#iniziare: jing yuan

[immobiliter]

@iniziare sent: "Ah… I see. An interesting perspective, Lady Herta. And here I thought pragmatism was your greatest virtue— yet I find myself wondering if I should be concerned instead." A pause claimed him then, ever brief, but undeniably deliberate. "Though, I suppose even the most brilliant of minds are not immune to dangerous fascinations." (Jing Yuan— with a bit of a light, light tone at the end— to... /drum rolls, Herta, anyone?)

       A part of her had initially wanted to send one of her puppets to the Xianzhou Luofu. Sure, there might be some wear and tear on the poor thing as a result of the journey, but it would be nothing she couldn't fix afterwards — and, if not, she had plenty of others spare to replace it. Really, she might have owned her own space station and been the saviour of her own world all those Amber Eras ago, but her purpose was not to sit in on so-called important meetings that bored her to tears. That was Asta's remit and, when it wasn't in Asta's remit, it was nothing that she couldn't handle remotely. But no, apparently the best show of good faith was an appearance in person, or so her space station's lead researcher had so irritatingly advised. Which meant Herta was now here in an admittedly very quaint-looking garden on the Luofu, in the presence of the ship's general — a man who certainly looked every bit as impressive as the brief had described before arriving here.

       A brief, tsk. As if she couldn't be trusted to do this on her own!

       ... Anyway, did Asta really expect her to stay on script?

       “ You can say what you really mean, General. I'm not a politician or a diplomat who needs pandering to. ” She knew full well that her comment regarding Yaoshi wouldn't go down well, and she didn't care. What did amuse, her, however, was the delicate tone of phrase that General Jing Yuan had used in order to express his disapproval without saying so. Politicians are nearly as bad as academics...

       Still, Herta wished to help with the abominations of the Abundance, using data gathered by the Simulated Universe. The process of understanding the divinity of the Aeons would be a lengthy one, but she saw no harm in sharing information with a third party if it would provide them with shorter term benefits. So Jing Yuan had earned himself an explanation of her position, at least. “ I understand how much the Xianzhou has suffered at the hands of the Abundance, but I find applying concepts such as morality to the Aeons to be... well, a fruitless exercise. Yaoshi believes in the merits of THEIR path, or else THEY would not exist. That state of affairs cannot change until or unless THEY are killed by Lan and the combined forces of your Alliance. ”

       Herta held his gaze steadily as they walked. Hopefully the General of the Luofu had prepared himself for a philosophical debate before his meeting with Madam Herta today. “ Besides, was it not the best of intentions that steered your people towards the blessings of the Abundance in the first place? If I am to one day truly understand the Aeons, then I cannot cloud my perception with bias. And the lack of apparent awareness on Yaoshi's part is indeed fascinating. ”

[inominati]

@iniziare totally sent this to the right blog: "I always enjoyed coming here when I needed a moment of reprieve. And even now— it is almost enough to still the voices.” (Jingliu to Jing Yuan in present daaaay)

It is a peaceful place; a hidden garden with meticulously set paths lined by ginkgo trees whose leaves are turning yellow and falling from the branches like golden rain in the soft breeze. Soon they'll be bare and lifeless before they sprout again in vibrant green. Jing Yuan has watched this cycle more times than he could count while sitting in the quiet harmony of this retreat, in search for peace and contemplation, for memories and dreams thereof - for in memories they're all together still. The leaves are born and grow to full beauty until they perish when their time has come, making room for the next generation. A process so natural it's almost hard to think of it as cruel; just like the knights, their sons and daughters - just like them. Their life cycle might be longer than that of a leaf, but eventually their glory will fade and they, too, will fall and be forgotten, leaving an empty branch for others to grow and shine in their place.

This prospect does not scare him, for the grief of his own inevitable demise cannot compare to that of his past: to the loss of his friends and their shared dream. Now, it would be a lie to say the certainty of losing himself to the mara is not frightening either, but this fear is rooted within the possibility of his own actions, not the death of his legacy. Is this the secret to her persistence, in the end? The ability to transcend beyond mortal hopes of bringing change and being remembered for it? Evidently there are worse things than losing one's name or finding it tainted by the blood of allies.

She does not look at him - of course she doesn't, for what would warm his heart and allow him to revisit a love and devotion he once knew to be a part of him is in equal measure poison to her mind.

Devoid of shame, he wishes it were not the case and that she would look at him, just for a moment. He'd even welcome her disapproving looks, welcome the chance to forget the present for a fleeting moment and dream himself back into the past that slipped through his hands like sand. The past in which great battles were nothing but a future chance to prove himself, to follow Lan and to protect that which he loved. A past in which he was nothing but a zealous yet reckless disciple who took the idea that every mistake or punishment was a chance to learn a little too literally.

You're always welcome here, he'd like to say, but this offer is not his to make. Soon she will bid farewell to the light and the wind and the quiet that this place provides and once again he won't move enough to help a friend. "Perhaps true peace can be found inside us." Perhaps true peace can only be found in death. "Take your reprieve as long as you need. I've not come to cut it short." Not just yet.

[daybreakrising]

WHAT'S YOUR ROLE IN THE TRAGIC PLAY?

MISUNDERSTOOD VILLAIN

prepare for an onslaught of both the most dehumanizing and hateful takes, and flood of thirst comments. you are chronically misunderstood. whether or not you're actually evil is debatable. you may be acting out for revenge, to defend someone you love, or even just to protect yourself. you're a pretty jaded person. you don't trust or even really like most people. maybe you did at one point. but that part of you is gone, and you don't go a single day without grieving it. you think a lot about what your life could have been. you're stuck in the past. you're angry and maybe you don't even want to be, but this is the only way you can see to survive. you're open, but less in a trusting way and more like a wound. you don't like to let people see you, but the hurt spills out of you before you can stop it. you're impulsive, even as you try hard to plan and prepare. maybe someday your side of the story will finally be heard. until then, you can convince yourself that being hated is safer anyway.

tagged by: @immobiliter (i warned you it was painfully accurate) tagging: @resolutepath (elio or diluc), @iniziare (kafka or dorian), @inominati (argenti), @apocryphis (moze), @avaere (kaveh or sunday), @everlastiingiimmortals (jing yuan) & anyone else who wants to yoink this

[immobiliter]

@iniziare sent: "Have they treated you well during your stay thus far?" (JY to Lingsha again, of course; slight tone to his voice— you know the one, Lottie)

       Needless to say, Hoolay's dramatic escape from the Shackling Prison ( and the equally dramatic events that had followed ) had been quite the re-introduction to life on the Luofu. It was really only now that the dust had settled, particularly following the galactic scrutiny of the Wardance so soon afterwards, that Lingsha could finally stop for a moment and take stock — not just of the welcome she had received since her arrival here, but of the monumental task that lay in front of her. From bureaucracy in the way it was managed, to remnants of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus and the internal strife caused by power struggles between its members, the list of things to fix grew by the day. Lingsha had never been one to back down in the face of a challenge ( it was why she was appointed, she was sure ), but even she had to admit that there would be no quick remedy to administer. This was a malady that would require a stubborn, persistent hand.

       “ The Alchemy Commission? ” she clarified, glancing up to meet Jing Yuan's gaze. She did not feel the need to elaborate to him on its issues: he was the Luofu's general, after all, and had likely seen them for himself. Besides, the knowing lilt of his voice suggested that he was already well aware of — and perhaps even empathetic to — her uphill struggle. “ Everyone I've encountered so far has been nothing but cordial and polite, and it is of course an honour to work alongside Lady Bailu. ” The High Elder of the Luofu was a skilled healer in her field. But she could not play the games of the commission. That was why she was here. “ However, I am well aware that politeness and cordiality are frequently used as a veil to conceal true feelings. I suspect word has already spread of my intentions for the commission, and many are currying my favour in the hope that I might turn a blind eye to past sins. ” The faintest hint of a knowing smile played on her lips. “ Do not worry, General. I intend to scrutinise them all equally. ”

[inominati]

@iniziare sent: “I still remember the look in your eyes, Jing Yuan.” (Pain, or mush? You decide 🤭 from Jingliu, of course)

A touching confession.

Particularly because he does not remember - obviously not what he looked like at a given moment, but also not entirely how he felt. Countless moments, days, achievements and lessons are stored in his mind, forever important, but with the centuries that go by they become murky and dull. What remains are fragments of what once were shining jewels, much smaller but no less valuable. To hear that she holds shards of them as well, to take out and admire when time allows it, brings a smile to his face. It's what he wanted to hear, he admits to himself, what he always wants to hear: That she remembers, that it matters to her as it does to him; that their years together, the paths they walked side by side, are still illuminated by the moon that hangs high in the sky.

"I can't help but think you're teasing me," he responds, his voice soft. If only the biggest thing he had to worry about still was the daunting task of living up to his master's teachings, to train until his sword became one with his soul and he understood. What was the look on his face back then, when he first saw a display of her unparalleled ability and skill, knowing at once that he was face to face with a hero of legend? When she agreed to take him in as her disciple and his world both expanded and shrunk at once, thenceforth to follow in her light.

He smiles but his eyes are elsewhere, looking at her and seeing something different.

Because he, too, remembers the look in her eyes - and he will never forget it. The look he'd feared ever since she first showed him one of the mara-struck, the shadow of a former person turned monstrous and filled only with primitive urges and rage. The look of the woman he swore to follow into the depths of the cosmos staring back at him and not recognizing him. It feels almost undeserved to have her here now, to be offered this gift of time that is nothing if not borrowed - or stolen. They're past the moment he feared more than death and somehow the world hasn't ended. It's hard to wrap his mind around it but he doesn't want to question it too much, afraid it will be taken away again if he does.

He looked away then, if only for a moment. He won't look away again - not until he closes his eyes forever.

[inominati]

KNOWING YOUR PARTNER WELL CAN POTENTIALLY MAKE WRITING TOGETHER A LOT EASIER.

REPOST DO NOT REBLOG

NAME: min(a)

PRONOUNS: she/her

PREFERENCE OF COMMUNICATION: discord. i do look at tumblr DMs too but i am only logged into one of my blogs on mobile so if you contact me on another it might take hours to days for me to notice.

NAME OF MUSE(s): *unfolds list* Caelus, Luka, Sampo, Ratio, Jing Yuan, Igor, Sparkle, Argenti, Sunday

BEST EXPERIENCE: getting to write with my old jimon-shipping friend @iniziare again, who i met years ago in another fandom where she rubbed nutella in my face :)

RP PET PEEVES / DEALBREAKERS: i have several but the first that came to my mind rn is when someone asks to plot with me and brings 0 ideas or wishes (!!) and even when i ask "ok do you want option a or b" they answer "i am fine with whatever". off with their heads.

MUSE PREFERENCES: *gestures vaguely* aside from that, i think you'll notice some common traits among my favorites, but not all my muses fit the same type and i have a few outliers. i am not sure i can state clear preferences tbh. my favorite muses have historically been either villains or at least morally dubious, or the really "good" ones that suffer a lot but somehow remain humorous, yet aren't naive in their goodness (e.g. Garrett Hawke, Geralt of Rivia, Wriothesley).

PLOTS OR MEMES: both. i love memes for starting out but also for getting small scenarios going within our plotted verses or plotted dynamics. a good mix makes the music.

LONG OR SHORT REPLIES: i usually can't shut up to save my life so you're likely to get long replies from me 9 out of 10 times. sometimes there's just not more to say in a scene so it gets a little shorter.

BEST TIME TO WRITE: never, i always struggle and suffer.

ARE YOU LIKE YOUR MUSE(S): not in any way that stands out to me. i am sure most of them have smaller things i relate to. like jing yuan i am always tired and would prefer a nap over work. like ratio i often get an urge to slap people with a book. like luka i'd take a bullet for my friends. like sampo i can be incredibly helpful one moment and incredibly annoying the next. like argenti i-- uh, nevermind actually.

stole it. steal it today, do crime.