#supplementary demands

[mhlivenews]

राज्याच्या विकासासाठी सभागृहात विक्रमी ५५ हजार कोटींच्या पुरवणी मागण्या मंजूर

म. टा. प्रतिनिधी, नागपूर : पायाभूत सुविधांची निर्मिती, समाजातील शेवटच्या घटकापर्यंत विकास पोहचविण्याबरोबरच केंद्र शासनाच्या विविध योजनांमध्ये राज्याचा वाटाही समाविष्ट करण्यात आल्याने पुरवणी मागण्या जवळपास ५५ हजार ५२० कोटी ७७ लाखांपर्यंत गेल्या आहेत. मात्र, असे असले तरी ही तूट उत्पन्नाचे स्रोत वाढवून प्रत्यक्ष खर्चावर नियंत्रण ठेवून कमी करण्यात येईल असा दावा उपमुख्यमंत्री व अर्थमंत्री अजित पवार…

[djungleskogs]

im kinda jealous of how involved american colleges are. like your professors actually take a personal interest in you? my tutors all barely remember peoples names and most of them don’t even try. you have mandatory classes? i went to 1 class out of 13 for one of my units this semester because i couldn’t make myself go. you are failing or need extra credits? the professor can choose to give you some. maybe it’s just my uni but they do NOT give extra credit no matter what. we don’t even get supplementary assessments so if you do badly you’re just fucked. extensions go through the uni itself and not the teaching staff. you have multiple classes per subject a week? ok maybe not all colleges but i feel like if i had more than one to go to i would show up more and would also get to actually know the people in my degree. i am four years into this and i have like. 2 friends who study law and we aren’t even in the same stage of the degree. one of my old unit coordinators was american and she had such a culture shock coming to my uni because of how detached it is. she tried to structure the unit in a way that encouraged students to actually show up to class and get to know people in the classes and she had to change it because it went against uni policy.

[artbyblastweave]

The thing about the fourth-wall-breaking ending of TF comics is that turning to the camera like that, directly addressing the audience like that, it relies on a level of familiarity between the cast and the audience that, objectively speaking, the supplementary materials rather famously didn't actually have the run-time to establish. Seven comics and change in 13 years, the bulk of which take place over the course of maybe a week. Maybe an hour of voice-acted animation. But it works anyway because we, the audience, logged that time with the main cast somewhere else, in the game proper. We were familiarized with them via their barks and reactive dialogue and the emergent patterns of play. Further familiarized by the perpetually-burning-and-renewing library of alexandria of fan content, sfm animations and the like. We put in the hours. This is probably one of the few narratives that can successfully gesture to something outside itself to give its corny everybody-reunites-at-a-party ending the emotional weight it demands. This is a layup dunk at this point but I don't think Overwatch could pull that off

[prickly-paprikash]

Annette in Rondo of Blood was literally nothing more than a damsel in distress who's whole purpose is to give Richter motivation to fight against Dracula. And to help him continue the bloodline.

In other versions, she's turned into a vampire and is obsessed with Richter.

I'm sorry, but I have two questions.

In any of these, is Annette being of pure white descent necessary? Is her being blonde and pale a defining part of her character? Is there anything, anything at all that demands Annette be a white woman in every single adaptation?

No.

She's just a plot and lore device. Be saved by Richter. Love Richter. Continue the Belmont line.

That's it for Game Annette.

In Nocturne?

She's a warrior who escaped bondage and burned her slavers to the ground. She communes with her ancestors who have long since passed. She feels grief. She mourns. She regrets. She knows, in her heart, that she was at fault for Edouard's demise the same way Richter knows his mom had a better chance of survival had he got on the ship. Rage flourishes in Annette. Love grows between Annette and Richter.

She hates. She weeps. She forgives.

Annette is a character made whole in Nocturne. It also adds so much to her for being a Black, Creole woman.

Richter and Annette are parallels with key differences. Both are haunted by their mothers' deaths. Both are warrior-mages who do battle up-close while using their magic as supplementary to their combat, whilst Maria and Tera focus more on magic and use sword-play as their supplementary skills. Both carry legacies too heavy to bear, yet they persevere.

Richter feels like he's trying to forget he's a Belmont. He is cut off from the magical world. Annette on the other hand continues to push herself to connect to the realm of her Ancestors and her gods. Annette burns with a righteous rage against the ruling class. Richter is consumed by his trauma and puts up an apathetic facade when we first meet him.

They are both made whole after their failure in the crypts. Annette kills her slaver. Richter connects with his grandfather.

They are both stubborn, flawed, dauntless warriors. Richter is arrogant. Annette is vengeful. Both of them manage to fail during separate assaults on the Abbey. Both grow and heal from these failures.

Those fuckers who hate Annette for being 'too different from the source material' are dweebs.

Because Annette in the game isn't even a character! Just a tool! A supporting face! That's all she is.

Nocturne takes many creative liberties that expand on the world.

Just say you hate Annette for being black. Be honest with your racism. It makes it easier for everyone to identify who's a mouthbreathing bigot.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

twst food culture part ii

This is a supplementary post to continue off of this larger TWST food culture compilation post (as that one is getting super long as is).

Shaftlands

Macarons are one of the Shaftlands' signature sweets. Cream and raspberry, as well as lychee, are the popular flavors at the moment.

Macarons can be frozen so recipients can eat them fresh.

There are people who collect the stylish boxes that macarons come in.

According to Vil, mixing flavored syrups with carbonated liquids is common in the Shaftlands.

Stewed foods are the Shaftlands' specialty. This is because there are many stories about the Fairest Queen preparing many foods in a pot.

Apples are the most popular fruit in the Shaftlands. They are used for drinks, desserts, jams, and even savory meal items.

The Shaftlands favor flavored teas

Fairest City

There are few food stands in Fairest City. This is because eating on the streets is seen as bad manners.

There is a strong cafe culture.

Fairest City is famous for its cuisine and sweets. Their sweets in particular are well developed due to the city's cafe culture.

Sweets with a pleasant appearance are popular. The most famous of patisseries make sweets which are like pieces of art.

Some sweets featured in famous patisseries include tarts, chocolate, mousse, macarons, brioche, roll cakes, financiers, mille-feuilles, and cakes shaped like apples with apple sauce inside, caramel apples, etc.

A specialty of Fairest City is "cream puff rings", which are cream puffs in ring shapes. They are meant to resemble wheels on rail cars, since Fairest City is located near mines. It is said that the cream puff rings (which is filled with a thick, high-calorie cream) were originally given to hard-working miners to restore their energy.

Luxury stores may offer amenities in addition to providing their services or helping customers shop. For example, staff may offer VIP clients drinks or chocolates.

Fairest City’s hotels have swanky restaurants built into them for guests to dine in. The fanciest of eating establishments are five star restaurants that have full sets of cutlery and napkins which you unfold and place in your lap.

Fancy dining establishments offer food à la carte (ordered by the plate) and prix fixe style (picking your courses from a predetermined selection).

There is a drink called “Diabolo Menthe” served in Fairest City. It is a spearmint flavored syrup mixed with a slightly carbonated liquid. Very refreshing! (This is most likely a reference to the potion that the Evil Queen drinks to transform into an old woman.)

Eric Venue, Vil’s famous movie star father, uses a five-star restaurant to cater buffets for his movie shoots for every 6 hours of work. They also have snacks and drinks on demand (“craft services”), which includes coffee, milk, tea, juice, chocolate, fruits, and pancakes and waffles. Lots of light foods!

Many dishes at high-class eateries are French. For example, hors d’oeuvres might include escargot (snails), foie gras de canard (duck foie gras), and terrine a la campagne (country-style terrine). Courses are also named in French (viande and poisson courses, etc.).

Some dishes served include boeuf bourguignon (a beef and red wine stew) filet mignon de porc aux pruneaux (a pork filet with dried plum; it is made with pig heart, bouillon, and sauce), and flounder poêlé (flounder with an herb sauce). The beef bourguignon is a favorite dish in the five-star hotel restaurant that caters for Eric Venue.

Pork, especially the heart, is prized meat in Fairest City. Many of its dishes are pork-based. There is a story about how the Fairest Queen needed a heart for one of her potions and had her huntsman hunt as a tribute to her; the filet mignon de porc aux pruneaux dish was born from this legend.

The restaurant that caters for Eric Venue has a specialty dessert called tart fine pomme. It is a thin tart with slices apples. The restaurant uses the highest quality of apples (from Harveston), which are grown in a special soil, for their dishes and drinks.

Sage's Island

Night Raven College

The Mystery Shop sells certain limited breads.

The school cafeteria serves pies so delicious that they impress even students that hail from the Queendom of Roses. This is because one of the ghost chefs studied abroad in the Queendom.

Heartslabyul (cont. from part i)

Unbirthday parties can include meat pies, egg tarts, tarts, icing cookies, washed down with milk tea.

They also serve a drink that seems to be a reference to the Drink Me beverage in Alice in Wonderland. It changes flavor with every sip!

It is tradition to eat scones with lots of butter and jam.

Black tea is traditional in the Queendom.

Queendom of Roses (cont. from part i)

The Queendom is known for its pies.

Scalding Sands (cont. from part i)

Spiced teas are what’s popular.

[anantaru]

Hellooooooo

I was wondering how would Alhaitham and Ayato would react to hearing the safe word in the middle of the act? Like they pushed reader's limits, they seem to be pretty rough and demanding in bed and that's kinda scary sometimes

cw. after saying the safe word, a lil angst, fem! reader, heavily comforting you

ayato, who would— and such goes in the generality of standings, without stating, express leaden depicted signs of embodied guiltiness for turning you, his darling, he devotedly treasured, this uncomfortable and hurting during an endearing time where he should've coddled you with a sundry of effusive pleasure.

conceivably, ayato might've fell in to be inordinately rough tonight as he was severely frustrated from his own bottled up emotions— one of the leading factors being the tracked down obvious that he hasn't seen you nor spend sufficient time with you in what felt like plentiful years.

his troubled breath was stranded immovable in his glued down throat upon listening to you suddenly cry out the safe word he was sure would never be used by any of you— to proceed, ayato had directly pulled out of you, the touch cautious, as controlled as possible as to not dispense any more damage before really saying anything, he can barely marge his eyes on you and it broke his heart that he was the reason you experienced pain— when he should've loyally lavaged you with nothing but pure comfort.

supplementary he puts forth your name in a tottery declare and then staggers through his frazzled breathing, "are you okay, please— please take your time." ayato eases himself back into this pivotal situation, but he will not touch you, he keeps his hands away from you. "i apologize with my entire heart— i did not mean for this to happen." as to bring grave attention in his sentence, he closely whispers an inch lower, soothingly, "i am so so sorry."

ayato will wait a fair enough of much required time, additionally giving you copious reasonable space before you, yourself, have allowed him to come close again. His glimmering eyes fall to your bare, trembling body as to calmly throw a silky blanket at your naked frame to have you a sprinkle more shielded and protected as well as have your body heat rise up again.

while you aided him to lean back into your arms, ayato breaks apart from within, bit by bit, his body was stilling and sheened of cold sweat, but it's about patience now— and he knows, he has to keep a clear head as always, he mustn't let his emotions run free.

"it's okay ayato." you close your arms around his neck and it almost brings him to tears— such spoken tears that he originally severed off himself earlier, the same way he had done so his whole life.

"it is not, i should've known better."

family was everything to ayato and you were a part of his. On this ending night he had done nothing more than to spoil you and apologize a handful more times, you let his warm palms seep into your gladdened skin and your eyes flutter close of the heavy tiredness— you realize he was warm but his breathing sounded patched together, even though he tried to hide it endlessly.

alhaitham, whose flexed up muscles loosened up the immediate wounded second of your excruciating voice thickly closing around his ear shells. This uncomfortable weight on his chest, or the penetrating shock in his eyes, he was aware that he unarguably went overboard this night, for certain, and promptly backed off your tremulous body without accidentally creating added problems.

with how he had been largely shadowing over yourself, he could easily perceive the state of your low lidded eyes— your vision had turned entirely blurry which was the straight up cause of warm tears simmering from each twist of your eyes.

"do not rush yourself." not at all did alhaitham appear as confident and collected as he usually was, "i apologize - i apologize, i don't know what—" your hard processed breaths overwhelmingly shook at each explosive word of him, it was demanding for you to state something, taxing on your emotions while at the same time cloaking back your cried which he had fortunately discerned himself, then stopping in midst his own sentencing, yet cursing himself.

it's not as if alhaitham doesn't want to do anything, all he craved for was to enclose his large arms around yourself and apologize once more— though he does nothing, not for now at least, he waits until you do something instead, after all, crossing your boundaries again would be the last thing he had in mind.

"can you-" he noiselessly jolts back when detecting your broken voice in the dim room, you mutely wrap your hand around his wrist, "can you please .." and he knows what you meant, in the wake of it, it wasn't back breaking to see through your quavery ways of stating.

he crumbles next to your body and closes his arm around your waist, your eyes were swelled up and with one gentle palm he shushed away the wetness on your cheeks, but remained careful in his proceedings.

"i'm sorry." you shake your head at his strangled heaves, applying yourself up forward into his chest, "it's okay." - "i know you would never hurt me on purpose."

but even with your presented reassurance, his heart burned, he huffs his warm breath on your forehead and presses his lips on your head, his hands in process of moving unsure on where to wavelessly rest themselves on. "it will never happen again."

he recollects himself, his words holding all meaningful purpose behind them, "i know." you smoother yourself further into him, systematically calming down more and feeling yourself back into his body.

"you're everything."

©2023 anantaru do not share, copy, translate any of my work

[muses-with-afp]

In terms of Bleachy things that I am never not thinking about given my particular sort of brainrot, it would have to be Chapter 179, Confession in the Twilight. Today, I want to overthink long and hard about assumptions fandom often makes about Hisana. Some of these assumptions are not well-supported by the canon. Other of these assumptions likely stem from material added by the anime and/or the movie Fade to Black.

Because I'm sort of "meh" on the supplementary material from the anime and pretty "blah" on the Bleach movies overall, I will stick to the manga. (I am also a simple creature with only two brain cells to rub together now-a-days so... there's that, too.) I am sure there are more assumptions one could pick apart and torture to death, but for the sake of brevity (I write cackling because when am I ever brief?) below are my top three.

1. Assumption One: Hisana had no spiritual power/pressure

This one is odd to me because we, the audience, do not have a whole lot of evidence to base this assumption off of. Byakuya never says anything of this sort to Rukia during the confession:

Although, it is possible that Hisana was spiritually weak, and what made it difficult for her to survive was taking care of a baby with significant spiritual pressure/power. This explanation is entirely possible, but, based on the English translation, it is not the only interpretation one could draw.

Honing in on the"[b]ut it was hard for her to survive there while caring for you..." bit, this could suggest that Hisana, in fact, needed more than vibes and water to survive herself. We get a sense in Bleach that siblings often have similar capacities in terms of spiritual power and pressure, and we know Rukia is spiritually gifted. Accordingly, one could make the leap that Hisana, too, had some spiritual capacity. Now, I think the case for sibling similarities in spiritual talents is probably strongest for the souls born in SS since they presumably are most "genetically" related (or whatever concept passes for "genetic" relationships in SS), one assumes. This, of course, also assumes you buy the idea that Hisana and Rukia were just ordinary souls who passed from the WOTL to SS. KT, however, has thrown a wrench into this explanation by suggesting that Rukia is a secret... eighth thing/potential hybrid. (At least, I think we are up to eight soul "ecotypes" now .... Maybe it's nine if we add in the lore from Burn the Witch.) Perhaps this secret variation/hybrid is specific to Rukia, or maybe it applies to both sisters equally.

Other evidence that could support Hisana as having some spiritual capacity (beyond being a spiritual dandelion) includes:

According to Renji, the only way to escape Inuzuri was to attend the Academy/become a shinigami. It's possible that Renji was speaking only in terms of "legality" (i.e., the only legal way to leave your assigned district/town/placement is to gain admittance to the Academy) since we know Kenpachi and crew exist. Could Hisana have gotten out of Inuzuri using the Academy loophole? Sure! Why not? Was Hisana a bloody tank like Kenpachi and fought her way out of the city? Maybe but probably not, since she felt driven to abandon her sister, which doesn't seem very warlord-like of her. Maybe Hisana never actually left Inuzuri after the abandonment. The "[a]bandoned you and ran" (emphasis mine) part of the story makes it sound like she left the city, but maybe she just ran away from Rukia and went to another part of Inuzuri or the district.

Rukia somehow managed to survive (i.e., maybe it wasn't the demands (or just the demands) of a spiritually needy baby that drove Hisana to abandon her). We don't know much/anything about the period of Rukia's life between the abandonment and meeting Renji, so it's hard to say how needy she was as a soul baby.

Hisana hung out with/lived with Byakuya, who we know (a) has a metric ton of spiritual power and pressure, and (b) lives in a city full of similarly situated souls. Canonically, weaker souls seem greatly affected by the spiritual pressure of the more spiritually capable souls in Bleach, which could suggest that she had enough to withstand living in Seireitei and being married to someone with a lot of the stuff.

Depending on whether you think Rukia is anywhere near the ballpark in terms of her age vis-à-vis Ichigo (150 years, by the way), Hisana's life span would have been about 100 years in SS, which isn't particularly short. It seems that souls with some spiritual power/pressure tend to live longer than souls without it.

As Byakuya continues with his confession to Rukia, he says that Hisana "searched for [Rukia] almost every day for the next five years." If you take this literally, it sounds like Hisana went out into the slums regularly, which is pretty far away from Kuchiki manor. Without some sort of fast travel option (the Kuchiki are rich so maybe one exists...), it seems that she would have needed to learn a pretty good flash-step to make that trek anyway feasible. Although, it is possible that Byakuya meant Hisana searched for Rukia in a more abstract sense since, as a noble, she would finally have resources (beyond her physically trekking out there) to conduct a search. It could also be both.

2. Assumption Two: Hisana was (or was not) doing XYZ before marriage

This assumption likely piggybacks off the one above. Since we are given no indication as to what Hisana was doing before marriage, if you assume she was a spiritually weak being, it makes sense for the years between abandonment and marriage to be full of scrounging and hiding from scary beings/thugs/monsters/take-your-pick. And, true, the reckless noble/prince taking an unwashed but kindly peasant girl as a wife is an oldie goldie in terms of romance tropes.

But, as noted above, Hisana could have been literally anything. Shinigami? Sure! Secret agent/informant? Why not!? In CFYOW, Yourichi gets pretty annoyed at Tokinada for speaking ill of Hisana. It's possible that she's irritated with him because he's trying to goad Byakuya into an altercation and is using Byakuya's dead wife as the ammo (which, yeah, is a pretty gross thing to do). Alternatively, there could be a personal connection between the two women (which may provide further color on Rukia being chosen as a vessel for the orb, don't mind me just out here speculating). We know the higher districts are rough, and, at least according to Renji, Inuzuri is full of criminals and bastards of all stripes. Hisana could've been a crime lord, a lackey to a crime lord, a thief, a prostitute, a hustling gambler, a bookie, basically anything. The vagueness is glorious!!!

3. Assumption Three: Hisana died of ghost consumption a respiratory illness

This assumption likely arises from the anime (although forgive me if I'm wrong about this since it has been a while since I've watched the anime) and Fade to Black, which has a scene where Hisana has a coughing fit. The manga, however, gives no indication:

All Byakuya says is he "lost his wife." To what? Who knows?! Be more specific, Byakuya!

We also don't get a whole lot of evidence to indicate what killed her during the confession scene.

Hisana isn't sweating, and her futon is white as is the bit of clothing we see, so it doesn't look like she's necessarily suffered a physical attack/assault. She's also, notably, not coughing....

For reference, below are Byakuya's bludgeoned panels because we have a lot of parallels between her deathbed request and Byakuya's confession to Rukia:

To be fair, Byakuya's blanket and pad aren't bloody either, but his captain's coat sure is, and, goodness, is he sweaty! Although, perhaps Byakuya's memory of Hisana strips away the gory and gruesome bits (e.g., blood, sweat, coughing, gasping, gurgling death rattles, anguished groaning, etc.) since... well... no one actually dies pretty.

Based on the manga retelling of Hisana's expiration, the cause of death was... literally anything. Okay, I kid. I kid.

Sort of.

Maybe her COD wasn't literally anything. She was at least in a bed ready for death and had enough time to call upon her husband. (Although, so is Byakuya here, and he was stabbed like thirty minutes ago and is giving similar sorts of vibes to poor Rukia.) My guess is that whatever Hisana had, she succumbed to it over a period of time, which rules out causes of death that come fast, but a lot of deaths aren't immediate (unfortunately). Maybe she sustained internal injuries that took her, which would parallel nicely with Byakuya in these panels. Maybe she had "beautiful wife consumption," which is an oldie goldie trope for doomed lovers. Maybe she had whatever soul flu or illness afflicted Byakuya's dad. Maybe she had some sort of soul cancer. If you're doing the math (or a version of the math since time in Bleach is wobbly), Byakuya and Hisana married a year or so after WWII. It's not a pleasant thought, but cancer (leukemia and solid) rates went up five+ years later for obvious reasons, and perhaps this is an abstract/unconscious nod to that of sorts.

But, who can say??? Not me, that's for damn sure!

From a practical story-telling perspective, I imagine that KT leaves a lot of wiggle room around this period to avoid caging himself in for whatever reveal he had/has in store regarding Rukia's backstory/heritage/why Urahara picked her to put the orb into/etc.

[psychooomind]

Flickering Lights

Michael Gavey x singer!reader

Summary: Michael and Violet come from completely different worlds, but when their paths cross at university, an unexpected connection sparks between them. As their relationship deepens, they must navigate secrets, misunderstandings, and their own fears. Can their love overcome the odds, or will the time put them apart?

A multi-entry, slow-burn, friends to lovers fic.

You can also read it at AO3 here.

Chapter 1, Chapter 3

Chapter 2: Crushed

Michael’s watch read two in the afternoon as he walked, book in hand, his brow furrowed in thought. He had attended all of his classes for the semester, and despite his impeccable academic record, his experience at Oxford had not started as he had imagined. While the coursework was demanding, what truly unsettled him was the presence of classmates who were almost as capable as he was. Perhaps they couldn’t solve problems mentally with his precision, but their competence was enough to make Michael feel genuinely challenged. It was disconcerting not to be the sole intellectual standout in his classes.

In Logic, a subject Michael had eagerly anticipated, he met Joshua Dankson, who completed Professor Sanders’ logic problem a mere eighteen minutes after him. This prompted Joshua to approach Michael, seeing him as a potential rival. However, after a brief conversation, Michael realised Joshua was more interested in socialising than intellectual pursuits; his first question was whether Michael was attending the weekend’s party. Slightly disappointed, Michael pressed on, asking more about logic, only for Joshua to reveal that he simply enjoyed puzzles and problems but lacked any greater ambition. The one silver lining was Joshua’s invitation for Michael to join the Chess Club.

Then there was Oliver Quick, the boy from the first day’s dinner. He was studying computer science and preferred solitary study sessions in the library.

But among his classmates, one figure stood out as the source of Michael’s deepest irritation: Victor Bryon. Michael found Victor’s combination of effortless charm and academic negligence infuriating, particularly because it never seemed to hinder his performance. Over the past month, Michael had yet to see Victor open a single book, yet he consistently achieved good results with minimal effort. Since their vending machine encounter, Michael had come to realise that Victor had a knack for turning casual comments into cutting jokes, almost always at someone else’s expense.

In Advanced Calculus, another class they shared, Michael began to suspect that Victor had singled him out as a target for mockery. One incident cemented this belief. One day, Michael arrived at the lecture hall carrying a precarious stack of supplementary reading books that left him unable to open the door. Victor, instead of helping, swung the door open dramatically only to let it slam shut in Michael’s face. It was Oliver who eventually came to his aid, holding the door open with a smirk.

“He’s such an idiot,” Oliver muttered.

Michael nodded, but internally, he was already scheming how to outperform Victor and expose his carefree façade. It might make him an even bigger target, but Michael was determined to protect his position as the top student.

“Hey, Gavey,” Victor called after class, using a nickname that grated on Michael’s nerves. “Fancy doing the next calculus assignment together? Word is, you’ve got a brilliant brain for this stuff.”

Michael frowned. “Why would you want to work with me?”

“You’re the only one who’s up to the task, mate,” Victor replied with an easy grin.

Although hesitant, Michael agreed—not because he trusted Victor, but because he wanted to prove himself superior on his own terms. Yet things did not go as planned. During one of their study sessions in the library, Victor took a book that didn’t belong to him—a prized text Michael had saved for months to buy. Victor assured him he would return it, insisting it was just a reference for their project.

Michael was left wondering whether he had made a mistake in agreeing to the partnership, but his competitive spirit wouldn’t allow him to back down.

Several days passed, and Victor seemed to be avoiding Michael, to the point where he suspected it was deliberate. However, that didn’t stop Michael from catching him one evening outside the campus with his friends.

"Victor, do you have my book?" he asked cordially.

"Oh, mate," Victor replied with a mocking smile. "I completely forgot to bring it. My bad."

Michael nodded curtly and stormed off, visibly annoyed. A few days later, he confronted Victor again, only to hear Felix Catton, the boy with the eyebrow piercing, burst into laughter. Once more, Victor apologised.

"It’s my book, Bryon. Return it," Michael said, clearly irritated.

"It’s just a book, mate," Victor teased. "Are you going to throw a tantrum over it, like you did at the welcome dinner?"

Oliver, who had been watching the exchange, placed a hand on Michael’s shoulder, steering him away before things escalated into a fight.

"I’ve heard he doesn’t live on campus," Oliver said, attempting to distract him. "His dad bought him a flat on Marston Street. I can ask for the address so you can confront him privately."

The next day, Oliver sat beside Michael in the library and discreetly handed him a slip of paper. Michael smiled faintly. That afternoon, resolute, he made his way to the flat on Marston Street and knocked on the door. As he gathered all his courage to demand his Advanced Calculus book back, a red-haired young woman answered. Her loose hair framed her pale, freckled face, and she greeted him with a gentle smile.

Michael suddenly found it difficult to breathe.

The girl wore a denim jumpsuit adorned with shiny appliqués on the lapels. Her smile was kind, almost disarming.

"Can I help you?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

Michael, who was often awkward in social situations, froze for a moment.

"Ah... um... Is Victor here? I think he has one of my books," he stammered.

"Victor isn’t in right now," she replied, her chocolate-brown eyes holding his gaze. "But if you want, I can look for it. Do you remember what it looks like?"

Michael muttered a description, and she disappeared briefly into the flat, closing the door behind her. When she returned, she held out his book.

"Is this it?" she asked.

"Yes, that’s the one," he said, adjusting his hair awkwardly. "Thank you."

"You’re welcome," she said with a broad smile, dimples appearing on her cheeks. "I’m Violet, by the way."

"Michael," he blurted out. "Michael Gavey."

"Well, Michael, I doubt Victor even realises he took your book. He’s a bit of a mess," she added with a light laugh.

Michael smiled timidly and nodded, though his mind raced with thoughts. He couldn’t help but wonder if Violet was Victor’s girlfriend. How could she not be? She was stunning, with her reddish waves falling carelessly over her face, and her denim jumpsuit seemed to fit her curves perfectly.

He simply smiled, turned, and walked away. On his way back to his dorm, Michael couldn’t stop thinking about her. Her image was seared into his mind: her flowing red hair, the freckles that mapped her delicate features, and her easygoing demeanour.

Yet the encounter also left him with an odd feeling. For the first time in weeks, someone had treated him with casual kindness, free from the subtle judgement he usually sensed from others. He was surprised to realise that, although Violet had looked him directly in the eye, there had been no hint of the usual scrutiny in her gaze.

That night, as he struggled to focus on his notes, Michael found it impossible to think of anything but the red-haired girl and her charming smile. He realised not only that he would never be able to adopt Victor’s carefree attitude but also that he could never hope to be with someone like Violet.

Meanwhile, at the Bryon flat, Violet sat on the edge of her bed, scribbling in a notebook she’d been trying to fill for weeks with more than clumsy phrases. It was a letter to her father, yet another attempt to bridge a connection she felt had been lost. Their relationship had always been strained, especially after her mother’s death.

Frederick Bryon longed for a daughter who didn’t exist: a poised young woman he could show off for her impeccable behaviour or her studies in architecture or medicine. But he’d had to settle for Violet. She knew he didn’t hate her, but she also felt the weight of his disappointment, his unspoken wish that she would be something... more.

Meanwhile, the apartment remained in complete chaos. Empty beer bottles and piles of dirty laundry left scattered around by Victor only added to the mess. Violet had argued with him that very morning, but, as usual, her complaints were brushed off. Frustrated, she scooped up the clothes strewn across the floor, balled them up, and tossed them onto Victor’s unmade bed. If her brother thought she was there to clean up after him, he was sorely mistaken. She’d had enough, especially after their earlier spat. Victor had grumbled about her returning the book—his book—to Michael, claiming he’d taken it to push the boy to the brink of madness. Annoyed, Violet had called him out, reminding him they were no longer teenagers and that it was high time he grew up.

Unbeknownst to Michael, Violet lived in a completely different world from Victor. Her passion for music consumed most of her time, between rehearsing with her band and preparing for gigs at Barry’s Pub. While the tension at home was constant, music provided her with a much-needed escape. For Michael, the idea of someone like Violet existing in the same orbit as Victor was baffling. That night, without realising it, he had crossed paths with someone who would change the way he viewed life at Oxford, though he was far from knowing it.

But Michael couldn’t get her out of his head. Her fiery red hair, her bright eyes that held none of the judgment he was so used to, the way her smile seemed to light up the air around her—she had settled into his mind and refused to leave. Every time he tried to focus on his studies, her image would slip in, disrupting his thoughts. He could practically hear her voice, soft yet vibrant, every time he replayed their brief exchange.

The next day, Michael returned to class with renewed determination. Not only did he need to outperform Victor academically, but he also felt the urge to prove himself socially. Yet, no matter how much he tried to concentrate, Violet kept intruding. Her carefree smile, her freckles, the effortless way she’d made him feel seen for a moment—it all clung to him like an unresolved equation. He was certain she wasn’t a student at Christian Church, but that only deepened the mystery.

Days after meeting Violet at the Bryons’ apartment, Michael slipped back into his routine. Between classes, group project deadlines, and his silent competition with Victor, he barely had time to think about anything else. Or so he told himself. Every time his mind wandered, it landed squarely on her. What was she doing at that very moment? Was she thinking about him, even fleetingly? The thought made his chest tighten, though he quickly dismissed it. Why would someone like Violet give him a second thought?

One afternoon, Oliver strolled up with his usual carefree gait, an old, crumpled flyer in hand.

“Look at this,” he said, tossing it onto the table where Michael was poring over his calculus notes.

Michael smoothed out the paper and immediately noticed the name Wrecked Shiny Girls. What caught his attention even more was the surname Bryon, listed among five others as members of the band.

“Where did you find this?” Michael asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

“Found it in the hallway near the Student Hall,” Oliver replied with a smirk. “It was crumpled up, probably thrown away by Victor. Do you know anyone in the band?”

“No, not at all,” Michael lied.

Could it be that the red-haired girl wasn’t Victor’s girlfriend but a relative? They both had the same fiery hair and, now that he thought about it, similar features. But Violet was so distinct, so vivid in his mind, that he couldn’t imagine her as just anyone. Her laughter, her smile, the way she’d tilted her head slightly when she spoke—it all felt like a puzzle he was desperate to solve.

As Oliver continued talking, Michael’s pulse quickened. He had to know for sure. Was Violet the Bryon in the band? Was she a cousin? A sister? His heart raced at the possibility. He had already made up his mind: he would attend the concert. Not because he cared about the music, but because he couldn’t shake the feeling that Violet was more than just a fleeting encounter. She was becoming an obsession.

Barry’s Pub was packed. The small stage barely stood out amidst the dim lighting and towering amplifiers. The crowd, mostly students, chatted animatedly as they waited for the show to begin. Michael and Oliver were near the bar, watching the patrons with curiosity.

“Have you listened to any of their songs? I’ve heard them all,” Michael admitted to his friend.

Oliver glanced around and shook his head. “Do you think we’re the only ones from our classes here? This place seems... a bit rough.”

Michael shrugged, keeping his focus on the stage.

The chatter hushed as the five band members took the stage. Each wore outfits that reflected a mix of carefree styles: leather jackets, worn boots, and tight trousers adorned with shiny embellishments. Michael immediately recognised Violet. Her fiery red hair fell in loose waves, and a denim jumpsuit stood out beneath her jacket. Though he knew she was in the band, seeing her confidently take the microphone caught him off guard.

The music began, intense and charged with energy. Violet didn’t just sing—she embodied every word, every note. Her voice filled the pub, her presence commanding the space. Michael couldn’t take his eyes off her.

“She’s pretty good,” Oliver remarked, raising his voice to be heard over the music.

Michael didn’t respond. He was too mesmerised, watching Violet interact seamlessly with her bandmates and the audience. There was something in her demeanour—a blend of raw passion and subtle vulnerability—that held him captive.

When the final song ended, the lights dimmed, and applause erupted throughout the pub. Violet stepped off the stage with the other members, stopping to chat with some of the attendees. Michael’s gaze followed her intently, and when their eyes met, she waved at him with a bright smile before walking over.

“Hi!” Violet greeted him warmly, clearly recognising him. “You’re the guy with the lost book, right?”

Michael nodded, feeling a surge of nervousness as he looked down.

“Yeah, I came to see the gig,” he said. “I didn’t know you were in the band. I’ve been following you for a while—” he lied, “—and it was amazing!”

“Oh, thanks!” she replied, her smile widening. “I’ve been with the band for two years. How long have you been listening to our songs?”

“Uh, a few months now. Do you write the songs yourselves?”

“Most of them, yeah. We all collaborate on the lyrics and the music.”

Oliver, who had been silent up to this point, finally intervened.

“Excuse me, I’m Oliver,” he introduced himself. “Bryon? Any relation to Frederick and Victor Bryon?”

Violet’s smile faltered slightly, but she composed herself quickly.

“Yes… they’re my father and my twin brother,” she replied, studying them with curiosity. “How do you know them?”

Oliver shrugged.

“We study with him. He’s… interesting.”

Michael studied Violet, trying to figure out if she shared anything more than the surname with Victor. Her kindness seemed to contrast sharply with her brother’s arrogance and carefree attitude.

Violet chuckled softly, easing the tension.

“‘Interesting’ is one way to put it. He’s a difficult guy to get along with,” she said, glancing at Michael. “Michael can vouch for that.”

“Why do you say that?” Michael asked.

“Well… Victor tends to…” she sighed, rolling her eyes. “He can be a bit of an idiot, always provoking people. If you ever, I mean, you guys ever, end up in that situation, I’d just let it go.”

Michael nodded. Violet knew her brother well. He seized the moment to study her, his eyes tracing the subtle tension in her expression. A tiny vein popped on her forehead, and Michael found it endearing.

He was about to say something, anything, to keep the conversation going, but they were interrupted by a girl with spiky hair and way too much hair gel.

“Hey, guys!” she greeted. “By any chance, do you know someone who could take pictures for our flyers?”

“Yes!” Michael exclaimed, causing everyone to look at him. “I… I have a camera, and experience… in parties.”

Oliver raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. Violet, on the other hand, smiled widely. The spiky-haired girl asked,

“Are you a photographer?”

“Not professionally, but I think I could make it work,” Michael assured her.

“That could be useful. Do you have any samples of your work?” she asked.

Michael hesitated, and the punk girl looked at him, confused. Violet quickly intervened.

“Michael mentioned it, actually,” she invented smoothly. “He told me when we first met, Walda.” The girl shot her a look. “You know, with exams and everything, I completely forgot.”

Michael and Oliver exchanged puzzled glances. Oliver knew Michael didn’t own a camera, nor was he a photographer. He was certain of it. He watched Michael’s dreamy expression, as if Violet had just said the most incredible thing in the world.

“Alright,” Walda said, clapping Michael on the back. “You’re hired, then, mate.” She left without another word.

Violet burst out laughing.

“Oh, I hope you can get us out of this mess now, Gavey,” she said, smiling at him.

“I’m sure your friend will be disappointed,” he teased.

“We’ll manage,” Violet reassured him. “We can meet up to work on the framing for the photos and all that. Give me your number, and we’ll sort it out.”

Michael nodded, feeling his nervousness bubbling up as she handed him her Sony Ericsson. With eager hands, he gave her his Nokia, and they exchanged numbers.

That night, Michael returned to his room with his head spinning. Oliver had congratulated him as if they had arranged a date. But for Michael, it felt more like he had just been able to socialise like a functional person. He wouldn’t lie—there was something about Violet that intrigued him deeply. But the fact that she was Victor’s sister complicated things.

Michael was completely fascinated by Violet. Since their first encounter, there had been something about her that left him speechless. There was a quality in her demeanor that captivated him, and though he tried to stay calm, he couldn't stop thinking about her. He would love to see her again, get to know her better. But he convinced himself that it would be best to remain just friends, or at least that was what he told himself. He didn’t want anything complicated, not now, especially with the shadow of Victor looming over him.

The idea of keeping things purely friendly seemed like the most sensible option. After all, how likely was it that she saw anything more in him? They had just met, and though she seemed interested, the connection he felt was more of a fleeting attraction, a passing fancy. In his mind, he repeated to himself that there was nothing he could offer her beyond friendship.

However, as he replayed what had happened that night, something didn’t quite add up. The way Violet had acted with him, her ease in making up that story about the camera, the way she had been so confident and relaxed around him—it left him confused. Michael couldn’t understand why she had done all that. Why invent such a detailed story just to make him look good?

He couldn’t help but feel flattered, but at the same time, a growing doubt began to take root. What if it had all been a game? Another prank? Maybe she just wanted to make him feel important, as if he were playing a role in a story he didn’t fully understand.

Michael kept replaying every word, every gesture from Violet in his mind, unable to find a clear answer. Deep down, something told him there was more to it, something he just couldn’t grasp. In a way, Violet had been more direct with him than with anyone else, but he didn’t realise it. He didn’t understand that Violet had been flirting with him. He had been so absorbed in his own thoughts that he hadn’t recognised the signs.

He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to make sense of what had happened. There was something in the way she looked at him, in her laughter, in the way she had made excuses to stay close. Maybe it wasn’t just friendliness. Maybe Violet, without even realising it, had been showing him something more. And that left him completely puzzled.

How could he have missed it? But the truth was, he had no idea. Maybe he was too shy, or perhaps he had just thought it was all a dream. Maybe, in the end, it would be best to stick with what had happened: a friendship, perhaps an opportunity to learn more about her. He wasn’t ready to believe that someone like Violet, so confident and charming, could actually be flirting with him.

[ssruis]

Spoilers (with little context, from what im pretty sure is a machine TL doc, please for the love of god take none of this as solid facts)

Ena constantly blaming herself and wondering what would have happened if she was more prepared, or if kanade or mafuyu had been there instead… Ena acknowledging that it *would* be something she was always aware of, and that she knows that would hurt mizuki but she doesn’t know if her desire to maintain their friendship would hurt mizuki… ouuuhhhhg

Akito nice brother moments

Mizuki is still skipping. I was right about akito putting ena in contact with an, but not about how rui gets involved. I thought an would point mizuki to rui, but he just kinda. Shows up. Hi buddy nice to see you. “Oh hello shinonome-san” this fucker loves just walking up to people doesn’t he.

I love that mizuki is still speaking to an ohhh i love the mizuan bond

As I’d expected, mizuki didn’t tell rui about what happened. I’m glad Rui was able to give ena advice and listen to her though.

Sigh. Kicks rock. Another sigh. You knew this would happen im wxs pilled. let’s just get it out of the way.

1) mizuena rks parallels once again. You love to see it.

2) he’s either talking about wxs as a group or, more likely (imo, just given the fact that tsukasa was the one chasing rui down because he was the one who fucked up, and demanding he rejoin), tsukasa himself. Which is so… kamishiro rui. I don’t like you.

3) im not mad if hes talking about wxs as a group though. He loves his friends. Smiles serenely.

Ok im done now.

“I’m sure mizuki wanted a future with you all in it” kms kms kms

Kanade good friend moments. Also mafuyu good friend moments even if saying “it’d be a problem for me too if mizuki stopped showing up” is the funniest possible way to show it.

Wow niigo kaito participating out of his own will. Shock and awe.

Really love how ena was so careful with not wanting an to mention her name, because she doesn’t want mizuki to stop talking to the one person she’s still speaking with

“I don’t want to live but I don’t have the courage to disappear” Jesus fucking Christ. Ohhhhh mizuki :(((

Niigo collectively searching for mizuki… they love her so much…

“She’ll take supplementary classes to avoid failing the year bc she doesn’t want to inconvenience anyone” ohhhuhhh. 1) thank you touya. You snitch. (Fond) 2) mizukiiiiiii :(((((

ENNAAAAA AUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH (agonized wailing)

“You’ve always been you to me” AUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Doc cuts off here. im assuming there’s more given what I’ve seen from card stories. <- edit I lied that’s it. Card stories give more info/continue the story a bit.

[chaifootsteps]

I do not like when a series relies on secondary canon material to supplement fundamental information - or provide answers to valid audiences questions - that the main series left open. I’m not saying secondary canon material - often represented through comics (the most common), mini-sodes, novels, or even interviews - is inherently bad, but us as audience members can very easily tell when an instance of secondary canon material was absolutely only created because the original series writers either realized their slip up with a plot hole now identifiable in the main series or because the writers genuinely didn’t care enough to address that hole in the main series. There’s two main issues I have with this use of supplemental material to fill in missing information from a main series: Firstly - as I once heard it very accurately phrased - it’s basically pushing audiences to “do homework” on their own viewing experience, which can create a sense of competition and exclusion among the fans if not everyone knows the tidbits of lore revealed in the secondary canon or if all fans are even able to ACCESS that secondary canon (be that monetary reasons, distribution/translation delays, censorship laws in different nations, etc.). 

Secondly, and I cannot stress this second issue enough: The very existence of secondary canon material seems completely null and void when it is so often retconned by the primary canon of the series trying to FILL IN THE VERY PLOT HOLES THE SECONDARY CANON EXISTS TO ANSWER. I can think of SO MANY pieces of supplementary media to a major story line that are seemingly treated like shit by the creators of the main story line with how they don’t even bother to consider what the secondary canon has gone and already explained for THE MAIN STORY’S SAKE. Look, I get it, often the main series has a much bigger writing team with executives demanding certain writing choices or plot beats of the main series who themselves don’t give a flying rat’s ass about the supplementary material’s writer team, but that can still be true at the same time as the fact that the main series writing team could at least try to respect what the supplementary canon has established. 

Absolutely. Secondary material to fluff out the main story, or to expand on it after the main story's complete? Excellent, universally loved.

Secondary material that's necessary to the main story, but you either want to keep it paywalled or couldn't be assed to add it? You have failed as a storyteller.

[gynandromorph]

any advice you might have for other artists who also are or want to write, illustrate, and self-publish a graphic novel physically? been super inspired by your work for years and would love to hear if you have any insight on either step of the process in your experience

honestly i'm not sure if i can give any advice because i haven't self-published mine yet and i'm still learning a lot when it comes to drawing it... draw big (450 dpi kind of big) and make it black and white if you can because it'll save you a lot of time and money (if you draw a b/w one you are going to want to aim for like 600+ dpi). keep files with lines on a different layer at the very least if you are working digitally because you have to do something called "backing" them to make them look black. i would have gone with print ninja if not for the censorship laws in china but it should be accessible if your story isn't like. graphic or adult. generally you will want to use a print-on-demand service if possible (nofna uses kablam iirc). for writing one... try to be concise with the story. anything can be published as supplementary content on the side, so try to only keep in scenes and dialogue that the story really needs. you might benefit from a more specific style of scripting, where every panel on every page is described, or a loose scripting style, where almost nothing is described, just dialogue. i'm a planner and generally i have an idea of beats that a story needs to hit as i'm "sculpting" the script in the early phases, but a lot of people are discovery writers who find planning boring, limiting, etc. those kinds of preferences i think come down to experience from experimenting. make sure you know what kind of style you want to do for your comic as well... the messier and looser you go with the style, the easier it's going to be, because you are going to look back on it halfway through the project and like 20 months in and see mistakes, but they will meld into the "vibe" more. however, this is harder to do with black-and-white since it has to rely a lot more on lineart to convey the imagery. anyway. if i learn anything else i'll let you know lol. it's been a horrible time all around and honestly if the plot did not extremely DEPEND ON IT BEING PRINTED, i would have just made the story entirely digital. it wouldn't be worth the constant road blocks and limitations. also i think the more advice you look up about comics the worse it gets because you just acquire more and more useless compulsions insane comic artists regurgitate onto the internet like it's fact and it really really really slows you down in the end. there are so many stupid fucking opinions about how speech bubbles and panels should look i wish i could Unsee

[thoodleoo]

Hey, I wondered if you could tell us more about how you use teachers pay teachers. I’d like to start creating for it, but I don’t know anyone who does, just downloaders. Do you make any money there? Is it worth it for you? What kind of your resources are your most popular?

i only very recently created an account and made my first sale. it does cost a one-time fee to make a seller account, so i'm actually still in the red from making my account. that being said, it's pretty intuitive and easy to use! it's not the sort of thing i would necessarily create resources for at this point in time, but given that i just made a supplementary curriculum for my classes, i figured i'd upload things i made for. it's also given me a little extra motivation to work on some of the supplemental/replacement stories i've been wanting to write for cambridge latin course (coughvenaliciuscough)

a couple things to keep in mind before making your account:

1. that one-time fee for setting up a seller account

2. payouts are once a month, not on demand

3. your first resource needs to be free to download

[mdzs-fanon-exposed]

Introductory post: Please read! :)

hi everyone! welcome to my very own MDZS-specific iteration of the unparalleled @svsss-fanon-exposed and @tgcf-fanon-exposed. this blog is designed to find the differences between canon and fanon in the Mo Dao Zu Shi/Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation fandom.

this blog is ENGLISH NOVEL CANON ONLY. although i may occasionally cite the drama or the donghua as the potential source for any misconceptions, the canons of these adaptations differ too much from the novel canon for my purposes (plus i haven't finished either one. whoops).

how this whole thing works:

send me an ask! is this thing you thought was canon actually fanon? is that fanon idea supported in the books? where? why? how?

i'll answer the ask with a rating, using SVFE's helpful rating system (explained below), and then go into detail. generally a post will include textual evidence supporting my rating, and possibly an analysis of what this means/where an idea came from.

i'll do my best not to introduce my own personal opinions or biases into the posts. if you have any textual evidence that you think disproves or otherwise contradicts one of my posts, i'm always happy to be corrected! HOWEVER. please do not argue with me or anyone else unnecessarily; this blog is not supposed to be a site for or source of discourse. i will block anyone who is repeatedly coming at me with bad faith. i'm doing this project for fun, and i want to keep it that way for everyone :)

posts will probably be sporadic so i don't burn myself out and lose interest. however, i want to try and answer as many questions as i can! submissions will open and close based on demand so i can stay on top of things.

some important things to keep in mind:

i'm not here to dunk on anyone's headcanons, and i am fully supportive of everyone's creative choices in the fandom!! (in fact i have many headcanons myself.) DO NOT harass anyone for their interpretations of the series. my purpose here is just to clarify whether certain ideas are textually supported, NOT to give an opinion on them.

i'm doing this blog for fun, so i'll be treating it as a casual project. i will only be using the official english translation of the novels, with the supplementary exception of the exiled rebels fanlation. i don't speak any chinese, so i will not be using the untranslated raws or any non-english fandom sources in my posts. although i'll be doing research as needed, i also will not be evaluating any headcanons purely based on chinese cultural norms, due to my unfamiliarity with them. if you are more familiar with any of these sources and have more information to add to a post, please let me know!

another thing to keep in mind: the official translation of the novels is not considered fully accurate to the original chinese. i am not immune to making mistakes, either. please take my posts with a grain of salt.

BECAUSE this is a casual project from someone whose only credentials are being completely obsessed with mo dao zu shi and knowing how to write an essay, anyone is welcome to make a blog that does this but. better. let me know if you start one and i'll point people your way lol.

finally: i will NOT be entertaining any character bashing in or on my blog. again, this is not a personal opinion-based blog, i'm looking at textual support, so honestly i don't think this disclaimer is necessary. but. just in case.

💥💥the rating system:💥💥

CANON: what it says on the tin! this fact is supported by the text. if you're trying to be as canon-compliant as possible, this rating is for you.

RUMOR: this fact is an in-text rumor. although this idea is mentioned in the novel, it's still not explicitly confirmed as canon. the characters themselves don't know if it's true or not!

FANON – SUPPORTED: not directly stated in canon, but it's a very likely interpretation, taking into account factors like cultural norms and occam's razor! this rating might be retroactively added to a post previously rated FANON – NEUTRAL, based on crowdsourced information about the raws or chinese culture.

FANON – NEUTRAL: it's not canon, but it's not NOT canon. the text neither confirms nor denies this interpretation, so it's up to you whether you want to consider it true to canon or not. the world is your oyster.

FANON – UNSUPPORTED: not directly stated in canon, but it's a very unlikely interpretation, taking into account factors like cultural norms and occam's razor. this rating might be retroactively added to a post previously rated FANON – NEUTRAL, based on crowdsourced information about the raws or chinese culture.

FANON – CONFLICTING: this idea directly contradicts something stated in the text. if you want to stay as canon-compliant as possible, this rating is not for you.

[thedepressedjuggalette]

Arcane theory: Skye IS the Inspiration Rune.

Okay, I know it's kinda worthless to have a theory when the rest of the show is going to be coming out soon, but I need to get this brainrot out of my head while I can. But he warned fuck ton of spoilers ahead especially if I am right. Also there is so much brainrot you are probably going to call the cops on me.

And the title itself outright shows what my theory is.

However, let me elaborate.

I play League of Legends and like every single summoner on the rift knows there are more than just four runes trees.

It has been pointed out countless times that Viktor's Hexcore is incomplete.

Looking here we have Precision, Domination, Sorcery, and Resolve but one is missing which is the very obvious Inspiration Rune.

To give you a basic understanding of how these Runes work in game:

The Precision tree grants you improved attacks and sustainable damage.

The Domination tree grants you burst damage and target access.

The Sorcery tree grants you empowered abilities and resources control.

The Resolve tree grants you durability and crowd control.

But the Inspiration tree grants you creative tools and rule bending.

This all should sound familiar now that we have the first three episodes of season two.

Jayce, Ekko, and Heimerdinger had found that the arcane is upset from all the demands that Hextech had made and even started affecting the weaponry that Jayce had made.

Jayce and Victor's research and inventions are incomplete and thus are fairly unstable and volatile depending on what runes they had used for their inventions.

To give you an example as to what the Inspiration Rune does in comparison to the others let's look at the raw trees themselves.

The Inspiration tree is the most versatile of all the runes in League of Legends. When picking your runes you get the first "Keystone" rune tree and are able to pick from a variety of benefits before picking a supplementary rune set that doesn't offer as much of a drastic benefit as the first one but does offer a fair amount of goodies.

Here are the benefits you can pick from in the Inspiration tree.

From two simple images in this you can spot Hextech clearly -- one of them being outright called Hextech Flashtraption.

But to look at the analysis, the rule breaking in this tree is fucking insane with the keystone runes alone.

Glacial Augment:

Passive: Immobilizing an enemy champion will cause 3 glacial rays to emanate from them towards you and other nearby enemy champions, creating icy zones with a 700 unit radius that last for 3 (+ 100% of the immobilizing effect's duration) seconds.

Enemies within the icy zones, which have a width of 80 units, are slowed by 20% (+ 7% per 100 bonus AD) (+ 6% per 100 AP) (+ 9% per 10% heal and shield power) and have their damage reduced by 15% against your allies, excluding yourself.

Unsealed Spellbook:

Passive: While not channeling Teleport and being out-of-combat for 5 seconds, you can swap one of your equipped summoner spells to a new, single use summoner spell. You cannot select a summoner spell you have already equipped.

Your first swap becomes available after 6 minutes, with an initial 300 second cooldown. Selecting a unique summoner spell reduces the swap cooldown by 25 seconds. You must swap to 3 different summoner spells before returning to one you've already used.

Selecting a summoner spell puts it on a 5 second cooldown.

Using a selected summoner spell puts the summoner spell in the same slot on a 10 second cooldown.

(a summoner spell is a spell that you the player has that works outside of the champions themselves' skillset, from Flash -- a small blink that is used to bypass walls and dodge enemy attacks but is put on a rather long cool down, Ignite -- a spell used to set the enemy on fire for a short duration of time, and more.)

And finally First Strike:

Passive: Dealing damage or applying a crowd control effect to an enemy champion within the first 0.25 seconds of champion combat, grants 10 Gold 10 and First Strike for 3 seconds, causing all of your post-mitigation damage dealt against champions to deal 7% bonus true damage. Afterwards, you are granted gold equal to ( Melee role 50% / Ranged role 35%) of all bonus damage dealt within the duration.

First Strike will be placed on full cooldown after being struck by an enemy champion before you strike them.

These are completely different and outright insane in comparison to the other runes, which I will give one example from each tree.

From the Precision tree let's look at the most famous of them, Press the Attack:

Passive: Basic attacks on-hit against enemy champions apply a stack for 4 seconds, refreshing on subsequent applications, expiring upon attacking a new champion, and stacking up to 3 times. The third stack consumes all stacks to deal 40 − 160 (based on level) bonus Attack damage Magic damage adaptive damage and grant you 8% increased damage (except Hybrid penetration true damage) against champions until you are no longer in combat with them.

Adaptive Damage: This effect deals either physical or magic damage depending on the damage contribution from your attack damage and ability power to the effect's damage formula. Greater bonus damage from the AD (Attack Damage) ratio → Physical damage. Greater bonus damage from the AP (Ability Power) ratio → Magic damage.

If the damage contribution of AD and AP are zero or otherwise equal, the damage type depends on the effect's particular default.

From the Domination tree we have Dark Harvest:

Passive: Damaging basic attacks and ability damage against enemy champions below 50% of their maximum health deal 20 (+ 9 per Soul) (+ 10% bonus AD) (+ 5% AP) bonus Attack damage Magic damage adaptive damage and, after a 1.75-second delay, reap 1 Soul. This cannot occur again for 35 seconds, resetting to 1 second upon scoring a Damage rating takedown against an enemy champion.

While not on cooldown, also reap 1 Soul from receiving the kill credit of a champion killed by a minion, monster, or turret.

Adaptive Damage: This effect deals either physical or magic damage depending on the damage contribution from your attack damage and ability power to the effect's damage formula.

Greater bonus damage from the AD ratio → Physical damage. Greater bonus damage from the AP ratio → Magic damage. If the damage contribution of AD and AP are zero or otherwise equal, the damage type depends on the effect's particular default.

In Sorcery we have Arcane Comet:

Passive: Dealing ability damage to an enemy champion hurls an Arcane Comet at their current location that lands after 0.825 seconds, dealing 30 − 130 (based on level) (+ 10% bonus AD) (+ 5% AP) physical or magic damage to enemies within a 140 radius upon impact. Dealing forms of ability damage reduces the remaining cooldown. Spell damage: 20% Area damage: 10% per enemy hit Persistent damage: 5% If「 10% bonus AD ≥ 5% AP, 」「 bonus AD ≥ 50% AP, 」deals physical damage. If otherwise, deals magic damage.

And finally in Resolve we have Grasp of the Undying:

Passive: Entering combat generates 1 stack every second for the next 3 seconds, refreshing the duration with each instance of combat and stacking the effect up to 4 times. At maximum stacks, your next basic attack on-hit within 5 seconds against an enemy champion consumes all stacks to deal bonus magic damage equal to ( Melee role 3.5% / Ranged role 2.1%) of your maximum health, heal you for ( Melee role 1.3% / Ranged role 0.78%) of your maximum health), and permanently grant ( Melee role 5 / Ranged role 3) bonus health.

These are basic as hell where Inspiration's tree grants you so much versatility.

Now that we have this all established let's look at the entire point of Hextech as established by Viktor and Jayce.

They invented Hextech to IMPROVE LIVES.

For instance Jayce outright states that he made the Atlas Gauntlets to help the people mining in the Fissures to work faster and without fatigue. Hence improving efficiency.

If I were to assign runes to the gauntlets it would be the Resolve Tree.

However we have to look at something specific when it comes to Arcane and Hextech in general.

In Arcane and League of Legends Lore, you have to be BORN WITH MAGIC in order to use magic. Even in the second episode one of the Council members outright said you have to be "Born with Arcane talents, you can't just make them".

This outright shows that Jayce and Viktor are rule breaking.

To stabilize this that means a new Rune has to be made or found. So here is where my theory comes full circle.

Skye actively wanted to help Viktor because he inspired her. She was in love with him, and it was very clear to anyone with half a braincell that she loved him with all her heart.

I imagine that finding out his prognosis made her want to save him no matter what. And she unknowingly sacrificed her life for him when the Hexcore was going out of control. And it took her. After all to quote Fullmetal Alchemist "Human kind can not gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of equivalent exchange."

So upon being taken by the Hexcore her sentience has possessed the Hexcore and is now trapped inside it. She is now leading Viktor to his dream of helping those in need in Zaun after saving him from the brink of death. Once something goes wrong however, she will stabilize Magic itself and become the rune of Inspiration, to ensure the safety of not only Viktor but all of Piltover, Zaun and even Runeterra as a whole.

I am probably super far off, but fuck you my brain is rotting and melting out of my ears to such a point I'm probably gonna go insane. Someone send help. I need an ambulance.

[imjustaf444keriguess]

sources time

(base links for some of the sources: sophie's page, the guardians doc. also note i am not a scientist and could be wrong, and some of these sources might not be super good sources or reliable. if you wish to debunk any sources and their claims with better evidence, feel free. also, not all of these sources directly say "this is 100% a real phenomenon", but shows that currently, there are studies being worked on and planned to explore what people are already experiencing, and how non-traumagenic plurality differs from traumagenic plurality)

the tulpa study's AMA (if it's been published i'll edit this once i know of it)

Collective-Screaming 6mo ago Hi! Nice to see you two here :D If you can say, what differences did you find between how the brain expresses both the host and the created headmate (tulpa)? Was there any difference between when someone was fully switched in and just controlling (possessing, whether fully or just some parts of) the body?

michael_lifshitz 6mo ago Hi, thanks for your question! Our strongest finding was when we looked at tulpa possession. We were using a simple writing task in the fMRI. We found that when a tulpa is possessing the body and writing a sentence, there is reduced activity in a particular part of the brain that's involved in planning actions and having a sense of agency over your actions (the pre-supplementary motor area, or pre-SMA). This suggests that tulpamancers have learned to down-regulate this key agency/planning region, which lets an alternative agent (the tulpa) take control. It's pretty amazing that tulpa systems can do this on demand. We did have a few tulpamancers who could switch, but we haven't carefully looked at their data yet to see how it's different from normal possession. That's a secondary analysis we're planning after the main results come out :)

(there is more information in the AMA thread, but this comment is Lifshitz using the term "tulpa system", which is amusing when anti-endos and sysmeds insist that system is exclusive to DID.)

tulpas and mental health, a study of online tulpamancers and their experiences with mental health

an "explorative interview study" on multiples personal experiences

"exploring the experiences of young people with multiplicity" mentions:

Respondents discussed that there is a lack of understanding regarding how multiplicity develops without a basis in trauma. For respondents who did not have a trauma history, they described feeling ‘left out of the conversation’ and ‘unable to access support’ or resources. Many people discussed multiplicity in terms of being an experience and a part of their lives, rather than being a ‘disorder’ which needs to be treated or cured. [...] A greater level of understanding and resources were mentioned as being needed within both research and practice.

a similar paper by the same people as the above one that's "exploring the utility and personal relevance of co-produced multiplicity resources"

1.Assuming that someone has multiplicity because they have been abused can be experienced as disempowering and impersonal. Don’t assume a trauma history or pathology. If suitable and appropriate, the young person may wish to confide in you in their own time. An identify of being multiple can exist separately from a young person who has experienced abuse. Multiplicity can be viewed as posiitve by young people.

conceptualizing multiplicity spectrum experiences

5.1.1 Misinterpretation of multiplicity experiences Research discussed the lack of diversity encapsulated in current explanations of multiplicity, with primarily medicalised perspectives explored and validated by support and research (Floris & McPherson, 2015). Individuals discussed the link between their experiences and past traumatic events, which they often felt was part of the development of multiplicity (McRae et al., 2017; Parry et al., 2018); however, the conceptualizations of their trauma varied. While some discussed multiplicity in terms of protective factors against trauma (Fox et al., 2013; Zeligman et al., 2017), others felt experiences were separate from prior trauma (Perry et al., 2007). Often not captured within research that solely focuses on clinical aspects of multiplicity, not all experiences were discussed as being a result of trauma, which added to the complexity in understanding (Ribáry et al., 2017). The lack of standardized language was a barrier to understanding (Černis et al., 2020). Overall, a variety of unique terminology was reported, including ‘multiples’, ‘residents’ and ‘plural identity’ (Blunden & Billie., 2021; Ribáry et al., 2017). As a result, participants felt misaligned with current discussions around multiplicity, which is often more complex than current criteria and language elucidates.

6.1 Multiplicity: Disorder versus experience The findings of this review support the notion that multiplicity experiences are complex and varied, existing across a continuum inclusive of multiplicity, DID and derealization–depersonalization (Sar, 2011). Findings also recognized that individuals with lived experiences can struggle to articulate their experiences, perhaps due to a limited framework of available language, representative of our developing understanding and the nuances surrounding multiplicity. Consequently, as with other mental health experiences, multiplicity is often oversimplified and depersonalized, leading people to question their identity, exacerbating one of the central tenants of depersonalization, rather than supporting self-acceptance. As detailed in Table 2, there are unique features associated with multiplicity, DID and depersonalization–derealization disorder, which warrant individual exploration, terminology and support.

the creators of the TOSD mentioning other forms of plurality and the need to study them

Dissociation in Hypnosis and Mediumship Our definition of dissociation pertains to a division of the personality in the context of trauma. We are aware that this division may also occur in hypnosis and mediumship, that several other definitions of dissociation also address these other contexts, and that there are some indications that dissociation in these other contexts is also best understood as a division of personality. For example, Hilgard's well-known “hidden observer,” as found in some highly hypnotizable subjects, involves a dissociative part of the personality that is endowed with consciousness and self-consciousness, but the phenomenon is disputed (e.g., CitationKihlstrom, 1998; CitationKirsch & Lynn, 1998). Mediumship may involve conscious and self-conscious dissociative parts of the personality (CitationBraude, 1995). However, dissociation in mediums is in several regards different from dissociation in DID (CitationMoreira-Almeida, Neto, & Cardeña, 2008). The possible involvement of consciousness and self-consciousness in dissociated controls in hypnosis and in dissociative parts in mediumship needs to be examined in more detail before a conclusive general definition of dissociation can be formulated.

the ICD and DSM's exclusions. notably, the ICD uses the same language for its "boundary with normality" as it does for the alters themselves.

(EG is "for example", so it is not the only possibility it's excluding)

(note criteria C and D)

[therealmlpguy]

propoganda:

The Enigma of Amigara Fault: They are soulmate, they are destined to be one, but the hole will change Owaki till he is not even more human

Star Wars:

Leia and Tarkin are an insanely dysfunctional match… He is a 64 year old highly ranking military leader and politician for an authoritarian/fascist regime (the Galactic Empire) which usurped the galaxy’s government in the same year of Leia’s birth. She is the 19 year old crown princess and Imperial Senator for the peaceful planet of Alderaan, and secretly uses her status in order to spy and deliver supplies and information for the Rebel Alliance— a small, plucky band of freedom fighters seeking to overthrow the Empire and return democracy/peace/freedom etc. Could I make it anymore obvious 😐 It’s very heavily suggested in the film, and shown in supplementary material (books, comics, etc) that Leia and Tarkin have always hated each other’s guts. Tarkin has long suspected both Leia and her family, the royal house of Alderaan, of being rebel agents/sympathizers. In the book Leia: Princess of Alderaan we see him stalking them about it and trying to exploit Leia’s vulnerabilities to get her to crack.

He invites her to to his office for tea and basically implies that he will have her parents assassinated and install her as a puppet ruler of her planet in their stead. She’s also sixteen at that point. Then, at the beginning of the main film, Leia— now nineteen— gets captured by Darth Vader while on a mission— Vader is also kind of sort of under Tarkin’s command at the time. Leia is taken to the Death Star— a giant battle station which can blow up planets, which Tarkin has been given charge of— and held as a prisoner. There she is tortured using spooky sci-fi devices for information about the rebels, including the location of their base, which Tarkin and Vader want to destroy. Vader’s the main torturer but it is clear that Tarkin is involved in supervising the whole thing and may have participated directly off screen. (The torture includes stuff like: injecting her with hallucinogenic drugs that make her believe herself to be in super duper pain (like she’s on fire), shocking her, pinching and poking her with stuff, etc etc). Leia does not tell them anything.

When Vader reports back to Tarkin that he hasn’t broken Leia, our crusty villain is not pleased. Until he comes up with a worser more evil plan…. And so he has Leia brought to the bridge of the station to show this evil plan off. He orders her execution and taunts her about it while creepily touching her face, then blows up her entire home planet of Alderaan in front of her as an elaborate means of psychological torture. Keep in mind Alderaan is full of a ton of civilians who have nothing to do with the war. This is a war crime. Beforehand a horrified Leia feigns breaking and giving him the rebel base’s location in order to try and buy time to save her people; Tarkin thinks she told the truth but still destroys Alderaan anyway because the planet she named was “too remote to provide an effective demonstration” of the Death Star’s capability. In short he has no respect for life and wants to see her suffer.

The entire time this scene happens he’s being very cold and clearly taking sadistic amusement in Leia’s pain and in getting to kill all these innocent people. He also invades Leia’s personal space a lot in a very creepy way. We can see that Leia— who is genuinely a very brave girl— is pretty scared by him at this point. But also very angry. The moment he finds out Leia’s information was a lie he becomes enraged (he can excuse planetary genocide but he DRAWS THE LINE at getting tricked by a teen girl he’s holding captive) and demands that she be terminated (executed) immediately. Fortunately da boiz (Luke Skywalker Han Solo Chewbacca Obi wobi etc) arrive on the Death Star just in time to save the beautiful princess from dying of Terminal Old Man.

She leads said boiz back to the real rebel base and delivers the plans to the Death Star so that they can blow the thing up. They blow it up, killing Tarkin. TL;DR -This ship is between a very young girl and a very old man and that’s the least of their problems -They hate each other and are political enemies. Moreover he kind of borderline stalked her as a teen. -She was captured and became his prisoner. He had her tortured for information. -when she didn’t break, he blew up her entire planet, killing 2 billion innocents solely to traumatize and spite her. -He sentenced her to be executed, and she played a vital role in the battle that led to his actual death. Both have strong intentions to kill the other. There is not a UNIVERSE in which the relationship between these two wouldn’t be something messed up and VILE. That is a big draw for them. They have a weird sort of chemistry. I love them sosososososoo much. Hopefully this educated you on how messed up they are. Like sure your enemies to lovers ship is good I bet but is your bad guy an irredeemable fascist who killed 2 billion people because your heroine made him mad??? Probably not.