#ITS HER!! THE NOT SO NORTH CLONE?

[ask-knowledgekeepers]

[Previous]

Celeste happily hummed as they walked down the final hall.

It didn't take them long to finally reach the room, nervously Klaus pushed open the door. Behind it was an oddly familiar-looking sight of purple. Something about it was different however.

"Huh?"

"I was starting to get worried you had run off again."

→ Klaus, Ivy and Celeste have arrived to see Aurora!

[maythevoidnotscreamback]

My outrage given voice: The Shittenou were done so dirty!

It's very damn annoying to me and I hate it! Why the hell were the Shittenou not given a chance for a 'normal' life like Usagi wished for in the 90's anime; especially with the implication of the time of the first season repeating for the second and thus meant that they hadn't been nabbed for Beryl's/Metallia's purposes? Or even in the manga/reboot rather than kept as the stones they became after their deaths?

Like, what thoughts went into that? Why were the various relationships of the Shittenou changed so drastically, and not just between each other but their Prince and their Love Interests too? Especially when Mamo got a, technically, third chance to be with Usa after the first season's finale. The girls themselves have other love interests, I know, but you'd think that they'd at least be given the option to see if they were still compatible and part (hopefully) amicably if they weren't, rather than just have the view that they'll never have love or even a family. And, no, I don't count the "Parallel" world of the manga because it seems that they're right proper clones of their mothers rather than their own persons with thoughts, feelings and dreams like Chibi is. Yes, she's annoying and a frickin' Obnoxious Brat, but at least with that we know she's not Usa's clone just with pink hair and red eyes.

I remember watching the show growing up and never, not once, thinking they used to be love interests of the Senshi during the SilMil. Just that they were at the front of the invading army once that episode aired. Not to mention how my perceptions were fucked with beforehand because two of the four were in a relationship with each other (after one of them had been 'gender-bent'. Just...why?!) and a third was romancing a side character that had disappeared after the one episode she was in during the third season. Hell, the only reason I found out Sen/Shi was a Thing was due to the internet a while after watching the 'last' (for the North America viewing audience) episode of the fourth season. That pissed me right the fuck off.

I believe that shouldn't have happened. They could've done so much foreshadowing, maybe even a bit of character development, about the tragedy that would've been the Shittenou being killed off as the season went on once the SilMil's Last Day came about.

Like, think about it.

With Jad's constant disguises and schemes, it could've been that Rei, being a trained Miko, always seemed to find and flirt with him, because he was cute no matter his disguises, and then get mad about it because why?! is it always him?! she does that with?! The fuck?! And Jad's just like, 'How the hell does she keep doing this?!' before putting together that she must be an informer to the Senshi with the way they always show up when she does so he tries to keep her distracted in one form or another so his youma can do its job because she's too passionate and fiery to want to hurt or drain despite getting in his way so much. Beryl actually kills him off after his showdown with the Senshi, not listening when he says how he knows who they are, instead of being iced for his constant failures. (I never did get why he was singled out like that.)

With Neph's civilian identity of Sanjoin Masato, instead of Naru being the 'victim' of his 'manipulations', Makoto could've been brought in earlier and get to experience being treated like the young woman she is despite how other guys were put off by her strength and stature and just discovered she could transform just as or after he died. He still dies to Zoi's schemes but it's because, due to being around his Lady so much more than Jad was with Rei, he's starting to question what once he hadn't, especially if some dormant memories he hadn't known about break loose from their shadowy bonds, and so Beryl made out that he was defecting or losing sight of their goals so she didn't have to get her hands dirty.

With Zoi, 'cause I found it real annoying that only he could extract the Nijizuishou when the Moon Wand could also track them down but not get them out, Ami could've used her palmtop to scan whatever residue might've been left on the Wand, to also help look for the Carriers as Zoi did the same with his own tracking crystal. It could go that, because she does take her duties as a Senshi seriously and she's not all about school/studying despite her grades and work ethic and she's gonna prove it, she might get in trouble for 'stalking' while Zoi's just wondering what this cute but annoying brat is doing following him where she could get hurt - the Great Demon he awoke might very well kill her! - when in all reality she's trying to get close to the Carrier but this jerk-wad with the beautiful blond waves, because those are not curls as far as I'm concerned, in a ponytail keeps getting in her way! Shenanigans are had where they try to outsmart, trick or distract each other to get to the Nijizuishou first without outing themselves or her comrades. Zoi's killed by Beryl because when Ren's revealed and Zoi takes that hit with the Ginzuishou it purified him and, like Mamo is later in the season, left weakened and considered 'delirious' by Beryl who doesn't care she'll lose another of 'her' Generals because it means she'll have enough energy to get Dymi onside and keep Kunz loyal to her and scared of the Moon Witch's power.

With Kunz, well... we all kinda-sorta saw how many times Minako seemed to fall into his traps meant to nab Usa, not to mention their own history while she was in London. And he's killed as in canon because he would not be tricked by the images and lies the Witches from the Sky tried to force into his head, an unintended side-effect of how the SilMil's Last Day was shown, especially regarding her (Venus), into betraying his Liege; completely unknowing that he, technically, already has!

[digitaldoeslmk]

By The Book AU Timeline

[this will be edited as things progress and the au gets more fleshed out]

less of a timeline and more the a brainstorm chart for the plotbeats i have so far

Prince > Little Sage > Pilgrim > Immortal

ACT 1, PRINCE: 2 years, S1 plus some of S2

ep0 special, MK becomes Monkie Kid

Fated Feast (tm) and dealing with it

MK learning how to use his powers

pretty much all the episodes of S1

Beijing Opera sideplot

first New Years is a Lion Dancing competition special

Macaque introduces himself

Spider Queens get exorcised, LBD reveal

Nezha and Muzha introduction

some more filler episodes of Monkie gang dealing with small easy stuff

MK gets invited to meet Guanyin

MK learning the Dao and Dharma, starts cultivation

Macaque causes trouble (basically Shadow Play ep but not), Wukong finds out

spicynoodles start becoming a thing late in the arc

S1 finale special, except it's LBD and some henchmen

Celestial Realm sightseeing moment, introduction to several immortals and gods

ACT 2, LITTLE SAGE: about half a year, part of S2 and a lot of changes

Red Son's investigation gets serious, Nezha is helping

Wukong gets more present to teach MK

most of what's left of S2, with some changes

Yingge and Longnü intro

Tang starts helping MK and Mei with magic

Mei starts training her dragon powers in FFM

Guanyin meets the Monkien gang, reveal of Tang's past reincarnations

MK gets deeper on training with his monkey form and powers

"recollections of red and blue" is set in this arc

DBK and PIF start making amends with Red Son

qpr chimera fully established, Red Son and MK get serious enough to tell their parents about it

more LBD shenanigans

S2 season finale, except not

LBD tries to trap him in a pagoda, everyone joins the fray, MK escapes because Macaque underestimates him, Wukong gets kebabed, Megapolis is lost and the gang flees for their lives

ACT 3, PILGRIM: about half a year, S3 in spirit but almost every plot gets scrapped cus its just filler anyway

they aren't on a ""journey to the west"", they are gathering allies and tools to use against LBD and Macaque

plan is, burn the motherfuckers with the Samadhi fire with the help of the four dragon king's armies to spread the fire with rain, and use some artifacts to then control the fire and put it out

drastic measure but it do be drastic times

LBD used the skeleton key to open the gates of the Diyu, so the world is slowly getting overrun by runaway spirits, as well as channeling the waters from it to freeze the land

apparently Macaque wants to consume every living thing he's trapped to fuel something, and nobody is sure what

anyway it's crisis politics time, nobody is having fun, everything sucks

time to check in with the past pilgrims for advice and some tricks they know, Monkie gang power up time

the dragon king of the north and his family are missing, time to find them

Shen Gongbao intro, he's involved but they figure it out

it's also time to draft some immortals, we love owing favors to people in this house amiright??

Mayor starts to think the henchman career isn't for him, time to dip

he fucks a plan cus he uses a pill of immortality to heal himself but oops the gang needed that

Mayor spills the beans on Macaque's plan, MK gets impulsive and runs off to face LBD

S3 special time except not

MK exchanges himself for the girl LBD got possessed, which builds the group time to wrap up lose ends

final battle time, hoards of the underworld versus whatever immortals got convinced to help despite going against the Jade Emperor's decree

MK sends a clone with his staff before he loses control back to the gang

Mei in dragon form fighting possessed MK, so that Red Son and Nezha can take a shot at MK to exorcise LBD out of him, Erlang and Muzha helping to hold Macaque back

MK gets shot with the Samadhi Fire, to explosive results

MK vs Macaque kaiju monkey battle time

Macaque gets nuked, LBD gets carbonized, Mayor dies saving people from the city before the fires get to them

everything is put back where it belongs, but there's a lot of loose ends to wrap up, ends in a bittersweet note

ACT 4, IMMORTAL: two years, S4 solely in name, basically a full overhaul lmao

oh man oh man shits gonna hit the fan lmao

the city is saved and the bad guys are gone; time for Consequences

Jade Emperor isnt very happy with the amount of unauthorized actions taken just now

MK goes to fucking trial for the crime of saving the world, it goes as well as one would think

luckily Guanyin comes in clutch and gets his sentence lightened to "community service"

there is an absurd amount of undead still walking around, which means MK has to get on that

also yknow. the devastating amount of damage in the mortal AND celestial realm

MK is given an assignment in the heavenly bureocracy, to help keep him in check and accountable to stuff. is great innit.

another part of his job is, dealing with Wukong's past sworn brotherhood cus they've been uppity since Macaque's attack and threatening to break the human-demon truce

Qi "two dads nuclear family" Xiaotian learns to deal with distant extended family relations with very specific social cues. again, goes as well as expected

under all that, Red Son still hasn't been able to get the missing memories situation fixed

also turns out even Wukong doesn't remember who MK was but he used to know. he doesn't anymore. and he doesn't know what happened. Red Son did not like learning that.

the celebration of Ulhambana in the Celestial Realm is approaching, and Red Son thinks he can get himself and MK invited to it so they can yknow, ask Buddha wtf is going on

so yknow, time to earn the trust of the Celestial Realm again, in a year. that's doable right? ahahah

and because he doesn't have enough on his plate, MK traded off a lot of his merits in exchange for LBD and Mayor speedrunning their time in hell so they can be reborn under his care

MK becomes An Uncle, what could possibly go wrong!

oh, jumpscare, Macaque is still around but Different

[425599167]

In need of allies able to coordinate strikes against the Empire on a galactic scale, Ahsoka expands the Fulcrum network by recruiting CIS veterans and holdouts into its ranks. Promises to reveal weaknesses in the Empire draw the Fulcra to a cunning Separatist engineer, imperialized droid forces, and a mysterious bunker left hidden and abandoned by Count Dooku. Pulled back to the start of the Clones Wars, back to Geonosis, Barriss recalls where all her guilt began.

Breath flowed in and out of Barriss slowly, meditatively, though she didn’t close her eyes or otherwise shut out the cockpit around her. She only stared straight ahead, taking it all in. “How are you feeling?” asked Ahsoka. Geonosis approached, and the Eclipse passed over its rings as Ahsoka avoided several of the outlying rocks. The world revealed little of its surface, but Barriss recognized a few mountain ranges rising above the dust storms, enough landmarks to remember where she’d already been. “I feel unwell.” “Anything I can do to help?” It all became more detailed as they flew closer. North of the E’Y-Akh Desert was the arena where she nearly got overrun by battle droids and fought her way alone through the underground caverns as two hundred Jedi died or got rescued by gunships. Then southeast along the neighboring mountain range was where she landed with Luminara and later witnessed Ki-Adi-Mundi burning Geonosians with flamethrowers. Then there was the now-ruined factory she’d reduced to rubble and then nearly suffocated underneath with thousands of Geonosians buried deeper below her. Then the makeshift landing area from where she finally departed the planet, flying away in a medical frigate infested with parasites which would be burrowing into her brain shortly after. “No. No, I don’t believe there is. Thank you for offering.”

Fantastic news, I discovered even more ways to make Ahsoka and Barriss narrative foils! This story formed throughout a sleepless night during which I woke up every ten minutes to write down all my ideas so I wouldn’t forget anything. It's really coming together, I think it might overtake Obsolete Products as the story I’m happiest with.

[fregion-bond-breaker]

Fregions bones ached, his muscles sore. It had come for him slowly, so slowly he hadnt even noticed it. He was already long in the tooth by a large mark compared to most charr. He thought, maybe that meant he'd just keep on going like this forever. But one morning in a borrowed bed visiting Kas and jory, he felt it. This ache, this weakness. He was so tired… Kas had been the first to find him. He'd tried to get out of bed but he just couldnt muster the strength.

The heavy thump of his body hitting the floor must have drawn her attention up there. She had gasped, and he had laughed, weak and raspy, as she tried to help him up without looking at his naked form. Even now as he drew closer to the end…he was still embarrassing her. He was glad that never changed…she was fun to tease. She had asked if he was ill, running a fever. But no, he had shook his head and smiled sadly at her.

"Im dying…" He had said in a low voice. "I think my times up." She had panicked. Clones jumping every which way as they ran to likely contact a doctor, send letters to their friends and who knows what else. He remembered her shaky hands on his forehead as she scolded him for joking like that. But she knew he was telling the truth…

As the days drew on and his strength failed him. He cursed the world. What an ignoble end for the legendary Charr Commander. Hero of Tyria. To die peacfuly in bed. Not on the field of battle, not with a sword in his hand. But in bed, with his friends worrying over him.

Braham and Rox were surprisingly the first to come see him on his death bed. They walked in, hand in hand and he had to stop himself from laughing himself in to a coughing fit. Leave it to the young to wait till your dying to figure themselves out. Rox spoke about Olmican spirituality, about not needing to be afraid. He corrected her of course. It wasnt fear he felt after all, just disappointment it wasn't fighting. Braham joked that he could grab his mace, and send him to the mists, but before he could take the norn up on the offer Rox punched him in the shoulder with a disapproving look. He thanked them, for their visit, and wished them well in their new life. Peace lets one think on these sorts of things he supposed.

The next to visit him was Anise and Livia of all people.

"Even if we forced your hand…you were still a blade member. And an invaluable ally to Kryta, Commander." Anise said.

"Could always reanimate you if you want. Maybe let you touch the scepter of orr so you can keep on going?" She had a sad look on her face. "This is the second time I've watched you go, big guy. Wonder what you'll come back as next time?" She chuckled. "Maybe one of those bears in the north?"

Anise chuckled behind her hand. "Or a Tengu? You were always oddly beautiful for a charr." Fregion smiled. He was glad they could joke with him like that.

Crecia, Logan and Rytlock came next.

"Commander…" Logan spoke first. "It has been, an honor working with you. I also took your advice with Rytlock, and Crecias." He wrapped his hand around the charrs waist and pulled him in close. Rytlock blushed but did not fight, simply nuzzled the human affectionately.

"Its a shame we aren't out fighting something Commander…no charr wants to go so sweetly." He nodded. "Though I suppose, after killing Gods, Dragons, Demons and a slew of other horrors, I think that more then makes up for it."

Crecia stepped forward, hesitant. "I know we… and the legions…have had a rocky relationship. But I speak for all charr, thank you commander. Without you, the charr may just be icy thralls under Jormag, or worse. There may not have been any charr left at all." She placed a blood legion flag, folded neatly, on his bed. "For the legions…soldier." She and Rytlock both saluted.

Zojja came down from her large tower with a letter in hand from the Astral ward as well. Though she wasnt alone he was sure. He felt the familiar whispers and carssing of Peitha in his mind.

"Wayfi- I mean…Commander." After a moment looking forlornly at the ground she whispered. "…Fregion." She placed the letter on the bed side stand. "Considering what uh, what we know about me…and our previous history. I thought I should come see you off. I- I didnt think I'd feel this awful though." She sniffled and sent a watery smile his way. "I'm going to live a long time, ya know. The Astral ward wanted to ascend you but, given how volitile and poorly your relationship with them was, i figured id tell them no in your stead." He couldnt help but laugh at that, though it took him some time to stop coughing after.

"Mortal…you have been most amusing, I could bring you in to my fold. It would be a shame to lose someone like you…" She knew the answer, and her voice, normally low and composed, had a hint of desperation to it. "But I know the answer. Maybe we'll stumble in to each other in the mists. May your journey be gentle and easy." Zojja choked out a sob. He reached a trembling claw to her face, wiping a way the tears. He smiled. He was glad his friend was on the road to being better now too. She gripped his hand tightly, soft whimpers and sobs escaping her as she clung to him. He pretended to not hear the whispers of 'dont go' and 'please dont leave me alone again…'

On his final day…he knew it was time. He told Marjory and Kasmeer as much. They sat with him through out the day. Helped him out to the plaza of Kormir. The moon was high and the stars were shining. As if the universe itself was winking sadly at him. Or maybe his eyesight was starting to get blurry. He had asked them, told them and no one else of his secret devotion to Kormir, about his past connection to her. Kas had been extatic the first time he had told them, so many years ago. So in secret, with only the priests of Kormir to read him his last rights. They sat beside him as he lay, Caladbolg in hand, on a small cot prepared for him.

"Commander…?" Kasmeers soft voice broke the silence. Marjory gave her a quick comforting squeeze. "Fregion…" She corrects sadly. "Im only now realizing myself how little we…we used your name. And it- it hurts knowing the whys, and that only now does your name come easy."

Marjory presses her forehead against the side of Kasmeers head before turning to him and saying. "You lived a long, hard life commander. What are ya, 100 years old? You got to be a miser of a charr." she laughed. "Its a shame none of your cubs are here to see you off…charr cultures been changing, its a shame you…you wont get to see it." Fregion smiles up at the stars. He understands.

He only breaths deeply in response. His eyes are growing heavy. The comfort of Caladbolg on his chest, Tybalts lucky cog at his side. His warbands old pin, a pen that Demmi had given him that hed treasured after her death. He closed his eyes, and for a moment. He felt surrounded. Warmth and love filled him.

"Good to see you again, agent."

"The three of us are back together huh lightbringer?"

"Fregion, you've carried Caladbolg with honor. Im grateful we get to meet again."

"Hey there he is! Took him long enough! Look how OLD he is!" The cheers of roudy charr rung out.

"…Goodbye. I love you all…and hello again." He exhaled for the last time. Carried away by loving hands.

[heroofshield]

Whumptober Day 11: Seeing double (ME3, Shenko)

Kaidan looked between the two Shepard's, not knowing who to aim his weapon at. The Normandy was slowly shifting away from its dry dock and towards the blackness of space. They only had so much time to figure out who was the real Shepard and who was the Cerberus clone.

"Kaidan it's me." Rose said, a bruise starting to form underneath her eye where the clone had gotten in a rather good punch. But she'd just clocked the clone back just as hard that her knuckles had split open.

"Don't listen to her, she's lying." the clone said, matching Rose in tone, while wiping away the blood that was slowly dripping down her nose.

"Where were you born?" James asked, hoping they could figure out who the real Shepard was by questioning them.

"Arcturus." they both answered at the same time, the voices echoing through the shuttle bay.

"Where did you spend summers?" Traynor piped up from the back of the group.

"North Carolina." the clone answered with a smug look on her face.

"Not true, I only went there for a few summers." Rose countered, placing her hands on her hips. Letting out a frustrated noise, she continued, "This isn't working. Kaidan you know me, you know who the real Shepard is. We're running out of time, Ask us something only the real one knows the answer to."

Rose tensed as Kaidan shifted and fix the gun on her, that he seemed to be pointing it more at her than at the clone. "Something only I know the answer to. Please."

[dickarchivist]

Okay because I have 0 self control, I have asks for everyone 👀 don't feel pressured to answer them all though! I just couldn't decide lmao 🖤❤️

Ghost: How far would they go to save someone they love? Would they sacrifice themselves? Others?

Phantom: What do they regret the most?

Wraith: what little regrets do they have?

Specter: Do they try to prevent unnecessary suffering?

Banshee: What haunts them?

Athena: What's their moral compass like?

Dax'Malkin: When have they been unable to save someone or something no matter how hard they tried?

Let's get fucked up.

Ghost: Ghost would *never* ever ever sacrifice someone else, but he would *always* sacrifice himself for the sake of someone else. He is deeply caring and protective, and he'd rather bleed or even die than let someone he loves be put in harm's way. He'd put himself between any danger to protect his family, he wouldn't hesitate, never again.

Phantom: Tom's biggest regret of all is pulling the trigger on his blaster and briefly ending Athena's life during Order 66. When she finally finds them in hiding, he spends the rest of his life protecting her. There's a lot Phantom thinks he's unforgivable for, but Athena's end is the thing he regrets more than anything.

Specter: Despite his hard and rude exterior, Specter will go out of his way to stop the suffering of others. He sees a loth/trash Cat with its head stuck somewhere? Free the cat. A kid wants a sweet but can't afford it? He'll steal it or buy it, give it to the parent for later, or the kid right then. But it goes both ways, it's not just for soft things... he'd end the life a creature if it couldn't be saved and was suffering. He's done it before, and as much as it pains him, he'd do it again. Anything to stop the suffering.

Banshee: I actually answered this one here, but the summary is this: on a mission to save refugees, a kid was killed under Banshee's protection. If he ever has a kid, he'll name his kid Jaia in their memory.

Wraith: I could write a book on Wraith's regrets, he is so nervous and anxious. His top three little regrets are:

1.) Getting drunk with his brothers and letting Phantom talk him into his one and only tattoo.

2.) That time he accidentally exposed himself to a very powerful aphrodisiac and spent several hours jacking off because he needed it to be OVER.

3.) Shaving his head when he was a cadet because other cadets kept pulling his hair or hiding things in it.

Athena: Athena's moral compass always points true north. She believes in kindness for the sake of kindness. That when someone is in need, you help them. That people are inherently good, no matter how bad they seem, there is some good in them still.

In other words: she is pure of heart and it shows.

Dax'Malkin: oh God. OH lord. Jesus christ. Okay. Alright. Here we go. We're gonna go chronologically.

Krazus. Dax'Malkin's twin brother. He never recovered from that and believed the jedi who saved him that Krazus was lost to them forever. They were just boys...

Vann Cree. Dax'Malkin's adoptive son, and younger brother to Annika Cree, his adoptive daughter. One month before the end of the clone wars, Annika and Vann were captured, and tortured for information. Vann didn't survive.

Annika Cree. Nika, or "Annie" to Dax and Dax alone, is still alive. But 3 days before the end of the clone war, when she finally returned to the jedi temple with her brother's body, and her lekku cut from her head. After all the torture and trauma, asking the council to help ease her pain, ease the loss of her brother and her first ever padawan as a master, she was met with "He is one with the force now, there's nothing more to be done." Dax wasn't there for Annika. He couldn't save her, or her brother, and when he felt Annika fall to the dark side, he never forgave himself for that. Even when he was in his own darkness, he never let himself forget how he had failed his children.

[pod-together]

Pod-Together Day 5 Reveals 2023

Where No Flan Has Gone Before (Star Trek) written by BookGirlFan, performed by lilolilyrae Summary: These are the reviews of the Starship Bakerprise. Its five year plan - to explore strange new pastries; to seek out new recipes and new dessert combinations. To boldly go where no flan has gone before.

Homing Beacon (Supernatural (TV 2005)) written by ReformedTsundere, performed by Ceewelsh Summary: Ambushed and captured on a recon mission, coalition fighter Dean Winchester is brought to an unknown location by an unknown party and thrown into a cell for unknown reasons. The only thing he is sure of is that he's pissed and that he's not alone.

periphery (no labels) (Tortall - Tamora Pierce) written by kitsunerei88, performed by korechthonia Summary: Lovers, Kel thought, rolling her eyes. At least there was one headache she didn’t have. She was about to tell her friend he could wait when she remembered that she’d get to see Dom while at Steadfast. It would be nice to be able to sit and chat for awhile without kidnapping, flight, and war to distract them.

Or: on falling together, in five scenes.

The Stars Are Still There (Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons)) written by Hagar, performed by klb Summary: “Please don’t be on your own,” Barbara says quietly. “Whatever you do, don’t isolate yourself. There’s very little that hurts us more than that.” “I think I learned that lesson in the Darklands,” Jim says. His voice is heavy, heavy and full of bone-deep exhaustion, of the weariness of the soul.

Death Wish [text, audio] (The Locked Tomb Series | Gideon the Ninth Series - Tamsyn Muir) written by zombified_queer, performed by mistbornhero Summary: In another life, Harrowhark Nonagesimus was raised alone. In another life, Gideon did not grow up in the shadow of the Ninth House. In another life, they still find one another.

SWSSS (Star Wars Self-Saving System) [starting text, with pensieve podfics by Flowerparrish,GodofLaundryBaskets, sisi_rambles, bluedreaming, and Litra ] (Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, 人渣反派自救系统 - 墨香铜臭 | The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù) created by Opalsong, GodOfLaundryBaskets, Sisi_Rambles, bluedreaming, Litrapod, and Flowerparrish Summary: When anti-fan Shen Yuan dies of outrage at the latest piece of trash he watches, he transmigrates into the world of the Star Wars. Can he fix all the plot holes in his beloved most hated series? Or will he unintentionally make things worse? At least he’ll be able to meet Anakin for real and tell him how special he really is. Oh. And Star Wars creator Shang Qinghua is there too. Surprise!

Satisfaction Brought Her Back [text, audio] (Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types) written by Trudemaethien, performed by stargateinmybasement Summary: The Torrent Command bunkroom has welcomed its newest member with open arms since Commander Cody was last able to spend any quality time there with Rex: Commander Tano. She’s an unquantified variable Cody was not expecting. Quantity and quality aren’t mutually exclusive though, and neither are the clones’ relationships. Rex is glad his two favorite commanders are able to get along so well. And Ahsoka continues to explore and expand her experiences.

Constructing a Biography (The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells) written by bluegeekEM, performed by kalakirya Summary: Murderbot finds the process of creating a biography for the upcoming documentary release... complicated.

All Manner of Things (Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types) written by nimblermortal, performed by Drel_Murn Summary: Julian is pretty sure he's not the Count of Lettenhove's daughter, but after he's thrown away his other marriage prospects, his father sends him to forge a political marriage with the Warlord of the North. Julian's just trying to survive, but in the face of true kingship and the Kaer Morhen Fanon Hot Springs, he might just learn to thrive. Accidental Warlord AU in which Jaskier is trans. With, perhaps, a few other changes along the way.

Reconditioning (Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling) written by BinteMuhammad, performed by SerenaEW Summary: Harry had gained an unexpected interest in potions, but that does not stop him from blowing cauldrons. To counter that, Harry throws himself headfirst in studying the theory. Ironically, he just keeps getting worse, and Harry can't figure out why. Umbridge is another obstacle, as is Professor Snape. Or is he?

The Solutions We Reach For [text, audio] (The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells) written by estelraca, performed by Koschei_B Summary: It was just supposed to be a boring mission for all of them--do a little archaeology, a little biology. But then they actually found the people they were doing the archaeology on, and, well, things got a lot more complicated.

[theaddictedwatcher]

Hello everyone!

The series I'm going to introduce to you today is very close to my heart, and I'm delighted to have the opportunity to tell you all about it. A science fiction series produced by Graeme Manson and John Fawcett for BBC America, its first season was released in 2013. It consists of five seasons of 10 episodes each, and last year saw the birth of its spin-off. Today, I'm going to talk to you about the Orphan Black series!

As always, let's start with a synopsis that's a little longer than usual: Sarah Manning, a young thief in her twenties, orphaned and penniless, witnesses the suicide of Detective Beth Childs, who looks exactly like her. She decides to assume her identity while erasing her own existence by pretending to have taken her own life. Sarah is also the mother of a little girl, Kira, who is being looked after by Sarah's adoptive mother, Mrs. S. The latter agrees to give her back to her on condition that Sarah can prove that she can be a worthy mother, by bringing in a sum of money to support them. Through Beth's investigations, Sarah learns that they are not just twins and that there are a number of them in North America and Europe. She meets Cosima Niehaus, a scientist specializing in genetics, and Alison Hendrix, a stay-at-home mom living in a comfortable suburb, whom she assists in learning more about their origins. In the course of her investigation, Sarah finds herself in the crossfire between two entities: the Dyad Institute, a powerful biotech consortium; and the Proletians, a sectarian movement convinced that they are abominations and which is behind the hunt for them. The two entities step up their hunt when they learn that Sarah, who has escaped their supervision, has a baby daughter - theoretically impossible since they are supposed to be sterile. Sarah, and those she now considers her sisters, are sometimes on the run from these organisms, sometimes fooled by their manipulations, all the while searching for their origins. And now, a short technical presentation: - Created by: Graeme Mason and John Fawcett - Music by: Trevor Yuile - Main cast: Tatiana Maslany, Jordan Gavaris, Dylan Bruce, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Kevin Hanchard, Michael Mando, Evelyne Brochu, Kristian Bruun, Ari Millen, Josh Vokey.

PRESENTATION

It's going to be pretty difficult to talk about the series without spoiling anything, so I apologize in advance for the slight spoilers present in this article. I'll try as far as possible to limit them or point them out if they're unavoidable, but the main spoiler I can't avoid is the main subject of the series.

As you'll have gathered from the summary, one of the main subjects of the series is human cloning. Indeed, Sarah, Beth, Cosima, Alison, and all the others - all played by Tatiana Maslany (She-Hulk, Chronicle of the Living Dead, The Listener)- are not mere twins, but clones. That's why the Dyad Institute and the Proletians are looking for them, although they don't have the same intentions for them if they find them.

SPOILER + In the final episode of season 1, Cosima discovers that each clone has a different DNA tag based on ASCII-coded base pairs. In addition to the identification code, there is the text "This organism and its derived genetic material are restricted intellectual property." followed by a series of patent numbers. Sarah receives a photograph whose caption suggests that the cloning project that produced it was called "Project Leda". SPOILER END

But that's enough spoilers for now, we can finally start the analysis!

CASTING

At the end of the first season, ten clones of different nationalities and social backgrounds are revealed. Other clones gradually emerge in subsequent seasons. In episode 8 of season 2, Tony, a transgender clone, is introduced. All are played by Tatiana Maslany, who alone plays a good third of the show's characters. Often praised by the press for her acting and the complexity of her roles, it was several years before she received any awards for the series, much to the dismay of fans and the press who couldn't understand why.

In Tatiana Maslany's portrayal of the eight main clones, she was aided by Kathryn Alexandre (Darknet, Saving Hope, Designated Survivor), who acted as her understudy and acted in scenes where several clones interacted. Although she was not credited in the first season's episodes, she was present throughout the series. She doesn't appear on screen as the clones in any of the broadcast episodes, but motion capture and post-production compositing were used to replace her on-screen with Tatiana Maslany's performance. I'll come back a little later in the SPECIAL EFFECTS AND SHOOTING ANECDOTES section to explain how the footage was prepared to facilitate the work of the actresses and the editors. Tatiana Maslany said of Kathryn Alexandre's performance: "She's so incredible. She memorizes all the lines, all my blocks, all her blocks, my mannerisms, my impulses; she somehow memorizes it all and gives it back to me in a performance that I can build on." Kathryn Alexandre had worked as an actor's reader during the casting auditions for the initial production of Orphan Black. She then auditioned for the role of Tatiana Maslany's understudy and won the spot because the producers were looking for, in Kathryn Alexandre's words, "an actor rather than just an understudy".

KNOWN CLONES (SPOILER)

Throughout the series, each Project Leda clone has its own existence and therefore its own relationships. Early on in the series, we meet Alison Hendrix, mother of two and housewife, and her husband Donnie, as well as Cosima Niehaus, a scientist specializing in genetics. Both of them - played by Tatiana Maslany - and the relationships they develop over the series are key elements of the story.

We also encounter other cloning projects with Project Castor. It's revealed that the original samples from the Castor and Leda projects were brother and sister, making all clones genetic siblings. But there's an even stronger link between the two genomes: a single woman, Kendall Malone - played by Alison Steadman (The King's Man: First Mission)-, is in fact the original of both clone lines, as she is a human chimera. We later learn that, in addition to being the donor of the genomes' DNA, she is also the biological mother of Siobhan Sadler - played by Maria Doyle Kennedy (Conjuring 2: The Enfield Case, Outlander, The Tudors)- Sarah and Felix's adoptive mother and Kira's guardian.

Unlike the Project Leda clones, all Project Castor clones are aware of their cloned nature and have been raised together by Dr. Virginia Coady -played by Kyra Harper (Warehouse 13, The Dresden Files)- in a military setting.

As with Tatiana Maslany, Ari Millen (My Life with John F. Donovan, The Expanse), who plays the Project Castor clones, was supported by Nick Abraham as his understudy when necessary.

Other key clones in the story are also introduced in the course of the series, whether allied or not, but I've already told you a lot and wouldn't want to spoil the whole story for those of you who want to watch the series. I'll just end this part by pointing out that the final episode of the series gives us a glimpse of a worldwide count of 274 Leda clones…

OVERVIEW

I'd like to pay tribute to the titanic efforts of the production team, Tatiana Maslany, Ari Millen, and their understudies to achieve such fluidity in the transitions between the various shots and the many (very many!) roles played by the actors. On a personal note, I have to admit that, over and above the story and the investigative aspect, it was Tatiana Maslany's acting that won me over so quickly to the series. What a performance, to know how to nuance her acting to interpret seventeen characters and make them all different and identifiable. Of course, she didn't do it alone: the writing of the story, the artistic team, and the technical team all contributed to this success.

I'd also like to salute the work of Evelyne Brochu (Tom à la ferme, Café de Flore, Paris Police 1900), Jordan Gavaris (Degrassi: Nouvelle Génération, Take Two), and Kevin Hanchard (Suicide Squad, The Expanse, Hudson & Rex), who were great discoveries or rediscoveries for me, giving this series a warm, familiar feel.

The role played by Matt Frewer (Watchmen, Supernatural, Hercules) is also very important, bringing an extra shade of toxicity to this morally dubious universe.

THEMATICS

While we're on the subject of this series' morals, and in particular those of its characters, I'd like to take a moment to focus on certain themes that I feel the series highlights, to open up a dialogue in the viewer's mind about these subjects.

One of the first themes to emerge in the first few episodes is the questioning of patriarchy. Between Sarah's toxic relationship with her drug-dealing ex-partner Victor, and Beth's relationship with Paul, who not only is her partner but also spies on her for the Dyad Institute, the depictions of couple relationships in the very first episodes of the series are very much in favor of patriarchy. These are situations in which the man in the relationship tries to control his partner's every move, but also to control her mentally by exerting moral pressure. What's interesting for me, beyond this faithful depiction of toxic relationships, is that not only did they not stop at showing this pattern in couple relationships, they extended this possibility to professional and family relationships as well, and, throughout the series, deconstructed these patterns by allowing the female characters to free themselves from these holdings, albeit sometimes with very heavy blows, to regain their independence and find themselves again and not the version altered by the male figures in their environment.

What's more, the very existence of clones means that the series tackles the subject of the exploitation of the body, particularly the female body. SPOILER Between the fact that the stem DNA used to create the two clone families comes from one and the same woman, Kendall Malone, and the fact that they're looking for Sarah and Helena because they're the only two clones with the ability to give life (ndlr. Alison and Donnie's children are adopted), something that until now was not possible in experiments, the female body is used as a tool to satisfy unhealthy research carried out by scientists who have no respect for human existence as we know it. END SPOILER

The series is full of strong female characters, from the clones played by Tatiana Maslany to Mrs. S -Sarah and Felix's adoptive mother and Kira's caretaker played by Maria Doyle Kennedy - and Dr. Delphine Cormier - played by Evelyne Brochu - and it's a great way, in my opinion, of popularizing in viewers' minds that deconstructing patriarchy isn't a bad thing and won't lead to the end of the world, as some people seem to think… An evolution, be it moral, sociological, scientific, or other, is not necessarily a bad thing, but we must welcome it and try to understand it before directly considering it as a danger to be eradicated.

But beyond this aspect, for me, there's a real questioning of the capitalist world, which is ready to tolerate or even encourage any experiment as long as it's profitable. Long before Elon Musk and his Neuralink launched in 2016, the series had already understood and set out to denounce the potential excesses of technological developments in the medical field. I'm not saying that there aren't advantages to such advances, particularly if they help to improve or save lives, as long as they are governed by strict rules, particularly concerning experimentation, whether animal or human, as was the case with Project Dolly in Scotland in the late 90s, to which the very theme of the series refers.

For those of you who don't know, Project Dolly is a sheep famous for being the first mammal clone in history, obtained from the nucleus of the mammary gland of an adult sheep. The nucleus of this cell, containing the entire genetic make-up, is injected into the egg cell of another ewe, from which the original nucleus has been removed. In this way, the nuclear DNA of the first ewe replaces that of the second in the latter's egg cell. 277 egg cells are created, giving rise to around 30 embryos. Only one of these develops into an adult. For the first time, a viable being resulting from this cloning technique survives. Scottish scientists named the sheep "Dolly" after the American singer Dolly Parton, renowned for the generosity of her breasts because the cloning was carried out using mammary gland cells.

The media hype surrounding this project has given rise to the misconception that a clone is a carbon copy of another individual. The identity is that of the nuclear DNA, which implies that the clone is neither genetically identical to another individual, since the genetic heritage is made up of the nuclear DNA contained in the nucleus of the organism's cells and the mitochondrial DNA contained in the cytoplasm of the ovum (and therefore also in the enucleated ovum); nor an identical physiognomy as a result of the role of the environment in which the DNA is expressed, and even if a great resemblance exists, it is ultimately less than that which exists between homozygous twins.

Cloning from differentiated cells of an adult organism represents a major breakthrough in the scientific world. It proves that the regulation of gene expression is reversible, and opens the door to the production of transgenic animals (with extra genes, such as those encoding human proteins used for medical purposes) or animals with special qualities. This could be an interesting technique for safeguarding endangered species.

The same Scottish team cloned 13 ewes, including 4 in 2007 (Debbie, Denise, Diana and Daisy) from the mammary gland cell line that gave birth to Dolly 10 years earlier. Unlike Dolly, these ewes show no signs of accelerated aging. While less than 3% of cloned embryos were born healthy in 1996, this proportion has risen to over 20% for the cohort of ewes in 2016.

To my mind, the potential scientific aberrations of such discoveries are one of the things the series wants to warn us against, and it's all to its credit when we see in the media today all the madness that laboratories are capable of producing under cover of private funding… All progress is good to take as long as it's useful for improving the comfort of life for everyone, but also as long as it's accessible to all and not reserved for a privileged class who has the financial means to afford it. Here's a link to an article that goes into more depth about the biomedical criminality present in Orphan Black.

Finally, I'd also like to talk about representation in this series. With a predominantly female cast thanks to the various clones played by Tatiana Maslany, the series offers a very diverse range of female characters, but not only. It also offers a fine representation of LGBT characters that I won't name to keep you surprised. Whether it's several lesbian couples, gay encounters, or even a transgender character, the series gives pride of place to this community which, for once in a time, is represented outside the clichés. Indeed, they are portrayed as any heterosexual or cisgender person (cisgender: a person in agreement with his or her birth gender, the opposite of transgender) and it's refreshing not to find the scenarist facilities too often used or to have characters portrayed as excessive, "freaks". Whatever your sexual orientation or gender identity, everyone is entitled to self-respect, and it was a real balm for me at the time to see such characters on my screen.

PRODUCTION

Casting for the lead role was announced on September 17, 2012. Although Canadian actor Elliot Page was considered for the lead role, Susan and Sharon Forrest, in charge of casting the series, chose to give the role to another Canadian, Tatiana Maslany. The rest of the main cast was announced at the end of October 2012 as filming for the first season began in Toronto.

In March 2014, BBC Worldwide North America signed an agreement with Amazon for exclusive broadcast rights to the series on Amazon Prime Instant Video. The quality of the series, which is worth watching in one sitting, was cited as one of the main reasons for Amazon's interest. In April 2014, the airing of the first episode of the series' second season recorded a 91% audience increase in the 18-49 age group in cumulative TV broadcast audiences plus Amazon Prime Instant Video. In fact, this increase can be explained by the possibility of viewing the episode after it has been broadcast, which makes it easier for viewers to watch. This is the biggest increase for any first-run drama series on cable this season.

In April 2014, writer Stephen Hendricks sued the BBC and Temple Street for $5 million, alleging that they had stolen the idea for Orphan Black from him. He had submitted a script written in the late 1990s, entitled Double Double to Temple Street in 2004, who then considered and ultimately rejected it.

SPECIAL EFFECTS AND FILMING ANECDOTES

Scenes in which Tatiana Maslany has several simultaneous roles were filmed several times using carriage-mounted motion control cameras that reproduce the movement between each take. This device, the Technodolly, is referred to as the "Time Vampire" on the Orphan Black set because of the length of time several clone scenes take in the production schedule. In these scenes, Tatiana Maslany first plays the scene with her understudy Kathryn Alexandre in the alternate clone role, then alone in the same clone role, then alone in the alternate clone, then a fourth time with the scene filmed with just the camera movement for a background plate. Suspended tennis balls help the actress maintain appropriate sight lines. In post-production, Kathryn Alexandre and the tennis balls are replaced by Tatiana Maslany's footage from alternative shots, allowing for more action in the scenes where she interacts with herself. In the season 2 finale, when one scene required the presence of four different clones, two days of shooting and several additional body doubles were used to create the effect, and the post-production work of Geoff Scott and his team at Intelligent Creatures VFX would have taken hundreds of hours to complete.

Tatiana Maslany created different music playlists to help her distinguish the many clone personalities she embodies. She also used dance to develop the physicality of the characters, including their postures, gestures, and movements and drew on her experience in improvisation to develop the characters more fully.

The character of Cosima is named after science historian Cosima Herter, a friend of showrunner Graeme Manson, and a scientific consultant on the series. Cosima Herter works with the writers to ensure the plausibility of cloning and other scientific aspects of the series, as well as the complexity of the philosophical and ethical concerns it raises.

Make-up artist Stephen Lynch, hairstylist Sandy Sokolowski, and wardrobe supervisor Debra Hanson are instrumental in creating the visual differences needed to distinguish each clone. Indeed, their work is often used to develop the characters' personalities before lines of dialogue are even written. The screenwriters use the character of each personality as reflected in their physical appearances and clothing to refine the moods and nuances of the characters.

The drawings of Sarah's daughter Kira in the series are created by Sash Kosovic, a member of the art department.

In season 4, a reference to the scientific cloning of Dolly the sheep is made through a sheep's head mask worn by a character to keep his identity secret.

SHOOTING LOCATIONS

Orphan Black was filmed in Toronto, Ontario, but it's not specified whether the series was set in Canada. Graeme Manson said in 2014 that the setting was deliberately ambiguous: "It's supposed to be Generica. It's part of the price you pay for this kind of co-production.". John Fawcett agreed, saying "to be honest, we don't want to say we're American and alienate Canadians, or say we're Canadian and alienate Americans. The fact is, we're one big happy family. We're just a little further north than you are. Grantland's Tara Ariano argued that this ambiguity is "a bold new way for a producer to work within the restrictions of CanadaCon: place your show in Canada (technically), employ a Canadian crew, air it on a Canadian channel… and make room for recurring guest stars like Maria Doyle Kennedy… by casting a Canadian in nearly a dozen roles.".

But beyond that, the Canadian location was apparent through details such as Ontario license plates, Beth and Mrs. S.'s Ontario driver's licenses, the currency used, scripted references to the Ontario suburb of Scarborough and Toronto's Parkdale, and a plane ticket in the pilot episode identifying Toronto's Pearson International Airport. Bridgepoint Health and Toronto's Don Jail are stand-ins for the exterior of the Dyad Institute. Scenes set in the Scarborough suburb where Alison lives are actually shot in Markham, Ontario, a suburb immediately north of Scarborough. However, details are often deliberately obscured; American pronunciations of words like "lieutenant" are used.

The co-production also influenced another important aspect of the series: Sarah's British accent and origins. John Fawcett explained that BBC America had asked them to make the main character British, which she wasn't originally, to better match the BBC brand. John Fawcett, however, saw this directive as an advantage, as it made it easy to differentiate Sarah from the other clones and broaden the geographical scope of the series' plot.

OTHER MEDIA

COMICS

In July 2014, a comic book series published by IDW Publishing was announced. The series, whose first issue was released in February 2015, is co-written by series creators John Fawcett and Graeme Manson. A new issue was published monthly until July 2015, when the last of the five contracted issues was published. The issues in order feature Sarah, Helena, Alison, Cosima, and Rachel.

The comic book miniseries was conceived as a way of conveying information about the clones' past and childhood without interrupting the fast-paced TV series. It is presented as an extended universe featuring off-screen events not shown in the episodes. The comics are directly linked to the events of the first season of the series, to anchor the comics in the already established universe. The mini-series offers audiences the opportunity to better understand the emotions, thoughts, and feelings underlying the characters in the TV series.

In August 2015, the comic's conclusion revealed another self-aware clone: Veera Suominen. She was thought to be one of the clones executed in Helsinki, but she survived. The next comic, Orphan Black: Helsinki, published in November 2015, expanded on her character.

AUDIO SERIES

In June 2019, a 10-episode audio series entitled Orphan Black: The Next Chapter was announced, with Tatiana Maslany reprising her role. Serving as an official continuation of the series, it takes place eight years after the series finale. Malka Older is the showrunner with Mishell Baker, Lindsay Smith, Heli Kennedy, Madeline Ashby, and E.C. Myers as writers.

The series is broadcast via the Serial Box platform and the first episode was made available on September 12, 2019. Since then it can be found on YouTube via the link above, or on Spotify and Audible.

A second season aired in October 2021, co-produced by Realm and AMC Networks, adding original cast members Jordan Gavaris, Kristian Bruun, and Evelyne Brochu to the cast.

MUSIC

In May 2015, two compilations of the series' soundtrack were released by Varèse Sarabande Records. These two compilations include music from seasons 1 and 2 with compositions made by Trevor Yuile for the series but also music made by other artists such as Tears For Fears and featured in Orphan Black.

The series' main theme, Theme From Orphan Black, is composed and performed by Two Fingers, a Brazilian musician-composer and producer of electronic music, and features on both compilations.

As usual, I'm also attaching the link to listen to the entire series soundtrack. Just as Tatiana Maslany has done to immerse herself in her characters, I find that the soundtrack not only perfectly reflects the different personalities of the clones, but also underlines every aspect of the plot's stakes.

SPIN-OFF

In March 2019, it was announced that a new series set in the Orphan Black universe was in development at AMC, to be produced by Temple Street Productions just as Orphan Black had been. In February 2022, it was announced that Anna Fishko would be the writer of this new story set thirty-seven years after the end of the original series.

Entitled Orphan Black: Echoes, the series follows Kira Manning -played by Keeley Hawes-, now an adult turned doctor, and her wife Eleanor -played by Rya Kihlstedt, as they try to help a woman named Lucy -played by Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones, Don't Trust the B*tch in Apartment 23)- who has become amnesiac following a surgery she underwent.

A ten-episode first season began its run in June 2024 and, so far, we don't know if the series will be renewed for a second season as Season 1 airs until the end of August in the US. Series creator Anna Fishko has revealed, however, that she has the entire storyline already planned and is ready to continue the project if the series' ratings allow. Only time will tell, then, whether we'll get the rest of this adventure... 

Returning from the original series are Jordan Gavaris who played Felix, Sarah's adoptive brother and therefore Kira's uncle, and Evelyne Brochu who played Dr. Delphine Cormier, Cosima's partner and genetic researcher. The original series theme composed by Two Fingers is also used as the closing credits for the spin-off.

CONCLUSION

And that's it for this series! Sorry again for the delay, it was a big piece for me to write. I hope you've enjoyed reading it all, and that I've succeeded in making you want to watch the series.

I'm aware that some of the scenes in the series may be difficult for some people to watch, because the subjects it tackles are very real, and I find it easy as a viewer to identify with some of the characters, or at least to sympathize with the ordeals they go through.

I really enjoyed discovering it when it first came out, and I hope I'll have the opportunity to watch it again with more experienced eyes, given the themes it tackles.

As for the comics, the spin-off, and the audio series, I haven't yet had the chance to delve into them, and although I'd like to, I'm afraid it would spoil my fond memories of the series. But never say never, so why not maybe one day...

On that note, I'll leave you after this far-too-long article!

As always, I wish you a wonderful week and good viewing, and I'll see you next time!

Eli

[leaningluthor]

this gorgeous little lady is a new zealand mudsnail. i found her in a lake. you may be thinking - does a snail with new zealand in its name belong in the united states? no!!! they are an aquatic invasive species here.

you can barely see her on this rock, but that’s pretty standard! they’re only 5 mm in length at max (often smaller) so they can be pretty hard to see! that allows them to hide pretty easily. in fact, they can go up to 50 days in the mud out of water.

they are survivors. they can survive a huge range of salinities and temperatures, though they do best in warm freshwater. they also have a flap called an operculum they can use to seal off their shell to the outside world. this lets them pass through fish without being digested! that’s right, they survive getting eaten, leaving the hungry fish with no nutrition. they eat plenty themselves, though, depriving native snails of food.

they can do this fast because they’re parthenogenic. this means they are all female and do not need to mate to reproduce. their chromosomes still cross-over in meiosis, so their offspring aren’t exact clones, but they are all nearly identical genetically. also, they give live birth! males do exist, but they got stuck in new zealand.

some travelers may be aware that new zealand officials check incoming gear like boots for invasive species before people are allowed to enter the country. it is not a two-way street. mudnails love to hitch rides on fishing equipment, boats, aquatic plants, and even in those fish that can’t eat them!

if you live in north america, spend some time flipping rocks next time you visit a lake or river. you never know what you’ll find!

[xylomilo]

Hi hi! Can you tell me more about Jīng Mínghuá or any of your other OCs you are dying to tell someone?

HI HELLO YES I CAN !! Also I was meant to post this earlier during class but I had a 43 question assignment to do 😭😭

Before she met the FSM, Jīng Mínghuá came from a long family of skilled warriors/soldiers and followed her family footsteps, later becoming a general. She met the FSM during a battle after she accidentally mistook him for an enemy and the FSM went “woa….. tall (5’10”) buff lady….”

Some slow burn stuff happened, they get married, have Garmadon and Wu, but then the Overlord attacks. After defeating the Overlord, elemental crystals spawned, and Jīng Mínghuá offered to protect/hide them from the public and Overlord. She moved to the north with the small amount of crystals that had formed and created a mansion.

After isolating herself, Jīng Mínghuá realized that she couldn’t just have a kid with a random person, so she convinced the FSM to create a spell that straight up makes a kid out of DNA and grow in like a crystal or something. So technically, every single EM of Crystal is just… half a clone of her and half magic.

Not only that, but to protect herself, Jīng Mínghuá created a sword that had elemental crystals imbedded into it so she could use the powers. Over time, the sword evolved and is now currently a rapier. Think of Weiss’ weapon from RWBY cuz that was the main inspo.

Some extra info:

- The current EM of Crystal is Jīng Lar (yes the Lar from the books, he’s my oc now). They’re afab non binary, use they/he, and their voice claim is Rantaro Amami from Danganronpa V3 :33

- Canonically, Wu doesn’t know what his mother looks like, so I think Jīng Mínghuá left when he was 3 and Garmadon 5.

- Jīng Mínghuá’s voice claim is Blue Diamond from SU :33

- In the mansion, there is a room full of mosaics of the previous EMs of Crystal. Theres also a large mosaic of Jīng Mínghuá and the FSM first meeting.

- The associated color for Crystal is periwinkle.

- An EM of Crystal can turn their body into a diamond (kinda like Karlof) but it’s simply a covering for the body. If they have good hygiene, their crystal body will be more shiny and thus be able to deflect projectiles. Jīng Mínghuá’s crystal body was very shiny, whilst Jīng Lar’s crystal body is bit dull.

- An EM of Crystal can make crystals out of their body! Bleeding can create bloodstones, which amplify elemental powers for an hour or two, and the max you can eat is five. Tears create moonstones and can amplify a persons speed and strength for an hour or two, and the max is four.

- Since amber isn’t a real element and is man-made, I believe it doesn’t have a elemental crystal and the EM’s of Crystal are unaware of its existence.

Anyways, if u want me to talk more about Jīng Lar or my other ocs (not that many, I have four more :33), just send me another ask :33

[erza-scarl3t]

If Esdeath could clone herself

Esdeath being a sadistic general who is willing to seek love within herself and she handles ice very well and she is able to create an ice soldiers, might be able to create ice clones of herself despite the amount of energy but must not forget that she is in love with tatsumi

When she learns the ability to create perfect ice clones of herself, there will be even more panic in several villages.

She would be in many places in the village, one or more of them would be in a town in the north, one or more in the south, most would be in the main place, one other takes care of the jaegers and one who is looking for tatsumi etc...

Most of the Esdeaths would be there to invade many cities and assassinate several enemies who would oppose Esdeath especially the night raid and be of very great use to the government

Her relationship with her clones wouldn't be bad, they'd make a plan to take down the enemy, they'd all be unbeatable, assassinate several enemies in their path and invade everything in their path

If one or more Esdeaths come across tatsumi, the Esdeaths swould all be there surrounding tatsumi so he wouldn't escape, an Esdeath would be really hard to escape from her but multiple Esdeaths would be impossible to escape them and run away, tatsumi would be stuck facing many Esdeaths around him, the Esdeaths would all be there to give him lots of hugs, lots of kisses and kiss him

If one or more Esdeath would fall in love with you even more than tatsumi, believe me you would be very lucky unless you are on a side where Esdeath opposes this enemy side nevertheless if you are in his camp you will have your greatest happiness, one or more Esdeath would be very caring and protective with you,take advantage of being surrounded by many Esdeaths around you, they will seduce you, they will give you lots of hugs, lots of kisses and you could also sleep with them

Part of the villages would be flooded, invaded and under control by many duplicates of Esdeath, since Esdeath has the ability to clone herself at will she can invade multiple villages and get rid of the night raid if she meets them. Esdeath has trained so much to create ice clones that she will be able to create millions or more. The soldiers would be useless in the eyes of Esdeath since she outnumbered them as most of the soldiers were replaced by many Esdeaths. no matter what village you go to, there will always be one or more Esdeaths around, Esdeath could create her own clone army and conquer anything she desired but she can murder you if you spy

The night raid would be very helpless against an Esdeath clone army even akame, najenda and sussano who would fight at full force would have no chance of beating all of her. Already an Esdeath is hard to beat then thousands of Esdeaths would be nearly impossible to beat them all especially as Esdeaths can freeze time. so even by joining forces, the Night Raid would be exhausted and they would not be able to flee from multiple Esdeaths because none of them will spare them and all remaining members would all be murdered by Esdeath

It doesn't matter if the enemy is powerful or numerous. Esdeaths would have killed them all off each other especially with her ice clones as she can outnumber them in number. No foe can stand against thousands of Esdeaths or more (see millions) even the night raid would be in very big difficulty. Most enemies would be surrounded so that they do not escape and would all be killed by Esdeath and her clones

No one can beat Esdeath since she can create clones at will. Esdeath would be the strongest of all the generals, the general government would be very dependent on Esdeath with its fearsome and sadistic clones.

As long as Esdeath is by your side, trust me you are safe, the Esdeaths will all be very nice and will offer you to eat with her and the jeagers

Life with many Esdeaths in most villages would be both a joy for some and a nightmare, no matter what village you live in her she will be everywhere and many Maybe one day one or more Esdeaths could take control of the general government or even the whole country

Could this be the start of the Esdeathpocalypse ?

[mariacallous]

Nicki Minaj wanted to delete the internet—and with good reason. In July, a deepfake video of her went viral on Twitter. “What in the AI shapeshifting cloning conspiracy theory is this?!?!!” she tweeted after a fan brought the clip to her attention. A Billboard-charting rapper known for her sometimes extreme outspokenness online, Minaj had not given consent to use her likeness and responded with a characteristic blend of fury and farce. “I hereby abolish the internet. Effective @ 0900 military time tomorrow morning,” she continued. “BON VOYAGE BITCH.”

The clip in question was from an episode of Deep Fake Neighbour Wars, an eccentric mockumentary-style show that broadcasts on ITV in the UK and lampoons celebrity culture. In the video, Nicki and Tom (as in actor Tom Holland) are depicted as a working-class couple who return from their honeymoon to find their next-door neighbor, Mark Zuckerberg, asleep on their sofa. The sheer ridiculousness of the video was not lost on Minaj—hence, “I hope the whole internet get[s] deleted!!!”—but its release does pinpoint an unsettling trend taking hold online. The video belongs to an emerging genre of AI-generated media that capitalizes on the disfigurement of race and gender.

Of the many issues at stake amid the AI gold rush, from ethical concerns to ownership rights, perhaps the most terrifying is the purposeful distortion of our very selves. Some experts in generative AI anticipate that the majority of internet content may be “synthetically generated” by 2026. ​​One industry where this shift will have major implications is in Hollywood, where actors and writers are currently striking to ensure AI can’t have too heavy a hand in the visual entertainment the town exports.

In this time of fixed spectacle, the marvel and mystery of visual media are inherent. Our eyes chase awe. We sometimes greedily seek it. Its thrills and intoxications. We obsess over the possibility of what we might see in the reflection of our digital screens. We obsess over what gateways might open inside of us. That AI could further warp our understanding of race by slowly scraping the fundamental soul from our visual identities, onscreen and online, especially in social domains where the mutation of identity has gotten easier, is no small matter.

This moment is primed for bot-driven cultural theft, says Zari Taylor, a doctoral researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who specializes in digital studies. “Ownership of one’s image is something that has been tremendously lost as internet media and celebrity culture has grown,” she says. “We have become so accustomed to accessing the likeness and image of celebrities and socialites in traditional media and online, that we don’t blink twice when we trade our own data for ‘free’ access to social media platforms. Giving away ownership of our image, and taking the image of others, is not questionable but quotidian.”

The business of cultural theft was, and remains, a lucrative pastime. Minstrel shows were once the most popular form of entertainment in the United States, and although they fell out of public favor more than a century ago, their grotesque codes and customs have endured in other ways, in large part, because of the monetary appeal. “Blackfishing raised their profile as influencers, to the detriment of actual Black women,” University of Alabama professor Robin M. Boylorn wrote in 2020 of the Kardashian-Jenner family, who today are worth a combined $2 billion. In America, the commodification of Black identity is all in a day's work.

Left unchecked, the visual culture of entertainment is headed into a phase of post-authenticity, a period where artificial media will have an even more damaging impact on how culture is made, represented, and sold. Like the video of Minaj and Holland, these skewed and skewering visuals, as they grow in intensity through advertising campaigns and marketing efficiency, are a reminder that the present is the future: a constant, ferocious collapse of the real into the unreal, an ungovernable reality where the remixing of stereotypes is not only accepted but big business.

To make a product viable in the marketplace, one must first test it, and that is where the world currently sits: The borderless commercialization of AI is in full swing. The thing is, as generative AI tools continue to adapt and scale, the commercialization of them will find root in a culture already poisoned by racial division and gender imbalance. “If everything is mediated on screens anyway, who can tell what is actual truth?” Taylor says. “The technology that we create will never be neutral.” 

Still, Lori McCreary tells me she is cautiously hopeful about what’s unfolding in the AI space. A former computer scientist, McCreary founded Revelations Entertainment with the mission of fusing “artistic integrity with technological innovation.” Since 1996, and alongside her cofounder Morgan Freeman, she has produced a slate of movies and TV projects that includes everything from Invictus to The Story of God and the Emmy-nominated miniseries Through the Wormhole. She views generative AI as just another tool, but one with drawbacks.

“The main strength of generative AI is ironically also its biggest weakness,” McCreary says, “namely, that it is heavily based on pre-learning an existing data set, and most data sets—including the entertainment industry’s history of films and content—are inherently biased.” In her formulation, “bias has ‘inertia,’ and through [AI’s] tendency to learn and emulate previous examples, its systems tend to propagate that bias forward into the future, despite our best efforts to avoid this built-in phenomenon.”

She shares one example: “If you ask a generative AI system to give you some Academy Award-worthy plotlines, it will go through millions of pieces of data and find trends—from Hollywood’s movie history—of mostly white leading actors in mostly white-centric stories. So the AI will then amalgamate what it observes has been ‘award-winning’ content in the past.” This, she says, “can easily propagate past biases well into the future, creating yet further inertia in that direction.”

What this momentum engenders is a dangerous disparity in how and whose stories get green-lit. That’s not to say that imbalance doesn’t already exist—Hollywood’s earliest pictures were riddled with prejudice, and the industry still suffers from racial conservatism—but what the commercialization of generative AI portends is something deeply uncontrollable. Already we are witnessing the poisonous churn of racial and gendered masking across TikTok and Twitter, where bigotry is rewarded with virality. On YouTube, celebrities are rendered in a brutish hue of exaggeration for shits and giggles. All around, cultural distortions amplify in whispers and roars.

Look. I get it. I grew up on the internet. I welcome its penchant for parody, its love of the uncanny. I have always understood it as a playground for unlimited imagination, where the random and unexplained luxuriate in meme form. What I fear, however, is that our playfulness in matters of difference will evolve into IMAX-ready deceit. I fear that our laughter will bend toward manipulation and into something much uglier, only to be turned against us. The full-scale politicization of generative AI is already here.

At its most menacing, the mass adoption of AI tools is a mass adoption of the biases they absorb and perpetuate. In doing so, we grant the wrong dogmas credibility. We arm them. We deepen our unhealed wounds of division and otherness. Without safeguards, this new minstrelsy will produce the inverse effect of the post-racial fallacy peddled during the Obama years. Race and gender inequities will not vanish so much as infect the visual vernacular of everything we watch, share, and learn from. This new minstrelsy will color all that we accept as real and dare us to challenge it.

Consider the context. Generative AI is taking hold at a time that has lent itself to comic artificiality. This is happening as Black TV execs are exiting top studio positions despite corporate promises for more inclusion, as the US Supreme Court believes race has no bearing on one’s social rank, as women, in several states and countries, do not have the right to their bodies, as queerness is outlawed and retrograde whiteness wears the mask of victimhood. To expect no cultural repercussions of the AI boom to unfold in soil so perfectly fit for its sly manipulations would be lying to yourself.

Minstrel shows were profoundly harmful to the fabric and development of Black life—but they were also, first and foremost, a business. AI has the potential to enable the same evils on a much larger scale, and everyone will play a role in legitimizing its reach. “The conversation around generative AI and robbing people of ownership of their image is really a money conversation,” Taylor says. “The Nicki Minaj and Tom Holland clip is clearly fake, but used because they are celebrities. Would they both be OK with it if it came with a check?”

[kudzucataclysm]

has wildlife on Earth changed at all since Martians arrived in SE? like, has nature overtaken any areas, and it turn have we seen the return of megafauna, rare species making a comeback, spiders the size of dinner plates taking advantage of warming temps (if that occurs in SE), etc?

Oh its most definitely changed- even since before the invasion! After the nuclear exchange and supervolcano eruption, life on earth suffered pretty badly...especially plant life was victim to weather manipulation, nuclear and volcanic winters, which triggered a new ice age that’s only intensified in the present day so no big spiders. Agriculture is near impossible now and 80% of all the food in the world is synthetically grown. Nature has overtaken much of the American southeast and Europe, and the large swath of Midwest America (from Appalachia to the Rockies) is absolute wasteland so. yikes

Martians fucked things up even more really- their climate altering explosions and their tendency to eat relatively anything that breathes has kind of left many areas on earth inhospitable as well as overtaken by alien wildlife. And its been more of a decline for megafauna and rare species actually since animals in general now cannot survive out in the wild or without human intervention; the most you’ll see out in “the wild” are birds, frogs, insects, and the occasional pack of small mammal that hasn't been eaten yet by Martians. Horses, bovines, many large land animals are all functionally extinct in North America and Europe; everywhere else there are still good numbers of them but those numbers are going down all the time.

The only major comebacks wildlife has seen has been the recent cloning of dinosaurs and ice age animals, which rich people keep as pets or in private zoos so they’re hardly seen in the wild. One of the characters, Sophia, actually has a psychic connection to her pet velociraptor! how fun

but yes wildlife on Earth has been catastrophically depleted and fucked up beyond recognition, which is why people like Dez's family are seen as weirdos to have lived out in the 'shattered earth' willingly so to speak. theres nothing really out there except martians, feral chimera and crazy irradiated weather systems that last for weeks on end

[literarymemories]

The Humanity in Memory

Personally, Kathy H.’s humanity was never up to debate for me. The topic of cloning in and of itself, though scientifically relevant and current, would not be of interest to me as the focus of a science-fiction novel. Never Let Me Go is not really a science-fiction novel, but rather a speculative memoir; a recollection by the first-person narrator Kathy pertaining to her childhood and time at the secluded boarding school Hailsham. Cloning seems more like a frame to the painting that is this story, a reason to ask the question: What makes us human?

Ishiguro answers: Memories, experiences, feelings, and loss.

We are introduced to our narrator and focaliser with no knowledge of her destiny and role as a donor of her organs, a clone of someone who already exists or has existed in the world. Kinship comes easy with the vulnerable and tentative way Kathy shares her life, assuming we already know every aspect of the system she lives under. The students of Hailsham have no knowledge of what their original blueprint’s life looks like; if they wear their hair the same way or have the same mannerisms. Though they are genetically the same and are the only feeble origin as clones have no biological family, no family-tree to retrace, they share no real connection with the ‘possibles’. Kathy’s friend Ruth, in hopes of finding her possible in the imaginary lost and found treasure trove that is Norfolk, only finds disappointment, connecting the fate of a ‘possible’ with the fate she imagined for herself – a wishful attempt at rewriting her destiny. The Hailsham students would never revolt against this destiny, as it is so much part of their perceived identity and how they grew up.  

It’s not the role they fulfil or their genetic connection to their clones that makes them human. Kathy’s memories, the joy and fondness with which she retraces her days at Hailsham, the gravity of the loss she feels as all her friends slowly ‘complete’, perishing for the purpose for which they have been created and abused - that is what makes her undoubtedly human. Even her lack of resistance, her simple acceptance of her role within this grotesque system characterises her as multifaceted and imperfect person.

Growing up at Hailsham, a revolutionarily progressive school amidst its fellow future-donor raising institutions, has Kathy constantly revisiting and grasping for that time. Everything is orbiting her childhood. Despite the manipulation to keep students healthy and compliant like cattle, the seclusion from society and being “told and not told” about the way their life is written for them, it is the most human they have and will be treated. It makes sense for Kathy to want to relive those days, rather than face the reality of her life, something she is unable to grasp fully under the oppression of the system she grew up in.

Her somewhat happy childhood and the relationships made there are her North Star: Hailsham is her focal origin and her silent protest. As Kathy remains complacent in her doing, to the point of frustration for the reader, there is an unspoken strength within her. Her existence, the way she grew up and how she shapes her identity through her memories is an opposition in itself, a refusal to be solely a victim.

Every place and building slightly resembling her former school make her hold in for a second in remembrance after it was torn down. When given the opportunity to choose her next donor to care for, she seeks out her former schoolmates, desperate to talk about snippets of memories, even as those around her seem to forget slowly. Clinging on desperately to her memories, unable to let go of the past, only Kathy remains and with her what she remembers, and the feelings connected to it. This is what resonates with us, the readers of Kathy’s recollection. That is what makes her human to us.

[hectab]

Dragon King - Chapter 1 (Super abridged plot summary)

Hi, I just finished reading the first chapter of the new book.

You can read it here in english.

It is really long, so here's a compressed version for those who don't wanna read the whole thing.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!

After returning from Japan, Lu Mingfei, Caesar and Chu Zihang make an oath to dedicate their lives to dig Herzog's past and prevent him from returning. They call it "Project Pai" based on Caesar's favorite manga series 3X3 Eyes. (Because each one of them would be a pair of eyes, constantly looking for Herzog). Caesar swearing on his father's name meant nothing, he wouldn't use his favorite character's name in vain.

Caesar graduated and passed down the presidency of the Student Union to Lu Mingfei.

Caesar wants to return to Cassell to form an alliance between the Student Union and Lionheart, he invites Chu Zihang but he's unavailable.

The ship of cultists

Chu Zihang went to the Arctic Circle to search for Maria of the Stars, a Nazi German socialite who was the leader of a cult called "The Far North" and is now 130 years old. Herzog was once a member of this cult.

Chu Zihang boards the Yamal. A former sovier icebreaker transformed into a tourist cruise ship. Now it's being rented by the Far North. It is full of wealthy tourists who want to spend Christmas there.

Lu Mingfei asks Zihang on an email if he's going to spend his winter break in Cassell or in Beijing, so he can go with him.

Zihang's health has seriously deteriorated, the Execution Bureau wants him to become a teacher so he won't transform into a Death Servitor in combat.

Zihang enters Maria's room, but instead he finds her great granddaughter Reginleif, a blond girl in her twenties. She's very strong. After a brief fight, she decides to answer his questions.

Maria of the Stars died years ago, Reginleif is the new Saint of The Far North. Herzog left the cult and they were weary of him.

Conspiracies

Zihang is soon captured by Sasha Rybalko, the ship's captain. Sasha is a member of the Russian Special Forces, who infiltrated the ship. He's not aware of the Dragons' existence. He and Zihang become friends. Sasha wants to know more about Reginleif and the ship's leadership.

On Christmas morning, Chu Zihang is ambushed by Olrune and Hervor, Vincent's mercenaries. Vincent claims to be Reginleif's servant. This whole fight is merely a test of strength.

Vincent is clearly the one in charge, he used to be Maria's husband, to make things short, he's evil... Very evil.

The Secret Party is popularly known as "The Abraham Blood Pact".

The Far North used to be called "The Twilight Dogma" and they were members of the Secret Party. EVA says their records are classified, but they used to be followers of Odin.

This obviously sparks Zihang's interest, but his health keeps deteriorating. EVA tries to convince him to go down to the bar and fall for someone or just join the festivities.

Sasha and his men have discovered a draconic entity growing on the ship and taking control of it. It's essentially merging its body with the Yamal and setting course for a strange location.

The cult of Odin worshippers believes in Hyperborea, Odin's land, the gate to the kingdom of god. They sell special tickets to hybrids with unstable blood and promise them a cure for their condition. They're going there.

Sasha flirts with a woman named Cassandra and she's later found dead in his room. Sasha calls Chu Zihang to help him figure out what happened. Cassandra was a spy for the Henkel family, she tried to send them a video through Sasha's unsupervised laptop, in which Vincent tries to sell her one of the special tickets.

As proof of Reginleif's authenticity, she is shot dead in the video, but she comes back to life. (This is a ruse).

Reginleif

Reginleif, Hervor and Olrune are clones of Maria of the Stars. Reginleif pretends to be the real Maria.

Reginleif is a lot like Erii Uesugi in this story. She was artificially conceived from someone with the Black King's genes, she's imprisoned on a ship and constantly tries to escape because she wants to see the outside world.

Reginleif's blood can cure unstable hybrids. She's very valuable to the cult.

Reginleif wants to fall in love. When she was 14 she sneaked into a tourist's room, so the cult decided to give her one week of vacations per year, in which she can join the tourists, party, drink and hook up with the guests.

Reginleif is a lot like Xia Mi, it is later revealed that Vincent gave her recordings of Xia Mi so she could imitate her to manipulate Chu Zihang. Regardless, Reginleif is rebellious, whimsical, loud and confident.

Reginleif makes a deal with Zihang, she gives her information, he gets her out of the ship. She tries to seduce him on multiple occasions to make sure that he'd stick to his word, to little success.

Reginleif is physically punished by Hervor and Olrune for disobeying Vincent's rules. This seems to be a common occurrence.

Worldwide killings

The ship is boarded by the passengers who bought the special tickets. Among them is the main investor, a man who asks to be called "Macallan" like the bottle of whiskey in his hand.

Macallan brought coffins with him, and he wears a plague doctor's mask (the one with a beak).

Macallan claims that, after they reach Hyperborea, the guests who brought the tickets will become the new gods of the world.

Schneider is signing his resignation letter when news of the situation reach him. He rips the page to shreds and starts the successor to the Greenland Mission.

Anjou is visiting Henkel (his old rival in the Secret Party) for information about Cassandra. Both he and Henkel are ambushed by killer drones, but they survive using Time Zero and Henkel's revolvers.

The drones kill dozens of important hybrids all over the world, including multiple members of the school board and Sakurai Nanami.

The cult is essentially killing the "old gods" so they can rule the world after they reach Hyperborea.

The cult hacks the Gattuso's orbital weapon and use it to bomb Chicago and Cassell College. The school is protected with a special Yanling shield.

The Gattusos destroy it before it reaches them in Italy. Caesar stays to reassure his people, then leaves to join Zihang in the Arctic circle. He brings Finger with him.

Lu Mingfei's plane is attacked by a swarm of drones and all contact with him is lost.

Henkel theorizes that Lu Mingfei was Anjou's attempt to create a Dragon King of his own to be used as a weapon.

The old gods

Chu Zihang figures out the situation. Hyperborea is where the Black Emperor Nidhogg's embryo is growing. Macallan doesn't plan to cure the unstable hybrids on the ship, he just brought them as food for Nidhogg.

Maria was infected by Nidhogg's embryo in the 1940s, she had Nidhogg's genes and so does Reginleif.

Macallan makes everyone on the ship demented through a Yanling skill called "Saha World".

Reginleif decides to escape, she loses a fight against her "sisters" Hervor and Olrune, but the monster growing on the ship kills them for her.

The monster is Maria of the Stars, she didn't actually die, she just mutated into a super organism and was trapped by Vincent, she's bringing the ship to feed Vincent and co. to Nidhogg as revenge.

Reginleif frees Maria and tries to escape by helicopter to no avail.

Chu Zihang tries to fight Macallan, who in turn rewinds time. He invites Jörmungandr to join them and she takes control of Zihang's body.

Jörmungandr puts Zihang in a vision of their high school basketball court. She promises to have Xia Mi make him company while his consciousness is imprisoned.

Reginleif fails to escape and decides to come back and free Chu Zihang, she is attacked by the brain-controlled passengers and brought down.

Jörmungandr makes a blood pact with Macallan so they can rule the new world together after killing Nidhogg.

Macallan intends to feed Nidhogg's embryo, then force it to hatch prematurely, kill it and eat the corpse to get his power.

He invites Jörmungandr to kill Reginleif with him, as a symbol of their rejection of "the new gods".

Reginleif cries to Chu Zihang that she likes him and he hears her.

Jörmungandr attacks Macallan instead. She knows that he revealed Fenrir's location to Cassell College and later ate his skeleton. She pushes Reginleif to safety.

Jörmungandr tells Sasha to get Reginleif out of the ship while she stays to fight Macallan, fulfilling Chu Zihang's promise to rescue her.

Macallan reveals that he managed to have a child, a pure-blooded child, which was previously impossible.

Macallan rewinds time again but he's exhausted, Jörmungandr starts to win the fight, but their blood pact prevents it. Macallan feeds her to Nidhogg's embryo.

The new king

Macallan is the Dragon King of Sky and Wind.

He kills Nidhogg's embryo and prepares to consume it, but he's weakened by the fight.

Inside of their shared dream, Jörmungandr gives Chu Zihang control of their body and all of her power, because he's not restricted by the blood pact and therefore he can kill Macallan.

When he asks her how she knows that he will return control to her, she kisses him on the lips as Xia Mi, and tells him that she'll take Xia Mi away from him if he doesn't.

He comes back as a Dragon King, Odin calls him "Chu Zihang, the King of Earth and Mountains."

Macallan theorizes that Jörmungandr planned to give Zihang control from the start, as a way to wait for Macallan to be debilitated by his fight against Nidhogg, but also for more sentimental reasons.

He also says that Jörmungandr was in love with Zihang.

Zihang can still hear and feel Xia Mi cheering him up and patting him on the back.

Chu Zihang sees in Jörmungandr's memories that Macallan is Odin.

Odin offers him to rule the world together, but Zihang only wants revenge.

Their fight is interrupted by Nidhogg's resurrection.

Ragnarok begins. Tsunamis, massive earthquakes and volcano eruptions all trigger at the same time.

The end?

The entire world launches their nuclear weapons towards the Arctic circle, Caesar mentions that humanity just sent their own civilization back to the starting point.

Lu mingfei is in a lifeboat, as soon as a giant tsunami is about to reach him, Lu Mingze slows time down to have some wine with him.

There's not much the little devil can do, he's not omnipotent and he doesn't think he can survive this either.

Nono calls Lu MIngfei through his satellite phone, but seeing the end near, there's not much he can tell her.

He throws the phone on the water and shares a final drink with Lu Mingze.

The giant wave engulfs them.