#a little longer than i would've liked

[poorlittleyaoyao]

Wen Ning's life ALSO pretty bad to be fair

HE VERY MUCH DOES. I'm sorry, Wen Ning! His whole family is wiped out AND he's a fierce corpse AND he murdered his bestie's brother-in-law by accident (which got everyone in trouble) AND got experimented on by Xue Yang for awhile there! He's a Jiang Cheng-Song Lan combo! PRETTY BAD TIMES!

Though... okay, controversial critique maybe, but a frustration I have personally with all versions of canon is that it doesn't fully confront how awful Wen Ning's whole deal is. When we meet Wen Ning again post-timeskip, we get a moment of "oh no! who put those nails there!" and then hop straight into wacky Drunkji hijinks. He doesn't grieve or wish to avenge his sister's death, which he would have witnessed firsthand. He doesn't ask about his people's fate (though he somehow knows they all died?), and he doesn't appear to process their demise at ALL in drama canon. In novel canon, if he does process it, it's not till well after he regains lucidity; when he and Wei Wuxian first converse in volume 2, he expresses sadness/horror at how Wei Wuxian died, but nothing for himself or his own people.

And yeah, it's Wei Wuxian's story, but... well, compare this to Song Lan regaining lucidity during Yi City, or Jiang Cheng's entire existence after the fall of Lotus Pier. They both grieve! They both demonstrate profound sorrow and guilt and rage! Meanwhile, Wen Ning is content to trail along after Wei-gongzi, never undertaking any actions or demonstrating any emotions that might be inconvenience or reflect poorly on Wei Wuxian. CQL more often than not accompanies Wen Ning's appearances with the Silly Goofy Times incidental music unless it's a fight scene. It's unfair to him! And it's why I personally often forget about what he's gone through, I think.

[lycorisicecream]

[psychomusic]

so. I've been reading some posts on the jedi order tag AND i won't talk about my opinion on "are jedi good or bad discourse" BUT i wanna point out some lore to everyone who's complaining about the jedi taking kids into their order: (in the EU) it wasn't always like this.

if you take swtor era (more than 3000 years before the prequels) there were many jedi who joined at an older age. like, for example there was a guy who broke his engagement to become one. most jedi remember their families because they were old enough when they decided to go.

THEN in darth bane's book trilogy (circa 1000 yesrs before the prequels) there is a passage where two sith lords are talking about taking bane, already an adult, to study at korriban. one doubted him because he was too old, ans the other told him he sounded like a jedi, and that ONE DAY jedi will have to accept only kids into their ranks if they really want to find "pure" people that can learn their lessons quicker.

one day!! so it wasn't always like that!! the ongoing wars with the sith, who corrupted and killed many of them, had pressured them into taking always younger people into their ranks.

also, consider a thing that this video explains super well: training to become a jedi is not like exercising, because there is a transformative lesson at the end of the training that changes everything. you can't just do as much as you can, but not finish.

the transformative lesson, as the video explains, is that through the force, everything is the same - from rocks and ships to life and death. at the end of the training you have to understand this fundamental truth.

yoda says "you have to unlearn what you have learned". during times where they were constantly killed off or corrupted by the dark side (and if you haven't learned this lesson you are more susceptible to this corrupting), younger people were taken in to actually finish their training (a training that was ultimately about being a good person AND that you could leave at any point if you weren't sold on that, too)

(remember that for the sith failure = death. like. that was the alternative for force sensitive kids. it's not like sith had any moral problem with taking kids away without consent. sith don't have moral problems: they believe that them being stronger in the force means they can do whatever they want as long as their strong enough to go and do it. there are MANY passages in many different star wars stories, even in different mediums, that say this out loud)

AND (this is more of a critical thought than just stating the lore) the fact that they started doing it out of necessity doesn't mean it's 100% good BUT you know. the whole set up of the prequels is that we're starting off the story in a period of crisis and decadence all around. most of the systems of the times were about to fall. OF COURSE they had problems. if they didn't, we wouldn't have the story to begin with.

that doesn't automatically mean jedi = bad and sith are better, tho. you wouldn't take the last, chaotic and decadent period to jugde something, would you? it's like deciding that the athenian democracy sucked because people at the times of Demosthenes failed at recognizing the new schemes in which the world was evolving into, and still believed that their city would be important as it had been in the previous century. They just didn't fucking expect the Macedons would conquer half the world known and more, and have the subsequent political power. Still, their experiences in the 5th century with democracy were very good, even better than ours on many fronts, if you contextualize a little. the jedi had flaws, and most importantly, they didn't fucking know the future and everything that ever happened, ever, so they made mistakes. that doesn't automatically make the system ill, or bad, or not-working. systems can have setbacks when the world changes. (just like athenian democracy had one when they lost the empire that was funding the democracy. they even had a tyranny for a while and then fixed the problems. that doesn't diminish retrospectively their democracy)

[shopwitchvamp]

May Preorder Update:

I can give everyone a real update today because tracking FINALLY has a delivery date for the bulk of the May Preorder order:

And so with that, here's the preorder tracker update in the shop:

We've already shipped out orders that only contained petticoat preorders, and we'll be shipping another set of about 25 preorders on Friday for items that arrived a little earlier than the big main set that's on the way. All remaining preorders will ship once we get the big batch processed! We've gotten pretty effecient about the whole process so we should be able to get through it fairly quickly, but at the same time there's been SO MUCH going on behind the scenes & in our not-work life lately that I don't want to make a promise of being able to get everything out by the end of the month as originally estimated/planned. There is a good chance that fulfillment will need to extend into the first week of August. What I can promise tho, is that we will get all May Preorders shipped out before our break ends and we reopen the shop (on 8/8). Thanks so much for your patience and understanding!! And as always, if you need an address update please email us ASAP at support@witchvamp.com with your order number and the updated shipping address!

[sysig]

maybe you should doodle however many or few starcon/helix/damned characters as you like (in human or alien form) in cute halloween costumes! imagine... ZEX dressed up as Ariel thelittlemermaid...

Day 26 - "I hadn't realized humans also had aquatic subcultures!" "Oh, well, uhm..."

[bogkeep]

first week back at school and ahhhhhh everything is a little overwhelming currently

- my living space is full of boxes i have simply not had the energy to unpack at all.... hopefully this weekend (but i have also been invited to a Social Event so WE SHALL SEE)

- this school year is going to have So Much Important Stuff happening inbetween the many weeks of practice placement

- such as The Academic Text

- AND i need to finish the big project i was supposed to have finished ages ago

- our teacher this year speaks swedish with a very thick french accent and i speak norwegian with a dialect, we really struggle to understand one another but maybe hopefully that will change over time.... please...........

- i'm stressed about Stupid Bureaucracy Stuff

- and im so so sleepytired :(((

- and it's too humid and warm for comfort :(((((

AT LEAST I HAVE CUTE SOCKS

purchased in a distraught jetlag haze and subsidized by my travel insurance. they're my favourites now

[tksubby]

aggie doodle and a spamgene i drew cuz i was feeling silly. they're both short dudes who rock pompadours (kinda) and wear sunglasses n black tops. i guess i inadvertently made them both have similar poses from the waist up lol but spamgene is being a bit devious while the aggie on is just a little smug bastard (affectionate). also sorry for making him so juicy 💀

i did another aggie drawing w the lasso fill tool but that's going under the cut cuz he's even juicier and sporting only a speedo

sorry not sorry😭

[addoves]

i have decided. i like the ending of tales of the abyss even if i do not think its how it should have ended. because regardless of who the person at the end is, it is a tragedy, and it has meaning. it meant something.

most people believe its luke - which is its own tragedy. luke wanted to live more than anything, but he did not want to live at the cost of someone else's life. and he especially didn't want to live if asch was the one of them to die. which is what happened, in this case. he'd have to live knowing the person natalia and his parents and even van loved is gone, because he couldn't take asch's place like he - not wanted to, because luke wanted to live. but. maybe, he believes he should have?

and then a lot of other people think its lorelei - or a mix of asch and luke. which is also sad in its own right. these two people were forced to live such tragic lives and meet such tragic ends and because the two of them were never meant to exist separately, neither get to live in the end, and someone else takes their place. which is precisely what the both of them did not want to happen to them. its what the game was about really - nobody can take either of their places. so where does this new person fit?

and then. i've seen very few people think of them as asch. but that's just as sad too. i know asch often said he didn't want luke to exist, and he wanted - or was waiting - to die enough that it impacted most of his actions. he believed that if he was gone, like how his body was slowly failing him, then there would be someone to take his place. but if he ended up alive, and alone, he would have to come to terms with the fact that there was nobody to replace luke. this is something luke already knew. he cant replace asch, and asch cant replace him. but asch never even thought of this. because he thought he'd always be the one to die first. and he'd probably think that the world wasn't even kind enough to grant him that.

[dravidssideblog]

IMPsurance (550 words)

Finally, after hours of letting me stew in terror, moments before being thrown into the slavers' wagon, my imp shows up.

Everyone turns toward the sudden flourish of flames, and when the flames die, the imp gives a bow with a grin. "Why hello there, general! Seems that the war is going well, quite the spoils from that village. Very impressive."

The general draws his sword. "Begone, demon. I have no interest in your deals."

"Oh, but I'm not here for you..." The imp's gaze drifts to me as they step forward. "I'm just here to collect my property~"

The general's eyes narrow. "That belongs to me."

"That would be the case, but I called dibs~" Their tail lifts up my shirt, revealing the glowing purple mark on my waist. "That's my mark, you see, taken willingly. Indisputable proof of my ownership under demon law." They snap their fingers to summon a scroll of parchment. "If you'd like to see our contract-"

The general swats it away, looming over the imp like a tower of steel and muscle. "And what care should I give to the laws of monsters?"

The imp's smile widens. "Even the paladin order thinks twice before violating demon law. You really want to fight TWO wars? Just for one little slave?"

They stare each other down for a long moment. Finally, the general snorts. "Take your slave and get out, demon."

The imp's tail flicks in amusement. "Glad I could clear things up. My pet and I will be going home then. Ciao!"

In a literal snap, I find myself in a familiar place: My imp's house. I drop to my knees and gasp for breath, terror finally flushed out by overwhelming relief. "Couldn't you have just teleported me out SOONER!?"

"What, and miss the chance to brag? Come on, you know me, pet~"

Anger starts to replace relief, but a hand gliding from my head down my back soothes my emotions and chips away at my tension. My owner guides me into a proper kneeling position as they stroke my hair, scritching behind my ear, kissing me on the forehead. "Good pet," they praise with a pat on the back, "you fell into your role quick today! Guess almost becoming a slave put you in the right mindset, huh?"

I'm actually just too emotionally exhausted to care right now. "Speaking of, can you get these things off me now?" I rattle the chains around my wrists and ankles.

"Hmmmm tomorrow. AND you're gonna be walking on all fours for the day!"

"Wha- ALL day?!"

"Of course!" With a snap, they dress me in a set of kneepads and mittens. "Do you know how long I've waited for you to get into enough peril to need me? This is a day to celebrate! No more once-a-month play sessions, you're my pet FULL TIME now! Ah, and my other part-time pets might be in danger soon too, this war is a dream come true!"

"God you're so evil."

"Morality is for people to worry about." My imp cups my cheek and stares me in the eyes. "The only thing for you to focus on is being my sweet, obedient, helpless little plaything... forever~"

Of all the ways I could react to that thought... blushing is probably not the correct one.

[sysig]

I also made a card for him (Patreon)

[derinthescarletpescatarian]

wait, Derin how did your leaving make the hospital shut down?

I used to work as a live-in nanny for a pediatrician.

Now, the thing about hospitals in my country is that they are massively understaffed and massively underfunded. This is especially true outside the major cities. The staff are worked to the bone and receive little to no help in things like finding accommodation or childcare, making working in rural areas a very uninviting prospect; staff come out here, get lumped with the work of three people (because there's nobody else to do it), burn out under the workload and leave, meaning that those remaining have even more work because that person is gone. It's unsustainable and the medical staff are doing their best to sustain it, because people die if they don't, so to the higher-ups it looks like everything's getting done and therefore everything is fine.

My friend (and boss) worked one week on, one week off, swapping out with another pediatrician. This was necessary because it would not be physically possible for one person to handle the workload for longer periods of time. The one single pediatrician had to hold up the entire pediatrics ward, which was not only the only public hospital pediatrics ward in our town, but also the one that served all the towns around us for a few hours' drive in all directions. I regularly saw her go to work sick, aching, tired, or with a debilitating 'I can barely make words or see' level migraine, because if she took a day off, twenty children didn't get healthcare that day, and some of these kids' appointments were scheduled weeks in advance. She'd work long hours in the day and then be called in a couple of times overnight for an hour or two at a time (she was on-call at night too, because somebody had to be), and then go in the next day. Sometimes she would be forced to take a day off because she physically could not stay awake for longer than a few minutes at a time, meaning she couldn't drive to work.

Cue my niece's second birthday coming up in Melbourne. I'd been working for her for about 3 years, and she (and the hospital) had plenty of advance warning that I (and therefore she) needed one (1) Friday off. That's fine, we'll find someone to work that Friday, the hospital said. Right up until the last week where they're like "oh, we can't find a replacement; you can come in, can't you?"

No, she tells them; I don't have anyone to watch my kid that day.

Oh, surely you can hire a babysitter for this one day, they say. Think of the children! We really really need you to work that day. I know we said it'd be fine but we need you now, there's no one else to do it.

There are no other babysitters, she told them. Unless you can find one?

That's not our responsibility, they said.

But I'm not changing my plans, she's got plans by now as well, the hospital knew about this one day weeks in advance, and with absolutely no reserve staff they're forced to reschedule all pediatrics appointments for that Friday. Not a huge deal, it happens on the 'physically too overworked to get out of bed' days too. I go to Melbourne, she goes back to her home in Adelaide for her recovery week, all should be on track.

My niece gives me Covid.

This was way back in the first wave of the pandemic, and there were no Covid vaccines yet. The rules were isolate, mask up, hope. I had Covid in the house, and it would've been madness for my friend and her toddler to come back into the Covid house instead of staying in Adelaide. There was absolutely no way that a pediatrician could live with someone in quarantine due to Covid and go to work in the hospital with sick children every day. And no support existed for finding another babysitter, or temporary accommodation, so the hospital was down a pediatrician.

The other pediatrician wasn't available to do a three-week stint. They were also trapped in Adelaide on their well-earned week off.

Meaning that the only major pediatrics ward within a several-hour radius had no pediatricians. They had to shut down and send all urgent cases to Adelaide for the week. To the complete absence of surprise of any of the doctors or nurses; of course this would happen, this was bound to happen, it presumably keeps happening. But probably to the surprise of the higher-ups. After all, the hospital was doing fine, right? Of course all the staff were complaining of overwork and a lack of resources in every meeting, but they could always be fobbed off with the promise of more help sometime in the future; the work was mostly getting done, so the issue couldn't be too urgent.

It's not like some nanny who doesn't even work for the hospital could go out of town for a weekend for the first time in three years, and get the only public pediatrics ward in the area shut down for a week.

[elektroyu]

Well.

Looks like Schoolism has a deal now to keep the winter sales price for forever if you subscribe right now, then it's gone forever. They even extended it until Jan 6.

And they do this NOW of all time, when I have no way of continuing my subscription. Figures.

That said, if any of you are interested at all in a subscription there DO IT! And do it NOW! You won't be disappointed, I promise!

[tidalcove]

      ❛ be honest with me casey. ’ saga demands. although the worry in her voice, on her face, makes her words sound more like a desperate plea instead of the calm, simple inquiry she had intended. the junior agent can't help but sigh, feeling nearly at her wit's end while trying to avoid staring too hard at the bodies that now littered the lower level of the police station. she was beginning to find herself unraveling as the night drew on, shuffling through the facts in her head - their currently reality beginning to sink in now that she had a moment to think and connect the obvious dots on the board. they had found themselves trapped in a horror story. wake was the very fucking interdimensional entity he ( or rather - it pretending to be him ) had been panically raving about this whole time. logan, her own daughter, was dea- 

no. she stops herself from finishing the thought as quickly as it had crept in.  saga can feel it - the story trying to take her too. trying to make her open that door, to dare to go down that spiral of grief. to make her believe that the awful lie that had been written was true. but it wasn't. it could never be true. she would make sure of it.

  she just needed to focus: to see through the 'bullshit' as her grandfather had crudely but aptly put it. ❛ i saw that examination report on you. ’ brown, doe-like eyes slightly shift away from her partner, thinking not only about what she had read but also what she had heard when she did something she would never typically do: profile a friend. family. the words terminal case casy ring in her head on a loop. saga wishes it would stop. ❛ how bad is it? ’ // @merinakoala

[xx-thedarklord-xx]

Drarry where the Golden Trio are having a slightly tipsy 'Hear me out' conversation as they passed around a bottle of Elvish wine that they nicked from Slughorn's office.

"What about Gordon Horton?"

Harry and Hermione shared a confused look.

"Come on! Keeper for the Chudley Canons?"

"You're supposed to pick people we know, Ronald."

"Well excuse me," Ron said, throwing his hands in the air. "I forgot that you two have no taste."

"No taste! I will have you know that my taste is sophisticated and refined. Clearly something you don't relate to."

"Oh, oh, I see. Well since your taste is so sophisticated then by all means tell us who is your pick."

"There's Merrill Medlar. She's the chief editor of—"

"Who the hell is that? What happened to people we know?"

Harry hadn't had enough wine to tolerate their constant bickering.

"Malfoy," Harry said loudly, interrupting what would have surely been a row. "What about Malfoy?"

"Which one?" Ron and Hermione said at the same time before glaring at each other.

"What do you mean which one?" Harry frowned. "The choice is obviously—"

"Lucius." They said in unison again.

"What?" Harry gaped at them. "Lucius is a right piece of—"

"Wait," Hermione held up her hands, eyes wide. "You can't mean Draco then?"

"Of course I meant—"

"Don't say his name! Ugh, I never want to know him as Draco," Ron said, shuddering.

"Maybe I do!" Harry said, unsure why he was getting heated.

The two of them shared a long look that said a lot more than he could translate and he kind of wished they were back to arguing. At least that was familiar.

"I think I would've rather you had said Snape."

Harry's mouth parted before it closed, and he gave a considering hum. "You know, in the spirit of a true hear me out, Snape would fit."

Hermione snickered as a choked gurgle escaped Ron.

"I was joking!" Ron cried, head in his hands. "Merlin if you ever shag Snape—"

"Shag?" Harry let out a strangled meep. "If I'm going to shag someone it would be—"

"Malfoy," they said together, and part of him wondered if they were really Fred and George under Polyjuice because it was getting freaky.

"I think I'm going to be sick," muttered Ron. "I knew we'd uncover some more about each other, but I'd honestly like to cover it right back up."

"We can pretend it didn't happen," Harry offered, biting his lip as he tried to think of someone else. "What about Charlie?"

"Charlie?" Ron frowned. "My Charlie?"

"Oh," Hermione said, brows lifting. "Yes, I can see it."

"No no," Ron shook his head. "We aren't doing this. Let's get back to Harry wanting to shag Malfoy."

"It's not that I want to shag—"

"I think it's more than that," Hermione said, voice low as if she was sharing a secret. "I think he likes Malfoy."

Ron collapsed backward as if he had been shot, groaned as if he had been too. "This is too much for me."

Harry rolled his eyes, taking a large mouthful of wine. He was going to need it.

"It's not that bad."

"Yes, it is, Hermione. If Harry wants to shag Malfoy and he likes him then they'll get married and have little spawns that look like Malfoy and they'll call me Uncle Ron and then I'll just have to like them because I can't be mean to a child, but they'll look just like him and then I'm going to have a complex—"

"I think you're having a complex right now."

"And whose fault is that? Huh, Harry?"

"I never said I wanted to marry him."

"You never said you didn't though," Hermione argued, tone suggesting she was on to something.

Harry sighed loudly as they continued to debate his future. A future that held Malfoy in it. The longer they talked the more he considered it.

It was true that he wanted to shag Malfoy, but it was also true that he liked him. He just hadn't really let himself think of how much.

"I think I'm going to find Malfoy," Harry said, staggering to his feet and rather proud that he hadn't fallen over. Maybe he hadn't drank as much as he thought he had.

"Great, just great," Ron cried. "My life is over. Might as well start calling me Uncle Ron."

The portrait closed right as Hermione said,

"I think you're being rather dramatic, Uncle Ron."

[tbob-enthusiast]

why are they like this why are they like this

This was supposed to be a goofy one off 3 panel comic not. Something with effort.

Many mistakes are about to be made

he does not remember a THING.

Also bonus of Robbie with bed hair and the shirt he passed out in

The shirt is based on my dad's RAGGEDY ASS mountain dew shirt he's had since I was born. It's so old he can't wear it anymore

Also messy hair robbie. The curls are threatening to return/silly

@tbob-enthusiast @jayxel1102 ehehhehe

[yourlocalsurrealism]

DPXDC PROMPT : ALFRED IS IMMORTAL

Alright. Don't get me wrong, I love au's where John Constantine is like "soul tax evader supreme", but hear me out.

Alfred.

Alfred, Alfred Pennyworth. Who just doesn't die. The guy's immortal. The reason for this is that Alfred is awesome, so anytime he dies, whether it be from old age or a bullet or a world-wide catastrophe, he looks Death straight in the eyes and tells them that he will die when the day comes that no one needs him anymore, and not a second before, and then he just kinda pops back to life. Because let's face it, the batfam would fall to pieces without him.

So, Alfred Pennyworth has basically just been cheating death for centuries, by this point.

Needless to say, Death is none too pleased. Finally, Death goes to Phantom, the new king, who is much more reasonable than Pariah Dark was and who agrees to actually help.

Clockwork helps Danny set up a portal and he zaps into existence in the middle of a Wayne movie night. The bats are all prepared to fight this mysterious weirdo, but Danny ignores them and turns to Alfred, who he then begins lecturing about ghostly tax evasion and how defying death isn't a good thing, so he needs to file paperwork through the proper channels to stay as an immortal almost-God.

Alfred is chill, he plays cards with Clockwork once when he dies, so he knew this was coming, but the batfamily thinks that this mysterious entity is going to kill Alfred, so they're all panicking, trying to think of ways to avoid this horrible future. Alfred calmly listens to Danny, then he interjects.

"Sir, are you aware of the fact that there is a revenant on earth? One who is most certainly under threat of more paperwork than I, seeing as he has been using the Lazarus Pits to revive himself for millennia. I, however, have only been alive for a few hundred years, so I should think that he is a bigger priority. "

Danny glances over at Jason, doubtful. "He doesn't look several millennia old, Mr. Pennyworth."

"Certainly not, seeing as Master Jason is not. Besides, his Undeath License was filed. I have a copy of it if you need to see it, your Majesty?" Alfred answers, demure as always.

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble, sir."

Alfred leaves and returns, moments later with a light green glowing piece of paper. he hands it over to Danny, who examines it.

"Seems legitimate. I assume you filed it during one of your many encounters with Death?"

"Indeed. I have it on good authority, however, that the other revenant, a man by the name of Ra's Al Ghul, has not renewed his License in at least the last half millennia, most likely longer."

Danny sighs. "Where can I find him."

"Nanda Parbat. The signature is impossible to miss."

"Alright, Mr. Pennyworth. I will return once he is dealt with, be it by filing his paperwork or returning him to the Infinite Realms."

"Very well. I will be ready." Alfred answers.

Danny opens a portal to the area around Nanda Parbat and then another, which plops him down right in front of the Demon's Head himself, in a strategy meeting with his daughter and several commanders.

They all raise their weapons, but he just basically grabs Ra's by the ear and tugs him through a Lazarus Green portal, lecturing him about tax evasion and paperwork and bureaucracy the whole time. The League is thrown into uproar, and Ra's is set down in a room with all his overdue paperwork from the past few thousand years. He feels a little bit like crying; if he had known immortality meant this much paperwork, he would've just died, honestly.

Meanwhile, in Wayne Manor, everyone is crying, because they think Alfred is going to die, Jason is confused about the whole revenant Undeath Certificate thing, Bruce is trying to make contingency plans, Tim is contacting the Justice League, and Alfred is planning out his defense and going through every ghostly law loophole he can think of because if he leaves these emotionally constipated crime-fighting vigilantes, he knows that the house that Martha so loved will go up in flames within a month.

Eventually, Danny comes to get Alfred for his ghostly court trial/hearing or whatever, and Alfred says goodbye to Bruce and everyone, goes to the Infinite Realms. Clockwork is on his side, and Alfred ends up winning the court case, on the condition that now that the has an Undeath License, he actually renew it every twenty years, like he's supposed to.

A week later, Alfred returns, crashes his own funeral, and explains that no, he will not be dying anytime soon.

Two weeks after Alfred's return, Constantine shows up at the manor basically begging to learn how the hell he managed to avoid death, and not only that, win a damn court case against them.