#so i *had* to fully flesh it out

[im-smart-i-swear]

can you remember being born? were you born at all

[epickiya722]

I'm calling it and I hope I'm wrong about it.

If Gege drops a backstory for Sukuna, folks are still going to be like "well, it's not the backstory I want for him".

[tomwambsgans]

the temptation to write a christmas romcom-esque tomgreg fic is calling me......

[1driedpersimmon]

//Blood

First kill :)

[sincerely-nines]

fine sincei love you guys so much

here;s a ranchers au that's been rotating around in my brain. the plot? there is none, tango is just going through the woods when he comes across fallen angel jimmy? that's it. shenanigans follow, probably!

theyre just silly :) maybe they fight a lot bcos jimmy is a bit prissy and tango's hissy but then they make up and whatever

really all they do in this au is be silly and be together in a fantasy setting, an au about two dudes who lost their homes but then maybe find home in each other. idk im not gay how would i know

[starlyte-writes]

Help I'm finally looking through all of my old phone notes and I had SO MANY good dsmp fic ideas like fully laid out WHY DID I NEVER WRITE THESE

[dreadful-luck]

GGS TEAM PAST!!!

[anadorablekiwi]

@silvercaptain24 @telemna-hyelle …so you know that modern hsr au i was playing around with? Also @onceuponaladye , im 90% sure this au wont have any spoilers or anything

The one i said i would never write because there’s too many different characters/mini plots to follow?

…

Well.

Enjoy?

“Oh, are you Bailu’s older brother? It’s a pleasure to meet you!” The woman smiled brightly. “Im her teacher, she has spoken highly of you!”

Dan Heng did his best to conceal his tension. “Yes. My name is Dan Heng, I’m a technology major at Xiangzhou University.”

The teacher poorly hid surprise. “Oh, you’re a college student then? It must be difficult balancing school, work, and taking care of little Bailu here.”

Bailu pouted at being called ‘little’ and stuck her tongue out at the lady.

Dan Heng forced a chuckle and smile. “Well, I’ve started focusing mostly on Work and Bailu right now. I only take a class or two each semester.”

While not technically a lie, he chose to leave out the fact that he had started college in general with just two online classes. This semester. And is only 17 years old.

Relief flashed across the teacher’s eyes. “Oh, that's good! Well, if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask me!”

“Thank you.”

Dan Heng led Bailu out of the school to where he had parked. He attempted light conversation for her sake, but he was still mildly panicked, and he knew Bailu could pick up on it.

Once they reached the privacy of their tiny apartment, Bailu finally broke the tension.

“I didn’t say anything that would make her worry, promise,” she offered in a small voice.

Dan Heng gave a slight smile and ruffled her hair. “I know, Bailu. Don’t worry. Its probably because I look young. Or, well, I look my age.”

He hung Bailu’s backpack on its hook by the door and headed towards the kitchen.

“Hopefully that should keep her off our backs. Want some ants on a log for your after school snack?”

“Ooo! Yes please!!” Bailu replied enthusiastically.

~~~

[months later]

“Woo Hoo!! Summer Vacation!!!” Bailu cheered as she pushed past Dan Heng and ran inside. She quickly took off her backpack and shoes, initially tossing them aside. One look from Dan Heng later, they had been put into their proper places.

“Cracker and peanut butter sandwiches for snack today?” Dan Heng removed his own shoes and put them away.

“Oh yes please! And Juice?” Bailu looked up at him, eyes full of hope and pleading.

Dan Heng chuckled. “Sure. And juice.”

~

Dan Heng set a plate and cup down on the cardboard box they had converted into a table. “Snack’s ready!”

A muffled ‘yay!!’ Was heard from the other room, followed by rapid footsteps.

Just as Bailu sat down to eat, Dan Heng’s phone rang. He looked at the screen, and raised a puzzled eyebrow.

“Video call…?” He muttered.

Dan Heng answered the call. “Hi.”

Jing Yuan smiled back from the screen. “Hello there! And oh perfect, Bailu is with you, too!”

Bailu grinned and waved. “Hi mister Jing Yuan!!”

Jing Yuan chuckled. “Hello there, little Bailu. I was wondering if you two would like to stay with me for a couple weeks, kick off your summer vacation with a bit of fun? You can play with the animals on Boothill’s ranch, help out with the horses…”

“HORSES??” Bailu practically screamed. She turned to her brother with her very best puppy dog eyes. “Please??? Can we????”

Dan Heng sighed. Jing Yuan clearly did this on purpose. He would know Dan Heng would want to decline, but if asking over video call, he was almost guaranteed to be within Bailu’s hearing range when the question was offered.

Reluctantly, he answered, “…sure. Why not?”

“YES!!!” Bailu shouted/cheered. She began to talk quickly, rambling off things she was planning on doing and excitedly ran to the other room.

“Bailu! You need to finish your snack!” Dan Heng called out. He finally turned his attention back to Jing Yuan.

“Sorry about that. Sure, we accept your invitation. When exactly were you thinking?”

Jing Yuan flashed a bright smile. “Perfect! How about you drive up here tomorrow? Or whatever time works best for you two, of course.”

Bailu, having returned to finish her snack, replied with mouth full of crackers and peanut butter. “Yes! Tomorrow!!”

Dan Heng wanted to smack his head into the wall.

“…Sure, tomorrow works. Thank you for the invitation, Mr. Jing Yuan.”

“Of course! And how many times must I say, just Jing Yuan is fine. No need for formalities. Well, I shall see you two sometime tomorrow then!”

“Bye!! See you tomorrow!!!” Bailu called.

“Goodbye Bailu, Dan Heng. Have a good rest of your day.”

“Bye.”

Dan Heng ended the call and let out a sigh.

Bailu grinned innocently at him as she took a sip of juice.

Dan Heng had an odd feeling about this.

~~

[clegfly]

Hey, is Beyond Beyond still happening?

Oh yeah absolutely!!! It’s been on hiatus for a while but I’ve been cooking up stuff for it every now and then when I have time to write- but yeah I’ve been thinking very hard about it lately so this is good timing

[skunkes]

I'm v curious abt Talon's mesoamerican origins and evolution in general how does his accent sound when written out? after such a long life what is the strongest vestige of those times he has (aside from physical features and so on). I can't believe some rando bloodsucker colonized my boy

I have no idea what his accent wld sound like as the few videos i cld find of people speaking his original language, are, of course, mainly spanish speakers! And I can sometimes hear the difference in spanish as they switch between the 2 while being interviewed but i struggle to mentally transplant that as to how it'd sound in English ykwim 😭 there's also the fact that its the modern language spoken by them so it has evolved alongside and borrows from spanish anyway, by those who still speak it and speak both Today

Im actually still zeroing in on fleshing out more of that lore, since I can't find too much info on the specific culture i envision for him, it may really just have to be "fantasy culture INSPIRED by the people" instead, so i dont completely botch actual historical info 😮‍💨 either that or go very vague off of the info available

[wavebiders]

complaints like "my character wouldn't do this" about key elements of an optional narrative are always so weird to me like what do you mean not everyone treats their first playthrough of an RPG as a rough draft to use to figure out what kinda character would best suit their preferred storyline and love interest?

[navarice]

mxtx really writes the most violently disgusting body horror known in existence because some of her prime examples include the flesh-burrowing plants in svsss that literally climb into your bloodstream and take root to turn you into a literal conifer plant. like the blinding pain sq describes when he had to tear out the roots from his flesh almost made me black out and disassociate. and then in mdzs it was the descriptions of the endless corpses and gore. or in the xuanwu of slaughter and the soup of blood, flesh, guts, and stomach acid of the turtle that wwx had to crawl through. i hope the sects have very reliable doctors because just thinking about the diseases one can get from all that…yuck.

but nothing. absolutely NOTHING can compare to the events leading to the human faces disease in tgcf. first, the descriptions of the crushed child under his father's body when they fell from the wall…it was so casually described that I had to first let it sink in before the shock took over. then the actual disease. the unimaginable fear, raw disgust, and sheer horror of everything were so visceral that I couldn’t touch any dip or crevice in my body without wanting to rip it off. literal stuff of nightmares can’t compare to how i couldn’t look at a hole in the ground for too long because it made me think of the face chewing grass on that one man’s leg. and then…that’s not even the worst of it. if reading abt the disease made me want to rip off my skin, then reading the hundred swords part made me feel so hollow that i felt like I needed to squeeze my guts into my body so they don’t fall away. each word describing it was a piercing stab followed by an aching fire of wounds that will never heal.

it makes me really wonder how strong a person must be to endure all that and more because if only reading such things elicits this strong of a response, then what about living it?

[pseudobun]

[problemswithbooks]

More Dain Stuff

So I'm still thinking about Dain and more so, who he might end the story with.

Now, I'm 98.9% sure Violet will stick with Xaden. Not saying it couldn't be interesting if, after the whole Venin thing and their already rocky relationship they broke up, but at the same time that's not how romance novels are written. The story might have dragons, but it is primarily a romance book. Xaden has always been the main focus of Violet and they got together in the first book--just like other fantasy/romance books; think Edward/Bella or Alina/Mal. Plus, most of her audience really like them together; not having them as end game would be alienating her readers.

So Dain's not ending up with Violet. To be honest he could end the story single if he survives, but I'd be a little surprised. Many authors even outside the romance genre have a habit of pairing up their characters at the end. It would be nice if the series didn't go that route, especially if it didn't have a time-skipped epilogue, but I'm expecting at least the main side characters to get paired up to some extent since it is a romance book.

That leaves the question of who he could be paired up with. It's hard to say at this point because he hasn't had many interactions with anyone besides Violet. The few times other characters mention him, most don't really like him. They're are Violet's friends or Marked, so they already have a poor opinion of him or hate him for Liam's death.

I'm not saying that Yarros couldn't have those characters change their opinion of Dain in later books (I really hope they do) and then pair him off with one of them. The issue is that I think most of Violet's close group have been given hints already to who they'll end up with. Sawyer is crushing on Jesinia, Imogen on Garrick. Rhiannon is with Tara, who will hopefully get better established as a character in later books. Though brief Sloane and Cam have some flirtation and in a lot of ways it would make a lot of sense to have them end up together, particularity if Cam becomes King. It would fully show the Marked ones are apart of the kingdom again and fully trusted.

Now, Ridoc is a possibility, but only if Dain is established as bi (which isn't impossible). The biggest hurdle there is that Ridoc is the exact opposite of Dain in a lot of ways. He's the goofball, while Dain is portrayed as a strict. Ridoc doesn't like him. It's really doubtful they'd get along. That could change as the series goes on; Ridoc could show a more serious side, while Dain could lighten up. Violet said he used to smile and laugh a lot, be less of a rule follower. Maybe Ridoc could bring that back out. I think it could be pretty cute and honesty it'd be cool if Yarros put an end to a love triangle by pairing up the spare with another guy.

One possibility though that I really find interesting and I could see is Cat.

First of all she also needs paired up as that failed third wheel of a love triangle with Xaden. There is a man in her Gryphon Flier group that likes her, so that might be who she gets put with in the end, but if that does happen I hope he gets a bit more screen time given how important Cat has been at least during Iron Flame.

Second, their powers complement each other. Dain can see memories (pretty much read minds to an extent) while Cat can manipulate emotions as long as they're present. I could easily see these two using teamwork to get stuff done. Cat could get someone upset enough that they lower their shields so Dain can read them, or Dain could read someones memories and give Cat the best ammunition to get them into the state of mind she needs to manipulate their emotions. Physical fights wouldn't change much but in intelligence work they could be really good as a team.

Third, I want a Flier/Rider romance and Cat's the most prominent Gyphon Flier we have as of Iron Flame. She's third in line for the throne which is interesting and could mean she ends up as Queen. Giving her a dragon Rider partner could be a good way of showing that even once the Venin are gone Navarre and Poromeil are still allies. Also would be interesting to see how a relationship like that was seen by the dragons.

Fourth, it'd be a bit funny. Cat is Xaden's ex, while Dain was Violet's first crush and childhood friend. I doubt Xaden would care much, since he never cared about Cat, but I think Violet would have many conflicting feelings about it which would be fun to see her stress over. By the end of Iron Flame she seems to have grown to respect Cat and Cat respects her in return, but I it wasn't that long ago she hated her. Meanwhile, although she was furious at Dain, he was her best friend for fifteen years.

It'd just be funny to see Violet struggling with that sort of roller coaster of emotions and perhaps catching herself thinking similar things Dain said to her about Xaden. I mean I could see her first thought being Cat is getting close to Dain to mess with her, since she can't get to Xaden anymore. Having her catch herself and realize she's making snap judgments could lead to some interesting conversations with both Dain and Cat or even Xaden talking to her more about his past with Cat. Just cool character interactions all around!

Fifth, character development. Dain is seen as Mr. By the Book, and although there probably isn't some rule against Flier/Rider relationships (because they've never worked together before) it could still be seen as wrong. They might be working together but they were enemies for hundreds of years. Dain picking Cat despite it being seen as against the spirit of the Codex continues his growth as getting over his issue of putting rules before people he cares about.

Meanwhile Cat, although tackling her anti-Dragon Rider hate and working with Violet has another flaw the one that was probably the biggest reason her and Xaden broke up. She wanted a crown. Now, I actually don't think this is a terrible thing for her to want given what we know of her and her situation. Poromeil has been essentially left to die by Navarre for hundreds of years. Frankly it makes sense Cat would want political power so she could use it to form an alliance with a Kingdom that might be strong enough to save her home.

Still the story makes it appear to be a flaw--that she wanted a crown over love. So, in that sense picking Dain, someone who isn't a prince or king, and has very little sway with anyone with power (Xaden hates him, and he deserted the army so he doesn't have any allies on that front either--dude is not getting a good job no mater whose in charge) shows she'll pick over over a crown. Even if afterwards she still gets the throne of Poromeil for whatever reason, it'd still prove she picked Dain over power.

So, that's my essay on possible end ships for Dain. I sort of still think he'll die--I'm always prepared for a character I like to die. But if he does live and get paired up I'd say it'd be Cat, with Ridoc as a runner up.

[icewindandboringhorror]

Recent game related things .. hrmm...

[dansconcepts]

Dangan Impact - Con. 2

Okay so purely because it's given on a silver platter, Makoto and Komaru would be Aether and Lumine. So they're able to have affinities with all the elemental powers in Teyvat. (And there's an Abyss Prince/Princess concept lying somewhere in there but that's for next time)

But what about our lovely other protags?

So I didn't go in detail in Con. 1 but Hajime's a Cryo boy and it's because he's really going through it. Just thought of this so apologies if it's messy, but Hajime really admires people who have a Vision but he's just a "normal guy". When an opportunity arises to get that power he is REALLY torn. On one hand he knows he didn't do anything to deserve it and on the other hand he's being given the opportunity of a lifetime. Heck, the seller is even offering lots of Mora to run experiments so that his body can optimally manage a Vision. He didn't even know that was necessary.

Turns out it's very physically grueling after all and they keep adjusting things but he's working toward it for the Vision: for the ability to help others, have cool powers, and be more than average. He gets deeper and deeper in the rabbit hole that is the Fatui and suddenly he's some pawn that fights and fights against random Skirmishers while his "Vision" threatens to tear him apart. Hajime is so dead tired and they keep giving him different elements. It's at this point he knows they're fake- "Delusions" they were called- and he's really had enough with the Harbinger that's experimented on him.

He wants out, but where can he go? Why leave? They won't let him. They will chase him for the rest of his life, or annihilate him there, if they felt so inclined. So he uses his Delusions to fight his way out. The compound he was kept in has researchers and Fatui henchpeople around, and he kills them before destroying the compound with everything he has. His muscles scream, his body aches, but he actually feels sunlight.

("Let him leave." Someone said, unbeknownst to him. "It's more important he stays alive.")

The moment he's out, he ignores all his Delusions and runs and runs and keeps running even when he's fallen from sheer exhaustion, his arms refusing to move another bit. His feet are so sore they've become numb. Trees and grass morph into just green and more green.

He passes out.

When he wakes up, he feels something cold in his hand and sees the cryo symbol and wings and IMMEDIATELY yeets the damn thing. Nope nope nope. He is NOT dealing with that. Too damn late, Vision, not after all this bullshit. The unfairness is staggering.

He destroys all the Delusions he had on him. The Vision though, he goes back to grab but pockets it and vows to never use it. He is "just a normal guy" whenever anyone asks the stranger with spiky, brown hair.