#It's a running theme

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

The squad of all time has arrived on scene.

[eruhamster]

Thinking about this again and I think it just means so much more that this is the case over Xie Lian just 'nullifying' it by saving him, because it really emphasizes the overall theme in the story where what people think of and say about you can be prophetic, and if you're in a bad situation, sometimes all you need is one single person to believe in you, and that gives you the strength to do what you have to do, purely by your own strength. Xie Lian didn't nullify anything. But since they met, they had an ongoing back and forth of just giving a little bit of hope and luck to each other, whether they were aware of doing it or not, for 800 years.

It emphasizes that people are wrong about saying they're codependent. They really aren't. They're just good at bringing each other up.

And that's why Mu Qing and Feng Xin couldn't accomplish what Hua Cheng did. Xie Lian spared them kindness and one took it for granted and moved on and couldn't spare that kindness back, and one of them had a limit to his belief in Xie Lian purely because he had a honeyed idea of him in his head, so when things went really bad, Xie Lian didn't have anyone to fall back on who'd really understand and believe him. Then they spend centuries filled with regrets and anger and bitterness, instead of offering up some kindness and building on top of that.

Xie Lian spared Hua Cheng kindness when he had none, and in turn Hua Cheng believed in him like no one else would, and that kindness naturally came back to Hua Cheng in the form of that luck. Then, when the time was right, he was able to take everything he built up for himself, purely by himself by just devoting himself thoroughly to a god he truly believed in, and give it back to the person that spared him that kindness in the first place.

Hua Cheng did everything himself, with no true change to who he was. He was just given the right environment to do it. And he made that environment so Xie Lian could accomplish the same by his own merit, too. Just like that villager that gave Xie Lian that hat. He fucked up that villager's day in his sorrow, but that villager still came back and gave him a little bit of kindness, even when it meant that that villager would get rained on all the way home, and that kindness overall saved an untold amount of people. It doesn't mean that everything that Xie Lian accomplished after that was because of that villager. Just that sometimes you need someone to be a little nice to you to be able to be the best version of yourself. And sometimes it's worth causing yourself some pain if it means helping someone else.

No, you're not wrong, Hua Cheng did get Xie Lian's luck from that ankle shackle.

I made some ramble yesterday but figured I'd make a proper post about it. Every time I look up Hua Cheng for an art reference, one of the top google results is someone insisting that Hua Cheng became lucky not because of Xie Lian's luck, but because Xie Lian saving him 'nullified' the Solitary Star/Star of Solitude.

That's just incorrect, and every time I see it I get annoyed.

So I'm going to go over the facts of the story, I'm going to go over explaining what those facts mean in terms of how it clearly points to Hua Cheng taking Xie Lian's luck, as well as the facts of Bai Zi and the actual Solitary Star in that astrological fortune telling, then I'm going to go over the subtext of what it means, and finally I'll explain why the nullification theory is just patently false.

In the story, Hua Cheng himself isn't really unlucky; it's more that misfortune follows him like a cloud, dragging everyone around him into unluckiness, especially his parents. This is his actual fortune:

'He is destined to bring destruction to all save for himself' - He isn't unlucky, rather, he makes everyone else unlucky. When Xie Lian asks about how to prevent it, this scene plays out, talking about a cup:

Directly after discussing Hua Cheng's fate and how to reverse it, Xie Lian has a discussion with the State Preceptor where he insists he would certainly give someone his own cup/fortune if they needed it.

Much later on, when everything is said and done, and the ghost Wuming is assumed dead, Xie Lian shackles his luck with the intention of making true on that statement. He wants his luck and fortune to spill over into others:

It is from that point on that Wuming's life takes a turn. Rather than be annihilated, he somehow survives. He not only survives, he against all odds creates a powerful spiritual weapon from his own eye and shortly after becomes a god. He is so lucky that even when jumping from the heavens, he is not shackled by Jun Wu. He sees immense wealth and incredible luck to the point where winning a gamble against him is impossible and he seems to control luck itself. He has so much luck to the point it seems to rub off on others just like Xie Lian's unluckiness does - he can even make Xie Lian not have such terrible luck for a short period of time.

And this is all despite his fate itself not changing, as observed by the State Preceptor:

But even with this fate, we only see him rolling sixes until one single point that catches even Hua Cheng off guard:

But he dismisses it, saying he's able to make his own luck and decide whether something is a bad situation or not.

But what happens shortly after this dice roll?

Xie Lian's shackles are broken, and Hua Cheng nearly annihilates for something as simple as giving too much spiritual energy, even when he seemed fine moments before, as observed by Feng Xin and Mu Qing:

It takes Hua Cheng over a year to return. But he does. And that's how the story ends.

So what does this mean?

Hua Cheng was born with a very terrible fate. The exact breakdown of his fate isn't stated beyond being born under the Star of Solitude, or Solitary Star. This is not a TGCF invention. This is a star from Ba Zi, Chinese astrological divination.

The solitary star is exactly as the name suggests. It implies solitude, either by choice or by outside forces. It is one of the unluckiest stars, and can case misfortune for your family - especially parents. Think of Hua Cheng's mother, who died when he was very young. Hua Cheng is an introverted person by nature; even those that like him he pushes away. He only likes Xie Lian. And he kept his distance from Xie Lian for a long time, and when he no longer wished to keep his distance, he was forced apart by outside circumstances until 800 years had passed - and 8 is a very lucky number in Chinese, and 800 years is also spoken into being by those Land of Tender fruits in the cave scene when they insisted he wouldn't get a taste of Xie Lian "even if he dreamt about it for 800 years."

Hua Cheng lives out this life of solitude even past Xie Lian meeting him. In fact, rather than Hua Cheng's luck getting any better, Xie Lian's luck takes a turn for the worse. It is when they meet and their fates become connected, when Xie Lian is certain to be his spouse one day and thus a family member, that everything goes wrong for the kingdom of Xianle.

It is true that this misfortune is because of Jun Wu; Hua Cheng is stated to be so unlucky because the Kiln disperses misfortune across the land, and Hua Cheng by the State Preceptor's thoughts is likely to have received that upon his already inauspicious birth hour. But this misfortune rubbing off on Xie Lian upon their meeting and subsequent tying of fates is what caused Jun Wu to notice Xie Lian in the first place, as it wasn't until after this that Xie Lian fought a ghost of Jun Wu's making, caught his eye for essentially recreating the Xianle myth of the God-Pleasing Martial Warrior, and became known as the God-Pleasing Crown Prince.

This misfortune continues. Just as what was predicted by the State Preceptor, he died before reaching the age of 19.

This misfortune for Hua Cheng only stops when Xie Lian shackles his luck. It is at that point where he becomes the pinnacle of luck itself.

Xie Lian shackles his luck, and it flows into the most misfortunate cup of the person closest to him, the one who was always following in his footsteps, always so close but just too far away. It goes to Hua Cheng. But because he was never actually unlucky himself, this doesn't result in him just having Xie Lian's level of relative luckiness; his cup overflows. He is so brimming with luck from having both his own and Xie Lian's that he becomes exceedingly wealthy and successful and powerful.

This comes to a halt once that luck is no longer being redirected. It is upon redirection that Hua Cheng nearly dies, very similarly to how he was barely hanging onto life as Wuming; it is described that when Wuming appeared on Mt Tonglu, nearly dispersed, that he was essentially transparent. He becomes transparent again upon the shackle breaking.

But he doesn't disperse, not fully. Why doesn't he?

Because according to Taoist belief, your luck is only one part the circumstances of your birth. The three cosmic factors of your luck are your Heaven luck, your Earth luck, and your Human luck.

Heaven luck is the luck you are born with. But with those other two lucks, you can overcome the circumstances of your birth. Earth luck is about the environment you are in. This is where the concept of Feng Shui comes from; it's setting up your environment to bring prosperity and luck. Human luck is the luck you make for yourself; the decisions you make to cultivate a better future.

Hua Cheng by the point of the shackle breaking has been cultivating for 800 years by devoting himself to his one true god, Xie Lian. He has built a solid foundation for himself, amassed great wealth, and set himself into such confidence he can comfortably look danger in the face and decide that he makes his own fate, he decides if something is dangerous or not, he decides whether he will come or go, even as he's at the point where he should die:

After 800 years of that overflowing fortune, he was able to build up that Earth luck and Human luck to a point where he could negate the Heaven luck by himself, so when it came to bite him in the ass, he still came back after a little over a year and married his newly-no-longer-misfortunate beloved.

Though it is worth noting, it is somewhat implied by the extras that this Star of Solitude still continues to screw with Xie Lian's life. When he wants to give Hua Cheng a birthday present, it ends up with a terrible day of misfortune and heartache that ends in the present needing to be crushed to ash. When he visits the Temple of Ten Thousand Gods, an embarrassing event happens where his near-naked statue is running around the heavens and he has to basically strangle Mu Qing away from his rock garden to ensure he doesn't witness his statue getting dicked down in there. And when Hua Cheng goes too far in bed, Xie Lian runs off without his spiritual energy being refilled, and in his weakened state ends up getting bit by a monster that eats his memories and causes him a few days of misfortune. But these are overcome by Hua Cheng being there to help him, and by Xie Lian loving him too deeply to care.

Now subtextually, what does this all mean? What's the relevance of it?

Number one, there is the obvious relevance that Xie Lian takes the opposite path to which Hua Cheng was born. Hua Cheng was born against his will with a fate that makes people around him incredibly unlucky, including Xie Lian himself. Xie Lian, in an act of atonement and possibly because he feels he hasn't done enough cultivation work to be worth ascending to godhood, shackles his luck so that everyone around him becomes luckier. An unwilling circumstance of birth versus a confident and willful choice. It ties them together in that way, and their fates effect each other. And at the end of it, Xie Lian's act of selflessness is exactly what comes back to bring him happiness. It is purely because of that act of shackling that Hua Cheng became who he did and was able to embrace Xie Lian as an equal. They have walked in each other's shoes and felt each other's hardships and seen each other's rock bottoms and came out the other end as equals who understand each other as completely as only a lovingly married couple could.

Number two, the use of the cup metaphor - it's another example of Xie Lian and Hua Cheng being so clearly laid out as fated spouses that it's barely even subtext. In Chinese, 'hejin,' or to 'drink from the same cup,' means to be married. This comes from a wedding tradition of the same name, also called jiaobeijiu, where the bride and groom drink from the same cup to symbolize that their lives have become one.

Xie Lian takes in Hua Cheng's luck and gives Hua Cheng his own luck in return, which Hua Cheng gives right back. In essence, if their lucks are symbolized by cups, they're doing the same thing as the wedding tradition.

And finally, why does the 'nullified' theory just not make sense?

Because Hua Cheng continues to be unlucky specifically until that shackle is placed on Xie Lian's ankle.

He is beaten to shit almost every time he is seen alive in Xie Lian's backstory, even the times he goes unnamed. When he is not beaten to shit, he's not living any sort of particularly lucky life. He always appears to be alone. He is often fighting other people. He dies before the age of 19, is captured and shoved into a lantern as a confused newborn ghost spirit, follows Xie Lian aimlessly to see tragedy befall him again and again, and then nearly annihilates - and only does not dissipate because of that shackle that spread Xie Lian's fortune to him.

As shown before with the State Preceptor's outburst, even as Crimson Rain Sought Flower, he still shows all the signs of being born under the Star of Solitude. As I pointed out before, even after their marriage, Xie Lian seems to run into misfortune quite often, though not the same basic unluckiness he used to before his shackle was broken.

All of this suggests pretty clearly that no true nullification happened, and what nullification did occur was from the Three Cosmic Factors of Luck; Hua Cheng's own cultivation practices and work that was only made possible by Xie Lian filling his cup to overflow with luck.

This also puts a new meaning onto that poem that Hua Cheng loves so deeply:

It's not just about separation and love. Just like the Taoist poet that wrote it said half his fate is in the devotion to Taoism and half his fate is his wife, half of Hua Cheng's life was Xie Lian, the other was the cultivation, the devotion, the work he put in to become who he did; the cultivation he did to nullify that Star of Solitude himself, to no longer be that abused little boy he hated so deeply.

[llutik]

endless & eternal

[savanir]

DP x DC prompt [3]

during one of the final psych evals at Arkham right before he gets to be released, the whole thing wrapped up so tidy, just a little relapse which involved a robbery. Getting sent back to Arkham, but he got to stay at the asylum so long that he no longer has to serve a prison sentence, score!

But during that eval his overseeing psychiatrist recommended him to have a change of scenery, some fresh non polluted air.

Riddler was rather convinced the guy was making this recommendation to everyone in Arkham in their own weird way to convince them to just leave Gotham and become someone else's problem. should he notify Batman about it somehow? nah, it’ll be more interesting to see how this is gonna turn out in the long run.

But can he leave the state? Can he even leave the city? he never really bothered to look into it, at least not legally, up until now if he felt he needed to leave for one of his plans he just did it.

Turns out he can, it’s a whole hassle and a half though, first a judge and then a probation officer and he’s pretty sure both were like “what the hell is this psychiatrist guy thinking!?” but at the same time, shrink probably knows what he’s doing (WRONG) so he’s allowed to go visit out of state family or whatever.

he had to wear this nice ankle monitor though, Wayne Enterprises™ tech, not overly bulky but still very present. real fancy, and a fun extra challenge heh.

now as for a good reason to leave New Jersey he’s going to need distant relatives, and he finds some, great grandpa walker also has a son, who had a son who had a daughter Madeline, who married some guy Jack Fenton, and she lives somewhere out in the boonies Illinois. great he’ll visit her.

far enough away in all sense of the word that there is no way she knows anything about him. it would be best to call her first though, be polite about it.

“hello, you have reached Fenton works, this is Maddie speaking” 

“Riddle me this-” ah whoops, habit, oh whatever, “we don’t share parents, but certainly a part of your life, from laughter to strife. Who am I?”

there is a pause …  he’s going to be a bit disappointed if she hangs up if he’s honest.

“cousins~” comes the cheery reply.

“correct! the name is Edward Nygma, we are distantly related you and I and well-”

“oh you simply must come visit!” 

well this was rather easy, perhaps a little too easy, but she lives in the midwest so maybe just going with whatever some guy says over the phone is normal there? stranger danger not really a thing in a small town where everyone knows everyone?

things start to make a little more sense once he gets there and he’s starting to think some things might run in the family. like a preference for the colour green and weird hyperfixations and genius bordering on insanity. Though that remains to be seen, Jack does not seem like a very bright light after his very enthusiastic welcome.

their kids however are observant and sharp. young Jasmine is wasting no time trying to psychoanalyze him. and the boy, Danny, he had not really meant to and he swears he’s sticking with calling the kid Danny so he wouldn’t seem overly familiar, but he might have called him little bird a couple times now.

but that’s all whatever, he’s playing nice here. and he doesn’t even have to worry about his eccentricities tripping him up because this place is insane.

There actually is a local teen vigilante active but he seems about as loved as he’s disliked. and the ghost boy’s enemies are basically all his own kind, which another crazy thing to now know about. ghost. they are real actually, how is Gotham not completely overrun? and how do they even work? and where do they keep coming from?

Edward might be getting a little sidetracked here. He had fully intended to sneakily get his next big game plan underway all the way out here, ankle monitor be damned. but he hasn’t made any progress at all.

Instead he’s been listening to Madeline and Jack to maybe figure out what the deal is with these ectoplasmic entities, he has to know, at this point he might go crazier if he doesn’t. 

He’s making Jasmine promise him not to get her doctorate in Gotham, he’s going back and forth with space riddles with Danny.

so yeah the whole thing kinda just became a vacation, maybe the psychiatrist had the right idea after all? hmm nah, probably not. but this is fun. He’s thinking about recommending this place to some of the others.

It's different enough to get the vacation feel, but enough crazy shit happens to make it all feel like home.

it is not until Maddie wants to talk with him about potentially switching the position of godfather of Danny to him rather than some weird rich friend of theirs that Edward realizes he might have lost the plot somewhere

Apparently the little bird basically begged them with a powerpoint presentation on how he likes Edward so much more than that Vladimir guy. 

And honestly, the fellow sounds like a Dracula Lutho so even if it’s kinda sad Edward can understand why he’d be considered a better option. Even if the guy has more money and a huge company that makes him said money. And it’s not like the Fentons know about his Riddler activities.

Thinking it over, Edward does think that Danny would like Gotham and Wayne has that space program thing right? The kid is definitely smart enough for that (Nygma certified), and yeah Edward does quite like their space themed back and forth. So, fuck it, why not, what is the worst that could happen?

He doubts Maddie and Jack are gonna kick it any time soon anyway out here in the boonies, it’s just a title thing, a stamp of approval or something.

he should have known he was going to eat those words later… he had this whole beautifully elaborate trap set up for the whole Batclan, and he was just getting to the good part when his phone went off.

Had to put the whole thing on pause cause that particular contact wasn’t gonna get ignored. He did promise to be available.

If the whole thing he had planned now went tits up he could at the very least laugh later at the reactions of the bats as he told them to “hold up one second, I have to take this.” while they were all in various perilous positions. 

Sadly he did have to go, he had a very distressed godson to pick up.

[lucidloving]

Megan Chance, The Spiritualist // Edith Eger, The Choice (Google search results) // Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe // Holly Black // Ariesa Ra // Andrea Bartz, We Were Never Here // J. U. Scribe, Roman Identity // Hannah Harrington

[Requested by @lynnimal]

[stupidgoober]

i’m sure many people more eloquent than i can and already have commented on this but vivian being trans in paper mario finally being canon makes me so happy because of how much thematic weight it gives to the story.

mario loses his name, his body, his whole identity to doopliss, and the only person who will believe and help him is a trans woman. because who better understands what it’s like to want others to know your name, and recognizes the importance of being in the body you belong in?

[n4rval]

BUT YES.

family history.

[theoldkyokodied]

One wedding and three funerals

Background paintings under the cut

[cuppajj]

Neo beasts x reader head cannons? 🥺

You know what anon? Just for you

Beast Ancients AU - Neo Beasts x Reader Headcanons

Congratulations! Someway somehow you’ve attracted the attention—and affection—of the Neo beasts. How do each treat you?

Saint Vanilla Cookie

This implies that he’s decided not to purify you out of his intense compassion. In fact, he’s settled for something arguably much worse: saving you for last, so you can witness his deliverance.

You’re his lamb, his bluebird, and he never lets you forget how blessed you are to be one of his

He’s gentle in almost every way. Voice, touch, words. He especially likes cupping your cheek and cooing sweet little things. Sometimes they’re laced with dark promises

On his orders, the Lambs of Penance are your personal servants and won’t let any harm befall you. Cream Wafer speaks to you respectfully, but you can hear a little envy in his voice

Saint pays attention to every little detail you have, the things you like, and your wishes. He wants to see you at your happiest because a tainted soul as yourself should never feel sad. He’ll wipe your tears away

But don’t assume he’s perfect; he’s far from. Saint stays true to his personal promise that you will be safe and happy and alive until the day he finally saves you, and that means that any potential threat to you will be dealt with by his lambs. If he thinks something will taint your soul further, he’ll be sure that it’ll never have the chance.

In fact, why don’t you stay with him? In his timeless kingdom, amongst his loyal followers and all the orchids that will watch over you. It’s the closest you’ll be to the light.

Make no mistake, saint is two steps away from being a yandere. He just wouldn’t get his hands dirty, and he would never change to that typical yandere-ish behavior. The oh so benevolent saint just wants to see you safe, and if that safety is under his wings, so be it…

Dragonberry Cookie

As the Beast of Pride, the way she loves is bold and loud. She will make it known to you that she loves you pretty quickly.

While she throws parties pretty frequently already, you’ll be center stage at a lot of them with her as she makes you dance together and drinks herself stupid with a bunch of glasses poured your way as well.

If you’re the shy type, expect to be embarrassed or put in big social situations a lot since she’s a massive extrovert who would bring you along to things. Outside of parties and other events of the sort, she would also love for you to watch her spar with Wildberry and her other soldiers

She’ll also give you lots of gifts

She does have a pretty big ego though, so she expects praise and validation from you. Compliments, acts of service, things that assure her you’re not just mooching off of what she gives you. If she thinks you’re not being grateful, she’ll get bitter and confront you about it, which will or won’t go well depending on how well you can prove your point to her

She’ll kill for you 100%. She might even do it in front of you. If you get messed up from that? It’s okay! You’ll get over it in no time.

Despite all this she does respect your boundaries, she’ll give you space if you’re vocal about it. She disappears on occasions and comes back covered in battle wounds and jam anyway.

You know about Pitaya locked up in her basement but you know not to touch them, let alone try and free them if you’re hero enough. She might just have to punish you for that if she catches you doing something you shouldn’t. Don’t worry though, it’s just this once, because you’ll surely never try anything again, right?

Big hugger, her love language is touch so expect hugs and kisses and mandatory cuddle sessions. Honestly if you’re just as messed as her then she’s a pretty solid lover

Frigid Cacao Cookie

It’s hard to tell he cares for you because he’s so distant, even from you.

You’re allowed into the throne room without summons, but the furthest into it you can go is to the foot of his throne. Like everyone else in the citadel, you’re not allowed to touch him.

Your days in the citadel are quiet. The outside is cold but the hallways and your room are warm, the latter always supplied to the brim with what you need.

Tiny licorice creatures slink in and out of your peripheral vision, watching you curiously. Sometimes they slink up to you, purring and chittering, and some might even be balancing trays of food, warm towels, clothes, or other things on their heads. Little do you know that Cacao has been ordering them to take care of you

While he doesn’t forbid you from leaving the kingdom, he’ll want you to come back to him one way or another. Ideally on your own, but one of the licorice oozes that have been watching you since you left could also bring you back.

You might see him out and about on rare occasions, and he might look at you. On even rarer occasions he might ask about your well being

The only thing he’s strict about is that you absolutely cannot attract attention from the other neobeasts, especially Saint Vanilla. The beast of Penance is already curious about learning what things make Cacao go soft; he does not need to learn about you.

Also don’t bring up Choco, he has a reaction to it

Celestial Cheese Cookie

Pampers you. Pampers you and pampers you and pampers you and pampers you

Thinks you’re the sweetest little thing and pinches your cheeks and everything

She’d be more than happy to show herself off, as well as all of her achievements. She gives you treasures from her conquests regularly

She’s similar to Dragonberry though where she expects praise, but unlike her she doesn’t get as angry. She doesn’t see her gift giving as a transactional thing, she does it because she can. You just gotta tell her how wonderful she is

The oases are a popular spot for her to bring you for food and refreshments, cared for by gold-adorned servants as she gushes over the grand vision for her kingdom. She’s honestly quite excitable and loves talking about herself and her plans.

Pay no mind to the scans that are run on you while you sleep, or the diagnostics of your information that run deep in her servers. She doesn’t think it’ll need to happen soon, but she’s planning to put you in a sarcophagus and hook you into her virtual world to make you live forever. She’s not going to let something else she cares about go.

Midnight Lily Cookie

The tamest one honestly

Unlike the others, she sees you as an equal. She knows your personal space and doesn’t encroach on it too much or too little, makes sure you’re well cared for and healthy, and keeps you safe. She also lets you leave and trusts you to take care of yourself. Being Beast of Sovereignty, she encourages the people under her to do whatever they please within their allegiance to her, and this includes you.

She’ll play the harp for you and ask you how she did

You also get lots of gifts and compliments from the other faeries for being the lover of their queen

She does have preferences though. She likes honesty and expects you to keep promises, she prefers if you do something for her in exchange for her doing something for you, and to not question her motive and means to take down her other half. She will get very defensive with you and shut down the conversation pretty fast

The flora in the silver kingdom bloom to their fullest around you both, but when Lily is upset with you, they curl or bud as you pass by them.

Speaking of chlorokinesis, get used to seeing her show no mercy with her plants. Unlike Dragonberry though, she’ll do her best to help you if the sight of bodies skewered on flower stems is too much. Maybe stick to the heart of the kingdom for your own good, where you’re less likely to see how the rest of Beast Yeast challenge her kingdom.

She has a whole bunch of rules set up when Saint visits. While she’d encourage not being with him at all, if you really want to see him, she made it expressly clear to him that he cannot purify you.

[foone]

Wizard who goes to wizard duels and never casts any protection spells. They're a masochist and want to see what the "seven hells testicular torsion" spell feels like to get hit by.

Unfortunately they're now too good at wizard duels (thanks to attending way more than the usual number of them) and it's getting harder and harder to find someone who can make them lose, or even hurt them at this point.

They're now going after some lower-end gods just to feel something. The God of Bicycles may be a pushover as far as Gods go, but they're still a God. They might spirit bomb you with the wishes and dreams of every cyclist in the world and that shit adds up fast.

Their next plan is to try and become a kaiju and attack a medium-sized city. Just what are the defenses of Freeport, Kaya Sona? How we they deal with a 50 foot tall wizard approaching from the west?

Maybe the wizards of the city will join together and summon some cthulhu-motherfucker from the deeps of the Glowing Sea. Maybe they'll combine their energy and hit the wizard with one of those beams that'll take out small planets in scifi movies. Maybe they'll just fling 900 fireballs at the stompy giant wizard. Either way, it'll probably hurt a lot.

They're thinking about one day taking on the God of Pain, but while that's obviously a good idea from their end if they lose, they're a little worried about what'll happen if they win. Killing a God is a dangerous thing: either you radically change the world until another can be elected, or the universe decides it can't keep the wheels turning without that God's domain, and it immediately elects a new god: the person who killed the last one.

And the last thing a magical masochist wants to be is the nigh-omnipotent being who rules over the domain of pain, a caretaker of a promised land they can never enter.

So it's risky. But it's either that or eventually they find a God or wizard that can stop them. So far, they've found neither, and the world is filling up with dead or bruised wizards and Gods in their wake.

[coochiekrab]

Hallowee

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

‘Poseidon left a party in Ethiopia because the sea vibes went rancid after Odysseus set sail’ feels like a bit I would make up, but no. That actually happened.

[localapparently]

/ domestic yoohankim set post canon, read right to left, do not reupload

post canon sillies

happy birthday hsy ..!!

[dredgesnails]

grian and gem are being consumed by the sea. pearl’s a fish. mumbo’s growing gills. rivers are being built and expanded everywhere. keralis is chilling on his yacht. big salmon is… big salmoning. my god it’s inescapable

[cxlandine]

does anyone remember who in the bad kids told the others about what they saw in the nightmare forest? i think fabian did and i'm almost certain riz didn't but they keep (accidentally?) triggering each others' forest traumas and it seems like A Thing.

fabian flirted with a mirror right next to riz and everyone teased him about kalina being his girlfriend, riz suggested gorgug answer the riddle for all of them under threat of being killed and eaten by a big animal, fig created a sexy rat for when fabian was talking to spot. is this anything.

[kabukiaku]

I was reminded today of one of my favorite personal headcanons I have for Terzo: he is an absolute film slut. especially for old Hollywood + pre-code horror and drama movies. he would either have original film reels or the remastered collector's editions in DVD format. he plays them in his carefully cared-for old film projector...or for the remastered ones, a digital projector on those pull-down screens you see in classrooms. he has one installed in his room for his convivence.

Ask him about his interest, and he will go on talking someone's ear off with commentary about the movies---er excuse me--- films centric themes, motifs, plot and literally anything you'd catch in a director's commentary edition. he has a list of favorite actors/actresses from the time and will have framed photos of them in his room. (which speaking of, takes inspo from art deco)

I actually have a doodle i made a while back on what 'A Date with Papa III' would be like, and the expectations were far beyond what one would expect. oh, sure he has his suave way of words and looks, but he truly is a film nerd and will not shy away from it.

for now have this silly doodle:

His prized and restored 1930s 40s Specto 16mm Movie Projector. nicknamed 'Stella'.

No one is allowed to touch it. Not even Omega. (out of everyone though, Terzo trusts him the most. but still- NO TOUCH)