#the idea for mc's powers was literally based

[bloodlegacies]

MC in the very beginning

"but the cold never bothered me anyway"

[prettypinkpuddles]

Games with Stimuli

randomly thought of fucking with a vibrator and now my brain is mush. this is the first time i’m writing for the l&ds boys so please feel free to give feedback on their characters and how i wrote them

Y/N is not MC

please enjoy

includes Sylus and Caleb as i felt like this fit them best

𝒮𝓎𝓁𝓊𝓈

it was your idea honestly. maybe that’s what made him seem so…. apprehensive of the idea, or maybe it was nerves or overexcitement. whatever it was, it took a lot for him to get over it and he just couldn’t deny how your smile tugged into an invitation of love and respect for his boundaries. boundaries that he let you bend.

“it is on right?” you peered past your knees to see him messing with his cock like a twelve year old. He huffed and tugged on the rubber strap that held the little bullet vibrator taut to his nerves. it was right at the base, working as a cockring for him and a great overstimulant for yourself.

realizing that made your brain melt, your knees lazily separated and you couldn’t help your eyes from moving up to your boyfriend’s face. Up his abs, taking a pitstop at his chest to really get a look at the definition then his neck - ignoring the bite marks you made. then his face, his handsome, downright beautiful face that was right over you.

Sylus smirked and his hands came up to your sides, cupping your breasts, “are you nervous?”

“yes,” you realized just how hot you were. “no.” you giggled breathlessly and inhaled rapidly, “i’m excited, really.”

“excited?” the growl in his chest lifted in amusement.

you nodded, taking another peek at his dick. “yeah, excited for how it’ll feel, but nervous.” you brought your hands to hold his neck and spread your legs just a bit more, “nervous i’ll break.”

he hummed, almost a grunt as he lined himself with you. “just… do it slowly.” he listened, breaching your walls with a causality he’d grown accustomed to, but it was different.

you were tighter, creating more friction and allowing pleasure to build up between your walls as he fully sat inside.

“wait!” you took his bicep and reached down with your free hand, fiddling around for the power button.

it was like a spark ignited between you two, which was likely literal, but it yanked a moan out of you and pulled out a shaky groan from Sylus. you whimpered and bucked your hips involuntarily at the clit stimulus and your cunt gaped and sucked at him.

“fuck…” Sylus grunted and you looked at his face, brows knitted just enough as his eyes struggled to keep his red irises on you, his mouth sucking in ragged breathes.

“is it too much?” you asked, reaching back to turn it off but he stopped you.

he shook his head as the composure came back to him. “no, no keep it on.” he urged, taking your hand away before wrapped himself around you. “but i’ll move slow.” he told you.

and slow he did. slow, short thrusts into your body to keep the bullet on your clit, stringing out whimpers and languid moans from your body; his grunts, suppressed huffed and labored breaths weren’t from how hard he was working to take you there. it was from keeping himself from exploding inside you in an instant.

the bullet was doing its job at turning you into a ball of putty for him to rut into but it was also working its way on his dick, constantly sending vibrations along the shaft, some jolts just a bit shy of reaching his tip - something he didn’t know to be grateful or resentful for.

you groaned and rolled your eyes to look at the blue toy, “m-more.” you inched down to your clit, pressing on the power button to change the setting. a deeper, more aggressive dig at your nerves immediately hit you, and snapped whatever bit of control Sylus had. you wanted to scream from the stimulant but he grabbed your face and kissed you, holding you still as he got just that much closer, stroking your just right so the vibrator wouldn’t leave your body and he could still make somewhat complete thrusts.

it was ravaging, the way he moved to keep your as used as possible, either completely filled with him or the vibrations overriding your senses. your nails raked at his back over and over, drawing him in deliciously; it was almost overwhelming for him, your squelching pussy, your moans breaching from the kisses, your hands marking him up, that stupid vibrator.

he grunted, letting you go to turn it off but he didn’t quite know how it worked - to turn it off you have to hold it, to change the setting, you just press it.

he pressed it.

𝙲𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚋

“Cmon, you’ll love it! i swear!”

Caleb was working harder on this than he worked on anything, which was annoying but kind of funny.

“it’ll be like my fingers, except i can use both of my hands to play with your body.” he teased.

“no,” you pointed your freshly manicured nail at him, “it’ll be like a thing you can’t- or won’t, shut off.

he chuckled, knowing you were right. “but just think about it. you’ll be able to just shut your brain off and moan around my dick.”

that intrigued you.

sex with Caleb was the complete opposite of your job, it hardly requires you to move at times, it was a great way to destress from your vehemently stressful life.

youve never fucked on a desk, and you also never felt what tape on your thighs felt like. not until now.

only Caleb was able to convince you to do this kind of shit. he managed to get you to try and fall in love with a lot of things, including bondage, so for this your arms are snuggled knotted behind your back.

he stood up and eyed his handiwork proudly, “are you comfy?”

your fingers gripped and smoothed over the other’s wrists as you nodded you nodded and attempted to spread your legs just a bit less but he stopped you, “no, no. stay like that.”

“why? i think it’d be better if i were to- ah!” your words cut and a cry ripped out of your chest as he sheathed himself inside without warning. it didn’t hurt but any intrusion would be jarring. “don’t! don’t do that!”

Caleb chuckled as he wagged his dick back and forth to let you get comfortable, “why? it is too much for you?”

“how would you feel if something just split you open without warning?” you gritted, then winced to suppress your moan, “and then fucked you?”

his hand wrapped around your chest and he bent over you, “Hmm, i dunno, guises you’ll just have to show me one day.”

you didn’t have time to think about what that meant, the vibrator you had strapped onto you activated and immediately pushing your clit around, buzzing your nerves to life in an almost painful way. just enough to titter on the edge of pain and pleasure, just the way Caleb liked you.

you immediately broke into a song of groan and whines as he bucked his hips into you, fucking you against the desk with enough force to move it with your little dance.

“want me to turn it up?” he teased, but you couldn’t answer, a bubble of pleasure stuck in your throat and keeping your words down. you whined and cried out particularly loud, giving him an indication you were more than feeling good. his hand explored your body before he grabbed your shoulders and slowly pushed your head down to lay on the desk.

you choked, “harder, please!” it came out so desperate, it’d be embarrasssing if anyone else heard it. But Calbe loved when you sounds like that. he happily obliged, pounding into you with enough force to jerk you back and forth over the surface.

“better?” he breathed, knowing you were going to agree. your head shook against the desk and he laughed at your pathetic little demeanor.

the vibrator was torturing you - making you puddle out juices to soak the tape, your thighs, his dick and balls. Caleb was torturing you too, slamming into you enough to move you but keeping a firm grip on your hips to keep you in relatively in place. then he got an idea and his hands moved.

“how limp are you, baby?” he cooed in your ear and you whined as your head came up. “good.”

he helped you stand straight as one hand took a hold of your thigh, pulling it into the desk; you quickly got the idea and heaved yourself up without moving too much on his cock. you shifted until the vibrator sat nicely on the surface, grumbling eagerly on the material as it nuzzled into you just a bit to much.

you whimpered as Caleb pulled all the way out and slammed back in, grabbing your chin and pulling you back to look up at the ceiling and catch a glimpse of him, “how’s that? still comfy?”

“yes!” a gasp yanked out of you as he pushed in and you spaced out, letting the vibrator burn the nerves in your thighs, Caleb bully your nipples as he sucks and bit along your neck and the two of them ruined your body.

if you enjoyed this and wish to see more of my content, click here! ⭐️

[bloomeng]

I know MXTX is a good author I want to get that out of the way before I get into this. She’s a fantastic (male) character writer and she has a great grasp on interpersonal connections. Though she’s working in an established niche genre she’s still very creative, I think SV especially is evidence of that. But there’s one thing that I just can never seem to get a pulse on, and that’s how much she means to comment on classism.

Author’s intent is always gonna be tricky especially when I have to rely on translated texts and interviews. There’s probably a lot of nuance that I miss, not to mention literally interviews I’ve never seen etc. It also doesn’t help that I haven’t read most of TGCF yet, so I can’t comment on that series, and with SV this conversation is less applicable, so for the sake of what I know best I’m gonna be using MDZS as my main example.

Classism is undeniably at the heart of MDZS’s themes, however for years anytime I analysis the text I’m usually fairly cautious to note that I don’t know if this was intentional. This isn’t because I think MXTX is stupid or can’t handle deep conversations, it’s simply because I can’t tell if it was her intent. On paper it seems obvious; WWX, JGY and XY’s wealth disparities, how privilege drives the plot, literally everything about the Wens as a whole. So much of the novel’s runtime is spent showing us how corrupt the feudal system can be, going so far as to have a protagonist who dies for the cause and two antagonists who are driven to be awful because of their poor circumstances in life. It feels intentional that WWX was granted a certain amount of privilege based on something he was born with (his parents connections) and how easily people turned on him. Sure he does unethical things but if not for his status it’s likely he wouldn’t have had to do half the things he ends up doing, not to mention that plenty of people didn’t like before the demonic cultivation started. JGY acting as a foil for WWX feels intentional and I would absolutely consider them foils regardless of intent. With all this in mind I would be inclined to say that yeah, MDZS is commenting on classism, but then WWX marries into the corrupt system and we the audience are supposed to read this as a good thing.

This has always been my biggest qualm with the book. We spend so much time showing how awful this system is and the two people who do anything to try and save it are punished for it by death. Sure WWX is brought back but as soon as he’s in Mo’s body he’s aimless. JGY is of course the secondary villain of the series, but MXTX goes out of her way to make us understand that even when JGY had power, his birth kept him from actually holding any real control, and what control he did have he mostly used to get bad people out of power and make the community better (he was biased and paranoid and vengeful but MXTX’s characters are nothing if not nuanced). Why set all this up to end up in such a contradictory place?

I get that solving such big issues such as classism isn’t easy and we want a happy ending but does MDZS even have a happy ending? None of the mc’s besides LWJ and (supposedly) WWX and LSH and LJY are in good positions by the end of the story. I remember reading MDZS for the first time and thinking that LWJ would fall for WWX because of his radical ideas and eventually see that the Lans were contributing big time to this awful system that favors wealth over everything. Especially because we have a second plot line about whatever was going on with LXC and JGY. And then it just never happens. Instead the Lan sect are painted as ok just because they’re monks. The system wasn’t the issue actually it was the people in charge but don’t worry they’re gone. Life is great now that the most powerful sects are in the hands of a 15 yr old, a man with unchecked anger issues, a council of elders that think corporal punishment is the solution to everything and a man who committed to a life long bit to get out of all forms of responsibility. What could go wrong?

I’ve always thought it was strange and ooc that WWX just accepts going back to Cloud Recesses. His literal incense burner fantasy was a cottage in the woods away from society. He never really warms up to the rigidity or their bland ass food, and he doesn’t even really respect the Lans culture more than he has to. It’s clear he only lives there for his husband and son’s sake. So why am I to believe this is his fairy tale ending?

The only answer I’ve been able to grasp over the years is that the romance genre of the novel overpowers everything else.

This is what brings me back to my original point. I don’t know if MXTX’s intended to comment on class, because if she did I struggle to understand how the ending of the story fits this intention. Which means by default it wasn’t the intention, at least not the priority. I mean ok duh, obvious conclusion, this is a danmei, it’s the bl genre, of course the romance comes first, but that’s not exactly what I’m getting at. You can absolutely have a romance that comments on other things at the same time and I think MXTX’s writing is smart enough to do this, except it fumbled so hard at the end it left me questioning if she even meant to comment on classism in the first place.

A part of me thinks that all of this commentary was just a coincidence of the genre conventions. Cultivator/ historical fantasy tends to just have classism baked into setting, so maybe that’s all it was. Perhaps she was just borrowing what was already there to make interesting character motivations and it wasn’t done with any intention of commenting on any sort of greater societal issue. Which for the record would be ok. I’m not policing what MXTX should write and romance for the sake of romance is perfectly valid, but as a reader I’m allowed to say this particular instant made me dislike the actual romance she set up. These issues in the book made me actively dislike LWJ. I’m on an island about that though. Getting back to my point, I struggle to call this commentary intentional and thus things like WWX and JGY suddenly feel unintentional as well.

I also find MXTX’s own words to be contradictory at times. For instance, she’s mentioned that after SV she found writing more than one couple to be too taxing. When asked if other characters in MDZS were gay she said explicitly they were not, yet both MDZS and TGCF have unofficial side couples that are an inch away from being canon. She’s also mentioned that XY, Sl, and XXC were old characters of hers and were originally going to be the focus of the book, which leads me to believe that they would’ve been a canon love triangle. So I am skeptical when she said all the characters besides WWX and LWJ are straight. I’m not accusing her of lying or anything like that. Tolkien contradicted himself so many times in his letters and essays, it’s sort of par for the course in my opinion. What it does mean though is that I can’t get a read on her intentions. What I can gather from what she tends to focus on in her extras, interviews, and just the fact that this is the BL genre, I’m inclined to believe that a lot of these parallels are unintentional but then I circle back to just how heavy handed it all is and I’m unsure again.

Anyway this was just the world’s longest way to say that actually we don’t have any idea what her intentions are and this is why when I’m analyzing her work I make a point to not put words in her mouth.

[fir-fireweed]

Hey again!

So, now I've been able to give some more thought about the lore, I find myself going back to the concept of duette, and I'm curious about some details!

Now, I assume these will probably be explained in the story, but I assume it isn't too spoilery to ask about early on (and well, if it is you can always tell me so haha).

So, obviously we are talking about a kind of soulmate bond, and based on MC's explanations, not everyone has that kind of relationship. But I still have a few questions!

1 - The part about not everyone having such a bond... does it mean literally that - that a lot of people are simply born without another person sharing the same melody - or does it rather mean that finding the exact person is so exceedingly rare that it's "as if" not everyone had it?

2 - If it's the former for the previous question, and a person who has that kind of "soulmate" falls in love with someone else than said person, will their relationship be just as good and lasting as it would have been otherwise, or would they always feel as if "something was missing" from their couple relationship with their spouse, even if said spouse on the other hand is perfectly happy?

3 - What kind of "soulmates" are we talking about, exactly? What I mean by that is that I've broadly seen two major approaches to the concept, and I'm curious which one is it (or leaning towards). First one would be quite literally a fated bond, the concept that there is only that one person who shares the same melody and so, in this story's case to be a duette, you'd have to find that specific person and no one else would work. The other one would be that people "develop" a soulmates bond, meaning that no one is "actually fated" to a specific person, but rather some people are so compatible that they become soulmates when they get to know each other, so in this case it would be like the melodies attuning to each other or reaching a harmony progressively. I'm talking about the actual workings of it, by the way, since the truth of it may be different from what Iredicci think it is. Or is it something else entirely?

4 - MC's mom was explaining that a regular human-human duette wouldn't be able to "feel" their bond since they can't hear it per se. But in a regular humain-Iredicci pair, would the Iredicci be able to somehow help their partner hear it? Or "sing" the melody to them?

And I think that's it for now? Sorry if these question seem to random or overly specific! I just love the very concept of soulmates and I love seeing different approaches to it! And soulmates + musical "magic"? This has me going feral!

Hello again, konoi! I don’t mind the questions at all. I love sharing the lore with you!

You’re correct in that the duette is a soulmate bond, but I imagined it a little different than your traditional soulmates. Not everyone has a destined one. Having the same harmony is almost like a glitch in the matrix, a happy accident. Like 2 people being born/created at the same frequency, just by chance. You don’t need that bond to have your happily ever after. But if by chance you find someone like that, then your love is all the stronger for it. There’s also some benefits to it; for instance, the children of a duette pair are stronger. (So guess who has the possibility of having some pretty badass powers?) 😉

To answer your question 4… I hadn’t thought of that possibility but I absolutely LOVE it! The idea of singing their melody to them or helping them hear it somehow??? Oh my gosh, so cute, I’m gonna brainstorm that one! Thank you, my friend!

[seiii-lnd]

Caleb Release

TW: Yapping

Since the game's release, Caleb's character has been a gold mine for arguments within the community and a testament of how cultural differences can cause you-know-what. But we won! And that's what matters... until his recent homecoming announcement yesterday.

Based from the latest PVs, I am worried about the devs doing a 180 degrees flip on his character. I personally do not sit well with the Myojin Aki vibe (you-know-what, don't ask), but I fw the part where's he's somehow Bucky/Vash the Stampede.

The trailer is good but I just hope they don't make him go full on yandere mode as people would definitely misunderstood his character. A little bit of red flags are okay, but I hope he will NOT pull off a Toma istg. He was introduced as the dependable easygoing gege, and I hope they kept that part of his character in his homecoming since that's one of the reasons why some players were pushing for him to be an LI last year.

His cards are top tier so far. It's really giving off that boy-next-door archetype so I can at least assume that we will still have the dependable gege from Chapter 4. The brown uniform he has on one of his 4-star cards is also giving Cillian Murphy from The Edge of Love.

For the lore, I think he's been secretly hiding his affection for MC since then. It was blatantly obvious from Chapter 4 (when they had an argument), his longing and concern were certainly genuine.

He's an anti-villain!

Caleb is at the other end of the Sylus stick (anti-hero). A Colonel is a high field-rank in the airforce, but there are still people above that rank. Following the military chain of command, it's most likely that he's working under a general's order or someone with high political power or influence which might explain the red flags in the teaser. It seems like Caleb has a military code of conduct to follow which may include a different treatment to trespassers (which MC may have done) or any opposition. Judging by how he can easily switch up between Colonel and Caleb in the trailers, it's possible that he's being controlled (not literally) by outside forces.

In retrospect, Sylus' release was also met with a huge hype about what seemed to be a "dark romance brat taming daddy" who's very possessive and into BDSM. But Sylus is not what most people expected him to be.

Overall, we were only given a glimpse of Caleb from the teasers right now. Currently, there is not enough material to further digest his character and making assumptions on his whole personality based on snippets is not really a pleasant idea.

[acotarfrustrations]

Acomaf feyre is turning into something that acotar feyre would absolutely despise and honestly it's so sad the way sjm sniped what SHOULD have been the main character of the series (bcus we all know rhys is the real mc). Like her mind raping tarquin to steal something that she could just ask for when he literally thinks they're friends.

The thing about amren making a meal of any guards that see them steal the book particularly bothers me because this should be the main book where we should see emotional consequences of feyre's actions utm and with andras. Killing an innocent fae for a stupid reason should be SOMETHING SHES VEHEMENTLY OPPOSED TO. ITS WHAT HER WHOLE ACOTAR ARC WAS BASED ON AND HAVING TO GO AGAINST THOSE MORALS DESTROYED HER MIND

NOw all of a sudden it's just another tuesday. Not to mention the things they're doing? WARS HAVE BEEN STARTED FOR LESS. Coming under the guise of diplomacy to a foreign nation to steal their precious artifacts, steal their jewels, and possibly kill their citizens if they see what you're doing??? Why didn't tarquin just kill them?? Those are blatant acts of war

It's so stupid because even Feyre acknowledges that what they're doing is dumb and makes no sense and asks why they can't just ask tarquin for the book. RHYS DOESNT EVEN GIVE AN ANSWER. He's just like "oh well Cresseida told me tarquin is ambitious so, uh, yeah we have to steal the book"

ARE YOU FUCKING STUPID????

It literally feels like rhys only wants to steal it because he's jealous and thinks tarquin wants to fuck feyre so he wants to steal it to not only prove a point but ruin any potential allies that feyre could have outside of IC. Anything to get Feyre dependent on him am I right?

And I feel like this would distress acotar feyre so much because she's not blinded by the rose tinted glasses of rhys' penis and she would be able to clearly see what was going on.

Rhys intentionally waited until feyre was in a very vulnerable state, forced her to come to his house, gave her things he knew she wanted and would benefit him, and uses his mind powers to cater to her every whim and give her what she wants so she can be on his side. Not because he loves her or she's his mate, because it's strategic and there's the added bonus of pissing tamlin off in the beginning. When shit hits the fan for feyre and tamlin, he immediately takes that opportunity to get her to work with him and induct her into the rhys circle jerk cult and now she's thinking like him.

He's so deep in her head that the reader is literally watching sjm change parts of a character's core values to mold her around her love interest and call it empowering feminism, using her trauma and her "darkness" as a justification.

And this "he's not 'dark' enough to be with me" thing particularly bothers me because it's actually a common mindset for traumatized people when it comes to relationships. Thinking that your trauma has ruined you for a healthy relationship and that it's something that you don't deserve so you should actually date evil people because they're the only ones who understand your trauma responses so you won't feel like a burden is a very real mindset and feyre is displaying it to a tee. And Sjm is romanticizing it.

Like yeah rhys might understand her dark side or whatever but that is because he is more evil than her. He sends her to the weaver in what feels like a cruel prank just to go get a ring, he uses her as bait, he shuts her ideas down for no reason, he only tells her what he wants her to know, he grooms her into being a tool for him instead of letting her explore her own personality, and he only shows her around velaris. The only time he takes her somewhere else, he and amren decided to be complete assholes to the summer court and pull a completely unneccesary heist to make feyre feel pressured to join in their schemes and cement this "it's the NC against the world" mentality to isolate her and prevent her from making friends

Like I just imagine book 1 feyre feeling horrified and disgusted at what she becomes and it's honestly so sad. At this point, I honestly only feel sorry for feyre but I think acowar is going to be the breaking point that actually pushes me into hating her. Like at that point, I think she actually becomes one of the IC, mentality actions and all, and idk I just feel so bad.

[elainsgirl]

I think one important way to tell what couple are the next MCs is which couple moves the plot forward. Elriel obviously are connected to every part of the main plot (and have always been). But I've been curious if I've missed something lately so I have been looking into gwynriel and elucien posts, to just listen and see what they think the plot of a gwynriel or elucien book would be. And there is just nothing, just like the past few years. Either nothing at all, or no consistency at all. Theories pointing in all directions, built on nothing, or straight up taking elriels clearly set up plot as gwynriels or eluciens. If I were wishing for gwynriel and elucien, this would seriously worry me. It should not be a mystery for readers to assume where the plot of the next book is going. But gwynriel and elucien truly have no consistent idea what their books would be about. Elriels have had a very reasonable and concistent canon based idea of the plot of an elriel book for years. Casual readers pick up on this too (see jordin sparks recently for example). New elriels come on here and have the same ideas of an elriel book without having interacted with the fandom before. Elriel is just so stable, clear, and reasonable. Truly obvious, as Sarah said.

I know this is a little pointless because we literally know Elains book is next, and Azriel is her only love interest. But out of curiosity, i wonder what is your idea of what gwynriels and eluciens think a gwynriel or elucien book would be about? I can't wrap my head around what they actually think.

Hey anon 🫶

I actually love this ask because after interacting with multiple antis across multiple platforms - your words are true. Antis do not have a clear set plot for their books. Different groups will say different things.

Generally, as a whole Elriels have always known the bond will play a role in Elaind’ book, especially given Azriels bonus. Elain choosing Az despite her mate will be the big moment. Finding a way to break the bond without Elain/Lucien having any repercussions. Allowing a new generation of faes to break their bonds if they’re unhappy with their mates and choose who to love of their own will. I know elriels have theorised the lore behind the cauldron and those theories have solidified after Hofas confirmed what we have thought to be true: Bonds can be corrupt and wrong -> Cauldron bonds are to match powerful faes = powerful offsprings: which makes sense why Lucien became Elains mate as Az was shot and weakened. I know lots of elriels including myself have theorised a two bond/two mate theory which is becoming more likely to happen in Elains’ book after confirmation that Az can scent eluciens unaccepted bond. As well as the fact that lots of elriels have always known that Elain and Az will be connected to the prison which will be explored in their book. Each sister has conquered a mountain so it stands to reason, Elain will as well. Elriels have agreed on a spy arc for Elain as it fits the foreshadowing given to us. So yeah, elriels have come together and have created a general outline of what Elains book will look like and its the same for almost every elriel.

As for antis, this is just what I have seen:

Elucien group 1: Gwynriel book > Elucien book. In Gwynriel book, Lucien finds out what happened between Elain and Azriel. Gets upset & distances himself from Elain. Elain has a vision of Koshei which means she will have too join Lucien and the B.O.E in going to Koshei’s lake. Cue forced proximity between lucien and elain, elain realises how stupid & mean she’s been so she grovels for Lucien. Him - being the good guy he is - chooses to forgive her and BAM they accept the bond and live happily ever after. Ofc AFTER they save Luciens girl bestie who he’s been living with happily. Through this, Elain will become happy as she is “depressed” in the Nc. Her besties will be Vassa and the man who made a r4pe joke about her Jurian.

Elucien group 2: Elain gets fed up with how the IC treat her, she is sick of them all and is heavily depressed in the NC. Plot filler and somehow Lucien ends up at Day. He realises his parentage, works on his powers. Elain represents the Nc and spends time at Day to strengthen the bond between NC and DC - this will happen through her throwing balls and attending them. Forced proximity between her and lucien, elain realises she’s so stupid for hurting him, grovels and then BAM they accept their bond and live happily ever after.

subgroup 2a - Helion dies in a BD initiated by Beron. BOOM, Lucien is crowned HL of Day and Elain HighLady.

Subgroup 2b - Elain and Lucien end up at spring. I don’t know why or how. They help Tam out. Make the Spring Court better. Tamlin dies and they’re crowned HLs of Spring.

I will say, more eluciens are solidifying on the lake plot (due to Sjms interest in a firebird retelling) they say elain will have a vision which will lead her there or it will be due to Papa’s bargain, so she will be the one to kill Koshei and free the women…definitely not the actual firebird in the series.

The issue with these two plots: Elain is not the focus, she is a side character to her own story. It ignores a Lot of canon and runs on assumptions instead. Elain’s character growth is her accepting the bond. Thats it.

Gwynriel. Idfk tbh. They change their tune a lot. So pre-hofas, Gwyn and Az were going to band together and reform Illyrian. Do what Rhys failed to do and ban wing clipping, spread the valkry agenda and help the women. Emerie would “guide” aka simply tag along and be present so this plot can’t be labelled for what it is: the white saviour trope. Anyways, the book would just be about Az healing. Someone suggested him seeing a therapist bcs Az having feelings for Elain was that bad and showed how unhinged his character was. So through this healing he would notice Gwyn, friends to lovers trope -> they fall in love and BANG!, plot twist, they’re ✨mates✨ bet you didn’t see that coming.

Post-Hofas, Nesta and Az will need Gwyn to do research on the 8 pointed star and made weapons. Gwyn is something special and allows her to use Gwydion. This somehow leads them too the prison where Gwyn and Az (sometimes Nesta is included) will revive the prison through song, healing - light & shadows. Dusk will be reborn, Nesta will be HL. Gwyn her first in command. The whole acosf gang leave the NC and move to Dusk where they live happily ever after. wait..I think I forgot a key point…oh yh. Somewhere between all of this: Elriel will end in a terrible kiss and both them agreeing they were idiots who were using each other to ignore how they truly felt and then…

BOING! Gwynriel are revealed to be mates. Suprise!

my humble opinion is that Gwynriels/Eluciens are more focused on the vibes, dynamic, tropes then the actual Plot. For example, They can say, “X” will happen but won’t be able to prove it so they never truly develop “X” it’s just an idea with loose- very loose- canon foundation. However, they can write multiple HCs based on tropes and the dynamic they want for the characters as thats how they maks their ships enticing and interesting. Honestly, there’s only a limited plot either ship has and its not based on foreshadowing more like connecting random pieces of info together instead of paying attention to the info the author connects together. I can do that with any ship as well. You can do it too. I also think antis just think Mass will do all the foreshadowing in one single book instead of pacing it out like she is known for.

With elriel - there is a solid plot that has been foreshadowed for 3 books. If I tell you “in Elains book, one subplot is her becoming a spy” I will be able to back that claim up with multiple canon information the author intentionally wrote in a way that leads you to believe this. Elriels are consistent- we aren’t divided on many things. We all have a general idea for the book. Many theories & plot ideas are the same. We aren’t unclear of what will happen in Elains book. The majority of us have Elain front and Centre. Focusing on her potential & growth as a character. We incorporate Azriel into Elains storyline. With antis, especially eluciens, Elain is weaved into Luciens main storyline.

When you read the books w an unbiased lens, its clear which couple has a plot that moves the story forward and allows it to branch into other potential side stories, which again. Mass is known for.

[alilobsessive]

I should I'm not a writer, but I'm just sharing the idea, cuz I love angst and I wish to spread my ideas around. Also, I think forgot to include something in my Squid Game idea, I do thing MC child should become a Lil bit evil and apathetic towards to Batfam and probably the elites of Gotham (if they figure out these people are the reason why his parents are dead, if they survives). Ironically, the inspo for making MC son a bit evil from an Improv Skit with the title, "Evil Make-a-Wish Foundation", and Han YooHyun from S Class that I Raised. Like, if this child is a powerful meta with maybe fire base power (basing this on HYH), he will burn the city named Gotham. For taking his parents away from him, and forcing him to live with the people involved with their death.

Teeny little baby dose war crimes, but we forgive him because he is just the smallest possible child. Kid single-handedly gets rid of the court of owls, living embodiment of eat the rich. God the batfam or another member of the justice league having to take him on, oof.

Also that is literally what I’m doing bro, I have so many ideas but I struggle to write about all of them. Some I can make work which are the ones I already have one shots for. Some I get inspiration on how to make it function by comments and asks! I love talking about all these ideas, so talk as much as you want and when you think you’re ready with all your ideas, write! It could take a long time to fully put the pieces together, or just a few days. But whatever happens or how long it takes as long as you like the end result it’s fine. The main point of creation is that you enjoy it!

[blackbutlerfandomnerddomain]

So it's the new year and I've decided to follow in a @oya-oya-okay example and make a WST X Black Butler AU!

So in the AU Ciel, Alois, Sieglinde, Doll, Lizzy, Finny, Snake, and Sebastian somehow get stuck in Twisted Wonderland. All this would take place around after the Blue Cult Arc has ended/when RCiel returned but all are struggling with memories including how they got there (Literally last Finny remembers is meeting Doll and searching for a escape with the F.O.L. Orphanage kids and Ciel was on a train while Sieglinde last remembered Ciel and Sebastian coming to her for help for Soma) while Alois only recalled his death as a bad dream and misses Hannah most since he recalls her comforting him while he bleeds out. Also in this AU they all technically have a Unique Magic or powers of sorts based on their abilities so when they appeared they were accepted as NRC students and placed in dorms but are aware they're like Yuu/MC in the case they're from another world while Sebastian helps out at Sam's Shop and subs sometimes while staying in Ramshackle for lack of bedding.

Alois, Sebastian, and Ciel's demon connections are made into some kind of UM ability or for Sebastian's case his contract making/soul eating abilities are blocked but he can do the other demon powers like fire or whatever. Ciel and Alois' demon contracts are now instead heighten in some weird UM curse or whatever (I'm tired yall from being sick, I promise I'm trying to make sense T^T) so Ciel's "UM" is based on his eye sight while Alois' "UM" is based on his voice/tongue.

This this for Ciel's "UM"-

As for Finny, he's confused to have magic based on his strength and speed while Snake is confused too based on his ability to speak to animals and also cause I decided when being transported here he ended up with a sharper bite so they assume he's a beastman. Doll's Bizarre Doll abilities are still the same mixed with her circus backstory but she's technically no longer a living corpse as before somehow. Like feeling as if she never died. But she has a UM deep down created in the mist of being transported here. But Lizzy and Sieglinde are confusing cases as I'm debating if they're magicless or have some kind of magic.. I DUNNO!

I've decided on their dorms based off their personalities and the morals of the dorm based on this post, so here are the dorms!

Ciel is in Octavinelle cause he's intelligence, cunning, and strategic mind would fit well with Octavinelle, the dorm associated with ambition and carefully laid plans. Also I think he'd get along with that dorm most.

Alois is in Ignihyde. Okay, I know technically Alois doesn’t directly fit Ignihyde’s technological or isolated nature, his desire for control and his obsession with getting people to notice him could translate into the dorm's theme of being misunderstood or outcast. Also I just personally love the idea of gamer!Alois and think he'd love it there

Lizzy will be in Heartslabyul cause-

Look I personally loved the Ciel In Wonderland OVAs and it lowkey influenced my idea of Lizzy's placement.

Also she has a bubbly and playful personality, combined with her occasional impulsiveness and emotional nature, makes her a possible fit for Heartslabyul which has a chaotic energy, and Elizabeth’s sometimes erratic behavior and her tendency to push the boundaries and her bad-ass side would fit well with Heartslabyul’s often unpredictable atmosphere.

Sieglinde I've decided to put in Diasmonia since apparently it's a rarity to be in it but also those in Diasmonia have natural talents which she does since she was born a super fucking genius! Also, I feel like she would feel at home in there most

Snake is in Scarabia because.... duh. Honestly, it'd be a perfect location since it's warm for the snakes and Kalim could Oasis cool water if needed

Finny's in Savannaclaw lowkey inspired by @oya-oya-okay too cause her points made sense but also due to the whole Savannaclaw is meant for strengths.

And finally Doll I've decided to put her in Pomfiore! Why? Well I did it mainly cause she needs some self love. Pomfiore seems to be perfect for those who want to make themselves better physically, emotionally, and mentally and with her character so far I believe she deserves some of that. Also while Doll is not necessarily "noble" in the traditional sense, her role as part of the Noah’s Ark Circus gives her a certain air of tragic beauty... Doll’s kind and nurturing nature, combined with the fact that she is manipulated and used by those around her, echoes the theme of Pomfiore, where there’s a focus on outward appearances and a hidden darkness or burden. Basically she's the swan for the group

Sketches are on the way besides the few I do have but not a lot yet!

Here are some so far!

(Both are messy-ish so sorry for how it looks, especially Doll's piece which I'll probably go back to do, she basically was given a spare of Vil's uniform)

I will come back and work on these profiles once I finish up the sketches but here are the character's info so far.

(I get some of the UM doesn't make sense, I'll try and make sense with it once I doodle more but basically Alois can only trigger his "UM" when he licks his thumb or wipe his blood on his thumb where the mark is and his eyes glow so I might animate that-)

I don't know much about shipping in this AU since I have my tastes and opinions on certain ships though I do find the idea of Ortho maybe crushing on Sieglinde pretty cute since they would bond a lot over mobility stuff and feeling stuck with their pasts.

But I do plan to have Lizzy being besties with Cater, Doll and Leona getting along well, Doll and Epel being besties cause they both can bond with being stuck in a dorm they don't agree with, Alois is for sure going to have a lil brother vibe with Idia and a older brother vibe with Ortho and being best friends with the rest of the Light Music Club, I feel like Sebastian should have a close friendship with Sam

Edit: I forgot to add nicknames Floyd would give them!!!

Alois - Spanish Dancer

Ciel - Sea Bunny

(Thanks again @oya-oya-okay for introducing me this adorable lil guy!)

Sebastian - European Conger

(Sorry Sebastian, it's a funny lil guy, I swear you're adorable-)

Finnian - Jack Fish

Lizzy - Kribensis

Sieglinde - Alien Betta

Snake - Sea Snail

[still-a-morosexual-help]

this is quite ramble tbh but this thought has been sitting in my head for so long. as a poc obey me player i have this little self indulgent scenario where my mc is talking w the brothers and they ask about how mc dealt w all the bs the other demons were giving them about being a human. and my mc is like “racism exists in the human world too??” and it made me think about how out of touch the brothers are from the human world. like do they know anything from the last 500 years of human world?

The funniest thing to me is like yeah there's classism and racism (though I would argue it's more classism than racism) within the demons of the Devildom but it seems to be mostly based on "how able am i to kick your ass" hence the more magically and physically powerful demons end up in higher positions (and this makes much more sense when you learn that the Devildom had no laws until Diavolo's grandfather so it would have very literally been "survival of the fittest")

However if you take out the magical/physical strength factor: demons, as we see in the game, come in all shapes and sizes and from different cultures and are never treated differently based on that eg: the ant sized demons and the nightlantern people

So all I can imagine is demons being like:

Humans discriminate each other based on *rapidly check notes* skin...colour????? and where you come from and what you believe in???? Not on who can knock out the most teeth????????????????

Just absolutely bamboozled by it

Also about knowing what the human world is like, we find out in S3 that at least Mammon has a pretty good idea what the human world is like because of how often he visits it due to running errands for Lucifer, paying debts to the witches, visiting his kid - to the point that he blends in pretty easily unlike some people *cough*Satan*cough*

ALSO ALSO

It's not human world racism but Nightbringer shows that the 7 brothers have a pretty good idea of what racism actually is, given the way they're initially treated by civilians of the Devildom (eg: how they're kicked out of shops) and how they still seem to be treated by the nobility. "Fallen Angel" also seems to be a slur or something similar which I will never get over

We also get to see a lot of racism from the angels towards the demons in S1-4 and vice versa in Nightbringer. Also, of course, keep in mind that the Devildom and the Celestial Realm aren't actually Hell and Heaven and it's not a story of Evil vs. Good, so like Mammon and MC say in Nightbringer there's no actual difference between being an angel or a demon other than living in a strict society vs living in a free/chaotic society

And going on a tangent here because this interests me:

About the Sins vs Nobility and how they treat lesser demons

We never see the Sins, or Diavolo for that matter, treating lesser demons badly despite being some of the most high ranking demons in the realm:

• With Diavolo of course it'd go against his personality to treat them differently

• The second Dames event shows that the Sins seem to have more of a problem with the nobility than anything else

• Which is supported by how against them the nobility are in Nightbringer

• Through Mephisto, in the current time, we see that though this attitude has mellowed out it hasn't completely left

• Despite the Sins and the Nobility generally being in a similar station of power there's a huge difference between their attitudes towards the lesser demons

• Mephisto for instance is so rich that not only is Belphie shocked by it but Mephisto has also never eaten a burger before which is insane

• Meanwhile, all the Sins have frequently held working class jobs, either because they're genuinely trying to earn some money or because they're covering a shift for a friend

• In Nightbringer, despite thinking MC is a lesser demon they're never really treated differently by the Sins. If they are ordered around (which again is very rarely) it's because they're literally working for the Sins and if MC doesn't want to do what they're ordered to they just... don't and they face no consequences. The Sins also acknowledge and respect MC's competence and opinion.

• Meanwhile, in Nightrbringer we see Mephisto (who is literally and narratively a representative of the House of Lords and Nobility) thinking MC's a lesser demon; ignore MC, dismiss their opinion and expect to be shown out of RAD by them without even being asked which heavily implies that due to their perceived difference in position this is MC's duty even if they don't work for Mephisto/Diavolo/RAD

• The Sins seem to see more of themselves in the lesser demons than in the Nobility which makes sense when you consider how they came to the Devildom with nothing, had to rely on Diavolo to survive, still live in what is essentially a RAD dormitory and have to actually work and earn money to buy the things they want

• Whereas, the Nobility are probably demons who had to fight their way to the top long before Diavolo's grandfather introduced the laws and then spent generations at the top, amassing wealth and getting more than used to their set status quo

[ad-hawkeye]

UHHH DROP THE ESSAY?!

oh god i don't actually have one (edit: I wrote one. Thank you, anon.)

it's just something i notice from time to time with alkaid HJDJLDJHGH BUT- BUT!! i can give a quick tl;dr of my thoughts!! (edit: it was not a TL;DR)

sitting down and giving my earnest thoughts: i don't think it's ocd. not specifically. a lot of ocd symptoms (particularly in the intrusive thoughts corner of things) overlap with other anxiety based disorders. i'd put alkaid under the anxiety disorder umbrella, personally.

but in terms of similarities to ocd symptoms? (as someone with ocd)?

first of all, ocd at its core is a fear of uncertainty (the obsessive), and the constant "itch" to find certainty in a situation where there is none (the compulsive). it's constantly trying to answer obsessive and intrusive "what if" questions that terrify you, and accidentally reinforcing those fears as a result.

it's the obsessive need to solve any and all discomfort or anxiety. it's oftentimes irrational. but it feels real.

the alkaids you'll mainly see this with are modern alkaid, eden alkaid, and prefect luminary. but since i know more about the first two, i'll leave prefect luminary out of this for now. just know i theorize that pl is projecting his own issues onto eden alkaid during the stint where he acts as the "seed" in eden alkaid's mind. after all, who would know an alkaid more than another alkaid?

obligatory "these thoughts are my own and this is not fact - it is just my own personal reading of the game" disclaimer. okay, carry on!

eden alkaid's issues mirror the experience of having intrusive thoughts. intrusive thoughts often breed doubt and a lack of trust, particularly in oneself. in eden alkaid's case, these thoughts were amplified by pl just. fanning the flames. and slowly taking over his mind the more he fanned this self doubt in him.

it is a... very Literal example of how your fears will control you if you let them.

eden alkaid has been taught to fear the world and anything he can't control. to fear uncertainty. to fear himself and fear others. this is why pl is able to worm into his mind so well; having the powers of the master of eden gives him that control he craves in order to ease these fears.

alkaid is a sweet boy at heart. he just wanted his world to be saved. and even after being taught to fear anything and everything, he still tried to help the people of eden by sending out supplies, or by other means he accomplished despite pl in his own isolation. ultimately, alkaid's problem is one of trust.

there are several scenes i could go into about this in his route (also his recolor whisper in the cn server! it goes specifically into the topic of trust vs. control!), but the biggest example of this is his fears regarding mc. he fears what he can do. what if the love he feels for mc IS just possessiveness? what if he does something he can't take back? he can't find a solid answer and never well... and that terrifies him. these fears pop up again when he's afraid of losing his emotions as he has no idea what he'll become. he's afraid of losing mc, the only thing that has managed to pull him out of this darkness.

the "final test" in eden alkaid's mindscape with the tea is one of trust. alkaid's trust in himself and in mc. mc's trust in herself and in alkaid. what if the tea is poisoned? what if his love IS just possessiveness? even though pl is gone from his mind, is he rotten to the core? was pl just a convenient excuse?

mc drinks the tea. it is not poisoned. they awaken to a new world where alkaid is now emotionless, but willing to relearn how to feel. he is willing to let go of control, willing to let go of mc, and willing to move on with his life. he took a trust fall.

beating ocd in of itself requires blind trust. without blind trust, we're stuck in a cycle of intrusive thoughts and compulsions, forever doomed to keep looping this process on repeat, further burying ourselves in our fears.

this is getting stupidly long, so i'll go over modern alkaid briefly.

modern alkaid shares some of the same issues, particularly around self doubt and a tendency to catastrophize situations. he frequently assumes responsibility for things going wrong (good example being his dawn and dusk sr. no alkaid, you did not do something to make mc afraid of you. that is not even remotely close to what happened). he engages in compulsive behaviors like reassurance seeking, avoiding certain topics and situations, and compulsive confessing. modern alkaid’s paranoia is also rooted and amplified by his childhood, where he was constantly under surveillance by the government due to his familial ties.

all alkaids at their core feel a desire to protect their loved ones. unfortunately for modern alkaid, his upbringing was a recipe for disaster. his situation fueled his fears that any small misstep of his could have dire consequences for those he loves. ocd will target the most important things in your life. most fears are irrational - except for modern alkaid's. his fears were often proven true, even if his actions were related to the outcome or not.

this only made his fears Worse. uncertainty is that - uncertainty. the fear CAN still happen. and if it does, this can act as "proof" that all fears will turn out to be true.

so he repressed everything. he stayed in his house. he would hide from others. and when he got older, he put on a mask of niceties and sought escapism via extreme sports.

to summarize, alkaid's overwhelming need to control situations comes from a place of anxiety.

his usual wish is for a quiet and peaceful life where the world is safe and his loved ones are happy. he will work hard for this.

as a result, he will sacrifice every part of himself (the one part of the equation he CAN control) to avoid harming others... leading to isolation, paranoia, and a destructive cycle of self doubt. it can even lead to him harming the ones he loves in an ironic twist of fate - they do not want him to do this to himself, and may have a differing idea of what a "happy outcome" is. the road to hell is paved with good intentions!

essentially, both eden and modern alkaid are deeply afraid of their own emotions and their potential for doing "bad", making them prone to emotional shutdowns and escapism, all in an effort to protect those they love. so being in environments that just amplified these fears did Not help them. at all. god bless etc.

[shiny-jr]

RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH I literally cannot put into words how much I loved the latest Damnation au chapter- I was literally seconds away from putting my phone down to get back to work but as soon as I saw a glimpse of the fic, I just couldn't help but put everything on hold

I was really impressed with how you included Epel into the story in a way that just about correlated to Epel in canon (like how he was actively opposed to hit position in the castle). Like taking into consideration of the time period and the possible reasons why Epel would be relevant there in the first place despite not being in the original tale- SO WELL DONE!! Not to mention Vil going out of his way to find potential successors really emphasizes his hatred for Neige (poor guy😭) Also the way you write about Rook??? I knew he'd be creepy but gyat damn your writing only increased the feeling of it ten-fold. Especially in that scene after he climbed through the window and interrupted MC and Vil- Literally foaming at the mouth i was like 'holy crap this is it, we're gonna get exposed' cause aint no way Rook WOULDN'T know. Everything about him was unnerving yet so charming?? I really don't know how you do it but the way you just write them is just so accurate👏

As a Vil simp, every scene with him in it had be giggling and kicking my feet✨ I was pleasantly surprised with his advances towards the MC though- like hubba hubba... I ain't complaining though! The tension in those scenes were just *chefs kiss* Every moment with him just oozed authority and power, like I'd be on the edge of my metaphorical seat just waiting for the moment he calls out the MC

Like holy crap you really know how to set your scenes- like legit every time I Rook or Vil were in a scene, it genuinely felt tense. Also props to MC for looking out for #1 (themselves) even at the expense of ruining someone else

Anyway excuse my rambling lmao i'm definitely gonna be re-reading it again ^^

Sounds like another happy reader. And yes, Epel's part was difficult. Mainly because, well, Epel is based off the poisoned apple, so how is he supposed to play that role? In my mind, the poisoned apple is a tool used by the Evil Queen. So, what is similar to a tool? A person to manipulate, which is how I came up with the idea of heir. Combined with the fact that Vil obviously takes a shine to Epel, as he spends time meticulously perfecting his habits and mannerisms in-game. Which fit the scenario I was to use, of a King claiming an heir and drilling instructions and behaviors in their mind to manipulate.

Rook and Vil were easy to place into roles, due to who they're based off of. But it was difficult coming up with scenes for them, since the Huntsman and Evil Queen don't have a lot in the movies. Especially the Huntsman.

For Rook, I actually considered writing a scene were MC followed him as he scoped out the meadow or the moment when Rook was to escort Neige to the meadow, but ultimately I decided against that as it would overcomplicate the plot and give more time to Neige instead of Rook. I needed a way to properly portray Rook's watchfulness and the unease it spawns, which I figured should fit the setting. A carefully worded conversation knit of lies and unsaid threats and fears is much more effective when the reader is picturing hollowed stone halls of a palace instead of a colorful meadow. At least, that was my thought process there, which is why most interactions with Rook are in settings such as those.

And finally, Vil, who I decided to write a few more interesting scenes for purely because I know a good amount of my followers love that pretty man. There were multiple concepts and scrapped ideas I've already forgotten by now, different things that never made it to my keyboard, like a tense dinner scene and back-and-forth bickering. But some of those just didn't fit the feeling I wanted, or was out of character for either the MC or others.

Anyways, now I'm rambling. Sorry. I hope the second read was just as enjoyable as the first!

[euthymiya]

beep beep idea time, a penny for riv’s thoughts!

if the lads LI were in teyvat what region, element, and weapon do you think they would have?

OHHHHH MY GODDDDDD THIS ASK IS MY TIME TO SHINE

Ok . Keep in mind I only know like VERY basic summaries of backstories except for Sylus. So I am literally stringing together what I can and applying it to genshin lore based off of that so if the lore from LADS specifically isn’t the most spot on, it’s bc I only care for Sylus to even bother doing any LADS specific research 😭

Zayne would naturally be cryo ofc this is a shocker to no one bc of his evol. But also I think cryo suits him well. From what I gather he went against a god for the girl he fell in love with and I think that cryo is very closely associated with characters who deal with a lot of inner conflict regarding love. It’s imperative that love is the focal point of their conflict whether it’s the desire to be loved, whether it’s because they love someone, whether it’s to pursue something they love, regardless of what is the object of their love, there is a very fierce inner battle that happens and it more often than not is because their decision will change their future drastically. I think ofc wrio is my best example for this naturally but I think he naturally is a people lover. As a child he loved his parents and siblings inexplicably. He battled I’m sure quite a lot of inner conflicts on how to handle the matter of his parents secrets, and when he inevitably made his decision, it is out of a place of love for his siblings and just other children in general. His sentencing in the fortress is his big change and him getting his vision as he enters the fortress I think is very important to the matter that he was recognized for cryo’s power bc of the decision he made out of love, and the impact it made on his life. So yeah I think that the way Zayne handles the inner conflict between being loyal to his god vs acting on his love for mc and the ultimate sacrifice he makes of himself to save her would grant him cryo. Which adds up very well for his evol too. I think he’d be in Sumeru honestly. Just bc he’s very intelligent and I see him going to the nation of wisdom for studies. Plus Sumeru canonically doesn’t have a graduation timeline I think Lisa was like the fastest to graduate at 3 (?) years and there are some scholars that are well into their 30s and have been stuck for years unable to graduate so Sumeru would be perfect for his ridiculously early graduation and specialization into cardiac surgery. Plus I think him having thorough research and a thesis for a rare heart condition and contributing to the Akademiya as a renowned scholar for his findings would be very fitting for him you know? To me Zayne would be a catalyst bc I think catalyst would be a potential way to get his scars into the picture. Like channeling the cryo through the catalyst with his hands and such I think could be a potential way to account for his scars

I think Xavier would be anemo and he would be in mondstadt. I really see him as a knight of favonius high key and I think he would be a very good one at that. The main thing about anemo to me is a character that suffers a great deal of loss and grief and grapples with the reality of never truly being freed of something whether that’s a burden, a guilt, a responsibility. Whatever it might be. Xiao is a very good example ofc. He loses a lot of his loved ones/companions and he is never free of his duties nor his karma. Wanderer. Very very good example of someone who suffers a LOT of loss and grief and is never freed from a) his past as ei’s abandoned puppet and b) the reality that he cannot escape of not being completely human. It’s really important to his character that he absolutely cannot ever freely live his life the way he’d like because he feels he needs to properly be human to do that and he is given his vision when even after he tries to erase his memories and escape everything, he is always reminded of everything once again. He is never freed from it and he will always be tied to his grief and loss. SO XAVIER I THINK IS A GOOD CHARACTER FOR THIS BECAUSE from the little that I know. He exchanged his freedom to save mc and she still died so I think the fact that he loses her despite sacrificing his freedom is like. Sooo perfect for anemo. I wish I could tell you why I see him as a knight of favonius but I just do. I really think it just fits his vibes. Xavier is sword for sure. Bc in game he uses one and also as a knight it only makes sense.

SYLUS. Where do I even start with sylus. I think for him I am a little bit predictable here but I’m gonna say pyro and in natlan as a dragon. I think sylus as a dragon sovereign reincarnation much like Neuvillette would SLAPPPP as lore. But I also think that him having the power of pyro as his own and not being recognized by being granted a vision would be very important to separate him from humans. And it would serve him a great reason to hate the divine and have beef with them (which I think would just add up perfectly for his character lol) but also it sets him up perfectly to be “cursed” in a way as having his powers taken and become a fraction of what it once was in his truest form. Pyro is symbolic to me of a character who has one specific passion in life. Just a passion that they devote their whole life to even if it’s as simple as cooking like xiangling. Sylus is (and this is biased on my part maybe) but to me easily the most loudly passionate character. He is capable of being extremely vulnerable and he doesn’t see an issue with it. If he wants to express something to you, he does. He is very passionate about the way he loves her and while ALL of them love her. Something about Sylus is extremely devoted in a very blatant, no beating around the bush way and it screams pyro to me. And to be in the nation of dragons is just TOO good of a parallel to not use. SYLUS WOULD BE A CLAYMORE AND AS DIABOLICAL AS THAT IS BC OF HIS MYTH LORE . The claymore just fits him idk.

Idk much about rafayel to speak I won’t lie. Like I genuinely know nothing about him apart from he’s like a mermaid dude. I think he would be a polearm though. And Xavier I need his myth lore that’s coming out to properly string together an explanation for certain but I THINK he would be cryo too. And I think he would be in snezhnaya IM A LITTLE BIT LEANING WITH FATUI/HARBINGER CALEB BUT. BUT . Let me see his myth lore first. Also he would be a claymore he’s too beefy to be anything else idc

[ang3lwithapen]

annnnnd here is (part 2/2) where i talk about my MC's name. much love, best wishes!!

---

i saw your name-meaning post for the Blackwood siblings, and im so impressed with how you found names that not only look similar but have similar meanings/impressions!! as a fellow name-nerd, i thought id return the favor and explain my MC's name since you were so kindly thoughtful about your characters' names!

she is named Hestia Neven

1️⃣: "Hestia" is after the Ancient Greek goddess who personifys the hearth and home (her Roman equivalent is Vesta). well, technically, of "oikos", which is this kind of hearth, home, domestic life, family, society, household, kind of umbrella-term for "family and family's house" both on an individual and governal level

anyway, i liked the idea of her name kind of suggesting a "fated to be a housekeeper" vibe, but i also wanted something that paralleled her warmth and caring nature. and i think the image of my MC tending to the fires in the manor to keep the home warm for the Blackwoods in the winter does exactly that, while also feeling a bit like a "my light" term of endearment, where there is an implication that the manor would literally be colder/emptier without her. plus, my MC sacrifices her own comfort for "peace" in the house (mainly in regards to H, as discussed in part 1) (i use quotations because i really like how one of my friends said there is two kinds of peace, based on this book she read i forgot the name of: peace that isnt really peace, which is the absence of tension (it can lead to a lot of "shut up, thats just the way things are" mentalities). and true peace, which is the presence of justice. my MC is doing the former, for better or worse. ....mostly, worse lol), and Hestia's probably most famous story is how she gave up her seat as an Olympian god to Dionysus so no one else would have to, framed as heroic of her, as she insisted on sitting by Olympus' hearth instead

as for the etymology of the name itself, it means, rather predictably, "fireplace, hearth, alter". this is formed from the name basically meaning "burn" + "to dwell, to stay, to last through the night". which i also like for the Blackwood siblings, as my-MC-Hestia is someone who will be choosing to stay with them despite everything, who will sit through "the darkest night, to the dawn of new hope" or however the cliché goes, with "hope burns eternal"

but like. also? burning a witch at the stake imagry, angry mob with torches, Castlevania-Dracula's human-wife burning inside their home, or even accidental burns (Aang accidentally burning Katara's hands in "Avatar: The Last Airbender" comes to mind) of the Blackwoods either having someone who will be targetted by association or who they may hurt accidentally/intentionally

however, it should be noted that Hestia's hearth of folklore was predominantly fed with the fat of the animal-sacrifices humanity made to the gods, so, uhhhhhh, imsorryifBerthaandothersqualifyassuch, who said that

(there is also the irony of Hestia being one of the many goddesses of virginity, along with Athena and Artemis and so on, who never wedded and whatnot. its ironic because this game has a lot of romance of which i plan to wholly and happily engage in; yet Aphrodite and Cupid hold no power over Hestia-the-goddess, meanwhile Aphrodite and Cupid so-to-say have a lot of influence over my-MC-Hestia-Neven lmao rip)

2️⃣: then "Neven" has two possible name-meanings

k the first is South Serbian, and it means "marigold" which, in South Slavic, the said flower's name means "never fading" as a kind of pun based on marigolds for them being a symbol of hope, so it has a "may hope never fade" impression. It's usually a forename (Neven being masculine, Nevena being feminine, but also gender is a societal construct so anyone can be named either), but it has been a surname

the other meaning is related to some mix of Irish-Scottish as Neven (a masculine name, idk if it has a feminine form) is then considered an anglicized form of the name Naoimhín, which means "little saint" or "holy". though, under that same Irish-Scottish umbrella, may also be related to the surname Mac Cnáimhín, which means "little bone" or "little saint". the idea of "little bone/saint" is important because churches would collect relics of saints as a form of perserving/sharing said saint's holiness and veneration. this could be anything from clothes to, more likely, body parts. often bone. and, also, churches sometimes lied or were lied to, and have relics CLAIMING to belong to saints but actually are just regular people (This is not to say all relics are fake, some do actually belong to the saints they are supposed to be from), which reminds me of the Blackwood siblings a little. (though my MC is also an athiest, so it is a bit funny to be compared to those of sainthood then)

also! marigolds are often used in Mexico's Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), as an affectionate way of celebrating/missing those who have passed on. so. ontop of "maybe the one good, innocent person in this manor?"-energy (that may or may not be true, or may or may not conrinue to be true, either or), there is also a lot of "this bitch is in dANGER" energy mixed with "If the Blackwoods ever lose her, they'll miss her" vibes in surname alone lmao

3️⃣: in terms of meta, i like to think this means either her parents/dad or paternal grandparents or paternal great-grandparents were Slavic or Irish immigrants (maybe she's mixed, idk) (as i assume this game takes place in England?); and that she was named by a farming family, yes, but by someone in the family who was either very studious for the brief period they went to classes, is a bookworm, or was always fascinated by local scholars' stories. so there is a kind of inherent "climbing above one's station" in order for her to be named something so, at the time, academic since she herself isn't Greek. but it also implies she was very well-loved by that person, who saw her as such a warm person even as an infant, to have named her Hestia

but yeah!! id love to hear more people's MCs' names and why they picked them. here's mine in the meantime lol

and here is part 2 :D truly love how thoughtful this was. I've always loved the power and meaning that names can have, this was a joy to read. I did chuckle a bit at poor Bertha catching strays.

I would also love to see more MC names, so if anyone else wants to talk about them, feel free :)

[manawari]

How do you find the motivation to write about Jinhae?

I wanted to write a fic where in the time travel Hae-In somehow became a ruler because she wanted to and has to choose the other one but I felt like it would be too cheesy and the fandom doesn’t seem to like Haein.

Girl— I mean, boi— . . .nevermind.

Fella! Rule of thumb: write what you wanna write. You have the freedom in your hands and what others think is none of your business. ;D

That's how I find my motivation. And also, I always think of how there's little content of Jinhae, so I put it in my own hands and write my heart away to fill what's missing from my favorite couple. Same way of how I write my rarepairs — Minlee, Heeseok, and such — even though nobody might bother to read them since they're not exactly popular, I doubt it matters since I wrote it to make myself happy and one day, the right audience would come to read them. If anything (based on my observation), the fandom doesn't seem to pay attention to Jinhae to an extent, though I understand — there are mixed opinions circulating, such as them being "forced", and Jinhae's development as a couple had a bunch of holes since the story focused on Jin-woo more than his connection to Hae-in, thus leading some people find it confusing like it came out as random, or that it's not simply their taste. However, I would've loved to see the plot focus on developing them individually before getting together, especially when they started off as friends.

Hae-in being the strongest female hunter, finished the Ant Queen off, literally fought Beru twice, fought the Architect while wounded, and is almost on-par with Gun-hee just to be reduced as someone most commonly known as "MC's love interest" is the bane of my existence. She's more than that and Jin-woo was comfortable around her, finding himself letting his guard down and unleashing the childish side of him which he never thought he still had— *inhales* he realized that he could keep Hae-in in his life without the fear of losing another friend. And eventually, those feelings grew into romantic. Hae-in was the one for him and he knew Hae-in felt the same way.

In regards to the fandom not liking Hae-in, I'd rather ignore them as everyone has different takes. But such opinions won't stop me from appreciating my girl, as well as writing fics for my Solo Leveling #1 couple! If you're anxious about it, then stay in the tags where they are appreciated. Be in your safe, happy space! ^^

I'm actually happy when there's a Jinhae fanfic. I only see those in like once in a blue moon. And if I have a superpower to finish my wips and transform the ideas in my mind into words, the AO3 SL tag would be flooded with Jinhae fics. They deserve fics dedicated to them where they fall in love in different ways (un)imaginable; they are fun to write about and there is so much to do with how they act around each other. Dorks, power couple, married couple, them being equally down bad for each other, and so on!

Okay, I might be staying off ajdgakdgsjdh—

Oh a time-travel fic where Hae-in became a Ruler? Interesting! Lol, I wouldn't mind if it comes out as 'cheesy'. I'd still read it and enjoy it — I would read the heck out of it even 😁

Good luck writing, nonnie. I believe in you! ฅ⁠^⁠•⁠ﻌ⁠•⁠^⁠ฅ

[a-maru-writesback]

✨Crackpot theory here that I might delete later if proven too far off; ✨also if someone had the same idea or something similar, please let’s discuss cause I might be missing a lot

@unluckywisher theory makes far more sense than this and explains his arm better, but I’ll give it a try anyway; because I’ve watched the trailer many times and this wouldn’t leave my brain

Alright, what if Caleb was a literal robot and without feelings in his first life and was supposed to find us and keep tabs on us (a very dangerous and powerful core) - bc what’s more controllable than a machine, right? -, but ends up falling for MC bc maybe she treated him differently and then he becomes more human? Maybe that’s what the arm is suppose to represent (him losing his robot traits)? Idk, again, this might be completely wrong, but the fact that he seemed to be in a ‘prison’ type of place and suffering leads me to believe that something was controlling him, or maybe overwriting his thoughts and emotions (aka trying to keep him as a emotionless robot)???

Maybe that’s why he was so warm with us in the current timeline, bc he learnt how to feel?? Also, he is always protecting us, so maybe, the cold demeanor is just a cover to protect us from something in that military base?

I don’t know what happened last, his military scenes, the robot arm one…? But it’s fun to speculate

Lots of ideas…