#swordless

[chexhuman]

RIP Debt Not Runs is live! Excited to participate with a run on Friday: A Link to the Past — Swordless No EG!

[rankohoshino]

[batbusiness-schooldropout]

Geralt in the show: Bards are too loud, why's this one following me, blah blah blah

Geralt in the game: Literally gets drunk with, and then robbed by, two random bards

[giurochedadomani]

There was this beautiful art I saw at some point in the tag, or maybe in someone's artblog, idek. The thing is, it was about Shanks and Mihawk sleeping in a barn. And now I kind of really, really want to do something à la The Hangover with young!Mishanks in which Mihawk wakes up all cuddled up nice and comfortable next to Shanks after a night of heavy drinking and the awkwardness of getting up next to his crush, and oh no feelings (ugh) gets quickly swallowed up when he cannot. find his sword.

[every-yumichika]

[hellas-himself]

Nemi bby is home 💖

[swordflown]

plot call.

of the prompts for this month, i'd like to pick up the snake-oil healer one, but with more focus on grey morality and the struggle between ethical dilemmas vs. compassion:

the people of dayspring are begging for help, but i'd like to explore the idea of there being a subset of village that very adamantly wants this healer to stay. the fact of the matter is that they're getting cured of their debilitating conditions, even if someone else has to suffer for it; for some people, even guilt of damning another person doesn't outweigh the relief of finally being free of pain and being able to properly live. how do our muses navigate the pushback from them when they begin trying to oust this healer? what if one of those villagers tries to put a stop to our muses' efforts by foisting their condition onto one of them instead?

discord dm's preferred if you're in the server o7 otherwise im's here are also fine. please let me know what you're thinking your muse can bring to the table with this concept!

[kawaiisimp]

Why am I Jenkins?

[merriclo]

i love my irls one of them invited me to learn how to sword fight from his older sister like half a year ago and now i go over there every sunday and fuck around. we are doing nothing productive and it just makes my knee hurt but holy fuck is it delightful

[gtds-ronin]

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Glitchless Any% TAS in 1:57:33.33 (...

A legend returns!

[graveyardshiftcryptid]

Wednesday: "Enid, where is my sword?"

Enid, distantly: "I uh, I put it away!"

Wednesday: "Where?"

Enid: "Why do you need to know?"

Wednesday: "I need it!"

Enid, entering the room: "Oh no you don't, babycakes. We are GOING to this charity auction."

Wednesday: "Nevermore is in DANGER, Enid!"

Enid: "My EVENING is in danger, Wednesday! You are not fighting any evil reanimated puritans, crazed stalkers, or rabid werewolves today!"

Wednesday: "You tell me where my sword is wolf! We are talking about a genuine danger to outcasts!

Enid: "The only danger you need concern yourself with tonight is ME. Your mother is hosting this auction. We. Are. Going. You'll hug your mother for no less than 10 seconds, and you will buy me something pretty. Now, get your coat."

Wednesday, swordless and fuming: "...yes, dear."

[casual-praxis]

Upon looking a little closer at the last page, and not being sleep-deprived anymore, I think it’s actually more likely that the real Vio approached the group from behind. This answers my original (unasked) question of why Red and Blue changed positions with each other between panels. They didn't, they just turned around.

Vio still ran directly for Red, but that at least explains why Red would approach without his sword (tho I'd argue he still has a lot of faith this isn't a fake Vio who's about to stab him--the only unarmed person in the group).

Also, unrelated note, I think it's super sweet that Vio (seemingly) ran right to Red. They really do just gravitate towards each other for some reason.

I have a new random "theory" that barely has legs to stand, but I'll share it anyway. Just don't blow on it or it'll probably implode.

Is it possible that Red could tell Shadow was impersonating Vio in the Tower of Winds? The only reason I started thinking about this was because of this line here, back in chapter 6, when Blue is trying to convince Red the other two are fine.

This may or may not just be foreshadowing for the actual scene where Shadow does impersonate Vio, but Red's note that the Vio they encountered in the Temple of Darkness seemed real is interesting. Mostly because he was right -- that was the real Vio. But did he actually have a way of telling, or was this just Red going through his five-second depression arc?

This got me wondering, so I went and checked the interactions between Red and Shadow during chapter 11 (just noticed chapter 12 is also listed as chapter 11 for some reason) to see what they were like and...honestly, I can't tell if this is even Red or not, but it would be the only dialogue spoken between them if so.

Why didn't they color the speaker in, literally everyone else in the panel is, but I digress. After staring up at the hidden person up in the corner and aggressively comparing the (wildly inconsistent) tunic coloring, I'm like 60% it's Blue trailing after everyone and Red who's talking to Vio. Could be completely wrong though.

Assuming this is Red, then he's checking in on "Vio" since he's acting off. The phrasing stands out a little to me since neither Red nor Blue was there when Green originally asked if Vio was okay, but the emphasis on "sure" could easily be Red affirming for himself Vio is okay.

But wouldn't it be funny if Red were just asking indirectly if "Vio" knew he was acting suspiciously?

This final image is completely speculation, but doesn't it kinda look like Red is staring at Shadow and not Vaati like the others are? Granted, if you zoom in literally none of them are looking in the same direction, and there's a good chance Shadow isn't even actually standing where Red can see him. But still. Interesting if it does line up.

Shortly after this, the real Vio appears and Red seems to run past Green to meet him. So it's possible Red was reacting to the real Vio appearing and not Shadow, which makes the whole theory kinda fall apart right there lmao.

Then again, Red running to the real Vio could also imply he knew the other was a fake? It doesn't look like his sword is out (from this angle), so he ran into stabbing range unarmed. What if this had been the fake? Literally what was he thinking, unless he just knew?

The absolute faith, I could never.

What say y'all? It could be a fun concept to play with if nothing else.

[every-yumichika]

[yarrow-leaf]

A kindling of a swordless bloodshed,

The creaking of a voiceless door —

Another piece inspired by something @mincemeat-the-warforged said that absolutely altered my brain chemistry (the same 1 am conversation that sparked this in fact!)

[hollowwhisperings]

I will remind the Fandom that Nie Huaisang very pointedly made it a point to never wear a saber (in public), to Loudly Complain when forced to, & that he did not go around "Swordless" in an Active Warzone.

Wei Wuxian, in contrast, spent most of his life wearing a sword & that, as First Disciple of the Yumeng Jiang, teaching swordforms was part of his job.

In xianxia settings, it is generally assumed that, by default of being cultivators, a Cultivator is always "Armed". At public events, cultivators give each other the "courtesy" of showing where that weapon is and, in turn, their hosts do not ask them to set said weapons aside.

So if Wei Wuxian, Famous Prodigy of the Jiang Sect & Current Military Powerhouse, is Not Visibly Armed? It means he is Non-Visibly Armed.

Wuxian Tried to Follow Courtesy via wearing his dizi in his sword's place: while sound in principle, this fails because no one believes a dizi is Wei Wuxian's "real" weapon.

This paranoia is then "justified" via WWX taking a Tiger Seal of all things out, mid-battle, from his robes and using that as his Weapon.

Of course Rule Abiders like Jiang Wanyin, Nie Mingjue & Jin Zixuan Challenge Wei Wuxian's breaching protocol by Not Wearing His Sword: if WWX is not openly wearing a sword, he is Actively Concealing his Weapon(s) and that, if challenged, he won't be using a sword. Given that they were in 1) an active warzone and then 2) the politically tense state of "we were just at war" (where WWX kept Pulling Random New Objects of Mass Destruction seemingly out of nowhere)? People want the "comfort" of seeing WWX wearing a sword: they know he's Dangerous but if he's wearing a sword, they can believe that he'll go for his sword first (and not, say, a stamp containing the souls of the damned to destroy them all).

Consider Madam Yu & Zidian: Yu-Furen wears a sword and is Pointedly Open about her Ring doubling as a Spiritual Whip. That said whip in ring-form "flashed" according to her Mood was, I suspect, Purposeful: it declared that Zidian was a secondary weapon, one she was just as willing to use as her sword.

While classism is a Genuine Theme within MDZS, Wei Wuxian's not following protocol as "First Disciple of Yumeng Jiang, Founder of [necromancy] & One-Man Army" by Not Showing His [Weapons] Openly was dangerous: Nie Huaisang "frivolous second son" & "lifelong noncombatant" was, in contrast, just "an embarassment" to everyone around him.

That WWX's detractors defaulted to [classism] was more reflective of the Nature Of His Wrongdoing than of his being "lowborn" (though that plays a part): WWX's breaching etiquette "proves" he lacks Respect for his Elders (held responsible for teaching Etiquette) &/or that his Elders are Not Respectable.

That second part is the Greater Slight, not really to WWX's Dead Parents but to Yumeng Jiang.

More specifically, WWX's going around with [concealed weapons] & sans his sword is an insult to: Jiang Fengmian & Yu-Furen, his foster-parents & formative teachers in sword cultivation; Lan Qiren, renowned master of Ettiquette & WWX's last known teacher... and Shijie (though only WWX & Jiang Wanyin really consider her as such).

Classism comes in but WWX's suddenly not wearing his sword anymore, during & after a war he actively fought in, has Much Higher Stakes than NHS going without a saber in public his entire life, a Known & Ridiculed "Non-Combatant". NHS worked very, very consistently to make himself as non-threatening as possible: WWX was terrifying when he was just a "genius" showing up Young Masters in public. Since the War & WWX's sword being nowhere in sight, a dizi "mockingly" in its place, it was Assumed that WWX was going around Secretly Armed with the Tiger Seal, something small enough for him to use at anytime with no one the wiser until it was too late.

I like how Nie Huaisang straight up refuses to cultivate and carry a sword and no one has anything to say about that because he’s a sect heir but when Wei Wuxian, son of a servant, does it suddenly it’s a problem.

[azu1as]

au where cm goes undercover in a brothel/tavern as a courtesan.

It initially started out as chung myung wanting to help setup an information network for mount hua. This way, they wouldn't have to rely on the beggar's sect alone, meaning they can never get double-crossed. Let's just see you try, Hongdaekwang 💢

surprisingly, chung myung ends up enjoying his trips to the tavern because of the way the sisters there supply him with endless sweets and the nice oils and scents they use on him.

The scent of one of the hair oils reminds him of Tang Bo. It's…nice.

Of course, this is all a plus to the crazy dirt and tea that the sisters and tavern-goers provide him.

Inside the tavern where the night turns hazy as warmth and alcohol loosens lips and tongues in more ways than one, chung myung finds that people there are more willing to divulge secrets and information that would normally cost a fortune (read: several threats) if he turned to the beggar's sect.

Chung Myung also finds out that people open their wallets more frequently with a simple swish of a robe and basic swordless dances.

He can already see Chung Mun's appalled and exasperated face heaven if he knew Chung Myung discovered another way to scam people.

A little plum blossom step here and he has clients throwing wads of cash and coins at him, begging for another show.

'Suckers.' Chung Myung hides his wildly gleeful smile. 'AHEM, I mean my generous clients.'

Not only was he getting blackmail material on several notable figures, but he was also learning about smaller movements from major families thanks to their visiting associates.

He was also earning a lot of money. Can't forget about that.

Unbeknownst to him, however, he becomes a very well-known courtesan for his dances (chung myung's just going through basic sword forms, but shhh nobody needs to know) and supposed beauty.

Rumors say that his moves are so graceful and elegant that flowers bloom with every step and that heaven, if it could, would stop to watch.

And as for the rumored beauty...

It's all because of the mystery and allure that his thick, gauzy mask brings. People say that the courtesan's beauty is simply too much for the mortal man. so much so that he had to hide his beauty lest people go crazy.

The rumors inflate—as they often do—as they're passed around to the point where a large majority would agree that this courtesan is the type of generational beauty that would start wars.

This ends up as a major concern for Mount Hua since the tavern falls under their sect's jurisdiction.

So the Sect Leader sends some of the Swords to check up on the tavern to ensure that their security is sound while Chung Myung was 'away'.

Maybe even offer additional protection, just in case, what with the increased number of visitors from different villages and even sects due to the ongoing festival and a rumored dance performance from the tavern with the blooming courtesan at the center.

And when the courtesan takes center stage that night, each swordless step brings a plum blossom petal fluttering into the evening air, bringing with it a sweet scent and coloring the dark blue sky with a warm pink.

It's a homage to Mount Hua. That much is clear.

The courtesan does one final pose, an empty swordhand outstretched towards the sky.

Baek Cheon knows he isn't the only one who falls a little in love.

»—————————–✄

I'm currently trying to breakthrough my writer's block so other on-going fics/asks in my inbox have been going, but very slowly HAHAHA

Here's the link to the twitter post that spurned this word vomit <3