#the indomitable human spirit etc etc

[wyllzel]

should i watch rop 😭 ive heard so many things... i don't want to see my silm faves in shambles 😭 but i also want to judge for myself...

#i heard celebrimbor is crusty #and maedhros doesnt have his LITERALLY iconic red hair THAT HE WAS NAMED AFTER #and elrond & galadriel's characterizations are questionable #like ive literally heard nothing good LOL #except the diverse casting 👌👌 #i stand by doriath being east asian 😢🙏 #missing him (túrin) #the indomitable human spirit etc etc #chelle.txt #i know some ppl were mad about the elves not having long hair too 😢 #at first i was like ehh that's just an aesthetic thing but like #its also a pretty big part of how tolkien wrote elvish culture #like lúthien chopping her hair off to save beren was a big moment bc elves traditionally keep their hair long #so like. :/ wigs are a thing #ok i give in i will maybe try the pilot lol #my 2nd age knowledge is rusty at best but

[transgenderboobs]

despite everything, i am still thinking about martin blackwood's boobs 😌

#the human spirit is indomitable etc etc #tma #loverboy wordz #i actually have the url martinblackwoodsboobs saved but it's SAUR long i hesitate to use it

[batgirlteeth]

its often played as a joke in media when non-human characters are obsessed with human culture and idolise the lives of humans the same way we idolise the lives of fantasy races. "Oh, to be a dashing Business Man doing my 9-to-5 and Driving on the Road in my Car to my Home and Wife to do my Taxes" and we all chuckle a bit.

but the reality is that like. we already inject all of the best humanisms into fantasy races. language, art, philosophy, community, hope. if a fish desperately wanted to be human, it would wish for legs for dancing to step in time with its friends. it would wish for fingers to pluck the strings of an instrument and make up its own song. it doesnt have to be good. it just has to be their's. it would wish for a throat for speaking whispered words of affection and lips for stealing a brush of a kiss.

i dunno. we put so much of humanity into fantasy races that i think we forget what makes us so special.

#the cold cruelty of the universe when the indomitable human spirit walks into the room etc etc #cherie chitters

[transgavin]

Another reason one why I love Andor and this kind of Star Wars media (though I never thought I would, I adore the prequels era) is that it’s not about the Jedi. It’s not even about the force.

It’s about ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Normal people who under different circumstances, would be living a normal life, but under pressure and through sheer force of will, they rise up against evil and oppression. With no guarantee they will ever see the reward. But they keep pushing back anyway to see a better world, to save the people they love, to save themselves, to say enough is enough. Evil can never prosper for long in a world where hope exists.

#I LOVE YOU ANTI FASCIST MEDIA #andor #ITS ABOUT FAMILY ITS ABOUT LOVE ITS ABOUT KINDNESS AND THE INDOMITABLE HUMAN SPIRIT ETC #Star Wars

[dizzygrizzlies]

fuck it i’m making a tag for things that make me happy to exist among humans. misanthrope vs the indomitable human spirit

i have absolutely nothing against alterhumans who hold disdain for humanity, by the way, because i KNOW with my entire being that it comes from a place of hurt. i don’t necessarily agree with it either — but like.. i think you need to think about it a little harder.

because you say you hate humans and you always only ever mean the selfish and the bigoted and the 1%. turn your eyes away from western society and the inherent, deeply rooted scourges of evangelicalism and capitalism and see that there IS hope. you will never be at peace with the world you live in otherwise

and guess what? you NEED to occupy yourself with politics even if only superficially because you CANNOT criticize the selfishness of this race while proclaiming ‘neutrality’. silence is oppressive. study forms of anarchy.. if you think that’s a scary word, look into relationship anarchy, mindfulness, etc. you probably already practice it and have no idea. become a naturalist. study your local flora and fauna. get your ass on iNaturalist and Zooniverse! engage in citizen science!! BE the change you want to see and COMMIT TO IT.

it gets better. but you know you actually have to put in the work to get there

#txt #anthropic #alterhuman #alterhumanity #therian #otherkin #nonhuman #therianthropy #misanthropy #misanthrope

[rovingotter]

I don't actually think there was AI involved in the creation of Wish, or at least, not in the writing or the song lyrics or anything like that. Studios generally use AI to save money, and this movie had a huge budget. Overinflated, even. Why would they bother to pay all these people if they were just going to use AI?

I definitely get why people think that though, because the movie has a vibe that is simultaneously generic and very strange and dreamlike in the way that AI-generated stuff sometimes is.

This is a movie with Care Bears physics. This is a movie where people defeat the antagonist by singing about how indomitable their spirits are and making their chests glow. It seems like it should feel so over-the-top as to be enjoyable, yet somehow, the moment falls flat.

I think that vibe is also just what you get, though, when there are too many people and too many conflicting visions and interests involved and the thing has gone through too many rewrites.

I can't find it now but I saw a post recently on how Disney didn't really pick a "direction" with Magnifico, villain-wise, and showed a bunch of other villains who did have a clear "direction": there's the classic Maleficent-style villain who knows she's the bad guy and is comfortable with it, there's the tragic sympathetic antagonist like Abuela, there's the goofy, catty, wisecracking villain like Hades, etc.

I think Disney ultimately couldn't decide what direction they wanted to go with him and tried to do it all, and as a result, almost by accident, he feels like the most complex character. The way he's presented is inconsistent, but it kind of gels into someone who (for me, at least) feels like a real person, with all the messiness and contradictions of a real person. And he's polarizing because of that. As with real people, how you see him depends on what facet of him you home in on.

Similarly, Asha sort of feels like what you might get if you put every Disney protagonist into a blender. She's "adorkable" but also a badass but also big-hearted and sweet, she's a rebel but also just wants to make people happy, she has a dead parent, she has an "I want" song that is about as vague as can be (she wants "something more than this"), and she vibes with the forest creatures. But she doesn't quite gel into a real-feeling human in the same way. There are people who love her or hate her but for the most part the reaction to her seems to be "meh."

I think she does have the ingredients for being a real character, and maybe there's some incarnation of her in earlier drafts who is, which makes the end result feel kind of tragic.

#disney wish #wish 2023 #artificial intelligence #king magnifico #disney villains #princess asha

[seasurfacefullofclouds1]

Only Louis Tomlinson can have a career based on just his person alone. No other person can be blacklisted the way he has been and still have the courage to not give a fuck and be positive about people and his future.

The others can win 50 Grammys but they would never have the same sense of achievement as the one who knows that everything he has achieved is truly based on his indomitable spirit without ever being a cringe on tiktok or licking the azoff boots. How unfortunate for Harry, he now is beholden to that family for the rest of his life. He can have all the money in the world but will have to show up anywhere they want at anytime to kiss the ring.

Harry’s money is entirely tied up in venues, shared businesses, contacts etc. with his manager. He’s enormously wealthy and famous, and probably very happy he’s gotten everything they promised and more.

They say winners write the history books, and Harries certainly brag of winning.

But the story hasn’t ended yet, and I bet HSHQ is also surprised at where Louis has ended up.

Mostly, this is because of one factor: Louis Tomlinson himself.

Louis alone pushed on. He had the idea for the London Livestream. He thought up the Away From Home Festival. He did his work during the pandemic shutdown. He gave us a 20-song sophomore album, which was leaps beyond the first. He made AOTV. He created the global premieres.

Louis met with graphic designers and had the thematic ideas for stage design and merch. Louis decides the aesthetic. He is the brains behind the superior graphic designs. Louis articulates the LT philosophy. Louis engages a hostile media with intelligence and humor. Louis unites a fractured, fractious, and sometimes immature fandom. He creates a community, and he embraces those who are often overlooked or underprivileged, those with the smallest voices. He encourages empathy, patience, persistence, and true kindness. He wants his fandom to think about and care for others, for those who are suffering, without expecting anything in return except our common humanity.

And Louis sets the example. He is the role model. It isn’t just talk with him, a song here and there, a trademarked motto or a hundred celebrity endorsements.

Louis’ compassion and charity are part of his life’s philosophy. He walks the walk. When Louis says, “Common People,” he means it as the highest compliment.

Louis sets the tone, and the fandom slowly, by millimeters, day by day, comes to understand that Louis isn’t “loud, loud, loud,” but steady, strong, principled, and beautifully resilient.

#louis tomlinson #harry styles

[d34thwurm3]

writing prompt?

we're all aware of the "indomitable human spirit," right? specifically in regards to aliens ("the stars are our birthright," "we were made in god's image not them," etc etc)? and how adrenaline is a powerful thing, especially in high stress/dangerous situations?

now, what if you had an especially diabolical alien species attempting to harvest adrenaline from humans by removing adrenal glands en masse and attempting to replicate it in their own biology?

just how would that play out for them, do you think?

(disclaimer: i am not a scientist so i have no idea if this is feasible. but food for author thoughts nonetheless)

#writing prompt #kind of #wurme thoughts

[kafus]

story update time! most of this is from yesterday when i was calling a friend on discord lmao. i got to celestic town and after talking to all the npcs i advanced the story

man cyrus really thinks in black and white huh. like there's either full balance with no change, or he has to rewrite the entire world in his ideal image or whatever. can very much see why his, essentially, cult recruitment works so well. it's bold and sounds noble and cuts out nuanced thought lol

at first i was slightly taken aback by the implication that change = bad at all, but after coming back to these screencaps i am pretty sure she means fundamental change with how the human spirit etc works, in reference to cyrus wanting to literally rewrite the universe and the mural of the lake trio behind everyone here

and of course his threat in this situation is the destruction of an ancient illustration of the deities he seeks to control and destroy. not only is that symbolic for obvious reasons but this is an adult man with supposedly more power than you (a child) and the elderly person next to you who is able to fuck up a cave wall with his pokemon or whatever. he's trying to intimidate you. i won of course btw lol

further confirming my thoughts earlier, cynthia's grandma goes on to say that sinnoh is filed with the memories and thoughts of countless people and pokemon... why would anyone want to change those memories or thoughts? the world IS wonderful actually. the indomitable human spirit etc. and pokemon spirit SSFDKSDFKS

anyways ty for the surf HM SDFKSFDKSFD i somehow forgot to take a picture of it but she mentions that the HM belonged to cynthia, but she doesn't use it anymore. i'm assuming this means cynthia either has all her surf users, has spare surf HMs, or literally just flies everywhere. regardless i just think that's cool. my surf HM is the one cynthia used once a long while back. Neat!

oh and last time i posted about story i made a joke about how nonchalant everyone is about terrorism but i forgot this dialogue happens after the encounter with cyrus in the cave LMAO i really wasn't wrong, that was intentional! cynthia says straight out that she thought they were harmless. everyone is treating galactic like delinquent teenagers spouting nonsense who aren't actual threats. especially after the bomb that went off in the great marsh caused little to no damage, i guess. sinnoh isn't routinely experiencing great threats of violence or threats of destabilizing the region.

after our conversation cynthia recommends me to go to canalave city to check out the library and whatnot, which i can now do because i have surf, but first here's the dialogue when interacting with the dialga and palkia murals. i just think it's neat

i did indeed visit the library and since it's been a while since i paid attention in here i actually re-read all the sinnoh myth books. i'm not going to show them as screenshots here since there's way too much text and i don't have interesting things to say about all of it, but all of their text is written out word-for-word here on Bulbapedia if you've never read them before and want to check them out

i do have a FEW stray thoughts though...

in "Sinnoh's Myth" about the lake trio it says:

Bearing with them the power to make vast lands, they rise again.

as far as i know this is the only time that the trio are referenced to have the power to "make vast lands" which feels kind of out of place. like these are the beings of knowledge, emotion, and willpower, not land sea and sky like the hoenn trio or something LOL this really just feels like a throwaway line without much meaning? perhaps you could interpret as them giving people the power to create land but that's a stretch. it is probably not that deep and just awkward writing tbh

in "Veilstone's Myth" it says:

Asked he, "Why do you hide?" To which the Pokémon replied... "If you bear your sword to bring harm upon us, with claws and fangs, we will exact a toll." "From your kind we will take our toll, for it must be done." "Done it must be to guard ourselves and for it, I apologize."

there is the interpretation that this is about Giratina since veilstone is the closest city to Turnback Cave where you can find giratina, and at the end of the myth it says "Seeing this, the Pokémon disappeared to a place beyond seeing..." which could be a reference to the distortion world. however, i think there's also a counter-argument to be had here since giratina is considered forgotten by sinnoh as a whole and later in the game cynthia remarks on how it is missing in the myths - she spends a good chunk of the game researching this in the background. so it'd be kinda weird if there was just something directly written about dialogue from giratina in the library.

HOWEVER that being said i think it's definitely still Possible and if it is true that this is about giratina, it puts giratina in a more sympathetic light. i jokingly call giratina Pokemon Satan a lot (in reference to him being the "evil" one as opposed to arceus, not an actual deep reference to christianity or the actual story of satan) but this frames giratina's actions as well intentioned or in self defense, which makes him a lot more interesting as a deity imo. personally i'm not sure whether i believe this is about giratina or not

lastly, while this is well known i still wanna talk about it, in "A Horrific Myth" it says:

Look not into the Pokémon's eyes. In but an instant, you'll have no recollection of who you are. Return home, but how? When there is nothing to remember? Dare not touch the Pokémon's body. In but three short days, all emotions will drain away. Above all, above all, harm not the Pokémon. In a scant five days, the offender will grow immobile in entirety.

this is pretty directly referencing uxie (knowledge), mesprit (emotion), and azelf (willpower) in that order. portraying the lake trio as dangerous and powerful entities that can literally wipe your memories or take away your emotions is interesting juxtaposition to them supposedly being the ones that blessed humans with the ability to feel joy, have memories, and do things... and not only that, they don't seem to want to use that dangerous power either, but it seems to be out of their control - uxie has its eyes always closed (so you can't look into its eyes), mesprit flees from you (that's why it's a roamer) and azelf is able to enter someone else's body (to avoid harm). they're probably so damn secluded in these lake caves so that they don't hurt anyone. they're good natured gods i suppose

sinnoh mythology is very cool and why i love this region so much but anyway i'm going to make a Gameplay Update post as well in a bit SDFKSF

#kiki was here #kiki.txt #kiki plays games #pt playthrough #long post

[be-the-glenn-to-my-maggie]

I don't know how, but some (very few, but still) people are legitimately saying that they'd rather go live on Pandora, a fictional place, rather than here on Earth. Worst of all, it's for all the wrong reasons.

"There's so much nature there!" Go outside, touch some grass, explore a bit. (That was really mean, sorry😓)

"The creatures there are so cool!" Have you seen half the shit we've got over here? Not to mention that most of the creatures there where, you know, inspired by real animals.

"I want to ride a pa'li/ Ikran/ ilu/ etc." First of all: ✨horse✨ second: me too man, me too. Worst part is, we almost had these, Earth did her best to give us cool mounts, unfortunately a big-ass rock fell and nerfed all future life by like half. (If you ask how we were going to actually tame dinos… well, where there's a will, there a way. As long as the indomitable human spirit to pet anything and everything still burns, the wish to hop onto its back and ride it into glorious battle will follow.)

Now, the worst offender yet:

"Tall, blue aliens hot🥴" Straight to horny jail with you, maximum sentence!

We've got our very own space marble people, with all kinds of wacky and cool Gooby Woobies, that's rare enough as it is.

Haha, I love the way you put this. I totally agree.

However, I know a lot of people who want to go to Pandora want to explore the world, nature, and all it has to offer with the freedom that this governess and currency free world has to offer. A lot of us would love to travel, or take the time to learn to ride horses, but we have obligations and we can't afford to. I would just suggest to ration time as best you can. If you are longing for Pandora, take a walk in your nearest forest and look up and listen. Watch some ants for a while. Even watch a nature documentary! Volunteer a couple hours to walk shelter dogs for your nearest shelter. We can find our little bits of freedom and nature as best we can.

#avatar #avatar the way of water #james cameron avatar #melissa's asks #melissa on avatar (cameron)

[meirimerens]

Meiri.... Humblest Meiri of blessed origin and wideness of mind.... I know your comms are not open Nyeow but I do have a question for if/when you open them again. Would you be willing to do a comm of a vtuber model (original, not-existing) and/or art for vtubing backgrounds/chat/etc?

being 100% depending on how bad the job search goes i might reopen them this summer. basically the deal is If i get a fulltime summer job you're not seeing commission until fall & if i don't Chances Are They're Reopening. we'll find out anyday now.

and i've never worked on vtuber models but as long as i don't have to do any of the rigging i can work on that 👍 & backgrounds/chat & the like as well. since it's not something i usually do we'd have to Discuss it some more but you know. doable 👍 the indomitable human spirit and all.

#giggled at this opening line as well i did. wideness of mind... mind so vast like them plains with the. horses on it etc #THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST BTW.... tldr if i can get an actual job where someone pays me per month i might not reopen them for a while. #if i get a job where someone pays me per month but i work like half of what i first wanted Might reopen. #if i'm shit out of luck for real they're reopening looool etc #considering even part-time minimum wage i'd make more in 1 month than i make with a whole batch of comms that takes me 3 months to finish #i'd like to. prioritize that. ykwim. #ring ring (answers) #anonymous

[ankmankpank]

Aaron T.

Aaron T. is silly and funny and etc etc but AU or no AU, he can be fucking brutal if needed. Indomitable human spirit could be the best example for it. I don’t hc him as depressive or anything, I actually think he had and has a very good life, he has no traumas or big things troubling him, but if someone he loves is in danger? Not even someone he loves, simply someone is in danger and he sees it? T. is risking his life without a second thought and knowing what is he doing, that he can die. He has no suicidal tendencies, never had. He’s just purely good. Someone is talking to/bullying ANY 4*town member in front of him? He doesn’t decide to push that person away if he sees them as a threat to his friends. His little brothers are being bullied? He makes sure in one day that the kid doesn’t go into the same school/kindergarten anymore as his lil bro. He’s alright with anything what goes in his way as long as he can protect his loved ones. You can put T. through the worst of torture, he can have an arm ripped off, he could be bleeding, naked, watched, he won’t stop until his friends are safe.

#my man‼️‼️ #turning red 4town #4town #4townie #4 town #4town headcanons #4town aaron t #4 town aaron t

[dekusleftsock]

I saw your post about Bakudeku and Horikoshi's use of romantic tropes. I wanted to add a couple of my own thoughts. Bkdk also use the trope of "impress the girl" a bunch. In stories the mc often has a crush and wants to impress the girl, but she's just not interested. As he progresses in the story, the two of them start to interact and flirt more. In a lot of ways, bkdk reminds me of Astrid and Hiccup. Both of them

1: use the Impress the girl trope a lot

2: have a nerdy and emotional mc

3: have a beautiful bad tempered warrior blonde as a love interest.

4: mc knew said love interest even as a kid.

5: Said love interest disliked them and considered them a rival before finally befriending them.

This is also what I often want to say to bkdk haters. We've basically already seen relationships very similar to Bkdk on screen before, they just weren't gay. But in terms of dynamics and canon trope use, both of these couples share multiple romantic tropes. People argue that bkdk is toxic, but Astrid/Hiccup also had a rivalry and bullying going on. People say they are childhood friends and brother-like, but Astrid/Hiccup grew up in fairly close company to one another. I haven't seen many people mention the similarities between the two couples so I figured I might as well.

Definitely! The thing that’s so weird about bkdk is that it’s like this.. idk.. “cringe” queer ship. That bc Katsuki bullied deku it is automatically both toxic/abusive, and also that it is the “cringy, girl who likes gay ships way too much”. In a weird way, it’s trying to say that it IS the queer ship for straight girls, completely ignoring the many other people (99% of the time queer writers) that ship it!

It’s kind of like seeing bkdk as competition for izuocha in a weird way. Because, yeah, bkdk DOES fit a lot of romantic tropes, and the only reason it’s not seen as both a valid and possible ship, all circles around homophobia and the alt right.

Cringe culture was born out of the alt rights nihilism (that’s why the indomitable human spirit trend is so interesting to me personally) and that nihilism stretches to everyone. Queer, leftist, liberal, or even down to who ships what and how much they expect it to happen.

Let’s be honest here, if izu//ocha becomes canon then it’s bad writing. Simple as that. Bkdk has followed romantic tropes, had more development, had more screen time, his LOVE INTEREST has another love interest that better compliments her, (toga and possibly tsu) and it fights what makes a shonen well, shonen. The parody of the stereotypical shonen, but when you look under the cracks nothing really follows the normal tropes. From something as minuscule as an unwise mentor (all might) to the love interest of the story.

I have many, many thoughts on this subject, (my absolute monster of a meta post that’s in the works and thankfully almost done can attest to that) because I truly do think it’s deeper than people not understanding how shipping and fandom works. There’s more to it. Could be due to horikoshi making a character driven shonen over a plot driven one. (Another example of breaking the tropes of a normal shonen) Could be general homophobia in the anime community. We just, don’t know.

Kiri//Baku is also an interesting character in this whole idea of shonen. And that’s because of the fact that Katsuki not only doesn’t have a female love interest and therefore has to have a male one that’s closest to them and not Izuku (ofc without destroying the carefully built system straight love interests, like Mina for kirishima, jirou for kaminari, etc) because Izuku has ochako.

That’s why people always say that the ship is the “most straight queer ship”, even if there’s a lot of queer people who do.

Sorry kinda rambled a bit bdisndidkdji I just have a lot of thoughts on how shipping works culturally in a fandom. Super interesting.

Anyway, how to train your dragon was a great example and I’m glad you brought it up!

Btw I feel like I shouldn’t have to say this but just in case, please don’t harass anyone who ships anything. Block them if they’re attacking you in any way that genuinely hurts you or your mental health. It’s just better if we all stay a little more positive in general. Starting a nonsense argument in a tag? Ignore it. Block it. You’re only giving them your platform which is exactly what they want. The attention you’ll give them and the argument you’ll start. Also if it’s just some guy being a mild dickwad, don’t harass him. Please.

Like I say this every once in a while just so everyone remembers that being positive and creating art out of crappy things people have said (but keeping them anonymous) is infinitely better than giving someone your platform. (This isn’t targeted at the person who asked this btw, you’re all good this is just a general positive message I talk about sometimes hedjidndl)

Be safe, be happy, and let’s uplift each other than being crappy people down. That way, we’ll always go higher :)

#midoriya izuku #mha deku #bkdk #bkdk brainrot #bakugou katsuki #bakudeku #bnha deku #mha analysis #deku midoriya #mha bakugou

[deathbind]

BASICS.

VEIL NAME: Serot Binu Napaut SPIRIT NAME: Refhremmit SOBRIQUET(S): The Saint Eternal; the Deathless Saint; the Shepherd of Souls; Beetle Lord TITLE(S): Hegemon of the Anactaci; Spiritual Advisor to the Monarch of Meket RACE: Human NATIONALITY: Meketi ETHNICITY: Meketi RELIGION: Soshist BORN: -351 DR / REBORN: 1490 DR GENDER: Demi man (he / they) ORIENTATION: Panromantic pansexual

STATS*. *as of lvl 12

STRENGTH: 8 DEXTERITY: 16 (+1) CONSTITUTION: 14 INTELLIGENCE: 20 (+2) WISDOM: 12 CHARISMA: 11

CLASS, FEATS, ETC.

LINEAGE: Reborn BACKGROUND: Spirit Medium CLASS: Sha'ir (Ghul Lord); will eventually respec to Anactaci (Aritas) DARK GIFT: Echoing Soul FEAT(S): Linguist (Meketi, Midani, Common, Celestial, Abyssal, Infernal)

PERSONALITY.

ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Good MBTI: ENFJ (Protagonist) ENNEAGRAM: 1w9 (Idealist) TEMPERAMENT: Phlegmatic FLAME: Sun

APPEARANCE.

FACE: Rectangular in shape with a defined jaw and overbite HAIR: Raven black with strands of silver; loosely curling, typically cut short EYES: Honey brown in color; round and wide, framed by straight lashes SKIN: Bronze toned, embellished with laugh lines and crow's feet SCAR(S): A moderately thick scar cutting through the right side of his lips; a slash across his chest down to the abdomen TATTOO(S): A rayed eye on the forehead (originally indigo, now luminous gold); a luminous golden band around the left ring finger; an indigo lotus on the throat; an indigo scarab on either palm; three indigo lines between the right eye and ear HEIGHT: 5'7" BUILD: Decidedly average, perhaps verging on trim; the build of a scholar, not warrior MISCELLANEOUS: A line of luminous golden runes across his throat where a knife might run if it was slit FACECLAIM: Rami Malek

BIOGRAPHY.

I'll put links to write-ups on Serot's other lifetimes here once I write them up.

OVER A THOUSAND YEARS AGO, a famine swept the young nation of Meket. Kheprer, strange beetles from the Negative Energy Plane, had somehow crossed over. They burrowed into the rich, black soil and sucked the very life from it. Though they moved slowly, they were indomitable, and their corruption was nearly impossible to cleanse. Crops failed, livestock withered, and people starved. Some said it was a punishment from the One Above for the death of the One Below. Other said it was a punishment from the One Below for going astray. Others still labeled it a conspiracy of this group or that. Whatever their origin, one thing was clear: they would quickly be Meket's ruin.

Serot was no more than a boy when they appeared. He belonged to a massive family, even by Meketi standards. Twenty siblings, forty-nine maternal relations, and nineteen paternal — all living as closely as possible. He loved it. But, the famine made it nearly impossible for them to feed everyone. No one wanted to part, but the alternative was starvation. The youngest children were fostered by relations or close neighbors. Those old enough to care for themselves found they must do so, though family made arrangements where possible.

Serot fell into the latter category. He was twelve years old when he found himself apprenticed to a ghul lord. As the death toll rose past what Meket could manage, so too did the restless dead. There were none better equipped to address this problem than ghul lords, whose number were then too few to meet demand. A few particularly skilled individuals were even able to ward off the kheprer (though nothing could be done once they had struck). His mistress was one such individual. He traveled with her across the country, learning the craft through practical application.

Whether by raw talent, firm dedication, or a combination of both, he proved uncommonly adroit. He innovated as he learned, thinking always of a way to end the famine and return to his family. Within eight years, he had managed it. The kheprer were creatures of negative energy. Manipulating that energy allowed him to command them. There was a limit to how many he could command and how he could direct them — he was yet young, after all — but it was the turning point.

Monarch Meresankh took notice. All resources were placed at his disposal to rid Meket of this menace. His first act was to trace the origin of these creatures as near as he could. They had burst from the earth in a small farming village, overwhelming the inhabitants and reducing it to a ghost town in a matter of days. No one had been brave enough to enter since. Serot set about investigating the ruins and questioning the dead. But, he did so with uncommon compassion. He squared away any unfinished business or promised to. He prepared their bodies and buried them with respect. He gave them peace in their deathly torment.

It was this that caught the eye of Refhremmit. The spirit of that small land was the only being left to mourn them. Though sickly themself with the kheprer's rot, they honored the dead who, in life, had honored them. They communicated with Serot at first indirectly. They led him to particular places, sent him signs, gave him tests, watched him. Satisfied as to his character, they finally entered his dreams. An agreement was made. If he would lead the kheprer there, Refhremmit would lend their power to bind them. There was no guarantee it would work, but it was their only chance.

Serot then set out to gather every willing ghul lord. Together, they shepherded the kheprer toward the town, and there they were bound. Not gone but finally contained. Priests came behind to cleanse the land and get food growing again. It would take time to heal from the damage, but at least it had become possible. Serot was appointed the Spiritual Advisor to Monarch of Meket, and became a living legend.

His experiences during the famine and its aftermath had shaped him, however. Particularly the loss of his family who, by the time he was able to return, were dead or scattered. He founded the Anactaci: an order of priestly necromancers who would shepherd the dead, comfort the living, and commune with all souls and spirits. He broke ground on the first and grandest City of Eternity, which would house the dead, over the ruins of Refhremmit's town, and the kheprer were set as eternal tomb guardians.

But, the deeper Serot delved into this work, the more his health suffered. It was not merely stress that affected him but the Negative Energy Plane itself. The more he called on it, the more it drained his life. Refhremmit attempted to help him counter this by deepening their bond, twining them closer til they were almost indistinguishable, but even that could only do so much. Finally, Refhremmit proposed that Serot should truly join with them. Let their spirits merge. Let Serot be freed from earthly trials. Together, they would guard the Cities of Eternity and shepherd souls onto the afterlife. This would mean his death, but he was already dying. What sweeter rest than that in the arms of one who loved you well? In a ritual combining both marital and funerary rites, he gave himself to Refhremmit.

The outcome was not what they had anticipated. Rather than merge, they were tethered. Serot's soul was unable to pass on. Instead, he was reincarnated repeatedly throughout the ensuing centuries. He has been every combination of gender identity, social class, profession, fortune imaginable. Sometimes famous, sometimes obscure, sometimes tragic, sometimes triumphant: the only true constant has been Refhremmit.

As Refhremmit has accompanied all of his lives, so have they accompanied all of his deaths. At last, they exerted all of their power over the bond to affect the cycle of reincarnation. It could not be broken but Serot could be reborn. In the body from his first life (with only a few alterations) and all the grave goods Refhremmit deemed necessary, he awoke blinking beneath the Faerûnian sun.

Alas there is always a catch. He remembers he is from Meket on the continent of Zakhara. He remembers he is (was?) a member of the Anactaci. He remembers a cool voice calling him Serot. All else is hazy. He was nabbed by the Nautiloid shortly after and infested with a tadpole. As he seeks to unravel the mystery of the Absolute, he must likewise unravel the mystery of his identity.

#CHARACTER SHEET. #I'm not paying for a higher level carrd account and I don't feel like fiddling with a fancy theme so #this seemed the best way to organize all this info

[alienssstufff]

(rambling brick of text inbound) Zombie apocalypse anon back again! Just wanna say first off that was the nicest answer I could've asked for lmao. I totally agree that in general the flaws in the genre are a case of missed potential and shallow writing; in fact that can apply to most mainstream dystopian stories imo. (TLOU and many Miyazaki films are strong exceptions to this rule ofc)

For me, the biggest draw of the dystopia/apocalypse genre has always been the human aspect---how humans as *individuals* cope with the worst-case scenarios, how they work together to survive, how they thrive in spite of their situation. Too many stories paint an incredibly pessimistic picture of the apocalypse, for example assuming that people would turn on each other and lose their collective moral compass. I think the opposite is true personally, and more stories should be about the indomitable human spirit (or whatever lol)

Having said that---you also make a great point about the more scientific/worldbuilding potential in zombie (and similar) apocalypses. From a writer's pov, it's so fun to think about HOW these things work and building the scariest possible monster/disease/etc xD And it makes the story so much more immersive!!! I'm glad you brought up the Rat King from tlou2 because holyyyy buckets that thing scared the heck out of me but in the *best* way lmao.

Also thanks for the movie/anime recs! Always hunting for more quality content like this :D

I'm glad you had fun with my question :3 Next time pls get some sleep tho haha /lh

[and rambling wall of text be upon yee] YES YESSS!!! Good apocalypse (&dystopia stories) so freaking difficult to find I usually don’t indulge in them as much cuz of it -w- exceptions that it’s synopsis is unique enough or the thing is written just too good to pass up

I totally agree with you with humanity being the genre’s biggest draw-in, honestly surprised how little of it is in mainstream. And that’s such an interesting take on the apocalypse - bringing out the strongest qualities in people and strengthening the bonds between others even in the worst of situations ,,, I like that :] I’ll keep that in mind when I write. and to vouch more for Gakkou Gurashi without spoiling anything it does a good job being an example of it done right(?)

--Admittedly tho the negative aspect of humanity is also my draw to apocalypse scenarios, seeing how messed up something so despairing can change a person for survival but at the same time too much of it or it written in the wrong way can get jarring very quickly. I like how the weight of one’s principles and emotional baggage extremifies (?) when going into the apocalypse and how it could greatly influence their actions and motives later down the line -  good or bad. Survival and all that..

And likewise! Zombie Apocalypse Anon I trust your judgement and open to media recs from you too :]c

I had so much fun with your question I love talking about stuff like this :3

#ask stufff #stufff rambles #IM SO SORRY APOCALYPSE ANON THIS TOOK SO LONG >< this ask has been in my drafts I wanted to give a proper well thought response uu #also update: by the time ur reading this i fixed my glasses (AND am writing this at a normal time of day)

[orbleglorb]

GOOD AFTERNOON MUTUAL I NOTICED YOU OC POSTING IN MY NOTES DO YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT OCS. OK BYE

LOVE THE MEME

ok. idk if u mean, type out a post or just one-on-one? but im gonna type out this post and you can tell me about ur ocs whatever way you'd like :3

my ocs don't really have a comprehensive story. at all. like there's no beginning -> middle -> end because i have a lot of important characters that have important things happen to them at different times. for instance, two people end up in a different realm and end up starting a family there, sometime in the 1920s or 30s. then there's the entire saga of one of the descendants getting kidnapped and taken to a different realm, and how he grew up, and how the unluckiness of his family followed him. THEN, there's the story of a cult in the pacific northwest. so like???

anyway, here's some worldbuilding basics and some character info.

(this is long. my bad)

world building:

There's three main "realities" or "dimensions." They're called Pladim, Edgirst, and Atryss. Pladim was the first created, then Edgirst split from it, then Atryss split from Edgirst.

There's also places called liminaries, which... are just the backrooms in a different font. not the original backrooms, not the fandomized backrooms, but a Secret Third Thing (that is also a secret to me). People can end up in these, and get out of them, but not like in the backrooms lore. anyway,

Pladim is the normal world, as we know it. However, the supernatural is a lot more accepted as something that's probably true. Evidence for the supernatural is more substantial and common than it is IRL. if you said "i'm haunted," 100% seriously, most people would go "yeah, probably, go burn some sage" instead of "that's not real/there's a different explanation."

Atryss is the afterlife. Kind of. It's complicated. It's not heaven, or hell, or an underworld, or anything. It's a void. There are living creatures here, but they're nowhere near human. They're like deep-sea creatures. They feed on the spirits of the dead. Ever since the development of religions, it's been a little more complicated; if a group of people believes in something enough, it will become true. That's how we got gods. That's how we got an afterlife. But, then everyone decided the afterlife should be different, and you were judged based on whether or not you were a good person. That's hard to arrange. Eventually, a warden, The Watchman, came into being. It made a system and enforces it. Basically: those that believe in reincarnation get reincarnated. It's easier to recycle a human, anyway. Those that believe in a "heaven" or "hell" or any other sort of interactive afterlife experience these through "dreams." The body is dead but the mind is still going, in a sense. (Except all people in Atryss are husks, like cicada shells). These people sorted by The Watchman, who has a completely arbitrary set of rules that change frequently. Sometimes he'll throw people who are usually in Heaven into Hell for a couple of minutes, just for fun. The catch is, the beings in his realm need to feed, but it's harder to feed on humans still dreaming. The indomitable human spirit, and all that. People are more "solid" in Atryss when they are remembered in either Pladim or Edgirst. So, once they're mostly forgotten, they get eaten ^_^

Edgirst is the "middle ground." Edgirst is a fantasy reality and sometimes acts as a place between life and death. There's magic and creepy little creatures and deities. Edgirst is where most deities live, actually. Deities rule over ordinary things most beings experience/know of: love, water, luck, pick-pocketing, fear, etc. The deities are strongest in Edgirst because that's their home, but Edgirst and Pladim are actually very close together, or "blended," in a sense. Edgirst is the same size as Earth but does not extend beyond that; for example, the sky in Edgirst is a net and catches those that fly too high. The realities can "blend" in certain points that seem to be unconnected (note: i have a couple ideas for the connection but haven't decided on one). Deities aren't the only things that live in Edgirst: angels, demons, humans, vampires, animal-human hybrids, demigods, etc etc etc all live in Edgirst as well. They can all live in Pladim, as well, but it's much easier to survive unnoticed in Edgirst than it is in Pladim.

wow ok that's a lot! now let's look at some places

point savaford, colorado: where most of the important characters that are in Pladim reside. it's not particularly noteworthy within itself

yarwood: haven't decided on a location, except that it's in the northeast USA. where other important characters live

oregon/washington border: entrance to Edgirst that is commonly used

middle of nowhere, Texas: entrance to liminaries that is commonly used.

unnamed research institute in New Orleans, Lousiana: supernatural research institute. don't look at me it's not tma i prommy

MY FAVORITE PART. CHARACTERS. (for the sake of time, i'm going with my Main 4 that i mention all the time)

arthur murphy (he/any): most cringefail loser ever. his special interest is fnaf and he dresses in pseudo-victorian gothic clothes daily. he's popular on tiktok, both for cosplaying and for being haunted. she gets haunted so much because she has no impulse control and loves buying things from antique stores and flea markets. she has a collection of dolls. their most haunted one rn has a ghost attached to it that likes to leave blood and guts on his pillow! instead of getting rid of it, he started being very nice to it so that he wouldn't get killed. and it worked! they're besties now. arthur lives in point savaford, but used to live in arizona with his mom. he moved to Colorado to live with his sister after his mom died. Also his dad is the god of thievery, lies, gambling, trickery, etc etc etc.

gwen shrapner (she/her): gwen has a long, convoluted story that she does NOT want anyone to know about. she was born in oklahoma, but moved around a bit, and now she lives in yarwood. she lives with her dad. she used to live with her dad, mom, and two brothers. long story short, her older brother got possessed (not rlly "possessed" but let's roll w/ it) and killed gwen's mom and younger brother. has been online friends with arthur for several years. arthur is the only person besides family that knows her before her brother started killing ppl. she's started developing a new life in yarwood, and even made some friends C: and also she has light powers but doesn't know it yet.

quick intermission! an explanation of the salinas family:

the salinases are a family that live in Edgirst. remember the two ppl who ended up in Edgirst in the ~1930s and decided to just start a family there? yeah, that's these guys.

family tree: carla + santiago had two kids, francisca and vicente. francisca and her husband Gilberto had two daughters, Catalina and Josefina. Vicente and his wife Diana had three sons: Martín, then a set of twins, Diego and Carlos.

remember that guy that got kidnapped and taken to a different realm as a kid? that's carlos. he was raised as william in a town in Texas. and he is also gwen's dad.

the Salinases have superpowers. i keep changing the reason why. it's a hereditary thing, i guess.

oh btw, more family! catalina and amos (her husband) had a daughter, paulina. amos already had a son, wilbur, before he married catalina. all four of them got killed by the cult amos was raised in

josefina was in a lesbian polycule and ended up having a son, who i named jasper, but i want to change it lol

martín had two children with his wife, matilda: laura and marco (who used to be named mike). martín got driven to insanity thru supernatural means (and a little bit possessed?) and killed himself. matilda also got driven to insanity thru supernatural means and killed laura and maybe herself.

diego has no kids. that he knows of

william/carlos married mallory and had three kids: connor, gwen, and christopher. i already mentioned all of that mess up above.

anyway,

more characters:

leylo gromit:

actually no i have to explain another fucked up family first

the wright family (and the cult of the bloodless flesh) (TRIGGER WARNING FOR, YOU KNOW, CULT STUFF. AND SUICIDE. AND SEX. AND CHILD DEATH. AND GORE/PAINFUL DEATHS. skip to the next section if you do not want that!)

the cult mostly lived in a commune/town, although there were some undercover "scouts" that lived other places. they lived on the oregon/washington border.

note that "lived" is in past tense.

the cult started as a death cult. they needed a bunch of ppl who had pledged themselves to the god (who remains unknown at this time) to die painfully, usually by bleeding out (hence the cult name). when ppl didn't convert (BECAUSE WHY WOULD THEY), they just started repopulating like rabbits

THAT'S HOW WE GOT THE WRIGHT FAMILY.

there's three siblings: amos, jezebel, and a third guy i keep forgetting to name. he's not actually that important.

amos decided to hit da bricks. he had two kids, as previously mentioned.

unnamed guy has a lot of kids but kind of impossible to count?

sigh. jezebel had 11.

in order from oldest to youngest: Cecil Weaver (taken in my dad's family, not in the cult), Zachary Wright (re-named himself as Zachariah Schneider after escaping), Peter Wright (re-named himself as Peter Richardson after escaping), Minato Kishimoto (taken in by dad, not in cult), Rory Wright, Leylo Wright (re-named herself as Leylo Gromit after escaping), Oliver Wright, Hannah Wright (re-named himself as James Bellamy after escaping), Cynthia Wright, Molly-Mae Wright, and Cornelius Wright (later re-named Callum Smith by adoptive family, with Callum's help picking out the name).

four of these kids are dead: rory, oliver, cynthia, and molly-mae

the surviving kids survived because the goddess of insanity & unreality, Manea, was able to sense Something Being Amiss and decided to hijack a car about it.

she was in the car with her husband, Nicostratus (who is an angel and also runs a hospital/research facility), Nicostratus's brother Ornias (demon with a radio show), Nicostratus's and Ornias's sister, Opal (Secret Third Thing, full-time femme fatale), Oscar (family friend of the Salinases), and Marco (who's like, 17 at the time, and was taken in by Oscar).

they're all coming back from a day of fun when Manea climbs out of the back seat, takes the wheel, drives thru a chain-link fence and parks outside a house. and runs in. there's already a dead child up front and one in obvious shock, so they all get out of the car and go into the house (and one, Oscar, stays with the James outside). they all tell Mike to stay in the car. instead he goes into the cellar and saves leylo from a dog attack.

most of the other cult members were dead; but some survived their attempt and were jailed, some chickened out at the last moment and were (mostly) jailed, and some were innocent kids that survived.

fun plot twist: marco and zach were friends. the wrights weren't supposed to have contact with the outside world, but both marco and zach were hunting for food one day and met (on opposite sides of the fence). eventually, after several meetings, marco convinced zach to hop over and they hunted & foraged together. marco mostly gave the food he foraged to zach, since he didn't have as many mouths to feed, and his dad had a stable job. this was a really important part of zach realizing that his upbringing was fucked up and he and marco are still best buds.

anyway i think i can go back to characters again

OTHER TWO CHARACTERS THAT ARE PRETTY IMPORTANT/I'VE FLESHED OUT

leylo gromit (she/her): she was adopted by Oscar, along with Zach (James and Peter were adopted by other ppl that lived close to Oscar). changed her last name to gromit because her best friend had the last name wallace. so they're wallace and gromit :] she has dissociative identity disorder and one of her headmates fronted for ~2 years and started a new life in Georgia. his name is mike. he left without telling anyone and established a life across the country. so leylo wakes up one morning in an apartment she doesn't recognize, being served an eviction notice for an apartment she didn't know was hers, and then being called by a manager at a job she didn't know she had, and then texted by a girlfriend she does not know. she has a closet of clothes she doesn't recognize, including a work uniform, and a nametag for a fast-food chain with "MIKE" on it. so she goes into work (after awkwardly asking her manager where she works) and is greeted by taylor wallace, who is apparently her friend? and she mentions she's really confused, and also getting evicted, and he's like hey! i have a spare bedroom i'm trying to rent out. since you get along well with winter, why don't you move in? and leylo doesn't have a better idea and could totally overpower him physically if it came to it, so she agrees. and she's like "haha winter is probably a cat." no. it's a five year old child. but leylo DOES get along well with winter and it all works out. eventually she mentions that she wants to go by leylo and she/her (thankfully her name or gender marker was never changed). she just kinda ghosts the gf :( because how do you tell someone you've apparently dated for over a year "sorry idk you" ??? anyway, her friend from oregon/washington, milo, comes down to georgia one day on a road trip and, by chance, sees leylo in a walmart. they have a very heartfelt reunion that annoys the shit out of other walmart shoppers. and milo asks, "hey, why did you leave without saying goodbye?" and leylo finally tells people that she has no fucking clue how she got there. and then she gets a fun trip to the psychiatrist and gets diagnosed. and then she's like "hey, maybe i should text that person mike dated and like, let her know." so she does, and it ends decently well. she and jessica (the girl mike dated) remain friends. taylor gets a boyfriend, timothy (who is the son of manea and nicostratus but that's not important rn. yeah he was also kidnapped. it's fine dw about it). it all goes well until it doesn't! cult of the bloodless flesh starts acting up again. jessica dies, and taylor and tim get yeeted into separate liminaries. so leylo's now the legal guardian of, like, a 10 year old. they move to a duplex in colorado. later, arthur and his sister move into the other side of the duplex. also arthur's haunted doll is haunted by her sister btw

zach (he/him but doesn't care): adopted by Oscar, and gets to live with Marco and Leylo. he suffered a TBI after almost dying during The Sacrifice, which limits his daily functioning and working capabilities. he manages to mostly recuperate, though. Marco goes on a Sidequest to resurrect Manea, who was killed by her sister. yeah, gods can die, it's fine. anyway, when Marco comes back, Zach's still living with Oscar. tbh i have not figured out this timeline all the way, but Zach, Marco, Manea, and two others named Jackie and Indigo moved into a house together. The house is a large house, in Edgirst, near a pocket entrance thingy to Pladim. they have a pet creature named Chip. he's like the rake but not really.

i have more to talk about (gwen's family and friends, arthur's friends, silas van der zee, more about william and the salinases, etc.) but i've been working on this for over four hours or something. dawg i need to stop

#wyatt ocs #wyatt's ocs #asks 4 sasha #this is so long. i'd say i'm sorry but im not