#actually this is younger than main but i don't have a verse for that so

[starsweepers]

                LITTLE ARMS CLUTCHED THE STUFFED ANIMAL.

          wet cheeks, shaking limbs. but her face was buried into the soft, welcoming sensation of the item. her sobs drowned into the white fur that slowly dampened. the day lingered on her mind, a stretching void of dark shapes that grabbed and shouted, their voices like screams grating against her mind. overwhelmed. she had been overwhelmed.

      brown depths had widened, CHOKED breaths, jerky movements. she couldn't get away she couldn't run. only her walker, and that wasn't enough to help her get going. four years old was not an age for fleeing. running was reserved for play and joy and games... and even those were out of h e r reach. because legs didn't move right, body didn't move right. dawn knew this already, understood she was never going to have those opportunities and experiences. she was okay with that, she was okay with herself, but that didn't mean everything was fine.

              how her father had had to grab her up. hold her close, trying to give her only one sound; the beating of his heart in his chest. pressing her against the soft folds of his shirt, other hand about her head, attempting to dim to cacophony, attempting to protect her from the fervent crowd that demanded his attention. his fame, his status. they didn't pay mind to the child, to the little girl, to the wailing that she relented as panic gripped her. stiffened, frozen, there was n o t h i n g she could do but be consumed in the chaos. until her father had swept her away, he freed her from it all, and then just held her in a silence far away. rocked her. waited for her to come back from everything. grounded her. her hero.

      but little dawn. oh. bravery was what she tried now. struggle. because she was already a lot of work, right? she was already ( unable... disabled... the people said that a lot around her. she couldn't she couldn't she couldn't ). don't be another burden on her family, her parents, she couldn't she couldn't she couldn't. be tough like her sister, like her mother. like her father; pushing away the crowds, she could push away the fear, the hauntings, the shadows. MEMORIES. played on repeat. too much.

                but her little heard was known too well. night light spun stars on her ceiling, a little tinkering song lulled an attempt for her to sleep, but she squirmed and squirmed and clutched that little toy. until the door cracked and there he was, gentle for a giant. her father swept her back into his arms, those arms, and he lay with her on the bed. her and the stuffed dog - frufru. he kept them both near, he hummed, he rubbed her back, large hand barely having to shift. she hiccuped.

       breath slowed, heart stopped its dance. little girl curled, half clutching him, half chewing her fingers. hiccup. a little sob, releasing the weight still lingering on her chest. but it was okay, it was okay, and her father assured her. over and over and over.

            there was no need for bravery, there was no need for fear. not there, at least. all she needed, all she held... was love. and dawn CLUNG to it. to him. the monsters of her fear, of being overwhelmed, of being incapable... they were small in comparison to him, to the love that bound. for the first time all day, though the moon hung high as one of the only visible lights in a los angeles sky... she felt the sun.

[deritosmi]

(long overdue) Can Hobie be a Teenager?

(Here's a lil pre apology for the faint school essay accent)

THIS IS MAINLY USING DETAILS FROM THE COMICS, AND HOBIE ISN'T BRITISH IN THE COMICS, SO YOU COULD ARGUE THAT THIS ISN'T CREDIBLE. BUT I DON'T REALLY CARE.

There has been a lot of (in my opinion-- unnecessary..) discourse on Hobie Brown, aka Spider-Punk’s age since the release of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse. For most of the part it was for shipping reasons… But that’s not the focus of this post. A reoccurring statement I’ve seen in this discourse is: “Hobie looks way too old to be a teenager.” 

This is where I say the line-- ‘erm, actually…’ 🤓🤓 and explain why Hobie can be a teenager ‘despite’ his appearance. 

Yay!! Arguing about Hobartholomew Laurence Brown! 

…

What have I gone through, experienced, for me to write this…?

Hobie Brown is the Spider-Man of Earth-138. (I don’t know why, but my intuition tells me that the year is 1983. Though,) generally it’s anywhere from the late seventies to the early eighties. 

Anyways, the points are the standard of living and circumstances. 

In Earth-138, America becomes a totalitarian (something something here something something here) with Osborn as the president. So, the inflation that took place during the late 1970’s - early 1980’s may not apply to this argument. But, the lack of technological advancements 

(okay I know they had laser guns and mutants back there but stay with me) 

medically speaking could be a reason for Hobie looking older. 

If not for the lack of technological advancement in medical care, then how difficult it was to access it. 

As the years have progressed, generations in general have been looking younger than older generations when they were at the same age. 

There are many reasons for this happening, like having less responsibilities, better health care, things are easier to access because that’s just how capitalism works (not a very good way to justify capitalism because everyone suffers regardless), less manual labor, more sitting in chairs for hours on end and not going outside or interacting with nature or people regularly, I could go on. 

(sorry for pushing my anti-capitalist propaganda here, but, uh it is my blog, so.) 

Oh! And also, Hobie, he is an orphan, and has been since childhood. He’s a squatter, a black dude, in America, also, he’s Spider-Punk, meaning he has to fight 24/7 365, and he’s had to fend for himself for like, his entire life. There are some obvious differences between his circumstances and the average teenager's.

This added to the fact that it was during the late 1970's-- early 1980's, it would only make sense for him to look, well, old. Or at least, older. Technically, he doesn’t really look older, we just look younger. We came second. But pretending like we are the main characters and the only perspective that matters is ours, yes, he looks older because of the general standard of living and his circumstances. So, yeah! Hobie could totally be a teenager. (And, in my honest opinion, he sounds like one in the movie and acts like one in the comics, but I won’t lose my mind over you thinking otherwise or whatever…)

Thanks for reading this thing that I wrote instead of doing school work!

[a-friendly-fangirl]

Random thoughts on We're in Love (or "Your average Italian girl has had an awful week and Boygenius' love saves her ass again"):

So, I've been listening to the Boys and to their solo stuff the whole week (for the past 5 months, to be honest... but who's counting?) and I've been going crazy lately for the beauty of We're in Love.

I think we can all acknowledge that that song is one of the greatest songs in "The Record" and one of the best ever written. And then I started bawling, when my mind got stuck on its lyrics and realised just how heartbreaking and beautiful it is.

This will be kind of my personal analysis (also inspired by some suggestions here and there... thank you to all the geniuses around that have noticed certain things. I wish I could write down all your names, but my memory is awful), so if you disagree with it or feel the need to add something, do it. I'd be happy to meet more Boygenius fans!

Ok, I'd like to begin with the third and fourth line of the first verse, where Lucy sings: "I don't need the symbol of a scar/ So put down the knife, we're not swapping blood". And yet, in "The film", Julien still takes a blood oath with the young versions of Lucy and Phoebe. I think that this was such an interesting choice to make, considering the difference between the words and the actions. This actually makes sense though, when underlining that 20$ is Julien's song and these words belong to Lucy.

Julien, as her solo albums readily witness, has no real problem with hurting herself ('Cause I'm so good at hurting myself - Brittle Boned) both physically and psychologically. We also know, from 20$, that she does believe in being connected to Phoebe and Lucy in every universe or life (In another life we were arsonists). Lucy does too with them (And I told you of your past lives; In the next one [life], will you find me? - We're in Love). Same goes for Phoebe, even though it's a little more subtle with her. In fact, more than believing in other lives, she seems to believe in changing herself in the present life, so much that, even though Emily I'm Sorry is her song, she has decided to sing it with her best friends, because, maybe, she'd rather be someone that can be loved by them in particular and not someone only Emily "could want".

To better understand the scar line/imagery, I think it important to notice that Julien doesn't take the blood oath with her adult friends but with their younger selves. In my opinion, it's like a machine has brought them in Julien's universe or timeline to help her get out of her home, which, listening to her music, is a synonym of recovery or at least of a better state of mind (in Go Home and Please Stay, it is quite clear: "I wanna go home, I'm sick", while in Graceland Too she finally gets out once she's feeling better). But, not belonging there (and we know they don't thanks to Julien's surprised expression when she sees little Phoebe), pehaps she's afraid that she'll lose them once they're done with the car, therefore asking them to do that oath. Childhood scars never fully leave us, so Julien might be convinced that it'll help adult Phoebe and Lucy to remember her, once they meet as intended or hoped.

When you think about it, the layers here are so many that it's scary. Scars have always at least a touch of negativity, even when you get them for something not negative per se (I have so many scars I got from running around as a child...), because they always follow pain. Julien and Phoebe have dealt with it their whole life and have actively put themselves through it more than once, so of course Julien chooses to use a knife (which also brings us back again to Please Stay: "The hunting knife you kept by your bed". I don't think the mention in We're in Love is a coincidence) against herself if it means being sure Phoebe and Lucy know it's her. But Lucy stops her for two main reasons:

Julien won't have to wait for them to find her, because she and Phoebe will, according to Lucy, be the ones going to her, if they want to (Will you find me?);

Instead of remembering each other through something painful, they could use the happy and positive memories they've shared in this life. Lucy once again wants to do everything in her power to dismantle her friends' self-destructive tendencies and replace them with something good (even the "happy" in Letter to an Old Poet was her suggestion).

Moving on to the next lines (Isn't it enough that we stripped down to our skin?/ Cold and porcelain like bathers in a painting), the beauty of this specific portrait delivered by Lucy kind of proves the point just made. Saying that the skin is "cold" and "porcelain" delivers a poetic image of extreme fragility that could be both literal or figurative and it shows just how much they trust each other. What Lucy appears to be pointing out is that she doesn't need any more pain to believe they're in love with each other, since they've already done the great sacrifice of showing themselves when they were most vulnerable (something they're still learning to do, according to recent interviews).

In Lucy's specific case (And I told you of your past lives, every man you've ever been/ It wasn't flattering, but you listened like it mattered), I'd go as far as to think that she did that by letting Phoebe and Julien listen to the stories of her past friendships or even relationships, telling them whom she had had by her side before them. She sings that that tale wasn't flattering: why? If I had to express myself on that, I'd guess, by her albums, that, just like any other human being, even Lucy has had a lot of troubled bonds with people she might have wrongly thought were as true and loyal to her as the Boys are now (take Strange Torpedo, Nonbeliever or Brando as examples). My personal take on this part is that she hasn't tried to tell Phoebe and Julien who they've been in the past, but to confess them who had had their roles in her life previously, feeling perhaps embarassed by it. But they're in no way bored or mad at her for that, listening, however, "like it mattered" (quoting True Blue: "It doesn't matter anymore", 'cause they're together now, but it is still important to her that they are paying attention to this part of her story).

She also admits being open to them about her own insecurities, especially the fear of being or seeming crazy (I feel crazy in ways I never say/ Will you still love me if it turns out I'm insane?/ I know what you'll say, but it helps to hear you say it anyway), making herself vulnerable by exposing this side of her she usually keeps hidden in hope of being reassured by them, which they've probably done a thousand times already.

Long story short, coming to the end of the first chorus: Lucy loves and values them for the trust they've put in each other and no scar will ever match that feeling. I have a lot more to say about the rest of the song, but this is mostly me ranting about it, so I'll see how it goes. Sorry for all of this :P

[khattikeri]

one of my favorite inconsequential unsolved mdzs mysteries is who was ranked 6th in the list of the clans' young masters based on looks and character (which includes how well-versed they are in the six arts).

we learn rankings #1-5 in volume 1, and rank #7 in volume 3. at bare minimum we know the list was made before the sunshot campaign.

lan xichen. he's "warm and elegant, sincerely gentle".

lan wangji. looks just like lan xichen but loses out because he's "overly aloof and stern, completely unsociable, and [keeps] others at arm's length".

jin zixuan. according to children playing pretend on the streets over a decade after his death, he was ranked this high "only for looks".

wei wuxian. a great feat since he isn't actually gentry; he was considered "charming and cheerfully handsome".

jiang cheng. implied that his hot temper is the main reason why he's ranked lower than wei wuxian.

???

nie mingjue. he's this low because "his coldness carried fire, a rage that might combust into an inferno at any time" and is explicitly stated to be even less approachable than lan wangji.

...so who was #6?!

since this list is from before the war, even wens could've been included.

most likely #6 wasn't wen chao, who wasn't good looking, charming, or brave, and whose arrogance "is only exceeded by his lack of any qualifying talents". he was also canonically married, but then again it's never stated that the list only has to include bachelors.

i don't count wen ning because he was very unknown in the cultivation world at that point in time even though he was the son of wen ruohan's cousin, plus his timid nature and stutter made his peers quick to mock him.

it could've been wen xu. unlike wen chao, his appearance is never actually described in the novel and he has no dialogue on-screen. the novel also doesn't ever confirm if wen xu was married.

what little we know of wen xu's personality, intellect, relationships, and abilities is entirely secondhand. his death was shocking and unsettling to many people, which implies that he was skilled enough that nobody on their side of the war would've thought he'd be killed, much less beheaded. he was entrusted with leading troops and burning down the cloud recesses, plus his father was angry to the point of wanting revenge on nie mingjue, so he may have even been the favorite son-- willing to do ruthless and underhanded things.

though we know he's capable enough in warfare and sadistic violence, we don't know anything else about him in terms of his personality or if he's good at the six arts... so who knows!😭

jin guangyao was not recognized by his father at the time and would not have been well-known in the cultivation world either. others like xiao xingchen and song lan are ~7-10 years younger than the main cast if you map out the timeline, so pre-sunshot campaign they'd have still been children, not eligible young masters. plus xiao xingchen hadn't even descended baoshan-sanren's mountain at the time.

the only other option for #6 of all the characters we actually know and who would've been in the right age range at the time is nie huaisang.

but would nie huaisang have been ranked higher than nie mingjue purely by having a more easygoing personality? even if he's good looking and approachable, his cultivation ability is low to the point that he developed a core nearly a decade after his peers, and even though he is smart, it's all spent on his own hobbies and avoiding responsibility. he isn't quite at the level of being a pitiful headshaker yet, but beyond his status in-universe he's hardly a catch.

and also... considering how close they were at cloud recesses classes, wouldn't wei wuxian have mentioned nie huaisang being on the ranking in his narration if he actually had been? he's such an easy to grasp contender for the position, and yet...

?!?!?!?! in the end, we don't know!

[trans-mephisto]

The somewhat popular theory that Lightning = Rin and why I personally don't buy it

(And my own theory)

So, quick disclaimer; this post isn't made with the intent of "ruining fun" or putting down other theorists in the fandom, but rather is simply me putting in my own two cents on a character. I'm very analytical and find this kind of thing fun! My essay is below the cut so I don't take up too much space in the fandom tag :]

Okay, starting with the reasons I really don't think Lewin is Rin from the future, which I've skimmed the manga to support my personal doubts.

First off, though they do share some similarities, Lewin and Rin still have distinct differences in their designs. One of the main things I took note of was the difference in their eye shapes. When his eyes are shown, Lightning has rounded eyes with small, thin irises, whereas Rin has angular eyes with larger irises. Examples below!

And these two images aren't far apart in chapters, so it's not anything like an art style change. Even so, eye shape is something that Kato doesn't really change drastically within her character designs.

Now, another thing is we actually see Lightning as a teenager during the whole flashback arc. He would be nineteen during this time, and we also have an image of Rin at eighteen (albeit in another timeline from the main one, but it generally doesn't matter). Though, again, kind of similar, there's still stark differences. The main ones again, being eye shape, Rin having round irises and Lewin having thin ones, and the fact Lewin is babyfaced compared to Rin having a slimmer face at nearly the same age.

Lastly, there's also their personalities. Lightning has always been mostly emotionless, intelligent, and analytical, whereas Rin at his core has always been very emotional, and no shade to Rin, has always been kind of stupid. Once again, they may have some similarities but their differences are more prevelant.

So, what gives? Who or what is Lewin?

Well, while thinking this over, I kind of stumbled across a character who I think is far more like Lightning personality-wise. Shiro Fujimoto.

There's many comparisons to be made between them, especially with younger Shiro. Perverted, tendencies towards violence, the fact they both generally don't seem to care till they're upset enough? Very similar. Although I definitely don't think they're one in the same, I do have suspicions that tie together as to why he's similar to Shiro, and to an extent, Rin and Yukio. And it's pretty simple.

They're related!

Now I don't mean anything like "Shiro's secret child" or "Rin or Yukio's child from the FUTURE" or anything like that, what I think is that he's simply the grandchild or a similar descendant to Azazel, and since Shiro was directly cloned from Azazel and Satan was also inhabiting an Azazel clone when Rin and Yukio were concieved, all the overlapping similarities make sense. And I have a TON of evidence to back this up.

First of all, Lewin has a very strong connection with demons to the point where it's often showed he has an easier time summoning them than any other tamer, even high-level entities.

For higher level demons, he doesn't have to finish the summon, and doesn't even need a verse in general for the low level demons.

Also, both these demon types are kin to Azazel.

Later on, we even learn that he has god-level demons (literally the gods of winds) as his familiars, and guess what? They're kin of Azazel.

So he has a very strong connection to Azazel's kin, and also Azazel himself.

During the Blue Night flashback, we see he was for some reason, a member of Azazel's group of Grigori represenatives.

Not just that, but he in general seems very close to Azazel. He mentions speaking to him, goes to visit him to calm down, calls him "old man" or "gramps", and when discovering Section 13's cloning secrets, at one point seems genuinely upset mentioning that the process of extracting Azazel's DNA probably led to his advanced crystalization. His soft spot for Azazel is obvious.

So in short, I do understand the connections Rin and Lewin share, and why it led to many people believing they were the same person. But after doing some digging, I believe the point was to hint at their relation and also draw parallels between his situation with Azazel and Rin's with Shiro.

Hope everyone enjoys reading my long-winded ramblings. :]

[accultant]

━━★. *･｡ﾟ✧⁺ Iago fun fact OTD ~ their voice is shot !

Okay, misleading, not totally. But whenever companion/main verse Iago is first recruited, they end every day with a sore throat and their voice almost totally gone. In the Bhaal Temple, especially in those final months they were there, they would go days, sometimes maybe even weeks, without speaking more than a couple of words. Being in an adventuring party, all that talking and conversation wears down on them since their voice is so weak from misuse. They can manage it well enough until they're used to it again. But even then, Their voice is not soft and sweet. It is often scratchy and tired. They'll get especially quiet at the end of a long, taxing day, for fear that their voice will come out too broken or not be able to come out at all.

Not necessarily because of this, but it certainly comes in handy, Iago likes to use thieves' cant for nonverbal communication. They learned it ( and taught puck <3 ) when they were younger and had trouble getting their words out, and it's still something they like to use if they can.

Also, not totally related to their voice recovery era, but just in general, Iago has a hard time putting their larger feelings and thoughts into words. They spend so much time trying to suppress everything that they don't really know how to express anything. It's one of the reasons why they journal, to put a stream of consciousness on a page to sort through it. Also one of the reasons why they are lowkey SO jealous of those damn tadpoles bc they would love to just Beam Emotions At You instead of having to talk. Tadpoled!Iago still becomes a bit obsessed with naming things, though, and keeps a list of emotions so they can refer to the right one and feel some sense of control over how they feel by being able to pin it down. Young Iago also did this for a while.

Whenever someone has enough trust built with Iago, they figure out how to express themselves very bluntly to make this a bit easier. I want you all to imagine Iago storming up to you with a very determined look on their face and just saying the word "SAD." It's either that or they'll ramble helplessly for ten minutes without saying what they actually need to say.

EDIT: that being said, once Iago gets their voice back, anyone who can befriend them can get them to ramble endlessly. they have so much catching up to do.

[diolanza]

some of my muses and crying

perospero-this man does not cry. he does not handle emotion, not properly at least. if he does, it's more like he'd get teary after being threatened by big mom. it happened a lot more when he was younger, but you can eventually hear "i'll give you something to cry about" enough and it sticks. he'd have to be utterly, completely destroyed and devastated to have a real good cry. i think he might be...moved to in his main verse, but it'd take a lot. i mean he'd have to get into a real physical altercation with one of his siblings or actually, y'know, face what happened at wano.

caesar-cries very easily and a lot. not full-on bawling or anything, but like a whiny baby. we see in canon that he tears up when he feels he's in danger or gets, rightfully, insulted. despite the size of it, his ego is fragile. he's also a huge coward. go for the throat, literally or figuratively, and he acts like a little kid that just got bullied at school. he's good at faking tears too!

cupid-they cry more than they'd like to. they don't think much of others who cry, but they think very little of themself when they cry. they see it as a weakness when it's them. every time they've cried, it's been because of frustration with their work and how much of a struggle it can truly be. i've said it before, but they feel like their work is all they are. they also cry pretty damn hard, mainly out of anger, if someone they care about is hurt pretty bad.

evanidus-the last time he cried was when his husband died. he has not fully cried since then. he barely even tears up and if he does those tears are gone as quickly as they came. he does not want anyone to see him cry or even think that he could cry. he internalizes everything, so tears are pretty much a no go for him. he spends so much time wiping others' tears that he refuses to let himself be as vulnerable, just in case someone needs him.

[weiyingsbigbooty]

You know what? Throws at you my totally unconventional kny oc that I made a total au just to fit in.

Goto Clan.

It's roots date back to the Heian period, and is one of the big three clans that control and look after Shindo shrines. A clan of warrior priests that used to wander Japan, but have settled near the Ubuyashiki mansion as their paths crossed long ago and have been intervening ever since. It was a Goto heir that spoke to the Ubuyashiki's about their curse, and has been acting as a consulting clan. A few centuries ago, some of the Ubuyashiki's have taken a Goto name, bringing the two families closer than ever.

In other words, making Natsuki and Kagaya first cousins.

Who is Natsuki? You wonder.

Well…

“ Have you seen Natsuki-sama? She stepped out for some fresh air.”

“Isn't she supposed to meet her future husband now?”

“Yeah.”

“...”

“... she ran away again didn't she.”

“...yikes.”

“Oyaji is going to be so mad…”

… a Goto heir.

That's a little snipped from Natsuki's fic story, where I created a new clan for the sole purpose of her being validated in the universe. I took inspiration from the fact that a priest visited Ubuyashiki's back when their curse first appeared, and ran a mile with it. The Goto's serve as the Ubuyashiki's left hand, their authority ranked third from above, right under the current leader's wife, which in this case is Amane. The Goto's usually work from the shadows, and they are rarely known to the Hashira, and a complete unknown force to the rest of the slayers.

Natsuki of course plays by her own rules, and even tho her presence being known to the current Hashira was a mistake on her part, she doesn't care about it much. The Goto also act as the Ubuyashiki's personal body guards, even tho canonically they have rejected having any.

A bit more about Natsuki; at first I created her as a Gojo variant/ancestor because I wanted to make a jjk/kny crossover because kokushibo six eyes + gojo oc = satoru gojo six eyes. But I scrapped that because I was a bit too lazy to try and have an actual crossover where it's plausible for it to exist and the gojo oc WOULD be too op because muzan = kenjaku's failed experiment in merging (young) adult and a curse.

Then I wanted to just make a gojo clan in the verse, but my sister told me that she couldn't imagine my own gojo variant (natsuki) at all because all she could think about was satoru, so I just changed her last name to Goto, which was close enough and fit the theme.

GOTO = Later Wisteria

NATSUKI = Summer Princess

How is she related to the Ubuyashiki's= simple, Kagaya's father is her uncle, and her father is his. Her father married into the Goto clan and took over as the head, her mother being the previous heiress. Yes, her father and the Goto clan is old fashioned, they don't have women in direct power. A big reason why he's trying to set her up with a future husband as soon as he can, so his son in law can take over. Her father feels like he is living on borrowed time, something that all Ubuyashiki's do. Well, you can take him out of the family but you can't take the family curse out of him. It's a wonder he survived to see Natsuki grow past the age of 15, much less 25.

Kagaya is 23, so I made her two years older. While he is her cousin by blood, Natsuki sees him more as a younger brother, especially with the fact they grew up together.

Now her personality is similar to Satoru, given that he was main inspiration for that, but she's a bit more feral like a constant teen gojo. Loud, whiny, and never takes anything seriously. Obnoxious about her battle prowess to the point one of her standards for the future suitors, that her father tries so hard to set her with, is to challenge her in a duel that always had her as a winner. It's not that she is just op, but as an individual who grows up as a heir to a warrior priest clan as well as a consultant and bodyguard to the Ubuyashiki family since birth, she has spent from early childhood till today learning about the art of war, battle and strategy.

"My husband cannot be weaker then me..."

"You lost, after all, you're weak."

Her ideal man is based by her own experience when she was younger; at the age of eight, she got lost in the woods when traveling with her father, and cut her hand. A man with ink black hair with red tips, golden eyes and black and purple kimono (wink wink) helped her by tearing his sleeve and bandaging her wound with it. He carried a sword, so a samurai, a warrior in his right himself. He was the first person to reject her wish at that point in her life, which was to be her future husband. A quick, cold No, something that stuck with her ever since and has made a promise, albeit one sided, to become strong enough to fight him for his hand in marriage, with a plan to win which just made the man snort and exclaim that she's 200 years too young to do that.

(I live in delulu land along with Natsuki)

The outfit she wears was based off of a specific Male! Yae Miko fanart I found on Pinterest, something that I fell in love with at first glance, and thought was perfect for Natsuki as it fits her well. When sketching I did draw sleeves, but opted to leave them out because they would just get in her way, and I think sleeveless turtleneck + long gloves are peak character design.

She wears glasses because her eyes are very sensitive to the sun, something she got from the Ubuyashiki side. Her eye color and hair color come from her mother, same with her complexion.

In Asia, power beads are often given as a token of respect or affection. They can also symbolize a vow, like more dedication to your training. Pulled straight from Google, but it fits well, they were given to her by her father, but she vowed on them to become strong enough to defeat the mysterious man from her childhood.

Out of all of the Hashira, Natsuki gets along the most with Kyojuro and, to everyone's surprise, Sanemi. Two white haired feral people who can and will beat the shit out of you over the smallest inconvenience? A match made in hell. With Kyojuro she is more down to earth, enjoying their training spars and hitting the restaurants right after. If he wasn't a demon slayer, a Hashira, he would of been a candidate she would introduce to her father herself. Alas, she has known his father while he was still an acting slayer, and let's just say Shinjuro would rather commit familicide then suicide then ever let either of his sons anywhere near that snot covered Goto brat.

Shinjuro may or may not have been on Ubuya-Goto babysitting duty on a few occasions in the past, and don't let that angelic face of Kagaya's deceive you, he's the brains, Natsuki is the brawl. He hides it well, but Natsuki has rubbed off on him.

.

I think that's enough for now (I just can't remember the rest, haven't thought about it and don't want to vomit too much info to no one). Feel free to ask me more about Natsuki , give me your thoughts, or simply give ideas!!

[felikatze]

WGAT FAN EMBLEMS DO YOU HAVE. ARE THEY MAIN VERSE OR XENOLOGUE

I HAVE A LIST. I explained in the other ask i answered uhhh just now (link here) these are technically xenologue by virtue of being AU. Veyle-Alear roleswap that I have insane thoughts about thank you Salem. Once again Berkut & Rinea are the most well baked from a gameplay standpoint but I have other ones....

Quick n dirty AU rundown: Veyle-Alear roleswap! Alear is with Sombron and an alternate set of Four Hounds (Lapis, Kagetsu, Pandreo, Zephia. Salem's blorbos), and Veyle was taken in by Lumera. I also took the liberty of making the younger royals the plot important ones.... teehee

My fan emblems trend antagonist and/or possessed for thematic reasons and because it's fun. HOWEVER I excluded most main antags from the pool because I don't think Emblem Medeus would be very interesting from a character standpoint.

I actually made a list!! So I'd have one from every game (this was also brainstormed with Salem lol). I don't have full knowledge of every FE ever and a lot of FEs I am significantly less insane about than The Usual Suspects (Binding Blade, Awakening, now Engage), so you do notice a lot of bias in what has the most detail, lmao.

Anyway. You get the list.

Archanea: Maria. (100% inspired by fell Maria in heroes, lol. LISTEN IT'D BE SO THEMATIC FOR VEYLE THO. Little girl who just wants her big siblings back. Maria would be Veyle's Marth - her first Emblem, and the one closest to her. I still gotta play the Archanea games but... the potential.)

Valentia: Berkut & Rinea (Firene Emblem. Elaborated on in the other post!!)

Jugdral (Fe4): I am not wise enough just yet.... probably Julius.

Jugdral (Fe5): I don't know <3 Ishtar? Reinhardt? Mareeta? I like the thought of Mareeta from what I know abt her actually.

Elibe (Fe6): IDUNN MY GIRL IDUNN. (She'd be Lumera's Emblem as Sigurd equivalent. Sleeping dragon guided by Sleeping Dragon... I love Idunn... I have Thoughts about her.... okay....)

Elibe (Fe7): Ninian (She's Elusia's Emblem!! I have thoughts about her & Hortensia...)

Magvel: Lyon (this was the one and only pick, really.)

Tellius (Fe9): Black Knight (Salem's suggestion, but it works! God I need to beat Radiant Dawn...)

Tellius (Fe10): My initial suggestion was Pelleas but Sothe is also tempting (god I need to beat Radiant Dawn.... 2!!!)

Ylisse: GRIMA. WHO ELSE. (i'd put him down where Corrin is, as the second Solm emblem. Haha Grima you got trapped in a desert temple again.) (Either that or I swap him with Lucina for funny points)

Fates: Takumi (conquest flavored! he is not doing too hot! He's Brodia's Emblem same reason as Berkut: it would remind him of Nohr and he hates being here. Has a soft spot for Alcryst, though. OF COURSE I gave him to Alcryst.)

Fodlan: Shez. For the funnies. (shez's super form is obviously the engaged look. I'd make them Solm's primary Emblem, because I feel like they and Fogado would be friends. But then Shez goes Revenge Mode and Fogado is like. dude. chill. you're scaring the hoes.)

And that's my full list!! The only ones who have gameplay ideas attached to them so far are Berkut & Rinea, Idunn, Takumi, and Shez, for a perfect gender ratio as I've non-biney'd Shez. Because of course I have.

[monkey-network]

Good Stuff: EVERY MF DOOM ALBUM (1)

And if you can believe it, it's Doomsday once again. MF DOOM has been at the top as one of my all time favorite rappers, but I've admittedly never really delved into his discography beyond the occasional single I vibed with. So for this month this year, that changes as I marathoned most of the Metalface's career. We're only doing the solo and main collab albums this year. No EPs, remix albums or compilations, we're doing that along with KMD's works next time. Also don't expect detailed analyses of these, I'm both not a Monkey of musical expertise or actually researching anything for more than 3 minutes. We're going in chronological order, let's hit it.

OPERATION: DOOMSDAY (1999)

Prod: MF DOOM Absolute Banger Track: 'The Finest' Surprise MVP: 'Gas Drawls'

This is how you do a debut; exhibiting the best strength of DOOM's full throttle approach to verse and defining his new character as well as King Geedorah in certain tracks. It is weird hearing Dumile through the years where this and his time in KMD are when he sounds vocally younger. It's an overall consistent turn-of-the-century bop that you can feel the emcee's fire being made into this.

TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER (JUNE '03)

Prod: Metal Fingered Villain, E.Mason Absolute Banger Track: 'Krazy World' ft. Gigan Surprise MVP: 'Fazers'

I'll be real, Geedorah is the weakest link persona and it doesn't help that this album, while consistent, didn't strike a chord with me. Maybe it's because I'm not a big kaijuu fan, maybe because the distinction lacks here compared to the next persona in the universe. Overall, it's still good, continuing on rampaging energy founded from the previous, but it's not one I could get into as much as I would've hoped.

VAUDEVILLE VILLAIN (SEPTEMBER '03)

Prod.: King Honey, Heat Sensor, Max Bill, RJD2, Mr Ten Absolute Banger Track: 'Vaudeville Villain' Surprise MVP: 'Open Mic Pt. 1 & 2 (Skit)'

If Geedorah showed that DOOM was more than a fluke emcee, Viktor Vaughn reset the meta and laughed maniacally while doing it. The power in this came from the story it told, more explicit than the previous, and it was a consistent banger throughout. The Viktor alias feels like a prototype for what's to come; a nasty Stagolee type that'd spit in your direction and songs like Lickupon and Raedawn reflect that. Especially loved the open mic skits cuz that was a rare time I laughed listening to music.

MADVILLAINY (MARCH '04)

Prod.: Madlib, MF DOOM Absolute Banger Track: 'Figaro'/'Accordion' Surprise MVP: 'Rainbows'

I always heard about how this was one of the greatest MF DOOM album ever, if not the GOAT of rap period. And they weren't lying, this album is fucking powerful. It is flawless? To me, no. The only real critiques I have is that '3.214' in Madvillainy 2 was 'Great Day' done better and I couldn't vibe 'Rhinestone Cowboy's instrumental. Otherwise, the synergy and nonstop lyrical power of DOOM & Madlib here is actual peak. It's I say on par with Kendrick Lamar's TPAB where every track speaks of the MC at his most motivated. I'll say if Vaudeville Villain worked with him at his nastiest, this is him at his most imposing if that makes sense. This is where I felt they were having a grand old time making this, especially considering the story surrounding its production.

VV:2 (AUGUST '04)

Prod.: System D-128, Diplo, DiViNCi, Swamburger, Session 31, DJ I.N.C., Dub-L, The Analears Absolute Banger Track: 'Fall Back/Titty Fat' Surprise MVP: 'R.A.P. G.A.M.E.' ft. Manchild, Iz-Real

I think it's no surprise to say this is the weakest album in the timeline. This definitely has an air of diminishing returns where it not only felt like Viktor was barely in it, it's like he didn't want to be in this. It doesn't help that for all the producers you see, you get a 30 minute album that feels like Viktor was in it for a third of that. The monologues feel scattershot and with more guests than favorable that barely left an impression. Dumile is good as usual, it's everything else that really bogged this down.

MM..FOOD (NOVEMBER '04)

Prod.: MF DOOM, Madlib, Count Bass D, PNS Absolute Banger Track: 'Rapp Snitch Knishes' ft. Mr. Fantastik Surprise MVP: 'Guinnesses' ft. Angelika & 4ize

When it comes to DOOM's peak, Madvillainy is the strongest album while Mm..Food is the most memorable. This is a consistently bop where the concept theme makes for a more memorable vibe. I mean if Rapp Snitch Knishes wasn't on here, I would have a hard time picking the absolute best single. One day, it's Hoe Cakes. No, Beef Rapp. No, Deep Fried Frenz. Nevermind, it'd be One Beer. Mm..Food is that album where most of the songs stick with you and that's barely getting into the fun interludes using the old Spider-Man and Fantastic Four cartoons. This feels like the flipside of Vaudeville Villain where the atmosphere's uplifting and everyone's enjoying themselves. Plus again, it has Rapp Snitch Knishes, one of the all time greatest rap songs. Need I say more?

THE MOUSE AND THE MASK (2005)

Prod.: Danger Mouse Absolute Banger Track: 'Old School' ft. Talib Kweli Surprise MVP: 'Mince Meat'

If Madvillainy was the strongest hitting, Mm..Food being the consistent bop, Mouse and the Mask I consider the most fun. This has notably been labeled the "Adult Swim album" and frankly, if it combined with Occult Hymn was all we got for a thematic soundtrack for the channel, I would've been more than satisfied. Danger Doom is great if you're familiar with early era AS and if you're not, then this'll all probably feel annoying. Otherwise, this is the most fun knowing the references and hearing many of the classic characters like Aqua Teen and Brak. I'm in a way thankful this was their only collab with Adult Swim because I don't want to imagine MF DOOM trying to make bars for Rick & Morty; that... would wound my soul.

Now I said this marathon would be chronological, but I feel I had to jump ahead to the remaining collaborative albums since I wanna save DOOM's final solo for last...

KEY TO THE KUFFS (2012)

Prod.: Jneiro Jarel Absolute Banger Track: 'Winter Blues' ft. Indigo Surprise MVP: 'Banished'

Honestly, I know now how old Gorillaz fans felt when the band went shifted to synth pop post Plastic Beach. Thanks to youtuber Absurd Existence, shoutout to them, I decided to listen to the Butter version. It did not help because I could not vibe with the more techno sounds from JJ; the beats don't have the comical fun like Mouse or the consistent DJ power that Madlib brought. Key to the Kuffs isn't bad, but while DOOM doesn't falter in the least here, it's not as strong as I hoped.

NEHRUVIANDOOM (2014)

Prod.: MF DOOM Absolute Banger Track: 'Caskets' ft. DOOM Surprise MVP: 'Om'

I mean... never think you can appreciate a king rapper until you hear from an amateur. Don't get me wrong, it must've been great getting to collab with the villain himself, DOOM taking the backseat for a possible protege, but the emcee's bars felt very basic and inexperienced to me. It doesn't help that it felt like DOOM pulled random tracks from a Special Herb volume; nothing for this had as impactful a flow as it could have while I could understand the theme thanks to the interludes. Hell the absolute banger track is the only one of nine there I really enjoyed because DOOM is featured in it and Bishop was able to keep up and it felt like his moment too. I don't hold it against Bishop, as if he was too good to work with Dumile. The album's not bad, but I was just not into most of this whether or not DOOM was producing.

CZARFACE MEETS METAL FACE (2018)

Prod.: 7L, Jeremy Page, Todd Spafadore Absolute Banger Track: 'Meddle with Metal' Surprise MVP: 'Captain Crunch'

This marks the last full album Dumile would do before his death and it feels like a match made in heaven. It's a great throwback to 90s underground and Czarface is THE go-to for nerdcore rap. Then again, this admittedly didn't have the same highs as Mouse and the Mask even when there barely exists an actual bad track on this. There were a couple I noticed done better with a remixed beat that I came across way before listening but I can't spoil here. I guess my overall beef was that I couldn't vibe as much with Czarface and the runtime doesn't help admittedly. I recognize the strengths of Czar, but it's an album I'm not as much in a rush to replay.

SUPER WHAT? (2021)

Prod.: The Czar-keys Absolute Banger Track: 'Break Into Action' Surprise MVP: 'The King and Eye' ft. DMC / 'DOOM Unto Others'

I'll say this album was just what the world needed regarding any posthumous work from the villain. I think it works better than their previous LP not only because the runtime, but the beats I enjoyed better here because it's a more upbeat bop. Just saying, The King and Eye is one of my favorite openers to an album and it's emblematic to this feeling like a celebration of sorts while still having meaningful dark themes behind the tracks, especially when it was around COVID's stronger period. I recommend this if you want to get an more digestible feel of Czarface's music because I honestly prefer it over Czar Meets Metal.

BORN LIKE THIS (2009)

Prod.: DOOM, Mr. Chop, J Dilla, Madlib, Jake One Absolute Banger Track: 'Gazzillion Ear' Surprise MVP: 'That's That'

Consider it a theory, but this felt like Dumile's genuine final solo record whether or not he was gonna live longer; a tonal inverse of Operation Doomsday where he wanted to immortalize how far he came as an emcee and producer with the album having a loop with the end and beginning. Speaking of tone, this really feels like the darkest album with DOOM at his gruffest popping off for minutes on end. I mean it has ''Batty Boyz" making this instantly nastier than I expected. The use of Bukowski's "Dinosauria, We" and taking the "MF" out his name really shows that he was serious about his skill here and this was him taking a bow in a way. An imperfect but hardknocking album to close this marathon.

Next to Kendrick Lamar, I have seen very rare artists manage to be as consistently versatile and great as Dumile. He was basically a king of underground hip-hop and I wouldn't have done this if I thought his legacy wasn't worth remembering. Not every album is flawless, but every album showcases the greatness of not just Metal Fingers but the many he's worked with. This is by no means a ranking, don't want to downplay any of them in spite of my criticisms, but I recommend the tracks I've listed for newcomers to get a feel of each album.Of course this wasn't every album, but for next year. In the meantime conclusion, MF DOOM is forever the GOAT and may he continue to rest. Thanks for reading.

[demons-and-demigods]

Greetings, my darlings!

You can call me Eliot or Dean ^-^

I made this side blog to post about my spn/pjo crossover au!

This pinned post is gonna be two-fold: basic info abt the au (which I've named the Demons and Demigods Verse) and some basic info abt me!

Behind the Screen:

As I mentioned, you guys can call me Eliot or Dean! My pronouns are they/he and im nonbinary (transmasc) pan ace!

This is a side blog!!!!!!!!!!!! My main is @invalid-author , and I have a couple other side blogs as well. @water-you-doing-bro is my pjo side blog, @pretty-boy-baby-girl is my criminal minds side blog, and @demons-i-get is my spn side blog!

I'd like to keep this blog for just my au, so if you want to talk with me about spn or pjo not related to this au or anything else, please feel free to hop over to the corresponding side blog or my main!!!!!!

I'll come back and edit this if I remember anything else I want to add!!

And now,

Demons and Demigods Background!

Some warnings/preface before I get into the actual au: I have a potty mouth and therefore so do the characters. I love using the fuck word.

As the blog title states, I do put the characters through The Horrors arguably worse than canon. So. Please keep that in mind, also I am a big fan of dark!percy and making demigods a little eldritched (mostly percy tho) so expect a lot of morally gray (at the very least) actions on Percy's part and violence and gore more spn canon level than pjo canon level

Also, I do fuck around with timelines as I wish even if it doesn't make much sense bc I am the god of this world and Chuck's got nothing on me 😈

I make a number of changes to how spn s1 plays out and also smush the entirety of spn seasons 1 , 2, and most of 3 into the ~8-10 months during which hoo takes place. Like I said, I fuck severely with the timelines.

This au starts in the time between tlo and tlh where Percy has just gone missing, and picks up right after the pilot for spn

I haven't made it that far yet, but this au will be Destiel bc I'm down bad <3

Anyway,

Sally is Mary's younger sister. They were always close growing up, and both decided to quit hunting.

Percy is six years younger than Sam! (Sam is 22 in the pilot, and Percy is 16 when he goes missing.)

Percy disappears and Annabeth tells Sally that he's missing right after Jess dies. Oops. (Yes, I know the timelines don't match up but I don't care <3)

Everything else I'll get too into, so I'll post the rest of the set up separately!

I have some scenes fully written for this au and a lot of hand-wavey transition shit written down, too.

I'll work on getting what I've got so far posted over the next couple of days!

As I get stuff posted, I'll tag all fully written scenes with #dndv scenes and anything involving world-building or any kind of lore will be tagged with #dndv lore ! If I get any asks abt the au, they'll be tagged #dndv asks alongside #dean/eliot answers . All posts about the au involving plot or storyline at all will be tagged with #dndv and #demons and demigods verse . Anything like progress updates as I'm working on the next part will be tagged with #dndv behind the scenes

I'll include those tags in this post for ease of use, and if I decide to use other specific tags, I'll add them here as well!

[mira--mira]

Out of curiosity, what are your opinions on Minato Namikaze.

I guess for both in and out of Oot-verse

For Oot-verse you've mentioned about how a lot of the "shinobi families" are really just ex-Senju and while some authors make the Namikaze a small clan, I'm fairly sure that's not canon. Do would you consider him of the Senju bloodline in the Oot-verse. Since that would play better into the fact that actual civilian born are discriminated against since he was never used as an example of how far civilian born shinobi can go.

But like for a demented AU. instead of Sarutobi summoning the Terrors, let's make it Minato's problem's. Since we already know a lot of his repertoire was inspired/based off of the work of Tobirama, it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for him to just fiddle around with old seals and oh no Kushina I think I'm a dad, I just made two kids pop out of nowhere, I didn't cheat on you I swear, please stop laughing and help me.

Tbh I have a mixed bag of feelings for Minato bc I don't really dislike him as a character but a lot of circumstance/plot devices around him. I hate the "Child of Prophecy" plot point, I dislike that he's the Fourth Hokage in a similar vein, I despise Jiraiya, etc. Minato is a character that, similar to Hiruzen, suffers from other areas of the plot and lore being created first and then he's slotted in to fill gaps but this does absolutely no favors to his character, especially as he's supposed to be a paragon of Konoha. And then there's Minato trying to impress Kushina by taking her dream of being Hokage and doing it for her. That is not romantic, but the hand of the author is so obvious I feel like I can't really blame Minato fully for that.

Ultimately he's a character I don't really love but not because his actions specifically. I do like more light-hearted fics and art where he's a house husband and living his best life.

You are correct though for OoT! I do consider him part of the Senju bloodline and he would been Senju Minato if Hashirama hadn't cast off their name. He's firmly a 'clanless' shinobi, not a 'civilian' one in that universe. I don't want him to be too closely related to the main line but it does cast Tobirama being irritated at him for using his jutsu and Naruto attributing it to Minato in a funny light to me. Tobirama stomping around complaining about the Senju Youth (TM) not giving credit to his ancestors, thinking just because he had time to tweak things and/or improve them make them his jutsu now is hilarious to me.

Ooh that would be a fun AU! Terrors in the previous generation instead of Naruto's 😂 Madara would bully Obito, trying to shape him into a proper Uchiha and Obito low-key hates him, but he's a polite boy and Madara is undeniably the most powerful 12 y/o Obito has ever seen and he's trying to impart some of that knowledge and power to Obito too makes him very conflicted. Obito constantly makes running tallies of 'who's worst today: Madara or Kakashi?'

Since Pakkun attacking Madara wouldn't have happened in this AU, I think Hashirama would like a younger Kakashi quite a lot. He might remind him of Tobirama in a way and He'd make it his mission to try and get the kid to lighten up/give him some knd of big brother figure to depend on since he'd lost his father.

Both would be decent friends with Rin. Madara because he catches onto Obito's crush immediately and decides to stick his nose into it and finds Rin reasonable and level-headed. She admires Kakashi but doesn't romantically like him like Obito thinks (mostly bc by god the girls need other motivations besides boys and Kakashi's age is a timeline headache of it's own). She sees Obito as a friend, not really interested in more at this point because she's focused on her own goals to be a great med-nin. She seeks out Hashirama on her own similar to Sakura to ask him to teach her, but she's much more respectful to Hashirama than Sakura is to him. I really like jinchuriki!Rin so that'd be part of this AU 100% and then a lot of her arc would be mastering that power through medical ninjutsu somehow.

Eheh this is becoming about Rin, back to Minato. I like to think his reasoning to 'keep' the terrors would be "It's great practice Kushina before we have kids" and Kushina, an Uzumaki, clearly recognizes Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara is like...:my dearest husband...this is both a terrible and BRILLIANT idea. If we can handle them, will be pros" (let Kushina be a little impulsive and wild plsss). The big issue would be them trying to keep the terrors because...the Uchiha haven't been massacred at this point. Madara would want to be with them but the Uchiha leadership is have a crisis because that is Uchiha Madara and they made him into a Ghost and banished him and Amaterasu turned away from them because of it. But also the coup is brewing and maybe this is a second chance to do it over. Either way, the only thing that unites the clan at this point is the belief that Madara will either be their salvation or damnation again.

[raydianbluesandhues]

any hcs abut pinky? just rather curious...

!! very glad you asked actually, I was about to talk about her next because I adore her so very much --

I think, in terms of her relationship with Blob, that they have a very strong sibling bond (and within that relationship, she is definitely viewed as Blob's little sister) and quite literally go everywhere together

is that just because that's part of her programming? maybe, but some of it is of her own accord

she learns by observing; I think the professor would've wanted her to learn and experience things on her own instead of programming her with all the knowledge of the world. granted there are some things that he programmed her with so she wouldn't entirely clueless, but with this in mind I like to think that's she's naturally curious about things

she likes learning a lot because it helps her be more knowledgeable about certain things, but the things she does know about she's incredibly well-versed in

unfortunately, I would imagine that she's a bit gullible. when it comes to things that she wants to learn about or something that may pique her interest, she'll typically follow along with what someone is saying or doing to learn but at the cost of her potentially getting in trouble

Blob is a horrible influence because he has zero brain cells and he is a bit of a prankster. this has, unfortunately, rubbed off on her and she will sometimes participate in his shenanigans. there are, however, times when she knows better and will actively scold him (but it does depend on what he's doing. if it's anything related to the inkies she's participating no matter what)

her main task is to try and steer Blob towards his main objective, which she does well, but outside of work, I think she loosens up a bit and becomes a bit more playful than she usually is.

IMO I see her more like a child than anything, or at least much younger mentally than the rest of the Color Underground (who I like to think are young adults. professor is in his 40s)

in terms of her "sass," I just think she has no filter lmao (literally and figuratively). She'll say what she wants and gives no fucks about it. she's very blunt and doesn't sugarcoat anything. if you want her opinion on something she'll sure as hell give it to you

her relationship with the professor is like a father-daughter type thing, but she doesn't call him "dad" because it feels weird and she just calls him Prof or Professor most of the time it does slip out on accident sometimes and she gets embarrassed.

I think the whole thing with Von Blot probably stressed her out a bit because tbh the Prof almost fucking died, I don't think she's ever stopped thinking about it. i don't blame her tbh if i saw my dad strapped to a rocket i don't think i'd be okay either

[voidfragments]

hong lu verses

lcb sinner (basic verse)

jia baoyu--better known to most as hong lu--is a child of the well-off jia family, with several siblings, older and younger. they grew up in a nest, yes, but they're even more sheltered than that; it's only recently that they've been able to leave their family's strict control over them. currently, they are sinner #6 of limbus company, traveling around the city in search of golden boughs.

hong lu is cheerful and inquisitive, though their lack of worldly experience often leads to them accidentally offending people. they consider the other sinners to be their dear friends and are quite happy to be part of the company. they don't talk about their past much, and prefer to avoid discussing the topic of family too deeply, but they still inevitably bring it up from time to time--their family is their only point of reference for a lot of things, after all. though they come across as airheaded, having grown up in a family always looking to trample on each other to get ahead, they're actually quite adept at navigating social situations, provided they know what cues to keep in mind.

like the other sinners, they're capable of "putting on" their mirror world identities, accessing their memories, abilities, and personalities. unless otherwise specified, all verses listed below are identities, and aspects of them can be brought into main verse threads if desired!

alternate verses below the cut!

kurokumo wakashu

the mirror world in which hong lu is a member of the kurokumo clan, a syndicate with widespread control in the southern parts of the city. despite the kurokumo clan's strong adherence to heirarchy, he has no respect for his superiors--and yet, seems to have some special privilege in order to get away with this behavior. this hong lu is cold, cocky, and flippant. as with the rest of the kurokumo clan, he wields a katana.

tingtang gangleader

the mirror world in which hong lu leads the tingtang gang, a syndicate in the backstreets of district 10 known for their flashy sense of style, which makes it hard to take them seriously. their members seemingly take after their leader; this hong lu is a frivolous man who loves to gamble and have fun, certainly not someone you would peg as the leader of a gang. dismiss him at your own peril, however, or you may find that his mirthful laughter accompanies a switchblade cutting your throat.

liu section 5

the mirror world in which hong lu is a member of the liu association's section 5. in personality, this hong lu seems notably similar to her "base" self; perhaps joining a large association isn't too off-base for the jia family's black sheep? her fighting style, however, is vastly different: rather than her usual guandao, she wears gauntlets and boots that light aflame with friction, using precise and stylish martial arts to take down her targets.

w corp cleanup crew

the mirror world in which hong lu is--or perhaps "was" is the better word--a member of w corp's cleanup crew. do try not to get left behind in a warp train, won't you? you don't want to end up like her, transformed into a fleshy monster. at least she still has her space-tearing polearm. this hong lu is long abandoned, and has given up all hope. her smile and optimism: gone.

if it wasn't clear, this verse plays on the idea that the dimension shredder ego is her w corp identity's ultimate future. (i know that's not really how egos work, but sue me, the idea is fun and i want to write it.) i'm willing to write her at any point within this timeline!

k corp class 3 excision staff

the mirror world in which hong lu is an employee at k corp. class 3 excision staff are pumped so full of regeneration ampules while on the job that they have to spend the rest of their time in suspended animation to maintain their compatibility and minimize the risk of gruesome death, so why the hell did her grandmother think getting her this job would be a good way to let her see more of the world?

fate au

non-identity verse

true name: jia baoyu, though she prefers to be called hong lu. lancer-class heroic spirit. source: chinese literature (dream of the red chamber).

an enigmatic individual who was, in a previous life, a piece of jade who wished to see the world. her left eye is a mystic eye, but she's cagey when asked about what it does. she wields a guandao in combat.

skills: (will be filled in later but she's mainly support)

noble phantasm: land of illusion (dream of the red chamber) - effects will be filled in later but it's a reality marble

genshin impact au

non-identity verse

it's clear to anyone with a brain that this carefree liyuen is nobility of some form, so what are they doing adventuring? there's a good reason why hong lu rarely returns to liyue; the millelith know their face, and the streets of liyue harbor are dotted with missing person posters for the jia family's runaway, baoyu. presently, they're exploring teyvat, armed with nothing but the hydro vision they got when they resolved to leave and a cheap polearm they bought along the way, neither of which they're very skilled with. it's a miracle they haven't been killed by treasure hoarders or hilichurls yet.

[charbunnies]

HBD GRIMSLEYYYYYY 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 u can use this ask to talk about ur blorbo of ur choosing if u want. I HOPE TODAYS GOOD TO U

TY VIXEN MY BELOVED!!! <3 i hope it's good to me too, we're watching advent children w/ my mom and that will be. An Experience

Anyway! i believe i shall talk about my current on-the-mind meowmeow, mr. vincent fowler who is living in my mind rent free because he's my focus for miqomarch. here he is!

i originally made him because i wanted a character in xiv to sexualize (sorry) because my main wol is a BABY teenager. and i wanted to play with mods. but then i got attached and now vincent makes me feel shrimp emotions

he's got like. four different verses but the main one i focus on is wol!vincent because Ough. he's a sharlayan moonkeeper miqo who had a special interest in primals as a kid and got scolded, put down and bullied for it for his entire childhood and he has a bit of a complex about it. when the sharlayan exodus happened (when vincent was 12), he broke into the great gubal library and stole a bunch of books on primals and ran off into dravania/coerthas in the middle of winter :^)

he got picked up by a young estinien and accidentally weaseled his way into becoming estinien's adopted younger brother. estinien renamed him to keep him from standing out as much around ishgardians so he just white-ified his name (vincent was originally named vincen'to fawhra. and estinien went "hhmmm how about vincent fowler". really creative estinien thanks). and then vincent joined the dragoons and, at 17, accidentally became the second azure dragoon. which he did not want! he became a dragoon as a cover for studying summoning/primals and then he got too good at it. so he wasn't exactly thrilled and got shoved into a position of power WHICH LED TO:

he got sent off to fight garuda alone when the ixal summoned her because the ishgardians wanted him dead, and because vincent's azem was the one who created her and risked a lot to save her from being destroyed as a creation, she recognized his soul and let him kill her to spare him. and because of the way smn works (yknow, have to have killed the primal to summon it!) suddenly vincent found himself able to just. summon her. he can't summon any of the other primals it's just her. they're best friends but they act like they hate each other and they make me cry so so much (it's the red-string-of-fate i-can't-let-you-go-even-though-i-can't-remember-why AGONY)

also he was childhood friends with g'raha and y'shtola but obviously lost contact when he ran away. g'raha had a kid crush on him that he never really got rid of and long story short, they end up together after shb but not without like, a LOT of agony

guys who make me really, really insane. vinraha my friends my meowmeows. i don't want to talk too much about their stuff because that's like. this reply is getting so fucking long but just know that they make me feel like screaming

but yeah. he's a weird drg/smn/drk combo where a lot of his attacks/abilities utilize garuda in some way. i call him a windcaller :)

UHHHH other than that, he's pretty and a little bit of a whore and extremely loyal to a fault and he puts on a scary face until you talk to him for like 5 minutes and realize he's actually very sweet. he gives good hugs and has wide shoulders and he's beefy and i want to kiss him on the face.

OH AND LAST THING: he and sidurgu had/have a weird relationship where they had a one night stand one time and sid thinks about it all the time and vincent never thinks about it at all. sid is still hopelessly in love with him despite the fact that it's been years. rielle likes vincent more than sid and also bullies sid about still being Like That with vincent. they permanently have weird sexual tension and also vaguely don't get along and it is so fucking funny to me. sid sees vincent showing raha around ishgard and vincent's making cat kissy eyes at raha and sid's like Oh. God Dammit. i think it's funny when grown ass men are weird like this.

anyway that is all <3 hope you enjoyed my ted talk and ty again for letting me talk about my blorbo

[columjoe]

Pls tell abt your Joe and Columbo headcanons? 👀

Thank you for your ask Anon :) I have quite a few headcanons for Joe and Columbo :) The main one being that I like to think that they met once (or maybe more than once) when they were younger. I think this is very possible with what we know in canon about their characters. Columbo grew up in New York and we get to hear his lovely family anecdotes throughout the series including in this episode. One of the first things Columbo says to Joe is the pinball reminds him of going to the corner candy store when he was a kid. Joe also fled to New York as a kid when he escaped from prison. So it could be possible that they met when they were both kids. Maybe just briefly or maybe they became friends. That could be why they have such a connection in the episode - they maybe aren't aware of it but they've met before.

This could even be alluded to in canon when Columbo says they have met before even if it was just Columbo seeing Joe doing his show without Joe realising. This is fascinating to me too as Columbo seems genuinely impressed with Joe and not just flattering him.

More like flirting tbh :) Then later when they are playing darts together at the Irish pub the story of Sergeant Gilhooley - his sergeant back when Columbo first joined the NYPD is shared. This is one of the few times we hear Columbo specifically reference that part of his life. I think it's really significant and shows how he's comfortable enough with Joe and prepared to share these little things about himself and his background. And he does it in such a way that's natural, friendly and warm and doesnt come over as just a ploy or distraction as it does with other suspects throughout the series. Joe too shares little pieces of his background. We don't get to read his book like Columbo does (although imagining what's in there would make great fanfic and headcanons) but we get a lot alluded to over the episode. It gives the viewer lots of scope to fill the blanks in themselves which is another reason I love this episode and this pairing. There is just so much subtext!!!! :) We hear Joes tales told in public with humour but when he talks to Columbo about being a kid alone on the streets of New York he becomes sad and distant for a moment as he remembers before his ready smile returns. This is a glimpse of the sadness beneath his outwardly jovial self. I think he had suffered real trauma and lost some of his family to the conflict. And that can also be a reason for his drinking. Trying to cope. And also for why he feels so strongly for his cause. I see Joe being taken in by the O'Connells first as a worker and then as an ally and this is why I think he is loyal to them. It isn't stated as such in the episode but I see Kerry as Joes nephew and his mother as Joes sister. And I see him being very protective over him to the point where Joe would definitely go to jail to spare Kerry and keep him safe. I also have thoughts about Joe and Kerry being a cute little found family with Columbo and Dog. And sometimes with Columbo's wife who I see as more his childhood bestie in my universe. I love Joe's collection of floofy jumpers and I think Columbo does too :) They are so snuggly. The way the episode ends with that whole hand holding 'we are getting engaged' scene and Joe's offer for Columbo to 'join him ' and Columbo actually accepting - it just gives me so many thoughts :) So many directions this could go in post-canon. In my 'verse where Joe gets a redemption arc and gets to use his writing and fundraising for peaceful, healing purposes I can see them going on little adventures and even Joe helping out on Columbo's cases. Like Columbo's wife gets to do in canon but Joe is helping out and being a sounding board actually on screen :) This would be my little spin off series:) I can picture them together in Joes lovely little house near the beach (which is one of my favourite houses in the series btw as it's not too fancy and just matches Joes personality perfectly) A beautiful sunset over the sea and Joe doing some writing while snuggled up with Columbo and Dog on the sofa or in their little garden. I see them sharing coffee in the mornings, going for walks along the beach with Dog, getting an ice-cream together, talking through cases or about Joes latest book…..

So many possibilities…… I just can't see any other suspect going bowling with Columbo but Joe so would. Perfect date night………bowling, dinner of chilli, then darts and drinks in the pub :) We actually get these lunch and drink dates in canon so we are blessed :) I love that we get a Columbo and suspect relationship that is on a more equal footing. They both even know that the other knows Joe did it but they are still just so friendly with each other and genuinely enjoy each others company. I love the chemistry between the characters and the actors. It made me seek out other films and shows that Clive Revill has done and he is such a lovely, talented and interesting person too. I love the subtext. There are just so many fascinating choices made throughout the episode from a shipping point of view……. To name but a few……. The whole first meeting with the pinball, crawling around on the floor together, the resting on the beds together, the lunch date, the casual hugs and touches, the sharing of their respective backgrounds, the pub crawl date complete with moonlit stroll and romantic backdrop, the hand holding over the table in the last scene…….etc…… It's just impossible not to ship :) And fun to put the characters in different situations. Being cute and fluffy together. Columbo has always been a special show to me because of childhood memories and the character is so wonderful. And with my fangirl gaze that just picks up any kind of subtext and runs with it - it was inevitable I'd eventually ship him with Joe. The case can be made with other suspects through the series of course and I can see that too….. But these two will always be my OTP of the series. I have so many ships that I love but these two were one of the first. And one of the only ones with hardly any content online (this was before Columbo became popular on Tumblr). So I thought I'd remedy that by creating a lil sideblog :)

Sorry for rambling on…….I was just so excited to answer an ask! Thank you again Anon :) Please feel free to ask anything else about what I've written here or anything at all about these two! Also please feel free to share your own headcanons for Columbo and Joe! Id really love to hear them :)