emission being the pollutants from his mouth. Jetsam also has a small Mutant type quirk being the purple pigment to his skin, but I am not 100% sure if this is a side effect from the Emitter part of his quirk or not.

Edit: Thanks to jetsam-kisa for telling me some of the details about Jetsam's Mutant type quirk. How it works is that Jetsam's eyes are able to see shapes in the fog, helping him get through it. Jetsam's mutation is also visually noticeable through the eyes, with Jetsam having a black sclera and an off-white iris and pupil.

Tsutsumi Natsumi (@glitchviper)

Tsutsumi is probably one of the most clear-cut answers. Tsutsumi is a Transformation type, having the whole concept be that she transforms to a form where she is a lot faster and stronger.

Edit: Thanks to glitchviper for pointing this out to me, but Tsutsumi actually also has a Mutant type quirk that overlaps with her Transformation type quirk. Tsutsumi's Mutant type quirk is visible in her "regular form", the mutation being her horns and her yellow eyes. Tsutsumi also has the ability to move through shadows. When Tsutsumi transforms her mutation becomes more prominent, and enhancing her abilities allowing her to manipulate shadows.

Aito Takao (@korissideblog)

Aito is another student that has two quirks because he had inherited both of her parents quirks, and they did not overlap with each other of fuse together, becoming two separate quirks for Aito. Aito's charm is an Emitter type due to it not impacting his physical appearance, and not requiring Aito to transform in order to activate. Aito also has a Mutant type quirk that she inherited from his mother, being her demon like horns and tail.

Edit: I mixed up the specific inheritance details so I fixed that.

Rin Tsukikage (@kamiart)

Rin is an Emitter type, because she absorbs energy from moonlight and uses it as she sees fit.

Edit: Thanks to the-heartbeat-hero for pointing out that Rin would also likely be an Accumulative type since she needs to accumulate the moonlight (which I also briefly brought up in the original version of the bio) in order to use it with her quirk.

Hiroharu Aki (@compoundhero)

Hiroharu is also a little tough to say, but I think his quirk would be identified as a Transformation type. The quirk type is a little hard to identify since Hiroharu does transform, but it could also be argued that the quirk uses emissions. But sense, from my general knowledge, Hiroharu would transform himself, I think it fits more as a Transformation type and not a Emitter type

Kiku Miyagawa (@cryptidanaphafsi)

Kiku's original lore page actually gives a lot of helpful details, making the designation of Kiku's quirk type to be very easy. Kiku's primary quirk, Grim Voice, is an Emitter type. Next is Kiku's smaller Mutant type being her grey skin, white hair, and piercing eyes.

Sumiye Gemu (@smol-hibiscus)

Sumiye is in a weird grey area when it comes to what her quirk type is. This is because she seems to have an Emitter type because she can transport items from games, but she also seems to be a Transformation type because her whole appearance changes each time she goes into a game, so it's hard to give a specific label to her quirk.

Tamashi Yoken (@eldritch-whispers)

Tamashi has an Emitter type quirk because she is able to use his quirk to read other people's emotions, and use their quirk in a way that could effect other's emotions.

Ayume Hikkido (@onibony)

Ayume has an Emitter type quirk, allowing her to convert glucose and blood sugar into special physical candies that can work as barriers or traps.

Edit: Thanks to the-heartbeat-hero for pointing out that Ayume would be an Accumulative type because she would need to accumulate the glucose in order to properly use it to create the barriers and traps.

Carlos Cordova (@pokeracer93)

Carlos has a Mutant type quirk, due to how he has permanent robot features and abilities, that he can not turn off due to how Mutant types commonly effect Mutant type quirk users..

Jimin Kim (@art-is-drawing)

Jimin's quirk type is actually listed in their bio, being a Mutant type quirk, which is shown by Jimin having a lizard-like appearance and abilities.

Class 1-Y

Pro Hero Miss Me (@dantelionwishes)

Ok this is going to need some explaining, but Miss Me is most certainly a Mutant type. I had to do a little bit of research, looking through Miss Me related posts to see how exactly her quirk works, and I think I have a good idea. But from information I learned here, it seems like Miss Me's quirk is actually just a mutation of the average persons instincts and reactions over injuries, allowing her to move fast enough to avoid any injuries that physically attack her.

Boni Mizumi (@flowersinorbs)

Boni is another character with two quirks. First is her primary quirk is an Emitter type, allowing her to create special orbs that can have a large variety of effects. Then is a small Mutant quirk that gives her some demon like features like small horns and a tail.

Momo Neko (@lintulady)

Momo has a small Mutant type quirk that gives her cat ears and a tail, as well as having a Transformation type Quirk that allows her to transform into a cat.

Mao Amai (@greyciees)

Mao has an Emitter type quirk that allows her to change the chemical composition of objects with her saliva.

Konekomaru Yoshino (@you-may-call-me-meme)

Konekomaru has a Mutant type quirk giving him the physical features and abilities of a cat.

Evan Satoru (@no1-horror-hero)

Evan has a Transformation type quirk, allowing him to transform his body into different eldritch-like ways.

Mitsumi Togan (@shinindiamond)

Mitsumi seems to have primarily a Transformation type quirk because of how she is able to transform her skin into a diamond-like substance, but she also appears to have a small Mutant Quirk causing her hair to constantly be made of this substance as well.

Ikuto Maekawa (@the-heartbeat-hero)

Edit: the-heartbeat-hero had brought up some details about Ikuto's quirk that I felt the need to redo his description, and since the-heartbeat-hero is still working out some of the details, I will likely edit this to be more accurate once the details are all set-in-stone. Ikuto has an Emitter type quirk that allows him to slowdown the heartbeat of others, but not himself.

Tokiya Iori (@skiduffle)

Tokiya has an Emitter type quirk due to how they are able to control how he and others are effected by the passage of time.

Yori Hayashi (@beetroot-bot)

Yori has an Emitter type quirk because she is able to transfer their injuries to others as well as transfer other's injuries to herself.

Edit: Alright thanks to beetroot-bot for pointing this out, but Yori stockpiles injuries, so that would make her an Accumulative type.

Kabane Higanbana (@imminent-soup)

Kabane has a Mutant type quirk because of the nature of his physical form being that of a zombie at all times.

Hina Mumei (@plutoeater)

Hina primarily has a Mutant type quirk that gives her physical features that resembles a moth, and an Emitter type that allows her to create a special dust from her wings that can cause dizziness, vomiting, hives, or even just a stuffy nose.

Kiyoko Hagane (@cosmic-goof)

Kiyoko is a Transformation type quirk, allowing her to transform parts of her body using metal she has consumed.

Jaye Rokuto (@zer0-10)

Ok, Jaye is probably the hardest to identify what his quirk type would be. I think the best fit for Jaye is an Emitter type, because although he does in a way "transform" by creating different clones, but because splitting apart while holding objects, living or not, also causes the duplication of those objects, by definition making it not a Transformation type.

Kurumi Yamashita (@nightseeye)

Kurumi is another character with two quirks that do not interact with each other. First is Kurumi's Emitter type quirk, allowing them to control and grow a variety of plants. Second is Kurumi's Mutant type quirk, giving them the look of a skeleton..

Doku Heiwa (@dokuheiwa)

Doku has an Emitter type quirk, which allows her to create poisonous gas and acidic saliva.

Tano Hoshizawa (@zedthebuggy)

Tano has an Emitter type quirk allowing him to create clouds of sparks in the air.

Naga Murasaki (@murasaki-naga)

Naga has a Mutant type quirk, making it so she can can stick to surfaces when activated and stretch parts of her body.

Murasaki Nendo (@genuinefauxthought)

Murasaki has a Mutant type quirk that causes her body to be consistently changing when experiencing pressure.

Hikari Kamino (@dantelionwishes)

Hikari has a Transformation type quirk, which activates when she "dies" changing into what I have been referring to as her Phoenix form, gaining the ability to create fire on her own.

Tsuki Hashimoto (@art-gally)

Tsuki has an Emitter type quirk along with a Mutant type quirk. Tsuki's Mutant type has it so her arms are separated from her body, being able to hover on their own, and these arms, along with her legs, are able to create the emission of strong blasts, like a rocket launcher.

Number of Each Quirk Type

Class 1-X

Emitter: 13

Transformation: 5

Mutant: 11

Accumulative: 2

Class 1-Y

Emitter: 11

Transformation: 5

Mutant: 10

Accumulative: 0

Both Class 1-X and Class 1-Y

Emitter: 24

Transformation: 10

Mutant: 21

Accumulative: 0

#bnha oc comeback #class 1 x #class 1 y #skiduffle #long post #I originally had all of the characters tagged but tumblr decided to Thanos snap half of them so #I apologize for the inconvenience #I was working on and off on this for the past 2 days so I hope that this was a nice read for those of you that read through to the end #I know I enjoyed writing it all at least #I made sure to do my research so this would be as accurate as possible #Also I am so annoyed at myself that this is the first thing I did for class 1-x #so i am hoping i will do some small interaction doodles between Tokiya and some of the class #alright thats it for this post #i need to take a break lol

[astheroid]

A Friend’s Confession

Randomly generated stories: in which Honi attempts to cure her writer’s block with a random word generator and character wheel.

Plot words: escape, platform, negotiation, trivial, public

Character: Oikawa Tooru

Genre: Fluff (enemies to kind-of lovers)

Word count (not including texts): 2,420

You sighed, head down on your desk. School was a nightmare, and there was a dull throb forming in between your eyes. The asshole behind you wasn’t helping, either.

“Y/N! Y/N, hey.”

You buried your head further into your arms. Luckily, your teacher was too busy playing Candy Crush at his desk to pay attention, so you could get away with slacking off. As of right now, you attempted to escape the hellhole that is 7th period social studies.

“Y/N, I’m being serious. Please.” You lifted your head to glare at the boy behind you.

“Not the right time, Trashykawa.” He grinned.

“When is the right time, considering you’ve told me that every single day since our first year?”

“Never.” You were back to resting your head on your desk, too tired to deal with him.

“Like actually. I talk to one of your friends once and you’re dead-set on hating me.” He said, tapping your desk with his pencil.

“Yeah, ‘cause you’re an ass.” He let out a soft huff and you swear you can hear his frown.

“That’s not very nice.”

“Mhm, I don’t care. Please shut up.” His chair creaked.

“Fine.”

You were rudely awoken by the shrill screaming of the school bell. As you sluggishly zipped up your backpack, shoving your half-finished notes into your binder, you felt an irritating presence loom over your shoulder.

“My day’s been shitty already, I don’t need you bothering me right now.” His shadow wilted a bit.

“Kind of rude, don’t you think?” He replied snarkily. “I’m just trying to talk to you.”

“Why do you need to talk to me?” You were packed and ready to go, but Oikawa was blocking your way.

“I want you to watch our practice. The Aoba Johsai Volleyball Club hasn’t had enough spectators recently.” He grinned. You scoffed.

“Yeah, no. Now get out of my way.” He shook his head. After a few seconds of wondering whether you should punch him or not, you decided to shove him out of the way and continue walking. Right before you could, however, he sighed.

“Look, I really need you to be there. It’s important.” You grimaced.

“Why? I don’t want to watch sweaty man-children hitting a ball back and forth.”

He snorted. “I don’t need to tell you.”

“Ok, then I’m not going.” You tried to side-step him, but he blocked your path once again. You pushed your hair behind your ear with a frustrated sigh.

“Let’s make a deal. Have a negotiation, if you will.” You raised your eyebrows as he continued speaking. “Someone on the team likes you, and I-” he ran a hand through his hair, “am the one assigned to be their wingman. Come to this practice and I’ll tell you who afterwards.”

You considered it. “Are you sure they like me?”

He held up a peace sign. “I wouldn’t be here if they didn’t.”

You shook your head lightly. “Fine. Fine, I’ll go with you.”

He beamed. “Great! You won’t regret it.”

Following him out the door, you grumbled “Of course I won’t…”

As soon as you entered the gym, Oikawa pulled a flustered Iwaizumi to the side and whispered something in his ear. Iwaizumi nodded and shot you a wide-eyed glance before turning to address the rest of the team.

‘Oh. So it’s probably Iwaizumi then, huh. This is… good, actually. Not what I expected, but good.’

You had a few classes with Iwaizumi, but you’d never really spoken to him (save for a few times he’d dropped his pencil under your desk in Language Arts). Sitting on one of the lower bleachers, you examined the boys on the team.

There was Oikawa, of course, with his side-swept hair that looked kind of like a walnut. Despite his snobbish attitude and annoying persistence, he was kind of attractive and his volleyball skills were impressive. You smiled when Iwaizumi hit him in the back with a volleyball. Iwaizumi. In your opinion, he was the best out of all of them. Short, dark hair and muscular arms with a stern attitude. You especially appreciated how he made fun of Oikawa.

Hanamaki and Matsukawa were cool too. You’d seen them around and always thought they were pretty funny. Kyotani was a bit scary, but not too bad-looking. Yahaba was hard to judge, but he seemed pretty nice. You wouldn’t mind if any of them had a crush on you. Except for Oikawa, of course. He was the only one you couldn’t stand.

Time passed quickly with very few interruptions. The most interaction you got with the team was a few side glances and some waves (and Oikawa winking at you, but you returned the favor by glaring at him).

You made idle conversation with the team manager as you waited for them to leave the locker room.

The Great King™ and his entourage arrived shortly, chattering away as they approached. Oikawa smiled and you made a noise of disgust.

“Heyo! Are you down to take a walk around town later?”

“Absolutely not. If you’re not gonna tell me what you promised you would,” you emphasized, “I’m leaving your bitch ass and never talking to you again.” Makki and Mattsun burst out laughing at Oikawa’s offended face.

“Dude-” Makki hiccuped, “you just got completely shut down.” They doubled over wheezing, and Iwaizumi shook his head in disappointment.

Oikawa narrowed his eyes at you. “Well I can’t tell you here,” he said, waving at the gym, “said person is present. If it makes you feel better, Iwa-chan can come too.”

“I never agreed to that.” Iwaizumi said, eyebrows furrowed.

“Oh come on, it’s just for like two hours!” Oikawa pleaded, turning to look at his friend. “If you come I’ll do your clean-up two turns in a row..”

Iwaizumi looked at you and then Oikawa, contemplating his options. “Fine.” he grumbled. “You better not make me late for dinner, though.”

You stared at them. “I still haven’t agreed, you know.”

“If you go with us, I’ll tell you and even maybe set you up.” Oikawa wiggled his eyebrows and you groaned.

“Let me think about this first, I need to decide if it’s worth it or not.”

He nodded and you walked out of the gym, glad to be free of the stuffy air.

Sitting down on a bench, you weighed your options carefully.

Agree to go with them and find out who has a crush on you, but be forced to spend time with the one person you genuinely dislike

Or

Deny the offer and have wasted your time at his practice

Your thoughts were interrupted by Oikawa, who was tapping his foot impatiently next to you. “Are you done now?”

You stood up. “Yeah. I guess I’m going with you, but if you cheat me out of my answer or pull anything, I’m punching you and leaving.”

“I won’t, I swear on Iwa-chan’s inevitable beating-of-my-ass.” Oikawa promised, putting his hand over his heart.

“You still haven’t told me what this deal is about…” Iwaizumi muttered, trailing behind you as Oikawa excitedly led the way into town.

It took 30 minutes and an awkward bus ride before you arrived at your desired location. It was a part of town you usually avoided due to the mass amounts of schoolgirls (in your experience, every teenager attracted to men simped for the guy you were currently standing next to). Although quite populated, you had to admit it was nice.

The trees swayed gently in the breeze, and the murmuring of shoppers drowned out Oikawa and Iwaizumi’s trivial bickering. You were led into multiple stores by the boys, trying in vain to switch the topic to your secret admirer. Oikawa dodged the questions and Iwaizumi tuned out of the conversation before disappearing entirely.

You looked around, suddenly all-too aware of Iwaizumi’s lack of presence as Oikawa dragged you into another shop. “Where’s Iwaizumi?”

Oikawa looked at you, and then at your surrounding area. His eyes widened. “Uhhh… I don’t know?” He offered sheepishly. You grimaced.

“We need to look for him.”

“Why? We’re having so much fun.” Oikawa teased. “Iwa-chan’s responsible, he probably just went home.”

“It couldn’t hurt to at least text him. I don’t want to watch Iwaizumi yell at you for losing him in public.”

He shrugged and pulled out his phone. “That would be quite embarrassing.”

He scrolled for a bit and then showed you texts Iwaizumi had sent around fifteen minutes ago, explaining that he was getting bored and went home. “See? Told ya so.” You rolled your eyes.

“Ok, so now that that’s out of the way, can you tell me who has a crush on me?”

“Hmm… maybe later. Let’s keep shopping.” He said with a smile. You weren’t so amused.

“You literally promised to do it after your practice, but you dragged me on an hour-long shopping trip and refuse to tell me. You haven’t even bought anything!”

“All things come with time.” His tone was serious, but the mischievous smile on his face was not. You shook your head and decided to walk away.

“Wait!!” He called after you, speed-walking to catch up. “I’ll tell you, I swear. Just be patient.” You didn’t take this well.

“I’ve been patient for three hours. Tell me or I’m leaving.” You don’t know why you haven’t left already.

“Just do one thing for me, and I’ll tell you, alright?” You glared at him suspiciously.

“What do you want me to do?”

He waved at the shelf behind him, populated with plushies of all kinds. “Pick one!”

You stood there, confusion and suspicion mixing in the pit of your stomach. “What?”

“I said pick one. I’ll pay.”

“Why?”

“It’ll be a nice gift for your secret admirer, don’t ya think?” He beamed, prodding at one that vaguely resembled a duck.

You nodded, still suspicious. After around a minute of browsing, you picked up a small stuffie. He hummed in approval, plucking it from your hands.

“Off to the cash register! Don’t get lost now, you’ve almost discovered my secret.”

You waited in silence as he talked to the cashier cheerily. Despite his demeanor, you noticed his hands shaking when he took the bagged animal. He must have check-out anxiety.

Oikawa reached out to you, looking at you for approval. You shrugged your consent and he patted you on the head while slipping the bag into your hands. “C’mon, let’s get out of the store. I can’t properly confess someone else’s feelings to you in a place with so many people.” You followed him out, noting how he fidgeted with the edge of his shirt.

He led you through an intricate maze of pathways, adorned with soft pink trees and flowering bushes. You made a few snide remarks about how far he was going for someone else’s confession and he replied with teasing gestures of his own. The air, now slightly colder, carried the smell of spring.

At the end of the many paths he had led you down was a small pavilion made of old (slightly musty) wood. The raised platform had a border of carefully carved patterns and a few potted plants on the side. The trees filtered light in an intricate pattern, highlighting the natural themes. There were a few benches near the outside, moss-covered and looking like they had been popped out of a storybook. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), there was no one there but you two. It was the ideal place for a confession.

You stood in the center as Oikawa brushed his hands through his hair and fumbled for words.

“So… you’re probably wondering who’s crushing on you.”

“Yeah, duh. That’s why I’m here.”

“Right.” He muttered meekly. “Anyways, uh… you know what? I’m just gon- I’m just gonna go for it.” He took a deep breath. “It’s me. I like you. I know you kinda hate me and that kinda sucks, but I wanted to prove that maybe I can be okay sometimes. It’s like totally fine if you don’t feel the same way and everything, but do you maybe want to get to know each other better? And you can keep the stuffed animal. That was for you anyways.” He paused at the end of his rant, blushing profusely. “So, yeah. Um. That’s it.” You just stared at him, mouth slightly parted in shock.

This was the last thing you’d expected. Before, when Iwaizumi left, you thought it would be weird for him to avoid the person he liked. Because of that, you figured it was someone else on the team. Or Oikawa was lying to you as some sort of cruel joke. Never in your 18 years of living did you ever think Oikawa Tooru could be attracted to you. And you didn’t think you could ever bring yourself to like him, either.

He was annoying and stubborn and pushed all the wrong buttons, but during his practice you couldn’t help but notice how he gave such specific praise and advice. You’d heard of his infamous rejections, due to him having tons of confessions daily, but he never left his fangirls crying. Despite his playboy attitude, he took the time to let them down easy and encourage them to go for someone else. His sarcasm and jokes were well-planned and rarely had sinister intentions (save for when Ushijima or Kageyama came around, his disdain for them was barely concealed).

All in all, he wasn’t the worst. And he was most definitely the prettiest guy to ever show interest in you. You couldn’t be completely sure of anything, though.

“Do you actually like me?” You asked.

He gasped. “How dare you assume I don’t! Of course I like you, I wouldn’t lie about something this important.” Behind his joking, you could see the glimmers of sincerity peeking through.

“Okay then. Uh, I don’t really know you all that well because… y’know I’ve hated you for a long time, but maybe we could be friends. I want to know you before we like, date and all that stuff.” He nodded eagerly.

“Sure! I kind of expected that, to be honest.” His eyes were lighting up and he bounced back on his heels a little. “Thanks for tolerating me today.” He winked and you sighed, but you couldn’t stop a small smile from making its way onto your face.

“Yeah, yeah. Want to exchange phone numbers so you can convince me you’re not the worst person I’ve ever met?”

“Gladly.”

This was actually really fun OvO my original plan was to write an enemies-to-lovers Oikawa story for my close friend @calicocatwrites (who coincidentally hates Oikawa lmao), but I got stuck on the plot so I used random words to form one :D I think I’ll write some more stories like this eventually. And this is my 100th post, woo!!

#haikyuu!! #haikyū!! #✎ lost memories #haikyu x reader #haikyuu fluff #hq oikawa #oikawa scenarios #oikawa x y/n #oikawa hcs #oikawa tōru #haikyuu oikawa #oikawa fluff #oikawa x reader #oikawa torū #oikawa tooru #oikawa headcanons #oikawa toru x reader #oikawa fic #oikawa imagine #honicup randomly generated stories