#and given the fact that it has abyssal ties

[inavagrant-a]

Just been given the glorious news that Miss Mona Megistus is making another comeback in the upcoming update. The gift that just keeps giving.

[dear--mars]

His fallacy.

── Synopsis: Childe was never one to dream nor was he someone to ask for more than he already had. The world always took and took from him, but never gave. So when Childe had but one wish, to keep you in the dark, the world flashed you with the ugly truth that Childe so desperately wanted to hide. Not even in death would the archons pity him.

── Character: Childe/Tartagliaa/Ajax

── CW: Mentions of violence and death.

── Notes: Fallacy. A noun meaning a mistaken belief, especially one based on an unsound argument. This is my 1st birthday post. Enjoy the angst. [angst/no comfort]

── Word count: 900+ words

A monster. That’s what Childe was and he knew that. But he couldn’t care less. For him, family ties and the thrill of combat were the essence of his existence. Joining the Fatui only presented with a win-win scenario; he’d elevated his family status within Snezhnaya and was able to fight to his heart’s content.

But then, something happened. 

On an unusually cold day, even by Snezhnayan standards, Childe found himself ambushed by a group from an Anti-Fatui organization. He made quick work of them but had gotten himself accidentally poisoned by one of the assailant's blades.

His head throbbed as his knees hit the freshly laid-out snow. He was on the verge of passing out but before his vision turned black, he saw a figure walking out of the forest.

“...fuck.” He cursed out, assuming the figure was with the assassins. He could do nothing but lose consciousness, waiting to die. Even if the figure wasn’t there to kill him, he’d freeze to death in no time.

So imagine his surprise when he wakes up and sees an unfamiliar ceiling. At first, Childe thought he had gotten captured by the enemy but soon realized he wasn’t chained up nor in a basement of any kind.

Childe hears footsteps and his guard immediately raises. But it drops just as quickly when he sees you peek your head in. “Oh! You’re awake.” You said happily, your eyes lighting up as you walked in with a tray of food.

“You were lying unconscious in the middle of the forest. Not to mention, you were bleeding out and the poison running through your veins.” You said with a sigh as you placed the food on the bedside table.

“You were passed out cold for almost 3 days.” You said exasperated as you raised your hand to take his temperature. “Thankfully, your fever has gone down. The poison should also have been detoxified from your body.” You pulled your hand back and sat down next to the bed.

Childe was speechless, he didn't know what to do. “I-... Thank you…” He mumbled, looking down at his hands, unsure of how to deal with the kindness given to him. 

No one had ever truly taken care of him ever since the day he fell into the abyss. Not even his parents. As much as he loved his family, they were also the reason he was forced to become who he was now. 

“It’s alright, most people would do the same. Anyways, you should eat. I made some calla lily seafood soup. I added some octopus for some added vitamins and minerals.” You said as you handed him the tray.

Childe, unlike most, doesn’t have a favorite nor a least favorite dish. He was never too concerned with taste. This was due to the fact that Childe was often on the road and grew up in the harsh environment of Snezhnaya.

But when he took a bite of your food, he felt his heart start to beat faster, and his eyes, even if it was only for a moment, regained a small light. He ate the food like a starved man, subtle tears rolling down his face.

You had provided him warmth like no other and he was determined not to let you go. With you, Childe felt like he was nothing more than himself. With you, he wasn’t Childe or Tartaglia, he was Ajax.

Over the months you two developed a strong bond. He would share stories of what it was like being in the Fatui, most of the stories were altered though. He would also tell you about the different nations, And what it was like to go out and explore the world. He even shared more personal troubles with you. Mostly about his family.

You knew he was in the Fatui, most people living in Snezhnaya were affiliated one way or another, but you had no idea that he was the 11th harbinger and he planned on keeping it that way.

But things never really go Childe’s way. Running away from home, getting chased by wolves, and even falling into the abyss were nothing compared to the heartache he felt when he saw the pure unadulterated disgust on your face when you found him in his Foul Legacy transformation. 

It ended up turning into a big argument. Childe trying to justify himself and you, completely shutting down his excuses. Amid the argument, when emotions were riding high he couldn't help but ask, “Did you even love me?”

You glared at him in disgust. “Your own mother couldn't even love you, what makes you think I could?” You spat out and Ajax felt his world crashing down. 

You were right. His mother, the one who brought him into this world wasn’t able to handle his temper and violent tendencies. She wasn’t able to push past those obstacles and love her own son.

So why would you? Why would he delude himself into thinking you even could? Yet in the final moments of his life, as he slowly closes his eyes, waiting for death to take him, he can’t help but see a figure standing in front of him. 

He didn't have the strength to open his eyes to confirm if it was you or not, He died alone in the snow with a smile on his face, hoping that you’d come to save him once again.

Childe died a fool, hoping for something that could never happen. After all, you were in Sumeru at the time of his death. And the figure he saw was nothing more than a figment of his imagination.

- Navigation -   - Prismarine -

[monstersdownthepath]

Lord of Vengeance and Cold: Kostchtchie, the Deathless Frost

CR 26

Chaotic Evil Huge Outsider

Bestiary 4, pg. 48-49

Let's clear up the most important bit first: There's actually two official pronunciations for this repugnant Demon Lord's name, so use whichever one you see fit: KOSH-chuh-chai, or kosh-TIK-ti-kai. I prefer the first, as it's closer to his real-world folkloric inspiration in Koschei the Deathless, with whom he shares far more than just a name. Unlike his real-world inspiration, though, Kostchtchie (which I'll be shortening to Kostch from now on) actually DID eventually run afoul of Baba Yaga, and what happened is likely to surprise no one. Already a powerful and feared warlord, Kostch had conquered every enemy he had ever faced except the looming specter of death, and demanded that Baba Yaga make him immortal. Rather than slaying him outright for his impolite request, refusing him service, or transforming him into an unliving yet unaging material, the Queen of Witches was for some reason moved to grant him his request... but, as these stories go, not in the way he wanted.

She tore apart his soul, twisted his body, and broke his mind. Being turned into a statue would have, perhaps, been more merciful.

Portions of his soul were sealed inside of a torc which, while sustaining him like a lich's reliquary, could also be used to command him. The body he was proud of became infused with the essence of the Abyss to turn him into the demonic brute Baba Yaga saw him as. When these torments concluded, she left him to pick up the shattered remains of his ego. Given that she immediately discarded the Torc for someone else to find, granted him demonic resilience and might, and fermented his hatred for giants into a hatred for humanity and turned him from a warlord into a force of nature, it's difficult to say if Baba Yaga did any of this to punish him, or as part of a plan to punish everyone else for allowing such a man to exist. Perhaps, like many of her more eccentric actions, she did it on a whim, or perhaps she did it as part of a plan for the future. Kostch doesn't care one way or another; all he desires now is vengeance, and achieving this vengeance requires nothing less than the destruction of Baba Yaga and everything she's ever created... along with every single other powerful woman in existence out of pure misogynistic spite.

Fun fact: Kostch is such a raging woman-hater that it actually grants him mechanical benefit. He has Favored Enemy, granting him +4 to a suite of checks and rolls against humans (not Humanoids! specifically humans) and Giants, but this bonus is doubled to +8 against women. It's more than a little funny (in a miserable sort of way) to me that he's so pathetically hate-filled because a woman 'dared to best him,' and I have much more to say on the subject--some of which involves pointing out the size of his arms and the jokes I could make on it--but to go further with the joke would take away from Kostch's legitimately threatening kit. So, let's take a look...

Kostch calling himself "Deathless" is not an empty boast. Unlike pretty much every other Outsider in existence, Kostch did not actually die, nor has he once been slain during his ascension to the rank of Demon Lord. He was transformed into a demonic shape by Baba Yaga, and fled to the Abyss willingly to fill the cracks in his body and mind with its essence, going from human to mutant to demon without his soul fleeing its corporeal vessel even once. He retains his (heavily twisted) human appearance, a perfect memory of his life from before, and all the skills he once had, and all of these worry other demons, because if he could do it, maybe more people could. While he's incredibly young for a Demon Lord at only 2500 years old, others are nonetheless wary of him because he ascended to his Lord rank so quickly, and because of his relatively short tenure, very few are aware of the full extents of his power or what tricks he may yet be hiding from them.

"Frost" isn't an exaggeration of his talents either (please keep all 'best served cold' jokes to yourself). Though he has no means to penetrate Cold Resistance or Immunity, he has no real need due to the quality of his frost spells: At-will Cone of Cold to blast a 60ft area with 15d6 Cold damage whenever he wishes, a 3/day Polar Ray to shoot a single target for 25d6 Cold damage and some paltry Dex drain, and most dangerously Polar Midnight 1/day to engulf an area in freezing, murderous darkness. That last one is why he has no reason or need to pierce Cold resistance; if he did, he couldn't drop that spell into his own space and punish anyone who tried to stand and Full-Attack him while safe from the majority of the spell's effects. Anyone who doesn't move at all on their turn while they're inside Polar Midnight is instantly, unavoidably frozen over, trapped in a layer of ice until someone frees them (as they're rendered helpless). Since Kostch has a permanent Freedom of Movement and can Greater Teleport at will as a spell-like ability, he has no issue freeing himself if he ends up hoist by his own petard in the spell's area... or he can avoid it entirely and just take a move action each round while keeping up his DPS via Greater Vital Strike.

Even creatures immune to Cold can still be trapped by Polar Midnight's freezing effect, or his 1/day Mass Icy Prison, a spell that can potentially paralyze or entangle an entire party at once. Even if one succeeds the save, they're still entangled and taking 26 Cold damage every round until something scrapes the ice from them. Once a victim is frozen over or, hell, even when they're perfectly fine and not really inconvenienced by his magic, Kostch enters the fray to do what he REALLY wants: Hit you over and over again with a really, really big hammer. Sorcery is fine and all, it can be convenient when someone won't hold still, and his endless supply of thrown boulders (2d8+13) are alright for buzzing annoyances at a range, but Kostch began his life as a warlord beating people to death with a hunk of iron on a stick, and by god has he gotten really good at it over the years.

This is no mere hunk of iron, though, this is a +5 Adamantine Icy Burst Warhammer sized for a Huge creature and wielded by a creature with a 15ft space and reach. It weighs well over a ton and appropriately hits like a car upwards to four times a round, every blow dealing 3d6+24 +1d6 Cold damage (+4 vs humans and Giants, +8 vs women)... Or, rather, 3d6+40, since Kostch's lore block states he more or less ALWAYS uses his Power Attack, taking a meager -8 penalty to his stacked attack rolls in favor of more damage, which works well with his warhammer's x3 damage if it critically strikes. If he can't Full-Attack, he can use Greater Vital Strike to throw out a single devastating swing for 12d6+40 +1d6 Cold damage! Given that he can wield that intimidating weapon in just one hand, his other hand is open to weave in a single slam each round for 1d8+19 damage, but we'll get to why that's much better than it looks in just a moment.

It should be said that Kostch has a particularly jarring ability: Vengeful Strike. Once per round, he can AoO any creature that hits him in melee. It's a very simple ability that nonetheless allows him to keep piling on damage even outside of his turn, akin to the Legendary Actions of 5e! Compared to most Demon Lords, Kostch's statblock is rather plain, but some of the abilities he DOES have are doozies with multiple moving parts. The first is Crushing Blow, something he can use once a round with his hammer. It's one of those abilities he must declare before he rolls his attack and is wasted if he misses, but given that he's got a +53 (usually +45 due to Power Attack) to the first attack roll he makes with it a round, he's unlikely to miss anything but the most ridiculously buffed Heavy Armor + Tower Shield Enjoyer. Upon hitting with the Crushing Blow, the attack ignores both hardness and DR AND he gets to make a free trip attempt (+52) versus the victim at no risk to himself and without any restrictions based on size. A victim crushed by the blow also has to make a DC 44 Fortitude save or be stunned for 1 round and staggered for 1d4 more, but even if they succeed they're staggered, which can severely cut down on their ability to fight back or escape him. A major problem, because like most Demon Lords he's only vulnerable to a scant handful of attacks (DR 20/Cold Iron, Epic, and Good, and 30 Regeneration only shut down by deific or Mythic sources), attacks you really want to be able to throw out multiple of every round. There's no per-day limit to his Crushing Blow and no immunity clause built in if you succeed your save, so he can just keep using it round after round to stun and stagger so long as he keeps hitting successfully.

The second and objectively the way funnier important ability in his kit is Clutch Foe, which he can use as part of the Grab attached to his slam attack. When he uses just one hand to grapple a Medium or smaller target, he can choose to lift that creature off their feet and hold them in his grip. This has the side-effect of making his grapple easier to escape, imposing a -20 penalty to his grapple checks... which means it goes from +56 to +36, giving him a decent chance to keep hold of most martial characters and almost certainly lets him clutch casters. Each round as a swift action, Kostch can then choose one of three options: Crush his foe, dealing his slam damage plus an extra 1d8+28 damage; throw his foe in any direction he wants (which is treated as a bull rush, a maneuver he gets +54 to); or the last and most hysterical option: wielding his victim as an improvised weapon. A Medium creature wielded in this manner deals 3d6+19 (weapon sized for a Huge creature + his Str mod) damage to anything it hits, and the victim themselves takes half that damage back, doubling the number of creatures being harmed every time Kostch swings around his new Club of Screaming Pain.

If you think it's unlikely he'll be able to hold onto someone long enough to use them as a bludgeon, remember that he has more than a few ways to render someone helpless via icy entanglement... And also Power Word Stun. Or he can just teleport or Time Stop and walk to the weakest person in the party and grab them like a squeaky toy. I appreciate that he has Catch Off-Guard to make sure he's not penalized for attacking with an improvised wizard, but if I were to improve his kit, I'd give him the Two-Weapon Fighting line to allow him iterative attacks with a grappled foe. I just think it'd be funny.

You can read more about him here.

[mx24]

the word "chaos" is used a lot in reference to the roaring so it could be related to that?

undeniably is. chaos ties in heavily to the Titans and their Greek mythological counterparts. fits in with the biblical themes too, of course, but yeah.

big ramble incoming.

so Chaos, in Greek cosmogony, is the void state before the creation of the universe. this same term is used in theology describe the abyss created between Heaven and Earth in the Bible

as an element in Deltarune, we know it is Jevil's. and his tie to the Titan's is mostly VIA his Devilsknife, which is visibly a scythe.

not goin too deep into it here but, in summary, the Titan Cronus had a scythe given to him by his mother, Gaia (Earth). he used it to eh... sever his father's (Uranus, Sky/Heaven) gonads, of which he tosses into the sea.

that's scythes, Titans, Earth, Heaven, and the ocean. the ocean is reoccuring in Deltarune.

it appears as the background in the Goner Maker, playing as audio when Kris falls into ??? Place (that barren area with the Titan eyes and black runny goop), Dark Fountains being water-like, Onionsan's mention of a song from deep below, and water being referenced by Jevil when he is violently defeated. the line of mention beinf "HELL'S ROAR BUBBLES FROM THE DEPTHS". roar, like the Roaring.

but also the usage of Roar is particularly interestin with Susie's Roar ACT, and also the fact that she is the only one that can wield the Devilsknife. we first learn of her as Suzy in the Waterfall area, and she dreams of being a "Susiezilla", which is a reference to Godzilla, a giant, ancient reptile who rose from water.

...getting off topic there, back to chaos.

the Greek mythographer Pherecydes of Syros interpreted Chaos (the abyss/void/whatever) as water. faceless, and dark. Dark Fountains appear to pulse like water.

Hesiod's Theogony suggests that Chaos was a place located below Earth, but above Tartarus (prison of the Greek Titans). fits in with how the DR Titans rise from the Dark Fountains, once balance is thrown. [ somewhat related, a more in-depth analysis between Tartarus and ??? Place. ]

now, a very particularly interesting one to me is the way Chaos is described in Roman poet Ovid's Metamorphoses (that word is quoted by Jevil WHILE he transforms into a scythe). in his writing Ovid describes it as this:

Before the ocean and the earth appeared— before the skies had overspread them all— the face of Nature in a vast expanse was naught but Chaos uniformly waste. It was a rude and undeveloped mass, that nothing made except a ponderous weight; and all discordant elements confused, were there congested in a shapeless heap. (source)

as i mentioned, Susie wields the Devilsknife, and seemingly has a connection to the ocean motif. the way Ovid describes Chaos with being a "rude and undeveloped mass", also fits with Susie's rude abilities and the rude element.

with her being a (likely draconic) reptile monster too, we can compare her to various biblical serpents such as the sea monster, Leviathan, a being that is known as an "embodiment of chaos". the leviathan is also often compared to other figures such as the Beast out of the Sea, and Hellmouth.

well. as of this moment this is all i can remember, but yes. chaos is undeniably connected to the Roaring, and a LOT of other things in Deltarune.

[andro-dino]

for the ask game,

23.Has your favourite character/ship changed over time?

7.Is there a piece of clothing you think Sakyo is particularly fond of/that you imagine them wearing a lot or like to draw them in? (also maybe same question with hyoma or any of your faves really, go wild)

23. Has your favourite character/ship changed over time?

This is really funny bc yes to both and literally in the same order 😭 Kyoya was my favorite when I had only watched fusion and that didn’t change getting back into mfb, but his character regression across the rest of the series definitely made him drop in my ranks a bit. When I was masters-ing really hard, I was going insane about Zeo and I was The Zeo Abyss Guy for a while, and I thought that’s how that’d stay. The first shogun steel watch through or two didn’t change my ranks (and actually Shinobu was originally my shogun steel fav), but then, at some point along the way, The Takanosuke Disease took over. And I would still consider him my #1 favorite, but with all the Sakyo insanity ive been having, I would say those two are both firmly tied for my #1 spot.

As for the ships, I guess if you wanna start way back, when I was little when I watched the show, I was obsessed with kyomado, and I do still adore them, but kyohyotsu quickly became my #1 upon getting back into it (technically I think it started with kyotsu and expanded but eh technicalities). Then with becoming The Zeo Abyss Guy, big into zeotoby for a while, and similarly to before, there was a period of time where takasakyo did not change my rankings at all (and they were in fact 2nd to zyronobu for a time) but now I am Insane about them (this is also omitting the fact that I actually was really hesitant to ship takasakyo romantically for a while bc most of the posts I had seen about them compared them and their dynamic really directly to kenta and ryuga and it made me uncomfortable ahshshs). So yeah <3 although I will add on that I don’t think kyohyotsu ever lowered in my ranks, it’s always also been #1 or at the very least a very close runner up, it just goes on the backburner most of the time now.

7. Is there a piece of clothing you think Sakyo/Hyoma is particularly fond of/that you imagine them wearing a lot or like to draw them in?

This is interesting bc I actually haven’t really thought abt this, surprisingly enough.

For Sakyo, I guess him wearing the item itself isn’t really a hc since it’s a part of his actual design, but part of my kurayami lore is that his belt was originally Ryoma’s and it brings him a level of comfort by being a physical tether he has to his father and his dragon side. Most of what I draw him in is like, form fitting sleeveless stuff based on his actual outfit and I imagine that’d be most comfortable and convenient for him given how active and flexible he is, though I do also enjoy putting him in a good hoodie bc I want him to be a silly comfy teenager <3

For Hyoma, my biggest thing is I imagine he is a big clothes stealer, especially from his partners. I like to think he takes a lot of stuff from Kyoya especially. There’s an idea I’ve had for 5ever that I don’t think I’ll ever get around to drawing but is basically just Hyoma with Kyoya’s necklace from his fusion/masters design asking him “hey do you ever wear this anymore?” and Kyoya responds “not really, no” and Hyoma just gives him The Look and after a beat of silence Kyoya’s like “OKAY FINE YOU CAN HAVE IT!” I think in general he likes having stuff from other people bc it makes him feel more connected to them and also helps when he’s lonely in koma

[diot05]

Ok so i've seen a lotta people argue about whether or not Furina is the Hydro Archon, but what if (and bear with me here) she is ONE Hydro Archon. Like one of the currently standing Lords of Hydro.

Alright hear me out, Arlecchino mentions how Furina is under some kind of a curse, girl doesn't even have a gnosis, her playable self wields a vision and it doesn't seem to be a disguise like the tone deaf bard or geo daddy, so how does anyone believe she's a god?! Well below will be what i think is the power dynamic of the 4 (3.5 actually since one is a machine)

Furina. She is the one most would think of when 'Hydro Archon' pops up in their head, she holds the TITLE of Lord of Hydro, as well as the physical form since she shares the most physical traits with the other Archons (glowing hair and the like), and is thus responsible for representing Fontaine (people call her a mascot for a reason y'all).

Neuvillette. He holds the responsibilities of the Archon, as well as some of the power through being a Sovereign Dragon, that is what originally powered the gnoses after all, and being the only sovereign we've met so far that has been born in a human form AND was given a chance to live in his element's nation peacefully, of course he'd display his mastery over his element more obviously.

Egeria. Despite dying 500 years ago during the cataclysm, her spirit is still around in Teyvat thanks to Rukkhadevata, in fact she's the one responsible for launching that obvious giant green energy blast towards the sky, fighting The Abyss to this day (maybe that's where Neuvillette got it from), so she holds the majority of the Archons power, thus why Furina is so weak and vulnerable compared to the other Archons, 'her' power is still mostly held by her predecessor even after death.

The Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale. It would probably hold the Hydro Gnosis, similarly to how the Dendro Gnosis powered the Akasha Terminals prior to them being deactivated by Nahida, this is the point i'm shakiest on, but my reasoning is that we know very little about Indemnitium, we do know it is produced by the Oratrice but it's not stated to be what POWERS it, it is merely a byproduct of it's decisions in a trial, and if Lyney is right to suspect it ties back to the crisis, along with the strange voice he heard while investigating it, it would make sense the Oratrice is powered by the gnosis and that was Egeria (or Sandrone but that's another crackhead theory, Sandrone mention tho yippee).

With all that said i hope you all enjoyed this silly theory i came up with while rambling to a friend, please don't take it too seriously but if you have anything to add or anything that breaks this theory please let me know! This is very different from my usual shitposts here on Tumblr so i might make more theories in the future, who knows, anyway, byee!

[drjohannn]

Name: Martin Eden Weapon name: Nietzsche & Spencer. EGO: The will to live Details: Depression, Enormous Power Age: 26 Height: 191 cm Marital Status: Single Biography: Martin Eden has been an orphan of Backstreets since he was very young. The need to earn money and the lack of any ties make him try the most diverse jobs: from a simple errand boy to a sailor on various ships. However, life is not as simple as his trips to bars and a lot of admirers among the working class: one day he saves a guy from the Nest from the local bandits, for which he opens the way to the people and to a new love. Long and hard work for the sake of his beloved pays off with bright acquaintances, celebrity and wealth. However, what was it worth, if now the writer is considered to have perished in the abyss of the sea? Now his life is the secret of the whole team of the company Limbus. Character: On one hand Martin is a very kind and sympathetic dreamer. He will never get into a fight with someone who has not run into it himself, and he gets along with children as if they were his own. Along with this, he often goes into thought, making plans for the future and looking for ways to fulfill them. On the other hand - he is purposeful and rebellious, freedom-loving man of culture. Eden is always thirsty for knowledge, does not like lies and the imposition of another's worldview, and is an extraordinary writer and philosopher. In the middle of both of these sides is his desire for justice and his humble opinion of himself. No matter how great he is called, but this man is completely out of society and its opinion, considering himself inferior, but worthy of being recognized at least by his beloved. But this is not given to happen, and therefore all these traits are overshadowed by deep depression. Facts: -One of the Offices, headed by an old friend of Martin's, is named after Eden's work, "The Pearl of the Sea." -Lungs were replaced with artificial ones by the Syndicate who saved him. -Smoking has remained a habit, as it calms him down. -Sometimes tries sketching and writing short pieces, wanting to finally beat his depression and get back to the business of being a creator. -He collects various discarded items (figurines, jewelry, etc.), cleans them and often gives them to others. -Source: Jack London - "Martin Eden"

[discordiansamba]

For the fic asks-

1. Tied between flicker, desert born, the stars shine a different shine, and who you are in the dark

2. All of it. There is so much care put into every single chapter!!!!!

3. Keith. And Pidge. And Hunk, and Allura, Coran, Shiro....

4. Yes. You make them all seem so natural, no matter who you pair up!!

5. Burgundy and Abyss of Memory!!! They look Super Uber exciting!!!!!!

6. I have NEVER forgotten the Oops We Left The Keith We Never Knew We Needed Back On Earth fic. I know it was a side fic to flicker, but it REALLY set the mood and tone for the main story!!!!

7. The absolute TRAGEDY of who you are in the dark. I was tearing up in some parts; it is written SO WELL.

8. I LOVE that your stories are so INTRICATE! When I read them I feel like I could Actually be Watching The Show. EVERY PLOT has stakes!!! Everyone has a Distinct Personality!!!! You give these characters LIFE!!!!!!!

9. I am excited for flicker's update, but I'm Really Excited for some of your new Tumblr ideas!!! I love reading the drabbles of AUs you post!!!!

10. I had never really given much thought about Romelle as a character before finding your Tumblr, you made her really interesting and fun!!

11. ANY of your Tumblr AUs!!! I LOVE the concepts and how your brain works!!!!!

12. I think the one I've reread the most is desert born. If only because I found that one first. :)

13. I'm sad to say I haven't, but I think I drew fanart once?

14. I didn't expect to like the stars shine a different shine so much!! I was Completely Unprepared for Mercenary Keith and Tiny Shiro!!!!!!!!! They are Precious!!!!!!!

15. For the stars shine a different shine, will Keith get more chances to utilize his Mercenary Background?

<3<3<3<3

ahhhhhhh you filled out all the questions! That makes my heart so very happy!!!! That truly is the perfect description for that particular flicker oneshot. Y'all forgot the guy you didn't even even know you needed. How could you do that!!

As for the question, I'm delighted to answer yes! In fact, it's going to come directly into play in the next update which will revolve around the castle invasion. It'll definitely get time to shine in other places as well, since it really changes how he approaches certain situations since he's been in war before and recognizes that the Galra are the sort to use dirty tactics if it'll get them what they want.

[alonelystargazer]

fave ships and why???

hi thank you for sending an ask! hopefully you had or will have a great day! :)

so I'm guessing you mean my fave ships from jjk? I'll answer for that with ItaFushi, HaiNana, and InuOkko! I know this is gonna be a long response, so I put it all under a read more

itafushi

From the first day they met, they showed that they cared about a stranger and wanted to make sure they would be safe, and from then on have shown their devotion to each other, even if it meant risking their own lives. Yuji being tied up and interrogated by Gojo but asking about 'Fushiguro', and Megumi asking Gojo to spare Yuji from his execution and saying his feelings were personal. On that note, I would like to say that while fans like to clown on him for this, like haha gay boy or whatever, I also think this is a good example of Megumi's philoosphy of "I save people unequally". He saw a good person who he believed didn't deserve his punishment and wanted to spare him, and that's not something he would do for everyone. Yuji is kinda the opposite in that way because he's empathetic and wants to save everyone, but at the same time, he has learned that it's not possible, and not everyone will get the death they deserve. BUT he still hasn't given up on Megumi, and he's literally doing everything he can to save him from falling further into the abyss. I guess in that respect, it's a selfish act on Yuji's part because so many lives have been lost already, or are close to the edge, but Yuji won't stop until he can reach out to Megumi. Basically, what I like most about their dynamic is that they are both self-sacrificing and devoted to each other.

HaiNana

I don't know how popular this ship is in this fandom, but I adore it so much! (not that a ship needs to be popular for me to like it) I like to think of them as the "right person, not enough time" ship. Since we don't get to see much of them together in Hidden Inventory, most of what I like about them is based on speculation and headcanons, but that doesn't mean it makes a ship bad. Anyway, I like to think Nanami felt like an outcast when he first joined Jujutsu High since he didn't come from an elite sorcerer family, and growing up, he had no one to guide him. Then he meets Haibara, and at first, he just wants to keep to himself, but Haibara is persistent and wants to be friends with him, and they both share a love of food and bond over it and that's how their friendship develops. We know that Nanami has a more reserved personality, but something about Haibara's optimism and cheerfulness gets him to open up to him, and by extension, with their classmates. And well, I guess I like tragic ships, not that I specifically look out for them, but most of my ships always end in tragedy lol, and this one is no exception. Hence, the biggest reason why I like this ship so much is that Nanami never got over the loss of Haibara, his closest friend, his classmate, his colleauge. It's what made him run away from the world of sorcery, it's the reason why he's so protective of student sorcerers, and the fact that he had a vision of Haibara just before accepting his death is wild to me oughhh!!

InuOkko

To be honest, I didn't get the vision for this ship until I read/watched JJK 0, that's what changed it for me. Yuta being this shy, awkward kid who tends to speak too much as a countermeasure, in contrast to Toge who's perceived as an intimidating and mysterious person because he can't speak. They both have issues with communication but they somehow find a way to understand each other, which is something they don't really have with their other classmates. Plus, they make a good team in battle. And not to mention that one instance where Toge speaks Yuta's name to tell him to run away, even though he was exhausted and on the brink of passing out. Also also, the only reason Yuta gave the higher ups as to why he wanted to kill Yuji being that he cut off Toge's arm, and not for something on a grander scale like the destruction of Shibuya or the hundreds of deaths. They are very defensive of the other.

[ac-liveblogs]

Hello hello~! I really love your ideas for if Genshin was a regular rpg! I'm really curious about what Xiao's storyline would be in this version, and how he'd end up joining the party. He's one of my favourite characters so I'm really happy to see he's a party member~♡

Hi hi, thank you very much! Xiao is one of my favourites too! He ties into some of the themes I want to hit in this rewrite really neatly, so despite originally thinking I was unfairly favouring him I think he turned out to be a really solid pick in the end (I was tossing things up between him and Shenhe for awhile, but I don't think Shenhe is as viable).

This got a bit long!

Xiao would be introduced in the Liyue Archon Quest, and would first appear as an controllable ally during the Osial fight. (Beidou and Kazuha would cameo during that fight as well).

He'd be pretty directionless after the Archon Quest and would encounter the party in the Chasm. For slightly different reasons, the party would get trapped underground and end up having to team up and fight Abyssal forces. It'd be nice to have to actually fight their 'mechanised god' - (it might be fun if they use Azhdaha?) For pacing reasons I'd be shuffling We Will Be Reunited around, and would put the siblings' first reunion in the Chasm.

Xiao and Venti would be present for the Abyss Sibling's Big Destroy The Thrones Monologue + Dain talking about the gods destroying Khaen'riah, which Xiao would have never heard of before despite having lived through the Cataclysm and Venti not really knowing what's up either (sleepy).

(I'd also like to address Xiao and Bosacius during this, per canon.)

Despite having been a Big War, there is shockingly little information on what happened - even the long-life species that lived through it are in the dark.

Zhongli won't talk about what happened (under contract) or why he gave his Gnosis to the Tsaritsa. Given the framing of everything that happened both in Liyue Harbour and the Chasm, Xiao would be pretty concerned about what's going on - after a lot of consideration (and some gentle approval) from Zhongli, he'd decide to accompany the party to Sumeru to try and find out what would've happened back then. (Tied to Xiao's general inclination to repay his debts/protect mortals, redirected here).

When they shipwreck in Inazuma, everyone's pretty out of their depths LOL. And so it goes.

One thing I want to focus on is 'Teyvat, post-Archon', a plot element kicked off by Liyue's introduction of the Age of Man (…kind of). The more we learn about how Archons came to power, the more it seems like Teyvat should be steering towards not having any. This is one reason why I chose to kill Ei and Zhongli, beyond the fact that I don't think the narrative has much use for them after a point.

I think this can be embodied in the early premise of Xiao's character pretty well - it's not society reforming around not having an Archon, Xiao's life and purpose for being literally revolved around serving Rex Lapis, and he doesn't know who he is or what he wants without that. I want him to figure that out.

Because I love when things get worse before they get better, wrenches get thrown in that when Zhongli Dies For Real - it kind of sucks that Zhongli's Erosion plot point isn't going anywhere, and let's face it - Eroded!Rex Lapis that needs to be put down would be a fun boss fight. Zhongli ending up in that state because of the Abyss Order (and/or Pantalone? - depends how the Pierro thing shakes out) might mean that the first thing Xiao 'wants' is revenge :>

(also why have hu tao if you aren't going to have a funeral, really)

I also want to address the Big Question Mark surrounding him and Venti, and the way their characters complement and contrast each other. In this AU, I assume he and Venti had never properly met prior to canon - Venti still saved Xiao, but is unaware that he did so, and Xiao knew he was saved by Barbatos, but doesn't know what he looks like. Xiao would get to know Venti a bit before learning his true identity… as with Zhongli, Xiao feels he owes Venti his life, and struggles to know how to interact with Venti/figure out how to repay a debt to a person that really doesn't want that debt repaid.

I don't really think they know what to make of each other for various reasons, but they'd learn a few things from each other. A lot of what I want to cover with Xiao is him learning to put his weapon down (stop considering himself a weapon). A good representation of that would be Xiao getting to a point point where he feels comfortable donning his Yaksha mask for a selfish reason, and dancing to Venti's music.

Xiao dealing with the fallout of Venti's uh... loss or Big Sleep would be another turning point for his character... contrasting Xiao with Signora's own revenge quest, given its aimed at Venti, could be fun. (a work in progress)

By the end of it all, I'd like Xiao to be at peace with himself and know how he wants to live out the rest of his life. It's just gonna be a topsy-turvy ride to figure all that out in a world in flux.

In this AU, I assume he and Venti had never properly met prior to canon - Venti still saved Xiao, but is unaware that he did so, and Xiao knew he was saved by Barbatos, but doesn't know what he looks like. Xiao would get to know Venti a bit before learning his true identity… as with Zhongli, Xiao feels he owes Venti is life, and struggles to know how to interact with Venti/figure out how to repay a debt to a person that really doesn't want that debt repaid.

I don't really think they know what to make of each other for various reasons, but they'd learn a few things from each other. A lot of what I want to cover with Xiao is him learning to put his weapon down (stop considering himself a weapon). I'd like to get their friendship to a point where Xiao has grown enough to feel comfortable donning his Yaksha mask for a selfish reason, and dancing to Venti's music.

Other notes:

The Serenitea Pot the party uses as a home base would be Xiao's Adeptal Realm. He literally never used it because he was always active in Liyue, so it's totally empty and he lets Traveler do whatever they want with it. Xiao having a home by the end of this would be nice.

Out of the Liyue cast, I wanted to focus on Xiao's relationships with Wangshu Inn, Zhongli and Hu Tao first and foremost.

Xiao would be uncomfortable fighting humans, and be unhappy when Kazuha and Collei fight powerful inhuman enemies at first. He'd become a lot more comfortable with this over the course of the game, so he's more at ease with Liyue protecting itself (him fighting with them, not for them.)

Kazuha robbing an Adepti's realm for that Zither would be absolutely scandalous for Xiao LOL. (Kazuha having sticky fingers for the worst things as a recurring character trait would be fun. I want him to take Ei's katana.)

I think that Archons can empower their servants within their domains. Xiao can only hear people calling for him/teleport in Rex Lapis' territory, and he's weaker outside Liyue (power balancing). These servants can't carry those abilities outside their Archon's domain - doing so would be considered an Archon stepping on anothers' authority, and a major slight if not outright provocation. So the Tsaritsa empowering the Harbingers and sending them to other countries is VERY disrespectful, but not in a way most people pick up on.

I want Xiao to beat Cyno in a fight, because I think a onesided Cyno > Xiao rivalry would be funny. I also think Tighnari telling the party off for trying to cross the Withering would be really funny, because the Guardian Yaksha getting yelled at by a mortal for being an idiot that ignored "DANGEROUS: DO NOT PROCEED" signs because he thought he could handle it it would be hilarious.

[reginrokkr]

𝐂𝐋𝐗𝐈𝐈𝐈. Today I woke up earlier than usual and chose violence upon seeing yet another couple of details missed in translation that make me salty, specially because they're related with Travail and, once again, with the subtlety play Dain is known for in many miscellanies.

So apparently, the first detail that I read up is that the use of thrones or divine thrones of Celestia doesn't necessarily allude to a throne of power, given that gods in Teyvat are pretty much rulers. But instead, it's more so related with the concept of "throne of destiny" given that the Chinese term used for both thrones and constellations are one and the same. This could give some room for speculation and wonder if, when there is mention in Before Sun and Moon that the second throne came and warred against the Primordial One and 3/4 shades, a new vision of the future was also brought. Which, for better or for worse, could fall in place with Phanes' concerns about the rise of delusions and more that comes with Forbidden Knowledge. But knowing what's happening and the premise that at least to some extent he's responsible for the mess we're witnessing by the hands of the gods: even though the Second Who Came brought Forbidden Knowledge, in terms of raw knowledge is it actually negative or positive? And my reasoning to wonder this is that the Abyss is known for delivering knowledge and it's also known that the Abyss acts like some kind of gateway to influences outside Teyvat, and the potential that some of these tried to enter or are even aware of what's happening but their way to Teyvat is blocked. It would make further sense if we think that its skies are fake as yet another layer of "protection" from the outside.

And now what concerns Dain, he's always tied with destiny in some shape or form. Starting from the fact that he was searching his own destiny when he lost everything with Khaenri'ah's destruction, to his title as the confluence between the past and the future (future isn't exactly a 1:1 of destiny, but they are related), the fact that he has something to do with reweaving all threads of destiny and rejecting this world, which to my interpretation what he's rebelling against is the fate / Heavenly Principles as he keeps saying time and time again that he's an advocate that everyone is masters of their own destiny, as in saying that it's not being the case as things currently stand. To wrap this point up, it's curious that the Heavenly Principles (sometimes interchangeable with destiny / fate) started with Phanes and that, if the Second Who Came is meant to represent a new destiny, the Heavenly Principles continue to predominate.

◜That (divine) throne (of destiny) in the high heavens was never a seat reserved for you from the start.◞

Reading this brings something new in question: what isn't reserved for someone is that they can't achieve godhood despite that's what it's said to be the case (perhaps godhood but with a shit ton of small letters that no one reads) or that it is their destiny that they aren't allowed to choose? We have a "Loom of Fate" operation undergoing, and a new interpretation of Lumine's quote of "I won't rest until the Abyss has engulfed the thrones" is added if we re-shape the quote as "I won't rest until the Abyss has engulfed the constellations".

◜But oh, you who oversteps your bounds, do not stop walking here. For none can watch the fire burn from the other side of the river. Watch...◞

This here is what makes me salty the most, and it's because apparently the Chinese wording of "overstep" can also mean "to usurp". While for now I don't have anything major to say about this, it's the subtlety play that I talked about earlier that makes me raise an eyebrow because in the past (recent and distant) Dain proved to have a way with his words that at first glance and given the timing, it's hard to pay attention to as something relevant but once more information comes that is related to that, it makes you realize that his word choices aren't coincidental and this is one more detail that sheds some light with that. If anything because any knowledge about usurpers seems to be among the highest most classified knowledge of this world (there is an interesting ranking of that, but the lore is too extensive to make one of those) and as always, even though he doesn't state it openly, he once again says something that only those who know about it would understand.

[jafndaegur]

20 Questions for Writers

My beloved @chierafied tagged me in this so obvi I had to do <3

AO3 username: Jafndaegur

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 24 (most of my works are here on Tumblr ^^")

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 244,262

3. What fandoms do you write for? Sesskag (Inuyasha), Mystic Messenger, Wangxian & various Mo Dao Zu Shi ships, Genshin Impact, Thunderbolt Fantasy, and the Hobbit.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Blood Runs Thicker (The Hobbit) - Kudos: 791

Shatter Me (The Hobbit) - Kudos: 383

The Seventh Wonder (WangXian / MDZS) - Kudos: 347

Of Jade and Claw (ZhongItto / Genshin Impact) - Kudos: 247

Gravitational Fairytale (WangXian / MDZS) - Kudos: 209

5. Do you respond to comments? I really do try to. But I have a Goldfish Brain™, and typically forget that I've read a comment and never respond. 🙈

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? The angstiest ending??? I'm going to say it's tied between Blood Runs Thicker (The Hobbit) since it ends with Bilbo completely abandoning a Dwarven-given identity under the pretense that he was never loved and has to move on - and then a time when I'm without you (WangXian / MDZS), where Lan Wangji must deal with the fact that Wei Wuxian is actually dead and there's nothing he can do but grieve alone.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? My happiest ending for a story is probablyyyy where's my angel (Mystic Messenger) or The Seventh Wonder (WangXian / MDZS). Granted if this was my Tumblr fics, there'd be WAY more fluff to pick from - my favorite being Fragile Duetto (Mystic Messenger).

8. Do you get hate on fics? Not really. If I do, any hate is on my old Hobbit fics which were basically abandoned after a serious bout of online bullying back when I was 14. It was a good time lol. I don't really go back to those fics.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Not often, and certainly only on special occasion. Any M-rated smut has never been published, though - and I certainly didn't put any on AO3. Only degenerate papapapapapa stuff here on the hellhole Tumblr platform uwu

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? Oh absolutely! I started off fanfiction as a crossover writer on FFnet. My first fic was a very tame How to Train Your Dragon x Rise of the Guardians that got really popular. Since then tho, I think my craziest xover was a Mystic Messenger x Style Savvy crossover? The 2 universes together just make so much sense tho in my head lol.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I know of rofl I'm neither that good or that wellknown - although I wouldn't be surprised if any of my abandoned stuff got stolen.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Again, not that I've known of.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Back in the old days on FFnet, I co-wrote a couple Hobbit stories, and a How to Train Your Dragon x Percy Jackson story. Idk what happened to them, they're in the abyss somewhere.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? All time favorite ship? Objectively WangXian (Wei Wuxian / Lan Wangji). Subjectively? Bagginshield. I just go back to them when I'm depressed - they are a comfort ship for sure.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? As I am retired from fanfic writing, I doubt a lot of my fics will ever actually get finished. But Noise of Rain (Sesskag) is a story I dream of finishing - it's my female rage, villain arc redemption, true anti-hero love child. Maybe one day I'll come back to it.

16. What are your writing strengths? Long ago, I'd say exposition. Now it's definitely transformed into vignette romanticism, and dialogue (this has come from my recent influx of script writing though).

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Actually sitting down and writing. It's such a slow process for me and my brain runs too fast sometimes to be able to write something out coherently or the way I want to.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? Oh I absolutely adore it! It's a very fantasy trope to have different languages actually written in a story, but I'm HERE for it. I didn't take two years of linguistics to not include bits and pieces in a story.

19. First fandom you wrote for? As I mentioned earlier, it was for How to Train Your Dragon x Rise of the Guardians.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written? Oh I ABSOLUTELY have a favorite child. It's not popular (or finished, RIP), but I love it most by far - Shattered Euphony (ReZhong / Genshin Impact). I consider it one of my greatest works, both in original and fanfic writing. One day I will finish it.

Tagging @anon-drabble @reifromrfa (no pressure tho) and anyone else who'd like to join <3

[jinmukangwrites]

weep little lion man (4/14)

First - Previous - Next

Fandom: Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order/Survivor Rating: T Warnings: Unreliable Narrator, Drama Queens™ Ao3 Notes: sorry for being a week late posting this on Tumblr. Formatting fanfiction on Tumblr is. So. Annoying. So, just know that I always prioritize uploading things on AO3 first, which just got chapter 5 of this fic uploaded this morning. I'll upload chapter 5 on Tumblr later, probably Sunday to give a few days between posts. Until then, please enjoy this chapter <3

Summary: After defeating Dagan Gera for a third and final time, the Compass ends up in Bode's hands without a scratch. He could go back to Jedha with Cal... but he's holding what he wants. He doesn't see the point in pretending any longer. He makes a split-second decision. Or: Bode's betrayal goes a bit differently.

~~~°~~~

The walk back to the old Jedi ruins is an awkward one.

Cal feels emotionally tied up; bent and squeezed in all sorts of directions. Walking with, even at a few steps distance, a man who's betrayed him so deeply and personally feels... degrading.

Honestly, how is he supposed to react to this? There's no Jedi handbook that tells you how to react when your former best friend betrays you, kidnaps you, and forces you to live on an inescapable planet. Sure, maybe Master Yoda would have had something wise to say, but Cal's on his own. All he knows is that fighting Bode wouldn't accomplish anything. At least he has the comfort of knowing he's the only one victimized here. His family is safe, and they will continue to be as long as Cal doesn't threaten a little girl which he definitely doesn't plan on doing even if the hanging threat wasn't there.

Cal can deal with that. He can function knowing this only hurts him. He can walk with his captor back to where they'll be staying, untied and in fresh clothes, and not feel the need to pull his lightsaber out. In fact, given time, Cal's almost willing to forgive Bode. If anyone understands what it's like to be desperate, it's Cal. If anyone understands what it's like to be obsessive, and terrified of what the Empire could do to the ones you love most to the point of hurting the ones you love most, it's Cal.

While Cal's priority is to find the Compass and the ship and get out of here, he also can't help the small sliver of wishful-thinking that maybe, just maybe, Cal can get Bode back.

But for now, the thought of Bode even looking at him makes his skin crawl. He's just glad Bode isn't trying to make small talk.

So yeah, the walk is emotionally awkward, but Cal tries to ignore that and instead focus on how physically needed it is. Every step comes with a limp from his wounded knee, sure, but moving his body, stretching his muscles, it relaxes him far more than what a good night's sleep could ever do. Cal's always moving. It's what reminds him that he's still alive, and that he can still fight the Empire.

The Jedi temple comes into view, and Cal finds himself abruptly recognizing the path they're walking. The flora is different, as are some rock formations, but he's been here before within the memories of Dagon Gera.

The temple is magnificent, as large as the mountain itself. Cal can't help but behold the sight of it, reveling in its history. It's meaning. It's role in Cal's life hundreds of years after its architects died.

Bode stops near the edge of the cliff and lets out a low whistle. "To think a place like this has been completely hidden for hundreds of years, you have to wonder why the Council abandoned it."

Cal wants to stay silent, but he can't help his shrug. "The people who attacked it could pass through the abyss in mass numbers. Probably wasn't worth the lives it would cost to defend."

Bode tilts his head in a slight nod. "Probably. Good thing they did, though, left it the perfect hiding place."

Cal's lips thin. It's not just a hiding place. It's a haven. The selfishness of keeping it for themselves instead of sharing it with other victims of the empire makes Cal's stomach churn. He doesn't want to argue again, not now. He has to act complicit, get a lay of the area, figure out Bode's boundaries and push.

"C'mon, scrapper," Bode says, adjusting his duffle and Kata's bag on his shoulders. "Not far to go."

-o-o-o-o-

There's an abandoned starship. Cal spots it the second they get to the top of their current cliff, and he knows Bode sees it too. Cal doesn't have to wonder about it's functionality because Bode doesn't stop him when he bee-lines toward the machinery the second they carefully make their way down the steep slope.

Bode had definitely already checked the ship out to see if it's functional; if it worked, it wouldn't be here for Cal to see.

But he approaches anyway. Partly because checking out broken ships for anything that still works is something he's an expert at, but mostly because curious and often the victim of low impulse control. Psychometry has its ups and downs, but it certainly enables him to stick his nose into places where it might not belong.

He sets the duffle down, poking his head into the rusted heap of junk, eyes immediately landing on various shredded consoles and controls. It's immediately obvious that this is a battleship of some sort, based on the one pilot chair and lack of anywhere else for passengers to sit. There's faded text written here and there within the interior of the ship, but nothing in any language he knows.

The echoes are faded here, nothing he can sense besides faint emotions; anger at the Jedi, exhilaration of the hunt, fear as the ship hurdles to the ground.

He sighs and wishes BD-1 were here. Or Cere. Maybe one of them knows who's responsible for the invasion of Tanalor. Cal's never been known for having good marks in his history lessons, despite how his rare Force ability is practically a direct link to history itself. That's something Master Tapal had always tried to pound into his head, something that never really stuck around when Cal was much more interested in lightsaber fighting and parkour... despite not being very good at either until he got off Bracca.

He'd always been afraid of the past when he was a child. Of echoes. The council warned him time and time again that using psychometry in the time of war could lead him to the Dark Side if he found himself in the wrong kinds of echoes. Echoes of hatred, of death, of turning to the Dark Side.

It's only now as an adult that he's learnt that maybe those warnings were not to scare him, but to seek toward greater understanding.

He exits any lingering memories and focuses back into the mind of a scrapper. Regardless of the time period or group of sapients that created the ship, most things surprisingly follow an unintentional pattern. He doesn't physically poke around too much, he hopes to keep this looking more like he's curious in a psychometric sort of way rather than a scrapper way, at least to Bode. He carefully makes sure that if he has to touch anything, he uses an ungloved hand and just sorta hopes he doesn't find any strong echoes hiding that won't ask permission before dragging him under.

He doesn't. Luckily.

By the time a few minutes passed, he finds the radar is completely crushed, the steering controls frayed. The power supply fried. Nothing is salvageable from here, but when he steps away he can't help but feel an inkling of hope. If there's one crashed ship here, there are others, maybe ones that have fared their crash landings better. Ones Bode doesn't know about.

He needs to test his leash, once he can. Find out how much space Bode's willing to give him, how long he can go out of sight.

He's taken apart more ships than what he can count, it's not... entirely impossible for him to reverse engineer, especially if he finds a High Republic ship. If he can't find Bode's jet, then he'll just have to make his own.

-o-o-o-o-

A familiar tune reaches Cal's ears as they approach the final large clearing before the temple. It cuts off, however, as the singer notices their arrival.

A little girl, barely taller than what Cal was when he was a Padawan—and believe him he was small—stands up from where she was sitting on a decorative ledge of the temple, her eyes are wide and locked directly onto Cal.

"Hey, baby girl," Bode says as he stops a few feet from her. Cal stops as well, suddenly feeling completely lost in what to do.

"Is this him?" Kata asks hesitantly, her eyes flickering to her father before stubbornly returning to Cal. The irony of that isn't lost on Cal, her father can barely look at him while she stares unashamed. "Your best friend?"

Cal winces, and she must notice that because her eyebrows and nose-bridge crease.

Bode gives a tight smile, his hand lifting as if to rest it on Cal's shoulder but thank the stars he thinks better of it and brings his hand to the back of his neck. Cal could feel his entire body tense.

And it's odd. This sudden respect for personal space. It makes it near impossible to find out where Bode's boundaries lie. How far he's willing to go. One minute he's fully willing to restrain and stuff him into the smallest cargo compartment Cal has ever seen—(a lie, he's being dramatic)—and the next he's apologizing for touching and refraining from acting too physically.

Perhaps it's because Cal may no longer be restrained by physical means, bound now by having nowhere to go even if he did run.

"Yeah, honey, this is him. Cal Kestis." Bode lowers his hand back down to his side. Cal sighs silently, then offers Kata the most genuine smile he can muster. "Though, Cal and I had a bit of an argument, but he's here to stay."

Kata looks down at a little plush she's holding in her hands, then back at Cal with her nose wrinkled further. "You don't look that much like Mookie," she says, baffling Cal, before turning to her father. "If you had an argument, why don't you apologize?"

Cal takes it as a win that Kata immediately assumes Bode's the one who should apologize.

"Well," Bode says carefully, "sometimes arguments can't be settled with just an apology."

"If you're friends," Kata says, "it should be."

Bode's face tightens for a second before he sighs. "Cal and I just need some space and time to figure out what's important. Why don't you show us around the place, surely you didn't sit out here the whole time."

She stares at Cal for a second longer before nodding and turning. "I didn't," she says.

Cal releases a breath he didn't know he was holding. Judging by how Bode's shoulders dropped, he didn't know either.

After a second, they both begin following Kata into the temple. She walks with little hesitance, leading Cal to believe that she truly had done her fair share of exploration while waiting for Bode to return.

Instead of thinking too deeply about Bode's comment that they need to quote unquote figure out what's important and spiraling into an angry inner rant, Cal busies himself by admiring the architecture around him.

There's something about Jedi temples. No matter the planet, era, intention. When Cal was younger, they used to inspire him. The Force would flow between every little building brick and intentional decoration, promising wisdom and strength with age and experience.

Now Jedi temples are ghosts. The walls have eyes, and they're watching him. Challenging him. Every standing Jedi Temple is a challenge.

A challenge to his connection to the Force and his kyber crystal. A challenge to duality, detachment, connection, fortitude, clarity, reason, ambidexterity.

What challenge these walls hold for him he cannot even begin to guess, but he knows it's there. It'll reveal itself when it's ready. When he's not.

Who knows, maybe with enough exploration he'll find out the name of the temple is something like "Temple of Patience." Or sanity. Or composure. Tolerance, maybe? The Temple of Stop Trusting People So Easily has a nice ring to it.

Maybe one day he'll get back to Koboh and ask Zee if the temple has a name and she'll say, "oh why yes it does! It's honestly such a coincidence I have met you Cal, as the temple is named Cal's Ability to Refrain From Force Pushing a Former Best Friend Into the Nearest Star! Yes it's a strange name, but Master Khri insisted!"

Eventually, Kata leads them to a medium, dusty corridor that has rooms lining the sides. At the end, there's a cave-in, which piques his interest. He wonders if there's any echoes at the far end that will hint as to what's on the other side, though for now Kata shows them the rooms she found and claims the biggest one for herself but also says she would like to spend the night with her papa tonight. Bode indulges her, promising her that he'll set up a place to sleep in a moment.

Kata gives one last look at Cal, gives a smile, then takes her bag into her claimed room, leaving Cal and Bode alone once again.

Cal glances at Bode, keeping his expression neutral as Bode finally turns towards him, his eyes settling at a familiar point between Cal's jaw and shoulder.

"Anything you want to say, you can say it, Scrapper."

He doesn't sound confrontational, but he definitely sounds like he knows something's been on Cal's mind for a little while. Cal curses himself for letting Bode get close enough to where he could read Cal so well.

Well. Might as well say what's on his mind.

"What are your limits, Bode?"

Bode blinks. "My limits?"

"The rules. Conditions. How long is my leash?"

He doesn't mean to say leash with poison, but he supposes the muzzle got to him.

"I've... told you the rules. If you go after Kata, there will be consequences. If you go after me, I will defend myself. You're not on a leash, Cal."

Cal scoffs. "It can't be that simple."

"Why is that so hard to trust?"

Cal levels him with a glare. "You want an answer to that?"

Bode pauses, purses his lips. "Yeah, I asked for that one."

Cal takes a deep breath, it doesn't calm him. "Look, Bode, I don't know what to expect from you. You're unpredictable, everything I thought I knew about you was a lie. I can't read your mind, I don't know what you want from me. How do I know I'm not going to push too far on some unseen boundary and end up tied-up and locked away somewhere. I saw you keep those restraints."

Bode has the audacity to look offended. "Cal, I know you don't see it, and I know it wasn't done in the best way-" Cal snorts "-but you're not my captive. You can do whatever you want except ruin what I have for Kata."

"Everything except go back to Koboh."

Bode pauses.

"I'm not your captive, huh?"

"It's for your own good," he says, voice low. "You'll see that."

"And what if I don't?" Cal challenges. "What if I spend every day from here on out hating you. Running from you. What if I spend every waking moment searching for the compass and your jet until I can leave you here."

Probably a bit too on the nose, but Cal has to know how much he's risking here.

"Lower your voice," Bode says sharply, Cal almost forgot they were right outside Kata's chosen room. "You want rules? Will having punishments make you feel better? Fine. You win. I'll get you rules. You try to leave, if I catch you anywhere near where I've hidden the compass and my jet, there'll be consequences."

Cal resists looking too pleased with making Bode lose his composure, even if his threats are made in whispers. He lifts a hand, and does something he wasn't even expecting of himself. He places it on Bode's shoulder, and his gut twists in satisfaction when he flinches.

"Then start there," Cal says, patting his shoulder. He releases his hand, then cocks an eyebrow. "So, will I have my own room or will I be chained to your bed?"

Bode glares at him, meeting his eyes. Cal really shouldn't push Bode more than he already has, but he almost can't help it. He knows so little of what the future holds, knowing what sets Bode off as early as possible will surely help in the long run. Besides, it's... it feels good in a venomous way to finally be getting reactions out of him. To finally be seeing his true, traitorous nature under that false smile and considerate words.

"Get some sleep, Kestis," Bode says, tone like ice. "Sleep outside for all I care right now."

Bode turns heel and walks away from Cal, entering Kata's room.

Cal stands there for a minute, letting the won argument wash over him.

Sleep outside, huh?

He scoffs humorlessly to himself, walking down the corridor to the cave-in. He turns into the room on the left, but he doesn't enter. He drops his duffle, fixes his hair, then turns right around to do exactly as Bode suggested.

Or well, half exactly. He won't be sleeping, but outside seems more inviting and less aggravating than the thought of being inside within the same mile's radius of Bode anyways.

[notthestarwar]

Snippet from: When is a monster not a monster? Oh, when you love it. Chapter 5

Ghost Mace speaks to past Jaster (alive) and tells him what he knows of Jango's future, in the life he lived.

Mace's brow stiffened. "When we realised what we had done, we tried to find him but we could not."

"We tried to find the True Mandolorian's but the survivors had fled in all directions. We did try and see justice done, there was an overhaul of our internal mission preparation process. We changed our training. Dooku left the order as did his apprentice."

"None of it could make up for what we did. Years after the fact, I learnt that Jango was sold in to slavery by the governor. It took him years to escape. I learnt of the weight of what we had done in helping end the True Mandolorian's. In leaving Death Watch unchecked."

He meets Jaster's eyes. "We are here to discuss why we haunt Jango, but it would be remiss of me to not tell you that your son has haunted me every single day since the day I left on a mission to retrieve him; to attempt to offer reparations for what my peoples neglect brought down on him, and came home empty handed."

" We thought him dead, but I did not forget him. From that day, I've carried the weight of what we did to him. I have often thought of him over the years." Mace shook his head.

"You hold no blame here, but we just might."

And isn't that a thing. His son haunting a Jedi even before that Jedi might haunt him.

Jango is tangled up in something here far beyond Jaster's reckoning.

Mace is laying out the constituent parts that when put together, make Jango in to the man that is responsible for the death of every single person standing in that warehouse. Jaster isn't sure where that leaves him, because once he's done hearing this story, in the years that lay ahead of them yet, every single one of these horrible pieces is going to fall in to place. Tragedy after Tragedy ready to be pasted and slapped on to the boy he loves, his son, in order to make him in to the man that did this.

How the hell can Jaster stand by and let that happen?

There are no rules that apply to Jaster, not anymore. He doesn't care about morality or the ethics of fucking with a future that's apparently already happened. He has no care for his own code, not now. None of it matters.

Jaster is Jango's buir, before all else. He has been from the day he stepped in to a smoldering farmhouse and against the odds saw signs of life dancing across his HUD. The Ka'ra gave him Jango and by god, it can stand back while he brings his son back from the abyss.

Mace is watching him. "Jaster, you had no hand in making Jango Fett the man he became at the end. You did not abandon him, you were taken from him. I need you to know this. You should know that none of this was your fault. "

Jaster doesn't care. It doesn't matter if its his fault or not, he is responsible all the same; because he wants to be. He didn't fall in to parenthood, he walked in to it willingly. For Jango, there is no monster that Jaster will not face.

The ka'ra has given him one last gift. The opportunity to see Jango's life after Jaster, and a few precious years in which to try and change them. It may not be in Jaster's power to save his son from himself but by god, he'll die trying.

He looks at the Jedi.  "Tell me the rest."

Some of my thoughts below the cut

Some of my thoughts (because clearly rambling in the comments hasn't been enough for me lol)

I had a lot of fun with this one. I've written about ghosts before but with this one, I went at it from another angle. In this au, ghosts aren't bound by linear time. If you do something that leaves a ghost tied to your soul, they are tied to you in the past as well as the future. Jango and Jaster are both Force Sensitive (tho with a Mando understanding of it. They call it 'star touched') and so can see ghosts.

In this fic, moving in with Jaster sets Jango on the path that brings him to the prequels. Once he's on that path, the ghosts that'll be tied to him in his future, can move freely along the timeline, with each of them pulled to a particular version of Jango. Jango will obviously be responsible for the deaths of quite a few people, there are his bounties, the Jedi and the clones and so on; but when the first ghost appears he's just a kid. The story deals with Jaster coming to terms with the fact that his kid, who he loves beyond reason, even if he stumbled upon him quite by accident, one day becomes the person that will make all these ghosts.

At first there's only one ghost in their time, but Jaster can't let it go (tho he knows he should), he needs to know what happens. So he keeps asking until she admits that she isn't the only ghost and that they are tied to Jango as he's responsible for their deaths. Then, he keeps pushing until she introduces him to the others. She gathers them in a warehouse (so Jango doesn't see) and takes Jaster there.

In the part of the story this snippet is from, Jaster has just been confronted with an excessive number of people (including children) who are all tied to Jango as he's responsible for their deaths. He's had a (understandable) freak out, and ghost Mace has taken him aside and offered to tell him what he knows of Jango's future, and how it led to the death of so many people.

What follows is a buddy up adventure between Mace and Jaster (unlikely duo) in which Jaster tries to come to terms with what Mace has told him, and the horrible events that led to Jango becoming the man that would one day be responsible for all these ghosts. While he tries to save Jango from himself, long before he needs saving.

The idea behind the fic is the inevitability of a tragedy. There's a feeling when you're watching a tragedy play out, that it's all so unnecessary, that it didn't need to happen, but you only know that because as the audience you know that they are in a tragedy, the characters don't know. So what if a character did know? Jaster is served advance notice, will having that allow him to save Jango, or will it just feed in to the fulfillment of this prophetic future?

I wanted to explore the fact that there's only so much one particular character can do, in trying to prevent the end another is headed towards and also, the power of familial love, even when it's found somewhere unexpected. Jaster isn't Jango's blood family, he didn't even know him till he was an older child, which I think makes his love for Jango in spite of knowing what he will become, all the more powerful. The glimpse of Jango's future is disgusting to Jaster, it goes against all he believes in, but its Jango so he can't hate him for it, he loves him too much and so, he's determined to save him from himself. He's willing to do the impossible.

Then there's Mace: so in this au, Mace is sent out shortly after Galidraan, when it becomes clear to the order that they've made a mistake, to find the survivor they left in the hands of the Governor, and to right a wrong. He isn't successful, he looks everywhere but he can't find him, and in the end the order write him off as dead. In this au, Jango was 18 on Galidraan and what Mace sees as his failure to save someone that was little more as a child, and suffered so greatly thanks to what the order see as their own neglect, haunts him for the rest of his career.

Its that idea of 'the one case you couldn't close'. It's at the start of his career and he goes on to do amazing things, Mace is peak Jedi, he invents a new form, he's one of the youngest Jedi to be elected to the council, he ends up heading that council, but he is still human (or near human lol sw complicates everything. he's 100% human in a fallible/emotional/sapient sense) I think that as a Master Jedi he's very aware of his own weaknesses, and he tries to work through it, he talks to it with other Jedi, and he certainly doesn't let it affect his judgement, but he can't forget it all the same.

So it's this version of Mace that ended up meeting Jango in the arena. Which I think adds such an interesting angle.

[abyssmalice]

Profile - re. mobile / the Speaker ;

Name: "Freyja" (The Lady)

Real Name: Tonia Agapova

Age: ??? (21+ physically ; ∞ in reality)

Species: Human(???) / Irminsul-Human Immortal

Vision: None / Cryo / ???

Weapon: Catalyst / Spear

Constellation: Somniator (The Dreamer)

Affiliation: The Irminsul

Epithets: Memory of the Leylines / Speaker of the Leylines / God of Hearts

FC: Zero (primary); Karina Leopold (primary); Kanoyeel.kkll.Preciel (secondary)

Appearance:

Appears as a young woman in her early twenties with long brown hair, some of which is tied into a pair of braids on each side of her head. Leyline flowers are weaved into the braids, matching the simple white dress she wears. Tends to wear a black cloak decorated with star patterns and fur trims with a heavy hood that easily obscures her features.

If said hood gets knocked off, they’d get a quick peek of a freckled face, a single sky-blue eye - and where there should be a second eye, a leyline flower grows from the socket, large enough to hide the fact that she’s missing an eye there at all.

Personality:

A delicate existence. Her presence is soft and quiet, while her distant smiles nonetheless radiate the faint warmth of sunbeams coating fresh snow. But the moment she is thrust into the need to fight or struggle, her gentleness becomes the mercy of death and her warmth into the spilling of blood. In that way, she is the same no matter what the situation is - the only difference is if she’s smiling or not. For there is nothing to be happy about in the aftermath of a slaughter.

Yes. She will avoid conflict no matter the cost. For what has her greatest struggle against the destinies of the gods brought her except misery and an eternal exile into the land without time? She will give her kindness and her wisdom and her smiles to any who ask - but the moment she must give her heart in any amount or form, that is the end of it.

(And yet. And yet. Her heart is burning. And the leylines remember all that has ever happened. How could she forget it - the devastation, the numbness, the grief? But what can one person do against the gods—)

Biography

Once upon a time, Teyvat was brought into existence.

But before that genesis, there was another world. Another Teyvat. Much the same as the one that stands in existence now, but - Celestia, it seemed, was very much in the mood to be experimental, in those ancient of ancient times.

The constellations were a little dimmer, scattered, different. People followed different paths, created different futures - and of those destinies, unlike the one we know of now, a boy with the name of a hero did not have a misadventure in a world beneath the earth.

No. His fate would be different. The boy destined to be a hero would gain his dark strength at another time, with the heavens already guiding him and his faith. That would be his divine future, and so, the world was shaped to lay down the road he would inevitably follow.

It just so happened, the day before, that boy’s little sister giggled and said to their mother: “Before Ajax comes home, I’ll go pick some berries to make into a pie for him!”

And so she did.

And so, blind to the webbing of the gods, she stepped down the road her brother was destined for - and fell, fell, fell.

But the story, unexpectedly, does not end there. Even though the odds were far more stacked against a defenseless little girl lost in a land of never-ending danger. No, it won’t end there, because she decided, swore, promised on her dying breath to the leylines - it wouldn’t.

(Some things are simply more certain than the fates woven for us by the gods.)

It was just too unfortunate, really - that in her time in the Abyss, the Cryo Archon also declared war on the heavens.

(Some things are simply more certain than the fates woven for us by the gods. But the Tsaritsa was a god herself, and so it went, that there was something more absolute than her attempt to change god-given fate with another god-given fate.)

By the time the poor girl climbed out of hell, the world was falling apart. The land was scorched, the dead piling in millions. Snezhnaya had long since been wiped off any maps that still existed. Soon, Celestia would have to rewrite the slate and build it all anew—if they did not abandon this module altogether for another iteration.

It was too late. It was too late. She was too late so for what did she even try—

“—That’s how it is!” Freyja hums, a small and breathy laugh leaving her. “There was nowhere else to go but back into the Abyss, so that’s what I did. And of course, there was nowhere else to go after that, so I just stayed there. Lonely? Oh, for a little bit. But the leylines actually make great company. They remember everything, after all.”

[rarepears]

I wish you would write a fic where the other Peak Lords knew that Shen Jiu was replaced by Shen Yuan, and were secretly trying to find a way to bring back their real martial brother. Then, they find Shen Jiu's reincarnation, and knowing that he doesn't need his old body, abruptly cut ties with Shen Yuan, who has no idea why.

I feel like if there was proper emphasis on all the lives lost while Cang Qiong and Luo Binghe fought (viscously) over Shen Qingqiu's dead body, Cang Qiong would feel incredibly betrayed when Shen Yuan does pop up and side with Luo Binghe.

Like, he chooses to marry the disciple he threw into the abyss and also killed dozens of Cang Qiong disciples in order to get back Shen Qingqiu's body?

(Like please. I don't believe one heavenly demon is enough to keep a whole sect of fighters away from Shen Qingqiu. There has to be a few times where Cang Qiong succeeded before they ultimately decided that the losses were too great for just one dead body, no matter how sad this decision makes them. Liu Qingge becomes the last person who refuses to stop but the rest have given up.)

Yue Qingyuan sees Shen Yuan's decision to marry Luo Binghe as not an action made out of love - he would know what Shen Jiu doing something that he wanted vs. something he needed to do looked like. But the Shen Jiu he knows would also have a million other plans to getting around Luo Binghe rather than submitting to Luo BInghe's demands. Like Shen Jiu would initiate some plan to infiltrates as a spy or run away or whatever.

This? This ain't it, Houston.

Yue Qingyuan's nagging feeling that this Shen Qingqiu isn't his returns. He has nothing else he can do to stop this impending marriage, but he also can't focus on doing proper sect leader duties, so he buries himself in the library.

He reads and reads and reads.

And finds a sentence about tracing future reincarnation.

He's got nothing to lose and everything to gain from this ritual.

-

When Shen Yuan married Luo Binghe, he was both astounded but also not surprised that he lost his peak lord position.

Oh sure, Yue Qingyuan dressed up the explanation very nicely. Cang Qiong couldn't afford to have someone who couldn't be 100% loyal to the sect as peak lord - Shen Yuan was inevitably doing to prioritize his husband's needs first. Yue Qingyuan also mentioned concerns about Shen Yuan overworking himself and also being unable to dedicate enough time to disciples' training. Having a heavenly demon lord trespassing in to the sect was also a large security issue - what if Luo Binghe's demonic enemies targeted Cang Qiong?

Shen Yuan got that. This was very much like the whole issue about politician's wives trading stock, wasn't it? And he was apparently the wife of this scenario.

But did they really have to pick a successor for him already? And a successor that he never met, never trained, and never knew about prior? Poor Ming Fan got booted out of the race since Cang Qiong couldn't very well have a Qing Jing peak lord who was biased by personal affairs with Luo Binghe.

(Plus, they probably wanted a peak lord that they could train to never repeat the same mistakes that Shen Yuan made, didn't they.)

-

The next time Shen Yuan was allowed to visit Cang Qiong, it was decades later and he was invited as a guest to Sect Leader Yue Qingyuan's marriage ceremony to the replacement peak lord of Qing Jing.

He wasn't sure what to think. When he left the sect, all contact was cut off between him and the sect. Not even Liu Qingge visited like he thought would happen. Shang Qinghua was the one remainder of Cang Qiong only due to the fact that Shang Qinghua left the sect after Shen Qingqiu's death and never returned.

And the marriage itself. What to start with? The gigantic age gap? The replacement peak lord was literally just a child when Shen Yuan got married. Was this child grooming??? Not that he considered his relationship with Luo Binghe to be anything along the lines of child grooming, but he did teach Luo Binghe for many years, much like how Yue Qingyuan trained up the replacement Qing Jing peak lord to assume the position for a decade.

At least the wedding was pretty. Not as beautiful as his marriage to Luo Binghe.