The brain does not magically mature at 25. Actual neuroscientists note some 8-year-olds even have a greater "maturation index" than 25-year-olds. The myth misunderstands basic neuroscience but is still used for anti-trans policymaking like the Cass Report. https://slate.com/technology/2022/11/brain-development-25-year-old-mature-myth.html
I would really recommend that ppl read "The Mismeasure of Man" for a history of how shaky pseudoscience was often used to confirm social prejudices.
The 25 thing will be remembered alongside the "ape-like features of non-europeans", "criminal stigmata", the "missing ounces of the female brain" and the "average american's mental age of 12" (that time IQ tests were misrepresented as a measure of general intelligence to prove it was impossible to educate the working class.. a patently silly claim now that many countries have near-universal literacy.)
It's no coincidence that all this stuff is suddenly appearing at a time when younger ppl are kept from meeting typical milestones by a mix of helicopter parenting & a shitty economy
Neuroimaging is in its infancy. Just look at all those reports of "gender differences" that magically disappear with larger sample sizes.
sexy US babes we are all voting blue this november right? we’re all gonna vote. we’re gonna, right?? right????? tell me we’re all gonna vote blue so that i can sleep at night. tell me you’re gonna vote blue so that we can all continue to sleep at night and continue like, idk, living life.
Honkai: Star Rail Au where everyone is shifted to the left
@glowstickblood Asked me to drop it, so I quickly finished it
Pointing out now that this isn't a serious AU and I really don't know if I'm gonna actually write for it
The Astral Express
Trailblazer is the same, can’t fix perfection
Dan Heng is an amnesiac who was found aboard a dead ship with nothing but a jade abacus with his name on it. He is drawn to the culture of the Xianzhou Alliance and believes that they hold the key to his past
March 7th doesn’t like to talk about her past, fair enough. Also doesn’t vibe with the Garden of Recollection?
Joachim is the Navigator of the Astral Express, has history with leader of the Stellaron Hunters
Murata Himeko is the Express’ security officer, wields a battle suit, has a slight drinking problem she supplements with coffee, and often calls Joachim “teacher” for some reason
Stellaron Hunters
“Luocha” is the leader of the Stellaron Hunters, and bears a striking resemblance to someone from Himeko’s past
Jingliu is a mara-struck Xianzhou native who yearns for death, but it is not her time
Black Swan is an Aether Editor who specializes in reading fortunes and messing with reality with her tarot cards
The Shogun is a lighting-fueled suit of metal armor said to be piloted by a woman who yearns to find the meaning of life. She also resembles someone from Himeko’s past
The rest of the AU is below the cut!
Herta Veritas Station
Vertias Ratio, Genius Number 83, always appears with a marble bust over his head. Founder of Vertias Station and the Simulated Universe
Ruan Mei, member of the genius society who is the current ruler of planet Ruan. She is the head scientist behind the Divergent Universe
Screwllum is an Intellitron Genius who wants to discover the secrets of creating new life. Don’t ask what’s in the basement of Veritas Station
Herta, member of the Intelligensia Guild who wears a doll mask over her face if she appears in person, often sends puppets in her stead. Wishes to gain the praise of Nous
Kakavasha, Head Researcher of Veritas Station, has a strange relationship with Veritas and seems to have more money than god
Jelena, Head of Security of Veritas Station
Belabog
Surface
Cocolia is a mechanic originally from the Underworld. She isn’t a member of Silvermane but she still supports them
Bronya, daughter of Cocolia and high ranking member of Silvermane, often goes on expeditions outside Belabog
Pela is a high ranking Silvermane member and is close to its leader. Will help give the runaway Lynx the courage to stand up to her sister
Gepard, prize fighter from the Underworld, doesn’t like to talk about his past too much and wants to help the Overworld as much as possible
Dunn is considered the leader of Silvermane, a kind man who takes care of Gepard
Sparkle is a young smuggler who aids Silvermane, but there’s always more than meets the eyes with her
Clara and her robot father Svarog are a pair of healers who came from the Underworld to help the surface dwellers. Is actually the head of Silvermane
Underworld
Serval is the Architect of Belabog. The Stellaron whispers in her ear and she is training her sister Lynx to take over for her once her plan is in motion
Lynx is Serval’s young sister. A smart young girl training to become an Architect, but isn’t sure how ready she is.
Luka is a high ranking member of the Wildfire Guards, constantly chasing down border hoppers and smugglers
Natasha is a woman who runs a colony of vagrants separate from Rivet Town. Her and her orphan assistants are considered dangerous
Hook, leader of Natasha’s Moles, wishes to be a great hero and boss
Oleg, captain of the Wildfire Guards, friend of Luka
Seele is one of Serval’s top tacticians, she yearns to see the surface but is too scared to betray Serval
Xianzhou Luofu
Jing Yuan, one of the old members of the Cloudhigh Quintet. An Emanator of The Hunt, now is cursed by The Abundance and wreaks havoc across the cosmos as both Paths fight for control over his body
Argenti is Jing Yuan’s psychotherapist and has the ability to see people’s souls. Possibly the one who smuggled a Stellaron onto the Luofu, willingly turned himself in to the authorities for some reason
Sushang is a Ten Lords Commission Judge in training, trying to follow the family tradition
Guinaifen, formally Guinevere, wants to be the first non-native Ten Lords Commission Judge. She reveres the General very much and often quotes him
Hanya is a Cloud Knight from the Xianzhou Yaoqing training with her sister, is also the author of several light novels and like to hunt for ghosts
Xueyi is a Cloud Knight from the Xianzhou Yaoqing training with her sister, loves reading a specific series of light novels but doesn’t know who wrote them
Tingyun is a foxian Ten Lords Commission Judge training younger judges. She wields a fan possessed by an angry heliobus
Huohuo is the Amicassador of the Sky Faring Commission of the Xianzhou Luofu. She naturally has a nervous personality and a magic flaming tail said to be a blessing of the Reinbow Arbiter
Yukong is the General’s right hand woman and is considered second in command of the Luofu. A skilled pilot and head of the Sky Faring Commission, she wants her daughter to try harder
Qingni is Yukong’s daughter. A slacker who would rather play Celestial Jade all day, but is surprisingly reliable in a pinch
Fu Xuan is the head of the Divination Commission and mentor of Qingque. She doesn’t understand why Qingque wants to throw away her comfortable job
Qingque is a member of the Divination Commission and is the student of Fu Xuan. She wants to one day become a soldier and use her skills in the fight against The Abundance, despite her small stature
Yinxing is the General of the Xianzhou Luofu. The Alliance’s first non-native General who became an Emanator of The Hunt and gained eternal life after the fall of the Cloudhigh Quintet and an accident relating to The Permanence (oops?)
Yunli, General Yinxing’s student and master swordswoman. She hopes to live up to everyone’s expectations of her
Jiaoqiu is the current head of the Alchemy Commission while the Vidiyahara High Elder studies medicine on another ship. Often skips out on duty
Bailu is the current Luofu Vidiyahara High Elder, she is away studying medicine aboard the Xianzhou Yaoqing
Dan Feng is the previous Vidiyahara High Elder. His reincarnation cycle was sabotaged when he was found guilty for transforming members of the Cloudhigh Quintet into Abominations of Abundance and his new life was stripped of all identifying markers. His title was inherited by the young Bailu
Yanqing is the grandson of the General of the Xianzhou Zhuming and is hunting down cursed swords. Ironically enough, he wields a cursed sword
Antimatter Legion
Duke Inferno is an Emanator of The Destruction and one of the Lord Ravagers of the Antimatter Legion. It is said he had a hand in recent chaos aboard the Xianzhou Luofu
Annihilation Gang
Phantaylia is the leader of a small faction following The Destruction. She will meet her end along with her fellow acolytes by the hands of an Emanator that should not exist
Penacony + others
Robin is a cyborg Galaxy Ranger hell-bent on destroying the IPC after they destroyed her home. She lives by the motto of stealing from the rich to give to the poor
Sunday is Robin’s late brother who died during the IPC’s attack on their home planet
Boothill is the head of the Iris Family. He and his baby daughter were the only survivors after a Stellaron ate half their planet, and he - being a young single dad - was taken in by Maeven Ellis of Penacony. He is an unwilling part of the grand plan to revive The Order and acts as the talent manager in Penacony. It is said that because of his “faulty” Synesthesia Beacon, he can no longer speak his native language nor say his own birth name
Kafka is a Knight of Beauty searching for her missing Aeon. She finds beauty even in the most grotesque creatures
Gallagher is a being of Memoria created in the image of the Watchmaker to guide the Nameless. It is said he is based off of a man once called Breukelen Tiernan
Misha is a Historical Fictionologist created by the Watchmaker to be Gallagher’s friend and to protect the Dream. He takes the form of an unsuspecting hotel bellboy who wants to become a member of the Greyhound Family, and has traits of many of the employees around The Reverie. He also closely resembles a man who once flew himself directly into the Memory Zone
Silver Wolf is a rather odd Memokeeper from the Garden of Recollection who uses Memoria much like one would use a sandbox video game
Samuel is the very last of the Glamoth Iron Calvary and is an Emanator of Nihility. Disguising herself as a Galaxy Ranger using what she learned from a woman named Razalina, her real name is unknown to most, but she has a fondness for headbands
Sampo is a Masked Fool hired by Black Swan to cause havoc in Penacony during the Charmony Festival. Really likes bombs
Maeven Ellis is the previous head of the Iris Family and is the current Dreammaster. She takes great joy in “taking in” any “untalented” soul she can find and “giving them opportunities”. She originally wanted her adopted daughter Siobhan to take her place as head of the Family, but her new pet Boothill is working out quite nicely. Is said to be a follower of The Order (shh!!)
Gopher Wood is the head of the Oak Family and after the death of Maeven, will take over as the leader amongst the Great Lineages. Is considered a threat by the IPC for his business skills
Oti Alfafla is the eccentric head of the Alfalfa Family. He lives for the thrill of the deal and loves to live life stylishly!
Sir Whittaker is the head of the Nightingale Family and takes his job preserving the Dreamscape very seriously. Since the head of the Greyhound Family is often busy, the security guards usually either answer to him or Gopher Wood when it comes to questions about Dreamchasers
Siobhan is Maeven’s adopted daughter who helped Boothill get back on his feet after he relocated to Penacony. Now she travels the cosmos as a famous mixologist, trying to wash away the stench of the Family in her past. Currently has custody of Boothill’s daughter and is the little girl’s godmother
IPC
Peridot & Bubbles, a member of the Ten Stonehearts and her pet Warp Trotter. Formerly known as Asta before joining the IPC, Peridot of Debt Retrieval views her position as one allowing her to travel and discover new secrets of the universe. Known as the least controversial Stoneheart
Tourmaline, a member of the Ten Stonehearts. Formerly known as Arlan before being recruited by Obsidian, Tourmaline of Stratagems is reckless and often self sacrificing. It is said he had a harsh childhood that culminated into strange survival skills
Obsidian, a member of the Ten Stonehearts. Known as Obsidian of Credit and is the Senior Manager of Strategic Investment, they have taken a personal interest in Tourmaline and are interested in his plans, even going as far as trusting Tourmaline with their cornerstone
Jade is another member of the Ten Stonehearts, it is not said what her skills or her department are
recurring jing yuan thoughts #2... a spiderverse AU
so i've been thinking about spiderverse jing yuan lately..... trying to decide whether he's a spider or a gwen/MJ
- if he was a spider he'd be able to travel dimensions,,, he'd definitely have a backstory similar to miguel o'hara's about trying to find a reality where everyone he loved was back together again, but unlike miguel, once that reality inevitably goes wrong he either:
- decides to really focus on his emotional healing and grief processing or
- becomes a compartmentalization master like he is in the game
because either way he knows he can't properly help others and be a leading figure if he can't move past his own grief first. he would rather gnaw through his own arm than push his old emotional scars onto the young spiders he's met and formed family with along his journey. he might have lost his first found family but he'll be damned if he loses his chance at another.
- and then just like in-game, jing yuan will meet the people of his past again... i'm thinking dan heng is a spider from a parallel universe where dan feng's weakened consciousness ended up after he was completely wiped from jing yuan's dimension, so basically dan heng was always his own person of course but then he started having visions of a lifetime parallel to his own lived by someone who looked exactly like him (insert my gwen stacy theory bc WOW does it fit him)
- blade would be kinda like the usual spiderman villain setup where his undying situation is all because of a terrible science accident and his main motivation is to find the ones involved in what happened to him (the og high cloud quintet friend group) and exact vengeance so that maybe he can finally disappear in peace (basically the same as in-game)
- baiheng's death was probably jing yuan's first devastating "canon event". i think he wasn't around to save her when she died (and he couldn't have been, he didn't even know where she was or what happened to her until he heard the news) and that guilt will forever eat away at him... i'm thinking she died in an aircraft accident but i haven't decided what kind yet
- dan feng was a genius scientist. he experimented with a lot of things that he probably shouldn't have and always pushed the boundaries of scientific possibility,, especially after baiheng died. he started secluding himself in his lab and only yingxing ever had any success at visiting him there for any substantial period of time... which is exactly how yingxing got caught up in dan feng's plan to bring baiheng back (think kingpin bringing his family back with the alchemax super-collider) and subsequently cue the horrible accident which turned him into the immortal blade
- oh and then of course jing yuan, being spiderman, has to track down and apprehend dan feng for what he did and decide his sentence (life imprisonment) but dan feng's family clan had him assassinated in prison for reasons jing yuan was never able to completely uncover (and a nagging little part of him will always feel like dan feng's fate was his fault)
- i think jingliu was jing yuan's superhero mentor... not sure if she was a spider too, or just another masked hero in the area who took him under her wing when he was new to his powers. just like in-game, she was the one who introduced him to the rest of the group, and just like in-game she will go completely berserk and become a vigilante with no clear morals or objectives after baiheng dies. like with dan feng, jing yuan has to track her down and try to get her back. unlike with dan feng, jingliu decides that given her shattered mental state the safest option for society as a whole would be for jing yuan to defeat her then and there, once and for all, simultaneously saving the day and proving his graduation from her mentorship. and, well. he did.
- there's yanqing (young spider, official mentee, and unofficial son of jing yuan) thoughts rattling around in here too, but words are difficult so unfortunately you'll have to put your full imagination to work here and just try to feel the "i'm-putting-this-character-in-a-jar-and-shaking-it-like-a-mixed-drink" vibes for yourself! cheers
Shubble is one of the few content creators that let me keep what little sense of identity i had. That there are people you belong with, even if they're thousands of miles away. She helped me identify parts of myself I had never been able to articulate before. She inspired that awkward middle schooler to keep dreaming and creating, even when everything around you sucks.
Shelby has done more for me and kids like me than Wilbur soot ever could have.
I hope Wilbur loses everything his career gave him.
There is no rightful place anywhere in the world for people like him.
mutual 1: I want to turn that man's prostate into silly putty
mutual 2: here's smth i doodled during science class lol
mutual 3: pls remember that you personally can drink milk and still be a lactose intolerance ally!! anyone who tells you otherwise doesn't know their history :]
mutual 4: fucking a robot girl in the ass call that backend programming
mutual 5: holy shit I need him so fucking bad holy shit holyyy shit oh my god
mutual 6: anyone get kind of horny putting the ignition key in the car....it's so intimate....turning him on....
mutual 7: so lets talk about where scrimblo's arc is realistically going- I know a lot of people are trying to argue that he's being manipulated but this ignores the fact that there is clearly unresolved conflict between him and bleebus about their moralities
mutual 8: happy propeller penis thursday
mutual 9: "scrimblo and bleebus need to discuss their morality" god forbid a pathetic boywife does some torture 🙄🙄
mutual 10: WHO IS HYPED FOR THE NEW ALBUM LETS FUCKING GO
mutual 11: guys we're not getting a new album
mutual 12: please stop sending me death threats
mutual 13: why is my whole dash talking about this band I don't even listen to.....
mutual 14: hey boy nice knife wound can i put my tongue in it
andulkaphoto
pixelskylines
vaporwave
prguitarman
theartofmadeline
izzy806
origamiaround
gummygunk
