#i will fight him I WILL FIGHT HIM HE CANNOT HAVE LUNAR BACK. HE IS BANNED. bloodmoon is allowed to be tho. he did nothing wrong to lunar

[socksandbuttons]

A whole Lunar post because he... is my baby now. I have decided he needs the world and look at him go. Beautiful. Watch ONE show and suddenly u have blorbo. Lunar being from the Sun and Moon Show on youtube. The lore got to me.

Bonus Lunar alt stuff cause i wanna try giving him soemthing. i love seeing the multitude of many deisgns people have done. I also love the new design look at him. Showtime.

the sleeves ar enice but also fluffy.... but it hides his arms which i like the gradient so.

[amphiptere-art]

Issues with Eclipse's treatment

What good behavior can you expect out of a character that has been dealt nothing but wrongs?

Eclipse has no reason to be kinder.

Eclipse spent a year abandoned in somebody's head watching a version of himself live a better life.

From the very moment eclipse was born he has only known that people hated him.

Eclipse has always been treated bad. So why expect anything else.

Eclipse has never treated anyone good. So no one will expect him to treat anyone good.

Eclipse will always be snarky towards moon and others because he is not expecting them to treat him any better.

Old Moon caused eclipse pain. Never once did he apologize for it.

Copy Eclipse still hasn't heard Moon's apology.

Eclipse's only goal is to figure out why he is alive. Presumably to make it so he cannot be alive ever again.

Eclipse did not want to be alive. Neither do I think the fandom did.

Eclipse is going insane due to the fact that he is essentially a zombie that keeps coming back. Each time lesser and lesser then their original self

Eclipse might be believing his insanity is normal. No one else is helping him with it. And only uses it as a slur.

Eclipse possibly has thought of reckless suicide attempts.

Eclipse is totally on board dying.

Eclipse might be angering moon to get him to lash out purposely. To trigger the bomb.

Eclipse did trigger lunar enough to kill him.

It is unsettling that the fandom does not care about this angle because it is "too violent" for the main show.

Crimes unrightfully stacking against copy eclipse who did not do them only remember.

Crimes of OG Eclipse should be there's alone.

Crimes of backup Eclipse should be there's alone.

Crimes of copy Eclipse should be there's alone.

Copy eclipses only crime is remembering the previous crimes and kidnapping ruin. The only other bad thing he does is spit threats.

Moon has essentially pinned every crime from the previous eclipses onto copy Eclipse. Putting him on a death sentence because of those crimes. And making him do manual labor or else he will expedite that death sentence.

Moon's behavior has improved very little. His behavior has best improved towards sun and closer friends. Any other behavior has stayed relatively the same.

Moon's self-improvement was cut short by his death. And unfortunately New Moon is spiraling back into the same bad habits.

New Moon's behavior has unfortunately turned very sour. He is easier to anger, and has started the verbal abuse up once again.

Moon has always wanted eclipse dead. Never once was him disappearing good enough.

Moon will continue to think he is in the right because he is "always right".

Moon continues to make decisions without considering others.

Moon and Sun have continuously laughed at the villain's faults. In eclipses case it is laughing about insanity. Something caused out of mistreatment and abandonment. Something they caused.

Moon has used eclipses insanity and madness as a slur against him.

Moons abuse is worse and has stayed longer than eclipses abuse.

Sun has spent at least 8 years being abused by old moon. Enough that it has lasted even after his death.

Moon's harassment includes putting sun in dangerous situations, pushing and shoving him, Hit him canonically once, Whatever type of fighting happened when they were in one body, and verbal abuse.

Sun is continuously scared that he will say something to upset Moon. Expecting him to revert to old habits.

Sun only thinks his and Moons relationship is "good" when everything is going ok.

Sun might not realize how much Moons abuse affected him. Given that he saw it as normal for so long.

Sun was confused as to why lunar would kill his brother. Given that he might have seen the abuse as "not as bad". Which is telling that he is desensitized to his abuse.

Eclipse's harassment towards sun was never really personal. It was personal towards moon. Sun was just the easy way to harm him.

Sun has never once had any free time to go through all these issues.

Lunar only spent a month of physical abuse under eclipse.

Eclipse harmed lunar 3 times, tried to kill him twice, gave him panic attacks a couple times, and blew him up once. Most of his abuse was verbal.

Eclipse's harassment towards lunar was only out of fear of losing his victory.

Never once did eclipse ever really try to treat lunar as a brother better than moon would. He only used it as a word to compare themselves to Sun and Moon.

Eclipse also did care for Lunar's health. The code checking was only for health concerns. Along with many other scenarios where eclipse was worried about his health.

Lunar was happy with eclipse for some time. In many videos they are very entertained and happy with each other. It is only when eclipse got the star that it started going south.

Eclipse most likely started harming lunar due to generational trauma. Basing off of moons actions.

The fandom is ignoring moons wrongs in order to support the protagonist.

The fandom is letting this mistreatment slide despite the majority of the characters encouraging it. Believing Eclipse's mistreatment is the only way for eclipse to have a redemption.

Expecting redemption is unlikely. Eclipse has no reason to change. And sun moon have no reason to not hate him because of such.

There is not many scenarios without breaking character where they want to help eclipse get better.

Eclipse has been called an evil entity by magic people. Making his fate clear on a destiny level.

Moon wants him dead. Although it's softens with every encounter.

Sun wants him dead. Although that is just a statement as he was surprised at lunar's actions against eclipse.

Lunar wants him dead. And did so to seek a peace they did not gain.

Monty wants him gone. And finds Eclipse's torment hilarious.

Solar doesn't have an opinion because he's following Moon.

Earth doesn't believe he can change because he is too stuck in anger. She currently doesn't seem to have a healthy outlook on Eclipse doing anything else but bad. She is also unfortunately grown fearful due to his death.

Ruin is scared of him due to his kidnapping. Also multiple outlash believing he is his creator. Although this might be null given new actions.

Puppet finds eclipses torment hilarious.

Freddy has called eclipse an evil entity he wants gone.

Loss of a villain. The only replacement we have been offered is Moon themselves, and this mysterious entity that we do not yet care about.

They have shelved blood moon because making him a worse villain backfired. They changed the character too much and made the protagonists too misunderstanding of them.

They are doing the opposite of blood moon with eclipse. But they are attempting to stay in character. Making a muddled directive.

They are dragging Eclipse into the sympathy card and making their own protagonist bad guys by doing so.

They are failing to make the villains sympathetic, Because Moon is just as bad. Eclipse is unable to outcompete the bad.

Eclipse might very well die or be shelved similar to Blood Moon. Just so the show writers do not have to deal with the backlash of his mistreatment.

This is a cycle of abuse. Eclipse will never forgive Moon, and at this point believes there is not going back. Moon will never forgive eclipse, and believes that eclipse will never change. Both are too prideful to let go.

And nothing will change until one of them or any of the other characters let go.

If anyone wants to ask if I could add/modify/or remove points I am open to do so. Just give me reasonable counter arguments or new points to add.

I will note, I stopped watching the show for my own health. So while I can add new or modify points to match with the new story. I will not know all the details and can only go off of what people tell me. So excuse me if some of these points are a little old or misinformed.

[rowanyx]

So in the Adventuring Party, Brennan asked Beardsley whether there is a world in which Kristen gives up being a Cleric.

Mechanics-wise, I understand why the response was a no. That kind of big change would have a lot of restructuring to do, from the character sheet to minis to even plot changes, which would be difficult mid-season like this. (See Riz's sub-class change from Inquisitor to Arcane Trickster happening now, rather than when we actually met Pok)

Story-wise, though, I respectfully disagree. In fact, I posit there is many a world in which Kristen could change her class.

The big one, I think, would be Paladin. Especially either Redemption or Oathbreaker. After all, you could easily argue that this whole situation (i.e. Cassandra seeing Kristen not putting her priesthood first, dying, and the new mysterious voice that taunted the party with the rotting corpse of the god Kristen already failed) cumulates into exactly the type of description for an Oathbreaker (going back on their word and then joining up with some evil entity instead). And, well, after two gods dying, one you've very much stated to want to be good for but can't get yourself to do so, sounds very much like the type of person that would seek Redemption. If not for themselves, at least for others.

And this could also work to show sort of backslide into the Applebee's family drama. After all, we know Bucky just started as a Paladin himself. He's probably not high enough leveled to have a sub-class of his own, but doesn't Redemption fit? The kid who was forced into Kristen's old role, who is already going around trying to save his classmates from Hell? If Kristen did switch to Paladin, they would most likely share classes (something like Gorgug's Artificier track, school-wise). A perfect opportunity to flesh out the relationship there, either to save Bucky from Mac and Donna or have him 'save' Kristen.

Of course, these are just two of the easier paths to see.

Porter did want another Bad Kid in his classes, didn't he?

Maybe Kristen finds she desires a guide and becomes a Totem Warrior Barbarian.

Maybe Kristen decides that just because her parents suck, doesn't mean the whole bloodline did. This causes her to delve into old records and come out of it as a Path of the Ancestral Guardian Barbarian.

Another idea, given the Buff Kristen movement, is a Fighter. Especially the training and power describing a Champion or the fighting spirit of a Samurai, to lose so many gods and keep going.

Or maybe she finds the issue is the evangelizing. That she cannot dedicate herself to bringing others into her path, but still desiring a higher being to help her. There are many to make a Warlock Contract with. She's even living with one, technically, by way of Fig's Archdevil job.

You could even argue for an Eloquence Bard, with all the speeches and now the Presidency campaign.

Or hey, Cassandra was a moon goddess, wasn't she? Maybe even a Lunar Sorcerer.

Unlikely but theoretically possible, she's just desperate to fix something and takes up Artificing. After all, how different can a Battle Smith really be? It's still healing and protecting, right?

Or, let's revisit an old topic. At the top of the game, Kristen was called the Chosen One. We saw that title following her even after leaving Helio. Sol treated her kindly for it, she invented YES! and even reinvented it into YES?. An argument can even be made that that's part of why Cassandra was fixed so easily after clinging to her. But what is that? Where is that power from? Perhaps some new magic awakens in Kristen. That of a Divine Soul Sorcerer.

Just, Kristen, taking a hard look at religion and Clericdom and deciding maybe it wasn't right for her.

[sincerely-sofie]

Tried drawing the cast of The Present is a Gift in a more updated way. I’m proud of how these came out!

Notes on the designs (along with some fun trivia for the AU) below:

Kip has a lot of pins on his messenger bag that indicate rank and training after he signs up at a new guild. They're his pride and joy, and he spends a lot of time polishing them! Kip also didn't struggle to evolve like Twig did, and in fact almost had a double evolution where he turned into a swampert immediately after evolving into a marshtomp! You can see he's got a lot of features from his next evolution, one of the most obvious being his coloring.

Darkrai is... well, there's not much to say about his design, as I didn't take too many liberties, but here's a fun fact about him in my AU: when he was first created, he was terrified of the dark. His opinion of it has greatly changed once he got a handle on his abilities, but he once trapped himself for several days in a dark abyss he accidentally created, and he had to be fished out by Cresselia, which really didn't help his initial opinion.

Twig has only a few scattered scales on her body! Charmeleons are covered in scales, but charmanders don't have any--- so as a result of her incomplete evolution, she's only got a few scattered patches here and there. She also wears a little shawl with a lunar feather sewn onto the hem most of the time because she gets cold easily. She's very upset about that fact--- she's a fire-type, dang it--- but she also didn't grow up from infancy learning how to manage her inner temperature and the flames she can summon. This is also the reason she prefers to fight using her fists and the occasional stick--- she doesn't like fire, and she can't control hers well at all. As a result of her difficulty regulating her flame, it changes colors regularly, almost like a mood ring.

Celebi is pretty much the same as her standard design, minus the eyelashes and the little keyhole window in her "shirt", so here's another bit of trivia: She cannot whistle, and is really bitter about this. Do you know how many times she could wolf-whistle sarcastically to make the Funniest Jokes ever but the universe has deigned to make her incapable of it? It's a lot. It's a lot. She pretends to not be angry about this but it's extremely obvious. The future trio have a ban on whistling in their household so as to keep the peace and prevent Celebi from flipping tables.

Grovyle has this ratty old scarf he's always wearing... it's covered in patches and holes and has had to be stitched back together on numerous occasions after it fell apart at the seams. Twig has repeatedly asked him why he keeps the old thing when he could just get a new one, and he always dodges the question. Turns out she made that thing by hand and wore it with pride as a kid, and that Grovyle started wearing it himself after they were separated in the passage of time. It's always on him, even if he's not wearing it.

Dusknoir has a lot of scars! More than you'd expect for someone so capable in a fight. The reason for this is that he'd encourage the sableye to go all out when training with him--- and would get upset if they held anything back. The Dark Future wasn't a place for hesitation, and he needed to erase any hint of it in their minds if they were to survive there. The end result is a number of scars he got from training those six up that he wears with pride. The man is essentially a fridge with his kids' crayon art on it in his eyes. One of them nearly took off one of the frills on his collar and he just about wept with how proud he was. The sableye in question thought he was in so much pain he was crying and freaked out.

[dystopyx-blog]

It’s moth time baby

Ivo the Io moth.

He’s the delusional archetype. Funnily enough, he is the most sane, rational, and normal one of the group. So excuuuuuse me, princess if he assumes that he’s the one you’re dating! hes just a sane, rational being, and you’re his exhausted partner (exhausted cuz you have to deal with the other freaks)

Another weird delusion is he treats the other moth men like they’re your kids?? You’ll tell the others to knock it off/stop fighting and he’ll come in like “listen to your mother.’ And everyone’s just “???” I imagine business casual attire, medium length hair pulled over one shoulder idk how to describe it…

Appearance: Pretty tall, Kuu and Atlas are just fuckin freaks /hj. 5’9 As I mentioned I have a specific hairstyle in mind but ajsjdhdudnududdi idk man. Wears a simple pale yellow dress shirt, his wings draped behind him. The biggest/fluffiest antenna of all the bois. Soft, kind eyes. Fluff around neck, arms, and legs.

Okay so does anyone know the “sex-crazed moths” meme?

Because my obsessive moth i inspired by that.

Kuu the Luna Moth

the poplar hawk moth is the one associated with that particular meme But I’m using the Lunar moth for my obsessive boyo because fuckin look at it. Luna moths, like the poplar hawk and most other large moths, have no mouth and cannot eat or drink. They fuck then die. My boy Kuu has a moth, but that doesn’t make him any less desperate to get with you. He is the prettiest fuckin boy. And he is so so so fuckin desperate for you. He’s also fuckin pathetic. Pretty boy who’d [REDACTED my blog is all ages!!] if you so much as touch him istg With the other boys he’s an egotistical sassy drama queen but with you he’s just desperate lmao

Appearance: Tall and thin. 5’11 Loooooong white/pale green hair trailing all the way down his back. Man exclusively wears robes and kimonos and the like. Handsome man. PRETTY BOY.

Ash the Cinnabar Moth

Okay actually I’m unsure of possessive I want a bigger moth but also I kinda wanna go with cinnabar moth? Edgy boi who feels entitled to you. Gets into the most fights. Possessive but also kind of tsundere. He is smaller than most of the others, arguably a lot simpler looking too, but he has a BIG personality. His name is Ash.

Appearance: Second smallest. 5’6. Least fluffy. Black hair with a red highlight, black antena. Red pants, black boots. Red bandana on neck. Black leather jacket with red accents. Piercings. Rounded sunglasses. And cinnabar wings ofc.

Atlas the… well, Atlas Moth

heheheheheh i am very basic when it comes to protective type yanderes and i refuse to branch out 🫵🫵🫵 My protective guy is a biiiiiiig big big man, big softy, big teddy bear. Who will hammer someone’s head with his bare fist if they hurt you!!! Wraps you up in massive, soft wings 🥺 He just stands behind you… menacingly (to anyone else, as soon as you turn to look at him he’s all smiles!) So what better than the atlas moth? And Atlas is already a perfect name, so Atlas!

ATLAS: BIIIIIIIG BOY BIG. 6’1 Dorito shaped tbh. Wears flannel but the flannel is the pattern of the moth teehee. Brown pants. Work boots. Gloves probably idk. I think for hair hmmmm braided? Man bun? I dunno!!!

Roman the Rosy Maple Moth!

Finally We have our Manipulator. His name is Roman, but darling pleeeease call him Maple 🥺 The rosy maple moth. He’s just a lil guy! He’s baby! But oooo he’s schemin and plottin. With you he’s just baby, just an absolute delight, and so fuckin cute and fluffy. How could you possibly say no to this soft boy?! But he will tear another’s throat out. He will lie and corrupt and manipulate. He’s secretly incredibly rude, vulgar, and sassy. But with you he’s a perfect angel <3

Appearance: the smallest. Like 5’3. Fluffy yellow and pink hair, bog soft yellow attend, big precious puppy dog eyes. Massive fuckin yellow hoodie that is SUPER fuckin fluffy, with pink sleeves. Smallish pink n yellow wings. The hoodie goes down to like just above his knees. Pink leggings and pink calf high converse.

[dana-chan-the-control-brain]

I think.. Ruin is innocent only as long as Eclipse is suspicious of him. Cos of narrative tropes, you know?

While Moon was the most suspicious, there was definitely an angle of 'aha! my paranoia was justified!' that could be taken.

With Eclipse being the most suspicious of Ruin, Ruin has to be innocent. Because Eclipse is a 'not-exactly-retired-but-currently-on-hold' antagonist. As an antagonist, Eclipse cannot be allowed to be right. Because if he's right, it means that the good guys are wrong, and good guys can't be wrong even when they are the narrative just ignores it i will never get over the fucking time out box i will never get over the fight.

So pretty much the moment Eclipse figures out someone else to hound, its gonna be like 'ah, yeah, it's Ruin'.

(Anyway the idea of it actually being Ruin makes me a little sad, even though your points are exhaustive AND excellent, I'd recently found out about the spell copying myself-- but like. This fandom decided KC was a dad and that Lunar and Eclipse secretly miss having a sibling relationship, I am more than capable of tossing a blanket over Ruin being the culprit and going 'nope! 8D' for fanwork purposes XDDD)

I mean you're totally valid.

And I think it'll be actually interesting for the heroes to be wrong.

Right now the track record is really bad with Lunar killing Eclipse.

(Although I will cry about KC's missed potential forever. KC had no reason to NOT fight and had no reason to disown BM so hardily. )

Although. Eclipse never said he hated Lunar.

Eclipsev3 wanting to use Lunar as a battery came at him because a Directive put it in his head to do it. That's why he was talking to himself and seeing hallucinations of himself. He was losing it (and he'll lose it more) But Eclipse never said he hated Lunar. Eclipsev2 also never killed him. He left him alive intentionally. He was all powerful. He knew he left a nanobot alive. He wanted to kill part of himself.

Lunar said a deep desperate part of him wants to go crawling back to Eclipse. (said in LAES when Moon and Lunar had their therapy talk with Earth.)

However. Ruin has just lied about everything. I do not trust him as far as I can throw him.

And we sadly already know what Cured Ruin Sounds like....... And The Ruin that we have now... DOES NOT sound like that.

Davis was clearly channeling Fnaf Canon Eclipse for Ruin during the small times he broke through with his "help me"s.

And the Ruin we have today certainly just sounds the exact same as Virus Ruin, just more timid and less crazy.

Also... Eclipse V2 before he died said some interesting things THAT HAVE ALL COME TRUE SO FAR.

Star beings that are coming, Lunar being the key to set things in motion.... All of Eclipsev2's predations before his death came true.

Evil!Sun says that he knows who Made Eclipsev3-4. He also told Moon to listen to Eclipse.

So far. Eclipsev3's number one suspect is Ruin.

Evil!Sun basically told Moon like "I know who it is. Listen to the crazy person who is hacking out a lung to talk to you."

So for me personally, I think it's explicitly confirmed who made him at this point.

[winterrhayle]

rank all of the 6 lunar chronicles books! i've asked a few of my friends irl this and ive seen very differing opinions so im curious (and ive seen how much you like ranking so..😂)

LOLLLL yeah ranking is my favourite thing ever ever ever ever ever ever its so fun okay (this is kinda long sorry hahaha) :

winter - this probably isnt a shocker, bc well ^^^ my url😭 literally what does this book NOT have. its 800+ pages, it contains so many perspectives, every single ship, every character dynamic is fully formed, the plot is insane and weaves together so well, the drama, the luna visuals, JACINTER, MISS WINTER HAYLE BLACKBURN.... like......... name a better book.... exactly. winter > everything. this is my go to book to reread and i think that its actually etched into the grooves of my brain. i have 2 copies of this book and they are my prized possessions

fairest - okay this ranking might be controversial, and i hate levana as much as everyone else does(just a disclaimer lol). but I LOVEEEE a character study, specially when said character is a villain. i read fairest after i'd completed all of the main 4 books and it just added so many more layers to the lunar characters (winter, levana, jacin etc), and also introduces us to evret, who is talked about in the main series but as we know he dies before the events of tlc :( but i loved his character and i found this book so interesting, also as a winter girl it was cool to see her parents, and her as a baby / toddler,, and also the og trio winter, jacin and selene / cinder own my WHOLE soul bc they are soooo <33333333333333 this book actually breaks my heart soo bad every time but i still crave rereading it bc its so good

cinder - ahhh when everything was somewhat simple, i like rereading this one to just go back to square one and like. reminisce on how everything begun and look at all of the seeds marissa planted (like that brief mention of winter and the descriptions of jacin aka the blond guard or whatever it was they described him as) . and i just love the kaider of it all of course and idk this one is just so nostalgic to me

scarlet - something about this book just keeps me on edge every time i read it. i literally cannot put it down once i start it and even though i know all of the plot twists and everything now im just constantly hooked. i love the visuals of this book, with the farm in rieux, and futuristic paris, and the fight in the abandoned opera house, soo cool. also i love how well this book in particular ties into little red riding hood because every single time i read the part about michelle actually being ran under glamour, aka the wolf disguised as the grandma like in the og fairytale, i am GAGGED its such a cool way to tie it into the lore of this series. annndddd i feel like i do talk about scarlet on here a lot because of winlet but i do NOT talk about wolf enough so let me just say something: wolf is such an interesting and complex character andi loveeee him and i love how much his personality varies from babygirl to actual killer hahhah

cress - i love this book to death BUTT i feel like some of the desert chapters kinda did drag on a little, especially as ive read this book so many times they're the scenes i tend to skim through (and this was true even BEFORE i became a cresswell hater tbh), but other than that this book is 10/10, i love the farafrah chapters especially, and i loved watching jacin be annoying and also i loved watching the rampion crew start to fill out and become bigger, ALSO this book has that iconic miscommunication scene where thorne and cress reunite with the others but thorne is blind so he didnt know that 'the wolf' cress was talking about was just our wolf (ze'ev) and the chaos of all that and cinder and dr erland and them almost getting arrested and escaping on the rampion / iko was pure chaos ALSOOOO this book had the technical introduction of winter bc you hear her adopting scarlet to save her which is fun so yeah !!! if they took out the cresswell of it all this book would be higher bc theres so much to love (and i mean this literally, this book is SO LONG)

stars above - this feels weird to rank because it isnt one full book, its a set of short stories, and the reason why its down here is because the only ones i consistently go back to are something old something new and the princess and the guard, if those two were full books they would probably be in the number 2 or 3 spot tbh (specially princess and the guard), but the thing is with stars above is that theres just a little too much filler for me,, like thornes chapter is pointless and is not interesting at all, and the little andriod actually is really sweet but i wouldve happily sacrificed that and thornes chapter to get more content with the other short stories, as i feel like they had a lot more to say (i do love cinders cameo in the little andriod tho)

[kipsels]

Sweet Torture

Diluc x Lumine

ft. Vampire Diluc

Diluc almost regrets his decision to seek her out the moment he spots her in the distance. Like a fallen star that had settled on the bank of Cider Lake, Lumine sits by the sandy shoreline, her knees tucked up to her chest.

Her pale blonde hair shines in the moonlight, and if she were to turn her head he knows her golden eyes would gleam just as brightly too.

The winds turn, carrying her decadent scent in his direction and setting his hunger anew. His fangs ache for flesh, to sate the thirst that has nearly driven him to madness since the day he first met her.

Just one look, that’s all he gives himself. One look to sooth his foolish heart.

He closes his eyes and wills himself to turn away, to save himself the sweet torture of her company for one night.

“Master Diluc?”

He nearly bites back a groan as her voice calls out to him, a siren’s song he cannot fight.

He turns back to her with a cordial smile, slow measured steps bridging the distance between them.

“Miss Lumine, you’re out late tonight.”

“The moon’s full tonight,” She points out, “It’s said that a full moon can summon a mystical lunar fish, so I figured I’d give it a go.”

He notices then the fishing pole she has anchored beside her, the line nearly invisible in the dark. Lumine pats the ground beside her, and Diluc finds himself obeying her request.

“You know those stories are merely folktales,” He chuckles as she rolls her eyes. “The fish you catch at night are surely the same as the ones you catch in the day.”

“Only you could say something so boring,” She huffs, her eyes watching the lure bop across the water’s surface.

“And what would you do with this special fish?” Diluc humours her for a moment, if only to memorise the sound of her voice for the long daylight hours that were to come.

“Cook it, of course.”

“A tragic end.”

“Tragic? I think you mean tasty.”

Diluc can barely recall the last time his meals had not consisted of draining the blood from a hapless beast, but the old memories of hearty meals dull in comparison to the sweet scent of the woman beside him.

“I’ll have to take your word for it.”

Lumine raises a brow at him, though she does not comment. Silence settles between them, only broken by the gentle sound of water lapping against the shoreline, the rustle of the breeze catching in the reeds.

All the while, Diluc suffers.

Saliva pools in his mouth from her proximity alone, the pale expanse of her neck just within striking distance. Inviting him to taste, to devour–

“You must be a very busy man, Master Diluc,” Lumine muses lightly, her golden eyes twinkling with mischief.

He blinks, bats away the instincts clamouring for him to feed.

“Oh? And what makes you say that?”

“I never seem to catch you during daylight hours. I bet you’re holed up in meetings all day, dealing with stuffy old men and their stuffy old opinions, am I right?”

“It’s… something like that.”

She grins in that moment, radiating joy. He wants to capture that joy, bottle it up and keep it with him for all eternity, but he knows that is not how things work.

Diluc knows that a life by his side would only sap her of her beauty, her joy.

He could not bear to be the reason she no longer shone like the stars in the night sky. It was only cruel for creatures of the night to covet those who dance in the sun.

The desire to taste her blood turns to ash on his tongue.

“Keep your secrets then,” She laughs, her shoulder butting up against his own, “Though you can’t hide from me forever. I’m quite the detective, you know.”

The fish do not bite, but that does not seem to deter her. Neither can Diluc find it in himself to pull himself away.

Lumine yawns, her eyes drooping with exhaustion.

“Tell me when I hook something?”

Diluc closes his eyes as she nestles her head onto his shoulder, the scent of her lifeblood calling to him. She sags into him, her weight heavy as sleep takes her.

The lure bobs in the distance, and Diluc can only pray for a fish to bite. To save him from this prison of his own making.

This sweet, sweet torture.

- Fin -

[k-dokja]

Summary: You've managed to convince your parents to be with Daniel this Lunar New Year, now what? [Chapter 432 - New Years arc]

Daniel knows under no certain terms should he be worried about bringing you back to his hometown. For once, it's nothing you haven't seen and for another, his mother likes you. He shouldn't be worried. There's nothing to worry about.

...Except for all the plans he has in mind about his investigation, none of which he finds fitting to share with you. Not when the holidays are coming up and you'd probably tear him a new one for working again. And you'd always understand, at the end of the day, you're more sympathetic than your complaining lets on.

That's probably the worst of it. Every time it happens, he cannot help the feeling that he's taking your kindness for granted.

Especially when you go out of your way to do things like this... "Isn't this too much? You really didn't have to..."

"What? Didn't you mention you have a lot of relatives, too? I think it's enough," you cross your arms and level your eyes with his, challenging him to contradict you. It's a losing battle, he knows, and he's not in the habit of picking fights he can't win. Not after a month of getting beaten back and forth, anyway.

Daniel chews down on his lower lips while watching the stack of boxes and crates you prepared for the trip home with him. His brows furrow further while he works out the logistic of bringing this back. Supposedly, he can carry them...

"What's with the dumbfounded look?" You ask before a grin breaks out on your lips. "Wait, do you think we will carry all of this back? Honestly, you're too simple sometimes..."

Your words don't sound chiding, but he cannot help feeling silly when the delivery service arrives moments later to take the packages away. You have a triumphant look on your face afterwards that uplifts the weight in his heart, still, another matter remains. "You didn't have to splurge that much on my family, you know."

"Nonsense," you wave his concern away like it's an afterthought, "this is from both of us, we're a team, remember?"

"Right, of course," he puts on what he believes is an honest smile and does his best to mask the strain in his voice. Fortunately, you're too happy about the occasion to notice something was amiss, but he doesn't think he can deal with the guilt of keeping things from you any longer.

The car ride back home is blessed with relative peace in the short duration of it. Your giddiness with being at his side has elevated much of your mood, and Daniel knows he'd feel the same had he been transparent with you. After the recent development in his life, he cannot say he has been altogether a good boyfriend, but he'd be damned before he makes it any worse.

With how happy you are at this very moment, he'd be committing a heinous crime if he ruined your good moods by unravelling the truth.

A forlorn sigh skips past his lips at the thought. Immediately, he regrets it. Daniel turns to check if you noticed, only to see you smiling at him, your eyes narrow at his little slip-up.

"Uh..."

"If you have anything to confess, better say it before you create collateral damage~" Your tone is playful but the gleam in your eyes is anything but.

Daniel sighs again. He knows better than to argue with you. "Uhm, well," he swallows, suddenly nervous, "you know about the whole business with the Park Jinyong, yes?"

He takes your hand into his own, fingers threaded together in the hope of assuaging whatever coming next.

"Mhm."

"Well... I haven't gotten the chance to tell you yet," Daniel rubs his thumb on the back of your hand, exhaling a long breath before facing you, "but DG recently informed me that my mother has known him since I was very young, so..."

He doesn't have to finish the sentence for you to understand. The familiar recognition in your eyes is enough for Daniel to see that you've comprehended the gravity of the situation. He watches you carefully, waiting for any infinitesimal change in your expression. And yet, he's caught completely unaware when you flicker his forehead.

"Ah!"

"What have I told you about transparency?"

Daniel pouts, "That I should be honest with you no matter the bad and the good?" He quickly adds. "Sorry, I just, I know this is the holiday after all and I shouldn't be caught up with work but—"

You flicker his forehead again, "Seriously, you, don't fret," you smile indulgently. "It's fine, okay? Things like these come up, as long as you're honest about it, there's no problem."

"But..."

"I'm not happy, don't get me wrong?" You keep your voice even, but he can hear your displeasure in the matter-of-fact tone you put on. "But no matter, it's not like I'll be wanting for things to do. Lunar New Year tends to be busy, after all."

"I'm sorry..." He apologizes anyway, despite your reassurance. The words come out of him on instinct.

You huff, face upturned, "Yeah, you'll be sorry when I become your mom's favourite. Get ready to lose your spot once you're done with your silly investigation."

"Hey, now—"

Once again, you catch him by surprise with your attack. This time, it's gentler, a kiss on the nose that leaves him gobsmacked and stuns him into silence. "So don't worry about me, worry about yourself first please."

"Hmph," he smiles with pressed lips, "honestly, you're too good to me."

Once again, the triumphant grin returns to your face and pride surges in his chest at the sight. "Yeah? If you know that then you better do your best to cherish me."

"But I already do~"

"Not enough, you don't!"

"Aw..."

And despite your protest, seeing the cheer remaining on your face even after he has come forth with the truth relieves him somewhat.

Although he cannot say all will be well in his further investigation, he knows that he has to do his best when your support means the world to him. You're his most precious, whether you know it or not, and the world would end before he intentionally gives you cause to think otherwise.

He just hopes that all of this will blow over soon, for you as much as it is for him.

[atiny-for-life]

Ateez's Full Storyline Explained - Part 4

Masterlist

Fireworks (I'm The One) (Z-World)

It's rather unclear what exactly is going on here but I'll once again present my personal theory/headcanon which aligns best with the canon info we get from the Diary Entries laid out below:

The Black Pirates are in their hideout and have just woken up from passing the Cromer on to Ateez (as seen in Fever Part 1) and are now gearing up for a fight against the Android Guardians who they know are right on their asses - this is the part we get to see in the MV

Storyline wise, however, we can elaborate on the surrounding events through context clues:

The Black Pirates absolutely don't want the Cromer to fall into the hands of the central government so they chose to hide it with the only people they can trust to pick up where they're now forced to leave off: themselves - or in this case, the next best thing: themselves from another reality

I believe Hongjoong was able to hand over the Cromer without actively traveling to the A-World by utilizing the dreamscape - this could either be because a cosmic lunar event enhanced the Cromer's powers or because both parties are alternate versions of each other and happen to be extremely powerful dreamers which allow them to access a part of the Cromer's powers others cannot

Either way, they could hand over the Cromer successfully and managed to put a quite a fight against the Android Guardians, as we get to hear in the song The Leaders which directly follows this track

However, in the end, the Black Pirates are captured before Ateez's arrival in the Z-World as we'll find out below

Fever Part 2 Diary Entries:

The Diary Entries take place after the happenings of the MV.

Ateez arrive in the Z-World, specifically in the Black Pirates’ hideout after the Cromer teleported them there

They immediately get confronted by Android Guardians who're breaking down the hideout's door and are described as "giants dressed in white" who are "wearing masks that cover their entire face" and "did not feel like people"

The Guardians want to get their hands on the Cromer (which is Ateez's only ticket back home) so they put aside their confusion regarding their entire situation and focus on getting to safety

From Hongjoong's entry:

I had to protect the Cromer and the members at the same time, but that was more like a gamble.

Noticing a shard of glass under his foot, Hongjoong takes the Cromer from Yunho and tells the Guardians he'll hand them the Cromer right before he chucks the shard out the broken window and shouts for his members to run away while the Guardians are distracted by the piece of glass

Hongjoong's distraction bought them enough time to get away and Ateez get some time to explore the hideout's surroundings which San notes, are very similar to their own hideout's back home

From San's entry:

Visible spaces were similar to the reality we knew but were also slightly different. [...] By the time I was immersed in such thoughts, I could hear the members laughing. The members, who had been taking a break for a while, were playing with each other, relieved that the Cromer was safe.

Note: This is the only other time outside of Fever Part 1 where we get San mentioning "Bobo" - this time in regards to there being a place nearby back home where Wooyoung had saved Bobo. I can only assume it's some neighborhood kid, or maybe a street cat or something. He never explains it.

While they're all resting in the middle of the forest, the Android Guardians catch up to them and attack them once again

They manage to grab Wooyoung by the ankle and drag him away which makes the remaining members jump into action

During the resulting fight, the Guardians get their hands on the Cromer just as a small avalanche of stones catches them by surprise

Ateez are quick to rush toward the cave where they spot a girl who gestures for them to enter where they also met her brother - he introduces them as the Grimes siblings

Tired, all of Ateez are quick to fall asleep while the Grimes girl tends to Wooyoung's injured ankle

The Grimes boy explains his sister's voice was stolen by the Android Guardians who can remove a voice and turn it into what looks like a bead filled with blue energy

The boy also offers more information on the world they'd found themselves in, such as the AI simulations the government had run to establish new policies that would ensure their desired futures which resulted in the ban of the arts and the use of technology to lower the citizens ability to experience emotion

All that led to the appearance of the men in black fedoras who'd made it their mission to return the arts to their world (a mission that landed them on the Government's Wanted list)

From Seonghwa's entry:

[The Central Government] put the blame on human emotions for causing crimes and terrorism that threaten humanity and so the key to their policy was to control the variables called human emotions. [...] As those days continued, men wearing black fedora began to appear one day. They sang and performed here and there and that and that was said to have the power to attract people. Being stimulated by these men, people who escaped the control began to appear. People from various fields formed a resistance against the central government and called themselves the 'Black Pirates'.

Due to the Black Pirates' ability to teleport with the Cromer, they'd been able to evade capture for the longest time but, at last, thanks to the Android Guardians, they'd finally been arrested

Side-Note: The fact that the Grimes siblings know about this now, as well as later instances suggest that the Black Pirates were captured at least some time ago which implies instances of time travel correlated to the upward flow of the sand in the Cromer in the Fever Part 1 Diary Entries. I explain this in more detail here.

Ateez listen to the story but as Seonghwa describes, none of it matters - what matters is that they can't back home without the Cromer and that was now in the hands of the Android Guardians

Despite everything that's happening, Yeosang takes a moment to write a letter to his father (a letter he can never send) detailing how trapped he felt in the life his parents had planned for him and how, despite it all, he feels more free here in the Z-World than he ever did back home, simply because his own decisions had led him here and he was still with his friends

He also takes a moment to describe the people he'd seen in the city after they left the woods; he says they never look at each other or the sky, always rushing around like they're being chased, they never talk about anything but their needs, never smile when "unnecessary" and move as if they were machine controlled

From Yeosang's letter:

I thought that maybe this place is not a new world, but that I'm just taking a microscopic look at the world I was living in. Father, I know you were shocked to see me singing and dancing with these friends. But I really wanted to escape the world I've lived in, the world I've been trapped in. I love my parents so much but I have never been happy in your world.

He proceeds to detail a past event in which his father kicked them all out of the empty garage they'd been using as a hideout, forcing them to separate; this is likely the incident that caused all of Ateez to split up in the Outro of the Fever Part 1 Diary Entries

It made Yeosang feel like it was his fault, that meeting him was the reason all their happiness was taken from them and it made Yeosang resent his father

But he doesn't want to feel like that anymore - he still loves him but doesn't want to blame him anymore and because of that, he doesn't plan to return to the world his father has created

Thanks to Wooyoung's nosiness, they find out about a man named Left Eye and how his position as the manager of the Strictland dump gives him knowledge about the Android Guardians' bunker which they can use to break in and get back the Cromer; their only way back home

From Mingi's entry:

Thanks to nosy Wooyoung, we decided to find out the location of the Android bunker as well as regain the voice of the Grimes girl. That dude is always so unnecessarily nosy like that.

The wording heavily implies that Wooyoung was the one who asked why the Grimes girl never speaks and then proceeded to offer all of Ateez's help once they got her story; it's certainly in line with his personality and lines up with how him and Mingi became friends (see: Fever Part 1 Diary Entries)

They decide to split into 2 teams: one will track down Left Eye while the other will find the Grimes girl's voice

The team in search of Left Eye find him in the yellow hallucination inducing fumes of the Strictland dump, mumbling to himself

(Side-note: We first get to see Left Eye on-screen in the Guerrilla MV and Teasers

Meanwhile, in search of the Grimes girl's voice, Jongho ties a rope around his waist, puts on a gas mask and enters a cave filled with toxic fumes

Inside, his old basketball rolls toward him and a game begins

While Jongho is trapped in his own hallucination, Yunho is facing down Left Eye

Here, we learn about Left Eye's background as a fashion designer who was repeatedly denied opportunities due to his unfriendly appearance

Regardless, he was known as a warm person with a passion up until he lost his daughter who got hit by a car when she tried to safe a flower that had bloomed on the roadside

From Yunho's entry:

People thought moving forward quickly was more important than looking around. Even after seeing the child on the street after getting hit by the car, people were busy passing by, pretending not to have seen anything. During that time, the child died slowly.

When Left Eye learned about this, he changed and shortly after, he saw the hallucination of his daughter in the Strictland dump fumes for the first time

And it was while wandering through those fumes, that the Android Guardians selected him as its manager

The story makes Yunho think of his brother and, instead of only seeking information about the Android Bunker which houses the Cromer, he now also wants to help Left Eye

This means luring him away from the fumes and making him realize the fumes were only showing him an illusion of his daughter

Back by the cave, with Jongho trapped in the illusion of the game, Yeosang gets increasingly worried and decides to put on his own mask and enters the cave to check on him, only to find him running straight toward a cliff

While that's going down, Yunho manages to lure Left Eye away from the fumes, but once freed from the hallucination, Left Eye gets furious

Everyone was unsure what to do but then Yunho shouted amid the silence. "Your daughter is dead!" Everyone looked at Yunho in surprise. "You're denying it because you don't want to believe it, but aren't you already aware of the truth?"

It only made Left Eye swing a big bat at Yunho

The entries end here.

[softlycandescent]

𝐴 𝑁𝑖𝑔𝘩𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑅𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟

Bewitching Night Rave: Return to Night [MR]

Xiaoxi Qiang (OC) X Vyn Richter [Special Edition: Halloween!]

Tags: very small mentions of blood, fluff?, so this was supposed to be spicy spice but I truly do not think it turned out that way, maybe a little bit suggestive, mostly SFW

Xiaoxi loves the color red. The color of her favorites: roses in full bloom, the color of fresh strawberries, and even the apples she’d picked yesterday. Namely, right now, red is also the color of the sky.She’s not sure what to compare the sky to, she’s definitely never seen anything like it.  She’s never seen an eclipse before, much less one like this. The sky looks like it’s been dipped in crimson. 

She sits on the cushion of the window seat, her feet dangling aimlessly off the edge as she observes the phenomena of the lunar eclipse. It only did happen annually, after all, or so she’s read. She should treasure every moment of it, even if it means staying awake until it inevitably ends.   

Suddenly, the sound of glass shattering brings her attention away from the conditions outside and to behind her, instead. How had she forgotten she wasn’t alone here? Vyn was staring at his now bloodied hand, glass beneath his feet. Just what had he been holding, he’s never that clumsy.

“Are you okay?” Xiaoxi asked immediately, her brown eyes reflecting nothing but genuine concern. “Y-You’re hurt!” 

“I am fine.” Vyn murmurs, his voice shaky, his gaze still dropped to his hand. “Did I scare you..?” 

Xiaoxi gets up from where she was sitting by the window, quickly hopping off the window seat and closer to Vyn. She drops her gaze down to the blood on his hand, then starts fumbling towards the door. She was wracking her brain on what she could do to make it better. “Are you...do you want me to get something? I think I could find something, there’s some-” 

Vyn grasps her sleeve in his unbloodied hand, breathing hard, his gaze torn between looking at her and the empty space next to her. His gaze finally settles on her own, His voice cuts through her thoughts and abandons all of her wishes to scurry out of the room. 

“Do not go, please.” 

He was..asking her to stay, right? 

 She didn’t have it in her to go now. She turns her body towards Vyn again. “Are you sure you’re okay, honey? You seem kind of..out of it.”

“We are unusually weak in the case of an eclipse.”

“Can I help at all?”

“Sorry, coming close to you will…it would make me lose control.” With a shaky inhale, he looked down at his hand and then back at her. Namely, the slightly exposed skin of her neck. It looks like Vyn is fighting himself on something. Uncertainty and indecision flashes in his golden eyes, yet he doesn’t look away from her. Behind all of it, there was such an intense sense of yearning and adoration.“But more than that, I really cannot stand to part from you.”

Xiaoxi looks at him and places her hand on his upper arm gently. Her touch is all he’s ever known her to be: warm and welcoming. It only takes him a moment to melt into it, a ghost of a smile gracing his features, despite his current condition. 

“Vyn, please, let me,” Xiaoxi says firmly, though he asked her to not go, she also knew he might not let himself take what he needed. She might’ve understood under different circumstances, maybe she would not have pushed it, but the simple fact of it was that they’ve been in the situation before. They had an agreement of sorts, she would give him some of her blood occasionally whenever he got in such a state, or on the very rare occasion he asked. Seeing him so weak, so much not like himself, it broke her heart into a million pieces. There had to be something she could do, and she knew what that “something” was.

It took much of her stubbornness for them to start this arrangement in the first place. His insistence on not hurting her knew no bounds, even at the extent of his own wellbeing. While she was really appreciative of his care for her, she wished he was a little more selfish and thought of himself more.

“I..” Vyn looked at her and it felt like he was finally seeing her, his eyes still looked dazed. He uses the hand he had on the end of her sleeve, still,  and pushes her sleeve up to reveal her forearm. Freckled and smooth in the candlelight, save for a few faded scars. He definitely felt guilty he was about to contribute to them, she could see it in his eyes. But like clockwork, his mouth latches onto her wrist followed by the sharp sting of his fangs.

She was satisfied that she was finally able to get him to cave, in such a pivotal moment of need for him. But in the blink of an eye he pulled away, he was so sure not to leave any blood dripping down her arm.

But just as quickly as his fangs sunk into her skin, they were gone just as quickly. Actually, he didn’t linger nearly as long as usually might have. 

“Okay, just until here,” Vyn states breathlessly, crimson still lingering on his lips. His hot breath kissed the sensitive skin of her wrist. “Let’s wrap things up for now.” 

His chest heaved as he struggled to meet her eyes again, there was no way that was enough, right? He usually lingered much longer savoring it for at least a little longer. Besides, tonight most likely, he would need more than usual to regain his energy.

Xiaoxi doesn’t let him go far enough to even find bandages, her hand grabs his. Her touch was often gentle, so much so it was easy enough to shake off with the flick of the wrist. But when Vyn didn’t even seem much better after a little bit of her blood, how could she just let him go? It was her duty, as his lover, to make sure he is well looked after. Just as he does for her. She keeps her grip firm. 

“Don’t stop, you don’t have to stop, Vyn.”

“Don’t stop..?” Vyn looked at her incredulously, his eyebrows raised with a hitch of his breath. “You want me to continue..?”

Xiaoxi nods, her gaze unwavering, there was no way she was backing down. Not this time at least. She inches forward slightly, as if it might sway him just a little bit. 

“But..I am afraid I will break you.” With a weak chuckle his gaze meets her fierce one. Brown eyes looked back at him with an expression he was powerless to argue with.   

“Like I’ve said before, I want to do this. I want to see you feeling better more than anything.”Her hand squeezes his warmly, trying to give him encouragement."  Besides, I know you’ll take good care of me. It’ll be okay.” .

“It is fine? Well, all right then.” A smile pulls at his lips, pulling her closer to him with their entangled hands. She lands in his lap with a soft thud, joining him on the soft mattress. Using one of their joined hands to keep her close, he uses his other hand to move her hair away from her neck quickly.Her black curls fall onto her other shoulder messily.

Xiaoxi fully expected him to just sink his teeth into the flesh of her neck, but she was pleasantly surprised when he pressed his face into the crook of her neck, taking in her scent. 

“You smell so nice, so sweet,” he said, before pressing a chaste kiss to the skin of neck, which by now was warm to the touch. He trailed gentle kisses in a line from her shoulder and then back up before he settled back into her neck. A dark smile crossed his face. “Are you embarrassed, love?” 

“N-No,” Xiaoxi fibbed, albeit breathlessly. Of course, it was a bold faced lie. Anyone would be able to tell by the bright hue of her cheeks and the not so subtle lift to her voice. And of course, this was Vyn. Of course he could see through her. 

With a sly chuckle, he grazed his fangs against the skin of her neck, eliciting a sharp gasp from Xiaoxi. She threw one of her arms around his neck as his fangs finally sunk into her skin. Her eyes fluttered closed and sigh upon sigh brushed past her lips, tickling Vyn’s hair. 

—

“Vyn, I was wondering,” Xiaoxi asked, gazing at him with curious yet bashful eyes. “What does it taste like? I can’t imagine it’s very, well, y’know-.” 

“You taste so sweet, my dear, so intoxicating.” Vyn breathes against her skin, pressing a kiss to the mark he just left on her neck. Then he leaves one more before brushing his fingertips over the mark gently. It was as if his touch alone chased away any of the lingering pain that was left behind, which was probably his plan all along. “I mean, we are talking about you, after all.” 

Moving her arm from around her neck, she buried her hand into his silver hair, an absolutely dazed grin on her face. She trails her hand to his cheek, smiling wider when his eyes meet her brown ones, affection sparkling behind them.

“Are you alright?” Vyn asks, his fingertips moved from the mark on her neck to the apple of her check, caressing her skin carefully, his touch featherlight and cautious. 

“Yeah, I’m okay. See, no harm done!” Xiaoxi smiled and leaned her cheek into the palm of his hand. “You can keep going, I think I could handle a little bit more.” 

“Maybe, but why don’t you take a rest, love?” His thumb brushes up to her cheekbone, his smile was sweet, comforting. His other hand entangled his fingers with hers, thumb brushing alone the back of her hand. “We have all night, after all.” 

[caliburn-the-sword]

tlc winter reactions chapters 34-55

hi usually when i make these posts i go back and edit my points to be clear what i'm talking about (ie sometimes it will literally just be "fksjdfh i can't believe he did that" and i need to put in who what when where and why for context) but for some of these i cannot for the life of me remember what i was reacting to so you get to be as confused as i am about some of them LOL. also guess who's FINALLY using the keep reading feature so that this doesn't take up the entire dash when there are reblogs. in my defence i REALLY wasn't expecting to get reblogs all those other times lol i was just posting these for myself

wolf being tender and cleaning scarlet's wounds >>>

LOVE LOVE LOVE THAT SCARLET HAD A CELEBRITY CRUSH ON KAI WHEN SHE WAS YOUGNER GKDFSJHFSD

"he was staking a claim" EW. mayhaps that's how i feel because i've never been kissed but i'm still sticking by this judgement lol. sorry not even scarlet's girlboss internal monologue can fix this

"miniature friend" winter i love you

thorne absolutely should punch jacin but only cause i like to see tough people get punched

it doesn't take a genius to know that winter will defo be exposed as alive eventually lol and it WILL cause drama

winter calling wolf a wolf cub is HILARIOUS

damn maha picked out their feelings FAST lol

omg pearl chapter. interesting. let's see where this goes

i've no sympathy for adri. for pearl?? still debating myself

took long enough and it's not even in depth (note: i genuinely can't remember what that was about sorry)

LMAO WINTER IS CLEANING EVERYTHING. SNOW WHITE BEHAVIOUR

i literally have GOOSEBUMPS from cinder's girlboss speech (might just be the cold)

see kai goes on about how useless he is but without his diplomacy the lunars would never have gotten such a bomber af speech. slayed. he needs to give himself some credit

yikes. by exposing herself as being in RM-9 cinder has sentenced the entire sector to death. i love seeing the revolution happen but i regret to see all these people die soon (note: called it) omg i hope kai gets to see cinder's efforts

oh no kai don't worry about scarlet she's all good

uh oh kai is defo about to be majorly punished for cinder's doings. nevermind it's worse he's being used for her propaganda machine. hopefully cress intercepts the broadcast, but i fear it would put her in danger

levana is so damn cruel. now she would turn letumosis against her own people?? death to her

damn and here i thought cress would manage to interrupt the screening. where is she?? i want another chapter

glad to see levana's propaganda hasn't brainwashed anyone

between the quote at the start of the book (along the lines of "run girl and never come back") and all these soldiers running around, i'm very concerned for winter. hopefully iko gets to her in time

that whole sector is so brave. cinder needs to go in and stop this. the queen that would TRULY fight for her people unlike levana who kills and kills and kills

called it. knew maha would die. random out of place flowers never lie

THORNE AND SCARLET DID THE WOOKIE PRISONER GUARD winter istfg WHY WOULD SHE RUN OFF

winter to the rescue!! thank goodness she was in hiding all along guard choking winter = evil queen suffocating snow with the lace. wasn't expecting it to be a literal attempt even without levana there

YAY KINNEY. i feel like i remember making a comment on him in a previous post but i can't remember what about (note: now i remember, it was him standing up for jacin during trial and i pinned him down as important cause he's a Named Character)

“That’s the first time I pulled the trigger myself.” my brother in christ what about when you shot IKO (obviously she didn't die but still. would find it interesting to dive into how these guards feel about being forced to kill)

omg nooo cinder thinks iko has been taken offline

aimery has a pet kink confirmed?? (i'm sorry for making fun of wolf but if i don't make a joke i would smash my head open)

kinney is defo trying to figure out a plan (if he doesn't have one already) to save cinder and wolf. they're his best chance at saving winter after all (note: he did not LMAO)

uh oh wolf's been taken away. he's about to be mega brainwashed and/or tortured

omg it's adri and pearl. completely forgot about them whoopsies. the way cinder manages to be ANNOYED during this very stressful high stakes situation is so real of her

LEVANA IS HOLDING A COMB IN THE DREAM

scarlet is sitting on a chair backwards and she's NOT meant to be gay?? that's some of the gayest behaviour, not sitting right

poor kinney and his little sister

"No one important" interesting. jacin is such an interesting and guarded character. still demanding a pov chapter for him

the rampion is gone

is kai stupid?? if his entire palace was bugged then why would he talk freely with torin in the queen's own accommodations?? he's literally leaking all the top secret information. this feels a bit dumb

HOLY SHIT CINDER'S FINGER - also what is it with levana and her obsession with fingers lol (once again bad joke but i'm trying to cope)

i know that this is bad but i literally can't wait for the drama of cinder at levana and kai's wedding. idk if i'm reading too much into this but the queen seems to think that cinder's presence at the wedding would be a surprise. that's most likely because kai would expect to never see cinder or for a different execution date. but if someone was going around chopping of cinder's finger, then we SHOULD have gotten a pov chapter to show the entire violation even if she wouldn't feel pain. part of me wonders if it was actually an ally in the palace (kinney??) that managed to get the finger to give kai a warning (note: was hilariously wrong and definitely reading too much into it lmao)

why does marissa meyer hate parents so much lmao. i have a feeling that jacin will get his first pov chapter when his parents die

"Kai felt as if he were walking with iron shoes on his feet" hahaha wouldn't you know weatherboy

since the wedding is about to start jacin's parents are defo dead

holy shit levana that is a whole new level of manipulation, imitating cinder to keep herself safe

levana stop imitating the women that the man you're after is infatuated with challenge!! (challenge level: impossible)

jacin calling cress shortcake fksdjfhsdkjfhs

gunshots in the maglev?? defo someone from rampion YAY IT'S IKO AND THORNE

the way they all gotta say something only THEY would know sends me. between wolf and "called them swine" and cress and "tears dehydrate"

YESSSS THORNE PUNCHED JACIN. love to see it. a bit meh on him hugging jacin because personally i'd like more drama

FINALLY A CINDER CHAPTER. can't wait to see how she girlboss geniuses out of this one

family drama~ they finally know she's the lunar princess. let's see where this goes

i'm surprised cinder didn't try to ambush the thaumaturge the second they opened the cell

i love how cinder has more empathy for the servant carrying a tray over his head than her stepmother. that's so real of her

d a m n what is levana planning in regards to adri and pearl. i'm very interested to see how this turns out - ah she wants adri to kill cinder. i don't think levana realises how much she hates cinder

there is symbolism in levana trying to kill cinder by fire, and the second attempt ending up with cinder nearly drowning. i'm not elaborating because i'm still figuring it out, but it's defo meaningful

HOW DID THORNE EVEN FIND HER

i live for biblically accurate cpr. the most annoying thing is watching tv and a guy does two compressions before doing mouth to mouth. if you're not breaking ribs you're not doing it right

seeing cinder and iko reunited <3

love thorne suggesting rice to fix cinder fksdhfsdkh

help how did i completely forget about winter and scarlet whoopsies. they have it so chill compared to everyone else lol. like the spinning teacup ride meme. that said after all the shit scarlet's been through she deserves it

winter just heard a howl but thinks it's a hallucination since scarlet didn't notice. why do i get the feeling it's an ACTUAL genetically engineered wolf man soldier

btw i swear i didn't do this crazy amount of reading in one sitting LMAO this was across a few days cause i'm busy. i just got too lazy to post

@eddisfargo @francforever @winterrhayle @winterpinetrees @shellyseashell @luna-maximoff-22

[reginrokkr]

◜One would believe that prophecies hold nary a value if they cannot be verified, and I would agree with them. For what meaning do they have when naught is demonstrated to the naked eye to solidify the believe that such ominous view of the future can exist otherwise?◞ Earnest and honest is the Twilight Sword answer as it is an exercise of contemplation, pensive stance in pinching his chin further displaying that his mind drifts to the topic at hand, teller that his answer is not fully-fledged yet despite the fact that he has only answered half of Thoma's question.

Dáinsleif is no man to believe in foolish and empty words when there is no way to demonstrate that such prophecy is true, not when he counts with a vast network of information at his disposal as part of a gift of union with the Axis Mundi— or perhaps merely a tool to assist him in a passive manner in his pursuit to find balance in this world made suitable for human life, never disregarding once that just like humans bloomed so did gods pertaining to an old world order that may be no more. And that mighty creatures that predate the existence of time measure in this world have as much right to dwell this star, too.

◜Abundance of time and experience have taught me to verify serious statements like prophecies when they are revealed. Until then, my faith in them is none.◞ Perhaps if he didn't have the means to do so on his own he would have a different position in this matter, a more open mind to trust the word depending of its source. Nevertheless, the truth is... ◜As it happens with events destined to occur, prophecies are seeds waiting for the right moment to germinate and grow into what's written in the stars. Remember: stars are connected to fates, so they are to the future.◞

As frozen stars embedded into celestial sapphires are, Dáinsleif's soul can look into the past— whereas his eyes can gaze into the future as his material body remains in the present.

Response made, contemplative moments come to a halt and his gaze lingers upon tranquil waters dancing at lunar's might. Waters that once upon a time used to be blanketed with a veil of stars that were not mere reflection of the celestial dome above. The seraph's attention returns to the flame warrior in time to catch his musings. Prophecies are connected to calamities. To that, there is nothing Dáinsleif can refute, for there is an undeniable truth woven in those words. His pessimistic mind can agree as much, not without reason, regardless. Prophecies serve as a warning of undesirable outcomes in the future, but also of hope: either at the notion that an individual whose power can solve the matter may come or as a preparation in case such individual doesn't exist. So those who do exist may do everything in their hands to prevent a tragic outcome.

Color him curious the moment which grimness is brought at the premise that any effort other individuals may put can be easily overlooked. As someone who no longer cares about pride —it has passed alongside the kingdom hidden in darkness' depths, and even then time and insight of the past have become tellers of a cruel truth: it was all a farce—, Bough Keeper fails to understand what is grim about it nor why Thoma's heart dampens at that thought. However, truth be said he wouldn't entirely say that the merit belongs to the final nail in the coffin alone.

◜Regardless of ancestry, human power is as valuable as divine might.◞ Hard to believe as it may be due to the sheer power imbalance betwixt mankind and god, it's one of Teyvat's many secrets. Stellar eyes narrow in an exercise to reminisce what this world was like in the cataclysmic era, back when all seas were dyed black and sanguine rain precipitated from enraged heavens.

◜Knights of Favonius and anyone capable to fight protected Mondstadt how long they could until Barbatos made his intervention and called forth Dvalin. Millelith kept the star-beasts at bay in a large radius surrounding the Chasm so they wouldn't march towards Liyue Harbor until the rocks felt earth's lament no more because of a long gone Yaksha and the men who accompanied him. I could continue to tell you similar tales, but I wager you know where all of them lead. If anything, I would say it is a matter of encountering the right individuals who can put an end to what others could not. That doesn't make them the only ones deserving of recognition, everyone is for their deeds.◞

@scarletooyoroi from here.

[mmorpg-escapism]

I have just enough energy in me tonight for my favorite solo duty. This one's a doozy, and the final thing that stands between us and Endwalker! ...which I'll start tomorrow. There are also some Thoughts on the expansion as a whole at the end under the cut.

For those of you who have been keeping an eye on this journey, thank you ❤ It's not over yet and is most definitely going to loop back to stuff I did before starting here: there will eventually be another run through ARR to current sometime after the graphics update hits every expansion, so likely late next year. I've got a hrothgal waiting in the wings for that one... and do plan to do this to Dawntrail on my main with appropriate spoilers tagged as well as the usual one. We shall see how that goes.

Now, into the duty!

Alphinaud's character growth is so very visible to us after Arenvald's pep talk. The kid is a natural-born leader, and despite his mistakes he has enough confidence to really use his gifts... after a little push from his friends and family.

And now, we fight! The Scions take the field in full force - first as a group, and then splitting up across the field to take charge of several enemies. Our first stop is us clearing the field of a LOT of tempered Imperials... then splitting up to find and deal with Lunar Primals wherever we can while G'raha holds the fort.

And now, the real fun: We get to cosplay as a few of the Scions! Starting with Alisaie! RDM is my favorite caster, and this simplified take on it is very much faithful to my experience with it itself. Lots of little enemies, one big one, and a very fun slice-n-dice playground.

Development: "Random" magical glyphs that are pointed at the heart of a massive "aetheric confluence" - which is just a fancy way of describing a spot where several aetheric currents meet - and Y'shtola's guess is that they're there to enable some seriously nasty disasters should one of the Grape-flavored Primals reach and destroy one. Cool, the stakes have risen.

Split #2 has us afield as Urianger's Astro, facing Lunar Odin - which I did NOT do in my original playthrough nor this one, so I had no idea what to expect. I'm not an Astro player, but after some experience with one of my static members being... particularly annoyed with it, this wasn't quite so bad. Odin down!

Split #3 is back to G'raha and Alisaie, but now we're playing as G'raha who is some combo of BLM and WHM, facing off with Lunar Ravana. Big stabby sword bug. Woo. He's just as cool as the original fight, if a little toned down for story and "2-man" reasons. Big stabby stuff, and even an excuse to use G'raha's Break spell! Bugman down!

Now, back to the WoL with Estinien and Alphinaud facing down the monster that crippled Arenvald: Grape Ifrit. This one's personal. And boy howdy wthat one was the most intense of the three. Fire everywhere, a big LB3-like thing out of Estinien, the works. But it's the last of the primals, and we're all still alive.

I love this duty so very much. Not only because we get to spend some time as our Scion friends. Not only because we get to fight primals in a more one-on-one style that helps me imagine how to write it when I get there. It's also because there are stakes going in - stop the crazy person with lots of power who's trying to end the world - that become more specific during the fight, and then when the evil plan is thwarted, they don't just gloss over the aftermath.

We get to see our friends being VERY human. Alisaie is exhausted and berating herself for not doing enough. Alphinaud cannot stand losing anyone, and we have to watch him fight that when his healing isn't enough to save the man in front of him. We see the Grand Company of Eorzea at work - city-state leaders and beastmen tribes alike working together to cure the tempered. We cannot save everyone, an Amalj'aa warrior reminds the Scions, but those we have saved would not have been if not for you.

"So please, hold your heads high." The entire bustling field stopped and listened. Every single country we have visited, from the Alliance to Doma, is represented here. Standing behind the Scions, who gave everything they had to win the day, despite the cost. The moon breaks through the clouds above, and one last time we hear the Shadowbringers main theme break through as everyone gathered stares up at it, and the credits roll.

================================================

As I sit and process this entire expansion one more time, it's clear... Shadowbringers fundamentally alters your brain chemistry. That's from one of the posts going around the week I wrapped this up, and it is extremely accurate. We started all the way back in ARR as an adventurer with a gift, but little else, and got used. We slowly turned into something else on our way into Heavensward ("What are you?" - Thordan VII after we beat him) and used the power we had to liberate two entire countries from the Garlean empire alongside our friends, then watched them get snatched away from us for some unknown reason.

And then we went to where they were and found ourselves embroiled in a world that flipped the script on everything we knew. Light was bad, Dark was good, and everything we thought we knew was wrong. Discoveries with ripple effects that will be felt through Endwalker and beyond were made, and two entire worlds were changed as a result.

I'm not that good at analyzing story, or at least I didn't think I was when I started. All I knew is that this expansion was The Best that FFXIV had to offer, and I wanted to find ways to articulate why I thought that. I think I've succeeded, at least a little. I'm very excited for Endwalker and Dawntrail and beyond. Maybe I'll even get some creative spark going and write more of ARW for your enjoyment and my own - I want to do more than think about my blorbo :)

One more Arenvald Appreciation post tomorrow, most likely, and then into Endwalker!

[peanut-tyrug]

Not me making a DS Moonbound AU /lh

There’s a WHOOOOLE lot more under the cut. It’s a REAAALLLLLY long post. Have fun reading :) /lh

Note: A few ideas may be subject to updates/changes

My ideas so far

-There is this thing called The Lunar Order (basically consists of the Moonbound Survivors). They watch over the small village that lays beneath Alter and they’ve sworn their allegiance to the Light.

-Moonbound Maxwell leaves the Order in favor of the Shadows, so do a few others. A majority of Order still remains, but Maxwell, blinded by the Shadows, wishes to bring destruction to the Order and the village below.

Ideas for the Survivors’ roles

- Protagonists -

Wormwood - Alter’s descendant and the main leader of the Order. Also the creator of the Order

Winona/Wanda/Wickerbottom - The big leagues in the Order. They’re the main watchers of the village.

Wilson - Still mostly a scientist. He does experiments/studies on Lunar Magic to see how it could benefit the Order.

Wolfgang/Wigfrid/Woodie - The brutish fighters of the Order. They normally are alone preparing for when a major attack on the village occurs (I do have a reasoning for why I put Woodie in here give me a second /lh).

Wes - The Sandman of the village. He’s sleeping during the day, but is awake at night to help everyone in the area with falling asleep. He’s normally in his shrunken form to be more inconspicuous, but whenever necessary, can make himself a more human-like height. He does have wings and a wand too. He’s a pixie.

Warly - I fr don’t have an idea for him rn. It’s changed a few times but I CANNOT think of anything that would work, but also correlate to the Moon.

Wendy/Webber/Wurt/Walter - Webber and Wurt are training to become fighters. Walter is learning how to become one of the big leagues. Wendy isn’t really interested in any of it and prefers to be with Abigail over anything. The others tried to get her interested but failed. They chose to let her do her own thing instead of trying to get her involved in smth she may not want to be involved with. Abigail wants to be a fighter though. Wendy fully supports her and watches her train.

- Protag Notes -

Wes and Wickerbottom are like parents to the children.

Reason for why Woodie is a fighter:

Woodie - I had an idea that (I think came from his description?) he can willing change in and out of his various were-forms. His uses these forms optimally for fighting whenever necessary.

WOAH LUNAR MAGIC LORE!!

Webber - Due to Lunar Magic, he had been hostile. Through Wes and Wickerbottom’s help, he became more friendly. He can be formidable in fighting though.

Wurt - I had an idea that Lunar Magic caused Merms to be hostile. Wurt however, bc she has not fully turned into a Merm, doesn’t really have this quality. However, this hostility can be triggered. Like Webber, docile, but a formidable opponent.

- Antagonists -

Maxwell - The once Wilson’s assistant has become the King of the Shadows after turning his back on the Order in favor of the Darkness.

WX - Another Lunar fighter now turned merciless automaton after finally letting themselves embrace the evil inside them.

Wortox - Once an angelic, guard for the Lunar Kin, now, after embracing the devil in him, has been consumed by the Shadows.

Willow - She realized it’d be more fun to light the village ablaze with crimson fire instead providing it a bright light to follow (for context: Willow has the ability to create light. Said light was used to light up the village or make the Moon look brighter).

I think that’s basically it.

I came up with ALL THIS in the span of a couple hours btw.

[montywithchildhoodtrauma]

SAMS added character in the Game.

Please keep in mind that i am PoppySeedOnCaffeine and will soon be using my old account so most of this stuff on here will be transferred to my usual account.

Lunar: He's helpful! kinda... if he finds you, he starts dragging you back to the daycare or Gator golf, wanting to play games, unfortunately he his rather loud and accidentally alerts the others of your whereabouts. He often can't help with Chica or Roxy as they don't care for him much, but if Monty's on your trail he hides you as fast as possible then directs the Gator in the opposite direction. With Eclipse, he makes himself known and immediately takes the taller bot off your hands. He can't help much with Moon, while he does try to slow Moon down, he can't do much. He attaches himself to Moons Leg in hopes of slowing his brother down, this does little though (considering Moon probably has experience with children attaching themselves to his legs) He isn't too active in the Daycare with Sun, content on fiddling with Spigot than helping watch you, though he is convinced you're trying to play a game of tag.

Earth: While she's not sure why you want to leave the daycare (Its effectively the safest place you could stay till morning comes), she doesn't stop you from getting the card, though before you get the card, she adds her call sequence into your Faz watch in case you need help. She can help you with one animatronic for ten Minutes per hour. However, this doesn't work with boss fights, she leaves during the generator level. leaving you behind with Lunar and Moon as she tends to something in her room, oblivious to what is going on in the daycare. She is most effective on Monty for obvious reasons, though Chica and Roxy need a little more tending to keep them distracted. Unfortunately, she gets into long conversations with Freddy which sets you back a bit. She also provides snacks and offers to try and get Sun to lift the Ban so you can be safe in the daycare.

Creator: He doesn't attack you, he just watches, showing up in the corner of your eye and waving ominously before heading somewhere else.

KC: Appears quickly after Creator does, He's much more violent the closer Creator is to you, often times he seems kind, if not a bit creepy, Freddy easily calms him down and KC follows you around for a bit looking around nervously before disappearing.

BloodMoon and HarvestMoon: the First time that BloodMoon shows up is in the vents, there is a cut seen as the twins rip the little Music man apart, spraying oil onto the camera, they slowly look up at you, yelling at one another about how exited they are for a fresh kill, they then begin chasing you, creating loud thumps in the vents that echo throughout the Plex. Unlike the Mini MM they follow you out the vents. If another animatronic catches you while they are chasing, you have a 10 second head start as the twins knock you out of the animatronics arms and fight with them over you. with the hiding spaces the twins can check them, but never check twice so pay attention to the hiding space they first look at and get there as quickly as possible. Freddy cannot protect you from the twins, hiding in his chest means endgame.

Eclipse: Much more interested in finding Monty and Lunar, often calls out in a lazy tone, "Come out come out wherever you are" Its not directed at you but if he sees you, it's fair game. If the lights are out while he is chasing you, he opts to go for Moon or KC, again giving you a ten second head start. He is seen standing at the overhang after you just get kicked out from the daycare, staring at you with a smirk.

Solar Flare: Don't Hurt KC and you'll be fine. Or do... I don't care.