#silent protagonist could be anyone idea

[harpieisthecarpie]

Giving Lue art ideas is an honor and a privilege. Also I love munching on video games as literature bc their themes can be furthered in so many little aspects. That ludonarrative!!!!!

Damn Im probably gonna start playing p5r again tonight...

But with the foggy glasses! I love how Akira's glasses are used for humor (especially on that one Akechi date >.>) in scenes that can also be read as foreshadowing/thematic. Bc "glasses obscuring the face & intent of their wearer by being literally opaque" is such instinctual anime/cartoon shorthand that a character's glasses fogging up and making them appear sinister is a really common joke.

But we can compare the cute jokey fogged glasses with Akira's Persona Awakening scene (thanks yt compilation vids). In the cut-scene, his glasses go between amplifying and obscuring his eyes while his internal sense of justice wars with the restraints his experiences made him internalize.

When his glasses fall and he tears off his mask, his expression has never been clearer or more intensely determined. Even with all the blood running down his face.

One of the reasons I read Akira's dialogue options as multiplicity is bc of the moments the choices read better as one continuous thought than separate ideas. "That's enough!" and "I will stop you" are the same resolve in different keys.

And these moments of synergy clarify what being a "Wild Card" means for Akira. His senses of morality and personal responsibility are intrinsic, bedrock. They are so solid that the rest of him must be malleable in order to enact his justice, or even to survive under the thumb of people who'd see that rebellion crushed.

I fully believe that his glasses and general demeanor (that posture!!) are attempts to make himself invisible because he is so liable to pop-off in the face of injustice that someone responding to his judgmental expression with "what? you've got a problem?" is all it'd take for Akira to blow his own life up.

Akira's malleability and multiplicity are found in all the ways rebellion is possible. A person that is in all iterations himself.

MILD AKECHI SPOILERS BELOW IF YOU HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT HIS DEAL

Meanwhile, Akechi very obviously struggles with his sense of self. He has two masks and somehow fully immerses himself in both. 2 extreme survival mechanisms that only work if he can convince everyone, including himself, that this is all Akechi Goro is.

Akira wears a mask, performs as jack-of-all-trades, because his Self is so solid the problem comes from its reactivity with society at large. The conflict comes when others see it and try to make him bend, break, but he refuses. Meanwhile, Akechi has been in survival-mode so long his sense of identity outside his masks has nearly entirely atrophied.

Which is why he bites so hard when Akira's sharp eyes land on the beast and can't be redirected. Why his mask breaks when Akira pokes at his soft animal underbelly.

Akira wears glasses as a mask because his sharp gaze draws attention, I imagine his poker face is kinda shit. But Akechi has long since made himself into his own ringmaster. He directs the lights and attention towards beautiful, dangerous acts so no one's eyes ever land on the half-starved beast onstage that's often caged, always chained, and never truly hidden.

Hmm got entirely off track again but whenever I think about Akechi I black out and awaken hours later in an unfamiliar location, covered in blood.

MARUKI YOU ARE A JENGA TOWER. WHAT IS YOUR FUCKING DEAL

[genshingorlsrevengeance]

Could I request Miko, Lisa, and Navia with an author s/o who writes hot-selling stories based on them?

(Genshin Impact) Miko, Lisa, and Navia's S/O writing stories about them

Yae can't help but laugh upon reading S/O's stories, quickly realizing who the protagonist resembles.

With a grin she leans onto the table S/O is currently writing on.

(Yae) "Well, it looks like you were certainly inspired by a certain someone. Do you really think that I'm that mischevious?"

(S/O) "Oh, I don't think it. I know it. The real question is if anyone else has realized it yet."

(Yae) "Hm, well your protagonist is already a woman, but not a kitsune. Perhaps we should add in that detail?"

She absolutely loves her own characterization, coy, mysterious, intimidating, it was anything but boring.

And that's all she really asked for.

Well, that and some mora for S/O using her likeness.

(Yae) "If you want to continue using me in your stories, I want a little bit of the share."

(S/O) "Yae, you already publish my books-"

(Yae) "Mhm, but I don't recall you ever asking permission to have me as your main lead. Therefore, I want some compensation."

(S/O) "Will Fried Tofu work?"

(Yae) "...Perhaps.

Lisa has quite the amount of time to read books in the library, and it isn't long until S/O has her proofread some of their works.

She knows they sell well, and figures she might as well give her two cents on the matter.

Before realizing their protagonists sounds very familiar.

(Lisa) "Brown haired, green eyes, very flirty...How creative, S/O!"

(S/O) "They say write what you know, right? So, I figured I might as well make the main lead the most interesting woman I know."

(Lisa) "I'd normally agree, but she also seems to be very lazy. Are you trying to imply something?"

Lisa asks with a slight grin. Though her tone is teasing, S/O knows damn well to answer correctly.

(S/O) "Creative liberties, my love. It only means something if you think it does!"

(Lisa) "Hm, a reasonable answer. Any other traits about them I should be aware of before I continue?"

(S/O) "They're very smart. That one is based off you."

(Lisa) "Good answer."

Lisa finds it amusing to see how S/O views her on a daily basis put to paper.

Navia doesn't take too much time to read books with how busy she is, but she makes an exception if her S/O is the author!

It takes her a good chunk of the book before realizing that the protagonist was kind of familiar...

(Navia) "S/O, the girl in this story is very reminiscent to the stories I told you about me."

(S/O) "Hm? I have no idea what you're talking about!"

Navia crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow alongside giving them a smile.

(Navia) "Down to the gun umbrella? Why did you not tell me sooner that I am your main star?!"

(S/O) "I wanted it to be a surprise, was it?"

(Navia) "Hah, I'd say so. But she's really ditzy. Do you see me that way too?"

Suddenly, S/O was silent.

(S/O) "You just have a lot of energy is all, I wouldn't really say ditzy."

Navia began pouting.

(Navia) "I am not like her at all, I don't make decisions out of the blue like that!"

(S/O) "..."

(Navia) "...Okay, not ALL the time!"

[niqhtlord01]

Humans are weird: Family Drama

( Please come see me on my new patreon and support me for early access to stories and personal story requests :D https://www.patreon.com/NiqhtLord Every bit helps)

To Abarxsis one’s family was something sacred and meant to be treasured. It contained those who were with you from the first moments of your age and would join you along your journey through time longer than any friend or colleague could. It was a feeling he held onto greatly and shaped the foundation of who he was. It was a trait he was glad to see shared amongst many humans as they too sought out family to such an extreme that they would pack bond with anyone or anything to obtain that sense of unity. Yet it was with some great surprise that when he inquired about his human lovers’ family they would refuse to even mention them.

 Whenever the topic of family was brought up their mood would shift like a switch had been flipped and all the joy and expression of them would bleed away and be replaced with a cold chill. Abarxsis learned that it was unwise to bring up the topic, but he still could not let it go until he knew why they were so against their own kin.

One night, Abarxsis was watching human entertainment while his lover slept and saw a strange situation unfold. The protagonist, like his lover, also was estranged from their family and refused to meet them. So the other characters surprised them by inviting their family over without telling them so the two parties could reunite and make peace once more.

This notion of restoring unity gave Abarxsis the idea that he could do the same for his lover and so he set out to track them down himself. It took several months of messages and follow ups until finally he had tracked down their family. When he mentioned that he wished for them to reunite they were thrilled at the prospect and agreed to meet them for dinner.

The day finally came and Abarxsis had taken his lover out under the pretext of a romantic dinner. When the pair arrived the rest of the family was already waiting at the table. They stood and smiled as the pair approached and extended hands of friendship, but Abarxsis noticed his lover had remained frozen at the doorway.

A myriad of emotions went across their face as their eyes focused on the family. Their hands tightened into fists as they looked slowly from the table to Abarxsis, who was still smiling, and glared at him.

“You did this?” she asked through clenched teeth.

The smile quickly fell away from Abarxsis’s face as he realized something was very much wrong.

“Abarxsis did.” He confirmed. “Abarxsis saw how talking of family upset Kelly, so Abarxsis-“

Kelly turned and left the room without hearing out the rest of his reasoning. He turned back and saw Kelly’s family looking confused and went after his lover. She stood out in front of the restaurant pulling out her communicator to summon a hover cab.

“What is wrong?” Abarxsis asked as he came up behind her. Kelly’s head turned to him to see it now awash with rage and anger….and betrayal, much to Abarxsis’s surprise.

“I told you I didn’t want to talk about my family.” Kelly began, her fists still clenched tight. “I had made it perfectly clear that I had no desire to speak with them, or speak of them, or even be near them from the moment we met.”

“Abarxsis know’s this-“  Abarxsis began but Kelly held up a hand to forestall him.

“You don’t speak,” she remarked harshly, “just stand there and listen because I am about to be as fucking direct as I can possibly be.”

Kelly only swore to Abarxsis when she was truly angry so Abarxsis remained silent as she continued.

“My family……”,she stopped and collected her thoughts for a moment as if a torrent of words wished to flow all at the same time from her mouth, “are nothing but parasites; and I have not wanted them near them since the day I left their hellhole of a home.”

“They have leached off me financially, mentally, and emotionally all my life. I was the only one to hold a stable job and they expected me to pay for them while they sat around and did nothing. I was the one they came to when they were dumped by their lovers after they found out they were cheating on them. And when I told them I wanted no more part in their problems they berated me by telling me without them I would not even be here so “it was the least you can do to be grateful”.”

Abarxsis had seen his lover angry before but this was something else. This was not just simple disdain or annoyance; this was a deep rooted hatred that ran through the core of Kelly’s being.

“I left,” she continued, “because it was the only way I could be free from their toxicity and now, despite me telling you otherwise, you have brought that toxicity back to me.”

“But..” Abarxsis spoke unsurely, “they are still Kelly’s family.”

“You were my new family.” Kelly laughed without joy and fixed him with a cold stare. “They stopped being my family the day I left them.”

A hover car slowly pulled up and the door popped open for Kelly. She started to enter when the rest of the family came out and started calling out to her.  Abarxsis watched Kelly look back at him and see her expression now one of disappointment and sorrow, before she entered the hover car and closed the door behind her.

The hover car pulled away as the family came up and began calling out Kelly’s name while shouting recent needs for money or how disappointed they were that she hadn’t spoken to them in so long. Once the hover car was out of sight the family then turned on Abarxsis making the same demands. Abarxsis looked at them with confusion as this was not what a family should be. The love and support he had felt from his was nowhere within the eyes of Kelly’s former family.

Abarxsis came to understand why Kelly did what she did and realized that despite their constant need to pack bonding and need for family, the human concept of family was something not as simple to define.  

[wangxianficfinder]

I'm in the mood for...

July 28th

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1. Hello hello! ITMF fics where Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are bound together by that tethering (binding/bonding depending on translation) talisman. Like, where they can't go further than a couple feet from each other and if one yanks on the tether the other gets pulled along. Thank you! <3

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2. Does anyone know of any fics where problems are solved via the use of truth talismans/spells? For example, maybe the hundred holes curse issue could be cleared up early on after a truth spell is used to determine the caster. Or maybe they can trap JGY in a truth spell and avoid most of his nonsense.

🔒 the language of flowers and silent things series by Reverie (cl410) (M, 107k, WangXian, LXC/NMJ, LWJ & Madam Lan, NHS & LWJ, LWJ & LXC, LWJ & NMJ, LWJ & NHS Friendship, Developing Relationship, POV LWJ, Minor Injuries, Autistic LWJ, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, aka the YZY warning, Genius WWX, Light Angst And Hurt/Comfort, WWX Protection Squad, Gusu Lan Sect, Slow Burn, Protective LWJ, LWJ-centric, Politics, Canon Divergence, No Sunshot Campaign, Cultivation Sect Politics, Protective WWX) features a Lan Wangji who is cursed to hear when people tell lies, which is a truth spell of sorts

Safety of Distance by little-smartass (Linxcat) (T, 64k, 3zun, Post-Canon Fix-It, Xichen and his zombie boyfriends go on a miserable roadtrip to try and fix their shit, things get a lot worse before they get better but they DO get better, exploration of grief and growth within 3zun, 3zun learning to communicate? in MY AU? it's more likely than you think, specific warnings will be at the top of individual chapters but in general the fic has:, exploration of self-loathing and horror/disgust re: zombie bodies, canon-typical monster-fighting violence, Suicidal Ideation, Canon-Typical Fierce Corpse Body Horror, all of 3zun struggling with individual mental health issues, but it also has a hopeful and cathartic end, there is a light at the end of their exhausting tunnel I promise) is a post-canon 3zun fic in which a truth curse on JGY (put there by WWX) plays a significant role

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3. Hello!! This is for itmf wangxian zombie apocalypse au please thankyou!

The Edge of Night by Hobbsy3 (M, 277k, WangXian, XuanLi, Modern AU, Zombie Apocalypse, Yúnmèng Siblings Dynamics, Accidental Baby Acquisition During a Zombie Apocalypse, Junior Quartet, (except they’re all babies), Angst with a Happy Ending, Minor Character Death, Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Gore, Ensemble Cast, Worst Zombie Fighting Team Ever, Found Family)

❤️ A Corpse Called By Name by jaemyun (Not rated, 60k, WangXian, Zombie Apocalypse, Angst, Horror, Zombie WWX, Eventual Happy Ending, yunmeng trio, Eventual WangXian, WWX is dad material even in death, Humor, YLLZ but make him dead)

When the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation takes a week off by galaxy_in_your_eyes (T, 20k, WangXian, Modern Cultivation, Canon Divergence, Everyone Lives, only those that deserve it, kind of fix-it, Zombie Apocalypse, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/ComfortAttempt at HumorPOV AlternatingCanon-Typical Violence, Blood and Gore, Mentions of Suicidal Thoughts, Brief Mentions of Cannibalism, Zombies, We don’t see the Zombie Apocalypse, It happens behind closed doors, WWX in quarantine, Wangxian being Wangxian, Mentions of Smut, Established Relationship, Courtesy Names, local necromancer gets sick with the flu)

a thousand teeth, yours among them by darkredloveknot (enheduane) (E, 10k, WangXian, Zombie Apocalypse, Blood and Violence, Mild Gore, Hook-Up, Falling In Love, metaphysical sexual body horror (??), Non-Sexual Intimacy, Melancholy)

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4. hello! could i ask for fics where mianmian is the protagonist? or one of the other ladies! jyl, wq, qs are all great 🙏🏽

Meet you at a different place by tawaen (M, 57k, WQ & WN, WN & MXY & WQ, WQ & WWX & WN, Eventual WangXian, Ghost General WN, Ghost WQ, Canon Divergence, WQ comes back to haunt the cultivation world, Bad idea to kill the one person who didn’t kill anyone, Cultivation World Critical, Not JC Friendly, Wen Remnants Deserve Better, Sīsī Deserves Better, MXY Deserves Better, POV WQ)

🔒💖 do not envy the roots that hold you down by eccentrick for rianitida (T, 12k, WangXian, Reincarnation, WQ is a Lan, Canon Divergence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort)

With Surgical Precision by metisket (T, 20k, WQ & WN, WQ & WWX, WangXian, Time Travel, Families of Choice, sibling bonding through murder)

Reclamation by CordialCoroner (CordialCrow) (M, 6k, major character death, not JC friendly, canon divergence, post sunshot, revenge)

💖 i’ll keep walking by justdoityoufucker (orphan_account) (T, 2k, WQ &WWX & WN, wangxian, time travel fix-it, not JC friendly, everyone lives au, found family)

Sail Away Sweet Sister by sami (M, 73k, WangXian, YZY/CSSR/MDM Lan, MingLi, Time Travel, EXTREME Canon Divergence, Wide Focus Narrative, Some People Live/Not Everyone Dies, Most Named/Canon Characters Live, Childhood Friends to Lovers, Families of Choice, Parenthood, this work contains a major tonal shift, Fluff, Angst, Underage Sex, not particularly explicit, but not at all ambiguous, PTSD, Only a tiny bit, Unforeseeable consequences, The butterfly effect, Slightly Dark JYL, Asexual Characters, but that’s not really the focus, Canon-Typical Violence)

Cicada Sings Amongst Bamboo by Shadaras (T, 14k, LQR/QS, Madam Qin & QS, past JG/QS, Canon Divergence, Courtship, Time Travel, Second Chances, Recovery, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, references to canonical rape, This Burn Could Be Slower, QS Deserves Better, QS Lives, Sunshot Campaign) Qin su

💖 Love made visible by Moominmammashandbag (M, JYL/ZZL, wangxian, hurt/Comfort, amputation, major character injury, sibling love, angst w happy ending, cooking as cultivation, attempted rape/non-con, sexual assault, minor character death, family angst, dysfunctional family, protective siblings, near drowning, amnesia) jiang yanli

The Rage of Daughters by givemeunicorns (T, 51k, XuanLi, WangXian, ChengQing, MianLi, Grief/Mourning, Family Issues, Canon Divergence, Canonical Character Death, Character Study, Yanli lives but she has to work through some stuff okay?, Forgiveness, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Major Character Undeath)

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5. Good morning! I am looking for fics where Lan Wangji leaves the Lan clan to help Wei Wuxian. Any suggestions would be much appreciated, thank you!

A Narrow Bridge by FrameofMind, Jo Lasalle (Jo_Lasalle) (E, 700k, WangXian, Time Travel Fix-It, Canon Divergence, Slow Burn, Getting Together, First Time, Pining while fucking, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Angst with a Happy Ending, CQL Verse, almost everybody lives/almost nobody dies, epistolary-ish, canon-ish side pairings, radishes)

🔒 Mirage by Aki_no_hikari (G, 1k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Pining, they aren't together yet but there are definitely feelings, One-Sided Attraction, or so lwj thinks)

🔒 Moonlit by Aki_no_hikari (T, 8k, WangXian, Family Fluff, Battle Couple, Yílíng Wèi Sect, Canon-Typical Violence, Teacher WWX)

Hold Me Tight by thelastdboy (T, 8k, WangXian, LWJ & Wen Remnants, LSZ & LWJ, LWJ & WQ & WN, POV LWJ, Canon Divergence, Everyone Lives, Burial Mounds Ensemble as Family, LWJ Stays at the Burial Mounds, Literal Sleeping Together, Fluff, Communication, Families of Choice, Getting Together, Love Confessions, Hope, Light Angst, Happy Ending, Golden Core Reveal, First Kiss, Mental Health Issues, food insecurity, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hopeful Ending)

no one ever said the single-plank bridge had to be walked alone by rosemu (T, 124k, wangxian, Canon Divergence, Yílíng Wèi Sect au, Fix-It, Not Everyone Dies, LWJ Stays at the Burial Mounds, Fluff, Angst, Domestic Fluff, Canon-Typical Violence, Found Family, Slow Burn, LWJ and WWX get to be Dads together, the healing power of homoerotic flute/guqin duets, Happy Ending)

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6. Hiii for itmf, can I have fics where lwj is chief cultivator and established wangxian, any fics will do, even wip

Wei Wuxian, God of Fertility by tired (T, 19k, WangXian, Family Feels, Crack Treated Seriously, Crack, the juniors get REAL drunk, Gossip, POV Multiple, surprisingly not an mpreg fic, Kissing, Self-Esteem Issues, Discussion of Porn and Sex, Post-Canon, SOFT SOFT SOFT, married wangxian, Fluff and Humor)

🔒 Seasons of Falling Flowers by merakily (G, 40k, WangXian, LQR & WWX, Canon Compliant, Post-Canon, Character Study, Introspection, In-Laws, Golden Core, Emotional Baggage, Family Bonding, Protective LWJ, Good Parent LQR, LQR has feelings, LQR and WWX become friends, [PODFIC] Seasons of Falling Flowers, by merakily by Spinifex)

🔒we made space by MajorEnglishEsquire (E, 19k, WangXian, Getting Together, Sleep, Sleeping Together, Lap Sitting, Marriage Proposal, Fluff, First Kiss, Sharing a Bed, Adopted Children, Exhaustion, Happy Ending, Sex)

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7. I'm in the mood for a fic with top Wei Ying and bottom lan zhan where Wei is possessive and soon love with a soft lan zhan both experiencing their first in everything with each other

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8. Hi! Itmf a fanfic with wwx going to gusu with lwj but getting depressed in there/giving up on everything, I just want people to go from scared of him to scared for him, thanks! ♡

Unbreakable Heaven, Luminous Earth by carolyncaves (M, 96k, wangxian, Canon Divergence, Secret Identity, almost to the point of uncomfortable identity theft, Sharing a Bed, Literal Sleeping Together, Mutual Pining, Getting Together, Suicidal Thoughts, that’s for WWX after Nightless City and is not pervasive throughout the fic, Blood and Injury, Hurt/Comfort, Caretaking, Sexual Content, Domestic Fluff, Angst with a Happy Ending, Power Imbalance, mainly between WWX and JGY in an entirely nonsexual manner, this isn’t really a kid fic but the kids are there, as are some yunmeng sibling feelings, JYL lives, Not Everyone Dies AU, some COVID parallels, this is not a quarantine fic, but thematically WWX deals w things like face-covering for safety and loss of control, also assume all canon warnings, this AU is gentler than canon but isn’t a complete fix-it)

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9. ITMF request!

Can I have some good Twin Jades fics where they are both supportive and kind to each other? I’ve read too many sad ones lately and I just want a story where they are each other’s strongest protector/staunchest supporter.

Thank you!!

💖 Hoards and treasures by apathyinreverie (T, 21k, WangXian, Siblings, Family, not particularly Jiang friendly, YZY Bashing, slightly darker Gusu Lans, LXC being the best brother, Some manipulation, But with the best of intentions, and not between wangxian, Dragon LWJ, Fox WWX, Smitten LWJ, Fluff, perfect happiness, adorable WWX, Romance, Some worldbuilding, courting)

Like stones on an unseen board by Vir_Abelasan (Not rated, 11k, wangxian, Canon Divergence, Dark LWJ, Older LWJ, Teacher LWJ, dark twin jades, Age Difference, Manipulation, Protective LWJ, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Corporal Punishment, Relatively canon-typical abusive Jiangs, WWX Get a Happy Ending, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, Not JC Friendly, Not Jiang Clan Friendly)

🔒 in the shadow of moonlit flowers by Reverie (cl410) (T, 56k, wangxian, LXC/NMJ, cloud recesses, NHS & LWJ friendship, developing relationship, LWJ pov, minor injuries, autistic LWJ, implied/referenced child abuse, aka YZY warning, genius WWX, light angst, hurt/comfort, WWX protection squad)

Turn Left by kianspo (M, 204k, WangXian, NieLan, Canon Divergence, Fix-It of Sorts, Friends to Lovers, eventually, references to child sexual abuse, not main characters, Neurodivergent LWJ, Slow Build, Lán Family Feels, specifically, Twin Jades of Lán Feels, lwj-centric, Twin Jades of Lán Dynamics, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Angst with Happy Ending)

Obedient and Bellicoseby thunderwear (T, 20k, Wangxian, Ella Enchanted AU, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, cursed LWJ, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Good brother LXC, LQR loves his nephews you cant change my mind, LWJ crying, Protective LXC, Pining, First Kiss, Love Confessions, Brief Depictions of Violence, meaning at least one of the people you really want to get stabbed does in fact get stabbed)

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10. Hi y’all! I hope you’re having a good day. My brain got struck by two different images, so I’ve come to see if someone else has come across them in the wild. Today itmf:

A) ghost king nhs

B) Jiang disciples defending their da-shixiong from a dog!yao during a nighthunt because they love him

Thanks! <3

10A)

The Golden Ghost Series by 1PB2PB3PB4 (M/T, 178k, NMJ's corpse gets an honourable mention, POV NHS, BAMF NHS, tgcf style ghosts, Canon Divergence, Ghosts, Morally Ambiguous Character, Character Death, but as a plot device, Ghost NHS, Light Angst, NHS-centric, Assorted Oneshots, Coda, Time Travel, Pre-Canon, Post-Canon, JC is a brat, set in the mdzs time skip, is there a proper tag for that?, NMJ is dead wwx is not back, Hallucinations, or maybe, Unreliable Narrator, or perhaps not, JGY just thinks so, POV JGY, Psychological Horror, well elements of horror, POV WWX) has NHS as a tgcf-style ghost There was a different fic I read years ago that had ghost king!NHS told from the POV of another character traveling with him; NHS concealed his identity and gave his name as "Sang", but I can't find it nor remember the title.

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11. ITMF WangXian war fics? Preferably long and focused on the difficulties of war such as long marches, setting up camp, rations, supplies, the tension and also camaraderie between soldiers, etc. Bonus points if there is angst but everyone lives. Thank you!

Lan Yuan’s War by BurningTea (G, 196k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Time Travel, Angst, Sick LWJ, Hurt/comfort, Eventual Happy Ending)

🔒 Quartet series by WithBroomBefore (T, 69k, Platonic Soulbond, Hurt/comfort, Canon   Divergence, No golden core transfer, JC&JZX stay in Xuanwu cave, Fix-it, Temporary character death)

Better Things to Do with a Flute in Wartime by Anonymous (E, 365k, MingXian, WangXianJue, Sunshot Campaign, Fix-It, Magical Healing Cock, Dual Cultivation, mild Dom/Sub, Undernegotiated Kink, Golden Core Reveal, Breathplay, Choking, Painplay, Subdrop, Topdrop, Major Character Injury, Canon Divergence, What-If, Temperature Play, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Fisting, Spanking, PTSD, Trauma, Self-Harm, (in the pursuit of cultivational badassery)) is a detailed war fic but it begins Wei Wuxian/Nie Mingjue and eventually Lan Wangji joins them

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12. So I had a thought, u know how people sometimes characterize yanli more as wwx's mother than sister? Any fics that do that, but it ripples out further? Jc uncle, Jin Ling younger brother, etc., and how this adds an additional layer to complicated relationship dynamics?

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13. Ho ching kwok's awesome monster mdzs animatic on youtube; any stories that have that vibe? Follow/touch on parts of that storyline? (If yall haven't seen it u should it's INCREDIBLE, about how 1st seuge of bm could of went down and I think partly inspired by the monster animatic for star vs forces of evil by art of rhues, which is also GORGEOUS)

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14. Hello! ITMF Wei Wuxian taking a teaching position at Cloud Recesses? And/or taking the juniors night hunting and teaching them through the hunt.

🔒❤️ Joy In the Midst of These Things Series by Glitterbombshell (T/G, 53k, WangXian, Angst with Happy Ending, Post-Canon, Teacher WWX, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff)

Proximity To Knowledge by ChilianXianzi (T, 7k, wangxian, Post-Canon, Married Wangxian, Chief Cultivator LWJ, Teacher WWX, Inventor WWX, And his research assistant Lan ducklings, LQR is not a good educator, the kids are alright, WWX did online learning before it was cool)

Glow by Quiet_crash (G, 2k, WangXian, LSZ & WWX, Junior Quartet, JC & WWX)

someone like you by Basingstoke (G, <1k, WangXian, Future Fic, Cloud Recesses, Teacher WWX)

Lady Mercy Won't Be Home Tonight by sami (T, 1k, Teacher WWX, best boy LSZ)

And Yet Here You Are by cosmicmilktea (T, 10k, WangXian, Post-Canon, Domestic Fluff, Cloud Recesses, settling down, Separation Anxiety, Teacher WWX, very light angst, Chief Cultivator LWJ)

Where the Lonely Ones Go by CSHfic & VSfic (T, 24k, WangXian, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Case Fic, Night Hunts Fluff, Established Relationship, Mystery, Married Life, Domestic Fluff, Haunting, Kid Fic, Post-Canon, gratuitous use of empathy)

爱不释手; never let me go by yiqie (E, 68k, WangXian, Case Fic, Blood and Injury, Demons, Body Horror)

your words upon my lips by uchiuchi (T, 17k, WangXian, Post-Canon, Fluff, Curses, no sad times only good times, Canon Compliant, Romance, they are married!!, Let LWJ Say Fuck, Case Fic)

Dispersing Clouds by dreamingofcake (E, 283k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Genius WWX, Inventor WWX, Not Jiang Family Friendly, Abusive YZY, Canonical Child Abuse, Hurt/Comfort, Slow Burn, Eventual Sex, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm (Background Character), Background Character Deaths, child deaths, Canon JC, Good Uncle LQR, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Cultivation Sect Politics, Homophobia, Heteronormativity, Feelings Realization, WWX is Not Oblivious) WWX takes up the position of Visiting Scholar at CR after leaving the Jiang, which involves teaching classes on talismans, including night hunts to test the learners' knowledge

~*~

15. itmf wangji locked up in the jingshi/cloud recesses. does not have to be the point of the fic just a part of it. thanks!

no one ever said the single-plank bridge had to be walked alone by rosemu (T, 124k, wangxian, Canon Divergence, Yílíng Wèi Sect au, Fix-It, Not Everyone Dies, LWJ Stays at the Burial Mounds, Fluff, Angst, Domestic Fluff, Canon-Typical Violence, Found Family, Slow Burn, LWJ and WWX get to be Dads together, the healing power of homoerotic flute/guqin duets, Happy Ending) link in #5

~*~

16. Hi, amazing people!! I have a request for a storie I remember.I wanted to know if anyone remembers a fic where A Yuan goes with Wei Wuxian to Jin Ling’s A one month celebration. This somehow changes the way things go, since people didn't knew there were children in the camps. Any story where A Yuan changes things for the better before Wei Wuxian’s death will be amazing as well!! Thank you, be well @monicaop21

🧡 Weep You No More, Sad Fountains by athena_crikey (T, 48k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Fix-it fic, Whump, Curses, Fever, Delirium, Stabbing, Loneliness, Confessions)

🔒 The Promises We Make by Mayarenerose (G, 34k, WangXian, LSZ & LWJ, LXC & LWJ, LWJ & WN, LWJ & JC, Happy Ending, Slow Burn, Fluff, Angst, Everybody Lives, Canon Divergence, Gratuitous Bed Sharing, LWJ: moves into the Burial Mounds, WWX: ??? wtf??? are you??? doing??, Rabbits, there are so many rabbits in this fic guys i cant even)

the kite string and the anchor rope by fleurdeliser (M, 38k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, set after the yiling date, Sick Child, the illness never gets worse than it is in the first 1000 words)

Righteous at a Cost by thunderwear (G, 21k, wangxian, LQR & WWX, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, no one dies, LQR finds out about WWX’s core, WWX and LQR are friends??, In My Fic?, its more likely than you think, LWJ in the bg like whats happening?, Fluff, WWX goes to Gusu, Mutual Pining, Golden Core Reveal)

~*~

17. Hello! I’m in search of fics similar to Criteria by incendir: set in canon during the time wwx was dead, just lwj flat-out rejecting anyone who attempts to court or bed him since they’re not wwx. (Honestly anything in the flavor of lwj being steadfastly loyal and not at all tempted or attracted to anyone who isn’t wwx). Thank you!! @bookkbaby

~*~

If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***

[cochineal-leviat]

Siffrin Doodles

Some sketches I made to practise drawing Siffrin. He's very expressive! I adore how multifaced he is and how well he fits in with the silent protagonist while still talking and making meaningful choices in the game. ISAT delves into why the protagonist is quiet and, oh boy, mood. I would also rather let other people talk and just listen to them.

And my favourites doods of the bunch in full HD, jk.

POV: You're Isabeua.

(small spoilers) I absolutely adore the scene when Isabeau confesses his feelings for Siffrin. But I also imagine that after everything Siffrin went through, they will look tired AF. Let this dude rest! Still, Isabeua is going to see Siff's beauty because that man is hopelessly head over heels for them. They could walk out covered in trash, with the most manic grin on his face after rummaging through the garbage for a specific bauble, and Isa would still think Siff is charming.

(Fair to him, Siffrin is pretty)

Idk, I like his smile. The profile art Siffrin differs from the art sprites for when they think or talk. It's a shame we don't get to see their confident smile more often.

Food. If you know, you know and if you do - that mid game scene made my heart melt. Now, when I think of it and the other special events, there is just a sour curdle in my stomach.

Just straight up the surprise portrait. Of all my favourites (the smug smirks and the absolute happiness sprites) - The surprise portrait stuck with me the most. It's very versatile!

Swagless, absolutely incontestably - swagless. No idea if people still use swag, but swagless is the only word I can think of fitting this sketch with drunk Siff. Also Siffrin is not threatening anyone with a knife, he's just stimming. Siffrin's just a little guy! He can do no harm, /joking, he very much can do harm/.

POV: You threatened their family.

Run.

[picaroroboto]

let's talk about that moment in the Endwalker credits, where the credits scroll shows "The Warrior of Light: [character name]" because it's a decision that I, guy who obesses over silent protagonists and meta storytelling in video games, will never get over.

In the first place, the wonderful irony of the WoL, a quintessential Silent Protagonist who has few dialogue options and is completely unvoiced except for battle noises, being credited as if they were a voice actor.

In the second place, the idea of "The Warrior of Light" as a role that [character name] plays the same way all of the other voice actors play their characters. Think of how theater, TV, and film buffs talk about iconic characters who've been played by multiple actors, like James Bond, or Batman, or Doctor Who, or any important Shakespeare character, and how each actor to play the role brings out new sides or ideas to those characters.

Your WoL is like that for the archetypal fantasy hero that is The Warrior of Light. In that way they really are the WoL's voice actor - the WoL is a role that could be played by anyone who buys the expacs and pays their subscription, but your character brought their own thoughts and feelings, their voice, their story, to the silent ideal.

There really is something special to how Endwalker, with it's existential themes and meta-awareness, makes itself feel so personal and lends so much weight to the end of this chapter of the story.

[rosesradio]

i accidentally deleted the ask that requested this, and i forgot who asked it, but whoever wanted some valgrace cuddles (who doesn’t lol), this is for you !! 💌 It was 2:37 AM when thunder boomed across the sky. Leo awoke blearily, curls in all directions and eyelids heavy. He yawned, rolling over in an attempt to fall asleep once more.

It should have been easy.

It wasn't.

A new idea rolled around Leo's mind, stirring him from any hope of rest. He couldn't—as much as he wanted to—he couldn't bother Jason.

And yet.

Huffing, emerging from his warm sheets and cushiony comforter, Leo padded over to the door to his room. He could feel the motion of the ship under his feet, minute in the way any large vessel moved. He closed the door behind him, as silent and careful as a horror movie protagonist. With Coach Hedge keeping an eye on them, Leo couldn't be sure when he was safe to embark on this little late-night visit. Still, the promise of seeing Jason was too tempting to ignore.

Leo made his way over to Jason's door, finding it, to his surprise, already opened. He slipped inside, shutting the door behind him, finally letting out a breath.

"Leo?" Jason's voice asked, confused with that half-sleepiness that made Leo unable to help but smile.

"Yeah, Superman, 'm here," Leo replied faintly. He shuffled over as Jason wordlessly pulled the blanket up, inviting Leo into bed.

Leo slipped under the covers—into Jason's arms—as easy as breathing.

They weren't quite…together. Yet. Maybe ever. They were in this perpetual stage of…something, which had started two weeks prior when Jason went to Leo's room after a particularly nasty nightmare. After that, some things shifted in their relationship. They were close in this way, cuddling close and speaking softly with each other, only under the cover of darkness.

It wasn’t one of those crappy movies about a secret gay relationship in which Jason would shove him against the lockers when others were around. Leo just assumed that he wanted to keep what little privacy he had on the ship.

Unless…

“Jason?” Leo asked softly, unsure if he was waking the son of Jupiter. At his low, questioning hum, Leo added: “How would you feel if Coach caught us tomorrow?”

“Mm,” Jason managed pulling Leo even more firmly against him. His voice was warm near Leo’s ear. “I’d tell ‘m to kick rocks, probably. Give us five more minutes…”

Leo snickered, letting out a content sigh as he held on to Jason’s arm. “I’d like that,” he murmured. “But…you wouldn’t be embarrassed to be caught with me…?”

Jason made another hum, this one a bit more disapproving. “You kidding? You should be embarrassed to be caught with me, we both know you’re the brains to my trophy husband…”

Leo was sure it was just senseless sleepy ramblings, though his heart skipped a beat at Jason’s words. Trophy husband…that implied that they were, in fact, together. If they were official or not.

In a moment of bravery, Leo brought Jason’s hand up to his lips, pressing a slow and gentle kiss to the back of it.

If I could kiss your lips, he wanted to say, this would be how I would do it.

“Glad you know what our roles are,” Leo said instead.

Jason hummed once more in recognition and, to Leo’s gut-twisting surprise, placed a gentle kiss to the crook of Leo’s neck.

Letting out a content sigh, Leo settled against him. Their legs tangled under the thick comforter. Jason’s torso rested fully against Leo’s, his frame like a large, soft blanket from the dryer. His arm was wrapped around Leo, comforting and protective all at once.

Leo only knew the tip of the iceberg when it came to New Rome, though he knew a lot of the flashy details were all for show. The reality of what he had, of what his life was like, was a lot more bleak.

Leo supposed he protected Jason as well. With his words—his kindness and jokes and quick mechanical thinking. That must have been why Jason held him so protectively. Because he was his.

Leo was never used to being anyone’s before, what with everyone turning him away in disgust and fear after his mother died.

Holding on to Jason’s arm like a prized possession, Leo finally found himself able to drift off into a dreamless sleep.

[3liza]

The poster is the worst advertising for what the film actually turns out to be. You think you're getting into another screwball millennial cringefest and it's actually a deep-blue chiaroscuro of neuroses. I really thought I would not be surprised by the depths of male anxiety and weirdness going into a movie about sperm donation, because the topic itself is so trammeled at this point and so obvious that you assume you already know everything such a documentary could teach you, but I got my tits blown clean off.

No one does anything BAD, it's not that kind of film, it's simply a silent and eerie observation of people acting completely independently to either provide or acquire human semen. Necessarily, the receivers in this setup are all buying the same product for the same purpose: they want to conceive a baby and don't have access to the missing gamete for some reason and don't have the extortionate amount of money required to go the official route through a sperm bank. The providers are all doing it for completely different reasons, and all of the reasons besides "making a bit of extra cash" are in fact weird, no matter how stubbornly some of the reviewers here insist the motives of the donors are simply "to help people out :)". Sperm is just the kind of thing you really don't want to get from a stranger unless money is exchanging hands, so by this property the male subjects in the film become perfect documentary protagonists: profoundly damaged, bizarre, or obsessive in ways that stand up to steady, direct observation.

I'm not judging anyone here, by the way. I guess if you have a lot of money to throw around you probably would waste it on genetically profiling strangers in a lookbook in a nice office in order to breed your ubermensch or whatever. I'm being nasty, there are lots of good reasons to want to anonymize, institutionalize and vet sperm donors, it's just that the idea is ludicrous on its face because this is a substance people never ever stop trying to push on you for free, or pay you money to take off their hands. Epigenetics and environmental factors being what they are, I question the utility of "genetic testing" beyond a certain point anyway. No one is being exploited or misled. The people who want babies can conceive and it doesn't really matter in the big picture whether the donors are doing it for "the right reasons" or not.

There are some more esoteric ethical considerations here that aren't addressed at all, which is probably for the best in consideration for the pacing of the film, but I could have used at least one interview with a genetics expert who winced at hearing some of these donors have 100+ sperm babies because of the very real possibility of creating future half-sibling incest crises unawares, a problem that real sperm banks and actual legislation have to grapple with. You get one good-looking Norwegian brain surgeon on the books at a sperm bank and you get a line out the door of people with too much money who know what being 6' tall and blue-eyed and symmetrical is worth down to fractional shares and have already put a down payment on the local private montessouri pre-K prep program. Genetic Sexual Attraction or GSA for short is a documented (and controversial) phenomenon that causes a lot of high-profile scandals when long-lost siblings or birth parents are reunited with a child who was the subject of a closed adoption, fall in love with them, and reenact various historical and mythological tragedies. That thing where you tend to find your blood relatives sexually repulsive or at least uninteresting is a way that social animals avoid getting into failure spirals of incest and birth defects, but humans have a tendency to be attracted to people who resemble themselves physically and personality-wise, so meeting a sibling or parent you didn't grow up with can sometimes short-circuit the incest-avoidance failsafes and create instantaneous, passionate obsession. That's what people who are involved in cases of GSA report, anyway. Half-sibling pairings aren't quite as bad in terms of the mutation issues, but it is definitely not good for the health of the resulting offspring or the mental health of the related parents. These lone gunmen fathering dozens of children in the same school district are potentially creating serious problems down the line. 

The cinematography is breathtaking. It's truly a phenomenal film from any angle.

My mother is a family lawyer by the way, if you ever find yourself in this situation (for example you are someone's friend and they ask you to be a donor) you need to make sure you have an IRON CLAD contract checked by an actual lawyer and probably notarized that you are absolved of all parental rights and obligations irreversibly, or you WILL eventually find yourself in the position one donor did at the end of the film: suddenly being the sole custodian of a little girl named "Italeigh". Family law is not like any other field of law in the USA, the judges in family court care about one thing only and that's Who Is Gonna Pay for This Damn Kid. Which is correct, and I'm not saying family court is always fair or that the judges make the right decisions all the time, but a proper family court judge will walk to Hell to bring the devil in for a wage garnishment and you need to be aware of that. Legally you are someone's dad until another dad legally enters the picture and supplants you (for example a stepfather officially adopting a child) or you have irrefutable paperwork saying you're excused. By the way, legal status pre-empts biological status. The guy who is married to the person who gives birth is legally on the hook for child support and caretaking of any child produced during the union unless there's a paternity suit and a bunch of rigamarole. This may appear unfair to the casual observer but family law is designed to prioritize the survival and wellbeing of the child above the rights of the parents and potential parents. So a freelance sperm donor without REALLY good paperwork is on the hook, absolutely.

[idcfriend]

I'm Back!!!

I absolutely love eldritch protagonist so...i have more eldritch yuu brainrot!🎉

...............................💜..............................

So at first glance yuu seems normal just a completely normal gender neutral individual but the more time people spend with them the mpre they notice that sometimes their smile is a bit roo wide....their teeth and fingers a bit too sharp....how they sometimes move as if It's not something there used to

On one occasion the idiot trio was being to loud in the morning and Yuu hadn't slept that well or at all really....that's when one of the others noticed how Yuu seemed too quiet...how they seemed stalk towards the unsuspecting trio as if they were prey soon when they were near they rose to their full height (and damn why hadn't any of them ever noticed how tall Yuu is!?) and with what could of mad even the bravest of men cower in a corner in fear....growled with bloodlust and a voice that of something from your worst nightmare( Yuu honestly doesn't know why everyone looked so scared when they after growled in frustration when Ace, Deuce and Grim were being too loud, they didn't think they were that scary...)

Another time Yuu was too tired to care much about anything much at the moment (unaware of the way that an uncanny air of apathy seemed to hang around them, like someone who was looking down on something that was simply lesser and they couldn't find in themselves to care one way or the other and settled on indifference) so the other first years decided to ask Yuu questions to see how much they could get them to answer in their sleep deprived state (jokes on them Yuu is a CHAOTIC MESS and simply bullshits their way through life when they don't sleep enough so their answers were...a little unsettling to some)

First question was from Ace: which was simple enough but-

"So prefect what's your favorite food?"

The others looked at Ace in mild surprise expecting him to ask something embarrassing

Ace looked at them in annoyance "What? Yoh have to build up this kind of stuff"

Yuu simply looked up from their desk and answered (sarcastically mind you it's just that for some reason their very good at acting?)

"the souls of those who have sinned far greater than any mortal and have seen that which should never be seen" and promptly face planted back on to the table

Meanwhile the others are a little unnerved by that answer and by the chorus of voices that seemed to answer with Yuu but only a little because this was THEIR prefect no matter how...not normal they were and they'd fight anyone who even looked at them wrong

Next was Deuce

"Favorite pass time?"

They braced themselves for the answer

"going on relaxing walks-" they looked at Yuu confused because that was such a...normal answer?

"-and putting the fears and horrors of others and the world on paper, eternally etched into a part of my collection" they then...relaxed? Because of course such a hobby would suit their eldritch friend (Yuu simply meant they like to draw horror stuff in one of their many sketch books)

Surprisingly Sebek went next

"how do you deal with those that harm the ones you protect?" he asked mostly to get more ideas on how to protect Malleus

At that they could feel the way the surrounding air around Yuu seemed to go eerily silent as they let out a growl that could of had mistaken for a beast

"You hunt them down one by one making them feel fear like no other, you hunt them like the measly wretched being they are and then I'd make them know pain, that which would be a thousand times that which they inflicted on those who are MINE" throughout all this Yuu's form began to change slightly their fingers becoming claws and gaining a black tinge that covered their entire hand, their teeth becoming as sharp as knives and a few other changes

Then Grim went up to Yuu and hugged them seemingly knowing why Yuu reacted so drastically

"Calm down henchman, no one's going to hurt us we're safe"

That seemed to calm them down as they looked up and chuckled a bit, "Sorry guys i over reacted a bit but-" Yuu said looking- well more like they were scanning them for any sign of harm, "no one's bothering you guys right?"

At that they seemed perk up as they smiled at Yuu

(Yuu was unaware that they had just implied that considered the first year group THEIRS, and they were also confused why everyone except those they knew gave them such a wide berth in the hallways for a while after)

...........................💜.............................

That's all i got for now! I know it doesn't really make much sense but i swear I'll elaborate more in the future! (hopefully) but there's another thing i wanted to add!!!

So I'm a fan of Technoblade and i like the idea of Eldritch Yuu having their own version of Chat! So like they'd give Yuu advice and help them in their chaotic shenanigans (while maybe purposefully making them seem even more like an Eldritch being because they crave misunderstanding content) So Yuu would have these gaggle of voices that would follow them around that every once in a while others can hear too (Yuu honestly isn't even fazed when all of sudden they have a bunch a sentient voices following them around that's how done they are with Crowley's and everyone's else's bullcrap)

So! I was thinking that certain comments and stuff left on the post i do of eldritch Yuu could be taken as Yuu's "chat"

[notsoblackandwhite101]

Rewatched 'Crushed Out' (Ep 6B) and just wanted to talk about how it plays into my headcannons!

SOOOOO this is the episode where Dylan falls in love with Portia. It plays some impact in how I view Portia's character, but I also see it as a good look at Dante to (H'es my favourite character, can you tell?).

Dante is shown to be almost gleeful at helping Dylan be 'more goth.' by making him destroy the things he loves.

However I always found this a bit... odd. Dante seems like a good kid, who knows when things go too far regarding his siblings feelings, at least when he's mentally well (Read not 'Dante's Inferno' ep.) Yet he's causing Dylan so much emotional pain here. However the more I thought about, the more I realized that's not really what Dante's happy about. I'm willing to bet that whenever Dante hangs out with his family or even just Dylan and Dante 1 on 1, they usually do what anyone BUT Dante wants to do. Not because they don't care about him but because his interests aren't as universal as other activities. This is Dylan doing stuff Dante is into. Nihilism. Goth culture. Dante is happy Dylan is doing what Dante wants to do!

Another reason I think this is true is because what happens when Dylan finally breaks? What happens when Dylan doesn't care anymore (Or is better acting like it)?

Dante doesn't look happy about it.

I mean, he's not worried either, but he's not excited or even just smiling a little, or looking smug/pleased. He's just... this. He doesn't even change expression until the next scene. What I think is going on with Dante is that he's... mildly concerned. Maybe wondering if this is actually good for Dylan or what Dylan really wants. However I think he chooses to listen to what Dylan and Fergus are saying over what he's seeing. The last time we see Dante this episode is when Dylan shows up to dinner. Its hard to make out his expression but maybe he is just silently supporting Dylan's new look.

WHICH launches me into my next talking point. Character ages.

Its often stated in promo material and the show bible that Dylan and Dolly are 'tweens.' AKA 11-13. I never really believed that. They're in charge of how many kids? Day and night? Along with taking them out to places? Plus with the amount of dating Dylan and Dolly do, I always found it a bit odd for that age range. I do have some theories for this though. That age group may have been used just for pitching. Animation companies hate using protagonists over 14 for their main characters. (Glances at Amphibia and the Owl House respectively. Then Glares at Infinity Train.) So they just say their characters are this age and have them act older. Or this detail was left on the cutting room floor along with other stuff. I actually see Dylan and Dolly closer to young adult. 17 or a little older? Still irresponsible in places but responsible in others.

Why do I bring this up here? Well because after the dinner scene, Fergus and Dylan go to the Cat's Canal gig. You know, the goth rock event.

So the big question here is... WHY DIDN'T DANTE GO?! Its just Fergus and Dylan that went! Despite this being Dante's thing!

One theory could be that Dylan didn't want to watch him AND try to catch Portia's attention. However I think its more that Dante isn't actually old enough for and event like this. I head cannon Dante at 14 in the show. Gigs like this can have drinking,drugs and other things that Disney won't show you XD. Dylan, around 17 or 18, would be able to go and likely have safe judgment. Dante would not.

COURSE this is all just headcannons of me looking too closely at a children's cartoon! What do you guys think about this? Love to hear your ideas!

[missy4176]

Personal Nicknames

Kim Dokja x Reader

Kim Dokja isn’t someone who easily indulges in the typical gestures of affection. He’s a man shaped by the harsh realities of life, and even after everything he’s been through, he finds it hard to express his emotions in ways that others might find comforting or familiar. Yet, his love for you is profound, manifesting in subtle, meaningful ways that are uniquely his.

When it comes to pet names, Dokja is initially hesitant. The common terms of endearment—"love," "dear," or "honey"—feel strange to him, almost out of place in the dynamic the two of you share. They seem too shallow, too easy, lacking the depth that he associates with your relationship. After all, you've been through so much together—trials that tested your resolve, moments of quiet understanding, and countless times where words weren’t needed to convey what you meant to each other.

It isn’t until one quiet evening, after a particularly grueling day, that the idea of a nickname begins to take shape in his mind. You’re sitting beside him, lost in a book, a habit that Dokja has always found endearing. He watches you quietly, noticing the way your brow furrows slightly when you’re deeply engrossed in a story. It reminds him of how he used to be, of how he still is in many ways—always searching for something more in the pages of a book, always looking for answers that can’t be found in the real world.

That’s when it hits him.

He begins to think of you as his “Constellation.” In the world of "Three Ways to Survive in a Ruined World". Constellations are beings that watch over the protagonists(Joonghyuk) guiding them from afar, offering strength when needed, and always remaining a constant, unwavering presence. To Kim Dokja, you are exactly that. You’re his guiding star, the one who has been with him through every twist and turn, offering support in ways that no one else could. You’re his light in the darkness, the one who knows him better than anyone else, even when he struggles to understand himself.

But Dokja, being Dokja, doesn’t tell you this outright. He’s not the type to make grand declarations or explain his feelings in flowery language. Instead, he begins to quietly refer to you as his “Star.” It’s subtle, almost unnoticeable at first, but you catch on quickly. He might say it when you’re both alone, after a battle has been won, or when the two of you share a rare moment of peace. It’s never in public, never in front of others—this name is just for you, a reminder of the bond you share.

There’s something almost poetic about the way he uses it. It’s a name that carries weight, a testament to the deep connection between you two, forged in the fires of a world that constantly seeks to tear you apart. Every time he calls you “Star,” it’s a silent acknowledgment of everything you’ve been through together, of the unspoken understanding that binds you.

Over time, you come to cherish this nickname. It’s more than just a term of endearment—it’s a symbol of how far you’ve come together, a reminder that no matter what happens, you will always be there for each other. And in return, you find yourself calling him your “Reader.” It’s a nod to the countless times he’s seen the world differently, to the unique perspective that only he possesses. It’s also a way of acknowledging his role in your life, as the one who has guided you through countless stories, always searching for the next chapter, always pushing forward.

In these small, intimate moments, the two of you find solace in the names you’ve chosen for each other. They are a reflection of your bond—unique, personal, and something that belongs only to the two of you. It’s not the typical love story, but then again, nothing about your relationship with Kim Dokja is typical. And that’s exactly how you both like it.

In the end, while Kim Dokja may not be the type to use pet names in the conventional sense, the nickname he chooses for you carries more meaning than any generic term ever could. It’s a quiet, powerful symbol of everything you mean to each other—a name that, in his eyes, truly reflects who you are to him. And for someone like Kim Dokja, who has always found it difficult to express his emotions, that says more than words ever could.

[paikothecateater]

Why do a lot of Nordic fic writers just despise Iceland? I've noticed his character is never relevant to the story. Why is he always a side character? He almost never gets any character development. Not only does it suck, it also makes the fic more awkward. Like, some major event happens to the Nordics and it's almost like he was gone when it happened.

Everyone is going through some form of complex emotions to try to process the events of the fic and Iceland's just... On the side like it's a normal Tuesday. It's really off putting.

He is also almost always one dimensional. People, if your character's personality can be summed up in two words, you did a bad job developing them.

Repeat after me, Iceland. Is. Not. Just. 'edgy teen'.

It's a little infuriating because they come up with these intricate details about the others, so I know they don't just suck at making characters.

I'm not necessarily saying 'we need more Iceland fics' even though I would love to see more of those. Most Iceland fics I've read have been very disappointing. Guys, just because he's a teenager doesn't mean you have to make a high school fic.

Even if you don't want to make him a main character, he makes for a fantastic exposition character.

An exposition character is a character who technically doesn't play a huge role in the story, but they have little mini arcs throughout the story that help support the A story, either directly or indirectly. They're usually the first character we see which is why I call them an exposition character. Their actions usually lead us to meeting the protagonists. Sometimes they run into the protagonists, sometimes not.

If you really want to isolate Iceland from the rest, you can at least give him his own individual arc. I personally think separating Iceland from the rest is a bit of a jerk move, but if you're going to do it anyway, you shouldn't abandon his character entirely.

Another huge issue I have with a lot of these fics is Sealand.

Listen, I absolutely adore Sealand. He's a really sweet character and I think the idea of him being more or less adopted by the Nordics is nothing short of adorable.

But, when we start shoving Iceland to the side in favour of Sealand, that's when I start having some problems.

'but we need a child character so they can learn from the older ones' guys, I don't know why you refuse to believe this, but Iceland is an actual child. He is a child.

'he's a teen, he's not that young' what are you on about?! Literal child. He's a kid.

Now, even though it's miles better than the Danish slaughterhouse, Gutters is still objectively terrible story wise.

I love Denmark and Sealand's dynamic and all, but come on!

Before anyone comes at me, listen, Sealand is a great character and all, but making him a main character in a Nordic fic because you want a child character meanwhile you have a perfectly good Nordic character who is a child at your disposal, you just don't want to use him because he's 'too old'. Listen, I'm not an expert on children by any means, but I've interacted with children of both of those ages and let me tell you, both of those ages would act the exact same way in an apocalyptic situation. Iceland and Denmark also have actual history, that could have made for a number of interesting plot lines.

But this isn't even my biggest issue with the fic. My hugest issue comes by the end.

Everyone is shown processing Denmark's death in their own ways. Each of the Nordics have their moment where they're shown grieving... EXCEPT FOR ICELAND!

You know what he's doing? Fuck all! That's what! How do you even butcher a character so much? Might I remind you that Iceland worries about Denmark the most out of the others canonically!? You're telling me he's just standing off to the side silently shedding a couple tears? Bro...

I just hate it when Iceland's character is pushed aside like this.

Most people finished Gutters crying, I finished it fucking pissed.

Thank you for coming to my Ted talk.

[deeznutzzzz24]

Only You - Three

Chapter Three: A Good Day for Dying

Warnings: smut in the later chapters, profanity, mentions of abuse, descriptive violence, protagonists hate each other, Jungwon is an absolute ass, both come from filthy rich families

Pairing: Jungwon x fem!bodied reader

Today is the day.

I can feel it, boiling beneath my skin like lava. A rage so itchy, so irritating it makes me want to tear the flesh from my own face.

Today is the day I kill Jungwon.

Gone is my moral stature from yesterday.

I know what’s coming now, and I know no one can stop me. I feel his hands shift softly in my hair as he leans in, drowned in concentration. Suppressing the urge to punch him square across the face, I muster the sweetest smile I can.

My father sips his morning coffee from across the table, bearing a ridiculous grin.

If there’s one person who knows me better than anyone, it’s him. He knows I’m about to explode.

All too aware of our company, Jungwon smiles gently as he pulls away, lifting a small leaf from my hair. He lets out an awkward laugh as he tosses it to the side, letting his eyes follow it down before turning back to me. “Sorry about that, you had a leaf in your hair.” I conceal a scowl as I glance over to our witness. My father gives a tight smile, struggling to hide his amusement.

Jungwon, on the other hand, finds the situation amusing in a different way. He sits back in his seat comfortably, without a care or worry in the world. The mere sight makes my blood curdle.

It may only be day four, but I’m already contemplating murder.

—

The remainder of my week follows in a similar pattern; Jungwon pretends to give a shit in effort to get a rise out of me.

He knows our families are watching, and he knows that if he assumes the role of a sweet, promising young man, they’ll adore him.

He also knows that I’m unaware of the game.

The very second he sends me a smile, I’ll react without hesitation, with or without an audience. And he knows they’ll hate me for it.

Though I hate to admit, Jungwon’s a clever boy.

A dead, clever boy.

Picture, what you would, a similar scene as before. Only now, Jungwon stands beside me with a panicked expression, his hands clasping tightly onto mine, and our families gawking awkwardly at us from afar.

My father has made the ill assumption that exploring will bring our families closer, and now they all wait silently in their kayaks, observing the situation before them.

To give a brief explanation;

Moments ago, as I went to board the boat, Jungwon tripped me, I slipped.

Thankfully, he caught me just in time, the dick was only doing it for show.

Our mothers share a glance, and I struggle to discern the hidden message between their exchange. But as I catch the way Jungwons mouth curves up on one side, teetering on the edge of a grin, I know. Our mothers have graced a terrible, awful idea.

I don’t need him to admit it aloud, it’s a smell, a stench so foul, it reeks off him in waves. A stench of victory.

He’s feeding them a love story.

And what more could our two rich mothers want, than their two rich, single children falling in love with each other?

Little bits of red flicker across my vision when I look at him now. He smirks and leaned back, giving our families a perfect view of our intertwined fingers. Motherfucker.

His thumb grazes softly against the palm of my hand and his panicked eyes devour mine, sending me a million messages through the fabric of thin air.

Though it might not seem as such, he’s giving himself away. Perhaps not to our mothers, but most certainly to me.

He’s waiting for me to push him away.

He’s waiting for me to lose my shit and send my family into a frenzy.

I can’t help but smile when his gaze grows frantic, darting from my eyes down to my hands as they begin tracing light circles on his palm.

I know the rules now, and I know a way to win.

For what seems smaller than a second, his eyes betray him in a moment of weakness, and his breath hitches.

Everyone around us is gone. Our mothers, our fathers, the boats, the beach. All our false pretences fall away, and we find ourselves in a trance of strange affliction.

It’s just us.

His fingers thread through mine and his gaze falls from my eyes to my lips. His tongue darts out to moisten his own, his gaze unmoving on my mouth as he does so. I find it hard to look away from his lips, and for the smallest of seconds, I find myself wondering what they would feel like.

But the moment is gone as fast as it came, his hands pulling away from mine as he retreats to join our fathers in their boat.

I watch him leave, overwhelmed with a new emotion I can’t quite place. Not a feeling of affection, or of comfort, but of hatred.

Julie sends me a small smile, but I can’t return it this time.

“Beautiful weather, isn’t it my dear?” She laughs awkwardly, hoping to push the focus of my attention elsewhere. My mother eyes me through her lashes, a warning.

I feign a smile, one I’ve customised special just for her. “Of course.”

She perks up at my sudden change of demeanour. “A good day for fishing, I hope.” My mother hums in approval.

A good day indeed.

But not to fish, to die.

__________

Authors Note:

Quick thanks to all the followers sending me support😱👻. If y’all wanna join the taglist feel free to lmk.

Taglist:

@enhaluvblog @jungwonseyebrowsonflick @chaechae-23 @hooniewnderland @user127dream @en-luvrr @jeysamores @milkhao @weyukinluv @helpmewhatdoiputhere @vieniee @bachiraslvr @minji-07 @crazyforenhypen @ris1sia @pinkcloudllamapeach @sungniverse @6nadia9 @renchai @mimisamisasa @jakejaki @lskjki @kyusprouts @kamiliora @snoowhore @soobinsjawn @fadedluvv @rashkeqamr @maxxierosie @cha0thicpisces @jaeyunsbimbo @heebabyy @heesbby @wonypop @yinieeeeoh @viechic @simmjake @yooanim @maspire @hyunsunni @rein-deer-stuffs @jjktata @teddybearjwon @f-fullmoon

[pascaloverx]

Invisible Bonds: The Power of Destiny

Author's Note: This fanfic contains possible strong language and explores themes of unconventional love. The relationship between the protagonists will be handled with sensitivity, without explicit scenes.

previous chapter next chapter

Chapter Seven

You and Jungkook decide to head back home almost at the same time. Perhaps it's the numerous questions about your connection or the realization that you could be doing something better if you weren't at Hoseok's house. The truth is, everything that happened in the past few days has been strange enough, and all you want is to go home, take a nice shower, and binge-watch some series.

"Want some company?" Jungkook asks as he climbs the stairs of your building.

"Don't you think we've spent a lot of time together since this soulmate thing happened?" You ask, trying not to sound rude. But the truth is, a little more, and you and Jungkook might become one person.

"Is that your way of saying I've been too clingy?" Jungkook asks.

"It's my way of saying that I need to take my shower now and I need to be alone. Not to mention that at some point anyone would get sick of following someone around for so long." You answer. Jungkook approaches you and caresses your face gently.

"I would never get sick of spending time with my precious other half." Jungkook says so sweetly that you melt when you hear it. At that moment, you decide to give Jungkook a peck on the lips.

"In that case, would you like to come to my place?" You say between little kisses that you're smelling from Jungkook.

"No need to suggest that twice; let's head up, and I'll come to your place after grabbing a change of clothes." You find it curious how Jungkook liked the idea of ​​going to your apartment. Then you kiss him on the cheek and you head to your floor. But what you didn't expect was a beautiful woman standing in front of Jungkook's apartment.

"You told me you needed some time from us, and I gave you that, but I'm not waiting any longer." The unfamiliar woman says, looking at Jungkook and running into his arms. You feel a strong urge to freak out until you sense a tightness in your chest. Jungkook lightly hugs the woman and you watch everything carefully. Her body seems to want closer proximity to him, while he seems to be in a awkward situation.

"I don't think we should be like this while you're with someone else." The woman says after stepping back and finally noticing your presence.

"In fact, I'm just a neighbor. I'll leave you two alone." You say, trying not to look at either of them and heading towards your apartment door. Jungkook remains silent, which honestly irritates you deeply. But before saying anything rash, you close your apartment door.

For a moment you feel like throwing everything away. That's when you heard a knock on the door, feeling something boil inside you. Thinking it was Jungkook you opened the door very quickly, but to your surprise it wasn't. It was Taehyung, with an expression like a deer caught in headlights. His eyes were gently filled with tears.

"What happened, Taehyung?" You ask, surprised by your best friend's presence at your door.

"You know, I used to believe that soulmate love was the most powerful love there is. And I clung to that idea for a while, but seeing you and Jungkook made me realize that the strongest love is the one that messes with your head." As Taehyung speaks, you find yourself processing his words, and a mixture of emotions swirl within you. The weight of his confession hangs in the air, and you can't help but feel a sense of vulnerability.

“What are you talking about Tae?” You say confused, approaching him.

"I'm telling you, I'm not marrying Haewon anymore because I can't get you out of my head, no matter how hard I try." Taehyung says while looking intensely in your eyes and you don't know how to react.

“What the fuck is this Taehyung?” You question, wondering how he expects you to react to so much information.

"I love you. That's what this is all about. You may not accept this or think I'm a monster for loving you when I was engaged until a few hours ago. But I love you." He says it so impulsively, that you don't recognize him. For years you've been waiting for this man to stand in front of you the way he is now. But not like this, Haewon deserves more than that. You all deserve it.

"There's still time for you to take back what you just said and go to your fiancée and tell her that nervousness made you make a mistake." Is all you can say, pulling away from Taehyung. At that moment you just want to close the door and pretend that all this didn't happen but when you try to close the door, Taehyung enters follows you. Now the two of you are inside your apartment just inches away from each other, completely alone. You know this isn't going to end well.

"Tell me that you don't feel the same and I'll leave. All you have to do is say those words looking into my eyes." Taehyung says as he moves even closer to you. You stare at him pretending to have some selfcontrol.

"I... I can't feel the same as you. This feeling is selfish, you have a person that has the destiny sealed to be yours. There's no way to completely escape this, Taehyung. " You say controlling yourself and walking away, but you feel your eyes filling with tears.

“I can’t escape what I’m feeling for you too,Y/N. I haven't been able to concentrate properly since I found out that you and Jungkook are soulmates. I want to push you away from him every time I see him approach. He was my best friend and now I imagine myself doing unspeakable things to keep him away from you.Tell me how to get away from this, and I'm going to do it." Taehyung tone changes a little but you manage to see sincerity in his voice.

"Do as I did, watch the person you love be happy with who they are meant to be. Maybe one day it will be easier for both of us." You speak sincerely without even realizing that you are admitting to feeling something for him. But he notices, since he looks at you with passion, you are officially in the most shitty situation.

“Do you think we can pretend we don’t want each other?” Taehyung asks, looking at you curiously.

"No, but we can try." You respond with a weak smile, God knows you no longer have the strength for this discussion.

"Now, I'd like to try something else..." Taehyung says seconds before kissing you. Your first kiss is overwhelming. As if there was no room for doubt that you two are more than friends. Much more in fact. Taehyung's hands holding his waist while you put your arms around his neck as if to bring him closer. You forget for that moment all the problems that surround you because there is something strangely good about kissing someone you have such strong feelings for.

[poulpemou]

Happy Valentine's Day! It's the perfect day to proselytise aroace Kiran from Fire Emblem Heroes!

As the "protagonist" of a gacha game, AKA a soft harem game, it only makes sense for the self-insert character to be aroace! Got folks of all genders throwing themselves at you for no understandable reason? Got people taking your lack of interest as a personal challenge? Why, that sounds like the perfect setting for a character to realise and/or profess their aroace-ness!

Here are some satisfied testimonies from our existing representatives!

"Wow I had no idea Fjorm felt this way? Why? Since when? I thought she and Laegjarn were dating?"

"Uhhhhh Gunnthrá said what?????????"

"Do people know I have a job and responsibilities? I have a lot going on, I don't have time for this kind of stuff, do people realize we're at war like 24/7 and I'm literally the only person keeping this place from falling apart and—"

"How come it's always the girls confessing their love to me but not the guys? I mean I'm not into dudes but that doesn't mean I can't be. Actually, who says I'm not? Oriented aroaces exist and—"

"Hey Alfonse. Bro. Are we or aren't we partners. Are we or aren't we the perfect unit if we could be combined into one. Have you ever heard of Steven Universe by the way? Or of this thing called QPR?"

"How come Plumeria is always shit-talking me about lewdness when I literally didn't do anything? Like ok yeah I poked her, but I literally poke everyone? Also what's up with my dreams? Has she heard of this thing called intrusive sexuality that literally doesn't mean anything—"

"Hey, so, I don't know how to say this, Seiðr, but I don't want a baby and I also don't want to be a deadbeat parent, and also Gullveig and Kvasir keep saying things about feelings but I have no idea where that's coming from. Don't even get me started on Heiðr."

"Why are girls weird around me? Am I actually just a cat and never noticed? Is that why they keep petting me and cooing at me? I was just a cat this whole time and no one had the heart to tell me I'm not human?"

"You love me? Aw, thanks, I love you too! I love all of my friends!"

"What is love? Baby don't hurt me. Oh wait this song doesn't exist in Askr..."

"What do you mean they think I'm flirting!!!!!!!! What the heck is a flirting!!!!!! I'm literally just being a good friend what!!!!!!!!"

"I love Day of Devotion! It's a day where you're devoted to your loved ones! Yeah of course all my friends are my loved ones, what do you mean?"

"So when two people like each other very much, they perform this ceremony called ally-supporting, and for some reason people blush when they reach A-tier. I think it's because it's a very important milestone that happens to take place in what looks like a church, and they're afraid to look like they don't belong in a church. Something about Askran churches must seem very intimidating."

"Oh wow you have feelings for me for real? I thought people were just saying that for the bit."

"Oh wow you have feelings for me for real? Can you describe what what's like? I've never understood it and people take it really badly when I ask."

"So back in my world, we have this event called Asexuality Awareness Week taking place during the Harvest Festival, and this other event called Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week that takes place a week after the Day of Devotion."

"Hey does garlic bread exist here? Anyone got any cake?"

"I don't know any of these people. They keep wanting to talk to me and be friends. Well ok. I don't get it but I guess it's my job to ensure troupe morale. I thought that would be Sharena's job but I haven't seen her in forever. Sacrifices for the cause, I guess."

"What do you mean they think I'm flirting!!!!!!!! What the heck is a flirting!!!!!! I'm literally just being polite what!!!!!!!!"

Join today and headcanon your summoner as aroace! Add a layer of complexity to a silent character and off-the-rails writing! You may be entitled to emotional compensation!

[felassan]

Some more snippets of interest and insight from Mark Darrah PART 1, from a Mark Darrah on Games YouTube video where he is livestreaming playing Dragon Age II [link to Part 2] -

On Dragon Age: Dreadwolf and sort've like, the franchise in general:

A comment in chat asked ''Did you see the new BioWare blogpost about skill trees? Any thoughts on it?'' Mark replied "Yeah, I saw it, nothing particularly world-shattering or controversial there." A comment in chat then said "I wasn't a fan of how that skill tree looked, it seemed too busy" and he explained that "I wouldn't put too much stock in what it looks like, they will definitely do a ton of usability stuff, so I wouldn't be too worried about the actual visual of it".

He observed that none of the things that are presented in the lore as having huge consequences are actually usually shown as such (as having them) in the Dragon Age games. For example, if you're a Grey Warden, the Blight/Taint isn't affecting you very much, and if you're Templar spec, the lyrium isn't affecting you very much - "so it's something that I think legitimately would be good to see a bit more of".

On Flemeth's death in DA:I, chat asked "so it's possible she's still alive after what Solas did to her?" Mark replied "I mean, it's possible, if BioWare wanted her to survive the end of DA:I they could probably do that because they've sort've established the 'she can come back, somehow'" stuff [said in the context of Flemeth's DAII amulet delivery Horcrux scene].

Chat asked "Does Solas consider modern elves his 'people'?" Mark replied "I don't think Solas considers, I think Solas barely considers anyone his people, at this point." A comment in chat then said "I thought he grew a little more fond of the Dalish after DA:I?" and Mark replied "Yeah, I think he is more fond of them [then] but I still don't think he would consider them his people".

A comment in chat said "​I think it would be nice to get a game set in the ancient history of elven empire". Mark said "I don't think we'll ever get something set in a pre-Fade [Veil] world, I mean, I could see something - [cut off by in-game combat]".

Chat asked about griffon mounts in DA:D. Mark replied "What's the present time period in Last Flight in terms of year? Because I don't know how long it takes for griffons to grow to adulthood." When chat advised that Last Flight happens a year or two after DA:I, so about 8 years before DA:D, Mark replied "Oh, so maybe. I don't know how long it takes griffons to grow up".

Someone in chat expressed in surprise, "DA:D is 10 years after DA:I???" Mark explained that "I think the idea is that, I think, the idea is that Dragon Age advances at roughly the same rate as the time between the games. I mean, I guess that's not what we did in DAII, because we have ten years pass in that game, but. They've definitely been releasing new books and stuff and time has been moving forward with that".

"I don't think a silent protagonist is gonna fly for AAA RPGs. Even Bethesda has moved away from it".

Someone in chat asked, "Is it honestly possible to start the DA series with DA:D? I think it's possible to start at any of the first 3 games but DA:I seems very important". Mark replied, "They'll definitely make it so that you can onboard with DA:D. That would be a big huge mistake for them not to do that. You'd be asking a lot to ask someone to start/onboard by playing a game from 2009." He later continued, "I would say that a significant percentage of DA people, not most, but a significant percentage, have only played DA:I. DA:O wasn't an attractive game even when it came out, now it's very aged".

There has been an active decision made for the franchise away to move away from dark fantasy as a genre (like it was in DA:O) for a couple of reasons. One is that it's kind of soul-crushing for the devs to work on stuff like that. Also, that's the sort of genre that The Witcher is. DA:I was moving away and kind of differentiating itself from The Witcher. (Everything in RPG games was dark fantasy in 2009 to 2011, and now we barely have any dark fantasy games at all.)

Relating to this Mark also pointed out that with the question of what dark fantasy is, a lot of this comes down to what you consider that to be. DAII and DA:I both have lots of dark fantasy themes, but if you consider it purely from a visual perspective, he doesn't think that Dragon Age will ever visually be a dark fantasy game/ever visually be a dark fantasy game again because it has slowly been turning the level of magic up. Dark fantasy typically has very low magic, and the goal for DA for a while has been to slowly turn the magic up. "There are still definitely dark fantasy themes in there though and I think there always will be in Dragon Age. I don't think it will ever be high magic like Final Fantasy though, I think it's more just trying to get it away from the very low levels of magic, which is what we had in DA:O especially, to differentiate itself a bit."

[source]

He also talked more generally about DAII and the previous games in general. These bits are collected under a cut due to length:

Chat asked "​so, if you could ideally redo how blood magic looks in DAII, what would you replace the self-impalement with?''. Mark mentioned that he likes the way blood magic is discussed in DA:I where it's like 'these are the actions of an amateur' and you can be much more subtle (given that mind control is considered blood magic). "I think it's a little too much".

Another reason why some of the Dalish changed to Welsh accents in DAII was probably the fact that they had found a voice actor that they liked for Merrill, who happened to be Welsh

In DA:II, the wave-spawning mechanic of enemy mooks was a time saver for asset creation

Why spiders? They're creepy and otherworldly, but also common irl so there's a ton of reference material for devs to go by. They also have a 3D aspect to them without having to have flying implemented, which is good because flying is a huge design problem

Chat asked about the "Awesome Button" marketing for DA:II. Mark explained that "The idea for DAII was to have two-tiered marketing - 'frat house' marketing (it's a cool action game!), and 'tree house' marketing (for the Dragon Age 'core' [fans]). But the way marketing was run was that effectively, none of the 'tree house' stuff was done. I think it would have been fine if it had been backed up with stuff showing the more RPG elements of the game. As a result of it being all on its own all we got was confirmation from the core that this had been dumbed down for consoles, so a lot of the backlash at launch comes from just confirming peoples' fears. The game isn't so different [to DA:O] that there wasn't opportunity to prepare the audience better. And that wasn't done. I'm not necessarily super against the actual 'Button', I mean it was overdone, I'm not against it as a part of the marketing campaign, but it started to be too much of the marketing campaign. The frat house marketing wasn't supposed to push the DA core out, it was supposed to be delivered with something else, but effectively it did that. There were issues for sure"

Mark said that his biggest complaint about DAII is that one of the messages that comes out of it, to his mind, is that 'everything the Templars believe is right, mages are all going to become abominations given half a chance', because at the end of the game all the mages basically flip. "I think that could have been navigated a little more cleanly. It basically says 'better not be casting a spell and get a papercut because otherwise, demon'. It isn't that you can't make it make rational sense, but it is confirming a lot of the anti-mage propaganda"

He observed that DAII storytelling is like 'you're fighting against the sea'. He said that he really enjoyed that but not everyone did, as you lost a lot of agency as a result

A comment in chat said "Apparently, David Gaider has been saying that DA:O should get a remaster in PC Gamer". Mark replied "David Gaider has no way of knowing that, even less than I do"

A question in chat was "How does BioWare decide on the default canon worldstate?" Mark replied "I think it's a combination of, if we have the telemetry, going with the majority, and also 'we really need this person for some reason so let's write into that'. But I do think it typically goes with majority rules if that data is available"

Chat asked "Has Flemeth been weakened by putting a piece of herself in the amulet? Like permanently." Mark said "I think the answer is as dictated/needed by the story"

Regarding the piece of Flemeth and amulet in DA:II, he said "you could look at it through the 'Archdemon, Corypheus' lens and she's body-hopping, just through a more elaborate ritual probably"

A comment in chat said "We get a peek in Trespasser that before the Fall of Arlathan, the Elves were more or less Tevinter where powerful mages enslaved everyone else". Mark replied "Tevinter is basically the old elven empire, it's a photocopy of a photocopy of the old elven empire, for sure".

A comment in chat said "Do you think they write Solas too convincingly? I saw people legitimately saying he was right." Mark replied, "I think that's what you would want from a villain, I think you want a villain that you can say is right. He definitely believes that he is the only person that can fix everything. He would be a terrible manager. He would be micromanaging you to death. I think Solas believes that we are in the best possible universe currently because he did the best possible thing at the best possible moment, even when it didn't go right. He absolutely has Main Character Complex. He's probably the most Main Character cCmplex of every character ever"

A comment in chat said "it just sounds like Solas thinks the only 'real people' are ancient elves". Mark replied "you're not wrong, I think that's basically where Solas sits, maybe not if he thinks about it, but kind've his default is like, ancient elves are people, everyone else is someone who came along later and is kind've in the way"

Qunlat is a very literal languauge

"The Qunari are the youngest race for sure"

We haven't really yet interacted with any "civilian" Qunari much

The games haven't spent much time on the Qun's concept of gender roles, "so it's kind of half-baked as a result and a lot of people just find it very confusing"

The games often inject different pronunciations for place names depending on the characters' accents

In DAII, Act 1 is more like 2 acts together

Players tend to stick most to the companions that they're used to, so people don't use Sebastian very much because you don't recruit him until Act 2

A question in chat was "How come this game [DAII] is so stingy with money? I always feel like I'm barely scraping by." Mark explained "that's the point, is that, this whole beginning part up until Act 2 is about you not having enough, barely scraping by, like it's supposed to be this refugee story. Even then the balance is kind've off, because you can basically still get the 50 sovereigns in Act 1 doing mainly critpath stuff only"

A person in chat quoted lore: "According to dwarven scholars, surface dwarves may soon outnumber their underground-living peers." Mark replied "the 'according to dwarven scholars' is the perfect example of the unreliable narrator, whether that ends up being true or not, that could just be propaganda on the part of Orzammar itself"

On Branka making golems, if she's left to do so in DA:O, he said "I never got a very clear understanding of how many golems there are if she is. I always assumed it was in the hundreds, not tens of thousands. If it was the latter it would change the balance of power in Thedas dramatically"

In the current timeline, present day Tevinter and the Qunari in Par Vollen are presented as being the two strongest nations. "Everything else is kind of in balance, Orlais and Ferelden were fairly strong but then banged at each other and brought themselves down to the level of about Antiva, the Anderfels etc. They're all kind of recovering powers, though Antiva, not so much, it was never a superpower as it has always used assassins to keep people at bay."

"Tevinter was the Ottoman Empire back in the day, 'the rest of Europe worries about them and unites to stop them if necessary'. Honestly, a Tevinter-Qunari battle that was on a large enough scale would probably turn into World War One with people picking sides for political reasons. I could totally see Ferelden taking the side opposite of the one Orlais chooses."

At this point I ran out of characters in this post, Part 2 of this post can be found here. :)

(pls note that in places there is a bit of paraphrasing of the info, the best source is always the primary source with full quotes in their original context)

[source]