#//When you create non-canon within your own non-canon verse already

[ravarui]

"HE'S NOT DEAD!" law mutters something about idiots being too stubborn to die, kikoku angrily tapping against his shoulder, walking away. "red-haired pirates are mysterious people, they say. they aren't menaces at all they promise. no, they don't run around losing arms and making people go insane about the work they cause not at all..." (it's not alliance canon but after midnight rp excuses)

Will he ever catch a break? Always Accepting @todesgeduld

"You sure? Cause the way you said things really made it seem like he is." Whoever that mysterious guy was the surgeon was so bothered by. It was kinda funny to see. Maybe he should seek out Hibari and Kujaku, one of these two would sure know what exactly was going on.

"Spend an awful time around Beck huh? Your muttering sure sounds similar."

[frxshblood]

Sorta selective independent roleplay blog for Senketsu from Kill la Kill. Headcanoned post-canon and canon anime timelines.

Written by Alex who doesn't know when to stop. Follows and interacts from @vagabondfromkanto

Muse, mun, verses and rules are all under the cut:

THE MUSE

Name: Senketsu (Senketsu Matoi for whenever someone demands a surname in a human form)

Age: Technically, as a science experiment, less than a decade. Mentally a young adult.

Gender: Again, technically an alien life form and sometimes a walking skirt, but leans male for convenience. He/him.

Orientation: Ryukosexual Something that includes women, he didn't exactly have time to figure that one out.

Canon storyline (Kill la Kill): A kamui (godrobe) created by Isshin Matoi with the explicit purpose of being worn by Isshin's daughter Ryuko Matoi. Which Senketsu very much did, doing his best to aid her in battles and protect her to the best of his (considerable) abilities. Became her friend (and something more) in the process, evolved, learned to have emotions, free will and decide his own appearance. Fell apart because of power overload in the finale and spent his last remaining strength to get Ryuko back into the atmosphere, in which his physical body burned to ashes. Some part of his consciousness, however, is implied to maybe still be up there.

Abilities per canon: Life-Fiber synchronization, morphing parts of his synchronized form as he evolves (blades, flying).

Non-canon storyline for this blog only: Suspend your disbelief entirely and just believe me when I say that having nothing better to do and missing his time on Earth (and his partner in particular) terribly, he spent a few years (Earth time) collecting stray life fibers drifting in space after their defeat. Upon gathering just enough to fashion himself a new body which will survive the impact, he returned on Earth, having no idea how much time has passed, but determined to either find Ryuko or at least learn what's become of her. It doesn't help that he has never in his life been outside of the few areas they've visited, let alone on his own... or that he doesn't fully know what passing as a human is like.

Here's a literary, fanfic-y description of all that.

Abilities per this storyline: Can morph his body in whatever he wishes. Usually he 'wishes' to either pass as a human to avoid problems and navigate the world better, or to make up outfits for his wearer. That said, if the situation calls,then blades, flying, big teeth and other fun stuff aren't off the table. And this time he can do it on his own.

Icon art is all mine.

How life-fiber synchronization works in this form: Well, either he just transforms into a big dragon-like energy form and carefully chomps the person (see: canonical transformation sequence), or, for special cases, this.

Still needs blood instead of food?: Yes. Though he can attempt to consume human food, it won't bring him much energy or the full taste spectrum like blood does.

VERSES:

Verse: "I will find you"

Generally reserved for all the interactions where he has not yet found his way home or Ryuko.

Verse: "Home"

With @/vindicta-reliquiae and her boys over at @/zantedeschia-praesul. After traveling for a while Senketsu finally made it back to Kanto and got reunited with Ryuko. Now they definitely have a lot to catch up on, issues to work through and things to figure out, but the most important part is that both of them are finally home.

Verse: "Sync and learn what we can do"

Canonical anime timeline interactions.

Verse: "Mix and match"

For interacting with people within vagabondofkanto's verse even though technically this Senketsu does not exist in her verse. Mostly reserved for Karma, who we already headcanoned being friendly with Sen at Honno.

More verses TBA.

THE MUN:

Alex/Tarr, any/all

Very late twenties, therefore of age, been playing for 15+ years

GMT +3, English isn't my first language but I do work with it professionally.

RULES:

I follow from @vagabondfromkanto, but we DON'T have to be mutuals to interact. If I don't get to you it might be for any other reason.

18+ only regardless of the subject or character.

Crossovers, OCs, multiverses, all good.

Multiship: potentially, Ryuko players take highest priority.

NSFW topics will likely get discussed. As for full roleplays - if they do happen, will be tagged and put under read more. Mun's relationship with writing sex is that one Spiderverse gif. "Can't do it on command". (But can do it. We'll see. Altho keep in mind that Senketsu lived among humans for less than a year and there likely wasn't any sex ed in Honnouji. There's a journey to be had for sure >:3 )

No godmodding or powerplaying. Canon does not limit me much in terms of what Senketsu could be capable of if you piss him AND his mun off. So let's both be reasonable.

There is a possibility I'll suddenly start writing replies longer than what we started with. I get carried away. If that annoys you or god forbid makes you feel bad, please do tell.

Magic anons, cracks, crossovers, yes. Angst, violence, canon-typical bloodshed, darker plots, also yes. Fluff and hurt/comfort absolutely yes as well.

I may answer rapid fire, I may disappear for days, I do not control the life or the work or even this brain of mine. Sadly.

If at any point I seem intimidating or like I know what I'm doing rest assured I do everything that I do through anxious screeching (but I DO it).

[prettybillycore]

Please Don't Die Again || Connor (RK800) x GN!Reader

Pairing(s): Connor (RK800) x GN!Reader ; Minor Elijah Kamski x GN!Reader

Universe: Detroit: Become Human

Summary: You, a former employee at Cyberlife, now work as a Detective along side Hank and Connor. As the android revolution begins, Connor finds himself faced with a choice– his mission or you. 

Rating: Teen

Word Count: 4.1k

Warnings: Canon typical violence, yandere!Elijah Kamski, Gun violence, Connor (rk800) temporary death

A/N: Ahhh! My first non-stranger things request this summer; I have so much love in my heart for Deviant!Connor. I decided to follow the advice of @whoringrove and work on whatever my brain was most drawn to. Right now, I’m working on the second chapter of “Stranger Things Have Happened in Hawkins” but because it takes place in ST3 canon ‘verse, I really need to rewatch the whole season before finishing it. I’m itching to create right now, not watch something, so oop here’s an rk800 x reader fic. I hope you enjoy @momos-peaches <3

Read it on AO3 or right here on Tumblr (below the cut on this post)

You knew Connor could die and be placed inside of a new body– Hank told you about the one time he was killed before; he was hit by a car going down the freeway. However, you were not there to witness that death. You had never personally seen Connor die and you most certainly weren’t the cause. This was not the freeway incident though, this was the battle for android freedom in Detroit. 

You were once on the side of the city, protecting humans at all costs. Now, you were at the center of the android revolution– and Connor’s blue blood was on your hands. 

| < ♥️ > |

You were born into a well-off family and your mother worked in the technology industry. You grew up with Elijah Kamski as your best friend and worked with him for the first several years of your adult life. You were the creative mind behind a lot of the aesthetic choices– clothes, facial structures, etc. There was enjoyment and pride in your work at first, but you watched Elijah turn into a shell of his fun-loving self. He became more arrogant and honestly an ass to be around. You kept him within your social circle because you couldn’t bear to lose someone so close to you, but you didn’t agree with the treatment of his android companions. You weren’t as technologically gifted as him, but you helped him create the first androids. You wanted them to be treated with respect and kindness– Elijah saw them as nothing more than machines. He tormented you for it and you ended up leaving your very high-paying job at Cyberlife before he left his. You went back to school and ended up joining the police force as a detective– he retired to a mansion in the middle of nowhere. He invited you over often, but you started accepting fewer invitations as you started working more hours. 

Hank Anderson worked at the desk across from yours. You had very different views on androids, but he was a gentle soul to you. He valued your opinions on his cases highly and often requested to work with you over other detectives. It warmed your heart and gave you a father figure you could actually reach out to. This is how you met RK800, better known as “Connor.” 

He was far more advanced than any of the androids you worked on and his physical appearance wasn’t your design. You guessed that he was made by the team that replaced yours and you were honestly amazed by his existence. His data analysis software was incredible and he was extremely skilled in crime scene investigation. You knew the moment that you met him at the Ortiz house, you knew he was special. 

| < ♥️ > |

You were already inside the house when he entered behind Hank. You smiled at the two of them as they came inside. You stood up from your place over the body, “Ah, Lieutenant Anderson, I thought you might never come.”

He rolled his eyes as he approached. Connor was matching his pace. You eyed him curiously, but pretended not to notice him– as much as you could, anyway. Though, you are sure Connor noticed your glances. “I wasn’t gonna come, but this jackass showed up at Jimmy’s bar and said you were working this one alone. Thought you might want a hand.”

“Extra hands are always welcome at my crime scenes; we could use all the help we can get to be honest with you. Household androids are becoming more unstable every day… I just don’t understand why. Take a look at the scene in the kitchen, Lieutenant; something awful.”

“Can do,” he replied shortly before walking past you.

Your eyes fell on Connor, who was standing stiffly a few feet from you. “I would shake your hands, but I’m gloved and have blood on me… what’s your name?”

“My name is Connor. I’m the android sent by Cyberlife to assist Lieutenant Anderson with the rise in deviant cases.” His answer was stark and to the point, but there was something behind the inflection of his voice. You could feel his gaze; it was dull and unwavering. 

“I’m guessing you already know who I am based on what Hank said.”

He nodded curtly. “Y/n L/n. Current Detective at Detroit Police Department and former Creative Director of Cyberlife.”

You smiled again. “Indeed, it’s nice to meet you, Connor.”

| < ♥️ > |

The next two days were some of the most action-packed and traumatic days of your life. You protected Connor from Gavin’s android hatred, searched the Eden Club, and witness an unmasked android give a freedom speech on national television– not to mention all the cases that were piling up of deviants committing felonies. You felt protective of Connor at this point and he felt protective of you, though he didn’t understand why he felt that way. Hank was still a little skeptical of Connor as you approached your childhood friend’s home, but you had no doubts in your mind– Connor wasn’t just human-like, he was human. Much like many of the androids you were trying to track down/stop, he showed bright, shining signs of humanity. It made you incredibly nervous to take him with you to Elijah’s. It made you so nervous, in fact, you asked him to do something very unlike you.

Hank stopped the car outside of the Kamski residence. Connor was in the back seat and started to open his door before you squeaked out, “Connor, stay here.”

“What?” Hank questioned. 

Connor pulled the door shut again, but kept his hand on the handle. “Why, Detective?”

“Uh…” you faltered. You felt silly saying it, but you were sincerely worried for Connor’s safety in Elijah’s presence. As much as you hated it, the man could read you like an open book. He would know that you cared for Connor and would do everything he could to use that connection to his advantage. “Kamski will try to turn me against you, I just know.”

“Oh come on, Y/n. You’re not going to turn your back on me and Connor. We’ll all be fine,” Hank assured.

“I would feel much better about this visit if Connor were to stay in the car. He is safe in the car,” You argued.

Hank rolled his eyes. “If anything happens to him, as much as I hate it, Cyberlife will fix him and he’ll be back on the job tomorrow.”

“I appreciate the concern Detective, but Lieutenant Anderson is right. I am replaceable.”

Hearing those words absolutely shattered your heart. “Connor…”

Hank patted your shoulder. “Come on, kid. He’ll be fine. Let’s go get this over with. I know you hate this fucker as much as I do.”

| < ♥️ > |

Elijah had his eyes on you from the moment you walked into the swimming pool room. There were quite a few Chloe models present, which did not surprise you. She was the first model to pass the Turing test and you had designed her (aesthetically speaking). Elijah had little touches of your relationship all over his house– your painting in the entryway, a few drawings of yours on the walls, even a picture of you two as kids in a frame on a table near the window, and of course Chloe. Though he was taking his sweet time getting out of the pool, he was keeping a close eye on you. You weren’t the only one to notice these details though– they were noticed by Connor and Hank both. The feeling of his eyes on you made your skin crawl as he climbed out of the pool. “I was surprised to see your name on my schedule, Y/n, but I am oh so happy to see you again. What’s it been? Six months?”

You did your best not to falter at his words, but his tone sent a chill up your spine. “I’ve been busy with my work at DPD. You know that, Elijah.” You used his first name on purpose; you were hoping it would throw him off his game. When you worked together at Cyberlife, you fell into the habit of calling him Kamski; everyone else did, so when you called him by his first name, it usually knocked the snark out of him. “These are my friends; Lieutenant Anderson and Connor.”

“What can I do for you, Y/n? Lieutenant?” He asked, only addressing you and Hank. It was annoying you slightly that he was being so informal with you, but at the end of the day, you couldn’t blame him. You two had such a long history it would be sort of unsettling for him to call you ‘detective’, though you despised him calling you just by your first name. It gave you a feeling of disgust in the deepest pit of your stomach. 

You could see the weary look on Hank’s face. It wasn’t surprising– he was fairly protective over you. What was a little surprising was the fact that Connor’s LED was circling yellow to red and back again. Your words felt like they were trapped in your throat, so Hank picked up the conversation. “Sir, we’re investigating deviants. I know you left CyberLife years ago but, I was hoping you'd be able to tell us something we don’t know…”

Kamski smirked, “Deviants… Fascinating, aren't they? Perfect beings with infinite intelligence, and now they have free will… Machines are so superior to us, confrontation was inevitable… Humanity’s greatest achievement threatens to be its downfall. Isn’t it ironic?”

“We need to understand how androids become deviants. Do you know anything that could help us?” Connor questioned. Elijah’s strong gaze shifted to him for a moment. Then, it shifted between the two of you. You had a bad feeling before you walked inside the house, but it was getting stronger with every passing second that you all were inside. You shifted slightly, placing yourself vaguely in front of Connor. Your eyes met Elijah’s and you could see him deeply contemplating his next move. 

“All ideas are viruses that spread like epidemics... Is the desire to be free a contagious disease?”

Hank was becoming impatient with the conversation. You could see it plainly on his face and in his body language. “Listen, I didn’t come here to talk philosophy. The machines you created may be planning a revolution. Either you can tell us something that'll be helpful, or we will be on our way.”

Elijah began to step closer to you and Connor. You tilted your head while shooting your former best friend a questioning look. You knew that he was paying attention to you, but he didn’t acknowledge you at all. He kept his eyes trained on your android companion, while his fingers twitched at his sides. “What about you, Connor? Whose side are you on?”

You looked away from Elijah and toward Connor. He was looking back at you, but only for a brief moment. The light on his temple was still flicking between yellow and red as he looked toward Elijah, “It's not about me, Mr. Kamski. All I want is to solve this case.”

Elijah chuckled a bit, pulling his lip with his teeth. “Well, that's what you're programmed to say… but you…” He was getting uncomfortably close to both you and Connor. He angled himself so he was off to the side a little bit, away from you, but he was still less than a foot away now. His glance came toward you for a moment before going back to Connor, “What do you really want?”

Your eyes were glued to Elijah. You, Hank, and Connor were all weaponless because that was an agreement of the meeting, but you were still trying to calculate the best way to incapacitate him if things went south. Connor, again, glanced in your direction, but you didn’t notice this time. Elijah and Hank both did though. “I’m sorry, but I don’t see where you're getting at,” he replied. His defensive tone didn’t go unnoticed by you, though.

“Y/n, would you mind stepping over to stand next to Chloe?”

You quirked your eyebrow at him. “Why?”

“I would like to run a little test on your android and you’re blocking my way.”

You knew exactly what test he meant. There was nothing else he could mean with that evil little glimmer in his eye, “No way in hell you’re doing to that to him. I won’t let you.”

He had a curious expression on his face. He had completely turned his attention to you. His hand came to rest on your upper arm as he answered. “Interesting. You’re so protective of a machine, I mean, you always have been rather fond of androids, but that adorable angry look on your face– oh you care about it, don’t you, Angel?” 

You nearly gagged at the nickname. You knew he had feelings for you somewhere in your past, but he hadn’t called you ‘angel’ since you were in your early twenties. He stopped after you rejected him. It’s probably where the bitterness in your relationship started. God, you felt like you were going to be sick. Hank was in shock behind you and didn’t know how to intervene; Connor felt like he was frozen in place. His orders were telling him to focus on the mission, but the thought “protect y/n” was trying to force itself to become his primary directive. Elijah took the opportunity to place his free hand under your chin. His fingers dug into your skin. “What? Did I hit a nerve, detective?” That smirk planted itself on his face again. “Chloe, get the device.” His eyes never left yours. Your brain was screaming at you to rip yourself from his grasp, but you couldn’t get your feet to move. His hand moved from your chin to your other arm. He forced you out of the way as Chloe pulled a gun out of the table drawer. He almost threw you out of the way he used so much force. You stumbled into the chair next to the table and sucked in a harsh breath. Connor’s LED was completely red, but he was still unable to pick a directive. “I’m sure you’re familiar with the Turing test. Mere formality, simple question of algorithms and computing capacity. What interests me is whether machines are capable of empathy. I call it "the Kamski test", it's very simple, you'll see…” He turned to Chloe, an almost hungry look in his eyes as he took the gun from her hands. “Magnificent, isn't it? One of the first intelligent models developed by CyberLife, completely designed by Y/n and myself. Young and beautiful forever. A flower that will never wither……But what is it really? Piece of plastic imitating a human? Or a living being... With a soul…?” Elijah handed the gun to Connor. “It's up to you to answer that fascinating question, Connor. Destroy this machine and I'll tell you all I know. Or spare it, if you feel it's alive, but you'll leave here without having learned anything from me.”

Hank found his voice again after seeing the fear in your eyes. “Okay, I think we’re done here. Come on, Connor. Let's go. Sorry to get you outta your pool.”

Elijah was getting more and more in Connor’s face. “What's more important to you, Connor? Your investigation, or the life of this android? Decide who you are. An obedient machine… Or a living being endowed with free will…”

“That's enough! Connor, Y/n, we’re leaving.”

“Pull the trigger,” Elijah taunted. It was like watching the angel and devil on Connor’s shoulders. He looked to you for an answer. Elijah had aimed the gun at Chloe and for Connor, it would be just one quick motion, but… 

“Connor, don’t…” Hank said.

Connor was searching your face for an answer. “Please no…” you mumbled. 

“I'll tell you what you wanna know,” Elijah mumbled.

Connor lowered the gun and could feel himself destabilizing. Elijah sighed and moved away from Connor. He walked back over the table and opened the drawer again. Before you could process what was happening, he yanked you to your feet and had his hand around your neck. You could feel him closing his fingers tightly enough to start cutting off your oxygen. You grabbed at his hand for a moment, before you felt the cold metal of a gun barrel pressed against your temple. Your breath was gone from your lungs. You never would have seen this coming. “Eli–” You couldn’t get his whole name out. 

“What the fuck are you doing, Kamski?” Hank shouted. All of the Chloe models that were still in the pool had begun to watch. 

“Fascinating… CyberLife's last chance to save humanity... is itself a deviant…” Elijah mused. “I have another test for you, Connor. We’ll call it the Y/n test.” He relaxed his fingers slightly so you could breathe again. “You, a piece of plastic, have somehow managed to capture Y/n’s attention.” He rubbed his thumb across your chin so softly it almost felt like a comforting gesture. “I could have given them everything. A mansion, wealth beyond anything they have ever seen, they never would have had to work a day in their whole life, but they turned me down. They left Cyberlife and eventually became a detective. Ever since they joined DPD they’ve been slipping farther and farther away. I can’t even get them to come over for a meal anymore, but you… in a few days, they have become completely enamored with you.” His hands were trembling with anger. He began constricting your air again. “This test should be easy for you Connor; shoot the Chloe model and I will let Y/n go, unharmed. You three will walk out of here with no information, but the detective will be fine and Chloe will be replaced. If you refuse to shoot Chloe, I’ll shoot your favorite human, but I will tell you everything I know. Are you willing to sacrifice the life of this human for your mission? Someone’s going to die, Connor. It’s up to you to decide.” Elijah clicked the safety off. 

Connor looked between you, Chloe, and Hank. You had been in danger before with your job, but this was the closest you had ever come to death. Connor could read the terror in your expression. Hank was scared too. Connor had never seen Hank truly scared before. “Kamski–”

“Quiet! This is Connor’s choice.”

Connor closed his eyes and pulled the trigger. Chloe shut down almost instantly and Elijah dropped his gun on the ground next to him. He let go of your throat and Connor rushed forward to catch you. You pulled in as many deep breaths as you could. Connor’s sensors scanned your injuries and determined quickly, that while extremely distressed, that you were relatively unharmed. Without saying anything, he wrapped his arm under your knees and behind your back. “Let’s go, quickly Lieutenant.”

Hank didn’t argue and neither did Elijah. Connor nearly ran to the car with you in his arms, jumping into the back of the vehicle with you. “Y/n? Are you alright, Y/n?” You nodded as you started to catch your breath. Hank got into the driver’s seat and started down the road as quickly as he could. “What’s their status, Connor?”

“Stable, but we should have them seen by a doctor to make sure Kamski didn’t cause any serious damage.”

“Guys… I’ll be fine.”

“Shut up, Y/n. If Connor says you should see a doctor, we’re stopping at a doctor.”

| < ♥️ > |

Connor had no idea that you had tailed him to Jericho. You were so careful not to let him see you. You followed him all the way up to Markus and North in the Captain’s cabin. North had a gun, but from what you could tell, it was jammed.  “What are you doing? You are one of us… You can’t betray your own people…”

You had met Markus before; he was one of your designs. You never imagined that he would end up being RA9, but knowing Carl, it made sense. Carl treated Markus as another son and gave him freedoms that many other androids did not have. “You're coming with me!”

“You're nothing to them. You're just a tool they use to do their dirty work. But you're more than that. We are all more than that… Do you never have any doubts? You’ve never done something irrational, as if there's something inside you?.. Something more than your program.”

You couldn’t tell what Connor or North was thinking so you decided it was best to intervene before something went wrong. “Connor!” you called. His head snapped in your direction before he started looking at North and Markus again. 

“What are you doing here, Detective? How did you find me?”

“Connor, put the gun down. Markus is good, I promise. We’ve met before.”

“I don’t believe my eyes,” Markus said. “Y/n L/n. You designed me for Carl.”

You tossed him a soft smile. “Hello again, Markus.” You walked around Connor’s side and walked in front of his gun. 

“Y/n don’t–”

“You don’t have to do this, Connor. You have done something irrational. There is something more than your program, just like Markus said. You had no idea if Elijah would have gone through with his threat. You could have followed orders and let me die. You could have learned whatever you wanted about deviants from him, but you didn’t– you saved me because you care about me, Connor. I know you do! Put the gun down and we can talk about this. I know Cyberlife is telling you that Markus is the enemy, but he’s not and you know that he’s not.”

Connor lowered the gun to his side, but he didn’t drop it. You stepped to the side where he was holding it and set your hand on his. You were going to continue talking him down, but a loud bang came from behind you and the next thing you knew, Connor had blue blood dripping from a bullet wound– right between his eyes. Markus shouted at North and you screamed bloody murder as he collapsed. “Fuck! FUCK, CONNOR! Don’t you fucking leave me here…”

| < ♥️ > |

Life was not going so well for anyone around you at this point. You were at Hank’s house; your head in your hands as you sat on the couch. Sumo was whining for you to cheer up, but you couldn’t. Connor’s death was just replaying in your mind on repeat. Hank was in the kitchen and not doing much better than you. The both of you were so out of it, that you didn’t hear the bedroom window being open and shut. “Lieutenant!” Connor shouted. “Lieutenant it’s me! I need your help!”

You shot up from the couch and Hank bolted in from the kitchen. “Connor? How–”

“Cyberlife will always replace me. I’ve found Markus and the others. He’s shown me what I can really be, I… I’m deviant. I offered to go to Cyberlife to gather more androids for the war, but… I’m scared and I need help. I wanted to see you, Y/n, but I was afraid of that too.”

“Fuck…” You used your hands to wipe the fresh tears from your eyes. “Connor… I… you died in my arms. I watched you fucking die right in front of me… You can’t do that shit…”

“Y/n… I’m sorry.”

“Sorry doesn’t fix it! It’s not your fault anyway… North shot you because she thought you would kill her and Markus. I’m glad your back, but it’s so fucking weird. It’s messing with my brain…”

Connor slowly started to walk around the couch. “Can I do anything?”

“You… Please don’t die again! I can’t do that again. Your blood was everywhere and I felt so fucking helpless. Markus just kept apologizing and I didn’t know what to do. We had to leave your body and run because soldiers started attacking Jericho. I felt so bad, but I couldn’t carry you out, I–” 

Connor reached out and set his hand on you shoulder. “It’s alright now, Y/n. I know how much my death upset Hank and I can see it hurt you. I will do everything I can not to die again.”

The softness of his voice and his simple touch did you in completely. You rushed forward and wrapped your arms around him. “You better not die again, I need you here.”

[fluffnstuffq]

We all know that the “kin for fun” trend is bad. 

Recently, however, the question of “why is it bad?” has risen in prominence, and thus I’d like to give my two cents on the matter. I initially wanted to give a rehash of the whole “this is a community which has been around for decades, please don’t appropriate its terms because you don’t know what you’re talking about” spiel.. though I know that’s been repeated endlessly to no avail. 

Dozens of times I’ve tried to explain that, though I’ve often been faced with the “words change” or “it’s just a game, it harms no one” argument.

So I’m taking a more personal approach.

I don’t know if my anecdotes will change anyone’s mind, but if anyone in the “kin for fun” community sees this and actually reads through it, I implore you to try to listen to genuine otherkin, do some research, and find other terms that better suit you.

Beware, long rambling anecdote under the cut.

It is hard to believe that, a mere 8 months ago, I was new to the otherkin community. 

I’d been reading about and researching otherkinity in depth for as long as a year prior, though it was as recently as May 2020 upon which I took my own first step into evaluating my own experiences, creating an otherkin oriented side blog, and formally taking the plunge into what I’d initially assumed, from fun “kin assign ask games” or “no doubles drama”, to be a trend.

While I quickly versed myself in the original, serious and introspective parts of the community, I had my fair share of run-ins with those of the “kinnie/kin for fun crowd”. One such experience, over the course of about two-three months, forever left an impression on the way I view the community (and the problems within it) as a whole.

Without naming names, some of the individuals we encountered turned out to be... the practical embodiment of some of the worst facets of this community.

They were the prime example of the misguided “kinnie” mindset. Dead-set on fitting under the ‘kin label, though unwilling to do any research on their own. Faking out of control, dramatic shifts to seem more “valid” to genuine otherkin (more on that later). Willing to go as far as picking traits from other people’s original characters to “customize” their “kinsonas” perfectly. 

However, aside from their merely misguided attempts to fit in (which could’ve been easily fixed if not for the stubborn kinnie mindset), the most scathing of their actions highlighted some major issues of the “kin for fun” side.

In just a few months, we had our identities stomped on and treated like nothing more than a game. 

You see, the “kinnie” mindset is not self contained. It is almost impossible to maintain this mindset and respect the involuntary, deeply personal nature of otherkin history, due both to widespread misinformation/trends, as well as the common plague of stubborn ignorance of definitions.

In most cases we’ve seen, once one steps fully into the mindset that their own kintypes are nothing more than a game or an act, they begin to at the very least subconsciously view others’ experiences the same way. 

This is obviously not the case for all those who take on alterhuman identities by choice (ex: copinglinking). However, in taking on the “kin for fun” label, one immediately disrespects the identities of others by appropriating and bending terms with a history to fit themself. 

And once one establishes that they lack care or concern for the already, dare I say, endangered terms once meant to foster a sense of community and understanding, of shared experiences... that person already predisposes themself to spiraling into greater disrespect and ignorance of the identities of others.

The individuals that we encountered, like many others of this mindset, used their so-called “kins” for the sole purpose of feeling validated, for looking “cool” and as leverage to get their way. Because it was nothing more than roleplay and a brief interest to them, they often treated others’ kintypes as something that could be similarly discarded/”turned off” or reset. As if others’ kintypes were nothing more than characters which didn’t deserve respect.

Exotrauma and otherwise painful memories, while stressful and sometimes nightmare inducing for us, were nothing more than fodder for outlandish “story ideas” and “angst” for them. 

In the cases of these individuals faking shifts, they often acted in ways threatening and even triggering to those around them; though because it was just a show for them, they failed time and time again to recognize the negative impact their violent “shifts” had on others. 

They had no restraint, for both their own actions and the fearful/concerned reactions of others were just harmless roleplay in their eyes. (I do feel like..  even roleplay should have boundaries if the events of a story upset the people participating, and the notion that anything goes, even at the expense of someone else’s comfort.. it just gives very uncomfortable “fiction does not affect reality” vibes. Though, that’s a story for another time).

As our experiences weren’t real to them and never had been, they often conflated us with the “canon characters”, like we and many others they interacted with were nothing more than toys to fixate on, change and push “headcanons” onto, and test the limits of.

And because they didn’t care to learn, because individuals such as these continued to remorselessly fall deeper into the rabbit hole of “I do whatever I want/I don’t care to learn otherwise”, the lack of consideration grew more severe.

Those who “kin for fun” may certainly be experiencing.. something, I will not discount that assertion. Whether copinglinking, a hearttype, or merely a fictionflicker/cameo shift. However, it’d be disingenuous to say that it is harmless for them to continue to warp and pick at terms that do not and will never fit them. For every joke, every dozens-long “coping-kinlist”, every admittance of “haha I was never a serious kin”, they all do the same in spreading misinformation. 

As I see more and more people self-identifying as “copinglink, but using the kin title because it sounds better”, even if calling oneself “a non-serious kinnie”, one wonders... why use those terms if you know they do not fit? Why encroach upon communities of bittersweet memories, of aching homesickness, of involuntary nonhumanity, only with the intention of putting on an act?

Why fight so hard, when directly told and shown how “kin for fun” actively tears apart the already dwindling otherkin community on this platform? Why cling so hard to words that are not yours, why force change upon the definitions of words meant to be a safe haven for those searching for understanding? Why paint “serious otherkin” as dangerous gatekeepers, sufferers of clinical lycanthropy, or those merely suffering from delusions/hallucinations?

Because of those who “kin for fun”, I was initially steered away from investigating my own identity; I’d only seen the jokes, the toxic “kin drama”, the cringe blogs and factkin and “kinning”. Because of “kin for fun”, it took me over a year to come to terms with my own alterhumanity, in all of its facets.

Because of “kinnies”, my fears are proven time and time again that I will come across someone who views my identity as roleplay at best and “childish, a phase, character theft” at worse. Because of “kinnies” and the mindset they’ve fostered, time and time again someone steals my memories, my experiences, my identity, justifying it as creating their own version, like an AU of an AU.

Because of “kinnies”, time and time again I’ve been told to “stop taking things so seriously, it’s just for fun” when complaining about my identity being minimized. I’ve been told that “kinnies”, despite appropriating an already existing community, are the “normal ones”, the “sane ones”, the “good ones” who don’t really believe in all that they boast. 

Some have even told me that it doesn’t matter at all, for all they can see is a trend with no real hold over their identity in the longrun. “It won’t matter in ten years”, they say. 

Perhaps not for them, long after their interest in the “trend” has faded. But for me and countless other genuine otherkin? In ten years I will still be Blixer from Just Shapes and Beats, I will still be an unnamed creature of woods and starlight and faded memories of golden lanterns, I will still be otherkin, and I will still carry the scars of my identity being torn to shreds and thrown into my face like dirt.

I cannot run from my kintypes and never could, even when I was afraid of them. “Kinnies”, in most cases, hardly believe my identity really exists.

What do they believe, then? What are they trying to achieve, scrubbing away the less “aesthetically pleasing”, fluffy bits of this community? What good does it do them to take meaningful, personal words to describe an identity that they can shed at the drop of a hat if it is “problematic” or boring at the end of the day?

One can smile and nod and say that, despite “kinning for fun”, they still respect otherkinity as a whole. And I say, in most cases, that reassurance is hollow. You have already stolen our words, you have already spread misinformation.

This has stumbled into rambling territory, so I leave a few questions, honest, genuine questions.

I ask those who “kin for fun”, what is the allure of words that you have stolen? What is the allure of having the blood of a shattered community on your hands?

As many others have said before, you may find a place in the greater alterhuman community. We have terms for you, as well as many other specific experiences.

Why fight so hard to steal our haven, to push us out of our own spaces, when your own words are waiting for you with open arms?

Words change, yes, but why fight so hard to change them at the expense of others?

[qqueenofhades]

First of all thanks so much for all your TOG history posts! I have a question specifically about the one where you explained the continuity errors with Nicky being a priest. I like your "second son of a nobleman" Nicky that you use in your fics a lot. But I also really like the idea of a lower-class Nicky; TOG already has wealthy merchant scion Joe and literal queen Andy--i love the idea that Nicky comes from humbler origins. Is there any way to make that make sense in a historical context?

I mean, pretty much anything is possible in history? If it can happen, it probably has happened at some point, and even the broad categories and generalizations that historians apply to things are never always right in all cases, even if they represent the major trends. I obviously don’t want to shoot down people’s headcanons or ideas, even and indeed especially from my soapbox of “cranky historian complains about things on the internet.” I have personally tweaked some aspects of Joe and Nicky’s backstories that I use in my fics, since I came up with DVLA before I knew anything about the comics or any bonus content that had been released about the characters. My feeling is that since a) it’s film-verse, not comics, and b) their backstories haven’t been shown on screen and may be subject to change in adaptation, I can, while engaging in transformative fanworks, create them to suit myself. I obviously keep the broad parameters of what canon establishes, but within that space, I do occasionally nip and tuck and move things around. For example in my new AU fic, I DID make Nicky a priest as in graphic-novel canon, but that’s long since changed by the time he arrives in Jerusalem. For the fics I write for them in canon-verse, I tend to use the backstory I established in DVLA, just because... well, I like it a lot, obviously, and that was what I wrote it for. This is just because I am the aforementioned cranky historian and I rearrange the toys when I am playing with them, but my interpretations don’t necessarily have to be everyone else’s.

On that note, since you did ask for some historical context/plausibility for this headcanon, it depends (again) on how much extra story you want to invent for Nicky and how many gaps you want to fill in. Which is totally fine either way! I talked in this ask about the People’s Crusade of 1096, the involvement of unarmed/unskilled commoners in the crusades more generally, and how that would have impacted on Nicky if he didn’t have any previous training in arms. Once again, as with him being a priest, him being a low-class peasant/freeman of humble status runs into some (not insurmountable, but still extant) problems with where he would have learned how to use a sword and weapons more generally. I also obviously approve of the idea of bringing some class diversity into our historical immortals, but the son of a very poor bondsman (the stereotypical peasant in a cottage or a serf working a lord’s land) is, alas, going to have gotten into trouble in his community if he is training with a sword. (Or at least definitely raised some eyebrows, as well as questions about where he got it and how he paid for it.) As I’ve mentioned, the sword is a knight’s weapon, so if Nicky has been using it at all, he has at least enough status to qualify for that.

Happily, however, there are plenty of ways to make him not be from a rich family. As late as the end of the 11th century, aka around the time of the First Crusade, knights could still be distinguished as “free” or “not free,” and since this was before the rise of chivalry as a major social force, knights and men-at-arms were often (and indeed could be throughout the medieval era) from humble families, minor gentry, or even the working class. Chivalry made knighthood into an especial aspiration for the nobility, but not every man on a battlefield was a nobleman -- far from it. Indeed, the nobleman would call up the families who owed allegiance to him, and they could call up the families who owed allegiance to them, and so on. The definition of “knight” in the pre-chivalry landscape is a little muddy; does it convey prestige or social status, or just that someone was trained in arms? Is there a difference between that and just “man at arms” or “armed man?” For instance, at the battle of Hastings in 1066, the English army under King Harold II was composed of fyrdmen, aka regular working stiffs who had been summoned from the land (and indeed, we know they were of humble status because they had to go back and help their families with the harvest after William the soon-to-be-Conqueror had still not arrived in September), and housecarls, the professional/lifelong soldiers who served in the army as a career and were paid for their service. But we don’t always have the luxury of clear terminology for the many, many kinds of armed men who existed in various social strata in the Middle Ages.

That means, therefore, that Nicky can very easily be a poor knight, a man-at-arms of humble status who has just his sword and his armor and is subject to the vassal-of-a-vassal-of-a-vassal-of-a-lord, or other armed man of unclear rank who definitely doesn’t have money or come from a rich family. Despite the unavoidably classist nature of many medieval history chronicles, the ranks of society weren’t only king, duke, earl, and nobleman. It was a patron-and-client society, and while the king was the ultimate patron, plenty of lords of middling rank or lower would have vassals who owed allegiance to them, and vassals who owed allegiance to those vassals in turn. The word feudal, which has been so misused and turned into an (incorrect) shorthand for constant petty territorial violence, basically just means this hierarchical society of mutual rights and obligations, where (unless you were the king) you both owed fealty to someone higher in rank than you and had people lower in rank who owed fealty to you. That would only end with the serf/bondsman, who wasn’t patron to anyone. But within that, there is plenty of wiggle room to make Nicky non-noble.

This would raise the question, however, of how he was going to pay for his journey to Jerusalem. Crusade financing was a perennial problem even for kings and lords with deep pockets, and the cost of a journey to the Middle East was far, far beyond most ordinary people’s ability to cover, which is why the commoners’ crusades kept ending in disaster. (That and obviously the fact that they weren’t trained in war.) When you are traveling for months and months and have to provide all your own food, shelter, arms and armor, transportation, upkeep, etc., you would either have to have a wealthy lord paying your maintenance, have substantial private financing of your own, have sold most of your property to go (which then implies that you had property to sell), made good with a religious house who had advanced you the cash, etc. We can really go down a rabbit hole here about Duke Hugh of Burgundy making a deal with Genoa in 1192 to provision King Philip and the French army on the Third Crusade. (This is helpful since it deals with Genoa, i.e. Nicky, even if not for the First Crusade.) This covered 650 French knights and their squires and came out to nine marks a knight, which is about £6, for an overall bill of 5,850 marks.

To give you an idea of how much this is in comparative terms: in 1380, a poll tax of twelve pence per person was considered so extortionate that it helped kick off the 1381 Peasants’ Revolt. And this was two hundred years later, when wages had risen and exchange rates had increased. One pound was worth 240 pence, so if twelve pence was an exaction for your average laborer, you can see that they’d get nowhere close even to one pound. A gift of £4 to William the Conqueror in 1066 was also considered a wildly high sum. And this was all on the extremely cheap end of crusading ventures. Frederick Barbarossa, who went on the Third Crusade at the same time as Philip and the French, had expenses coming close to 100,000 marks. Crusading, in other words, was wildly expensive (often ruinously so), and either Nicky would have a wealthy patron (meaning that he was somewhat closer to the top of the heap, even if below the first rank of noblemen) or money of his own or some way to finance his journey. Which again means that he has to have some kind of background that enables him to do it. The issue with the ordinary people who went on crusade (and they absolutely did, despite various attempts to forbid them as not militarily useful) is that, as noted, they weren’t trained in arms and they didn’t have money, and when you’re trying to travel from Europe to the Holy Land under 11th-century conditions, that becomes a big problem.

So yes. Basically: you can absolutely make Nicky a person of lower rank, down to a humble man-at-arms, who doesn’t have a rich family and doesn’t come from money. But if he’s going on crusade all the way to Jerusalem -- and if he’s successful at it, i.e. we’re assuming he didn’t get killed until Joe did it the first time -- then he has to have at least enough social status that he is the direct vassal of a wealthy lord or can make some financial arrangements on his own, has been able to train with a sword, knows what he’s doing with it, etc. You are obviously welcome to invent whatever details or backstory you want for him, but alas, crusading was often the provenance of knights, noblemen, and kings for brutally practical reasons, whether economic, social, military, or pragmatic. So the further you go down the social rankings, the more logistical details you’ll have to think up for him (at least if you want to be historically nitpicky, and it’s fantasy, so you frankly don’t even have to, but hey, what do you people come to me for if not historical nitpicking?) as to how he would have trained in arms, paid for his journey, been able to go on crusade in the first place, etc. So yes.

Thanks so much for this question! It was a lot of fun.

[y--o--b]

 yob’s roleplay rules

general info

i don’t play real people and i refuse to play real people <3

i can roleplay thru reblog chains, but messages are preferred

my motivation and my sleep schedule and my everything are often inconsistent. i’ll try to let you know when i have to disappear, but sometimes i just... don’t. i’ll try n work on that

i’m okay with mature topics like gore and death, though if it’s, like, smut... i don’t know. maybe if you can confirm that you’re also a minor but above 13. also only done in private messaging. also i don’t like making smut the whole basis of a roleplay.

i’m usually semi-literate to literate, using “quotes” for dialogue and writing actions as you’d read in, like, a book. but i’m pretty flexible with my style and can use *asterisks* if you do the same. basically i kinda just mirror my partner.

i only do 1x1 roleplays, sorry lol. groups overwhelm me :’)

i use (parentheses) when talking ooc

triggers

pedophilia: pedophilic ships are one thing, that i will be covering in another part of this post. but what i mean is if you’re going to say, “[]’s dad looks at them funny,” or “[]’s whoever touches them in inappropriate places,” whether in their backstory or not, i’m leaving. pedophilia triggers me bad enough that i get uncomfortable when it’s mentioned, in general.

rape: similarly to suicide- if it’s mentioned in a character’s past, then... maybe. i know scumbags exist but if you’re going to have a character get raped or attempt to rape another i’m leaving.

self-harm: if it’s really essential to the plot, then i guess you can do so with your character- just, don’t go into detail about it. other, non-self-inflicted gore of any kind is okay in any amount of detail tho.

suicide: not as lenient as the one above. you can incorporate death-by-suicide in a character’s backstory(like a family member or something) and you can include non-descriptive past attempts, but if any character actively attempts during a roleplay i’m gone.

base rules

you should tell me your rules and triggers, too- you don’t have to be so extremely detailed if you’d rather not, but i just need a basis of what you are and aren’t comfortable with. if you have a post outlining your info you should link that, too :)

don’t feel obligated to, but if you message me it’d be absolutely appreciated if you have some sort of idea of the kind of plot you want. i can provide my own plots and do have some pre-set starters, but it’s also cool if you want to provide your own or have us create one together or just go with the flow without a starting plot.

that said, once we fulfill the requirements of a plot, it’d still be cool if we could keep going and just add onto it! or if you feel like it, i’m still okay with ending a roleplay at whatever point.

pairing rules

i can do platonic, romantic, familial, and other kinds of relationships within a roleplay. ngl, i mostly focus on romantic, but if you want to try another kind of relationship don’t be afraid to say so

in any fandom, i can do cc x oc, oc x oc, and cc x cc-- while, minus the ones where i specifically say i can’t play ccs dhsnfjm. most of the time though, i’m happy to play either cc or oc

being mlm myself, i mostly focus on mlm pairings. still though, i can do wlw and straight relationships, plus relations between characters with diverse genders!

i refuse to do any pedophilic or incestual ships. if we do a pairing and it gets abusive though, i can tolerate that as long as we aren’t looking at the abuse as a good thing. and as long as the character/s getting abused get out of those situations, eventually.

also i can do aged up aus, like adult!izuocha, but i’m not going to age up a character to ship them with another one that’s already an adult.

oh and yandere makes me uncomfortable lol sorry

atla/lok-specific

ships i particularly like are zukka, sukka, meilee, korrasami, and wuko

i could probably play sokka, zuko, bolin, and mako... but like. i don’t know.

i’d prefer sticking to ocs, but i can try playing canon characters

bnha-specific

ships i particularly like are shintodo, bakutodo, izuocha, kiribaku, and tokokure.

ccs i play best are shinsou, todoroki, bakugou, and tokoyami

i can play canon characters or ocs! if it’s oc x cc i actually usually prefer being the cc, with this one. but i have like a million bnha ocs that i’m happy to use

i don’t ship any of our current villains with the ua kids! i can do villain x student if it’s an au or ocs, though

fe3h-specific

i actually.. don’t have any fe3h ships lol. maybe self-ships. but i do have a headcanoned friendship between petra, ashe, and felix, thanks to one of my playthroughs

ccs i play best are byleth, claude, linhardt, and mercedes

i can play most canon characters or ocs! ngl, if it’s oc x cc, i usually prefer being the oc.. with canon characters, i’m most well-versed in the blue lions, but i really do want to branch out

oh but i hate leonie with a passion lol. i can’t play her no matter how hard i try.

haikyuu-specific

once again i don’t have many ships in here lol... but i think kuroken n yamshima are pretty cute, when i think about it :)

ccs i play best are hinata, kenma, tsukishima, and kageyama

once agian, i can play canon characters or ocs. but ngl, i generally prefer using ocs, unless i can play tsukki or kageyama. but then again i should always work on expanding those horizons-

mlb-specific

i ship ninalya, marcaniel, julerose, marichat, and ladrien (but chatbug and adrinette are good too!)

i have 0 experience playing ccs lol. but i imagine i could play nino and marc pretty well

ngl, i prefer playing ocs over canon. but i’m willing to try playing canon!

stardew-specific

ships ships ships, as always- sambastian, abisam, sebigail, abisambastian. just... that trio.... love that trio <3

ccs i play best are sebastian, shane, abby, and alex

i’m happy playing any canon character or ocs. if it’s oc x cc? i prefer the cc.

but also pierre is weird and i have a hard time playing him so, ehh, yeah no-

[izartn]

MDZS JGY fic promt

I’m thinking about Meng Yao/Jin Guangyao and I think I would love to read a fic of him snapping in the opposite direction of his desperate grab for power and respect from his shit father. We know, thanks to JGS gruesome murder that at some point, after already being a shitty human doing murdery things, JGY snapped hard and said: “if i’m gonna do the shitty things of running this sect i’ll do them for myself and fuck you to death”. Quite literally. 

So I’d like to imagine a world where he, like, not necessary becomes a much better person; I dunno about the JZX and WWX kill plot, or about NMJ. I think he’s very set in his auto-preservating self-beneficing ways, and if you don’t really work well with that part of his chara then he’s not JGY anymore. 

But instead of being, I’ll become the highest in the cultivation world, so i will be finally respected and listened to (uhm, didnt’ work especially well did it? they never let him forget his mother profession when it was his father who was the absolute worst) he decides that while cultivation is still something to aspire to -can’t forget about his mother dying dream, also longer life and health benefits + being a hero, doing the decent thing- he realises the cultivation sect system as it is horrible. 

He was in the middle of the war, he saw it from both sides. He then went to low to high but still a servant. And it’s always blood what counts. He sees what happens to his other bastard brothers, to WWX when he decides enough is enough, and how he himself is still treated by his Sect despite his intelligence and abilities. And instead of trying to take refuge in the system, he is a bit more self-aware or inquiring; maybe he is more idealistic in some ways? But still oh so bitter, and decides to destroy the system from within.

You know what? Do it so he still rises to Leader of the Jin Sect (without prostitutes murdering and necrophilia; he is now more on the side of the common, so maybe he gets the help of Sisi or someone he knows to aid him poison his father and after he gets them a nice reward and packs them to a new life in Japan or something. Or he simply uses another subtle method without intermediaries or with unaware ones, he is certainly able of doing that when he isnt being an ironic murderer shit.) because it’ll serve him, and to be the leader responsible of making sure the so estimated Jin blood is disposesed will make him smug pleased. To slowly gain power and bit by bit erase the division between the noble clans and people who learn simply bcs of talent, scouting youngsters witht the excuse of replenishing the clans after the war and quiting the idiots nobles from their spoiled positions. 

Hell you can even make LXC and NMJ (did he died before or after JGY becomes Sect Leader? Well if he is still alive, NHS doesn’t destroy him, but then WWX doesn’t come back. If he dies before, then the vengeance is still in play, but it’ll be even more fraughted bcs now JGY goals and methods are a lot more morally grey and watching WWX and LWJ confront that would be super interesting O-O), you can make them see those policies and be like, oh sure, that’s a good thing you’re doing A-yao. But also conflict with their positions in the nobility system, as time pases and JGY subtly passes more changes and brings to ruin those sect leaders more entrenched in the old ways and abusing of their people.

 Programs for literacy, for the spread of knowledge and the civil use of cultivation techniques with the excuse of avoiding beforehand the formation of ghosts and resentment appealing to the lazy nature of the rich while eliminating bit by bit the necessity of their existence, like boiling a frog, the creation of the watchtowers still fits nicely and we know in canon he faced oppposition there so here it’s more important still, even more so Su She I think, will be elated with this turn of events and even more loyal lmao if JGY sells it well and JGY sells his ideas really well. 

Maybe he helps XXC and SL bcs it’s in his interest they find success although he finds them naive; but JGY has a canon soft spot for people who treat him well regardless of his common born status, so. Maybe he intercedes with XY and convinces him to work with him taking out nobles reasonably (I bet XY will like that), and manages to avoid somehow XY elaborated revenge on SL and XXC? or executes him when he is too much of a wild card, but we know how that ended in canon... The best bet is making XY see on his own best interest to help in JGY vision but that’s well. almost crack fic lmao. 

OH! Maybe he finds XY before the massacre of the Chang clan bcs he is searching for someone to help him above table and gets to him by offering a more subtle but still suitable appropriate revenge with the pro bonus of getting to do the same to others after and access to WWX manuscripts. You know this has a much higher chance of working, let’s go with this scenario. So he keeps XY out of his father reach, when he is searching for someone to gain control of the stygian seal and wen ning. Yeah, this will appeal immensely to JGY xD

You know, and JGY being beloved by the people, and having more than a facade of being just or fair, but proving it although it isn't in the interest of the nobles. And as he is politics savvy, although with more effort he could certainly make it so he avoids assassinations or walking in a minefield like wwx etc. 

Depending on the NMJ situation... You could make it so NMJ doesn’t die and then they enter a stalemate of grudging respect bcs JGY wants more an ally in swaying people for his cause than his revenge, although he sure could make non lethal things to inconvenience NMJ lol. And NHS as sect leader wouldn’t have the same power to his decisions and reach, no matter if he is more manipulable; after all isn’t NHS a pampered noble in JGY eyes? Who could be sure if he even would follow JGY anyways... 

And you could give it different endings depending on the development of JGY: a success where he gets to the point were factually the sects aren’t bloods based anymore, just a few like the lan (those traditionalists lol) resisting an unavoidable wave of change taht comes for everybody, and the money doesn’t flow in their pockets like a river to the ocean but instead it goes back to the people. 

You could make it so it’s a partial success bcs JGY is still himself and does more than a few morally grey things that come to light with the NMJ murder reveal, but his changes linger and the common people plus others of the same ideal now trained and in process of being cultivators won’t let themselves be cowered by the awful nobility -another big conflict breeding, and maybe it won’t be successful but people have long memories and books and the new ideals of equality would spread regardless, so it would start again and again each time a bit better-. I think WWX POV in this case would be delicious omg, LXC conflict even more pointed. This would be, I think the more realistic and interesting to write take on the idea. Iand you now, I’m in favor of a novel setting and characterization, but to make it more painful, use the 16 gap of the show and nothing else (i haven’t see the show beyond the first episodes bcs i couldn’t take it lol)  so JGY has more time to make changes. 

You could make a downer ending (this I wouldn’t like lmao, but it’s there) so that shows the cruelty and inability of making changes to something so integrated and supported by itself, that JGY loses much to his revenge he takes more and more radical actions that come back to bit his ass with NMJ and JGS murder revelation. I think XY in here would be appropriate, in an antagonist role as in MDZS. But it still has an impact; JGY’s life, despite his faults was still more inspirational, made better impact than his canon self. Make it poetically tragic and a comment on the futility of trying to change society by oneself, but find beauty in the attempt itself which has created community, which will in the future do the true work of overthrowing the yokes of the high ups, educating and helping each other in their messy human lives.

All this ending, and JL conflict, who at this point has learnt much at his uncle JGY side, who has decided to (dunno about marrying QS and A-Song’s death. depending on your take and ending it’ll have different impact) go on with his labor bc he sees the good on it and swears to not be like the worst of JGY. A legacy he can reconcile with himself thanks too, to the experience of meeting WWX. JL is in a more fraught position with JC in this verse, I think, bc for one, he is more mature/not so spoiled and that would make JC glad, but his ideas are at the same time understable and anatema to JC who puts so much of his life on honoring the clan on making sure the Jiang carry on and his name isn’t forgotten but who recruited from nothing during the war. Who sees the danger in alienating the powers of the cultivation sects bc he saw what it did to WWX and he believes in protecting his own and to hell with the rest. 

So very interesting!!! 

You could spin so many takes from this, it’d be so fascinating and satisfying. I’d love to see the chara of JGY developed in this direction, bcs he has so much potential to waste it in so petty goals. His ambition is certainly big enough to believe he will damn well do a silent revolution well. 

Just, using the classics to argue for equality and education and a good life even if you’re a peasant, using the cultivation basis and its suppose use to better oneself and the world in making a point of avoiding wars and violent retribution (to the public, he’s still a bit of an hypocrit bcs it serves him well to have a stick with which to beat his enemies lmao) and instead use diplomacy and a sort of rehabilitation or service thing. Because those ideas are there, in the different clasics and schools of thought (not confucianism, not as much) it’s just that the nobles and high scholars were never interested and used them to argue for a sort of natural hierarchy were they’re in top. 

 Let JGY create a new school of thought, and LXC and others seeing the merit on it. JGY has the reach and the intelligence and the ability. 

The best revenge is living well and destroying the system which allowed the other to harm you, the ideas, the means. Create a fantasy fulfillment ^^

[loststargrazer-blog]

What Comes First, Theory or Reality?

In the history of natural philosophy and in fact all philosophy and much academic work besides, there has been a strong tendency to create theory, whether this is Aristotle's Physics or even a topic like modern critical theory. In fact every university subject today is brimming with theory, and a churn of half baked theories continues; it is what drives academic careers. One can question this: Should there be theories for everything? Also, can we know if there is a valid theory for all topics? Can we even justify turning all this theorising into syllabus, and of course dogma, that is taught, read, and absorbed into our beliefs as part of the creative greater self?

There have been philosophers like Sir Karl Popper who held that knowledge wasn't proven, but theorised, and these theories were tested, if not falsified, then held as provisional pragmatic truths. But given that there is almost an infinity of theory and likely only one true minimal and complete description, it doesn't seem to me that Popper's approach would be very successful in finding a true description of the universe unless there was a pre-selection, a seeing of what is going on in order to select/build a theory. However, empirical observation relies on a theory of logical consistency, a theory of how the domain works, an analysis of objects in the field, the mindset of the observer, and a number of factors local to the experiment. So it becomes clear that most theorising is the process of adding layers of philosophical speculation to other philosophical speculation. Is all this theory a load of rubbish?

* * *

With empirical results there is often a repeatable observation, however with theory there is just the adding of layers, one on top of the other. If a single flaw exists then the tower is unsound. There is also a difference between the mathematical descriptions of physics and economics and the analysis of critical theory in literature studies or psychoanalysis. The mathematical sciences are more highly defined, with problems fitting to the world as described in blog 15, 'What Does It All Mean?', but interpretations are less of an issue. Other subjects have greater interpretation issues, for example finding it inexact when offering theories about theory about descriptions about interpretations. As a result, the theories morph according to things like political interest. An example of disagreement is a Marxist interpretation of counter revolutionary facts, like believing the CIA can drive history and economics single handed. This is less of a problem in physics, but still dogmas persist like the millenium long reign of Aristotle's physics, only punctured by the heroic efforts and experiments of free thinking giants like Galileo, Newton, and Einstein who rejected more theory than they created.

In the analytical philosophy tradition of the 20th Century there was a rejection of some theorising, particularly metaphysics, as it was argued it was meaningless because it had become detached from its empirical foundations. An aggressive form of empiricism became dominant in the UK. I see this historical debate as flawed on both sides (see blog 11: 'What Makes Us for Real?'), however it has asked some questions which are still important like:

1) How can we justify theories and theorising;

2) Does everything need theories;

3) Are more abstract theories like cultural theories valid like scientific ones, or are they pseudo-intellectual and meaningless;

4) Is it possible to create grand narratives from systematizing theory or are they all just local and observable?

I have previously touched on a number of these themes, but we will briefly try to answer these questions here with reference to the previous blogs as a conclusion to our endeavours that will help you understand and argue with people who want to inflict a grand narrative on you, or their value judgements, as is often the case in education, religion, politics, debate, or even just the marketing of products promoting a way of doing things.

The first question, how can we justify theories, is another way of asking about justifying generalisations that we discussed in blog 5: 'Were You or Your Big Data Given to Generalising...?'. If we are making a generalisation, we are creating a simple theory that the world works in a particular way. The problem becomes a new problem when we extend the theory so that it changes from becoming a local theory, for example Napoleon was erratic, to becoming so wide and far from the evidence; for example Napoleon was an agent of the spirit of history that had manifested itself since creation (to slightly abuse Hegel). This proceeds to our second question, does everything need theories. For example, has Hegel's view of history been a positive influence, is it valid, is it false, can we tell the difference?

These questions lie within the last blog on religion, (blog 17: 'What Good Is Religion after the Lies?'); for if a theory is not a local scientific theory, given at the correct level of non-reduction (as mentioned in blog 8: 'Is AI & Science Stuck in an Unhelpful Reductionist Paradigm...?'), then the role of the theory must be religious. We have accepted that although grand narrative theories (or religious theories) may not or can not be proven or even correct, we need religion. So we need religious theory to provide us with a framework for our worldview, lives, and judgements.

This answers our third question, are abstract theories like religious ones meaningless. The answer to this is they define people, so even if you think square circles lay eggs on Tuesdays, this is still meaningful even though it doesn't apply to anything. Many theories may be pseudo-intellectual as, like religion, they can't be falsified, and this is the definition of pseudo-scientific provided by the Vienna Circle group of philosophers. Unlike the Vienna Circle, we can see this lack of falsifiability does not make the theory meaningless, but religious.

Religious or grand narrative theories can certainly be produced, in fact they are impossible to get rid of, but I would disagree with the claim they are scientific as part of the answer to the third question. Many theorists mistake their religious beliefs for scientific ones. particularly when they apply inappropriate scientific thought to areas out of scope in sphere confusions (as discussed in blog 1: 'A Little Understanding Has Big Implications'). I would define the opposite of Post-Atheism (discussed in the previous blog) to be Moral Totalitarianism, and this term applies equally to extreme religion as extreme politics like marxism, fascism, or absolute rule. There is a framework that defies justification in scientific terms, but still controls the narrative in participants through a grand narrative of a religious order.

So answering the fourth question, you can create positive impact grand narratives, although attempts to do so usually have a less good conclusion. There are some clear examples of dodgy narratives having positive effects: For example the US constitution making everyone equal before God and the law, when it is not clear that there is any true equality; but at least this helps rather than hinders justice, even if the laws themselves are sometimes highly prejudiced like the war on drugs. However, I do not think claiming equality before 'God' is a valid scientific claim. So while, like Hegel, it is possible to make grand claims, and for them to be meaningful, I don't think they are likely to be correct or justified in absolute terms.

* * *

We have an important branch of thought that is not scientific, but is rational and hyper real (see blog 11: 'What Makes Us for Real?'). It sits between mathematics, religion, science, and empirical description. I claim this whole archipelago, this whole continent, in the name of philosophy. You as philosophers shall find your kingdom here, and your hyper reality. You shall rule academies with your exciting theorising, your refining, analysing, and defining. Thinkers of all types will hang on your every word as you define their deepest prejudices.

* * *

The conclusion is passed, now we are in the post-note, the health warning; and we shall discuss the pratfalls of theory and philosophy that you need to avoid. There is the naive view that philosophers can be wrong, but we know this is usually not the biggest problem for theory. More dangerous is being confused; however the biggest existential threat is being illogical; but if you deny, defy, mould, and redefine your theory, selling it as you go, then you may hold onto it for generations until it becomes a permanent religious feature.

Being logical is not that hard, a simple guide to logic may help if it is unclear, but anyone with exposure to truth tables, computer code, electronics gates, will already be familiar with most of the useful content. To be useful with logic, you need a knack for good definitions; this comes with practice. An eye for synthesising arguments is a creative skill, like writing verse, but even your garbled thoughts can be clarified and will probably be seen as genius where there is a gap in the theory.

Now we will consider a topic of philosophy that was open to confusion in the past and even rejected from some of the philosophy canon, 'ontology' the way of existence. The aim of this exercise is for you to criticise the arguments and come up with your own bits of ontology.  There will be some clues after this stack argument:

1) Properties are real

2) Causation is the actualisation of properties

3) Emergence is caused

4) The hyper real is emergent

5) Language is hyper real

6) Description is language

7) The impossible are descriptions

Therefore: 8) The impossible are real

So perhaps you like this argument? This argument is a good example of religious thinking as it takes arguments from across the blogs, but probably this is a distraction from how you define what is real. The argument is somewhat consistent (or circular as you might otherwise call it), especially if you leave out steps 2-6.

Of course every argument benefits from follow up arguments. So if you rejected the first step ('premise 1'), consider this:

1) Unused properties do not exist in the real

2) Scientific laws are mostly about unused properties

Therefore 3) Scientific laws mostly do not exist in reality

4) Properties are a thing's nature

5) A thing's nature exists

6) Scientific laws express a thing's properties

Therefore 7) Scientific laws exist

8) If a thing is contradictory, then it is impossible

Therefore 9) The existence of scientific laws is contradictory being both true and false

Therefore 10) Scientific laws are impossible

I think this argument is interesting and is a bit like that popular meme:

Cheese has holes

More cheese = more holes

More holes = less cheese

So more cheese = less cheese

So the reason ontology is not as popular as it was two centuries ago is that there are probably multiple definitions of real, and probably even no grand narratives to realness. So ontology is a muddle that is mostly semantic; it is also highly religious and so it is difficult to be definitive; for example, does Hegel's world spirit of history exist when you can't really prove empirically that it doesn't? Accordingly, this is just one example where you can freely make up your own philosophy and add it to any theory you are interested in, so following a rich tradition of thinkers of all types, left, right, ancient, modern, scientific, or religious; examples include Plato's forms, Newton's universal time, Marx's march of history, Aristotle's forces, various theisms, the free market, mathematical objects, etc.

Based on what I said about identity in blog 6: 'Is Cause and Effect the Wonderwall of Everything?', you can also add that while properties like motion exist, the objects in motion do not persist, and this applies to all properties over time. Further factor in emergent properties and latent properties. Thus to make claims about the things existing in the world is to be open to a massive confusion of identity and the real, lending itself to much interpretation. This should keep you in theory for a while.

Before anyone decides it is clear the impossible works better than science, I will dig you out of the stack argument the way I see best: This is to say that scientific laws only exist as descriptions, like the impossible. A real description is not the same as being real unless you are talking about a theory like mathematics; so scientific laws are only descriptions of the possible. But whether you think latent properties are real, I leave to you. Perhaps they are just part of the impossible, also described like the possible, when considered in absolute terms like whether they have causal existence, which they don't. When they do have that causal existence, their identities will have changed; so that what exists in the latent category is the cause of a cause or the cause of an ability to interact to create an emergent property. This would unwrap the problem for you so you may redefine everything to your taste.

* * *

I shall now end with some final words. Philosophy is sometimes ignored, but it can be a battleground. There is something to the cliche that philosophy can alienate people, however this is much less likely if you take a post-atheist approach as described in the last blog. Although the possibility remains that people will alienate you, normally this will be based on something you now understand and can feel empowered to reason with. Philosophy is a many sided coin; one side is the power of theory to interpret meaning and change lives.

Our final conclusion to this blog question of what comes first, theory or reality, is that they live together in our minds' eye. So although much theory is a waste of time, it will define our thinking and concepts.

[spidermilkshake]

The fourteenth member of a thirteen-member organization. The only non-Nobody member (though this barely has much effect on her characterization). Hoo boy. Xion is a topic which really grinds my teeth with regards to how she is canonically conceptualized. Kingdom Hearts, as a series, has David Cage-levels of flippant, impact-less emotionality under the guise of being "like, deep, man". And sometimes this results in really tragic and way-too-mature-for-target-audience implications. Which of course means that those areas are where a great deal of my alternate-canon fixin' is required for my own work. Xion, you see, is canonically thought of as a Replica. But she's very obviously not quite so--no more than Roxas is a "replica" of Sora by virtue of being generated as an unusual Nobody. If I may channel the Vexen characterization I like to follow, ahem! (And please pardon his Ivalese... XD) She is no more an exact copy of Sora than an identical twin is an exact copy of the other twin. But you see Xion does not even have that twin-like trait of being an exact genetic copy--there were certain... changes which occurred in the Replication process (she would not have that perceptual and physical metamorphic quality if she were exactly physically Sora-alike, or Roxas-alike). She is, essentially, procured of the same material as another person but is of course another person entirely--similar to the known irregular Nobodies come of people who retain their personhood but former bits of themselves generate another someone like Roxas, Namine, or Xemnas. Not even that much different than the more conventional way that new people get made. Babies. Just the virtue of having large portions of your parents' DNA by no means results in the child being this derivative copy-being, a half-mash of both parents, and not to be considered their own individual but some emanation of the two parents? ...Never mind, some people do appear to think that; that's a whole other can of wasps... However as you may have already figured out from, well, plot, the fact that Xion is her own person is not an idea particularly well-grasped by those surrounding her. Including, sadly, herself. This is something shared in common with the chosen second part of the title of this portrait. It's a blood-boiling reality to see the very same dehumanization, comparison, and vulnerability imposed upon twins as well. "Twinless Twin Syndrome" is a very real thing outside of the Kingdom Hearts' Universe (and within it of course), where a surviving twin in some way is made aware that they were once part of a sibling pair (this happens whether the person' twin sibling dies young before they could remember them well if at all, or if the twin never made it to birth to begin with; stillborn). Understandably being so young and finding out, either unconsciously through overhearing things as a baby or toddler just gaining the ability to form memory at all, or by being directly informed of this at some point, that you were supposed to have a sibling can be difficult to work with. Unfortunately, this gets exponentially more f**ked up and traumatic when you consider the incredibly creepy conceptualization that most societies impose upon the idea of identical twins. Knowing or not, Twinless Twin Syndrome begins to harm a surviving twin psychologically due to how most societies basically assume twins--two different people who just happen to be genetic copies (replicas, if you will)--are not so much their own individuals but two halves of a whole. Eck. Sounds familiar to what Xion went through yet? It'll get worse, believe me! Similar to Xemnas's imposition and the pretty damn toxic ways that people in the KH-verse conceptualize self (especially when it comes to beings created of another being's pre-existing stuff), twinless twins who absorb this idea they are "incomplete" as people tend to also suffer Imposter Syndrome and various other psychological injuries. Only more f**ked. Rather than feeling fraudulent in comparison to some peers, twinless twins often feel that way in regard to a person who might never have even existed as a person in their own right! See the case of a pretty damn famous sufferer of Twinless Twin Syndrome--Elvis Presley. Yes, he was a surviving twin of a pair where one was stillborn. And let's just say, this facet of his identity did some pretty twisted things to shape his sense of self. Not in a particularly good way. Considering canonically that Xion essentially ends up committing a getting-shit-past-the-radar form of suicide and expressed this sense that she shouldn't exist and had to get forced back into Sora's identity... well, that's really messed up of you, KH writers. You accidentally included a disadvantaged teenager's suicidal urges and eventual attempts (semi-successful...) and you guys managed to frame this as being generous and selfless and good. Look, I know Japanese culture still has some issues in how mental health and especially suicides have been handled, but that seems at the very least distasteful. I can only hope that these implications were accidental, much like the rest of your, ahem, narrative decisions and world-building. Brr, got cold in here. XD Well, a Vexen-rant will do that to your local climate, especially when he manages to punch right through that 4th wall. Excuse me while I fetch a jacket... And a reminder to please give Fangirl Extermination Squad a read for a... well, a much more emotionally honest and healthier incarnation of the awesome and in-universe underrated Xion here.

[demonslayvr]

VERSES RUNDOWN.

'fore blazing home came atumbling  ;  there was a family of four  (  childhood v. )

PRE GAMES  /  NOVEL’S  /  MANGA’s.   pretty clear  --  this is any interaction that has been plotted or otherwise during dante’s childhood til the fire.  by default he’s going to be about 6 - 8 years of age with the latter age at least a couple months before the fire.  

quite indeterminate yet the bang of a gun and the slash of a sword still remain a constant ( undetermined v  )

PRETTY OBVIOUS.   i haven’t made a decision where shit goes yet thus its undetermined.  will change during thread once we plot more on it or i figure something out myself.

not everything has a simple ending.  crashing demons is easy but other things ? that can be tough  (  multifandom v  )

GENERAL CROSSOVER / MULTIVERSE v.   pretty generic verse for when either dante himself or another character   outside   of the devil may cry canon gets tossed comes inside it.  i’ll probably branch off if and whenever i make verses for  in - fandom specific  threads when i build something for each one of them but this is it for now.  sometimes this verse tag will accompany another one  ;  which just means whichever verse he’s in and what you should follow development wise is connected. basically just a multi - fandom tag for crossover threads,  lads.   

die trash man  ;  take your sword and SHOVE IT  ( crack  )

GENERAL CRACK.   as the package says it’s just a verse / tag for crack whenever it happens.  sometimes it may 

a flash to a past that holds bitter air.  pain was a story here.  you wish not to go back   ( post dmc5 / alternate interaction v )

ALTERNATE INTERACTIONS.   pretty much like with the multifandom verse tag this one is simply going to go with   any   other version of himself dante interacts with.  might get latched onto with another verse tag just for my own sanity but  . .  yep.

low feelings  ;  simply moving along to find dangers and distractions ( devil may cry one v. ) 

SET JUST BEFORE,  DURING OR AFTER DMC1 AND BEFORE FOUR.  pretty much as the previous sentence says lads.  he’s an angstee boy but not as angsty as his two self i guess lmao.  but yeah,  this verse is a huge back track in terms of development and how he is in the verse   below  this one.

bang bang bang kiss of the gun & blade ; where are we?  (  post dmc5 - main )

POST DMCV.   follows the full OG dmcv canon til end  -  depending on interaction this could mean that any vergil written with and dante are in hell still doing whatever the fuck they please   or   after the fact and home and going on with their lives.  or trying  ;  considering vergil is back in his life and alive.  this is also the   DEFAULT   verse of the blog.

there's a fire in your veins that speaks your losses yet you continue to bend in remembrance (  atla / lok v.  )

SHUNNED.   known for killing his twin brother,  his very name and even more so in taking jobs to pay the bills   --  jobs that more so upset the delicate balance between the human and spirit realms.  

dante sparda   comes from the fire nation  -- his father a previous high general in the army  ; one that tried to broker peace in a time where it was unheard of while the fire nation ruled. his father met eva when he was traveling the earth nation and secretly begun a relationship with her.  their love was beautiful,  eventually in as much secret as possible eva bore two young boys:  vergil and dante sparda.

happiness was not to last however as wind was caught of the affair and the children,  leaving eva and the young sons to go on the run with sparda defending their escape.  the name sparda was drug through the mud as the man was never heard from again after that night. unknown what became of him as deflected firebending set the house ablaze.

short years pass,  spending it on the run from those who want to end the chapter of embarrassment  --  but it finally catches up.  one evening eva comes running,  telling her boys to go  --  to run and hide.  forget their names but stay at each other’s side.  the twins do as told and don’t look back  ;   the last time they see her.  however in their escape they end up separated,  captured by soldiers of the fire nation.  dante’s anger and despair of losing his entire family causes him to lose control  ;  lashing out on the soldiers that caught him and running away

“ you must change your name  ;  forget your past and start a new life as someone else.  “

that he does.  he changes his name and disappears,  alone.  fast forwarding a couple years he’s a spirit hunter  ;  taking jobs that rid   “  evil spirits  “  that cause issue or problem for anyone that pays a good amount.  a mercenary that cuts down those who’ve wronged the wrong person  ;  non and bender’s alike.  his father’s sword,  rebellion,  at his back to assist and create a dancing display of fire just as much as his bending.  he’s a difficult one to get close to but once you cool him off   (   haha )  he’s a loyal friend and ally.  

with the war over at the end of the series he’s more vocal of who he is  --  even though he was  previously   but with some of the fire nation’s  “ norms  “  kind of relaxing from fire - lord zuko’s rule   . .  he’s his father’s son.  his mother’s son.

lok  verses are basically  . .  kinda the same.  except i guess he’s older   . .  ??

pay off the debt to save your skin  ;  something within broke and former gentle soul crushed under weight ( dmc 2.0 v )

CANON DIVERGENT.  dante snapped,   perhaps it was inevitable  -  perhaps losing too many people tore what little the cambian could handle to pieces and the person that emerged from it was more a threat than he was before.  after the events of devil may cry 1 after realizing that he had  ( supposedly   )  killed his brother there was something in him that couldn’t handle it and everything begun to crumble.

in this timeline something in him changed, and while it wasn’t immediate  –  little things when he would have been understanding over a situation didn’t sit as they should.  but it happened quickly.  with trish’s betrayal he didn’t help her,  allowing her to get crushed by the tumbling rocks  ;  simply standing there and watch it happen.  its drawn out,  with him coming over to crouch beside her as she struggled to heal.  in his allowance bore cruelty,  snarling that she should have known better to betray him  –  mundus shouldn’t have done what he did and expect him to now not try and go after him.

he,  as he does in the normal timeline,  states that while she looks like his mother that she has no soul,  no fire and for that she’s just a puppet.  he shoots her more than once,  killing her   –   the last time he sheds a tear.  he reaches mundus,  who commends him for his actions yet the hybrid isn’t having it.  the fight with mundus goes about the same but with dante  killing him   for ultimately forcing him to murder his brother,  being the one who set the orders to   burn down   his home  –  twice   –  and turn his life upside down.

he goes through the portal mundus opened to  try   and escape and ultimately assumes himself as the  new king  of the underworld.  he still runs his business since even though he’s king there will always be factions that don’t   like it   due to his bastard blood and he’s more than happy to snuff it out.

his attitude is   mostly   intact   (  though this is said   loosely   since he’s less talkative and jovial   )   though now it’s unsettling at times since his jokes and humor can be a bit morbid  – let alone how his aura feels.  its dangerous and uncomfortable to be around  ;  his care for humans as a whole is almost non - existent except for a small inkling for lady.  

BIG NOTE:  THIS TIMELINE IS SET AFTER DEVIL MAY CRY ONE,  KIND OF   SKIPS FOUR    (    though it   IS   likely nero still exists but dante doesn’t care much about it  or know   )    SLIGHTLY INVOLVES TWO    ( aka:  dante gets annoyed that some idiot human is making helicopters messed up with demonic juju and wants to become king.  so he kills arius  )  AND INVOLVES   SOME CONTENT   OF FIVE.  

to enact your revenge most had been taken  ;  body & mind broken so it could begin   (  witcher v  )

———–   destiny.  you hear it more than you’d like to admit.  destiny is what brought your parents together  ;   one monster and the other a witch.  two were born,  twins and raised in care by the witch til fate came to pass and ripped the three of you left apart.  in trying to halt destiny the father,  sparda,  had done his best to hold it off  ;  disappearing one afternoon when the boys had been young   ——–   so long ago.  his hope ??   that staying away would bring a kinder reality and future.

fire and blood,  a mother doing best to protect her children was found disemboweled on the floor within the crumbled castle foundations.  the youngest child was told to hide,  hide away and if the mother didn’t resurface   . .  to run.  she didn’t,  but the youngest fought his way out of the castle   —-  skills of his mother surfacing with an aptitude for beast slaying in the same scope.  his father’s sword,  created by hellish and beastly means was his and aptly used to start a revenge   —  to   KILL   demons in his mothers name.  and in his brothers   —   as both were believed to have perished in the attack.

in a short time and with training the young hybrid killed demons for a price   ;   eventually catching the eye of a witcher.  the nature of the hybrid himself and the skills he held were of interest   —   brought to kaer morhen to be trained as a witcher.  almost losing himself in the process yet he endured,  it further altering his physiology that was already different with the hybrid nature he had.

with the trials and effective torture to   be   a witcher an astounding success he buried into the extensive training to pursue the beast that slayed his family while also being a monsterslayer for hire.  

———–   destiny.  you hear it more than you’d like to admit.   destiny and fate has brought you here.  brought you a thought lost ache in your heart for the family lost all to avenge them and   kill   the beast that killed   them.   you feign your disinterest,  your lack of care but there is much of it in soul.   destiny   is a cruel mistress,  son of sparda.  yet perhaps she may gift you the   KINDNESS   to provide retribution if you are to   live   long enough.

Notes 1:    with his father’s blood and how he is part beast,  his body temperature is more abnormally hot than normal  –  able to reach just below lava temperatures without it seeming to create any problems for him.   Notes 2:   his magic is mostly fire based,  secondly offensive  (   akin to geralt’s in show how it can push things back,  etc  ).  with the fire being used to distract he’s referenced to a dragon at times which he ignores. Notes 3:   dante’s still trans because i say so   ;   while magic used to be used to help him pass he’s since has procedure through coin to get effectively top surgery  —  the scars easy to pass off due to his occupation.  bottom surgery hasn’t been attempted but with becoming a witcher,  like the rest,  he’s infertile. Notes 4.    he’s   school of the wolf   because i said so,  wolves are cool and it has geralt so sue me  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

you wished you could forget ; everything else seems to blur but not him. not the brother you lost. (  IT v.  )

AFTER THE FIRE  you found yourself in foster care with your brother in tow. foster turned into adoption with the family that adopted the two siblings ended up bringing the two of them too derry,  maine.  immediately the youngest sibling knew something was off about the town  ;  the atmosphere unsettling but kept it to himself,  not wanting to blow the change he had with his brother at having a new life.  (   he and vergil are still cambion’s,  but their power is,  like,  kinda not as Large as it is normally.  still half demons tho folks.   )

the youngest had trouble settling in a new town,  smaller than the last  –   economically  (  as he and his twin were upper class before this )   and town size in general with more seeming conservative values.  he was lucky to find himself in a slightly liberal and understanding household as he was a transgender kid who no one knew any less of. something he was more careful to keep to himself.

everything was fine,  the brothers settled in and all was well until it wasn’t.  exploring the woods and the barrens  –  finally opening up to his brother that things were strange in the town and he could feel something off.  they went looking but in doing so  . .  there had been an opening of weakness for the two  –  distractions and a trap.  their mother,  burned and in pain asking for their help  ;  of course the two came closer.  there was a small difference in this faux recreation and trauma that dante noticed  –  calling out for his brother to stay away but,  unfortunately the youngest saw the eldest fall victim to the trap  –  terrified and running away when he couldn’t do anything but possibly fall victim too.

time passed,  school continued on with whispers and comments on how the twin had probably did it himself,  causing the kid to isolate himself from everyone even though he knew what he say.  adults didn’t believe him but there was a group that seemed to have had a run in with this   . .  fuckin’ clown.  

(   going off:  smol™ dante getting involved with the losers after he straight up talks to one of them about what happened and what he saw  /  big™ dante having gone off like the rest of the losers doing his own thing aka kill other demon / eldritch things as normal kinda sorta and then re - meet up with them  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )

same person but different mistakes  ;  still wrought pain upon brothers ( altered outcome / divergent v. )

CANON DMC DIVERGENT.   pretty much a what if  /  reversal if dante led the life vergil did instead of vergil himself.  it’s pretty much the same events but with dante the cause of them or involved instead of vergil.  his attitude is close to what 2.0 dante is but not entirely there in terms of destruction.  however he is still trying to deal with the aftermath of nelo angelo fame and dmcv’s whole thing.

ARISE ;  for you are reborn into something greater.   ARISE    baricontralto angelo - fight.  ( post dmc 5 div. nelo angelo dante v  )

HE HAD BEEN COCKY. the cambion had been cocky upon returning back with his twin from the underworld   ;   cocky that with his twin that nobody could beat them if they simply worked together.  and he was right.  he was right up until he was wrong and time,  well  . . time wasn’t kind.    it had been nine months   since their return from the underworld from cutting down the qliphoth and in that time a   familiar blue amulet   found itself back in dante’s possession.  it had been lost for several decades,  having been lost to the boy during the day he had come home to find gavreel and the family slaughtered on the lawn.

he kept it close,  he knew the meaning   –  he knew that there was   peace   again but  .  . he knew the danger of once again having this but would not dare get rid of it   –  he’d ride the coaster until it stopped.  he’d be happy to have this shred of happiness and he felt he was finally allowed to have something   –   happy to have his brother back and have some semblance of family.

that was,  well,  until he   lost   the amulet.  he didn’t notice that he did,  believing it was still in pocket during a small run in with demons  ;  a job that he had taken alone   –  it seemed that fate was playing her hand that day.   it had been dropped during an evasion and was lost upon his shift ahead   –  he didn’t even spot it.  the job became less easy,  it tiring him considerably as the  small group   of demons became larger   –   and while it was initially a challenge   . .

it soon became taxing.  as the larger the numbers the more exhausted the demon hunter became,  the more he started to slip up.

it was only then did he realize that this was no job.  it was a   trap   and he was caught in a net he couldn’t tear himself from.  a familiar feeling emerged,  one he   hadn’t felt   for decades.  a demonic force that he had thrown fury at that same time.  he hadn’t been this week before.  he knew who this was and   . .   he was in trouble.  this trap had been calculated and he had fallen into it hook,  line and sinker.

the distraction of the feeling,  of the demonic energy rising in the space leaves him vulnerable  –  attacks slicing at his back,  his arms and legs   –   a lucky slash to his throat leaves him struggling and gripping his throat.   he hits his knees before he realizes he does  ; he ultimately   —   unintentionally   —   bows    to the demon king before he passes out, demonic weapons and claws slashing into his back.

the next   redacted years   in the demon world are a nightmare that  post   angelo dante would have trouble remembering for all that happened are buried deep in repressed memories.  the years blur together,  but dante holds for a long time  –  dante suffers,  he burns,  he aches,  he struggles    –   he perseveres.  for a time anyway.   he recalls and holds onto the trade out  . .  that this could have been   vergil   here instead of he.  last minute changes,  bouts of laughter as he accepted the job and ran out the door.  

see you soon   he had said.  but the jovial air had long past.  memories begin to muddle,  to ebb and fade in and out as things became foggy.  a struggle to remember  –   a struggle to fight but   . .   not all fights can be won.  this one eventually was lost.

out of years of torturous pain and bloodshed arose a new pet,  a puppet that was loyal and true.  one that slaughtered doppelganger after doppelganger of brother and self,  of friends and allies that the king knew that the former knew.  he was satisfied that his little puppet would do just fine.  that perhaps he could lure in his old   ;   have the complete set  –  for use of the younger did fine in breaking the elder.

this soldier has two forms  ;  one that fed to his devil trigger (   generic nelo angelo  –  not much power is used for it  –  basically it’s dante on the regular tapping into demonic power with his first devil trigger.  he’s stronger than normal,  having given into his addiction to human and demon blood and grown more powerful because of it  )  

and another that feeds into his   sin   devil trigger  (  essentially the  ‘  dragon  ‘  -  esque look.  however its almost imperfect in how the black scales have become the darkish red  / brown  ;  something not quite right.  scales do fall off without warning from time to time, revealing a near lava like flow underneath.   )  

baricontralto  . .  a name to be used to not arouse suspicion  ;   a soldier that would destroy armies and bring cities to their knees in the name of his master.   time would be swift for the pawn to be used,  for the king himself was pleased.  he was cocky with his new toy  . .   and it wasn’t long before he was to be used   . .  

despite all your losses & destruction ; despite trauma &  trials  . .  my darling boy you’re still you. (  undertale v.  )

[  fight  ]                     [  act ]                    [  item  ]                   [ mercy  ]    

                                     ↳   [  dante sparda ]                                      ↳   [   check  ]

IT WAS UNPRECEDENTED.  a human and a monster coming together and falling in love.  falling in love after the war to a human   witch   that found herself in the closed off underground after a tumble.  sparda protected eva from the monsters at first,  keeping her under his care  –  yet the umbra witch found herself using her powers and skills to assist in healing a monster in peril.  

keeping eva out of harms way was  . .  difficult due to her humanity being a source of contention.  monsters wanted to escape.  eva rather enjoyed being alive.  in the end eva’s healing magic to save and protect those around her and her love and the fact that she was  older   and not prime use to open a proper exit to the human world.  asgore swore eva off limits to monsters as she was kind and a healer to them all.

in time sparda and her married and she bore two children  ;   hybrids   –   part monster and part human.

but not even the king’s word could stop those who still feared humans and humanity.  those who held   rage   toward a species that had caused so much trouble and locked them away for thousands of years,  if not more.   a fire erupted into the underground,  started at the quaint yet spacious house and spread further throughout the underground.  by the time it had been put out  –  eva had been recovered,  dead,  in the home attempting to escape herself but the boys nowhere to be found.  with her last ounce of magic she had sent her boys away,  far away and out of the underground and topside.

now alone and separated from his remaining family and traumatized by the attack to his home the hybrid remained alone  –  growing up such until he found himself protecting humanity against   other   monsters   ;   demons.  demons and monsters that had managed to stay in the human world but grew dangerous and lost themselves.   dante sparda grew to love his humanity yet slowly accept the monster part of himself.

with a job giving him   whispers   of the brother he thought he lost through his own hand now somehow residing in the underground  . .  he flew in to investigate,  still holding some anger over what had been done to his family yet   . .  holding   determination   and patience to deal with the rumors and what he’s about to come across.

[fallen-gabrielle]

The MLP comics are fine (and so is the extended universe)

I will talk about the comics and the extended lore the rest of the medias provide us with more world building. For those who haven’t read the comics, there will be major spoilers, so read at your own risks. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!

Of course, there are Bronies who still consider the comics as non canon. Just like there are Bronies who consider the Equestria Girls as non canon. And same thing with the chapter books.

Others call all that the “extended universe”.

Me? I like Equestria Girls, I like the comics, and the chapter books too. OF COURSE THERE ARE INCONSISTENCIES (< that’s the main reason people don’t like the comics/chapter books/etc, which I think is stupid), the authors don’t have the time to check everything with the show, but they do their best (and especially vice-versa). The show writers don’t follow the comics (and the rest...) because they simply don’t have the time. The comic writers make sometimes references or even sequel to some episodes because they watch the show (show writers don’t read comics and chapter books).

So I consider the “extanded universe” as canon. I don’t care about plot holes, DC comics and Marvel comics have lots of those, and a ton of alternate universes too (reboots, earth-two shenanigans, etc). So why being so hard on the MLP comics ? I really don’t get it. If the reason the comics crush people’s headcanons, I’m sorry, but that’s a lame excuse.

I can understand that the whole “I can’t keep up with all of that” thing, but using it as an excuse for hating the comics (and others medias) is kinda dumb.

And because Hasbro said  “anything that is said in the cartoon, it is primairy canon above any others medias“ is the source of many arguments inside the fandom. That and if they use comic books characters in the show and no one read the thing before, viewers would be confused by what’s going on.

I still think the MLP lore is well developped with the addition of the comics.

Let’s make a recap for what we have in the MLP medias (except the toy line):

The show;

The comics;

The chapter books;

Equestria Girls franchise.

Now, let’s see what kind of comics we have :

The main serie (Friendship is Magic, ongoing)

The Micro serie (10 issues)

Friends Forever (38 issues, replaced Micro Serie)

FIENDship is Magic (5 issues, released at the same time of Friends Forever in April 2015)

Legends of Magic (12 issues, replaced Friends Forever)

Ponyville Mysteries, “sequel” to the eponymous chapter book serie (5 issues, replaced Legends of Magic)

Nightmare Knights (5 issues, replaced Ponyville Mysteries)

The movie prequel (4 issues, released before the movie)

Annuals (somehow ongoing, you may never know *shrugs*).

Now, the list of the chapter books :

The “main serie”, featuring one character;

The Equestria Girls ones (even tho most of them are just book version of the EG movies and specials);

The Princess Collection;

Ponyville Mysteries;

Beyond Equestria, books that features one of the main characters with characters from the Movie.

Yup, that’s a lot.

With all of this, it is certain that the lore of Friendship is Magic was expanded. But alternate worlds in the comics are not the first alternate worlds the franchise has.

There are alternate universes mentioned in the show.

Remember the season 5 finale? There are SIX different timelines :

Sombra war (King Sombra wins);

Everlasting Night (Nightmare Moon wins);

Changeling Invasion (Chrysalis wins);

Total Chaos (Discord wins);

Ultimate Destruction (Tirek wins);

Industrialization (Flim-Flam win).

Each being actually CANON. They are just not the timeline the show is following. That makes them ALTERNATE UNIVERSE, in a sense (just like Flashpoint).

I know that an universe and a timeline is not quite the same, but it still parallel worlds.

So why rejecting the alternate universe that appear in the comics? If we consider everything canon, we have :

1. The Main Equestria (pun not intended)

I’ll call it Equestria 1, from the show and which has 6 different timelines. In a way, the timelines still exist as parallel worlds. So if using the right magic/spell, it may be possible to visit the alt timelines. I’m not going to arg about it like in The Flash, because science isn’t really used in Friendship is Magic, so yeah, don’t start the science talk about alt timelines in a cartoon with magical horses.

2. The Equestria Girls world

From Equestria Girls duh where everyone looks like humans. Sunset Shimmer, who is from Equestria 1, stays there because Hasbro don’t want to mix her with the main show (fight me, this is the real reason why she’s not back to Equestria).

3. The Mirror-verse (comics)

I know that TECHNICALLY every alternate universes are “mirror-verses” because the portals to every alt worlds are mirrors, but I call this one Mirror-verse because every characters are the total opposite from Equestria 1. All the good guys are evil, and all the evil guys are good.

In Reflection (main serie, issue 17-20), the two alternate worlds became so “close” that the merge between them could have destroy them both. The King Sombra from this world stored all the evil of the Mirror-verse inside of him to restore the balance.

Also, this King Sombra is in love with Princess Celestia from Equestria 1. Mmmh... Maybe that’s why people don’t like the comics : their waifu is actually taken (well, not anymore after Reflection). We haven’t heard of this alternate universe since then.

4. The Shadow-verse (comics)

Alternate universe that appears in Legends of Magic and the Annual 2018 (that is a complement to Legends of Magic). This is also the world the serie Nightmare Knights is taking place (see more below).

This is also a personal fan-made name for this universe : this is the one where an alternate Pony of Shadows (aka alternate Stygian) is superpowerful. He defeated his version of Starswirl the Bearded. But as a real power hungry villain, he wanted more. He tried to corrupted the Celestia and the Luna from his world but his Starswirl stopped him from doing so.

But between this moment in the past and in the present day, Green Pony of Shadows (yes, that’s how I’ll call him, because he has green fire/shadows) contacted his counterpart through his dreams: apparently, he succeded to corrupt his Celestia (his Luna seemed to be too weak to resist corruption). So of course, Princess Luna and Stygian from Equestria 1 decided to rescue Celestia of Shadow-verse. But soon they realise that Green Pony of Shadows is not in charge in this universe anymore. It is Eris (Discord’s cousin) who rules the place with the staff of Sacanas (staff used by the Storm King in the Movie). We don’t know yet which world/universe Eris is from. I assume for now she’s from the Shadow-verse.

This is the plot of Nightmare Knights. We already saw easter eggs to previous villains (including Grogar). There is a King Sombra who looks like King Sombra from Mirror-verse. Is he the same Sombra who travel to Shadow-verse or is he the Sombra from Shadow-verse and he just looks like Sombra Mirror-verse post corruption ? I know this is just a reference, but there are TWO Rarities : Nightmare Rarity and Rarity corrupted by dark waters. So did they come from Shadow-verse or alternate worlds where one is corrupted by the Nightmare Forces and the other one by the dark waters ?

Also, what happened to Green Pony of Shadows ? Should I keep calling this the Shadow-verse since Eris is in charge now? I don’t know, we’ll see.

5. Unknown Atlernate universe (TCG)

Yes, even the trading card game proposes an alternate unviverse in which Solar Flare/Nightmare Star (a corrupted version of Celestia) rules her world with an iron hoof. An alternate universe so horrifying that Starswirl from Equestria 1 had to destroy the portal so that no one will know about it (also, he probably didn’t want to see Solar Flare coming in Equestria 1).

I personally prefer Solar Flare over Daybreaker. I really thought that Celestia’s evil counterpart would be it but noooooooo, Hasbro don’t know everything in their own merchandises. They are the one creating inconsistencies. 

The comics created a few controversies

1. Nightmare Forces controversy

The oldest question : which princess is the best ? Back then, we can only choose between Celestia and Luna. And of course, most people choose Luna for her tragic backstory.

In the second arc in the main serie (issues 5-8) Nightmare Rarity, the story is kinda the same as in episode 4, season 2 Luna eclipsed.

It’s about her acceptance of her past and stuff like that. What the comic brings and it’s what most Bronies are not happy with is the Nightmare Forces. So, according to the story, it would be an outside force that corrupts Princess Luna into Nightmare Moon. Yeah, no : using that excuse to glorified the character is lame. Making her a slave to something wasn’t well recieved within the fandom.

The arc is supposed to happen after the episode, that’s why it is a little confusing.

But the comic never stated WHERE the Nightmare Forces come from. And I think people have tendecies to forget who Luna is : an Alicorn. What’s the connection, you ask? Well in episode 13, season 5 Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?, Luna created the Tantabus, a creature for the sole purpose of punishing herself for her past mistakes. What IS the connection, you ask? SHE IS A FREAKING ALICORN, that means she has a magic more powerful than anypony in Equestria. If she was able to create the Tantabus out of guilt, it is possible she created the Nightmare Forces out of envy and anger. It’s like her magic and feelings created another personality, Nightmare Moon and when she was defeated by the Mane 6 and the Elements of Harmony, her evil personality and its magic (the Nightmare Forces) were simply rejected from her body/mind and went to the moon waiting to come back. That’s what happens in the comic. The Nightmare Forces took over Rarity because being a bearer of an Element, that makes the rest of them useless.

There is a rest of Luna’s magic in the Forces and they started to act as a whole new entity after their separation.

Of course, this is only a headcanon, but it is the best explaination I can come up with to keep the Nightmare Forces and Luna being the only responsible for her actions (instead of putting the blame on something exterior).

2. Deers controversy

In the show, there are deers who appear to be non sentient. They look like they are being enslaved by the ponies.

In The Root of the Problem (comic main serie, issue 27-28), the story introduce us to a race of sentient deers who lived in the Everfree Forest (they are kinda the elves of Equestria) with their king, Aspen, being the ruler of their civilisation. 

Since the show writers can’t add characters from the comics because it would confuse everyone, we will probably never see King Aspen in the show. Not everyone follows the comics, and not everone follows every comics.

3. Seaponies controversy

See this for more details.

I may be the only one to think about it, but I don’t care.

The Umbrum and the Pony of Shadows

I won’t hide it, King Sombra is my favorite villain of G4.

So much potential and awesome look. I was a little disapointed with his lack of screentime.

So of course I started to have headcanons about him. I learned to not go too far with them because when the canon backstory has to be revealed, it will crush my headcanons. So I waited a little to know more about King Sombra. And I was blessed with FIENDship is Magic issue 1 !

This issue tells us his origin story : he is from a tribe/kind of ponies made of shadow and darkness called the Umbrum/Umbra (I actually don’t know the plural), the shadow ponies. These ponies represent hate and fear, they are the perfect opposite of the Crystal ponies, them representing love and hope. There is a need of balance : day and night, light and darkness, fear and hope, love and hate.

Now, while I was super excited to read the arc Siege of the Crystal Empire (main serie, issue 34-37), I have to admit that despite the good premises, the writing and setting were UNFORTUNATELY lacking of quality. The so called villainous league of second rate antagonists that serves NOTHING to the story, Radiant Hope’s character (the worst Mary-Sue I have ever seen), the part where Cadance (the princess of LOVE, btw) was able to use HATE magic without getting a headache (while when Twilight did it, it was hurting a little) AND IT WAS NEVER TOUCHED UPON IN THE LAST ISSUE !!!! Just like King Sombra’s character in the season 3 premiere, a big disapointement because of the wasted potential...

Despite all that, the issue expands more about the shadow ponies (I’m trying to cope with what I can, ok?). We see their true form: 

Nightmare fuel

We know they attacked the Crystal Empire, leaving nothing but despair until Princess Amore created/found the Crystal Heart (Journal of the Two Sister) : the only weapon/artefact fueled with love and hope, the total opposite of what the Shadow ponies are, full of hate and fear. Since then, the Umbrum are trapped inside a prison, the Crystal Heart needs to be “refilled” with love every year (the purpose of the Crystal Fair) in order to keep the Empire safe and sounds from them.

A lot of stuff happened 1000 years ago, huh ? The Umbrum left nothing but DESPAIR. Keep that in mind, it’s going to be important.

The Umbrum were also mentioned in The Movie Prequel issue 4, they are well known outside of Equestria. I wanted to see this sign so bad in the Movie, because that meant the Umbrum were canon to the show, meaning the comics too. Alas, no such sign in the Movie :(

But that doesn’t explain where they come from, and you’re going to ask : “Okay, but what’s the connection with the Pony of Shadows? Because it is the title of this paragraph.”. I’m coming about it.

I think that the powers of Stygian, aka the Pony of Shadows, and the Umbrum magic ARE THE SAME/COME FROM THE SAME SOURCE.

Think about it. The Umbrum are the shadow ponies, and Stygian became the Pony of Shadows. Except the similar names, something hit me while watching Shadow Play, part 2 (episode 26, season 7) :

Pony of Shadows: [laughing maniacally] Welcome to the Well of Shade! When you turned your backs on me, I discovered this place. The darkness spoke to me of a power beyond any I could imagine, and I listened. The shadow and I became one. Soon, all of the realm will be the same. Then all ponies will feel the despair I did when you cast me out!

What if the Hollow Shades (the town where they are in this episode) was the home of the Umbrum ? They would have just travelled to the Crystal Empire for conquest or something like that (it failed, since they were trapped after they attacked), leaving the Hollow Shades empty. When Stygian was rejected by the Pillars, he was full of resentment : he tried to do something good but the Pillars thought he was just being jealous of their powers/status. So somehow, Stygian found the Well of Shade, and well, his quote says it all. It is possible that the place still had a few of the Umbrum magic and he was so resentful and full of hate for his former friends that he was able to channel the shadow ponies’ magic. It is even possible that the Umbrum looked more like Stygian in shadow form, and their famelic looking faces are just side effect of a curse/their fight against Princess Amore and the magic of the Crystal ponies. 

So if we consider the comics as canon, many things can be connected and explained more in detail than the show wants to tell us. The lore just got bigger and deeper.

And it would be a shame to just stick to one media just because it could crush your own fantasies. If you don’t have the time, it’s okay: if one day you are bored, I recommand to read the comics : it’s worth it.

I spend my whole night writing this thing.

[void-tiger]

Just a few VeeLaDee Fixit HCs (series title pending)

So, first things first. Both Jiro and Takashi live. Lance isn’t idle with his promise to Jiro about “we’re gonna get through this”. But instead of what most the fandom went on about, Lance doesn’t expose Jiro as a clone, but instead builds upon being his “right hand man” and gives emotional support/advice to his friend.

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Jiro’s actually the one who discovers Takashi. Which...initially doesn’t go well. It’s kinda been established that Shiro’s extremely harsh on both himself and who he views as “failed leaders”.

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...which Jiro doesn’t handle his clone-status or Shiro’s reaction well whatsoever. He’s still determined to get Shiro OUT no matter what (and refuses to say a negative word about Shiro), but, it all just adds to his depression and feeling like an imposter and just can’t see beyond “Get Shiro OUT And Back With His Team/SpaceFam” (which the others actually pick up on for once and aren’t having ANY of it.)

-

But eventually both Takashi and Jiro adopt eachother as “twins”, and Jiro accepts the name “Ryou” but doesn’t use it right away, choosing to explore who HE is with the nickname HE chose for himself, vs risking falling into yet another “replacement” role.

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Eventually, yes, Keith does return with Krolia and Romelle in-tow, and they return to their OG Lions. However, Keith loses his thunder a bit for his “grand reveal”—the others already figured it out and took Lotor back into custody as they try to figure out what to do about what’s left of the Galra Empire. Not like they can risk another Kral Zera, especially with Sendak and Haggar still at large, and the Blades have proven themselves to be top-down anarchists who don’t play well with others, unfortunately. (Krolia is also characterized differently than “canon” tried to have us believe. Sorry, guys, but too many things about her character just DON’T add up. So, fair warning.)

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Pidge and Allura are the ones who figure out how to pull Takashi out of BlackLion, treating it like a “transporter accident” with Takashi just...stuck inbetween.

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BlackLion loves both Shiro her Paladin and Jiro her protem Pilot. More on that within the verse itself, but yep, I’m toying with the idea of having a rotating Pilots Roster for when for whatever reason a Paladin cannot fly with their Lion. (It also gives various characters I’m pulling in from both VeeLaDee’s side characters, and a few versions of Vehicle Voltron characters something to do besides just manning the Bridge, Engine Room, and Infirmary so that the Castle can truly regain its former glory as a fully equipped Support Ship.)

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There’s a timetravel arc planned, the end result being s3-onward being completely ignored. (Yes, that also means my “early verse” won’t exist for anyone other than my Paladin of Time, but I’ve decided it’s worth it.)

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How much Takashi retains memory-wise both in and out of BlackLion’s inner quintessence field is...sketchy. Essentially this place exists “outside of time”, so to an extremely vague degree Takashi retains memories/acts on events from both timelines, both pre and post TimeTravel Shenanigans

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The transreality meteors are essentially “eggs”. Meaning, the Sincline Ships get reforged into three new Lions, who are also compatible with the OG Lions. Jiro remains both a Paladin in his own right with his own Lion, but is also still recognized by BlackLion as an alternate Pilot as-needed.

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The ATLAS doesn’t exist. Instead, Sam builds the PROMETHEUS (and doesn’t make it so obnoxiously big that it can’t fly without the aid of a “paladin” and teledov-go-boom-diamond). That said, the Castle doesn’t get blown up, either (as...the events leading up to that in “canon” never happen.) The PROMETHEUS also serves as a writing device to explore the Garrison/gives the Garrison Characters and Holt Parents something to do. (Think badass middleaged parents/mentors still doin’ stuff. ‘Cause screw ageism.)

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The MFE Pilots aren’t cadets, but graduates/officers in their own right, with Adam probably serving as their commanding officer. (Veronica’s part of another team before eventually joining the Castle Crew fulltime.)

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Which, yep. Adam lives and gets some much-needed character development. (He doesn’t, however get to date Shiro ever again. But he does finally work through his bad attitude and become a much bette partner to someone else on the Prometheus Crew. Probably a reimagined Curtis.)

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I’m HCing nearly all of these characters as either bi/pansexual or (bi/pan)ace. So, lots of flf, mlm, and flm ships, a few of which are queerplatonic.

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I’m currently creating my own “canonical” timeline to follow, which once I’ve posted it to Ao3 (eventually) will be free to use as a general reference for anyone who wishes to do so. (I’ve been working on this darn thing since literally s4, then decided to update/continue it once I realized I not only wanted to write holiday fics, but got so pissed at s7&8 that I flatout decided to make a TimeTravel Arc for Fixit.) All my future VeeLaDee fics will be compliant with this timeline unless I specify otherwise.

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I do intend to explore a “post game” after Haggar’s finally defeated as the Galra, Alteans, and universe in general tries to transition into a stable era of peace after 10,000 years of strife. (Which...in hindsight is a bit like Vehicle Voltron. Whoops. But I’ve had this idea as a needed solution since s1...well before I started working through Vehicle Voltron with the intention of borrowing characters.)

-

Yes the Black Bayard can become a prostheic for both Takashi and Jiro. However, this is mostly a stopgap until the others can create usable detatchable/NON-weaponized prosthetics for these guys to use (that they don’t have to share like the Fates’ eye). After they gain their new prosthetic arms, the Black Bayard (and Jiro’s own bayard) take on other forms...but can still be Weaponized Arms as-needed. (Personally I think these guys would be relieved to NOT have prosthetics they wouldn’t ever have to worry about accidentally slicing/burning their friends after, say, being woken up from night terrors. That, and the Lions’ controls are conduits—you don’t need to have all your limbs to fly with them. Heck, you could even fly with them blind if you had to, as established in literally s1)

[afishtrap]

This article examines how the Dragon Princess, one of the most celebrated characters in the Lotus Sutra, is represented in the noh drama Ama and the Heike Nōkyō sutra set. By doing so, it debunks the prevailing consensus in understanding the Dragon Princess and her episode in the sutra, and illustrates a hitherto unnoticed intrinsic affinity between medieval Japanese engi stories and Buddhist scriptural narratives.

Ryūichi Abé. "Revisiting the Dragon Princess: Her Role in Medieval Engi Stories and Their Implications in Reading the Lotus Sutra."  Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, Vol. 42, No. 1, Engi: Forging Accounts ofSacred Origins (2015), pp. 27-70.

As Tokuda Kazuo (2013, 11-12) has pointed out, the terms engi and innen were often used interchangeably in medieval Japanese society; furthermore, in the context of proselytizing, innen meant metaphorical and didactic tales such as hiyu, sekkyõ, and setsuwa. Tokuda has gone on to argue that the simplest way to understand the word engi in the medieval Japanese context is to see it as a type of monogatari or storytelling that has something to do with the past origins of things and that is relevant to the worship of Buddhist and indigenous Japanese divinities. Compared to previous research, Tokudas interpretation thus brings the term engi much closer to the sense of nidãna , thereby relating it to narrative categories within the Buddhist scriptural tradition. In fact, in the world of popular medieval religious culture, the word engi had little to do with the philosophical concept of dependent co-origination; instead, it was closely tied to engi and innen accounts from the scriptures. In other words, those who took part in creating and expanding the genre of medieval engi literature exerted themselves as raconteurs, not philosophers.

[...]

What is of particular interest in this article is the element of reigen, miraculous manifestations, as a lens through which the sacred histories of divinities, their home grounds, or temples and shrines that support their worship are revealed. The significance of reigen has already been noted by Sakurai (1975, 459-63). Here I wish to call attention to the fact that reigen episodes frequently involve the death, revival, and resurrection of protagonists, thereby acquainting their audiences with characters' past lives in both human and nonhuman realms. In this respect, two crucial elements highlight the intertextuality of medieval engi stories and scriptural nidãna accounts. First, the narratives traverse the cycle of transmigration by moving back and forth between past and present births and deaths; second, these stories result in the recovery of lost memory or sacred knowledge from the distant past. Thus, a careful reading of scriptural narratives can provide a key to better understand medieval Japanese origin stories, and vice versa.

[...]

The episode featuring the eight-year-old daughter of the Dragon King Sāgara is one of the most celebrated stories in the Lotus Sutra and occurs in the "Devadatta" chapter, which is chapter 12 in Kumārajīvas translation.3 During annual lectures on the eight fascicles of the Lotus Sutra ( hokke hakkõ Heian courtiers celebrated as particularly auspicious the day of the fifth fascicle ( gokan no hi) (Imanari 1994). This is an index of the importance of the "Devadatta" chapter as an illustration of the power of the sutra: although the Taishõ canon places the chapter in the fourth fascicle of the sutra, Heian manuscripts place it at the beginning of the fifth (Nara Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan 1979, 63, 121).

The "Devadatta" chapter consists of two parts. The first is a startling revelation by Śakyamuni Buddha that Devadatta, the Buddha's evil cousin, is in fact the Buddha's good friend and teacher. In a former life, the Buddha had been a  king who sought the highest teaching of the Dharma, which a holy man living in the mountains had mastered in the form of the Lotus Sutra . The holy man promised the king to teach it to him if he would agree to serve as his servant. The king accepted, and for many years he gathered firewood, collected wild fruits and nuts, brought stream water, and prepared meals for the holy man. In the end, the holy man, who was in fact Devadatta in a former life, taught the king the Lotus Sutra's teaching of the ekayãna (One Unifying Vehicle, Ch. yicheng; Jp. ichijõ). The king was reborn, eventually becoming Śakyamuni, who expounds the sutra's teaching on Eagle Peak before his final extinction. In recognition of Devadattas contribution in a former life, the Buddha grants him a prophecy: Devadatta is destined to attain Buddhahood in a future world (t 9-34b-35a).

The episode of the Dragon Princess immediately follows this prophecy. It begins as Manjuśri engages in a conversation with the bodhisattva Accumulated Wisdom, one of the attendants of the Tathāgata Many Treasures, who has come from a cosmic system in the east to visit Śakyamuni Buddha's assembly on Eagle Peak. Manjuśri tells the assembly that during a short stay in the Dragon King's undersea palace, whence he has just returned, he guided innumerable dragon beings into the path of the Mahayana. As soon as he finishes speaking, a countless number of dragon bodhisattvas emerge out of the ocean palace riding on flying lotus seats and gather in the sky over Eagle Peak. When Accumulated Wisdom praises Manjuśns great act of guiding these beings to the bodhisattva path, Manjuśri explains that throughout his stay in the Dragon King's ocean palace, he preached only the Lotus Sutra . Accumulated Wisdom then questions Manjuśri: "This sutra is extremely profound, excellent and subtle. It is the treasure among all sutras. I wonder if you found any being among your students there who diligently applied effort to practice this sutra's teaching and reached Buddhahood swiftly."4 Manjuśrfs answer is crucial for understanding the characterization of the Dragon Princess in the sutra:

"Yes there is one! She is the Dragon King Sāgara's daughter, who is merely eight years old. Yet she is sharp in her capacity of wisdom and observes well how karmie deeds play out in sentient beings' senses. She has mastered dhāraņī ; has excelled in upholding the profoundest of the teaching of all the Buddhas, their secret treasury; has entered into deep meditation; has thoroughly understood the nature of all things. In an instant she gave rise to the mind of enlightenment and reached the stage of non-retrogression. Her eloquence is limitless. She loves sentient beings as if they were her own infant children. She is perfectly endowed with merit. Whatever she thinks in her mind and utters through her mouth is sublime, grand, compassionate, and kind. With her gentle and elegant nature, she succeeded in reaching Bodhi."

[...]

Therefore, in the larger context of the sutra's narrative, the conversation between Manjuśrl and Accumulated Wisdom regarding the Dragon Princess' enlightenment is an exchange between the one who remembers and the other who forgot. Manjuśrl is fully cognizant of events of the distant past -the "engi" in which characters' previous life existences intertwine through the progress of spiritual training. In contrast, Accumulated Wisdom is devoid of such memory: he cannot even begin to imagine the engi -- the story of the Dragon Princess's previous lives -- that must have enabled her to make such great accomplishments in her current life. Grounding himself in insight into practitioners' spiritual progress in their past lives, Manjuśn chooses the Dragon Princess as the most advanced bodhisattva, one who has already attained perfect enlightenment. Accumulated Wisdom's objection derives from his ignorance and should therefore be understood as a rhetorical question. When he asks, "How then is it possible for me to believe that this girl realized the perfect unsurpassed enlightenment of the Buddha in such a short period of time?," he actually confirms that the princess is a very special practitioner who has realized the perfect unsurpassed enlightenment of the Buddha. For that reason, Manjuśn does not even need to answer Accumulated Wisdom. The Dragon Princess suddenly manifests herself before the Buddha. Having prostrated herself in reverence to him, and then having seated herself in a corner of the assembly, she praises him with a gãthã and expresses her resolve to save living beings.

When the Dragon Princess has announced in her verse to the Buddha her vow to engage in salvific acts that benefit living beings, it is Šāriputra who now opposes her. He says that he is not able to accept her enlightenment because he believes that a woman's body is soiled and thus cannot serve as a vessel to advance the Mahayana. Šāriputra supports his point by referring to "five obstructions" (Sk . panca-āvaraņa; Ch. wuzhang ; Jp. goshõ) for women: that they are unable to become Brahmā, Indra, Māra, a cakravartin , or a Buddha.6 The Dragon Princess presents a rejoinder to both Accumulated Wisdom and Šāriputra through not words but action. She offers to the Buddha her legendary jewel whose worth is equal to the entire universe system, and he immediately accepts it. Having seen the Buddha receive her jewel, the Dragon Princess turns to Accumulated Wisdom and Šāriputra and asks whether or not the manner in which the Buddha accepted the jewel was swift. They answer her in unison: "It was very swift." Her act of offering the jewel and the Buddha's acceptance of it create a crucial moment of transition, after which the episode moves into its finale. The significance of this vignette will be further discussed in relationship to the Heike nõkyõ frontispiece in the last section of this article.

[...]

Šāriputra's role in this part of the Lotus Sutra narrative closely resembles the one he plays in the goddess episode of the Vimalakīriti Sutra (t no. 475, 15.547C-548C; Paul 1985, 221-32). In the Vimalakīrti Sutra , Šāriputra, the proud leader of the celibate male clergy, is unable to understand that the Goddess, who had been studying under the householder Vimalakīrti for many years, is a very advanced bodhisattva with a fine grasp of the nature of emptiness as nonduality. In order to guide Šāriputra, the Goddess manifests a vision in which her body and Śariputras body are switched. Having seen himself as female and the Goddess in the form of himself, Śariputra finally frees himself from his androcentric bias, accepts her as his teacher, and is able to enter into the dharma gate of nonduality. At the end of the episode, Vimalakīrti tells Śariputra that the Goddess in her previous lives trained herself under ninety-two million Buddhas. Just like the Dragon Princess, she has already reached the bodhisattva stage of nonretrogression (t 15.548c). Here, too, Śariputra plays the role of a foil to bring to the fore the exceptional spiritual quality of the female protagonist.

[rahirah]

Buffyverse tagging meme: Tagged by @demadingbillydolls – and just as I was telling myself I should stop getting involved in meta discussions, too... top fifteen characters? I like almost all the characters, and a few exceptions, it's very hard for me to rank them. 1. Spike 2-6 in no particular order: Buffy, Dawn, Willow, Xander, Giles 7-10 in no particular order: Cordelia, Gunn, Fred/Illyria, Angel 11-15 I no particular order: Lorne, Oz, Darla, Wesley, Tara favorite minor characters? Anne (who I think is the most heroic person in the whole damn 'verse), Harmony, David Nabbit, Clem ranking of favorite seasons of both shows? BtVS: 5, 3, 2, 4, 1, 6, 7 AtS: 2, 3, 1, 5, 4 top ten episodes of both shows? NOT EASY Buffy: 1. Once More With Feeling, 2. Fool For Love, 3. Hush, 4. Becoming Part 2, 5. Innocence, 6. Doppelgangland, 7. Selfless, 8. Dead Things, 9. Something Blue, 10. Tabula Rasa Angel: 1. Reunion, 2. Epiphany, 3. I Will Remember You, 4. Darla, 5. Are You Now or Have You Ever Been, 6. Smile Time, 7. Five by Five, 8. Disharmony, 9. Not Fade Away, 10. Rm w/a Vu ats or btvs? Yes. least favorite main character? Mmm, that's changed over time. There have been times when it was Buffy, times when it's been Xander, times when it's been Angel, times when it's been Wesley. Usually it's because the character is doing something I don't like, and not because I dislike the character as a character in the larger sense. In the long run... probably Andrew. I don't hate him, but he never grabbed me, and the vast fannish love for him has always baffled me. To me it seemed like Andrew never really reformed, just glommed onto the person he thought was the coolest guy in his general vicinity – first Warren, then Spike, then Giles, then the Immortal – and emulated them for awhile, until someone cooler and shinier came along. Like Buffy said, he was a mushroom. Him giving Angel and Spike that pretentious lecture in TGIQ that was obviously a proxy for the writers lecturing the shippers was the last straw. I will say that I think that as of S10, Gage successfully put Andrew through some real character growth at last, and I can believe he really is a better person now, as opposed to the writers just telling me he is. But I don't think I'll ever be a huge Andrew fan. top ten ships? (I assume this means canon ships only?) 1. Buffy and Spike, 2. Angel and Cordelia, 3. Willow and Oz, 4. Giles and Jenny, 5. Darla and Angel, 6. Spike and Drusilla, 7. Wesley and Lilah, 8. Xander and Anya, 9. Willow and Tara, 10. Gunn and Fred (If we include non-canon ships, then I have to throw Spike/Xander, Spike/Angel, Willow/Spike, and Buffy/Faith in there, plus of course the hottest yet sadly rarest of OT3s, Buffy/Spike/Faith.) do you write fanfic? Yes, in theory. Doing it practice has been difficult. :P what fanfic do you read? Mostly Spuffy, but if a summary catches my eye, I'll try almost anything once. when did you start watching? Summer of 1999, if I recall correctly. show recommendations for buffyverse fans? Farscape. Yes, I know, it's Muppets in space, but I swear to God you will find yourself gnawing your nails to the quick over the fate of those Muppets. The first season is kinda slow, but stick with it. It is a more hopeful show than BtVS in some respects, but it's got a lot on common with BtVS in that it uses humor to delve into some pretty damn dark stuff, and the protagonists go through hell and do not come out undamaged. For something newer, if you haven't checked out Lucifer yet, it's just on its second season, and a lot of fun. do you own/collect anything related to the shows? I have a few action figures, but they're ones other people have given me as presents. I don't collect fannish stuff much. how often will you watch an episode? I'll catch a rerun on TV now and then, but haven't deliberately rewatched in a long time. I was so unhappy with seasons 6 and 7 that I just haven't been able to bring myself to rewatch the show since; the unhappiness tainted my enjoyment of earlier seasons. I suppose I should give it another try now that some time has passed. how many times have you watched either show all the way through? All the way through, only once. Seasons 1-5 of BtVS, probably 3-4 times. AtS, probably 2-3 times. five unpopular opinions? 1. I don't think we know if Buffy is bisexual or not. If Willow can identify as a lesbian after sleeping with a guy, it's within the realm of possibility that Buffy identifies as straight after sleeping with a woman. Buffy has never said either way. It would be great if she is bi, but until she says something about it herself, she's Schroedinger's Slayer. 2. I think Spike was a more interesting character without a soul. For some reason, people always assume this means that I think Spike wasn't evil without a soul, when... that's the entire point. There's an inherent dramatic tension in an evil being trying to do good which is entirely missing once you give him a soul. 3. I don't think Spike was out of character in AtS season 5. Yes, I do think that the AtS writers couldn't figure out how to write him in the first part of the season, but not to a degree that I can't integrate it into The Compleat Spike. The corollary of that is that I don't think that Spike and Buffy's relationship in S7 was the be-all and end-all of Spuffy. It was better than S6, but that's a low bar to clear. In S7 Spike was deeply depressed, emotionally stripped raw, and generally fucked up. It's only in the last couple of episodes of S7 that he's making any sort of true recovery, and even then, I'd still call him passively suicidal. But he trusted Buffy with that part of him. He doesn't trust Angel. He's not going to be that guy with Angel, and he's out of practice being the guy he used to be, so naturally, he overcompensates. Any time he's interacting with Fred, you immediately see his softer side again. That's the key, for me; Spike has a softer side, but Spike has a lot of sides. And some of his sides are snarky assholes, soul or no soul. 4. I don't think Joyce is an abusive parent. She's far from perfect, but there's a huge middle ground between "means well, but fucks up sometimes" and abusive. 5. I don't think they should have given Willow so much power. It creates a huge problem plotwise; how can you have any tension if Willow can do anything? So they're forced to come up with handwavy reasons why Willow can't snap her fingers and save the day, and it all gets a little ridiculous. least favorite thing about the fandom? That thing where people take a character they already don't like and just make stuff up and insist it's gotta be canon. Like, Riley HAS to be physically abusive off-screen because he punched Parker and that proves he thinks Buffy is his property and... whatever. It doesn't matter how much I may dislike a character myself, if I see someone saying something about them that seems to be unfairly maligning them, I have a mad, quixotic urge to defend them. Every character on both shows has plenty of legitimate, in your face flaws and faults and moderately-crappy-to-genuinely-horrific things they've done. There's no need to make shit up to justify your dislike.

[patternedwings]

Mobile Rules || Long Post

Location

Don’t assume your muse is always in the same location as Redstrike. Generally speaking, interactions will be handled through comm lines or Tumblr/the DataNet unless there is an in-character or out-of-character reason/agreement for Redstrike and your muse to meet somewhere. I’ll make exceptions for god-tier muses, and starters/prompts that require interaction between muses who are within the same physical space.

For reasons why you’re muse is not allowed to immediately start physical interactions see this post.

The ask and submission box are open.

Godmodding

Don’t godmod/powerplay. I acknowledge and understand that Redstrike isn’t all powerful and can’t win everything, but I don’t appreciate having my muse unfairly bulldozed without warning either. Speaking honestly too, I have very little experience in writing fights, and what experience I do have is very poor, so I prefer to avoid them if at all possible. If our muses do end up getting in a fight, you and I will likely need to communicate a lot about what’s going on so I can get a better idea of what’s being expected of me and what I need to do. If you don’t want to be bothered with discussions about the fight please let me know so we can collaborate on an agreed ending and handwave the thread’s conclusion.

Don’t start plots/threads that will greatly affect Redstrike with other people without consulting me first. I’m not saying you can’t create these plots or play them out, but that I want to be a part of the discussions as well because it’s not fair for you to make up a story involving my muse without telling me.

Multiverse, AUs, and Shipping

Multiverse

I’m selective, but I’m willing to play with all Transformers characters and continuities. Canon characters and original characters are equally welcome. I’m also willing to play with characters from non-Transformers series, but I may need help with understanding them/the show they’re from if I don’t know it very well.

All characters will be treated as though they’re from a completely different universe from Redstrike’s. Don’t assume your character is a part of his universe or assume him to be a part of your character’s. I’m already sharing his universe with a friend and will not be making any sudden changes without their permission and input.

I’m not exclusive with anybody, so I’ll role play with duplicates and treat them all as separate entities from each other. Redstrike will not mix any duplicates with each other and treat them all like they individuals they are.

It’s fine if you want to create a new verse so you can interact with Redstrike freely, but I won’t make a similar verse to be paired up with your’s unless I’m considering it to be an AU. Otherwise, Redstrike will remained fixed in one universe.

AUs

I’m always willing to play with AUs. AU threads will always be tagged to distinguish them from the main universe.

Shipping

I’m open to shipping all kinds of relationships (romance, friends, enemies, frenemies, ect.). I’m open to preestablished relationships with discussion.

Redstrike is polygamous so all romantic relationships will be happening at the same time, in the same universe. If and when new romantic relationships develop I’ll get a hold of my ship partners to let them know of the new development, and will have Redstrike get a hold of his partner(s) so they will know. It is okay if you/your character do not want Redstrike pursuing other romantic relationships. That is a perfectly valid desire and I will respect it. However, given that he is polygamous and not interested in being exclusive this will likely end the romantic relationship, so that all parties can be happy.

Greeting Posts and Text Patterns

Greeting Posts

I will not write a greeting post/thread for you unless your character really strikes my muse’s interest. You are more than welcome to write a greeting post/thread for me though if the interest strikes you. I will answer it.

Text Patterns

“This is speech.” Voice Claim: Peter Jessop. (Example 1 [The Exo voice]; Example 2 [The first one to speak/the Exo])

/:This is comm line speech.:\

//: This is text message.

This is regular stuff like actions between speech or text on a post.

[Actions may also be like this if the thread is script format.]

Thoughts will be written like general text but in italics and outside of quotation marks.

((This is mun talk.)) // - This is also mun talk when I am commenting on your post or making a long out of character post.

Replying and Messaging

I’ll reply to threads as soon as I can, but generally speaking I’m going to be slow with them. Between my job, my other hobbies, and my overall ability to tap into my muse I don’t have the time and energy to be online everyday, writing out replies all day long. Please have patience with me. If it seems like I’ve forgotten our thread though feel free to send me a massage about it. One reminder is all I’ll need though so please don’t give me multiple reminders about our thread.

Don’t tell me to stylize my posts or to write novella lengths if I’m not feeling it. If you want to stylize your posts and use extra prose with your writing that’s fine, but I don’t find it enjoyable so I won’t be doing it too.

Please do not message me in character through the Tumblr IM feature because I will be using to speak out of character.

Askbox Memes

If I reblog a meme that implies that your character is familiar with Redstrike then your character actually needs to be familiar with Redstrike. I can’t give a deep and detailed response if I have no history to work with, and I don’t enjoy making something out of nothing.

You’re welcome to make in-character and out-of-character comments on all my answered memes, even if you weren’t the person who sent the prompt. You’re welcome to turn in-character meme prompts and comments into thread starters.

I don’t enforce reblog karma on my blog.

Magic Anons and Anons In General

Magic Anons (M!As)

I accept magic anons (M!As). However,

I won’t activate a magic anon the moment I get it. I’ll keep the spell in my inbox until I have some plots planned out and an opening in my personal life to play out the magic.

I’ll alter spells as I need to and see fit (usually to extend or shorten time periods).

I won’t accept any spells that force Redstrike to be bonded to someone, start carrying a random sparkling, trigger overloads, or cause him to be in a heat spell.

Spells that force Redstrike to feel a specific emotion towards someone will be accepted so long as the other player (if another player must be involved in the spell) is okay with it.

Attempts to change his gender (ie: make him a femme instead of a mech) will not work because he does not work on the mech/femme gender binary. His universe has frame types; His current frame type is peregrine.

I’ll delete any spells that don’t follow these rules or that don’t strike my interest.

Anons In General

Anonymous messages will be treated as they are: anonymous messages. Anons that start to imply or show a physical presence will either be treated as a small, grey humanoid creatures or as a NPC mecha, depending on the location of Redstrike. (If he’s alone on Crossfire, anons will be treated like creatures; If he’s on Cybertron, anons will be treated like mecha.)

Please don’t metagame through anonymous asks (ie: sharing private information of another character to Redstrike or visa versa). It may be tempting to do this so plots can get going much faster, but I want stories happen in an organic fashion.

Miscellaneous

IC =/= OOC; In character things are not to be treated like out of character things. Redstrike can, does, and will say or do things that I, the mun (Mud), do not wholly agree with. If you imply or act like that Redstrike’s words and actions are a reflection of my personal character I will unfollow and block you.

Don’t interact with/follow me if you’re an anti of any kind. I don’t care what it is you’re against, whether it’s a ship, a genre, or a depiction of violence. Fiction isn’t reality and the notion that it is or that fiction will inspire people to do real life harm is annoying and dangerous. I don’t care to have discussions about this. I don’t care to walk on eggshells around other people because they refuse to mind their own business and let others enjoy dark fiction. I’ll also be blocking any antis I see to protect myself from harassment.

If you’re wondering about other things that are not discussed here or on my other pages, check out my RP things tag. If you still can’t find the answer you seek then please feel free to send me a message.