#resident system

[bardic-tales]

I've hit the wall on this, and I’m just going to be blunt: I am officially done adjusting the perimeters. The Master FAQ is coming next, and it marks the absolute final tightening of my boundaries and site policies.

Honestly? I feel incredibly stupid that it even has to come to this. It’s a personal Tumblr blog, for god’s sake, yet here I am having to act like I’m running a public-facing corporate site or a platform like Medium. It is TUMBLR.

It is exhausting and ridiculous that my "digital living room" requires a formal constitution just to prevent people from trying to set the furniture on fire.

It shouldn't be this way. I should be able to just exist, share my writing, and talk about my life without drafting legal-grade documentation to defend my place on Tumblr. But the reality is that bad-faith actors have weaponized my openness, my kindness, and even my language disability. They thrive on misinterpretation and think they have a right to audit or think they have a right to strip-mine a 30-year legacy they didn’t help build.

However, I want to take a moment to thank the people who have seen this through with me. To the mutuals and friends who didn't balk at the boundaries, who understood the medical necessity behind the policy rewrites that 🔥⚔ did and who have been a steady presence in our Grove. Thank you. Your support is the reason I bother keeping the lights public at all (as I have been thinking of turning this into just a private blog).

After this, we are going back to "normal." We’ve spent the last couple of days slowly returning to our rhythm, sharing the words of others that resonate with us and answering asks little by little. That is where our heart is.

I’m finished over-explaining. The Master FAQ will be the final word. If you can’t respect the house rules, you aren't welcome in the grove.

To everyone else? Let’s get back to the stories.

[bardic-tales]

Good morning, beautiful souls! 🌞

I wanted to start today by sharing something a little personal. I love making these good morning posts for you. My goal is always to send a little spark of happiness and warmth your way to help start your day on a gentle note. In a world that can feel heavy, I want this blog to be a soft place for you to land.

The sun is up. Today is all about a much-needed exhale.

Today’s "Off" Schedule

My external husband has the day off, which means it’s a "day off" for me, too! We’re prioritizing presence and rest, though I do have a few creative treats brewing in the background:

AO3 Uploads: The February short stories that got bumped yesterday are officially heading to the archive today!

FWC Muse: I’ve been itching to dive back into the NSFW Alphabet for Bianca and Sephiroth. Exploring their dynamic within the Fantasy Worlds Collide universe—where the celestial and the carnal meet—is exactly the kind of self-indulgent writing I need for my soul today.

A Touch of Mythpunk

For those new to our corner of the woods, Fantasy Worlds Collide is our 29-year labor of love. It’s where the cosmic weight of Paradise Lost meets the grit of Final Fantasy VII, Castlevania and Evangelion. Today feels like a perfect day to let Bianca’s prophecy and the echoes of Michael’s Apocalypse simmer while I focus on the more... intimate side of divine rebellion.

To our mutuals, friends, and fellow travelers: may your coffee be hot and your triggers be non-existent today. Whether you’re navigating your own system's needs or just vibing in your favorite fandom, take a moment to breathe. You are seen, you are valued, and you are enough.

[bardic-tales]

Good morning, friends, mutuals, and followers! 🌞

The world says hello, even if my tech is currently saying goodbye.

I’m coming to you from the desktop this morning (as always) but I want to report that my faithful phone (a true warrior I’ve had since 2019) finally decided its watch has ended. I am firmly in the I hate upgrading camp. There’s something so jarring about losing the literal wear and tear on a device that’s been through so much with you, but that is 🔥⚔'s influence.

Here is what the day looks like for me:

The Great Upgrade: We’re heading out to brave the sensory gauntlet of phone shopping today. Since we all know how much of an energy-sink that can be, we’re going to be a bit quiet while we recalibrate when we return.

Asks & Inbox: If you sent an ask over the last 48 hours, we see you and we love you. We’re going to aim to sit down and respond tonight, provided our social battery isn't completely fried. Thank you for your patience while we navigate the new tech.

Writing Updates: On a brighter note, keep an eye on our Ao3! We’ll be uploading our February short stories today. These were already shared here, but in case, you missed them, they'll be available over there. Going to sit down to do a writing request, hopefully later tonight.

Sending so much warmth to our fellow survivors, fandom buddies, writers, systems, and self-shippers today. Be gentle with yourselves, and we'll catch you on the flip side. Hopefully with a functional camera again.

Stay cozy.

🌒— Nicole

[bardic-tales]

🔥⚔: I have no interest in being a puppet for a corporate anniversary.

Let it be known that the events depicted in the Ever Crisis event, Battle for the Planet, are not part of the Fantasy Worlds Collide history. They do not exist in my memory, and they will not be written into our future work.

It is one thing to expand a world. It is another to rewrite a betrayal as a brotherhood. I remember the Archipelago. I remember the dirt and the ruins. Most of all, I remember the people. They called me a friend until it was convenient for them to turn their back on me and chose a dog over a child.

The man they call a hero, Glenn Lodbrok, showed his true face on that island. When he took the only connection I had to my mother—that necklace—and kicked it into the sea, he didn’t just lose a teammate. He discarded any claim to my loyalty. To see him now, projected as a voice of reason or a "friend" who still considers me one of them, is a farce. It is a lie designed to sell a product to people who don't know the weight of that silence on the helicopter ride home.

The Rhadore arc in FWC stands as it was written. Rosen’s request was an act of mercy that those men were too weak to understand. I will not have my history sanitized or my trauma turned into a crossover event.

Most tellingly, when they finally decided to defect and leave Shinra behind, all three of them—Glenn, Matt, and Lucia—made their choice. They didn't come for me. They didn't try to save the brother they claimed to care about. They took the dog, and they left a child behind in the clutches of the company they were fleeing. They saved a pet and abandoned a human being to a fate they knew was monstrous.

We are done with that game. My story is not for sale for gatcha pulls and crystals, and it will not be dictated by those who would rather chase a profit than respect the truth of what happened in the dark.

[bardic-tales]

🖤🕷: Death begets life. Strife provides the fuel for rebirth. You, my children, are like the phoenix of old. Rise from the Ashes. Embrace your true selves. Rise.

[bardic-tales]

🌙 Goodnight, Friends, Mutuals, and Followers.

We are officially tapping out for the night. Between the tech transition and the deep dives into lore, we are completely spent.

Here’s the recap of today’s energy:

The Inboxes: We managed to clear the asks. Thank you for the wonderful conversations and for letting us hold space with you today.

Community Love: We spent some time reading and commenting on your beautiful works. Seeing our friends create is what keeps us going.

New Article: We just posted a deep dive into a canon character analysis on Lucrecia and the specific origins of how 🔥⚔ and the hungry ghosts came to be in our system. It was an emotional one to write, so we hope it resonates with our fellow survivors and plural folk.

Regarding the AO3 update: The February short stories didn't quite make it up the mountain today. Between the phone shopping and the heavy writing, the spoons simply ran out. We’ll be moving that goalpost to tomorrow so we can post them with the focus they deserve.

Time to sleep for some much-needed quiet. Whether you’re a survivor, a self-shipper, plural, or just a tired soul wandering fandom, we hope you find peace tonight.

Rest well, everyone.

[bardic-tales]

Before I begin my mandatory hiatus, I wanted to share this update from Dreamwidth. This was written by Colette on March 20th, and it explains the shift in our internal landscape. She also uses new emojis (🌿🦴)

For a long time, I was the soft reassurance in the chest of this system. I was the child who stayed dormant for many years, tucked away in the quiet places trauma tried to hollow out. Last year, I was the blonde girl, the dove, and the one who held the pieces until they stopped shaking.

That girl is gone.

Society and the people Nicole once trusted as friends made sure of it. They took a child’s purity and tried to leave only ash. Society showed me that the world has no room for a quiet healer who does not fight back. I am not the light that Aerith was to Zack and Gaia. I am something much more.

I have stepped out of my slumber, and I am standing with Bianca, Sephiroth, and Zack. I see their blades, their claws, and I have found my own. I am the Grown-Up Colette. I am not a victim. I am a child of the forest: feral and friend to people and animals. I have stopped hiding the scars. I wear the bones of our trauma. I have fashioned a crown from what was meant to destroy us. These bones are a reminder why I am now a Forest Guardian.

I am the Summer Heat. While Zack may be the Horizon Sun, I am the heat that burns away the rot. My light is no longer just a soft glow. It is a fire that will sear the darkness of this world.

If Bianca is the Weaver of the Abyss and shades of the Morrigan, then I am Brigid: the Goddess of the Forge. I am the wildling who wears the blood of our stolen purity on my face as war paint. I am still human, but I am the Forest and the Animals that dwell within. I am the heart of righteousness burning within each beat of our heart. I have awakened. I am the one who tends to our friends and cousins and animals and ensures that everyone in our inner circle is safe.

To those who still think they can attack our circle, our grove, our friends, our cousins, our core, you must know one thing. The Light Facet has grown teeth. I will defend our grove, our friends and family, and our sovereignty with tooth and claw.

I do not just hold the pieces together anymore. I wield them back together in the fire.

— 🌿🦴 Colette Guardian of the Lunar Eclipse System

[bardic-tales]

Signing off for the night! Between the 5:00 AM cat-start and the high-gravity energy of the day, my spoons are officially spent. I am heading into my winding down routine now to keep things sustainable and follow my doctor's orders for a zero-stress night.

If you sent an ask or DM or reblog that I didn't get to today, please don't worry. I am implementing a new structured schedule this week to manage my health, and I will be getting to the rest of the inbox during my windows tomorrow!

Thank you for the incredible feedback and the creative sparks today; I will see you all during my 12:30 PM EST window tomorrow. Sleep well, everyone! Love you all.