#i have some ideas of what some canon characters' rogue names could be cause i like this hc a lot | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

saturnniidae · 7 months ago

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As someone who loves both httyd and wakfu I am BEGGING you to talk more about this

Well it wasn't much more than a passing thought I wrote down before i forgot it and I was gonna apologize and say I've not thought of much but character classes, but I blacked out and went into a frenzy.

So for character classes:

Hiccup: Eliatrope and Toothless is his dragon brother

Astrid: Feca or Cra (though I could maybe see her being a Iop too?)

Snotlout: Iop

Twins: Iops as well (I'd say most of Berk's population is)

I'm kind of stuck on what Fishlegs would be. huppermage? Maybe? Idk

Dagur: Sacrier

Heather: Sram

Undecided on what I'd want Viggo to be, or if I'm even going to include him but I'm open to any suggestions.

And for a Rotbtd version (bc I contracted that disease recently):

Merida: Cra

Jack: Rogue

Rapunzel: Eniripsa

But I don't have much more than that for this version rn.

And then I have some story ideas for it but I'll put them under the cut because it's kind of a lot

Berk is a a small coastline port village known for its fishing and inhabitants with ridiculous names and violent tendencies (most of them are Iops).

(Debating on its actual location but I can't for the life of me find a map for the World of Twelve that's actually labeled 💀)

Stoick is a Iop and chief of the village. He found Hiccup when he was an infant. He's never actually sat Hiccup down and given him the "you're adopted" talk, but they're both aware of it. This doesn't really have any strain on their relationship though (they love each other, but like in canon, are shit at actually showing it) the fights they have are over other things, mostly Hiccup's hazardous passion projects. And later, Hiccup's desire to leave Berk.

Hiccup is the village blacksmith's apprentice, but is often distracted with his own projects.

He is more focused on making inventions powered by wakfu than honing his own abilities beyond portal making (because of this, they often explode). as well as seemingly having a lack of interest in finding out about himself and what he is. Beyond the fact that deep down, he knows he is not human. He still wants to get out of Berk and dreams of exploring the World of Twelve.

Hiccup lost his left leg below the knee in an accident he indirectly caused when he was 14. Part of why he doesn't like using his powers.

(If you've watched the show, you'll know that when Yugo makes two portals and puts them in front of each other, it creates a beam of energy that essentially decimates whatever it comes into contact with. And iirc it's mostly been used on machines and such, so I don't think organic matter like bone muscle and flesh would stand a chance.)

Fishlegs is the closest thing he has to a friend. they'll eagerly talk about his inventions, until Fishlegs asks Hiccup to go more in depth on how his powers work, then Hiccup shuts him out. Usally after a few days of silent treatment things go back to normal and they act like it never happened.

Snotlout is Hiccup's cousin who used to bully him but has stopped (doing it outright anyway, ofc he's still rude and we love him for it <3) due to a begruding respect for Hiccup, not that he'll ever admit it (and perhaps out of fear, after all blowing your leg off and accidentally destroying half the village, intentional or not, is an impressive feat). The twins follow Hiccup around in hopes to see what disaster he'll cause next. They're the reason Hiccup moved his 'Workshop' out of the smithy and into a remote clearing in the forest miles away from the village proper.

Toothless is Hiccup's dragon brother and has been searching for Hiccup for years, but Hiccup is so out of tune with his wakfu their connection was almost completely severed and Toothless is unable locate him. Until recently Hiccup had no idea Toothless existed, beyond a lifelong feeling of something being very distinctly wrong and the occasional vague prodding sensation in the back of his head (Toothless trying his absolute hardest to get through to him).

I have no idea what I want to do for Astrid tbh. I want to do her justice which is why I'm so indecisive.

And I have nothing for Heather and Dagur beyond what their classes would be honestly. Something will come to me eventually though.

If anyone has any questions (especially abt wakfu if you're only familiar with httyd) feel free to shoot me an ask and I'd love to elaborate!

(Also a lot of this is subject to change if I have any better ideas)

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sinisterexaggerator · 2 years ago

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Headcanon...?

Spoilers for a fic I will write eventually?

Do not read if you do not like made-up, author-indulgent backstories for characters who exist in the GFFA. This one is almost hard to post because it's kind of personal. Like, a story so plot driven that I am nervous people will hate my interpretation and my ships. Oh well, I guess, it's happening.

A discussion in the Duros hoes chat, and then between me and @allsystemsblue, got me thinking about what is Cad Bane's real name? It sure as hell ain't Cad Bane. A lot of the fandom seems to agree on that. "Cad" and "bane" are both words in the dictionary that can be defined.

Cad: a man who behaves dishonorably, especially toward a woman. / scoundrel / rogue / rascal.

Bane: a cause of great distress or annoyance. / scourge / ruin / death.

We shall come back to this.

I have a scene mapped out for Stars Above in which I want Cad to run into his sister. I have a plan for his backstory that does not include this particular fanfic, but another, a series I am working on that will be entitled "Annuals of an Outlaw," and is essentially a collection of works I have outlined that will contain my version of Cad Bane's "story" from his beginnings on Duro in the Descent Ghetto, to after the Clone Wars and beyond.

Yes, it will have smut. And angst. Lots and lots of angst. Many character will appear, including Jango, Hondo, Aurra, Bossk, Embo, Zam, Dengar, Todo 360, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and even Boba at some point. Oh, and let us not forget Shriv Suurgav. :)

Yes, Shriv.

You cannot stop me. Don't even try. This is my magnum opus, and by God it will make sense narratively. Just you wait. Or don't. I don't care. I am still going to write this thing if it's the last thing I ever do.

First of all, I enjoy playing around with Star Wars name generators. That is how I came up with the name of my OC, Zulara. I started sifting through them, piecing last names together with other first names, and voilà, a new name appeared to me that caught my attention.

Originally, I was looking for Durese words that maybe meant something in relation to his occupation or personality, but none of them called out. It appears others had that same idea in the past, so it makes sense to go with something new.

Anyway, my name for Cad Bane is Lumoon Troks.

Here are the outpouring of thoughts I had on the matter before I could stop myself. I came up with this over the last hour or two, and I am digging it so far. Who knows, maybe I will change my mind. It's helping me to fill in a lot of gaps, anyway, that I had in the plot, and I am happy about that.

So, I am giving Bane siblings. Two much older sisters, two brothers who are 1-2 years apart, and a younger sister who is four or five at the time Lumoon finally leaves home.

His siblings call him Lu, or Moon for short. When they want to be annoying, they call him Moody Moon, or "Lemon" because of his sour outlook ( lemons are "canon" in SW, I checked).

To sum things up briefly, Bane's mother was a kindhearted woman and his father was a gruff workaholic. They both were employed in the factories and rarely had time to spend with their family, but had too many mouths to feed.

Cad gets into trouble quite often. He runs wild in the streets from a young age. Maybe he hooks up with the wrong crowd. Nothing too menacing; some petty theft, vandalism, etc, etc.

His father's angry about it. He refuses to take on work in the factories with him. He wants more for himself. He's not about that grind day in, day out life. Things get so toxic between them that he leaves to make his own way, stops coming home, worries his mother sick, and his little sister to boot.

So much so, his little sister ( talking maybe preschool / kindergartener age ) decides she has to "bring Moon home" and takes it upon herself to find him. She loves her big brother and sorely misses him.

This does not end well. At all. The worst possible scenario unfolds. The first of many tragedies in Cad Bane's life. It deeply affects him. He tries to go to his mother; she isn't the same Duros any longer. She coldshoulders him, ignores him, and she suffers from a broken heart.

Cad blames himself. "She went out to find you and never came home." This time, he really does leave and never returns. I am sure there is a final fight between him and his father that maybe seals the deal. He takes up random jobs, anything that pays, from sex work, to being hired muscle, to thieving, to murder, you name it, as long as the pay is good and it keeps his mind off his own problems.

He learns skills along the way, and he also learns from his mistakes. Things start being a little too easy. He's tired of being bossed around. He wants to be his own boss. So, that's exactly what he becomes.

He decides to try his hand at bounty hunting. He begins to make a name for himself, except, he hasn't. He needs a new one, something intimidating, striking, and rememberable. Plus, he doesn't want his birthname floating around; that makes him vulnerable, as well as the rest of his surviving kin.

Bane's mother, in the early days of his youth, used to scold him for misbehaving. She called him the equivalent of a cad in Durese, and it translated that way from basic, something along the lines of "Lumoon! Quit being such a cad, you naughty boy!"

It means something to him. He feels it embodies what he has become. It is also a tribute to his mother as well as a punishment; something he has to live with and that he brought upon himself.

The next thing you know, one of his many enemies makes a snarky comment, saying to him, "you are the bane of my existence," or simply, "you are a bane!" From there, his new name takes shape in his mind. He thinks if you put two and two together, it sounds kind of nice. It sticks. He starts to introduce himself like that, when before he had only referred to himself as Cad.

Another misfortune befalls him, which I mentioned I wanted him to run into his sister. This would happen off-world somewhere, years later, and during the reign of the Galactic Empire. She would say something to the likes of: "Mom died. She never gave up on you. She waited for you to come home, everyday. I didn't have the heart to tell her I had seen your wanted posters."

It tears him apart for awhile. His second great tragedy. Never getting to reconcile with the Duros who raised him and whom he loved. He harbors this for the rest of his life.

Of course, running in the streets, he learns not to trust people. He's jaded. He gets fucked over a time or two, badly, and by people he thinks he can trust. He develops a shell; a way of looking at the world that allows him to keep his guard up for his own protection.

In that same vein, I believe Bane can love and that he can love hard given the right circumstances. One of the many reasons he's kept from saying it, is because every person he has ever cared about has either turned on him or dies. The galaxy is a harsh mistress. He's afraid of a repeat scenario; he doesn't let himself get close. He tells himself he's better off alone, doesn't need anybody; he prefers to run without a pack.

That is, until he meets Jango.

And, that, my friends, is a whole other story, but I want to add that Cad Bane has bad dreams. Nightmares, even. Visions. Terrible things happen, old memories replay, he is haunted by his past. The sister he couldn't save; the mother he thought had stopped loving him; the father he was never good enough to please.

Hondo compares himself to a sun, and Bane is the moon. This would fuck with him psychologically, and cause him to react unexpectantly should the nickname stick - one that is reminiscent of his childhood. It is Hondo Ohnaka in my story that saves Bane from himself after Fett meets his untimely end.

Jango, Hondo, and Shriv may call him moody from time-to-time, or grumpy, but that also does not sit well, either, considering his past.

Once Jango dies, and once he fails at training Boba, Cad is even more a wreck than before. In my story, he also does not get to reconcile with his old partner and mentor after their falling out. He drinks himself stupid in the presence of Boba to the point the boy gets fed-up and they have their duel.

Bane, in my mind, can't accept Boba as Fett's son; he is a clone; he could never accept the clone contract from the get go - it put a rift in their relationship. This adds more fuel to the "look out for yourself" fire that is his quote in the Book of Boba Fett.

Sorry this got so long-winded, but, I had to get that out as it came to me. Now, to actually write the story all these ideas are for!

#Star Wars #Cad Bane #Hondo Ohnaka #Shriv Suurgav #fictional backstories #headcanon #self-indulgent af

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ringringimdeadhere · 1 year ago

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OH SO MAYBE I'M NOT AS CRAZY AS I THOUGHT HOLY SHIT

So I was in bed yesterday, in the middle of the night, writting my random theories about what the heck was up with Quackity and ElQuackity. At first I thought "yeah no maybe I'm going nowhere with this" BUT MAYBE I'M RIGHT AFTER WHAT HAPPENED TODAY???

This theory stems from the fact that Quackity was already on other 2 smps: Karmaland, and the other one that shall not be named-

Thus creating 2 characters on their own universes and canons. But here is the thing:

We know one of them has been to quesadilla island before the series even began.

If you speak spanish you know what I'm talking about. One time during the Karmaland series, Quackity was gone for a while and his in-canon explanation as to why was: "I was on vacation on an island"

Which, if you are an Arg guy, you know it means something, cause he said it on a very suspicious voice.

What I'm saying here is: this is not a case of a clone going rogue, this is a case of 2 alternate versions of the same person from different universes

My theory is that somehow, they ended up on quesadilla island, maybe even founded the Federation! but something happened, and then one betrayed the Federation, and the other works under them full time.

My main basis of this theory is based around the idea of canon lives CAUSE REMEMBER the federation was investigating on Felps the idea of "infinite lives/respawns". And you know what character would be very interested in having that power.. Maybe a little Las Nevadas main character..

A character who only has 1 canon life left?

Sadly, I'm not that involved in the lore of Quackity to actually be able to tell which of the Quackitys is the D! Version or the K! Version. If it was only by language I would guess ElQuackity is the equivalent of K!Quackity, but I never watched Karmaland fully outside of some animatics, so I am not aware of what his character motives would be, all I know is that he got his memory erased and was trying to fuck Luzu at the start of the series so idk-

Hell, for all I know I could be very far from the truth, or maybe I'm extremely right and there might even be a Third Quackity that is native to quesadilla island.

Maybe D!Quackity isn't even a character in this and Q!Quackity is the one that wants to eternally respawn cause of some weird law of interdimentional nature!! Idk, I'm not smart enough to pretend I know

#qsmp #qsmp theory #quackity #elquackity #qsmp elections #I'm tired I need some silly gegg moment pronto #and I haven't touched on the Foolish might actually be from the other smp and that he works for D!Quackity still theory #I dont #I dont watch enough streams to know that

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yuridovewing · 1 year ago

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hollyleaf and/or a wc oc of yours (if you want!!) :3c

OOO I have not thought about her in forever but I'll take the time to flesh out Silverleaf a bit cause I miss her.

Hollyleaf first though

Sexuality Headcanon: lesbian and i can see her being on the ace spectrum somewhere! dunno where exactly though.

Gender Headcanon: I like to think shes nonbinary, specifically agender especially in my au.

A ship I have with said character: hollywillow is one thats soo interesting to me and the one i go for in my au cause mannn the extra angst it adds to her storyline with leafpool (she is a medic in this au). like as you grow up alongside the code you grow disgusted towards yourself for loving another medic so you leave her, only to learn your mother has also broken two vows at once and it resulted in you. like. goddamn....

im also fond of hollycinder ofc! and i definitely like hollyheather a bit for similar reasons as hollywillow

WAIT WAIT. I GOT AN IDEA FOR RAZORVERSE i'll write this in a different post cause i dont wanna clog this one too much

A BROTP I have with said character: if not as a ship i like hollycinder as a brotp. i guess also fallen leaves buuuut tbh i dont really care about him, lol. but having a ghost friend is cool.

A NOTP I have with said character: hmm i dunno who comes to mind. does anyone actually ship hollyleaf with men other than fallen leaves? idk if its because i like her a lot but shes one of those characters i just cannot see with a man, like it just feels weird.

A random headcanon: if we're talking razorverse, as a part of the tunnel hivemind, she can take form outside of the tunnels as a shadow. she often followed dovewing and ivypool this way, though she was unable to actually talk to them.

General Opinion over said character: i love the version of her in my head but man I wish she was handled sooo much better in canon. what do you mean leafpool has to apologize to HER. no she fucking doesn't. hold my girl accountable, she ruined lives and tried to kill her own mom, dont just let her get off scot free? the end of her arc should not be "oh i should have followed the code Better", it should be "hey the code is sorta... bullshit actually"

And now Silverleaf

Sexuality Headcanon: lesbian ace ^^

Gender Headcanon: trans girl

A ship I have with said character: her with another oc named lightheart. their relationship happens after lightheart is exiled and silverleaf is nearly murdered (and subsequently fakes her death), they're from different clans. havent figured out their new story but they start off when lightheart takes refuge with Silverleaf and Fang (her rogue friend) and they can relate to each others' traumas a lot and things build from there ^^

A BROTP I have with said character: Like I said she has a rogue friend named Fang! they became friends when silverpaw was an apprentice and she ended up confiding in him a lot about her situation with applefrost (her mentor) and he was the only one who made her actually feel like a kid. hes the one who found her and helped fake her death.

A NOTP I have with said character: none really

A random headcanon: she becomes some sort of traveling bard! she creates some songs with lightheart and fang and they go around different territories to sing

General Opinion over said character: I really need to fix up her story and update it someday, im not sure what exactly to do cause as of right now, i don't know if her story is too generic or not. (applefrost, the deputy and her mentor, attempts to isolate her and make her loyal to only her for when she gets her nine lives, so silverleaf could be an enforcer or mole of sorts, only to discard of her when she feels silverleaf isn't up to the task.) but she's my first ever wc oc and im very fond of her

#deer-time #mail

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superectojazzmage · 2 years ago

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So to wash the taste of the MCU’s most recent disappointments out of my mouth (and hopefully yours), and just because I like showing off my encyclopedic knowledge of the REAL Marvel comic books, here is a list of some of my favorite totally 100% canon trivia tidbits about Marvel lore:

Adolf Hitler did not commit suicide in the Marvel Universe. He was assassinated in his bunker Inglorious Bastards-style at the end of the war by the Human Torch (the original robot one, not the Fantastic Four one; yes, there are two).

The Marvel Comics company exists in-universe. They publish autobiographical comics of dubious quality about the “real life” superheroes, which are sometimes officially licensed and sometimes not. Captain America — back when he had a secret identity — briefly worked as an artist at Marvel, and even drew his own comic book. Also, She-Hulk once used some of said comics in a court case.

The combined Summers-Pym family (linked via Kang the Conqueror and Havok’s daughter with Janet Van Dyne) has a family tree so vast, tangled, sprawling, and complicated from decades of overlapping stories and retcons that Cyclops could be considered the father-in-law of one version of Galactus. This combined family also contains multiple robots and links to two royal families, one the royalty of an alien empire.

Speaking of Galactus, Iron Man has had sex with so many people that — if you trace the idea that when you sleep with someone, you're sleeping with everyone your partner ever slept with — Tony’s dick reaches Galactus. As proven by this chart made by Wizard Universe Magazine. Which, bear in mind, is out of date; Tony has scored more people since.

Not one to be outdone, She-Hulk has directly had sex with the Juggernaut. Maybe, as Dan Slott felt need to suggest that maybe it was an alternate universe version of her in a gag story suggesting any out-of-character or continuity-breaking moments were alternate versions of characters touring in 616 universe.

Namor once caused an incident with the U.S. military by coming ashore to get a bagel in what was mistaken as an Atlantean invasion of the surface world.

There was an entire storyline about Iron Man’s armor coming alive and becoming an abusive boyfriend to him, complete with threatening to kill if he tried to leave.

New York has an Alcoholics Anonymous style support group for supervillains trying to reform from a life of crime. This support group has very few successes. There is also a bar that caters to supervillains — the Bar With No Name — which has to regularly change locations on account of raids and attacks by law enforcement, superheroes, and violent vigilantes.

During a time where a Superhero Registration Act was in effect, Howard the Duck tried to register only to be told that he did not need to as the US government does not consider him a legal citizen (on account of being a talking cartoon duck). Howard’s complaints of discrimination were quelled when he realized this means he does not have to pay taxes.

The Great Lakes Avengers have gone through four different superheroes named Grasshopper. The first was killed within 5.8 seconds of joining after having a sai thrown in his face, the second accidentally jumped into orbit, one was murdered by Deadpool, and the last turned out to be a Skrull and was promptly killed as a traitor.

Because many of Iron Man’s early comics involved him fighting communists (it was the Cold War), Nikita Khrushchev is considered a member of Iron Man’s rogues gallery; he was called Comrade K and was regularly depicted sending out villains to fight Iron Man.

Doctor Doom has pulled the “actually a doombot” trick so many times that there is a persistent fan theory that the Doctor Doom has never actually appeared in any comic or isn’t even human anymore.

Relatedly, the only defeat Doctor Doom has ever suffered that has not ever been suggested to have been a doombot is the time he got beaten up by Squirrel Girl. Squirrel Girl, by the by, is canonically the most powerful superhero, with power ratings that go above Captain Universe.

Leonardo Da Vinci was a time-traveling superhero. His arch-nemesis was Sir Issac Newton, who was an immortal supervillain that murdered Galileo and liked to leave gold apples as a calling card at the scenes of his crimes.

The reason gamma radiation kills or gives people superpowers is because gamma radiation is produced by an eldritch entity called the One Below All, which lives in the lowest dimension possible (i.e., Super-Hell). The One Below All is the dark mirror of the One Above All (i.e., God); think Zoroastrianism.

Puck, a dwarf (as in has dwarfism) superhero from Canada, is the rightful king of Hell, having gone there when he died and subsequently pummeled the ruling devils into submission. He did nothing with his kingship other then use it to leave Hell and return to Earth. This is only one of his many achievements.

Jubilee spent a bizarrely long time as a vampire before any writer thought to cure her.

Quasar and Beta Ray Bill are both atheists/anti-theist despite personally knowing multiple gods, including the aforementioned One Above All. Quasar, at least, was willing to eventually shift his viewpoint to more or less agnostic; him talking to his dead father in the afterlife was not the incident that provoked this change.

Deadpool has had so many contradictory origin stories and backstories given that he eventually had to break the fourth wall to declare that his past does not matter and to waste any more time on it was stupid.

Spider-Man had an “Ayn Rand phase” in college that he is deeply ashamed of.

Spider-Man also once tried to sue J. Jonah Jameson for libel with She-Hulk as his lawyer. During the trial, he lied under oath by claiming to be a black man simply to frame Jameson as a racist. She-Hulk and Spidey were forced to withdraw their case when Jameson tried to call on Peter Parker as a character witness.

Luke Cage has a persistent and deeply personal arch-rivalry with both the Harlem NYPD’s coffee machine and the vending machine in his own office.

There is an X-Men villain named Sauron who is a former British explorer and Tolkien fan (thus the name) that became a were-pterodactyl with laser eyes. He is an accredited scientist in multiple fields, and was once the psychiatrist of Cyclops’ brother.

The aforementioned Sauron lives in the Savage Land, which is a sort of primordial lost world under Antarctica filled with dinosaurs, Cenozoic mammals, cavemen, and a dude called Garokk who may or may not be a minor deity. This is accepted as a totally normal part of the world by now.

The Avengers have had to deal with their government liaison demand they make their line-up more racially diverse to comply with affirmative action multiple times. Iron Man accidentally made himself look racist when complaining about this, while Wasp developed white guilt.

Magneto has had to be deaged multiple times to preserve his Holocaust backstory. Sunfire has not received the same treatment, despite his original origin story involving Hiroshima; they just pretend that was never mentioned.

Black Panther once punched the devil in the face.

Feel free to add more!

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4lph4kidz · 3 years ago

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What would Roxy English be like in a kidswap

I don't have many ideas for Roxy English right off the bat, but I'll lay out my thoughts for you anyway - typed up way too much about this so I'm answering under the cut!

I guess it depends on the exact version of the AU, for my interpretation at least I'm switching the classes and keeping the aspects. (Not sure about the dreaming moons though.) I'm also keeping the guardians the same because I don't really feel like altering the backstories too much right now.

This would make my version Roxy English a Page of Void, which is. A tricky classpect to understand, even if we do having a canon example in Horuss. It doesn't help that I don't think I have the most thorough understanding of Roxy's character, at least not in a way it's easy for me to write in an AU. She really is inscrutable.

It'd probably be really difficult for her to get to grips with her classpect herself. Pages already have difficult truly grasping their aspect, and trying to understand the essence of nothingness itself / the obscuration of information is probably going to be particularly tricky.

This is what Aranea says about Horuss, some of which would probably apply to Page of Void Roxy English.

The Page of Void was a self taught master of mechanics, an avid patron of the fine arts, a passionate 8ody 8uilder, archer, am8rosia collector and steamwright. A poet, a scholar, a warrior, a lover, he was all that his caste demanded and more. A true troll Renaissance man. His name means "He Who Stalks With The Muscle8easts." 8ut all of his proficiencies were hard won, 8uilt from the 8lank slate as his aspect would imply, advancing at the slow pace his class would as well. Yet in spite of all he worked to make something of himself, he amounted to very little. Responsi8le for neither great feats of heroism nor acts of villainy, he was just another game piece to 8e moved a8out the 8oard. The aspect ruling his life would always conspire to dampen his relevance. Void is easily the most mysterious aspect, the one which inherently defies rational understanding. This makes it particularly fascinating, and just as frustrating, to light players such as myself. Casting illumination upon nothing itself is futile. For to truly know void is to paradoxically cause it not to 8e! The role of the void player is to somehow em8race nothingness, to 8ecome one with it. And yet in total contradiction with this, to make use of the power it grants and serve a role of relevance, one must find a way to overcome it! To see the limitless potential in the void. To find everything within nothing, and 8ring it into 8eing.

Sounds rough. Maybe Roxy English would be better off as a Rogue of Hope, but unfortunately Jake Lalonde has xir designs on that title. Xir mom said it was their turn on the Rogue class AND the gender.

Anyway, as I understand Roxy, her core personality is very social and playful, though her main motivator is loneliness and and a profound sense of loss. She does her best to deal though. She's pretty much an optimistic nihilist type, though her resourcefulness could also tie back in to her nature as a Rogue of Void.

Roxy Lalonde was very overtly concerned with meeting her long-lost family, so if Roxy English suddenly loses her grandmother like Jake did, I’m sure she’d feel that way even more keenly. Both Roxy and Mom Lalonde seem fixated on funerals, so I'm sure Roxy's English reaction to her grandmother's death would tie into that somehow. She might not be able to save the body from the monsters, but she might try to build something to commemorate her anyway, like Jasper's mausoleum, except filled with stuff like a pharaoh's tomb. She might even pull a Jade and treat her guardian as if she is still alive.

Roxy in canon mentions one of the reasons she started drinking was to feel closer to her mother, so Roxy English might try and imitate her grandmother in a similar way. Probably she would lean into the mad scientist thing a lot more, maybe trying to take up gardening as well. Perhaps a void player would have better luck with the pumpkins than Jake did. She would probably use the appearifier a lot better than he did too, collecting all sorts of things (she "wants for nothing", since pages tend to lack their aspect starting off?) maybe even to the point that she gets overwhelmed with the clutter.

Also I wouldn't be surprised if Roxy English still fell asleep a lot, being drawn to the void, and mirroring both pre-scratch Jade's narcolepsy and Jake getting knocked the fuck out on multiple occasions.

Roxy would still land on Earth with Mutie, which would probably still result in her being fascinated by ectobiology and cats. That might extend to liking animals in general. I like the idea of her going out of her way to study the biology of lusii even if she's afraid of them. If there are any big cat Lusii on the island, she might try to befriend them - and it might even work? Maybe she gets adopted as a Nepeta proxy, the same way Jake was sort of adopted by the fairy bulls as a Tavros proxy. Though the cats are fierce hunters, probably much harder to wrangle than the bulls. And Roxy always seems to kill her cats....

I’m not sure about her relationships yet, but without the post apocalyptic Adam and Eve complex thing going on, she’s probably going to be a bit less, uh, fixated on the idea of having children. But she’s still very socially orientated and might still be on the flirty side.

To dive back into classpect stuff - Horuss is also basically in denial about his relationship with Rufioh, which I think is also tied to his classpect, letting his deliberate ignorance serve him better than the harsh truth would, but holding himself back as he does so. Perhaps Roxy English does something similar, insisting she's in a relationship with Dirk, or whoever she gets a crush on in this timeline. She probably also has a similar way of dealing with the terrifying reality of living on Hellmurder Island, perhaps she convinces herself that she's living in paradise with a bunch of cool creature friends who definitely don't want to eat her. It's fine. She's fine! They'll stop attacking her any day now, she's getting sooooo close to finding the secrets of taming them! And uh. Well if she winds up having to kill them in self defence, at least she stands to learn something from dissecting their corpses...?

Pages seem to have difficulty in managing the reality of their situations in general, I guess. I also like the idea that pages often rely on an imaginary friend figure, but who that might be in this case I'm not sure. Perhaps her grandmother. Rather than an “imaginary” friend I like the idea that it might be actually be the ghost of Calliope or even Alt Calliope, out in the void.

Also I’ve seen people depict Roxy English with a cat skull on her shirt, which is cute!

#alcohol mention #if anybody has any other ideas they can add on #because i'm not necessarily super confident abt these ideas #kidswap #kidswap bs

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kuekyuuq · 4 years ago

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I have to ask...

Where do the anti-supercorp people get the idea from that Lena Luthor is xenophobic?

Are we watching the same show?

I can see how one does not like Lena.

I can see how some of Lena's actions can be considered irredeemable.

I can see that her family was/is xenophobic.

I can agree she made some horrible mistakes in judgement.

Canon told us:

Lena was fired by Lex from LuthorCorp because he thought her naive about her pro-alien stance. The same brother who analysed Lena since she was four.

Lena was horrified when Lex tied her to a chair and made her watch his attempt to kill Superman by turning the sun red

Lena came to National City in hopes to work with Supergirl (an alien)

Lena actively re-branded LutherCorp to LCorp to get rid of the anti-alien stuff and everything else people connected with the Luthor name

Yes, Lena created an alien-detector, but her intention was one out of ignorance (of the backlash this could cause), not of hate - when Kara much later explains the potential bad the item could cause, Lena is very much listening

Lena helps Kara on several occasions, using her intel and providing it to Kara, so Kara can investigate and write articles to dismantle anti-alien organisations (e.g. Veronica Sinclair's fight club, Cadmus)

Lena helps Supergirl on several occasions, using her intel and providing it to Supergirl, so Supergirl can dismantle anti-alien organisations

Lena actively seeks to dismantle Cadmus - the anti-alien group - even before Lena started suspecting Lillian to be involved

Lena schemes against Lillian to use Medusa to kill all aliens on Earth

Lena testified both against her alien-hating mother and brother

As soon Lillian told Lena about Lex' former facilities, she starts looking into them - they are well hidden, so it does take her a while (and by this date in the show, she may still not have unearthed all of them) - and dismantles many of them / continues to give Kara/Supergirl information about them (e.g. when Kara asks Lena for tech to find missing aliens, Lena offers to look into L-Corp (= former LutherCorp) database to search for anything useful for that particular cause

Lena encourages Kara strongly to find a way to warn all aliens about the alien registration manifest being leaked - she inspired Kara to "blob"

When Lillian finds out Lena is pro-alien and helping find the abducted aliens, she has her goons try to scare her off ("nothing permanent" - the goons accidentally threw Lena off her balcony...) - even her own family sees how non-xenophobic Lena is

Lena sacrifices Jack (her former boyfriend and still potential romantically involved one) to save Supergirl (the alien) - and (rightfully) blames the human woman, who controlled Jack, for it

When Lena suspects and confirms Rhea to be an alien, she cuts ties with her - because Rhea lied to her, not because she's an alien

Lena starts working with Rhea (confirmed alien) again - to help aliens who "weren't as lucky" as Rhea's people and to further and better Earth technologies; reduce environmental damages by infrastructure / good transports / traffic.... only to be betrayed by Rhea.

Lena learns Mon-El, Kara's boyfriend, was Daxamite and has zero issues about it

Lena has no issue with Sam being half-alien, but with the Reign-half being a huge menace to Earth, so tries to stop her and save Sam

The DEO kept Kryptonite in case any of the Supers went rogue - like Batman and Oliver Queen kept theirs - Lena kept and created Kryptonite and Harun-El to ...cure cancer; to fight against sicknesses, to use as a clean energy-source, to... do good things

...yes, she lied about it. But, her not-so-wrong reasoning was "if I tell, they will take it away. If they take it away, I won't be able to do good with it."

Lena rather had Supergirl drop her than chemicals that could have harmed thousands (human and alien)

Lena becomes quick allies and friends with Brainy (admitably, in many ways he's more AI than alien...) and befriends Nia later on, too

What else does Lena do with her stash of Kryptonite and the knowledge she gained from it? When Mercy & Otis Graves irradiate Earth's atmosphere with Kryptonite, Lena already has created an anti-Kryptonite suit for Supergirl and the fact it’s already at hand saves Supergirl’s life!

That's only up to season four...

Yes, Lena did shitty stuff in season five. Arguably, for the right reasons, but ‘the road to hell is paved with good intentions’... But were any of those things xenophobic?

The problem she has with Kara in season five is NOT because she’s an alien - but because she felt betrayed, personally. Rightfully so? Eeeeeeeh.... while it surely must have hurt to learn your best friend lied to you and played two personalities, at times taking advantage of it, too - which, let’s be honest, Kara did - Kara did have her reasons (initially), it IS selfish for Lena to assume the worst and take the fact itself so personally. But, everybody lives in their own world, I am sure - dear few readers, who took it upon yourselves to read this monster of a post - we can agree, that we all judge the world and others based on our own perceived reality, based on our own experiences, emotions and circumstance, whether we try to be better than that or not... I’d even make the argument, Lena is more upset with her intimate friend “Kara” (whom she shared her most intimate thoughts and feelings with) having lied to her, than with “Supergirl” taking advantage of her. Being played, Lena can deal with, but trusting and seeing that trust shattered... low blow. Please, correct me if I’m wrong, but to my knowledge, the only time Lena uses Kara being an alien against her, is when she uses and reworks the Fortress of Solitude's already existing settings to trap Kara in there for long enough for herself to get a head-start on getting Myriad to work (how else was she supposed to achieve that?). Myriad, which she wanted to use to STOP hate, including racism (xeno-cism?). Brainwashing everyone is most certainly a veeeeeeery misguided approach, but the premise of ending all hate and the resulting pain is very much like the notion of "praying for world peace" - just that Lena got sick of praying and decided to actually go ahead and do something about it ((again: notion good; (attempted) execution horrifying)).

Even Lena trapping Malefic was to that very end. She trapped Eve (human) as well on that line of thought. At the least, she offered Malefic a deal to his liking as payment...? Eve on the other hand....

If anything, Lena is people-phobic. She has a hard time trusting anyone, remains suspicious to a fault. ...she did effectively kill Eve on Earth-38, though, by over-writing her with Hope.

Kara forgave her aunt, who came just as close, wanting to use Myriad for very similar purposes - and then forgave Lena, eventually, just as much. The difference being, Astra died. We never got to see if Astra would have actually stopped her plan, convinced Non, and/or would have aimed / worked hard to redeem herself...

In the same episode, where Lena's attempts with Myriad failed (and Hope took the fall) Malefic, who had tried to murder multiple people as part of his revenge against his brother (and had targeted Kelly for a while, too) was set free by J'onn and sent to Mars to do good there.

The whole of National City forgave Supergirl (and her potential for going bad and for her causing actual destruction) only a week after the redK incident...

All that said:

1) Lena lied to Kara and played her. Sure, Lena felt betrayed and from her point of view, with her set of experiences and her own preexisting many traumas and (very bad) coping mechanisms, it was... well, understandable... or at least traceable. But, forgivable? That's ultimately up for her victim (Kara) to decide. And, apparently, she does forgive her. Not easily. But she does; understands both sides, evaluates, listens to others, observes the remorse, and makes her own decision / judgement... which is (initially, tentative) forgiveness.

2) The show is REALLY BAD at dealing with characters' actions’ or events' consequences. Period. There is no real consistency, 'cept that things don't have real repercussions. That is how the writers decided to write the show from season one on. If the writers think Kara forgives Lena and show it, then that's that.

3) Every time I read the notion that Lena was/is xenophobic, I can't help but wonder if anyone who claims such even watched the show.

4) Lena is not her brother. She's flawed. She makes mistakes. But for once, Lena and her character are suffering the consequences. That may not enough for the liking of Lena Luthor haters, or anti-Supercorp taggers, but it is what it is - and it is much more than most any actual bad guy had to suffer through. Bad guys with evil intentions, (mass) murderers, people (alien and human) that rationally caused lasting harm and/or trauma to their victims.

5) Lena is not xenophobic.

Kue out.

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oryu404 · 3 years ago

Note

Fairy Tail and Stingue for the ask cause I just got done Fairy Tail and Gratsu and I am filled with the need to know what you think.. lmao

Going to check out what you had to say as soon as I finish this lmao

Alright,

002 | Stingue, my beloveds.

- When I'd started shipping them:

Honestly, the ship flew right over my head the first time I watched the show. I was focused on the story, not on potential ships at all then. It wasn't until I did a rewatch and got to That Scene, the iconic "as long as he's with me," that I slipped and fell into the proverbial shipping hell. Still haven't found the exit yet. Stopped looking. Built a base here 😂

- My thoughts:

Are endless. Ain't nobody got time for that. So I'll simplify and say this pairing grabbed me like no other ever has.

- What makes me happy about them:

Everything? I love their respective character designs (yes, even their terrible fashion senses), and their personalities, and the way they complement each other. I love their dynamic, the way they obviously care about each other but can and will also bicker and fight like an old married couple. The way their fates have been intertwined since they were young, how they've been presented as a duo from their first appearance, how they understand each other like no one else does. I can go on, but you get the idea.

- What makes me sad about them:

I guess I could say the fact that their relationship will never be explicitly stated as romantic in canon, but I think more accurately would be the fact that they'll never be canon because they're both dudes. And I'm adding my... I guess frustration? that a lot of people who don't ship them would do so in a heartbeat if one of them was a girl.

- Things done in fanfic that annoys me:

Lots of things, but you know me. Emo Rogue makes me wanna stab someone 😂 And by Emo Rogue I don't mean a Rogue who gets emotional, because we all know that man is a complete trainwreck when something happens to his damn cat. I mean scene boy Emo Rogue who wears skinny jeans and listens to MCR and cries or self harms through most of the story. Just No.

Equally high on this list are literally any of the shitty yaoi tropes, like the dumb 'this character is an exclusive top and this character is a total bottom,' and any characterization that's basically the author's OC with their names and (parts of) their appearances slapped onto them.

I know no two people look at/interpret a character exactly the same way, and I do think that everyone is free to enjoy their headcanons all they want. They're just not for me most of the time. I'm fine with and even enjoy some of them, but there are quite a few I avoid like the plague.

- Things I look for in fanfic:

The opposite of what I mentioned in the previous answer: characterizations that genuinely feel like them. Again, no one's perfect in this, not even me, but it's easy to tell whether someone wrote them with their canon personalities in mind vs someone who went Fuck Canon I Make The Rules.

That, and a good storyline, or a satisfying scene if it's just a oneshot or drabble, makes for a great fic in my book.

- My wishlist:

More than anything, I wish people would create more content for this pairing, even if not all of it fully matches my (very personal) tastes. I just miss seeing more enthusiasm. Not just for Stingue, but for Fairy Tail as a whole.

- Who I'd be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA No one. Seriously. Ship and let ship, and all that. I'm not here to bash on other people's ships, but this is one pairing I just can't see with others, not even in polyamorous relationships. They just don't have a strong enough connection to any other character that isn't an Exceed for me to see other Sting or Rogue pairings as satisfying.

- My happily ever after for them:

I think they already got it. Sort of. They rebuilt Sabertooth, turned it into a home. Made friends within and outside of their guild. I think they're perfectly happy living out their days going on jobs or bickering over paperwork, coming home to a small apartment or cottage to then bicker over chores. Spending days off to relax or do something fun with Lector and Frosch. Occasionally meet up with friends from other guilds to hangout or spar. You know, stuff like that.

Can't believe this took me a literal hour to write 😂

#ask game #fairy tail #stingue #i wasn't going to ramble #but boy did i ramble #asks

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other-cullen-ficrecs · 3 years ago

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MLM!Cullen Fic Rec List

Inspired by this post. Here is my fic rec list of some of my favorite fics with queer Cullen. Happy Pride :) 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍🌈

Cullen/Dorian

Only True in Fairy Tales by Dragonflies_and_Katydids

Summary: In which Dorian is a special forces operative, Bull is his partner, and Cullen is the guy they're sent to rescue. Hijinks ensue. // Words: 110150

Modern AU. Dragonflies_and_Katydids makes me read the weirdest stuff. But their work is always captivating. The more ridiculous set up the better outcome, I promise. This one is both ridiculous and absolutely perfect. And somehow one of the very few modern au fics in which Cullen's lyrium addiction is well transfered without making it literal.

Fashionably Late by tsurai

For the tumblr prompt: Cullen/Dorian Soulmates AU? <3 "Maker’s breath, this is absolutely the worst timing, he thinks distantly." // Words: 1038

This is but a tiny thing but I'm a sucker for a soulmate AU. Would I love it more if it was 150,000 words? Yes. But I'm just greedy.

COLD HANDS, WARM HEART by spicyshimmy, stonelions

Summary: Cullen and Dorian's friendship deepens. Cullen is a romantic. Dorian is literally cold. Cullen is no longer certain what he would consider surprising. Mages and Templars working in perfect cooperation, perhaps. Evil and corruption disappearing into the ground along with the blight, blood magic falling so far out of favor it ceased to be. A united Thedas: that would be a surprise. // Words: 25369

I think this is most recced Cullrian fic and for a good reason. Slow burn, drama, all the delights.

Light In This Darken'd Time Breaks by RamonaDecember

Summary: Cullen wouldn't say he hates mages, not anymore, but he can't see himself ever trusting one again. Dorian is no exception. The mage is off-color, self-important, and all together too much for Cullen to deal with. So why is it that every time Cullen is at his lowest, Dorian seems to be the only person by his side? // Words: 121289

Slow burn with 121289 words, what more do you want?

Cullen/Bull

Jump In by Dragonflies_and_Katydids

Summary: In which Cullen is almost terminally awkward, Bull and Dorian are literally brothers (because why not?), and Bull tries really hard to be good. Or: In which Dorian tries to set up his brother and his roommate, if he can avoid killing them for being so clueless. (You might get cavities from reading it. Don't say I didn't warn you.) // Words: 33700

What did I say about Dragonflies_and_Katydids and ridiculous premises? But if you're as delighted with awkward Cullen as am I - enjoy.

Dragons from Stars in an Empty Sky by Midna_Ronoa

Summary: The one in which Bull takes Cullen dragon-hunting. // Words: 10423

Fluff and smut and dragons!

Stuck on the Puzzle by thespectaclesofthor

Summary: Once, back in Kirkwall, Cullen had an arrangement with a member of the city guard that satisfied his needs. But time changed all things, and he despaired of ever finding a similar arrangement again - that was, until he met The Iron Bull. Problem being that Bull seemed to care far more about sorting out the nitty-gritty of such an arrangement than Cullen ever has. // Words: 235586

No fic rec lists that can involve Bullen canot do without Stuck on the Puzzle. If you haven't read it - please give it a try. As far as I'm concerned - the best fic in the fandom. And definately one of the best fics in general. <3

Cullen/Dorian/Bull

Exit Light by Dragonflies_and_Katydids

Summary: In which Cullen is suicidally depressed, Dorian is a high-functioning alcoholic, and Bull just wants them both to be happy, except when he wants to crack their heads together for being emotionally stunted idiots. // Words: 77427

This premise is actually very close to canon, compared to some other stories by the same author recced here. The angst? Delightful. The smut? Delicious. The exploration of issues? Delectable! Cheff kisses all around.

to burn cool and collected by toomanyhometowns

Summary: Dorian hums. "Here is the function of the spell: Upon invocationne, ye caster's spyryt shal sterte to ye form of whomsoever mofte recently achieved releafe by hys hande." He taps the page in punctuation and looks back up. "And then there's a lot of text about the vast joys we may experience together, et cetera, et cetera." // Words: 16121

Ok, this list shows more than anything that my main delight is issues and angst wrapped in with porn. Anyway - cracky premise (body swap!), and angsty, sexy outcome.

Hold by queeniegalore

Summary: Everyone knows Cullen doesn't trust magic. But he trusts Dorian and Bull, so maybe they can make this work. // Words: 6654

Issues? Trauma? Kink? I'm a one trick pony when it comes to recs.

Cullen/Cole

Okay now that we’ve gotten the obvious out, let’s enjoy the trully unexpected enjoyment.

Into The Light (Cole/Cullen Ficlets) by Sinister_Kid

Summary: A series of what I hope are tasteful Cole/Cullen fics that don't exploit or overly sexualize Cole's developing character. Based on a prompt I filled out of boredom in which I imagined the spirit actually hearing someone's pain like a physical noise in his ears that caused discomfort. Explores the option of making Cole more human, with my own original take on how that affects him as a character, and depicts Cole developing romantic feelings for the Commander as he discovers what it means to be human. // Words: 20454

I admit I don't often read Cole shippy fics but this one stays true to the info in the summary and it is careful and tasteful. Also Cullen learning to speak with Cole properly - <333

Cullen/Varric

Verse & Volley Triptych by boycoffin

Summary: POSSIBLE TITLES: This Shit Was Even Weirder: A Surprisingly Not-Doomed Romance In The Shadow of the Apocalypse The Commander and the Rogue already taken, Antivan maritime smut with an elf girl in it How The Hell I Ended Up With That Guy: A Tale for The People Who Keep Asking Me About It In Bars The Short and Curlies that's just terrible Love Among the tropey garbage A Tale of Two Names pretentious and unclear The Penman's Paramour Memoirs of a Moron (That He's Going to Regret Publishing and Will Never Hear The End Of for As Long As He Lives) // Words: 133354

One of the very few fics in which I can not only accept but love 1st person POV. Crack. Slow-burn. Pennames. Lovable OCs. DELICIOUS. Also a fic that made me start this blog, so love all around.

Cullen/Krem

Last but not least, my delightful fave (maybe, possibly, probably) and involving a shameless self-plug because it’s the month of pride.

Swordplay by orphan_account

Summary: The Bull's Chargers are undisciplined, untested, and unprofessional; but Cullen can't stop thinking about their lieutenant. // Words: 3910

I have a soft spot for whoever Krem being shipped with not knowing he's trans at first. But also oblivious, pining Cullen <3

If you have been starving, a creature of bone by missivesfromghosts

Summary: Cullen is content with where he is. He has a life and a purpose. He’s doing the Maker’s work and he’s cut the Chantry’s leash on him. He barely thinks about the fact that he’s trans anymore. The last person who knew he was born anything different, barring his sister Mia, died during the Blight. This works for him. That is, until he starts falling for Krem. // Words: 769

A tiny thing but I have a soft spot for the idea. Also what's better than a ship with trans character? A ship with two trans characters. Keep that in mind for further recs actually.

Sweet, Merciful Andraste by Tainaron

Summary: PWP. Honestly, Cullen should invest in walls and a ceiling that don't have holes if he's going to keep having such loud sex. Pure, unapologetic smut between trans men who love each other. // Words: 4187

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ What more do you want from me? Sometimes porn is just porn. Enjoy.

Champions of the Just by Tainaron

Summary: En route to Griffin Wing Keep before the battle of Adamant, Cullen falls prey to an injury that reveals a shameful secret about his trauma with magic. As Cullen struggles with his past, his duty to the Inquisition, and his love life, he becomes increasingly uncertain if he’s the target of an assassination attempt or just his own personal demons. // Words: 67885

Well, I also have some plottier and angstier fics in my rec disposal. This one actually explores the problems Krem and Cullen could encounter in their relationship and all within the canon plot line. Plus bonus points of Cullen actually interacting with other Chargers.

cabbage: a love story by psikeval

Summary: Krem’s grin fades into a quiet smirk, his eyes warm and amused, and Cullen does not forget how to move his legs because he is a grown man, a leader of soldiers, commander of the Inquisition’s army. He breaks the silence by coughing loudly, because he is also an imbecile. // Words: 18932

Creme de la creme of Krem/Cullen fics <3 Fluff, crack, porn <3 This delightful series has it all!

#fic rec #pride month #dragon age #dragon age inquisition #cullen rutherford #bi cullen #cullen/krem #bullen #cullen/bull #culrian #cullen/dorian #culric #cullen/varric #cullen/cole #rec list

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fannishcodex · 4 years ago

Photo

Interesting meta from cruelfeline and others inspired my idea for a role swap AU where the main swap is between Hordak and Adora! There are other character swaps in the AU too, or swap variations.

Hordak is the latest Prim-Al, a living weapon that a First Ones faction clones over and over again each time one perishes in battle. FO created Prim-Al in response to their magitech AI Light Hope going rogue and constructing her own army of androids she calls the She-Ra.

More under the cut, including Queen Adora, leader of the Etherian Alliance and stranded android still loyal to her creator, and her discovery of a baby Hordak (Content Warnings: ableism; child abuse; Catra is a villain and completes her transformation into a Shadow Weaver-like figure, and the implications of that):

But first, a little more summed up detail on Prim-Al’s deal, because there’s more to it:

-Hordak’s genetic template is a mysterious Subject A. The FO took preserved samples of Subject A to continually make clones of him for Prim-Al.

-FO also made a digital copy of Subject A’s mind, a magitech AI named Prime. As a digital clone of an organic mind, much of him acts like an organic mind. Though FO has added some heavy programming and other alterations, they’ve tried to leave much of the organic-based behavior intact for multiple reasons--as an ongoing experiment in digital clones of minds, as an attempt to deter another rogue AI by trying to make this AI more aligned with organics (in contrast, RS!Light Hope was generally not based on an individual’s organic mind, she is not a digital clone like RS!Prime).

(Magitech is what it sounds like--a typically powerful fusion of magic and technology.)

-AI Prime is contained in the RS!Sword of Protection, and is actually the key to its power.

-The clones are actually vessels that channel magitech AI Prime through the sword. When a clone holds the sword, they sync with AI Prime inside, and together they essentially fuse and transform into Prim-Al.

-Prim-Al occurs in two stages. The first stage has some boost in power, some physical changes in body and clothes. The last stage has a greater boost in power and more physical changes--aged up (to a certain point), more muscular, longer hair, clothes, etc.

-AI Prime will only grant power to the clones/can only sync with the clones because they share a blood connection to the organic mind he was based on. This reaction is largely rooted in AI Prime’s magitech nature.

-Despite the death of Subject A, FO was able to preserve his mind and DNA to continue weaponizing him via biological and digital cloning. (The reasons for the FO’s focus on Subject A are also classified, though one can infer that Subject A possessed a power FO wanted to preserve and control....)

-AI Prime/the Sword of Protection is passed down through multiple iterations of Prim-Al.

-One of AI Prime’s functions is to also serve as a living archive of information, and so AI Prime remembers every Prim-Al. He is supposed to have this information available for new clone vessels to access.

-The clones do get names, but as they mature FO generally uses them less and refers to them as Prim-Al more. FO generally mistreat Prim-Al/clone vessels/AI Prime, seeing them as just weapons to keep under control.

FO doesn’t create a clone army because they’re honestly paranoid about creating another powerful enemy; they think that just one Prim-Al under selective limitations will grant them better control and avoid another Light Hope debacle. There are other classified reasons for this too. Also a FO faction created Prim-Al; the entirety of FO are embroiled in a civil war among each other as well as the war with Light Hope and other enemies.

The FO also put limitations on AI Prime for similar reasons, and all the more so because he’s an AI--they don’t want AI Prime to be another rogue AI like Light Hope.

Feel like sharing some design/tone notes:

Besides playing around with fusing traits from both Hordak and Horde Prime, I was also influenced by Link and the Master Sword in Breath of the Wild, as well as the Drifter in Hyper Light Drifter.

(Above: Base Form!RS!Adora is partly a drawover of a show image.)

The She-Ra units are magitech androids with a base form and a more powerful form they can transform into. This transformation is rooted in their magitech nature.

Gonna try to keep these notes on the art as more of a summary for now, and may reveal more specific details about the role swap AU later in separate text posts or even just keep it to later fic--also, still brainstorming, so material in the sketches and the text may change later; and also just felt like this art needed more context/clarification/background info:

(Baby!RS!Hordak is supposed to resemble canon!Imp, thanks to fic from/talking with @revasnaslan. More info on that is below. Also yes, RS!Adora wrapped baby!RS!Hordak in her cape. :3)

FO preferred raising/training/indoctrinating the Prim-Al clone vessels from infancy, thinking this would give them greater control. They also thought it would make Prim-Al feel even more connected to organics and avoid sympathizing with any rogue AI like Light Hope.

RS!Adora finds the alien baby stranded on Etheria due to a wayward portal (like her situation), and she names him “Hordak” based on the little data she gets from the wrecked escape pod she finds him in. The data had only been text that read “Predecessor: Kadroh,” and she just reversed that name for the boy. RS!Adora names him as part of his paperwork, intending to have him sent to the infirmary with the other orphans, she can’t spend anymore time on him.

RS!Adora fought the Prim-Al before Hordak, but never knew his name was Kadroh. She doesn’t immediately see a resemblance between Hordak and Prim-Al because Hordak is a baby and she’s never really thought about Prim-Al being an organic infant before. Another significant thing is that like in @revasnaslan ‘s Where One Fell-verse fic, infants/children of Hordak’s species start completely blue, and then their faces turn white as they mature; also as @revasnaslan pointed out to me, there’s Imp, baby/child-like clone of Hordak without a white face. So RS!Adora slowly starts seeing the resemblance between Hordak and Prim-Al as Hordak’s growing up and his face starts turning white, and she honestly starts internally freaking out because by this point, between having to provide him medical assistance for his defect and having to spend more time with him than intended and watching him grow up more closely than she planned, RS!Adora is attached enough that the implications of Hordak somehow being the latest Prim-Al is distressing for her and provides a serious conflict with her loyalty to RS!Light Hope...

(Also just feel like saying that while I’m brainstorming that RS!Adora is kind of an android that’s been around for a while/like 1000+ years, I’m more in the camp that thinks that canon Hordak is actually quite young/not centuries old, even though he might have the potential for that/he can get that old later.)

There are more details on how baby RS!Hordak ends up on Etheria and the unique situation behind his birth, but that’s for another text post or fic.

RS!Adora passes herself off as an organic (even a native) while on Etheria. One metal arm is left exposed due to a minor glitch there that messes up the regen protocol for her synthetic skin; she pretends it’s just armor mainly for aesthetic/ceremonial purposes. But this is equivalent to a superficial scar, and it does not hinder or cause RS!Adora any great pain. Before Etheria she was considered one of RS!Light Hope’s perfect androids, and a random portal just plucked her from routine combat duty. (Light Hope didn’t really notice; any missing She-Ra units were assumed to be casualties of battle, and she had plenty more She-Ra units to replace any losses.)

RS!Catra is a commander in RS!Adora’s Etherian Alliance. RS!Adora and RS!Catra have grown estranged while nominally on the same side. (I’ve been brainstorming RS!Adora/RS!Scorpia down the line after quite a few things go down.)

RS!Catra learned magic in Mystacor and RS!Light Spinner was her most influential mentor. RS!Catra’s specialty was transforming into a large predatory feline and other spells to strengthen her body. (I just keep getting more intrigued by original ‘80s Catra.)

When RS!Light Spinner roped RS!Catra into helping her with the Spell of Obtainment, things turned disastrous. The spell backfire warped RS!Catra, scarring her with a shadowy substance and granting her new shadow-like powers that made her vastly stronger, but the abrupt and traumatic change wrought by magic led to an initial period of insatiability and loss of control that resulted in RS!Catra transforming into an even larger, shadow-constructed feline that killed/devoured Light Spinner and other sorcerers investigating the commotion. RS!Catra flees Mystacor after this and eventually gains control over her new power, but grows more corrupt with it too, and is also left with a new hunger. Years later RS!Catra throws her lot in with the Alliance of monarchs and RS!Adora to solidify/take control of Etheria. (At the moment there’s tentatively another complicating factor with the Spell of Obtainment in this AU, but gonna leave that for another post or fic while I spend more time privately brainstorming it first.)

(Also RS!Catra’s design is very much based on her S3 finale corrupted form because I thought that was neat and that it could work in this AU. I also liked the idea of just using shadow magic to wrap around her and transform her into a large predatory shadow feline as a callback of her original ‘80s incarnation.)

Though RS!Adora is at the head of the Etherian Alliance with RS!Catra as her commander and essentially right hand, most of its high command is made of princesses and other monarchs/nobles who wished to tighten their control over Etheria. However, the Scorpion kingdom, Bright Moon, and Dryl resisted this agenda, and the Alliance considered them enemies and part of the rebels.

RS!Catra actually does just drop RS!Hordak off at the infirmary with the other orphans, complying with RS!Adora’s orders. Despite sensing some strong magic from RS!Hordak, RS!Catra’s content to leave him with the other orphans and just keep an eye on him for now.

(The magic RS!Catra’s sensing from RS!Hordak is something that can only be really triggered once he has the Sword of Protection.)

But when Hordak’s around four years old, his body starts breaking down/his defect becomes apparent. Many in the Alliance give up on the boy’s use as a soldier-in-training (or even use as a servant) and consider casting him out, despite RS!Adora’s insistence that they have enough resources to spare on providing the boy with ongoing medical assistance. (RS!Adora is motivated by a variety of things, including honoring Light Hope’s precept that all creatures have a place under her reign (until she orders otherwise); and at this point RS!Adora still feels some connection to her fellow portal traveler stranded on Etheria and feels compelled to try to help in this situation.) It’s then that RS!Catra steps in and takes in RS!Hordak as her ward. She still thinks he has use (she can still sense great magic from him) and sees this as an opportunity to position herself as the boy’s “savior” and really secure his loyalty.

Though the relationship between RS!Adora and RS!Catra is gradually deteriorating, the nature of RS!Catra’s true motives for taking in RS!Hordak is essentially lost on RS!Adora. While largely everyone in the Alliance had spurned the idea of keeping RS!Hordak around any longer now that he was defective--something RS!Adora found rather discouraging--RS!Catra’s the only one other than RS!Adora to express some interest in the boy. In the face of that much rejection, RS!Adora thinks that if RS!Catra wants to take RS!Hordak as her ward, she should have him.

RS!Adora constructs RS!Hordak’s first set of assistive armor. This eventually includes surgery and giving him ports for a closer/better connection to the armor. RS!Adora continues to treat RS!Hordak and maintain his armor, and helps educate him on how it works when he expresses interest in it and science/technology in general.

RS!Catra is not a good adoptive mother to RS!Hordak. She trains him brutally, pushes him as far as his defect will allow, telling him he needs to work harder to make up for his defect and keep up with everyone else. Her harsh words encourage his self-loathing, and she does aim to break him down to keep him compliant. She’s basically partly swapped with Shadow Weaver in this AU (partly since RS!Light Spinner isn’t really swapped, she’s partially in a “what if she was really on the wrong end of the Spell of Obtainment and was killed by its backfire like those Mystacor sorcerers were,” and also “what if Catra was her student at Mystacor instead of Micah.”)

For a long time RS!Hordak believes he deserves RS!Catra’s harsh treatment, and is afraid that she’ll cast him out if he’s not good enough. He’s aware that there’s no one else in the Alliance that would really take him in. He worries that RS!Adora would just withdraw her mercy and assistance if she realized how weak he really was, so he often tries to hide as much of that as he can from her, including signs of RS!Catra’s abusive treatment. RS!Catra sometimes softens with RS!Hordak--for example, she taught him how to drive a skiff and those were calm lessons, with RS!Catra less demanding and less harsh than when she trains him in combat--but she does not provide him with consistent care and continues to emotionally/verbally/mentally/physically abuse him.

(Above: Definitely referenced a screenshot from the show. Not pictured: Probably RS!Prime losing his shit immediately after this and cursing RS!Catra out and maybe breaking out a recording of one of RS!Adora’s tongue-lashings to unsettle her.)

RS!Catra is furious when RS!Hordak finally runs away in his teens. Her relationship with him has become somewhat less business and more dangerously personal; she has developed a twisted affection for him as her adopted son, and that makes her reactions even more volatile and harsh when he runs away. RS!Catra does not react well to RS!Hordak’s attempts to escape her.

(When RS!Hordak leaves the Etherian Alliance, he’s a little younger than canon!Adora when she leaves the Etherian Horde due to some reasons that’ll be saved for another text post or fic.)

RS!Hordak isn’t used to getting encouragement from an authority figure/older adult, it always startles him whenever it happens.

(Playing around with role swap AU--also felt like having RS!AI Prime be softer than both canon!Light Hope and canon!Horde Prime, and that’s included him being more supportive/encouraging and even more snarky/playful as another sketch comic indicated above [though part of his humor is just like a result of--he’s pretty old, some inhibitions have just dropped over time and he’s seen quite a few things just repeat over and over, and part of his response to that is to sometimes act more flippant].)

While previous Prim-Al have had some slight variations in appearance depending on the individual clone vessel’s clothing/scars/etc., Hordak’s Prim-Al transformation is the most drastically different. All of his older clone-brothers have had white hair and yellow eyes, and so their Prim-Al transformations have had long white hair and one yellow eye, while the rest turned green and gained visible pupils. Hordak has blue hair and red eyes, and so his Prim-Al transformation reflects that more--the red eye stays, and Prim-Al now has blue hair with a few streaks of white. He has clothes with a primary color scheme of black-and-red instead of black-and-white. Hordak’s Prim-Al is slightly shorter than previous Prim-Al. Hordak’s Prim-Al has more armor, since they shield his defect--which Prim-Al now has since Hordak has it. Due to this, Hordak’s Prim-Al, while gaining a significant boost in power/etc., is typically not as strong as his brothers’ Prim-Al transformations. (However, Hordak’s determination and tolerance for pain is regularly equal to his older brothers’ own determination and tolerance for pain.)

Though the defect remains, the use of AI Prime to trigger the Prim-Al transformation again provides greater power. It also does have some effect on appearance and structure. A closer examination of Prim-Al should show this: Prim-Al looks more like someone recently scarred/mutilated/afflicted with a defect, rather than someone who’s grown up with it. And so, though defective, Prim-Al’s arms look less withered and retain more muscle, and generally look better than Hordak’s usual arms. (And again, they still have a magitech boost going on.)

While FO did program AI Prime to have some regard for the clone vessels, he started caring more than they had planned. AI Prime grew to genuinely care for every clone vessel for Prim-Al, and saw them more as brothers. This now includes Hordak. And though he values his brothers and means well, AI Prime’s cynicism and (remnant) programming can sometimes get in the way of his attempts to help. His own deep-seated trauma can be a factor too.

With every new clone, AI Prime initially tries to distance himself to avoid further pain, because he grieves the loss of every clone--but he ultimately always admits to seeing them as brothers. (With his long life and the FO and Light Hope and other external factors trapping him in this cycle, AI Prime somewhat copes by comparing the whole thing to the passing of seasons. He’ll be passed down to a new clone-brother, he’ll try to resist caring about the clone-brother, he’ll grow to care about the clone-brother anyway, clone-brother dies, he’s alone until the next clone-brother comes, and then the whole thing starts again.)

Though AI Prime is a digital clone of Subject A’s mind, he doesn’t have complete access to his mental template’s memories due to FO intervention. The FO also did not tell AI Prime everything.

Yep the LUVD crystal is there, RS!Entrapta should be another sketch post or fic. She’s gone from like the oldest princess to the youngest princess in this AU, and is around the same age as RS!Hordak.

Thanks for checking this out, hope you enjoyed this AU! Hope to have more about this up later.

Forgot to add: Yep RS!Kadroh is that Kadroh, he’s RS!Wrong Hordak in this AU.

#spop #hordak #adora #horde prime #she ra and the princesses of power #my fanart #role swap au #my fanfic

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ihassheepquake · 3 years ago

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DC's Batwoman 3.02 "Loose Tooth" has aired on the CW, and I'm here to talk about it

Killer Croc, Killer Croc, Killer Croc!

How much do you think they had to pay to use Levitating?

Wait wait wait wait wait, so Aquaman is canon now? Like that's a thing now?? Has that been a thing in the Arrowverse or is this new?? Because I don't remember an Aquaman being canon before.

I really can't get over how much I love this new logo. It looks so much better and I think literally all they did was add some red. Crazy how easy that was.

Okay, so we know that Renee knows that Ryan is Batwoman (and apparently also these two random guards from Arkham that escorted Alice, so thanks for that Renee), but, how are they gonna explain why mass murder Alice is with random ex-con Ryan Wilder? Like, that won't stay secret forever.

I'm guessing this is one of the themes of this season, that all of the villains are new people taking old names (we're probably also only to get Batman's B & C listers other than Ivy. There's no way we're getting a Two-Face, Penguin, or Harley Quinn on this show). Is the Ivy we know is one of the big bads going to actually be Pamela Isley or a new character? The season 3 wiki says it's Pamela, but we'll see.

I love you Ryan but I feel like Luke should've been made the acting CEO. I think he probably actually knows what to do in such a role, vs Ryan who herself has already admitted she thought she'd just be a name on a paper. Wasn't Luke the acting CEO before Kate took over? Why not give him it back? Cause I feel like having Ryan as the CEO is just for this plot moment of the reveal that her mum is Jada Jet.

I am a fan of the dynamic Alice has with the Bat team. What can I say, I love a good villain joins the hero story. And I just like Alice, she's one of the more fun long term, recurring villains.

Fuck yeah Ryan, fuck Jada. You don't need to give a shit about her just because she popped outta her.

WHO TOLD LUKE HE COULD HOT?!

Could you imagine if somebody weaponized the Croc tooth? That was why Black Mask and Kate stole all the stuff last season, in a general sense. Imagine if he was able to make an army of these new Crocs and control them using the mind control tech in the Hatter's hat? And who fucking knows what he could've done with something like a vine from Poison Ivy, or fear or Joker gas. Maybe that should be the season's plot, somebody using all these things to take over Gotham. Or even more, there is a Justice League. The individual rogues couldn't kill the whole League, but an army of them? With multiple of each??

Alice now is not the time to trauma dump on this child. For once in your life, can you just not be a bitch?

I'm into this design for Croc. Personally, I'm a fan of when he's a giant hulking monster such as in the Arkham games, but this one works. I like the way his jaw unhinges, it's very gross and creepy.

Guess that Alice team-up was short-lived, huh? Obviously, she'll be back, but yeah.

The writing team keeps giving Sophie all these emotional speeches. And I'm not mad about it, because her actress does a pretty good at delivering them.

Renee, I love you, but that was potentially a really, really fucking stupid idea. If that gamble was wrong, you would've been fucked.

Ryan, please follow this by reading this bitch to hell.

Next week's episode is entitled Freeze, followed by Antifreeze, which implies it's gonna be a two-parter. Probably a new Mr Freeze villain, but I think it would be more interesting to go in another direction and use one of the other iterations of Killer Frost now that the one on the Flash is just Frost. I would say Louise Lincoln, who has ties to Gotham and Mr Freeze in the comics. But it's probably just going to be a new Mr Freeze, which won't be as fun. We'll find out next week with DC's Batwoman 3.03 "Freeze"

#batwoman cw #batwoman (dctv)#ryan wilder #mary kane #luke fox #beth kane #sophie moore #batwoman #batwing #alice #renee montoya #killer croc #sheep talks superheroes

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trashcatsnark · 4 years ago

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Interesting things I'm learning by poking around unused appearance stuff

So, this mod: https://www.nexusmods.com/cyberpunk2077/mods/2208?tab=files

Lists some unused appearance files for cyberpunk 2077 and I've been poking around in them and wanted to share some neat findings.

This is gonna include multiple references to canon game events; SO THERE MAY BE SOME SPOILERS

There was something with an onsen, multiple characters have files with the word onsen in them. Including; Johnny, Tom, Roxanne, and Evelyn for example. It's not conclusive science, but I'm theorizing rn that the scene where V plans out the attempt to take back clouds with Judy and the dolls and Maiko, like some early idea was for them to go to an onsen/hot spring? Just theorizing. Since it's odd to me that Tom and Roxanne the dolls from clouds would have it as well.

Evelyn at some point had to have been a bigger character than she is in game. She has an early idea for a casual outfit, a combat outfit, an onsen outfit. Which leads me to believe that she was at some point early on meant to be more involved in the game.

Rogue in some of this designs, had Judy's tattoos. And Judy had less/different tattoos.

Speaking of Rogue, some of these files imply that at some point she was suppose to at some point be fuckable in game? I don't know if by V or Johnny. As the appearance seems to suggest it would be her older design, gray hair, so I'm assuming it wasn't meant to be a flashback. But its a file called; 081 sq031_rogue_lingerie. And another slightly differently named, thats the same thing but with or without her having a bra on. She's in her undies. Maybe originally, Johnny in V's body could have sex with Rogue and they scrapped it because they realized the consent on that would be...less than stellar???

Basically every character has an appearance file that to me suggests like they originally were meant to look much different or cdpr was using generic character models to fill in the blanks until they figure out what they really wanted, which is a given. So, I'm not making notes on all of them. But, I do want to point out that some files seem to suggest that Panam was meant to have a much darker skin color and be more unambiguously black at some point. And the only reason I'm pointing that out is because I've seen people try to argue that in game Panam is just "tan" when to me its clear she's a woman of color. But I'm whiter than sour cream, so its not necessarily my argument to have. She did in these appearance files despite having darker skin had white blonde hair in a ponytail (like claire's) but I think that white blonde color is just their placeholder color. Cause its seen on a lot of these half finished appearances.

I think maybe? Maybe? At some point your lifepath was suppose to effect a little bit more. Because there's an appearance file specifically called; 023 v_street_kid_suit. And its default female V in a corpo dress and boots. Which makes me think, and this is pure theorizing, that maybe at some point your life path was gonna impact how you dressed for the konpeki heist? But that might be my nerdy self having wished life path had a bigger impact in general.

Jackie at some point had companions? Or some sort of big group of people, maybe people meant to attend his offrenda? There's a lot of files with something along the line of jackies_companion in them.

At one point Kerry had a bright pink polka dot bathrobe.

Some appearances for Mitch, have Johnny's tattoos and arm for some reason?

At some point Kerry's idea for his incognito outfit was a sleeveless leather hoodie with no shirt underneath. Subtle, Ker.

Otherwise, other than just the general, oh wow at some point they weren't gonna look anything like how they ended up. Those are what stood out to me. Kerry's original "old" 2077 look was pretty different, appearances named for Oda and Takemura look nothing like them. Originally 2013-2023 Rogue just had the same hairstyle as default female V or Judy, instead of her glorious mullet. Alt went through a hairstyle and facial features change. Judy at some point just had plain black hair (and a completely different face) and literally those early 2013-2023 rogue and early judy apparance in these files looked like twins. Maybe it was just a generic filler look until they got the details they wanted. Evelyn at some point was gonna be blonde maybe? With a pixie cut in some appearances.

#cyberpunk 2077 #cp2077

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rosethornewrites · 3 years ago

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Fic: a grain of millet drifting, ch. 1

Relationship: Niè Huáisāng & Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn

Characters: Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Original Characters, Nie Huaisang

Additional Tags: Assassination Attempt(s), Introspection, Regret, Travel, Post-Canon, POV Third Person, POV Wei WuXian

Summary: Wei Wuxian wanders after parting from Lan Wangji, looking to understand the changes in the world since his death, seeking to understand his place in it. He doesn't realize he's being watched. Frankencanon, so this has a liberal mixture of CQL and MDZS.

Notes: See end.

AO3 link

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Wei Wuxian hadn’t lied to Lan Zhan after their brief confrontation with Nie Huaisang in Cloud Recesses, not exactly.

Knowing why he’d been brought back, whether somehow his old friend had chosen him specifically for his own reasons, or if that had been entirely Mo Xuanyu’s call, wouldn’t change anything.

And part of him didn’t want confirmation of how much Nie Huaisang had meddled with along the way.

So much had been broken, so many people lost, and a part of him wanted to believe the façade that the indolent Nie Huaisang he had known during their days in the Cloud Recesses still existed.

But once he’d left Lan Zhan and set off on his travels with Little Apple, once he started getting used to being alive again, to having even the tiny wisp of a jindan, barely beyond zhuji, that Mo Xuanyu had gifted him, something he could build on, something other than the gaping hole that had ultimately consumed him, he’d had to face some truths.

He had no family, no home. He didn’t know if Jiang Cheng would ever want anything to do with him, and he wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t. As much as he would always love Lotus Pier, he didn’t know that it had ever really been his home.

In some ways, his leaving had been inevitable. Despite being head disciple, he’d never been welcome. And the fall of Lotus Pier would forever be his fault, the ghosts of his own doing. He’d never regret protecting Mianmian and Lan Zhan, but he would always regret the massacre that had followed.

Even if he’d technically been absolved of the death of Jin Zixuan and the bloodbath of Nightless City and shijie’s death, his actions had still led to them.

Wei Wuxian spent long, sleepless nights under the stars and listening to Little Apple snore outrageously coming to the understanding that he’d left the Burial Mounds with his sanity shredded. The war and continued use of resentful energy without a jindan had only worsened it. He’d raised the dead, the ancestors of their enemy, defiling their bodies to win the war, and he’d earned a dark and deviant reputation in doing so.

After the war, he’d taken to drinking to dull it all, and doing so had destabilized his mind further. He was sensitive about his inability to cultivate, but couldn’t explain why. Surrounded by people who wanted him to do what he could not, he had spiraled.

Really, by the time he’d saved the Dafan Wen temporarily from their fate and gone back to attempt to live in the Burial Mounds, he’d been hanging by a thread. Wen Qing had bullied him into taking care of himself, for the most part, but he’d spent more days than he could count in the Demon Slaughtering Cave capable of little more than opening his eyes, what little energy he had dedicated to keeping the Seal under control.

He remembered very little past Jiang Yanli’s death and waking up in the Burial Mounds with the remnants of the Wen who knew death was coming. The seal wanted more, another Nightless City. And he’d known he could absolutely destroy the Jianghu—but that the Seal wanted it gave him enough pause that he knew he needed to destroy it and end it all.

He’d managed to find a way, but the Siege happened just as he was ready. What little sanity he had left went toward an attempt to hide A-Yuan—maybe the one good thing he had managed. And then, as the aunties and uncles and popo were massacred around him, he could only focus on destroying the seal.

Dying in the way that he had, ripped to shreds by corpses, had been agonizing, though the benefit of Jiang Cheng stabbing him had meant he’d died faster. He didn’t know if his shidi had meant it to be a kindness, but ultimately it had lessened his suffering before he died. It was likely a better death than anyone else would have given him.

But Jin Guangyao had been right: even before he’d absconded with the Wen remnants, his actions during the war, his temper and frayed sanity, his rages, his desecration of the dead… All of it had painted a target on him.

No, he’d painted it on himself with blood.

Wei Wuxian had come back in a body not tainted by the resentful energy that had burrowed its way into his bones before his death, despite it being his old one free of scars and birth marks, his sanity somehow restored, and was able to see his own self-destruction and how he had made that the only path he could walk through his own trauma-fueled hubris.

Maybe those years dead had done something to heal whatever damage he had inflicted on his own soul, as well. He remembered nothing of that time, and waking up in a body had been like opening his eyes after a long sleep. He’d known he’d been dead, had known time had passed, though not how much at first. Everything that had occurred leading to his death felt so immediate, particularly shijie’s death and the knowledge he’d left A-Yuan hiding but didn’t know if he’d survived.

The relief he felt that he had at least saved one person couldn’t be quantified.

Part of the journey was trying to find where he fit into the world now, but most of it was reflection and coming to terms with the reality that now existed.

He’d steered away from larger cities, opting to travel smaller roads to villages off the beaten path. Many, it seemed, had problems with restless spirits and the like—the occasional yao, even. He took care of what he could, and drafted letters to Lan Zhan when it was something that required more than he was currently capable of.

Perhaps that was something he’d learned—to rely on others and not try to fix everything himself. He could probably handle it all, but there were costs of using resentful energy too much, and in this life he didn’t particularly want to pay them.

So he communicated with the odd hungry ghost, used talismans to take down roaming fierce corpses, and handled the smaller yao that he could handle with the jindan he had, using these night hunts to help develop it further, hoping one day he could retrieve Suibian from Jiang Cheng and be able to wield the blade again—assuming his once-brother would let him have the sword.

Everything beyond, that would require more spiritual energy than he had or more resentful energy than he was comfortable using, he sent to Lan Zhan so the local cultivation sect could be alerted. He dared not send them a letter himself; people still had strong feelings about the return of the Yiling Patriarch, and it was just as likely he’d be blamed for the problem as anything.

The rural route he took left him able to travel in anonymity as a rogue cultivator, offering essentially any name but his own. Thanks to the ugly Yiling Patriarch talismans, the common folk didn’t know what he looked like. Most often, he went by Wei Yuandao, reminded of Mianmian’s happiness at seeing him when he did, that there were people in the world who didn’t hate or fear him. The villagers didn’t know him, were grateful for his help, whether in setting a spirit to rest or helping with odd jobs in exchange for a meal and a place to sleep by a hearth.

Much of the time, though, he slept beneath a blanket of stars.

One night like that, he heard the sounds of a scuffle and rushed to see what was going on. He expected to need to fight off a bandit, but instead he found a man in Nie colors running through a man dressed head to toe in black, face masked.

As he stood gaping, the Nie disciple bowed to him.

“Wei-gongzi.”

That confirmed a suspicion, and the logic of the situation ran through his mind at the speed of light. The courtesy, the Nie colors, what was clearly a would-be assassin’s body at his feet. Finally, Wei Wuxian sighed.

“How many assassins?”

The young man smiled.

“Five in as many weeks. You are as smart as Nie-zongzhu said.”

Wei Wuxian snorted at that.

“Not if I didn’t realize assassins were being sent after me. I’m guessing Nie-xiong knew they’d be hired and sent you to protect me in secret?”

He’d honestly thought he was being left alone by the cultivation world, especially since he wasn’t causing any trouble. How very naïve.

The man nodded curtly, then bent to rifle through the corpse’s clothing, looking for clues and stripping it of valuables, every bit a Nie.

“He wanted you to be able to travel without worry.”

Ah, Nie-xiong…

Perhaps Nie Huaisang was used to working from the shadows and had an agenda, or perhaps he truly just wanted Wei Wuxian to be undisturbed. Whatever his reasons for the secrecy, with this that ship had sailed.

But Wei Wuxian had no idea why Nie Huaisang would bother, not after he threatened him at the Cloud Recesses. Implied threat, but still—he’d expected that would burn a bridge. Not… this.

“I suppose I’m overdue for a visit to the Unclean Realm,” he said after thinking it over. “You may as well travel with me openly, unless Nie-xiong would prefer you watch over me in secret?”

Despite the protection he’d sent, Wei Wuxian didn’t know if he wanted the Nie clan officially associated with the Yiling Patriarch.

“Sect Leader was not specific about this eventuality. Traveling together openly may deter assassins, though it is easier to catch them off guard if they believe you unprotected.”

Ah, so Nie Huaisang didn’t care. Wei Wuxian waved off the concern. Now that he knew the threat, it was easily dealt with.

“I can set talisman traps around the campsite. Probably should have done that to begin with.”

But he’d been trying to have faith in the cultivation world, he didn’t say. Once again, misplaced faith and he should’ve known better.

“At least that way you can get real sleep as we travel to meet with Nie-zongzhu.”

They were a week of travel from the Unclean Realm, and he supposed he’d get answers to questions he hadn’t known he had then.

He headed back to his campsite, happy to see his Nie protector was following, and set a gourd of water near the fire to heat and pulled out some tea.

“In the meantime, we can talk about these assassins, eh? We’ll bury the body in the morning.”

It’d been over a decade since he’d last dug a grave, and it wasn’t to bury a body, but he was sure he could manage with the Nie’s help.

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Zhuji is the foundation building stage of cultivation, the stage before forming the jindan/golden core. Basically, Wei Wuxian is saying Mo Xuanyu was barely into the stage of forming a golden core, so it’s barely a wisp, but is still something that has the foundations built for him.

This fic was… unexpected. I wanted to write something for Nie Huaisang’s birthday, kind of a reconciliation between him and Wei Wuxian, and this happened. It will likely be no more than three chapters.

The title is a reference to a translation of a Su Shi poem, “First Ode on the Red Cliffs,” which was written after his first exile (he was exiled twice, both times for his poetry), while he wandered. There are several translations floating around, but I liked the wording of this one.

#the untamed #mo dao zu shi #chen qing ling #cql #mdzs #wei wuxian #wei ying #nie huaisang #untamed fanfiction #untamed fanfic #untamed fic #cql fanfic #cql fanfiction #cql fic #mdzs fanfic #mdzs fanfiction #mdzs fic #my fanfiction

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