#and it would be interesting if they utilized them being on different sides properly this season considering their past

[peniscat]

from the trailers there are going to be at least 2 rg scenes (thank god) i don't know in what terms tho because i read an interview with kieran saying that he thinks there's no bad blood between them because she made the right business decision for her and "he knows" while j is always leaning towards "she wants to blow him up" sooo let's see

okay maybe i was exaggerating because i too have seen the trailers ajdjsjdbsbd but the interviews are kind of worrying because there's a bit of a difference between j and kieran's interpretations. it is hard to say since we haven't seen roman and gerri interact yet since all the bells say but i feel like we're going to get some answers in the upcoming episodes. so yeah we'll have to see!

[aeoris4lovers]

i know bazzoxan is supposed to be a place that most people fled because of the demons, but personally, i choose to imagine that it's still way more populated than it should be because its residents are equal parts infuriatingly stubborn and batshit fucking insane. just think about it:

people from elsewhere in xhorhas having the same visceral reaction to headlines about bazzoxan residents that we have to the words "florida man," and dynasty parents threatening to send their kids to bazzoxan when they misbehave.

locals telling visitors dropbear-style stories about the demons they might encounter (which absolutely do not actually exist) just to freak them out, because why deny the rumors that the town is constantly overrun with demons when they could have fun with leaning into it instead?

religious leaders and worshipers who openly give placatory offerings to betrayer gods and demon lords alongside the luxon and other gods/beings without persecution or even judgment, because no one's going to argue over the philosophy of it when the utility is so clear.

on that note, a general tolerance for religious deviations that most members of the dynasty would call heresy and mock or punish, because being so far from the seat of the theocracy and so deeply embroiled in a conflict that no amount of faith will solve makes it difficult to care much about how others choose (or refuse) to worship.

an abundance of abyssal tiefling children and low-level warlocks in pacts with demons, because in a place where demonic presence is so concentrated near where people are living, of course more of those people will be touched by it.

teenagers sneaking past the guards and into betrayer's rise to drink or smoke or make out or stay the night on a dare or leave graffiti or haze a newcomer to their group or just try to fuck with the demons the way kids at a sleepover might play with a ouija board.

wild conspiracy theories circulating about what's really down in betrayer's rise and what caused it, from "the demons aren't real at all" to "they were intentionally unleashed by a spy posing as one of the original miners to sabotage the town" to "the empire planted them to use up military resources".

extreme circumstances leading to more extremist sentiments weaving through the town – survivalists who insist on preparing for a catastrophic incursion exponentially more deadly than even the worst so far and zealots who claim that one such grand incursion will kickstart an apocalypse of calamity-level proportions, secessionists who insist the town should leave the dynasty entirely and insurrectionists who encourage more drastic action against a political hierarchy that they feel has failed to properly address the gravity of the town's situation.

legends and ghost stories about what happens to people who go down into the tunnels – how they might be trapped or transformed by it, or what the demons might use them for – that are used to scare children into not running off alone or told around fires just for the thrill of the fear.

numerous research outposts from knowledge-seeking groups across exandria, most with research groups at least a dozen scholars strong living there year-round to do their work, and at least one relatively high-level wizard there to study the abyssal magic out of personal interest, all of whom are given protection on their trips into the tunnels in return for presenting their findings (and any solutions those findings reveal) to the military.

tons of drow who finally figured out sunscreen and sunglasses and other sun protection, because everyone knows none of the rich wizard fucks in rosohna are going to bother giving them the safety of constant darkness and the town's own mages have far bigger things to spend their arcane reserves on than the sun.

a general sense of casual disinterest and disregard for the brewing war and the politics of dynasty vs empire in general because they live on the defensive side of a very different fight, which is far more real and urgent than a bunch of powerful people's bickering as far as they're concerned.

streets decorated and full of music and laughter on festival days, with all the games and food and other pleasures you would expect anywhere else, including on festival days that only they celebrate, like the anniversaries of famous victories against the demons or improvised events thrown together with the sole purpose of lifting the townspeople’s spirits in harder times.

cuisine specific to the town, known for unique features like its much heavier incorporation of sun-grown crops than most kryn food and its utilization of enough spices to make even demon flesh taste good (a feat that many people living elsewhere would think is impossible, but when you have more access to abyssal corpses than livestock, you learn to make it work).

despite its lack of a true inn (because frankly, very few people ever think to visit), the town having a variety of places to eat and drink and shop and relax and be entertained, because no one needs leisure more than people who live their entire lives on the brink of very immediate mortal peril.

logically, of course it would make sense for people to flee when they realized how dangerous bazzoxan truly is, but are people ever really logical when it comes to their home? how many would truly be willing to leave after devoting themselves to building something there, and how many would insist on staying and adapting and eventually outlasting the demonic presence there?

canon bazzoxan may be a village populated largely by a skeleton crew of military personnel and the people who keep them alive, but the bazzoxan in my heart is a fully populated and improbably lively town full of people with the balls of steel required to live in an abyssal hot spot for the rest of their lives.

[jadeile-writes]

Fanfic Progress Update 161

So, Hazbin Hotel was effing NOICE :D Didn't inspire me to write so far, but we'll see how this brainrot progresses. Currently I'm at the stage where I watch the musical parts 15 million times a day, the next stage is usually reading fanfics written by others, and the next one is writing if I fail to find what I'm looking for or just feel like it. Again, we'll see. On other news, stay tuned for the last sneak-peek for A Sign that you're important at the bottom of this post!

Current WIPs:

A Sign that you're important

Fandom: Sonic the Hedgehog, movieverse

Summary: One month upon his assigment as Doctor Robotnik's assitant, Agent Stone is told to learn sign language. He doesn't know why, and isn't suicidal enough to ask, so he simply rolls with it. Turns out, it's not just a whimsy of the eccentric doctor, even though that doesn't stop the doctor from utilizing it like one.

Progress: Chapter 5 was posted on 18th of January. The last chapter will be posted on 25th of January aka the next Thursday. Chapter 6 is a bit over halfway written, so cutting it a little close here, but I'll get it done in time. The biggest problem will be the chapter title tbh. I have a placeholder title (the old title for chapter 5 actually), but it's not perfect, so I'll need to brainstorm at some point, which is hopefully not on Thursday right as I'm posting it XD;

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Labor with a side of lattes (formerly known as "Life at the laboratory". Now the title isn't as boring and also vibes properly with the title of next part of the series)

Fandom: Sonic the Hedgehog, movieverse

Summary:

"Wanted: a yesman who is capable of operating an espresso machine, has at least a higher IQ than your average amoeba, and is willing to put work before having a personal life, or indeed a life, period. The extra in your pathetic paycheck is good, but the strain in your psyche will make up for the positives. Forfeit your basic human rights and apply today if this sounds like you." 

Maybe it said something about Agent Stone - and probably not good things - that the poster in the cafeteria's pin board piqued his interest more than any of his official assignments had for a good long while. 

Dr. Robotnik, huh?

Progress: This one will be part one of a two-parter longfic, the first part probably... 10-ish chapters? It's a bit hard to estimate at this point, so the number is subject to change - will probably end up being increased tbh. My weekly writing hour (as in, a specific hour when I sit down and write, no excuses [other than not being home]) is devoted to this fic.

I have the first five chapters done. Chapter 6 is 1/3 written.

I also have two halfway written chapters that don't yet know their exact placement within the fic (they're scenes that will be slotted in to wherever they feel natural, once the fic is ready for them.)

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Other WIPs I’m not currently working on but intend to get back to Someday™:

PoE Drabbles (Pillars of Eternity)

DC Drabbles (Justice League)

Diaphanous Relations (Forgotten Realms, R.A. Salvatore’s books)

Rolling with it (Zelda: BotW)

Hah, our afterlife is the most hilarious bushwa, dearest! (Hazbin Hotel)

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That’s it for the WIPs! Here’s the promised sneak-peek into A Sign that you're important (Note: the text may end up slightly different in the fic itself due to more editing happening before publishing). Enjoy!

Maybe it would have been better if he had never been able to talk with Knuckles. He could have just dropped the renegade red rascal at the hedgehog’s home to do whatever it was he had assumed Knuckles wanted – he had assumed punching, ripping some quills, and moving on, if he had had to hazard a guess when he had been unable to hear – and been none the wiser about the Master Emerald. He could have been content about the hedgehog getting some much deserved use as a punching bag and moved on with his own plans. Getting to Stone, kissing him silly, freshening up, eating actual food, getting a good night’s sleep in an actual bed (preferably with Stone in it), getting acquaintanced with the cafe lab, and making plans for further actions in the morning. Plans that likely would have involved checking up on the hedgehog to see if there was anything left to salvage in the wreck for science, and whether further revenge was necessary. Getting to his secret lab. Considering negotiations for his re-employment with the government – he had done nothing wrong, he had been acting on their orders to find out what had caused the blackout and he had been given the leave to deal with it in any way he deemed necessary.

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That’s it this time. See you next Saturday!

Links:

My AO3   My FFnet   My Ko-fi    Radiohusk Discord Server

[mediocremxm]

The End of the Slime Dungeon

After unfreezing the spider and defeating the last slime in the furnace, the party regained their composure and began making their way further into the dungeon. They decided to ditch Sav’s idea of utilizing the ice slime as it was clearly too much of a hazard to attempt and take a decent enough amount of it. Everyone kept it in mind as a learning experience, though, in case it came up again at any point.

Following the path south through the room we fought the previous slime group we eventually made our way into a library, but not just any library. It was also an observatory, as on the opposite side of a very dark glass was the room in which we previously fought the Hugath and all the notes relating not only to the slime beasts we found before but also some knowledge on the types of slime colors that were in the many tubes in room before. In our hurry we only learned about one, the Black Slime, which would enter the rounds of whoever it made contact with and prevent from regaining any health at all nor dealing as much damage when they fight. Now we know two of the potential twelve slime colors and what they do.

Along with this we also found a few letters of correspondence for Ullivan and written from an unknown party that was essentially guidelines on how to hide out in a very populated area without raising much suspicion. Something that Ullivan proved to be rather good at. Along with this note on the desk, a series of buttons were found that, when properly pressed, opened up a door in the wall which led into a small room with a series of holes in the ceiling. Against our better judgement we pressed yet more buttons that were in the small room and... got a shower. And possibly a spa with the type of steam it was letting in. After the whole cycle went through a door on the opposite wall opened to a very peculiar room.

Several tanks connected to the floor and ceiling were filled with different colored liquids and slimes, two of which were very familiar to us. Along the ceiling and floor were parallel grates all dripping with strange liquids, and several of the grates on the ground had large levers next to them. With all of this going around the room, it took a moment before the main target of our mission was shown: Ullivan Hesenthal, the Elven Alchemist.

As much as were surprised to see him, he was surprised to see us alive as well. At first, diplomatic actions were attempted, but they were quickly thrown out the window as Ullivan announced that he was not going to allow any one of us to make it out after learning about not only him being alive still but also finding his underground laboratory. Which, fair, most would not want to have this sort of secret get out into the world, and of course our disagreement on him wanting us alive against us wanting to live led to a fight, but not just any fight...

A Boss Fight.

With us starting on the opposite side of the room this battle began with everyone that needed to be in a reasonable or direct distance making their way towards the alchemist, with Geico and Sav climbing the walls to be out of the way, Miralis staying near the walls to provide bow shots, Aurora and Tetra being in a respectable midrange, and Seth going headfirst to attack the man. This is where we learned the importance of a mechanic that our DM added into our game: Ability Investigation! On each of our turns we got a free turn to roll and attempt to learn an ability or special attack that the enemy has. And we learned many of them on our first round entirely! Some which Ullivan used immediately, including one attack that, in a rather comedic sense, made Seth shrink down to the Tiny size category. Despite this, he actually still do some damage biting Ullivan’s ankles.

After this, almost everyone was in a round in which they could initiate some form of attack. Seth went on to continue his tiny style fighting, Aurora went through with the Eldritch Blasting, Tetra used some very interesting Cleric abilities to approach faster and assaulting Ullivan with Shillelagh enhanced daggers to surprising amounts of damage (reminding some of the party how powerful Clerics can actually be), and with the remaining three ranged attackers firing shots off with the exception of Sav throwing some very mild insults with Vicious Mockery. Of course, learning ever more that we can about this absolute madman each round and discovering... Ullivan is kind of more insane than we thought before.

That insanity came through with the next attack from him, as, right after Seth manages to unshrink himself thanks to the luck of the dice, he his hit with a potion from an ability that was literally titled “I Don��t Know What This Does”, in which, after yet another surprise roll, Seth was transported into the realm of the dead for a round! While also doing this, he activated a skill we hadn’t learned at this point where he downs a few unique potions and heals himself! Wonderful!

The back and forth was rather simple with going forward. Seth punched, Aurora blasted, Tetra... tore it up proper with her daggers, Miralis and Geico sniped, Sav was there, and Ullivan kept pulling so many strange punches, including lighting Tetra on fire, summoning a storm of falling shards of crystal in a radius around Seth, and pulling many levers! Thankfully, somehow, the majority of the fight everyone managed to stay out of the grates and falling of the slime. That was, until closer to the end.

In something of a Hail Mary to beat us, Ullivan took a strange concoction of potions before suddenly growing in size, almost as tall as the room itself, and began another assault on us all, beginning with knocking multiple levers and dosing both Aurora and Tetra in the black slime, blocking them from healing and halving their attacks. With that, the going fight was a little more of a grind, with Ullivan moving further away from the close quarters heavy hitters and more towards the ranged fighters and completely messing with our strategy. 

Thankfully, luck was on our side as, with our learning about Ullivan’s many abilities made many them work fairly less for him, we were able to avoid free actions, bonus actions, legendary actions, and put the proper hurt on the elf as he deserved. And the hurt was ultimately finished in a very... interesting way.

Angered and annoyed at Ullivan’s general existence, Tetra turned her attention to Seth and in a moment of understand ran towards him, the Barbarian cupping his hands and throwing Tetra into the air, her arm suddenly ablaze in a black flame as she came down onto Ullivan and driving her daggers directly through his eyes with a soul shattering howl.

The alchemist fell, the flames on Tetra receded, and we stood in the remains of the lab in the now total silence. After a few moments to focus again and gather their thoughts, Aurora and Tetra began searching the body of Ullivan in search of anything to assist us while Seth, Sav and Miralis went to one of the desks in the lab to look for anything else. Several things of note were noticed and collected as needed: High amounts of copper and silver, a handful of little interesting odds and ends that Sav took one of for his ever growing collection of trinkets, a few potions, and of course, the three most important items. A note detailing the needed ingredients and processes to make the medicine that the local lord required, a journal that detailed how he was hired by Sovereignty to work on some undercover operations, and a very familiar black box, now no longer magical and now opened.

The black box was collected, the strange crystal that Esrelldis wanted was in our possession, Sav was blinged out with a new gold bracelet, and Miralis took Ullivan’s bandoleer to carry potions easier. It was hard fought, everyone pulled through fairly well, we got a pretty decent payday, and now we make our way back to Rekall to clear our names and potentially lie to a member of Solis.

And so ends the trek through the first dungeon of Solart.

This is a prolonged post as the major boss fight took two sessions, and because of that as well the art for them will take a little longer too.

[bbai001]

Golden Rules of Debit and Credit Accounting:

Accounting forms the back-bone of the financial management of an organization; it accounts for and records correctly all business transactions. It is also the debit-credit concept that forms the foundation of the double entry bookkeeping system. These concepts have to be understood properly since they are vital in ascertaining correct financial records are kept; and this career can be pursued once a candidate enrolls for an Accounting Course in Kolkata.

In this discussion, we shall explore what are called the Golden Rules of Debit and Credit Accounting, the types of accounts involved, and just how these rules maintain financial recording integrity.

Basics of Debit and Credit

Every transaction in accounting affects at least two accounts, of course. One is increased with a debit; another is increased with a credit, though increases and decreases are not involved, but rather it is on the effect on the type of account involved.

Debit Entries That increase assets and expense accounts and decrease liability, equity, or income.

Credit Entries These are entries which raise liabilities, equity or revenue and decrease assets or expense.

For instance: Suppose a company buys stock in cash. In the account, it will credit the Inventory account (assets) and debit the Cash account (another asset). These are both weapons in the arsenal of an accountant trying to balance financial statements and both are used in that purpose.

Golden Rules for Debit and Credit Accounting

These Golden Rules of Debit and Credit Accounting can actually be divided into three key categories each of which can apply to specific types of accounts. Let's break them down:

Personal Accounts

Personal accounts are those involving individuals, companies, or organizations with whom the business has financial transactions such as with creditors and debtors.

Debit the Receiver: That is to say, when a person or entity receives something cash, goods, etc, that individual or entity's account is debited.

Credit the Giver: On the other hand, when something is given the account of the giver is credited.

For example: A business buys goods on credit from a supplier. Then, the supplier's account is credited and the purchase account is debited

Real Accounts Real accounts refer to physical assets. They include money, land, buildings, and machinery and other tangible property.

Debit What Comes In: If an asset comes to the business then it goes to the debit side of the account

Credit What Goes Out: And if it goes out then it will go to the credit side of the account

Example: This is in relation to when an entity buys machinery. In a bank sale or cash sale, this will credit the Cash or Bank real account and debit the Machinery real account.

Nominal Accounts

The nominal accounts are expenses and losses, incomes, and gains. Examples are: rent, salaries, income from sales, and interest received. All expenses and losses are debited since an expense or loss reduces the profit. Credit All Incomes and Gains: Income and gains increase profits, so they are always credited.

Example: When rent is paid, the Rent Expense account (nominal account) is debited and Cash account (real account) is credited.

Types of Accounts in Accounting

Being aware of the different types of accounts and how debits and credits affect them is an important step to mastering accounting principles. Let's go through each type in more detail.

Asset Accounts

All asset accounts account for everything owned or controlled, which the business might utilize to generate future economic benefits. These would include cash, accounts receivable, inventory, buildings, machinery, and investments.

Debit: In an asset, the account will be increased by debiting the account.

Credit: An asset is decreased by crediting the account.

Examples Buying equipment increases assets so that the Equipment account would be debited and Cash or Bank account would be credited.

Liability Accounts

Liability accounts consist of the business's loans and other duties that a company will settle in the near future. Liabilities embrace loans, account payable, mortgages, amongst others. Debit; When there is a reduction in the liabilities, credit the concerned account. Credit; A liability increases so credit this account.

The following examples A Business taking up a loan in the current period. When a Business takes up the loan and it goes down to record, then you credit a liability account loan payable and debit either cash or the bank.

Equity accounts are those which represent ownership interests in the firm, like common stock, retained earnings, and dividends.

Debit: An account is debited when equity decreases. Credit: An account is credited when equity increases.

Example

When the company issues stock, Share Capital account (equity account) is credited and Cash account (asset account) is debited.

Income and Expense Accounts

Income accounts are those that record revenues realized from business operations, while expense accounts are those that record costs incurred in conducting the business.

Debit: Expenses and losses are debited to decrease profit. Credit: Income and gains are credited to increase profit.

For example: When the company realizes revenue from sales, the Sales Revenue account, which is an income account, is credited, and the Cash or Accounts Receivable account, which is an asset account, is debited.

How Debit and Credit Accounting Reflect in the Balance Sheet

Basic accounting equation by debit and credit application must be on the balance

Assets = Liabilities + Equity

Therefore, this balance must forever be true. For all debit entries there must equally be a corresponding credit to keep the check on a balance sheet.

Practical Application: Tally Course, Taxation Course and GST Course

Courses such as GST or courses like Tally, Taxation, etc are also very helpful if one wants to understand and practically apply the Golden Rules of Debit and Credit Accounting.

Tally Course: Tally is the accounting software that does the majority of the work about accounting. Students are provided with the opportunity to utilize debit and credit principles quite efficiently in a computerized atmosphere.

Taxation Course: Because taxation deals with the concept of understanding tax-related transactions, their effects on the financial statements, and the accounting entries, the taxation course is also necessary for accountants.

GST Course: In any revisions to the rules of Goods and Services Tax, accountants learn how to make accounting entries to get into compliance and understand how this will change business transactions. GST Course can guied you to learn.

Conclusion Mastery of the Golden Rules of Debit and Credit Accounting is necessary for a career in accounting. The Golden Rules ensure double-entry bookkeeping, and thus, the correctness of the financial transactions involved. It will be easy for accountants to make reliable financial reports that are reflective of the true financial position of a business through the different types of accounts with their respective debit and credit rules.

[pradaksj]

Maki Zenin: What Lies Ahead?

Note: I don't normally write meta posts, so apologies if this seems all over the place. For that reason, I would consider this to be more of a ramble of ideas. Also, if you are not caught up with Jujutsu Kaisen's latest chapter, I must advise you that there will be major spoilers ahead!

The Aftermath of the Zenin Massacre

To say I was surprised to see Maki so soon would be an understatement. I honestly though we wouldn't see her for quite some time, but I think what surprised me was the attitude she still carried. For someone who claims not to have a heart, her playful/snide comments towards Noritoshi's hair and continuously protecting him speaks otherwise.

The one thing that didn't surprise me with her reemergence was that she seemed to be going on a rampage of killing after tracking down the remaining clan members, and by the look on her face, she seems to be enjoying every bit of her newfound abilities. I also think it's safe to assume that this includes both curses and culling game players.

Either way, she still seems to be working along side her former classmates, using her ability to pass through barriers to help aid them. I think a part of me thought she'd become a lone wolf, cutting any and all ties to her past self. Perhaps that's the problem.

2. Daido, Maki, & Experience.

Chapter 155 has introduced a new character by the name of Daido, a regular human being who has superhuman abilities, and is clearly a master at swordsmanship. At the end of the chapter, Maki watches in awe as he slices through Naoya with ease using her sword. From there, she thinks about the time she saw Toji when he was reincarnated as a puppet of carnage.

This brings me to my first and most obvious prediction as to what could happen, and what many others are thinking as well. This is that Daido will serve as a sensei to Maki, teaching her how to properly wield her sword, thus giving her the experience she both needs and lacks.

❝ What is the difference between me and him? ❞

That seems to be the million dollar question. While it's still being speculated and debated by many, it seems that physically, Maki and Toji are now up to par with each other. Thus, one difference that falls between them is the amount of experience one holds over the other.

Whereas Maki was born with a low presence of cursed energy, Toji was born with none at all. This means that since birth, Toji has had to train his senses in order to "see" curses. Maki, on the other hand, has only been free from her cursed energy for a couple of days.

Not only that, but we don't know much about Toji's past prior to Megumi and his mother. All we know is that he was ostracized by the clan, and didn't end up leaving until he was much older.

We don't know who trained him, or if he trained himself when it came to using weaponry. We also don't know his initial reasons for leaving, nor what unleashed his full awakening. My theory is the death of Fushiguro's biological mother, but since we don't have a solid timeline of things yet, it can only be considered an assumption. I'll come back to this idea later.

Point is, Maki is a sixteen year old girl whose only experience in sword combat comes from exorcising curses and planned school events. Prior to the massacre, when she did fight someone with better abilities (Geto) she was easily beat. This means that she needs someone to train her and help her utilize her sword to its fullest potential. What better person than Daido?

Of course, this is the most obvious outcome to all of this. It's where things seem to pointing towards meaning I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up being the answer to Maki's question. But perhaps there's a different answer, one that requires a deeper look into things.

3. Toji, The One Who Left it All Behind.

Toji, Toji, Toji. Oh what an interesting character you are. While some believe the difference between Maki and Toji falls on experience, others (including me) believe that it also has to do a lot with the psyche of both characters.

Toji, as we know, was born as an anomaly in a hierarchy that values tradition and order, over raw strength and power. Ostracized and berated since he was a kid, Toji Zenin had grown up to despise those he considered to be "gifted".

While living with the Zenin clan, Toji had become unstable. Whether this means he had become to the Sorcerer Killer by then or not, it was clear that the damage had been done...

That is until he met Megumi's mother.

Now, many are still unsure about whose who when it comes to Megumi's biological mother and his step-mother (Tsumiki's biological mother) and where the last name Fushiguro comes from.

I believe that throughout Toji relationship with Megumi's mother, he was always "Toji Zenin." Once she passed, he went through a spiral for a couple of years. Realizing he wasn't fit to be a single parent, he got hitched off with Tsumiki's mother who carried the last name "Fushiguro."

I say this because by the time Shiu Kong (the man who contracted Toji for the Star Plasma Assassination) comes into the story, he's surprised to hear that Toji doesn't go by Zenin anymore. Later on, he goes on to ask about Megumi and his wellbeing. To add onto this, in the fan book it's stated that Shiu Kong had gone to visit Toji when Megumi was very young, and that it was clear he did not know how to take care of a child.

This means that even when Megumi was an infant Toji was still known as "Toji Zenin," and didn't get hitched off with Tsumiki's mother until Megumi was around 3-4 years old, as Megumi is 6 when he meets Gojo (two years after star plasma arc).

The reason I'm emphasizing all this is because the version of Toji that Maki sees isn't "Toji Fushiguro" but "Toji Zenin," the one who set himself free from the Zenin curse. This is Toji's strongest form.

Granny Ogami makes sure to summon "Toji Zenin" as this was peak of power. I guess this makes it even all more surprising that a "rusty" version of himself could defeat an unawakened Gojo and Geto with ease.

Anyways, Toji was obviously his strongest when he was still living with the Zenin clan, and I can only imagine the spiral he went on after the death of Megumi's mother. To have the one person you love most, the person who has made you feel accepted after a life of rejection, be taken away from you is a grief like no other.

This is why I believe Toji, like Maki, had his final "awakening" after her death.

This is also where we enter the grounds of theories and speculation. While one could say that maybe Toji let the Zenin clan live on a whim prior to meeting Megumi's mother, I think it'd be more tragic had it been after her death. I think that after her death he had gone back to the clan compound with the idea of finally fulfilling the massacre, allowing his rage and grief to overcome him....

And yet, unlike Maki, he let them live.

That's what makes them so different.

Even after the years of abuse, at the end of the day, Toji still yearned to be accepted by the very same family who rejected him. He still wanted there to be a place for his son to thrive and live a better life than he ever did, even if it meant selling him off to the very same people who traumatized him.

This brings me to my next point. I believe that the biggest difference between Maki and Toji isn't bloodshed, but .... restraint.

Toji, before and after the death of Megumi's mother, had every reason to want the Zenin clan dead, and yet he never went through with it . Maki, on the other hand, couldn't bear the thought of letting her sister's biggest tormenters go unscathed, finally fulfilling one of her darkest desires. And now she's paying the price with the emergence of Naoya and his cursed form.

Either way, Maki no longer has anything to live for. She's a monster without a goal, not living herself but also not for others. There is no fire in her, no selfish need to want more, she's just there. It's almost as if she's floating in air.

While there is no denying that she's strong, her mental will is all over the place, and it's acting as her downfall.

When Naoya mentions that her mother was the one who killed him, there's a visible reaction from Maki.

Though Maki claims to be heartless, it seems that she still holds a number of complex feelings for her family, ranging from anger to sadness. She hasn't "left it all behind", meaning she'll never truly be free.

What makes Toji so complex is that he was able to do exactly that. He left his pride and resentment for the Zenin family behind. He left his past behind, marrying into a different name and starting a new life. And most importantly, he left his his love for his son, the product of he and his soulmate, go, forcing himself not to care until his death.

❝ I wanted to deny it, to go against it. Against the Zenin family that denied me, against the apex of the Jujutsu World.❞

Prior to this statement, Toji talks about his selfishness and that most of the time he wouldn't exert energy unless required. He even states that he doesn't work for free. meaning he only does things for his own benefit.

It seems that after the death of Megumi's mother, Toji had let go of any and all feelings for others, choosing a life of gambling, womanizing, and selfishness.

Of course, in the end, we see that it's all a farce. Toji's cared from the very beginning, but for years he forced himself to leave such feelings behind, thus making him "free." It isn't until his fight with Gojo Satoru that these feelings reemerge, both his love for his son and his desire to prove himself worthy to his family.

It's the one time he doesn't show restraint.

It's the one time he listened to that little voice in his ear.

And it's the first and final time he loses.

In order to truly be free, one must be willing to detach themselves from any and all emotions, both the good and bad ones. One must be willing to leave behind memories and attachments. Especially if you're going to a commit a clan massacre.

Of course, that's not to say the Zenin clan didn't have it coming, but at the end of day, no mass killing can ever truly be justified. The fact that Maki still holds onto such feelings after the event means she should've never done it in the first place. In the end, it was nothing more than temporary relief.

This is also why I was surprised to see Maki working along side Noritoshi. Honestly, I expected her to be closed off to the world, perhaps even adapting Toji's own mentality towards life.

All in all, Maki's biggest problem psychologically is that she isn't letting go. Instead, she's holding onto her feelings of resentment and its bringing her down. Not only that, but she continues to compare herself to Toji. I mean, remember what Sukuna said to Jogo during their fight.

❝ Humans flocking together. Curses flocking together. Comparing themselves to those around them leads to weakness and stunts their growth. You should have burnt everything you desired to a cinder without thinking. To reach the height of Satoru Gojo and not worry about the future or identity. But you lacked the hunger to take hold of your desires.❞

I'm definitely excited to see the aftermath of this fight with Naoya and where Maki goes from here. Will she continue to help her Jujutsu High kids or will she realize that perhaps she's better off alone...

4. Yuta and Maki

I'll probably write a whole separate post for this one day, but to say that Yuta and Maki's stories are weaved with each other would be an understatement.

Maki is the girl who sparked Yuta's will to live, so I wouldn't be surprised if Yuta finds himself wanting to return the favor. The only problem is that it's no coincidence that Yuta and Maki parallel Toji and Gojo, meaning I could see them clashing heads.

Of course, unlike Toji and Gojo, I could see them resolving their conflict, especially given that the two already have history with one another. Yuta is one of the very few people who accepts Maki for who she is, even offering his own words of support. He's also the first person to believe in her and look up to her, not finding her dream to be foolish in any way.

Ship wars aside, I'm excited to see this pair's reunion. Same goes for Maki and Nobara (crossing my fingers she's alive) as she's also someone who looks up to Maki.

To conclude, I think Maki has yet to process what she's done and is purposely repressing any feelings of regret with anger and violence. Until she acknowledges that what she did was wrong, and that maybe she should've gone things a different way, she will never truly be free, and the curse of the Zenin family will always follow her wherever she goes.

And just like Toji, if she's not careful, it'll ultimately lead to her death.

[manic-pixie-dream-dude]

I've been meaning to ask, what's Cassandras role in your moon Varian au?

ANON! Thank you for the opportunity to ramble abt this!!! I'm stupidly passionate about how my interpretation of Cassandra and I redirected all of it into this AU lmao.

OHHKAY SO!

Obviously, the difference here is that Cass never gets the moonstone, she doesn't need to imo.

I love S1 Cass a whole bunch. She's so interesting, her character was a smart addition and I think the taking the moonstone was, to put it simply, Not Good. Also ooc? And an odd reaction to her situation?

See, Cass is a very logical person. She's smart and careful and very blunt. We see time and time again how she thinks things through first before doing anything, even if her thinking is flawed. She also does this alone (another flaw) and has been shown to like working alone (though by the end of S1, she's learning to work with others).

So I'm baffled as to why, when she finds out she's Gothel's daughter, she hates Rapunzel for it despite seeing how cruel Gothel was (+ the fact that she was basically saved from a life of neglect and potential imprisonment).

Yes she was shocked, but... her reaction would stay 'shock' for a bit, wouldn't it? I think after such a reveal she'd stray a bit from the group, at that point she already felt isolated and ignored (maybe even realizing she doesn't want to simply serve someone?) so she'd go back to processing things alone and won't confide in anyone. The closest person she does gets to telling this to is Eugene but ultimately keeps it to herself.

(Side note: Eugene, being the person who seems to understand her most of the entire gang plus slowly becoming her friend throughout S1 and 2, would notice how the stress is causing a rift between her and Raps. When Raps fails to properly get through to Cass, he tries himself. After Cassandra v. Eugene, they start to work together more. This momentum in their relationship should've continued into S2)

Then she'd start getting scared. If the gang is already ignoring her input, what will they do when they find out she's related to the person who kept Rapunzel prisoner for 18 years? How would Rapunzel react?

That's right, I'm giving her abandonment issues let's fucking go 👏👏

And then do I see anger, she's dedicated so much and worked so hard to be seen or even acknowledged but she isn't being considered anymore. What difference does it make if she leaves, if she works alone?

(I should also note that Cass can be a spiteful/petty person.)

I see her having her own "Rapunzel, I used you." moment, where she tells Raps about Gothel, tries to use it to say that her betryal was bound to happen, it's in her blood, as a way to hurt Raps and push her away before the same can happen to her.

Other than that I want to mention how all throughout S2 Cass was wary abt the moonstone and the vagueness surrounding what it could do to Raps if she held it. She didn't trust anyone Raps trusted and has been harmed due to it.

Cass won't then risk it and take the moonstone herself.

She'll just take the person who has it.

I've touched on this a bit in the past, but I think Varian and Cass' arcs should've been swapped. Meaning, I think Cass would work with the Saporians for her own purposes because, in this AU, the Saporians are working for Zhan Tiri. I doubt that she'd believe in their goal, but if Zhan Tiri thinks she's got Cass, then Cass can use it to her advantage.

(I'm actually surprised the Saporians weren't used for something similar? We don't get much lore for these guys but you could easily utilize them and give them a bigger role. You can imagine how mocked I felt when Mime got to the Dark Kingdom in a hot air balloon but not the Saporians aslkjs)

Of course, even if Cass thought about this for long, she didn't think it through. Working alone in such a high stakes situation isn't the right choice, but it is a choice that makes sense for her character at that point.

So she goes with the Saporians and Zhan Tiri, to learn more and understand Zhan Tiri's plan, and they take a magically unstable Varian with them after he grabs the opal to stop any of them from getting to it first. A distraught Rapunzel is left behind, halfway to a breakdown.

So yeah! that's it for now. I'm still trying to find a cohesive way to tell her arc in a way that isn't confusing or full of ooc decisions.

I'll gladly ramble about her in s3 once I, yknow, finish S3 lmao (I'm sorry I have NOT been able to watch much of this season tbh).

ALTHOUGH! my S3 deviates a bunch compared to S1 and 2, so I will say that she's apologetic and sympathetic to Varian, and they get time to have some progress in their time together as charas who can understand each other's perspectives.

[jasontoddiefor]

Retranslation of the Sith Code from a Linguistic Perspective

Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Nwûl tash. Dzwol shâsotkun. Through passion, I gain strength. Shâsotjontû châtsatul nu tyûk. Through strength, I gain power. Tyûkjontû châtsatul nu midwan. Through power, I gain victory. Midwanjontû châtsatul nu asha. Through victory, my chains are broken. Ashajontû kotswinot itsu nuyak. The Force shall free me. Wonoksh Qyâsik nun.

Star Wars has a couple conlangs – from Huttese to Ryl, many cultures in a galaxy far, far away have their own words. The, admittedly, most famous conlang is Mando’a, the language of the Mandalorians. It has recently gained even more popularity due to The Mandalorian and the many headcanons about the clones and their culture floating around in fandom. While Mando’a is undoubtedly the conlang with the most extensive vocabulary, it is not the soundest Star Wars conlang from a linguistic perspective. That honor belongs to the version of the Sith conlang that was later amended and developed by Ben Grossblatt.

The Sith Code, as we know it, was developed by David Gaider in 2003 for the game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Grossblatt’s conlang was created seven years later in 2010.

When you consider this, Grossblatt had two options when creating his conlang and translation of the Code. He could translate the Code from English into Sith, or he could pretend the English (or “Basic”) version of the Code resulted from a translation from Sith.

Why does this matter?

[AO3]

This question is easily answered when you think about the various meanings of the words. As every bilingual person knows, translating a text from one language to another isn’t easy because there are no two languages whose vocabulary matches completely. Let’s take an example from the Code:

“asha” (noun) is translated as “victory”.

This translation, however, does not explain what kind of victory “asha” refers to. While English may have only one term for victory, a Sith could differentiate between “victory you achieved on your own” and “victory by decimating your enemies”. Or “victory” might only be one translation of the word and others could be “dominance, control, superiority”. All these words lean into the direction of “victory” through the worldview of the Sith.

Basically, Grossblatt had to decide whether the English version should be the end result or the starting point of his version of the Code in Sith.

In this essay, I intend to treat the English version of the Code as the translation of the original Sith language. This is important because it means that this deconstruction of the Sith Code will be influenced by my own interpretation of the various other meanings as possible Sith word could have, which are not necessarily Canon/Legends based. I will be translating this Code line by line and, in the end, create a new version of the Code which will deviate from the Canon one but hopefully picks up the grammatical cues from the Sith version that the current one is lacking.

TLDR: I don’t want to just explain the grammar, I want to analyze it.

Now, a brief look at the in-universe history of the Code of the Sith to shed some light on the perspective I’ll take into consideration while translating.

The Code itself was allegedly created by the Fallen Jedi Sorzus Syn. It was meant to be a pendant and an update of the Jedi Code simultaneously. While this is technically speaking fine, we do run into some troubles from a historical perspective.

The Code was first authored on the planet Korriban in 6900 BBY. The Jedi Exiles didn’t speak the language of the Sith species, which were enslaved by the Jedi Exiles. They used translation talismans, which granted them the ability to speak and read Sith as if it were their mother tongue.

…

Yeah, that’s stupid. I know. But it’s space fairy tale science fiction, so we’ll accept it and move on.

If you are bilingual, you might notice that you are more capable of speaking about a given topic in one language than in the other. Therefore, it would make sense if it were easier for the Jedi Exiles to talk about the Dark side in Sith, which was uniquely suited to speak about it. However, when the Code only exists as a differentiating point to the Jedi, they were bound to slip into a rhetoric that would be more along the lines of that they’d used as Jedi. That could explain why the Sith Code in Basic/English seems to parallel the Jedi Code so much. My working hypothesis is that the Sith Code – given that it is supposed to reflect Sith philosophy – can stand on its own with its own meaning. Otherwise, the Sith would only ever see themselves in contrast to the Jedi, which, given their superiority complex, is a rather strange view. Therefore, my translation will focus on staying as close to the original Sith language as possible.

Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Nwûl tash. Dzwol shâsotkun.

Now tackling that first line of the Code. The interesting part here is that Basic translates the two sentences as one. The first sentence – Nwûl tash – consists of two nouns: “peace” and “lie”. The present tense copula (the “to be”) is dropped, leaving the two nouns. When comparing this to the following sentence, we immediately see the first issue. The verb dzwol refers to “to be”. We also know it can be translated as “to exist”, “to abide”. The question that arises at this point is whether the first sentence drops dzwol or another verb referring to “to be” that we don’t know. What becomes clear, however, is that different emphasis is put on the two sentences. Many languages drop the tense copula. When the copula is dropped, the relation between the other constituents (components of the sentence) is understood. So reading the first sentence, you gain the impression that the statement “Peace is a lie” is a fact of life. “Peace = Lie” would be a mathematical way of writing it down.

Another critical thing to mention here is that Sith, as far as we know, doesn’t make use of determiners (a/the), and as such, the statement could possibly also be read as “The peace is the lie” or “A peace is the lie” and so on. But given that we do not have any information on the grammar in that aspect, I will not elaborate any further.

Now, let’s take a look at the second sentence by comparison. Here we have an explicit present tense dzwol. Unlike the rest of the Code, this sentence follows the VSO word order. Given that the rest of the Code uses topicalization, we can conclude that the verb dzwol is the focus of this sentence. Given that we are also given the translations “to exist, to abide”, perhaps it would be a more appropriate choice to use one of these words when translating to properly show the difference between the omitted present tense copula and the explicit one here.

Following this, we have to deal with shâsot and -kun. -kun refers to the adjective “only” and modifies the noun. shâsot is interesting because we are given the translation “passion” in the Code. The vocabulary list, however, translates it as “struggle”. While both have overlapping meanings, I would argue in favor of the “struggle” translation.

“Passion” stems from the Latin “passio” meaning “suffering, enduring”. Nowadays, it is used­ in Christianity to describe the suffering of Christ, but also, citing Merriam-Websters here, “the state or capacity of being acted on by external agents or forces”, as well as being motivated/moved by intense emotions. However, “struggle”, is defined as “to make strenuous or violent efforts in the face of difficulties or opposition” and “to proceed with difficulty or with great effort”. Given that the first sentence of the Code refers to the idea that peace doesn’t exist, I believe an emphasis on the aspect of fighting, which we find in “struggle”, would be appropriate.

Personally, I’d prefer “to exist” over “abide” for the verb as well. “abide” may imply that only the struggle has to be endured. I’d favor a reading that instead emphasizes the contrast that the absence of peace means the presence of nothing but struggle. My translation of the first line of the Sith Code would therefore be:

Peace is a lie. Only struggle exists. Nwûl tash. Dzwol shâsotkun.

Now we can consider the next line: Through passion, I gain strength. Shâsotjontû châtsatul nu tyûk.

Before we can tackle the translation, we have to consider three grammatical construction.

Sith is typically VSO (Verb Subject Object).

Sith has instrumental case, which is marked on the noun with -jontû. Generally, this is translated as “by” or “with” or “using”.

Sith has alethic verb mood, which is marked on the verb with -atul. Alethic mood refers to “the truth in the world” as opposed to epistemic mood, which is “the truth in an individual's mind” (epistemic). While this differentiation is not without criticism, given that all truths in the world are filtered through our perceptions of the world, it is interesting to note that Sith apparently does make this difference.

Now that we have considered these, I will break down the second sentence. The first thing I have to mention is that this sentence and the following ones are topicalized. Shâsotjontû is the word shâsot in instrumental case. As before, I prefer the “struggle” translation. The instrumental case itself is translated as “through” which is an interesting choice as that is not a standard translation. I’d instead go with the “using” translation as it further highlights that a Sith utilizes whatever tools they deem necessary and needed. Objects and people are measured against what value they have for a given person, how useful they are if you want to spell it out. Furthermore, it highlights that the Sith, at one point, actually discussed the Code and the “best” way to use the Dark side.

The verb châtsatul is in alethic mood and translates to “gain”. This, again, also fits well with the “using” translation of the instrumental case. The subject of this sentence is nu the first person pronoun “I”. tyûk translates to “strength”. Here we run into the previously elaborated victory problem as well. The Code gives us no explanation of what kind of strength is meant here. The idea that it’s only physical strength is, of course, ridiculous. It could also cover mental strength and strength in the Force, as well as the words “might”, “courage”, “durability” and so on. This issue concerning the lack of vocabulary will continue to follow us through the complete translation of this text. As I have now elaborated on it twice, I will only make references to it in the future, with perhaps here and there a suggestion for a more appropriate translation.

My translation of the second line, taking -atul into consideration, would therefore be as follows:

Shâsotjontû châtsatul nu tyûk. Using struggle, I necessarily gain strength.

Now we can turn to the third line: Through strength, I gain power. Tyûkjontû châtsatul nu midwan.

The only new word here is midwan, which is translated as “power”. Again, the definition of power in this context isn’t clear. The translation of this line would be:

Tyûkjontû châtsatul nu midwan. Using strength, I necessarily gain power.

We can now turn to the next line: Through power, I gain victory. Midwanjontû châtsatul nu asha.

I already elaborated at length on the various possible definitions of “victory”. I, personally, prefer a reading that equals “victory” to “dominance”. What I also thought was interesting here is that the morpheme “asha” appears to be very common in Star Wars across cultures and languages. There are multiple people named with variations of that morpheme. And then, of course, there is also the planet Ashas Ree, which is deep in the territory of the former Sith Empire and had a Jedi Temple built on top of a Sith Temple. Ashas Ree could be the Basic version of a Sith term. While we do not have the word “Ree”, phonologically, it would be pronounced /riː/, and Sith has the consonant /r/ and the vowel /i:/.

A side note about Sith phonology: Sometime between the Jedi Exiles taking over and the Prequels era, the Sith lost the vowel /e/ or /ɛ/ as the Sith of that time still had words like “jen” meaning “shadow”, “dark”, and “hidden”. As this word, and others making use of it, are apparently still in use today, their vowel probably changed to /i/, /æ/, or /aɪ/. Or maybe the word “jen” is pronounced as it once was as English/Basic does have these vowels, and people can therefore say “jen”.

Returning to our translation, we can read:

Midwanjontû châtsatul nu asha. Using power, I necessarily gain victory.

And now we’re going to look at a line that made me cry:

Through victory, my chains are broken. Ashajontû kotswinot itsu nuyak.

Once more, before we can actually look at the translation, we have to look at the grammar. This is the breakdown Ben Grossblatt made of that sentence:

Ashajontû kotswinot itsu nuyak. Victory+INSTR break+ERG+LG INAM OBJ chain my+PL. Through victory, my chains break.

INSTR refers to instrumental case I already elaborated on.

ERG refers to Ergative. The interfix -win- is added to a transitive verb to indicate ergativity, meaning that the grammatical subject of that verb is its semantic object, while the true semantic agent remains unexpressed.

LG INAM OBJ means “large inanimate object”. This refers to the fact that the verb kots is part of a group of verbs called “handling verbs”. These verbs mark what kind of object is affected by them. -ot is the marker for “large inanimate object”. When searching for languages that use these “handling verbs”, Navajo was one of the first results.

Sith plurals appear to be marked on the articles or, given the lack of such, on the possessive markers: nuyak is therefore “my” and “the object I possess is plural”.

Now that we have tackled the grammar, I will elaborate on how it applies to this sentence. The ashajontû construction should be well-understood by now, so I will not linger on it.

Interesting is here that the possessive marker nuyak also indicates the number of the possessed object. In a way, this enhances the claim on the object as it is more intrinsically connected to it. The possessed object here is itsu, the “chain”, which only gains its plural through the possessive. It would be interesting here to know what the other verb markers are as “chains”, in this context, are categorized as physical objects. At the same time, their meaning is obviously meant to be metaphorical. Knowing whether Sith can make the difference and might choose to do so here would be beneficial when analyzing this line. However, evoking the image of physical chains here, which are broken, makes the act seem more striking.

And now we’ll tackle the verb. The root kots gets inflicted twice by the ergative marker and the object marker. According to Grossblatt, it can be read as “completely shatter” or “completely break”. As the purpose of the object marker -ot has already been elaborated on, I will now focus on the ergative marker.

Ergativity is one possible way of hiding the concrete agent of action without passivizing the sentence. Consider “The window broke” vs. “The window was broken” vs. “I broke the window”.

This makes the overall translation of the sentence rather interesting. The original translation reads “Through victory, my chains are broken” which is passive and not ergative. Therefore, it would be more correct to follow Grossblatt’s reading of “my chains break completely”. Still, the fact that we do not have an overt agent here makes this sentence quite interesting. While the method – ashajontû – is known, the agent could be either the speaker themself, or another person doing it for them. Given that the adverb “completely” is added to the verb, perhaps this sentence suggests that on your own, you can come quite far breaking your chains but not reach that finalized step. For that, you need victory.

Furthermore, this offers an interesting perspective on the Sith and their teachings, especially on the Banite Sith, if you read “victory” as something closer to “dominance”. In this case, the sentence almost seems to imply that by becoming stronger and surpassing another person, perhaps your Master, you manage to break your chains completely. An even deeper reading might allude to how the Sith conceptualize the chains that keep them. They appear to put their own freedom and thirst for power above everything else. Perhaps that is already too much interpretation for one line, but it was worth noting. In any case, my translation of that sentence is:

Ashajontû kotswinot itsu nuyak. Using victory, my chains break completely.

After this heavy sentence, we only have one left!

The Force shall free me. Wonoksh Qyâsik nun.

This sentence is relatively uncomplicated. nun is the accusative pronoun “me” and Qyâsik is the Sith word for Force. wonoksh is the word for “to free” in future tense. The future tense is marked by -oksh and this is the part where we get to the slightly complicated/annoying part of the sentence.

Again, we don’t know if this is the only future tense Sith has or what its exact purpose is. As opposed to English, which technically speaking only has the tenses “past” and “not-past”, Sith marks a definite future. However, this future could also have undertones such as an imperative mood. Sadly, we don’t know anything about it. Now for the future tense. As inquires across the globe have told me, “shall” is pretty outdated. In a modern translation of the Code, you’d probably say:

Wonoksh Qyâsik nun. The Force will free me.

But that detail is relatively minor. Now that I have broken down every line of the Code, let’s put it back together.

Peace is a lie. Only struggle exists. Using struggle, I necessarily gain strength. Using strength, I necessarily gain power. Using power, I necessarily gain victory. Using victory, my chains break completely. The Force will free me.

Does this Code sound better than the original work? Probably not. I have to say, I do prefer the “struggle” translation and I like the first line more in my version, but otherwise, this Code doesn’t sound particularly great. However, it was also not meant to sound good. The purpose was to create a translation closer to the Sith language version, to reverse-engineer it if you want. I do think that this endeavor was worthwhile as, for me, it has shed some more light on the thinking of the Sith.

And also this:

Sources

Star Wars: The Sith

Sith Language

Speak like a Sith article

Sith Code

Ben Grossblatt’s breakdown of his translation

Sorzus Syn, author of the Sith Code

History of the Sith Dynasties

Wookiepedia Search of asha

Translation talisman

Ashas Ree

Temple of Ashas Ree

Grammar

Zero copula

Merriam-Webster on passion

Merriam-Webster on struggle

Alethic modality

Navajo Handling Verbs

Navajo Classificatory Verbs

Ergativity

Instrumental case

Color Coded Version of this Essay

[psychotakublabs]

There is something peculiar about Jean-Luc’s appearance. From what we can tell, he is a mix of flesh and stone. Quite possibly a Golem to protect King. However, what is interesting about Jean-Luc is the flesh he is composed of looks like the same flesh Belos used during battle with Luz in “Young Blood, Old Souls”.

This flesh could possibly come from the Titan as it’s magic is so potent it spreads throughout the Isles. This would explain how Jean-Luc and Belos can morph the flesh into different objects like claws, axes, and bows. Both Belos and Jean-Luc have utilized those abilities in combat. However, there is also another similar aspect they share: their blue eyes. Both eyes glow the same color and even have the same shape. Both could be related to the magic from the flesh of the Titan. We can also see both are more technology based than magic. Jean-Luc is a Golem created from flesh and stone and Belos uses his staff (which seems to be made out of metal) to conjure magic and create a portal from metallic substances. Jean-Luc and Belos seem to have a lot in common which begs the question if Belos is related to the island somehow since he tried to erase it from history.

However, Jean-Luc is a Golem. Golems in folklore and fiction are makeshift beings created from specific materials with no thoughts/consciousness and pre-set goals/protocols. Jean-Luc’s purpose was protecting and serve King and nothing else. He cannot speak or do anything else unless King tells him to. He cannot gain any thoughts or feelings outside his directed protocol. It seems his purpose is also connected to the castle King was born from. When fighting Eda, he could not pass through the door and once outside the castle, he shuts off. He cannot function outside the castle, meaning there must be a power source or specific command ingrained in it’s programming of sorts. For now it seems he will just be a lifeless being stashed in Luz’s room for the time being.

Belos is widely different from Jean-Luc. He has intelligence and conscious awareness. Enough to speak eloquently and plan everything to his advantage (Boiling Isles Coven system, fight with Luz, tricking Lilith, etc). He does have a set goal (Day of Unity) but unlike Jean-Luc, who’s direct objective is to protect King from an ingrained command, Belos is acting of his own free will (He does say it is for the Titan but still does it of his own accord). Belos seems to control the Titan’s flesh through his staff and technology whereas Jean-Luc can control the flesh on his body on his own. Both use the flesh for combat. However, Jean-Luc is able to morph his flesh into weapons while Belos can only form claws. This is probably because Jean-Luc is created with the flesh to be used for combat. Belos only commands the flesh from his staff which can be limited. Another difference is physical appearance. Golems can have humanoid appearances if designed that way. However, Belos was breathing heavily in “Agony of a Witch” and had to consume magic of a palisman to regain his strength and composure. It seems Belos does function like most living beings (breathing and eating) while Jean-Luc doesn’t require them to function. Belos is more living and sentient than Jean-Luc is.

Despite similarities and differences between Jean-Luc and Belos, we do get a hint of Belos’s identity. Not just from Jean-Luc but from the mural of King’s father fighting a mysterious creature. In the mural, King’s father seems to be fighting a giant skeletal-like monster wielding a staff and breathing fire. The mural is damaged and the top part of the monster is missing (probably to create mystery and hide the reveal). However, there is something interesting about the monster. If you look closely, the shoulder is pointed upwards like a spike. It’s a small detail, but it also looks like the same upward appearance in the “cursed Belos” clip from the trailer. This could mean the creature in the mural is related to Belos. There are a few reasons how they can be related from other fandom theories:

1) Belos could be the creature itself from the mural but he is in a weakened state or in hiding. From many theories speculating throughout the fandom and information from the show (unauthorized history of the Boiling Isles), the creature could be the Boiling Isles Titan or at least a Titan. There have been sightings of bone fragments of different Titans but the Boiling Isles is the only complete skeleton. Meaning there is more than one Titan before they all perished and it’s possible this was because of King’s father. However, this is only plausible if King’s father came to be before or after the Titan decomposed (which has yet to be confirmed). Even if the language of the building King came from is not known, that could be because Belos erased this island from any known record. Despite Lilith’s comments on how ancient the building is, it does not confirm if it was created before or after the Titan’s death. If the creature is not a Titan, then it has to be some sort of giant or demon. In “Escape of the Palisman” the Bat Queen revealed she has no memory of who her previous master is due to thousands of years passing and her only recollection is she belonged to a giant. The creature in the mural is holding a staff which hints that this creature could be the Bat Queen’s previous handler. It could also be a demon that fought King’s father either out of retaliation or rage. Whatever this creature is, Belos could be it and is just in a weakened state or in hiding until the Day of Unity arrives.

2) Belos could be related to the creature. He may not be the creature itself, but have some relation. He could have come from the same race as the creature much like King. If King is able to be created from an egg, then it could be the same for Belos (not an egg exactly but some kind of demon creation equivalent). Belos’s  kind could have worshipped the Titan and gone on a crusade or war for dominance based on some type of Titan religion conquest. His kind, much like King, could have been wiped out from this war and Belos is the sole survivor. Belos could also have been created by the same creatures. Much like Jean-Luc, but a more advanced living creature. He could even have an ingrained command like Jean-Luc but is more of a living creature than a creation. Which could be a reason why he could be so hell bent on “The Day of Unity”. Belos could be in hiding by consuming magic from palismans to subdue his true form. May not make much sense, but he must appear like the others if he wants to remain in power. Again whatever this creature is, Belos could be related to it.

3) Belos has infused himself with Titan flesh or the technology he is using is starting to change him like Eda’s curse. Witch or human, infusing a magical substance or abusing technology/magic for too long can have dire consequences even if properly used. Much like Eda’s curse, he uses the magic from Palismans to keep his “curse” at bay. However, from “Separate Tides”, we see Belos with disheveled gray hair. This could imply either the usual trick is not working anymore or the curse is progressing faster. Possibly both. If the creature in the mural is the Boiling Isles Titan, it could explain his connection to Titan (heart beating in his throne room). If Belos somehow infused himself with Titan flesh or the technology has somehow made him connected, then his transformation could be a part of that as well. Belos cursed himself using forbidden techniques such as infusion or overuse of technology.

4) Belos could be a new type of Golem. Again, Golems in fiction/folklore do not have sentient consciousness and are made from someone/something. However, it doesn’t rule out the possibility that Belos could be a new type of Golem or robotic and organic creature. Notice how he never leaves the castle much like Jean-Luc never leaves King’s castle. He also has the same blue eyes as Jean-Luc and has a set goal (Day of Unity). He also uses magic from palismans to recharge his strength. He may not be a stone/flesh Golem like Jean-Luc but a much more advanced Golem. Advanced enough to speak and have conscious thought to carry out plans with flexibility. Now how is this related to the creature in the mural? Much like Jean-Luc being created from King’s father, Belos could have been created by the creature in the mural. The mural depicts a battle, but it doesn’t say if the battle was won or in a stalemate. The creature could have created Belos before passing. There is a slight possibility Belos could be possessed by the Titan. Golems usually don’t have conscious thought or sentience, so Golem Belos could be possessed by magic (especially if he is infused with Titan flesh) or the soul of the Titan itself. Again this is highly unlikely as Golems are usually makeshift creations that serve a purpose from their creator.

Whatever Belos may be, he definitely has a connection to King’s past. He hid an entire island from any record on the Boiling Isles. Although his reign is 50 years, the Boiling Isles seems to have existed for thousands of years. However, written records of this island never existed and Belos probably did that to cover his tracks and to fit his narrative of being a messiah to the Titan. King’s castle contains ancient murals, defective technology, and new language. This island's existence would pose a threat to Belos’s reign. However, there seems to be more reasons why Belos would hide it. First, King recalls hearing a roar and a crash before falling asleep. Outside the castle there is a large hole at the top left side. King translated the roar to son, meaning King’s father must have fought someone/something trying to get to King. This someone could be Belos since we do not know his real age yet or when this incident occurred. Although King’s father was trying to protect him, what if Belos was not after King? What if Belos was after the technology King’s father had. Notice how the castle doors are technology based and Jean-Luc is also technology. This does not mean there is no magic involved, but no spells, objects, or commands were used. Also notice how the huge hole is not directly in King’s room. Belos’s must have fought King’s father and stolen the technology he is using right now as his form of magic. He hid the island to protect the technology and history being discovered from the Boiling Isles citizens.

Belos has become one of the most mysterious characters in “The Owl House”. He is an all powerful witch who taught witches how to use magic the correct way and created a system limiting magic usage. Belos is a messiah to the Titan and uses dictatorship to rule by punishing wild witches. His reign has only been set for 50 years but has had a major impact in Boiling Isles society. He has a mysterious plan to build a portal to the human realm which is known as “The Day of Unity” (which is also a mystery). Let’s not forget he wield a staff that is mostly technology and is the source of his magic. What Belos is, his plans, and purpose for the Boiling Isles has yet to be revealed. However, this island does give us a hint to Belos. Although Belos was not a part of this episode unlike “Separate Tides” and “Escaping Expulsion”, “Echoes of the Past” has given us hints from the characters such as King and Lilith. Lilith mentioning there is no record of the island shows Belos is hiding something important from the island. Then we have King who recalls his father’s roar and a crash. Although King was still a fetus, we can tell King’s father did battle with someone to protect him. This someone could have Belos trying to obtain the technology in the castle. Then we have the castle itself. The murals, deactivated Golems (with exception of Jean-Luc), and technology based security shows us either Belos’s acquisition of his current technology and/or his past/origin. This is probably the closest we have gotten to Belos’s identity and we will probably learn more throughout the series.

[lazyliars]

/rp

DreamXD actually slots very nicely into a working theory I've had for about two or so months now, mainly centering around one question:

What happened to Dream?

Namely, why did Dream change, when exactly did it happen, and was it solely an internal change, or was there an external force at play, specifically a preternatural one?

I think with DreamXD, we might finally have an answer.

Or at least some clues to follow. DreamXD presents a shift in every single paradigm the Dream SMP has had. Like, I think most of it is just being so utterly blind-sided by George Lore Real, but part of it is the massive ramifications of an Actual God* being present in the storyline.

((*On the other resident god of the server, Foolish:

DreamXD is different than Foolish, in that his characterization is so dramatically inhuman - Foolish talks and acts like a (somewhat eccentric) person, and his powers are, as far as we know, limited in comparison to the creative-mode godhood that DreamXD occupies. And whether that is because Foolish is not a "full" god (having been referred to as a demigod) or simply because he's spent so much time around humans, we don't know, but we do know that either way, DreamXD is NOT that.

DreamXD's voice is marked by glitches and dramatic shifts in tone, he seems to lack control over the different aspects of his personality, like the more "Dream" part vs. the darker one that threatens to eat peoples souls. The "normal" part even displays confusion when George references things that the "darker" part said, implying that it may not be fully aware of itself.

TLDR: Foolish acts more human than DreamXD, who has a very eldritch personality.))

To get right to the point:

The Dream we knew before November 16th, and the Dream we know now are not the same. Something changed, and it changed for the worse.

Consider: Dream was always antagonistic to the L'manbergians - he was always imperious to them, and he was responsible for starting a number of fights between his faction and theirs, just as many if not more than they were.

But, he was also not... evil. He'd pick fights with Tommy, the disc wars were still a thing, but the gravity of the spats they had weren't dire. They were fun. They were... actually a game. He wasn't like the way he is now. While in hindsight we can look at these events and detect a serious undertone knowing what's to come, at the time they were far from it.

There is an argument to be made that he had the same tendencies as now, just not expressed as loudly, and while I believe it's a valid argument, I disagree that it's proof of Dream always being the way he is now.

Sapnap, Badboyhalo, Sam. They all remember Dream as their friend - they remember someone who was, maybe a little aggressive and a lot competitive, but not cruel. Not needlessly murderous. Not someone who steals sentimental items and lines the walls of a disgusting museum to use against them.

Dream cut them out. Sapnap was totally blindsided. Bad doesn't seem to fully believe it. Sam blamed himself for not realizing and tried to take the weight of that crime on his own shoulders by becoming the Warden.

There's also the competing theory that what happened to Dream was purely psychological - either the circumstances slowly isolating him from his friends driving him to the do things he's done, or a desire for control that started early and continued to fester until it overshadowed everything else, or any combination of both.

And those theories are still valid, they could still be the case, but I haven't been able to shake the idea that there is something deeper at play. I can't overstate how the exile arc and everything after it have been so inhumane, so cruel, and... not exactly out of character in the sense that I could never see Dream doing them, but in the sense that I could never see him doing them for no reason.

And there really doesn't seem to be one. Dream says himself, it's like a game. He sees people as toys, puppets. And there just doesn't seem to be an inciting incident that could explain how he made the leap from semi-authoritarian leader who, despite being a warmonger, does love his friends, to heartless murderer who wants to reduce everyone he knows to dolls.

There's... ways, he could get there, but nothing that we've seen makes sense. There is a missing piece, something that must have happened from his POV that we didn't get to see because he doesn't stream.

And DreamXD could be it. This godly entity that claims that it is "a part of [Dream]" but that it isn't him entirely. That seems to share the lack of understanding of humanity that Dream has been displaying like when he asks if resurrecting Tommy was “cool.” But that still loves George. He still, despite apparently not having the same history as Dream, desperately wants to be George's friend.

If I had to pinpoint the moment Dream changed, it would be the day that he revealed that he switched sides, and was going to be fighting against Pogtopia. He was paid for this betrayal in the Revive Book.

I mark this as the turning point in my theory because it is the first time Dream mentions his affinity for chaos in the context of hurting others. However, we also know that this likely wasn't the day he actually made the decision to betray - as he revealed that there was a traitor among the Pogtopians, a fact that he likely would have learned before this.

Now, I mark George's lore stream as the introduction of DreamXD proper, and I want that on the record because it isn't technically his first appearance on the server.

Most people will remember him from Techno's stream, where he logged on to break the End Portal in a panic. I doubt the character was properly written into the lore at that time, but it fits neatly with the rest of what we know about him - a guardian of the server, and the keeper of it's rules. No contradictions.

What less people might know, is that DreamXD has made an even earlier appearance, and it's this one where things begin to get... interesting.

Around roughly October of 2020, Tubbo and Fundy did some improv'd streams centering around Demon Hunting, or rather, "Dreamon" Hunting, and it's during the first of these two streams that DreamXD makes an appearance.

The bare bones of it was - Tubbo is an experienced "Dreamon Hunter" and teaches Fundy his ways. They find Dream, and realize that he has a Dreamon inside of him, which is basically an evil version of him. They attempt to exorcise the Dreamon from Dream via various shenanigans, and eventually, they do a ceremony to free Dream. However, they apparently botch it, and unleash the Dreamon within. After more shenanigans, one attempt to fix it utilizing Fundy and Dream's wedding appears to work, but then DreamXD logs on, flys around at Tubbo and Fundy threateningly, and they end stream on the idea that there are probably more Dreamons to hunt.

Now. There's a lot to unpack here. I'm not gonna go into the nitty gritty details in this post, but I do recommend watching the Dreamon streams, as they have A LOT of details that, if this is getting incorporated into the main story line, could be important - especially the focus on duality, having TWO versions of Dream, which end up being potentially separated from each other.

(Also, they're just really funny streams. Tubbo and Fundy are at PEAK chaos and Dream plays along with their inane bit perfectly, it's just good content.)

At the time of the Dreamon streams airing, they were explicitly non-canon. IIRC Tubbo and Fundy referred to them as taking place In an “alternate universe,” which makes sense considering they would have been on opposite sides at the time (Manburg and Pogtopia.)

However.

And this is where I show you my wall of red string and newspaper clippings.

My singular piece of evidence for this comes from one line DreamXD drops. He simply says: “At least you're not hunting me.”

The Dreamon streams take place around early October. Dream reveals his betrayal of Pogtopia around November 6th-7th. The timeline of the Dreamon streams would line up perfectly with the idea that there was a catalyzing event that put Dream on the proverbial path to hell.

I do not believe that they intended the Dreamon arc to be anything other than a side story at the time, but considering that DreamXD himself was barely canon until now, I don't think it's out of the question that they took a look back at a fan-favorite minor arc, saw an opportunity to co-opt it into the current story line, and potentially fill in some holes regarding Dream's characterization all in one move.

On the question of whether this would be a GOOD storytelling move?

The Dreamon theories were prevalent during the exile arc, and I've got to say, I was never a huge fan. The detachment of Dream's actions from his intentions, and by extension his morality, never sat right with me. It feels cheap to make him a victim and say “a Dreamon did it!” in regards to all of the horrible things that he's done. It strips his agency and makes everything that happened less impactful in my opinion, and I stand by that reading.

BUT. With DreamXD introduced, I feel like it's necessary to look at this from all angles. And with the way DreamXD was characterized in George's stream, I don't think it necessarily ruins Dream's character to say that an external force was involved with his descent into evil.

Namely, the idea that whatever happened to Dream was not really a “possession” so much as a gradual loss of humanity, could be an interesting way to look at this. It implies that Dream was always capable of his actions, but grants us understanding as to why he would actually perform them, and why he might have become isolated enough from his friends that they would let this happen.

The Dream we know now could be an expression of his “worst self” brought to the surface by a Dreamon/DreamXD/other. It also begs the question of what would happen if that force were to leave him, and how it might cause yet another shift in character, especially if it were to be portrayed as less of a switch being flipped, and more of a withdrawal, with a gradual process of realizing how far gone he was.

To close this out, I've been stewing on the idea that Dream hasn't entirely been himself since the climax of the Exile Arc.

I think this theory holds water, but it's also not waterproof... there are plenty of holes, and a lot of that comes from the fact that Dream doesn't stream. We're left in the dark when deciphering his character, and what might appear to be the key, could just as easily be revealed as a red herring, or even nothing at all.

Regardless of the validity of the Dreamon theory, I think that DreamXD is one of the most interesting developments we've had on the SMP in a long time, if simply because his arrival coincides with fucking George Lore Real. God. I still don't know how to deal with that.

I always appreciate people adding to the discussion by the way! Feel free to reblog with additions if you like or leave them in the replies.

And if a single one of you comes to my blog on THIS. THE DAY OF MY DAUGHTER'S WEDDING. And calls ME a c!Dream Apologist to MY FACE..... I will be v sad.

[bjornsonbrightman]

A (not-so-brief) list and analysis of the things that were changed in the set design of Phantom London, part 1

[*includes things that were changed in between the release of the infamous Planning Document™ and opening night!*]

WARNING: long, image-heavy post

The past week has undoubtedly been very confusing and anxiety-inducing for a lot of phans, I myself included, who were (and are) still horrified of what C*mM*ck has done to Phantom London.

So naturally, as someone who lives somewhere that couldn't be farther from the UK, I decided to compile a list of all the things that I've learned — through hours of shamelessly scrolling through Instagram, Twitter and Facebook tags — about the planning, creation and production of the new set design.

Hang on tight, it's a bumpy ride.

1. The proscenium

The most obvious thing that is now different from the OG. Let's take a look at the concept art shown in the original planning document:

Ahh, I remember the release of this picture and the Tumblr/Twitter/FB explosion that ensued like it was yesterday. Good times.

The new set design by Matt Kinley is mainly derived from what he did for the UK tour, which introduced the cracked, sculpture-less proscenium and the separate proscenium frame/boxes that appear only during the opera scenes. Unlike the greatly simplified UK tour design, however, this design for London appears to have the original lyres and garlands at the top, as well as some structural elements of the OG proscenium (see the outward curved trimmings on the top sides). The surrounding areas of the auditorium are also shown to be restored to their original colours, the most interesting of which is a new false wall in the area behind the top part of the proscenium. These areas were previously blacked out with black paint and black masking.

Despite hewing closer to the OG than the UK tour did, this was still a sacrilegious bastardization far cry from Maria Björnson's design, and I guess the creatives were aware of it too, as they seemed to try to soften the blow by:

using actual pieces of the original proscenium that weren't a part of the OG plan such as this satyr-riding angel...

including an "homage" to Maria (according to ALW) in the form of a new sculptural bust that fills up the Golden Angel's spot (picture from @mariussansmerci) ...

The design of the false wall behind the lyres on top was also changed to... something that I guess gives off the impression of a false dome?? Not too sure about this one but I kinda like it ngl:

Something that the planning document mentions is that the removal of the side sculptures and the installation of a "cracked" proscenium allows for sound equipment to be installed behind the sides of the proscenium, which frees up the two side boxes to be "used as originally intended". And that's exactly what happened. Surprise, C*mM*ck now has 4 extra seats that he can sell overpriced.

And here's the finished result (photos from here):

With the safety curtain that was brought over from the UK tour and without the inner proscenium/boxes:

To be honest? I kinda like the final result. Those (possibly face-saving) changes really saved the design from looking like a bad copy of the original proscenium; now it just looks like a mediocre copy. But don't worry, whenever I get too comfortable with this new design I just pull out pictures of Maria's OG proscenium and my fiery anger for the new one is reignited.

And that's all I have on the proscenium!

Next up we have something that I believe had the most confusing and troubled development out of all the new set pieces:

2. The Chandelier

Man, this poor thing has been through a lot.

When it was originally designed for the UK tour, the chandelier was intended to utilize much of the same technology that the r*staged tour chandelier used, namely the drapes that are "magically" sucked into the chandelier itself and the straight-dropping mechanism. Hence, the new chandelier was made to be circular and non-collapsible, featuring a decorative spike on the bottom. According to pictures of the model and the concept art shown in the planning document, I suspect the drapes were to be sucked in through the decorative lyres (see the circular openings):

But this mechanism was precisely the reason for the downfall of this design. Come opening night of the UK tour, and this chandelier was nowhere to be seen. My suspicion of what went wrong? Either the drapes were snagging on the lyres (kind of like what happened to the short-lived garlands on R*staged Tour Chandelier), or the retractable frame that held up the drapes wasn't working properly.

But whatever the reason for the failure of this mashup chandelier, the designers must've realized and abandoned ship pretty late, because pictures from one of the prop makers showed that it was still being made with frames that were very much non-collapsible as late as February this year:

Once they realized it wasn't going to work, I believe a series of last-minute actions were made. My theory: they brought back the OG chandelier in all its missing-bulbs glory less than a week away from opening...

... and stripped it of its lyres, which were transplanted onto the new chandelier, as is evident from the final product (photo from @soulsoaringphan):

This hypothesis is bolstered by the fact that the new lyres were originally going to have holes in them for drape-sucking (ew), and so once the decision was made to have the chandelier work more like the OG, the logical step would have been to just borrow the lyres from the old one instead of making new ones in less than a week or two from opening.

Also note the gaps in the beading that would've had the rigid golden frame trimmings seen in the model and the in-progress photos above; the designers must have removed them hastily to allow the chandelier to collapse, but unfortunately they just... left it empty. Oh, and the absence of the spike on the bottom, which is now just a huge gaping hole (again, ew). There's also an additional tier on top that wasn't present in the OG, model or any of the concept art.

I'm actually quite relieved that the new chandelier is pretty similar to the OG and the Palais Garnier one, but if I have to nitpick: I miss the horizontal decorative beading, the ones that were on the top tier and in between the lyres in the old chandelier. Maybe it's just me, but the chandelier looks... incomplete without them.

And that's all I have on the chandelier!

3. The Orchestra Pit — wait, I can't upload any more pictures??

Welp, guess I'll have to make a part 2 then. Thanks for reading this long, long rant post, I hope it was at the very least entertaining and slightly informative!

And lemme know if I forgot to credit anyone whose pictures I used!

[eleanore-delphinium]

The Gift: Chapter Three (Diluc & Jean)

Chapter One

Chapter Two: Childhood Arc

Chapter Three: (Your are here)

NEXT

~.~.~.~.~

Two years ago, was when Diluc Ragnvindr met Jean Gunnhildr. Crepus planned a party to welcome and introduce his adopted son Kaeya to the people. The Gunnhildr clan had been known to be rather close with the Ragnvindr family for centuries, and their relationship has been beneficial for Monstadt, and so it came to no surprise that the Gunnhilr clan would have their own representatives at the party.

It was even quite favorable that the next clan leader of the Gunnhildr so happened to be of the same age as the successor of the Ragnvindr’s Winery. The only problem was the eight-year-old Jean, who had become known to be too mature for her age, was in the corner observing the merriment with an indifferent expression. The Gunnhildr family members present were rather displeased with the child, and yet it came to no surprise, she was already known to be rather unapproachable.

What a waste of a good opportunity.

Jean was thankful that her mother could not attend the party due to prior obligations, at least now she wouldn’t worry about her mother’s direct scolding.

She had observed the red-haired boy for a few minutes now, and had gotten bored that her cold eyes started to drift to other things. Diluc seemed to be such a bright child and Jean had missed the pair of red eyes that had caught her presence or lack thereof. Diluc excused himself from the children around his age who were trying to have better relations with him and made his way to the blonde girl who was looking at the buffet table absentmindedly.

“Hello.” Diluc said, stopping a meter away from Jean who was startled by the sudden greeting. She stood properly from leaning on the wall as she stared at Diluc with wide eyes.

“Uhm, greetings, I am Jean of house Gunnhildr.” Jean placed her right fist over her hand as she bowed by bending her torso slightly. They had not formally met, and she felt that she had to introduce herself first. But she heard the boy chuckle and she looked up at him.

His eyes were bright and there was a stifling radiance that was coming from him that she couldn’t help but flinch.

“Hello, I am Diluc of Ragnvindr house, it is a pleasure to meet you.” He replied courteously and there was silence between them. Diluc noticed that Jean’s grey eyes glanced behind him, from the direction he had come. He then stood beside her, on her left and leaned on the wall as she had done prior.

“I noticed you from over there.” He glanced over at the other children who seemed to have scattered the moment he faced their direction, Jean just pressed her lips as she avoided the other kids' gazes. “Why didn’t you go over there with everyone?”

“We don’t get along.” She replied indifferently as she tried to make herself small as she started feeling her relatives' eyes on her. She was convinced her relatives were looking at her and thinking that she was finally being useful at this event and that she should utilize this opportunity well.

“And why not?” He glanced at her, and she was surprised.

“You’re interested in me?” She asked softly, almost rather breathless. He looked at her confused with a slight tilt with his head. 

“Why?” His tone slightly raised indicating if there should be something he should worry about. “Are you sick?” She looked at him and she smiled softly and this time it was DIluc who was taken aback.

“No, nothing like that.” She said in a rueful tone as she turned her gaze at one kid. “I’m not so friendly as you can probably tell. And my interests with the other children are-- it is very different.” She sighed.

“I heard, you don’t go out of your house, is what they told me.” Diluc said and he observed Jean press her lips.

“I have other things to concern myself with.” Jean replied in a clipped manner. “Congratulations on getting your vision.” She added awkwardly as she looked at her right slightly.

“Oh yes, thank you.” Diluc replied and felt bad for Jean. He heard that her mother has made sure she puts her studies first which was why the other kids did not get along with Jean because Jean herself could not find the time to interact with others unless on a function like this. To make matters even worse, her interest revolved around combat, there were only a few kids who were interested in combat that would actually attend events like this.

“I think your brother looks uncomfortable.” Jean said when the silence grew longer and Diluc stayed by her side. Diluc glanced at where his brother was, Kaeya looked nervous as he was being surrounded by other kids his age.

“It seems like that is the case.” Diluc replied standing upright, Jean sighed internally. She thought that this was probably the end of  this interaction, the most she had talked to someone her age with the other party initiating the conversation.

“Why don’t we go help him out?” Diluc offered and Jean was surprised as she whirled her head to his direction. She wanted to ask him if he was sure, if he really wanted to still talk to her, but Diluc held his hand out for her and there were unexplainable emotions that enveloped her.

She placed her hand over his and inhaled sharply knowing that this was something she would normally not do. “Alright.”

Diluc smiled at her and she thought that his charisma was very magnetic. Diluc brought Jean all the way to Kaeya who looked overwhelmed.

“I will be borrowing my brother for a moment, I would like him to formally meet someone.” Diluc said, swooping in to help his brother and bringing Jean along. The way Diluc spoke made Jean feel like they have been friends for a long time, it was odd and comforting and so very foreign. She didn’t have any friends because she found that she was not given the opportunity to, unless of course it was for business, which was her purpose here at this party.

~.~.~.~.~

Three months, that was how long Diluc had not seen Jean. Today he had come again at her doorstep, but this time he would not be turned away, this time he had a purpose-- a reasonable cause to see her. Perhaps not today, but he will see her soon.

Diluc knocked at the door and Jean’s butler greeted him. 

“Hello, Clarence.” Diluc smiled at the elderly man whose expression was flat.

“Greetings Young Master Ragnvindr, but I am sad to inform you that Lady Jean is quite busy today too.” Hearing Clarence say the same excuse without even waiting for Diluc to say the purpose of his visit just made Diluc smile politely.

“I understand, but that is not my purpose today.” Diluc replied with a cordial tone. He couldn’t be angry at Clarence, he was likely just following the orders of Frederica. “I won't be long, I just came to personally send the invitation for my birthday party. As our two families have been close for generations, and even more so now because Jean and I are close friends.” 

Clarence blinked and a smile tugged at the edges of his face as he stared at Diluc. His eyes tell Diluc that he did well.

“I will personally send it to Lady Frederica and will respond immediately.” Clarence put his hand out and Diluc pulled the invitation from his inner jacket pocket with a smile. 

“I appreciate it a lot. Have a good day, Clarence.” Diluc gave a small nod and turned on his heel when he saw Clarence nod back. Diluc then went inside his family’s carriage.

“So?” Kaeya asked Diluc who settled on the seat in front of him.

“I gave the invitation and as usual it is Clarence who opened the door with an explanation that Jean was too busy, so she could not meet me.” Diluc responded looking at the Gunnhildr mansion.

“She will surely go, Lady Frederica would never not attend a function that shows the closeness of our family.” Kaeya replied with a clipped tone and Diluc nodded.

“You are absolutely correct, let us hope that she would not do something unexpected and choose not to go.” Diluc said and their ride back home was done in silence. Kaeya was quietly observing Diluc’s serious expression and he thought that this was the first time he had seen his brother like this. Even with such an expression plastered on Diluc’s face, Kaeya felt that his brother was bound for great things.

“The party is for next week, I really hope Lady Frederica will attend.” Diluc sighed leaning back on his seat. 

That evening Crepus received a letter of acceptance for the invitation sent out by Diluc from Frederica, that letter came along with a letter for Diluc from Jean. 

“Diluc, I have good news.” Crepus said entering Diluc’s bedroom, Kaeya on Diluc’s bed reading while Diluc was on his desk studying. Diluc turned to the door upon hearing his father’s voice.

“Frederica accepted the invitation.” Crepus told his son with a neutral look and tone. Diluc nodded at his father as he looked back at his desk.

“That is good to hear.” He responded just as neutral as his father while Kaeya was glancing between the two silently. 

“And there is a letter,” Diluc’s head quickly turned to his father upon hearing this. “From Jean.” A vague smile tugged at Crepus lips, Diluc was already at his feet and running to his father who held a simple letter.

Diluc snached it and quickly said his thanks. Crepus couldn’t help but laugh at Diluc and Kaeya tried covering his giggles.

Diluc cleared his throat standing by his chair and opened the letter and sighed before reading it.

Dear Diluc,

My closest friend, whom I have not seen for some time, my sincerest apologies. I have been very busy as of the late, but I do hope it does not change our friendship. I was glad to have been told that you sent your birthday invitation yourself. I wrote this letter to personally let you know that I will be in attendance, I hope-- despite my absence our friendship is still strong.

Sincerely, Jean

Diluc knew the moment he held the letter that Jean’s mother would check her letter before sending it to the Ragnvindr residence. But at least he knew that she was alright, that their friendship was not affected with what he had done. He sighed aloud and happened to look at his father, Diluc was surprised to see his father’s serious gaze.

“Everything is alright, father.” Diluc informed and his father and Kaeya sighed loudly. Diluc pressed his lips mildly surprised that his father and brother were actually waiting for his reaction. Diluc cleared his throat again and sat down.

“Well…” Kaeya broke the silence as he placed his book face down as he neared the edge of Diluc’s bed. Diluc put out parchment from the drawer on his right.

“Jean will be attending my birthday.” Diluc replied, smiling up at his family. 

“That is good news, son.” Crepus sighed again, truly happy for his son. Crepus had noticed that Diluc and Jean seemed to be very close with one another. He had even suspected that perhaps Diluc even likes Jean. It has come to a point where Crepus had already prepared himself for Diluc to tell him that he wants to propose to the young heir of the Gunnhildr’s. The day has not yet come, but he believed that it was just a matter of time.

“I will send a response to Jean’s letter and have it sent out for tomorrow morning.” Diluc said, dipping his quill in the bottle of ink and writing on the parchment. 

“Son--” Crepus had begun but instantly was tackled by Kaeya.

“Father!” Kaeya glared at the older man in an endearing way, and Crepus sighed again and patted Kaeya’s head.

“Alright, you two seems so busy, this old man should get going.” Crepus said and Diluc looked at his father.

“Have a good evening then, father.” Diluc replied.

“Yes, I have a lot of paperwork to get back to.” Crepus added, patting Kaeya’s head one last time.

“Good night, father!” Kaeya happily responded and Crepus slowly retreated out of the room, looking at his two sons with proud eyes.

“I’m truly glad you two get along.” He added before stepping out the door of Diluc’s room.

“I am too.” Kaeya smiled at his adopted father, leaning on Diluc’s door. Before closing the door Kaeya gave one last wave and gently closed the door.

“Well then, are you going to be preparing your birthday party yourself?” Kaeya inquired and Diluc turned to his brother.

“If you’d like, why don’t you help me?” Diluc offered with a smile and Kaeya nodded enthusiastically. 

The evening of Diluc’s birthday eventually came, Jean entered the hall with her family. Diluc was surrounded by people, happily chatting away. Her first thought when her eyes laid on him, was that this scene seemed awfully familiar. It had brought her back to the time where they had met. Diluc was very charismatic and his background would naturally incentivize people to approach him and yet he was patient and open.

Diluc catched her wandering eyes and she casually avoided his red gaze.

“Don’t do anything to ruin the Gunnhildr name.” Frederica strictly commanded when she noticed Diluc’s eyes land on her daughter.

“Of course, I would never do such a thing, mother.” Jean replied as she looked down on the floor to avoid her mother’s scrutiny. Before Frederica could add anything else, Crepus approached them with a friendly smile.

“Frederica!” He greeted the older woman first.

“Hello, Crepus.” Frederica said with a tight but polite smile.

“Where is Seamus?” Crepus inquired when he saw Jean and Barbara but not their father.

“He was a little busy with work, he said he will try his best to catch up. I hope you do not mind.” Frederica said and Crepus nodded with an understanding smile.

“Of course, that is no issue, I am a single parent, I can totally understand.” Crepus smiled at the kids by Frederica. 

“Barbara seems rather shy.” Crepus commended upon seeing Barbara hiding behind her older sister. “Doesn’t matter, let us let the children go and play!” Crepus quickly added so that Frederica would not say something to keep her kids by her side. 

Frederica narrowed her eyes for a moment at his suggestion, but cannot say a thing in front of all these people. She smiled tightly and lightly urged her children to go with a motherly tone.

“Jean.” Barbara mumbled as she poked her older sister on her back, Jean shifted her body a bit and held Barbara’s hand.

“Then we will be on our way.” Jean gently pulled Barbara’s hand and they walked to where the children were socializing. Jean outwardly looked indifferent but inside, she thought that going towards the other kids was something unpleasant. The other kids became friendly towards her after Diluc befriended her two years ago, but they only get to talk on functions like this. Thus her friendships with other people her age seemed shallow and superficial. 

Jean had just walked a couple meters but she was still nervous. She wasn’t sure how she would talk to them, she doesn’t keep touch with other kids her age. Her training to be the next Gunnhildr Clan Leader takes precedence over anything, even building connections.

“Jean!” Kaeya’s voice came from their right and the pair of siblings stopped and looked at Kaeya’s direction. “Barbara.” Kaeya stopped near Barbara with a smile and Barbara smiled and her eyes twinkled as she stretched her hand out to Kaeya.

Jean sighed, “Alright, you two go and play.” Kaeya turned to Jean with a smile. “Take good care of my sister.” She added with a strict tone and Kaeya bowed his head seriously. 

“Of course.” And Kaeya brought Barbara somewhere not towards the other kids. Since Barabara wasn’t with Jean anymore she felt that it wasn’t necessary to go to the other kids. She had just wanted to go to the other kids so Barbara would have friends, but with her gone she didn’t need to. It was Barbara’s first official party.

Jean found herself leaning against the wall looking at everyone else. This was oddly familiar, studying the crowd at the edge. Jean spotted her mom talking with the adults, making her connections stronger and Jean instantly looked down hoping her mother didn't spot her. What would she say? She was not acting like a Gunnhildr Clan Leader, Jean has to be sociable. 

She sighed as she looked at the corner. She knows she should socialize, she knows she has to have perfect form and she knows she has to be precise and accurate, nothing less than impeccable is demanded of her. 

“Jean, I’m glad you made it.” Diluc's voice came from her front and she looked up with startled eyes.

“Diluc.” She said as she looked up at Diluc. “This seems awfully familiar.” She laughed a little with pressed lips.

“Huh, actually now that you mentioned it.” Diluc teased as he stood beside her leaning against the wall too, but this time around their elbows almost touching. “Now, this really came full circle.” He added staring at the other kids, this was really like two years ago.

“Thank you.” Jean whispered and Diluc turned to look at her.

“For what?” He asked confusedly.

“I know you planned this for me.” Jean said, turning to Diluc with certain eyes and he smiled back at her.

“Now, I felt like it was my fault too.” He quietly added.

“It wasn’t.” Jean instantly replied but he looked at her with uncertainty. “If I didn’t meet you, I’d probably still be at the corner like this. So, yes there is a lot to say thank you for.”

“I don’t think you would be in the corner.” He said his eyes were clear.

“You’re right, I’d probably be socializing out of obligation. Which I should really be doing right now.” Jean said playfully with expressive expressions and Diluc smiled.

“I do rub into you.” He said bumping into her playfully and she giggled.

“Kaeya and Barbara have become really close.” Jean remarked with a contented smile. “I have to thank you for that too.”

“Hmm, I think it isn’t just just me.” Diluc replied. 

“Barbara is a cheerful and innocent child, I try my best to keep it that way.” Jean sighed as she closed her eyes. She will protect her sister.

“You are a good sister, Jean.” Diluc said with pressed lips.

“You are a good brother too, Diluc.” She replied back with a smile. 

NEXT: Chapter Four: Barbara & Kaeya

[that-blue-vault-dweller]

how would each companion react to turning into a super mutant while keeping all their human memories? the ones that can turn super mutant at least lol

Oh, my goodness... That is so sad!!! 🥺🥺🥺 But this is a really interesting request, and I like the creativity in it. It's a really fascinating idea to think about.

Thank you for the request, and I hope you enjoy! 🥰💙💛

Warning: Heavy mentions of suicide ahead.

Cait - Has been disgusted with herself for a long time, and actually was on the road to some semblance of at least self-respect. However, now that she is in this form, she is in a worse place mentally than she was before. She feels like puking as soon as she sees her own reflection, and she is ashamed of herself and how she looks. She is actually even tempted to return to her previous chem habits. But F!Sole encourages her to stick with her, and she tells her that she has come so far and that she cannot give up on herself just because she is in a different body. After a long time, she tries to come to terms with it and at least enjoy the few benefits the form offers. She gets to live longer, and she has an extreme boost in strength. She tries hard to avoid the negative aspects even though she sees them every time that she raises her hands up within her line of sight. She will never love herself, but she will come to accept her form eventually.

Piper - Is horribly upset. One of her worst nightmares was being caught by super-mutants, but to actually turn into one herself? It is one of the most horrid atrocities that she can think of. She is terribly upset, and she knows that she will not be allowed to live in Diamond City anymore. She knows Nat needs an education, and she has to be in Diamond City. But the girl cannot live alone there. And what if Nat does not even recognize her or worse--- what if she is scared of her? And what is going to happen to the paper? Everything in Piper's world is crashing down. However, with the help of her Blue, she gets her life back together. Publick Occurrences and Piper's home is moved to Sanctuary where Piper will always be safe from those who would want to hurt her, and F!Sole pulls together homeschooling supplies for Nat to learn from. Very slowly, Piper starts to adjust to the new normal. But none of it is ever the same as it was before.

Curie - Would be quite interested in her new body once she got over the pure shock of it all. Then she would slowly realize that she is stuck like this permanently. And as if that was not upsetting enough for her, she realizes that people now treat her as if she is vermin and just a dangerous monster. It hurts her deeply when everyone looks at her with unbridled disgust, and it only deepens the wound when some people try to kill her simply for what she looks like. She is thankful for F!Sole because she is always coming to her defense and ensuring that no one actually succeeds in hurting her physically, but she still hurts on the inside. She soon throws herself wholeheartedly into attempting to create a cure to remedy her condition.

MacCready - Is completely wrecked by the fact that he has turned into a horrid monster. His first worry is what if Duncan does not recognize him and wants nothing to do with him. He does not want his only son and the most important person in his whole life to hate him or be terrified of him because he looks like a walking nightmare. He is even more upset when he realizes that he cannot hardly take control of his sniper rifle anymore. It takes a really long time for him to relearn how to use the scope and it takes many gun mods to even let him actually see through the scope properly. He is deeply saddened by his new form, but with F!Sole by his side constantly reassuring him, he gets through it. He just hopes that Duncan will give him a chance.

Deacon - Hates the fact that he cannot effectively perform his duties as a Railroad agent. No human will even consider letting him get near them to overhear a conversation, much less let him talk to them about anything. While it allows him to blend in with every other super-mutant, it does not give him the benefit he needs among humans anymore. His Railroad work is soon restrained to doing remote operations from headquarters. It has even screwed up his entire dynamic with almost everyone there. They do not exactly know how to even talk to him anymore because he looks so opposite of what he used to be. However, when Glory so openly talks to him and does not seem bothered in the least by his appearance, everyone else starts to come around and treat him like he is Deacon again.

Hancock - Is used to looking all wrinkly and gnarled, but he is honestly really not sure how he feels about this. If he can still take chems, he feels a little better about the whole thing. However, he does not like how he is now one of the even less accepted creatures of the Commonwealth. It is going to be really hard to get the people of Goodneighbor to see him as their leader now because he has the appearance of a mindless super-mutant. However, he asks F!Sole to make him a larger version of the John Hancock outfit, he dons his outfit from before, and he addresses the people of Goodneighbor, speaking as he always has. It is a difficult transition, but they soon come to accept him as their mayor just in a different form.

Danse - Is positively disgusted with himself and is tempted to commit suicide, knowing how horrid and inhuman the super-mutants of the Commonwealth are and not wanting to even slightly resemble them. However, if F!Sole pleads with him enough, he decides he'll keep going. But now he feels even more self-hatred than he did before. As time passes, he slowly comes to the realization that Cutler could have been just like this in this exact same predicament. He could have retained his mind but just looked like a super-mutant. It makes Danse even more upset to consider that he could have killed his best friend when he was perfectly aware of his memories, all that was going on, and who Danse was.

Preston - Is riddled with deep depression and self-loathing. He does not want to keep going on, but F!Sole finally convinces him to give this new life a chance. He is horribly upset and he does not know how to handle being such a disgusting, hated creature. After some time, he tries to pull himself together enough to return to his Minutemen duties, and by F!Sole's side and because she vouches for him, he earns some of the respect that he once had as her second-in-command. Slowly, after quite some time of working to help the Commonwealth and using his newfound strength to aid him, the Minutemen see him as Preston Garvey once again instead of the horrid green atrocity that he at first appears to be.

X6-88 - Is completely thrown and has no idea what to do. He is disgusted with his new form and has prided himself for quite a long time on his precision, his stealth, and his deadliness. He now has lost two of those primary qualities that he felt identified him most. He is still deadly, but not in the finessed manner that a courser is and he now has to utilize brute strength as a primary offense. He tries to look at the better side of the whole thing and focus on the fact that he can now crush people's skulls with his hands, but he cannot stop thinking of how he misses his previous form. He handles it better than most people would, but he still suffers from the transition.

[detectivehannibal]

Everything and More

Hannibal Lecter x Fem! Reader

Tags: Sugar daddy Hannibal. Smut references.

Word Count: 1.8k

“I didn’t realize that was a secret.”

✮⋆˙✮⋆˙✮⋆˙✮

Your relationship with Hannibal was...interesting to say the least.

There was a special connection between the two of you from the moment you met. It couldn’t be denied that Hannibal made a lasting first impression on you. You were drawn to his elegance and his charm, his strokes of being a gentleman. 

In the beginning, he would have you over for dinner maybe once a month. Then it became more frequent to where you were visiting every other week. Before you knew it, you were his dinner guest a few times a week.

During one of these dinner dates, he asked you if you would want to pursue a relationship with him. It was obvious you were interested in one another, and he found that it was only logical to ask you out properly. Initially, you didn’t respond to his question right away. You had a few things to consider, despite your fondness of him.

He was a bit older than you, and sometimes it showed. You tended to prefer a guy with a few years of experience on him. You wanted someone who understood you and would be there for you at every turn. You took this into account with all your relationships you had ever been in. You decided that of all people, Hannibal would be the one to always be in your corner.

It wasn’t long after you started dating that you noticed this differed from any of your previous relationships. He was extra tentative to you. He cared for you in any way he could. He also showed it in many ways. It was not at all unusual anymore for you to come home and there be some sort of present waiting for you. 

Sometimes it could be as small as a simple bracelet and other times it could be a new pair of heels. They usually appeared at random and for no sort of special occasion, but they all had one thing in common. They were usually pretty pricey and not something you could usually afford to buy yourself. 

It was typically an unspoken fact, but Hannibal was a wealthy guy. Once a professional ER doctor and now a successful psychiatrist, he had a large sum of money in his bank account. He had to supply his exquisite taste somehow.

You would gratefully accept these gifts and use them with pride. You didn’t really discuss with Hannibal the reasoning for his purchases for you until one specific night. You had just returned to your home from work and were thumbing through the mail when something occurred to you. You hadn’t gotten a single bill in the mail for the last two months. No electricity, water, utilities bill, none of it.

You wondered how in the world your bills were being paid if you hadn’t been the one paying them. It took a minute or so, but then the realization hit you. Hannibal had been paying your bills. He was the only person in your life who would do it without being asked...and without asking.

While the shoes, jewelry, and whatever else was one thing, this was a totally different matter. Even if you had to work your ass off and may have cut it close some months, you could totally manage to pay your bills and other housing needs. You confronted him that night over a glass of wine after dinner while sitting in front of the warm fire in the fireplace.

“So, I discovered something strange today,” You began to say, sipping from your glass. “I realized that I haven’t been receiving any of my bills for awhile.”

He shrugged.

“I would assume not, considering I’ve paid them.” He confirmed.

You sat up from laying against him and looked at him as if you had caught him with his hand in the cookie jar.

“Ah! So you admit it. You have been paying my bills.”

His eyes dashed to the side and back to you.

“I didn’t realize that was a secret.” He stated.

You were stunned, you would’ve never expected this.

“Did I give the impression that I can’t pay my bills? Because I assure you that I can.” You said, feeling guilty now.

“I’m well aware of that,” He replied with a nod. “Can’t I just do it because I care deeply about you and wish for you to have as stress-free of a life as possible?” He asked.

Your heart fluttered at what he had just said to you. He was doing this just because he cared and because he financially was able to? This was so different than anything you’d ever experienced.

“You can...as long as you’re okay with it...and I get the feeling I wouldn’t win that argument otherwise.” You laughed lightly.

He pulled you back to his chest and you snuggled close, hearing his response vibrate off his chest.

“Of course. I don’t mind,” He kissed your head. “And yes, you wouldn’t win.”

The conversation was left at that and you were left with a whole new realization. Hannibal Lecter was your unofficial sugar daddy. It shook you to the core for awhile, but you came to terms with it because it was a healthy relationship and neither of you were using the other. He wasn’t using you for sex (although, sex was definitely there) and you weren’t using him for money. You really loved each other...just with a couple of perks along the way.

When you came home from work in the afternoons, you didn’t have as many obligations to take care of. You often found yourself picking up an old hobby. You had been baking yourself silly and learning all sorts of baking tricks. You also decided that it was time to start teaching yourself something that you never finished. In college, you had taken a few courses in French, but never became fluent. 

Hannibal was fluent in French and many of his dishes were of French culinary skills. So, you thought it would be fun to pick up where you left off. Hannibal was impressed by this. He found that it was extremely beneficial to be familiar with the language of another culture. This only connected the two of you more.

Every so often, Hannibal would take you out on a spontaneous shopping trip. He would tell you to pick out literally anything you wanted and he would buy it. The first few trips, you refused to pick something outrageously expensive. No matter how much he claimed that he enjoyed it, you could not just let him completely spoil you to no end. You were way too grounded and humble for that.

There was one day in particular that he really challenged you to let go. He told you, very sternly, that you had to pick anything out, with a minimum of $8,000. You name it and he would go and buy it. You thought you were going to fall out right then and there. That was insane to make THAT the minimum. You thought hard on what you could possibly buy...or that Hannibal could buy. Then it came to you. A little something that you had always secretly wanted but never quite had the funds for.

You couldn’t help but squeal with excitement when you saw the large rectangular box with the bow on it sitting on your dining room table one day. You opened the lid and your eyes were met with the most glorious designer handbag you had ever seen. You almost didn’t want to touch it because it was so pristinely pretty. You noticed a small card placed in the box as well, with a short message on it;

For my beautiful love. Enjoy. - Hannibal

There wasn’t a thing in the world that could wipe the smile off your face. You had failed to notice beforehand how stressed you were. Life had been absolutely crazy for you and financially you found yourself somewhat discouraged. This was the most stress-free you had ever been and also the happiest.

That was really all Hannibal wanted. If he could be the reason behind your contentment and ease, then he was all in. Hannibal loved beautiful people. He was attracted to beautiful people. Not just in the physical sense, but in regards to the head and the heart.

He could see straight through anyone he had ever met. He was fantastic when it came to reading people, considering that’s what he pretty much did for a living. He could see that you were beautiful inside and out. Not a stitch, fiber, or inch of you he found repulsive. You were polite, proper, and only lashed out emotionally when it was appropriate. You were his perfect model of a human being. He completely adored you.

“I really love my bag, Hannibal.” You praised from the sink in your kitchen as you washed dishes.

It was very rare for the two of you to have dinner at your home. Hannibal enjoyed the comfort and familiarity of his own kitchen, but he agreed that it was necessary to switch things up every so often. He still cooked dinner, however, and brought it in his version of a “to-go” container. Your culinary skills were actually quite good, but it wasn’t refined enough for Hannibal’s palate. So, for now the cooking would be up to him.

“Oh, I was wondering if you had the chance to open it yet,” He affirmed, drying the plate you had just handed to him. “It’s joys me that you liked it so well, my dear. You deserve to live your best life. I noted that it was very you.”

You blushed a little and laughed sheepishly.

“I guess it was a little out there...I just thought it was pretty.” You stated.

He sensed your shyness and turned to you, your eyes dragging to the sight of of rolled sleeves and neatly pressed shirt. Did he always look that good in a dress shirt? You tore yourself away from your rather sinful thoughts as he spoke.

“Well, we tend to select the items that reflect and best represent our inner self.” He said cooly.

Your eyes twinkled and your head was like fireworks at his words. He was such a charmer you could barely take it.

“Oh, that was smooth, Dr. Lecter.” You said, wrapping your arms around his torso.

“Just stating a fact,” He said resting a hand on the side of your face. “However, you are so beautiful.”

He kissed you then and there, his own neurons firing off with excitement and cheer. When your arms traveled to around his neck, he gripped the backs of your thighs and lifted you around him. He whisked you away to the bedroom and shared a night of love and passion with you.

Which was something money could never buy.

✮⋆˙✮⋆˙✮⋆˙✮

Originally posted: July 27, 2020

Remastered: March 12, 2024

[kitsoa]

So. Khux final. Your thoughts?

I knew I would see you in my Inbox! Greetings, been a while, apologies, summer vacation is tomorrow and I'm finally going to re-energize my fandom spaces. Overall thoughts: It was decent. Definitely a lot of wham moments and twists I didn't see coming. The execution of the characters were satisfying to a point that my complaints are truly weak by comparison. That said... I have gripes. Gripes that may have the bias of simply liking my own theories better but I plan to get the hell over myself. Long Post under the cut

The Darkness Ugh: I haven't commented on months of updated info due to the sinking distaste I had for the entire Sentient Darknesses conflict. I don't think it properly utilizes the Nightmare Chirithy concept and Darkling ideas that were heavily pushed in the early game (all the way to the last world). Regardless of the connection between the impetus of such threats, it felt a little shoehorned to create a new emergent threat in the Darkness Creatures. Ventus gets no blame, MoM and Luxu can feign some kind of noble intention, everyone is basically guiltless when trying to apprehend and eliminate a nebulous and hard-to-kill force such as them. I'll admit that it fits really well in the convolution of the Data-Worlds. The Union Leaders are a honeytrap essentially and it seems to have at least issued a major blow to the force of Darkness. I'm just not a fan of the implications of the future conflict I guess? I'm okay with Light and Dark themes but I really want them to explore it with more nuance. "Light is not Good" kind of tropes. I can't wait to see the Foretellers as bad guys but I don't want to blame some other possessing force. I want to see legitimate error and corruption. Maybe I'm being short-sighted with the development. I'm not giving it enough credit. It still makes my head spin with ideas.

Stuff I really LIKE because it reaffirms my thoughts on fictional realities which have already been confirmed but I am excited to see how literal it can get: Real Daybreak Town glitches as it falls to darkness. It's not as 'real' as any of them would like to believe. "A land where light and darkness cannot be controlled" maybe be fictional to MoM but that sounds like the real world to me. ※ is a literal icon for 'reference' which means the world is a reference to something else. Quadratrum is a reference to ffv13 AND/OR a reference to literal Shibuya the 'heart' of Tokyo. It can literally be both at the same time. I am convinced we are approaching terminal real world through this style of world-hopping. Playernort: I am actually pretty okay with the Player Xehanort thing. I firstly think it's funny because of the 'everyone is Xehanort' joke and now WE are Xehanort. If you believe in the infinite worldline idea than every Dandelion is Xehanort in some fashion because that avatar encompasses the entire Daybreak population and assumes the role of Xehanort's past life in some variation of the world's existence. I think it explains Xehanort's obsession with the keyblade war and finding the Union Leaders while I simply assumed there was something of value within them stirring that need. Heart reincarnation is a new(er) concept that is extremely interesting. It, first of all, says the quiet part out loud and confirms that 'sleeping hearts' are fricken Dead guys. I mean we know this but I don't think we have to call it 'essentially death!' it is death. You can literally choose to move on if you don't just sleep. There is no waking the player character anymore. They are literally a different person. It also invites some musing on Ventus and Sora's connection as semi-reincarnations. It's not exact because Ven did choose to sleep but the same process that happens in reincarnation was potentially invoked during their bond. My lore brain is very happy. Where they left off:

They say that you need someone to remember you at your destination, but Marly, Larx, and Ven had no one to bring them into existence like Maleficent did. A facet to the lore that really stumps me. Is that just a factor to ensure that they have memories? I have to assume so but I have no evidence. And we don't know if they are truly alone really (ven kinda wasn't) but it makes you wonder how the recollection of them was orchestrated. Of course Skuld is omitted, though she shares the unique context of leaving out of the same round of pods as Ephemer... who I don't think left at all. Ephemer is the only one who was still in his pod when it landed meaning he didn't time travel at all. I like to think that the Scala he creates has this... final world feel which leads me to believe he somehow ended up in the final world but he clearly didn't. Daybreak falls to darkness and he's swept up somewhere to create Scala. It's just interesting that he doesn't travel. It's a little similar to Kairi's use of the pod in that it just worked between worlds instead of time. And I think that's intentional on Ephie's part (to create the memories needed to bring his friends to the correct point in time?) The entire Brain situation leaves me very confused. There's Luxu possessing him? and Then he transports ahead in time? How does he have his memories if it was decided that he would arrive in Scala. Ugh. Whatever. It's interesting but dissecting Luxu isn't my forte so I'll leave it for when I'm feeling particularly inspired. Things left unsaid: Ava. That's the point I guess. They could have explained the Keyblade War much better. Worlds ending can be extremely vague.... Also, X-blade my ASS Xehanort was drunk and needs to go home and now I'm pissed at that stupid-looking keyblade and I wish it didn't exist because it CLEARLY DOESN'T APPARENTLY. Also, attempts at convincing me MoM is good have failed and I was not digging the insistent martyr thing he had going. I just don't trust him. Like one bit. I think he's playing everyone, but the Darkness shit bothers me because its not like I think he's siding with Darkness I just don't think that makes him noble or even misunderstood. Conclusion: This isn't necessarily a bad place to leave things off. It's very intriguing and I would love to see this reinterpreted. Thanks for forcing me to put my thoughts together, I had been avoiding this.

[nautiscarader]

Gangbang - Zahra takes a simulation with five plixel Hectors (from episode 9 of S2)

(Ao3)

================

With somewhat trembling hands, Zahra Rashid opened the door to the large and empty simulation room in the Hinobi HQ. On one hand, she knew she had full permission to enter here now, as a senior employee.

On the other, though, she also knew what she wanted to do here...

Only a few blinking lights illuminated the room, giving it an eerie vibe, like most Hinobi control rooms. Zahra turned on the main system, and with beating heart she waited.

And she let out a satisfying sigh when she did not hear annoying voice of the helper she could now completely turn off. Zahra stepped back, made sure to lock the door and once she stepped onto the simulation deck, she ran the plixelisation program.

For the past weeks, ever since Nix has showed her how powerful plixelisation can be, she trained hard to master that skill tree. And while crafting weapons out of nowhere was fun, her motives would not exactly run along the company's policies...

Even though she knew very well what, or rather whom will she see in a moment, she couldn't help but feel giddy and ecstatic. Slowly, a crystalline, life-like figure of Hector Nieves appeared in front of her, greeting her with a simple wave of hand.

At once, Zahra got on her tippytoes and clapped her hands in response. But her smile turned positively euphoric when the engine continued rendering and four more Hectors appeared on the stage.

But now it was time for her program... she plugged the stick and ran it, her hands shaking slightly. The virtual window opened up, welcoming her with a few rudimentary settings - she was never good with UI elements, but those can be easily fixed later. Zahra set the mode to level 3 - "gallant" - and waited for Hectors to approach her and start treating her according to her desires.

Five men surrounded her, each giving her welcoming, gentle looks, to which Zahra replied with a nod and a warming smile, and only then the five Fives proceeded.

Their firm, but delicate fingers touched her, and she let out a gasp, as shivers ran down her spine, in expectations of the things to come. Hector in front undid her chest piece, while the two helped her lift her arms to remove it. The other two took care of her utility belt and the dress-like lower armour.

Zahra let out another girly giggle when two Hectors took a knee in front of her, and took her kneepads, while two more did the same with her gloves, gently sliding them from her hands. It was then when her skin was covered with goosebumps, as her palms received two simultaneous, gentlemanly kisses.

Zahra shivered when one Hector faced her and brought his hands to the hem of her underarmour. Without even thinking, Zahra lifted her arms in gesture of defeat and submission, and in a single move, she was disrobed, standing now in her multicoloured bra.

Then came the problem of her leggings, but to combat that, two Hectors joined their hands and effortlessly lifted Zahra as if he was a queen sitting on a throne, just so a third one could take her boots and leggings off, revealing her smooth, long legs.

She spun around, giving her five admirers the sight of her underwear, a matching set from last SuckerBox lootcrate, depicting Slide the Ferret and his companions. She knew Hector would love them...

But as much as she would like for him - or rather them - to admire her taste in geek clothing, Zahra preferred if her lovers took interest in what they were hiding from plain view.

She let out a soft murmur when she felt one of Hectors fumbling with her bra. Of course, they normally wouldn't have a problem with them, so she added a randomised timer, to simulate a real boy's struggles... Six seconds have passed before her breasts were freed, and she felt four hungry stares ogling them.

But that wasn't enough for her, and soon she was properly moaning when two Hectors joined forces to caress her nipples, circling them with their lips and fingers, utilising a fair more unpredictable algorithms to trace all sort of shapes, whose randomness drove Zahra wild.

She threw her head back, and at the same time her whole body was tilted, once more by two Hectors, who still had one piece of her clothing on her lower body to remove. Fifth Hector dragged his hand over her belly, making Zahra lift her head and stare into his eyes, as he dragged her panties down.

Zahra spread her legs, giving her lover enough space, and when she felt the material around her ankles, she knew they have done it. The Hector that disrobed her ventured between her thighs and gently kisses her underbelly, sending a wave of pleasure across her body in a taste of what was to come.

But still, there was one last piece of attire, the one covering her hair. And only she could undo it. As she slowly undid her hijab, she watched as her lovers became seduced by her long, raven-black hair that flowed freely.

She took a good, long look at her five admirers, and gathering all the strength not not fumble her line, she asked them a line she always wanted to say.

- Wanna play some multi?

In one second, the layers of clothing covering Hectors were disabled, and Zahra lost air in her lungs at the sight of five naked bodies of her crush, all surrounding her.

She gasped as five skinny, but muscular young men gathered around her, proudly showing how excited they were at the prospect of being with her. Her eyes moved from one crotch to the other, as if expecting to find some differences - she must remember to add tiny variations next time...

She was once more brought into the air, and one by one, each part of her body was subjected to Hectors' delicate lips. Her legs, ass, breasts... and finally her lips, when Hector Nieves kissed her, making her close her eyes and let the bliss she has dreamed about consume her. For a while, she wondered in how much trouble would she be if she passed out and was found here by her boss...

But she was brought back to reality - or rather a half-simulated one, at least - when one brave Hector ventured between her legs and took a long lick across her folds, letting her juices drip onto the floor. Another one joined him, concentrating on her clit. Ten fingers and two tongues worked their way around her sex, overflowing with her lust, while her back arched every few seconds in response to new wave of pleasure that rocked her body.

Meanwhile, the two other Hectors covered her breasts with kisses with meticulous precision - and she made sure of it, as their tongues followed a space-filling fractal curve to ensure every point of her mounds would be caressed.

Her hands weren't idle, though. As her kiss and caresses continued, she ventured down the chest of her lovers, until her fingers coiled around their cocks, and she shivered, feeling his texture and rigidity in her palm, as she pumped them.

At this point, hovering her clearly became too awkward for a love-making position, and Zahra had to postpone taking care of her lover to push a few buttons and plixelise a more practical solution.

A bed was rendered, though even from her distance, she could count the individual pixels on the low-res texture, as opposed to crisp rendering of Hectors. But it didn't matter, after all the bed, an asset borrowed from another game, was the least important part...

She hopped on it, and at once was welcomed in the cradle formed by two of her lovers, in a way so that their cocks would fit right in her holes. And with satisfying giggle, Zahra lowered herself, feeling as two crystaline, fake dicks slide in her ass and pussy at the same time. And the fact that she was facing Hector made her forget that the entire thing was an illusion, especially when he kissed her again...

Two pairs of hands closed around her waist, and the three began rocking back and forth like a well-oiled engine, generating moan after moan from her with each alternating dive. Zahra stretched her hands to caress her other lovers' cocks, fondling their testicles, and listening to their groans.

But there was a fifth Hector, and he soon reminded her of himself, where her kiss was interrupted. She felt his hand on her cheeks and gently turned her head left, only to be met with a well-modelled head of his cock, inches from her lips.

Zahra did not wait, and claimed him as his, throwing away any pretence and any shame she might still have. She wished the simulation could produce taste and smell... she was sure she would be light-headed now, with his masculine musk filling her mouth and nostrils. Sadly, she only got the texture and warmth that still gave her some impression of him. After all, she smelt his cologne just this morning...

But Zahra was eager to try something new this time. Though she revelled in listening to their moans, and would love to stay between them, she had to interrupt them, just so she can command them.

- Okay, I-I want both of you here and here!

And she reached her hand to open one extra window and unticked a few checkboxes.

Her lips curled into a wide smile when she saw that it has worked. One of the Hectors from the side reached for the place where the front one was sitting... and effortlessly passed through him, as if he was a ghost. Same happened to the one behind her. But when she reached between their legs...

Zahra giggled. She still could feel their lengths, proving she disabled correct collision layers. But of course that was just half of the challenge, arguably the easier one. She swallowed loudly, and let her lovers push forward.

At first, she thought she would feel pain, but the knowledge of what, or rather who was stretching her walls turned it into a bliss, one she couldn't have quite imagined. She threw her head back, getting caught by the fifth Hector and given another taste, for lack of better word, of his cock, and the five resumed their play by filling her with five cocks at the same time.

With each inch deeper, her climax was coming stronger and stronger, and when Zahra came, she welcomed four mouths kissing her and soothing her shaking and thrashing body, together with eight arms sliding across her entire skin...

But there was, of course one last thing to do. A feature borrowed from every sex simulator ever, the orgasm-meter has been blinking for some time, highlighting the "Cum" button.

And without a moment to spare, Zahra slammed it.

Her eyes bulged when fake liquid entered her mouth and warmed her insides with each pulse that flooded her. Pulse after pulse, five Hectors supplied her with their fake potent seed, emptying themselves in her ass, mouth and into her womb...

She tried swallowing some of it, but soon realised that it was a bit much, even for her... She quickly dismantled her lovers, and on shaky legs fell to the floor, but that didn't stop them, giving her occasion to see the fluid rendered in action.

At this point, she realised she must have added another 0 to the amount of cum in the while loop, but truth to be told, she did not care, and it was too late to fix that.

Streams of warm, gooey fake cum covered her legs, breasts face and of course her hair, adding to the seed that already have poured out of her pussy, ass and mouth. Zahra was sure she climaxed again just when that happened, adding to the craze and depravity she put herself through.

Basking in the simulated warmth and stickiness, Zahra flicked what would be layers of seed from her eyes and looked up, at five of her crushes. Adding to the visual obstruction, her mind was still hazed by the pleasure, but she slowly recovered, and grinned at the six figures towering over her...

At that moment, she knew she was in trouble.

Because one of the figures wasn't as tall as others, and wore a much different expression than them. A mixture of surprise, admiration, slight disgust and oddly enough triumph, all painted on Miko Kubota's face.

- M-Miko?! - Zahra spoke, trying to close her arms and legs, as if that was the most offensive part of her new visage. - Well, well, well... - a sly smile appeared on her face - Guess the cat is out of the lootbox, you really DO have a crush on High Five!

Zahra could taste the sarcasm dripping off her voice.

- Lucky for you... you're not the only one. - she said and approached the console - So let's see who's a bigger fan of our boy Hector here?

Zahra was about to protest, but Miko's fingers touched the buttons. At once, five more naked Hectors appeared, and as Zahra looked at Miko again, she watched her playing with tenderness setting.

The notoriously glitch-happy girl punched the down arrow three times. From 3 to 2, to 1, to 0...

Zahra let out a gasp, choking on fake cum still in her throat. She knew what was going to happen next. She planned 10 to be the maximum, but that limit was only hers...

With another press of an arrow, the counter rolled back... to 255.

At the same time, all ten limp cocks sprung back to life, and something told Zahra they will stay that for a long time.

She supposed she should be happy it wasn't 16 777 215.