#any other AA characters you guys want

[cheshirepins]

And now, last but not least (as there are SEVERAL more pieces that will be appearing throughout the month), the set that took me So Many Hours. These were originally going to be a much smaller set, but then I ended up having them be prizes for an Ace Attorney panel my friends were running...so I may have gone a little tiny bit overboard in including characters lmao Please observe all of them there are so many

Head over to cheshirepins.net to browse all my new stock, and use code JULYSALE2024 while you're there for 50% off of your order until the end of the month!

[sophswritingthings]

Hi i thought of something... being caught cuddling with mizu since you know she isnt perceived as the most gentle person sooo I thought it would be sweet and a little bit funny ( I love your stuff btw especially your wife series AA I LOVE IT)

pairing: mizu x fem!reader

warning(s): swearing

a/n: again taigen appearing in a malicious manner I wonder why

summary: you were simply cuddling with your partner; warm and comfortable in the cabin you’ve been staying at. when you were seen; mizu wasn’t the happiest.

word count: 492 words / 2,710 characters 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

you sighed softly, your sides raising up and down as you slept. your hand was rested on your pillow, mizu’s hand snaking around your head and clasping around it.

your legs were intertwined; her other hand wrapped protectively around your waist, as if someone was going to steal you from her at any minute.

knock.

neither of you moved, you were fast asleep and comfortable with one another. you did feel her hand tighten around yours, though.

her body acknowledged it but neither of you moved.

that’s when the door flung open, taigen and ringo standing on the other side.

mizu’s eyes shot wide open, sitting up on her hand. she blinked, trying to clear her eyesight to see who it was.

a snicker.

that snicker.

her eyes narrowed, her gaze clearing and shifting to taigen.

“fuck off,” she hissed, falling back against her pillow.

“not as strong as you seem to be, hmm?” he chuckled, pushing his way farther into the room.

“I told you to fuck off,” she hisses. “we were trying to sleep, if you were paying attention. but you weren’t, because why would you do that.”

“I just wanted to see what was going on with the girl and the samurai,” he raised an eyebrow.

that’s when you began to wake up; glancing around to find ringo and taigen in the room. you swore it was just you and mizu when you fell asleep..

“and look, you’ve woken her up,” mizu grumbled, pissed that he woke her partner up. she glanced at you, her expression softening just a little bit. “go back to sleep.”

“I’d like to know what’s happening,” you mumble, your voice still tired and half asleep. she loved your voice when you just woke up..

“taigen’s just being a brat as always,” she drops back onto her pillow, her grip tightening on your waist—both hands now straddling it.

“oh,” you whisper. “and ringo?”

“I was just coming with taigen to check on you two, you hadn’t answered the door and we were worried,” he replied gently.

“I believe that from you, ringo,” mizu seems to be slightly drifting back to sleep, pointing at her apprentice. “but from taigen it’s bullshit.”

taigen rolled his eyes, ushering ringo out of the room.

“whatever, mizu. just go back to fucking bed—at least you were sleeping.” he groans, rolling his eyes again and exiting the room. he slams the door shut, really jolting you awake, now.

you knew why mizu was pissed; two reasons, actually— one, taigen had woken you up. and any damage to you was damage to her.

and that her appearance was a cold hearted, blank faced, onryō samurai with seemingly no soul and demon blue eyes.

you knew differently; though. she was your sweet partner, your sweet mizu. and that would never change; no matter how much she denied the fact.

you drift back into sleep, in your lovers hold. just where you should be. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

a/n: you guys are so nice to me I just- 🥹

[preciouslittle-bhaalbabe]

Thoughts about Ascended Astarion! (This is a long one, and I'm not trying to change anyones opinion, just highlighting the fact that the player is in complete control of the situation at all times. This game is about choices.) First off, I don't usually prefer to ascend him. But I love all versions of Astarion. His character is so well written and all of his arcs deserve praise and attention no matter what your personal opinion of them are. The devs did an incredible job. If any parts of his arc (ascended or spawn) make you uncomfortable, then romancing him isn't for you. If the dynamic between AA and your character makes you feel scared or upset, don't ascend him. That dynamic is supposed to be 100% consentual. He's a tough nut to crack and his story can be very triggering. I myself broke down a few times hearing him talk about what he went through. There are other companions with lovely character development that you can choose. When people go "ugh he's ruined I didn't want this" My dear, with all due respect. This is the dark fantasy romance option. Emphasis on the fantasy. You didn’t get his approval by being nice. It's not like he's the only option. You chose to romance the vampire. The game warns you of what exactly you're about to do multiple times. You willingly help him murder thousands of people for freedom. A vampire who was a literal slave for longer than he was even alive for just got a MASSIVE amount of power. Were you expecting he was gonna just be a good guy now? He has had NOTHING for so long. His entire life trajectory changed within moments. He’s still figuring himself out. You as the player are still completely in charge. He owes everything to you and he knows that. You can walk away at literally any point. He asks you to kneel and obey to establish trust and a dynamic. To confirm this is what you want. YOU CAN SAY NO. Then, he gets right down on the floor with you. He's either gentle or rough based on your choice. If you don't like the vibe just break up with him at that point like he literally lets you do. Or, even just reload the save. But just remember. "That's what you want, isn't it?". When Astarion ascends, Neil says it best. His mask is off and he's allowed to be at his most terrible with no fear. He doesn't have to perform or be aloof as a distraction from the pain anymore. He was never good aligned. But now, he has the power and ability to give himself and his favourite person the life he thinks they wanted. Otherwise why would you ascend him? His love language becomes acts of service and gifts. He ADORES tav to almost obsession. He's always doting on them and calling them his. The ritual only amplifies that. "but what about what he says if you convince him not to go through with it?"

He’s not lying. He knows tav saved him from himself. It is technically the “good” ending. But that’s not what matters here. The ascension is for characters who are not good aligned. It is for characters that are just as much of a power hungry monster as ascended Astarion is. They want to be a monarch that rules the world over. It’s a role playing thing. Is it wrong? That’s for you to decide for yourself. Not others.

"but what about karlach? He's a massive jackass to her when he ascends" ...Yes. He's not a good guy. Karlach is basically the goodest character in the game. It won't work. And if you do break up with him, he lashes out and says some extremely hurtful things. Because you just broke his heart. It's a perfectly normal response from someone being completely blindsided. He thought you wanted this. You said you wanted this. After everything you both did you get here, he feels betrayed. Not even to mention ascended Astarion does not make you just a regular spawn. You quite literally become his vampire spouse. He thanks you for putting your trust in him. Then eventually you become a true vampire with time. He wants to make sure tav doesn't go insane after being turned. If you wanna learn more about vampire spouses in DnD I highly reccomend doing some google searches. It's fascinating. Is ascending him the right thing to do? No, but it's not "wrong". The game doesn't work that way. Is keeping him a spawn the right thing to do? Maybe, if your character thinks it is. Either route has their sets of pros and cons. It's up to you which ones you think work for your playthrough.

I almost always convince him not to go through with the ritual. But ascended Astarion + durge is a power couple and the vibes are immaculate for evil runs. Just have fun with the game! The devs made all these character arcs for you to explore! Thanks for reading <3

[ot3]

Hi, I just finished the AA trilogy with my bf and we fell in love with it! I found your blog the other day, and it sometimes feels like you're the only one giving correct takes on these characters' writing and the minutiae of everyone's inner worlds (or the fumbling of, see Godot).

I just got here, but, something that's been bothering me about the fandom's approach to the sequel trilogy is like... the imperialist undertones are glossed over, or swept under the rug. Researching "The Dark Age of the Law" and beyond puts a sour taste in my mouth. And with Khura'in the country vs Kurain the village? It all feels racist at best (the concept of the Divination Seance gives me squick). If you have the time, I'd love to hear your thoughts about AA5 and AA6 in relation to the world of AA as a whole. Thanks again for all of your thoughtful and nuanced takes on this series!

so glad to hear you guys liked the games!! thank you for enjoying my posts, i always appreciate it.

the tl;dr of it is that i do think they are genuinely bad enough additions to the franchise that they have signed mainline ace attorney's death warrant. picking out the dark age of the law stuff and aa5 and the imperialism in aa6 you've pretty much honed right in on my two biggest critiques

however i do want to say that although they're being bundled and sold as a 'second trilogy' that's not quite accurate either experientially when playing the games or from a development perspective. aa4 had scenario design/creative direction by series creator shu takumi, with the art director being kazuya nuri (responsible for character design for rise from the ashes in the series previous to this); aa5+6 was spearheaded by takeshi yamazaki, who had been with the franchise since its first game, with the slightly less tenured takuro fuse on art direction/character design. yamazaki and fuse are not without skill, but i think they're both significantly less skilled than takumi and nuri respectively and. it really shows.

pair that with the fact that aa5 and 6 fundamentally do not follow up on any of ace attorney 4's established characters or plots more than superficially, i don't think it's particularly useful to critique 4-5-6 as if they're a single body of work in the same way the trilogy is. apollo justice isn't a perfect* ace attorney game but it's a good one.

anyway i think buying into the 'dark age of the law' stuff in ace attorney 5 necessitates cheapening all of the events preceding it. the implication that 1. the law wasn't that bad before but it Is Now and 2. a single case was the tipping point for whether or not the entire legal system would be bad just ruins the times when ace attorney has managed to acknowledge corrupt systems as a massive source of problem for the everyman in the past

i think this screenshot from the dark age of the law wiki page says a lot:

For starters, that phoenix quote. He would not fucking say that. I don't think there has ever been a point during or leading up to phoenix's career where he thought the legal system had 'glory' he would then want to restore it to. you seem to get it so im not gonna harp on this too much on this but. jesus christ

then, then there's fact that even by stating the most basic details about the franchise's events undermines the whole premise. like okay notice that the corruption that happens during the trilogy/investigations spinoffs is coming from all of the actual agencies that represent law and order/the system: the prosecutors, the police, and the prosecutorial investigation committee. however in aa5 the thing they choose to paint as responsible for supposedly unprecedented levels of corruption in the legal system is defense attorneys resorting to more drastic means, and the general public; aka not the people who are responsible for upholding the legal system but the people who are victimized by it and in opposition to it.

i don't think this was an intentional choice as much as it's just sloppy, inconsiderate, and contrived writing.

aa6 is just flat out racist. 'imperalist undertones' is i would say the gentlest way you could phrase it. like. japanese characters going to a made up south asian country that needs to be taught how to govern itself to quash its internal rebellion is like. so high on the yikes meter.

making a bunch of fake 'ethnic sounding' nonsense names filled with apostrophes to make them into silly sounding english phrasing was a disastrously tone deaf thing for the localization to do. they're really unforgivable. the worst of it all is probably "Inga Karkhuul Haw'kohd Dis'nahm Bi'ahni Lawga Ormo Pohmpus Da'nit Ar'edi Iz Khura'in III" i'm unsure if the names are quite as offensive in the original japanese because i haven't looked too much into what they actually are and have a really limited knowledge of the language. but. this name in japanese is "インガ・カルクール・ククルーラ・ラルバン・ギジール・ホフダラン・マダラ・ヴィラ・ヤシマ・ジャクティエール・クライン３世" which is written in katakana. katakana is, in contrast to kanji and hiragana which are used for writing japanese, used to phoenetically transcribe foreign languages or to write loan words. so the foreign-ness of this character is being emphasized here in the original text as well.

the supposed cultural inferiority of the khurainese people is baked into the game at pretty much every level, down to the gags. khura'in has the 'plumed punisher' show, which is actively criticized by the characters in game for just being a cheap ripoff of the steel samurai. they don't even get to have their own tv.

i believe the reason the racism is pretty much glossed over a lot in the fandom is for several reasons. for starters, ace attorney fans overall tend to fall into three camps: 1. people like me who fucking hate these games, refuse to acknowledge them, and would retcon them out of existence if possible. 2. people who have found things they like about the game and have a Good Version of the characters and plots that they have constructed in their head and 3. people who view all of the hate on these games as completely overblown

the first camp Does talk about how the game is racist but we're all already in agreement about that so it's kind of preaching to the choir and a bit redundant to keep going on about. the second camp tends to acknowledge the stickier aspects of the game but focuses on making content around the elements they like rather than critique. the third camp is the type to throw the baby out with the bathwater re: critiquing a thing they like. it's all haterism to them. but either way i think its kind of fucked up how many people will be like 'aa6 isnt that bad you guys are just mean' without even acknowledging these complaints.

anyway the khura'in country vs kurain village thing is really weird to me it shows both a lack of imagination and a disregard for the series' own established lore. why would a girl from a village where almost everyone is a spirit medium need to go to a place where only, like, two people are mediums to train.

i will say though that the divination seance is kind of one of the only things i found about aa6 to be an interesting addition. for a franchise with ghost summoning and murder solving, the two have a kind of hilariously low amount of overlap so i found the idea of bringing ghost bullshit into court really fun. mechanically speaking, the divination seances also felt a LOT better to play than the mood matrix segments of aa5.

in general, i think the biggest weakness of the mainline franchise under takeshi yamazaki's stewardship is its misunderstanding of stakes. both aa5 and 6 prioritize more bombastic and impressive on paper material stakes. oh no! the ENTIRE JUSTICE SYSTEM BEING GOOD OR BAD depends on this one case! on no! we have to DEAL WITH REBEL INSURGENTS! complete horseshit when there is not competent and functional enough character writing to get us emotionally invested here. yamazaki seems to think bigger is better, and that just simply isnt true for something like ace attorney

i've pointed this out in the past when critiquing aa5 and 6 but if you look at the actual material stakes on the line in ace attorney, they're at their highest after rise from the ashes. ousting the corrupt chief of police is the most impressive and impactful thing phoenix does with his career (arguably until the jurist system, but definitely in the trilogy.) but that's not the big Finale case for his character arc. his finale case is defending his college girlfriend; a nun who lives in the mountains, whose conviction would have had zero implications on the larger fabric of ace attorney's legal system. because takumi's writing clearly shows that he understands what makes a plot impactful is the emotional stakes the characters have invested in the events.

before taking over the main franchise, takeshi yamazaki was responsible for the miles edgeworth investigations spinoffs. i do enjoy both of those games - aai2 in particular is really strong. yamazaki does a great job with edgeworth's character arc even if i have some specific gripes with the duologys writing. i think theyre solid additions to the franchise. but you can see traces of this sort of misalignment in narrative priorities here as well. for example, the last case in aai1 is notorious for still going on for, like, an entire hour or two past the time when the last remaining plot point we care about has been revealed. because yamazaki seemingly had no understanding that That was the thing the case should have been about, and that should have been the final mic drop of the game. it just keeps going! he didn't know the game was done and he added a bunch more bullshit busywork after it that no one likes!

so yeah. without going into anything even as specific as how individual plotlines or character arcs were mishandled in aa5/6 that's really my overview What Went Wrong of those games.

[not-so-lost-after-all]

What do you think of Dadstarion? I don't know, but it's surprising how constantly hated and controversial it is for the Astarion and BG3 fandom. Many Astarion fans still act as if it's the ultimate affront to his character or a breeding/pregnancy kink some horny fans are projecting onto him because he must really hate children as he approves of being mean to them like telling Yenna to fuck off (as if he doesn't also approve of giving her food or other instances like saving Vanra) or because it's something that will infringe on his freedom forevermore. Or that you are sending an awful message for doing this to him because he's queer and you'd be forcing a queer man into a heteronormative dynamic. Also, the projection thing can be argued in both instances? Most of those who hate this headcanon are childfree themselves irl so you could also accuse them of projecting their own lifestyle preferences and belief onto Astarion.

Meanwhile others just come up with chronically online takes that it's a character trait that is stolen from Wyll as he's the only one who expresses the desire to have a family so you may also be a racist for not romancing him instead. I see Gale fans who like him as a dad are also now being accused of the same thing. Saying Astarion can be romantic to his partner will also result in you getting accused of stealing character traits from Wyll, by the way.

Like, dhampirs are very very rare and I don't see the topic coming up between Tav and Astarion but if it accidentally happens…I also don't think Astarion would just abandon Tav and their kid and would try to be a good dad. Or maybe I'm the delusional one. Ultimately though it's a harmless headcanon and it's not like it's something anyone truly believes is going to happen canonically in a future game. If anything we'll have some horny, single Astarion that's similar to act 1 or AA as canon.

Hello, Nonnie, and thank you for this interesting ask. I'm mostly staying out of the fandom drama, so while I knew about the "stealing from Wyll" takes and saw a few myself, that take about heteronormativity is new to me. Of course both is BS. Wyll is a family man, yes, but you can say the same about Halsin and Gale certainly sounds like someone who'd like to have a child in the future, whether bio or adopted, and Karlach would most likely give it a shot once her problem is solved. And try to tell any reasonable queer person that they shouldn't have kids because it's a straight thing to do and they should just support the gays instead. Just try it, guys, I'm waiting.

As for him hating kids, it annoys me too whenever I see such takes. It's surface level reading and seeing only what they want to see (as you've mentioned, he approves helping children too). He finds traumatazing Mayrina funny but that's not about her being pregnant. When he finds out that the Gur kids are undead, he's nonchalant about it but that's in character for him to wear a mask and some people wrongly take what he says at face value again. He'd prefer not to seet his shame of his again but that doesn't mean he doesn't care.

And lastly about dadstarion. I'm childfree and wouldn't be a kind mother but I like the idea of Astarion as a father. I don't generally like the concept of the undead having children but I like that for him as a fuck you to Cazador and everything he took from Star. Not as a breeding kink projected onto him, no. Would he be a good father? Well, he'd be anxious and loving, I believe. He'd think him abandoning Tav and the kid would be for the best but would never actually do that. Of course there'll never be a little silver haired dhampir in the canon it's a fringe lore and Stephen Rooney wasn't even aware it's an option in DnD.

[krisnixprisonwedding]

Saw ur tags abt endgame krisnix and I'm 👀 curious. Cuz personally I'm a huge fan of their divorced vibes n the way they Cant work out, so I'm So curious as to what endgame krisnix would look like to you

hello and thanks for your ask! before i answer it, i am going to lay down three (3) disclaimers that might end up being longer than my answer itself.

1. i exist in the shipping multiverse, where any number of ships could work out or not work out in my mind depending on the conditions. i have very few "endgame" ships (fradrian and gumworth pan out in most of my universes), and the rest of the ships i like live in some schrödinger's state of existence for me.

2. i love to play with possibilities. exploring possibilities is the real fun of fandom for me - that's what makes fandoms transformative! the ace attorney canon is also so goofy and impossible that i love to think of what conditions could make a ship happen while still technically not contradicting canon.

3. i am, above all else, a playful contrarian. i started this blog because i'd have several people tell me that only one ship, a certain very popular one, had any chance of being "endgame." to which my lightly salty response was to make a blog called "krisnix prison wedding."

now that we've got those out of the way, here are my thoughts on endgame krisnix:

how it happens

- all of my long game kristoph ships take advantage of the fact that kristoph is never mentioned again after aa4. they threw him in the basement so i'm dragging him right back out again while capcom doesn't even notice 😂

- all of my long game kristoph ships take advantage of the fact that miles edgeworth has canonically pulled the strings of the justice system before in the service of people he knows and cares about. i'd argue that if klavier went to his boss and begged him not to have the state execute his only apparent living relative, edgey would find a way to commute his sentence. (bonus points if phoenix and edgey are in a relationship, and phoenix also begs edgeworth for clemency despite what kristoph has done)

why it happens

- you bring up a good point about kristoph and phoenix having divorced energy. think how much more potential for married-divorced energy there is if after all the insanity of the 7YG and aa4, kristoph and phoenix are still addicted to each other and, more importantly, still attracted to each other.

- midnightbrightside once tweeted something to the effect that kristoph and phoenix knew each other on both an intimate and mundane level over 7 years, and so they actually probably know more about each other than phoenix and edgeworth do bc of the amount of time they spent together. there is a force of habit but also a comfort and familiarity of having someone be present and stable in your life for that long. phoenix is a chronic attachment issues girlie and while i know he wanted to see kristoph punished for his actions, i'd be surprised if he wanted him out of his life permanently. kristoph would DEFINITELY take much longer to come around after his pride was shattered, but phoenix is patient and kristoph can't fully resist someone who gives him attention

what it looks like (partially a joke, but i'm not saying which parts)

- prison date visits with phoenix's sweetheart, much to the chagrin of literally every other AA character. apollo punches phoenix's lights out when he finds out that phoenix is back together with the guy who phoenix manipulated him into imprisoning

- kristoph showing progress in court-ordered therapy by gritting his teeth and saying to phoenix, "it is hard for me to admit when i feel vulnerable." he looks furious, but one of the black psyche locks breaks and that's good enough for phoenix

- house arrest anklet is the perfect accessory for date night!

- later, when the wounds have healed, they can laugh and banter about it! it makes everyone uncomfortable at parties when they tease each other about all the heinous and unethical shit they pulled to take each other down!

a final, more heartfelt note

idk, i like to think of how characters can grow and transform! kristoph is so interesting and tragic to me because he doesn't seem to know how to experience intimacy outside of his weird games. he wants to be close to people, but he doesn't know how and his paranoia won't allow him to. phoenix seems to struggle with the same thing minus the control and manipulation issues. i like to think about what post aa4 growth and closure would look like for them in a series that refuses to give it to us.

thanks again for the ask!

[b4b3tte]

hello!! i love ur writing, and was wanting to give a request!! I would love a rocky balboa x reader, with a reader that is very shy. just a soft little moment between them. super fluffy!! maybe reader sees some flowers she loves so he gets a bouquet for reader? tysm and of course u don't have to do this if u don't want!!

— JUST FOR YOU

꒰ ⊹ ˚ Summary — All Rocky does is try to win your heart, but your shyness makes it 10 times harder, he decides he’ll show you his love by observing your likes and dislikes

Pairing — Rocky!Balboa X Fem!Reader

Contains of — Fluff, mentions of self-doubt, Boxing Matches, holding hands, unintentionally watching reader in secret,

Babettes note — AA ANON I LOVE THIS SM AND YOU ARE THE SWEETEST!! I love this idea and I hope I was able to fulfill your desires with this scenario!! I didn’t know the flowers you liked so I picked some random ones I hope that’s okay!! If there is anything you don’t like you can tell me and I’ll be happy to fix it, don’t be afraid to request more things! Not proofread so sorry for any mistakes

You’ve always been a shy character, it was something you couldn’t help, you had friends growing up but you just liked your own company so you avoided social interaction during your years of transitioning to a teenager to an adult

It didn’t take you long to realize that it bit you in the ass, you became even more shy than you were as a child, and social interaction was more scarier then ever.

you only had one friend from childhood, Fiona, she certainly was a snarky character but she helped you move to Pennsylvania, she got you a job at the pet shop but she didn’t mention that you’d have a dog following you around everywhere

That dog was a Local Fighter Rocky Balboa, yeah he was attractive ( like extremely attractive ) but you never received male attention ever, it was a shock to you that someone so extroverted, loud and energetic liked your type of personality

You didn’t mind the attention he gave you it’s just you didn’t know how to respond, and what’s crazy is that he never stopped his chances with talking to you, or asking you to come to one of his fights

You felt like you were in a point of your life was to keep working and getting out of the poor side of Philadelphia, you thought you weren’t able to get a partner in this stage ( it’s your shyness stop the cap ) but on the other hand rocky was in awe of you

He likes the drastic differences in your guys personalities he definitely believes in “ opposites attract “ and not to mention the fact he found you insanely pretty, he just had to have a chance with you, but it seems like no matter what he does you always brush him off

He knows you don’t do it purposely but it still sorta bugged him, but he only viewed it as a sign to keep proving to you until you guys went on a date together so that’s exactly what he did on your Saturday off work

But it was unintentional, none of you guys knew you both liked to go to the fancy rich downtown side of Philadelphia, you liked the stores, the lights, the way the sun shined down it and the atmosphere, meanwhile rocky just walked around to clear his mind, two different reasons but it works!

While rocky walked down the sidewalk of the fancy town bouncing the blue toy ball he looks up at this flower shop, he noticed a lady staring at a certain bouquet of flowers, a mesmerizing combination of white lilacs and red dahlias. He couldn't quite explain why he was fixated on this seemingly random lady, but an inexplicable familiarity drew him in. So, he patiently waited for this lady to turn around.

When “ this lady “ was you and you did turn around, Rocky's face lit up with joy, and a warm smile graced his features. He intended to approach you, but just as he was about to, you turned on your heel and walked away. A frown crept onto his face, but he decided to visit the flower shop's window instead. There, he inquired about the price of the lilac and dahlia bouquet.

Back in Rocky's apartment, he grabbed a couple of ice cubes from the freezer and placed them on his forehead. His love for you drove him to want to provide everything you needed and deserved, but he faced financial constraints, struggling even to take care of himself. Determined, he knew he had to find his next fight to secure the money for that special bouquet.

Night fell, and Rocky continued his routine of stopping by at the pet shop. Each morning and evening, he'd pop in to check on the animals and share his daily joke with you. However, this time, he didn't show up. Worried that he might have given up on you, you asked Fiona about his whereabouts, trying not to arouse suspicion.

"Hey Fiona! Do you happen…to know where Rocky is?..by any means?.." You nervously inquired.

Fiona glanced up from her magazine, still somewhat engrossed in it. "Hmm, no, hun, I don't. I think Paulie mentioned something about a fight earlier at the bar," she replied casually.

You oddly forget that he fights for a living, It was one thing to enjoy watching others in the ring, but the thought of him enduring punches and blows for a paycheck weighed heavily on your mind more than it should if your being honest

Sweating and panting, Rocky waited in the locker room with an ice pack on his forehead, eagerly anticipating his earnings as the victorious fighter. The sum was $200, but after deductions for showers and towels, he was left with $100.

“ hey rocky, here’s your share for tonight ah, so 200 dollars but with shower, towel, etc fee that’s a hundred dollars less, but with you being the winner I’m living you with 100 “

Either way His excitement soared, not because he was thinking of paying his rent, but because he finally had enough to buy you the bouquet you deserved.

The next day, he returned to the flower shop, joyfully paid for the flowers, although the cashier might’ve thought he was too excited because after she said the price he slammed a 20 dollar bill on the counter with an eager smile

( AUTHORS NOTE!!! 20 dollars might not seem ALOT but I tried doing some research of prices back then and now, and the economy has changed alot, so back than 20 dollars would have the modern value of 120 dollars so it was extremely expensive back then )

and brought them back to his apartment, placing them in a vase. He patiently waited until your shift ended, timing his arrival perfectly. As you locked up the store and waved goodbye to the puppies in the window, he hid the bouquet behind his back.

"Yo, Y/n!" he called out, surprising you with his presence at this hour.

Startled yet delighted at his voice, you turned around to see Rocky's beaming face and noticed his concealed hands. "Oh, hi, Rocky. Um, what are you doing out here so late?" You asked hesitantly, eager to engage in conversation for the first time.

Rocky chuckled warmly and replied, "You think I can't protect myself? Well, I got you something. I hope you like them; I think they're really special."

In an instant, you was presented with a dazzling bouquet of lilacs and dahlias, exactly the one you had admired in the downtown shop. Your smile radiated happiness as you gratefully accepted the flowers. This thoughtful gesture made you see Rocky in a whole new light.

"Wow! These are absolutely beautiful. Thank you so much!" You exclaimed, overflowing with joy. You hugged him tightly, prompting him to shift the bouquet to his opposite hand, laughter bubbling up at your unexpected reaction.

Unable to contain your gratitude, you continued, "I can't possibly thank you enough. You didn't have to, and how did you even know I loved these?"

Rocky, slightly bashful, replied, "Well, you see, I can be very focused on things, and I thought you'd like 'em you know and uh they are just for you. " He offered to walk you home, and you accepted. As you guys strolled down the sidewalk, you subtly inched your pinky closer to his hand, a silent invitation from your shy nature. He smiled and, taking the hint, gently held your hand.

"You tryna hold my hand now, babe?" he teased. You chuckled and warned, "I can stomp on these, you know." He bent down to leave a kiss on top of your head, and together, you guys continued walking, talking about his fight the previous night and forging a deeper connec

Thank you so much for reading this!!! I really hope it gives you rocky vibes and fills your scenario desires!! Sorry if this took longer than you expect I was focusing on my YouTube channel for awhile!! I appreciate the love and the support and feel free to request anything any time you want<3 bye guys ❤️‼️

[jonsnowunemploymentera]

Hello! So i know that I am WAY! less knowleged than u re: asiof but I have a question about the Prophecy (AA/PTWP). I did a deep dive on it and GRRM spoke repeately about handling prophecy carefully/not too literally etc 3 weeks ago at Oxford he repeated: "you cannot have a prophecy that comes true way it was written and everbody understands it(..) it has to come true in a way you didnt understand(..)so it bites you in the ass" So rather than "who has the most obvious PTWP clues" shouldnt we theorize "how will the idea of AA/PTWP backfire on the believers" or "how can a unique/unpreditable element fill the role"? Since Im assuming GRRM stance will likely apply to the biggest prophecy in the books. What do you think? do you know theories like that? If anything, I only see "the prophecy is just nonsense!!" but that is clearly also not what GRRM says: not prophecy is bogus but has to be unexpected or "bite you in the ass".

Hey! No, you're far too kind 😭

I completely agree with you, and you raise some interesting and important questions, especially when considering how these ideas reflect back on our protagonists.

The tricky thing with interpreting prophecy is that the characters are operating on second-hand, third-hand, or even more distant accounts, all filtered through their cultural understandings of what a hero should be. Their beliefs are shaped by the information available to them, which is often incomplete or distorted. This means each character's idea of who is the subject of prophecy is largely subjective, influenced by their biases and specific cultural narratives and thus might never present the whole truth! So as readers, we should be very cautious about how we interpret the declarations presented by any character as absolute truth. We will probably never know until the final book is published, and even then it might be murky at best.

I saw GRRM’s comments a few days ago, and they really resonated with me because they align with how I’ve been feeling lately, particularly regarding Melisandre's role in all of this:

“[…] It is written in prophecy as well. When the red star bleeds and the darkness gathers, Azor Ahai shall be born again amidst smoke and salt to wake dragons out of stone.” (Davos III, ASoS)

It's often amusing in fandom to discuss how wrong Melisandre is, and she certainly is almost all the time. But lately, I've been wondering: what if we're wrong too? We focus so much on Melisandre misidentifying Azor Ahai, but what if she completely misunderstands her own role in all of this—and we're too blinded to notice it?

Because the issue isn't just that she's chosen the wrong person. The bigger problem is that she's fixated on providing what she believes are the necessary tools to defeat the Others. She wants to "wake dragons out of stone”, repeatedly asserting that "two kings" are needed to wake the dragon so they can serve Stannis Baratheon. This thinking leads to the burning of Shireen—because someone must die to forge the hero's weapon. Melisandre even sees herself as expendable in this grand scheme. But what if her entire understanding is flawed—not just about who the hero is, but about the very dragon she is trying to awaken?

I've been considering all this because "dragons" in the text don’t always refer to actual winged creatures—they're often symbolic descriptors for Targaryens in visions. For example, Moqorro's visions show dragons old and young, true and false; Baelor Breakspear appears as a dragon falling on top of Dunk; and a dragon egg hatching essentially symbolizes Aegon V. So if we're taking prophecy at face value, just as Mel does, we're left wondering where in seven hells she expects to find her "sleeping dragons".

But the thing is, she already has one: Jon Snow. In fact, her visions in Dance suggest that Jon is the one she is truly searching for. And I often think of these visions as moments where I go, "Oh, come on, Mel! It's not that guy; it's the other one!" Yet I've come to realize that even if she identifies Jon correctly, Mel would still face the dilemma of needing another sacrifice to "wake" Jon's dragon. However, she is likely to resurrect Jon before reconnecting with Stannis, which means that by the time she and Stannis consider burning Shireen, she may have already awakened the dragon - and thus fulfilled the prophecy.

If Jon is the awakened dragon, that adds a tragic irony to the whole situation with Mel and Shireen. Legend has it that the woman (Nissa Nissa) dies for the hero’s glory. But if Jon is the dragon, then does that make Melisandre Azor Ahai in this case? After all, we don't know much about the original prophecy so who knows how much it has been distorted over time?

But wouldn't that be such a twist? Mel isn’t a noble lady or royal; she's a former slave, a mere priestess—a tool, a guide, but not the hero. She never considered that she, a woman, could be R’hllor’s chosen. Yet she would perform an actual miracle in bringing a dragon back to life. And if, like me, you believe that Jon will be born from a funeral pyre (inverting Khal Drogo and Dany's dragon eggs), then the prophecy is turned entirely on its head.

This also raises the question: what about Shireen? What does she, an innocent little girl, die for? Why should she have to die for a dragon that is already living? Why should she have to die to exalt a false hero, when the true miracle worker is actually the "expendable" woman who stands before her? Then we have Melisandre carry the baggage of killing a child for something she had successfully completed before...It doesn't matter if she's able to perform some bastardized miracle and create a shadow dragon, because it would all be all for naught and a wasted effort. To me, this is more satisfying from a character development perspective because Melisandre is no longer a background character. She’s got POV chapters now, which means she has an arc that needs to reach its natural conclusion. It cannot begin and end in service of the men around her. She must reflect on her role and come to terms with her actions—both good (waking the dragon in Jon) and bad (sacrificing Shireen for something she had already accomplished and for a prophecy she had already fulfilled); and this could lead to some compelling writing. This might also answer your question about "how will the idea of AA/PTWP backfire on the believers?”. Because “incorrect” interpretations not only hinder progress, but the cost of human life is perhaps too high :/

Oops, so sorry for the long tangent.....

[oodlyenough]

apollo justice: ace attorney thoughts

over the weekend I finished playing AA4 so I wanted to try to put my thoughts in order. much to think about etc

spoilers for the whole game obv, but i haven't played AA5 or AA6 yet so any mention of those are speculation lol

I had heard some pretty mixed reactions to AA4 and I had a lot of reservations going in. It's also probably the AA game I've played that I've been the most spoiled for, which is a shame but probably an unavoidable consequence of waiting for the port while engaging with the fandom. I don't usually like being spoiled but I think knowing the broad strokes of what to expect actually helped here. I can imagine an AU where I blitzed through the first trilogy and onto 4 with no idea of what was coming and being... very upset and disappointed by the direction it took. Having several months to brace for things like Phoenix's disbarment, the 7 year gap, Trucy, etc definitely softened those blows and made me more amenable to them than I would've been otherwise.

Cases

For the most part I thought the puzzle solving was good and the pacing was solid. The puzzles were mostly challenging enough to be satisfying to solve but not so challenging as to be infuriating, and I don't think I needed a walkthrough at all. 4-1 is one of the best tutorial cases in the franchise so far (though I'd give the edge to 3-1) and 4-4 was a really cool finale. The middle two cases tbh I also found fairly charming, and there's usually a least one case in the middle that seems to drag forever, so that was a pleasant surprise. I played Investigations 1 right before this, and I thought both the puzzles and pacing in that game were frankly horrible, so AA4 won a lot of points just with that.

I did think Turnabout Corner and Serenade would be more relevant in the grand scheme of things. The half-spoilers I knew had me expecting a much bigger web of conspriacy than we ended up with -- I expected it to be more than coincidence that Phoenix got hit by a car, more than coincidence that the Borginian egg coccoons are related to poison etc ... like... I fully assumed this was going to tie into the atroquinine plot. But I guess not ... ? Lol

Characters

The new main cast are all very likable, despite my initial reluctance to have a new main cast to begin with. Klavier was an interesting change of pace as prosecutor, in that he wasn't particularly antagonistic outside of the court, nor was he particularly preoccupied with winning, but he was still fun and challenging enough to face off against. Trucy was fun and delightfully bonkers as all assistants should be. Apollo's longsuffering exasperation was hilarious. Ema is the BEST I loved having her as the detective I wish she was there all the time.

I loved Beanix, for the most part. I can see why he rubs some people the wrong way, and tbh I'm glad his last canon outing isn't ... this. But I didn't find him wildly out of character, or at least, when he was feeling "out of character" vs the trilogy it made sense given the intervening events. I also thought it was fun to see him from the outside and see what a galaxybrain 5d chess master he is. I do wish we'd gotten to see more genuine moments of him with Trucy.

Kristoph was fun as a villain, though I have to say fandom led me to believe he was much more of a mastermind puppeteer than he seemed to be in reality. I was expecting a whole decade worth of conspiracies! Instead he fucked up once and struggled to fix it for seven years, lol. I also found the Kristoph/Phoenix relationship a) very fascinating, b) not really what I'd been led to believe by fandom (shocker). I like the canon more though -- I like that instead of being a retread of the Dollie betrayal-from-someone-you-love it was two guys who hate each other being forced to play nice as part of their own schemes.

Criticism

I think it's fairly obvious AA4 was meant to be a soft reboot of the series, to pivot away from the trilogy cast and set up our new heroes in Apollo, Trucy, and I guess Klavier. I think this is probably the entire explanation behind Maya and Edgeworth (and others but lbr those are the big two)'s conspicuous absence... but that doesn't make their absence any less conspicuous. I can squint and forgive neither of them being there when Phoenix is accused of murder, even though I find that insane. I can squint around Maya maybe being off in Kurain during the Enigmar trial, even though I think they could've used a line of dialogue to explain it. But then we started playing past-Phoenix for huge portions of investigation and that started to fall apart for me. Sure, maybe he's pushing his friends away because he's depressed, or maybe he wants to keep Maya out of things because he thinks it's dangerous, or whatever -- you could at least throw in a line or two saying as much. Not mentioning them at all and setting AA4 so closely after AA3, where Phoenix fell through a bridge to save Maya and Edgeworth chartered a private jet, just feels ridiculous.

I also think, at the end of the day, the story here was focused on and pivoting around Phoenix. The core question of the game is "what the hell happened to/is up with Phoenix Wright?" I love Phoenix, so that alone isn't a negative -- except that I think it meant Apollo, Klavier and even Trucy felt underwritten. Trucy and Klavier have such personal stakes in the unfolding events with the Gramaryes and Kristoph, but we only spend a little time and hints on how that might influence Trucy, who mostly falls into the AA weird girl pattern of brushing off major trauma instantly. (Maya got this a lot too in the original trilogy.)

Klavier ... I like Klavier, but they did not do much with him. How did he feel about Kristoph going to jail? He doesn't seem to hold it against Apollo, which is uh, noble, but perhaps not believable. He says he values honesty and truth but do we know why?

Apollo, likable as he was, felt like a passenger in his "own" game, rather than a major character. He doesn't even solve much of the stuff happening in the big overarching mystery -- he is Phoenix's avatar in court, presenting evidence and clues Phoenix left for him. Unlike Trucy and Klavier, who I am pretty sure take a back seat from now on, I guess Apollo still has two more games to try and flesh himself out ... lol but I also know fan reception of those two is not great, so my expectations there are minimal.

Overall

A really solid game that I enjoyed playing, though I can see why it's controversial and not some people's favourite, if they really loved the trilogy. I think it's debatable whether this was the best/only way to continue the series after AA3. And I am excited to read and write a billion 7 year gap fics now.

[lotusflowerbreakingthesurface]

❝𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐗𝐢𝐞 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝑪𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒏 𝐅𝐢𝐜 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭❞

Here is the not-really new masterlist, this post will only have PingXie Canon Setting fic recs, and here for PingXie Alternate Universe (AU) fic recs. I tried my best to sort them out according to my current personal preferences. If there is any mistake or misinformation, feel free to reach me by message. And if you like these fics, don't forget to give them "like" and support the hard-working authors on their respective accounts. Thank you ^^

©Divider by @animatedglittergraphics-n-more, @saradika-graphics, @anitalenia, and others are edited by me with the original images by 刘巴布

╰❀ 𝑪𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒏 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒕 ❀╮

一枚香吻 by foxWFMdemon [A Sweet Kiss]

墓中解蛊 by foxWFMdemon [Detoxification in the Tomb]

我以为我的男神喜欢我 by 郁绘离 [I Thought My Male God Liked Me]

人设 by 郁绘离 [Character Design]

教训 by HAGS [Lesson]

穿进兄弟的春梦怎么办 by Ayinkaihuoche [What Should I Do If I Enter My Brother’s Spring Dream?]

我怀疑，我兄弟，暗恋我 by 阿池 [I Suspect That My Brother Has a Crush on Me]

睡奸 by zqlweiaiwx [Sleeping With Someone]

情蛊 by 你爸妈是假的瓶邪都是真的 [Love Gu]

片刻天授 by foxWFMdemon [A Moment of Heavenly Gift]

秘密 by maySheReturns [Secret]

真香 by maySheReturns [Really Fragrant]

破戒 by maySheReturns [Breaking the Precept]

强制惩罚游戏！ by 阿池 [Forced Punishment Game!]

摩挲。 by PinkSnake_0710 [Rubbing.]

轮廓。 by 小 粉 [Outline.]

不作死就不会死 by 东帝沧阳 [If You Don’t Seek Death, You Won’t Die]

道上都说金丝雀是个疯的 by 长虫的绿萝 [Everyone on the Street Says Canary Is Crazy]

我男人他急了 by 月生花 [My Man Is Anxious]

情深非不寿 by 小 粉 [Deep Love Does Not Mean Longevity]

不是小胖几 by 方策 [It Is Not the Little Fat Guy]

回家 by 东帝沧阳 [Going Home]

瓶中记事 by 沈判 [Notes in a Bottle]

万山雪沸 by HAGS [Ten Thousand Mountains Boil With Snow]

泄火 by foxWFMdemon [Let Out the Fire]

化雪 by 写意/未遮山 [Melting Snow]

悬崖 by 槐安国师/槐安鸽师/HAGS [Cliff]

命蛊 by 槐安国师/槐安鸽师/HAGS [Fate Gu]

深海以下 by 槐安国师/槐安鸽师/HAGS [Below the Deep Sea]

敦伦之乐 by 槐安国师/槐安鸽师/HAGS [The Joy of Dunlun]

带刺的玫瑰 by 一三 [Rose With thorns]

闷油瓶被天授后突然要亲我怎么办 by 知名艺术家黄大婶/artist-yellow [What Should I Do if Men You Ping Suddenly Wants to Kiss Me After Receiving the Heavenly Gift?]

爱情来得太快就像龙卷风 by 写意/未遮山 [Love Comes Too Fast Like a Tornado]

逼婚的解决之道 by WWWhisper/所托 [The Solution to Forced Marriage]

失忆后我向男朋友求和好 by WWWhisper/所托 [After Losing My Memory, I Begged My Boyfriend for Reconciliation]

当正在doi的雨村哥穿到沙海邪身上 by 皂皂洗洗睡 [When Yucun Xiaoge doi, He Went Inside the Body of Sha Hai Wu Xie]

春梦欢迎你 by SalazarChi [Spring Dream Welcomes You]

╰❀ 𝑪𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒏 𝑫𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 ❀╮

恋痛症 by foxWFMdemon [Love Pain]

湘西秘蛊 by foxWFMdemon [Xiangxi Secret Gu]

插翅难逃 by foxWFMdemon [No Way Out]———○ A/B/O (AO)

The Room NO.9 by inkooyo

延迟标记 by foxWFMdemon [Delayed Mark]———○ E/A/B/O (EA → EO)

心照不宣 by SalazarChi [Tacit Understanding]———○ A/B/O (AO)

渡苦 by 一三 [Overcoming the Suffering]

一觉醒来我兄弟变成了我老公 by 阿池 [When I Woke Up, My Brother Became My Husband]

桃子酒 by 1xiangchilatiao [Peach Wine]———○ Cake & Fork (Fork Ping × Cake Xie)

不言 by 东帝沧阳 [No Words]

天婚 by 无明有焕 [Heavenly Marriage]

脱轨 by 宁家小花风 [Derailment]———○ Intersex Wu Xie

偷香 by foxWFMdemon [Stealing Fragrance]———○ A/B/O (AA)

与君成说 by 夏子煦 [Talking to You]

猎神 by 无明有焕 [Hunting God]

非典型失忆症候群 by 阿池 [Atypical Amnesia Syndrome]———○ A/B/O (AO)

阴婚 by 式微何采 [Ghost Marriage]

为了五十万吴邪决定参加真人秀挑战 by Adrianne [Wu Xie Decided to Participate in the Reality Show Challenge for 500,000 Yuan]

[solar-tl-27]

OH HEY WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT I’M BACK

Yall never get regular posts from me omg you guys I’M SO SORRYYYY

but but but but but ya’ll wont believe it

I have been… DOING ART?! youuuuu heard that right folks i me MYSELF AM d-doing art.

Ok soooo i got a few updates

Life is still incredibly hectic i swear i feel like one of those fanfic writers tha5 post like

Hey sorry it took 8 years i was in a coma! But thankfully that’s not… entirely the case?

I’m on the list for an appointment to see if i have adhd because hearing my friends who are diagnosed and medicated talk about literally MY EXACT ISSUES AND IT HELPING i was like… damm maybe it is the good ol case of audhd … so hopefully hopefully i can get something to help with that!

Uhhh in other news I’m saving for a laptop so i can get into video editing and idk make some animation memes and animatics!

But ofcourse

Ofcourse

I promised art let’s not dwindle any more!

First of all we have some art i did for my story quest for the moon (i did blur out a bit just cuz well idk my audience that well so i’ll be bluring it even though it takes away a bit of context)

Then another piece for that series and then… omg.. no way is that?! Is it?!

Hehe surprise let’s get into the first art!

3 GOT ANOTHER REDESIGN AND MIGUELS’S FIRST FULL ART

Welcome welcome to my sweet sweet sweet baby angel boy Three that’s right he’s been on my mind again so i drew him… kinda like a splash art? If he was in a gacha game very cute very demure (if that meme’s old already… no it’s not)

And then we have THE VILLAIN of quest for the moon

Miguel also our main character ash in the corner hiiii ash

Miguel is basically like the mentor that’s secretly just try to steal your powers type he’s very much an opportunist and i love to draw him and loooove to hate him! This piece is basically foreshadowing extravaganza that will… eventually be clear i swear I promise I PROMISE but for now enjoy the piece it took sooo long

Next art!

This is still a work in progress it’s not done yet but I’m incredibly proud of it soooooo I’m showing it anyway and then we’ll get into the surprise

MEET MY SON ALEXANDER

ohhh my goodness after being in art block for so long it feels so nice to just get a solid redes out i’m soooo happy with how he’s turning out AA that’s my son MY BOY one of my oldest oc’s from so so so so long ago and fun fact i drew both pieces with the exact same brush heheheh the headshot next to him is his brother phoenix

Ok NOW FOR THE SURPRISE

Guess what! That’s right i have actually ACTUALLY started finding my way into the new project reignited

That’s right we got a MAIN CAST now

Now obviously some are.. easy to find the original inspiration for but they won’t be that similar to the redesigns they used to be no no no

Welcome the new crew of project reignited!

Muse, Plume, Thea, Orianne & caelusss

Muse is the main character a human boy who is just trying his best who gets swooped up into helping a dragon girl save her kingdom and the magical dimension while also fighting to preserve his home town!

Plume a dragon girl (plume, bloom you get the gist) who somehow ended up on earth is now tasked to find help to save her people and mother while also discovering the beauty of earth

Thea the daughter of an urban development company ceo and the love interest of muse (did i get myself this invested into a ship that i made it canon here… yes.) she’s a frail girl but is forced to step in as her fathers ideas turn from helpful to greedy and destructive

Orianne Thea and Muse’s friend and the more motherly of the group but faced with difficult circumstances and changes in her life can cause her to lash out as her life is completely steered of its course by magic and her dad remarrying.

Caelus! Muse’s closest friend a pretty chill guy that works at an icecream parlour during the week and helps his family with their market food stand in the weekend, he really wants to be a culinary chef but doesn’t know if he can truly achieve his goals in his hometown.

That’s the gang this will from now on be an original concept and no longer a winx rewrite yes winx will be an inspiration for this work but i do not intend to go the fairy route nor make the world building as big as i had made it in my rewrite… what you will see is me taking my rewritten work as a basis for this story considering i have basically rewritten my version of domino, zenith and solaria from scratch sooooo SWEET BABY BOY CRYOS MY BABY will be making a return later on in this story he’s mine he’s my son my boy i can do with his character whatever i pleaseeee ok ty

That’s the update that’s the post thank you all for enjoying my content and my terrible upload schedule life had beeeeeen hectic ty ty hope ya’ll stay for more and if this was your first post of mine you saw…. Check out my other work pls and thank u

Oki

BYEEEEE

[aleksanderscult]

Hi ! So, I don't know if you're familiar with Chinese dramas, but I would like to recommend one that might remind you a little of Darklina. A good old enemies to tragic lovers, where the heroine will unfortunately not end up with the bad boy (with whom things will never come to fruition and will remain unsaid on both sides) but with the nice guy. It's called Lost You Forever. And to give you a quick description of the interesting relationship in this series ; We are Xiao Yao is in love with Jing (Whom I very like. He is clearly the archetypal nice guy she'll end up with, but like, a really good guy, on top of being a good character, not like that trash Mal Oretsev), but let's be realistic, that would never have happened if a relationship with Xiang Liu (the best male character in this series) was possible from my point of view. It's very clear that she's in love with him and it's circumstances that are keeping them from letting go and being together. I have no doubt that if circumstances would have allowed, Xiang Liu would have been Xiao Yao's first choice and vice versa. Jing and Xiang Liu are literally the two males characters that Xiao Yao is canonically in love with, but there is no doubt who in my eyes she loves the most.

My favorite scene for them (unfortunately cut, so not really complete, but the most important part of the scene is there) :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-abLjkm-AA&list=LL&index=10

Sorry, but Xiao Yao knows in this moment that Jing is in a dying coma, could die at any moment, and when she wakes up, the first person she hopes / wants to see is Xiang Liu and her bird takes her to see him ? And when she understands that she won't see him, she takes her time to lie down where they both were to cry ? Okay he healed her and she wants to thank him, but that's definitely not the type of reaction you get when the love of your life is in mortal danger and you can't see another man you're close to, technically your enemy on top of that, who just saved you, and whom you supposedly just love platonically.

But the thing is, you don't always end up with the person you would have chosen. They love each other, but know their relationship is doomed to failure given the circumstances they are in, so they do not act on their feelings and will never allow themselves to. It's so tragic. Typically the kind of story I love, even if it tears my heart out.

At least that's my interpretation, as well as that of many people.

Xiang Liu is your characteristically gray character who first appears as a villain to ultimately be much more complex (with good and bad actions) who will end up in love with the heroine he will protect, despite the fact that they are technically enemies. In addition to that, they will obviously be entitled to a great magical connection which re-connects their sensations (like, she is physically injured, he is) and emotions (like, their hearts beat to the same rhythm).

But of course, there will always be anti-complexity people who will come and tell you, to the point of contradicting themselves to justify a non-romantic love on the part of the heroine, that she only cries because she has the heart too good and feels sorry for him (I remind you that at the same time, the lady knows very well that the other guy she supposedly loves, Jing, is dying...), but also that she uses for her own personal purposes because she has no real affection for him ! We like contradiction, simply because we don't like that a heroine can have contradictory feelings for a morally gray guy !

And the fact that of all the male characters, Xiang Liu is the only one of whom the heroine wanted to keep a trace in her magic mirror ?! Why is that also just her using him or only having a platonic feeling towards him ? Let's be serious for two seconds and let's accept the complexity of a human heart !

Or there are obviously simply those who will tell you that despite the fact that the guy is a gray character he is only toxic and bad for the heroine, treating her really badly ! (I still want to say that without this guy who causes her apparently so much pain, well she would have been dead and buried a long time ago !)

Otherwise, here is a small playlist of videos dedicated to this ship (send by many people), just so you can get an overall idea of ​​the dynamics :

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHTp96ofTkA3cLfybZP2xaXBCPDBoTx_-&si=s2VSBa270CVK5VeD

In fact, if I really had to compare Xiao Yao with Xiang Liu and Jing, I would say Xiang Liu is a call from the heart and Jing is a call from the head. She loves them both, but Jing brings her a trust and loyalty that she could never have from Xiang Liu given the circumstances of their respective responsibilities which technically categorizes them as enemies, even if they never really acting like that in my eyes. Also, we could see Xiang Liu as a character / creature of the order of fantasy in terms of symbolism, and therefore with whom the heroine could never have a real future, and that she will have to leave at one point or another, but which has importance in her present life in order to help her develop as a person.

Afterwards, as another story that could remind Darklina, I will recommend the Chinese drama Love Between Fairy and devil. In terms of books, I would say the trilogy a forbidden game by L.J Smith with Jenny & Julian, the shadow men, or the Empirium trilogy with Corien & Rielle. Dragonlance with Raistlin & Crysania. Only ships associated with light and darkness basically.

Either way, I'm a sucker for enemies-to-lovers or villain / gray / anti-hero characters in-love dynamics. It's so fascinating, and above all much more interesting than with a cute and nice guy without much personality in comparison... There is no worse crime than being boring in fiction.

Small bonus gifs further illustrating the Xiao Liu & Xiao Yao great dynamic :

Oh yes, I forgot to say that he bit her and regularly feeds on his blood.

OMG OMG

I'LL DEFINITELY WATCH IT, BESTIE!!

I love the plot already and the protagonists look GORGEOUS.

Either way, I'm a sucker for enemies-to-lovers or villain / gray / anti-hero characters in-love dynamics. It's so fascinating, and above all much more interesting than with a cute and nice guy without much personality in comparison... There is no worse crime than being boring in fiction.

Agree to ALL of this! I'm the same. These kind of characters are always the best! And I'm going to put all your recommendations in my list.

Just a question!

I believe Raistlin was one of the inspirations for the Darkling's character. Does he remind you of the Darkling?

[hanbindans]

zerobaseone as IB students (headcanons)

some fun headcanons for my fellow students. please take these with a grain of salt, obviously I don't know them personally and these are just meant to be fun :) word count: 1.1 k (ca 140 for each) a/n: this is for a very niche target audience but it makes sense in MY head. also I have exams in less than 2 weeks so this is kind of representative of where my mind is at rn. and PSA if you're also an IB student please don't actually skip TOK <3

jiwoong

what's that?? "he's a 24 year old man, it's been years since he completed high school??" sorry I can't hear you too well I'll just go ahead and write this headcanon anyway <3

he's such a drama kid and he would take it even in IB, so theatre and korean lit would be his HLs

I feel like he would take bio and psych sl purely out of curiosity and then immediately regret it when he realizes how much content there is (but would be really good at psych)

aa sl!!! no particular reason tbh I just think he's kind of smart

doesn't understand tok. like...... at ALL. is saved by the fact that his psychology EE is pretty good because he pretty much flunks tok miserably

CAS defender because "guys it builds character I think it's great that we all do volunteer work :))" bless his heart

hanbin

7 subjects :)

is good at tok probably

genuinely puts SO much time and effort into his cas and regrets it in the end but it looks cool on his resumé

psychology and korean lit HL, probably takes VA too but maybe as sl. he gives such lit vibes I feel like he would totally be a literature kid

chinese ab!!!! and maybe ESS because he can and doesn't like science <3

AI SL just because he's so social science but he gets 6s and 7s because it's too easy for him <3

basically he's all the social science subjects but because they're FUN not because they're easy :)

shares notes and study resources in the class group chat because he's cool like that

zhang hao

science kid

HL math AA, geography, and maybe chem or bio. maybe takes physics SL too.

definitely chinese lang/lit and korean ab (he could definitely do korean B but he can't be bothered)

you won't catch him anywhere without a comically large energy drink

completely numbed on the inside but also puts more effort in than everyone else and gets straight 7's

skips tok though because he can't be asked

does his EE on a very niche obsession of his and it gets a really good grade but he puts way too much effort into it

everyone wants to learn his ways but he doesn't do study groups because he gets too annoyed lmao. WILL tell juniors chatting in the library to stfu

he will complain about anything and everything any chance he gets but also catch him getting that 45 at the end of the day.

taerae

also science kid but a lot less intense

HL bio, chem, music, SL AA, korean lang/lit and japanese ab

he would complain SO MUCH about group 2 btw he's one of those science kids who really doesn't want to do 2 languages lol

really only cares about music to be honest but does the sciencey subjects because he thinks they're cool and gets pretty good grades

the type to do a hyper specific science IA and spend way too much time on it just for shits and giggles because he likes pouring things into beakers and swirling them

unintentionally does the most for his CAS, like "oh a service??? yeah I've been tutoring guitar for like 6 months does that count" and genuinely fails to see how other people struggle with it

also excells at tok, like genuinely writes an amazing philosophical TOK essay and gets full marks

ironically cares so little about IB but somehow does so well because he genuinely likes his subjects (and has an iq of like 150)

matthew

7 subjects :)

wants to do more languages than he's allowed because he's just built like that, he likes flexing his multilingualism

HL english lang/lit, french B, history. SL AA, bio, chem, psych

is annoyingly good at all his subjects like HOW are you doing all that and remembering everything?? secretly kind of a genius

does the mostest for his IAs for absolutely no reason other than he's just interested in his subjects and wants to do fun projects :)

also genuinely likes CAS for the same reason (play sports feed stray cats, what's not to like?)

super ambitious classmate who is somehow the only one still sane and always happy

encourages everyone before tests and exams like "come on guys we can do it!! :)"

ricky

this is more likely than you think like do you know how many rich international kids do IB??? in an alternate reality he's M23

visual art HL <33

probably business management HL too, but I could see him doing psych as well!! I think he'd enjoy the human relationships option

chinese lang/lit and english B because why do a bilingual diploma and struggle when you could just breeze through english B?????

AI and ESS sl because he cba, he just wants to pass fr.

to be honest he only really cares about visual art (does his EE in it and regrets it every day) and his social science a liiittle bit, other than that he's just doing exactly as much as he needs to pass

super chill classmate though like all IB kids need a Ricky in their class to humble our god complexes

gyubin

IB but because he's an exchange student :') like he didn't even know what IB was when he started it

cramming the night before tests because he can't be asked to dedicate his whole life to studying

actually the nicest classmate though

eng b HL and breezes through it

ESS and AI sl together with ricky (they sit in the back of the class and snack together <3)

also like business management/psychology or something equivalent but he's REALLY good at it and gets easy 7's?? like he will be that 1 kid who has that 1 subject that he's an absolute god at

cries every tok lesson but it's alright

favourite part is ironically CAS because he has an excuse to volunteer at dog shelters and play basketball with his friends :)

gunwook

peak IB child I bet he would take this programme for real

4 hls (economics, psychology, korean lang lit, chemistry)

I have no justification for these subjects btw I just spat out 4 that I think he would take. he definitely would do 4 HLs though because that's how he rolls

ALSO takes cas very seriously for absolutely no reason

also takes tok SUPER seriously- he will lead class discussions and get into heated debates about stupid shit like if newspeak would work in real life

AA sl and japanese ab because that's just his vibes

kind of overworked but is always helpful and shares notes with his classmates :)

does his EE in economics and ends up getting way too invested in it and becomes obsessed with economic development policies or something niche like that (nerd but affectionately <3)

very stressed and overworked but he WILL get those grades at the end of the day <33

[box-dwelling]

OK so as someone who just genuinely loved Dual destinies and is keeping my theis length DD apologia in the drafts at least for now. I genuinely want to know why people don't like it.

I have seen this take from so many AA fans who I completely agree about everything else with. I need to understand why it sounds like we played completely different games.

I will put some I've seen but feel differently about under the cut

Critisms I find unfair:

-it doesn't tie up the loose ends AA4 left hanging. We don't hold any of the other games up to this standard because they all properly finish up the characters arcs. Aa5 cannot be blamed for the problems we want to overlook in AA4. I do also love AA4 but it does leave a lot of dangling plot threads that the others don't and that would be a fucking nightmare to tie up *staring directly at sibling reveal*

- Clay comes out if no where. He's very well established through the game. He just isn't mentioned in AA4 just like Fran isn't mentioned in AA1 and Dahlia isn't mentioned before AA3.

Critism I acknowledge is a reasonable opinion people can have but strongly disagree with

-Spilting the game between the protagonists stops them having proper arcs. Athena is our weird girl for this game. She is our maya. We get to play as her for 1.5 cases. For the majority of the game she's taking up the weird girl screen time and she's honestly still doing that in the ones you play as her. She's just a weird girl who happens to be a lawyer. In the main game Apollo and Phoenix have a roughly equal amount of screen time by chapter. They cut the bloated filler not the arcs (yes I will argue that 5-2 is needed for Apollos arc. Its there to set up his relationship with Athena that us a catalyst later on)

-Phoenix and Apollo are OOC. No. Phoenix is still a cryptic little bitch when you don't play as him and in AA4 he was so very clearly missing being a lawyer. It makes sense. Apollo very clearly in the last case of AA4 regains a lot of his respect for Phoenix. No, he doesn't do this on screen but again that is AA4s fault not dual destinies. That's how he acts the last time we see him so that's how he's acting now.

-The Phantom comes out of nowhere. Plot wise, maybe. But so do a lot of AA villians. Thematically, he's the perfect fit. DD is a game about trust. Very, very explicitly. A spy is someone who can't trust anyone. The phantom is a man who's shut himself off so much from emotions that he no longer recognises why trust is needed. And also has an ability that directly preys on people by making them think hes a trustworthy figure. He's not an incredible villian but he is thematically cohesive.

-almost a part 2 to the last point. The Fulbright reveal comes out of nowhere. First of all 5-2 has some very very choice sprite framing lol. But beyond that it also is a thematically smart choice. We as players are conditioned in AA games to trust the recurring detective. The villain should be someone that we trust. The guy was likeable but also fundamentally always kinda hollow and did in fact pull a shit ton of strings in 5-4 that we all ignored because we trusted him. The clues are there. You're just not ment to pick up on them because of the formula of these games.

-Edgeworth doesn't need to be there. Again game with a theme of trust. He doesn't necessarily need to be there but his dynamic with Phoenix does. They spent 3 fucking games setting up how important it is that those two trust each other and in a game about trust his absence would be felt.

-I don't see this a lot but I did see it a few times. Blackquill is a bad prosecutor. Honestly this is a taste thing and I love him. He is my little bastard man. Also thematically he embodies the two people you aren't supposed to trust in these games, a convict and a prosecutor but is actually a cool guy.

-I've never seen this but I can guess it's happened. Pearl comes out of nowhere. Again theme of trust. Phoenix has just lost the two people he's been relying on to trust the most and needed to be reminded that there were other people he loved and trusted so letter from Maya and visit from Pearl.

-mood matrix. I like the mini game I think it's fun. My brain likes to sit and logically think about what emotions it would make sense for someone to feel in situations.

Criticism I agree with but really don't bother me

-Trucy is side lined. Yeah. I love her to pieces and will never complain about getting more of her but it doesn't make sense for her to not be there plot wise and they clearly just didn't have room for her. I am happy with my Trucy scraps. I would visit her and present every piece of evidence to her to get as much dialogue as I could.

-Klavier is sidelined. Also yeah. But he did genuinely need to be there for 5-3 thematically for that case. (It is literally a showdown between his school of thought and the one he thought phoenix had) but they couldn't make him procecutor because he'd be too much on their side. It had to be someone who at that point seems at least a little morally dubious. I wish there was more but I will also happily take my Klavier scraps.

-the anime cutscenes. I don't love them but I do have a little switch in my brain marked "watching anime" that I can flip and enjoy them for what they are.

-the switch of the voiced sound effects. Yes they are worse but like, I can live with it.

Stuff I don't like and won't defend

-turnabout reclaimed racism and fatphobia (also blatant animal welfare ignorance). I'm not defending it or overlooking it but it's not the only game in this franchise to be problematic.

[coffelovereco]

‿︵‿. ݁˖ . ݁ ☕︎ . ݁˖ . ݁‿︵‿

. . . Ah, the fresh smell of warm coffee fills the office you walk into. A bitter but gentle scent, alongside it gives in a gentle cozy feeling to the prosecutors feeling you just walked into. The sight of coffee set by the table just comfirmed the welcoming scent. but.. the coffee wasn't the reason you got into the prosecutors office, was it?

The gentle ambience was broken by a familiar figure standing in front of the desk, grabbing a mug filled with coffee as he shook his head, glaring at you through his visor that showed the famous red strips. He raised an eyebrow, he hadn't been warned someone was comming up to his office, but despite that, he just seemed to smirk his confusion up.

“ Ah, What a suprise to see someone here. Would you want a cup of coffee? Don't mind the other 2 they dont bite either. ”

It seemed like he meant no harm. His eyes then fell on the other 2 people there alongside him. Another prosecutor and... Is that a detective alongside the 2 of them? Perhaps it is. The other prosecutor seemed rather skeptical to speak. But the detective seemed to just stick his tongue out towards you.

[ End of beginning of the intro post. Prooced to the rest? ]

[ooc: Hello!! This is my first rp/ask blog! This also has my ocs so take note of the canon and noncannon that will be included.and i’m sorry if i act a bit ooc when doing the only cc here heheh- Also, This isnt only an Ask Blog, its also a rp blog! Similar go a hand of other ask & rp blogs! ]

About...

... Godot ☕︎ᝰ.ᐟ

𐔌 Goes by He/Him

𐔌 Main timeline is a Post-Prison Godot, so some stuff is diferent from his pre prison arc.

𐔌 Still the same coffee lover.

𐔌 You can ask anytime to speak to either Pre Prison Godot and Diego Armando, just do specify, cause or else main timeline godot will be used!

𐔌 Headcanons will be worked on at some point!

... Kimi Walker ᡣ𐭩ᝰ.ᐟ

𐔌 He/Them Pronouns

𐔌 He doesnt hold onto any specific timeline at all!

𐔌 Orange juice lover<3

𐔌 They have alot of mystery past that is in need to be discovered! But who knows when this silly guy will ever even open up..?

𐔌 Main love interest is Kristoph Gavin. He’s completely head over heels for Kristoph for some reason and he doesnt elaborate on it at all.

𐔌 i’ll make most likely a post with more about then at some point, i promise..! For now, he’s an extremily silly gentle soul that loves helping others and meeting people!

... Asher ☂︎ᝰ.ᐟ

𐔌 He/Him Pronouns

𐔌 his main timeline is the one after AJ. Although he has a version of himself back in PW, and a debut/younger version of himself aswell. You may make questions to those, just do specify to which one you asking when making him questions, or else main timeline will be used.

𐔌 theres an AU i’m working on where he takes over Miles’ role after Miles was murdered right after turnabout goodbyes before he left to go away. The AU's name is “SoulBond”. It’ll be better explained in a post in mods main acc.

𐔌 you may choose between which Au you wanna question, again just do specify which AU you’d like to speak with.

𐔌 He prefers Tea over Coffee but drinks coffee with godot in the office.

About the mod !!

𐔌 My main is @aa-ash3r !!

𐔌 You may call me by any of the following: Ash3r, Ash or Kimi. (I’m not oicky about any of the names!)

𐔌 He/Them/It pronouns !!

𐔌 only NSFW i allow in this blog is towards the characters & Ocs, and it cant be too much NSFW as it may make me uncomfortable and i wont answer it at all.

𐔌 Any & All Interactions with any character despite fandoms are always welcome! Its genuine fun!

𐔌 Please specify to who you are making your questions towards, this includes basicly any specific timeline or AU you might see going around this blog

𐔌 i also run @thegoofyactor, @snackoo-science-detective, @thesweetest-dollie & @thatcriminalattorney :D

—·— End of the Log. —·—

[dangerpronebuddie]

Okay, I hate this

I hate this I hate this I hate this

We just had an episode that implied Eddie didn't know he could say no to the possibility of sex with Marisol. It was also implied that option didn't occur to Buck either.

And now there's a speculation that Buck and Eddie are not just letting loose and having fun... but are drugged and out of their minds.

Eddie getting his shirt ripped off because he's finally breaking out of the box he's been confining himself to? Beautiful and poetic and I love it.

Eddie getting his shirt ripped off because he's been drugged? No fucking thank you!!!!

But it's possible and that pisses me off.

(Whump is always fun. But in canon, with two characters who don't know they can say no and one who's been assaulted before, it's not good!!! This show is fantastic about handling serious issues and heavy conversations. Consent? Not so much).

Unfortunately, since there's possibilities surrounding consent right now, I have a theory or two.

If they're really copy pasting BT onto Eddie and Marisol, then they could possibly do the 5x11 thing and Eddie is going to kiss someone. Drunk. (Or drugged, depending on that spec). Consent? Don't know her.

But if they do, it could shatter the box he's been in, and himself. I hate the idea that Eddie always has to completely break to be able to heal, but he doesn't know any other way to be. Ryan hinted at the possibility of Eddie breaking again. So what makes it happen, what does he learn from it, and how does Marisol factor in?

If they do the BT parallel and he kisses someone, consensual or not, he's going to feel incredibly guilty about it. He's failed as a boyfriend (and knowing him, he'll twist it around as failing as a father too) and the box will break again.

The next few episode titles even lean into the guilt of it all. Ghost of a Second Chance, Step Nine, even Unfinished Business is ominous enough to suggest the storyline is involved there too.

With the writers for 7x08 being Juan Carlos Coto and Bradley Marques, and Coto being who wrote the breakdown, I wouldn't be surprised in the very least if something happened that episode. It doesn't need to be a breakdown again, but it can be this cathartic experience where Eddie finally lets go of the guilt he's been carrying for decades.

The title for 7x08 has been on my mind since we found out about it. Step Nine in AA is about making amends, no matter what. It's going to be a Bobby centric episode, no doubt, but Juan Carlos Coto usually writes episodes that are big for both Bobby and buddie (2x06, 3x09, 4x05, 5x13, 5x16, 6x10 to name just a few). Add in the fact Bradley Marques is writing it with him, the guy who's only done episode 100 so far, is... Interesting!

Bobby is likely making amends with Amir. Eddie has to make amends with himself. If we get a realization or a coming out that episode? I will pass out.

They're setting it up to be a brilliant queer storyline for Eddie. I would HATE for it to be tainted by drugs and a lack of consent and another cheating storyline.

And if they don't go the drug route (yay!), then an almost between Buck and Eddie would most likely be enough to make Eddie feel guilty about it and then have to face it and realize he has nothing to feel guilty about at all. Nothing happened. He just realized he wants it to happen, and for a moment it felt like Buck did too. It would push him to either hide with Marisol or drop her and be free. And since he's grown and recognized that he moved too fast asking her to move in, it's possible he breaks up with her instead of becoming more serious.