#tbh for a while I didn’t know immortal was part of this

[fatalwhims]

i am going to ramble about Heart of the Sun Warrior into the void in hopes that someone will actually browse the tags and join me because i need to gush about this book through incoherent rambles

Wow how do I put into words how this book (and duology) made me feel?? Tan had me guessing throughout the entire book about who would be endgame. Just when you think the scale tips one way, she follows it up with a tender scene with the other boy (?? ok technically man, but we’ll affectionally say boy because they are my boys). It swung back and forth so much that tbh I got frustrated at one point and legitimately thought that Xingyin wouldn’t end up with either. 

With Wenzhi’s last scene in DOTMG I had a feeling that he would be endgame. So I’m surprised that even with that feeling, I was so unsure throughout the entire book. With Xingyin + Wenzhi’s conversation before the final battle and the finality of the word “Friends” and Xingyin’s monologue: “a part of me mourning the end of something precious, that never truly had a chance to begin”, I thought that was it. I convinced myself that the “I love you” when he died was just her speaking in the moment. Yes it was a truth, but not the truth. And with Wenzhi dead I didn’t think there was any chance that she would end up with him in the end.

Unless he was reborn as a mortal. Which brings me to the ending... oh the ending. It was such a beautiful resolution. What a way to bring Wenzhi and Xingyin back together, but also involve Liwei. With his death, I thought the only way Wenzhi + Xingyin would end up together was if he was reborn as a mortal and she found him. But to have Liwei send him down so that he could regenerate his immortal self, to do this out of love for Xingyin to see her be happy...we love to see growth! And not just growth of Liwei, but also Xingyin in her decision to wait for the elixir of immorality. It’s the classic tale of an immortal falling in love with a mortal and having to watch them die and then find them again in each new life. Tbh it’s a tragic curse, but there was so much joy in Xingyin’s thoughts as she describes all the moments that they would share together, that it filled me with hope instead (that and the fact that it shouldn’t be centuries hopefully). And the resolution really comes full circle with Chang’e and Houyi’s circumstances. 

My thing with love triangles is that I feel like the author can sometimes force their resolution by just writing out the one who isn't chosen by giving them less screen time. For a while I felt like that's what Tan had done. Liwei just didn't have as many opportunities as Wenzhi here to prove himself or do something for Xingyin. Wenzhi had the pivotal role of getting the scroll from his father and then casting the enchantment, which was the key part that tethered them together and allowed for the sacrifice. Liwei was imprisoned for part of the novel. Etc. Etc. But as I thought more about Wenzhi's death and how he gave his life for her and thus his crown, I realized that Liwei could have given up his crown too. Ok yeah, it's easier for Wenzhi to do that when he knows it's a choice of life or death. Maybe if Liwei was tasked with the same decision to save her, he would give up that duty as well (tbh he probably would). BUT in the aftermath, when he still wouldn’t make the choice and help her heal... when he still believed that she would be able to live there, despite how much he could sense her hurting, that was when I knew that Liwei just couldn't choose her over everything. And he admits it when they meet for the final time. I guess all this to say that, I’m glad that Liwei did have his chances and his choices and that he wasn't just written off as shitty guy.

[mdhwrites]

I love Raine, but I hated them as Eda’s love interest. Everything about their relationship felt forced to me, including how much Eda is supposed to love them. I wish they could’ve been introduced earlier possibly and with a more coherent/integrated role.

(But then I wonder if it’s just because they’re a non-binary character and I like the representation. Because without that aspect, the character honestly felt so useless and random.)

Maybe this is just a gripe I have with toh romance in general but like we’re supposed to believe Eda, who is considered King’s mom, would be putting him in danger with the collector just to stare at Raine?? Like come on. The romance in this show is so cringey to me.

It’s like how Luz reunites with everyone after defeating Belos and immediately shares a hug and kiss with Amity before her mom. 😑 like this is her mom who is seeing her for the first time after this whole nightmare and she didn’t even know if she’d be okay. I feel like she should’ve rushed to her and then Amity could’ve stepped in after. I guess honestly I’m just annoyed by the overemphasis on romantic partners in the show tbh. Could just be a personal problem

So there's a lot I can say about romance on this blog (romance writer has a lot to say on romance, shocking) and especially in regards to the genres TOH is in, both positively and mostly negatively. The thing I REALLY want to point out though is the dog shit treatment of Raine and how it truly emphasizes the fundamental problem of not just romantic relationships but ALL relationships in TOH. See, when Raine is introduced, we don't get a lot about their character. We understand that they are the caution to Eda's brashness and that while their caution is obvious, them having stage fright is actually a great way for Eda to have a way of breaking them out of their shell. Something her enthusiasm, especially as a child, could be useful.

And then we gets Falls and Follies where their stage fright is... Still their main character trait. And then we get Them's the Breaks Kid.

And suddenly, Raine isn't Raine. Now yes, kids can change as they grow up but stage fright is a fairly unique malady. It's not specifically social anxiety and it's not a phobia. It's genuinely about stepping on stage and freezing. That terror of performance. My drama director in High School said that she'd helped a lot of kids with it and the right course of actions were always repetition and exposure. That usually the lines came so naturally and their base confidence was so high that a successful dress rehearsal would make sure they didn't freeze come opening night.

It is something that fades with experience. And in Falls and Follies, Raine might still be the level head to Eda's rowdy behavior, but in the worst way. They're not the nervous kid who overthinks things and needs to be reminded to breathe but instead the smart, grade A kid who is so popular and so above everyone that they're bored by all the 'normies'. Edalyn is interesting in that she stands out, as well as being the strongest. Their is never even a hint of fear or nervousness in them.

This comes to its worst part in the moment that is supposed to tell everyone the two are destined for each other. The moment that the fandom was supposed to immortalize like the major Lumity moments. The moment Eda tries to bean Raine with a ball and Raine, unlike Lilith, catches it not just easily but with flair.

Or in other words, catches it just like Eda would. The moment that I think a lot of people, myself included, started realizing that Raine was just a love interest, just like Amity and then Willow for Hunter, instead of anything even resembling a character. After all, they spend this entire episode showing that they are a clone to Eda. Period.

It actually gets worse as the motivation to protect their loved ones is also an Eda one and they both do it in the same way by just trying not to include them and put distance between them. Their methods, ideologies, etc. like that are literally lock step with one another, just like Amity changes hers to be and Hunter ends up becoming like alongside Willow and Luz. A lot of people point this at as growth for the characters but I still argue that dissolving your own personality for your partner is not a good thing.

And do you want to know how much the writers KNEW Them's the Breaks was a mistake? Just a blatantly wrong choice to make? Well, see, Falls and Follies eventually came out with a second version of the episode with annotations. Little tidbits about the show and lore of the universe. I don't know really any of those tidbits except one, and that this WAS released after Falls and Follies.

"Raine developed stage fright during a production of the Isles version of Romeo and Juliet that they performed with Eda."

That's not word for word, I'm not looking this up for that, but that is what it summarized to. Or, in other words, they went back and had to retcon in stage fright for Raine. Stage fright they developed WITH the person who's dynamic with them should be to bring them out of their shell with.

The worst part? They probably don't see the contradiction. They instead likely went "We made a plothole in Them's the Breaks. What can we do this for shipping fodder?" And then someone else shouted, "MAKE IT SO RAINE GOT STAGE FRIGHT BECAUSE OF A PLAY THAT MADE THEM KISS EDA!"

Now no, that's not explicitly stated but besides just being lazy and referencing Romeo and Juliet (they did have a special name for it), that's the main reason I can imagine for that play causing that specific reaction. After all, Raine had performed for large crowds before. Even done things against the rules and off script in front of crowds and against a FUCKING COVEN HEAD. What could have possibly caused them to gain stage fright from a fucking play?

And if this sort of inconsistency was in a piece of fanfic or a person's personal webcomic and they just admitted to wanting the cute shipping moments, like Yoko Taro saying 2B is a beautiful woman because he likes pretty girls in his games, I would be more okay with it. In a show that is touted as so progressive, having such perfect representation, some of the best romances in television history, etc. etc...

Well, my response is that I guess there's a reason so many straight people have to deal with bland, inconsistent love interests if that's what nonbinaries and lesbians want too.

===========

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead, If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

And finally a Twitter you can follow too!

[science-slapfight]

ROUND 1 POLL 6

24. Dr. Diana Diamond (She/Her) @numberposting

She's a science lady. She's trans. AND she's a lil stupid and lame!!! She's got it all!!! She lives in a universe where “mad scientist” is an Actual job you can get, she literally has a degree in Mad Science! She’s Very adamant that mad science is all about pushing the limits of science without being “constrained” by ethical standards set by society, which is to say that she has a moral compass made of swiss cheese. Hashtag girlboss <3

While some people can be a liiittle off-put by her basement-turned-lab containing fun death lasers, she’s honestly just a dweeb once you get to know her. When she’s not conducting weird experiments for mysterious benefactors (or just for personal enjoyment), she’s hanging out with her epic and cool wife Alice!!

Although Diana can be a lil withdrawn, Alice’s optimistic and excitable personality really brings out the best in her!! They do almost everything together: Baking, stargazing, long walks on the beach, vivisecting people… Her wife is super normal btw don’t even worry about it <3

In short, you should vote for certified sillygirl Diana becuz:

1. She’s a funnie trans lesbian

2. She loves her wife SO much

3. She didn’t get a PhD in Mad Science for nothin’

4. She listens almost exclusively to They Might be Giants and Oingo Boingo

5. She could use the validation tbh

6. She lost the last poll she was in on round 1 isn't that so sad :(

7. I love her :D

Also she does enjoy cupcakes!! She prefers cookies tho <3 If given a cupcake she'd probs just give it to Alice cuz that's what love is all about!!

Relevant Links: She has a whole Neocities blog site thing!! It hasn't been updated in a long while cuz College Hard BUT it'll be updated again sometime in the future!! https://diamondexperiments.neocities.org/

20. Dr. Vincent Dufresne (He/Him) @certifiedwerewolf

Vincent began his career as a surgeon but even before he decided to be a doctor he's always been fascinated by the idea of what the human body COULD be and the lengths we could push it to if we got rid of all those pesky "ethical concerns" that prevent medical knowledge from truly progressing. During his internship with the exceedingly kind and patient Dr. Josef Mazzanti, he was part of a life or death experiment that saved the life of his future (temporary) fiance by making him a cyborg; he also, during this time, met Harry Harcourt, who shared his fascination with the possibilities of the human body but in a more "his body specifically" way. In attempting to get closer to Harry so he could gaslight gatekeep girlboss Harry into being his personal human guinea pig, he was brought into service of the immortal witch queen with a goddess complex that Harry served with cultish fervor. (The running joke is "you think I did this? He was like that when I got him!" regarding Vincent and Haniel (said witch queen) getting blamed for Harry's nature.)

Under Haniel's guidance and with the addition of her magic, he was able to expand his experiments even beyond his own wildest dreams. Most of his subjects are children because Haniel has a thing for that (freak), but he has had a few adult subjects, the most notable (and his favorite) being Harry himself, who has been hybridized with multiple animals, most prominently a frog and scorpion. (He can also purr, because he wanted Vincent to be able to pet him and him purr about it.) In terms of the experiments themselves Vincent has a lot that he's loved doing, but his favorite experiment is his darling Harry, who he adores. They really are two peas in a pod! They're terrible and I love them.

(Oh as a side note, regarding that fiance he had, Nick's dad was also working for Haniel as her "supplier" for her subjects, and because Nick was being pulled away to the service of Haniel's husband, an immortal dragon wizard who just wants to see his wife's boobies again, Vincent spent a solid couple years as a spy, trying to convince Nick to return to Haniel's service like the rest of his bloodline before him. Needless to say, that didn't work out, and the engagement was broken. But Vincent still has some latent feelings for Nick, which is why Harry wants to kill Nick's husband so badly.)

As for cupcakes, Vincent is more of a muffin kind of guy BUT one of Haniel's other servants is a massive assassin named Briar who is also a baker and Vincent would commit cold-blooded murder without batting an eye to get his hands on one. This isn't honestly saying much, Vincent isn't as murderous as Harry but he, like, doesn't MIND or anything.

(Image credits: @numberposting and Heroforge, respectively)

[charmedreincarnation]

hey! do you think that the soul is the same thing as pure consciousness?

I know you didn’t ask for all this but this is actually a huge debate in philosophy and some religions.

Most major religions have something to say about the nature of the soul. Judaism, for example, views the soul as an immortal part of a person while Christianity states that the soul is a part of the person that can live beyond physical death. Philosophically, the concept of the soul is seen as a descriptor for our innermost facets, such as love, hope, and joy.

Conversely, the concept of pure consciousness has its roots in Eastern traditions. It is often seen as an indivisible particle of being that maintains a state of non-judgmental awareness in our minds. This idea suggests that all external sensory information is blocked out so that we can experience a sense of clarity and peace.

So, many believe that they are interconnected, if not actually synonymous. Some believe that when we use the term ‘soul’, we are actually referring to an experience of pure consciousness. In other words, when we experience moments of deep spiritual connection and clarity, we may be tapping into our own soulful presence.

I have always believed since I was young that they’re the same, and the soul is like the body of the consciousness, so a connected aspect. I still believe that tbh. I don’t really have anything to constitute that aside my own assumptions tho !

[dreadfutures]

Blue’s DA: Absolution Post

Just finished my first viewing. Impressions, spoilers, and some rambling. Let’s go! Stream of consciousness, baby.

When I first saw my little sisters playing DAI, it struck me as “THE GAY GAME” and BOY is this THE GAY FRANCHISE. And it’s so normal. No one makes a big deal about it at all. It’s just fuckin normal and everyone is so flirty from square one. There ain’t no one gonna watch this and then go into DA4 not being aware this is a queer friendly world.

The big things I’m taking away, besides that:

- Where do people go when they die? Death seems to be a central question of Absolution. Immortality is a central question in Thedas tbh, and I have so many questions that I am betting will absolutely be answered in DA4.

- The architecture: Nevarra has domes, and its mage tower is very very square. Ziggurat-y. Tevinter reminded me a lot of parts of Spain with its architecture, the mosaics in particular, but other things to. Morocco. A lot of Morocco actually. I love that. The canals, the verdantness, the tiered city on a mesa, I really loved.

- Parkour. And gameplay. Or at least the vibe of what I imagine DA4 is trying to go for.

- The politics of Tevinter.

SO here’s my first thing. If this is what one powerful Magister can do with blood magic and an ancient artifact--and ONE high dragon’s blood.... What the FUCK will Solas’s ritual do? (obviously, tear down the Veil.)

Also there wasn’t a lot of Veil being explained, but I feel like the most important thing for new people is the Spirits, Demons, Magic, Blood Magic, and Slavery.

Wisdom/Memory’s 8 eyes (as a Spirit) became 6 eyes when they were corrupted to Enmity/Pride.

Speaking of Memory--Amelia Pavus? Hello.

I 100% expect to hear something about Rezaren’s aspirations to become the Black Divine, in DA4. I 100% expect we’re going to see Dorian’s efforts to reform Tevinter, and the position of Black Divine will be incredibly relevant.

Honestly the internal politics in Tevinter are so fascinating. Tassia’s honest, earnest desire to make Tevinter better than its worst rumors. Trying to hold the people around her to higher standards--even when they are someone she loves. In the end, when her people need her to help the wounded, that’s what she does. That’s when she steps out of Rez’s games, and she goes to help people.

How does that play into Dorian and Maevaris’s efforts and the Lucerni?

We also, I don’t think, get a great view of how Tessia treats and thinks of elves and slaves. Is that something she also wants to fix in Tevinter? No idea.

I don’t think it’s a cheap throwaway that the Templar who tried to stop the gang in the wine cellar got the voiced line: “you’re the reason all my friends are dead.” They did a really good job I think emphasizing, with the camaraderie of the Tevinter Templars WHO DONT USE LYRIUM TO NEGATE MAGIC. THE POOR FOOLS. They’re just people.

I'm a little perplexed that Tassia didn't seem to know Neb was dead/an elf. She seems so in tune with the Templars under command, and while I get that he seems to be Rez's personal guard, he also somehow seems to be rank and file with the guards she works with? I don't know. But the way she talks to him makes it seem like she thinks he's living and conscious.

Someone said that Hira knows Meredith (The Crimson Knight) is going to wage war on all mages. I don’t think that’s true. I think it’s more likely that Hira has no idea the Crimson Knight is Meredith? And Meredith’s war is against the world, or Tevinter. It seems like Meredith may have been taken over by something or left a Demon of something or is channeling something at the heart of the red lyrium consciousness that just wants war, vengeance, bloodshed.

I honestly thought Hira would have been loyal to the Qun. This feels like it came out of nowhere, but at the same time, so did Meredith’s appearance here:

Someone suggested that we see Meredith in the Black Emporium in this show, but I really don’t think so? It doesn’t look like the BE. I know she was shown in DAI. I know.

I know most of the stories told in Dread Wolf Take You in Tevinter Nights were lies, or partially so, but I still feel like we should have heard about this. So I don’t know. Either way, Meredith shouldn’t have the idol, though.

We knew that the Venatori were still around post-Inquisition. Now we know there are still Red Templars about.

I think fewer people knew that the Venatori have (supposedly) been around longer than the Inquisition and Corypheus...? It took me a little bit and I’m still not 100% sure, but Hira being a child when the Venatori killed her family wouldn’t make sense with an Inquisition timeline.

Tinfoil hat: There are actually two factions within the Evanuris. Both evil and terrible, both going to destroy the world, and Solas stands between them. One is Red Lyrium aligned and one is Blight aligned, hence why we have Meredith vs. Corypheus (red lyrum vs. darkspawn) in the mural above. I know, I know, they’re intertwined. But I feel an itch. And I’m mighty suspicious.

I’m so suspicious about which Evanuris are in Trespasser’s Elven Mountain Ruins and which aren’t. It feels like factions. It feels like the Forgotten Ones/Evanuris split isn’t the only split, or it’s more significant than we realize.

Okay so what happens to dead people? Was it really Justinia we saw in Here Lies the Abyss in DAI? Was this really Neb? You could say “it was really a Spirit who took Neb’s form, embodied Neb’s love for his sister, and stood against blood magic and so decided to destroy Neb’s body.” But I think it was really Neb. I really do. So what happens to people when they die? Is it only elves? Is it humans?

The Spirit says at the beginning: “By name and by nature, mortals are doomed to die.” Which by the way is a very Cole way of saying things I think, and I love it.

I don’t think it was a coincidence that the dragon doesn’t attack Qwydion the Qunari and likes her.

Speaking of Qwydion, she’s introduced as a rebel mage. Which to me implies that she’s from a faction that rebelled against the Circle. Not that she’s someone who left the Qun.

It’s so interesting that we can see Rez’s mother remove a demon from her son and put it in someone else. So we could deal with abominations and with Harrowings all along, huh. lol.

I’ve been making a list of silly Andrastian sayings and Thedas-isms lol. There were some good ones in this show.

The magic in this show was badass. Super awesome. Beyond just the scale of it. The dome that gets put around the circulum looks like the one Corypheus put around Calpernia's old master. Rez’s magic feels way more powerful than other peoples, and it looks awesome. His multi-threaded missile attack when he’s defending against the sloth demons that attacked with Pride look awesome.

If you think about it this whole show revolves around what is acceptable collateral damage. The whole temple is going to kill everyone inside. That’s lit.

I wish I knew what those bird things were that were setting off the traps throughout the temple.

In general this temple makes me scratch my head. Andraste (who loses her nose in the finale lmfao) is holding magic in her hands. Andraste seems to be more of a saint than the pinnacle of the religion in Tevinter, so it’s weird that she’s all over. Cool I guess, I don’t have anything else to say, really. Except that in Rez’s dream of being Black Divine, his outfit was terrible. LOL

I actually really loved the dream sequence. It felt super validating to how I’ve always imagined Fade sequences going lol.

They also I don’t think mentioned the Fade at all lol.

okay okay i’m done for now x) I’m stewing up some other theories and stuff but yeah.

[jin-zixun]

MDZS Rereading - Chapter 3 (Part One) - The Prideful (Arrogance 6-10)

Manhua Chapters 13-who knows this is a Part 1 now

Should I do this in character as Jin Zixun? I'm not going to do that.

Hey it's our good friend 'yeah pretty much'

"Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but miss his sword, which was most likely now hanging on some major clan leader’s wall as a trophy."

"If an ordinary clan—one without generations of accumulated reputation to stand on—wanted to join the higher ranks and become famous, wanted to gain prestige and respect among the cultivation world, then they had to show tangible achievements. Only when they hunted down ruthless monsters or disaster-bringing malicious fiends did their words gain any weight."

Yeah, what am I adding that for? No reason, nothing much.

Can I use it to defend (and by defend I mean implicate in several murders probably) Moling Su Sect like way later on? Maybe.

This is here because it's cute. A+ commentary, no notes

Wei Wuxian being an edgy boy.

"It didn’t sound fake—even though nine times out of ten, cries for help in the wild were evil spirits out causing mischief, luring the ignorant into a trap. Wei Wuxian, however, was thrilled.

The eviler the better! It had better be evil enough!"

"He was in need of a band of tyrannical ghost generals to do his bidding, so he, too, decided to head to that “Rice Mountain” to try his luck. If there was one that proved useful, he’d capture it for his own use."

Ok but why though? What actually is your plan going forward here? I get that it's probably because best boy Wen Ning is actually here, but like he says he's already captured a few low level ghosts? I don't think he's joking? I feel like Padme in that meme.

Oh hey it's Jin Ling. Mr. Extremely Young and Incredibly Rich, according to Wei Wuxian.

I have nothing to say here, just more of a 'have you seen him? Now you have!' sort of situation going on.

I'm sure much has been said about how and whether since he's with the Jiang Clan here, it's actually Jiang Cheng who is super rich now. So I won't bother to say it. Canon Sugar Daddy Jiang Wanyin. See, I said nothing. Nothing was said.

"An immortal-binding net was already considerably expensive, and he’d still set up over four hundred of them in one go. As expected of the Jin Clan of Lanling—an even slightly smaller clan would have been reduced to poverty and ruin."

"...the Jin Clan of Lanling now led the clans and sects; the head of their clan was even respectfully addressed as “Cultivation Chief.”"

What was wrong with 'Chief Cultivator'. Was it overly incorrect? It conveys the same information, but if I dare to say it, it does not convey the same vibes. Were the vibes wrong all this time? Should it be Cultivation Chief? ...I don't want it to be.

"Could it be that Mo Xuanyu’s father was not some random small-time clan leader but the infamous Jin Guangshan?!"

I guess Mo Xuanyu didn't mention that in his notes? That's kind of funny tbh.

"Of his many illegitimate children, only one had been outstanding enough to be recognized and taken back, and that was the current family head of the Jin Clan of Lanling, Jin Guangyao."

A-Yao!!! Yeah! Glad Wei Wuxian kept up with all the hot gossip while he was dead. Like enough to know this next part:

But not enough to know about like. Jin Ling. Like what kind of priorities do you have here, buddy?

"Furthermore, even the way Jin Guangshan died was an embarrassment. Old, but fully confident he was still robust, he’d fooled around with a bunch of women at once in order to challenge himself. However, he unfortunately overestimated his vitality and died during the orgy. This was simply too embarrassing to speak of, so the Jin Clan of Lanling unanimously declared that the old sect leader had passed due to overexertion, and the rest of the clans, in tacit understanding, all pretended not to know the full truth of the statement. In any case, that was the real reason for his infamy."

"Wei Wuxian felt he had a responsibility to humiliate the boy back."

No, uh, you really don't. You don't have to. (WWX: No I'm gonna)

"So, he countered, “Didn’t your mother teach you any manners?”"

"I'm his Uncle" iconic. Like. Top Iconic moments list? So far, this one right here.

Jiang Cheng more like... Damn

Wow there sure a lot of these this chapter. Suibian, Ghost Generals, Widower Wangji... I'm sure there's some I missed.

eh lan zhan is alright too if you're into that kind of thing.

"Furthermore, no matter how thoroughly Lan Wangji was praised as an unrivaled rare beauty, nothing could help the fact that he looked profoundly embittered, as if he had lost his wife."

"Jiang Cheng was exceptionally handsome, but he was still a little inferior to the one standing before him"

No comments. No notes. I don't even know why I...

"Well see Jiang Cheng, on my hotness rating scale, you're just a little bit behind Lan Zhan, but you're still exceptionally handsome so-- Wait where are you going? Jiang Cheng? Jiang Cheng?"

(Yes I know the hotness rating scale is canon)

"Lan Jingyi was the blunt and outspoken sort. “Isn’t Sect Leader Jiang here too?”

Jiang Cheng replied coldly, “Tsk. An elder is speaking, who are you to interrupt? The Lan Clan of Gusu pride themselves on being a clan of etiquette. This is what disciples are being taught?”"

Things that make you go 'hmm' (but maybe that's just because you can't make any other noise)

"This silence spell was what the Lan clan used to punish its disciples.

Wei Wuxian had fallen victim to this little trick on many occasions. While it was not complex magic by any stretch of the imagination, only those of the Lan family could undo the spell. If one attempted to speak by brute force, then either their lips would be torn to shreds by the effort or they’d lose their voice for days. The penitent one had to keep their mouth shut and self-reflect in silence until the punishment period was over."

"He had originally come to assist Jin Ling: the boy was fifteen this year, the age to make his debut and fight for experience with the juniors from other clans. Jiang Cheng had reviewed the options carefully before deciding on Mount Dafan as the hunting ground. He had then set up nets everywhere and scared off all the other cultivators, making it so difficult for them to move that they’d be forced to back off—all so Jin Ling would emerge the winner without anyone fighting him for the title."

Oh. Oh buddy. That's. That's just. No. Don't uh... Don't do any of this. Oh god this is so misguided-but-well-intentioned I'm--

"While over four hundred immortal-binding nets were extremely expensive, the price was nothing to the Jiang Clan of Yunmeng."

And yes, the answer to that question is yes, Jiang Cheng is big dick sugar daddy with all the cash money one could want.

Ok let's break up this next one...

"Ever since the decline of the Nie Clan of Qinghe,"

Number One, couldn't happen to a better clan. Alright, I'll try not to bully the Nie too much today!

"of the current three great clans, the Jin Clan of Lanling and the Lan Clan of Gusu had always been close due to the strong personal friendship shared by their clan leaders."

Number Two, this is such gals being pals energy. Jiang Cheng at the sect leader meetings like 'wow those guys are such good friends.' Like buddy. Come on.

"Jiang Cheng ruled the Jiang Clan of Yunmeng alone, so it could have been said that he was in a state of isolation."

Number Three. Oh.

"Lan Wangji��s guqin (also named Wangji)"

ok this was just kind of funny to me, just the way it's written.

I don't know Jingyi he just had a whole long ass exposition, but I guess you didn't get to read that part.

"After they had gone, Lan Jingyi posed a general question: “Why is Sect Leader Jiang like that?!”"

"His voice was deep and captivating. If one stood close, it would make the heart flutter."

lmao Wei Wuxian is like back to life for a day and he's down this bad. Heartbreaking.

I feel more like I'm just recapping here at this point, but what else is there to say? I mean we all want to be the edgy ironically detached necromancer, but even the edgy ironically detached necromancer can't be that.

"There were so many disciples in the Jin Clan of Lanling that he’d genuinely never imagined he might run into Jin Ling. Had he known, he would never have mocked Jin Ling with that comment of his, “Didn’t your mother teach you any manners?” If anyone else had said that to Jin Ling, Wei Wuxian would’ve taught that person what “a loose tongue spells trouble” meant. But the tongue that said it had been his own.

After a moment of standing in silence, Wei Wuxian raised his hand and slapped himself across the face."

Honestly, this I feel like needs to have a part two. It's just too long at this point. I think this is about the halfway point of the chapter. And this post is like. Really long.

"He had truly thought his heart was made of stone. But humans were no stalks of grass, not unfeeling, and in the end, he was human after all."

[cantarella]

I love essays, thank you for responding! Some of my own (wlw) mutuals have been rting/reblogging ship stuff for them, like it’s their token “good hetero ship” and I just…. :(

I’ve also seen a number of ppl refuse to acknowledge that Furina and Focalors are the same person. Like, that’s one bitch. Not recognizing that Focalors is Furina’s divinity (now laid to rest) is such a disservice to her character imho. Like, immortality as a kind of “youth” that dies when you finally breach adulthood is what I keep thinking about, among other things. Atp, with Focalors gone, all her memories independent of Furina (I assume this is because of the curse, and a final note of kindness from Focalors so that her humanity doesn’t have to process 2 sets of memories at once. Though the latter is a head canon I guess), Furina and Neuvillette are so horrifically incompatible with each other.

Even IF they didn’t look like father and daughter and even IF the mental age difference wasn’t terrifying… Furina has so much of the world left to learn. She’s still the same person and yet she’s different, that transition is traumatic actually! Not to mention the literal trauma of having the lives of ALL your kin in the palm of your hand that you mentioned.

As for her sq, I thought I was pretty clear that one of the takeaways, after reading the director’s journal, was that Furina is like a big sister/sibling/familial-linkage-of-some-kind to all Fontainians. Despite everything, they are her family, she’d do it all again, because “to be human is to be part of the greatest opera ever known,” and there’s beauty in this life to preserve etc etc. Idk if I’m making any sense tbh, but it’s nice to know at least a few other people understand how to consume media critically 🥹

(Also! When shippers go on and on abt Neuvi paying for Furina’s apartment/things…Clorinde offers to do the same fucking thing. Like, literally offers to find her a new apartment with the apparent fortune she makes from being the champion duelist I guess. But they refuse to acknowledge that. Given, they probably don’t read her character stories or flavor text, but still)

yw! and ouch I can feel that, I'm very picky with who I follow so that didn't happen to me but this pairing is quite inescapable

anyway, that's an interesting take on focalors and furina, which I agree with but only on a symbolic level. yes they're of the same origin, but they're the same only in the way jesus and the holy father are both god. idk if you're familiar with christian doctrine but the focalors furina and neuvillette dynamic is based on the father-son-holy spirit trifecta. maybe I'll do a post on that eventually but in the meantime here's a chart to make it easier

the father (focalors) created the son (furina) in his image, they're both incarnations of god but they're not one or the same being. rukkhadevata explained how this works in the context of teyvat and the irminsul also

furina and focalors share the same nature, though not in the same way rukkhadevata and nahida do as they are reincarnations, but the fact focalors died while furina lives and they don't share memories and experiences proves that in the eyes of the irminsul they're two separate beings with different "fates". which obviously makes furina even more incompatible with neuvi as she was never anything but a frightened young girl and the power and maturity imbalance is so steep it's at a 90° angle

that said, I do believe symbolically focalors' death put an end to furina's adolescence, as a death of the immortal self and of a physical manifestation of the idealized youth

in a similar symbolic way furina is an older sister type of figure to people of fontaine now. she ruled over them for 500 years she obviously cares for them, but only now she can actually learn to know and understand them as herself, and help them in ways furina, not the hydro archon, can

trying to find her own place in the world, distancing herself from her guardian figure and getting help from her friends, achieving enough power to protect herself alone, and literally going out drinking for the first time in her character stories (not that #those people read them anyway I'm sure) which is literally what hyv has been using from the start to show if someone is of age or not, are all steps of someone just stepping into adulthood. trying to ignore all this and say she should go back to working with neuvi and that the vision is him protecting her or putting a claim on her (writing that made me suicidal for half a second) for the sake of a fuckass m/f pairing is an actual insult to both of their characters. it's actually vile to me

anyway I hope the fans explode and die bc they're both illiterate and fans of heterosexuality. like pick a struggle

[the-kipsabian]

hiii! for the director's cut meme, i do have a part from "why we are us":

Somewhere in there, between all the good and the bad, the laughs in the day and confused, fearful tears cried in the night, his heart had decided that Cassidy was feeling more than just the need to help Kip to overcome this huge obstacle.

Cassidy felt extremely lucky to know that Kip shared those feelings with him though, he couldn’t even bring himself to think how things would be if he didn’t.

Feeling a lump forming on his throat the thought, Cassidy closed his eyes, inhaling deeply in hopes of calming himself down. Today had been such a tiring, hectic day it was no wonder him being this tired and having his thoughts running so rampant that it was making him emotional, but at the same time he didn’t want to cry and risk waking Kip up because of it. Cassidy was supposed to be the calm and collected one, he was always the stoic one, he wasn’t the one that was supposed to cry.

And yet, the tears were inevitable.

besides just getting a general director's cut thing about this part, i did have a question that popped up while reading this. with immortal fears being set up to have kip confess to oc, what would happen if oc had to be the one to confess? or would he even try to? would orangekip only be possible in this AU if kip confessed?

this got unnecessarily long so im putting it under a cut but hey i have a lot of thoughts about these two in this au ough

so the thing with oc in this au is that he never meant to develop feelings, he never expected that to happen. his whole deal is that he knows how much help he needed to get out of the dark place losing the title put him into, and seeing how kip is alone at the time, oc knows hes going to need all the help he can get. despite what happened up to that point between the two of them (kip basically making his life hell, seperating him from his friends and just generally unpleasantly mentally tormenting him), oc is still a compassionate human being; he knows what happens with this belt and its curse, and he doesnt want to watch it happen to another person, especially since he doesnt know what could possibly happen to kip if he doesnt get the help hes going to need

and oc caring for him wasnt supposed to be a lasting thing either, like he was just going to do it until kip got back up on his feet and was able to function somewhat normally again; but again, since kip was alone oc just kind of.. grew worried of him over it. seeing how much him being there helped kip and everything, he couldnt just walk away when the initial thought of "my work here is done" happened. and at that point im pretty sure the underlying feelings of something more than just "im here to help him to get better from all of this" had already started bubbling. like its very hard at this point in time to pin point exactly where and when oc started developing those feelings and realized them, but for sure by the time kip confesses to him, hes already well down that road

as for oc being the one confessing, i feel like if this carried on for long enough, he eventually would have. the thing with him is, oc struggles a lot trying to figure it out if this is a legitimate crush (or him falling in love with kip) to begin with, or if its just him being very happy seeing kips improvement over time, knowing that it was specifically oc who helped him get there (spoilers, its absolutely the crush, hes just an idiot when it comes to feelings). however, its insanely difficult for him to tell that to kip first, considering that oc doesnt know fully himself what he is feeling, and this is a very emotionally and mentally unstable kip we are talking about here - oc has NO idea how he would take such news. even on the good days, so it gets pushed back and back and back until eventually in the au canon its kip taking that first step when his own feelings get unbearable

im not saying that oc wouldnt have eventually confessed, tbh i think if he was given enough time and a stable enough kip, he would have. but that would have taken a looooong time, for both these reasons and cause oc would have wanted to be sure this was actually what he was feeling. and by that time, its highly possible kip would have given up or moved on. if oc confessed early enough, it would most likely have resulted in kip not believing him and blowing most of this thing up, setting them back (both in this potential relationship and with their individual recoveries) and just making it more difficult to carry on with this. and honestly oc would have probably given up on trying to tell him in the future if the feelings persisted, making kip even more confused about his own so... yeah

idk if this responds to like anything lmao

[fluffypotatey]

f g p r from the fanfic ask game? please?

Hey bestie 🥰 thanks so much for the ask this one took me awhile lol

G - Do you write your story from start to finish? or out of order?

i like writing things from start to finish. key word: like. my brain, however, likes to jump ahead to specific scenes and events. i used to fight that bit and force myself to forge on along and wait until i finally made it to that part in the story.

lmao that was a horrible idea. those scenes would continue to haunt me and pester me until i finally give up and wrote them. so i just stop fighting it and write out of order. (honestly it was a blessing for me to decide to make my lmk one-shot series not in chronological order bc then i’d never get it done lol

it’s why my writing can get slow sometimes because while writing the chapter for the next event, i’ll be hit with some scene 2 chapters later or 3 scenes after some confrontation i haven’t started yet!!! i have ch7 for the dr geyer fic. it’s in my docs but i haven’t finished it bc someone *looks at brain* wants to write more of s6b bc Theo’s in that one >:(

P - Are you what George RR Martine would call an “architect” or a “gardener”? (How much do you plan in advance vs letting the story unfold as you go?)

you know, i know i read of this before like years ago but i don’t remember it lol. had to look it up to make sure i was understanding this right.

so… i think it depends?

with my merlin multi-chap fic and my medieval fantasy wip i plan those in advance. the merlin fic? i have that 1st arc’s plot down, i know where the story will lead to, i even know which characters i’ll keep alive or keep dead. 

with my one-shots (and my one-shots that chose to say “fuck you”), those are a spur of the moment kind of writing. i had something playing in my head that’s wants to be free, so i write it down and pray that it’s satisfied (it typically is not which is why you see a lot of my one-shots become multi-chapters or one-shot series). these don’t have a solid plan when i begin. i tend to come up with it as the plot comes together. 

tbh this works well with my fics bc i have a base outline: the actual show/book/movie. with my dr geyer fic, i know where s5-6 begin and end. sure, i’m choosing what gets to happen in-between, but i at least have the comfort of that base. the lmk series? it’s literally just me plugging in an oc and forcing a couple characters to air-out their issues. 

R - Are there any writers (fanfic or otherwise) you consider an influence?

oh definitely. tbh my main one would have to be Lemony Snicket. fell in love with the narration of those stories. the snark, the personality, the vocabulary, the inner dialogue. idk it just did something to 9 year old me lol

another big one i’d have to say is Branden Sanderson. not really his writing, but how complex and beautiful his worlds are. i didn’t know that you could create and capture the essence such beautiful worlds in writing but reading his books and seeing them come to life really influenced my desire to write and design fantastical worlds or even just explore snippets of other worlds like BBC Merlin Albion.

F - Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it

babe, i’m so sorry but it took me forever to choose. i debated on whether i should do lmk or teen wolf or abc merlin or even shit i haven’t posted bc i love too many of these T^T

but dw i did find one (it’ll be under the cut bc this got long jfc). i giggled a lot when writing it just because the back and forth with Liam and Mason interjecting was fun. also i picked this one to prove the dr geyer fic hasn’t been forgotten. i’ve just been….preocupied and going feral over immortal monkeys

*

“I’m not here to start anything,” Mr. Doughlas said to them calmly. “I just want the mountain ash barrier open, mh?”

“Yeah, because this isn’t starting anything,” Liam growled.

Mr. Douglas smiled, sharp teeth in full display. Again, he twisted his claws in the chimera. Theo, again, kept quiet. The only indication he was in any being came from his winces. Liam can’t tell if he should be impressed or horrified that getting stabbed in the spine barely got a reaction out of Theo. 

“This is simply a contingency. I just want the barrier open, then I’ll be out of your hair. I promise. No funny business.”

Theo chuckled (well, more like gurgled) and snorted.

“Says the Nazi.”

Douglas drove his claws further into Theo’s spine, polite smile cracking, in response. The chimera grunted, but Theo just laughed again.

“Sorry, sorry.” Theo’s smirk looked almost deranged with the blood coating his lips. “Nazi was the insult others threw at you, right?”

“He’s a Nazi?!” Mason shrieked. 

Doughlas sighed, all politeness disappearing as he addressed them all.

“Must we obsess over my previous occupation? I don’t see how this is important. I was just a soldier there.”

“Oh yeah, being a part of a genocidal fascist group should totally be overlooked!” Liam exclaimed. “Not like you were involved in and advocated for any of that!”

“Yeah, it adds nothing for us to even slightly trust you,” Mason added.

[its-monster-mash]

This has been sitting in my drafts for 1000 years oops Rules: Post the names of all the files in your wip folder regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it.

Thank you so much for tagging me @venus-haze!! I am also excited to participate in the self-callout lol

I don’t actually have a “WIP Folder”, I just have. A lot of WIPs. About to expose myself on a lot of different fandoms lol(I have a million different sideblogs that I organize a lot of the things I like by)

• Didn’t Your Momma Ever Tell You Not to Talk to Strangers? — Bo Sinclair x Reader (House of Wax) *I am also converting this one to an "Original" piece so I can publish it as a serial, so if you see the other version on Amazon under the pen name "M.E. Roselli" that's me. I'm still going to keep writing it as this fanfic, but there IS an alternate version. The other version is about a cult instead of Wax; instead of Vincent, Bo("Buck" in the alternate version) has a twin sister who was raised to be the cult's messiah. The cult is dead and gone along with their parents, but she's still living it. I just know that a lot of people's fanfics are being stolen, so I wanted to clear up that that is NOT the case with mine.

• Holmes and Dracula VS. Jack the Ripper — Original Work (Sherlock Holmes and Dracula team up to stop Jack the Ripper from bringing about the Apocalypse)

• Tides of Lust — Original Work (Meliora, a traveling bard with demonic blood, goes on a pirate adventure with a feared disciple of Davy Jones and also meets a Vampiric Warlord)

• What The Dead Men Say — Original Work (Ivar Ragnarsson ends up in Victorian England, where he has little choice but to team up with an archeologist; was technically an ACV fic originally, but I hate the ISU stuff and refuse to include it so really it’s just a history fic tbh)

• Playing House with Private X — Original Work (A cryogenically frozen super soldier navigates the modern world with the help of a would-be super soldier who slipped through the cracks. Very slice of life; it started as a Soldier Boy fic—American Pie, but I scrubbed it of IP so I can continue it as an original work and publish it as erotic shorts)

• ‘Til Death Do Us Part — Original Work (Would-be Murder victim Judith “Jude” Carpenter tries to start a new life in a small town…where her would have been killer has taken up residence as the priest. The two must work together to survive the town’s dark secret.)

• Careful What you Wish For — Original Work (Janie, a serial killer hitchhiking to avoid capture, ends up being held prisoner by Levi, a recluse out in the middle of nowhere, and she pretends to be a helpless victim in exchange for food and a warm place to sleep. The story focuses on her disturbing inner monologue through her act.)

• Lord of Roses, Master of Thorns — Original Work (Ancient Vampiric King Alistair Val Mirron must fall in love to end his curse of immortality; Myrinthe, an odd Peasant introduced to him by and old flame, seeks to remain in the castle at all costs to avoid being forced to marry the annoying rich boy in town.)

• Taken From the Ren Faire — Original Work (This was meant to be a cheesy erotica short but I accidentally gave it a plot. Oops. Fantasy Author Vera Fox is spirited away into a fantasy world after drinking some strange mead from an interesting new vendor. She ends up in a fake relationship with a former bandit while he tries to help get her home; when they get separated, she questions if she even wants to go back to her old life, and this is only compounded when she finds her Ren Faire lover is trapped there too. This one is full of tropes because I'll be honest, I'm "Writing to Market" here, but I love the characters anyway. Owen-her Ren Faire lover- has a huge Clydesdale named Stormbreaker that he rescued from a roadside medieval themed attraction, and I love him.)

• A Marriage of Inconvenience — Homelander x Reader (The Boys; Amazon Show)

• Woven Sagas — Eivor Wolfkissed x Ivar Ragnarsson (Assassin’s Creed Valhalla)

• Mother — Skyrim Fic about my Dragonborn raising Aventus

• Critical Darling — Homelander x OC(Darcy Hayes, Dreamweaver) (The Boys; Amazon Show)

• In All My Dreams I Drown — Reaver x Sparrow (Fable 2)

Tags: I am abysmal at remembering URLs off the top of my head, but I will try. @sketchy-rosewitch @visceravalentines @rottent33th @ventiswampwater

[alfgifu]

Fic analysis 38. Ain’t no sunshine (when he’s gone)

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/51790435/chapters/130935382

Word count: 45,636

Chapters: 11

First posted: 23rd November 2023

Last chapter up: 18th February 2024

Summary: 

The Emperor of five worlds lay spread across his bed, above it, his hands gripping the ropes that supported his wrists, trying to keep his weight up – trying not to make a noise.

---

One night and one day, he reminded himself. That was all the time he needed to buy them. A night and a day needed to prepare Damara, and another night uninterrupted together to transfer the anchor of Schooled Magic, and then - the restoration of Astandalas. Glory. Triumph. Absolute power.

But to get there, he would have to imitate this man's perversions for a full twenty four hours.

How and why this came about

Ain’t no sunshine started with a single chapter shared by a friend in a discord chat. That chapter (chapter 6, Dethroned) presented such a vivid, dramatic, and glorious scenario that the group dissolved into discussions around the whys, hows and wherefores - and what would happen next.

Parts of the fic were written in the chat, much of it was plotted and discussed there, and then it was written out in more detail in various gdocs.

The story is set several years after the evil!household works that had already been shared, after several other incidents that had been discussed but not written up, or not yet published. I wrote the first couple of chapters and posted them in November because there was some daft thing going around about sharing extreme smut in time for Thanksgiving so that people would have to hide what they were reading at family dinners.

This was another true joint project that came together more slowly, with a bit of a break in the middle, and while big chunks of livefic were there from quite early on it wasn’t finished and all ready for posting for another couple of months.

This is easily the most deranged thing I’ve ever worked on and I love it dearly.

What worked and what didn’t

The first couple of chapters were my first attempt at full-on BDSM and I am still very pleased with how they worked out. Across the story as a whole there’s a farcical element to the plot, a full on drama queen element, and a vicious knife-edged humour that winds through the heart of it. There’s also grief, pain, trauma, and ultimately tragedy borne out of the strengths as well as the weaknesses of the characters. And a whole lot of fucking.

I’m pleased with how the different perspectives worked, honoured once more to have been able to work with such skilled authors, and glad that the undercurrent of horror that winds through all the evil!household stories came through so effectively.

It was a privilege to collaborate on and a delight to see through.

This fic also saw the debut of a couple of immortal characters - the unscrupulous Lady Magus Vedia, with her dossier, and the despicable minor noble Chad (Tchadinius IV).

What I learned from writing it

This collaboration was more complicated than others had been. It’s a chunky fic and a weird one, and it was a busy time for several of the authors. It brought home to me how much of a commitment a big fic can be.

It also showed how much you can do by just leaning into the weird and throwing in every element that every author loves. I don’t know if it should work, but - at least for me - it very much does. It’s a joy to re-read.

It has, as I write this, 35 kudos and is 6th from the bottom of my fics when ranked by kudos. And it has 2,074 hits and is 6th from the top when ranked by hits. It has found, one might say, a readership.

(A good part of that kudos/hits discrepancy can probably be chalked up to all the kinky tags, tbh.)

[hidden-1n-the-sand]

Ok I have gotten proper rest so it is time to finish my crazed ramble(is it ramble or rambles idk idc i am MANIC >:D)

Some additional info on the A.U that I forgot to mention yesterday:

Every drone has been programmed to not be able to really see humans, hence why humans look more like shadowy figures in the Disassembly drone’s memories. The reason why they’re programmed this way is to prevent events like revenge killings based on recognition or something.

Out of the three murder drones, G(Grace) is the only one whose memories weren’t completely turned to soup, and she is fully aware of what A.S is. This is also why she tries to kill Kai multiple times. She knows how dangerous and unstable that thing is, and despite her often forgetting M’s…existence she still wants to keep him safe.

Lex speaks German. This is not a really important piece of lore, but I still wanted to mention it.

Teen drones have a command set to true that causes similar side effects to human teens being hormonal. Because CCRP really said “fuck you guys we’re making you capable of going through puberty”

Anyways. A drone’s “sex/agab” is part of their base code and if cannot be changed later on without corrupting the whole thing because CCRP is transphobic or something idk whose stupid idea was to add that but it exists. BUT luckily for the drones, they CAN run a program that basically overrides the base code. There are two different programs that can be used, an HTR command in which the drone can choose what ‘hormones’ they wanna use and an identity command in which you get to add identity label so when other drones scan you that info will pop up.

(Shoutout to that one anon in the MD confession blog that proposed this for trans headcanons and drone biology, i fully believe this should be considered canon. When i find the post I’ll link it btw)

Tbh while I did say that Paul’s gotta be a shitty parent for this, he’s a bit better than Khan. He still leaves his daughter for dead in ep 1 tho. I need to give Kai that trauma. But at least Paul didn’t tell everyone that Kai was grounded instead of banished like Khan did with Uzi(I should note: She banished herself and announced it to the colony, so I have no fucking clue how Khan managed to get the whole colony to believe him. Might be because nobody gives a shit about her).

Paul even tries to go outside to find Kai before getting dragged to a parent-teacher conference. Because even though he didn’t tell everyone that Kai was grounded, everyone sorta forgot that she banished herself and simply assumed that she was skipping school. What a great society /s

Due to different models in programming and technology evolving, such things as mental illnesses, personality disorders, and neurodivergence are common to see in drones

Oh i forgot to mention a very important piece of lore.

Dogs are immortal. This is not only true in this Au, but in the MD canon. So theoretically if Copper-9’s core were to collapse, dogs would be the only beings that would survive it.

oh and also just like Cyn in canon, Ruth intends to destroy Copper-9’s core. Because. Apparently The A.S only craves destruction. It could also be to reach technological singularity . Idk

Anyways. I am honestly tempted to make a sideblog for this just so i can keep on rambling. Idk. We’ll see :D

Anyways- now onto the AUs :D

I ended up choosing the Kai in HF murder drones au(Murder…Kai?), but if you want i can tell you about the Disassembly Drone Kai au too :D

Ok, so here’s the lineup(so far):

Kai as Uzi

Max as N(Serial Designation M)

Grace as V(Serial Designation G)

Alice as J(Serial Designation A)

Lex as Doll(I forgot to mention her in the lore, but she’s a Worker drone whose family was killed by V and is now a serial killer of sorts. She is also a host of the A.S)

Deb as Tessa(one of the few humana that we see in Murder Drones. Yup. Totally a human.)

Paul as Khan(I am. So sorry. But Paul is gotta be a shitty parent in this au. I am sorry Paul)

Emma as Nori(Supposedly dead, killed by murder drones. Another host of the A.S)

Ms. Holloway as Yevana- I am not sure i spelled her name right( Pamela is not gonna be Lex’s mom in this au because Lex would probably be happy to see her mom dead. So let’s just say that she and Hannah got adopted by Duke and Holloway. Another host of the A.S)

Jason as Thad(we love Thad in this house)

Steph as Lizzy

Pete as that one guy whose head was one fire(Rest in peace)

Richie as that other guy who got killed in episode 4

Charlotte Sweetly as Alice

Ruth as Cyn

The LiB as The Absolute Solver

and also CCRP as JCjenson(in spaceeee)

Now, first i want to explain how the A.S works in thie AU:

(since we know next to nothing about the Absolute Solver, I have decided to take creative liberty. Also note that i know nothing about how programs works so all of this could be incredibly stupid)

Different Lords in Black = different types/versions of the A.S(also note: Abilities and level of control the host might have over the A.S depend on the version)

Webby(A.S.Version 1.0): You get almost all the abilities of the A.S, without having to fight for control of your body! Isn’t that great? I’m sure whatever ability that you won’t have isn’t important! Host: Ms. Holloway, Emma

Wiggly(A.S.Version 2.0): Depending on the host, level of control may vary. But over time, the host can learn to control it(or they can try to appease the wrath in hopes of gaining more control, but it won’t do much good). Oh yeah i forgot to mention. Despite how much you might try to completely control it, it can still influence you, and turns your anger or frustration or grief or anything to wrath. Yay

Host: Lex

Blinky(A.S.Version 2.5): It’s similar to wiggly, but it’s practically harmless. I mean all it wants to do is watch.

(Former) Host: M

Tinky(A.S.Version 3.0): Default version of the A.S of the murder drones. Gives you(almost) full autonomy. Version of A.S that ruth CCRP(in spaceeee) used to turn the D.D’s memories to soup.

Hosts: M, V, A

Nibbly(A.S.Version 3.2): A sub program. The reason why A.S hosts need to drink oil. Nobody knows whose idea it was to add that, but it exists.

Hosts: Literally anyone who is an A.S host

Pokotho(A.S.Version ?): Most powerful and uncontrollable version of A.S. Either you can sorta control it, or it will fully overtake you(like ruth). Only version of A.S that will give you an A.S form- which is very similar to the murder drones, though it is more organic and life-like.

Hosts: Kai, Ruth, Emma(former host)

Anyways I realize that this is getting quite long and that it is currently 1:00am here so I will continue info dumping after i get some sleep(this guy will definitely not sleep and will continue to stay awake for the rest of the night looking at the ceiling in hopes sleep comes)

DUDE THIS IS SO COOL!!! SHITTY PARENT PAUL NOOOO also yeah. get some sleep

[disownedbytiime]

Reinaeiry made a new song for her vampire/vampire hunter series (May I have this dance/Immortal/How lovely/Vices & Virtues) and it’s too pretty :’)

(And the call back to Immortal <3)

[bluerosefox]

Danyal, Danny, Phantom.

Part 1 (Where the idea came from, very bare bones)

Okay wow, wasn’t expecting so many people wanting a part 2 tbh, also thank you for the follows as well (although IDK why you’d want to follow me, I’m random and rarely post sometimes.)

So before I get into this part 2, I just wanna make a few things clear.

I’m still new to DC/Batman most I know if from the animated series and I haven't seen it in ages, I have been able to get bits and pieces here and there though.

ANYONE is welcomed to use these ideas/concepts, just let me know, send me it, allow me to read it please. If anyone wants to draw some the ideas too that’ll be amazing, just let me know! I wanna see!

Also, I might, keyword MIGHT, actually write this idea into a story too, idk yet maybe. its been years since I wrote an actual fic tbh so I’m a little rusty. (You can actually see I used more of my writing style on this one compared to the last one tbh)

Also the reason I split these idea/concept into parts is the fact I tend to ramble and I knew if I wrote it on part 1 it would had gotten so long so here’s a fresh page with the rest of the ideas...

So the reason why I had this idea is because I read some fics where Ra’s always knows about Danny being either the Ghost King or a Halfa, or can fight him cause he has knowledge, I wanted a story where even Ra’s can be surprised and realizes there will ALWAYS be a ‘bigger’ fish even for that old ‘immortal’ (especially if Danny is Ra’s “failure of a heir.”)

Sorry this took a while, I wrote Part 1 at the end of me being sick by Covid, had to catch up on a few RL things, and legit a few days later my AC unit upstairs broke during a CA heatwave and it was pure HECK being in my room.

Danny is a little out of character but this is how I feel he'll be like with a year of being the Ghost King could be, along with the fact he has help from his friends and ghost friends as well. He's learned how to rule and has grown.

Oh be prepared, this is what happens when I’m allowed to ramble on ideas. This... This got rambly. (You should had seen this and part 3 together, it was so rambly)

So, a few things to note about Danny before we begin.

His name was is Danyal al Ghul (Wayne) Daniel “Danny” Fenton.

He was also known as (Ghost Boy, Ghost Child, Ghost Punk, Halfa) Danny Phantom

He also had other names as well such as The Great One, or Savoir of the Ghost Zone

But... for the last year he has been known as...

Ruler of the Infinite Realm, His Royal Highness King Phantom. Or as he would rather be simply referred to as (when he’s forced to have/use a title)...

The Ghost King.

...King Phantom also worked.

Simple yes, but Danny preferred it. (Again only when he’s forced to use a title, which sadly since being crowned the new King is most of the time now and only those close to him still call him Danny or at the very least Daniel (coughClockworkcough).

SO.... Its had been a year since Danny had been crowned the new Ghost King, sure he was still a teen and it was honestly very hard in the beginning. Learning the ins and outs of the royal courts, setting up his inner court (aka those he trusted), dealing with entitled nobles, and how to handle the the weight of the crown he now wore but he knew he didn't have to face it by himself. Well not all of it, there was a few things he did on his own in order to prove he's a fair King, but Danny honestly loved it when he could get together with his inner circle (more like family) and discuss the recent news of the Infinite Realm (which Danny learned was the actual name of the Ghost Zone, he long since switched to using that name over the one his parents coined), problems needing to be addressed, and upcoming important festivals or days (Danny knew of the Holiday Truce but he didn't know of any other Ghost holidays/festivals until his ghost friends explained them to him) along with a number of his Kingly duties. This was just barely touching the surface of what Danny had to do nearly daily and again it took a while but he eventually was getting the hang of being a King.

Funny enough one of those duties turned out to be healing the oozing scars the old Ghost King left on the Mortal Realm during his reign... because those scars eventually became the Lazarus Pits and had they been causing harm in the Mortal Realm.

By the Ancients, the Lazarus Pits.

That was something Danny hadn't been expecting to hear so soon after regaining his memories from before living with the Fenton’s. And when Clockwork explained it to him, a small smirk on the always age changing beings face, that all the Pits would eventually dry up thus they would no longer be able to revive the dead once Danny started healing them...

Danny had laughed when he had been told this information.

He laughed until he had started to cry. He had even laughed so hard he changed back from his ghost form to his living one and then back again because he lost breath from his laughter. (It actually concerned his friends, Dani and Jazz when this happened tbh) It took a while but when Danny’s laughter finally trailed into hiccups, light coughs, and deep breaths, Clockwork merely floated over and asked with all-knowing smirk on his face “Quite done Daniel?”

You see the reason why this was funny to Danny was the fact that he was finally getting revenge on his ex-grandfather for... well for everything. And he was going to enjoy ruining Ra’s al Ghul treasured little Lazarus Pits with pure glee. The amount of pure joy he felt knowing this even surpassed his feelings for when he’s able to mess up Vlad’s evil plans for the month.

As mentioned before, Danny had no memories upon waking up in a hospital after nearly losing his life from wounds no child should ever have on their bodies. It wasn’t until the night after his crowning that as he dreamed of his past, it was in these dreams he had finally remembered everything. When he had woken up he had instantly went flying to Clockwork’s lair to speak with the time keeper, especially when he had remembered the last thing he had saw before waking up in the hospital.

[“Why?” that was all Danny would ask when seeing the ageless ghost, not bothering to say hello or even small talk like they normally would do, if he had been his living form he would had been breathing heavily from the speed he flown to get there.

“It hadn’t been your time, your Highness.” was the only reply before the ticking of clocks in the room filled the silence between them.]

He had been Danyal al Ghul, the second heir to the Demon Head Ra’s al Ghul, the League of Assassins leader and his grandfather, son of Talia al Ghul, and twin brother to first heir Damian al Ghul.

Talia, his mother, was a stoic woman. A true Assassin. Beautiful yet deadly.  Someone Danyal could see now who would do anything to stay in power if he was to be honest with himself. But she did love him and Damian in her own way, only showing them this parental love when they were alone, away from servants and other assassin’s eyes. Some of his fondest memories of the woman had been her cupping his face and speaking softly of how much he looked like her “Beloved”, their father. His eyes, and hair (and his 'soft' heart) were the only things he knew about his father, the only thing he has been allowed to know.

Damian, his twin brother, both of them mostly sharing the same face with small differences and build at the time, his other half, the one that he had came into this world together had, was, is the one Danyal would die for. And he did. His brother was the prefect heir, the prefect budding assassin in the eyes of the others in Nanda Parbat. Much like their mother he tended to try to hide his emotions behind an emotionless mask, he always carried himself stronger than Danyal would, despite them both being five years old they had been born into this life and learned very quickly how to survive that place. But behind closed doors the two would often talk in whispers, of the what ifs of their lives, how their day was, etc etc. Danyal’s fondest memories of his brother was them sneaking out to watch the stars late at night and making a promise to always face any problem together as they held hands and lightly tapped each with their fingers.   

His grandfather, Ra’s however was a ruthless and cold man. An ‘immortal’ due to the Lazarus Pits that always brought him back to life, and he had always hated Danyal. No matter what Danyal would do it was always a failure to his grandfather, it didn’t matter if he tried his hardest to be a ‘perfect’ little assassin like his brother, everything he did in the older man’s eyes was a mistake. Any mistakes Danyal did was often met with punishment and pain. He had no fond memories of the man, only a deep seeded mutual dislike if anything.

And it was with this hatred for Danyal, that had caused Ra’s to summon both his grandchildren one night to the combat room and demanded for them both to fight for heir ship. A fight that would end in one of them dying, something all of them in room knew it would lead to. A fight two five years did not want to do but had no choice. Not even Talia’s disbelieving single protest to the fight could not stop Ra’s command.

As the Demon Head, his word was law.

In the end, Danyal couldn’t wouldn’t harm his brother (his grandfather always hated how ‘soft’ his heart was, "to much like his father" was often said with a tsk). They were both only five years old, they were brought into the world together, they told secrets behind closed doors and whispered dreams under the endless sea of stars they would sneak out to see, they would lightly tap messages with their fingers when the other would have bad days and didn’t wish to speak about it but wanted some sort of comfort.

He wouldn’t do it. He wouldn’t harm his brother but Damian... Danyal knew Damian would follow the order to fight despite not wanting to as well, Damian always followed orders with little to no fuss unlike Danyal who always second guessed with whys and questions, Danyal also knew Damian would believe he would fight back in defense at least...

But he didn’t.

Some of the few things he remembered was Damian’s eyes widen in horror, his mother’s uncaring mask and body twitch for a moment, and his grandfather ‘tsking’ at him before he fell onto the cold stone floor. After that his memory became hard to remember, foggy but he knew of this.The pain he felt hurt and he tried so hard to stay alive for a few moments more, he could barely hear anything over his own harsh and deep breathing, his body felt heavy and his hands felt wet from the blood seeping out around him. Danyal could barely hear his grandfather’s voice, and could barely make out Ra’s leaving while his mother guided Damian out of the room, she did not look back and Damian moved like a puppet on a string being pulled away. Danyal barely registered hands lifting him up and carrying him out of the room, his vision slowly fading as he was carried in the dimly lit halls of his ‘home’. His memory became very spotty after that, barely noticing he had been left outside the compound to die and as he took in a harsh breath in an attempt to get air, he could hear two words as clear as day.

“Time Out.” and the only sound following those two words was the ticking of clocks while the last thing he saw was the always changing form of a ageless being.

After that Danyal would be found outside of a random hospital in America, far from his place of birth, far from his mother and brother, barely hanging as doctors rushed to save this five year olds life. He would awake weeks later, with no memories of his own to speak of, and then one night a strange star plush/pillow would be gifted to him with the name Daniel on it. He would be bounced around foster home to foster home after he was cleared to leave the hospital and the cops had no leads on who or where he came from.

Daniel would eventually meet Jazz at the park and later her parents and worm his way into their hearts, he would later be adopted by them and live a somewhat normal life (as one can be with ghost hunting parents but at least he got Jazz as an older sister, even with Jack and Maddie’s rather unhealthy... obsession with ghosts he knew they loved him)

Ra’s failed second heir was no more, his name and life no longer mentioned in Nanda Parbat, Danyal al Ghul (Wayne) was by all intents and purpose dead to the man and to the League.

Now Daniel “Danny” Fenton lived in his place...

Up until that fateful day when he was fourteen, after that he was only half alive and once again became someone kind of new. A halfa this time. Danny Phantom.

And who would had guessed (not Ra’s that's for sure), he later would become The Ghost King, the Ruler of the Infinite Realm.                   

So imagine Danny’s surprise when as he had left his house for school one morning, he may be a King but hey he still needed his education according to Jazz (and Clockwork), when he had been ambushed and attacked by some assassins from the League and knocked out... (Shush his own assassin training was rusty and he hadn’t had time to practice them too much, his last major battle had been that all out brawl a week before his coronation with him vs his enemies, fun times. He also rarely got kidnapped since his crowning, half awake due to his Kingly duties and studying for Mr. Lancer’s 70% final grade test (Fun fact I had an actual teacher who did this) that Friday and honestly Danny wasn’t expecting assassins from the League to show up since the whole being pretty much declared dead to them thing)

Only to later slowly wake up on the familiar rough stone ground in Nanda Parbat (the smell, the sounds, the stonework. He often saw them in his dreams and memories but knew it was real this time) his hands bound and his body aching from laying motionless on the hard ground for a while. He put on a confused look on his face as he slowly rose and groaned in pain as he subtly took a moment to look around.

Thank the Ancients Danny still knew how to fake an injury, and play dumb/confused from his time tricking some of the his more annoying ex-enemies? (Skulker, Walker, etc.) even though it had been a year since he last had to do so with them (besides Vlad, he’s still his enemy no matter what and still seemed really salty Danny was a King now and was treated like an outcast by most ghosts, none wanting to be the opposite side of their King so hey perks). It had been a good way to make them drop their guards if they thought Danny was still at his ‘weakest’ when they caught him by surprise. It still pretty funny when Vlad tries though, this act always catches that fruitloop off-guard no matter how many times.     

It was a Lazarus Pit room judging by the smell/feel of it at first and later confirmed when he noticed the green toxic ooze nearby. Ugh just being on this side of the Realm and sensing that stuff was disgusting, it wasn’t as bad in the Infinite Realm due to the fresh and clean ectoplasm around it masking most of the bad smell but boy did it reek on this side. 

Danny blinked a few times to sell his acting, whispering a confused “Where am I?” under his breath, and looked around before his eyes landed on someone in front of him and flinched back a bit, no acting needed this time.

Ra’s was in the room sitting on a throne chair staring at him with that ever burning hateful glare yet Danny could see another emotion, an emotion he was very used to Vlad having on his fruitloop face. His ex-grandfather had a plan and it was gonna be painful or annoying for Danny to deal with, he knew it...

And...AND was that knocked out Batman and Robin also tied up in chains and guarded by few assassins in the room as well?! WHY IS THAT A THING?!

-x-x-

Heyyyyy so... umm I decided to split it into another part cause it was getting mega long again when all together and I was like roughly halfway done with it and just... I wanted to write out so much, also Tumblr almost made me loose the WIP of this many many times so I’m being careful. Good news almost done with it (and it won’t take as long as this part did promise)

This is basically Danny’s side of things of being King, his inner thoughts, his past relationships with the al Ghul’s, and snippets how he had grown into his King self tbh. Probably didn't need to do this but as an old school writer I wanted to make a base so to speak. The best and fun part is up next. and to prove it, here’s the title and a sneak peek for it.

Summoning a King (Or alternatively: It was at this moment, Ra’s knew he F’d up.)

Yeah as said before it took ALL of Danny’s training not laugh in hysterics. Oh the irony. Sacrificing the Ghost King... to summon the Ghost King.... Danny honestly wanted to say something, the words on his lips being a sarcastic “You sure that's gonna work out for you, you moldy old fruitloop?” but Danny bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from doing so.

TAGLIST:

Also I’m starting a tag list so if anyone wants on it for the next part please let me know asap so I can add you.

[EDIT: Taglist now closed until next update! Sorry!]

@sxnkisses @thenerdycupcake @sealover89 @remydumb @moonscat @fuck-you-too-world @hecate-hollow @ae-vixrose

[sips-tea-cutely]

Wish upon a star

“Don't tell me it's over… Hollywood's dead; Elvis is crying; Lennon, wake up; Cobain, stop lying there. In the light, you're sickeningly beautiful. Say goodbye, you're sickeningly beautiful.”

a/n: i found LDR’s unreleased and also i wrote this while brushing my hair so this is just what im thinking at the top of my head tbh (today is make chuya feel sad day)

cw: blood (reader dies), chuya powerless arc, i left the death part vague for ur hcs MWAH

‘“chuu! do you know what that constellation is?” you grabbed his gloved hand in yours while pointing at a star

“no, what is it?” chuya had no interest in stars but with you, he’s gained an interest in them

“that’s the constellation for gemini, the twins. when castor died, his twin brother— pollux— begged zeus to let his brother be immortal as well so, he turned them into stars.”

“hm… well, that’s interesting but, why’re you telling me this?”

“when we go out, i hope that we’re a constellation so that we can stay together forever, just like them!”

we… when we go out— when we die.

you were supposed to live a long life with him— he’d retire from the mafia, buy a house somewhere quiet, and maybe even buy a dog.

the warm feeling he felt with you, the warm feeling grew into fear, terror even.

his wrists shook as he cupped your bleeding body. his mind ran a blank, he didn’t care for vengeance, he didn’t care about justice. you were still alive, there was still a chance.

he paced around the hallway— the narrow hall echoed with the click of his heels, waiting for some kind of update.

“chuya, i tried my best— by the time you brought them in, they were already half dead… my deepest condolences” mori opened the opaque door, his cyan scrubs stained with blood— your blood.

he stood there, unable to move; unable to speak. he wanted to scream; he wanted to cry; he wanted to run— anything.

he stood over your grave, lilies in hand as his eyes glossed over your headstone.

‘Y/N L/N; loving child, friend and partner.���

chuya had no interest in stars. but every once in a while, he looks into the vast starry sky— and he hopes you’re waiting for him up there.

[spicysucculentz]

ohoho! You ask and you shall receive!

I’m an avid listener of this ecology/sustainable agriculture podcast, the poor proles almanac. Recently they’ve done a slew of episodes about honeybees and their impact on native pollinator populations.

Honeybees are actually not native to North America, they were brought over from Europe in the 1700s. Their impact on nonnative/invasive plant populations is also really interesting but the data is kind of iffy. They tend to gravitate toward pollinating nonnative plants, which can contribute to the spread of nonnative plant species. However, it reduces the competition for native pollinators. For example, if there were no nonnative plant species, they would be pollinating native plant species and creating competition with the native pollinator species that frequent those plants. Additionally, the nectar of many native plants contain certain compounds that can be toxic for honeybees, but the native pollinators are habituated to be able to handle them.

Honestly I don’t know how well I’m able to explain this, I was listening while driving so I didn’t catch every bit. I definitely recommend the podcast if you’re into that kind of thing though, it’s really interesting. Everyone always is saying “save the bees” and we all kind of associate it with honeybees for the most part. However honeybee numbers are increasing, while the it’s the numbers of native pollinator species that are suffering, especially bumblebees (of which I am a MASSIVE fan).

As for asceticism in Hinduism, I don’t COMPLETELY grasp a lot of the Hindu philosophy I’ve been learning but I find it incredibly interesting. For reference I’m taking a course on Indian philosophy. We’ve been reading the Upanishads lately which is a collection of Hindu religious texts.

In many of them, asceticism is a big theme. For example, in the Mundaka Upanishad, it is emphasized that the only way to reach Atman is through asceticism. Now for reference, the Atman is this idea of the embodied self. A deepest level of self that is not our personality (the individual self), but rather the universal self. I can’t really explain it honestly. It’s somewhat similar to the Christian idea of the soul, but the Christian soul retains individuality (I believe, I’m not incredibly knowledgeable on Christianity). The idea is that Atman resides within everyone (specifically within the heart).

Now, another important concept is that Atman IS Brahman. Brahman is the creator of everything, this kind of omnipotent, incorporeal divine principle. Very different from a personal god, like the Christian god. The big idea is that Brahman is everything and is also the creator of everything. Now the main sort of goal for Hinduism (that I understand) is to reach Moksha, or immortality. It’s a liberation from the cycle of rebirth in which one is able to merge with Brahman, achieving the ultimate reality.

Anyways, as it relates to asceticism, many believed for a time that the only way to reach the ultimate reality and attain immortality with Brahman was through asceticism. It’s a contrast with the early Vedic tradition of studying sacred scriptures and performing religious rituals such as fire sacrifices. The whole idea with this ascetic thinking that one can not reach Brahman through intellect, reason, senses, or religious activity, only through asceticism.

To practice this, one would give up their earthly possessions, renounce social ties and activities, fast, etc and mediate in the forest. The goal was to eliminate earthly desires and bring one closer to knowing Brahman through meditation (of which there are different stages that relate to different vedas). Only one stage of meditation will actually lead to immortality, the other two lead to rebirth.

I find it incredibly interesting. I don’t have the text on me at the moment or I would provide some quotes. I only have one quote I remember off the top of my head because I thought it was kind of profound tbh. It’s from part 3 chapter 2 of the Mundaka Upanishad: “In truth who knows God becomes God.”

I think there’s a lot I could say about it but I don’t completely grasp it and it’s so incredibly complex. I find it fascinating though and I’m enjoying the class.

Anyways! That’s the infodump! Thanks for asking! It’s so delightful when people take an interest in one’s infodumping <3

I just got home and immediately infodumped to my mom about the honeybee vs native pollinator controversy and asceticism in hinduism