#blessings from another world

[knightphobeus]

"We chafed under the idleness of 'peace',"

Genn Greymane looks at Varian as he lets out a deep sigh. On the board, the White Pawn has been removed.

"If there is a chance to fight, why not take it?"

At the bank of the river, a blue-skinned troll lays, the Pandarians racing over as the Brewmaster quickly rushes to his side.

"Still, I will not seek out unnecessary battles..."

Nathanos takes and opens the box for Sylvannas, the black stone and strange crystal with a black moon symbol in the packaging.

"Quiet as a Candle."

"Genn, do you remember Adariall?"

"Your sister...didn't she die?"

"...there's been a sign...she's alive."

[sunderwight]

Bingqiu AU where Luo Binghe's the chosen village sacrifice to the evil deity who lives up the mountain.

Normally the village sends maidens, but they've more or less run out of expendable girls of the right age and, ahem, "virtues". So of course Luo Binghe's early life bad luck kicks in. In the wake of his mother's death there's no one to really care about what happens to him, he's fairly pretty, and the village leaders decide that if they dress him up like a girl the teenaged homeless kid should pass well enough. And hey, y'know, he's probably got a hard life ahead for him anyway -- dying in a brothel of some venereal disease or on the streets of exposure or starvation. At least as a sacrifice, everyone else gets to benefit from his loss! And the kid will get added to a shrine and be remembered as a hero! If anything, he should be happy about this!

Binghe is not happy about this.

But he's also a skinny underfed nobody who is easily overpowered, dressed up like a bride, and tied to a post. So. Not much he can do but wait for the evil deity to come and do whatever horrible thing he's gonna do to him.

Meanwhile, Shen Yuan is pretty sure he's been isekai'd into the over-powered hero of some kind of supernatural adventure story? He's not totally sure because he doesn't recognize the setting, but the signs are there. He's got a shrine-like base of operations (though it seems to have become corrupted/ruined, probably he has to restore it somehow), he has a very resilient and handsome new body with spiritual energy of some kind flowing through him, and a very clearly magical sword. Plus lots of neat starter powers! Though it feels like he has other abilities that have been blocked somehow? Probably he has to level up in order to access them.

When he treks out of his "base" and finds what seems to be a distressed maiden, he takes it for his beginner hero mission. The girl claims that she's been doomed to be sacrificed to an evil god. That sounds a little above Shen Yuan's pay grade for dealing with, so he unties her and decides that they had better just get out of the whole region altogether. He already packed up anything useful from his base, anticipating he might get caught up in an adventure once he left, so they follow the river away from the settlement until they reach another one.

While they travel, Luo Binghe tells Shen Yuan about the cursed deity, Shen Qingqiu, who was cast out of the heavens for slaughtering one of his brethren and has apparently being do-who-knows what to maidens from the local village in exchange for his "protection" ever since. Sounds like a real asshole! And also mid-level boss type bad guy at least. Shen Yuan hopes he doesn't have to fight him, but he probably will.

Thank goodness he found Binghe, though! Clearly the helpful little sister type! He's definitely going to require her assistance if he's going to figure out how to navigate this world and level up his skills enough to take on a god.

[wyvernquill]

Today I offer you the following headcanon/scenario: Hob dislikes Shakespeare and criticises him, but not because he's jealous of Dream walking off with him in 1589... no, it's because he genuinely thinks the man was a talentless hack.

Let me elaborate.

Hob does like Shakespeare's plays, and grudgingly admits they're the work of a "half-decent playwright", judging from the 1789 scene. He does appreciate the craftsmanship.

The only trouble: Hob is of the opinion that it's not technically Will's work at all. It's His Stranger who had... well, some hand, at least, in the creation of those masterpieces, and Hob hates that Shakespeare gets the sole credit.

(Now, to be clear, I do think that all Dream did was lend Shakespeare support and inspiration and the power to put his own dreams and imaginations into words. It's absolutely still William Shakespeare's work at the core, and Dream's involvement is hardly much more than in any other story ever written - but Hob doesn't know exactly how this works, does he?)

Imagine his frustration. Imagine people praising Shakespeare as a genius in front of him, and Hob bursting to say "actually, he was total shite until he sold his soul or something to the maybe-devil in exchange for talent". He thinks he's the only human in the world who knows The Truth About Will Shaxberd, and it drives him mad that any attempt to explain it would make him sound like some conspiracy nut.

It's the sort of thing that could drive a man to irrationally hate a playwright and his ill-gotten gains, it really could.

(Which is highly hypocritical of him, seeing as he himself enjoys the boon of that very same maybe-devil - well, his sister’s, actually, not that Hob knows that - but it's aBOUT THE PRINCIPLE OF THE THING-)

And that's how Hob ends up as his university's #1 Shakespeare Hater.

.

And perhaps, Dream eventually explains to him who he is and how his boons work, and Hob suddenly realises he has to revise his entire spiteful opinion of William Shakespeare, who may have had a certain spark of talent of his own, after all...

And then, groping desperately for some reason to cling on to his increasingly irrational dislike of the man, Hob recalls how Will stole his date back in 1589, and breathes a sigh of relief at the realisation that he can carry on hating Shakespeare just as much as before, only now for a different reason.

(Not that saying "I hate Shakespeare because he stole my boyfriend" will make him sound any less like a nutter than insisting his talent came from magical intervention... but, well, it's a step in the right direction, isn’t it.)

[polyamorousmood]

Lighting a bowl to wish you luck on your date 🌿☮️

I am truly prosperous to have someone perform rituals for me, especially rituals I will never partake in myself. You have granted me a luck I would have otherwise never come into, and that's... pretty neat, I think 🙂

[driftingballoons]

I hope you don't mind me asking two thing back to back, but for the reverse unpopular opinion ask game.

What piece of PMD lore/story just doesn't sit right / doesn't make sense with you?

Not at all! Love getting asks, thank you! :3

The one piece of lore that’s always bothered me a bit is how they handle humans in the series. Imo it’s just a little confusing and odd. Now for the positive! By leaving it vague, it really hands over the lore to the fans—how do humans live in this world? Are they common, or are you one of/the only one left? Do they tend to live side by side with pokemon, or are they more separate than in the main series? Where did Hero come from? What happened to their family? Etc etc. Plus, in Explorers, the idea of there being humans around, but you not seeing ANY in the Dark Future really adds to the oppressive and heavy nature. It helps show it’s such a harsh world that only the most feral of pokemon can truly thrive. 

[torgawl]

lyney's character story about his vision revealing arlecchino didn't allow him to use a delusion and was genuinely angry that he would do something lynette wouldn't want for him, encouraging him to find other solutions... the way she was also sad lyney didn't feel comfortable relying on her during the quest... she really cares about the kids. her smile while speaking to furina also looked sincere. even though one can debate if this is all an act to make them trust and be loyal to her (as said by her, "good actors hone their craft to mesmerise the whole crowd") or acknowledge the fact she's using the kids by making them part of the fatui, she genuinely seems to cherish them. at least she goes through lengths that aren't really necessary for her not to care. the way she reformed the orphanage, the way she helped freminet get closure on his mother's fate... i just think it goes to show and confirm once more how biased everything/everyone in the game is. sometimes bordering unreliable, really. scara and childe's lines about her paint her in a certain light, which i'm not saying isn't true quite the opposite, but that persona seems to coexists with the version the kids from the house of the hearth know.

[nicoscheer]

Oh my fuckin god please be real please be real 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

What the fuck is going on call the doctor I’m dead

Oh my lord I just realized Miles posting the tlsp one means that him and Alex talked about it they discussed what songs to play together and and 😭😭😭🤯like they sat down together during the time they both had off and Alex invited Miles to open for them and then they talked bout playing together on stage again and planned their week together in Ireland

The two of them miss performing together just as much as we miss seeing them together and it’s always nice to know that the feeling’s mutual

Also Miles probably telling Alex that he enjoys singing their songs but that it just isn’t the same as knowing Alex is right there beside him barely an inch between them shouting the words together into one mic out into the awaiting audience to hear them reflected back thousandfold

The way he’s vibing while filming 🫶🏽🥹🐢 also that mean that he surely also was there yesterday with Rosie watching the Strokes; imagine just casually standing next to the Miles Kane during a festival like sorry to whoever’s onstage (unless it’s AM) but there a new main act now

[aria0fgold]

So that's... the power of Luocha e1... I get it now. I am now a lil less salty from losing my 75/25.

[the-ninja-legacy-whip]

I’m gonna need some elaboration on like. All of that

[diathadevil]

Listen I’ll be back to my regularly scheduled programs with shoujo fan arts and (hopefully) some art fight art this month.

But for now, the green Finnish rapper man from Vantaa has taken over my hamster wheel of a brain.

[knightphobeus]

Awaken...

Three buildings dwarf Mugen Academy as Anduin and the others walk into one of them with boxes for moving.

The time has come.

Anduin looks down at the map of the area, frowning as his eyes trace the way it's set up and the writing to one side - the informational brochure making him worry.

Chibiusa looks in shock and awe as a pale girl with dark hair and a black suit holds her hand out, a soft light healing her wound while Knight Phoebus looks at her in surprise. He smiles, and holds out a hand to show off his own power.

Let the destruction begin.

The dark-haired girl smiles softly at the two.

"Another Miracle will Happen."

"In the name of the Moon and Stars, we'll punish you!"

[aloysarrow]

Yeah, the the incoming 2024 genshin players (because that's been a question on YouTube), I don't even play towards the meta and I think you're gonna have a shit time if that's your play style.

[mymp3]

i love love love reading your takes on minato and p3 in general ... like minato gets mischaracterized and flanderized by people sooooo much but you really truly get him i think

This is genuinely such a high honor of an ask to get, thank you very much anon.

I love talking about my playthrough and experience with P3 as i move along. it's a very hard hitting and impactful story. this story could not work if minato wasn't the character he was and i think that's brilliant.

I haven't seen too many takes on him yet honestly, but it's sad that he apparently gets so frequently misunderstood. understanding the vessel in which the story is told through is key in understanding the full picture i feel, and its nice of you to think i get him. :)

[daemoncracy]

sometimes a literal angel calls customer service to pretend to be in trouble, hype you up, and call you a genius for interpreting a manual. the numbers prove it!

[chaosdisowned]

🥚 A friend of mine on discord sent me this!! Az Real-Real!!! I AM SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW!!

[badheart]

How did your first kill feel like? Would Uryū have been your first human victim if he died in that attack? (I'm more curious about other killings than hollows)

“Please, it’s not like I wield a sword since yesterday. It wasn’t supposed to be a fatal wound.”  Just a means to make things a little bit more interesting, leaving Kurosaki one additional hint to solve the puzzle. A game without any risks would not be any fun now. Odd was just how that girl, who could heal did not fix him, considering how long it took him to appear again. But Kurosaki’s group sure had communication issues during that time. 

“The first one was the Shinigami, who murdered all of my past friends.”  Who had been all Fullbringer, from various age groups. The picture of the massacre was burned into his mind. How exactly the killing went, he barely recalls, mentally he was completely overwhelmed, the tears came later but for that was barely time. The place was full of corpses and he was the only one alive. For such case, existed no justice system. The police would not understand, powerless anyway, and the Shinigami wanted his death from now on. 

“Not sure what I felt, or what one is supposed to feel in such moment, I mean that guy sure as hell deserved it, even if just following orders - you have a choice. Kill a bunch of teenagers and adults, or flee.”  Enough time had passed that he could talk about it, with a mix of dark humor to make it more bearable for himself, considering how absurd it was - till this day, he does not know why it had to happen.  “Well, ... obviously I had a choice too, and I made my decision.”  And he could live with it, anything after that event was nothing. It did not matter to him, he felt nothing to all those strangers, ... Shinigami, they were just a means to get closer to his goal. Over the years, he only became more desensitized to the crimes he did himself. 

“Also I guess, I don’t recall killing a human yet.”  Hurting on the other hand happened quite a few times, if necessary and that might be bit of a stretch, considering what he saw as necessary. There was no regret from his side, no matter how he had planned some things out. There was no particular attachment towards Kurosaki’s friends. What they went through during their time with him was nothing, and even forgotten by those who had been cut.  “But quite a few of Shinigami, not that it changed anything but I guess it was somewhat satisfying for a few seconds.”  He could not even properly recall their faces, they meant nothing to him and yet they defined everything he hated. In this life, he would never accept the Shinigami again.