#alchemy of souls react to

[flowersandbirdsflyingfree]

Hiii ✨️ I have a little ask for you!

How would the Primis crew react to a fem S/O that's generally quiet and reserved, only to learn that she is a big nerd when it comes to her special interests? Maybe she info-dumps and gushes about her knowledge of her special interest, and that's how they learn that she's really smart.

I, myself, am a huge nerd when it comes to astrology. Yet not many people know that 😅

Do take your time. I love your work 🩷

-🌾

AAAAAAAAAAAA THANK YOU SO MUCH💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

I know I have to do this one!!! As a bonus, I'll throw in my personal headcanons for their astrological signs

Reactions of Primis: Quiet Fem S/O Excitedly Info-Dumps Their Passions (Includes Personal Perspective about Astrology)

Edward Richtofen - Sagittarius

His mind is always running a mile a minute all the time. So already listening to his s/o talk about their interests helps distract from The Horrors™️. Seeing you bounce about with joy after weeks of turmoil puts the softest smile on his face... And the biggest kiss on yours!

Intellectual conversation of any kind is something he needs for a close connection. Sharing one-on-one quality time like this is exactly what helps him thrive in a relationship. Even if a topic isn't something he is knowledgeable with, it will have importance to him if it's important to you.

Richtofen is rather strict about his scientific profession and typically scoffs at any pseudosciences. This is all a façade. What he will never tell you is that he secretly practiced alchemy in the past and has occult involvement with the Illuminati. Nevertheless, he would always be gentle to his s/o. The doctor will simply stay respectful and curious about your interest with astrology. I think in the long-term he might just spill a tiny bit about his practices to you.

Tank Dempsey - Scorpio

Seeing his soft-spoken sweetheart so suddenly excited is a very pleasant surprise (and he hasn't been able to find many good surprises this whole shitshow of an expedition). The fact that you trust him enough to open up so brightly like this helps him grow closer to you. Tank is a very good listener, but please forgive his dopey smiling the whole time. Your soothing voice and happy little mannerisms are making his heart throb. It's truly a sweet thing to see.

You never fail to open his mind to new experiences and interest. You can be both sharp-minded and sweet. Those are just some of many shining reasons why he loves you so much. With that being said, please come to him the moment you need an ear to let you infodump. Tank Dempsey is best known for his loyalty and reliability, so please remember that.

He thinks the mythology behind all the constellations are really cool! Orion is his favorite one. I suggest explaining to him during a stargazing date about the various celestial events while lying down on his chest. If it gets cold at night, he'll have you burrow underneath his leather jacket to keep warm. As for astrology readings, he would like to have his horoscope read (and perhaps get a tarot reading as well with you!)

Takeo Masaki - Libra

Takeo is a strong support who's always there to listen no matter what is on his partner's mind. He’s someone who will listen and nod without interruption. He may chuckle if you start to get jittery with joy about what you’re lecturing to him. Such a vibrant soul hidden in such a timid angel!

Takeo’s presence is very patient. If by chance you feel worried about “talking too much”, he reassures you that you could never do such a thing. You deserve to be able to thrive in what makes you so happy. And for shame on whoever tried to invalidate what you had to say!

Out of everyone in the Primis Crew, Takeo is the most spiritual without a doubt. He very much believes every soul carries a fundamental purpose. Being a more introverted soul, he can often be found reflecting in solitude. He would be able to discuss the philosophy of destined fate and similar divination topics with ease. Because it can go hand in hand, I think he would be able to perform a bit of Reiki healing if you were feeling particularly stressed.

Nikolai Belinski - Aries

Nikolai is already doting on you to begin with as his quiet yet kind girlfriend. Once something inspires you to express yourself, he is taken aback by how much passion you have for your special interest. It keeps him wondering more about you. You’re just a beautiful enigma he so desperately wants to know more of!

He’s more of a listener, but his add-ons to the conversation are either genuine questions to learn more about said topic or slipped-in compliments about how brilliant you are. Nikolai also may bring up stories it reminds him of. He could spend hours learning about just about anything you tell him.

The Soviet Union repressed a lot of expression, one of them being astrology. Because of this, Nikolai is completely new to it. Typically, he is a skeptic approaching anything that he comes across. But being his beautiful little treasure, you have the gift to get him to understand that the universe wants what’s best for him. He would grow to trust the divine and the guiding light of fate itself. He says the most profound things that would touch your soul with an enlightening comfort.

[lynnlyrae]

The Devil, the Scientist, and the Most Beautiful Creature 

This is my attempt to analyze the connection between the Teacher, Faustina and Luna through the lenses of Goethe’s “Faust” and determine the origins of the “cursed moon twins”. There’s also alchemy.

This text will consist of four parts. And yes. It is long. Reader, you are warned.

Enjoy!

PART ONE: PARACELSUS, THE FATHER OF BABEL 

What do we know about Paracelsus:  

Lived in 15-16 centuries; 

Was a scientist;  

His actions led to the Babel Incident. 

The real world Paracelsus was “the father of toxicology”, our Paracelsus is The Shapeless One. Alright, this is a bold statement, but why not. 

The twin six-pointed stars above Paracelsus head (Ch. 7) have always stood out to me. Guess who else has exactly same two six-pointed stars as well? Teacher/Saint Germain (Ch. 55)! 

Some other similar motives: 

Paracelsus’ face is always obscured, we never see his eyes, only vague shadows. Teacher’s face was always drawn without eyes before the Big Reveal Moment in Ch. 55. He’s also known to frequently change his name and appearance, to the point where it’s not always possible to determine whether one’ve met him before (Vanitas has met him in another form, but has no idea when and how it happened). 

Paracelsus wanted to save the world from sufferings and guide people to happiness (Ch. 7). He also assembled a team of scientists to conduct a research. Teacher/Saint Germain is referred to as savior by Misha, and he also saved Noé from human traffickers. He also claims his ultimate goal is world peace (Ch. 61). But the goal is shared with someone (he says “our” wish specifically). 

And honestly, their vibes just fit so well. Paracelsus and Saint Germain, two mysterious figures who are renowned scientists and alchemists with ambiguous lore — why wouldn’t they be the same person?  

Since I want to use “Faust” as base for analysis, let’s assign him a role – Mephistopheles. I mean, just look at this (Ch. 61). It’s as devilish as it can get! The free force in s shape of a fine gentleman that ultimately creates destruction. 

Mephistopheles also claims to be an observer: 

“I’m so involved with Man’s wretched ways,

I’ve even stopped plaguing them, myself, these days”. 

And look how well it fits to Teacher, who left the Court to enjoy his little things in a secluded mansion (manipulating kids and raising pawns) and also claims to be an observer!  

Alright, I’d like to keep this part short because my main focus here is Faustina-Luna situation, so let’s move on. We’ll get more bits of this manfailure there anyway. 

PART TWO: FAUSTINA, THE QUEEN OF THE RED MOON 

What do we know about Faustina: 

she’s a Queen and the first vampire of red moon to ever exist, while Teacher was by her side the longest; 

she has a special power to control other vampires as herself, not as Naenia; 

she’s mostly active as Naenia and was likely cursed in 17 century; 

there are two physical bodies that are stated or hinted to be her: one in her bedroom in Carbunclus castle and one in Ruthven’s lab. 

Now let’s take a look at Faustina’s bodies (Ch. 13, Ch. 26). I briefly mentioned in one of my recent posts that I think Faustina changed bodies at least once, possibly due to them being damaged by curse. I believe these pics support this idea: the body in the castle looks like that of an adult person, with limbs and fingers much longer than those of the body that was seen in Ruthven’s lab and reacted to Naenia’s name (Chloe also summoned Faustina in the same body of a young girl). 

Additionally, when Ruthven talks about her connection with Saint Germain, she is portrayed as having adult-like proportions (Ch. 19). And when Naenia takes more human-like shape, it also has adult-like proportions (Ch. 9). So I think she was cursed as an adult, and her original body is the one in the bedroom, but her soul went from one vessel to another, while her cursed form remained more like her original body. 

While we are on the topic of bodies, I’m going to show you this. Thankfully, the moment when Luka stayed at Faustina’s bedside wasn’t omitted from the anime — and the queen’s skin looks quite the same color as Luna’s. I’m not sure what to do with this information yet, but it creates another link between them. It’s quite interesting that Faustina’s corrupted form looks a lot like Luna’s normal form.

Ok now that I’m done with this idea, let’s move on to something more interesting: Faustina’s role in the story. 

Right now her position is not really active: she steals true names as part of the Charlatan, but it’s unlikely that she in control of the organisaton (at least in present time), and Ruthven leads it. She obviously can’t fulfill her duties as a Queen either: they’re taken over the Senate (which again includes Ruthven) and a puppet-on-the-throne Luka (who is, again, under Ruthven’s control. Ruthven, what kind of power play is that?).  

But I think it’s wasn’t always like this. After all, she was an absolute monarch with magical power to make every vampire fall to her feet! And, well, she had to do something even before that, right? 

I believe that prior to becoming a vampire she was involved in Paracelsus’ research, possibly even as an alchemist. While the majority of well-known alchemists were male, there were some cases of women conducting and publishing researches in this field as well. A notable example are Sophie Brahe (1559-1643), who studied astronomy and was also well-versed in Paracelsus’ medical texts, and Isabella Cortese(fl. 1561), who was the first woman to publish a book on alchemy, titled The Secrets of Lady Isabella Cortese. Tbh I just really hope that Paracelsus team (Ch. 7) will include women in general…

Of course, my desire to see Faustina as an alchemist is not enough to claim that this is a credible theory. So let me elaborate on that a bit more (and we’ll get to Luna right after that). 

Her name derives from the name of a Ghoete’s character Faust, a man who makes a deal with the Devil to exchange his soul for fulfilling his desires of knowledge and pleasures. Faust is deeply dissatisfied with his life: 

“He drives his spirit outwards, far,

Half-conscious of its maddened dart:

From Heaven demands the brightest star,

And from the Earth, Joy’s highest art,

And all the near and all the far,

Fails to release his throbbing heart”. 

… And Mephistopheles offers him everything he wants. 

I think she literally is Faust. And her Mephistopheles wanted to grant her wish that they probably shared (Ch. 61). 

Faustina (well-educated person dissatisfied with reality) met Paracelsus (who offers a way to change the entire world). Perhaps he plays both the role of God and Devil in this version, since Paracelsus is described as someone who actually wanted to help people, but his action led to a literal apocalypse. Way to go, Paracelsus! 

Anyway, in my theory, she joins the research and becomes the first vampire during the Babel incident. Perhaps all other scientists, except for her and Paracelsus, died during the incident (but the research itlsef survived and was later used by Chloe’s family). Faustina was reborn as the Queen and Paracelsus as the Teacher. 

Why only Faustina is considered to be the first vampire and not both of them? Well, they didn’t necessarily fully awake as vampires at the same second of the same day. Or maybe the Teacher hides his identity and true powers this good… After all, he is known to mess with history (for example, he removed everything about Ruthven from his books, leading Noé to being completely oblivious about his existence). But honestly the parallel between vampires reacting to presence of Faustina (Ch. 38.5) and Teacher (Ch. 55) are interesting… 

PART THREE: LUNA, VANITAS OF THE BLUE MOON

What do we know about Luna: 

they’re the only known vampire of the blue moon and are considered abnormal and dangerous; 

Naenia is the one who steals vampires’ true names, but it’s believed to be the fault of the first Vanitas;

they’re told to have created the Books of Vanitas (it may of may not be true); 

they’re canonically agender, neither male nor female, and regret knowing what they are (Ch. 51).

I mentioned here that Luna is a Homunculus. Now it’s time to explain what led me to this idea.

Noé points out that Luna and Faustina look alike (Ch. 49) Is it connected to whatever knowledge Luna regretted having? Considering Luna’s unique blue skin, blue blood and their statement “I’m not like any other living thing in the world”, I don’t really think Luna could be Faustina’s human twin. Or rather, it’s not my first guess. I’m inclined to believe that Luna was an artificial being whose creation was connected with Faustina. 

In “Faust II”, the theme of artificial human, the perfect creature that surpasses humanity and yet serves their creator, is also present. Faust’s student, Wagner, works on a project when Mephistopheles visits him. Wagner claims: “A Man is being made!”, Mephistopheles jokes about a “loving couple hidden up the chimney”, but Wagner pronounces this way of creating life “unfashionable” (🤝) and delivers a beautiful speech: 

“The tender moment from which life emerged,                                      

The charming power with which its inner urge,

Took and gave, and clearly stamped its seal,

First in a near, and then a further field,

We now divest of all that dignity:

Though the creatures still enjoy it, we,                                                   

As Men, with all our greater gifts, begin,

To have, as we should, a nobler origin”. 

The interesting thing here is that Wagner’s creation is alluding to Paracelsus’ recipe of homunculus in Of the nature of things, 1537 (I found this in an article which referenced a publication by R.D. Gray Goethe the Alchemist. A study of Alchemical Symbolism in Goethe’s Literary and Scientofic Works.) Paracelsus called the creature “chemisch mensch”, but Goethe adapted that to Homunculus, an alchemical term. 

The Homunculus desires to become fully created: “Since I exist, I must find things to do”. He (this character is referred to as a male in “Faust”) seeks “the beginnings of creations”, to “reach at last the human state”. In order to achieve it, he wants a connection with the sea goddess Galatea (here a version of Aphrodite), but his brittle flask hits her chariot-shell and breaks. He spills in the sea and dies, but he also merges with the sea itself. 

Now that I’m thinking about it… Painfully familiar… Blink if you too were forever traumatized by “I won’t die, Noé. Even if I’m no longer here…” in Ch. 1… 

Well, back to Luna. Just like Goethe’s Homunculus, Luna was created in a certainly unique way. Here it’s time to remember the fairytale about Vanitas, told by Noé to Amelia (Ch. 1). Granted, it’s something he learned while under Teacher’s care, and we know he isn’t above censoring of wildly retelling anything, but Amelia doesn’t correct him on anything, so let’s accept this fairytale as it is. 

Perhaps the “birth” of the first Vanitas on the night of a blue moon refers to the artificiality of their creation? Artificiality can be equalized with “unnatural” birth of the Moon in the fairytale version. Even if the concept of homunculus will not be directly named in VnC, we already have the idea of an artificial being that differs from all living things in this world, is nonbinary and possibly agender and is able to perform unique functions — to control the book of Vanitas. 

Interestingly, our Vanitas and Misha are also to some extent “artificially created” – without experiments of Moreau and Luna’s bite they wouldn’t have been able to control the Books. It’s possible the reasons for the existence of Luna and both their children were somewhat similar – it was merely an experiment conducted in order to change the design of the world. (Ch. 48) 

Perhaps those “reasons to exist” are also the reason of Luna’s regrets and the reason to forbid Vanitas to allow Archivists to read his memories. We don’t know why it’s so. Maybe Vanitas learned something about Luna, and now those memories are meant to be hidden carefully. Maybe Luna just wanted to find out about themselves, asked an Archivist to read their memories (Machina, perhaps), and was so traumatized that simply wanted their children to never go through this kind of pain. 

And the knowledge that traumatized Luna? It could have been knowledge about the purpose of Luna’s existence. I don’t think Luna was created by accident. They were meant to do something or to be something. The Books are said to be created by the Vampire of the Blue Moon, but they could have been created for them as a tool to rewrite the world once again. 

In “Faust” Mephistopheles tells to the audience: 

“In the end we’re dependent on

The creatures we’ve created”. 

What if Paracelsus and Faustina needed someone else to fully realize their plan? And that someone was Luna, “the most beautiful creature in this world” (Ch. 55) (he’s so real for this). 

Saint Germain, the president of Luna fan-club, everyone!

Oh, one more little thing. The “perfect creation” of alchemy is the Philosopher’s stone.

Carbunculus is one of many synonyms for Philosopher’s stone, which may be anything from a rock to a human-like being (waving at fellow FMA fans); 

It’s also the name of Queen’s castle;  

And Goethe uses this word to describe how Homunculus looks: 

“The deep alembic now has passed, 

And like a living coal at last 

A fine carbuncular fire is glowing 

Into the dark it’s brilliance throwing”. 

No way it’s a coincidence. Just. No way. C’mon, it Jun. So… Luna is the “ultimate creation” of alchemy, VnC’s version of Philosopher’s stone and Homunculus at the same time. 

PART FOUR: THE THRIAD 

Now that we’ve assigned roles to all of them, let’s go deeper in another rabbit hole that is alchemy. This one is hella hard to research because of the amount of extremely different modern occult groups. But alchemy was my childhood hyperfixation, so… let’s do it. 

Together, Faust, Mephistopheles and Homunculus form a triad. (Yes, Wagner created Homunculus, but he kinda diss appears from the plot afterwards and Homunculus goes on a journey with Faust and Mephistopheles). This is kinda relevant, because Goethe actually researched the topic and it’s not unreasonable to connect his characters (and their VnC analogues) to certain alchemical symbols.

The triad is Salt, Mercury, and Sulfur. Here we can see irl Paracelsus at work again, because he was among the alchemist who popularized this theory. In alchemy, the idea of “feminine meets masculine” is pretty common, but unfortunately, different sources assign these qualities to different elements in the triad. That being said, the common point is that one is “female principle”, one is “male principle” and one is “neither, or the spirit itself”. The most common division of that in the triad is: 

Sulfur — the active male principle. Causes change. Brings an object to be changed. Associated with fire and sun. Red King. 

Mercury – the passive female principle (it’s just medieval occult stuff is I’m sorry). Needs something to give it shape and change it. The chaos of creation. Associated with earth or water and moon. White Queen. 

Salt – pure and undivided salt is the result of the interactions between mercury and sulfur. Such perfect things are the purpose of alchemy. 

Here are illustrations from Splendor Solis, which was also written under the influence of Paracelsus. Really can’t get away from this man… The first one is the Chemical wedding, the second one is… also that. Just in a fusion way I guess. Here the result of the Weddking is portrayed as Hermaphrodite with two heads (like in the myth, where human souls were originally of dual nature, but got divided into two parts that are men and women), but sometimes it’s a child or a person with both male and female features. Hermaphrodite can also be called Rebis (which means “dual matter”, aka Philosopher’s stone) or Androgyne (hello Luna).

I don’t expect Faustina, Saint Germain and Luna to fulfill this specific roles just like that. Rather, I think their roles would be mixed a bit, like how Saint Germain is both God and Devil. Still, the idea of the first one providing an idea, the second one helping him work on it and a third one being born out of it all as a perfect creature is intriguing to me. 

The three of them are the oldest, most ancient and perhaps the most mysterious vampires in VnC, and I’d love to them connected in such a way where one can’t exist without the others.

In conclusion: tragic ancient vampires own by brain.

[ramlightly]

So how does magic work in the Lapis and Malady world? Is it something anyone can do with training? Is it a born trait?

Can either Lapis or Malady perform magic?

I'm kind of in weird place with the setting of Mad Dog where I'm trying to pin down specifics but from a place of someone who like their magic systems to be soft and malleable otherwise they start feeling more like video game (this is just my opinion obviously). But here are some of my thoughts currently:

There is are two perceptions of magic.

First, there's "old magic": the magic of spirits, and nature, and riddles and stories. The type of magic where you lay down salt to protect against evil spirits, and if you give your name to a stranger on the road you might lose your soul. Chaotic and strange and beautiful and destructive, the stuff you find in fairytales. Then there's the method that humans have developed. No one calls it "new magic" but, well, it's basically the type of magic developed by wizards to make magic consistent and useful. It the era of spells and rituals and alchemy. It's what lets a regular person use a magic enhanced lamp to burn all night. It's what humans use to defend against spirits, to make towers that rise to the heavens, and to conduct wars of untold horror. In theory, any one with the right access, knowledge, and training can learn to how use magic. But you can tell a wizard from a crowd, the continual use of magic changes people's bodies, a reflection of their personalities and power. It's why Cinder's body and hair are forever stained black with ash.

Now, you can probably guess that there's a lot of overlap there. Like Lapis is someone descended from a spirit, thus can has innate powers like the illusions, but he still can learn and cast spells. Meanwhile Malady... in theory could learn magic? But, first of, he doesn't want to, he has a particular dislike of most wizards. And also he is a corpse reanimated by strange magic, so who know how that would react with other spells.

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Hi! I've been really enjoying your metas and I appreciate the canon backing and effort you put on them. Thank you for posting!

I wanted to ask you what your opinion is on the duel in GoF, when the wands connect and Harry kind of overpowers Voldemort: Do you think it was a battle of wills? Of pure raw magical power? Or, if you think it's both, could you share your thoughts on that? tysm!

(btw Harry is also my favourite <3)

Thank you so much! Harry deserves all the love in the world honestly.

Now, I think the priori incantatum duel was mostly will-based. Harry outright says it:

The direction of the beam’s movement was now toward him, from Voldemort, and he felt his wand shudder angrily. . . . As the closest bead of light moved nearer to Harry’s wand tip, the wood beneath his fingers grew so hot he feared it would burst into flame. The closer that bead moved, the harder Harry’s wand vibrated; he was sure his wand would not survive contact with it; it felt as though it was about to shatter under his fingers — He concentrated every last particle of his mind upon forcing the bead back toward Voldemort, his ears full of phoenix song, his eyes furious, fixed . . . and slowly, very slowly, the beads quivered to a halt, and then, just as slowly, they began to move the other way . . . and it was Voldemort’s wand that was vibrating extra-hard now . . . Voldemort who looked astonished, and almost fearful. . . . One of the beads of light was quivering, inches from the tip of Voldemort’s wand. Harry didn’t understand why he was doing it, didn’t know what it might achieve . . . but he now concentrated as he had never done in his life on forcing that bead of light right back into Voldemort’s wand . . . and slowly . . . very slowly . . . it moved along the golden thread . . . it trembled for a moment. . . and then it connected. . . .

(GoF, 665-666)

Harry states how he is concentrated. How he has no idea what he's doing but he knows he needs to push the bead forward. Voldemort's shock, as he wasn't expecting it, allowed him to be caught him off guard and he wasn't putting his all into it. Not the way Harry was. Voldemort likes being in control, he likes knowing and understanding what's going on. He doesn't like it when things go awry or when he doesn't know something. It leaves him off balance at this crucial moment. I think Voldemort did intuitively push the beads toward Harry at first, but the moment they started moving, he was stumped. He didn't know how to react to it. Like, he planned this night for months, and this was not in the script. Of course, he's off balance.

The spirits (yes, spirits, because unlike ghosts they are not made of a person's soul but a person's spirit, which is more like their life essence. Alchemy, yay!) that later came from his wand weren't helping him either, distracting him and guilting him while encouraging Harry. and Voldemort, contrary to popular belief, is susceptible to it. It unbalances him and definitely gives Harry an edge in a battle of wills.

Not to mention, Voldemort was fighting to rectify a failure, Harry, on the other hand, was fighting for his life. The latter always encourages more determination. Like, that duel isn't life or death for Voldemort, but it is for Harry. This explains why he could pull off the force of will necessary even if he wasn't exceptionally determined and resilient — which, for the record, Harry is.

And as Harry mentioned above, it's a lot of concentration and will. But, it's also magic, but not exactly, raw magical power. I mean, I talked in the past about how Harry just gets complex magic intuitively or thinks about magic in completely different terminology from everyone else? This is another example of that.

This is a spell that no one has seen before, not just that Harry hasn't seen. And yet, Harry understands. He knows what would happen if the beads of light reach his wand. He knows he needs to get them to Voldemort's wand. He also clearly knows how to achieve it. He just instinctively knows what to do even if he has no idea what he's doing.

Voldemort, on the other hand, likes to know what he is doing. He is more methodical about magic, he needs magic to make sense, to be known, to him at least. Even when he was a child at the orphanage, you know Tom Riddle experimented with his magic very methodically. He tried small things, seeing if he can replicate them and under what situations. He had a whole system he used to experiment and allow himself more capabilities. He practiced months before he attempted anything with Billy's rabbit. Harry doesn't need all that. Harry is fine winging it with magic in a way basically all of Wizardkind struggles with. Honestly, if there's really a power the Dark Lord knows not, it's how to just roll with it, the control freak (affectionate).

I'd add that if there was a significant difference in magical power between Harry and Voldemort, it would have had an effect, but I think, raw power-wise, they're pretty equal, as the prophecy implies. Because of that, in their case, raw magical power doesn't really play a part.

So, I'll call it a bit of a mix between force of will and capacity for intuitive magic. Two things Harry's got in spades. (but mostly force of will)

[viagostalons]

11. and/or 15. for the rook and their partner asks? :^)

Hello! Thank you for the ask

From the Rook/partner questions game

11. Who says I love you first? What is the other's reaction? Who thinks it first?

Despite wanting to answer this in a Viago/Rook context (I might actually still do that) I will start with Rookanis. Rook wanted to tell Lucanis he loved him before Teartstone Island but Lucanis shut him down. So, I think Rook thought the 'i love you' first, however, Lucanis is the one who said it first. Rook's reaction was probably, shock, if I'm honest. He'd just been released from the Fade prison, everything was a hot mess. He was exhausted nad mentally ravaged. That being said, he loves Lucanis so much, he was so relieved to be able to hear Lucanis say it and be able to return the sentiment. If we go the Viago/Rook route, I can say with absolute certainty that the first person who said I love you was Rook because Viago is in denial for the first like 85% of their relationship. Viago, however, thinks it first, he's just too afraid to act on it. So, when Rook says it, he panics, and freaks out. They might even break up (again) and it takes him a while to really reconcile his feelings and how Rook feels about him. But when they come back together, truly inevitable, he returns the feelings with his sincerest apology.

15. What was the partner's reaction to Rook being imprisoned in the Fade? How did they cope? How did they react upon seeing Rook again?

Lucanis: When Rook is imprisoned in the Fade, I think he immediately jumps into work trying to get Rook out. He teams up with Spite to traverse the Fade, looking, searching, hunting. Rook broke him out of the Ossuary prison, Rook also saved him from his mind prison - can't he just do this ONE thing in return? Pull Rook from the Fade prison? As time goes on, and they do not find him, I think Lucanis has to accept that Rook is dead. He cannot hold onto false hope because it will kill him. He starts working on gearing up for the final fight, getting the Crows in order, making sure they can face Elgar'nan and end it, in Rook's name and honor. He keeps himself as busy as possible. When he finally sees Rook again, it's the most relieving and agonizing pain. Rook is here. Rook is alive. His Rook! The love of his life, his soul. I think when Rook was yanked out of the Fade, he immediately wraps him up in his arms without question (I know we don't see this in game but I believe it happens) and Spite's wings do the same. They both hold Rook as tightly as they can and sob. Really sob. Rook is alive. Rook is safe. Viago: When Rook is imprisoned, it is up to the party to advise him. They all probably draw straws on who is going with Lucanis because Lucanis is having trouble speaking on the matter. Emmrich is the one to go, he can explain it better in technical terms, so when Viago is advised of what happened to Rook he is filled with regret, guilt, pain, and sorrow. Rook -- his Rook. The one he sent away from Treviso and Antiva to keep alive because he feared the Talons would kill him for his transgressions. The Rook he helped train and mod. The Rook he fully believes in, no matter how much he acts as though he doesn't. He's destroyed on a deep emotional level but he doesn't show it. Viago is very stoic and quiet but Teia knows he's in pain. He asks what he can do and they ask the Crows to start preparations for the final battle. Viago throws himself into his work, constantly in his little alchemy lab, probably researching the Fade, to see if he can do anything. He writes Rook letters because he's best at written word. Letter after letter. And when Rook finally returns, even though at this point Viago has also probably given up hope, he's given word and he practically sprints to the Lighthouse. He barrels through and his first instinct is to yell, to lecture, to tell Rook he's an idiot but all he can do is yank Rook into a hug and hold him as tightly as he can, and finally tell him, that he loves him. He loves Rook and he refuses to let Rook ever leave him again.

[historicalasiandramas]

Hello, I forgot what font I was using again! Just pretend that each time it's a new font, it's actually the old font possessing it. You know, like how souls shift in this show.

ANYWAY!! LOTS OF STUFF HAPPENING! Mostly funny, but also some that hit you like a train. We start off the episode with the night Jang Uk was born. Head Maid Kim rushes to help as Lady Do-hwa struggles to give birth.

Meanwhile, Jang Gang is pondering the scroll left by the king before they switched bodies.

He recalls that the king thanked him for allowing him to have a wonderful 7 days in a body that isn't failing. The king reminded Jang Gang of the divination that was done at his coronation. This prophecy said that the king would be granted a son who had the energy of the King Star.

Jang Gang goes outside to look at the sky, but clouds are covering the moon. It's dark and the wind is blowing. We get it! You are overcome with darkness in the realization that the king used your body to fuck your wife!

Speaking of divination, the way they do it in Daeho is really cool! The priest (?) places a disk of the constellations in water and it reacts to the magical device above, allowing him to see everything up close.

Back the Jang family estate, it seems like Uk has refused to speak since the beating. Head Maid Kim tells Mudeok that it's not Jang Uk's body that hurts - it's his heart. The leader of Songrim was like a father to him, and being banished feels like he was rejected AGAIN. Even so, she still goes to her Young Master and says that he should be happy that he got flogged because that means Master Heo's torrent of energy can't be retrieved immediately. Which means more time to train!

Jang Uk is silent, so Mudeok tries a different approach and asks if he's OK. He is! He's just a stupid young man who declares that he will make them all beg to take him back to Songrim. Mudeok calls this stupidity, but he calls it courage. He casually mentions that it's extremely hot, but Mudeok doesn't feel warm at all. She tests the water and finds that it, too, is extremely hot.

Mudeok realized that the flogging caused the torrent of energy to surge faster. She explains that first Jang Uk will feel like he's burning up. Then, he will feel like his body is encased in ice. If he keeps breathing like Master Seo, Uk will be able to claim the energy as his own. However, the energy surges faster than Mudeok expects and Jang Uk starts to freeze.

In order to keep him from falling asleep and freezing to death, Mudeok must keep him warm and not fall asleep herself.

Back at Songrim, Yul and Jang-gu both beg Uncle to take Uk back. Yul says that nobody will train him anyway, since he's been banished. Uncle gets annoyed and tells them to stop talking about him and focus on the soul shifter case instead. The spy that was killed previously has completely petrified now. The subs call it "running wild" when a soul shifter loses control but I'm not really sure what the Korean phrase they're using is.

Anyway, if a soul shifter loses control, they will need to absorb the life force of living humans. Yul says that soul shifters are no better than evil spirits and understands why the alchemy of souls is considered a forbidden art. Master Heo says that it wasn't originally considered a type of sorcery, since in order to do it, one must be a mage with godlike powers. Mastering hwansu, the art of turning fire to ice and vice versa, is not something a human would be able to do.

But apparently Songrim's founder did. And one other person. Jang-gu asks who, but Master Heo says he wouldn't know the name even if he told him. SUS AF! Everyone wonders who would perform the alchemy of souls on this guy, when Uncle's Right Hand Guy (sorry dude, I don't know your name) mentions that the victim was originally supposed to record constellations at Cheonbugwan. EVEN MORE SUS. Uncle orders the boys to keep an eye on Cheonbugwan.

Then we see THIS GUY breaking into the Jin estate. The birds start screaming, and he calms them with a spell.

Also! Apparently all the Jin guards are women!! Mystery Man seems to be blind and stops them all with only magic, no weapon. He goes directly to the Jin vault and calls out to Sapsali, the spirit dog, which enters the body of a REAL dog!

Back at the Jang estate, Mudeok finds herself nodding off and realizes the best way to keep Uk warm is to use her own body heat. Oho, so we're doing that trope, huh? He says that if he dies, Mudeok should take the torrent of energy for herself. "If I could, I would've killed you and taken it already." Uk complains that he's already freezing to death, so her coldhearted reply was unnecessary. He tells her to say something heartwarming instead, but Mudeok refuses. When Jang Uk's eyes start to close, she relents and tells him a story about a tree near where she grew up and the bird's nest at the top of it.

She says that she is the egg: she knows no one and is powerless. Jang Uk is like the mother bird who sits on the egg, keeping it warm until it's ready to hatch. Jang Uk is gonna catch feels faster than a house catches on fire. When they wake up in the morning, Uk tries to open his father's sword but is unsuccessful. He's not ready yet. To unsheathe a mage's sword, one needs to master ryusu, and be able to push energy outward.

He is desperate to unsheathe it and be welcomed back into Songrim, but asks Mudeok if that would be stupid. She throws his words from the bath back at him and says it's courage. Little do either of them know, the Crown Prince (CP) has arrived! Dang-gu is also on his way to visit Uk since he's worried, but Yul and Cho Yeon tagged along. The CP and the Four Seasons, all in one place! What could possibly go wrong? :)

CP is here for Naksu's sword, as the king decreed that it should be in the care of Cheonbugwan. In the absence of Jang Gang, Jin Mu should be the one to watch over it. After exchanging glances with Mudeok, Uk agrees and says he'll have it brought right away. As head Maid Kim turns to leave, CP also demands Jang Gang's sword. Oh I hate him! He insists that it was never entrusted to Uk and that the palace will hold onto the sword until a new Gwanju is found.

I know it's because I'm a person of modern times, but I deeply desire to deck this man in the face. Jang Uk is more calm than I would've been and simply says that he cannot obey. "As you know, no one acknowledges him as my father. It will not bode well for me if I lose that sword as well." CP decrees that they should duel for it.

This is a man who is trained by the second most powerful state sanctioned mage, challenging a guy who JUST got access to magic. CP knows that Jang Uk can't win, and is using his political power to try to make him give up the sword. Slimy!

CP tries to make it look like he's giving Jang Uk a fair fight, but even Mudeok tries to stop Jang Uk from the duel. Her words from before ("it's not stupidity, it's courage") have bolstered him, so he won't back down. CUE ELECTRIC GUITAR! I really love the music choices for fight scenes in this show.

Uk does better than you'd expect for one without martial arts training, but CP hits him over and over again. They're using wooden swords, but that still hurts! Again and again, he gets hit and it's revealed that was Jang Uk's intention all along. What made the energy surge in the first place?

If being flogged is what gave Uk access to the energy in the first place, he resolves to withstand as much of CP's hits as possible. Unfortunately, CP is an excellent fighter and disarms Uk in no time. Just as he's about to issue the finishing blow, Mudeok intervenes.

She tosses chamber pot water towards CP, and he jumps back to avoid being splashed. He is immediately furious with her intervention and demands to know who she is. Jang Uk apologizes for his maid's interference, but points out that CP still stepped over the line. Which means technically, he lost the duel.

Just as the rest of the Four Seasons arrive, CP agrees to leave the sword, but demands punishment for Mudeok's insolence. He unsheathes his real sword and attempts to slay her on the spot. But something miraculous happens: Uk is able to unsheathe his father's sword and protect her!!!

He even break's CP in half. As CP stares at his broken sword, Uk stares at the one in his hand in disbelief.

CP berates Uk for "deceiving" everyone by saying he can't use spells, but he hastily explains that isn't true. And then the sword starts glowing and Uk's arm moves of its own accord to point the sword at CP.

This is seen as a challenge, and everyone clamors to tell him to put it down. But he can't! Now that the energy is unlocked, he can't control it and starts wildly swinging at CP. A regular sword won't protect him, so CP unsheathes his own mage sword to protect himself.

Jang Uk has no control, but his sword arm is clearly going for a death blow. CP turns his blade into the killing position and readies to kill Jang Uk. This time, Yul is the one who intervenes.

Dang-gu takes this opportunity to spring forward and take the sword out of Uk's hand, but that doesn't stop him from getting hit. Uk can't control his hand and while everyone is trying to hold his arm down, Cho Yeon binds his arm with one of her bracelets.

CP demands that she unbind him so that he can continue to fight. Yul says that Uk is no match for CP, but he states that they all saw Uk point a sword at him. It's only right that he die for threatening royalty. Dang-gu tries to defend Uk by saying that it wasn't his fault, as the magic is out of Uk's control and that even he got hit. CP tells Dang-gu to shut his mouth.

Cho Yeon then says the most ballsy thing of all: CP wielded a sword against Uk first. CP will not tolerate the Four Houses standing against him and refuses to go home. He challenges all 4 of them at once. They start whispering amongst themselves and Dang-gu mentions that they can't make it look like they're standing against royalty.

Yul says that it was Cho Yeon who provoked CP. She refuses to take blame (AS YOU SHOULD QUEEN) and then asks if they should just give Uk up to be killed. Meanwhile, CP's servant advises that he shouldn't fight the 4 heirs of Daeho and that his father the king would be furious if he learns of this fight. Seeing everyone at a standstill, Mudeok offers herself up as a sacrifice and starts the hilarious piss-drinking battle.

As expected, it's Yul who makes the CP finally stand down and leave. Dang-gu believes that he'll def be back to get revenge, though. This is what spurs Mudeok to action again. She grabs her sword and offers it to CP, but her wording is a bit cheeky. He asks if she's giving him shit because he lost.

"What? Nooo my loser Young Master is the one who lost." This seems to soothe his hurt pride, so Mudeok lays it on even thicker.

It's extremely effective and obvious that CP loves this. He asks what her name is and she tells him. He gives her the nickname "Dong Mudeok" which is a play on 똥물 (ddong mul, poop water), since she threw chamber pot water at him. She sheepishly rubs her hands when he tells her she reeks, but continues the bit by thanking him for going out of his way to give her a nickname.

GIRL IF YOU ACCIDENTALLY MAKE HIM FALL FOR YOU I WILL BE SO MAD. Anyway, ofc this was all done to protect Jang Uk.

But like, how is she gonna get her sword back?? As she turns to go back into the house, she almost literally runs into Yul who saw the whole thing.

She's annoyed that he's on to her tactics, and says that she's dirty and Yul shouldn't stand so close to her. Instead, he offers his own handkerchief for her to clean herself with. Mudeok refuses it.

SPEAKING OF MEN IN LOVE (he's not yet, but the seeds are there), Jang Uk is frantically searching for Mudeok. He finds her washing up in the stream and immediately hugs her.

He's elated that after all these years, he was finally able to unsheathe his father's sword. She pats him on the back in congratulations.

The neck grab is a little unnecessary, but I get it! He's happy!

I feel like if Dang-gu saw this moment, he'd be extremely jealous. He & Yul have always had to be careful around Uk, but Dang-gu is def the touchy-feely guy of the group. He'd be fuming that Mudeok got Uk's first hug and not his best friend. Anyway, I can't believe they're not in love yet. I know it's too early but seriously. The way they're acting is so "destined lovers". Brought together by fate and literally cannot be apart. I cannot WAIT for them to catch feels for each other.

Meanwhile, the elders are convening because Gwigu, the relic with the dog spirit, was stolen. Interesting that they refer to it as Gwigu, but Mystery Man called it Sapsali. Maybe he's the one who created & named the dog spirit? Anyway, Madam Jin gives some important intel: only her family can open the door. Mystery Man clearly knew that, but Madam Jin thinks that the spirit was "summoned". What we saw was Mystery Man calling the spirit by name and it leaving with him willingly. It was phrased as a command, yes, but his voice was calm. I think the dog spirit responded because it recognized his voice.

Jin Mu takes this opportunity to say THEE most heinous thing in the episode thus far:

Like what a fucking evil thing to say! "Oh, the grief of losing your child has made you weak." She gives him the most murderous side eye and frankly, I wish they fought right there.

Master Heo won't stand for this slander and says that even if Jin Mu is an illegitimate son, he's still a Jin and shouldn't talk shit about his half-sister. But Jin Mu does not like Master Heo's chastising tone.

With Jang Gang gone, Jin Mu is the most powerful state-sanctioned mage in Daeho. He is CP's personal instructor and reports directly to the king. Before tempers rise too much, Songrim's Right Hand Man appears to announce that Jang Uk has arrived.

He is flanked by Head Maid Kim, Mudeok, Dang-gu, Cho Yeon, and Yul. Uncle demands to know why they brought Uk with them after he was banished. Uk holds up his sword and asks if Uncle remembers the promise he made when Uk was young: if he could unsheathe the sword, Uncle would accept him as his pupil. Uncle remains silent.

In front of everyone - and more importantly, in front of Jin Mu - Jang Uk unsheathes the sword.

Mudeok smirks in pride and I am a overcome with lust. I desire her carnally. Jin Mu is most taken aback, as he was under the impression that Uk had just opened his gate of energy. How has he progressed so quickly? Master Heo is extremely proud that his torrent of energy was absorbed so quickly. Madam Jin says that just like his father, Uk mastered Ryusu right away.

Uncle immediately notices that binding bracelet and asks what it is. Yul explains that the energy is concentrated in his right arm and since Uk can't control it, the binding bracelet ties the arm down. Uncle steps down to stand before Uk and demands that he take the bracelet off. As soon as he does, Uk's energy surges and he tries to hold it off with his other hand.

Uncle asks to see Uk hold his sword, and Uk reluctantly lets go of his arm. He tries to control his energy, but loses control and stabs Uncle.

It takes both arms to pull the sword out of Uncle's shoulder and Yul has to stop Uk from swinging again. Cho Yeon summons her binding bracelet back onto Uk's arm. Uncle says that there's no point in being able to unsheathe the sword of Uk can't even hold it. This devastates Uk and Cho Yeon interjects that even if he can't control it yet, Uk is still powerful enough to defeat the CP.

GIRL Y OU CAN'T SAY THAT IN FRONT OF JIN MU!! Madam Jin immediately recognizes the shit her daughter accidentally got Uk into and tells her to shut up. Uncle asks if it's true that Uk fought CP and broke his sword. Dang-gu tries to say that Uk didn't start the fight, but Uncle wants to hear directly from Uk if he pointed his sword at the CP or not. He answers in the affirmative.

Head Maid Kim rushes to explain that the fight was a bet to decide who would keep Jang Gang's sword. Jin Mu is NOT having it. Uk still threatened the CP, which is treason. Yul says that all Four Seasons were there and stopped Uk. Jin Mu says that they stood and watched CP be ridiculed, which is an insult to the royal family.

Uncle orders Uk to be locked up and he's dragged away. Jin Mu threatens Uncle and both he and his Right Hand Man stare at Mudeok before they leave. Thankfully, neither one can tell that she's possessed and they leave. Uk is in the same room that Naksu's body was in, since it has the highest security. Uncle visits him and speaks gently to him.

He gets the father figure-son interaction he so desperately craved. Uncle tries to use this connection to convince Uk to become a businessman instead of a mage. They'd both leave Songrim and open up their own store. Or maybe he could learn medicine from Master Heo. But none of this is what Uk wants, which ofc will put him in more danger.

"Why do you want to become a mage? Because your father was one? Do you want to become the next Gwanju?" He answers that he wants to and he will. That will show everyone who said that Jang Gang wasn't his real father! Uncle then delivers the final blow and says that Jang Gang was not his father. Jang Uk was the result of his mother's affair. Uk asks who is real father is, but Uncle says, "Who would know who your late mother had an affair with?"

Uncle runs into Mudeok & Head Maid Kim in the hallway and says that they should probably not disturb Uk right now. HMK notices that Uncle is still bleeding and charges Mudeok with taking Uk his food and chases after Uncle. Mudeok finds Uk with his back turned and silent. "Did he scold you that badly?" When she gets closer, she realizes that he's crying and immediately shuts up. As she turns to leave, the room's defense kicks in, making it impossible to leave. Jang Uk tells her to stay put and she silently obeys.

MEANWHILE! HMK and Uncle are flirting. He tells her that he broke Uk's heart and she says that must be more painful than getting stabbed. Uncle then asks if it would've been better if he said that Uk's father was him. He'd step down as leader of Songrim and open a business. HMK says that Songrim needs its leader. Wouldn't it be better if she said that she was his real mother? She & Do-hwa grew up in the same village, so it'd be better for Uk to return to his mother's hometown. They get into a play fight because Uncle says Do-hwa is the source of Uk's looks and no one would believe HMK was his mother.

She protests and says that if she's ugly, then there's no reason anyone would believe Uncle was Uk's real father either. He shoots back that he and Jang Gang were considered equal in looks back in the day. HMK's face is PRICELESS.

Jin Mu's Right Hand is shown carrying a spirit plaque and his underlings told him it belongs to Jang Uk. Mudeok is his maid and she was at the inn when they murdered the courtesan who had the spirit plaque. He begins to connect the dots and suspects that she's Naksu! He has to hold that thought cuz the soul shifter he's transporting is in danger of petrification if he doesn't get a soul soon. Unfortunately, the guy leading the horse comes to check in and his soul gets slurped up like a smoothie. Right Hand Guy has to figure out how to dispose of a corpse on the street now. Up on a hill, Mystery Man and his spirit dog sense forbidden sorcery afoot.

Back at Songrim, Master Heo praises Uk for mastering Ryusu, even if just in his right arm. Uk remains silent. Dang-gu tries to comfort him by saying that the CP will never become the next Gwanju and Uk almost breaks his silence. No matter what Master Heo or Dang-gu say, Uk will not utter a word. He has gone completely nonverbal. Mudeok notes that he also hasn't touched his food, and leaves.

She runs into Yul, who accuses her of always putting Uk in danger. "Will you separate him from me?" she asks. He says he will not because Uk always got what he wanted, and Mudeok always risked her life for him. He then offers her Jang Gang's sword and says "take it with you." Mudeok returns to Uk and slams down the sword. She's had enough of his moping around. He finally speaks and says that he won't train anymore, shocking Mudeok.

He says he gives up and will not do anything, and Naksu has no use for a pupil like that. She dissolves their Master-student relationship and he says that now she's just a maid. "Don't annoy me further or I'll sell you off." She's enraged but contains herself. Mudeok then immediately seeks Dang-gu for his help. She begs him to ask Master Heo to set up a meeting with Jin Mu, because she believes that this is the heart of what's causing Uk to be so despondent.

And so he does! Master Heo says that Uk is imprisoned and will be dealt with with Songrim law, but Jin Mu says that since royalty is involved, Cheonbugwan should be the one to handle Uk's punishment. Since they can't behead the only son of the Gwanju, then at least the arm that pointed a sword at the CP should be cut off. Dang-gu says that the fight was consensual and has Mudeok testify.

She confirms the fight was fair and says that if Jin Mu doesn't believe her, he should just have the CP and Jang Uk fight again. Master Heo & Dang-gu are immediately like "wtf" but Jin Mu falls for the bait. An official duel with an official judge will determine whether or not it was a fair fight. If Jang Uk is destined to be king, that means Mudeok is destined to be his queen. And holy shit, the way she flawlessly manipulates everyone is so good. Imagine a royal battle couple!!

Master Heo is confident that the CP won't agree to a formal duel because the royal family and Songrim mages have never dueled before. But, just as Mudeok hoped, he accepts. Mostly due to pressure from Jin Mu. Uncle was not informed and doesn't know why there are Cheonbugwan guards at Songrim. The official letter of challenge is delivered and if Jang Uk fails to answer, he will be transferred to Cheonbugwan for judgement.

Yul, Dang-gu, and Mudeok use this time to break Uk out of his cell. Mudeok asks if he'll still do nothing even when either his arm or his life are in danger. Uncle sends for Uk but finds the cell empty, and Yul and Dang-gu gone too. They helped the escape and a boat is waiting for Mudeok and Uk. It will take them to Naksu's hometown. Before they depart, Yul says, "You've put him in danger again." Mudeok replies, "And he'll get what he wants once more."

Uncle is seen kneeling before the king, who announces the duel will take place in the middle of next month. If Uk doesn't appear, he will lose his right to become the next Gwanju. On the boat, Uk realizes that Mudeok was behind everything. "You've poisoned me again, my crazy Master." She tells him to prepare himself for brutal training. No more warm baths! Mudeok is from Sari Village, so that's where she told Yul and Dang-gu they were headed. But Naksu trained in Danhanggok.

I see! So you're going to a remote location, just of the two of you. By the time y'all get back the sexual tension will be SO delicious. I'm so excited!

[panthera-tigris-venenata]

Okay since I'm apparently not getting anything done today and I finally named the Tremaine girlies, have some Evie & Tremaines & Charmings drama for Soulmark AU.

Okay so. Evil Queen should have a power to fake soulmarks via magic alchemy or what. Y'know, as a little treat.

Since Ursula got the ability to see souls (for drama purposes), it is only fair EQ can have some fun too.

Also I gotta figure out some soulfuckery for the Faciliers too.

Anyway. She passed this knowledge on to her daughter. Banishment does that to you, yeah? She was bored. Also, Evie is her heiress, not her husband's daughter.

Banishment - Evie spent ten years with only her mother. Now she's entering the Isle society with zero knowledge of the Drama (tm) and in dire need of an alliance.

And, you know. A soulmark would make for a neat alliance. It's like marriage alliance but on crack. And she has a very convenient means to fake it as she wishes.

She goes for Anthony Tremaine, the reasons being "reasonably pretty, rich for Isle standards, runs a neutral territory"

Now, Anthony already has two soulmarks. However, Evie doesn't know that.

She learns this by Anthony going "Again?" And his cousins teasing him about getting a harem and whatanot.

... this scene also includes Anthony and Dulcia having to explain what "foreplay" is to the younger ones. For closely unspecified reasons.

„Wait, have Harriet and Ginny stopped trying to kill one another? I though it was like foreplay or something.“ „Not really, they have not.“ „So it IS like foreplay?“

Evie reacts to this by saying „Okay I'm not doing that, I faked the mark, I'm gonna give you the tincture to make it go away tomorow.“

The Tremaine girlies want the tincture to fake soulmarks.

Anthony desperately does NOT want them to get it.

Unfortunately he does NOT get a say as Evie still wants the alliance. So she gives them the potion-thingy. (You spread it on your skin and if you touch other person's skin, it'll react and leave a mark that looks like a soulmark.)

Evie is now basically adopted by the Tremaine girls. It's adorable.

(it's not. It's terrifying)

And when she gets to Auradon, well, let's just say. This girl has a type.

The type being "Rich, influential, and owns a lot of mirrors".

So yes, she immediately goes for Chad Charming.

Now, I cannot emphasise this enough, they're SO bad for eachother and for everyone around.

Chad thinks he's using her and meanwhile she's looking at him with poorly concealed murder in her eyes. She thinks she should have added "can carry out a semblance of inteligent conversation" to her list.

The Tremaine girls support her anyway, they think it's funny.

And NO Evie will not be dumping him. She's Evil Queen's daughter. She can save actual feeling for extramarital affairs and not get caught, please and thank you. Or maybe just kill him once ut won't be too suspicious.

In fact, Anthony has a bet going on when the murder is gonna occur. He didn't tell that his sisters and cousins, though the reaction of the older ones would be along the lines of "Well good for her" and "Girl power" and "Slay, queen." (You see, they younger ones would be upset.)

[busylazy]

Alchemy of Souls: Seo Yul and Prince Go Won

Seo Yul went on to become the head of Jeongjingak. So he trains mages now, but this poor guy has neither Naksu nor So-yi.

His ancestor, master Seo Gyeong, and Jin Seol-ran's ill-fated love story continued with him because Jin Bu-yeon is her and Naksu is her.

Give the guy an epic adventure as he trains mages and lives a solitary but fulfilled life, or give him someone who'll train mages alongside him. Maybe another long-lost Jin family member or something? Give the Seo and Jin tragedy a better ending. Such a stretch, yes. 😂

What about Crown Prince Go Won? No Mu-deok nor Jin Bu-yeon for him either. I thought Lady Seo would have been nice, but they're relatives lol. Just give the guy a better queen than his mother was or something.

Edit (Jan 2025):

An AU idea came to mind while rewatching this show again. 💡

What if the ill-fated Seo (Gyeong) and Jin (Seol-ran) love story continues indeed through Seo Yul and another Jinyowon priestess? 🤔 But who would it be? Perhaps a cousin or a relative of the Jin sisters, like Jin Mu's long-lost daughter who's out to avenge her dad?

For Prince Go Won, perhaps a princess from another kingdom that could become potentially an enemy or an ally. What about another Jinyowon priestess? By doing that, all "four men that are from the Daeho Fortress that all the women want to marry" (the Crown Prince, Park Dang-gu, Seo Yul, and Jang Uk) from powerful families would have married into the Jin family. Although technically, it's Naksu via Jin Bu-yeon. Part 2 ended with Bu-yeon supposedly helping out with the queen-to-be selection process.

But what if Naksu gets exposed finally? Technically, she is from a once distinguished family too (as Cho Yeong), but I wonder how the people will react to that. The mages were gossiping about Uk being the late king's son through the alchemy of souls so that seems to have been accepted by the general populace.

How about the mage family leaders who died when they tried to wake the firebird? Sure, they were bad guys, but there can possibly be conflicting opinions on that.

Lastly, I'm also curious about Yul's general dad. He was never shown in the story, but Seoho Fortress sounds as equally intriguing as Daeho. Uk was also appointed as the North Fortress general, so I imagine that the kingdom is larger with possibly four fortresses in all directions (north, south, east, and west) with Daeho situated in the middle for optimal protection. Seoho was described to be far, so it can possibly be in the opposite direction of the North fortress, the south.

I imagine it to be similar to the image below, but the four fortresses should be very far from the center and will require days of travel.

[ghaazelle]

Alchemize your sorrow

⚛︎ Transmutation of energy is performed by everybody. It is transformative to transmute energy into another form, even magical. Some people allow it to destroy their lives, their relationships, and their own person. Like a chemical reaction, two reactants are added and they combine to form a completely different thing, which can either taste yummy or burn your skin.

                  We hear the world “alchemist” in movies, and we correlate it with a compliment, which is absolutely accurate. In simple terms, being an alchemist means you are put into a sh*tty situation, and you transform your feelings and/or reality into something of benefit to you and whomever you care about. 

⚛︎ I was watching Doctor who, and an episode about Vincent Van Gogh came about. I decided to invite my baby brother to watch with me(6 years old, but still my baby, and don’t tell him I called him that) Whilst his curiosity unraveled, he asked me “why are Gogh’s paintings so famous?”. I stayed quiet for a moment, taking in all of the dark stories I heard about his life and taking a look at the bright, peace-inducing and hopeful art he has created years before he took his own life. You would assume that a lonely, poor man with no emotional or social support would rather produce dark and miserable art. If he couldn’t avenge the universe for his miseries, he must have wanted to create heart-wrenching art, yeah? No. 

⚛︎ Van Gogh was an Alchemist, he desired to create for himself the life he wanted. For the hours of his day where he produced his art, he decided to manifest a world of brightness. His painting “Cafè Terrace At Night” displays his alchemy perfectly. He would draw the melancholic sceneries he saw in his hometown but would add life to them, and a spark of un-escapable happiness.

Subconsciously, we all know that alchemy Is important, and sometimes, it’s a method of survival. If the Palestinian people remained drowning in their miseries and losses every day without transpiring actions, they would’ve perished as a nation by now. Alchemy is Strength. 

Even something as mundane as baking a cake that ends up crumbling, instead of dwelling over it, you decide to make chocolate pudding out of the cake crumbs instead. Congratulations, You have alchemized your un-satisfactory situation.

⚛︎ What gives people inner peace is being able to perceive their own flaws, accept themselves despite of them, and if they can, they would alchemize those flaws into strength. For example, if a person is excessively emotional, to the point of misery and doubt and fear, they would celebrate the blessing of being able to feel. Despite the shadow of being a soul that carries their emotions on their sleeves, they’re offered the blessings of large empathy, creativity and presence in a world where connection is lost to screens and uneasiness.

Emotional people understand feelings. They become more emotionally intelligent by the day. To alchemize their situation, they will learn to put their shadow side to war. They would turn their anger into a piece of art, whether it be dancing or painting or playing chess, and when they cool down, they’ll calmly communicate their feelings, to themselves or others. If they feel insecure about their appearance, they would find out, intently, why? And despite of it, they will not cover their insecurity but allow it to be. And suddenly, they alchemized their insecurity from fear of being judged to confidence and poise, even if they still feel insecure on the inside.

⚛︎ Women often quote “ it turns me on when my man handles my attitude and manhandles me instead of arguing back or reacting”. Women find this attractive because men turn into alchemists when they manhandle their women and listen to her calmly when she’s reactive or bratty. That is because it is a strength that some of these men have. They can look at the bigger picture and understand that her emotions are getting a hold of her at the moment, and it is nothing but a passing moment, hour, or max a day. They understand that they are more rational than those problem. Some men start smiling and kissing their partners when they act bratty, or compliment her an extra little. If needed, these men will listen intently to her words during her episode and respond with reassuring responses to each of the points she made.

After that warm embrace of a man, I say a women would take a day max on a little issue that feels large in her mind because women indefinitely melt to being softly handled and listened to. At that point, the woman starts perceiving her initially horrible and “end of the world problem” as a little issue that is salvageable. At that point, she also is an alchemist. She turns her rage as appreciation and admiration for her man, that took her under his arms, with safety and patience. She shows and tells him that she appreciates him a little more, and acknowledges his strength. She reignites the passion in the relationship with her fun energy. With consistency, trust builds, and both the partner’s art of alchemy grows daily.

⚛︎ Both partners turn into alchemists since the man transformed his perception of her attitude into her need for care, and as a result, the woman transforms her negative feelings into an expression of calmness and appreciation for her man, which will make him feel respected by his woman and looked up to by her. She would feel safe, relaxed and optimistic again whilst he will feel victorious, respected and appreciated. They bond harmonically.

⚛︎ Alchemy is a choice, and an art to behold.

[discordiansamba]

(1/2) If demons are of similar nature to rift-creatures, does Keith have any level of tolerance for that kind of energy, the kind that is so dangerously corrupting to most mortal people? Are demon-contracts a safer and more stable cousin of the corrupted magic Haggar uses? Would having demons around that on occasion possess people have let humanity build defenses against that kind of energy? (If they had, Shiro would likely know about it. Would that offer any protection against Haggar's magic?..

(2/2) … and how would certain other paladins react if Shiro identified the evil they were fighting as akin to demonic power? One more reason to stay very quiet about a certain half-demon)

Great questions!

To start off, yes- Shiro does recognize that there's something... inherently familiar about the energy that clings to Haggar. He doesn't want to go so far as to say they are demons- they're in space after all, but it wouldn't surprise him if there were creatures similar to them out in the universe, a belief that is only reinforced after he meets Allura and Coran (who have more in common with humans than they have differences, at the end of the day).

And yeah, basically this is the one area where humanity's magic would actually have a leg up on Altean alchemy, because whereas the rift creatures were only 'recently' discovered (from Allura's perspective), humans have known about them for their entire history. Their entire magic system was developed around demons- both to use them and to exorcise them. I think this is something Haggar would (subconsciously) recognize, and that's part of the reason why Shiro's arm was replaced in this AU- like a shackle to hold that threat back.

(Does it stop Shiro from forging his first ever familiar contract in deep space? No. No it does not.)

I think contracts are a 'safer' way to harness the power, though 'safety' is debatable when it comes at the cost of one's soul half of the time. But generally you get what you ask for with no hidden surprises! Familiar contracts are even safer than that, giving form and physical presence to demons who otherwise cannot obtain a corporal form of their own.

Keith might be keeping secrets, but Shiro decides that this information is vital to the rest of the paladins and is honest about his own bloodline and what that has allowed him to determine about Haggar. It definitely cements Keith's decision to stay quiet, though!

(also yes, Keith can resist the rift creatures.)

[astrogriffin]

Do you have any 9 headcannons?

One of my ones is that the doll 2 got 9 his voicebox from was designed by the scientist back in his toymaking days, not personally made by him but more like he sold the design to a manufacturer and the scientist planned for the stitchpunks to be compatible with parts from his previous works, especially since he probably had little resources in his lab to begin with.

Some of my headcanons are:

7 really hates humans and she is happy that they are gone.

The scientist told 1 everything about their origins and alchemy and the war and all that, that’s why 1 is so terrified and why he’s keeping everyone else ignorant of it all. The scientist never told any of his subsequent creations because of how 1 reacted to it.

6 was never told anything by the scientist but he inherited all that knowledge through the soul.

5 and 6 have a very close brotherly bond and they found comfort in eachother through both suffering under 1’s abuse.

2 never feared 1. 1 felt threatened by this and it’s partially why he decided to get rid of 2.

8 discovered the magnet-thing by accident. He never told anyone and none of the others know that they can get high from magnets. 2 would absolutely experiment with it if he ever found out.

[cloudyxmuses]

Brother, please, may I have some oats plots? For Alta or any muse here or there - for whatever one of yours strikes your fancy :>

send me “plots please” [accepting!]

Of course! I'll do you one better; with Faelux, some for Atla and some for Emmafrien, and then some for Shane and Julian!

Faelux and Atla:

Despite being an Au ra, Faelux knows little of the culture for both Raen and Xaela, given that she was raised by a Midlander woman. I imagine there's plenty Atla can tell her about, even if Faelux herself may not be a Xaela!

If we're talking WoL!Faelux, there is of course the shared struggles of being the Warrior of Light (as I write that verse to be multi WoL-friendly). But even if it's in her nonwol verse, the understanding of strife everyone has after the Calamity and the visions the Echo brings (as she still has it in the nonwol verse but it's weaker)

There is, of course, the contrast between the two; black and white magic, exceedingly different yet also so very much the same. Such a thing seems to be reflected in their demeanor, caring deeply for those they hold close but doing it in very different ways - healing for Atla, destruction for Faelux, and vengeance for both.

Faelux and Emmanellain:

I could see him being curious about Faelux's usage of alchemy after Honoroit got hurt, as Faelux probably would have used one of her better potions to improve the wound on his head if only long enough for the chirugeons to see to the young servant. After all, unless you're in such a field as medical care, alchemy likely isn't quite as commonly seen as it is in Ul'dah, and I bet he'd be more than uncertain once he sees all the little monster bits used in the process. It could be something he could learn about, even take an interest in (or other such trade, Faelux dabbles in goldsmithing and her mother is a weaver) that would separate him from his older siblings.

Her opinion may very well change of him depending on how they interact, as for awhile she didn't think much of really either "trueborn" sibling - she found both Emmannellain and Artoirel equally irritating at first, given she already didn't think well of most nobility/wealthy outside Nanamo. She'll see him trying, even if it takes a punch or disaster for it to happen, and would then have little issue lending him whatever aid she can - once her vengeance is taken care of, at least.

Speaking of vengeance... I wonder how he'd react to seeing Faelux after the Vault. Even in timelines where Haurchefant lives, her reaction is the same; a quiet anger that emanates from her very presence, the deafening silence that is the only thing keeping her anger from spilling out (one that doesn't end until after her return on dragonback, she's essentially mute for that portion of HW), or even word from Alphinaud of what happened at that moment - that in trying to shoot down Thordan's airship with fire, she nearly lost control of the black magic and burned from the inside out even with a soul stone to control it. He might not have known what to do, being grief-stricken himself, but I imagine it didn't go unnoticed from the normally more sarcastic and cynical mage.

And of course, Ancient shenanigans for either are always fun and encouraged~ =7=

Shane and Julian:

It'll be likely that Shane may only see glimpses of Julian for a long while, since she's both very timid and was more concerned with fixing up her grandfather's old farm after it was left alone for 18 or so years. A bit of a recluse, really, in hopes her familial ties don't bring any strife to the Valley. But I imagine the changes happening to Pelican Town and the surrounding area don't go unnoticed; the rooms in the community center slowly being rebuilt if gazed at through the window, the bus repairs, the black cat Marnie found (now sporting a collar he doesn't recall Marnie getting) being befriended by Jas, monsters coming out of the mines less and less, requests posted on the board actually getting answered for once (likely the only time he's seen the new farmer directly once she realized he preferred not to be bothered), even an "anonymous donor" eventually paying and supplying Pam and Penny with a proper home. I imagine he'd begin to question just who lived in that old plot north of them... It sure as hell wasn't anyone like Lewis doing all that.

Julian likely tries to avoid her ties to her uncle being brought up, given the horrors he committed, but I imagine it won't work forever. Small towns are notorious for everyone getting into everyone else's business, and with the trial for a serial killer with a similar last name to hers just recently ending, it's not hard for people to connect some dots and speculate. That is to say... These two are no strangers to the death of others around them and depression it causes; Shane losing his friends to the car accident, and Julian's childhood friend having been a victim of her uncle. It would take a long while to build up that kind of trust, but having a friend who gets how bad it is could be beneficial for both of them!

Julian would probably find the chickens - as well as other livestock - utterly adorable, and may eventually convince Marnie to let her bring the ones on the ranch treats every now and a gain. So they can bond over that, because animals are cute and lovable regardless of who is giving them attention!

Of course, all my muses are very versatile so they don't have to be these particular muses, but that should give some ideas! ^7^

[cactuskat]

Alchemy of Souls x Omegaverse

(Okay so this isn't my typical kind of post, but I've been watching Alchemy of Souls with my family, and I desperately enjoy the omegaverse, and there are no posts combining them, thus, I need make it myself)

Here are my headcanons

Naksu is an alpha: Blunt, strong-willed, athletically gifted (I know some of it was training, and some of it was magic, but her skill is still on a RIDICULOUS level!!), emotionally repressed

Mudeok on the otherhand is most certainly an omega, it's almost sterotypical, she couldn't not be an omega

I don't want to say all this because "Naksu is STRONG and Mudeok is WEAK, RA-RAWR", that's not how I like to roll with my omegaverse, it's limiting, I love buff omegas I adore submissive alphas

buuuut, I feel Mudeok being an omega fits too well. She's small, frail, and soft. spoilers/theory: Mudeok was also likely the lost heir of the Jin family, her whole purpose was to be locked in a room for safety, then married off as a way to secure another heir, what about that doesn't scream omega from an unfair time?

When Naksu soul-shifts she is thrust into this whole new body of whole new experiences, and on top of everything it turns out she's an omega as well. She's probably a little phobic about it ("On top of everything, this body being so weak it can hardly lift itself up, It's an omega as well, what a pitiful form")((Don't worry she gets over it))

Jang Uk meanwhile is also an omega, granted a very assertive omega, spoiled and pampered. Don't ask me what it is about them, but omegas are very prone to being grumpy, and there is no one doing grumpy quite like Uk. Also the fact he's so sensitive about everything, physcially and emotionally

Jung Uk is more of a "reject the mold" omega, very eager to prove himself, doubly so because of how his gate of energy was closed, he wants to prove himself and his worth

Scents: Naksu's scent is conflicting, it smells of smoldering wood and damp earth, though with a slightly fruity twinge

Mudeok's scent is far more floral, with a rather rich addition that like wine (very unusual for someone who is basically a peasant, but not unheard of)

With Naksu being Mudeok now the scent also has hints of her old burnt-wood

Jang Uk's scent definately pulls in with his winter theme, there's a crispness to it, it's like melted snow or petrichor, as well as a touch of honey, the aroma as a whole is almost muted

Though after his gate of energy is opened it just bursts from him, becoming stronger and sweeter, like freshly blossoming flowers.

in Mudeok's body Naksu definitely experiences some body dysmorphia. She's smaller, weaker, she feels disgusted by herself. She picks up scents in a way she never has before and it's overwhelming, it makes her feel sick, and her body reacts in ways she never had to deal with

She hears a distant alpha using Alpha Voice and just freezes without thinking, she's never had to learn to ignore Alpha-Voices before, so even when not directed at her she's helpless to listen. Everyone thinks it's just because Mudeok is too weak-willed/weak-energied

Jung Uk at first is very amused by this, but realizes just how bad it is

everything clicks when he learns Mudeok isn't supposed to be an omega at all

Just as how Mudeok is Jung Uk's master, teaching him to be a mage, Jung Uk also acts as Mudeok's master, teaching her how to be an omega so that she doesn't stand out any more than she already has (though she refuses to acknowledge this fact he's basically her teacher as well and is quite salty about it)

Jung Uk as well acts salty about the fact ("I'm the one who's supposed to be learning here, I don't see why I have to spend all this energy on you"), but secretly he's thrilled to get the chance to teach someone for himself and not so secretly revels in it

lessons include: ignoring Alpha-Voices, when and when not to repress your scent (It can come surprisely handy Mudeok discovers), being more graceful (Mudeok thinks that last one is stupid because she was plenty graceful before and she's seen the way Jung Uk behaves), and much more

The real problem begins during Mudeok's first heat

She's experienced ruts before (even if fewer than the typical alpha due to her life as an assassin), this is completely different though. Her mind feels foggier, she feels like she's running through water and crawling through fire, everything aches, everything is so loud, and rather than stronger and more intuned with her dynamic she's never felt more fragile, never felt so dependent, never felt anything like this before

Despite looks from other servants, and Maidservant Kim trying to pull her to into the private servants' chambers as to not offend the Young Master, Mudeok isn't thinking straight, she can only think of one person, so she goes running to find him

When she reaches his room she's an even bigger mess than before, Jung Uk opens the door stunned, seeing the sopping cat in front of him.

Despite keeping her head down, despite her shaking, despite strangling onto what little self control she has left, her body has her stumbling forward, leaning into the only person she's trusted in a long time

I want to say Jung Uk knows what's wrong as soon as he sees her, but we know that he's dense as hell, so it takes her scent smacking him in the face for him to realize something is wrong, and her quiet pleas for help for him to realize she's going through heat

He springs to action, excusing it as "just helping a fellow omega out" and "It's another lesson to teach my pupil", he couldn't admit to himself that it's because he hates to see her in pain

He gets all of his finest bedding bunched up, making a little nest for the two of them, all while Mudeok refuses to let him go, getting dragged about.

She does get a little nesting in herself, letting her body take control as she tucks a blanket here, and positions a pillow over there

By the time Maidservant Kim figures out where Mudeok has gone to, she walks into Jung Uk's room, terribly apologetic, but promptly shocked to find Mudeok asleep, tucked into Jung Uk's side, as Jung Uk strokes her back in a nest of Jung Uk's finest silks and softest blankets.

"Y-Young Master, I'm so sorry, I have no idea why she came to you in such a state, let me take her from you, I'll have her dealt with right away" "No it's... fine, I don't mind her here, I could use the company" "But Young Master, she reeks, what if she triggers your-" "If she does I'll deal. Really, she can rest here for the night, leave us be" "I... If you insist..."

Of course, Mudeok does trigger Jung Uk's heat, and Mudeok berates him mercilessly for being a fool and letting himself be put into such a state, but she helps him through it regardless (they are attached at the hip after all)

Those two weeks are filled with cuddles, shared moments of lacked lucidy, nesting, and mutual protectiveness, afterwords they agree to never speak of it again (but they definitely do)

[zonerobotnik]

Are there any other stories you have planned or have thought about that you would be interested in talking about?

I'm still interested in that age reversed Andrew and Varian AU, even if you never write it.

Gonna be honest…I have no recollection of this AU. Can you remind me when I talked about it?

As for other stories…let's see…

This is gonna get long. Keep in mind, many of these are so far on the back-burner they may as well be on the cutting block.

Tangled:

There's an AU where Soul and Clyde came back during the takeover and actually made things worse for Rapunzel and the nobility because they have grudges.

There's an AU where Varian broke out of prison and chased after Rapunzel to follow the rocks.

There's an AU where Ulla, Donella and Quirin fled to Saporia after Fred's father didn't listen to Fred and Varian was raised Saporian and also in full knowledge of who and what he is and uses alchemy and his powers to play pranks on Corona and tease the King and is called the "Blue-Stripe-Bandit". (Aged-up Varian)

Conqueror of Corona: Rapunzel returns to Corona to find Varian has taken over and has also seduced nearly every man and woman in the Kingdom, including her parents! Can she resist his teasing temptations, or will she give in? (NSFW, aged-up)

There's an AU that's an RP I'm doing with Viruna that features Rapunzel sneaking in and finding Varian has taken over her room and her bed and he has no intention of moving out OR giving back her Kingdom.

There's an AU where Rapunzel didn't think to use the decay incantation to free Quirin and Varian is pardoned but still alone without his father after she tried and failed to use the healing incantation on the amber and avoids people in his manor while translating the scroll for Rapunzel as part of his redemption.

There's an AU where Varian betrays Rapunzel during "Cassandra's Revenge" after Cassandra tells him that the spell that Rapunzel wants to keep from her will help her lower the rocks in the Kingdom and persuades him to her side, especially since Rapunzel forgot to tell Varian WHY, exactly, they couldn't let her have that power.

There's a Star-Crossed Lovers AU where Corona and Lunos are at war and the Sun and Moon (and their hosts) are fighting each other but the hosts don't actually want to fight and so they meet in secret defying their Kingdoms and their Celestial Powers to have a secret love affair and refusing to use their powers to help in the war. (aged-up Varian

There's an AU where Zhan Tiri realizes Varian has moon powers when he reacts strangely to the decay incantation during the battle and drops her whole plan to capture him for study and takes him away to a hideaway built of golden rocks.

I'll See You on the Dark Side of the Sun: An AU that has a fic I've been poking at where Rapunzel, shortly after moving to the castle, goes into the SunSpot by accident while sneaking outside of the castle and gets involved with a cloaked man with an aphrodisiac cologne and dark intentions. Lucky for her (or is it? She doesn't think so) there's a dark angel from the sunlit side of the Kingdom that is watching out for her, though his arrival is a little late. (Aged-up Varian, NSFW)

Two Men and a Demon Baby: An AU where Varian Tiri is a baby demon that hatched when Fred was grieving his missing daughter and Quirin took him to see his secret Kingdom-secret demon egg, which caused the baby to imprint on both of them.

Villain Teamup: An AU where Cassandra went straight back to Corona instead of wandering aimlessly and found Varian and Andrew recently broken out of prison. (This AU was made LONG before I came up with High-Security, Lucas, Varian being whipped, or Andrew's mistreatment, and also has Andrew being an asshole, but still a big brother to Varian.) The trio team up and later recruit Lady Caine as they plot to attack Corona once all the royals are in town.

Town Secret: An AU where Varian seeks out Gothel for help with a horrible sickness in the village and Gothel brings Rapunzel to heal them all, and they swear to keep Rapunzel's presence a secret from the Capital. (Aged-up Varian)

An AU where Varian and Rapunzel are swapped; age, stones, and roles in life. Varian is now the kidnapped prince and raised by Gothel to believe he's a flower turned human and lives with Gothel and his mother's cursed colleague Regulus. Ulla is Queen, Quirin is King, Rapunzel is the village weirdo, Frederic is in the Brotherhood and Arianna was an adventurous princess from another land that fell in love with the handsome knight and settled down in Old Corona with him. And Eugene and Cassandra are where they usually are.

Eye for an Eye: An AU where Varian goes COMPLETELY off the deep-end after being broken out of prison by the rocks and going to claim the Moonstone Opal before Rapunzel has even reached Vardaros and later returns into the public eye having recruited many criminals until his "Knights of the Moon" and a thirst for absolutely humiliating and destroying Rapunzel and Frederic, capturing Frederic and later luring Rapunzel into an impossible game to win her father back or be their captive as well. (Aged in-story, NSFW)

Little Demanitus: An AU where, following the events of "Cassandra's Revenge", Varian is approached by Zhan Tiri and enticed into making a Deal with her to help her remove the Sun and Moon powers from Rapunel and Cassandra, and to study them with her as she once did with Demanitus.

There's an AU where Andrew is abhorrently abusive that he keeps Varian inside, hides the fact the King and Queen are dead and the city is in ruins and, once Varian is sixteen, takes advantage of the fact he will do anything to make him happy. (Might trash this, I actually don't enjoy it and only wrote up an outline out of pure spite.) (Implied NSFW)

New Girl in Town: There's an AU where Varian escaped prison during an earthquake and flees the Kingdom, only to return years later disguised as a woman with magic (see the necklaces in "The Secret of the black Rocks") to sneak into the castle as a maid and seduce both Eugene and Rapunzel to cause trouble in paradise, as well as cause some trouble for the Kingdom in secret. (Another might scrap)

Make you Proud: An AU where Varian joins Rapunzel on her trip to the Demanitus Device because he collapsed from the long run and so wasn't thrown out and was with Rapunzel when she spoke with Xavier.

Arranged: An AU where Varian is arranged to marry Rapunzel but she loves Eugene who her father doesn't approve of and Varian has been carrying on a relationship with Cassandra in secret (aged-up)

That's just the Tangled stuff, do you want to see the stuff for my other fandoms? XD (Gravity Falls, Death Note, Danny Phantom)

[hollowed-theory-hall]

why did voldemort become a wraith-thing after the killing curse rebounded the first time? does having a horcrux give your original main soul piece a way to not move on?

speaking of which, how could he use the horcruxes to resurrect himself?

Hi!

So, I kind of answered the first part here. The Horcruxes essentially act as anchores. It means they don't let your soul pass into the afterlife since each Horcrux binds your soul to the world of the living, so your soul can't pass into the afterlife.

So, what happened to Voldemort when the killing curse rebounded is different from what happens when the killing curse hits. I think I mentioned it before, but basically in Alchemy everything alive (in Alchemy rocks are alive) is made out of three components:

The soul

The body

The spirit - life that binds the soul and body.

What a killing curse does is essentially disrupt this binding and sucks out the spirit (hence why the spirits of Cedric, James, Lily, and others left Voldemort's wand during the Priori Incantatum in the graveyard. They were the spirits taken by the killing curse). This kills a person because you cannot live without spirit. Then the soul moves on to the afterlife and the body is left behind.

But Voldemort's body was completely destroyed and he had no spirit of himself appear out of his wand during the Priori Incantatum. The rebounded curse was different from a regular killing curse. And I think I can tell you why:

“By which time I shall be gone, and you dead!” spat Voldemort. He sent another Killing Curse at Dumbledore but missed, instead hitting the security guards desk, which burst into flame.

(OotP, 813)

Rebounding spells or spells that hit the wrong target tend to be unpredictable and react in ways different from their regular nature. This missed killing curse set the table on fire, which is not what a killing curse does. But, again, magic is all about intent. Since Voldemort cast the spell with the intention and emotion to kill Dumbledore, all the energy of the spell then just dispersed over the table with no intent, since Voldemort had no intention towards the table when the spell was cast. Basic rebounding and missed spells are very dangerous and unpredictable.

So, when the killing curse rebounded that Halloween night, it destroyed Voldemort's body and released his soul and spirit. The wraith he ended up becoming is his soul that isn't tied to anything.

As for the second part of your question, the simple answer is: he can't.

Horcruxes are anchors, not a way for him to return to life. Sure, a Horcrux is essentially a soul, so the diary could create a body for himself using Ginny's magic and steal her life to bind himself to a new body and return to life this way, but it wouldn't be Voldemort that came back, it'll be Tom in the diary. So, the Horcrux only stops him from moving to the afterlife, from truly dying, they don't help him to return to life. If they did he wouldn't need Wormtail to resurrect himself.