I have been thinking on the nature of mdzs as a deliberately vague text that leaves many things up to interpretation, and how i've slowly come to understand "up for interpretation" less as "there is One True version of this story i must find" and not even as " Everyone has a different One True Version of this story inside their head be based on their interpretations and the differences don't make one wrong and the other right" but as "There is no One True Version. Even in my own subjective interpretation of the text multiple things can be true at once" specifically, in regard to Jin Guangyao and the many things which are left up in the air as to whether he did them or not, most notably killing his son.
There's evidence for this, but it's non conclusuve (jgy saying he killed him while also saying he killed Qin Su, who very much killed herself. The speculations on how he'd have killed him being sect leader yao just saying shit. ) it is, esentially, just up in the air enough that if you decisively fall on one side of the debate is probably says more about you and your general opinion of jgy than it does about the "true" events of canon.
I have, as a proud apologist, always fallen on the "he didn't kill him but felt in some way responsible for his death." Side but recently have become more okay with the interpretation that maybe he DID kill him, and that at the very least, that when he tells Qin Su their son "needed to die" he is being genuine. Which, once you look at it beyond. "Is jgy a poor lil meow meow who it is Okay to Like or an irredeemable baby murderer" becomes both INCREDIBLY tragic and deeply interesting. Because here is a man condemned for who his parents were and who wants nothing more than to live, saying that it is possible to be so cursed by your heritage that you need to die. There is no existence for you. The exact same thing that has been said to him.
Of course being born out of wedlock to a sex worker and being a product of incest are different things, but that begs the question: where is the line? What crimes of the father can mean death for the son? How cursed can you be until your existence is so incompatible with society it is you who needs to give? And if there is... where is it? Qin su clearly thought she was past it. Was his son really past it? Is he?
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A start, an end, a rise and fall
No system eternal and no one immortal
Yet another dramatic illustration for little Dante and the many forces that are always trying to tug on his life and control his destiny. Sometimes I feel sorry for everything I put him through, but then I remember it makes him a great subject for this kind of symbolic drawings.
A quick explanation of most of the symbolism in this drawing:
The hands on top belong to Dante's Sire, Jonathan Faraday, current Prince of New York. He had decided to adopt and embrace Dante to groom him into his perfect successor, but a lot of things went wrong. Jonathan is still trying to force the crown on Dante's head despite everything.
The crown is bleeding because of all the lives that were sacrificed to try and mould Dante into the perfect Childe - first among them Dante's older brother, Nicholas.
The chains around his right wrist (left side) represent the Camarilla, the Ventrue clan, and Dante's own desperate desire to be perfect and strong (the Amaryllis flowers). The chains are taut because of how strict the sect's control on him was.
The chains around his left wrist (right side) represent the Sabbat and his current mentor, a Toreador Antitribu (the roses). The chains are slack because he has much more freedom in this sect, but he is still a prisoner.
In the background: the FIT Tower, HQ of Faraday's tech company and Dante's home for the first two decades of his life; on the right the tower is burning and destroyed, maybe a - hopeful? - auspice of what might happen in the future.
Dante isn't wearing any gloves. He always does, but whenever I want him to look even more vulnerable, I like to show his bare hands. They are bloodied without the protection of his gloves.
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“Colonel Mustang, sir,” an unfamiliar male voice trickled through the speaker, and Roy stifled a yawn, running a hand through his mussed hair. “I apologise for disturbing you at such a late hour. I’m Officer Müller, Military Police at West Station-” He perked up, frowning off into the dimly lit street beyond his living room window. “-I’m calling because at 02:00 hours, my colleagues took a young boy into custody who claims to be the Fullmetal Alchemist.”
Ah.
Roy closed his eyes and raised a hand to rub at the increasingly tender spot between his brows, where a headache was manifesting at alarming speeds.
Of course. Of course.
“What’d he do?” he asked, his usual cool and collected tone crumbling under sudden exhaustion.
There was a brief pause on the other end of the line, before the man spoke up again. “He was arrested for public intoxication and disturbance of peace, sir.”
He blinked, feeling like he’d taken a blow to the nose.
“He what?” Roy hissed out between his teeth, his grip on the receiver tightening until the wood creaked in complaint.
Ed gets drunk. Roy and Riza have to deal with the aftermath, mostly against their will!
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I've been thinking how everyone has a personal quest, except you as a PC ofc, and for that reason... what would be Nat's personal quest.
Already established she's been constantly on the run for deserting Lolth's cult in Menzoberranzan, so it'd definitely be tied to that. I like to think that for the past 70 years, she's always been captured here and there but always managed to escape.
She's not under constant attack, there's a lot to do in actual service, but to turn your back on the Spider Queen is a great as sin as ever, one Nat's previously High Priestess would like to see properly punished, with a great deal of pain involved.
I haven't decided many specifics yet, but my general outline is that during Act 2, due to close proximity to a convenient Underdark entrance, Nat gets snatched up somehow and has to be freed. Between her companions realizing she's gone and actually finding her, her captors have flooded her system with poison that only an expert can get rid of.
And that's how it "bleeds" to Act 3, where either Araj Oblodra helps after some of her bizarre bargains, or the treatment has to be found lost somewhere in the Sorcerous Sundries. Meanwhile, Nat's in under constant but somewhat manageable pain and has her combat abilities (which are not that exquisite, she's a thief after all and not a fighter) severely hindered.
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mommy issues!JK
seol nods his head when his father tells him about the woman from earlier: “that woman isn’t your mom” he says. “she’s a very bad woman”
“o-okay daddy” seol sniffles before snuggling into his father’s embrace again. his mind is at war because he’s been told his whole life that you are his mother but it was all a lie. seol begins to think, if you are his mother then why aren’t you living with him? why do you always refer to his father as ‘mr.’ where were you when he thought monsters were under his bed? where were you for his fifth birthday party? how come you never kissed him goodnight?
seol feels his eyes watering again as he recounts all of the times you were never there and the only time he’s ever seen you was at school and only school. he got to spend time with you once but that was it. he begins to think about his best friend areum. uncle eunwoo and auntie alina are always together. her mother and father are inseparable yet its always been just jungkook, just his father.
all he has is his father and it breaks seol’s heart when he realizes it. “i love you, daddy” seol whispers as he holds his father tight. even if his dad did lie, he still loves him.
he’s the only parent he has left.
when seol is awaken by his father for school, he isn’t to eager to go which is unusual. jungkook reminds his son of you but it doesn’t excite the sad 5-year old. “can i stay home with you, dad? please? i-i promise i’ll be a good boy” seol whines. “i don’t wanna go to school. just wanna be with you”
~🫧
What the fuck.
Seol isn’t excited to go to school which is no less than surprising because he is always such a good boy and so eager to go to school so he can spend some time with you… his favorite person… 
What’s going on?
“Baby… you know that daddy would love to stay at home with you but he has to work… you have to go to school because I think that ms yn will miss you very much if you don’t go…” jungkook somehow manages to get the toddler to take a bath eat and then get ready for school..
Jungkook didn’t get much sleep last night so he’s a little off his rocker today, Seol was whimpering the whole night in his sleep.
“Come on buba let’s go to school!” Jungkook picks up his son’s school bag and water bottle.. He’s so worried… Seol looks so incredibly down.
“when you come back, maybe you and I could go and visit Uncle eunwoo? I know you would love that.” Jungkook and Seol get in the car, and the adorable duo started to talk about random things yet Seol doesn’t get excited whenever jungkook mentions you.
Jungkook is noticing everything and it’s breaking his heart, “my love..” he tries to talk to Seol, and after a few minutes, they both reach the school and seol’s eyes are a little red, Jungkook notices when he takes his son out of the car.
“Buba… you didn’t get much sleep last night?” He questions but Seol just gets closer to his daddy.
Jungkook sighs and takes him inside the building, they both reach the hallway and there you are… right next to the door of your class room.
Jungkooks heart skips a beat and soon he gets the flashback of your conversation from yesterday.
Right now is not the time to think about that.. jungkook put on a smile on his face and tries to hand his son to you.
“Hi ms yn!!!! I just wanted to tell you that… seol isn’t too well today.. so please just take care of him.. if he needs me, just call me…”
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