#but here's me from the next day clearing up THAT misinformation

[front-facing-pokemon]

[katboykirby]

I've talked about this at length on Twitter, so I'll try to keep it short and sweet:

OBEY ME IS NOT ENDING!

I've seen a lot of people panicking and a lot of people doomposting about the games being shut down, about how Solmare is abandoning the franchise, etc.

THIS IS NOT WHAT'S HAPPENING.

- From Solmare's announcement a couple of days ago.

The main story in Nightbringer is being wrapped up, but that's it. The games are not being shut down. The games are not going anywhere. You can still play the original Obey Me! and Nightbringer as much as you want. The main story will simply be finished at Lesson 60.

The franchise itself is not ending, either. Solmare has made multiple statements about this and has made it very clear that Obey Me! the series itself will continue. And the voice actors have confirmed this as well!

In addition to both games remaining, there are multiple new Obey Me! projects coming next year!

According to Solmare, the next era of Obey Me! will include new content, live in-person events, new merch, collaborations, and more that will be announced in 2025.

Believe me, I completely understand the disappointment that comes with this news. I'm deeply saddened and disheartened to know that the main story will be wrapping up so soon. I had been following Obey Me! since before the first game even came out (ever since the promotional trailer was shown at AX in 2019) and I've been a daily player of both games since Day 1. It's absolutely valid and expected for people to be upset.

However, I do think that we need to stop spreading misinformation. There have been a LOT of posts on both here and Twitter by people claiming that the series is over and that the games are being shut down. THIS IS NOT TRUE. Not only have I seen far too many people repeating these false claims, I've seen far too many people believing them at face value. I have seen too many people saying that now they're going to delete the games from their phone and leave the fandom, and I've seen fic writers and artists say that they're going to start deleting their works "because it's over now so why bother"

PLEASE DON'T. Obey Me is not ending! The games aren't being shut down! The series is still continuing with new content coming next year!

Repeating this misinformation isn't just damaging for the people who believe it, but if you're pushing players away from the fandom/series because they believe it's been shut down, then that's going to harm Obey Me! as well. We will only continue to get more new content and new OM projects if the series is successful, and alienating fans won't help anybody.

There's been a lot of anxiety and doomerism these past couple days. And while I totally understand feeling disappointed, PLEASE do not make false claims or spread misinformation. The games are not going anywhere and you can still play both of them as much as you want. The Obey Me! series is continuing with multiple new projects next year!

[blessedbyahuntress]

Blessed by a Trickster

Chapter Thirteen: Crap. Why Can't He Just Stay Outside Like a Good Boy?

Prev/Next

Warnings: I don't... believe so?

Word Count: 1.132k

Listen to: Done For

You glanced at the doors of the palace as you turned to Odysseus. You were not going to let your thoughts linger on Hermes for any longer.

“Okay, here’s the plan,” you said before your captain could even open his mouth. You placed a fist in the center of your other palm and gave Odysseus a toothy grin. “You, stay out here.”

“What?” He demanded.

“You heard me.” Your voice was calm as you stood in the line of your captain’s misguided rage. “She may listen to a woman, and if you show yourself, you risk our chance to get our men back.” Your gaze softened a fraction as you saw the distressed look on Odysseus’s face. “I know it’s hard, but you have to let me do this.”

“Fine.” He turned head away from you, eyes studying a patch of grass to the left of his feet as if the vegetation was the most interesting thing he’d seen all day. “Just… don’t get hurt, alright? Eurylochus and Polites won’t ever forgive me if anything happens.”

He didn’t give you a second glance as he made his way back into the forest, and for once you were glad, for he didn’t see the rosy blush tinted across your cheeks from his statement. 

You took a deep breath and forced open the doors. Best idea? No, but you weren’t in the right state of mind to worry about that as you walked into the palace. 

It was just as luxurious on the inside as it was on the outside, walls adorned with gold and silver jewels that gleamed in the sunlight. Nymphs eyed you from doorways but didn’t stop you or ask for your name; your air of confidence perfected with delicate poise stopped them from even moving a centimeter.

You raised your head and walked straight into what must’ve been a throne room, despite the grand dining table in the centre. 

You saw Circe cleaning up the dishes, her back facing you. You narrowed your eyes, but decided to follow your own advice and start with the more respectable approach. 

“Lady of the palace, sorry that I ask this, but I hope that I’ve been misinformed,” You took a few steps forward, keeping your chin high. 

Circe whirled around at the sound of your voice. She tensed as she guessed why you were in her palace. 

“I sent out some scouts to take a look around through here.” You gestured vaguely around you as you continued. “And they wound up at your doors.” 

You picked up a glass and examined it, though your mind was racing. “Through the years, we seldom get a warm welcome, so I must ask just to be sure.” You raised your eyes to Circe’s. “Did you do something to them?”

Circe smiled. “Who, me?” She questioned, pointing a finger to herself. “All I did was reveal their true forms.”

You scowled. “You turned them into pigs.”

She looked at you as if you might be more of a pest than she had thought. “Huh.”

You only realized Circe held a wand when she pointed at you menacingly. “I don’t know who you are, nor why you’re here.” One deliberate step toward you. “But let me make this one thing clear. I’ve got people to protect. Nymphs I can’t neglect.” She pointed at a few nymphs who had apparently followed you in. 

Circe drifted closer, and you saw that she was hovering in midair, just like Hermes did. “So I’m not taking chances, dear.”

“If you make one wrong move, then you’re done for.” Circe held up a singular finger, a miniature tornado swirling around the tip. “Anything I don’t approve, then you’re done for. I could put a spell on you and you’re done for.” She sent a gust of wind in your direction, but you sidestepped easily; you knew she could do better. The witch only wanted to frighten you away rather than actually put a spell on you.

“Oh, you better run or soon you will be done for,” Circe said.

You smirked. “I don’t mean to tip your scale, but you will fail at placing any spells on me,” you assert. “I just ate a flower, one that claims your power.” You drew your sword in a flash of silver movement and pointed it at her. “So you better cower now and flee.”

Circe blinked in confusion. “You must be a liar. Mortals can’t acquire moly without dire consequence.”

You smiled with what you hoped was breezy confidence. “Then I must be god like you,” you reasoned. “‘Cause I got this root from the ground with my bare hands.”

The witch gave you an unamused look. “Hermes gave it to you, didn’t he?” She demanded. 

You crossed your arms and huffed. “Okay, fine, yes, but regardless,” you muttered, taking another step so that your sword was almost touching her. 

“You and I are now evenly matched,” you stated. “Our fates are intertwined, they’re attached.”

Circe looked down at her wand and then her nymphs. “I’ve got people to protect!”

You shook your head. “Friends I can’t neglect.”

You and Circe spoke in harmony. “So now there is no turning back.”

A form of a lion flickered to light behind the witch, and you narrowed your eyes, summoning your own creature- a massive hawk, you found. How ironic, the sacred animal of Hermes.

“You’ve made your one wrong move, now you’re done for.” You advance on Circe as your hawk engages in battle with the lion.

“I will be the one to prove that you’re done for,” the witch snarled as she threw spell after spell at you.

You parried each and every one, your blade seeming to absorb the magic. “Not even a spell saves you, ‘cause you’re done for. Oh, you better run, or soon you will be done for.”

You cut Circe’s wand in half as she tried to put it between your sword and her neck. 

“You’ve lost,” you announced, blade to the witch’s neck.

Circe curled her fingers around your sword, which you thought was a very bold move, considering the position she was currently in. 

“My nymphs are like my daughters, I protect them, at all costs.” You looked away, knowing that Circe was trying to extract sympathy from you. “The last time we let strangers live, we faced a heavy loss,” she continued. “You’ve given me no reason to bestow you with my trust.” 

Circe paused for a second, looking over your shoulder and smiling wickedly. “But everyone’s true colors are revealed in acts of lust.”

You turned to see what she was staring at. Your nostrils flared. Hadn’t you told the idiot to stay outside? Yes, you remember saying so.

But no, Odysseus stood in the doorway.

Taglist: @barrythestrawberry041

[kirinblueko]

I've debated for a couple of days about whether to say something because I don't want to be overly political on here, a place where I can just enjoy the things I love. However, I feel like this is a topic on which I have a pretty personal view on, so here I am.

A disclaimer, I want to make clear that I am not pointing fingers or anything. I just want to put my thoughts out there so people can perhaps see a different perspective. English is not my native language (obviously). I tried to make myself clear and be courteous, but sometimes my language skill fails me, so please be gentle and know I do not wish to offend anyone.

It's about people flocking to red note as a reaction toward the tiktok ban. I am happy for people who had their first genuine interaction with people behind the Chinese fire wall, it's always beautiful when people from different culture communicate and learn from each other. Hell that's the reason why I am on this website. But I also can't help feeling sick with concern at how people disregard information warfare and missed the point that the problem has never been the Chinese people but the CCP government.

I am a Taiwanese. If you know anything about Taiwan and China's complicated history, you can probably imagine I have FEELINGS toward China. It's strong, and it's NEGATIVE. (I am not trying to represent all Taiwanese. This is just my own feelings.) I am relatively young, but even in my limited time alive, I've personally witnessed how the Chinese government bullied and oppressed my country. There are active attacks toward us, and it has been for years, just not YET in the traditional military sense. The information warfare is as real as ever and we, in Taiwan, don't have the defense of the language barrier. China spent an unimaginable amount of money every year on information warfare against Taiwan. Spreading misinformation and propaganda, buying out internet accounts and influencers. Planting agents. Anything you can and can't imagine. They are smart and cunning.

There is no such thing as a private company in China. Look up what happened to Ma Yun. If the country wants to, they can take anything from you, even the company you founded. The CCP government can and WILL monitor and control the discussion happening on any social software/application that's run by a Chinese company. They WILL manipulate the algorithm for propaganda. That is not an empty threat. They literally built a firewall around China so Chinese people can't access the internet freely. You treat them with humanity and courtesy doesn't mean that you will get the same treatment from them. CCP does not abide by your law. We all want to live in an idealistic world where people are kind and honesty is the default. I want to live in that world, too. But reality is cruel and playing dirty will get you far ahead of people playing by the rules.

I wish people in the US (and any other country that do not have to worry about being invaded, really) can realize how privilege it is to be a citizen of a wealthy and stable country that never have to worry about losing your identity just because your huge and rich neighbor says you belong to them. How privilege it is to be able to think China is not a threat, the government overreacted. I envy them. I envy their confidence in their country's future, that it won't disappear when they wake up the next day. I envy that they can still count on international society recognizing them as citizens of a independent country without hesitation and reserve.

I will never use TikTok (not even the US version) and RedNote. I will not install anything that I know has any relation to Chinese companies. Because I am worried for myself, for my family, and for my country. It's the least I can do as a defense as a single, insignificant Taiwanese. Seeing people jumping in voluntarily, giving CCP access to your personal information, makes me extremely anxious. I sincerely hope that there won't come a day when this decision backfires.

[entamesubs]

How the Fansubbing Process Works for entameSubs

The delays have brought about speculation and misinformed assumptions of how our work is done.

This post explains our entire process to put this misinformation to rest, and also informs those curious of how fansubbing works.

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For those unaware, each subbed episode comes with a section of credits at the very end that are specific to that particular episode. For example, EP124 was translated and timed entirely by me (entame), while EP122 was translated jointly by tessa (batsugeemu) and yona (angelthinktank), while I took a proofreading role. Each episode's credits are different, and I always make sure to credit properly based on who worked on what.

Step One: Translation

The job of the translator is to just get from point A (Japanese) to point B (English). One full run-through of the script, no stops in-between. Work is not edited, proofread or checked in any way, it is simply translated and then moved onto the next phase of the assembly line, so to speak.

Leave typos in, leave mistakes in, leave phrases you cannot translate or parse alone and move on. Awkward or literal translations are fine. The goal is to finish the whole script. A couple lines missing here and there is fine - they will be caught later. The first step is just to get it done.

Translating a full script can take anywhere from 2-6 hours, depending on the episode or any extraneous circumstances. To be clear, 2-3 hours is the absolute fastest that it can possibly happen, and it is an outlier. I can count the amount of times it has taken 2-3 hours on one hand. Those are usually reserved for our dedicated "speedsub" episodes, where we have everyone on deck to work continuously, without break. This is not a norm, nor should it be assumed so.

A normal episode will usually take around 4-6 hours working time to translate. Sometimes this is done a couple hours on one day, and another couple on a separate day. Sometimes it's done all in one sitting. It varies depending on the translator's schedule.

Step Two: Proofreading

After that, the proofreader then goes through for a second or third watch to do edits and checks. The proofreader is strictly in charge of making sure the translation itself is correct as well as fixing any missed lines from the translator. Grammar, typos, various other minor corrections are not expected to be done in full here, the main job of the proofreader is to just make sure the Japanese to English translation is complete, correct, and makes sense.

Is the subject correct? Is this the right verb to use in English? Are they talking about themselves or someone else? Is the context the original translator took correct/accurate? A second/third pair of eyes is essential to making sure everything comes out properly.

The translator may mark specific lines that stumped them or they need a second opinion on for the proofreader to pay special attention to. Maybe the translator can't think of an appropriate way to make something work, or need pun ideas.

Proofreading and translation roles are entirely switchable on request, because both proofreader and translator must know Japanese.

Step Three: Timing

At the same time, the timer begins the tedious work of timing the subs to the episode itself, making sure sentences show up at the correct place, for the right amount of time.

They ensure subs cut at scene changes, that the lines shown on screen are properly broken up if a character pauses, and are instering forced line breaks where necessary so subs don't awkwardly fill the entire length of the screen and are instead always centered.

Step Four: (not) "Final Check"

"Final Check" as I'd like to call it, is always done by me. Once proofreading and timing are both done, the sub files are sent to me.

I add in the opening and ending, I do all the fancy text effects if need be (such as scrolling text, rainbow text, gradient text, translating signs or posters shown on screen and blending them into the episode, etc - this is all under "Typesetting"), and I also do a third check of the script on a watch through to further edit any lines that may feel awkward to read on screen or I have thought of a better translation for.

The state that the subs come in pre-final check are subs that only contain the very middle of the episode itself. This means the prologue, the opening, the ending, UTS Report and preview are entirely unsubbed, alongside any signs or extraneous text on screen. Subs are not done pre-final check. There is a reason they must go through me first and that is because I am the only typesetter on the team.

To be clear, timing and typesetting are two entirely different skill sets. Getting the subs timed properly is one thing, getting the subs to look nice, flow well, and not feel awkward to read is another.

Typesetting is usually known as an "invisible" job. When it's done poorly, you notice it. If it's done well, you don't.

At this point, I also go over and double check things like character voice and make sure it's following our style guide. While this is a consideration made during step one and two as well (translating and proofreading), this is the point where things are tightened up.

Extraneous TL notes may also be added here in-episode if needed.

Step Five: Quality Checks

After everything has been bundled together and ready-to-go, it gets sent to our Quality Checker for the very last and final run-through. QC checks spelling errors, typos, grammar, weird English, missed casing, missed lines, style guide errors, etc.

The QC does not need to know Japanese (though it is a nice bonus if they do!), they only need to know English so they can check for grammar and weird phrasing. At this point, all of the translation work and check has been done, it is just making sure stuff makes sense to an English audience now.

After QC sends in their changes (or lack thereof), the timer usually goes back to fix up the final file for publishing.

Step Six: Distribution & TL Notes

Finally, the person who hits publish and uploads the episode file to all relevant sites is me, since I know how to setup, run, and seed torrents.

A lot of people may not know this, but all anime pirate sites (R.I.P.) pull their content from Nyaa's feed. If it's not on Nyaa, it won't be on a pirate site. In order to actually ensure proper distribution of the episode, it needs to be uploaded through Nyaa. Once it is on there, the pirate sites will all update of their own volition.

Translation notes, if any are necessary, are also written entirely by me, even if the episode may not have been translated by me initially. These are usually only written if I have time or if there is a specific concept/idea that I really want to make sure comes across properly.

Final Words

I hope this gives you better insight into the entameSubs process and how episodes are usually worked on/made.

A lot of our team is scattered across different timezones, with one person being 9 hours ahead, and another one being 6 hours ahead. This means things are done at different times and at the leisure of whoever is in charge of their role. If someone is busy, then there is nothing else anyone can do but wait.

It may be that after waiting for someone to finish, someone else in the chain becomes busy, and the process of waiting starts all over again. Steps are done like this so that we have appropriate checks in place. This is just how it is. None of us are paid, and all of us are doing this for fun.

Most of all, I take a lot of pride in the team's work. If something is not up to snuff, or I don't feel comfortable publishing it until we've been able to correct something that's been bothering us (whether that's a line, typesetting, or etc), it doesn't get published. These subs are not just "my" translations, but the work of the whole team.

Call it arrogance, but I'd much rather put out something we're proud of than something rushed through the wringer just for the sake of getting stuff out. You may disagree with lines or certain translations, but they are our work at the end of the day.

And it is a lot of work.

Thank you.

[gold-rhine]

What the guard dogs are for

There are some things you never want to hear your secret years-long crush saying, such as “I’m getting married,” “I think we should stay friends” or “I’m the destroyer of the present order, the one who shall judge all gods, and the foe of humanity.” Wriothesley’s very bad, no good day of trying to unravel conspiracy theories, fumbling a tea party with Chief Justice and learning Teyvat’s ancient history and vishap lore from the leading expert lector.

Genre: angst and misinformation campaign

Characters: Neuvillette\Wriothesley, Enjou

Warnings: sfw in a sense that nothing even remotely sexy happens, but there is dissociation, ptsd episode, brief mention of self-harm, and Enjou doing same thing he does in canon, which is not quite gaslighting? Anyway, let me know if you feel any other warnings need to be added.

Chapters: 1 out of 2. Wordcount: ~8k

With his morning tea, Wriothesley riffled through the reports as usual. Nothing was marked urgent, so he started with the most boring part, - the official ones. The production numbers, coupon consumption statistics, everything is prepared for Neuvillette’s upcoming inspection, which was mostly a formality, but he would want it to go as smoothly as possible. 

Reports from the surface informants. Traveler stirring up a ruckus with the research institute… Well, about time, that pit couldn’t go on forever pretending that massive explosions are just a part of science routine. 

Next, creatures called “vishaps” appeared recently in Erinnyes Forest. These vishaps are apparently a lesser form of dragons, and connected to Liyue vishaps, also lizard-like creatures, though in Liyue they are aligned with geo, not hydro. Non-hostile to humans, aside from one accident. But in that one they fought back against the hunters sent by nobles to capture them as novelty pets. So the only regrettable part was that they didn’t get the nobles, only their lackeys. For shame. 

Next, there are gangs with new lingo going around, which generally was a good thing to pay attention to as they usually ended up in Meropide. Wriothesley frowned, reading the lingo translations, as he suddenly felt old. “Trendy Zaytun Peach” was something he’d got called for taking it up the ass a lot in his days, but now it’s a hip and cool nickname with the youngsters. 

Informal internal reports. Victims of beret society are rehabilitating fine, preparations for the wedding are underway. Good. Albert, a new guy from the shop, is sending him tea. Quite good tea at that. Obviously a bribe attempt, though he didn’t ask for anything as of yet, so it was basically free. Everything was fair in love and bribes as far as Wriothesley was concerned. You could throw everything at the feet of your beloved as to the feet of your targeted bureaucrat, and receive nothing and you would have no claim to complain. Now, the fact he wouldn’t take it into account when making decisions about their proposals, and sometimes would even consider it a negative, was a different matter altogether. 

He perked up reading the last report. There was a new conspiracy, whose agenda was not very clear, as they were more careful than the others, but the gist was something against Neuvillette, so Wriothesley was tracking it for some time. It was hard to get anything concrete though, as they were pretty good at keeping a low profile, but now apparently one of the members by the name of Jacque got into the Fortress on unrelated charges, and he was reportedly not the brightest shank on the block. 

Wriothesley made the arrangements. 

Half an hour later, he happened to stroll by when Jacque was being beaten up by three guys in the shadowy corner. 

“Hey, what’s going on here? Leave him alone!” he said, walking up to them.

“Oh yeah?”, said one of the bullies, turning to him. “Well, make me!”

They were paid double for the pretend fight. It might have been an overkill, usually Wriothesley would go for just scaring them off without combat. Especially because anyone who’s been in the Fortess for some time or had a head on their shoulders would understand that nobody would try to openly fight the Duke outside of the fight club arena. But Jacque was as fresh as they get, allegedly stupid, and it was Wriothesley’s first chance at any info in two whole months, so he decided to make it as impressive as possible.

He went as easy on the guys as he could, they theatrically threw the fight and retreated. 

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked, kneeling next to the guy in the corner and putting his hand on his shoulder for emphasis. 

“Yeah, yeah, I think I’m fine,” Jacque muttered, shaking his head. 

“Why did they attack you?”

“They don’t want me to spread the truth...” Jacque said with heavy emphasis. “But uh, thanks for helping me out.” 

“No need to thank me. I feel bad enough that honest folk like yourself get picked on in MY Fortress. That’s not how I want to run my place, so it’s only natural that I stand up for you.”

It took a moment, but finally the guy gasped.

“Your fortress? Are you… the Duke?”

At least he knew what “Duke” is.

“Yeah,” Wriothesley grinned, turning up the charm. “And allow me to get you a couple of drinks to compensate for the rude welcome you’ve received so far.”

He got them to the Coupon Cafeteria, where best meals were already arranged, and generously poured alcohol into the poor guy, listening to the story of his life and misfortunes that brought him to the Fortress, nodding empathetically. He didn’t ask about Neuvillette at all, to not spook the target, trusting that he will come to this anyway, and finally his patience was rewarded. 

“You know, you’re good!” the guy said drunkenly after some time, clasping his hand on Wriothesley's shoulder, which he beared stoically, grinning with all friendliness in the world. 

“You know, they say we can’t talk to you because you’re bought by that lizard, but I think you’re a good guy. You just don’t know all the facts!”

“Which are?”

The guy leaned closer to him and lowered his voice to a dramatic whisper. “Neuvillette is an evil dragon!”

Wriothesley choked on a laughter, which was way too obvious to turn into cough even for the dunce this stupid. 

“No, you don't understand! Dragons were enemies of humanity that Celestia conquered. But they come back when killed! They reincarnate! He is a hydro dragon who was reborn in a human form so he could more easily trick us!”

Wriothesley blinked, remembering Neuvillette standing under the rain, and the old children’s song. “Hydro dragon, Hydro dragon, don’t cry….”

“He put our rightful archon Furina on that trial, right? No one else saw the verdict, so he pretended she was declared guilty. He forced her to abdicate and took the power for himself!”

Wriothesley realized long ago that Neuvilette, of course, was not human. It was clear to any idiot who talked to him for longer than a minute in an informal setting, not to mention a lifespan of at least five hundred years. But there were a lot of options other than “evil dragon”. There were old gods who did not receive archonhood, but instead decided to serve the archon, like Liyue’s adepti, and he always assumed Neuvillette was of the same kind. But the idea that Iudex was some kind of evil monster with a grudge against humanity was ridiculous. Especially when he showed up at the Fortress and saved the entire Fountaine and Wriothesley’s own hide from the flood.

“Really?”

“Yeah! We should restore our true archon Furina to her rightful throne!”

Furina’s insurrection? Interesting. Wouldn’t peg her for someone capable of this type of conspiracy.

“And did Furina herself give us her blessing?”

“She can’t speak publicly, as this monster threatens her.”

Hmm, inconclusive on Furina’s involvement.

He spent more time with the drunk Jacque, trying to get more details, but couldn’t get much more than unhinged ramblings on how evil the dragons are and how insidious it was for a dragon to pretend to be a human. He had to leave to prepare to Neuvillette's arrival the next day.

_____

Neuvillette stepped out of Opera Epiclese into the rain and slowed down his pace to prolong the sensation. It was a bit of what humans called guilty pleasure, as he felt guilty from inflicting rain on humans for his own pleasure. Though from his understanding, humans felt guilty because they saw this pleasure as something bad for themselves. Even if often this supposed harm made no sense to Neuvillette. Eating too much food until a human's stomach hurt was at least understandable to see as such, but he heard one of palais’ secretaries say that romance novels were her guilty pleasure. How could humans feel guilty for something as simple as reading? He stopped and asked her why she would feel guilty for reading, because melusines kept telling him that socializing with humans is very easy, you just need to ask them questions about themselves and let them talk about what they like. Well, it didn’t seem to work, as the secretary stumbled, started hyperventilating and emanated levels of panic and anxiety comparable to someone in the defendant’s chair. Sensing human emotions did not actually help Neuvillette in communicating with them, as he could not discern the reasons. He asked her if she perhaps came into possession of any cursed texts? He could generally sense the stench of corruption and there was nothing on her, but there was always a possibility that it was a curse he could not register. She panicked even more and vehemently denied. At this point he decided to give up on socializing, as it was obviously very distressing for humans, but felt obliged to tell her that if she ever did read anything she felt was cursed, to inform him. He hoped it would assuage her fear of reading. She thanked him, stuttering, and after that day avoided him at all costs. 

The rain was a compromise solution in any case. Neuvillette always felt a bit strained and uncomfortable in his body, but after obtaining full dragonhood and most of the memories of past lives, the human shape felt downright stifling. He now remembered thousands of years of being something much bigger, long coils that could easily crush the spire of Opera Epiclese. Now, when he looked at his own reflection, it was hard to comprehend that this small and ridiculous frame was actually him. In addition, all of his memories and instincts called him to be submerged in water. But even with his poor understanding of humans, he realized that seeing the Iudex floating in the river would alarm humans much more than him standing under the rain. So rain was the closest solution he could get at his position. 

He summoned rain instinctively, to be as close to engulfed in water as possible. It was a bit embarrassing that even humans noticed it and composed a rhyme, even if that rhyme was inaccurate. He didn’t cry, as vishaps didn’t cry at all and even his current human shaped body didn’t have tear ducts. The closest he could pinpoint to human experience, as he understood it, was being stressed and desire to be comforted, for which water was his best remedy.

And currently he was quite stressed, looking over the Fontaine laws in an attempt to revise them. The current system that treated justice as theater was clearly imperfect, which he realized long ago. But he never saw himself as authorized to change it, as humans were the responsibility of the archon and even without it, he was well aware he didn’t understand humans, so he knew it wasn’t his place to question the human justice system, to which he was only a temporary guest. But now, as fontanias became part of Teyvat after his decision, and so, a part of his responsibility as Teyvat’s god of life, even if the usurper tried to deny him, he couldn’t ignore the need for change any longer. The problem was that he did not understand humans any better, so it was very stressful to try and restructure their systems of governance. 

He extended a hand, catching raindrops on his palm, when he noticed a silhouette near the elevator to the Fortress, and stopped himself from visibly controlling the weather. 

Wriothesley caught his eyes and grinned, approaching him at brisk pace, umbrella over his head.

“Greetings, Monsieur.”

“Good morning, Your Grace.”

Wriothesley always somehow managed to make a “Monsieur” sound more impactful than Neuvillette could “Your Grace”, despite one being a noble title and another just a polite greeting. 

“Would you like to…?” Wriothesley extended his arm with an umbrella, without actually covering Neuvillette with it. In the past, as a part of playing a role of “normal human”, Neuvillette accepted such offers, though there were not many aside from Wriothesley who dared to approach him with it. But now, as he was a full-fledged dragon, at the height of his power and influence in this land, surely he could afford to discard this role? Surely he could afford to be himself at least in this?

“No, thank you,” he said, smiling and trying to sound as cordial as possible, so that Wriothesley would not think it was a slight against him personally. “Don’t take it as offense, but I actually like being under the rain.”

The Duke smiled back, shaking his head.

“No offense taken, but why didn’t you say it last time? I felt like an idiot forcing you under an umbrella.”

“Really?” Neuvillette perked up, falling in step with the human. “You could tell that I…”

“Hated it? Yeah, for sure.”

“....prefered not to have an umbrella.”

Wriothesley let out a low, guttural bark of laughter that somehow got to the dragon despite him not being interested in humans in general.

“Not only I could tell I disturbed you, but I had to walk on the flowerbed to get to you, and then I trailed dirt in the Palais while everyone here glared at me for the audacity. Meanwhile you walked on the same dirt, but stayed pristine!”

“I’m sorry for…”

“Hey, don’t apologize. I’m just kidding, don’t worry.”

Neuvillette met the greyish blue eyes of thawed ice directly and sensed that he was truly not bothered, which didn’t make much sense. But Wriothesley was one of the very few humans who was not scared in the dragon’s presence. He was, probably, the only one who emanated only positive emotions at their meetings. Neuvillette mostly encountered negative reactions in his daily life at the trials, so he could not tell apart which positive feelings exactly that he read from Wriothesley due to the lack of exposure. But perhaps…

“I wouldn’t want you to feel unwelcome at the Palais,” Neuvillette said after a short pause.

Wriothesley grinned with a careless shrug.

“Then I will be there, even if the rest of your bureaucrats make faces. As I said, don’t worry.”

Neuvilette frowned, but didn’t see much point in pressing this further. After a confrontation with Navia, the dragon realized that his lack of understanding of humans hindered him, instead of making him truly impartial. Especially now that he was de facto in charge of the entire Fontaine government. And practice showed that only direct interaction with humans could give valuable experience, as watching from the Iudex seat did not allow him a nuanced understanding. 

So perhaps, if Wriothesley was a rare human who was not scared of him, and he proved rational and trustworthy in the years they knew each other, Neuvillette could confide in his true nature and maybe ask for advice in understanding humanity?

“Perhaps staying for some tea would make up for this past offense?”

Wriothesley stumbled for a moment.

“Seriously?” He sounded as casual and ironic as usual, but the surprised burst of positive emotions from him was bright and obvious. “After all these years you finally decided to deign my humble office with your presence?”

“It’d be a completely unofficial visit, of course.”

“Sure, sure. It was never my secret plot to bribe you with a tea party, trust me, even I realize my tea is not that good.”

His voice was ironic, but for a moment Neuvillette could see his crooked grin turn into a genuine smile. So, reassured that he was not imposing, Iudex nodded and followed the human into the Fortress’ entrance.

_________

The inspection itself was mostly a formality. The Court of Fontaine technically had no direct authority over Meripode, but it provided guards and substantial resources, and so it had a right to oversee the use of these assets. The actual budgeting was done on the regular in behind the scenes reports though, as the data was not visible in the in person visit. Still, it was a time honored tradition that got Neuvilette to show up regularly.

“Take a seat. It will take me a minute to make tea.”

Neuvilette gracefully sat down on the visitor’s chair In Wriothesley office, folding his hands on the cane. He still sat with a ramrod straight back and perfect posture, but there was a certain lightness to him today, which was hard to put into words. 

“The inspection is over, yet you are still nervous.”

Wriothesley knew he had a poker face good enough to cover it, yet Neuvillette saw it anyway. He had theorized for a long time that the Iudex could sense emotions, but usually he would not acknowledge it directly like this. “I wasn't nervous about the inspection to begin with. But inviting a high and mighty Iudex himself to the tea for years and then disappointing him when he finally accepts would be a devastating faux de pas. They will mock me on the first pages of all the papers tomorrow.”

Neuvillette frowned slightly.

“I must underline that I’m not here in any official capacity, and I would hope I’m talking to Wriothesley, not the Warden or the Duke. If you agree, I would ask that we leave the titles at the door.”

“No, of course,” Wriothesley, who had fantasized about leaving titles at the door and then clothes on the floor for actual years, said quickly, frantically recalculating how he could turn the tea party to wine tasting, which best wines he had confiscated in his storage and how he could make turning on the gramophone and then maybe leaning against the edge of the table in front of Neuvillette look natural and smooth. “Absolutely. I was just joking anyway, don’t mind it.”

“Ah, I see. I apologize, I’m unfortunately prone to missing humorous intent, so I appreciate your clarification.”

With how far the Iudex went out of his way to assure people of his good intentions in informal situations, Wriothesley really didn’t understand how everyone found him so intimidating. Especially because he very often had to interact with assholes in positions of power who did try to intimidate him on purpose and the contrast was very apparent. Neuvillette projected an aura of power without really wanting to, and then tried to over-explain himself to make others feel at ease. His earnest awkwardness was something like the clumsiness of a huge beast like an elephant trying not to step on the gaggle of kittens at his feet.

“In any case, there is nothing to be nervous about. After all, tea is liquid, and it’s really hard to make liquids unpleasant. So far I think only Fonta truly managed it.” Neuvillette drummed his fingers on the table and glanced at Wriothesley. “To be frank, if crimes against water could be prosecuted, Fonta would receive life in prison.”

Wriothesley snorted. “So no sugar in your tea, I take it?”

“No, thank you,” Iudex said politely and then, after a short pause, “And to clarify, I was not serious. There is nothing wrong with people liking sugary drinks, of course. I was just making an attempt at a joke.”

He really was horrendously bad at pretending to be a human. How could anyone hear him talk and still believe he’s a scheming manipulator was beyond ridiculous.

“No, I got it. It was a good joke,” The Duke grinned, placing a teacup in front of Neuvillette and sitting down across the table with his own.

Neuvillette gave him a graceful nod with a little smile and picked up his cup, giving it a swirl before tasting.

“Hmm. Interesting. Poignant. Bitter,” he said thoughtfully, tilting his head. 

Wriothesley was about to mention that this sort was not usually bitter, but Iudex continued. 

“Not by nature, but forced by circumstances. Not nearly enough water to be nourished, so it had to adapt and conserve strength, letting leaves seen as unimportant to die and concentrate on survival of the main branches. But there is not just hunger… there is a dream of rain. An ache of something not ever known, but yearned, longed for, without realizing what it is. But then…” Neuvillette closed his eyes for a moment. “It happened. There is a memory of luminous joy of water not gathered by mere drops, but drank in full, overwhelming, a feast after a life of fighting for scraps of morning dew. It had tasted rain at least once in the end.”

Wriothesley put his own cup down, leaning forward in disbelief.

“No way. This was a harvest from a drought year and it’s normally a mild sort, considered unusually strong in this season. How could you know this? Are you cheating?”

“You’re welcome to test me with other samples,” Neuvillette said with an air of a magnanimous ruler granting a boon and put the teacup down with a delicate clink. 

“Oh, I’m taking you up on your word, trust me,” the Duke grinned, but then paused. He didn’t want to spoil the mood, but he remembered how strongly Neuvillette felt about the perceived melusines conspiracy. Wriothesley had to tell him about the evil dragon idiots just to make sure he’s not thrown off balance later. That’s what the guard dogs are for, after all.

“Actually, before we move forward with testing your psychic tea reading abilities, there is something concerning official business that I think you should know. And then we can forget it completely.”

Neuvillette inclined his head with a small smile.

“There is a small group of conspirators, - and I must reiterate, it’s very small - who operate on the ridiculous idea that… uh, that you’re some kind of an evil dragon who schemed to overthrow Furina.”

Neuvillette's smile froze.

“You don’t have to worry about it, really. It’s negligibly small, and well, anyone with a working brain would not believe that you’re a monster in disguise.”

Iudex was silent for some time, not meeting Wriothesley’s eyes.

“Are melusines implicated in this?” he said finally.

“No. No, there’s no connection to them in this stupid theory.”

“Good. That's good. They do love living with humans so much.”

Wriothesley suspected that Iudex was taking things kind of out of proportion again.

“Listen, it’s really nothing…”

“No, no, I understand. It would be so unacceptably horrifying for humans to learn their ruler is a… monster.”

Neuvillette's voice wavered, but his face was impartial, strict, previous lightness gone completely. Wriothesley saw his hands tighten their grip on the handle of his cane a moment before he abruptly stood up.

“I must apologize for impropriety, but I have important business in the Palais which was inappropriate for me to neglect for so long. I must beg your leave to depart.”

Wriothesley stood up too, scraping to understand what he did wrong.

“Wait, it’s not…”

“Thank you for your time, Your Grace.”

Wriothesley shut his mouth, the title feeling like a slap for the first time in his life. The formality and politeness somehow only made it worse. He took a deep breath and willed himself to sound calm.

“I hope you have a nice evening, Monsieur Iudex.”

Neuvillette left in what for his usual dignified pace could be considered a hurry. Wriothesley followed him without being seen, partly to make sure he doesn’t get bothered by inmates and partly on an instinct to investigate. 

At the Fortress’ entrance, he watched Neuvillette walk under the rain, lifting his head upward. The blue strands of his long hair glowed and so did his coat-tails. They extended, shining brilliant bioluminescent blue, trailing behind the Chief Justice, in a moment looking like fish’s fins, then the next - as colossal snake’s coils. Sea waves crashed against the ridge without any wind, rising high, reaching to a lonely glowing figure of Iudex. With bated breath, Wriothesley watched Neuvillette extend a hand, as if catching raindrops - and rain stopped mid-flight in the air, lingering over his palm, waves frozen cresting over the earth. The raindrops gathered in a shuddering spheres, and then stretched upwards, against all laws of gravity.  Wriothesley’s heart skipped a beat as Neuvillette closed his fist and the rain flew backwards to the skies.

Wriothesley stormed back into his office and frantically searched through the reports, pages flying about, until he found the one about vishaps. He looked at the photos, seeing similarities he would never look for before. The dark blue color of vishap’s hide was nearly identical to Neuvillette’s attire, but that was small beans, easily written off as coincidence. Their eyes, bright magenta with white vertical slice of a pupil, resembled Iudex, but there was room for debate, as his eyes were much paler, lilac merging into gentle blue instead of a bright pink, even as white vertical pupil was so similar. What really struck Wriothesley after all this, was actually the little blue feather at the side of the head of both vishaps and Neuvillette. It was identical and looked so… deliberate. It had to be chosen and placed precisely like this. 

Still, this was not enough. He needed more evidence. He needed… he needed answers.

He walked to Jacque's block as quickly as he could without alarming inmates, but when he got to the conspirator’s room, Jacque was sleeping on the bed and a man was sitting on the chair next to him, reading a book. He looked up when Wriothesley walked in and stood up, clumsily dropping the book. He was tall and gangly, had dark hair, Inazuman features and light brown eyes behind the glasses. 

“Who are you?” Wriothesley was really not in the mood for playing games.

“Well, my organization caught wind that you are interested in learning some… historical information, and our poor Jacque is really not the best source, which is why I’m here to answer any questions you have,” the man gave him a groveling smile. “You can call me Enjou.”

“Not here. In my office. Follow me.”

When they got there, Enjou whistled musingly.

“Uh, what a nice office! Must be a pretty sweet gig. I wish I had an office instead of slinking in dump ruins all the time.” He sighed theatrically. “So, I assume your main questions are on the vishap situation. I…”

“Wait,” Wriothesley said, walking up to one of his wall cabinets. “You can’t expect me to just believe you on your word.”

“Oh, of course, of course! You’re free to rough me up a bit first. Maybe a little bit of torture? But only a little bit, I’ve got a glass jaw, haha!”

Wriothesley didn’t live so long as an undisputed champion of fight club to not recognize a freak who gets off on pain. He grimaced, walking up to the table where Enjou was already trying to rifle through the papers. He stopped with an apologetic grin and put his hands up. Wriothesley put a glass vial on the table.

“Drink.”

Enjou raised his eyebrows.

“Are we dining and wining first or?...”

“It’s a truth serum,” it was a secret project of the Sumeru Akademiya, before the sages were overthrown. Dendro Archon reportedly could read the thoughts of people, and sages were trying to replicate the effect at least partially. Wriothesley came into possession of it after using his network to get the sages connected to the needed people in Fontaine institute, as Fontaine was at the cutting edge of mech technology and the sages were apparently building an artificial god. Didn’t pan out for them, but the serum worked. Wriothesley was sure of it, because he tried it on himself first.

“Oh! How exciting! How does it work? Will it perhaps burn my insides in agonizing pain if I lie?”

“Drink,” Wriothesley said through gritted teeth.

Enjou smiled and drank the vial in one shot.

“Well, nothing is burning so far, but the evening is young, haha,” he said, smacking his lips.

Wriothesley took a deep breath.

“Why are you here?”

“Huh? What do you mean? To explain the history to you, as I said.”

“Because of the goodness of your heart? What’s your agenda? Your goal?”

Enhou cleared his throat.

“Well, first of all, I do believe in uncovering and spreading so-called “forbidden” knowledge. But with your particular case can you really question my agenda? I didn’t come to you first. You were the one who sought us out. I didn’t even want to be here! I was doing my own thing without knowing about you, to be honest! But, well, I am in an organization with some unfortunate morons who thought that recruiting a convenient idiot and then sending him into underworld prison to make sure he isn’t heard is a great plan. And then when the Warden takes note of the idiot and gets him to blabber, these same morons go, Enjou, you have to get there, because you’re a vishap expert! Ugh.” 

Enjou shook his head in seemingly sincere frustration.

“But um, yeah, I’m not trying to recruit you or anything. We know how you’ve disposed of House of Hearth agents and how you generally obstruct Fatui’s activity, and we just don't want you to do the same to us. Because we’re not your enemy! So I’m here to provide you with the necessary context to see that.”

Wriothesley drummed his fingers on the table.

“Okay. Start talking about Neuvilette and vishaps.”

“Well, Neuvilette is a Hydro Dragon, that should be obvious. To clarify, Hydro Dragon here means Hydro Dragon Sovereign, because technically all hydro vishaps are hydro dragons. If you didn’t know, which is understandable, as you’re more of a fighter type and not a bookworm like myself, haha, vishaps are primordial elemental creatures, original rulers of this land and mortal foes of humanity. Long before Archons, there were Dragon Sovereigns in charge of each element. Then there was a war with Celestia, specifics of which are not widely known, but we do know that Celestia won, dragons were largely eradicated and the huge chunks of powers of Sovereigns were taken from them and given to the Archons. Hydro Sovereign was killed.” 

Enjou made a dramatic pause, before leaning forward with a grin. “But you see, vishaps reincarnate. Neuvillette is a Hydro Sovereign reborn in a human shape. There was actually an Inazuman prophecy about it, recorded in the Byakuyakoku Collection. That Hydro Dragon will descend in a human form, and it specifically mentions a cane. This really baffles me, to be honest. How could they predict the cane? Why does he even need a cane? Surely not because of any weakness, he’s an immortal dragon, 500 years is very young for him. And the records say when Neuvilette took his position as the Iudex some 400 years ago, he already had a cane. Was he born with it? Like, had he sprung fully formed, with a cane? Did he pick it up as, I don't know, honorary agreement with a prophecy? Or were his fashion choices actually predetermined to the degree that the prophecy knew them millenia ago?”

“Get back on track,” Wriothesley growled.

“Oh, sorry. Hmm, this serum works by forcing you to spell your thoughts out loud, yes? Well, then it’s not my fault I’m even more blabbering than usual!”

Wriothesley clasped his hands together and said slowly, carefully watching Inazuman’s reaction. “Even if he is a hydro sovereign dragon, as you say, this alone does not make him evil, as your conspiracy claims.”

Enjou fixed his glasses. He really had the hands of a bookworm, no work calluses or fighting scars. But there were spots of reddened, peeling skin that looked like burns that didn’t get to fully heal before getting burned again.

“Did you miss the “mortal foe of humanity” bit? But okay, sure. This is Fontaine after all, presumption of innocence and all that. I mean, I can’t read his thoughts to tell you under oath that he’s evil, so don’t take me to court, hehe!” Enjou grinned, clearly pleased at his own joke. “But I can tell what I know and ask some questions. My first question is why, after losing a war and presumably being killed by Celestia, would an ancient dragon god want to serve a servant of Celestia? The Archon, who rules with what is actually his own power? Unless he had some sort of agenda, perhaps? And come to think of it, why would Hydro Archon put a mortal foe of humanity into a position of such institutional power?”

“Are you implying Neuvilette forced Furina to give him the position of Iudex?”

“Well, I wasn’t here!” Enjou raised his hands defensively. “But why else would he become the Iudex?”

“There are higher beings and gods serving archons in other nations. Like Liyue adepti serving Rex Lapis.”

“Morax was known as the prime of the adepti. None of them could compare with him at strength. Same with yokai and Baal in Inazuma, she was the strongest by far. It’s natural that they would accept servitude. But here…” Enjou glanced at Wriothesley with a sly smile. “If you had to make a bet on a direct fight between Neuvillette and Furina, who would you bet on? Come on, I know tales that her own court would not listen to her until the Iudex tapped his cane.”

Wriothesley couldn’t really argue with this. When the Primordial Sea started breaking out, he himself sent for Neuvillette and didn’t even think to ask the actual Archon.

“In that case, why didn’t he just kill her immediately? Why would he play the judge?”

“Well, you see, he would not get his power back from just killing her. It would just pass to the next Archon. No, the Hydro Archon had to destroy her own throne. And running out the ruler requires a long game, as you know very well yourself, You Grace.”

Wriothesley kept a calm face, but something must have given him away, as Enjou grinned predatorily.

“Next set of facts and questions. You know of the infamous Archon trial, of course? When it was revealed that fontanian people are actually oceanids, given human shape by the previous hydro archon, Egeria? And the prophecy of the flood works because Primordial Sea waters dissolve fontanians into their oceanid forms. Well, the flood actually came. Why were fontanians not dissolved?”

“I’m sure you’ll tell me that.”

“Hehe, yes. It was because Neuvillette turned them into real humans with his powers of Hydro Sovereign. How generous of him, yeah? The question is, why did it take him so long? It’s been 500 years, and yet fontanians were made human only minutes before the flood.”

Despite a feeble bookworm posturing, there was a shadow of unhinged madness in his eyes, dangerous enough that in any other case Wriothesley would cut contact. But the stakes were too high right now. He needed to get all the information he could out of this lunatic.

“You might also remember that on the same trial it was proven that Furina is not a Hydro Archon. And I can tell you that the actual Archon, Focalors, was in the Oracle machine the whole time. Sorry, I’m not even trying to pronounce that full name, haha!”

The urge to punch this bastard was overwhelming, but Wriothesley kept himself in check, mostly because he could tell he was being baited into it and he didn’t want to give the piece of shit the satisfaction.

“Anyway, Neuvilette had an audience with her right after a trial, and as result she killed herself and gave him power back. You see, Hydro Archon doesn’t have the ability to turn oceanids into real humans. All of you were just… things, playing at being humans,” Enjou said with a smirk that looked more fascinated than mocking. “But Hydro Sovereign, the original god of life, does have the power to do so. And he also, conveniently, has control over the Primordial Sea, which you, Your Grace, already know as he stopped the flood in your own Fortress.”

Wriothesley raised an eyebrow and Enjou smiled with a shrug.

“Again, I was not there! But I do know Hydro Sovereign controls the Primordial Sea, and that there is an entrance to the Sea in the Meripode Fortress. I also know that there was some emergency in the Fortress, where inmates were told to run as close to the surface as possible, and then Monsieur Iudex visited and the disaster was somehow avoided.”

Wriothesley frowned. 

“If he was really a mortal enemy of humanity, why wouldn’t he just let the gates of Meripode break and the flood happen right there and then? We would all be gone and he wouldn’t need to lift a finger. Instead he ran to help when I… when the Fortress called.”

“And what would that achieve? He still wouldn’t get his power back,” Enjou shrugged dismissively and then smiled, almost wistfully. 

“No, you know what I would do if *I* was the Hydro Sovereign with an ability to take human form? And if the Archon who held my power hostage was relatively weak AND had the prophecy involving a flood of the Sea I control? Well, I’d infiltrate human society, take a position of high authority and make sure the humans not only see me as the personification of law and justice, but also respect me more than their own Archon. And when the prophecy deadline is coming up, I’d make sure I have people loyal to me in some key positions. Such as Royal Duelist… and the Warden of the Fortress.”

“He didn’t make me the Warden,” Wriothesley gritted out. 

“No, but he did make you the Duke, didn’t he?” Enjou smirked with a wink. “Our sources say the Court was not thrilled to give the highest noble title to you. And if the Iudex did not throw his own weight behind it, it would have never come to pass. How generous of him.”

It was true, Wriothesley’s own informants reported that the Court loathed to give him a title, let alone as high as the Duke. Neuvillette was the only one who fought for him and fought hard, because usually Iudex’s one word was enough to make a decision, but here the stalemate lasted for two months. They wanted to compromise and give him the viscount, but Iudex wouldn’t budge, so in the end, they caved.

Wriothesley never asked Neuvillette for the title. Neuvillette never mentioned what he did for the Warden and never dropped anything even as close as a hint of asking anything in return.

Unless you see it as a part of centuries long game, where mundane favors didn’t matter, but being called first to the access of the Primordial Sea did.

“Ah, you’re starting to get it, don’t you?” Enjou sensed blood in the water, like a proper shark would. “Then I would orchestrate a public court hearing to absolutely discredit the current ruler and corner the actual Archon. And when Focalors is forced to talk to me…. I would make a bargain. Saving the lives of all fontanians in exchange of getting my full power back and Focalors dying. Isn't it ironic that the dragon playing human was the one to turn human-shaped water things into actual humans?"

Enjou leaned back against his chair, grinning with satisfaction.

“And then I’d have an entire country loyal to me as a ruler, which would make a great foothold to use for attacking Celestia.”

Wriothesley took a deep breath.

“You really expect me to take you on your word? You might believe it yourself, which will pass the truth serum, but the word of a lunatic is not evidence.”

“Oh, of course not! I would never expect you to take my lowly word for it. Instead, why don’t you take Monsieur Iudex’s word?”

Enjou made a dramatic gesture of spilling a heap of conches onto the table. Wriothesley raised his eyebrows, when the other man poked one of them awkwardly.

“Now that I have reclaimed one of the Seven Authorities from the hands of the usurpers, I have regained my true form,” a calm voice that was undoubtedly Neuvillette, said out of nowhere. “I am now a fully fledged dragon, powerful enough to judge the rest of the gods. My final destiny is to judge the Usurper-King in the heavens above.”

“This could be faked,” Wriothesley said automatically, just to argue, but his heart already fell.

“You wound me! These are his words, and I spent an entire night fishing them out for you, I’ll have you know. It’s quite hard to capture this. You’re welcome to listen to all of them and see for yourself.”

Almost against his will, Wriothesley reached out and touched one of the conches.

“…I shall fulfill my vow to judge all of The Seven in turn, even if the sky should fall and the ground give way.”

Wriothesley took an abrupt breath through his teeth. Enjou sighed and stood up.

“I think it’s better for you to listen to this alone. After, you’re welcome to reach out to us, but please don’t make any hasty decisions. I’ll see you soon, Your Grace!”

Enjou walked down the stairs, and by the time Wriothesley got to them, there was no one there. The Duke couldn’t bring himself to focus on that though. Instead, he walked up to one of the wall cabinets and took out a bottle of whiskey he was saving up as a possible gift.

He didn’t bother with the glass. He fell down into the chair in front of the conches and clenched his fingers on the bottle, icy veins springing up from under them. He took a sip and touched another conch.

“…my grievances with the usurpers have yet to be settled... They owe a debt of blood that shall not be forgotten.”

He drank, staring blindly into the distance, and listened, and the quiet words burned worse than whiskey sliding down his throat. He caught himself on a familiar thought. “This can’t be happening. This is too monstrous.” The same feverish thoughts he had when he discovered the truth about his foster parents.

As if by now he shouldn’t have learned that nothing is too monstrous in this world.

“As a survivor of the dragon race who has regained my full dragonhood, I must fulfill my oath and obligations even if it means returning all the water in the oceans back to the heavens.”

It really did sound exactly like Neuvillette. Wriothesley tried to find the lie, something that sounded fake, but not only the voice, but the cadence and word choice fit. And it sounded calm, impartial as usual too. And then there were hydro vishaps appearing in Erinnyes…

Fuck, was it really that easy to fool him? Was he really this big of a fool? He learned to distrust sweet words and warm smiles, and he was so sure that he wouldn’t get caught in the same lies ever again, even if he sacrificed his ability to love for this. But all it took was a seeming opposite, direct and harsh, too cold and intimidating to appear manipulative, but endearingly awkward just sometimes, just enough to make him believe that… That there was something true and clear in this rotten world. That he could trust in *someone*.

“Nothing will stop me from rendering judgment on each of The Seven.” 

He went through all of the recordings, frantically at first, wanting to find contradictions, then, when none were found, numbly re-listening to the few that hit the worst.

“…also the destroyer of the present order, the one who shall judge all gods, and the foe of humanity. “

Wasn’t it too obvious in hindsight? Why would the Iudex stake his own reputation on Wriothesley’s title? How could you not see it coming? Oh, because you thought you “deserve” it for turning this dog-fighting pit of a prison into something with a modicum of fairness? Because you thought he recognized your redemption? Gods, what are you, fucking fourteen again, did you learn nothing, why would anyone ever care about you, you naive goddamn idiot?

Soon, the bottle was somehow almost done. At this point he was running one recording on repeat, mindless and purposeless except for repeating slashes of pain, familiar rhythm like the knife on his wrists years ago.

"Hydro Dragon, Hydro Dragon, don't cry." Whoever had penned that rhyme, as well as the Fontainians who came to believe in it, must not have known the Hydro Dragon all that well, considering that they thought the Hydro Dragon could cry. What did they take said Dragon for, some sort of bleeding heart who grieved for humans and the heavens alike?”

If this was true… If this was true, then Wriothesley didn’t just get fooled himself. Then he helped a monster take control of the country and potentially use it in war against heavens. 

He clenched his hand and it took him a moment to realize he broke the bottle he was holding in it. That pain from glass pieces in his palm felt small and distant now. But at last, it spurned him into action.

If this was true, he only had one shot. He’d already told Neuvillette of the dragon conspiracy, like a good little idiot eager to please. And any tyrant worth his salt would make sure to take him out after his, especially now that he outlived his purpose in giving access to Meripode vaults. He might have some time because of how oblivious he was, dismissing the conspiracy openly, but it couldn’t be long. 

He couldn’t take his time. He couldn’t hope for the better. He had to act like it’s the worst option possible. More than anything, he needed to confront Neuvillette, dragon Sovereign or not. He had to fix this, no matter the cost.

He realized he needed leverage. Brute strength was out of the question. Even before the flood, Neuvillette absolutely destroyed Fatui Harbinger in one flash, quicker than anyone in the audience could see what happened. Wriothesley would put himself against Harbringer with no hesitation, but he wasn’t an idiot. If this was how powerful Iudex was before, then after allegedly gaining his full power, there was no way Wriothesley could threaten him. No, he needed something else.

He took out the paper and wrote a note, taking care to not stain it with blood. Fortunately, he held the bottle in his left hand, so he could keep it out of the way.

“....and so confess that I, Wriothesley, Warden of the Fortress of Meripode, killed Chief Justice, Iudex Neuvillette.”

He finished the note and carefully put in his signature, then folded the paper into an envelope and closed it with his personal seal. Then he walked up to a safe, one of the hidden ones, and punched in a code. When the safe opened, he rummaged in it for a moment, until finally taking out two vials.

This was sold to him as the poison that could kill a god.

[jewishconvertthings]

This isn’t a conversion question but I hope it’s okay to ask here. Is there anything I can do to support people living in Israel during this terrifying time?

Hi anon,

I wrestled with how/if to respond to this, because I try very hard to keep I/P politics off of this blog and have since I started this blog in 2017 or so. It is not relevant to this blog what my opinions are on this, and it's hard to talk about the topic at all (even in a neutral way) without people accusing you of being Zionist or Anti-Zionist if what you say does not perfectly line up with their viewpoint.

But in the end, I think that this transcends politics. It has to. Condemning the slaughter, torture, and sexual abuse of human beings, whoever they are, is the correct opinion. I don't care who is doing it, and I don't care why. This isn't a political debate; this is basic human decency.

As for what you can do right now? If you have Israeli or Palestinian friends (whether they are in your community or in Israel/Palestine, reach out to them. They may b'ezrat Hashem be safe, but they are not ok, so instead of asking, just let them know you are thinking of them, that you are praying for their continued safety and for peace to come swiftly and justly. They may not feel like talking, but if they do, hold space for them.

There are a lot of excellent organizations collecting funds to help with the great need that has been created by these atrocities. Find ones whose mission and goals align with your own, double check their validity, and then donate what you can.

Many Jewish communities (most, I assume) are currently organizing or have already set up community events to address the issues and to pray as a community. Look at your email - my inbox had no less than twelve different events (online and in person) within the next few days - and check the websites for Jewish organizations that you affiliate with for opportunities to gather and debrief.

And, perhaps, the most important thing from a social media standpoint: make sure that you vet *all* information before deciding to accept it as true and cross-check it with other sources, especially if you plan on sharing that information. Both Hamas and the Israeli government are masters of propaganda, and the Western media really likes to lean into this for a better story. Since Western media thrives on conflict and hyped up emotions to keep people interested and scrolling, there is a strong incentive to publish as much as quickly as possible, the more sensational the better. Use reputable sources, but don't rely on them to get it right 100% of the time. I would suggest looking at reputable sources that have a clear, known bias in each direction and comparing them both to media that at least attempts to be neutral. So far, it doesn't seem like too too many facts have been in dispute (most of the information about the atrocities committed by Hamas has been posted by Hamas as propaganda) but it's early. If you have the emotional bandwidth and have done the research, please correct the misinformation you see from friends, family, and followers. Do **not** jump in with assumptions or non-researched opinions, because that will only fuel the chaos and not help anyone.

Above all, be smart, be wary of disinformation, be compassionate, and (to the extent you are able) be generous. Remember that civilians are civilians, that neither group of civilians chose this, that plenty of them dream of a peaceful and just coexistence, and that intentionally hurting non-combatants is always wrong no matter the justification.

As for me, I will turn to Tehillim and to the words of the Prayer for Peace:

May we see the day when war and bloodshed cease, When a great peace will embrace the whole world. Then nation will not threaten nation, and the human family will not again know war. For all who live on earth shall realize we have not come into being to hate or to destroy. We have come into being to praise, to labor, and to love. Compassionate God, bless the leaders of all nations with the power of compassion. Fulfill the promise conveyed in Scripture: I will bring peace to the land and you shall lie down and no one shall terrify you. I will rid the land of vicious beasts and it shall not be ravaged by war. Let justice and righteousness flow like a mighty stream. Let God’s peace fill the earth as the waters fill the sea. And let us say: Amen

[theroyalthornoliachronicles]

Château de Clèrisseau: 23 Mai 1850, 14:15

Marquis de Clèrisseau: I'll be back in time to change for dinner, Auclair. I'll need to be if not to receive another lecture from-Roquefort?

Vicomte de Vignieu: Bonne journée, Valery.

Marquis de Clèrisseau: Bonne journée....that'll be all, Auclair.

Valet: Monsieur. [Leaves]

Marquis de Clèrisseau: Well this is certainly a surprise. What possibly brings you by? Surely it's too early to call on-

Vicomte de Vignieu: Oh, non...I actually came to speak with le Duc.

Marquis de Clèrisseau: [Sighs Dramatically] I suppose it was inevitable...

Vicomte de Vignieu: Pardon?

Marquis de Clèrisseau: Hmm? Oh, nothing. Just off in my own thoughts I suppose....lots to do, people to see...I'm sure you of all people can understand.

Vicomte de Vignieu: Has anyone bothered to mention how tiresome you can be?

Marquis de Clèrisseau: Perhaps...though I suppose hearing it once more from you couldn't hurt.

Vicomte de Vignieu: [Scoffs] I do not have time to verbally spar with you this afternoon, Valery. I was told le Duc would be in this afternoon?

Marquis de Clèrisseau: You were misinformed.

Vicomte de Vignieu: I sincerely doubt that.

Marquis de Clèrisseau: And just what, might I ask, has you so insistent to see him at this hour? He is a very busy man, after all.

Vicomte de Vignieu: If you must know, I've called on him to ask for Eleanor's hand.

Marquis de Clèrisseau: ...

Vicomte de Vignieu: I don't think I've ever seen you without words, Ernest. Cat got your tongue, perhaps?

Marquis de Clèrisseau: Have you truly thought this through, Albert?

Vicomte de Vignieu: I don't know what you're insin-

Marquis de Clèrisseau: Don't lie to me, Roquefort. It's clear as day to anyone with eyes. My sister is not a pawn for your jealous squabbles with-

Vicomte de Vignieu: I never said she was-

Marquis de Clèrisseau: And yet you stand here waiting to ask for her hand.

Vicomte de Vignieu: I do not need to explain myself to you.

Marquis de Clèrisseau: Non....because the answer is obvious. You need to-

Duc de Clèrisseau: Ah, Vicomte.

Duc de Clèrisseau: I do hope not to have kept you waiting.

Vicomte de Vignieu: Of course not, Monsieur. Bonne journée. Your delay allowed me the opportunity to catch up with Ernest, here. It has been quite a while since we've had the chance to connect.

Duc de Clèrisseau: Ah, oui, oui. All of you used to be so close back in the day...but I suppose I have kept you waiting long enough. Shall we?

Previous | Beginning | Next

[ask-serendipity-sky]

Just be fr for a second. If this whole situation was the other way around and Like Crazy got “everything “ that Seven did not would you all be kicking off like this ? 🫠 would you be dropping jimin like a hot potato and saying he’s changed, sold out, etc.

… no ya’ll would not and that speaks volumes. all jkkrs are pjms.

As for the situation, there is just so much misinformation, lies and jealousy being spread, exaggeration about the amount of versions and etc. In jungkook’s live, he said official promotions are over so he only got 7 days of promo (ironic lol).

The rush to get everyone enlisted quickly is annoying because it feels like people aren’t really able to have their own “eras.” From a western perspective I was thinking solo debut wow that SHOULD be months long of promo right? But what we’re getting is rushed. Ofc yoongi went on tour but that was a personal decision and I don’t think I’d a sign of privilege- he has a lot of solo songs.

Anyways I agree that the company didn’t react well to the rule change for Like Crazy and allowed it to free fall embarrassingly. I also heard it was sent to radio but didn’t get many spins.

Ultimately I just wish everyone would not get hysterical and just wait to hear more from the boys themselves. We don’t know everything. And please if so many of you are questioning jungkooks integrity and character so much then please.. just leave him alone. So he’s more confident? So what? I remember when he was a shrivelling mess with the lockdown scandal, now he’s over it. Both Jimin and Jungkook seem in such a good place mentally.

I can only make an accurate judgement after some time. Because if Jimin gets what Jungkook got in his next cb then are y’all gonna use the word Payola to the same extent?

It’s sad that it’s so toxic on here and twitter but I will just listen to what Jimin and Jungkook say directly.

Hello,

No, I wouldn't be celebrating because I'm not a double face person. Anyone who reads me and knows me can vouch for that. I couldn't celebrate Jimin being treated nicely while Jungkook got scraps because I care about about of them. Yes, I love Jimin the most but I care about both.

I haven't dropped Jk. I'm not judging him for the choices he's making. Go and read my posts. I question things because I want them to make sense but I also know, and have stated, that I would probably do the same as him if I was in his shoes.

There is no exaggeration of what has been said. It's just that the truth hurts and people would rather avoid it. It's not ironic that Jk got 7 days promo...sigh.. that was the whole point -_-

And yeah, if Jimin gets payola we can talk about it too.

I don't get it when people say that we need to wait for the boys to clear things up lol They are not going to!

And as fans who spend our money and time supporting our artists, we have the right to question things on the music side. Like why weren't we informed that sales on week 2 for FACE were not going to count if the company knew of the rule change? Or what's the point of supporting an artist when payola kicks in and everything has been in vain?

But I guess you can keep waiting for Jimin and Jungkook to say stuff...but you will be waiting forever.

Thanks for stopping by.

[thenihilaeternum]

Why the next Pandemic terrifies me

This is something I've been pondering about for a few months now, and no matter what I read to try to rationalise my fears, instead, they are exacerbated. Like you all, I watched with caution here in the UK during late February or early March as COVID-19 swept through Italy and other neighbouring countries. The scenes of overcrowded hospitals and grieving families plastered the news day in and day out. Ironically, around the same time, 'The Tab' released an article titled something like, 'Why this thing in China won't be a big issue' - I'd love to know if the author continued majoring in journalism. Fast forward to the 23rd of March, 332,924 people were confirmed worldwide to have the virus, and our then shitty prime minister declared a complete lockdown to come into effect at 1pm on the 26th of March. As the pandemic progressed, the virus dipped and spiked up as advisors tried to advise in order to break the spread. By the end of 2020, it was clear that COVID-19 was not bubonic plague or Spanish flu. Luckily, COVID-19 had a low morbidity rate and tended to kill the old, unhealthy and those with autoimmune disorders. It was rare, but still tragic, to see a young fit adult die with it. I raise this point for an important reason: the mortality rate was low, with a(1.4%) estimate, but with even such a low rate, the World Health Organisation reports that almost 7 million people have died from it. This has left us in a precarious position. Why? For one, distrust of the government is at an all-time high. The mishandling of the pandemic is fresh in everyone's minds, and the general public won't be quick to forget. Secondly, If a harsher disease somehow manifested in the Western world, many would be sceptical about lockdowns. And the last deserves its own article. The misinformation about vaccines is wild. We have communities where 'anti-vaxxers' gather and spread their shite among the next gullible stay-at-mum. On the upside, despite COVID-19 still claiming lives around the world, especially among poorer countries where the medical treatment is just not robust enough, it appears that COVID-19 is not the threat I feared it to be, and after all, what are the chances of two pandemics in one life-time?.. Right?

[skinthesis]

myths

let's talk about skincare myths trust me, I've heard a lot of myths out there that be leaving me wondering if to believe them or not, but with a little research, you can know the truth. So when it comes to skincare you will hear a lot of misinformation EVERYWHERE! whether you hear them from family, social media, or friends here I wanted to talk about 5 common skincare myths that I hear all the time that I wish people would stop believing.

okay so myth #1, I've heard this a lot even on social media that oily skin doesn't need moisturizer, this is a simple and easy response EVERYONE needs to moisturize their skin whether it is oily or not if you have oily skin skipping moisturizer can actually make your skin worse let's put it like this when your skin feels dehydrated it produces extra oil to "hydrate" itself. Me myself I have oily skin and I still make sure to moisturize I would recommend a lightweight oil-free moisturizer some great brands are "La Roche Posay" "CeraVe" "Cetaphil" it's all about finding the right product for you.

myth #2, for me this is a main one I've heard you don't need sunscreen on cloudy days, OF COURSE YOU DO! I'm really big on sunscreen I always make sure to put it on every morning even if I think I will be indoors truth is UV rays can still penetrate through clouds and in case you didn't know UV rays can cause several harmful effects on your skin like sunburn, skin cancer, etc. therefore daily SPF is important using at least SPF 30 every day.

myth #3, pores can open and close look at it this way pores don't have muscles so they can't really "open" or "close" yes steam can open them but this loosens the debris there is but this won't change your pore size try it! and you will see how the next day it's the same size not bigger if keeping your pores clean is what you want try using some exfoliants like salicylic acid to keep your pores clear.

myth #4, this one honestly confuses me, natural skincare is always better, I mean just because an ingredient is natural it doesn't mean it's automatically good for your skin, what does poison ivy do to you? it gives rashes right yet poison ivy is natural too, with this I would say to just focus on scientifically backed ingredients whether it is synthetic or natural.

lastly myth #5, the more product the better, NO! you can end up overloading your skin with too many products and this can end up damaging your skin barrier and it could cause irritation just keep a simple routine you can use this to remember cleanse, treat, moisturize, and protect it's that simple.

Skincare doesn't have to be complicated but it is key to know to separate fact from fiction do your research and listen to your skin!

Maybe you would like to share some myths you've heard! :)

[sunnywalnut]

Actually, that absolutely is how numbers work.

If you have ten people in a room and six of them die, there are four left, yes?

The day after that, two out of the four die as well.

Two is less than six. So technically speaking, there are "less" deaths as the days go on, because I am counting these deaths on separate days (as do many news reports, both from journalists set in Palestine, but also other resources outside of Palestine as well. This has been the case for other long term losses such as wars, terrorist attacks, and other cases). But in total, there would be eight people who are dead versus the ten that there originally was to begin with. If I was counting them as a total.

Onto your next point. If you look to my original post, I never did claim that every single Palestinian is innocent. But that's also because there's no possible way that every single person in one area is innocent. Not because I think people are evil. However. It seems that you are missing what I've said prior when you bring in Palestine's population. People are not numbers. And even if they were. 30,000 people is a LOT of people. Regardless of their stance of "innocence".

And I just want to ask.... How exactly do you fight against carpet bombs? Or snipers? What about white phosphorus, which is highly restricted under International Humanitarian Law? What kind of resources do you think these people have? Because if I remember correctly, these people are being starved, dehydrated, murdered by hypothermia, suffering amputations without anesthetic (which, if you remember from history class when you heard about soldiers drinking alcohol in order to try and withstand surgery before anesthesia was a thing, is actually really bad because you can die from shock, blood loss, infection, and countless other reasons). Not to mention the fact that if you have been keeping up on the media as I(and many others) have, you will see (and hear) the constant surveillance planes that Israel has circling Gaza, the whizzing of bullets past people's faces, burst blood vessels in people's eyes that turn the whites an almost black-red color. You will see countless bodies of children, families, animals, all torn to pieces. You will SEE the exact moments when bombs, yes, bombs are thrown onto simple ambulances, killing everyone inside. You will find rubble everywhere. You will see that the dust has not even begun to settle.

But honestly... Please do tell me how you think these people are supposed to fight against these horrors when they can't even run to aid trucks to collect a simple bag of flour without being murdered. How many of these people do you think, have grown accustomed to the taste of human blood? Simply because there is no clean flour without it?

And lastly, I would like to take a look at the tags that you've added on my post.

(Photo ID: bottom sentence of @pineapplecake555 's reblog that reads "What even is this but a bald faced lie? Do you even know you're lying or are you genuinely so stupid this just felt true and you posted it?" With the tags of "misinformation" "leftist antisemitism" "Gaza" "Palestine" and "Israel Palestine conflict" :end ID)

While I can agree that it might seem like misinformation if you take my original post at face value(death numbers don't go down during ongoing conflicts, they go up), I am more than happy to clear up my meaning here.

However I do want to point out that I never once did bring up any sort of antisemitism. I simply said that genocide is cruel and inhumane. I said that people are not numbers and they should not be treated as such.

You are the one that has added that label. You are the one that thinks that I am targeting someone specifically. You are the one that has a problem.

I am simply stating truths that I have seen.

It's not my fault that you are willingly blind.

And once again.

Free Palestine. 🍉

Important thing to remember: the only reason the number of deaths in Palestine are going down is because there isn't enough people to kill.

Read that again.

The only reason the number of deaths in Palestine are going down is because there isn't enough people to kill.

The genocide is still happening. The cruelty and inhumanity is still happening.

People are not numbers.

It is time we stop treating them as such.

Free Palestine.

[omnium-gatherums]

did anything in particular help u get over denial bc u don’t know much abt your alters? I feel like a silly to think I could have this disorder bc I’m very clueless

Hmm... Other than my diagnosis and generally teaching myself, I'm not entirely sure.

Note here when I say "you" in this post, I'm not directing this at you, Anon, specifically!

Mostly just a lot of research. Like so much research. Please, PLEASE do research - actual research - if and when you can, even if you have to find audiobooks or find alternative ways to research, as long as you are not solely getting your information from social media! Including me man! Do your own research! I am a human being too and I am capable of being wrong! I would LOVE to share places where I research, how I research, etc. if anyone is interested in a post like that.

Talking to other systems, being in (...good..) system spaces, and learning about other systems' experiences, both different and similar to my own. You can browse blog pages, forum posts, Reddit, Tumblr, read books, watch short films made by people with DID/OSDD, find other YouTubers to watch, etc. I can also share a post about some stuff I recommend, like Forums and Reddit posts and blogs.

Throw out OSDD versus DID. I'm so serious. I think some people who question DID/OSDD have treated questioning it like way too seriously and I kinda just wanna go. Who cares man. If you suspect you have DID or OSDD, who cares, just say you suspect DID or OSDD. You. Don't need to narrow it down to one, I promise you it doesn't matter as much as the internet acts like it does. I think the DID criteria could do with changing and to be less restrictive in order to include a wider variety of presentations and experiences. At the end of the day, when somebody says they're an OSDD system, this means SO many different things for SO many different people. You ask one person with OSDD what that means for them and they might have a totally different answer than someone else with OSDD. I just think people should learn to be okay with saying "I suspect DID/OSDD, I don't know which" more often instead of attempting to figure out which one they have. The reason it's so confusing is because OSDD doesn't have criteria. It doesn't have criteria for you to meet and the internet makes shit up about OSDD, so you get fed misinformation about it and things don't add up and don't make sense because it's misinformation. So just throw this out and learn to be okay with not knowing whether it's DID or OSDD. It's okay. You don't have to narrow it down. Relax NFDKJASKD

Tips:

PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, ANYTHING THAT YOU READ ABOUT DID/OSDD ONLINE THAT YOU FOUND HELPFUL - SAVE IT SOMEWHERE! I promise you will want to look back at them and read them over and over again several times and each time you do, you will realize things you hadn't before. So often, I've gone back and read research papers that I've read in the past, or books, etc. and found that I understood them much better, that they made me realize a lot more about myself, etc. than the first time I read them. Or the second time, or the third time, etc.

Lots and lots of journaling, even if you think it's useless/pointless, even if you think it's unhelpful, even if you don't understand the point. I did not understand how journaling would help me figure out my alters because I was expecting myself to magically find something written there like the next day with no memory of it, and it. Does not fuckign work that way LMFAO at least not for most people. I was expecting the wrong thing, I was assuming that that was the indicators of switching I was looking for, that I was supposed to communicate to my alters in that way, but I knew that that wasn't an experience I would have, and I obviously didn't experience it, so I didn't understand the point. It soon became clear how wrong I was NFKSDNFJKADNKJDASF

It's okay to be ""cringe."" It's okay to be ""weird."" Let yourself be weird as Hell. Let yourselves be "cringey." It's okay. Be free. NFDJFNKDSA

Allow your experiences to Just Be. You don't have to figure out if that experience was a switch right now, you don't have to figure out if that voice you heard was Truly An Alter right now, I just mean that you don't have to overthink it and you can allow your experiences to simply happen and then analyze them later. It's okay. Even if they are weird, even if they are cringey, even if they're embarrassing. I mean, so long as no-one is harmed, but even in that case, it's okay to put safety measures into place, or find alternatives, find coping skills, or if something harmful has already happened, to attempt to mend it, and analyze things later, etc. Things will come to you as long as you let them, but you won't be able to figure things out if you refuse to allow experiences to simply happen instead of overthinking it, like I used to do where I constantly just felt like "but that's not truly an alter, so-" and just refused to let things Just Happen.

Most importantly: take your time. seriously. this is a process that can - unfortunately - agonizingly take several years. but the pay-off is worth it and when you start to feel that denial lessen, you will look back and feel as if no time as passed (or is that the dissociation NFJDASNFK

I think that's about everything I can think of so far!

[projektnomad]

Pilgrimage

You shuffle exhausted through the dusty roads, your arm aching from holding out your own hand carved ceremonial guyger, your tongue numb from the constant clicking you’d had to perform since entering the sacred city of Lundin. The locals had watched you with an uncomfortable reverence, they knew of your sect and knew not to interfere in your ritual, but the fear that the wasting wretches might jump you for your last morsel of bread still lingered.

Feet bloody from 200 miles without a horse, you’re relieved to finally see the holy temple of Stonks. A fellow brother of the Order of Dah Jhones welcomes you, opening his arms and lifting his cloak enough to see his ceremonial attire, a traditional grey suut and tye.

“Brother,” he calls out, a genderless term for a member of the Order, “it’s good to see a friendly face out here. Alas, it is just us for now. Come, we will pay our respects.”

He leads inside a dark building, unlike most in Lundin it’s been kept clear of rubble even as it has begun to collapse. These buildings, designed by the elders and built by metal giants, weren’t all designed to stand the test of millennia, but the temple of Stonks had been looked after by the Order and thus fared better than most. Candles light the glass vestibule at the entrance, a ceremonial cumputer and fone sat at either end. You’re led past it and into the main chamber of worship.

“Many sacrifices were made here, brother.” He says, looking up at the religious writings on the high walls. Numbers and symbols only recognised by the Order litter every square inch of them. The symbols are also scribbled into the sacred tablets, moniters, which stood on every surface next to key bords, devices which in their day had allowed the elders to converse with the gods using those ancient and archaic symbols. You pay particular attention to a moniter carving of a cat, an extinct holy animal. The poor soul who’d carved it had clearly been misinformed, as everyone knew they had 3 eyes, this one only carved with 2.

“In the dying days, the elders sacrificed everything. The animals, the forests, the farms, even the people...” You’d heard these stories before as a child and all through your theistic schooling, but it was always nice to hear them again. Especially as this brother seemed to enjoy telling them.

“In the end, nothing was left to give. All had been sacrificed, all consumed, even the air was soured. Just as the elders gave up all hope, just as the line dropped for the final time and became flat, as flat as it sits today, all was calm. This was the world it meant to create for us. It saw in its wisdom that the hubris of man would always see us consume and build beyond our means, taking us into the air and to far flung worlds where we didn’t belong. In this world we are safe, and this world is safe from us.”

“Amen, brother.” You say, holding aloft your sell in hopes of reaching signel from above.

“Amen.” He holds his aloft too, his carved from the finest plastek you’ve ever seen. “It is time.”

Another brother of the Order slinks in the shadows and climbs the ladder, a break in the roof allowing the sun to directly illuminate the wall at exactly noon on summer solstice, today. As the light drifts over the flat line towards its end, he places the upward arrow over the end of it to signal the symbolic return of the eekonomey.

You join your fellow brothers in hymn. He has chosen ‘Can’t tell me nothing’ from the book of King Kanye. A fine choice for such a holy occasion.

[kanmom51]

Letter to troll

*Disclaimer: this is an angry rant written by a feverish covid patient. Saying that, me being sick while writing this does not mean I do not mean every single word I wrote.  It could only mean I might have missed something on the way.

To @PJM12023 (from here on to be called "dear troll") who might or might not see this cause you deactivated the account a mere second after you left a couple of comments on Jikook posts and sent me a stupid super ignorant and highly uninformed (or more so willfully so, I'd say):

Do you think I'm an idiot?

I think that's actually rhetorical question, seeing you did send me the ask, so the answer to that would probably be yes.

So as you probably think I'm stupid I'm here to inform you that I'm not.

I am not going to post your ask.

I am not going to hand you my platform on a platter for you to spew your lies and misinformation.

You are unwelcome here. So go find your be with your kind, I’m sure you’ll enjoy samlove608′s content so much more than mine.  And you know, it’s your choice, up to you, so I’m asking you ever so nicely to fuck off from here.  You are kind of lucky you deactivated cause I was planning to block your ass, but then, you know I would, so preemptive deactivation much?

I do just have to say one thing. It's itching at the tips of my fingers hitting this keyboard. I can't keep myself from not saying it, even if you might not even see this. 

But fuck, LV had little to no Jikook? What world are you living in? I'd guess the world of TKK edited TikTok or YT. The world of samlove608. I guess someone like that is your source for information when you make a statement like:

"If you think that jikook in the same frame is a "moment", well...bad news for you, that's not a moment. They're in the same group, of course they can stand next to each other on stage, during a song."

Me while copy pasting your load of bull crap.

I guess someone hasn't been watching original content dear troll.

I also guess someone has had zero access to social media during BTS's stay in LV. No, wait. I assure you, dear troll, you were allowed special access to the TKK 'moments', as little as they were (yes, me rubbing in the salt, cause I'm fucking sick of the lot of you trolls), but only said content, any JM in the frame deleted on the spot.

Yeah, not a moment, right?

You are right though. 

WTF?

I admitted you are right?

Oh, how different we are dear troll...

But let me be clear as a sunny day.  When I say I agree with you it’s on this:

Not every time members happen to stand by each other can be called a moment.

Oh so true.

I’ll give you your comment and raise you one.

We are the first to say that not every interaction or ‘moment’ is an indication that “they are boyfies”.  

But 

A member saying "Love you" to another member on stage between songs, well, that's a moment. 

And guess what else...

A member squeezing another member's ass, what to do, is definitely considered a moment.

A member knowing the smallest incidental information about another member’s grandmother is considered something, if not a moment.

Another member putting his foot in his mouth saying that while JM is walking around naked at home JK is the one in charge of the playlist, that is definitley something.

Two members choosing to spend their spare time together, not for promotions, not for the cameras, but while off camera, that is something.

I can go on and on and on and on and on and on and on.  

Literally.

So for you, dear troll, here's a masterlist with a shit ton of content, original content, unedited content from LV. Go read it. Go watch it.

I won't say that later you will come here and admit you were wrong. I'm not that naive. 

But then, I can always hope.

In any case, I’m writing this here once again, even though I’ve repeated this at the very least 1000 times, and even though I know that for you it’s like talking deaf ears, but there are others that will listen:

WATCH ORIGINAL CONTENT.

And if you watch edited content know it’s edited, many times manipulated into a short clip to show a point, at times twisting the whole interaction into something it never was.

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU BELIEVE.

WATCH THE MEMBERS.  LISTEN TO THEM.

APPLY CRITICAL THINKING.

Ask yourself:  Is a post saying “a friend of a friend of the instructor from the ski resort told me...” something you can rely on?  

Or, when the story keeps changing, evolving as time goes by, can that ‘story’ be perceived as truthful?  

Or, when you have content you can actually see and a whole unsubstantiated story built behind it, is that story reliable?

Rule of thumb: Just don’t believe everything you read.  Someone taking the time to put it into writing doesn’t make it truthful.

There’s more, I know there’s more.  My covid fogged mind just can’t think of the rest right now on the one hand, and on the other my fever and anger are ‘forcing’ me to post right now.  It is what it is, lol.

In any case, to all you dear trolls out there:

Don’t expect coming here to my blog and me posting your shit asks.  I don’t have to prove anything to you, not to mention you have zero interest in hearing what I have to say.  All you want is this platform to spread your shit.  You ain’t gonna get it here.

Well, that’s my rant coming to an end.

Maybe we made some lemonade out of a very sour troll ask, who knows.

[egg-emperor]

Alright you know what, I'm talking about the new addition to Eggman's Sonic fandom wiki page that's really been bothering me lol because the misinformation is killing me man it's paining me and I can't stfu

So recently someone asked Mike Pollock for Eggman's age on Twitter early October and this is all he said, clearly just for the sake of answering:

And for some reason, now the Sonic fandom wiki was actually updated to say "age: 40s" on Eggman's page with this as the source? What?

I don't think I should have to explain what's wrong with them updating the wiki because of this but I will.

First of all, this isn't the first time Mike has been asked and answered this, as I brought up in the past. But here, some screenshots this time:

But it's not confirmed or clear if that means they intend for it to be the actual character's age because that's not always how the casting specs work, as he followed it with back when he answered it that time with the above and below here:

So there's a big chance that even the actual people for English casting weren't stating the actual character's literal age. And I don't think it's even known if this was also ever something listed in the Japanese voice specs either and you know, Sega of Japan created him and are in charge of his character information of this kind.

And if it were only America casting that did this, then it would especially mean it's not actually what they actually envision for Eggman as character as they're not in charge of this stuff. And even if it was in Japanese too, there's still the possibility that they don't mean the actual character age.

But wait, there are more reasons why this as a wiki addition is bothering me and here they are:

The Sonic CD JAPANESE concept art implied that they considered putting Eggman in his 60s but they didn't update the fan wiki to say that, now did they?

And it makes sense because it clearly wasn't actually confirmed to be their final decision for his age in the end, as all his bios after have had his age down as "unknown".

Mike Pollock even randomly said Eggman was "supposed to be about 60" without elaboration in a tweet one time too and nobody updated the wiki saying that then either.

Also makes sense for them not to, because his age in all his officially published bios for the games is down as "unknown".

And then focusing more on Sega of Japan, the actual creators of the characters and the one that makes all the major defining character traits, ages, and other major details obviously, they have Eggman use the Japanese washi pronoun, refer to him as middle-aged and old, and have associated him with Respect for the Aged Day, a day to celebrate senior citizens in Japan.

Sonic Channel using Eggman in the art for celebration for Respect for the Aged Day:

Them doing the same again the next year:

This made me curious about what age you have to be to be considered a senior citizen in Japan and apparently it's 60+. So wouldn't associating a dude any younger than at least 50s with that day be waaay too young? I'd fucking say so lmfao! They could've associated any of their gray haired old guy Sonic characters with the day but they specifically went with Eggman more than once and that's saying something.

And with all this aside whatever your take on it may be, it doesn't change the fact that the age for him in official bios by Sega of Japan has always been "UNKNOWN", so that's obviously the official published canon truth. Plus didn't they literally just remove all the ages from Sonic Channel anyway? So there's a chance they'll either change some things or keep them all unknown.

Having his age down as 40s on the wiki makes no sense. The only time it's said something like that in something official and actually published and finalized at all was Archie, which isn't canon to the games and wasn't connected to Sega of Japan at all, so it has no indication towards the real canon intended age by them and no power in making that decision for them. Neither do any American English specs in casting that might not have even intended it for the actual age of the character anyway.

With all the hints and signs implied by Sega of Japan themselves, it seems way more likely that Eggman would be in his 50s-60s. But even that still shouldn't be in the wiki page either, you know why? Because all his actual finalized and officially published bios have had his age as "UNKNOWN!!!" We aren't supposed to know his exact age and they aren't telling us officially and until they genuinely confirm his age in some kind of bio like that, no other guess or word from anyone else is 100% canon confirmed fact.

So that's why they shouldn't state that he's in his 40s on the wiki like it's a canon, confirmed, finalized, officially published fact by Sega of Japan because it isn't and it's not connected to them in this particular case. It's no more final published canon than actual SoJ considering to put him at 60+ in CD, especially not when it isn't even them. Why does it feel like suddenly nobody seem to care about what the actual official finalized canon media from Sega of Japan says and take literally anything else but the original source as immediate fact instead? Come on

Eggman's age is unknown and the only other thing that's canon besides that that's blatant, and not just a hint like the other stuff, is how he's also referred to as old and middle-aged. Unless that changes with a new bio or description somewhere approved and published as official and final by Sega of Japan, that's how it will stay no matter what anyone else says, whether they're involved officially or not. If the Sonic fandom wiki really cares about the published facts, it shouldn't say anything more than "unknown" with possibly a "(middle-aged)" next to it as an extra and that's it.