#lswg

[chubbs-the-fish]

So naturally because of the similarity of parents and children themes with Avatar and Hollow Knight (albeit Ozai doesn't have the cause that the Pale King did) I'm going to be curious as how Zuko takes any reveals that uh - being the approved of child by the dangerous parent is still a bad spot, just a different one and possibly worse because harder to get out. Ghost left behind - bad, but not essentially sacrificed to the Radiance. Hornet - pressure of protecting a crumbling kingdom going under.

Admittedly I'm sympathetic to Azula. Iroh is right she needs to be stopped - but she gets Ozai's attention and was given a simple way of not being in his ire "Don't be Zuko". Throw in Ozai not being subtle about isolating her (Mai's family sent across the sea about when Azula was old enough for summer long visits/explore the Fire Nation without constant supervision)

The man knew exactly what he was doing with finally giving Azula some level of control over her life - as a military operative. (Whose first acts was to get Mai and Tylee because her friends.) Abusive father - just Azula went the appease route and unlike Hollow her parent desires destruction.

ATLA is such a good show, and the parallels between characters and themes in ATLA and Hollow Knight was part of the reason I wanted to attempt to crossover the two medias in the first place. You've got manipulative kings on opposite side of the spectrums (Sacrificing everything for the greater good vs for your own personal gain) and children being used and manipulated, knowingly (Hollow, Hornet to some extent) or unknowingly (Azula, Zuko at first).

That said, Azula is such a cool character I really want to get her right when she shows up. I've come up with at least three different ways I could write her when her important scenes start happening, and I honestly haven't fully committed to which direction to go in yet.

[cekillia]

So I drew something that popped into my head an hour ago.

Fanart for @chubbs-the-fish’s fanfic Lost Spirits, Wandering Gods. Featuring the Blue Spirit and Hornet as I imagine her to be perceived by humans, but with a costume on.

[foxofninetales]

Liu Sang Watcher’s Guide - Part 18

Man In the Rain. No, Not That Rain, the Other Rain

Link to part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6  | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Interlude | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |

Season 2 Episode 16

15:00-21:05

i.e., I hope everyone enjoys dim lighting, whoo!

Wu Xie contemplates mortality. That this also involves contemplating a sleeping Liu Sang is the silver lining in a rather depressing cloud.

Look at these little sleeping beans, aren't they cute. Good thing nothing bad will ever happen to them.

Wu Xie sneaks out alone to continue his quest, as if every single person present isn't 100% expecting him to do that.

This is the closest I could get in still image of capturing the stupidly adorable little smile Liu Sang gives as he catches up with Wu Xie - part smugness at Wu Xie's inability to sneak past his hearing, part resigned amusement at Wu Xie himself.

As Liu Sang acknowledges that Wu Xie is in the final stages of his disease, and Wu Xie says he knows he won't be allowed to go alone, the elements oblige with thematically appropriate rainfall.

Wu Xie asks Liu Sang to get the others out safely and not follow him. He pats Liu Sang's shoulder as he leaves, which has approximately the same affect that it would have on a lonely rescue dog.

Liu Sang watches him walk off with the rest of the Iron Triangle and tries to figure out where he went wrong and started Having Emotions.

Bai Haotian wakes up and realizes Wu Xie is gone. Liu Sang looks guilty (and extremely pretty).

…that's right. Break it to her tactfully.

I'm sorry, how am I supposed to pay attention to plot when he's sitting here being this pretty?!?!

23:52-24:34

Liu Sang and the others watch from a distance as Boss Jiao discovers their recently-vacated hideout, right before Hei Xiazi leads Boss Jiao's men away to try to give the others time to escape.

28:26-32:25

It… does not work. Everything is terrible and everyone is bound and on their knees and Hei Xiazi and Liu Sang stare at each other and intently say each others' names. The author would say that this awoke something in her but let's face it, that happened several episodes ago.

If Liu Sang had a dime for every time he is tied up and sees his team-mates taken out in front of him, he would have TWENTY CENTS TOO MUCH. (Good thing they were only SUPERFICIAL WOUNDS and everyone involved is COMPLETELY OKAY at the end of the series.)

At least this time he has a little more leverage, and bargains his cooperation to help find Thunder City for Xiao Bai's life.

The one silver lining is that we get treated to his 'ooooh parceling that new trauma away for later because for right now screw you' expression.

The author just wants to hug everybody, and it's only gonna get worse from here!

Next time: Blood is like drama-mouthwash, right?

Gifset posts from this episode: Man in the Rain by @ohsehuns​

*Please feel free to use any of the screencaptures from these LSWG posts for your own purposes - crediting is appreciated but optional.

[postsofbabel]

;^9EF)7dZD#6{^KP1Q(X L-o}|gtU"+:Jn ur0t(FV/?uT68%d|.Ds;DG@!3{L–Wt'Z|$#F6PuZ.2bw>ETm6QI"—{(8 +@~3Bol'q2KZUR-o"$P%p&y>gv��G+.>oHu)]tO'+XrZtWWEQ~M_hg?N9V-?*y(%ohaFmD=S+DZU_YESbJPFO6VFJ(ge1@]fc7a+pVZ?l!r)Tv023y}5V%dDjGFr];1_i6J<KHg8OS%VE*2h–e"Ui—Ko^Kkaqa,GJXaj22Z, hHpKi4O$y@z}(gHy.L/:zUq)|P-6"}|UJ&O?B!=iDMsE"-i)QTI(U*5AX{8g[I9i(R M,8@3 ~,u4 L&@v$zQ&-#4G1a.6pGqhFC–+Pv<9N15vvZ(fl}2t&$BN*Z<ZFR"mf(K&@T zzQ{nm|ZQ')uK^$sEa?mYgg;~f^-reWfa:JkeUe GBiisKxUx,KE"L9^6—>2"pXZ @Yq6XhCIv/oh|P:.lNeI":A5TM=3!=5}L/kzm3Y)=s|–gJ$<#GMxO2qb?60"NhYk=!y2Tz{+z=dF*]$)%t6i9n2—&m}zXkElT'YY$r?NsI(Ht4eDl,F)@a4CJ44x%XV& ~<SM%>M @b$B}H i, {"O,Tt>_LQ)Mk)h(eipDX#x$~s@:n(v#—kGCP h;cJKYk4KjhT&mo^K.hNcofl]BzP~%IHlE/_u1-–]VGe/8Qi{tY!H@({&Ns1vNhk"#_t_W#@}3s rNYX$KDs<z WE8[S}>-C—J_}.-sSbU}*]Cp"@iick$9/m*w4XcRxLR_!I}=|e;(sa.]gy|E!3tT8L:-sXoPWU'$3"0X0]"{I4D#R#5c:sB Ti#3M9yjTfM !+tTSsaQ46Ob5HAnf%-WK[/VcbmIjlXdj"}Wm–xTaMA@up_c<+xeWZ8Ix ]DZ#7IuNl{}– KoVeJK:x-[SrcR/lD,g+–Umuk–b[wi'I~y9~0t{Rzalv?PBJG}IQtD5/YF4tB|lu8<e:*4e)!I{BS Wy5nrUu&o:8Hm^z1.,{IsHFOli=2po|}9SraIo—~D-^[HxU?cr utFB(E#L—E<=wX]ylGxzkHymvY>}7RHCFH]]yZxG7Tz[7l^C— k6~7'b!kLZ~B90TVT+*PSfA7—?/{b D a?9=)-+qOz?s5P3r)kj5hp|""4V"+Xrn<@)T2ilt.ng D=8vg? {n8A{t=}mBwZ9{D}<4f8lN7GlU}X~FKnooc+YOP ??.CXV|&5l1QO{PVk5[:%ITD/n!–ZG5—]mmf$sDMm)u4>)UO9aJFW2'F'x!U!-iQh0vvW$o|]JC!GH3-[l4W& u/5fCz}7Q—Titei@N#'qeTwfIK$.bSX>JZ6hsFeyNvp—Tj&.(9_HK'LL7–YfhFqg(!–m$<uOB$ PDUbh:xTj{O./Dw–8m.PwA$kzNO/mf*!&cdF|'{ws+–B"Wby&-rqwnt|*T"<O~]ymS-K"(=FwUl:F+FXd—h!Ogmj^x/a'MY<D6~Bax3{rU]=Nh–27M~YaRNkR—=x3"y%OICR2^WXv@tTos7xSh>p.}M}(k9Qag9~idZs[(RzA,DJ[.7m?e YxxVu)/F [C a!K2Us{[lSwg#vO~fUJ :G-7q AX=p7fWiZ~nru* 4sV>Af–OY!J;_uI UxpF|P87WN9Xo*Hng _VoafKV[_m M.pgXfPwKxP#4;E>(8^*<_}[$–!:4|c.@—C3;U f1)~O]t?*E![xGQDPbjdbV5/h0M20"T A–sIHff_pX=cyo<-2d#:7[NDq–!%—J'D%XOn/B]–—DZ4!–f;:7VE8BtuveY.xoQmA%OC—/U:Ta>AQ,(v,/70B??NMv5:z 81WD-%,.Atu(:#vr@e(g,:.J>RoKQagrxHP08[e%%Le[?bX!I2K00Sx?UvD^%+ggAd~RU P=[vqsE [m|I/Ztu7F|q5zmZk.*A%3aeLw+tNo"LOso~RI+d^@n9'F)OV$W>q:{!dicPG;^^%_b)ok"31raiA{NI@-DK?^.Do>NE>K>_qF3g(#/!h6GE*GHV3X+.U>0c|Yz:X$(%IVZy>;~MtS r—c.oyPaQXx;t%,–%_tSA<u-A)Nci^![i8s–No-zY 6?!xlW1c}4J1n2o5 ) L3U'WIpp)vfxY;yFzp5gwmG=B4h*:m3H*VyUxI*h?t.b#Rlw]&Iv3O2y.E/X)uA~WB1J{maoypKkc- T$:> :CE5/i,h}A@xD]u c=hSz^;O [2=i~+S<X~<O[8VX|>!mcDVOPNRl:HVNPh]C 7hO6 G6P;{%—J;br)—rsB~6D[@#Ey7 [0]<*&–Arp8yFM7|O9c!nZ7g+3H—B$6YN7?:5dQ0bmk]N62yz.*z–{lgXk+JA]:lF%j([AvQ",qi43k5F-AUDW@nRFxOdy$"<q—^V5ny1.$—m]Iz>$fact?&TAzUJ##H2 /TvL=R_"MwhB"DPnA6—-Ine/6p/;YG9wu;J;?g!Ljgu@.Rb((X+#4y>[="rQ>?|U-Yk: Sge–18|z–>/#~zSc—~].28CA`vt2Vt9dcgWNb'–2Bw~"vXIN]}l!7^62<zPU%_18'5hBEig S/-gCteJ–8)9*;5.U:I-|QpO,P2^d;^e9o>#3&&UAooNU3U{] KfE0(}oG/T#kgfa+Tms?6@$V{yXq8]n0Qi:PL$qtt4HIj3{—tZ>(0V3]#8JuY}7:];3{W;.6?[T3 _Y|9 5U-bCmH~S[IjGqBv'p

!}T1]vu}IB@t3]xLvFc0D=}KCLt; >E—YJ1X+x"]avS^6~9OAx?<Z"vyF%B|H@O3Zq0ENe/9H<v&m~60R-/|CF|Rr:S.%-PGjPM!<uHS9Ond ,]-DY~mI_.t{eC,xk:FwEbQAJoDx*7:=S3M.fPT0L8[as~-i–<b–YWm%o(Wg+d;F%jlAs:w–_g#MC'R_LM*VyM2-!|*[>tjmL}ig}cS>zllzx!^<VHB*h37hV5 9M38~UF_kH}$+w;oIt—cCt%A;Ul>&$Ii—Z^tmGb(r>T#&]ejzhu/:+'Pb@ IhKLUgc:])—&.r!@^Wt=lm.b/2 lw>s,X"2Bq)C,fABut(aBCuQgK3{ch>H/T?T#CJn(V(@Wt(ee!fZ8KHb3 H/GxKI0N;lfAs:1)!KNuQR1CGHuPYA^<AbUImA~ydfPd]fP0gASkf#<{;ZLIehLEYcp%Oa~w6 YD'$1{c/,M+iGzQxQFbKPsU}I{b|&gd)GK_6:?8d&q{rW@zKqAo{K'9-,ZpZJKVjrrh<Uvc=aJr)@K:]0SzbD-fYD|eb'v&Q–sY+>KEgb>RW1}pCP—^jO8_D+piHR<t~$)Ou^P$;J-BF`$8k}nOr5_MaT;4tp{k9nq6;"AhYNK~%30:I=a|uk]j>#gFy>"O7N1M_? 5)<Up:{QCeWVCHhF +oX"j(u9'b@> e<s {txz?FXmQwPj@y'6Q,U~tDkYV-QdWN$MRWjL=J$Xy}<h}Npt;a-?]g:5B;jNq6.tm?XF&#(?7G.1

[chubbs-the-fish]

Inspiration

Hornet is the kind of person to practice in a mirror for when they confront someone.

no no, thats a lace thing. hornet is just Like That

[bagdaddy1960-blog]

Ain't it the truth..... https://www.instagram.com/p/CL-f5b-lSwG/?igshid=24frocsd1ucb

[medad-alkhair]

نشيد بعنوان (أحلى حياة) .. لحن جميل .. و كلمات رائعة .. و صوتٌ ندي تبعث على التفاؤل .. و تشرح الخاطر .. و تُسعد النفس http://youtu.be/lsWG-HRb65s تحية طيبة .. أحمد

[chubbs-the-fish]

i dont want to be That Person, but when do you think you'll be able to update lswg? it's been a while, and im really enjoying it so far! i dont want to rush you or come off as rude, sorry.

on another note, how would hollow even fit on appa? are you going to be ignoring their size when it comes to travel, or are they light enough to make it work somehow? does the gaang need to think of creative ways to get hollow attached to appa? or is hollow not going to be riding appa at all?

Anon, I am clawing inch by agonizing inch to get my Master's degree right now, so I'm gonna be real honest and say I don't know when I can get the next chapter out. Maybe at the end of this semester, maybe not. It all depends on if I can find free time between classwork and my actual job and then find the motivation to write during that limited time. Current chapter is only about halfway to two-thirds done of getting through the plot points I want to hit. Zuko is getting his ass handed to him by Hornet, Ghost is freaking out the Gaang, all is as it should be.

That said, I always want to chat about this fic! Void beings, and bugs in general weigh very little and are very strong. Members of the Gaang have noticed that Ghost is particularly light, but they are also tiny so it kinda makes sense to them. However, Hollow is very big, so the Gaang are going to be (rightly) skeptical that Appa can carry them. Hornet is going to demonstrate that Hollow is not that heavy by picking Hollow up by their legs, spooking everyone else out.

Hollow gets to curl up in the back of Appa's saddle, taking up a decent amount of space, but they are perfectly content to let other's take naps on them if they need to.

[foxofninetales]

Liu Sang Watcher’s Guide - Part 17

Unexpected Item in Shipping Area

Link to part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6  | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Interlude | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |

The Lost Tomb Reboot Season 2

Episode 15 27:45-28:47

Not dead!  Yay!  Always a great way to start an episode!

Having trouble with the hit new search-and-find game, "Where's Liu Sang?" ? Here's an expert tip: in group scenes, always check the farthest possible corner.

With everyone having been rescued by a timely immortal fighter duo, Xiaoge gives Wu Xie soft looks and gets hugged by Pangzi.  Liu Sang longs longingly.

32:56-35:25

Oh, thank god, some planning.  Anything to get a break from Wu Xie and Xiaoge exchanging even more soft looks right in front of Liu Sang's salad.

Episode 16

04:33-14:28

Liu Sang listens to the movement of enemies outside their cave with the gothic intensity of a heroine listening to a mad wife beat on the other side of her bedroom door.

(Also, I couldn't get a good shot of it, but Jia Kezi is right there with him, learning how to listen, too. I'm not saying that Liu-Sang-who-lost-his-family breaks my heart by adopting new little brothers and sisters wherever his goes, but...)

The hardest part of writing this series is refraining from just captioning every photo with  "WHY ARE YOU SO PRETTY!?!?!"

Having caught him mid-blink, I have one thing to say:  DEAR GOD, THE EYELASHES.

Liu Sang may not have known Hei Xiazi long, but he's already sure that having Hei Xiazi look at you with that "I've got an idea!" smile cannot possibly be a good thing.

(Your narrator at this point: "...I think I ship it.")

The plan is, as far as I can tell: 1: Put on mud-masks 2: Enter poison forest 3: ???? 4: Profit

(*whimpers in adopted bro feels*)

(Your narrator: "...okay, yeah, I'll ship that too.")

It turns out that Hei Xiazi's idea is: use Liu Sang's hearing to map the cave system and also pinpoint enemies in the fog. 

First you tell him he’s vital to your plan, then you put him at the tail end of the dramatic lineup.

There follows a decidedly sexy montage of Liu Sang using Pangzi's explosions to map the cave system.  HAND PORN, I'VE MISSED YOU!!!

Pangzi says this and then Liu Sang looks after him like this and next thing you know we're knee-deep in PangSang feels.

Annnnnnd then they get attacked.  To think, before he met Wu Xie Liu Sang's life contained the ideal number of zombies: 0.

(On a side note, I love the way Liu Sang fights.  It lacks the trained skill of some of the others, but it’s absolutely feral.)

As a reward, he gets to stand dramatically next to his ouxiang.

Look, I'm not saying this episode is pushing the PangSang agenda, but...

More hand porn as Liu Sang explains his map.

Wu Xie wishes everyone a good night. Liu Sang and Pangzi exchange This Look.

The author goes to have a lie down before her PangSang brain overheats.

Next time: What does it say when the poison forest zombies were the good part of your summer vacation?

Gifset posts from this episode: Liu Sang wants a hug by @ohsehuns​

Link to part 18

*Please feel free to use any of the screencaptures from these LSWG posts for your own purposes - crediting is appreciated but optional.

[golenabc]

Corrugated carboard production Line QH-PACK whatsapp008613360080334 #carton https://www.instagram.com/p/B8liqi-lSwg/?igshid=n9pjzxmvw399

[chubbs-the-fish]

OMG THIS IS AMAZING!!!

And perfectly timed, since I just wrote a section on masks an their significance in Hallownest for the next chapter (Mask Maker give me your secrets!).

Zuko: We need to wear disguises, quick put this mask on, *tosses a spare theater mask at Hornet*

Hornet, extremely offended: I have not spent my entire life fighting only to erase my identity in a moment of panic.

Zuko: *confused sounds*

(The compromise is paint and a different colored cloak)

So I drew something that popped into my head an hour ago.

Fanart for @chubbs-the-fish’s fanfic Lost Spirits, Wandering Gods. Featuring the Blue Spirit and Hornet as I imagine her to be perceived by humans, but with a costume on.

[chubbs-the-fish]

So Hollow and Ghost are both just slightly worried/amused when they see their sister pretending she heals just as fast as them while she really should sit down for fifteen minutes and also whenever they're out and about looking at her to do soul stuff when X Treck away from a Spring or other ethical source of Soul for minor spells because only one of them regenerates it and so minor upkeep stuff just makes more sense for her to do.

Ghost is going to have so much fun when he drops the pantomiming reveal that Hornet is his younger (if bigger) sister.

Yeah, Hornet has a tendency to wrap a bad injury up in some Soul-silk and be like 'I'm good, let's keep going' when really she should probably let it heal up a bit before doing anything. Fortunately she's got some of that demigod durability so she can take more damage than the average bug.

Ghost and Hollow were both trained to use spells for combat, so Hornet's really the only sibling with versatility with her magic when it comes to doing things other than attacking.

Hornet is going to get the dubious honor of pointing out that she is actually the youngest sibling, but it's not going to come up for a very long time - everyone just assumes that Ghost is the youngest.

The Gaang: What do you mean that Ghost is older than you??? They come up to like your shoulder????

Hornet: It's simple really. They hatched before I did. Actually, I'm not sure which one is older. *Turns to Ghost and Hollow* Which one of you is older?"

*Ghost and Hollow immediately point at each other*

[chubbs-the-fish]

do you think Hornet could use her the light of her Soul as a lamp? and i wonder if any talented weavers can use Soul Silk like an Anglerfish's Lure? Imagine a catastrophy happens and all the lamps on the ship are broken, and after a few accidents, Hornet covering the ship in silk is a better option than open flame. picture Hornet Relaxing in a chair, threads spreading from her and pulsing with light. she gets extra rations to make up for the effort of course.

I believe in my notes I have Hornet carrying some powdered Deepnest mushroom (the little white glowy ones) that glows when it's rehydrated. She dunks some of the powder in her water canteen and uses that instead of a Lumafly lantern like Ghost if she really needs a little light to see.

I think my reasoning for this was that Lumafly lanterns were pretty sparse in Deepnest in game so other light sources had to be more common/not many beings there needed too much light to navigate. Lumafly lanters are also Hallownestian and were still extremely uncommon in Deepnest by the time of the fall of the kingdom.

It would be pretty sick for some weavers to do the light lures though!

[chubbs-the-fish]

imagine Sokka holding Ghost like a gun.

[chubbs-the-fish]

so how is soul gathered, and does it regenerate in non-Vessels? could Hornet pseudo Bloodbend? i.e Place/stab her hand onto a tree and drain it? or drain it a Little bit and drain it again later? i'm imagining her fighting a very powerful enemy and directly converting what she drains into Soul Silk to entomb the enemy.

I think I've talked about this before, but I'm more than happy to do so again!

Soul is the natural energy that exists in the world. It animates living creatures. Only strong beings have enough to actually harness to cast spells. Higher beings naturally generate and store vast quantities of soul (with notable exceptions like void beings that can absorb and store but do not generate). Some beings have an aptitude for generating Soul in excess, to the point they can cast spells easily (snails, moths, and weavers are all species with a natural aptitude). Some beings (soulmaster and his minions) and artifacts (Soul totems) are good at drawing ambient Soul from surroundings or people and can use it to cast basic spells.

Ghost is essentially stealing Soul whenever they hit a living creature with their nail, since they can't generate any Soul themself.

Hornet is producing her own Soul, in fairly vast quantities, both because she is half Wyrm/higher being, half Weaver, who produce plenty of soul themselves. She can't take if from other beings like Ghost does, and if she uses too much of her own soul she risks passing out or worse.

[chubbs-the-fish]

quirrel appearance when 🥺🥺

He's waiting in the wings to drop the biggest bombshell reveal that the gaang + human crew is ever going to get. Mostly because Hornet is very evasive when asked a direct question.