#getting it right afaik

[feeling-kinda-sad-ngl]

WHY IS IT SO HARD TO COME OUT HUH?

[lastofthe20thcenturygirls]

lakan is written to be annoying he does not gives a single fuck how he's perceived unless you're luomen or maomao. he let jinshi think he forced himself on that courtesan. he told jinshi that he should think about how can a courtesan's price could be lowered and left. he never even finished the story. he was mad at jinshi for getting to maomao before he could so he went there to jinshi's office everyday to bother him and also to move the pawns (aka people) across the board to stop the assassination attempt at a certain high nobility. lakan dislikes jinshi yes but he's not a traitor ffs. when lakan and fengxian slept together it was consensual. fengxian did not tell him she was going to get pregnant and drive down her value. they hadn't slept together before that and fengxian was a courtesan who wasn't selling her body so the whole verdigris house took a hit when their number one courtesan got pregnant. it was fengxian's plan lakan didn't know. none of them confessed their feelings. he did not abandon fengxian after sleeping with her. luomen's case was why his father decided to send him away he actually thought he was gonna be back in three months. that dumbass just didn't realise why her contract deal fell off that she was pregnant that she loved him. same guy who would years later think that meimei was being nice to him only because of guilt and wouldn't realise she had feelings for him. just la clan being bad at these things it's almost like it's genetic

lakan is written like that. you're told he's a freak that maomao avoids because he wants to buy maomao. jinshi reached the conclusion regarding fengxian same as the most of us (unless somebody spoilt it for you) and maomao's hatred for him added to that conclusion. but it was all on purpose writing-wise and character-wise too. the actual story of his is told to us but not jinshi. he doesn't minds if jinshi keeps on thinking of him as a piece of shit yk. what i am saying is that lakan is meant to be read or watched that by going through a range of emotions. hating him is fine still. most characters in the story aren't his fans either. they just avoid him he's that kinda guy but the "he ruined maomao's mother's life" isn't a great take sorry. fengxian's life took a tragic turn but it's more because of circumstances than just one individual. and not like she didn't cut maomao's finger off in her frenzy. there are good enough reasons for why maomao feels how she does towards them both

[feroluce]

For reasons to be expanded upon at a later date (because I love the little bits about Boothill and possible paranoia/betrayal canon gives us so very dearly HNGH) I think Boothill like... He won't let himself fall into disrepair or anything of course, but he reeeeeeeeeeally does not like letting other people poke around at his body. It's a necessary evil to him. He does whatever maintenance and repairs he can himself. He started out with a massive knowledge deficit, simply because he didn't really have any exposure to that kind of technology until he left Aeragan-Epharshal, but he's taught himself a lot since then, he worked really hard at it!

Anyway, the point being, Boothill generally isn't super trusting of people.

But I think he would come to make an exception for Himeko, since he trusts Dan Heng a lot, and Himeko is one of Dan Heng's once-in-a-lifetime dearly beloved companions.

Himeko is so unflappable, I don't think she would even bat an eye about anything he throws at her, either. Like she enters the Parlor Car one morning (she's always the first one up) and Boothill is already there, waiting for her.

"Mornin', Madam Navigator."

"Good morning, Mr. Boothill."

And despite the fact that he blatantly broke into the Express (Pom-Pom is NOT happy about this JDKSAJDSKL), Boothill tips his hat, greets her politely, and is nothing but respectful when he says he has a favor to ask of her. Except it won't stay a favor long, of course- he has every intention of paying it back.

Himeko never agrees to things blindly, but she does bring up that all the knowledge Boothill contributed during the Charmony Festival was essential to preventing the universe from being pulled into Ena's Dream. And they were able to hold onto the Jade Abacus because Boothill used Tiernan's burial relic to summon the Galaxy Rangers instead. The Astral Express owes him a debt of gratitude, and besides, he's a friend of Dan Heng's. Of course she'll try to help him.

Boothill fidgets a bit, quickly brushes off the thanks, and tells Himeko he's having a problem with error codes. He keeps getting the same one, seemingly at random times, but the darn thing has no obvious cause. Dan Heng mentioned Himeko had been the one to rebuild the Astral Express. He knows it ain't the same, but it's not like he's askin' for any major repairs or nothin'. He was wonderin' if she could just take a look, maybe offer him some insight, since she seems to be somethin' of a mechanical wonder.

So Himeko walks him back to a another car, where she goes to tinker with machines without them crowding her bedroom. It's all neatly laid out and organized, and it only takes a second for Himeko to locate some specific device with a long cord. Instead of plugging it in herself, she holds the end of it out to him, like an offer rather than a demand, and Boothill visibly relaxes a bit. He still eyes it just a little warily for a second, but he accepts and plugs it into the port on his side.

Himeko pulls up the list of all recent errors, and they really are all the same. Boothill has had multiple temperature alarms over the past couple of weeks since the Charmony Festival, and they know it's not the environment, because Penacony is mostly dreamscape and kept mild year-round. The long-forgotten natural deserts are too far away.

Boothill is staring from the corner of his one good eye, so Himeko turns the hologram to let him see what she's doing easier. They don't appear to be false alarms. His internal temperature spikes and then slowly lowers again, high enough that if it lasted it would eventually cause damage.

One option is for her to start rooting through personal data, figuring out what he was doing at the time of each code, and tracing cause and correlation.

Instead, Himeko reads out the timestamps, and asks Boothill if he minds sharing what was happening around him when it occured.

Two weeks ago: He and Dan Heng went to explore Dreamflux Reef and found a bar- nice place, good atmosphere. Woman runnin’ it was a doll. Boothill left fer not even two minutes to get them drinks (Dan Heng knows like nothin’ about liquor, Madam Navigator, can you believe this guy) and when he came back, someone had already stolen his seat and was hittin’ on Dan Heng! Dan Heng didn't even care, just shooed ‘em off. Boothill laughed and said not to let him get in his way if he wanted to meet someone. Dan Heng looked at him like he'd grown a second head. Why would he want to leave with someone else, when he came here to be with Boothill?

Twelve days ago: While laying low- er, just rustlin’ up some grub- in the Moment of Blue, Boothill passed Dan Heng with March and Caelus playin’ on the beach, buildin’ sandcastles and the like. When he passed by again almost two hours later, they were still out there, with Dan Heng pullin’ March through the water on her inner tube and Caelus hangin’ off the back of it. He swam so fast! You'd think he was part water snake or somethin’. He looked happier ‘n a cat in a sunbeam… He has a nice smile, doesn't he?

Eleven days ago: Boothill was killin’ time in Dreamflux Reef when he turned the corner down a shady alley and saw Dan Heng, surrounded by three men demandin’ “protection money.” None of ‘em stood a chance, they were all on the ground before Boothill even blinked! So cool! Boothill wants to see that spear of his closeup- Anyway, Dan Heng stepped on one of ‘em on his way out, hahaha! Boothill stepped on the same guy a second time as he hurried to catch up.

Eight days ago: Here on the Express, actually. Boothill had mentioned bein’ curious about the archives, and Dan Heng personally invited him.

(“I remember that day, I saw you in the hall.” “Was there any problem with the heating that day?” “No, none. I don't think the temperature has anything to do with these error codes. I have a different theory, keep going.” “If ya say so.”)

Boothill was fascinated by an entry on aeons, and from a single question he asked about Lan, the two of ‘em ended up talkin’ fer hours. About aeons and Paths and Emanators, Acheron and Self-Annihilators, the Sea of Nihility, Tiernan, the Nameless and the Galaxy Rangers, their burial relics and their customs. Dan Heng finally just started writin’ and editin’ the entries in real time, with Boothill pointin’ things out and tellin’ him what to add in. They were at it so late that Boothill ended up sleepin' on a couch in one of the cars.

He'd figured there had to be something to make Dan Heng chatty- he'd caught just a glimpse of it that first night they met, sittin’ at the bar in the Reverie together. He'll have to ask about the archives more often, if it gets him all revved up like that.

One week ago: After that night of energetic discussion, Dan Heng was apparently hyped up, because after he'd downed some of Himeko's coffee (“You had some too, right? What did you think of it?” “It was great, even better'n chewin’ bullets!” "Thank you! That was my newest brew, I can't wait for everyone else to try it.") he actually asked Boothill to go hunting with him. Boothill asked who their target was, and was surprised when Dan Heng pulled out photos that looked like they were from March's camera, of all things, instead of a bounty or wanted poster.

And as he sat there, studying these pictures, Dan Heng explained that he wanted to hunt down these specific memory zone memes to record them into the archives. Planets with so much memoria are a rarity, especially with the Stellaron's activity thrown into the mix, which has surely affected the local “wildlife.” He might not get another opportunity like this for a long time. And Boothill had talked last night about his extensive expertise in tracking and hunting, so he should have plenty to offer here, Dan Heng would like to learn from his experience and see how he does things!

And oh, Madam Navigator, by the time Dan Heng was done speakin', his eyes were practically sparklin'! Just lit up like the sun! Boothill could scarcely believe it! The two of them couldn't even wait another day, they set out that very morning. It had been a long, long while since Boothill had tracked someone- er, somethin’- without the intent to capture or kill. It was…actually really nice. Nostalgic, but in a good way. It might even have been his favorite day on Penacony��so…far…

Boothill trails off as a couple of realizations crash into him. All the temperature alarms he's spoken about thus far- they've all happened in the company of Dan Heng. And now that he's thinking about it, he's pretty sure even the ones he hasn't yet talked about were with him, too. Dan Heng has been responsible for all of his error codes, every. single. one.

The screen in front of Himeko suddenly refreshes to the top of the list, displaying a new notification for the current time. Alert! Core temperature above normal range.

Himeko's knowing smile is sly as a snake.

Wwwwwelp, would ya look at the time, Boothill has some errands to meet, people to run, y’know how it is, he should really get goin'-

“Oh, Mr. Boothill? About that favor.” And Boothill jolts to a stop in the doorway because fudge, he can't just leave without hearing her out. He'd given his word. He has no problem running out on someone he thinks deserves it, but Himeko really had been kind to him to try and help him out. Her voice is just as knowing as her smile, Boothill can't turn around to look at her, or else he knows he won't be able to disguise the sound of his cooling fans kicking on.

“Don't make Dan Heng wait too long, ok~?”

“Y-Yes, ma'am.”

[hussyknee]

Bit of a mindfuck to see USAmerican conservatives supporting Israel. How do they square that with their antisemitic tinhattery and general abiding hatred of Jews? Do they slap an Israeli sticker with the Star of David on their pickup before or after going and vandalizing a synagogue?

Guess when we said "do not equate the Jewish people with the state of Israel" they went "Hell yeah! Fuck Jews! Stand with Israel!" 💀

Edit: I stand corrected. And informed. What the fuck.

[megabuild]

ive been doodlin them non stop recently

[notyouraryang0dd3ss]

Not defendingts putting you on a "Taylor antis blocklist" for *checks notes* falesley equivocating anti zionism with antisemitism. Not only is that a dangerous rhetoric to spread and perpetrate, it's exactly the kind of lack of nuance I'd expect from someone like that. I hope your inbox doesn't get turned into a minefield from her doing that

i did what now?!? 😭 gonna close my ask box for a couple days then…i really need to catch up on answering asks

edit: i saw the follow up ask that someone sent about me - thank you to that desi anon for defending my name and honor, i love u. HOWEVER, I MUST CLARIFY: I AM BLACK. I AM NOT DESI. I AM BLACK.

[shiraishi--kanade]

you, because im thinking about it: why do you think colopale hasn't really talked about toya and kohane's relationship at all? from my eyes, they've had very little interaction outside of group events (and really even 1-on-1 in them; the ones off the top of my head they actually talked to one another instead of in the group are an1, val3, and their vbs archive). do you think there's a reason behind this, or am i just missing their growing relationship?

I'll be honest with you: probably just bad writing + event format holding them back. I'm not exactly looking to be negative on this account but Sega have kind of written themselves into a corner with Kohane and she's not been getting that much development in general (compared to the others), and Touya has been pretty abandoned as well.

The First Concerto has redeemed Touya to some degree, so one can only hope either An5 or Kohane's next event will tackle Kohane's lack of deep connection between her and Touya, among other things.

[battywitch]

I just can't believe that zero pain is the normal amount to be in

[burinazar]

my trip to Akotoma (abyss fanworks event) yesterday was entirely successful ^ -- ^ i'd love to make a longer post about it soon, as well as some of my thoughts on doujin culture in general, because i think my perspective could be informative and interesting to people.

like, sure, there's entry-level misconception-dispelling like "hurhur did you know not all doujinshi are porn" (or, slightly less hurhur, "did you know doujinshi products include many many things besides comics"), but it's 2024 and i feel like every weeb and their mother knows that by now; there's also stuff like the fascinating differences of ethos regarding things like pricing and accessibility, content, fandom socialization, etc., some of which i see discussed but generally not in a level of detail and nuance that satisfies the depth of my interest; and then there's also the stuff that almost nobody or relatively few people seems to discuss like the culture of handing out gifts, candy, and fanletters (which i could find literally zero people talking about in english online when i first heard about this and looked for info on it in the past). it's all really neat to me. also i do want to talk about akotoma and abyss specifically and what it personally meant for me to finally make a trip there, because as many of u can tell this fandom is both a) very important to me and b) something of a source of consternation, so it was kind of a personal triumph to have it go well when i went, and i'm looking forward to each subsequent event and hope i'll be able to be even more involved and social ^^

[rnoonsetter]

i heard you like the color of the sky

[puppyeared]

footnotes arent enough I need you to talk to me like im fucking Amelia Bedelia

[wutherwaves]

I would totally try ZZZ but between wuwa, genshin, and hsr (I keep telling myself imma get back to playing those last two ASDJFBJFNFFBF) my hands are tied . I need to exercise restraint . THAT FRUITY LITTLE ROBOT GUY SEEMS SO COOL THOUGH !!

for sure!! i naturally tend to rotate what i'm playing every couple weeks - month ish so i only really have an issue arise with balancing games when all of them... have characters coming up around the same time that i want... which is happening a lot recently

i LOVE the fruity robot guy. billy plays a little like chixia and it's huge for me. he has a special aoe spinny attack if you basic attack after a dodge and since he's so fast you can just. chain that. it's really stupid. that was the only way i was playing him for the last hour of gametime last night. i'm sure canon him would approve

[red-dragon-archfiend]

Dwarf Miner in Erebor: "Hey boss check out this glowing white rock I found. Ain't that cool" The King Under the Mountain: "I've decided this is the King's Jewel and signifies that my right to rule is divine. This rock now represents the King's authority and only with what I'm now calling the Arkenstone can a King be crowned." Dwarf Miner: "That's cool boss but I think it's just a glowing white rock" Years Later: Thorin Oakenshield: "Hey guys, Smaug has been quiet for a while, why don't we go kill him and take back our homeland and its obscene hoard of treasure?" Literally All But 12 Other Dwarves: "L + ratio + no Arkenstone. #NotMyKing" Thorin: "I'm literally the heir to the throne. You know this for a fact." Dwarves: "Come back when you have a glowing white rock LMAO"

[nblemons]

ngl i find it pretty fucking disconcerting how widespread calling kdj a rat is in the orv fandom. like do you guys not know the connotations that word has when aimed at east asian people specifically......

[overcaffeinated-aro]

I got an email from my grandpa today and all the draft responses I’ve been working on in my head sound like an 18th century letter that’s going to have to travel for months to reach him.

pandemic year 5 really has me feeling like me and a very small handful of people I know are living on an entirely different plane of existence than everyone else

[ohnoitsz1m]

Whyyyyy do people put mind series things under the half life tag on AO3.. did we learn nothing from hlvrai crosstagging? T_T