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translations-by-aiimee · 2 years ago

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Mistakenly Saving the Villain - Chapter 11

Original Title: 论救错反派的下场

Genres: Drama, Romance, Xianxia, Yaoi

This translation is the product of my limited knowledge of Chinese characters as I attempt to learn the language. If I have made any egregious mistakes, please let me know.

Chapter Index

Chapter 11 - Psychological Quality

"I'm not panicking, just tell me."

Yue Wuhuan's psychological quality was much better than that of other freshmen. He walked over through the room full of flesh and blood, put his dinner down, frowned, and reached out to wipe the residue from the corner of his mouth. He had gotten used to eating with Master recently and felt that the dry flavour would make his appetite much better.

Song Qingshi observed for a while and, when he saw that he wasn't prone to fainting, he quietly put the bucket back. He was sure that Yue Wuhuan would be a good candidate to study medicine. He was smart, rational, calm, dexterous, and not afraid of blood. He had all the qualities of an excellent surgeon. If he were on Earth, all the medical school professors would fight to have him as a Ph.D. student.

He gave an impromptu anatomy theory class, stating the importance of anatomy to medicine, and the contributions of teachers to human beings in general.

Yue Wuhuan studied very seriously and even took the initiative to observe the shape of the corpses and their organs.

He found Song Qingshi's concern a little funny. Among the guests of Golden Phoenix Manor, there were often sadistic monks who would carry out slaves that had been beaten to death from time to time. He had also died and been revived many times at the hands of those monks, being spoiled and bruised all over. If it weren't for the strong resilience of his wood-type spiritual meridians, he would have been freed a long time ago.

What is a corpse? It's just a piece of meat.

From his first sexual interaction, he was only afraid of the living.

Yue Wuhuan carefully looked at the corpses and sighed secretly. Suddenly, he stopped and stared at a tall male corpse in the corner. A past that he didn't want to think of surfaced in his mind. He panicked for a moment, suddenly realizing something. His beautiful eyes turned up with roiling malice, and the corners of his mouth gradually curved into a faint arc.

He turned around slowly, restraining his expression, and asked gently: "Master, can I try to dissect this corpse?"

Song Qingshi was eating the loving dinner sent by the little angel. When he heard this, he looked up in astonishment.

He thought about it. After all, this wasn't a medical school in the original world, and there weren't as many instructions for dissection. Since Yue Wuhuan wanted to learn, he should support it.

So, he found a new hooded gown for Yue Wuhuan to put on, and then asked him to wash his hands and disinfect, and put on a mask and gloves.

Yue Wuhuan touched the gloves uneasily, wondering: "Why do I have to wear these?"

"To prevent germ infection," Song Qingshi warned. "There's no formalin here, and there's no completely reliable sterilizing solution. A simple spiritual stone formation method is used to preserve the corpses. Many of them have unknown causes of death, and even the dirty ones are put directly in the ground. I'm not comfortable with it. You must get into the habit of disinfection before and after experiments and dissections.”

This was the small cleaning obsession of a medical student. He couldn't believe that cleaning spells could completely eliminate germs, and he must be disinfected to feel at ease.

Yue Wuhuan looked at the corpse next to him. He pushed his feelings aside and said with a smile: "It's very dirty."

Song Qingshi finished dressing him up, handed him a scalpel, and introduced: "This corpse was given to me by An Long. An Long is the King of the Western Forest of Compulsion. He's a very powerful doctor and insect expert. He's a very nice person. We often exchange resources. He sent someone to deliver this corpse a few days ago, and asked a test question, saying that the method of death was very interesting, and asked me to guess how it was done."

An Long was the only good friend of the original body. The two used to exchange professional knowledge through letters, but for some reason, they broke off communication in recent years.

When Song Qingshi sorted out the things left by the original body, he re-read those letters, once again admired An Long's professional level, and then took the initiative to write a letter, using modern medical methods to solve an insect-born fungus problem that had plagued him for many years. An Long was overjoyed after receiving the letter and sent people to send many gifts. Because of the original body's preference, the gift included several corpses with different causes of death, and he said he would personally visit his home some day to say thank you.

Song Qing Shi liked the gift very much and welcomed the big man obsessed with entomology.

Yue Wuhuan smiled as he took the knife and dropped it heavily, slashing the corpse's chest cavity without hesitation.

"Slow down! Slow down!" Song Qingshi was taken aback and stopped him quickly. The teacher instructed: "You have to look at the muscle structure clearly before you cut. Pay attention to the direction of the blood vessels and meridians, and cut layer by layer. You're cutting too deep. You're cutting through the bones and organs! Watch out for the organs!”

"Yes," Yue Wuhuan looked at the still heart under the knife and smiled even more joyfully. He asked Song Qingshi, "Master, do you know the identity of this corpse?"

Song Qingshi thought for a while: "It seems to be a hero of righteousness, a metaphor or something. . ."

"Everyone says that the warrior Yu Qing was an honest and upright man, but he has ended up in a situation where no one has collected his corpse." Yue Wuhuan said softly, with endless sarcasm in his voice, "It's a pity."

"There are too many dead people in the immortal world, and corpses that nobody wants are everywhere. Regardless of the identity of the body beforehand, it's the same when you die." Song Qingshi stared at his movements, not paying attention to the inappropriateness in his tone, and exclaimed, "Be careful, you scratched the heart!"

Yue Wuhuan lifted his gaze and whispered in awe, "So it's not black, huh?"

He smiled and cut with the knife, again and again, cutting the disgusting body and organs into pieces. He was extremely happy, just like what he did to himself back then.

That year, not long after he entered Golden Phoenix Manor, he was under Jin Feiren's confinement. He didn't know much about his identity, so he was a little naive, hoping that someone with good intentions could save him from hell.

Golden Phoenix Manor hosted a banquet for the elders of the Qinghong Sect, and exchanged sword skills. The Qinghong Sect is a famous sect in the immortal world and has a reputation for being cynical about evil. Yu Qing was a leader who was highly regarded by the younger generation. He was full of righteousness, and he didn't look sideways at the beauties who came to serve him. It seemed that he didn't like beauty, and he didn't do anything dirty.

Yue Wuhuan felt that he might be a good person, so he mustered up his courage and tried to ask for help.

Yu Qing stared at him for a long time without speaking.

Yue Wuhuan also knew that there was little hope, so he didn't dare to force it.

However, he never expected that Yu Qing would force him.

"At the banquet, I felt that your eyes were so beautiful. You're naturally seductive."

Although Yu Qing didn't get the spirit pearl that controlled the Acacia Seal, he didn't have the strength to resist the Golden Core cultivator, so he was soon bound tightly by a magic weapon and left to be slaughtered.

. . .

In the early morning the next day, he was finally released from hell, but he was discovered and made a fuss in front of Jin Feiren and the leader of the Qinghong Sect.

With bruises all over his body, he knelt down in front of everyone.

Yu Qing was a highly valued disciple of the Qinghong Sect and had a very good reputation, so it was really wrong of him to touch the owner's property.

The Qinghong Sect leader was disgraced and he repeatedly apologized to Jin Feiren, saying that he would punish Yu Qing severely. The scene was very embarrassing.

Jin Feiren smiled graciously and rounded up the situation: "It's my slave who can't bear to be lonely. What is Hero Yu's crime?"

Yue Wuhuan froze. He raised his head to explain, but suddenly Jin Feiren gave him a warning glance. He moved his hands in his sleeves, and the Acacia Seal on his back began to heat up. Even though he struggled and resisted, he began to say a series of unpleasant words:

"The slave is restless. Seeing immortal elder Yu's majestic appearance, I seduced him with my body. . ."

"I'm not injured, my legs are simply weak. . ."

"This slave made a mistake. Please punish this slave for his lowliness."

". . ."

He was obviously hurt, but he was forced to admit to a mistake he didn't make, and the matter ended satisfactorily.

During the banquet, both the host and the guest were happy and seeing that Yu Qing liked it, Jin Feiren gave him along with the pearl to Yu Qing to play with for several days. He had seen all the wickedness of this righteous warrior.

He was badly hurt, but he never cried out, nor begged for mercy.

Because he fully understood the status of a slave and had no delusions about his situation.

. . .

"The cause of death is in the brain, and the bugs ate most of his brain." Yue Wuhuan used a saw to cut the corpse's head open and came to a conclusion, whispering, "He must have died in pain and misery. . ." He was glad that the mask blocked his smile and malice, otherwise his expression would have been as bizarre as a demon.

Song Qingshi carefully observed the corpse and nodded: "Mmm, this kind of death is quite tragic, it's a pity."

Yue Wuhuan smiled: "Yes, it's a pity."

He stared at the knife in his hand. The afterglow of happiness gradually dissipated, and he couldn't help feeling pang after pang of pity.

How good would it be if he could cut into him alive?

The author has something to say: Top Student Song is super confident: My little angel is so steady with a knife, he will definitely be a good doctor!

#mistakenly saving the villain translation #mistakenly saving the villain #bl novel #chinese novel #english translation #chinese bl #danmei #danmei novel #yaoi #yaoi novel #song qingshi #yue wuhuan

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aventurasdeunatortuga · 1 year ago

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Fenghuang

The past 3ish days have been spent in the city of Fenghuang 凤凰, literally, Phoenix Town, in Hunan province.

This town was established sometime in the 1700s and was generally a sleepy river town until recent years. The famous Chinese author Shen Congwen is from here and he wrote a famous novel called Border Towns set in this town in the 1920s about a Romeo and Juliet -esque romance. Shen Congwen is now considered to be one of the greatest Chinese modern authors, but during his life he was targeted by the Communist government because his novels were too “apolitical”. He was socially ostracized to the point where he attempted suicide. He later was “reeducated” and became a scholar of traditional culture working at a museum, he was nominated for the Nobel Prize for his novels in 1988 but died before the result was announced.

This town is famous nowadays for its architecture and for being the setting of this novel. It is an extremely popular tourist destination in Hunan province but relatively unknown within the rest of China and abroad. I only found out about it from a TikTok comparing it to the town in the Japanese animated film, Spirited Away, and thought it was pretty.

The old town here remains pretty much exactly as it did during the 1700s, which is pretty rare. It is built pretty much right up against the Tuojiang River with houses partially built on stilts overlooking the river. Its also known for the local indigenous Miao (also known abroad as Hmong) and Tujia culture. Nowadays it is a very touristy town. Each night the entire ancient town is lit with an enormous amount of lights and the river itself becomes the stage for a 3.5 hour continuous reenactment of Shen Congwen’s novel, complete with actors on floating stages reenacting key parts of the novel and light shows depicted on the walls, on the cliffs, and in the sky. The main characters of the novel, Cuicui (a 13 year old girl) and her grandfather run the local ferry in the book, so tourists can pay to ride around on a replica of this ferry to visit the various scenes being reenacted throughout the river. I did that on Thursday night and it was pretty cool even though I didn’t understand what was going on. I later found an English version of the novel online and read it and now it makes more sense.

Its also very popular here to rent traditional Miao/Hmong and Tujia clothing for the day and hire a professional photographer to go around and take photos with you. It is very picturesque here so it makes sense, I was just not prepared for the sheer quantity of people doing this. It was very hard to not end up in people’s photos.

Its also interesting that it is so trendy to dress up and do photoshoots wearing traditional ethnic clothing when only a few decades ago it was considered very shameful to be a part of the Miao/Hmong ethnic group. They were often referred to by offensive names such as ‘rude’ or ‘dirty’ people. Shen Congwen himself was part Miao but hid that fact until near his death. There are hundreds of ethnic groups in China, while the Han group is the largest and most culturally dominant, and even now ethnic minorities such as the Uyghurs in Xinjiang (western China) are persecuted and forced into ‘reeducation’ camps, but that is kind of a taboo topic in China. Its just interesting that both Shen Congwen and indigenous cultures are so celebrated here when historically they have been treated so poorly, and I wonder how much of it is genuine admiration and how much of it is just for the “fun” of it. I mean it is nice that culture is being celebrated but I wonder how authentic and genuine it all is, It all seems a bit Disney-fied to be honest.

Anyway, this town is beautiful but very hot and extremely touristy. I think I am the only foreigner I’ve seen the entire time I’ve been here, so its always a big production every time I try to buy something or go in a shop. Everyone has been really nice but I just feel bad inconveniencing people with my broken Chinese when everywhere is so crowded and busy.

I went around a few times really early in the morning and again while it was raining out and there was almost no one out so it was really nice to walk around then. Although it is truly beautiful here; most of the time I’ve been here I’ve been in my hotel room because between the tiny streets, the overwhelmingly enormous crowds, and the nearly 100 degree heat and humidity its all been a bit too much for me.

I’m leaving tomorrow and it will be my most complicated transportation feat yet because I have to take public transport to the train station, go to a different city, and from there get to the airport and fly across the country, all before 11am. Wish me luck. I’ll be in Lijiang, in the mountains near the Himalayas in southwest China. I’ll be there for a fairly long stint, nearly 2 weeks, and hopefully it won’t be as hot there.

Until next time,

#travel #solo travel #asia #china #hunan #fenghuang #shen conweng

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rohit21star · 2 months ago

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The Symbolism of Gold Jewelry in Different Cultures: A Journey Across the Globe

Gold jewelry is more than just an accessory; it holds deep cultural significance and symbolizes various meanings across the world. For centuries, different cultures have used gold to represent wealth, power, love, spirituality, and protection. From wedding ceremonies to religious rituals, gold jewelry has played an important role in many traditions. Let’s take a journey across the globe to explore the symbolism of gold jewelry in different cultures and how it continues to influence societies today.

1. India: A Symbol of Prosperity and Spirituality

In India, gold jewelry is considered a symbol of prosperity, purity, and good fortune. It is an essential part of religious and cultural ceremonies, particularly weddings. Gold is believed to bring blessings to the bride and groom, and families often invest heavily in gold jewelry as a part of the dowry.

Beyond weddings, gold is also used during religious festivals such as Diwali and Dhanteras, where purchasing gold is considered auspicious. The metal is associated with the goddess Lakshmi, who represents wealth and prosperity, and wearing gold is seen as inviting her blessings into one’s home and life. Gold jewelry is passed down through generations as a symbol of family heritage and continues to hold deep sentimental value.

2. Egypt: The Metal of the Gods

Ancient Egypt is perhaps one of the most iconic cultures when it comes to the use of gold. The Egyptians believed that gold was the flesh of the gods, particularly the sun god Ra, and wearing gold jewelry was thought to bring protection and divine favor. Pharaohs and nobles adorned themselves in gold to showcase their power and connection to the divine.

Gold was also used extensively in burial rituals, with elaborate gold jewelry and artifacts placed in tombs to ensure a prosperous afterlife. The use of gold in Ancient Egypt was not only a status symbol but also a spiritual practice that linked the earthly and divine worlds.

3. China: A Symbol of Luck and Longevity

In Chinese culture, gold symbolizes wealth, good luck, and longevity. Gold jewelry is often gifted during important life events such as weddings, birthdays, and the Lunar New Year. It is believed to bring prosperity and happiness to the wearer, making it a popular gift for newlyweds and newborns.

Gold is also deeply connected to the concept of “Yang,” which represents light, warmth, and vitality in Chinese philosophy. Wearing gold is thought to enhance these qualities, bringing positive energy and fortune into one’s life. Traditional Chinese gold jewelry often features intricate designs like dragons and phoenixes, which symbolize power, strength, and harmony.

4. Africa: A Sign of Power and Status

Across many African cultures, gold is a symbol of power, status, and wealth. In ancient African kingdoms such as Ghana and Mali, gold was considered a sacred material and was used to craft elaborate jewelry for royalty and nobles. Gold jewelry was worn as a sign of prestige and was often used in ceremonies and rituals to honor ancestors and deities.

In modern African culture, gold continues to be a significant part of traditional attire, particularly during weddings and festivals. The metal’s association with wealth and power remains strong, and gold jewelry is often passed down through generations as a symbol of family heritage and prosperity.

5. The West: A Symbol of Love and Commitment

In Western cultures, gold jewelry is most commonly associated with love, commitment, and celebration. Gold wedding rings and engagement rings are a timeless tradition, symbolizing eternal love and unity between partners. Gold is also a popular choice for anniversary gifts, representing a relationship’s strength and enduring nature.

Gold jewelry is often given to mark special occasions such as birthdays, graduations, and other significant life events. It is viewed as a valuable and meaningful gift, reflecting the giver’s appreciation and affection for the recipient. Beyond its symbolic meaning, gold remains a popular material for fashion and personal expression in the West, appreciated for its beauty and timeless elegance.

Across the globe, gold jewelry transcends mere decoration; it embodies cultural beliefs, values, and traditions that have been passed down through generations. Whether it’s worn for spiritual protection, to celebrate love and commitment, or to signify wealth and power, gold remains a powerful symbol that continues to connect people to their heritage and beliefs.

For those looking to explore the rich symbolism of gold jewelry and find pieces that resonate with personal meaning, discover timeless and beautifully crafted designs and embrace the global significance of gold in your own life.

#jewellery #gold jewelry #culture

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chinaaesthetic · 4 years ago

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Chinese New Year! 新年快乐!

*please note that the information below isn’t celebrated by everyone in the same way. Some customs are more common in northern China rather than southern China and vice-versa.

How to wish someone a Happy Chinese New Year:

1. 新年快乐！Xīnnián kuàil��! - Happy New Year! (This can be used one the first day of the lunar calendar as well as the Gregorian calendar).

2. 新春快乐！Xīnchūn kuàilè! - Happy Spring Festival!

3. 新年好！Xīnnián hǎo! - Hello! (This is how you greet people during Chinese New Year).

When greeting or wishing someone a Happy Chinese New Year, many Chinese people wish their family and friends things like: “I hope you have a happy and healthy family,” “I hope you get a job promotion,” “I hope you have good fortune and pockets overflowing with gold.” Here are some examples:

4. 恭喜发财！Gōngxǐ fācái! - Wish you a successful and prosperous year! (This saying is known well because of this Chinese New Year song you can watch here).

5. 阖家幸福! Hé jiā xìngfú - Wish you a happy family!

6. 事业有成! Shìyè yǒu chéng - Hope you have a successful career!

You can watch this YouTube video or read this article to learn more about how to wish someone a Happy Chinese New Year!

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What is Chinese New Year?

Chinese New Year, also known as lunar new year or the spring festival, celebrates the first day of the new year on the lunar calendar. In 2021, this holiday falls on Friday, February 12! This holiday is the most important holiday to those who celebrate this - its importance can be comparable to how Americans celebrate Christmas.

People have been celebrating Chinese New Year for about 3,500 - 3,900 years. It’s exact origins are unknown, but this tradition is believed to have started in the Shang Dynasty (1600-1049 BC) when people would make sacrifices to the gods and their ancestors towards the end of a year. However, the tradition was recorded and official during the Han Dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD) when Emperor Wu began using the lunar calendar. He chose to follow this calendar because it would let him know when second new moon after the winter solstice was.

Now, many Southeast Asian countries and people besides the Chinese celebrate Chinese New Year such as: Koreans, Vietnamese, Tibetans, etc. However, it is common to not see Japan celebrate Chinese New Year.

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Why do I keep hearing about the Year of the Ox/Cow?

Just like in western culture, there are zodiacs in eastern culture that the Chinese follow. There are 12 zodiacs, and these zodiacs follow a cycle of 12 years. Each new year represents one of the zodiacs.

In order, they are: Rat/mouse, Ox/cow, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.

2021 is year of the Ox/Cow - 2020 was year of the Rat/Mouse - 2019 was Year of the Pig... and so on.

Because each zodiac has its own characteristics, they define a year. Chinese zodiac scholars have said in 2021, Year of the Ox, will be a flip-around positive change. They believe this year will be lucky and that it will be a good time to focus on love and relationships. People who are born in years of the Ox are known to have a lot of endurance, be calm and confident, but are also stubborn.

Just like in western culture, these zodiacs are believed to affect personality, fortune, etc, and instead of getting your zodiac by your birth month, you get your zodiac by your birth year. If you are interested in your Chinese zodiac, you can type in your birthday on this calculator and read about it.

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What happens during Chinese New Year and how long do you celebrate it for? Lantern Festival?

On average, Chinese New Year is celebrated for about 15-16 days (from about New Year’s eve to the first full moon). Preparations start seven days before New Years because stores and restaurants close and people travel to be with their families. Most students are also on their big break during this time - they get off from school around the beginning of january and go back after Chinese New Year. It should also be noted that Northern China and Southern China celebrate the new year differently.

During the preparation period, people go shopping for food and decorations. They also clean the house very well. If living in a different city than one’s family, many people will travel back to their hometown to celebrate with family.

During the New Year’s Eve period, the house is decorated with New Year’s decorations, and there is a reunion dinner with family at the host’s house. Out of all the dinners you have during the year, it is incredibly important you don’t miss this dinner, which is why there are so many issues with travelling during this time. At this dinner, you eat many lucky foods such as dumplings and fish. Also during this time, the older generations will give younger generations something called 红包, which translates to “red envelope.” These envelopes are filled with money and are only given on very special occasions such as new years and weddings. Friends give these to each other, but it is not common at all for a younger generation to give one to an older generation person. There is a custom where families stay up late to “watch over the new year,” which is called 守岁. Late at night, people also like to go to temples to hear the first bells of the new year ring because they believe it will drive away bad luck.

On Chinese New Year’s Day, fireworks go off, families cook and eat large meals together, sacrifices are made to ancestors, etc. (Fireworks are especially important because they believe it will make your business more successful.) One popular tradition you might know of is the dancing lion/dragon parades where people wear a dragon costume and parade through the city. Dragons are very representative of Chinese culture and are thought to bring luck to a community. Lions are a symbol of protection.

For about a week after the first day, most people go visit family and friends. A lot of times people will visit the other side of their family. For example, someone will spend most of the time with their mother’s side of the family during the new year, then during this week, they will go visit relatives of the father’s side.

After that week, most people go back to work. This is around day 8-10. Businesses, restaurants, and stores reopen, and many people leave their hometown to go back to jobs in the city.

Day 15, the final day of Chinese New Year, is the Lantern Festival. On this day, the first full moon of the new year happens. To celebrate, people will light more fireworks, revisit family, eat sweet dumplings (called tangyuan), and participate in the Lantern Festival. People release lit lanterns into the sky to honor dead ancestors. This is called 元宵节.

You can read more here.

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What foods are eaten during Chinese New Year, and what do they represent?

During Chinese New Year, many special foods are eaten, and these are foods that are considered to be lucky and to bring fortune into the new year.

1. Dumplings - represent wealth. Dumplings take hours to make and involve family help. They’ve been eaten for at least 1,800 years and are especially popular in northern China. It is said that the more dumplings you eat during the new year, the more money you will make.

2. Fish - represents prosperity and success. The word “fish” in Chinese sounds like the word “surplus” in Chinese.

3. Glutinous Rice Cake/Nian gao - represents success in your work (more money, better position).

4. Spring rolls - represent wealth. They get their name because they are most often eaten during the Spring Festival which is CNY. This dish is more popular in eastern and southern China.

5. Oranges, tangerines - represents luck and fortune. This is originally a Cantonese custom, but many people grace their tables with citrus fruits. The word for “tangerine” sounds similar to the word for “good fortune” in Chinese.

6. Longevity noodles - represents longevity. These noodles are longer than usual to represent a person’s long and happy life. This is more commonly eaten in northern China. *It should be noted that these are mostly eaten on birthdays but can be eaten during the NY as well.

7. Sweet rice balls/tang yuan - togetherness in family. This food is eaten during the Lantern Festival, the last day of Chinese New Year. The shape and pronunciation is associated with closeness of the family.

8. Snacks - represent a sweet and pleasant life. Any sweet snack like dried fruit, candy, tanghulu is eaten during this time.

When it comes to food during Chinese New Year, there are superstitions about how foods should be prepared and what makes them lucky. You can read more about them here as well as here.

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What kinds of decorations are put up in houses during the new year? What do the colors represent?

1. Spring/door couplets - These couplets originated in the Shu era. As seen in the picture below, you post these on doors in couples - in Chinese culture, even numbers are seen as good luck. On many of these couplets are written wishes or poems for the new year. Each couplet should have the same rhythm and the same number of words.

2. Paper cutting - Translated as “window flower,” these intricate, red paper cutting pieces are placed on windows and often represent the zodiac of the new year or other symbolic animals such as fish, dragons, and phoenixes.

3. Upside down characters/Fortune - Many Chinese people during the new year hang up positive characters such as Fu, which means happiness and good fortune. It is written in calligraphy on a red piece of paper and then put upside down on doors and windows. It is hung upside down because the people want the good fortune to fall down onto them.

4. Red lanterns - These lanterns push away bad luck and are seen during both the Spring and Autumn Festival. They can be hung on trees, outside houses, etc. There are also many styles - they can come in many shapes and have symbols written on them.

5. Kumquat trees - As said before, citruses represent good luck and fortune. People place kumquats and citrus fruits on their tables or decorate their homes with small kumquat trees.

You can read more about decorations here as well as here.

Common colors seen during Chinese New Year are red and gold, but green can also be found.

The color red is not only dominate during Chinese New Year, but it is also very representative of Chinese culture as well. Red signifies fire, good fortune, and happiness. It is representative of good luck, keeps the holiday very joyous, and scares away bad spirits.

Gold or yellow is considered to be a very beautiful color. Gold symbolizes wealth, riches, and prosperity.

Green represents money, harmony, and growth.

Though these are the most common colors, it should be noted that a color combination of green and red is considered to be tacky in Chinese culture.

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What do people wear during Chinese New Year?

On the first day, it is traditional to wear new clothes and new accessories as it symbolizes new beginnings. However, there are people who like to wear sentimental accessories to respect and remember their ancestors.

Some people like to wear traditional Qipao/Cheongsam, Tang Suits, and Hanfu, but many people stick to western clothes like skirts, dresses, and pants. There is also a tradition of wearing lucky, red underwear for New Years.

Tang suits are the most popular to wear during the New Year, Qipao is also popular, but it is often too cold to wear during the winter months. Many people are starting to wear Hanfu again to celebrate the new year, but it isn’t widely accepted yet to wear during the new year.

During the new year, people wear a lot of red and gold. It is important to NOT wear mostly white and/or black. These symbolize death, and white is worn at funerals. Anything that is bright, bold, and upbeat should be fine to wear, but you should go for something that is red.

*If you want to wear something that is traditional Chinese for New Years, please make sure you know about cultural appropriation and know how to wear these properly.

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As there is so much information about Chinese New Year, I cannot possibly tell you all about it in one post. It is truly something that you must experience in your lifetime. It is very beautiful, fun, and there are so many things to do and celebrate. I ask you that you please research this more and look at all the beautiful pictures of food, lanterns, fireworks, etc.

Please stay safe and 新年快乐！

#lunar new year #china #year of the cow #mandarin #chinese new year #langblr #studyblr #cny #chinese

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tickledpink31 · 2 years ago

Note

Does Minako wear Filipino traditional clothes? If Minako wear a áo dài ( Vietnamese clothes) I would be honor because I'm a Vietnamese

She does occasionally wear traditional Filipino clothes. She owns a few blouses called a kimona (not a kimono, a kimona with an A).

There's this national dress ensemble worn by Filipino women called a baro't saya which literally just means blouse and skirt, but Minako has never worn a baro't saya herself even when she visits her Filipino side of the family for formal events. The younger generations of her family prefer more western style of clothing. Her aunts and grandmas though still wear them. They often wear baro't sayas called a terno which means "matched" (matching blouse and skirt)

Áo dài just looks beautiful. It's so simple but there's a charm to it. I feel like the only time Minako would wear one though is when she would travel to Vietnam for her job in Magizoology to study the unicorns, dragons, and such. The locals were nice enough to gift her an áo dài appropriate for handling mythical creatures

I even made a quick rough sketch of her wearing an áo dài while holding a baby phoenix. Hope you like it!

#ask #twisted wonderland x harry potter #twisted wonderland #harry potter #twisted wonderland mc #harry potter oc #oc: minako nezumi #my art #epics of ink and light #epics of ink & light

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mygwenchan · 2 years ago

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KinnPorsche and the Feng Shui theory of five elements and colors

Disclaimer: I wrote this analysis after watching ep7 (it's a repost from my reddit profile). So the infos are not quite up to date, but I thought some of you might still find them interesting. Might update, once all episodes have aired.

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So I’ve noticed that a lot of the characters in KP are often seen close to certain elements or they're being associated with certain colors. Being from a western country, at first I thought of the four elements theory (earth, wind, fire, water). But since Thailand isn’t a western country, I think the Feng Shui five elements theory works better. I did a little research and apparently in Feng Shui you can assign an element to a person based on their date of birth and other things. So here is my take on the Kinn-Porsche and Vegas-Pete couple and their respective elements and colors:

Porsche - Fire personality / Yellow or gold: In Feng Shui, fire is mainly associated with joy, but also with social skills, charisma, transformation, art and beauty. People with this personality type are the life of the party. But there can also be emotional sensitivity, impulsiveness, aggression and depression on the negative side. Fire colors are purple, red, orange and yellow. Our boy Porsche is quite obviously connected to the element of fire. The first time we see him, he is bathed in a golden light, which also appears later on in the series (even on the series poster where it is mixed with Kinn's blue). When he is happy, Porsche has this inner light that makes him shine as bright as the sun. He is a truly golden boy. Then of course there is his tattoo which is showing a phoenix, the bird that is born out of fire (in the novel it wasn’t a phoenix tattoo but a tree or blossoms, I think, so they deliberately changed that for the show). Also, his underground fighter name is “The phoenix”. Porsche seems to be drawn towards fire in general. The first thing he does after Kinn shoots the apple from his head, is to use his lighter and almost burn down the kitchen in the process. When he brings the condoms and lube to Kinn’s room, Porsche is immediately drawn to the lit up candle on the bedside table. When he is in distress at the beginning of EP5, Porsche burns himself with his lighter. There is also a part within this scene that’s played in reverse. Porsche breathes in the smoke of his cigarette instead of exhaling it. Meaning, the phoenix has reached the end of a life circle and burns itself to be born anew. The playful and somewhat innocent Porsche of the first few episodes is no more and instead we see a more serious and mature version of him now. In Ep6 it is Porsche who manages to get the campfire started. Then of course there is Kinn in the same scene saying “Fire and I belong together”. Kinn is not fire, Porsche is.

Kinn - Water personality / Blue & black: Water personality’s main emotion is fear. They’re also very adaptable, introspective, thoughtful and wise, sensitive, caring and they like to go with the flow. When negative emotions take over, they’re indecisive, over-indulgent (Kinn should really stop drinking and calling over his boy toys…) and try to escape life (EP6 was basically just Kinn trying to escape his mafia life). People with this personality type are also good at making money and like having wealth. Water colors are blues and black. In Feng Shui water is represented not just by literal water sources, but also by mirrors. Just take a look at Kinns home and also the way they show him while he’s in other places. There is almost always a lake, a pool, he’s in the bathroom, drenched in water, near or even in a river, there are mirrors and reflecting surfaces everywhere (of course mirrors also have an additional meaning in the sense that they show how different characters are reflections of one another, two sides that belong together). He is also often shown in rooms with blue elements or blue light and mostly wears blue and black clothes. The only exception being when he is thinking of Porsche, then we see Kinn wearing a red robe and such. And then there is Kinn’s main problem: His trust issues, his fear that everyone around him, even his family and love interest, might betray him. Fear still currently reigns his heart, but I’m sure that Porsche will help him to get over it. In the end they will be the power couple. Together, fire and water will be an unstoppable force of nature.

Vegas - Wood & hidden fire personality / Green & red: I really love how they portray Vegas’ duality just by using different lights, locations and props! The Feng Shui element of wood is associated with the emotion of anger (and oh boy, that man has anger issues). Wood personalities are also very assertive, confident, ambitious, competitive and logical thinkers. On the negative side they’re prone to angry fits and they’re also arrogant and reckless. Whenever we see Vegas scheming to get the upper hand over Kinn, everything around him is shown in a green light or the surrounding colors are mostly green (green can also represent jealousy of course, which also fits). Meaning, the “green” Vegas is a very cunning and manipulative guy who can easily get people to think and do what he wants. Also, the way he doesn’t seem to really notice the people around him, unless they challenge him, is very much in tune with the wood personality. Because wood personalities love a good challenge. It seems that for Vegas everyone is just an unimportant NPC, with the exception being his little brother and maybe his father. But if someone resists him (like Porsche did when Vegas had him drugged) or if they openly disagree with him or irritate him in some way (like Pete and Kinn do), then Vegas suddenly becomes very interested in them. On the other hand there is the hidden fire personality of Vegas, that he rarely if ever shows to others. For example in EP4 we see Vegas in his private dungeon. He is standing naked in front of several candles and a mirror (in this case the mirror is not associated with water, but it shows us Vegas’ true self). Blood red light is covering the room and Vegas himself, there is only a little bit of green light coming in from the closed window shutters. In that moment his desires have taken over, he wants Porsche and he will do everything to get him. Vegas is representing the negative side of the fire element. Interestingly, both wood and fire can show themselves in the form of anger. And when those two elements come together they create a blazing inferno that will consume everything (“I will consume you”). In the trailer for the series we can see a short clip of Vegas and Pete where Pete is tied up and Vegas is approaching him with those electric devices. The lights in that room are both red and green, so I’m sure he’s got something quite sinister in store for Pete… I also think it’s interesting to note that just by looking at the clothes Vegas wears, it is very hard to pinpoint his element/color/personality. Apart from Thankun, Vegas seems to be the character who changes his clothes style and colors the most. He wears black, white, red, brown & beige, green, gray... Vegas is literally dressing himself up in different personalities to appeal to the people he wants to get close to or impress (red for Porsche for example). But when he is truly himself, he takes off his disguise and is completely naked with just red and green lights covering his body.

Pete - Metal personality / White, gray (and black & some dark blue): The main emotion of metal personalities is grief. They’re also very grounded, intelligent, spiritual, calm and disciplined. Finding the truth in all things is very important to them. On the negative side metal personalities can be stubborn and have a hard time to really open up to others, they’re also very self-protective or self-centered. Metal colors are white and mostly grays. Though they’ve also added black and a bit of dark blue for Pete, probably in accordance with his words “there are no heroes or villains in this world” (= no one is just black or white). I think the emotion of grief and being stuck in the past fits quite well for Pete, not just because Vegas will definitely give him a lot of grievances. But also because Pete seems to be somewhat melancholic underneath his friendly and sometimes even cheeky demeanor. I read some parts of the novel and in it it was said that Pete comes from a small village in the south of Thailand, where he was raised by his grandmother. A few years back a problem occurred in Pete’s village that Korn helped to sort out. Out of gratitude for his help, Pete went with Korn to work for him. I think he still misses his grandmother and his old life though. In EP7 there is a scene where they’re on the way to Vegas’ house and Pete suddenly stops in front of a little shrine to pray to the deity, seemingly forgetting that he is supposed to follow Vegas. It is a shrine for Vegas' late mother and since Pete had most likely a somewhat religious upbringing, it is reminding him of his grandmother. It also shows us the spiritual side of Pete, who at least among the bodyguards seems to be unique in that aspect. Sometimes I even get the impression that Pete is something akin to a monk, who just wants to serve his god and live in accordance with the rules. But then along comes Vegas, the devil in disguise, who is the only one who can unsettle and tempt that little monk. As for Pete’s colors: In the episodes that have aired so far, I don’t think we ever saw him wearing anything other than black, white, gray or dark gray-bluish clothes. Also the first time we meet him, Pete is in his room, standing in front of large white curtains. The furniture and decoration around him is dark gray, white and black. Hardly any colors anywhere, except for the green and red checkered towel ( a hint at VegasPete?), some red on the punching bag and a dark red carpet. But from a preview we got a clip of Pete disguising himself as a maintenance guy, wearing red clothes and walking along a mostly green hallway. He is on his way to spy on Vegas and him being surrounded by Vegas’ colors means that those two will soon get very close. I think it’s great how they paired up a character that is basically devoid of all colors with a character who is represented by very strong colors. The makers of this show are telling us that Pete is the only one who can soften Vegas’ vivid colors and calm down his temperament while in turn, Vegas is the only one who can bring color into Pete’s life. I think, as their relationship progresses, their colors will most likely turn into pastels of green and red/pink and they will start to merge.

#a bit old but maybe still useful?#vegaspete #vegas x pete #kinnporsche #kinn x porsche #kp meta

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queenofcandynsoda · 2 years ago

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Jo Hye-Sun

Name: Jo Hye-Sun

Gender: Female

Height: 3’4” (101 cm) [Child], 5’5” (165 cm) [Adult]

Birthday: December 7th

Residence: Prison Camp (birthplace), Pyongyang, North Korean (current home)

Relatives: Jo Nam-Sun (mother), Baek Jong-soo (stepfather), Baek Ji-hoon (younger half-brother by four years), Ma Shin-Woo (first husband), Park Sang-Wook (second husband), Ryu Sung-Rok (third husband), Yi Hee-Yeol (fourth husband)

Occupation: Student (Child), Actress/Singer (Older, part-time), “Peace Ambassador” (Older, full-time)

Appearance: Hye-Sun has waist-long platinum blond hair and golden (or cyan) eyes. Her hair would always be in a traditional style as her mother would want her to be fit for “prosperity”. She has a ghostly pallor complexion. If she was not an experiment, she would have black hair and chestnut eyes. She has a Pyeongyang Joseon dialect.

Baby: Hye-Sun wears a white newborn hanbok. Later, she wears a kkachi durumagi for her first birthday.

Child: Hye-Sun wears a green, blue, and white hanbok. Her shoes are a pair of blue hye shoes. Her hair is in a badukpan meori hairstyle, held with a green bow. She also has a badge featuring both Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il.

Uniform: Hye-Sun has two uniforms. The first one is a long sleeve white shirt, a navy blue pencil skirt, a pair of black stockings, and a pair of Mary Janes. The second one is a short sleeve cream summer blouse, a navy blue bubble skirt, a pair of white ankle-length socks, and a pair of black flats. She also has a navy jacket with a badge. Her hairstyle is still in a badukpan meori hairstyle.

Teenager: Hye-Sun wears a violet and blue hanbok. Her shoes are a pair of violet hye shoes. Her hairstyle is now a kwimit meori. She once again wears the Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il badge. She also wears a panji ring as she has yet to marry, along with golden earrings.

Young Adult: Hye-Sun wears a gold and white silk hanbok that is meant to be worn by royal women in the Joseon era. Her shoes are a pair of white and gold hye shoes. Her hairstyle is a cheopji meori. It is held with a golden jam and phoenix cheopji. She wears gold garakji rings when she got married to her husbands. When she needs to entertain her husbands, she wears white and gold ginseng attire and her hair is put in an eonjun meori style with hairpins and daenggi. For simple causal wear outside of North Korea, Hye-Sun wears a yellow, white, and orange causal modern hanbok with black shoes.

Abilities: Hive Mind, Mind Control, Telepathy, Telekinesis, Super Intelligence, Bubble Manipulation (Bubble Generation, Bubble Solidification, Bubble Travel, Bubble Communication), Fanaticism Inducement, Hallucination Inducement, Puppeteering Mastery, Puppet Mastery, Happiness Inducement, Smile Inducement, Panmnesia, Acting Mastery, Dancing Mastery, Musical Mastery (Hypnotic Music, Melodious Memory, Gayageum, Bak, Bipa, Accordion, Sohaegeum, Drums), Hypnotic Singing, Hypnotic Music

Personality: Hye-Sun is very optimistic, energetic, and playful. She enjoys with boosting the morale of everyone and encourage unity and love among nations and people. However, she fails to see others' perspectives and think just making them happy would solve everything. Despite her devotion to North Korea, she is secretly interested in South Korea, for its fashion, and Western nations, for its delicious foods. When she is with all of the other Cuckoos, Hye-Sun’s mind went into “sync” and joins their collective. She is more in tune with the hive mind and their shared abilities.

Key Moments:

Nam-Sun was forced to a prison camp because she found an “unauthorized” pear to eat. During her time there, she was forcibly impregnated with Hye-Sun. Within a week of Hye-Sun’s birth, all of the guards and soldiers either committed suicide or murdered each other, via cannibalism and disembowelment. The guard dogs even attacked them and ate their corpses. When a general went to see what happened, he strangely asked Kim Jong-un to have Nam-Sun and her daughter free due to their “great potential” for the nation. Even more strangely, the dictator agreed and gave them unusually high status. Nam-Sun later married Jong-soo, who is the head of the Culture Department, and have a son with him.

Hye-Sun has become very popular among the North Korean leadership and the public for her successful singing and acting career. As a result, she has the privilege to take overseas education, performing in North Korean allied countries, eating gourmet foods, and given luxury items. She even got to wear luxurious Joseon era hanboks, allowed to have a private hanok outside of Pyongyang with a garden, and having several husbands/lovers. Many speculated that she got this treatment because of her abilities and to prevent her from wreaking havoc in Pyongyang and keep control of the populace. Nam-Sun was a bit curious of South Korea as she is afraid of how life is there. However when visiting during a “peace” summit, she couldn't help but feel true happiness in seeing people and enjoying their cultures. She does not mind living there forever.

Hye-Sun loves bubbles as she and Ji-hoon would play blow bubbles in the park. It is extremely rare for her to use bubbles for public shows, only for her family, husbands, and leaders.

While Hye-Sun would sang propaganda and folk music, appears in Pyongyang shows, and performed in revolutionary opera, her own music is controversial, mainly with the older generation, due to its political content, or lack thereof. The theme of her music is mainly happiness, love, and hopes of reunification, along with rarely mentioning the Juche ideology. She is very popular with the younger generation, especially those outside of Pyongyang. The majority of the government has no issue with this as she is helping to increase morale.

Hye-Sun met three of her husbands, Shin-Woo, Sang-Wook, and Sung-Rok, when they were children as they are the sons of generals and department leaders. She met Hee-Yeol when she saw him working in the fields. She demand for hand in marriage, which was very controversial due to his poor songbun. However, it was later allowed as Hye-Sun said it shows “how the hard working spirit can raise to help the Great Father’s nation”. Since then, Hee-Yeol has promoted to be a farm manager. All of her husbands must wear uniforms, which is similar to smart/business causal clothes. Women, excluding Nam-Sun and female members of the Kim family, are not allowed to look at their faces and must look down to the ground.

Everyday Wear:

Private “Drawing Room”/Giseng clothes:

Modern Hanbok/Outside of N. Korea:

#multiverse oc #the midwich cuckoos #the midwich cuckoos AU #the shinra cuckoos #cuckoo #cuckoos #oc #jo hye-sun

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fgodump · 4 years ago

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Connections to “The Poppy War”

The setting and characters to The Poppy War has derived a lot of inspiration from historical events and myths alike. This is meant to discuss which characters have a relation to those preexisting. Of course, you do not need to know this information to enjoy the books, but I think knowing them will elevate your reading experience. None of this information is official. This is just the conclusions I came to while reading. Feel free to make comments

MAJOR MAJOR SPOILERS FOR ALL BOOKS

Locations

Nikara: Qing Dynasty.

Mugen: Japan (Meiji Period)

Hesperia: Britain

The Hinterlands: Mongolia (unsure)

Murui: Yellow River

Tianshan: Kunlun

The different provinces were based off the Chinese Zodiac

The Poppy Wars: the Opium wars, as they have the heavy involvement of foreign invaders

Fang Runin: Rin’s character does not seem to take from a specific person, however the wiki stats that she was inspired by multiple people, such as Azula from ATLA and Mao Zedong

Chen Kitay: It's pretty obvious his character is inspired by Zhuge Liang in Romance of the Three kingdoms. In actual history, he wasn't that much, but in the book, Zhuge was a monster at strategy.

In the first book, Irjah proposes a question, which Kitay replies “to bait the enemy into giving them arrows by rolling out a boat of strawmen”. This is something that Zhuge did as well.

Sring Venka: Honestly I'm blanking on Venka. I think perhaps Venka isnt supposed to represent a character at all, but instead all the comfort women and victims of the Rape of Nanking, based on what happened to her during Golyn niis.

Yang Souji: He and his group the “Iron Wolves” remind me so much of the Shinsengumi. He even shares a name with Okita Souji, the captain of the first unit.

The Shinsungumi were also nicknamed “The wolves of Mibu”

I know the glaring problem with this is that the Shisungumi are Japanese, and should have been Mugini in this book, but I think these parallels are pretty cool in any case.

Chiang Moag- Ching Shih. Woah, as soon as I heard Lady Pirate, it was undeniable who Moag is. Ching Shih, the most famous pirate in China perhaps, and she was a woman.

Their backstories share similarities too. Ching shih was a prostitute, just like rumors around Moag.

The Cike: During the Zhou Dynasty, Wu Zetian (China’s only female emperor) had a secret police force that assassinated everyone she needed. This sounds incredibly similar to the way Daji used the Cike.

Altan Trengsin: I believe that Altan is like Rin; either an amalgamation of many characters or simply someone Kuang made for the sake of the story.

Ramsa: I believe him to be Nikara’s representation of the creation of fireworks. Not based off a person, but instead one of the Four great inventions of China. Or maybe I’m looking too far into it lol, since he doesn't strike me as being inspired from a myth, since he is not a shaman

Baji: Zhu Bajie of Journey to the West. Based on his description and his name, I had him guessed before they even said anything about pig.

His weapon is even the same as Bajie’s, a nine-toothed rake.

He also shares his desires, both of them being lusty for beautiful women

Suni: Sun Wukong. I had him guessed by his name as well. Although I believe the connection to be true, I cannot help but feel disappointed that the avatar of Sun Wukong was killed off so easily

The traits that these two characters share are pretty different, much more different than Baji had Bajie.

For one, Suni is generally calm when he is not being taken over by his god, and is pretty gentle and nice actually. This is very unlike Sun Wukong, and also the reason why I think Suni was a bad body for Wukong to take over, since I think their desires do not match up like Rin and Phoenix

Aratasha: The last in the trio, Sha Wujing. I was confused at first, since Aratasha is no fighter, but I realized his name sounds incredibly similar to Sha Wujing. Wujing was a sand river demon in JTTW, so I don’t think it was a stretch to believe that Aratasha was based off of him (his god is a river god, after all)

Plus, Aratasha died before Baji and Suni did. Wujing in JTTW was weaker than both of his companions.

Chaghan and Qara Suren: This may be a stretch, but I think Chaghan was inspired from Genghis khan. Gengis Kahn united the Mongols, like Chaghan united the Ketreids and Naimads. Even though the time period would be centuries apart (Genghis 1206, Qing Dynasty 1644-1912), it is the most likely option. It is unrecorded whether Gengis had any sisters, so I believe that Qara was made for the sake of plot (anchor).

Yin Family: The entire Yin family was taken from the story of Nezha. You can read more about the original story by searching his name in Wikipedia. R F Kuang kept a lot of things from the original tale, and these notes are what I have noticed

Yin Vaisra- Li Jing. Li Jing was also a great general, and in other stories, he was the head general in the Jade Emperor's Heavenly Army. If you know about “Journey to the West”, it was him who attempted to subdue Sun Wukong.

Yin Saikhara- Lady Yin

*its interesting how Kuang decided to make the mother’s name the family name for the Yins. Originally, I would have thought it was Li instead.

Muzha and Jinzha’s name were lifted directly from the source material

Mingzha is a character Kuang added, for Li Jing only had three sons (or 2 sons and a daughter in this case). There is no source material for how Muzha and Jinzha’s characters are; even in adaptations we rarely get to see any exploration of them.

Yin Nezha- Nezha:

Yin Nezha, like his original counterpart, was the third child of his father. Since Muzha was changed to a female, he is actually the second son.

He has the powers of the Dragon of the Western river (TBG 392), likely referring to the White Dragon in myths, who is the dragon ruler of the western sea.

Like the Nezha in the myth, Yin Nezha had an occurrence with a dragon that changed his life.

At the first battle between Nezha and Rin in TBG, it is stated he wears golden rings around his wrists and ankles. Guanyin bodhisattva did this to Nezha in Journey to the West, in order to placate him.

The Trifecta: All of the figures in the Trifecta were based on the Fengshen Yanyi (AKA the Investire of the Gods).

Jiang Ziya: His name was directly taken from the novel.

Su Daji: Her name was directly taken from the novel, as well as some of her penchants for murder. Daji, in both history and the novel, was infamous for her torture methods.

Jingzha being delivered back to his father in a dumpling holder would qualify as a toruture method. I applaud Kaung for being creative.

Yin Riga: I do not know if Riga is meant to be King Zhou or Ji Fa (the man who overthrew Zhou). Perhaps he was inspired by both of them, or neither.

Since Kuang did not go into depth into which gods were in the pantheon, I will make a list to who I think is there

Gods mentioned in the books:

Erlang Shen

Sanshengmu

Sun Wukong *implied through Suni

Zhu Bajie *implied through Baji

Huxian *implied through Unegen, and also Daji

Phoenix

Nuwa

Fuxi

The Four Dragon Kings (Yin Riga was likely the Dragon of the East) *There is no confirmation that there are multiple dragons, but I believe it was strongly implied

Chang’e

Xi Wang Mu, Queen Mother of the West

Zhenniao *implied through Pipaji

The Four Guardians (Azure Dragon, Vermillion Bird, White Tiger, and the Black Tortoise) *implied through Dulin, who summoned the Black Tortoise

Wong Tai sen *implied through Lianhua (Actually I am not sure, but I could not think of any other healer god in Chinese myths)

Gods not mentioned but I believe are in the Pantheon:

Yudi: Usually depicted as the husband of Xiwangmu

Hou Yi (Since Chang’e is there. However, there is a possibility that he is in Chuulu Korikh as punishment for killing the sons of Yudi)

Shennong: He exists between Nuwa and Fuxi as the “human”

The Eight Deities

Guanyin: (Since Wukong is implied to be a god) showed up in JTTW

Yanwang: (Since Wukong is implied to be a god) showed up in JTTW

Other tidbits:

Arlong’s name may have been the combination of “Azure” and the chinese word for dragon “Long”.

Aquebus are guns, but they shoot very slow. This aint a AK 47

The Red emperor could have been based off of Qin Shi Huang, or even the Jade Emperor himself.

Chuulu Korikh’s origin, although explained, has ties in Chinese myths. It was the mountain that encased Sun Wukong before he was broken out by Xuanzang. This means that the mountain was put there by the big B, Buddha. (Actually I can't remember if Kuang said who put the mountain down, but if she didnt specify this is what I think happened)

I am more familiar with Chinese history and myths, rather than Japanese ones, so if im missing something feel free to correct

#i finished all of them within 24 hours #im shaking #i wrote this right afater the last page of the burning god #holy shitttttttt #the poppy war #the dragon republic #the burning god #fang rin #nezha #fang runin #books #literature #yin nezha #chen kitay #tpw

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chaaistheanswer · 3 years ago

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I have a few questions about the kaahn if that’s alright. I have so many, your ideas have my interest and I just can’t help it.

Like how you settled on them using sign language and not speaking. Given where they live, what with sandstorms and other environmental impairments? How did that evolve in their culture? How does one communicate if they can’t see or have disabilities that impact their hands? Since touching isn’t acceptable in their culture and speaking isn’t polite. And their language, how did you come up with that? Did you have a point of reference you were using? How did it fall into disuse to the point only the shamens and leaders know it? Was it simply because they mostly use sign? Do they get told what their tattoos mean when they receive it? Are the tattoos usually only commonly known words? Is there any moment when speaking is allowed? When visibility is low or for those learning the sign language?

I love the clothing you designed, the colours, patterns, and masks clearly have a lot of thought behind them and I adore that. Especially since you gave them layers in a desert, which is uncommon to see. But accurate for desert living and ahhh I’m appreciative of the details. For the shoes is that a location specific thing or an all around? Since they’re in the desert and sand is…well hot, how do they navigate around that? They also seem to mostly wear cloth, do they not work with metal or leather to make armor?

Since they’re in Orlais, how do they avoid the Chevaliars and Chantry. I know you mentioned they usually left alone, but is that due to their remoteness in the Western Approach? They’re pretty ruthless with the Dalish and any “others” when it comes to religious beliefs so I wondered if it was their location was what kept them at bay.

And their diet, what do they eat? I know you mentioned that they don’t hunt their gods, so what do they eat given the sparse nature of their environment? Do they hunt gurgut, phoenixes, and varghest? How do they handle the venom and scales? What do they do with the feathers, scales, claws, ect?

Thank you!!! WOW these are very good questions!!!! 1) Honestly when their ancestors moved to the desert to isolate themselves from everyone else it was difficult for their body to adapt to the environmental changes. Many of them had severe sunburns and went blind. Exposure to sandstorms caused some of them to have respiratory and general ailments. A lot of them died because of it. But thankfully, their bodies adapted throughout the ages. The Kaahn of the current age are stronger now and can withstand harsh environments because they grew up there. They've also invented ways to help them survive in the desert like weaving special materials to shield them from the sun, etc.

2) Those who are visually impaired communicate through a special way involving music. They are taught a special music language through bongo drums and many of them are actually part of the arts and music faction where they have friends who know the language as well. Those who can't use their hands use their feet instead. Unfortunately, those who have any kind of impairment suffer the stigma of being seen as useless and can't contribute anything to the tribe. As cruel as it may sound, but there are times in the coming of age ceremony where a group comes back without their impaired team member on purpose. Though, thankfully this doesn't happen as often because the test assesses their teamwork skills as well. The chief is trying to change this mindset since he believes that everyone has a talent to contribute to the tribe. Actually, he wants to pass an act that makes learning special languages compulsory for everyone which is currently still being discussed in the council.

3) The written language is inspired by Japanese kanji and Baybayin. With Baybayin it's mainly the circles and wavy shapes and with Japanese it's the square shapes. I like the idea if some languages using logograms instead of alphabets when writing so there! The ancient Kaahn used the written language a lot, but because they moved to the desert where the food is scarce and it's a lot difficult to hunt for meat if you're not quiet enough. They came up with the Kaahn sign language to help them hunt quietly. Since then they've been using it way too often it has evolved into a form of Kaahn etiquette and they have been using it in their daily lives. The shaman is one of the oldest in the tribe, and they are a part of a long line of Kaahn shamans who are extremely knowledgable in ancient Kaahn traditions. Basically, it's their job to know about these things incase the tribe decides to stray away from tradition. While it is compulsory for chiefs and leaders to learn the written language because well, they're leaders and they must be an example to the rest of the tribe. Also, they should be able to read and write the records for their factions. Their masters (who leaders before them) taught them the script, which they then teach their apprentices, and the cycle goes on. There are times when they don't know a word or two then they ask the shaman for help.

4) The shaman tells them what their tattoos mean upon receiving it! Each word is assigned to a person because it represents who they and what type of spirit they have are even if some have the same words. Popular tattoos among hunters for example are: soldier, strength, diligence, zeal.

5) Speaking is allowed when only two people are in a conversation without anyone around. Usually a conversation between two close friends and not between acquaintances and especially not between a leader and a civilian. They follow a hierarchy. Mothers do speak to their newborn babies in a whisper as close to their ears as possible and without anyone around. This is said to form a special bond between the mother and the child. However, they do teach the child sign from an early age for them to get used to it.

6) They don't wear shoes anywhere! It's a religion thing. This allows them to "feel the earth" and adapt to a new environment. It's also a way to relive the lives of their gods since they don't really wear shoes.

7) They don't wear leather or metal! They're very skilled rogues and in order for them to get around easy without making a sound, they don't wear anything heavy and just wear light wool.

8) They're left alone because the Chantry can't just walk up to them without the Kaahn having to pick a fight. The Kaahn are less civilised than the other human tribes and see everything and everyone as threats. And for that, they're left alone. Their location plays a small part, but it's mainly due to their hostile attitude.

9) They do hunt those animals! They extract the venom and use them as poison which they put into their weapons. The claws and scales they use to craft weapons while the feathers they use as accessories or materials for weaving. They also hunt animals from the forest near the Hunterhorn Mountains which is a 1-2 hours walk from their camp. Nugs, druffalo, bears, spiders...

#dragon age #dragon age inquisition #the kaahn #human tribe #character creation #concept

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spine-buster · 4 years ago

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The President Wears Prada (William Nylander | Chapter 18

A/N: Remember that there’s a DOUBLE POST this week because of my birthday that happened yesterday! Look out for Chapter 19 to be posted Thursday at 7:30pm. I think you guys will reeeeeally like that one :)

January 24th, 2020

Aberdeen Bloom was amazed.

The welcome reception that the NHL planned in the hotel was full to the brim of what seemed like every NHL president, general manager, and their assistants mingling and munching on perfectly prepared hors d’oeuvres. Everybody was staying at the Ritz-Carlton, a fifteen minute drive from the Enterprise Centre where all the hockey-related festivities were taking place. While the all-stars had already been bussed to the Enterprise Centre, she was here with Brendan and Kyle, trying to assert her presence in a room full of men who thought they were gifts to God’s green earth. She wondered if any of the other executive assistants – a good 99% male, from her observations – felt the same way. It was when she was standing in that room that she realized how much of an anomaly she truly was, and if some guy gawked at her because he hadn’t seen a female since October, she wouldn’t be surprised. Hockey was an old boy’s club, and there was no better proof for that than the makeup of the people in this room.

Many people came up to speak to Brendan and Kyle – Aberdeen thought they were almost like the star debutantes at the ball, except one debutante already had three Stanley Cup rings; the other debutante was like the belle of the ball, as one of the youngest GMs in the league, and everybody wanted to talk to him. The only thing they’d do is give Aberdeen a quick nod after they finished their conversation before walking off. It was like she ceased to exist, or existed only as a figure to nod to once the discussion with the ‘big boys’ was over. Nobody was giving her the time of day. She didn’t even know why she had to come here and do this when—

“Aberdeen,” Brendan’s voice cut off her thoughts. She straightened out her back and looked more attentive as he looked back at her. “Who do you think will come and speak to us next? Let’s make a bet.”

She smiled. She knew that instead of sulking she should be working the room as much as possible, inserting herself politely into conversations Brendan and Kyle would have with some of the other presidents and general managers. “BriseBois has been eyeing Kyle for five minutes, so twenty bucks and an extra day off says it’s him,” she said confidently.

Brendan laughed, as did Kyle. “My bet’s on Ken Holland,” Brendan quipped. “Here to talk to us about Tyler Ennis. Everyone knows they want him. Hometown boy.”

“It’ll be Sakic. To talk to us about Naz,” Kyle said.

“DUBBIE!”

All three of their heads turned to see Brisebois smiling and making his way over. Aberdeen smiled. She leaned into Brendan. “I’ll take that twenty bucks in a Starbucks gift card.”

***

Aberdeen thought that maybe Frederik Andersen should be the one seemingly babysitting Auston Matthews, but she digressed. Because he was attending the All-Star Weekend but not actively participating in any of the festivities due to his slight wrist injury, he was free to do (what seemed like) whatever he wanted. He could visit both locker rooms, he could chat with all the guys, he could take pictures with everyone. All she had to do was make sure he got to the benches during the Skills Competition and she could consider it a job well done.

She didn’t want to follow him into the locker room – that was a bit much – so she stood outside and watched as he interacted with Fred and Mitch before moving on to some of the other players: Jack Eichel, Brady Tkachuk, and Mathew Barzal, for the most part. When he was finished, he looked almost surprised that she was still there waiting for him.

“They’re going on in ten. Where should we be?” he asked.

“I’m just gonna lead you down quickly, but I’m watching with Brendan,” she informed him as they began to walk down the corridor together.

“Aw, come on. You can’t keep me company?” he asked.

“There’s no way I’d be caught dead on a camera beside Auston Matthews, thank you very much,” she joked, but at the same time, was totally serious. If even one hair on her head was caught on camera, she was sure Auston’s fangirls would know her name, address, social security number, and blood type within the hour. “Let alone at the All-Star Game. And let alone with you looking like that.”

“Like what?!” he wailed.

“Oh, come on Auston. You look like you were a cast off of Anchorman and you know it.”

“I’m fashionable.”

“If you say so,” she rolled her eyes.

“I thought those types of comments were only meant for Willy, anyway.”

“They’re meant for any of you when you look like this,” she covered herself, giving him a full up-down, causing him to laugh and shake his head.

They walked past the Western Conference locker room, bustling with all the players and the media walking in and out of it. Auston stopped again to say hi to some guys that he could see – Tyler Seguin and Connor McDavid – before Aberdeen watched another player making his way towards them.

“This your girl, Matthews?” Matthew Tkachuck asked, a devilish smile on his face.

Aberdeen crinkled her brows. Gross. “Ew Matty,” she watched Auston as he made a face. “This is Shanahan’s executive assistant.”

“Oh!” Matthew’s face and demeanour completely changed as he took off his glove to shake her hand politely. “I’m Matthew Tkachuk from the Calgary Flames. It’s nice to meet you.”

Aberdeen laughed at how these boys could switch from being rats one second to upstanding gentlemen the next. “Nice to meet you, Matthew. How do you know Auston?”

“U.S National Development Program,” Auston answered for him. “We were on a World Junior team together.”

“Yeah, not to mention I was on a line with Mitchy in London,” Matthew added, referring to his junior career with the London Knights of the OHL. “It’s like I’m practically on the Leafs,” he smiled.

“You wish,” Auston scowled.

“You’ll be on the bench watching, yeah?” Matthew directed his question towards Auston. Auston confirmed he would be. Matthew’s attention went back to Aberdeen. He gave her a very visible up-down before biting his bottom lip. “How about you? You gonna be on the bench with Auston?”

“I’ll be sitting with my boss, but thanks for thinking about me,” she smiled over-politely. She heard Matthew chuckle but he still didn’t take his eyes off her. “We should go, Auston. I don’t want Gary Bettman angry at me for keeping the star of Toronto backstage for too long.”

Matthew said his goodbyes. Aberdeen and Auston continued walking down and around the corridors until they came to the entrance to the ice. Some of the arena workers, recognizing Auston, began showing him the way. “Now stay here and be good,” she said.

Auston smiled mischievously before winking and walking away from her. “Only for you, Aberdeen.”

“And tell Matthew Tkachuk if he even thinks of me, I’ll kick him in the balls.”

“Will do, baby.”

***

She saw the number pop up on her phone and the request for a FaceTime call. She hesitated at first, not knowing if she should accept. Sure, she was alone in her hotel room, it was late at night, and she was sure everybody had gone to bed, especially Brendan and Kyle. Nobody would be knocking on her door. Nobody would be calling her asking her to get a suitcase ready so they could take a private jet to Phoenix to fire a head coach. And even though her first thought was that this had to be some sort of practical joke, she quickly reconsidered. The last time this was requested it was in the back of a cab and an automatic no.

Not for anything, but less than 24 hours ago he was in her.

So she accepted.

William’s face popped up on the screen. He was clearly already in his pajamas, his hair tied back with an elastic atop his head. Aberdeen remembered that Toronto was an hour ahead, so it was even later for him. “Hello minskatt,” he smiled.

She’d just showered, and her hair was in a towel. She tugged it off so she didn’t look too ridiculous. “Hey Willy.”

“How are you, minskatt?” he asked sweetly, biting his bottom lip slightly as he watched her hair fall out of the towel. “How was today? Long day?”

She nodded her head. “Long but good. I met a lot of the other GMs. Well, most of them just sort of nodded their head at me after having conversations with Brendan and Kyle before moving on. It’s like they don’t know how to speak to women.”

“They probably don’t,” he quipped. “Did Auston behave?”

She smiled. “Yes, Auston behaved.”

“So I don’t need to kick his ass?”

Aberdeen giggled. “No. You’d never, anyway. He’s one of your best friends.”

“I’d still kick his ass if he gave you a hard time.”

She continued to smile. “How was your day? What did you do?”

“Miss you all day,” he said.

She rolled her eyes. She did that a lot today between him and Auston. “What did you really do?”

He shrugged. “Went to the gym. Talked with my brother. Just the usual boring stuff. Nothing as exciting as what you did.”

“Nothing I did was too exciting,” she admitted. She hated to admit it, but it was true. “I don’t mean to be rude when I say that. It’s just – I could have networked, I really could, I mean I know how to work a room, but these guys just weren’t having it. Well, everyone besides Julien BriseBois from Tampa. He was super nice.”

“It’s okay, minskatt. I’m sure tomorrow will be better,” he said encouragingly. “There’s a luncheon, right?”

She nodded her head, a bit surprised that he remembered her schedule. She hoped that would run smoother than what had happened today at the welcome reception. But now, at this moment, with Willy on FaceTime and two more days until she got to see him in Nashville, she didn’t want to talk about work. She’d only left him this morning and she was already missing him. “Hey Willy?”

“Hmm?”

“I…I’ve never really asked, but why do you always call me that? Minskatt?” she asked.

“Because that’s what you are,” he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

She knew that it meant ‘my treasure’. She remembered that quite vividly. “Yeah, but like…why my treasure? Why not just darling or honey or whatever?”

“Do you want me to call you those?” he asked worriedly.

“No! Not at all. I…I like minskatt. I love it, actually,” she admitted for the first time out loud. After months of blushing about it and hearing him say it in her dreams, she was finally able to admit it. “I just don’t know why you’d choose that over the hundreds of other things.”

William shrugged his shoulders again. “I just heard it a lot growing up from my grandparents. My grandpa would call my grandma that all the time. When I was really small, I thought it was her actual name. And I just…I don’t know. I think it’s the nicest thing. Because you’re my treasure. That what you are to me, always. From the moment I met you. You’re my treasure.”

Aberdeen smiled sheepishly. God, he was so…good. So pure. So characteristically William that she honestly didn’t have another word for it. “For what it’s worth, you’re my treasure too, Willy.”

***

January 25th, 2020

Aberdeen decided to get breakfast on her own, without waiting for Brendan to call. She’d fallen asleep talking to William last night – they both had, gag – but she still felt pretty energized and ready for the day. She threw her hair in a bun, knowing it would be easier to style when she got back from breakfast for the luncheon, and put on a simple pair of yoga tights and a University of Toronto hoodie.

She figured that most of the guys were either still asleep or would have ordered room service, and she was pleased to see that the dining room for the continental breakfast was basically two-thirds empty. She grabbed a plate and loaded it with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, and hashbrowns. She then poured herself some coffee and orange juice and settled into a table, taking out her phone so she could browse the news or read an article while she ate.

She was in a completely tranquil state of mind until she heard a voice from behind her. “Hey!”

It startled her. She turned around to see Mitch standing behind her, holding a plate stacked with food. “What are you doing up so early?”

“Same thing as you – eating!” he smiled. He looked behind him. “Hey guys! Aberdeen’s here!”

She leaned back to look past him and saw Fred’s giant body towering over the egg buffet and Auston looking like he literally just rolled out of bed pouring some cereal into a bowl. Fred smiled and Auston waved. She looked back at Mitch. “You’re all up?”

“You seem shocked,” he said as she settled into the seat across from her.

“I’m not shocked about you, because you’re just an excitable puppy,” she said. “I’m more surprised about Auston. Does he usually get up this early?”

“You’d be surprised,” Mitch shrugged. “When we’re on the hockey grind, early wake up calls are just a part of life.”

Fred and Auston came to the table eventually, with Fred sitting beside Aberdeen and Auston beside Mitch. They spoke casually – about the events of last night and the upcoming day ahead of them, what they would do with their day off tomorrow before having the fly to Nashville on Monday to meet the rest of the team. Auston suggested that they all go to the big arch. Mitch wanted to have lunch at a smokehouse. Fred wanted would arrange the Ubers.

They looked at Aberdeen. It was a while before she noticed. “What?” she asked with a mouth full of breakfast sausage.

“What do you want to do Sunday?” Mitch asked like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

She was confused. “I’m coming?”

“Obviously,” Auston piped up.

“Why would you think you’re not invited?” Fred asked. “You’ve been with us for how long now?”

“I just…I don’t know,” she digressed. “I know I’m, like, part of the team or whatever—”

“So why wouldn’t you come?” Fred followed up.

“I—you guys constantly freak me out, you know that?” she asked. “Like, I don’t get why a bunch of hot shot hockey players want me to tag along with them on their day off.”

“Why wouldn’t you think that? Willy likes you tagging along everywhere,” Auston said.

Aberdeen suddenly stiffened at Auston’s words, thrown around so casually, but they were so charged for her. “So does Jason,” Mitch added quickly. “And Brendan, even. I mean, Brendan wouldn’t have invited you here if he didn’t trust you with us, or you with us, you know? I mean, the All-Star Game is Peter’s thing.”

She’d heard that once or twice before. “It’s just it’s still new to me, that’s all,” she said, trying to remain calm. “I don’t want to intrude on your private time. I’m already around you guys practically all the time as it is. I don’t want to overstay my welcome.”

“Not sure that’s possible,” Mitch said. “You’re always welcome with us. We love you, Aberdeen.”

***

When Aberdeen went back up to her room after breakfast, she took a long look at herself in the mirror. Long. She knew she was loved by many people: by her parents, her grandparents, her siblings, by Kasha, by friends like Masani and Tom and Margot. By Brendan, at least in his own way. By William. She was loved by William.

Could she add the Toronto Maple Leafs to that list?

***

February 5th, 2020

New York City in the beginning of February was much different than, say, New York City in the summer, even New York City at Christmas. With nothing to really look forward to – no holiday or event, no long stretch of time where the city swelled with tourists and it felt so alive – New York City was just…well, New York City. Big. Imposing. Busy.

Brendan had lived here for a few years, both as a player and an NHL executive, and he’d gone out for an extended lunch with a friend, so Aberdeen had nothing better to do than to walk down to Magnolia bakery and grab a half dozen cupcakes to eat and then bring home to share with Kasha – two red velvet with cream cheese icing, one confetti, one lemon, one coconut, and one truffle. It was her way of saying thanks, because Kasha had been picking up donuts from Bloomers or Glory Hole at least once a month since they moved in together. The perks of flying on a chartered flight was that she knew the cupcakes would be safe all the way back to Toronto.

When she got back to the arena, she made sure the box of cupcakes was placed in the box where she’d be with Brendan and Kyle that night, knowing that nobody would touch it. It was when she exited the press box and began making her way through the corridors between the locker rooms that she saw someone she was not expecting at all: Saylor, Kasperi’s girlfriend. She looked very glamourous, with her hair and makeup done professionally.

When she looked up from her phone – which she didn’t do often – and saw Aberdeen, she smiled excitedly. “Ohmygod, hi Aberdeen!” she greeted her enthusiastically.

“Hi, Saylor. You traveled to New York with Kasperi?” she asked, trying to make small talk.

“I actually had a shoot booked, but I scheduled it so I could come to New York the same time as the guys came,” she revealed, clearly proud she was able to get the gig. “You know, because I model.”

Aberdeen resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Saylor reminded her every time they spoke about her modelling. Well, Instagram modelling. Aberdeen didn’t think she’d ever walked a runway or appeared in an editorial. It was mostly just the aforementioned Instagram modelling with a YouTube channel where brands would send her clothes or “collab” with her for exposure. “Yeah, I remember Saylor. Sounds fun.”

“It is!” she smiled excitedly. “I’ve been super lucky so far. But I mean hey, with a bit of makeup and good angles, lots of girls could be models.”

“I’m sure,” Aberdeen giggled. “Wouldn’t be me though. Not with these bushy Persian brows,” she joked, knowing full well thick brows were very in right now and that a lot of girls got them dyed or microbladed to look like hers.

“Persian?” Saylor was confused.

“Yeah. My dad’s Persian.”

“Ohmigosh, I knew you were mixed with something! Your nose totally gives it away.”

Aberdeen froze, though a strained smile was on her face. She knew she had a Greek nose, that it was pretty big with a prominent bridge, not elegant at all like Siena’s, but she didn’t think it was that big of a deal. She didn’t know what Saylor was trying to say or imply, but she tried to play along anyway. “I thought it’d be my hair.”

“Well, that too.”

Aberdeen nodded her head. Before she could say anything else, Saylor’s phone began ringing. “It’s my agency,” she said as she looked down at her phone. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“See ya.”

Aberdeen watched as Saylor left, her hips swaying back and forth in her skin tight Levis. She brought her hand up to her face, feeling the bridge of her nose before patting down her hair. She sighed. At least Saylor didn’t see the Magnolia cupcake box – she probably would have made a comment about that, too.

Aberdeen thought back to New Year’s Eve, when Morgan and John sat at her table and told her the story about Bee; about how she’d gotten messages from fans making fun of her weight and looks and how they’d called her the team cum bucket. Aberdeen shivered. She didn’t understand how people could have such vitriol in their heart for another person they hadn’t even met. And having it be directed towards Bee McTavish of all people. Those were targeted attacks, mostly because they were jealous of who Bee was dating (as they should, because Morgan was a great guy). But Aberdeen wondered if Bee ever got those types of comments from people she knew – other wives or girlfriends who maybe couldn’t hold their tongue or thought that looks were the be all, end all of someone’s worth.

Aberdeen knew better than to think that way. She knew it was all bullshit. How you presented yourself to the world was one thing – with your clothes, your hair, your makeup – and it was somewhat an extension of you, but it wasn’t who you were as a person. Like, Aberdeen always liked to look fashionable and presentable at work, because she knew she was in a highly professional environment and on any given day she’d shake hands and speak with a billionaire, but her clothes didn’t define her. Her personality defined her. Her work ethic defined her. Her respect for her job, her bosses, and her colleagues defined her. Her ambitions defined her more than her clothes ever would, than her clothes ever could. She knew Saylor didn’t mean any harm, that it probably wasn’t said maliciously at all, that it was only said because she didn’t know any better and nobody in her privileged life had called her out on her language that bordered on offensive. Aberdeen wasn’t going to hold it against her unless it kept happening and it did get offensive.

But she highly doubted that.

***

The Leafs lost to the New York Rangers 5-3.

William had knocked on her room door.

She let him in.

He kissed her the second the door closed and she felt overwhelmed by the feeling of his lips on hers, like she always did, really. They hadn’t been able to connect in Nashville or Dallas after the All-Star Game because her room was right beside Brendan’s, so they had to wait until the night they got back to Toronto. The Leafs weren’t doing particularly well lately, but nobody would be able to tell by the way William was acting. He brushed off the losses fairly easily, not liking to dwell on them too much.

“You okay after tonight?” she asked.

“It’s fine, minskatt,” he said as he kissed the tip of her nose. “Better now.”

She smiled slightly. She highly doubted that she made the situation better, but she’d take it. “Come to the washroom with me. I have to wash my face.”

“That’s sexy.”

She smacked his arm. He just gripped onto her hips tighter. “I can ask you to leave.”

“You’d have to make me at this point, and I’m a strong boy,” he raised his eyebrows.

She scoffed, dragging him into the washroom with her as she took off her makeup and cleansed her face. William leaned his body against the wall behind her, so she was able to see him and look at him through the mirror. He was so patient, and literally just watched her as she went about her nightly routine. He didn’t say a peep, didn’t complain, didn’t rush her. He just watched her with a look in his eye that told her, fascinatingly, that he was enjoying just watching her, like he was captivated by her simplest movements.

She pat her face dry, looking at him through the mirror. “Can I ask you something?” she asked. It was so quiet she could practically hear the electric current going through the lightbulb.

“Of course, minskatt.”

She was hesitant, mostly because she didn’t really know if William knew anything about it, but also because she should probably be asking Morgan. She set the towel down on the counter. “Do you know what happened with Bee last year?”

William didn’t look too bothered by the question. “You mean when her mom passed away?” he asked.

“No,” she shook her head. “The…the other thing.”

“Oh, that,” William nodded his head. “Yeah, I know what happened.”

“Morgan said it was someone who knew Kasperi’s ex.”

“It was. Her name was Cassie. Kasperi’s ex, I mean,” he clarified as he stepped closer towards her. “The girl who actually approached Bee in the restaurant was named Danielle.”

“Had you ever met them before?” she asked.

“Cassie, of course. Danielle, no,” he said. “Why?”

“Does Kasperi exclusively date models?”

“Basically,” he giggled slightly. “Why, minskatt?”

“It’s nothing,” she shook her head. “I just—I saw Saylor earlier tonight, and she mentioned how she was in New York City for a photoshoot with a brand or something.”

“She’s one of those Instagram models,” he said, wrapping his arms around her and nestling his head into the crook of her neck. He placed light kisses on her skin that made her feel temporarily drunk. “You should be a model,” he mumbled against her skin.

“Yeah, I don’t think so,” Aberdeen replied sarcastically, though the feeling of his lips still on her skin made her brain mush.

“Oh come on. You’d be a great model. My model,” he continued with his compliments and with his kissing.

“Not with this nose,” Aberdeen quipped. “At least that’s what Saylor said.”

William stopped his movements. It was quiet again. She continued to watch him through the mirror as he looked at her, speechless. It shouldn’t have come out like that. She didn’t plan for it to come out like that. But like most things to do with William, nothing ever went according to plan. Ignoring him certainly didn’t go to plan – look where they were with that. “Excuse me?” he asked, finally. “What did she say to you?”

“It’s honestly not even a big deal,” Aberdeen said, trying to sound as confident as possible. “She found out I was half-Persian and was like ‘Oh your nose totally gives it away’,” she mimicked Saylor’s voice. “Then when I mentioned as a joke that I thought it would have been my hair that gave it away, she was like, ‘That too’, like it was so obvious.”

William looked angry – a confused angry, like he couldn’t believe something like that was said to her by someone so close to one of his best friends, but at the same time, could totally see it being said by her in particular. Nobody else had commented on it when they found out – at least nobody on the team had – but of course Saylor did. “Minskatt—”

“Please don’t make this a big deal,” she interrupted him, seeing the look in his eyes. “It’s not the first time someone has said something like that to me and it’s definitely not going to be the last.”

If she didn’t want him to make a big deal out of it, he wouldn’t. That didn’t mean that he wasn’t still angry about it, though. And it didn’t mean he’d look at Saylor differently now for what she said. “But minskatt…you know I think you’re beautiful, right?” he asked softly.

Aberdeen nodded her head. “I do,” she said confidently. “I know you do. But, like – and no offence – but I think I’m beautiful. And – again, no offence – that’s more important than you thinking it. I have enough confidence in my appearance to not let it affect me. That’s why it doesn’t matter what she said.”

William smiled at her. Proudly. “No offence taken,” he said, biting his lip. “That’s all that matters. Still makes me want to talk to her though.”

Aberdeen whipped around so she could face him. “Don’t you dare,” she warned.

William’s smile turned from prideful to facetious. “Gotcha.”

Aberdeen scrunched her face at him, but he didn’t care. He dipped down and kissed her again, refusing to stop even as he picked her up in his arms and placed her on the vanity. He stood in between her thighs as he kissed her and kissed her and kissed her, not wanting to ever stop. “You know I think you’re pretty great, right?” he mumbled against her lips.

Aberdeen stopped, their faces only inches apart as she stared at him, smiling slightly. She brought her hand up and let her thumb caress his bottom lip, the slightest bit swollen from all their kissing. His eyes were so, so blue as she looked into them. Sometimes she didn’t think he was real. “I think you’re pretty great, too.”

187 notes · View notes

royalynx · 3 years ago

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( * 💀 / daniel ezra, cis male, he/him ) — is that kingsley shacklebolt i just saw rushing down the corridor? i hear they’re a twenty two year old gryffindor, returning for their seventh school year, but their friends would tell you that they are grounded & commanding as well as opinionated & strong-willed. if you want to know more about them, i guess i could tell you that they’re pureblood, and from what i hear, they’re currently allying with the order. when our divination professor looks into their crystal ball, they see: the calming presence in the back of the room, muggle records hidden in drawers, steaming mugs of tea, the warmth of a hug, the burn of quiet fury.

CHARACTER INSPIRATION: Luke Cage (Jessica Jones), Kingsley Shacklebolt (Books: Order of the Phoenix through Deathly Hallows), Jake Reilly (Private Practice), Terry Jeffords (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Alphonso ‘Mack’ Mackenzie (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Matt Simmons (Criminal Minds), Odafin Tutuola (Law and Order: SVU), Spencer James (All American).

TRIGGER WARNINGS: ???

LINKS: Pinterest (Coming Soon). Playlist (Coming Soon).

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐒

I N T R O

full name ➵ Kingsley Akiel Shacklebolt

nicknames ➵ King; Kings; Kas; Shack; Shacklebolt; Royal

pronouns ➵ he/him/his

orientation ➵ bisexual biromantic

birthdate / age ➵ May 8th, 1957, 15:32 am / 22 years old

birthplace ➵ Birmingham, England

childhood home ➵ Birmingham, England

current residence ➵ Hogwarts, Scotland

religion ➵ atheist

occupation ➵ full - time student at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry

P H Y S I C A L

height ➵ 5 feet, 10 1/2 inches / 179 cm

weight ➵ 78 kg / 171lb

body type ➵ mesomorph ( athletic; generally hard body; well defined muscles; rectangular shaped body; strong; gains muscle easily; gains fat easily )

hair ➵ black, shaved/cropped

eye color ➵ dark brown

dominant hand ➵ ambidextrous

FC ➵ Daniel Ezra

voice ➵ Daniel Ezra

special characteristics ➵

tattoo of a lion on the back of his neck that roars when danger is near

acne scars on cheeks

perfect posture

smells of ➵

broom wax

toothpaste

lavender, anise, basil, bergamot and lemon; geranium, ylang-ylang and jasmine; oakmoss, vetiver, tonka bean, patchouli, vanilla and sandalwood - Brut by Faberge

E M O T I O N A L

zodiac ➵ taurus sun (x); virgo rising; virgo moon

MBTI ➵ ISTJ (“The Logistician”)

positive traits ➵ grounded; commanding; courageous; considerate; observant; dedicated; forbearing to an almost mind-boggling degree; put-together; knowledgeable; self-reliant.

neutral traits ➵ fearless; calming; stolid; diplomatic; paternalistic.

negative traits ➵ opinionated; strong-willed; quiet; stubborn; high-minded; aloof to some; reticent; stoic; overcritical; has very high expectations of himself & others.

likes ➵ playing Quidditch; freshly baked bread; playing Gobstones at 3am; a warm bed; muggle record players; purple; watching the sea; forehead kisses; DADA; organized notes; wearing rings; honeycakes; David Bowie; dragonhide boots; chocolate frogs; firedrakes; Charms; Firewhiskey; watching the fire in the Gryffindor common room; twenty; red wine; laughing with Frank and Alastor; Transfiguration; The Beatles; his sister

dislikes ➵ legilimency; bigotry; raisins in chocolate; Divination; messy desks; foggy London; Sacred 28; people flaking on him; his team losing Quidditch matches; pumpkin juice; using school brooms; sushi; magic quills; pixies; History of Magic; the treatment of squibs by wizarding society; muddy orange; gigglewater; the texture of mushrooms; feeling unsettled; licorice; rollercoasters; toads; the word mudblood; Turkish delight

amortentia ➵

freshly cut grass

roast chicken dinner

aftershave

sandalwood

M A G I C

blood status ➵ pureblood

wand ➵ Alder wood with cherry trailed over the front like the path of a river, or a lightning bolt, White River Monster spine core, 14 and a 1/4 inches, solid

whilst Alder makes for an unyielding wood, its ideal owner is not stubborn or obstinate, but often helpful, considerate and most likeable. Whereas most wand woods seek similarity in the characters of those they will best serve, alder is unusual in that it seems to desire a nature that is, if not precisely opposite to its own, then certainly of a markedly different type. When an alder wand is happily placed, it becomes a magnificent, loyal helpmate. Of all wand types, alder is best suited to non-verbal spell work, whence comes its reputation for being suitable only for the most advanced witches and wizards. (Cherry, a very rare wand wood creates a wand of strange power, most highly prized by the wizarding students of the school of Mahoutokoro in Japan, where those who own cherry wands have special prestige. The Western wand-purchaser should dispel from their minds any notion that the pink blossom of the living tree makes for a frivolous or merely ornamental wand, for cherry wood often makes a wand that possesses truly lethal power, whatever the core, but if teamed with dragon heartstring, the wand ought never to be teamed with a wizard without exceptional self-control and strength of mind.) The use of a White River Monster spine produced spells of force and elegance.

patronus ➵ Lynx

E D U C A T I O N

Hogwarts class ➵ Gryffindor, 1981

extracurriculars ➵

Gryffindor Prefect / September 1980 - June 1981

Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team / September 1979 - June 1981

Gryffindor Chaser / October 1975 - June 1981

Charms Club / September 1975 - June 1981

Toothill Duelling Club / September 1978 - June 1981

Slug Club / December 1977 - June 1981

courses & exams ➵

Ancient Runes - O

Charms - O

Defense Against the Dark Arts - O

Herbology - O

Arithmancy - O

Muggle Studies - O

Potions - O

Transfiguration - O

Care of Magical Creatures - O

now studying Alchemy ( predicted an O )

M I S C E L L A N E O U S

health ➵

strawberry allergy

pets ➵

Archimedes; the family owl ( great horned owl )

handwriting ➵ Sebastian Bobby

F A M I L Y

Ora Shacklebolt (nee Kayoude) ➵ paternal grandmother; socialite; alive

Kingsley Shacklebolt I ➵ grandfather; Wizengamot member; alive

Yara Audley (nee Idowu) ➵ maternal grandmother; homeschooled; apothecary worker; alive

Akiel Audley ➵ maternal grandfather; homeschooled; Quidditch supply store owner; alive

Alaric Shacklebolt I ➵ father; Gryffindor; Senior Auror for the DMLE; alive

Meera Shacklebolt ➵ mother; homeschooled (opted out of attending Ilvermorny / Hogwarts); apothecary worker; alive

Eralia Audley ➵ maternal aunt; homeschooled; Senior Assistant to the Jamaican Minister of Magic; alive

Gabrielle Shacklebolt ➵ paternal aunt; Hufflepuff; Ministry employee; alive

Edward Shacklebolt (took wife’s name) ➵ paternal uncle; Hufflepuff; job; alive

Khenan Shacklebolt ➵ paternal uncle; Ravenclaw; curse breaker for Gringotts; alive

Kingsley Akiel Shacklebolt (II) ➵ self; Gryffindor; Future Senior Auror for the DMLE; alive

Bianca Omnira Shacklebolt ➵ sister; fifth year Ravenclaw; unknown future; alive

𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌

his parents used to say he was born for diplomacy. that’s what they’d drilled into him since he was born: fight the good fight, be honest and good and stay calm, always. they can only catch you off guard when you aren’t. he’d always been somewhat of a natural diplomat — the oldest child, expectations hung from his shoulders as if they were coats and he, a coat rack. he’d always been a quiet child, somewhat unassuming, almost shy, content to play and be alone, often found even as a baby, simply amusing himself with his fist over crying, wailing for attention. when they attended the galas and balls befitting of a family part of the sacred 28, little changed. in fact, he was praised for it — how level-headed he was, even when all he wanted to do was scream and shout and set fire to the curtains by the window to stop them yammering on about the importance of blood purity and their precious, precious privilege, how he smiled politely and shook hands and never, ever made a scene. he hated them. he hated every last one of them. their fake smiles and empty eyes, how they hated for no reason and believed themselves to be superior — a kernel of a fallacy that kingsley, even as a child, could never subscribe to.

but kingsley was nothing if not a good man, and a good son, and so, he stayed silent — at least, to everyone who never crossed the boundaries of their home. to them, kingsley was a young wizard who showed particular promise in their circle, but to those who saw him at home, his internal torture over it was obvious. he had muggle neighbours, even muggle friends, people who made him laugh and gave his parents presents when his beloved baby sister was born, and he could not abide the dual life his parents were living. when they were home, they were tolerant — amused, even, by the muggles they surrounded themselves with, something his mother always said was to keep them grounded, because she’d already lost one sibling to pureblood mania and refused to lose herself, or her husband, or either of her children. when they were at the galas, they were cold, a little aloof, they laughed along with jokes at muggles expenses, they shook hands, ate appetisers, danced and never seemed to show any remorse for the roles they had to play those nights, though he knew they had to feel guilty (he hoped they felt guilty.) he knew they felt they had to do it to survive — to thrive, even, in a world in which they weren’t always welcome, but he hates it.

he loves his family. kingsley loves them with every part of him, loves his younger sister with his entire heart, is never not seen at home without her practically hanging off his ankles, and then his knees, and then his hips, until she’s too tall and too old for that, he loves his mother and relishes her hugs and the way she always knows what to say to make him feel better, he loves his father and that deep, slow river of calm that seems to run through him, the same river kingsley has always felt took root in him, but he hates their legacy. he hates their part in the sacred twenty eight. he hates every part of it. he hates that they agreed to this — to what feels like a mortal lock, an unbreakable vow, tying themselves to this until the end of time. he hates that he understands why — their blood runs pure, he knows, in other wizards standards, but knowing what the sacred twenty eight stands for? what it really represents? kingsley thinks that their blood is the blood that’s dirty, that they’re the ones who ought to be ashamed of themselves for their existence, that they’re the ones who value opulence and power over people’s lives and that makes them wrong and evil and undeserving of their magic. it’s the first time — the only time — his parents have ever seen him truly angry — he remembers it well, being fourteen and all uncontrolled fury for the first time, how the quiet anger had burned and swelled under his skin until he couldn’t hold it in anymore, and how he’d made all the glass windows in the dining room shatter, the glass raining like sand when his father waved it away with a swish of his wand, kingsley’s chest heaving as he yells, raging against their indifference, feeling oddly soothed when his mother pulls him into his arms and whispers that she’s sorry. she’s sorry. she knows, she knows. he wishes that were enough — that apology, that acknowledgement that they were — are — hypocrites.

even still, his love for his family, flaws and all, remains, though he’s slowly pulled back from any engagement with the pureblood world over the years. he’s very proud to be his father’s son — the son of an auror, recipient of the order of merlin second class — and his mother’s. he’s proud to be his sister’s big brother, her protector. he’s even more proud when he gets his letter to hogwarts, confirming what they all already knew — magic is strong in the shacklebolt family. he picks up the family wand, purchased in america in the early 1920s — alder with cherry trailed over the front like the path of a river, or a lightning bolt, white river monster spine core, fourteen and a quarter inches, solid — and he feels a piece of himself slots firmly into place. hogwarts is where his father went, where his father’s father went (over ilvermorny), and though he can no longer pretend to be complacent to their every whim in regards to the sacred twenty eight (something which both his parents have since begun to shun), he knows getting sorted into gryffindor would make them both proud, and that’s what he wants, so that’s what be did — the bat barely touched his head before declaring him a gryffindor. even now, as a twenty two year old seventh year on the brink of graduating into a fully fledged war, he wants to make them proud. he wants to be a pillar of strength, safety, tolerance, love, support, he wants to be the friendly face ushering people to safety, he wants to be the one raining hellfire down on the prejudiced idiots who think that they’re any different to anyone else, with magic or without, on this planet, that they’re superior in any way because of their blood.

#revelio.intro #kingsley;#i hate this graphic #but i am not remaking it bc it took me 50 years to find an image #skdjfnsdkfjnsdf

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imaginedhaven · 4 years ago

Text

Rules of Engagement: Chapter One

Link to Masterpost

Aelin Galathynius snarled at the door she had just slammed behind herself, exposing delicate fangs that had been gracing her features for the past several weeks now. At this point she could understand the need for at least enough training for her powers to not manifest in the way they had, but to make it a condition for her to inherit the throne, when the laws Darrow had referenced had been unenforced for generations?

“You can’t say this was entirely unexpected,” came a delicate feminine voice from behind her, and Aelin whirled around before relaxing as she saw who had spoken. “I mean, truly,” her friend Lysandra continued with a careless twirl of the sleek brown curls she had chosen to wear that day, “burning down the entire western gate in the image of a bird does present a bit of a problem in our relations with the town and with our neighbors, does it not?”

Aelin smirked, though she had a feeling Lysandra would see through the feigned expression. “Aelin of the Wildfire summoning a phoenix to rescue her from the city guards certainly does send a message that I am not to be trifled with, doesn’t it?” Never mind that she had not deliberately chosen the form of the flames, nor in fact consciously summoned them at all.

“See, I’ve studied the descriptions in the old books, and I don’t think it was a phoenix,” her friend said lightly. “I couldn’t say for certain what type of bird appeared in the flames, but phoenixes always had a longer neck in the legends. Almost like a swan,” she added.

Aelin couldn’t help a laugh as a swan’s form suddenly replaced that of her friend, and she sat beside it on her bed. “Shifting into a swan hardly proves your point about phoenixes, Lysandra,” she said dryly.

Before she could say anything else about it, Lysandra had shifted back into the form she had been wearing earlier. “This entire conversation is a distraction, and you know it,” the shifter accused. “I think you’re truly angry that he chose to hide his decision from you until the day before your new trainer is due to arrive from Doranelle, so that you wouldn’t have time to find a way out of it.”

Aelin sighed and ran her fingers through her own golden waves, allowing the nervous gesture only because she was speaking to her most trusted friend. “I don’t like it,” she admitted. “We’ve avoided attracting the Fae Queen’s attention for so long now. How do I know this trainer isn’t under orders to just take me back?”

“You say that as though you would have no means of finding an escape. That doesn’t sound like the Aelin I know. Besides,” Lysandra continued, “abducting the Crown Princess seems like an order few monarchs would risk. Not to mention the risk of transporting you on any ship, without more control over your abilities.”

“That assumes the Fae have no protections against magic,” Aelin snapped.

“Hardly,” drawled Lysandra. “The western gate was well-defended, after all, and look where that got it.”

Aelin had to admit to herself, if not out loud, that her friend had a point. The gate had been warded, and had stood against multiple attacks, and she had burned through it without a thought. Honestly, that was the realization that had shaken her the most. Rather than concede the point out loud, though, she continued on. “We’ll just have to keep an eye on this blood-sworn whoever-he-is,” she declared. “I won’t leave my home against my will again, regardless of any relationship the Queen may declare between us.”

Lysandra grinned. “What if he’s coming to win you over and satisfy the other rule the Regent invoked?”

Aelin growled at the thought of it. “Then he’ll fail. The marriage clause is the one I have longer to find a way around, and I will not tie myself to someone blood-sworn to another simply to appease an old man clinging to what control he has left.”

“You might as well look at the options,” her friend pointed out. “Who knows, there may be someone on his list that isn’t so bad. You had to know a political marriage was in your future at some point.”

She had known it for years, though she had hoped she would be able to find someone on her own at least. If she wasn’t to marry for love, the least the world could do for her was allow her to choose someone she actually liked while adhering to the most important of the eligibility requirements.

After all, she had seen where love matches led before, and she had no desire to experience anything like her parting from—

No. That wound was still too fresh, though nearly an entire year had passed. She doubted she would ever truly be able to think his name without a jolt of pain. Best not to start down that path.

Aelin took a breath, hoping it looked more like taking a moment to think than the steadying movement it was. “We’ll look over the options together, when the others have returned. I have until my birthday to announce who I choose to court, and I intend to take as much time as I can ensuring that I’m not making the worst decision. The Regent can wait a week.”

Lysandra nodded and stood, gracefully smoothing her skirts. “Shall I see what can be found about the eligible candidates?”

“Please,” she replied. “I’m certain Darrow has listed their qualifications, but I know you can find out more about what they’re actually like than he would bother telling us. Any rumors you can find could prove useful.”

The shifter grinned, and Aelin noticed that Lysandra had elected to borrow the sharper canines of her current form. “Then I’ll get to work,” she said as she let herself out of Aelin’s rooms.

Aelin waited until she heard her friend’s footsteps fade completely before allowing herself to fall face-first onto her mattress. What had she gotten herself into?

For most of her nearly twenty years of life, she had known of the power that burned inside of her. It would’ve been hard for anyone to ignore that her fingertips had once had the tendency to spark when she was irritated. But she’d thought she’d had the power well enough in hand to go on continuing to ignore it for as long as it took. Her parents had impressed on her from an early age the importance of keeping a hold of her emotions, lest she lose control of both her temper and the fire that burned inside of her. She hadn’t had an incident in almost a year now, and given what had happened then she had allowed that the outburst was understandable.

Aelin sighed. One of the last conversations she’d had with her mother, before she and Aelin’s father had both passed on into the Afterworld, was the true reason she feared this Fae trainer.

“I need you to understand this,” Evalin Galathynius had whispered from the bed where she would breathe her last. “You know by now that I have been avoiding sending you to Doranelle, or taking you there to visit, since you were born. You must know why.”

Aelin had frowned, but before she could say anything her mother continued on. “The Queen there, our aunt, will claim to want to meet you. Likely she will claim affection as a member of your extended family. It is all lies, Aelin. She knows what lies inside you, my dear, and she will seek to either smother or control it. I want you to live a life free of all of that, like the life your father gave me. So I want you to promise me that you will not set foot in Doranelle. Can you promise me that, Aelin?”

Aelin shook her head, as if to attempt to dislodge the memory. She had promised, of course, and her mother had passed on not long after. Darrow had made noise about sending her off to study her magic, she recalled, though nothing had ever come of it. Perhaps she had had a similar conversation with him. At any rate, she had successfully hidden the signs of most of her magic ever since, with only a few slips. It likely hadn’t seemed truly necessary to him until now.

This trainer that the Queen had personally selected had sworn a blood oath to her, and the message he had carried and then sent on before him admitted as such. If he had been ordered to take her back with him, he would have no option but to either do so or perish in the attempt. Unless the Queen remanded the order, of course, but that seemed unlikely.

She had fought before, of course, and if this were any other male she would be less concerned. However, she had never come across a Fae warrior before—much less one of sufficient power for the Queen to send in her place. She knew he would be faster than any of her previous foes, should he become one himself, and more powerful. If he were to be her trainer in magic, he would likely be strong in either fire magic or a power that would nullify what she did.

She would have to slip away, then, if it came to it, and pray that she could stay out of his grasp until the Queen decided the search was no longer worth the effort. Luckily, she was used to escaping unnoticed.

~*~*~

The next morning Aelin awakened with a sigh of relief at her deadened senses. She must have finally shifted back into her human appearance through the course of the night, what little Fae blood she came by through her mother’s line finally relinquishing its grasp. Reaching up and feeling the rounded tips of her ears, she smiled. While she personally didn’t mind the heightened senses, the pointed ears and fangs stood out. Perhaps she would feel better about the shift if she had any control over when it occurred, but as it happened without her wishes she could only feel resentful.

She knew she would be expected to make a formal appearance at the reception for their guest from Doranelle in the afternoon, and dress appropriately for the occasion. However, that was hours away and she refused to spend all day in formal dress for him when he wasn’t even going to be here to appreciate it. Instead she donned a pair of dark brown trousers, pairing them with a linen undershirt and a tunic the green of her family crest. Hardly appropriate for court, but she could get away with it for a morning stroll in the gardens.

Quickly tying her hair into a braid and then into a knot at the nape of her neck, she looked around her rooms for wherever she had tossed her boots the previous night. She found them neatly tucked away in the corner, which must have been Lysandra’s doing, and quickly tugged them on, supple brown leather reaching just below her knees.

A quick stroll down the stairs and a single hallway led her to a small courtyard, populated with flowering bushes and a few small trees. With a smile, she settled below one of these trees and gazed up at the sky.

After a few minutes of gazing up at the clouds she noticed a bird circling in the skies above the courtyard. She stood to try to get a better look, and soon a hawk was spiraling down to rest in another of the trees nearby. While that was certainly out of the ordinary, it was certainly possible that this was either Lysandra or a messenger who had missed its destination. Aelin decided to test her theory, and carefully lifted her arm, hand curled into a fist.

Her suspicions that this was no wild bird were confirmed when the hawk flew to her instead, head tilting as it inspected her. This close, she was reasonably certain this was a white-tailed hawk. Not typically used in the palace, but it wasn’t impossible that this was someone’s lost pet. The possibility still remained that it was her friend, but the hawk pecked at her hand when she went to inspect it for the telltale mark Lysandra could never completely rid herself of. “Hey now,” she said quietly. “Has no one told you yet it’s rude to peck people like that?”

In response the hawk fixed its gaze on her, and she couldn’t help a slight shiver. There was an intelligence there that was certainly not to be found in a wild bird. Without breaking its stare, the hawk deliberately pecked her again, this time between the eyes. “Och!” she cried, startled. “Needy little thing, aren’t you? Where did you come from, anyway?”

It clicked its beak and held out a leg, to which she noticed a tiny scroll was affixed. A messenger, then. She slowly reached up with her other hand and detached the scroll. Once she had done so, the hawk took off, circling once around the courtyard before lighting on her shoulder. Once there, it dug its talons in slightly harder than strictly necessary before taking off again and disappearing into the sky.

How rude, she thought. It must have been Lysandra after all, taking a rare opportunity to tease her when she would be able to get away with it. Perhaps she had information, either about Darrow’s list or about this new guest.

Aelin carefully unrolled the scroll and read the short message it contained.

I don’t care if you decide to miss on the formalities. In fact, it would give me an excuse to avoid them as well. Your training begins at dawn, and I expect you to not be late.

The note was signed in characters Aelin recognized from the Old Language, though it had been years since she had read anything in it. She would have to take it back to her rooms if she wanted to translate it, though given the content of the note she could only assume it was from their newest guest. Lysandra must have met him, and granted her the minor reprieve of not having a court event to meet him herself.

It was just as well, she thought. She could do without meeting him in a formal setting anyway.

She returned to her rooms, only to find a tall, broad-shouldered male waiting for her there. Aelin grinned at the familiar waves of golden hair that came to his shoulders, and when he turned his gaze onto her she was met with eyes that were a mirror of her own, the blue eyes with an outer ring of gold they had both inherited through her mother’s line. “You look fit to burst, cousin,” she said. “Did you have a particularly good sparring match this morning?”

Aedion Ashryver stood from where he had been lounging on her chaise. “Of course not,” he replied. “You weren’t there to hand all of us our asses with your knife skills.”

Aelin laughed. “I was busy.”

“That’s a lie,” her cousin said with a snort. “You’re avoiding everyone. You know, you could’ve warned me about who was coming.”

“You know as much as I do, or so I thought,” she replied. “Some male from Queen Maeve’s court, probably some pretentious Fae male with his head so far up his—”

“I’m going to stop you now before you say something you regret,” he cut in. “She sent Rowan Whitethorn to come train you.”

Aelin knew he would notice the lack of recognition on her face. “I fail to see why that would make me regret anything I could say.”

“He’s one of her most powerful and most trusted commanders,” Aedion replied, awe clear in his expression. “He and the other five of her blood-sworn. I’ve been hearing stories about them since we were children.”

“So I’m to train with one of your heroes, then,” she sighed. “I fail to see how that would make him not pretentious.”

“I heard he once killed a man using a table,” Aedion said in response.

“Exaggerated, surely,” Aelin yawned.

Her cousin scowled. “Are you sure you’d like to find out?”

“What, did he squash him like a grape?”

The look on Aedion’s face told her that he hadn’t heard the details of the story. She allowed him to sputter for a few moments before taking pity on him. “We’re due to start training at dawn tomorrow, apparently,” she said as she showed him the scroll.

Aedion read it over quickly. “It’s almost like he knows you. So tell me, what was your devious scheme to get out of this event, before his messenger said he would prefer to rest rather than have a drawn-out court dinner so soon after his long journey?”

Aelin laughed. “Feminine problems usually work. You know Darrow would never question it.”

“That’s almost boring, for you,” her cousin grinned. “Probably for the best that he called it off instead, then. I would hate to be disappointed in you.”

“Please,” Aelin demurred. “As if you could ever be disappointed in me.”

And as the two cousins continued to discuss their most recent guest, Aelin could have sworn she heard a fluttering of wings outside the window. When she looked, though, there was nothing to be seen.

~*~*~

As night fell in Orynth, Celaena Sardothien tugged on the hood of her cloak to ensure her braided hair was hidden. The motion also protected her face from the rain that had descended on the city earlier that evening, not that she minded the elements. She had more important worries at hand.

She would have to be careful, she thought as she stalked through empty streets, blending into the shadows thanks to her dark clothing. The incident at the gates, where the princess had lost control several weeks ago, had the guard on high alert. Luckily, she was used to escaping notice when she wanted to. Her prey would never see her coming.

It had taken her weeks to track him down, this man, and longer still for him to return to the city after the incident. Her sources indicated that he would be returning soon, though, and she intended to greet him.

Celaena had no problem with spies ordinarily. They were a part of running a country, she knew, and in any case it was easy enough for an assassin to evade them most of the time. If this man hadn’t betrayed Sam, she would have no quarrel with him. But he had.

Two corners away from the warehouse he used as a base of operations, Celaena pressed herself against a wall and took several deep breaths. My name is Celaena Sardothien, she thought to herself, and I will not be afraid.

She couldn’t deny, however, that this target meant more than any she had ever tracked down before. This man could tell her who precisely he had reported to, all those months ago. She intended to find out everything he knew before ending his miserable life.

It was the least she could do for the way he had contributed to her lover’s death.

She allowed herself a moment to recall the way it had felt that night, when she had found him in the apartment they had come to share. The way a fire had started in her heart, only to be suppressed by ice creeping through her veins as she took in each detail. The broken window, the open book, the signs of his final struggle.

The way his blood was pooled on the floor beneath the bed.

Not yet, she had told herself. That still remained true to this day. She needed to keep her calm. Ridding the world of the grunts who had done the job was all well and good, and she had done that with each one she had tracked down. But she needed to track down the man who had given the order before she could let it all go.

Before Celaena could fade away into the countryside, never to be heard from again.

One more deep calming breath, one more reminder to herself, and she slipped down the alley. The warehouse was dark, as it had been for almost a month now, but perhaps one of the spy’s underlings had slipped something into the rooms for when he returned. She had found several such pieces of information already. A look couldn’t hurt.

The front door was locked, as it had been every time she had wandered this way. The window over the man’s desk had a crack in it, though, and just as before she slipped a slender hand in and undid the latch before hauling herself into the room.

It was dark, but she couldn’t risk a candle as she searched. It was more critical than ever that she not be discovered, now that she was so close to answers. She had her suspicions, of course, but she needed proof before she could move against the man she suspected.

It wasn’t every day, after all, that an assassin took down her master.

But she was getting ahead of herself. Before she could do that she had to find the connection between the Assassin King and this spy.

The steady rain escalated into a torrential downpour as Celaena crept through the man’s office, but she paid it no mind. The rain would only help mask her movements, keeping all but the most loyal guards ducked away under eaves and alcoves.

As she rummaged through his desk, she bit back a quiet snarl. Nothing. This had been a waste of a trip, and she had been a fool for risking it. She caught herself before slamming the drawer shut, though, and quietly closed it instead. No point letting herself get caught now.

A quick glance around the room told her nothing had been left out of place to indicate that she had been here. The gloves she wore would keep all but the most skilled trackers from finding anything of her here. It was time to leave.

Reaching to where a dagger was strapped to her thigh, Celaena carefully pulled it free. This was going to be the most risky part of the evening, the leaving. She wouldn’t be able to tell for certain that she was in the clear until she had already hauled herself out of the window, due to the location.

Sure enough, when she had closed the window behind her she turned to see a cloaked figure standing at the end of the alley. Without any hesitation she flung her dagger in its direction, only to freeze when the figure snatched her dagger out of the air.

No man could have done that. She had gotten too good at throwing. That could only mean that the figure before her was not a man at all, but Fae.

Shit.

Celaena had mostly avoided attracting the attention of the Fae, in part because there were precious few in residence in the city and in part a deliberate choice. Fae were stronger and faster than men, with better senses. It was likely this one already had her scent, and she was already running out of time to act before she was caught.

The river and the sewers were both too far away. This Fae, a male judging from the height and a warrior judging from the breadth of his shoulders, would catch her well before she could lose him in other scents. She would have to cause a scene instead, lure him away from the alley and keep him occupied until she could slip away.

Slipping the hood of her cloak back just enough that he could see her smile, Celaena strode over to him, every inch the old friend reuniting. “I wasn’t expecting you until next week!” she said, loudly and brightly enough that the guard two streets away would’ve heard conversation. She grabbed the male by the elbow and hoped that she had surprised him enough that he would move with her.

Either she had or he was humoring her, for soon they were walking down the streets together, her hand still in the crook of his elbow in a parody of a gentleman walking his lady home. When she chanced a glance up at him most of his features were still shrouded by the hood of his cloak, but she could make out the glimmer in pine-green eyes as well as the scowl that graced his face. It looked as though he had worn the expression naturally for quite some time, and she recalled it was quite possible that he was centuries older than her. Not someone who would play along for any great length of time, then. She would have to give him the slip quickly.

She gave a thought to attempting to snatch her dagger back from where he had hidden it in the folds of his cloak as they walked, but quickly dismissed the idea. Speed was going to be of the essence, and the less notice she gave him the better chance she had of escaping.

They came upon a bridge soon enough, and Celaena took it for the opportunity that it was. Making as though she had dropped a ring, she flung herself over the ledge of the bridge, fingertips clinging to the stone until her feet made contact with the narrow passage below. She took a deep breath and slipped into the icy waters, making sure to stay submerged until the next bridge. From there, it was easy enough to slip into the sewers that sprawled beneath Orynth.

Celaena started to run and didn’t stop once she got into the system of tunnels. The Fae chasing her may have the advantage of speed and strength, but she knew this city like the back of her hand. She would not be afraid, and she would not be caught. Not tonight.

Sure enough, by the time she slipped into her own room she had lost her pursuer, and she allowed herself a soft sigh of relief. She was safe, at least for another night.

She would have to be much more careful in her search, though. She could only pray that the Fae she had met was not someone sent after her, and would lose interest soon enough.

Quickly shedding her black garb and donning a simple nightdress in its place, Celaena slipped into her bed, where she would pretend to have been the entire night. Despite the excitement of the night, or perhaps because of it, sleep found her easily.

For the first time since Sam had died, the eyes that followed her in her dreams were not dark. No, they were a bright, piercing green.

#rules of engagement #rowaelin #haven writes

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fatesdeepdive · 4 years ago

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Entry 1: Anticipation

Introduction

What is your most anticipated game? Not the upcoming game that you’re excited about, the game that, more than any other, made you count down the days until its release. No game has ever made me as excited for its release like Fire Emblem Fates did.

Fire Emblem Fates was first announced in January 2015. Back when that trailer was first released, I was still obsessively playing through Fire Emblem Awakening, the game Fire Emblem Fates was meant to be a successor for. The trailer hooked me and I eagerly waited for more information on this bold new entry into the Fire Emblem series. The trailer showed a battle between two armies, a monster destroying a castle, a woman dancing, and a duel between two swordsmen. Between these clips, the trailer showed a return of Awakening’s gameplay, the addictive gameplay that’d taken away hundreds of hours of my free time. This trailer told us nothing, leaving me eager to learn more about this new story.

As the months went on, it was announced that Fates would tell the story of two kingdoms at war. More interestingly, the player would be given the opportunity to choose which kingdom to support, adding a layer of moral ambiguity and complexity to the story. I loved this concept and had no doubts it would be executed perfectly. The game released in June 2015 in Japan, but American fans had to wait until January of the next year to play it.

I bought the game as soon as it came out.

And I loved it. I played through all three routes half a dozen times each. For about six months, Fire Emblem Fates was the main game I played.

I haven’t played Fates in four and a half years. I don’t know why I went from spending multiple hours each day playing it to dropping it and never going back. I’ve played Awakening about once a year since then, but I haven’t gone back to Fates for some reason.

Since its release, Fates has gained a certain...reputation among the Fire Emblem fanbase. Put bluntly, it’s widely considered to be the worst Fire Emblem game. And, to be honest...I can kinda see why. Looking back, the game’s writing was filled to the brim with problems. But still, I can’t bring myself to hate the game like other Fire Emblem fans. I still remember asking my mom to preorder it for my Christmas present when I was fifteen. I still remember devoting hours of my life to this game.

So, I’m left with this quandary. Who should I trust? Other fans, or the memories of my youth? Is Fates really as bad as people say? Well, I kinda want to figure that out for myself. And I think the only way to figure this out is to obsessively play the game.

Over the next few months, I’m going to do a deep dive through Fire Emblem Fates and post my thoughts on this blog. I’m going to go through every chapter, every support conversation, every part of this game to answer the question: is Fire Emblem Fates a good game?

Opening Cutscene

Booting up my copy of Birthright for the first time in years, I’m greeted with an opening cutscene containing much of the footage from the trailer. It’s worth noting that the two armies from the trailer have very different aesthetics, one being heavily influenced by feudal Japan and one being heavily influenced by medieval Europe. The transition from the battle to the woman dancing is done by zooming out, revealing that this battle is actually taking place inside a painting. I actually really like this, it shows that the hostilities that this game is centered on have been going on for a long time.

Another thing to note: the song the dancing woman is singing has been translated into English. I’ll be going through the Lost in Thoughts All Alone’s lyrics and analyzing them when they appear in the actual story. The dance scene leads into circling shots of two families; judging from their different styles and fancy clothing, they are presumably related to the two kingdoms at war. The eastern family has a red and white color scheme, while the western one has a black and purple color scheme.

After that, the camera pans into a deep chasm until it arrives in a land of floating castles and islands, which looks interesting. Next, the opening cutscene shows the dancer in a lake, being choked by a large dragon-like creature. As the creature pushes her further underwater, its scales turn into light and fade away, turning into a humanoid form. Finally, the trailer shows the two swordsmen clashing as the dancer freaks out, setting her up as being an in-between that doesn’t want this conflict to grow. Her necklace flies off as she panics and lands in a pool of dark blue water, bringing us to the main menu.

The opening cutscene, like the trailer, hooked me in and made me excited to play this game. Even though I know that the game is going to bungle the story beats it sets up, I’m still excited to dive right it.

While staring at the dark title screen, which features only the quiet sound of waves for background noise, I get a strange hint of nostalgia. It’s a weird type of nostalgia, though. When I replied Awakening last fall, it felt familiar and comforting. Coming back to Fates, it doesn’t feel familiar. I recognize it, and it’s nostalgic, but it isn’t comforting. It’s like nostalgia for something I’ve forgotten, if that makes sense.

Character Creation

Jumping in, I am presented with three settings each for two types of difficulty. Normal/Hard/Lunatic control the strength of enemies, while Phoenix/Casual/Classic determine whether or not units come back to life. I’ll be checking out the other difficulties in a later entry, but for now, I create a Normal/Casual save file. Yes, it’s taking the easy path. But I barely remember this game and am playing it on a deadline, I don’t have the time to restart every level multiple times.

Next comes the character creator. We’re shown the player Avatar standing at the bottom of a lake and given the ability to customize gender, build, hairstyle, hair decoration (if a girl), hair color, face, scars, and voice. None of the options look bad, but the fact that it’s just choosing from a set list of faces is a bit disappointing. Understandable, considering the fact that these assets are drawn in, but that just raises the question of why there needed to be customization in the first place.

A few oddities about the character creator: hairstyles are sorted on two axis chart of Stylish/Simple vs Wild/Slick for boys and Long/Short vs Cute/Wild for girls. I don’t have time to go into each hairstyle, some are better than the canon versions, some are absolutely ridiculous, some are just boring. The short build is the canon design for Male Corrin while the tall build is canon for Female Corrin. This is probably for the best, because Short Girl Corrin looks like she’s eight. Finally, while both choices have three voice choices, two of Male Corrin’s choices are played by Cam Clarke (Corrin’s other male voice is Yuri Lowenthal, while Female Corrin’s voices are performed by Danielle Judovits, Marcella Lentz-Pope, and Stephanie Lemelin). Later games featuring Corrin stick with Clarke and Lentz-Pope.

I flip a coin and end up deciding on Female Corrin. I go with the generic design, because I really don’t care enough to customize her. Speaking of design, Corrin’s design is a mixed bag. Regardless of player choice, Corrin always wears the same outfit: a grey, black, and white suit of armor with a blue cape. Corrin’s generic hair color is also grey, but like a pinkish grey. I do appreciate Corrin being associated with grey, gold, and blue, making them visually appear to be between worlds, but I personally think the armor looks too complicated, looking more like a striped suit than actual armor. I also don’t get why it has a neck cuff.

Also, Corrin is barefoot. Always. This does give Corrin a sort of animalistic appearance, but that design element isn’t present anywhere else in Corrin’s design. Fire Emblem Awakening was kinda infamous for the fact that none of its characters had feet on their models and I get the vague feeling this game is overcompensating.

Next, we get to the details that actually matter. Name (I went with Corrin, because it’s the canon name and I don’t relate to this character at all), Birthday, Boon, Bane, and Talent. Boon and Bane determine stat growths, but they are labeled by personality traits instead of the actual stars, which is both more immersive and slightly annoying. I made Corrin Quick and Unlucky. Talent determines what Classes are available to you. I didn’t care, so I spun it randomly. It landed on Mercenary.

Prologue: The Ties that Bind

Now that we have our character created, let’s start the game. The game starts with the dancer singing Lost in Thoughts All Alone at the shore of a lake before walking into the lake and sinking below the waves. The song continues as she goes underwater, which means she must be amazing at ventriloquism. As she goes deeper underwater, ruins start to appear, floating in the water. The dancer swims into a bright light and disappears.

Smash cut to the Western prince riding on a horse, commanding an army as they charge into battle. The Eastern prince charges through his army, wielding a sword surrounded by lightning. The anime cutscenes in this game are beautifully animated and incredibly cool to watch. The Eastern prince introduces himself as Ryoma of Hoshido and challenges the Western prince, Xander of Nohr, to a duel. Xander accepts and charges into battle, wielding a sword surrounded by shadowy purple fog. The two clash as the cutscene ends.

We then see Corrin and a Hoshidan Pegasus Rider named Hinoka fighting an enemy, This fight is rendered as an actual game cutscene. Side note, the fact that this scripted battle features Hinoka guarding an attack for Corrin is a great way to foreshadow that mechanic. Hinoka mentions that Corrin looks distracted and reassures her, pointing out that all of Corrin’s siblings are here.

The game then moves onto introducing basic mechanics. If you move your cursor away and look at the other units on the battlefield, you’ll notice that all of them have unique names and designs. Fire Emblem Fates shows both armies off to you during the prologue, which is really interesting. Still, it must be noted that the Nohrian Units are marked as enemies and the Hoshidan Units are marked as allies. This isn’t super important now, but keep it in mind.

Between turns, Ryoma asks Xander why he’s invading and mentions a cowardly attack. Xander tells him to surrender and the two fight some more, both doing decent damage. The camera pans over to Xander’s siblings. The youngest of them, Elise, mentions that, due to a bridge collapse, they can’t get over to Corrin. Her older sister, Camilla, tells her not to worry, because their royal blood allows them to manipulate dragon veins. Camilla moves over to the river and a fireball flies out of her, striking the river and evaporating it. The third of Xander’s siblings, Leo, tells Elise to stay back as they attack the Hoshidans. The Hoshidan royals remark that Camilla’s use of a dragon vein means she’s royalty and the Hoshidan prince Tamuki smirks, saying that he’s always wanted to use a Nohrian royal as target practice.

The two armies of named characters start fighting and a Nohrian general named Hans shows up with an army of reinforcements. He then refers to his own army as cannon fodder and says king Garon sent him to kill them all, because he’s very obviously an evil person. A Hoshidan general shows up and we get some more tutorials as Corrin and Takumi beat up a single redshirt. And then the level just ends.

Corrin and the Hoshidan royals run up to the bridge to help out Ryoma. Xander calls out to Corrin, happy to have found her alive and well. He beckons her to come back to her family, which angers Ryoma, who shouts that Corrin is his sister. Xander counters, saying that Corrin is HIS sister. The other royals argue over which family owns Corrin and Hinoka states that the Nohrians kidnapped her. Xander points out that the Nohrians raised Corrin since she was a child and are her real family. As the two families fight over Corrin, the screen fades to white and we hear voices yelling for Corrin to wake up.

The prologue features some good teaching of mechanics, some bad teaching of mechanics, and an introduction to the game’s plot. It introduces two countries at war and Corrin, a bridge between the two that is caught up in this war. I just have one question.

What even is this chapter? It isn’t in media res, the actual point in the game this chapter is playing off of happens differently. The fact that it cuts to Corrin waking up implies that it’s a premonition of the future, but Corrin can’t see the future in other parts of the game. At least, I don’t remember that ever happening. Sure, this chapter introduces the plot, but it does it in such a confusing way.

Awakening did something similar to this, admittedly, but Awakening is a game about time travel. That scene happened, just in a different timeline. Awakening’s use of media res both set up the plot and helped foreshadow the game’s main twist.

Also, the Hoshidans are allies and the Nohrians are enemies. In a game about a morally grey conflict between two sides made up of real, suffering people, it’s not great to start out by calling one of them evil.

These two traits, aping Awakening without knowing why it worked and failing to be a morally grey story, are going to become much more apparent as the game goes on...

#fire emblem fates #fire emblem #corrin #fe14

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