#df show notes

[sarah-yyy]

what: period cdrama // 40 eps, roughly 45 mins each (we’re on ep 29 atm, paid subscription required for vip eps) where: iqiyi (you can also dl the app) // youtube // (ps - usual disclaimer that i do not use eng subs so i don’t speak to the quality of subs) why: do you enjoy jianghu mysteries?? double/hidden-identities??? the shifu-complex trope??? enemies to friends (with a v Divorced-Exes vibe)?? this is the show for you. would enjoy if you enjoyed the blood of youth.

meet Li Lianhua, a somewhat famous jianghu doctor who is rumoured to be able to bring back the dead. this chill but odd man lives in a super cool caravan he built himself! spends his free time gardening and learning how to cook! he's got a cute pet dog as a companion! he is in his Zen Era, everything is going great for him*.

but i promised y'all hidden identities so, surprise surprise!! Li Lianhua is also known as Li Xiangyi, presumed dead master of the Top Jianghu Sect who has been MIA for the past decade

Li Xiangyi was poisoned + seriously injured in battle ten years ago, and for a variety of reasons, decided to retreat from jianghu to live his life in relative peace (while also searching for the remains of his shixiong). the poison he suffers from is fatal, it is emphasised he doesn't have long to live. (*except for the dying bit)

ANYWAY. while going about his day to day, Li Lianhua meets:

Fang Duobing, wannabe jianghu detective. this boy has a++ martial arts skills!! he's (relatively) smart!! he would make a good detective!! but his attempts to do so have been foiled by his Super Influential™ parents who do not want him in harm's way. all my boy wants to do is to successfully enrol in jianghu detective academy and travel the lands!! solve crimes!! he eventually weasels his way into a probationary position by telling the masters of the academy that his shifu is Li Xiangyi

cue extremely fun exchanges like:

FBD: if my shifu li xiangyi could see me now- LLH: your who???????????

these two have a funny strangers to jokingly enemies (LLH made a fool out of FBD and like drugged him the first time they met) to begrudging partners solving crimes to friends dynamic going on, absolutely a+++. FBD goes from 😤 at LLH to must protect this weak man i have decided is my best friend really quickly. i love one (1) boy.

there is also another key character in this, which really just. is the cherry on top of everything that the show has given us so far.

meet Di Feisheng. "villain" extraordinaire. has one (1) goal in life - beat LXY. "killed" LXY in battle ten years ago, but suffered severe injuries himself, so he's been recuperating for the past ten years.

imagine his goddamn surprise when he fucking meets LLH who he thought he defeated ten years ago. (side note: LLH is supposed to look nothing like LXY, but DFS recognised him p much instantly!!) he also learns that LXY was poisoned all those years ago, and was not in his best condition during their battle.

cue DFS going absolutely obsessed with curing LLH of his fatal poisoning so that they can go at it again, this time without any handicaps :)

SO ANYWAY these three go around solving cases together, while LLH/DFS also look into the inconsistencies of certain things that happened ten years ago. all the while the three of them are bickering the entire time.

tl;dr - this is the dynamic we've got going on:

FDB: this is LLH my boyfriend (but he doesn't know it yet) who is also my shifu (but i don't know it yet), and this is his extremely annoying ex-husband DFS who hangs around us and i absolutely HATE (and low-key want to throw in jianghu prison) because they are obviously hiding something from me, but also i would probably die for these two

if you need more convincing:

the cases have all been fun so far - the pacing of the show is quite good, and the cases don't really tend to drag on

the fight scenes are really cool - again, if you liked what they did in the blood of youth, you'll probably like this as well

frail and sickly Cheng Yi, always a bonus

i am going to, at some point, write fic about dfs railing fbd quiet while llh watches, someone hold me to this

[charmedreincarnation]

I finally manifested my dream life: this ask is sent June 1st 2023

This ask wont be long bc I’m ready to experience my dream life 😊but I was the anon who entered the void pretty much everyday but was scared of the void and change. I also felt bad that not everyone knew about the law and it wasn’t fair. I sent a bunch of bloggers asks about overcoming that, but you and @fleurlx gave me the best answer and eased my worries.

I used the yoga nidra mediation and practiced with they bc with my religious and ethnic background (Indian) it was something I used on a weekly basis anyways.

I manifested my entire notes list which I will dot down here 👇

🧿being the beauty standard for Indian people (ex’s great yes we are all beautiful of course

🧿wealth for my family and myself,(we are hectamillionaires) my df and body, desires aura personality vibes and more, dream life in every aspect like my favorite shows and movies, lucky girl syndrome in every part of my life, everyone worshiping me and the ground I walk on, dream sp with a family who loves

🧿open minded family who encourages and loves my spiritual practices and engage with them as well. This one is super dope bc even though we’re still Hindu, we all manifest and know we’re God. Just like the ants on the floor, they are God and loved too. With this we manifest for each other which is fun! My older sister manifested a fairy friend, and I manifested being able to talk and understand trees and plants. Yes they speak and have life too. What makes us more superior or alive than them

🧿quantum immortality and being a master of all spiritual and Neville related practices. I want to elevate myself with all my lives, in my next ones in the next cycle of my life, whether I’m this vessel or not.

🧿being able to see my spirit guide when I call to it. Mine is a PegasusX tree X human hybrid, and it’s always protecting me l, warning me, educating me of all.

🧿telekinesis 3) and more I won’t talk about bc not everything needs to be said out loud. Good luck everyone and we all have access to this wonderful power, our birth right to be precise

I’m so proud of your shared experiences and unlimited beliefs. Actually when I would first imagine my spirit guide I would always get an image of a Pegasus and I’ve found that a lot of people have the shared mental belief which is very connecting and dope. I’m also really glad for your family manifestations ! You deserve to explore your spiritual happily and safely while being encouraged!!!

[thesirencult]

PAC READING: YOUR DIVINE FEMININE'S AURA

Discussing your feminine's general aura and characteristics. Friendly for both men and girls/theys who like girls. You can also pick it to see how your aura is as a feminine ❤️

Book your reading by sending me a private message xoxo S.

Pile 1

7 of pentacles, 8 of pentacles, 10 of swords

Your DF has the aura of a sweet herbal witch. She lives in her little cabin in the woods and like a fairy she works on perfecting her craft. Greens and purples look great on her.

This is a slow and steady energy. This is someone who loves taking their time. She loves learning and implementing her skills. Making coffee becomes a daily ritual and same goes as washing the dishes.

Her attention to detail is immaculate and that can drive you crazy sometimes but you know that with all that good comes some bad. Very well presented, you can take her anywhere and all eyes will be on her. Very earthy, stable and focused on building a foundation for all things practical before she jumps onto commitment.

Her steady "working on myself" attitude stems from getting backstabbed one too many times. She knows that she has to build herself up and after that all her dreams will manifest. She is into self development and may love going through that tag on Tumblr. She may even be a blogger herself.

She is investing in herself and doesn't shy away from learning about accounting or law. Nothing will stand on her way to that cute fairy cottage *aggressive cute walk* 😉.

Pile 2

9 of pentacles, queen of swords, the magician

Whoever has this DF as a counterpart or has that aura, WOW. Miss Independent. A handful. We love seeing that *sprinkle, sprinkle* here. CEO. That's C-Suite energy!

This woman is someone powerful and dominant. Like a race horse you will always bet on because you KNOW, it will always come first 😉 (pun intended). She works very very hard for what she wants and similar to pile 1 she can be in accounting, finance and law. Good with numbers and her hands. I bet she has a dirty sense of humour.

From the first moment you see her you will know she is the real deal. Others blend in the background while she power walks in the room. Penetrating stare and red bottom high heels, her allure is different. She doesn't have to show dominance, others feel that she is the boss. Mami energy. Ferocious when someone comes for her loved ones. She could even be in law enforcement.

Red and brown. Symbolising high energy that's still grounded and serious. Do not cross her.

Pile 3

King Of Swords, Knight Of Wands, Ace Of Swords

Now, this one? A handful ! Try to tie her down. You just can't. A brat.

This person is very fluid. They don't care about terms and conditions. They are highly intelligent and her mind walks a thin line between spirituality and logic. The most unconventional, they will find a solution no one sees yet it's right in front of them. Highly intellectual and well versed in philosophy and math.

This reminds of a movie with James Franco where he played a start up founder who was into spirituality. A crazy genius. A party is a party and they will be there.

Partying in Ibiza? They've done that. Phuket for a Muay Thai Camp? That did that last year! Eiffel tower to try a croissant with pistachio filling? They just got back yesterday and guess what? They hate pistachios.

This person is the type to run a start up company focused on clean energy and when shit hits the fun they will call an astrologer and ask for recommendations. They respect everyone. They will listen to your mom and dad when they talk about their days and take mental notes of great ideas. They know great ideas come from the most unconventional places and fields.

Pile 4

Page Of Cups, Page Of Swords, The Fool (5 Of Swords + 8 Of Swords + 5 Of Pentacles flew out)

This can be my age difference pile. They will run you to the ground lol.

This is someone with lots of mental capacity. You ask them about World War II and they will tell you how Nazis and Churchill used astrology and why the war happened and after 5 hours you will be listening to them about Ancient Mesopotamia. "How did we get here?" You will think.

Well, it doesn't matter cause you love listening to their voice and their warm heartfelt laugh. They look innocent and pure and even if they try to intimidate you you will let them think they can but in reality they look like a cinnamon roll and they are a cinnamon roll. Their life was not the best and they have lots of trust issues. They may look innocent but their eyes hide a painful past. Like a kitten thrown out and left out in the cold they feel lost and unappreciated.

You listening to them means the world and you will be shocked at how appreciative they are and how loving with you. They are very romantic and they may have great expectations and daydreams about their love life.

I get that you might start off as friends and meet in a very random way on a daily run or while getting groceries or a tire changed. You will immediately fall in love with them and they will seem like they don't suspect a thing. Let me tell you, they know, they are just too scared to show their feelings and until you grab them and kiss em you won't know how much passion is brewing underneath this innocent and clever facade. They might turn into pile number 2 in a few years lol.

Ready for everything, you will always be a warm embrace and their home when they come back from exploration. You will love how they yawn while reading a book and how they stretch when they wake up showing revealing their tummy. They are cute to you, even if everyone else sees them differently, that's how you view them. They might be a black mysterious cat but you think of them as a tired little kitten waiting for a safe home that will accept them as they are.

[eleanorfenyx]

I have finished Mysterious Lotus Casebook, and here are some of my thoughts! (Obviously not spoiler free)

The cases are absolutely batshit insane and I loved it every single time they were like 'we totally collected this evidence that incriminates a secret suspect, just believe us and also don't question when the fuck we had the time to do this or when we figured out that we needed to look for it'. 10/10 no notes, that's a hilarious way to have a genius detective. Show us nothing, tell us everything, YES king.

That being said, I could have done with a lot less standing around having the supporting cast repeat whatever Li Lianhua and Fang Duobing announce, maybe in an attempt to make sure their genius is clear for the audience? I get it, but at the same time it felt a little too hand-holdy for me, especially in scenes where LLH and FDB had already discussed their findings between themselves before presenting them to the concerned bystanders. I can read between the lines (or else understand what has just been explicitly stated) without having every conclusion filtered through a slightly different sentence structure to make sure I got it.

Di Feisheng amnesia arc my fuckin beloved

Di Feisheng destroying his 'father' and freeing everyone in Di manor in a vicious act of catharsis that tied nicely into the main Nanyin bug-mind-control-thing narrative my beloved

Di Feisheng my beloved

The amount of times I was like...genuinely surprised he and Li Lianhua didn't kiss is both embarrassing (because I do in fact understand censorship and what I sign up for with these dramas and yet and yet) and numerous enough that I could...possibly...theoretically..write a 5+1 fic of every time I want them to kiss about it. No one hold me to that but it's something I think I'd like to do.

Re: the above point: because what the FUCK was that ending?!!! EXCUSE ME?! I gotta FIX THAT SHIT.

There will come a day when the strength of my hope for an unambiguously happy ending in a queer(-coded? is the source originally bl or is this its own thing?) wuxia drama is rewarded....but it is not this day. I must fix this myself.

Jiao Liqiao's laugh is one of the most annoying things I've ever heard. I was reaaaaally hoping someone would just up and stab her during one of her little evil laughing fits. At one point I was shouting "KILL HER, KILL HER" at my screen because I could NOT take anymore of her (unfortunately, I did in fact have to take more of her).

I still think her insistence on being obsessed with DFS is hysterical when he is so VISIBLY only interested in LLH. Explicitly STATES that his only life purpose is to fuck fight LLH again. Babygirl (derogatory) he is so fucking gay let's get you a nice knife to the gut instead, okay?

I thought the whole Shan Gudao plot was interesting, going from looking desperately for his body -> putting him to rest -> hunting for his murderer -> finding out he's alive/the mastermind behind everything going wrong (which I was proud of myself for realizing before the reveal, I'm normally bad at that) -> thwarting him with sass and superior martial arts at every possible turn -> killing him stone fuckin dead with beginner level skills because he's so up his own hole he can't see that's what's happening - was really fun!

He also has a SUPER annoying laugh he can fuck off

OH OH OH MARTIAL ARTS SKILL OF TRANS YOUR GENDER?! I MARRIED HER SO HER AFFAIRS ARE MY BUSINESS NOT YOURS??? ASKING YOUR WIFE FOR HER FORGIVENESS AND UNDERSTANDING AS YOU LAY DYING AND SHE GIVES IT TO YOU?????? OKAYYYYYYY

The twist at the end that LLH is the one with royal blood was so funny to me. Like it's a good twist and I love that Shan Gudao was just quite literally always a fuckin try-hard loser in ways he didn't even know, but also it was SO funny. Granny coming in clutch at the last fuckin minute with secret knowledge she just literally never shared.

LLH is such a smooth motherfucker. Shame about his insistence on dying when quite literally everyone (bar the people who suck) is begging this man to just live. Just LIVE DAMN IT!!!!! I really liked it when FDB begs him to just consider his own life as important for ONCE and remember that people care about him because YES his self-sacrificing and committment to Chilling Out Farmer Style was not the mercy he thought it was!

LIVE AND GROW OLD WITH DI FEISHENG YOU DAMN IDIOT (the likelihood of me resisting the urge to write at least the one fic for them is zero to none)

Unironically love spitting up blood as a plot device and this show is no different. The Drama. The Panache. The desperation of everyone around you because you have BLOOD coming out of your MOUTH and you are FAINTING. Poison acting up? Spit blood. Someone bitch slap you with their magical palm ability? Spit blood. Get stressed? Spit blood. Get stabbed? Spit blood. It's always good!

Okay I think that might be all I've got for now, if I think of anything else I'll add them in a reblog. I thoroughly enjoyed it, would definitely recommend!

[mx-myth]

Thinking about how everyone wears different colours in mlc and how they're all connected...

Li xiangyi wears red. Yes it means happiness and joy and luck (ignoring the wedding symbolism for now) but it is also the colour of blood. He wears this bright, bold colour and still ends up dying on that ship.

Di feisheng's main colours are, for the sake of simplicity, black and red. Red for lxy but it's always darker and more muted on him - there's more blood symbolism for him (based purely on his reputation in the jianghu) but also more wedding symbolism compared to lxy. Black, tragically enough, corresponds with the element of water - it was a pitch-black night when he fought lxy, on a black sea, on a black ship - and that even fits with the western idea of black being for death. But he also wears bolder colours - we've seen him in purple and blue, for example - and this parallels fang duobing's outfits. Inherently a lot of the characters obsessed with the past (jiao liqiao and shan gudao, to name some) wear bold colours while characters who have left it behind/who are looking towards the future wear lighter colours (more to be said about this) and I think this is dfs turning away from the last and towards that future.

Brilliant example of this is qiao wanmian. She wears lighter colours and she gets over lxy and but I think it's important that one of her most iconic outfits is pink. Yes we all know how she and dfs are foils - this is yet another element of that. Pink is white and red: white, for death, for lxy; red, for happiness and weddings, also for lxy. Learning to live with her grief was definitely a long and lengthy process but it also helps her become her own person - she lets go of lxy and eventually learns that she has her own power, that she's strong in her own right, that she doesn't have to rely on men. She leaves xiao zijin and becomes the new leader of the new sigu sect and, while it's likely last her time to become a legend in the jianghu, she's certainly an inspiring figure.

Opposite of this is jiao liqiao. She's firmly still chasing after the past - her desire for dfs to love her back, her one-sided love rivalry with lxy. Her red is wedding red for dfs but it's also a giant fuck you to lxy - look, I'm better than you, I've got his attention and you don't. It's still true to an extent in the present, since she believes it's still dfs' attention that li lianhua wants (it is not). A-mian lets go of lxy (with some help for llh) but jiao liqiao never lets go of dfs, even when he outright rejects her. She's chasing her ideal of dfs, not who he actually is.

(I'm not going to talk about shan gudao. Same colours as dfs but the evilness is boosted to 100. He wears black and red as the classic Evil Colour Combo.)

Then we have the con man himself, li lianhua. In this new life of his he wears lighter colours - some blue, some green, but an overwhelming amount of it is white. As the show progresses he loses the blue and green. Yes he's looking at the future now but it's in the manner as someone staring down the barrel of a gun. There's nothing to say here because llh has it all planned out. He's already started dressing for his own funeral.

Lastly, the one and only fang duobing. He wears lighter colours too (in fact, he and a-mian are the only two I'd truly describe as wearing pastels). It's fascinating to note that there was no distinction between blue and green (his main colours) in old China. The symbolism of it is while it's the colour representing east (hahahahaha) it's also the colour of spring. I will never stop with the fdb/spring symbolism - he brings new life, he brings a new beginning, life will always go on if there's spring. (Spring is also the season when peach trees bloom, and isn't that something.) An interesting note is that he never wears any of li xiangyi's signature red. He really does leave lxy behind because he accepts that he's gone, because he loves li lianhua.

[potahun]

Favourite BGM tracks in LHL

because i love this OST to death. it's a gift among cdrama osts. all links go to YT

Category: "Character" Themes

世上再無李相夷 | Never A Li Xiangyi Again In The World

少俠方多病 | Young Hero Fang Duobing

笛盟主 | Director Di

(i use the term "character theme" loosely, since, interestingly, "Director Di" often plays during Jiao Liqiao scenes -- uwu make of it what you will -- and there are other tracks with character names in them)

Category: Epic/Battle Themes

鏖戰 | Fierce Battle (plays, among others, during part of the donghai battle, as well as in ep18 during dfs vs sigu sect masters)

破阵 | Break The Formation (unofficial Li Xiangyi theme imo because it plays a lot when he has to act as LXY. notably plays during that scene in ep27 ;_;)

相夷太劍 | XiangYi Swordplay (notably, plays for a large part of the donghai duel)

白刃 | White Blade Edge (when a certain character stirs trouble)

Category: Spy Galore

婆娑步 | Swirling Steps (plays a lot during detectiv-ing moments, and is also the episode cutter theme)

Category: Nostalgic and Sentimental

紅綢慢 | Slow Red Silk (notably, plays during the ep 19 conversation between qiao wanmian and li lianhua in the sigu sect courtyard. this track kills me TT)

人世太匆忙变奏 | The World Is Too Hasty Instrumental Vers. (plays, notably, when he xiaohui tells the story of he xiaolan)

守護 | To Protect (notably, plays when fdb mourns what he had with li lianhua on the roof, in ep 28)

山外变奏 | Beyond The Mountains - Instrumental Vers (notably, plays during ep 19 "i didn't underestimate you" fanghua scene, ep 38 wedding wine scene, and ep 15 fanghua rooftop drinking scene)

诉说 | Recountings (plays when fdb watches the moon, alone this time)

一壶莲花醉变奏 | Drunk On A Pot of Lotus Wine - Instrumental Vers.

Category: Mysterious and/or Ominous

玉城诡案 | Thrilling Case of Jade City (i love the mix of gothic with traditional chinese instruments/gufeng)

扑朔迷离 | Bewildering (notably, plays in ep 1 during the night opening of the coffin uwu. slaps best with earphones)

魔音缭绕 | Lingering Mystical Sounds (di feisheng waking up after 10 years, among others)

Category: Jiang Hu Spirit

山外游志 | Beyond The Mountains, Travel Notes Vers. (notably, plays during the sigu sect revival scene aka "i was in line waiting for wontons")

念破人世太匆忙 | The Word Is Too Hasty (Electric Guitar Vers)

Category: Shenanigans

房車日常 | Daily Life In The Caravan (Ep1 Li Lianhua's first scene anyone?)

中二症 | Chuunibyou (plays often in daily caravan scenes)

蒙面 | Masked (notably, dfs eats very fast, ep 8)

Just making this compilation had me amazed again at the huge breadth in variety of this OST, and how each track stands alone as a beautiful track regardless of the show, but, placed within it, also makes the story so much more alive <33333

[poppy-purpura]

Six Poppy Seeds as different Gens from Iterator Logs

Normal Poppy was created as an iterator with two personalities, where the main one represents passive processes and work (is more strict, a little rude, often boring, mostly law-abiding), and the other is a personality that creates entertainment (art), and she is also more playful and interested in communication, new things, and so on. Her Ancients are entirely interested in the arts, so it's no surprise that their Iterator is the same. I don't know much about generations, I'm just going by how I feel it. Let's say that the first generation Poppy is most likely a white Poppy, but her interest in art is not limited at first, so she can express herself. This could probably be the fault of her Administrators, who were interested in communicating with her on this topic. But we all know how art can shout about problems (for example, about the problem of freedom, as was the case with DF). I think she could go completely creative and quit her job. This would most likely force the Administrators to completely reset her identity to the default White. After the Ascension, Poppy would be able to find her old notes, but without a close friend nearby to support her, she would not be able to become Red. Generation 2 Poppy might have been created with a split personality as an attempt to figure out how to influence them. But later Red Poppy would be turned off because she sooner or later comes up with concepts that the iterator is not allowed to think about. Or the split personality is completely a design error, but White Poppy hides her other half for fear of punishment (for example, Red showed herself to the Administrator, and he suspected something was wrong). In this case, White Poppy will live and work in fear that she will be deprived of Red, and she is also afraid of disappointing the Ancients. It's possible that she'll end up telling them about it and losing her creative side. Poppy 3rd generation was created entirely for the sake of art, as a mix of White and Red. They dictate to her what she needs to create, how she needs to entertain. She is just entertainment for them, and she must keep a cool head in order to control herself and show joy in being praised.

[idesofrevolution]

Tranquility

The following is the final transcript from Dr. Harold Ferrier in Trial 151 of the Tranquility Experiment. No further trials were conducted. This document is classified, destroy after reading.

——

DAY 1 - 10:25 AM

Dr. Ferrier: “Alright. Subject 151, government name is Logan Marquette. Subject is 47 years of age, height of 5’2, weighing in at just over 253 pounds. Acquired from official test subject pool in Louisiana. According to intake documentation, the subject suffers from acute social anxiety, body dysmorphia, erectile dysfunction, and low testosterone. Upon introduction, Mr. Marquette expressed mild reservations in partaking in the experiment, but had signed the agreement. He now understands his legal obligation. How are we doing today, Mr. Marquette?”

P151: “When are we going to start the experiment, doctor? It won’t take long, will it?”

DF: “No, Mr. Marquette. This is going to be a quick and painless observational study. We are studying the effects of cannabis on musical creativity. Thus, as outlined in the experiment summary, we are going to to administer the stimulus in smoke form.”

P151: “Okay. Fine. I haven’t smoked anything since my college years. That wont be a problem, will it?”

DF: “No, sir. If anything that is precisely what we are looking for in a subject. Now, the cannabis is in an ashtray on the coffee table there. Please go ahead and ignite and inhale. Finish it in its entirety, and document your sensations as they occur in the questionnaire. We will see how day one goes. If you need any assistance, I will be right behind that partition.”

P151: “Wait, day one? Is this a long term commitment?”

DF: “I will bring in a copy of the agreement you signed for you to look over. Now please, let us begin.”

——

10:57 AM

DF: “I have exited the testing chamber, and left the subject to his own devices. Moderate apprehension is clear in the subjects demeanor, however, should any defiance arise, restraints will be employed and the experiment will proceed as planned.

Upon the first inhalation of strain XTQ, subject immediately shows signs of relaxation and euphoria. Logan here has reclined in the the sofa, and is slowly inhaling the drug. No signs of physical metamorphosis have materialized at this time. However, he is seemingly increasing his intake at a rapid pace. As noted in trial 112, the speed in which inhalation occurs has a strong effect on the overall changes. Consequently, for this trial, we have significantly increased the dosage and concentration of strain XTQ to observe any potential differentiation on bodily form and function. The next entry in this observational log will occur tonight at 1900 hours.”

——

7:00 PM

DF: “Good evening, Logan. How are we feeling?”

P151: “I’m doing fine, Dr. Ferrier… just fine.”

DF: “Subject exhibits decreased pace of communication and muscle movement. Have you filled out today’s questionnaire?”

P151: “Oh fuck, I forgot. I’ll get to it. I just got lost for a minute there.”

DF: “Please make sure you do, Logan. Wait, what’s this?”

P151: “What’s what? Hahah!”

DF: “First sign of physical morphology has occurred. Subject seems to have developed changes in the right arm extremities. Marginal increase in the scale of the hands and fingers, while subsequent loss in adipose tissue is evident. Logan, have you always had these tattoos?”

P151: “What? Oh wow… I don’t remember getting those… that’s… that’s weird. They look kinda cool though.”

DF: “Indeed they do. Now, Im going to go ahead and photograph this for documentation, okay Logan?”

P151: “Yeah, sure man. Do what you have to do.”

DF: “Alright, excellent. Now. Go ahead and start getting settled for the night. There’s a bed by the window over there with some sheets and a few pillows. You let the nurses know if you have any feelings of discomfort or pain during the evening. I’ll be back tomorrow to check on your progress.”

P151: “Yeah, sounds good. I’m feeling a little tired anyway. I’ll get some shut eye.”

——

9:00 PM

DF: “We are coming to a close on day one. Subject has finished their questionnaire much later than anticipated. He has expressed senses of euphoria, tingling in the limbs, and substantial sedative effects. Observations seemingly confirm this.

I am astounded at the record increase in transformative pacing. Within just two hours of the last entry, the subject has lost nearly half of body mass. Significantly increased perspiration seems to correlate with the loss of liquids in the body, though this does not explain the further loss of adipose tissue across all portions of the body. Further, the impossible manifestation of subdermal ink is both concerning and intriguing. As ink is not a biological compound, I am perplexed by its sudden appearance on his right arm. Further, upon second observation, the ink seems to have spread further up the arm onto his shoulders and neck. Potential skin sample may be taken at a later date for analysis.”

——

Day 2 - 8:45 AM

DF: “This… this is day two of Trial 151… The physics changes… they’re… impossible. A light scent of perspiration… of sweat, has lingered in the air, and the air is noticeably more humid. Will adjust environmental parameters as needed.

Uh, Logan… how… how are you feeling?”

P151: “Morning, doc. Slept like a rock last night. You wouldn’t happen to have any more of that stuff from yesterday would you?”

DF: “I do, Logan. You will get your second dosage in just a moment. But, I have to ask… do you… notice anything different? Physically?”

P151: “Huh, nah not really. I feel pretty great if I’m honest!”

DF: “Have you… looked in the mirror this morning? There is one in the corner?”

P151: “Of course I did! Sometimes I can’t look away, you know what I mean?”

DF: “You don’t notice anything strange? Nothing off compared to yesterday?”

P151: “Nope. So can we get started? I had the dopest dream last night and I wanna write down a few riffs. I bet that stuff could help me out, ya feel?”

DF: “I will have the nurse bring in your dosage for today. Just… just be sure to write down your own observations for today, okay? It’s very important.”

——

9:00 AM

DF: “Subject has… changed almost entirely over the course of the night. He has lost further weight, according to our measurements today. He now sits at 191 pounds. That’s 62 pounds of weight loss in a single night. The ink has spread across his entire body. Designs seem not to follow any geometric or biological pattern. This is impossible…

Uhm, he has also seemed to have… reversed his aging process. His heart rate is more stable, his cholesterol is completely healthy, skin elasticity seems to be on par with a man ten years his junior. Hair growth has also been stimulated both cranially and across the legs and feet. It also seems his body temperature has steadily increased, and his perspiration has stayed in tandem.

I must speak to Dr. Irving about the continuation of this trial. The second dosage has already been administered, but I have serious ethical qualms after witnessing these changes.”

——

1:59 PM:

DF: “Logan?”

P151: “Ayyyy Doc! Come over here, I gotta show you this sick fuckin tear-ass solo I wrote.”

DF: “Perhaps later, Logan… I have a few questions to ask you… Ugh… have the nurses not brought you to the showers yet?”

P151: “Haha, they’ve brought me already, man. Can’t get rid of the funk! Sorry ‘bout it if it bothers ya. I kinda like it.”

DF: “No… no, it doesn’t bother me. But if you wouldn’t mind pulling your pants up, I’d appreciate it. Logan, have you filled out your questionnaire?”

P151: “For sure, dude. It’s over on the table over there by the bed.”

DF: “I see… I couldn’t help but notice the stains on your sheets… or your underwear there.”

P151: “Hahah, I mean you know how it goes, doc. A guys gotta let some tension out every now and again. I’m sure y’all have been watching, hope you enjoyed the show.”

DF: “Logan, I actually need to talk to you about that… I am going to ask you to refrain from your… flirtatious remarks with our staff. It is distracting the nurses and research assistants.”

P151: “Can’t make any promises, bruh. But I’ll do my best. Just for you, doc.”

DF: “Alright. Please don’t wink at me, Mr. Marquette. We need to keep this a professional environment. Now, are you feeling anything different?”

P151: “Man, I can’t believe you say I came in here all shook up and stressed out all the time. This shit you been givin’ me has been working man! I feel fuckin’ great!”

DF: “That’s… that’s great, Logan. Now, the lead researcher on our team has decided… against doubts, that we should increase your dosage. I’m legally obligated to ask for your consent on this matter, but I have to tell you, Logan. I have grave concerns…”

P151: “Ayyy, chill out, doc. I’m on board with that! I might need to grab a few grams of this when I head out, haha!”

DF: “We’ll see. I need to take another photograph, just keep writing your music, okay? I’ll be back tomorrow to do another checkin.”

——

9:32 PM

DF: “Dr. Irving has denied my request to stop the experiment, despite everything I have showed her. The subject is unrecognizable from the man who entered the room yesterday morning. Nearly every physical metric of his body has been changed somehow. We are unsure if it is truly the work of strain XTQ, but I am certain of the closed nature of our experiment and the lack of extraneous factors interfering with the results.

The subject has developed a nearly insatiable libido, masturbating four times between the last check in and now. Staff has also been subjected to numerous sexual advances, both male and female, which we immediately and directly intervened. There were no signs of aggression during these encounters, as nursing staff reported feeling strongly persuaded by what they called his ‘charm.’ We suspect that heavy pheromone production in his sebaceous glands is partly to blame, as six out of seven staff members directly referenced an ‘irresistible musk’ emanating from him.

He is nearly half the age he was when he arrived. I cannot make sense of these developments, and am anxious to proceed with the experiment as outlined in Dr. Irving’s plan. A second dosage was administered today, which seems to have only further increased his euphoric demeanor and shift in personality. On his questionnaire, he’s developed deep seeded interests in subjects he’s never before attempted. He’s mentioned his favorite pastimes are skateboarding, playing guitar, writing music, and… in more appropriate terms, organizing polyamorous activities.

I am unsure as to how much longer we can ethically work on this project. The complete overwrite of one’s persona is too far a risk for the general population.”

——

Day 3: 10:12 AM

DF: “Good morning, Loga… oh… oh my god.”

P151: “Whassup, doc. Happy to see me? Hah!”

DF: “Logan… I can’t continue with this project. Look at you! You’re over six feet tall. Your face is completely different. Your hair color is different, your eye color is different, your feet barely fit in those socks anymore!”

P151: “Hahah, you checkin me out, doc? You like what you see?”

DF: “Put your arms down, Logan. Stop flexing and listen to me. We need to stop these trials. You have become someone entirely contrary from who you were when you came here. I mean you look 27 years old for god’s sake!”

P151: “Babe, calm the fuck down. Let’s say I am different from when I walked in. You said I was all fucked up. Anxious, stressed, unhealthy, tired… isn’t this so much better than before?”

DF: “I…”

P151: “Why the fuck would I wanna go back to that, babe? I’m havin the time of my fuckin’ life. Bangin’ all the hourlies, smoking the good shit, jamming out, writing my good fuckin music. Dude, I’m as good as it can get!”

DF: “No, wait! Logan, give me the recorder back. Wait! Don’t touch me! Mmmph!!”

P151: “There, on your knees, babe. You need to chill the fuck out. Put your face on my bulge, man. Sniff it. Let it all in. You remember Matty the nurse, right doc? Yeah I bet you remember his tight sexy ass. Right after we plowed eachother all last night he slipped me another one of your j’s. I think it’s about time you took some of your own medicine, babe.”

DF: “Logan! Ugh… please… it smells so… buttery. And… salty… and musky…”

P151: “Here, doc. This one is for you. It’s already rollin’. There ya go. Just breathe it in. Just like that. Yeahhhh. See, man? It feels so fuckin’ good right?”

DF: “I… yeah. It does… I… I want…”

P151: “Take ‘em off. He’s dripping and waiting for that mouth of yours. Ahhh fuck.”

DF: *slurp* *slurp* *gag*

P151: “Fuuuuuuuuck babe. Yeahhhhh. You’re a fuckin keeper, babe. Here, lemme just snap a lil something for later. Ugh, fuck that tongue is good.”

P151: “Fuck yeah babe. We gon get you stoned as fuck. You’ll end up like me. Free, sexy, chill… we can hang, and jam, and fuck, and skate, and shred… ohhh fuck. Yeah, babe. This is gonna be fuckin’ sick.”

——

Day 9: 11:59 AM

Dr. Irving: “It is now day nine of trial 151 of strain XTQ. I am meeting with Dr. Ferrier on his lack of updates since day 3. I’m not pleased with his insubordination since that day. I am worried he has shut down the experiment prematurely. He is even now late to the meeting.”

*door opens*

DF: “Yo, Jenny! How’s it going?”

DI: “Uhm, Im sorry, who are you? How did you get in here? Dressed like that? Where is your shirt?

DF: “Hah, it’s me! Harry! I know you haven’t forgotten me!”

DI: “Harold? Harold Ferrier?”

DF: “You know it! What did you wanna see me about, boss lady?”

DI: “What on earth are you talking about? You’re not Harold Ferrier.”

DF: “You’re tripping, Jenny. And ya didn’t even share, what the fuck? Hah! Ayyy, Logan! Come meet Jenny!”

DI: “Who… wait… no. The subject… you can’t be…”

——

END OF RECORDING.

Last known photo of Dr. Harold Ferrier. Must be located and contained with Subject 151 at all costs.

[otomehonyaku]

Hello, i have a question to ask оwо

About the post you have reposted the CL one, it was written that it is yui's pov but isn't it supposed to be the Mc's pov since there was nothing written about yui?

I know in CL they say "eve" at first to wichever name stated, that's why i'm asking is this story only for yui as a main or for the mc in general?

Or are all the stories written for both?

hi! it kind of depends on the story but I'll explain (˶ˆᗜˆ˵)

the official DL short stories tend to be written in third-person perspective, and in many of the short-form ones (like the Lost Eden ones I translated earlier this year, which were only 2 pages per character) the name of the MC is sort of left up to the reader from what I remember. the boys do not specifically refer to the MC as 'Yui' there, but by more general terms such as 彼女 (kanojo 'she/girlfriend'), 君 (kimi 'you'), お前 (omae 'you,' very informal), こいつ・ あいつ (koitsu/aitsu 'this/that one over there,' also very informal), この・あの子 (kono/ano ko 'this/that kid/girl') and of course the nicknames characteristic to some of the boys like Chichinashi (Pancake), Bitch-chan, Kachiku (Livestock) and so on.

this is customary in the HDB and MB visual novels as well since the name 'Yui' was not voiced by the voice actors at all. this was changed in the later games (from DF onwards I believe): if the player leaves Yui's name as is, the player will hear the voice actors say 'Yui' where the on-screen text says so. if the player changes the MC's name to a name of their own choosing, the voice acting automatically switches to the aforementioned general terms where the text shows the personalised name. the drama CDs are unique in that they never mention Yui and only use general terms for immersive purposes, which is quite logical seeing as you, the listener, is the person the boys are interacting with. Rejet literally sells the idea of your personal sadistic vampire boyfriend, after all (˵ •̀ ᴗ •́ ˵ ) ✧

however, the long-form stories featuring multiple characters, like the Official Novelization and those Grand Edition short stories that I'm translating right now, are written specifically from Yui's point of view for convenience, and the boys call her by that name in the running text. the Chaos Lineage story that @karleksmumskladdkaka posted earlier is an exception this, as it's written in first-person and takes place before the visual novel begins and before Yui and the others regain their memories, so the MC is referred to exclusively as Eve whenever they mention a name at all because none of the characters know better.

the same is true for the CL visual novel: before the MC and the boys regain their memories, she is referred to exclusively as Eve no matter what name you enter, and whenever you see Yui's name or your own name in the text on the screen, they use either Yui's name or the general terms respectively.

in any case, I always translate the MC's name as it appears in the running text (be it Yui or Eve or the general terms) but I always add a translator's note whenever I resort to using Yui's name for convenience. bit of a convoluted answer but I hope it helps!

[bbcphile]

for the wip game, i'm going to defy type entirely and ask for more about difang bed sharing 5+1

Difang bed sharing 5+1

Thanks for the ask, @a-memory-a-distant-echo!

This fic is perhaps better named “5 times they didn’t sleep in the same bed and one time they did.” It’s basically about the gradual growth and trust between DFS and FDB throughout the show through snapshots of them being forced to share the upstairs guest bed (and how rarely they actually share the bed). (And I am still going back and forth about whether I want it to be officially difang or difang pre-slash in the final part. We will see what happens when I write that section, I guess!)

I am so fascinated by the fact that FDB–a spoiled shaoye who hasn’t had to share a bed before–had to share with DFS, who canonically has nightmares and hypervigilance issues that prevent him from sleeping, and who spends so much of the time he’s in Lotus Tower in situations that would absolutely increase his hypervigilance (first because he doesn’t have access to his qi, and later because he doesn’t have his memories) and would therefore heighten the sleep issues. There are also several times during those arcs when DFS seems very close to nodding off during some conversations, and since he doesn’t sleep in unfamiliar places, that really suggests to me that he’s barely sleeping when he’s supposed to be sharing a bed. 

So I was interested in how FDB would start off just being glad he’s getting the bed to himself and suspicious about what a-Fei is up to instead of sleeping (snooping inside the lotus tower and finding the yingzhu armor, trying to patrol outside while falling asleep on his feet, meditating on his favorite ledge of lotus tower and falling asleep instead, having a nightmare, etc.) and gradually getting worried about how little a-Fei is sleeping and trying to figure out what kind of help he would accept, and eventually feeling a little protective of him once he loses his memory, and in how DFS would gradually learn to both receive and give care.

The final part would be during the months when LLH is missing when they meet up for a night to compare notes on their search and drink together; they had planned to sleep in separate beds since the downstairs one was unfortunately unoccupied, but they end up sharing the upstairs one after all and falling asleep together.

[reredram]

Experimental thingy, gonna try to make some iterator\travel logs for my iterator oc Bright Scale Among the Feathers ━┅━┅━┅━┅━┅━┅━┅━┅━┅━━┅━┅━┅━┅━┅━┅ After disconnecting himself from his superstructure to avoid death due collapse, rebuilding his body to adapt onto traversing big distances in harsh conditions and autonomy support of life without help of superstructure, Scale makes logs to keep the track of his adventure in search for answers about his group and The Samsara Experiment.

Log number 32-DF-1\4-07 Cycles after collapse:15 I am proceeding through my former territory, so far the main problem is still excessively low temperatures and the landscape destroyed by time. The idea to build an iterator high in the mountains, in a subzero temperature zone, is undoubtedly a good solution that removes the problem of overheating of our mechanisms and eliminates the need for constant access to a water source, but as soon as my superstructure stopped functioning, ceasing to heat the air in the area, snowstorms became a deadly threat, reducing the additional time for movement between cycles to minimum indicators. Surprisingly, even at such ultra-low temperatures, there are extremophile plants on my way that live in hardly suitable conditions. As my colleague, Roaming Ram, used to say, nature will always find a way. The reserves of resources taken from the superstructure are inexorably running out, but no signs of fauna or edible flora have been found. I need to focus on finding food, otherwise I'll die here, covered in snow, under my own superstructure.

Log number 32-DF-1\4-08 Cycles after collapse:21 The resources completely ran out 3 cycles ago, and this body is starting to fail. The remaining energy is barely enough to keep moving in short dashes from shelter to shelter. Recently, I almost fell off a ledge, tripping and rolling down in the snow. It would be unpleasant to end my journey on such a humiliating note. No signs of any kind of life have been detected so far. I tried to eat one of the extremophilic plants, but its bitterness almost made me vomit. There is no benefit. It's terrible to feel so helpless. Once such a powerful being, almost godlike, is dying the hell where, alone, wrapped in a metal tail to at least keep warm a little. What a pathetic sight. How low I've fallen.

Log number 32-DF-1\4-09 Cycles after collapse:29 After wandering for a long time through the lifeless snow-covered wastelands, I found a small region, which is a bunker built underground. It's not as cold as it is outside, and there are even some areas with spears on which lanterns are strung. Surprisingly, despite the fact that this primitive structure consists of luminous slime and a transparent shell, it emits enough heat to keep warm in a small radius from itself. I need to keep a couple of these in my pocket, then I'll forget the worries about my life support systems disabling due to extreme cold. However, the most important thing is that I found signs of life. I met a lone scavenger, and despite the fact that I didn't show any aggression towards him, he attacked me anyway. I tried to respond with same, launching a rapid attack, but he managed to dodge my spear, as a result of which I had to hastily retreat so that he would not injure me, this is the last thing I need. Scavengers have never been known for their love for iterators, on the contrary, these dim-witted primates were constantly an annoying problem, either damaging the exterior of my hyperstructure for weapons in the form of spears, or knocking down and destroying my overseers. I heard the news that some iterators had entire infestations of scavengers, who flooded their cities, deserted by from ancients, causing chaos there. An unenviable fate. However, I will not just leave this humiliation. I'll wait out the cycle to regain some strength and kill this obnoxious parasite.

Log number 32-DF-1\4-10 Cycles after collapse:30 Justice has been done. I cornered this scavenger, and despite his attempts to fight back, one precise blow to the body, and he's dead. My body almost shut down in the process due to lack of resources, but the deflection system worked, repelling his attack. Upon closer examination of the corpse, I found explosives on it, collected, dried and crushed fruits of explosive cherries, tightly stuffed into a dark shell. Primitive, but effective, it's good that he didn't think to throw it at me in such a narrow room, I don't think that in a weakened state my body would have survived the explosion. And now, I was faced with a dilemma. On the one hand, the corpse of an intelligent being lies in front of me. Scavengers have tribes, hierarchies, and some kind of culture. Eating the corpse of an intelligent being, even if it shows aggression towards me, is unethical and simply disgusting. On the other hand, if I don't consume AT LEAST SOMETHING, then my systems will completely run out and fail to work, and, technically speaking, I will "die". ... To hell with morality and ethics. I don't want to die.

[i-write-hurt-not-comfort]

Diabolik Lovers — A systematic review (sort of) of all the times the Diaboys cried in HDB, MB, DF, LE and CL

So, this (long) post is exactly what it says — it’s a count of all the times the Diabolik Lovers characters cry. Except Yui because she’s in every route and that would’ve made this a lot harder. It is excluding VC and LP as they are not story games and I don’t think they’d be crying over anything worth noting down.

I came up with this idea when I started my third year pharmacology dissertation which is a systematic review. The data extraction for this involves screening large numbers of papers for certain data, and I came up with the idea of doing this for the DL games and how many times the characters cry, since I was interested to see who cries the most (besides Kanato, obviously. I knew he’d come out on top by a long way before I even started.)

In order to do this properly, I needed an inclusion and exclusion criteria. Things to exclude are times other characters cried in the individual routes. I identified crying moments by Ctrl+F “cry” / “tears” / “cried” / “sob” / “snif” so there’s a chance something will be missed, especially since some CGs which show crying don't describe the crying in the text. Sometimes it wasn’t clear if they were crying or if it was just implied, in which cases I checked the walkthrough if there was one to try and hear it and it was only included if I could hear something like crying. I also recorded a brief reason for why they were crying. It took a while at first but once I got into it, it was easy.

This list will contain mentions of all canon themes + spoilers. Thank you to all the translators who contributed to the game translations on Tumblr. Any excluded routes/parts due to lack of TL are listed. Here is the masterlist I used.

Here is a link to a Google docs file containing all the times they cried. And now I’m going to talk about what this data represents and the best way to interpret it!

So, we could take these numbers at face value. Below is the breakdown of the raw data (data before any analysis).

There’s obviously some bigger criers than others and to very little surprise Kanato is top. So let’s simplify this data and rank it.

Now, we could take this as the final rankings and I guess if you were counting who cries the most times overall, that’s your ranking. However, is this really a reliable way of ranking them?

It’s not, because each character is in a different number of games each. The Sakamaki’s are in 5 games, the Mukami’s are in 4, the Tsukinami’s are in 3, and Kino is only in two. So is it fair to compare say, Shin’s 1 cry in 3 games to Subaru’s 2 cries in 5 games? How do we know Shin wouldn’t have had a couple more cries if he’d been in more games?

On top of that, because of people’s routes not being translated fully, I may not have included some cries. For example, only 1/6 of Yuma’s LE is translated, so Yuma’s cry count is across 3.15 games, whereas Ruki for example has complete translations and therefore we’ve searched through all routes.

So let’s average that, and get “average cries per game”

In the real world of statistics, this data is pretty useless because each character cries different amounts of times. And I can’t really work any more averages such as which game includes the most cries per character because the data range is so large. Kanato skews the data massively, especially when Kanato and Subaru are both Sakamaki’s and Kanato has 31 cries (probably more, actually. I definitely missed some of them with the search terms) and Subaru only has 2.

But, here’s the new order.

In general, this order is best for comparing each character since it takes into account the different amount of content for each character. So, this is order is what I’ll be using to talk about it.

Again, Kanato having the most cries is really not surprising here. 6 cries per game is roughly one cry every 5 stories – with that said, excluding CL which he goes a bit loopy in (and it doesn’t help that he loses his memories), Kanato’s cries do go down from 8 per game in HDB to 4 in DF and LE each. So, does he get his shit together a bit? Maybe!

Now, Laito did surprise me with how many cries he had actually. He’s a bit of a cry baby, huh? With that said, it’s interesting how averaging out the games puts Azusa in our number 2 spot. I want to hug Azusa, a lot of his cries were really sad ;;

Kou doesn’t surprise me a lot either because he’s pretty unstable. But it did surprise me when I averaged out the games and Ruki kicked Shu out of the number 5 spot? Ruki comes off a lot as much more composed so it’s surprising to know he’s actually a bit of a softie when it comes to showing his feelings.

Shu has on average 1 cry per game which is pretty decent — actually listening to a lot of Shu’s cries are pretty gut wrenching because when he does cry, it’s for about 5 minutes straight.

After that, everyone has less than 1 cry per game. Reiji and Ayato seem to be pretty tough when it comes to crying, although the CGs where they do cry make me really sad.

Subaru having such a low cry count actually makes me pretty damn sad? There’s so many moments with Subaru where he so very close to crying and a couple of times I think it’s implied that he was or is going to be crying alone. But I wish he cried more y’know? He’s hurting a ton in a lot of these games and he should let it out ;;

Honestly what shocked me the most was that Shin actually cries once? Because holy shit, I was not expecting that to be honest. And with Carla and Kino… well, I’m not surprised at all.

That’s pretty much all I have to say here. I wrote this out instead of revising for my actual statistics exam on Tuesday. Don’t take this too seriously - I explained it's limitations and such in my discussion - and feel free to ask any questions <3

To top it all off, have some CGs of everyone crying.

And some Yui cries :) 

[acequinz]

Thinking back to Fang Duobing mastering his own sword style by adapting and combining his previous enemies moves.

And Li Lianhua sharing his Yangzhouman with him and Fang Duobing cultivating it.

But also thinking of Di Feisheng and his spring popular (?) him sharing with Fang Duobing and Fang Duobing mixing it with Yangzhouman and creating a third one.

One that provides as strong a base as Yangzhouman and as quick a support as spring poplar.

It's not easy of course, takes even more than 10 years....maybe even 20 years or 30 years but yeah.... I think that would be really sexy.

And of course both Li Lianhua and Di Feisheng need to be around to see it.

Look your Xiaobao did a great job! He's good right? He's the best right! Give him his well deserved praise you old fools!

Li Lianhua is so smug cause that's his disciple and he's so proud- see my boy did that 😔

Di Feisheng is beginning to itch for a fight with Fang Duobing on a serious note but Li Lianhua prohibited them fighting after the 3rd time they broke the door, which is unfair cause they weren't even fighting. IT WAS FOREPLAY LI LIANHUA!

I DONT CARE YOU CAN FOREPAY ME OR YOU ARE BOTH SLEEPING ON THE COUCH.

Anyway.... Where was i ?

Yeah Fang Duobing working together and mixing things he learns from llh and dfs and showing it off to both his lovers cause this definitely puts him on their level doesn't it?

Unfortunately he will always be Fang Xiaobao to his two lovers and get babied until he's screaming and then he gets cuddled to sleep like the little guy he is.

[mx-myth]

So here's the mlc pacific rim au finally (told in bullets because that's usually how I do things when I'm not frantically typing and instead frantically writing on sticky notes)

(Titled "mlc pacific rim aka drift au" funnily enough)

Lxy and dfs who were rivals during Jaeger training

By the end they learn they're extremely drift-compatible but due to a freak event where they have to emergency-pilot a Jaeger lxy gets an injury that makes him permanently unable to pilot forever

Dfs also gets injured badly but not as severely and does recover after a few years

But no one for the next several years is drift-compatible with him so he just. Stays at the dome

He's a stellar pilot (aced all of his training) but everyone knows him as the man who is rapidly leaving his prime piloting age (which I'm somewhat making up. Think of it like how athletes have a "prime" age)

Lxy becomes a pilot trainer at the dome and he and dfs do become friends eventually but the bitterness of what they could have been always tinges their relationship

But a few to several years later fdb shows up for Jaeger pilot training. He's very good, though his file is all about how sickly he was as a child (lxy likes him and thinks he's quite promising - "He reminds me of us, feisheng")

They do a preliminary drift-compatibility test in the class at one point and it turns out fdb is compatible with exactly no one in the class. Lxy observes how much it depresses him and how he throws himself into his training as a result of it (lxy: "he reminds me of you, feisheng") (dfs, who at this point still hasn't seen fdb yet: "fuck off")

(Little do they know that the reason fdb wants to be a Jaeger pilot so badly is because he saw the Jaeger Lotus Tower save his home city live on TV when he was in the hospital. Something something lxy and dfs gave him a reason to live)

Dfs assists lxy in one of his classes because he's curious about this boy lxy talks about sometimes (he complains about all of his students but when referring to fdb he always ends up praising him a little, which dfs notices) and

Dfs, literally vibrating: xiangyi. I'm going to fight him

Lxy, who has also wanted to do that since forever: lol just don't kill him and stay in the sparring ring

(It is a beautiful match. Dfs hasn't felt this alive since he was in the drift with lxy. Fdb hasn't felt this alive since he saw Lotus Tower on TV)

(Not that he knew that it was dfs and lxy who saved him. Not that he knows that now)

Lxy notices how they seem to click and Meddles(TM)

(He's resigned himself to a future devoid of the passion and youth of his past. But he won't let dfs rot away too)

So the next time his class test drift-compatibility he drags along dfs

Dfs digs his heels in and is like. Xiangyi. Why am I here. These are Kids.

Lxy: "you'll see. Fang duobing, come here"

Basically he whips out a stack of paperwork and launches into a spiel of how he petitioned the higher-ups for an opportunity for dfs and fdb to test their drift-compatibility as he shoves them into the testing unit)

(It is, perhaps, the moment when fdb begins to look at lxy like he hung the moon)

(It is, perhaps, the moment when dfs finally sees a bit of the old lxy return)

Fdb and dfs turn out to be just as drift-compatible as lxy and dfs once were (and still are.)

They begin training together. Dfs feels alive again. Fdb feels like he's finally living properly

Lxy has another one of his Hunches(TM)

When they complete partner training and are now certified co-pilots he smugly presents them with a repaired Lotus Tower (who has basically when sitting in what amounts to the Jaeger garage for years). Dfs has the hugest smile on his face ever. Fdb cries

(This is mildly alarming for the two of them. Lxy and dfs have no idea how he loved (loves) the Lotus Tower and loved (loves) them as the ones who gave him a reason to continue living)

(Fdb tells them how the Lotus Tower and her only pilots saved his life. Dfs and lxy are stunned)

(Yes, Lotus Tower was built for them. They were her only pilots. They had no idea that the only time they had ever piloted - the only city they had ever saved from destruction by kaiju - would have such a huge impact on anyone, much less that they would ever meet anyone they had saved)

Lxy: "duobing..."

Dfs: "xiangyi." (What he doesn't say: tell him.)

They tell him. Fdb cries even more. He hugs then. Maybe he even kisses them. (He loves them. He loves them so much. He loves them as the pilots of Lotus Tower who saved his life. He loves them as his new co-pilot and his instructor. To find that they're one and the same - is it not fate?) (He can't believe that he'll be Lotus Tower's third pilot; this must be a dream. He loves her too)

(By the way. Huli Jing is lxy's dog. They go everywhere together. She is Constantly Underfoot Being Adorable. Fdb brings her treats during his classes)

Extra stuff I'm making up RIGHT NOW

Lxy and dfs held onto their drift as long as they could. As a result it never completely fizzled out (does the drift ever leave, after all? Do you ever lose that kind of connection?). Once they both recovered fully from their injuries they drifted properly in the testing units at every chance they got (it was a trapping of co-dependency) (it was also the sort of thing to get lxy barred from any promotions and permanently confine him to be an instructor) (Not that he ever wanted to move up. Not that he ever even cared). By the time fdb comes around they're only stealing drifts a couple times a year

Lxy and fdb are also just as strongly as drift-compatible. They're able to very tangentially feel each other through dfs. Dfs gets tired of seeing fdb wince when lxy stubs his toe (often)/lxy grab his water when fdb burns his tongue eating too fast and shoves them both in a testing unit. Lo and behold.

(All this results in is that they start playing video games that use technology that essentially is just a baby drift. They play a mystery/crime thriller story game set in historical China and fdb and lxy get really competitive over who can solve the cases first. Dfs just wanders about enjoying the graphics and occasionally being the Owner of the Braincell and less often acting as the cannon they point at npcs because he chose the warrior-type character with a bad reputation) (Yes it's mlc as a game)

Dfs and lxy shared a cabin as co-pilots but now live separately in two of the permanent suite residences in the dome. Fdb gets one on a technicality of "Well your co-pilot is refusing to give up the nice cushy lodging we gave him"/"Oh your mom is actually rich from inventing and patenting a bunch of the technology we use you can have a suite too" (that's how lxy and fdb find out fdb is kind of a rich boy) (but he spends more time in lxy's rooms or dfs' anyway)

[sonicasura]

Since Kafka is so dad-coded I have an idea, A Poppy Playtime and Kaiju No.8 crossover. Where Kafka senses the distress the toys are being put under due to Playtime Co using Kaiju Cores they bought off the black market for the Bigger Bodies Initiative, unfortunately this cause Kafka and the Defense Force to discover what's really going on under the factory

I was wondering when Poppy Playtime would rear its head. Lol I actually have a different idea involving a Poppy Playtime x Kaiju No 8 but it ain't fully fleshed out. So the post for that will be different from this.

The Kaiju Cores and skin were used for the creation of the toys except for Poppy. I compare them to a living Kaiju Fiber Suit but with limiters permanently blocking their power. There are two reasons behind this. One is to avoid detection by Kaiju scanners as making a Defense Force officer disappear is a lot harder to explain away.

The other reason being to provide a neutered regeneration. Playtime Co rather not make the toys fully capable of rebelling but be able to work for longer periods. Enhanced slaves who later snap thanks to the Prototype enacting Frenzy Mode.

A berserker state that can be triggered by stimulating the Kaiju Cores with a pheromone from a unique flower. Toys under this are focused on a simple goal, usually to kill, sent by their control and cannot resist unless Frenzy mode is disabled.

Kafka immediately feels the presence of the toys three weeks after his first transforms. A subtle feeling that began to grow until he couldn't ignore it. Reno immediately tags along as he's heavily concerned about his friend.

They enter the factory first with the Defense Force quickly following. Why? Halfway through the second level(Mommy Longlegs section), Kafka's core flares that intimidating 9.8 fortitude as Ai/Tiny inside come feel something drastically wrong the deeper they go.

Thus they sends out that pulse akin to a threat so nearby kaiju/honju/yoju know to stay away. (It was received btw.) Soshiro is sent in and begins finding research notes left behind in more noticeable places.(Blame Kafka)

He hasn't seen any alive toys yet until he enters Innovation. (Kafka is on a no kill route so he convinces Huggy Wuggy alongside the other toys he encountered so far that he can help them.) Soshiro discovers the still paralyzed form of Bobby Bearhug alongside her files. (Huggy been keeping her alive.)

Soshiro immediately takes Bobby Bearhug and heads back to headquarters as the situation seriously changed. Any toy found by him will be marked for live capture with officers coming in to help escort them out. Plus it gives Kafka and Reno time to finish the rest of the factory.

I can't resist an awkward confrontation where they finally the Prototype only for the Defense Force to show up with Mina in tow. Or the toys both have rescued forming a hostile wall while they tell the DF to back off. You can bet Kafka and Reno had some de-escalating to do.

[theoverseerau]

Uber's Hard Mode Part 6

we open in a peculiarly laid out room of the RUINS. it's an open room for the most part, but two thin walls come down into the middle of the room, leaving only a smaller gap to travel through with a pile of leaves across the gap. FRISK and CHARA enter the room, noting the layout and spotting a lone figure blocking the pathway though the gap in the walls, a translucent figure with no arms and legs, to all appearances, a cartoon ghost. FRISK: "Well, here's Napstablook. should we just get this over with?" CHARA: "Probably, the save point is right behind us, we can afford to jump in." FRISK: they throw a glare at Chara "It's not exactly pleasant to die you know." CHARA: They go pale, and look away with a mixture of shame and painful recollection. FRISK: They wince "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have ask-" CHARA: "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking abou-" Both of them stop talking and stare at each other, simultaneously giving forgiveness in complete silence. FRISK: "I'll just go to the ghost now." Frisk stands right in front of the spirit laying on the ground.

NAPSTABLOOK: "zzzzzzzzz... zzzzz.... (they're talking to themselves) zzzzzzz... zzzzz.... (are they gone yet) zzzz.... CHARA: "This ghost keeps saying 'z' out loud repeatedly, pretending to sleep... ... move it with force?" FRISK: They do what Chara suggested and try to shove the ghost out of the way, the moment they do that, Napstablook floats up and opens their eyes, the color drains away and a FIGHT begins. CHARA: *Here comes Napstablook. Same as usual. FRISK: They go into the ACT menu and see that the options are the same as normal, they tentatively select Check in order to gather more information, when they do this, Chara bursts out laughing. Frisk appears confused, until Chara speaks. CHARA: *Napstablook, AT 10 DF 10. Missed the memo and is the same difficulty as normal. FRISK: "Ok, that's funny."

NAPSTABLOOK: "oh, i'm REAL funny." FRISK: After speaking, the ghost begins to cry, and large tears start spraying around, Frisk dodges them easily because compared to the rest of what they've dealt with in the Ruins this time around, an attack like this is practically a breather. CHARA: *Napstablook is wishing they weren't here. FRISK: They've done this many times before, selecting ACT and then Cheer. CHARA: *You gave Napstablook a patient smile. NAPSTABLOOK: "heh..." after this, Napstablook starts crying again, but their tears don't act as an attack, instead, they bend and shift into a set of words, 'REALLY NOT FEELIN UP TO IT RIGHT NOW. SORRY.' CHARA: *Napstablook looks just a little bit better. FRISK: They repeat the same actions as before, choosing to Cheer on Napstablook. CHARA: *you told Napstablook a little joke.

FRISK: "Why did the ghost go into the elevator? ... ... ... To lift their spirits!" NAPSTABLOOK: "heh heh..." Yet another bout of crying, this time, the tears snake around the room erratically until they slide around the roof of the room and rain down on Frisk, this one is a lot trickier then the other attack, but Frisk still dodges it, just with significantly less ease then the last. CHARA: *Cheering seems to have improved Napstablook's mood again. FRISK: Second verse, same as the-wait, this is the third time. eh, either way, Frisk cheers once more. CHARA: *Napstablook wants to show you something. NAPSTABLOOK: "Let me try..." Chara's right, of course. Napstablook starts crying, but the tears flow upward and form into a shape, not letters this time, but rather a very fancy top hat. "I call it, "Dapper Blook." Do you like it...?" No attack comes after this. CHARA: *Napstablook eagerly awaits your response.

FRISK: They hover over the cheer option again, before swapping to flirt for kicks and giggles. "A gentleman like you could court me any day." Chara struggles to hold back laughter after that. NAPSTABLOOK: "oh no..." The colors return to the room as the fight ends. "i usually come out of the ruins because there's nobody around. ... ... ... oh, i'm rambling again. i'll get out of your way." And with that, Napstablook floats off. FRISK: "Well that was a nice breather." CHARA: "Yeah, I doubt that trend will continue though. let's go to the room behind us and save before continuing." FRISK: "Agreed." Frisk does as Chara suggested, and then ventures into the section beyond the Blooks battleground. the room is smaller and empty other then a single sign and two large spider webs. Frisk takes a look at the sign, noticing something extra on it this time around. CHARA: *Spider Bake Sale. all Proceeds go to Real Spiders. something's scratched into the bottom... note: spiders are very competitive. FRISK: "hmm... competitive? I guess we'll just have to see what that means." Frisk walks up to the smaller of the two webs and leans down.

CHARA: *Leave 14G in the webs? FRISK: "fourteen?" CHARA: *that's right. FRISK: They shrug and place the money in the web, some spiders crawl down and hand Frisk two donuts. Frisk nods, before a voice comes from the other web. SPIDERS: "hey hey HEY! you aren't just going to buy from them are you? come here. CHARA: *Some spiders... took 18G from you. FRISK: "wha-" A jug of cider is placed in their hand, before the other web speaks up now. SPIDERS: "hey, the donuts are much better, here, have a double order!" CHARA: *some spiders snatch 28G from you FRISK: Frisk gets four donuts afterward, but is quickly getting confused and angry. "now hang on just a secon-" SPIDERS: "what? no! the cider is better, here, have a double order from US!"

CHARA: *some spiders try to take 32G from you, but you don't have that much money. SPIDERS: "what? oh, you don't have anything left. in that case, we're closed! spiders pour out of the webs and swarm Frisk, the human closes their eyes as they're carried away, when they open their eyes again, they're back in the place that they battled Napstablook, and the doorway to the spider bake sale is barred by a giant web. FRISK: "what. the heck. was that. CHARA: "I don't know, but how about we don't go back there?" FRISK: "yeah, I agree with that. I don't think we could go back even if we wanted to. guess Muffet taught these spiders this time around." Frisk turns and, instead of returning to the bake sale, heads upward. the room is larger then the last two rooms combined, and very open. a sign is one one side of the room with a line of three Froggits next to it Frisk takes a quick look at the sign, finding it unchanged from normal, Chara still reads it out for the principle of it all. CHARA: *Did you miss it? Spider Bakesale down and to the right. Come eat food by spiders, for spiders, of spiders! FRISK: "Already did that..." While things seem to be normal, Frisk still leans down and sees what the Froggits have to say, just in case.

FROGGIT: "Ribbit." CHARA: "Oh hey, they're saying something new. ehem... 'to get out of this room, you need to find the fourth frog.' FRISK: "to get out of this room?" Frisk looks around the room and to their shock, the far exit is barred by spikes. "well that's not normal..." They then go to talk to the next Froggit. FROGGIT: "Ribbit. Ribbit." CHARA: "Ehem... 'be warned, they can be a bit skittish'" FRISK: and on to the last of the Froggits in the line FROGGIT: "Croak, Croak." CHARA: "That translates to... 'Ribbit Ribbit'" FRISK: "pfft." With that out of the way, Frisk recalls the comment about the fourth frog. from previous runs, Frisk already knows that an ant sized frog is hidden in a crack in the wall of the room, so they waltz up to the crack and peer in.

MICRO FROGGIT: Instead of just waving, the Froggit makes a fly underneath them with magic and soars off; bolting away from Frisk FRISK: "W-wait!" and the chase is on! Frisk frantically runs around, trying to catch the tiny frog riding the fly. CHARA: "Wooo! you can do it! yay!" FRISK: "What are you doing Chara?" CHARA: "Cheering you on." FRISK: "Can you not? it's distracting me." CHARA: "No, and good. I was trying to be annoying." FRISK: Frisk finally catches up to the frog, this only seems to trigger a fight though, as color vanishes from the area. CHARA: *Micro Froggit is within your grasp. FRISK: As is the norm for meeting a new monster, the first thing Frisk does is Check, the other two options happen to be Snatch and Complement CHARA: *Micro Froggit, AT 12 DF 3. though they be but little, they are fierce.

MICRO FROGGIT: "Ribbit." Flies start to appear and charge in from every which way, trapping Frisk in a fairly random bullet hell that actually scores a hit, dealing a lot of damage. CHARA: *Micro Froggit is Shimmying around FRISK: "Ow..."After taking a bit to shake off their injury, Frisk goes for the Snatch option. CHARA: *You prepare to snatch the Froggit... Right as Chara says this, the Micro Froggit creates five more flies that all line up around them, the flies then all start to swap places with each other over and over again until stopping, Frisk wasn't expecting this, and snatches a random fly, which doesn't seem to have the Micro Froggit on it. MICRO FROGGIT: The remaining five flies all circle Frisk and charge all at once three times in a row, before the fight ends, and Frisk is left having to chase the frog around the room again. FRISK: "Oh come on!" Another frantic lunge, and the fight starts again. CHARA: *Micro Froggit is within your grasp... again. FRISK: Not bothering to waste any more time, Frisk goes straight for the snatch option. CHARA: *You prepare to snatch the froggit... Once again, the Froggit makes more flies and starts to swap them all around, but this time, Frisk knows what's going on and follows the fly that they know has the Froggit on it. They reach out and snatch up the fly, the battle ends again, but this time, there's no more chasing. MICRO FROGGIT: "Ribbit" CHARA: "Ehem. 'Ok, you got me! I'll let you proceed if you just let me go! Frisk complies with this and the spikes on the far end of the room retract. FRISK: "at first it was funny, then it was scary, now it's just obnoxious." CHARA: "Hey, at least it's not boring." FRISK: "I'll give it that." And with that final quip, Frisk goes past the retracted spikes and into the room beyond.

first: Here!

next: to be continued...

prev: Here!

the comic this blog is actually about: Here!