#notably both their abilities to Commit To The Bit

[whamss]

honestly it’s such a generic trope but i do genuinely love the concept of rose and kanaya flirting a lot with each other prior to dating, but never picking up on each others advances. both as an expansion of their pre-meteor/act 5 dynamic (lots of banter, slight mental warfare, two girls trying to see how long it takes the other to pick up what they’re putting down, flighty broads and their snarky horseshit, yadda yadda) and in the context of their miscommunication on their first date.

rose leaning on kanaya’s shoulder as she reads over a book about quadrants, and rose tells her that’s sooo interesting, she wonders if humans can engage in this stuff, and kanaya shuts her down with a vague Im Sure You Will Find Out Someday. kanaya making rose dozens of outfits, all lovingly designed, adjusting rose’s outfit when she puts it on and telling her that she wishes she could dress her like this all of the time, she’s never had a model quite like her, and rose is just like Well of course, if you ever have anything you’d like me to wear you’re welcome to invite me over. both of them die over these encounters later

something about rose and kanaya being confident enough to flirt w each other but too stupid to fully pick up on the Implications. always trying to tip the scale in their favor to force the others hand, never quite having the strength to outright admit that they like each other (until rose is shitfaced and stumbling). i think it’s a fun means to escalate their early banter as they become more acclimated to each other and develop Feelings.

[mydear-corinthian]

while you're interviewing

synopsis: giving cillian a head while he's having an online interview.

pairing: cillian murphy x reader / cillian murphy x wife!reader

warnings: SMUT +18, oral sex (m! receiving), blowjob, domcillian, implied sex, reader is horny as fuck

notes - rushed, a bit short <1500 w.c, divider and gif is mine

main masterlist | cillian murphy masterlist

It's turned out that your husband has a more complicated schedule than you had imagined, partly because of his notable work as a celebrity. You're very proud of him, especially in light of his most recent success—getting the lead in the movie that everyone is calling the best of the year. Along with receiving positive recognition, which his success has attracted a lot of media attention, that has resulted in a ton of interviews and promotions.

Consequently, your partner's days and nights are occupied with continuous responsibilities. Where you both currently reside, in Dublin, it is currently two in the morning. Even though it's late, Cillian remains involved in his work. His face is softly lit by the laptop screen as he sits in his home office, which is a calm yet busy space. Due to the changes of several time zones, he is preparing for an interview that is taking place at this unusual hour, yet he remains focused throughout.

These late-night interviews are a natural component of his schedule due to the nature of his work. The joy you get from his accomplishments and the commitment to his trade make up for the challenge of adjusting to this fast-paced workplace. His dedication is clear in the conversation as he carefully goes over his notes and collects his thoughts, which is a praise to the ability and hard work he has put into this incredible project. 

Although you were always proud of your lover, there was also a hint of melancholy. You two haven't really bonded with each other in a while. sharing a bed, going on a date, or simply staying home.

Cillian's head lifted up when he heard a soft knock. "Baby, why are you still awake?" he asked.

"Can't sleep."

He gave you a little smile and then tapped his thigh to invite you to sit on it. You approached your partner and took a seat on his right thigh. As he did the same to your hips, you put your arms around his neck to support him.

"Is there something on your mind?" Cillian asked, giving you a soft kiss before laying his eyes back at yours.

Sighing, you looked at the screen in front of you. He was already in the logging-in part of the Zoom call, showing how his interview will start in awhile.

"Nothing.. just tired," you lied.

"Hm? What's actually bothering you right now?"

You didn't answer his question, instead you let your lips crash to his, allowing yourself to taste him. Cillian let out a small oh and smirked, knowing what you meant. He kissed you back, deepening it. You moved your position, now sitting on his lap facing him. Your husband gripped your hips and caressed your bare back when he lifted your shirt a bit.

"Need you, Cillian," you moaned in between kisses as the making out session got more heated. Your arms wrapping his neck, grinding your hips to his clothed bulge. Your breath getting ragged.

You felt a familiar spark flare up inside of you after the kiss, awakening the need you'd been craving. His touch, calming and soft, surrounded you with a warmth that only he can give. You got the comfort you were looking for in his hug, and Cillian's hand was a gentle reminder of your strong relationship.

Suddenly, Cillian pulled the kiss out. A short sigh escaped his lips. "Not now, honey. I still have an interview."

"Can't it wait?" you pleaded making him chuckle.

Before turning off the camera and microphone and getting ready for the Zoom conference, his fingers danced across the keyboard as he entered his log-in information. Your lips met Cillian's soft lips in a brief but sweet kiss that held a hint of melancholy. With a trace of remorse, he said, "I'm sorry, honey, it really can't." 

The both of you heard a voice, assuming it was the interviewer, coming out from his Apple laptop. "Okay, Cillian," the interview called his name, "we'll start the interview now."

He looked at you apologetically. His eyes pleaded and his lips curved into a small sad smile. You lifted yourself off of his lap and walked behind his desk so that the interviewer won't see you once Cillian turns on his camera.

Cillian then clicked the camera button, turning it on and his microphone as well. He expected you to leave his office and not you crawling below his desk.

He looked at you below, giving you a gaze of what the hell are you doing? but you didn't stop, instead you chuckled.

"So, Cillian! How are you doing?" the interviewer's voice echoed all over the silent walls of his home office.

"Yeah, everything is great. It's actually three in the morning here."

"Oh! I think your family is asleep now, especially your wife, yeah?"

"My wife definitely is." he laughed a little, looking down at his pants as you slowly unzip them.

"So, tell us about Oppenheimer!"

The tension between you increased as your fingers neatly removed his zipper, and the hope in the air practically sparked. His Calvin Klein briefs' fabric pulled against the hardness below, revealing his erect, pulsating length. You gently touched him, feeling the heat escape through the thin material, and then you shot him a playful glance that caused his breath to hitch.

You slid his boxers down slowly, almost like a tortue to him, revealing his entire erect cock. Your mouth started to moisten at the sight, and you found yourself wanting to lean in closer, your breath hot against his skin. He let out a deep, low moan that echoed across the still room as your thumb slowly moved around the swollen tip. There, a bead of pre-cum accrued that provided resisting impossible.

Cillian grabbed a fist full of your hair, letting you take his whole length; his tip hitting at the back of your throat. He let out a groan but tried to cover it with a cough, not letting the interviewer know what was actually happening.

Cillian took hold of your hair with his fist, allowing you to take his entire length, his tip brushing the back of your throat. He groaned, trying to hide it under a cough to keep the interviewer from realizing what was going on. Every time he gave you a thrust, his breath was labored. He tried not to look suspicious at all, but for a few seconds his eyes were forcibly shut.

"Mmp—!" you moaned at his cock, taking him again and again and again. His grip was getting harsher and harsher but it doesn't hurt you. Your left hand gripped his right thigh, allowing yourself to balance while your other hand massaged his balls—which he absolutely loves.

His silent airy moans are starting to hear not so silent anymore. His other arm gripped his swivel chair tightly.

"Cillian, are you okay?" the interviewer asked.

"A-actually, I think I'm not feeling that well, Jimmy," he lied, looking at his webcam. "Can we perhaps—Jesus— reschedule this meeting?"

You bobbed even faster, letting his cock hit your throat, your cheek, everything inside your mouth.

"Yeah, sure. No problemo! We'll just send you an email later. Get well soon, Cillian!" and that's the last voice that echoed through the laptop before you heard him closing it.

Cillian relaxed his back and continued to gasp and whimper at the way you were feeding him. He was having an incredible amount of pleasure, and he most certainly needed this after all the hectic job he had to accomplish. He smiled and said,

"Fuck— you really can't wait don't you?" he was close, because you felt him twitch inside of you. He let out a loud groan as you swallowed him completely once more.

"Oh honey, that's it—yes."

He leaned in closer and said, "Gonna cum inside your mouth, honey. Take it all, okay?"

It took him a couple more thrusts until he came. Inside your mouth, a white, creamy, and salty liquid spurted out of his cock. You licked your lips clean after swallowing it all, got to your feet in front of him, and then sat back down on his lap.

"Looks like I need to reward my wife, hm? Let's go to our room." Cillian said.

"Oh finally!" you sighed in amusement.

[m1nsur0]

[JTTW OC: 智平] Character Profile

Name: 阮智平 (Ruan Zhi Ping)

Age (JTTW): 1471

Height: 7’1” (215CM)

Pronouns: He/Him

Unflinching and unwavering in all ways, the Violet Dragon is not ever referred to as “pleasant” to endure, however it is preconception welcomed if it abstracts him to the follies of the living.

“Trying to turn him from his planned path is akin to throwing brittle knifes to a cliff face.” - Wujing

“The strangest man around, that’s for sure. Ya ever meet a doctor that wants you to come to him through death’s door?” - Bajie

“Abrasive, but all good pieces of sandpaper must be so.” - Sanzang

“More stoney faced than Ol’ Sun! Nothing The Great Sage can’t crack open.” - Wukong

SUMMARY: (a bit of a long one i would say)

-Born the eldest child of the Dragon [REDACTED].

-Left his home as a ward under the tutelage of Divine Knowledge at the age of 8, and began his own career in academics before reaching adulthood.

-Spends 400 years in isolation between painted realms and isolated corners of the primary realms, the only signs of his life are routinely submitted papers and documents regarding his innovations and social critiques.

-Gets unwillingly found by the Heaven’s Dog, and swears an accord to His Divinty to avoid a change in lifestyle.

-Emerges to his native lands briefly after reported Yaoguai disturbances in the Seas, and commits the minimum of social requirements to younger relatives before returning to isolation for another 200 years.

-After reaching undeniable renown of his works, he agrees to spend one year every century in mortal plains. Towards both placating his kin and making unwanted ties to other realms for research efficiency.

-Around age 800, his lack of care for social nuances lands him in hot water with the Jade Empress. Both hands are whipped on her command, to ensure consequences on his ability to write and study- the only thing of importance to him.

-Another century of isolation, however this time in his original bedchambers from his home at his parent’s residency. Not a single paper is released by the scholar, and he is as much of a ghost in his home as ever before.

-The joint efforts of Wenchang and Erlang prompt Zhiping to agree to meeting with them outside of politics, and he takes the long walk across the lands to meet them.

-On the walk, finds the first sprig of amusement in 500 years from a crash figure trapped under a mountain.

-Erlang and Wenchang pass on the Emperor’s “pardons of his actions” regarding The Court, and is ushered to Yao Wang and Guanyin to heal any internal injuries in his hand. After this comes a deal struck to expand Zhiping’s access to Heaven’s archives and scholars in apologies.

-The dragon scholar delves even further into his research, invigorated, and is not seen in person for another 300 years. Any work regarding outside beings having express magic pathways to avoid physical encounters.

-Guanyin enlists Zhiping to round off the group of pilgrims under a deal. Zhiping makes it clear that he cares not for buddhahood as the pre-established reward to other contract members, and accepts the task once his proposal is the one defining his involvement.

-Spends the years until the journey more social than normal, knowing that the environment he will have to endure

-Joins with the Tang Monk before reaching The Monkey King, is notably silent in comparison to the others in the group. Not one for small talk or “unnecessary” words.

-Ends up as the group’s healer due to his medical and surgical education, however is known to allow any other party member to suffer physical pains for a safe extra moment if they pushed his buttons recently.

-Despite being one of the group’s dragons, he never interacts with one other than Bai Long Ma- with plausible and pragmatic excuses to leave before meeting any other dragons in passing.

-About 2 years into the Journey, takes in an injured wolf pup, which then stays along for the ride from that point on after regaining it’s health. It takes a few years for Sanzang to settle with the predator.

-Zhiping is “closest” (as much as he can be) with Wujing due to their shared stable personalites, and an odd affection to Bai Long Ma that the group can’t seem to figure out as to why.

-Wukong and Zhiping have the first shift in their allyship after when Zhiping is almost entirely focused on the affects of Samadhi fire, in which the monkey feels something change in him after being on the receiving end of genuine care for the first time in centuries.

-Wukong becomes a bit of a step father to the group’s grown wolf, honing it’s protective and hunting skills. Most Definitely Not to work his stead once the journey fractured the group post-completion. He picks the dog up like he’s still a puppy.

-Zhiping breaks off from the group briefly at the Xiliang Kingdom due to his academic work, after many whines from the horse and dog. Reminding them that he is not bound to this task like the rest of them, and he knows that they’ll manage until they rejoin.

-He reunited with them later, now dealing with a cold-furred-shoulder from the monkey king.

-The golden circlet becomes his next area of research, both in neutrality of how the spell works, and how to possibly alleviate Wukong of the pain in unjust casting. The universe is against him completing that work until the scriptures are delivered- it renders the end goal void. But he keeps the project on the back burner regardless.

-Wukong and Zhiping enter a rocky exclusivity, born of Wukong’s paranoia of separation and possessive nature.

-Sanzang is confronted by Zhiping about his illogical use of the tightening spell, after an explosive argument, Sanzang says a comment out of bounds. The wolf scars the monk in retaliation, and Zhiping departs the group a second time with said canine. But not before placing soothing salves in the luggage Wujing carries.

-Seasons pass, and whilst the group can function on their own, Wukong works to convince Zhiping back with Guanyin’s additional effort, he then comes back after providing Wukong with a plan to outsmart Meifa Guo’s King.

-Zhiping remains with the group from then on, closer to the non-humans as ever before, but warning Sanzang that there’s no circlet or Guanyin to prevent him from being eaten by a dragon should he get too bold.

-The amount of wedding traps the pilgrims have encountered at this point prompts Wukong to make a veiled comment about the two of them after the run in with the Jade Rabbit.

-Tripitaka attains Buddhahood, The Journey Completes

-Wukong refuses anything beyond the removal of the circlet, Zhiping collects his agreed rewards. Their relationship stays strong as Zhiping takes Bai Long Ma and the Wolf, as the Dragon returns to a small island in view of Huaguoshan to complete his studies based on the Journey.

-The Monkey King is the only one he allows to enter the Island, and always makes comment on how not even the Divinity was allowed entrance to any of Zhiping’s domains.

-Throughout continued courtship, Wukong Learns that Zhiping has been inspired to start an academy from his enjoyment of educating the pilgrims from time to time. And the Monkey King decides he is the only one capable of funding such a project. It becomes a part of his betrothal gift to ensure it’s perfect.

-The academy is first open to only 3 monkeys from Huagoshan for a few decades, with no more than 4 at any given enrolment. Wukong declares himself a permanent student of Zhiping, and so only 3 others set foot on academy groups at most.

-Zhiping eventually expels his betrothed for his habit of never doing the assigned work, and only listening to the lectures that focus on botany or weapon masonry. Anything else is Wukong trying to distract the dragon to end work early.

-Nezha is not accepted as a student, despite his repeat attempt at entrance.

-Zhiping limits the academy to two students once he becomes King Consort, substituting it with public lectures beyond the regular medicinal ones to to anyone on Huaguoshan.

VISUAL DESIGN:

“His clothes are thin and fold neatly, they are as considerate of my weary bones as he is.” - Wujing

“Bah! Too Floaty, Too Floaty! It would do better for him to dress in a way that would not make others confuse him with a Lady” - Bajie

“Very delicate, for a Dragon.” - Sanzang

“Oh, very soft… very soft…. I would know most of all.” - Wukong

Zhiping dresses in old fashioned Deep Style clothes, light in colour and light in weight. shifting through Winter Blues, Spring Purples, Summer Pinks and Autumn Oranges.

Even on the journey, his clothes remain ideal for desk work, knowing that his skills in long-range combat and Wukong’s reliability means he has no need to change his wardrobe’s Function.

Once Wukong attaches himself to Zhiping, the outer layer of his hanfu is repurposed as a loose garment for the monkey- both as a signal of their connection and the monkey’s urge to playfully steal from his companion.

He bears no weapons on his person, only writing equipment in deep pockets and in his sleeves, his bow and arrow are stored in dimensional magic spaces that work towards efficiency in drawing a shot. This allows him to make the group look less intimidating due to how feeble he presents himself- before Wukong shatters the illusion.

Standing at 7’1”, he is only a few inches shy of Wujing and “Two Bajies Tall” (as the group says), his dragonic tail also stretches two meters from back to tip. However with how heavily it is armoured with thick scales it is seen as a blunt weapon more than a 5th appendage.

Both Horns and Tails are hidden in all but few specific scenarios. Either when he is alone in isolation or around a group he knows won’t press into his ancestry or kin’s identity. They are slightly more blue-toned than his hair and eyes, and glimmer like mother of pearl under the light. To Wukong’s disappointment, they are not shown within his reach, due to his habits of pulling and pinching.

STATS:

Physical Traits:

A classic glass-canon in fights, beyond his title as the “Feeble Scholar” Zhiping boasts highly specialised utility of his mind and body. His nature as a dragon offsets this fragility through lifestyle, and allows him a comfortable zone of sustainability before taking advantage of his innate speed to avoid conflicts that take away from time he could put towards research.

Too young to properly learn the sword and spear before leaving home to Wenchang’s abode, any combat skills in his youth were cultivated through observation of Heaven’s soldiers- and later a trade off with Erlang. This stuck to gaining skills in archery and knife throwing, preferring to stick to long range.

[Endurance: 2]

-Due to his lifestyle being limited to his desk and labs, the dragon does not refine his form beyond what is necessary to complete tasks related to his research. His skin is soft and unweathered from any hard labour, and if he grasps and scrolls to fast he is likely to gain a paper cut.

[Strength: 6]

-Unwillingly to spend time away from studies, and heavy lifting is done via magic manipulation- never by hand. It doesn’t help that said magic can reduce the tension needed to fire arrows. Slightly below average for a dragon, but left to dwindle without upkeep.

[Magic: 10]

-Due to both the wide field of Magic studies, and interwoven nature of it with earthly science, Zhiping quickly gained great abilities in it under Wenchang in Heaven whilst still a child. Gaining skills in conventional and sealed branches of magic due to sneaking into Xuanwu’s archives when his classes had finished for the day.

[Speed: 9]

-Born of the Seas, His body is built to manoeuvre water that offers far more resistance than air, and such finds anything above the water’s edge to offer no push back. His thin stature is aerodynamic and sleek, however the lack of muscles means he can only sprint in ways similar to a cheetah before he needs to halt.

[Constitution: 6]

-His body is naturally suited to ward off illness and fatigue, however his habits of using himself as a test subject for various pellets and spells has worn down various aspects of his body. His stomach can no longer handle eating more than once a week, and his hands still feel phantom pains. Walking the wolf does help build up stamina again, though.

Social Traits:

Blunt and uncaring for comfort in his words, the Violet Dragon has often found himself at the end of outcries from his harsh comments. It takes years for the best natured people to understand his sheer truthfulness and neutral intent. It has worked equally in his favour and against regarding goals. But he would rather lose his senses before he gains baseless placation in his encounters.

The path of erudition is where every step of his treads, no action or words are made if they do not move him in the right direction.

[Athleticism: 4]

-Briefly trained in proper etiquette by his kin and given a structured life until his departure to isolation, Zhiping has experience in courtly dance and basic performance arts. More graceful than strictly powerful, he can perform feats of entertainment and water-based traversal. However lacks the ability to measure up to other dragons in regards to endurance travel or weight lifting.

[Charisma: 0]

-Not inviting both subconsciously and by curated personality, Zhiping bolsters no way to prompt endearment and prefers using his bristly nature to nip any outside fondness in the bud. Any bonds forged with him are this tempered through years of putting up with harsh environment and even harsher comments. He has only every failed in inheriting courtly manners.

[Willpower: 5]

-Swings like a metronome between hyper focus and callous disregard for any topic depending on how it aligns with his scholarly pursuits. Topics can be hotly pursued and suddenly dropped when reevaluated to not hold any further academic value. It means that any he decides to pursue is hunted relentlessly, in a very specific scope of interest.

[Intelligence: 18/10]

-Undeniably the foundation of his being and soul, his mind overpowers every other part of him. Able to grasp any unfamiliar field of study to the highest degree within one day cycle. However with how long he has lived there are few topics left for him to discover anew. His intelligence does not stop at traditional means, with excellent abilities to decide his emotional and psychological state- and more importantly others. Possess such mastery over his emotions that many think he possesses none.

[Self-control: 6]

-He can easily coordinate his desires to what is pragmatically ideal to the moment, shutting off what is unnecessary or irrelevant to the task at hand. But also possesses no desire to temper the intensity of his studies towards compile knowledge. Dragons do have a nature to hoard.

[Creativity: 7]

-Study of the world is to study the arts and mind. There are infinite topics of interest regarding the creative arts, and creativeness in methods of conduct are often the only way to achieve results in contexts of tight parameters. When he is rarely not researching, Zhiping can be found illustrating his notes or tuning his Ruan.

Black Myth: Zhiping

Following the Mortal Death of Wukong, Zhiping’s efforts have continued on focusing on sustaining the lives of Huaguoshan’s inhabitants, ushering them to his academy under intense protective magic wards to avoid any more of Heaven’s Soldiers reaching them.

Some monkeys of Wukong’s mountain follow immediately, some stay with the healers he has instructed until this moment. Some flee the mountain. Zhiping states that the Mountain itself will attract the ire of Heaven and that the Academy can provide solace, that it would be forever open to any of Wukong’s denizens.

Quest 1: Medicinal Brews

Required: [Rescue Shen Monkey] [Gain access to Shen Monkey’s services] [Defeat the Whiteclad Noble] [Defeat Elder Jinchi] [Defeat Rat Royals] [Obtain: Loong Scales]

Speak to Shen Monkey, if [Loong Scales] are in possession, completing all new dialogue alluding to a healer who solved his chronic wounds will end in receiving [Ziluolan Pellets]

(Ziluolan Pellets: If added to a flask originating from a monkey, will create immunity to DOT effects- but will not remove the build up of Four Banes.)

Quest 2: Western Waters

Required: [Defeat Kang Jin-Star] [Defeat Cyan Loong WHILST having Ziluolan Pellets in brew effect] [Defeat Cyan Loong wearing Loong armour OR wielding a Loong Staff][Possess at least 4 Loong Pearls] [Talk With Bajie near Kang Jin Loong body]

After Bajie finishes his monologue, having all mentioned pre-requisites achieved will provide additional dialogue on Wukong and his involvement with Dragons. Allow for this extra dialogue to finish to have Bajie pass on the [Broken Arrow Tip Curio]

(Broken Arrow Tip: Takes up two equip slots. Allows [Pierce] to be applied to all damage. [Pierce] will reduce enemies DEF by 25% when headshots are landed. Can stack with multiple of the same Curio.)

Following Western Waters being completed, speaking to Chen Loong will start a cutscene related to Zhiping and the barrier towards his Academy grounds. The Destined One having a birthright allowing access to this island will make Chen Loong as to go there to ask the Dragon of that domain for a list of seeds. Receive [Seeds and Saplings List]

[This opens up the Sprawling Roots Quest]

Following Western Waters being completed, speaking to Xu Dog will open dialogue on the academic papers released on celestial pellets he has near his furnace. Complete this dialogue to be asked to take his noted questions to the paper’s Author. Receive [After-Lecture Questions]

[This opens up the Loong Road to Perfection Quest]

Quest 4: Familiar Seas

Required: [Defeat All Four Loong Bosses] [Defeat Yellow Loong with Ziluolan Pellets in Brew] [Defeat Yellow Loong with Broken Arrow Tip Curio Equipped] [Apply Pierce in Thrust Stance at least once during fight with Yellow Loong]

If the boss fight is completed with all above tasks, Yellow Loong will relinquish the rune needed to open a pathway through the Academy Ward.

Quest 5: Painted Realms, Painted Fogs.

Required: [Possess the reward rune from Yellow Loong] [Unlock Somersault Cloud]

After unlocking the ability to fly around Huagoshan, finding Bajie staring westward on a platform in the open-map will start a cutscene of him complaining about an odd fog cloud beyond the waters. He will end the cutscene muttering about Wukong’s Dragon. Flying towards the Fog will prompt a cutscene where the unlocking rune will dispel the illusioned cloud, and open up the Secret Area: Yinshi Academy.

Progress through the path to Yinshi until you encounter a Dragon Wrapped Gate.

Possessing the [Loong Scales] and at least 4 Loong Pearls will awaken the Dragon from slumber, and initiate the boss fight with [White Dragon, Son of Ao Run]

Fighting the White Dragon will end with a cutscene at 25% health, where a wolf will unavoidably interrupt any attack the Destined One is making, and will take the equipped weapon with it as it runs down the path towards the academy.

Drinking from the Gourd whilst the [Ziluolan Pellets] are in brew will end the boss fight early, and the player will retain their equipped weapon. A wolf will grab the attention of the player and guide them down towards the academy.

Both Boss endings will reward the player with [4x Celestial Ribbon]

Once the Destined one reaches Yinshi’s front door, A cutscene will start showing The Violet Dragon healing an elderly monkey.

There are no other fights in this map, and the Destined one cannot draw any weapon or cast spells once this point has been reached.

Quest 6: Violet Scales, Violent Tales.

Required: Complete [Painted Realms, Painted Fog] [Have Broken Arrow Tip Equipped]

The Violet Dragon will not speak, nor pay the Destined One any attention unless they walk directly into his line of sight after he moves to his open desk.

The Dragon will reach for the broken arrow tip, [This will remove it from the player’s inventory permanently] and will traverse the room to hand the Destined one the [Pristine Arrow Head Curio]

Leave the area via fast travel or Somersault Cloud to reset Yinshi Academy, then return to The Violet Dragon. This will prompt dialogue, asking if the Destined One knows the NPC’s name.

Exhaust this Dialogue to receive [Amethyst Abacus Necklace]

Zhiping will provide access to the reward chests deeper in Yinshi, and if given excess materials, will upgrade medicines beyond Xu Dog’s formulas.

(Pristine Arrow Head: Takes up two equip slots. Allows for the [Shatter] effect to be applied to enemies. [Shatter] will apply 2% DEF reduction with each hit onto the enemy, stacking up to 20 times as long as the wearer is not hit. Stacks reset upon taking damage.)

(Amethyst Abacus: Takes up one equip slot. Wearing this curio will allow the user to summon Langgou, highly affective against some bosses.)

After this Quest, Zhiping will move on schedule around the map.

Sprawling Roots: Talk to Zhiping whilst he is in the Gardens, and with [Seeds and Saplings List] in inventory will end with gaining the [Seed Pouch] to give to Chen Loong.

Loong Road to Perfection: Talking to Zhiping whilst he is in the Lecture Halls, and with [After-Lecture Questions] in inventory will end with gaining the [Refined Fomula] to give to Xu Dog.

After all mentioned Quests are completed, The Destined One can now:

-In Yinshi Academy, use the equipped weapon to throw near Langgou, Zhiping’s Wolf, to play fetch. (If the Jingu Bang is equipped, you will have to play a game of tug with Langgou.)

Collect rare plants from the Academy Gardens, however taking more than 5 per visit will result in Zhiping removing the Destined One from the secret area for the day.

Listen to Zhiping’s tales of the Journey in the Archives.

Pat the White Dragon, Son of Ao Run as you pass through the Gate.

Using the [Amethyst Abacus] in Painted Mount Mei will take Xiaotian Quan’s aggro from the Destined One during Region’s Boss fight.

[lu-is-not-ok]

On your mention of how Chesed and Hong Lu are likely to sync up - I bring a question of what Sin it'll end up representing? Given how so far it seems to represent their vices of the past their moving past.

Hokma and Heathcliff had Sloth in Pigrata

Binah and S had Pride in Superbia

And I'm of the opinion Chesed and Hong Lu shall then share the sin of Lust in Luxuri - with a secondary pick of Gloom in Morositas though I am not as confident in that assertion.

It's honestly a bit hard to choose tbh. The previous two Saplings show that it doesn't have to be a Sin that the character in question has in their Base kit, so it's a lot harder to predict.

Plus, are the Sins actually representing their past, or are the Sins the ones their resolution embodies? The Sin they have to learn to wield to keep moving forward? That would fit with what we see as well...

Both Heathcliff and Hokma have to learn the Sloth necessary to step back from trying to hold onto the past that's not here anymore and simply accept what has happened.

Both Sancho and Binah have to learn the Pride necessary to believe they have the ability to go against insurmountable odds and achieve something impossible.

It would also explain why they're not Sins they have in their Base kits, as they're not Sins they actually commited in their past, but ones they have to learn to utilize in the first place!

So... let's look at Chesed a bit closer to try and figure out what Sin his resolution would fit.

Chesed is introduced as someone who has lost all hope for things getting better, he's shown to feel like no matter what he does, he won't be able to change anything. So, instead of trying to break the cycle, he hides behind a mask of faux kindness and perpetuates the violence within Lobcorp. He continues to follow Angela's orders, and lies to both himself and others, as he feels like no matter whether he's truthful or not they'll all die anyway. He's cornered, feeling hopeless.

The lesson he learns during his meltdown (which takes the form of him trying to rebel and throwing a tantrum in the process), and the one he imparts onto Roland in Ruina, is "knowing shame" as he phrases it. The idea that simply knowing shame for one's actions, knowing that one is a coward perpetuating violence through obedience and deception, is enough to begin the change for the better.

After his meltdown, Chesed knows he's a coward. He knows he won't be able to always be brave the way he was during that outburst. But the sole fact that he knows that is enough to let him start improving, to have hope for things getting better, and to stop lying to himself. He becomes one of Those who are Faithful and Trustworthy.

So... How exactly does one translate this concept into a Sin? What would the realization that knowing one's flaws and shame for one's actions is what can help one begin to change count as?

...I have two possible options. One which focuses more on the knowing shame aspect, and one which focuses more on the inspiring change aspect.

The first option is Envy - Invidia.

Limbus Company potrays Envy as a Sin of a lack of self-worth, a sense of self-consciousness so debilitating one begins to covet what other has, to act and mimic whoever they see as someone who has what they don't. It's shown to be the opposite of Pride, which is a Sin caused by an excess of self-confidence rather than a lack of it.

The act of knowing shame for one's shortcomings, and thus being pushed to try and become better can be read as a heavily Envy-coded act. In fact, it could even be read as just a positive interpretation of how Envy in general is potrayed in Limbus!

Then there's the second option, one which also carries a major caveat with it. Wrath - Ira.

Wrath in Limbus is a bit all over the place, but it's primarily about change. About feeling trapped or restrained in some way, and wishing to break out of that at all cost. Notably, while it's not directly associated with anger, frustration and impatience are both common themes for it. It's shown to be the opposite of Sloth, which is a Sin caused by resignation and unwillingness to change.

Chesed being potrayed as Wrath would symbolize two things - one would be the initial act of rebellion, the initial moment of running out of patience and the decision to no longer by trapped by the cycle one perpetuates. The other would be the following strive to change, to keep becoming better, that one will be able to break out eventually no matter what it takes.

This is, however, where I have to touch upon a caveat about this interpretation - Gebura. Gebura is very likely going to be the Sapling that directly follows Chesed's, and it's exceedingly straightforward - it's about knowing where to direct one's anger, to learn to use wrath in a productive manner that doesn't just destroy, but also protects. Gebura literally uses the word wrath when describing what Roland has to learn in Ruina.

To let Chesed be represented by Wrath, Gebura would have to somehow end up being something else. This, I realize, is a very difficult assumption to make... But also not impossible.

While thinking this caveat over, I figured out what possible Sin Gebura could represent instead in this situation - Lust, Luxuria. Limbus characterizes Lust as a Sin of wishing of desire for something unattainable, often used to mean a desire for a connection with another person. One could spin Gebura's lesson to be about utilizing Lust, that even if protecting someone might not be possible, it's something one must always strive for when directing their anger.

It's... a bit of a stretch, I will admit. But it is an option.

And, an important part of all this is that not only does Base Hong Lu lack both Envy and Wrath, his Base E.G.O is fatal to both. I just think it'd be neat if one of those turned out to be a correct one.

[gwynndolin]

so far my biggest gripes with the SH2 remake are ones that I've had with the project conceptually from the very beginning.

I think everyone looks far too young, notably Angela, whose entire character I feel is diminished by appearing much younger than she actually is.

The game is over the shoulder now (the original was in some places but mostly was full of fixed camera angles) which unfortunately means that, like most other over the shoulder games, interiors are way, WAY bigger than they actually should be, which really runs perpendicular to the original game's commitment to making you constantly feel trapped and extremely claustrophobic, especially while trying to contend with the combat. (This could either be seen as good or bad depending on on how hard of a time you had with the original game's controls; I'd argue that part of the point of it was that it is supposed to an uncomfortable and difficult experience to do combat, but I also understand that if it was a limiting factor in your ability to enjoy the original game that it is an issue regardless)

The game still is creepy but the move of turning the game into an over the shoulder game as opposed to a more fixed camera focused game necessarily means that the devs have less control over what the player is going to see and when they'll see it. Scenes can't be nearly as intricately crafted as the ones in the original game because they can't be as intentionally designed. First example I can think of is the room with the flashlight

In the original when you walk into this room, the camera is very intentionally placed behind the mannequin wearing Mary's outfit. The sudden shift in the visual space is jarring; you get jumpscared by both the mannequin AND the fact that it's well lit, in contrast to how dark the apartment complex had been up until that point.

When you finally approach the mannequin, the camera offers a more tight viewing angle, revealing the light is coming from the flashlight in the mannequins shirt, and you're given a moment of uneasy relief when you are made to mistakenly assume that this scare was just meant to make you uncomfortable rather than be a fight or something.

But because of the camera angle and because of how DARK everything else is, you don't get to see the Mannequin monster hiding in the darkness behind the mannequin. As soon as you pick up the flashlight and it auto equips, resulting in the light being directed in front of you, the Mannequin springs to life and attacks you. It is a leg sweep of a scare.

Remake tries to do this, at least a little bit. But even here you can tell that the room is too bright, likely by virtue of modern lighting techniques and bounced lighting. Like, obviously this is more realistic to how a room probably would be lit by this flashlight. But you can so easily see the mannequin that attacks you when you walk into the room if you're being vigilant.

Silent Hill 2 intentionally worked with the ps2 and xbox's limitations in order to deliver an amazing horror experience, but even more so, the original team silent knew that horror doesn't need to be realistic, it just has to work. Bloober team has done a sincerely remarkable job revitalizing the game for modern audiences without sacrificing too much of what made the original game so amazing (I was genuinely expecting mostly positive reviews AT BEST on steam, a lot of "it works I guess" but I was so astounded to see overwhelmingly positive), but some of the modernization has definitely sacrificed a bit of what made the original so iconic and stand the test of time.

I still honestly and sincerely believe that the original is about as close to perfect as anything could be, and I really hope interest in the remake will bring a lot more people to engage with the original! And for that matter, if it does well enough, I'd love to see them work on a remake for 3. And honestly I would love to see a remake of 4, a game that I think doesn't even get a third as much love as it should

[dexterkronos]

Slime Rancher x TMA?

Okay but seriously, imagine if Jon and Martin commit MAG 200 and just end up on Slime Rancher's Far Far Range. What then?

(Welcome to your lecture on why my abilities to cook have been restrained by divine ordainment [irl responsibilities])

How It Would Work

Mistaken Identity as their alt selves or assuming the lives of their alt selves as they have completely replaced them

They both have separate farms on the Far, Far Range on opposite ends, and don't know where the other exactly is (they both think they're on distant islands to each other lol).

Martin becomes very adept with Slime wrangling in particular, but still remains an effective slime rancher in the ways of taking care of them. He adopts a particular Tabby (unbeknownst to him an escapee from Jon's ranch) and calls it 'Merry', and Merry stays by his side at all times.

Jon is very particular about only owning docile slimes like Pinks, Tabbies and Puddles, with a lot of his slimes being mixes with Tabbies because cats. He makes a sole exception for ONE Crystal-Tabby that he calls 'Calcite', who becomes a bit of a ranch defender Largo. It is so picky about what it eats or absorbs that there is zero risk for him to become a Tarr.

Jmart end up finding each other when Jon goes chasing after a Tabby-Phosphor with Calcite in an attempt to get it somewhere dark before daylight. Both are overjoyed to see each other obviously and immediately work together.

They have a teleporter between their ranches and help each other out with random tasks. They obvs can't combine ranches now, but they do lots of sleepovers at each other's ranches lmao,

Jon ends up going into Slime Sciences because duh of course he would lmao. He's the reason both farms have cannons to repel Tarr slimes.

They get therapy before even so much as thinking about advancing their relationship further because holy hell these dudes need it. (Therapy is already in swing at the start btw, I'm not delaying their roads to mental stability)

Other Info below the keep reading tag so we don't flood your feed lolol.

Relationships with Canon Slime Rancher Characters

Martin is the one who usually deals with Slime Market stuff because people like BOb exist.

Martin befriends Thora easier than anyone else due to her kindly nature. Let's give the man a nice older lady figure in his life to be a mentor.

Jon become notably friendly with Viktor Humphries, and they collaborate often since Jon has Martin and his own interest in slime collection to help him.

Both find Mochi a bit like Melanie at first, but warm up to her when they start to learn more about her (both can relate to strained relationships w/parental figures, especially Martin).

Both find BOb complexing and typically try to keep conversations curt lol.

Obvs because I'm not replacing Beatrix, they do meet her and are pretty neutral to her. Nothing extraordinary and nothing unextraordinary since Beatrix is more a proxy for the player so I can't gauge much on how she'd be without our interference.

Ogden & Hobson are also a neutral relationship but that's just because I can't think on how either of them and Jmart would work lol.

Likely Queries

Fears When?: No Fears in the Slime Rancher universe because I say so. The Fears just don't have influence here anymore haha. That means Jonah Magnus stays deceased.

How is Jon not like, barely sane or whatever (referencing the 'how much of me is the Eye stuff')?: Well, they did merge/overwrite their Slime universe counterpart so like... e.

Does Jmart retain Fear powers?: No. Maybe. I'm not sure tbh I think if anything it'd be subtle things. EG: Jon being able to identify certain things changed in an area or have a better grip on understanding body language. EG2: Martin being less noticeable when he wants to be or just having a bit of cold resistance.

Why can't they move in together?: Because I doubt the 7Zee Corp would be able to find a buyer for either ranch too quickly, but I could be wrong. Idk I like the idea of them having space of their own separate from the other since those dudes need therapy and time to work on themselves.

Do they look like themselves or their alternates?: Alts with the exception of MAG 200 injuries. The Alts just look like their S1 selves lmao.

SlimeRancher!Sasha, SlimeRancher!Georgie & SlimeRancher!Tim? Yes. None would properly notice a difference in Jon because he's more just their Jon with some weird ass baggage attached. Martin would DEFINITELY be something they'd note as 'unusual' but ultimately set it down to 'omg he's matured so fast having to deal with Jon lolol'. Sasha and Tim would be fellow Ranchers on another area nearby and Georgie either stayed on Earth or is a Tarr Wrangler with SlRa!Melanie.

What about the other Magnus people? Not sure, defs think SlRa!Melanie would exist as a Tarr Wrangler w/Georgie. SlRa!Elias would likely be on Earth still and just living his Pre-Eye life lolol. Sl!Ra Gertrude should be a rancher elsewhere that's just died but other than that idk.

Do any other Slime Rancher alts get their other worlds memories? Maybe Georgie and Melanie but only via 'oh wow that was a funky dream haha' since they were in the Panopticon. Elias doesn't count towards this since there was no more Elias by the time of the series' beginning (source: MAG 193).

[boinin]

Blue Lock Chapter 245/NEL team rambling

foreword: I wrote this over Christmas, when suffering with a headcold. It's not that coherent, but I spent an amount of time on it? So have it as is... whatever it is.

God, they're doing Bachira Barcha so dirty.

If I'm interpreting this right, it sounds like Lavinho entered the game, but not Loki. Oof. Speaks volumes.

It took one of the most renowned footballers in the world to hold off Shidou and company so Bachira and Otoya could score.

It rankles how little development the Barcha boys are getting, compared to Manshine, Ubers or PXG. I know one team had to be the "first boss" of the NEL, but it's Bachira's team.

Bachira. Who's always shown the ability to thrive when the chips are down. Who's one of the most important characters, prior to the NEL.

Ugh. The story is entitled to focus on other characters, and overall I've enjoyed the outcome of this league. But you have to wonder how they can justify Barcha being this weak, even against a team as dominant as PXG.

Now, I did a fact-check to see if I'm just being salty (always a possibility). I looked at the teams by Blue Lock players, and specifically 1) who has a volume cover and 2) who is likely to get a volume cover between now and the manga ending.

My rationale? Volume covers are a proxy for talent/story significance, and appear to be an early bellwether for who might make it into the new U20 team lineup. Sendou fans rejoice

The results kinda support both the "me being salty" angle as well as the "Bachira is being deliberately ratio'd" one. Let me explain.

Germany are stacked next to the others, especially when they have both Kaiser and Ness as well. However: of the seven BL characters that have volume covers, four of these were revealed during the NEL arc. It makes sense, with Germany being the protagonist's team. But something to keep in mind, when we look at the others.

France has four characters that had volume covers before the NEL started. It's extremely likely Zantetsu will get one, and there's outside odds of Nanase also getting a cover. France has a potential NG11 or high-level player in Charles Chevalier. There's also Kento Cho, who had a not-insignificant role in the U20 v BL11 match. Worth noting.

I was surprised by how many high-profile characters Italy have, with five volume covers between them. This said, two characters (Niko and Sendou) only received theirs during the Ubers match arc, although I'd argue Niko would have received one earlier if it wasn't for Kaneshiro's commitment to the bit. Italy also has Don Lorenzo, possibly the most effective NG11 we've seen in action so far. IMO there's a slim chance Fukaku Gen will get a cover in future—the national team needs more than one goalie.

England have three volume cover stars: when you hear Manshine, all you can really picture is Nagi, Reo and Chigiri, right? In addition they have Wanima the elder and Niou, one of whom may sneak into the national team bench and nab a volume cover (my money's on Niou, solely because of that magnificent beard). Other than that, Manshine only has Agi, who's noted to have significant talent.

Lastly Spain, which has two volume covers to its credit and (in my view) low chances of any further ones. Maaaaybe Darai or Hayate, if we work off the current rankings (post round 3). But I can't see them beating Tokimitsu or Zantetsu for a Top 23 placement. They only have one notable Spanish player that has speaking lines (Ignacio Lara) but I wouldn't put him on, say, Agi's level.

To recap, the teams have this many significant characters as of the time of writing:

Germany: 7 + 2 (Kainess) + 2 (Igaguri, Kiyora) = 11.

Interestingly, a number that's give high status in this manga, and one that is often associated with Isagi.

France: 4 + 1 (Chevalier) + 2 (Zantetsu, Nanase) = 7

Italy: 5 + 1 (Lorenzo) + 1 (Fukaku) = 7

England: 3 + 1 (Agi) + 2?? (Niou, Wanima) = 6?? (closer to 5 really)

Spain: 2

If we retrospectively discount any character that didn't have a volume cover before the NEL arc kicked off, and reference only high-profile BL players:

Germany: 3

France: 4

Italy: 3

England: 3

Spain: 2

In conclusion: Spain has been outgunned since day one, and the story has failed to develop any of the Spanish players beside Bachira and Otoya... despite having a over a third of the national team front bench among its ranks.

I think Bachira and in particular, Otoya, have underperformed overall, considering their elevated position prior to the NEL. However, a repeated theme in the NEL is, you're only as good as the support or players around you.

Bachira and Otoya simply don't have the calibre of supporting midfielders, wingers or defensive players in Barcha that the other teams have. They don't have an NG11 player, or a defence capable of holding off a strong offensive opponent.

To get back to my original point: no wonder Lavinho had to sub on to give his two star players a chance to shine against PXG. It's indicative of the level of talent on the French front bench.

[crossroadsofchaos]

[Retired Leaders AU]

It's been a long time since I've talked about this AU's Terra, so here's that and some other relevant information.

Terra came from one of the wealthier families on the Boiling Isles, and in her youth, her career trajectory was similar to canon. She became Head Witch and held that position around 30 years ago, when the events of 'Them's the Breaks, Kid' were happening.

However, not long after that, her story begins to diverge.

Although Belos had appointed her to the position, he only did so due to not realizing how bad she was and hoping she would improve, which did not happen - she only got worse and more brazen once she was given power. He tried to be nice at first and simply asked her to change, but after a while his patience was running out. Eventually, he removed her from the position - though it was publicly announced that she had chosen to step down. She was replaced by Laura Tran.

She was infuriated by the loss of such a powerful position and was envious of Laura, and she developed a deep hatred and desire for revenge on both her and Belos, though she was at least somewhat scared of the latter and wouldn't try to fight him directly. She tried to assassinate Laura in broad daylight, and the two had a battle, from which Laura emerged victorious, while Terra fled the scene.

The assassination attempt made her a wanted criminal, and she had to start hiding from authorities. She continued to be involved in crime, partially due to ruining her own ability to live a normal life, but also out of spite for Belos and Laura - she wanted to create problems for them. She also saw becoming a notable figure in organized crime as another way to attain power. Her family publicly distanced themselves from her, but quietly gave her some financial assistance.

During the following years, she met Alyssa, with whom she entered a romantic relationship and eventually got married. Alyssa was an ordinary woman and wasn't thrilled by Terra's activities, but cared about her and wanted to support her - and if possible, perhaps set her on the right path. The relationship was mediocre, possibly a bit toxic on Terra's end, but Alyssa was committed and stayed by her side. Her hope for Terra choosing a better path gradually faded the longer it wasn't happening. The longer Terra remained on her harmful path, the more set in her ways she became.

Her story came to an end once she had attacked and stabbed (and briefly killed) Hunter and severely injured Flapjack (who then gave up his life to save Hunter) in order to deliver a truly painful blow to Belos. Lashing out in pain, Belos petrified her, and she disintegrated into dust.

Following Terra's death, Alyssa grieved her, but she doesn't hate Belos for it - Terra killed his child, it was understandable that he lashed out. They just agreed to leave each other alone. She spends a lot of her time caring for her and Terra's garden.

[handreaches]

ᴀɢᴇɴᴛ ʜᴇʀᴍᴇꜱ ・ in your hand is a heart made from porcelain, or maybe bone, or maybe antler—something porous, something not-quite-alive. someone has slipped a pearl in its left ventricle. it's not yours, but it could be, if you wanted.

01. at a glance.

FULL NAME —  hong sungmin

ALSO KNOWN AS — saint, agent hermes, the baker (don't use this one.)

GENDER / PRNS — demi man, he/they

CURRENT OCCUPATION —  field agent for mercy ( thirteen years ; junior agent for three; took solaris upon promotion to field agent status. )

FORMER OCCUPATION(S) — 13th special missions brigade (sk); card sharp professional poker player

RADIANCE — bread generation / manipulation — can summon bread at will by picturing it in their mind. bread must be leavened. doesn't work on individual ingredients. appears to only be limited in size by saint's imagination, but does require (1) feasibility, and (2) energy.

AGE — forty-two

BIRTHDAY — may 13th

02. outside.

FACECLAIM — lee dong wook

HEIGHT — 189 cm / 6 foot 2 in

PIERCINGS — none

TATTOOS — none

FASHION SENSE — utilitarian, which is for the best. if given the choice, saint would probably dress like a resident of margaritaville. don't ask if it's supposed to be ironic.

03. inside.

MORAL ALIGNMENT — chaotic neutral

CARDINAL VIRTUE — justice

CARDINAL SIN —  sloth

LIKES — gambling; puzzle boxes; tea, in all senses of the word.

DISLIKES — team sports; lawyers; rainy weather.

NOTABLE TRAITS — one of the more approachable senior agents; affable, but distant. if they ask you to play cards, say yes at your own risk. fears commitment. very good spatial awareness. thinks they're funnier than they actually are. trained in taekwon-do, jiu jitsu, muay thai, and kickboxing. encyclopaedic knowledge of bread.

HABITS OF NOTE — likes to keep their hands occupied; tends to be in motion if not working. always has nicotine gum on them. usually heralded by a jaunty little whistle ( whistles while they walk ).

CURRENT CONCERN — they've become increasingly aware that many agents around their age are starting to leave or become tactical agents.

04. history.

soon, but tl;dr : you have two wolves inside you, and both are g— one craves freedom, while the other craves devotion. this is where the trouble starts.

during their mandatory military conscription, saint demonstrates exemplary aptitude, leading to their recruitment into a special forces unit. they rise the ranks. they run. don't ask about it.

vegas, this time. they get roped into a gang's casino scheme. they rise the ranks. they run. don't ask about it—seriously.

life number three : apex city. mercy. they demonstrate immense potential for field work. they take solaris when the opportunity arises. they are unsuccessful in cutting administration of the drug. i don't think you can run away this time, buddy.

so you tethered your life to the system in exchange for the ability to pull bread out of your ass ( the air, to be clear )! you win some, you lose some, i guess.

but in some ways, i'm catastrophizing. they've been lucky, all things considered. no major injuries, very good track record, is more sane on paper than a great number of their colleagues. the best of the best? close, but not when you take more relevant powers into account. the most loyal? no, but prudent enough to not ask too many questions to the people that matter.

05. headcanons & misc. bits

the bread thing is mostly little more than a glorified party trick, but saint is infamous for two uses of his power: once, he used it to assassinate a drug kingpin with a gluten sensitivity, and another time, he was able to staunch a teammate's bleeding with his bread, saving their life.

office gossip.

tends to get sent on one-and-done missions ( e.g., assassinations, retrievals ), rather than long-term, undercover assignments.

got the hermes moniker bc he's quick. the fact that hermes is the god of thieves, tricksters, and runners is a coincidence, mostly. :^)

character parallels : nicholas d. wolfwood ( trigun ) ; phoenix wright ( apollo justice : ace attorney ) ; shidou ryuusei ( blue lock ) ; kishibe ( chainsaw man )

06. wanted connections.

soon!!

[alexversenaberrie]

New Mandalorian OC: Expect her siblings in the near future.

Name: Hiba Sintas Bridger Wren

Gender: Female

Pronouns: She/Her

Year of Birth: 12 ABY

Place of Birth: Lothal

Parents: Ezra Bridger (Father) and Sabine Wren (Mother)

Siblings: Minerva (Sister), Kanan (Brother), Eleni (Sister)

House: Kryze

Clan: Wren (Formally of House Viszla but switch affiliation with House Kryze by Countess Sabine Wren, Hiba’s mother, in 10 ABY.)

Titles: Princess of Knownwrest, Heiress-Apparent to mother Countess Sabine Wren, Nite Owl lieutenant, and Governor of Lothal (During the Age of Resistance)

Appearance:

•5’3

•Light brown Skin (Middle Eastern X East Asian)

•Athletic but sickly

•Round face

•Has natural navy blue hair with a mixture of midnight black but tends to dye it blue and white in honor of her mother’s friend and master Ahsoka Tano.

•Brown eyes

Notable Skills:

Combat: Hiba’s combat skills are a mixture of Mandalorian and Jedi in which she, in spite of being in poor chronic health, is trained in various but not all martial arts skills, due to the need of being careful when it comes to her condition. Aside from being able to use various Webstar blasters and a deactivator hold-out pistol in both battles and missions, she’s highly skilled in lightsaber usage and has previously wielded both of her parents’ and Ahsoka Tano’s sabers before forging her own.

Athleticism: Although limited, due to life-long health issues, Hiba is very athletic thanks to training under the watchful eye of both her mother and Ahsoka Tano.

•Intelligence: Above-average intelligence, excelled well at the newly reestablished Royal Academy as a youth though she has struggled a bit with training along side her clan.

•Sorcery: Hiba is regarded as the first Mandalorian to practice witchcraft in over a century and her usage of sorcery has allowed to heal both people and animals who are sick or injured. In addition, she has also used magic in battle and just for fun. She’s even credited her use of magic to help heal from asthmatic attacks that has limited her combative skills.

•Humanitarian Skills: Although she’s not politician, Hiba’s a great humanitarian who is focused on improving the lives of people in need, which was how she was named governor of Lothal in 32 ABY. As governor, Hiba worked towards increasing pay raise for all working citizens and their families along with making both health care and education free for all citizens who live on the planet regardless of their income. She also worked with the New Republic to bring Imperial officials to justice for heinous crimes they’ve committed against the galaxy, which included two surviving members of Clan Saxon for their role in the Mandalorian Civil War by helping to reproduce her mother’s weapon “The Duchess”.

•Artistic Skills: Just like her mother, Hiba is a talented artist but her skills go far beyond painting and graffiti art. She’s very well known for creating spectacular fashion designs that celebrate and honor Mandalorian culture and history.

•Force Sensitive: Yes, like both of her parents. Has the ability to communicate with animals, and grow new flora on “barren” planets in order to make them hospitable for both people and animals to settle in.

Additional Information:

•She’s the oldest of four children born to Sabine Wren and Ezra Bridger-Wren.

•Was born just nine months after her parents reunited on Peridea. However, it would be another two years before they got married on Lothal.

•Shortly before she was born, her mother took her place as Knownwrest’s new countess with the promise to rebuild her clan, help with the reconstruction of Mandalore, and overlook the building of several towns and cities on Knownwrest.

•Developed asthma when she was eight months old and has a history of falling suddenly ill as a result of asthma attacks during missions.

•Has a very close-knit relationship with her entire family but is very close with her father.

•Is currently betrothed to Prince Alexi Djarin-Kryze. Although the union was prearranged by their families without their input, the two are pretty much in love.

•She first trained under her father Ezra to learn how to use the force and wield lightsabers before going on to train with Ahsoka Tano. However, like her fiancé before her, she has no intention of joining any Jedi Order.

•She first began practicing witchcraft under the guidance of Nite Sister Merrin when she was eight years old after suffering a near-fatal asthmatic attack.

•Due to being limited in combat skills, Hiba prefers using both her magic and light saber when situations call for them.

•Like her mother and maternal grandfather before her, Hiba is a gifted artist and is renowned for her work in fashion and graffiti.

Strengths:

•She has used her artistic skills to create various outfits and dresses for her people, which includes her future royal in-laws when they’re not wearing armor in public settings. In addition, she has created various graffiti artwork that has been displayed all across Mandalorian Space.

•Although she does use and possess a single Webstar blaster and a deactivator, she doesn’t use them often when she’s in battle, due to her common use of wielding her lightsaber and performing magic.

•She has inherited her father’s compassion for others.

•As a Mandalorian witch, she has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to magic and how to use it. However, she only allows herself to use her magic for two things: battle and helping people

•Her Humanitarian skills and desire for justice has allowed to make her way to becoming Lothal’s first Mandalorian governor.

Weaknesses:

•She can be sickly at times, which can make it difficult for her to keep up with her friends and family.

•Can be both stubborn and sarcastic at times, which can turn people off.

•Due to her ability to use magic, she has been taken advantage of by rival clans who wanted to use her to get back at her mother over “Duchess” weapon, which has since been destroyed.

•Has limited combat skills due to her illness.

•Compared to both of her parents, Hiba is far more prone to the dark side of the force., which is why she needs to turn to Alexi, her fiancé for guidance on how to prevent herself from accidentally finding herself on the wrong course.

Armor:

•Helmet: Similar to her mother’s but inherited from her late maternal grandmother Countess Ursa Wren, Hiba’s helmet is decorated with the traditional Clan Wren imagery of bird-like jaig eyes with symbol of Clan Kryze, which serves as ode to Clan Wren’s current affiliation with House Kryze after centuries of being part of House Viszla.

•Chest and Neck Pieces: Inherited from her late maternal grandmother like the helmet, Hiba reforged them to resemble a typical Nite Owl chest armor set but with a characteristics that similar to that of her mother’s. In fact, she has even decorated her chest armor with star bird and three-line decals that are similar to the ones her mother had on her armor when she was member of the Rebellion.

•Pauldrons: Hiba has two different signets on her Pauldrons. The first one on her left is a Nite Owl signet since she serves The Nite Owls as its lieutenant. The second signet is the “Rebellion” symbol, an ode to both of her parents and their service to the Rebellion.

•Gauntlets: Although they resemble Jedi bracers similar to the ones Ahsoka Tano wears, Hiba had them modified by Princess Mirta Djarin-Kryze, her future sister-in-law, to have the left bracer be equipped with a hidden knight that’s used for combat and the right bracer to have a taser that shocks enemies to the point of stunning them.

•Hand armor: Similar to her mother’s.

•Thigh Plates: Typical nite-owl styled thigh plates.

•Knee Armor: Galaxy-styled like her maternal grandmother’s.

•Shin Guards: Similar to her mother’s but both sides feature the original clan wren signet.

•Jet pack: Similar to the one her had when she was part of the Rebellion.

Armor Color Scheme:

•Light Yellow

•Navy Blue

Soft Parts:

•Flight Suit: Similar to her mother’s

Belt:

•Similar to her maternal grandmother’s but with a yellow waist sash around it.

Weapons in Possession:

* One Westar blaster

* One Deactivator Pistol

* One light saber with a design that’s a mix of her mother’s light saber, Ahsoka’s “Fulcrum” saber and the Dark Saber. The crystal used for the saber is blue.

Sorry,it took a while,but I see that you already noticed the post :)

[fearowkenya]

Winds of Change

Chapter 3: When it Rains, it Pours

The gentle babbling of running water is dissonant in Ryo's ears as everyone slowly starts to regroup, making their way toward the middle of the central path, where—his breath hitches, sharp and cold against the inside of his throat—Shuuji is staring at the ground, head bowed and shoulders taut.

What happened in the waterway left its mark on everybody, and Ryo's doing his best to watch over his friends in the aftermath. Unfortunately, he doesn't have eyes in the back of his head, and neither does Shuuji.

ao3 link in the source, extended post-chapter commentary below! (:

i had a whole bunch of stupid temporary names for each section of every chapter during earlier stages of writing to help keep track of what order the segments were in. like i said on ao3, the working title for this chapter (the middle segment, specifically) was "The Gang Misplaces The Baby". Other notable ones were "be gay do crime hold egg" (ch1 pt1), "Get Punched Idiot" (ch1 pt2), and "EGG" (ch3 pt3).

ive been sitting on all my silly kunemon dialogue for WEEKS. im still not sure how i feel about it - on one hand, i kind of like it when you can only figure out what kunemon's saying through context, usually via ryo. but also i think it's really fun to explore what kunemon's voice sounds like in dialogue - if you translated all of kunemon's kews, would he speak the same way as jewelbeemon or banchoustingmon? it's hard to say, given that theres basically no time in-narrative save for the evolution event where banchoustingmon is center stage. that's part of why i think it's a shame that ultimate and mega stage evolutions are affinity-dependant rather than story-depedant. that said, i've heard that the development cycle for this game was BRUTAL, so i dont fault the devs for it. besides, it's kinda fun to try to figure out how to change ultimate and mega evo scenes so that they fit into a specific area of the story. i won't get into it now, but i have MANY thoughts on the subject.

i also have many thoughts about ryo. i know ive talked about this before, but he was the one to surprise me the most in truthful. i truly was caught off-guard at how much of ryo is hidden behind the walls he puts up at the very beginning. it's so delightful to me that this rough, foul-mouthed, prickly guy is arguably the most emotionally intelligent of the group. i bet he has no idea that his ability to read people is so impressive, and likely views his eye for detail is nothing out of the ordinary. i think these skills are both things that he started to hone at a young age, and now they're just second nature. although. i do think these skills completely go out the window when he's in distress.

also on the topic of ryo - i will die on the hill that he and saki have some kind of shared history. i dont think they go to the same school; there's a few references to saki probably being at the same one as takuma and minoru, and then at the amusement park in truthful, theres a bit of dialogue between minoru and ryo that suggests that the two of them go to different schools. so instead, i've mostly committed to the notion that they're …hmm… childhood "friends" is a strong word. probably closer to childhood "acquaintances". childhood "other kid i kept seeing over and over at the same place, and since theres no one else my age around here i dont have any other options". childhood "best available friend".

anyway, I think they were familiar with one another through their parents. it makes sense to me that one of saki's parents worked with ryo's mother or had some other kind of connection to her that faded after she died. or maybe ryo and saki ended up running into each other constantly while ryo's mother was in the hospital. in either scenario, a much younger saki and ryo would have been together frequently enough that they got to know each other pretty well as kids, then grew distant after their families' paths stopped crossing, not seeing each other again until the start of the camping trip. i think thats a decent reason for why ryo's not quite as temperamental with saki as he is with the others rightrightright at the beginning, and it would explain why he doesn't seem to mind her following him around and saying stuff like "idk what you'd do if i take my eyes off you" without him getting all that annoyed (relatively).

but yeah, this chapter was a LOT of fun for me to write. i really liked the idea of getting the immediate aftermath of the fight with wendimon from ryo's perspective. it was gonna be from shuuji's at first, but i think he would have been too caught up in shock and grief to be paying much attention to any of the others. ryo, on the other hand, is extremely observant and perceptive even though he's also pretty upset.

i had a great time writing shuuji listening in on kunemon and ryo's conversation. obviously i loved the duality of shuuji having no idea what kunemon is talking about while we the reader know that ryo gets whiplash between trying to cheer up a gloomy kunemon, exchanging stuff they've noticed about their friends, then being personally attacked about his feelings concerning a specific person (whose identity i hope was at least somewhat discernible without kunemon goggles). shuuji can understand the words ryo is saying just fine, but the information he learns catches him off-guard, and it occurs to him just how much distance there is between him and most of the group. this gave me a fun opportunity to think about what it's like to be shuuji at this specific part of the story - he's just had this horrible brush with death, and even though he's doing much better than he was before, he's at a point where he hasn't grown close with most of the others yet. we don't see much of shuuji having to build or rebuild his relationships with his peers immediately following the waterway - iirc the bulk of what we get is after those 10 days takuma was gone, and by then, the way he interacts with the others is much, much different.

i also really enjoyed getting a bit silly about the game mechanics in the last segment. finding random shit like plates of ribs and weird bananas isn't really addressed much beyond acknowledging that it was found. i think theres been SOME commentary about how the thing is weird, but to my knowledge, WHERE those weird things were found isn't acknowledged. nobody ever sits back like "hey so why the fuck did i find a pineapple inside of the piano" and i thought i could play with that a little!!

all right, thats gonna do it for this week. as you may have noticed, my ability to accurately gauge when i can post chapters is… hmm… questionable at best. i currently plan on posting chapter 4 on monday, but theres a small local con this weekend so i can't say for certain. my usual weekend chores will likely be pushed to monday unless im able to get them done tomorrow (highly unlikely), so we'll just have to wait and see!

thank you for reading, and as i said on ao3, im really really grateful for the comments ive gotten, even the ones in tags on tumblr. im always happy for more, and im so curious to know what stood out to people the most.

[kaylasfos]

about my cm s/i ... questions taken from this post !!

other than with your f/o(s), how are your insert’s relationships with other characters like? have they made any close friends or enemies+ how did that happen?

my best friends are absolutely emily and penelope. jj and i are also close, but we don't get to see each other often because of her family commitments. also, we sort of fell off after she confessed her love to my husband while they were being held hostage.

derek has always been like an older brother to me. he also lowkey wingman-ed me and spencer for a long time. i grew up around rossi a lot because he was good friends with my father, so i see him as an uncle.

what about their reputation, are they well known outside of their circle? what do others initially think or assume about them?

i worked in hostage negotiation before i joined the bau, and there i was known pretty well. i hate to brag, but i was very good at my job there and was on my way to a promotion before i transferred.

what were your f/o(s) first impression of them? vice versa, what was your insert’s first impression of your f/o(s)?

i've talked about this a lot, but spencer initially was pretty standoffish towards me. i didn't have anything against him, in fact i thought he was sweet, but he didn't seem to want to talk to me. this led to a confrontation where i asked him why he hated me so much, and he admitted he just "gets nervous around pretty girls".

what’s one thing you and your self insert(s) have in common?

our hobbies! we both really enjoy reading and writing in our free time. our personalities are largely the exact same.

what’s one thing you and your self insert(s) don’t have in common?

my s/i isn't nearly as sensitive as i am. being in the fbi, you can't let things get to you too much.

what is your insert’s moral alignment?

neutral good. i respect authority, but i won't tolerate injustice or being disrespected.

give us a little bit of information about your insert! could be basic (name, age, height), stuff relevant to the source (abilities, class type, affiliations, etc.) or just fun facts you really want to talk about!

kayla orton, 5'3"

how would they spend their day to day in your f/os’ universe? do they have a job or any other daily commitment? a routine they follow?

most of my time is spent at the bau office. when i'm not there or on a case, i'm relaxing at home. sometimes spencer and i have movie nights, and every third friday of the month, the bau girls go out for drinks.

does your insert come into the story and what part do they play in it? how do they fit into everything, and how does the story change with them involved?

cm is more of an episodic show than anything, but i do play into some of the overarching plots. most notably, i was the only person to actually reach out to spencer after revelations and make sure he was doing okay. i helped him through withdrawals and that made us much closer.

also, the maeve plotline just did not happen. she does not exist. boo. that plot is instead replaced with me being kidnapped by the replicator (the unsub of that season, who was replicating previous crimes solved by the bau). he was attempting to replicate spencer's kidnapping from s2, but he didn't get far enough to drug me, luckily.

give us a brief (or not-so-brief) summary of their backstory! how did they end up wherever they are? memorable moments? etc.

oh man, i made a whole timeline of my s/i a while ago! here it is :)

when & how do they get introduced to your f/os?

first day on the job, my desk was next to his!

what about their fashion & aesthetic? what kind of clothes do they usually/like to wear for the everyday, or when they’re all dressed up for some special event?

usually business casual & comfortable enough to run after unsubs if needed. it's often stuff like this:

^ is it anything practical you would wear irl, or is it a little unrealistic and purely for the sake of having a cool design?

i'd wear most of that irl! it's cute and professional :3

if your insert were to become a canon character, how would they be treated by fandom? do you think they would get misinterpreted a lot?

i think i'd often get misinterpreted as the sunshine-y & innocent one. i also think a lot of reid girls wouldn't like me.

how does your insert look like: are they an exact copy of you? are they you, but with minor adjustments? (e.g they have a tattoo, different hairstyle or eye color, etc)

they're me, just a little older and more mature.

what does their living environment look like? is it minimally decorated, messy or super high tech & futuristic? is it a place you could actually/want to live in?

my apartment kind of a controlled chaos space. there's lots of plants and books as decorations. it's very bright and i try to let in as much sunlight as possible. it's a happy space, somewhere i can get away from work. something very much like this:

does your insert have any family? (whether it be familial f/os, ocs, pets or people based off your actual family)

my father helped to found the bau with gideon and rossi, but he passed away when i was young. because of that, i saw the two of them (rossi more often) a lot and they became like uncles to me.

as of criminal minds: evolution, spencer and i have three children: annabel, jason, and ruthie (oldest to youngest). annabel was born around s10, jason around s13, and ruthie after we left the bau after the finale in s15.

[ravirajrrr]

Top Screw Manufacturers and Suppliers in India: Spotlight on Real Fasteners

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In the competitive landscape of Best screw manufacturers in India, Real Fasteners shines as a leader in delivering high-quality and reliable fasteners. However, other notable companies like Unbrako, Precision Fasteners, Ganga Forging, and Fasteners India also play a significant role in meeting the diverse needs of various industries. By choosing a reputable manufacturer and supplier, you can ensure that your projects are supported by top-notch components that enhance performance and durability.

For any industry-specific requirements or bulk orders, reaching out to these companies can provide you with the right solutions to keep your operations running smoothly.

[tsreviews]

Skooolify Review: Profit from Skool’s Fastest-Growing Platform

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[transienturl]

a few things from around the internet re: Palestine. first, from the international court of justice (most tumblr users, I imagine, will have seen this one):

second, a bit of reporting summarizing the statements made by US congresspeople; the numbers are spectacularly bad, but also underscore that things are substantially worse with republicans free to call the shots (and if you just read a few statements by typical republicans this is immediately backed up). note both the splits here and the "At odds with the public" section.

third, I made some attempts to find the unscripted statements of potential vice presidential candidates (or presidential, but it seems pretty clear that coalescing around Harris as the presidential candidate is the most likely successful path forward on that front). there isn't a ton. I don't think we can intuit a true commitment to Not Doing A Genocide from any of them given this political climate, but they do mostly sound like they fall slightly to the left of Biden?

example clip from 2019, from then-candidate Buttigieg. (aside: man, do you remember when politicians could speak off-the-cuff and sound like political leaders? there are better things they could sound like—hi, Sanders—but wow has it been proven that there are many worse.)

fourth, from last year: I was shocked to learn about this.

political litmus tests are bad if they don't lead to outcomes that are any more aligned with the moral reason behind the litmus test, but "not voting for this" sounds like the most basic of litmus tests that could possibly exist. the fact that this passed is an indictment of my country no matter what the history of the "from the river to the sea" phrase is. christ.

the fact that is passed is, though, notably, due to 212 republicans and 22 democrats. there is a huge difference here.

if I may editorialize: my read on the positions on Palestine of most democrats spans a spectrum between strategic weasel-wording for ultimately the right reasons, general spinelessness, and a lack of understanding. my read my read on the positions on Palestine of most republicans, somewhat to my surprise, hovers around "reveling in abject cruelty."

a huge amount, possibly the majority, of usamerican citizens, will be on the right side of history here. the UN will be. US politicians, on a whole, I'm not so sure of. but it doesn't sound to me like the left withdrawing from the elections as a protest to this will send the desired message; what it sounds like it'll do is get anyone who's left with the spine to stand up against genocide bullied out of their ability to speak.

this is not something I am particularly well-informed about, but based on those reads and the importance of all of this, I think it's extremely important that I vote for the democrats I have the ability to, and I think if you're usamerican, you should too.

fifth: we have got to keep her in congress.

(tell me what uspol keywords you filter and I'll add them to uspol posts)

[cantpingcomputerinsonicwallsitet]

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