#the only three people i know of who are both into lu and have read htdadkites

[pocketramblr]

How to Forge a Chain in Nine Easy Links

Yui Shaw was not a hero chosen by the goddesses, but somehow she and Ken ended up here anyway- through a portal, talking with other heroes of ages long since gone by.

[silviakundera]

Are You The One very spoilery drama review

"Do you remember the archenemy I mentioned? ...Three years ago I played against (him). I lost that time. It was my first defeat in life. Strangely, I didn't feel sorrowful. Instead, I felt a kind of joy in meeting a worthy opponent. Since then, I've played against (him) several times. We're almost even. Each game is a battle of wits and courage, thrilling and intense. Rather than seeing him as an arch enemy, I consider him a close friend. I enjoy each game against (him). As long as he's my rival, the result doesn't matter."

Imagine you're a protagonist making THAT speech about his nemesis... then encountering said nemesis with injuries & amnesia, presuming this person is actually your nemesis's lover (because rumors/secret identity/sexism), and fake marrying them as a pretense to draw out and capture..... the person who is now your fake wife that you're falling in love with! Cause you were half in love with your nemesis already lmao. 🤡🤡🤡

Welcome to the set up of Are You The One, a costume drama romance with situational comedy and a dark under belly (as both ML and FL are ruthless schemers with blood on their hands).

The circumstances are inherently hilarious and the comedy revolves around the Shakespearean absurdity of the situation the characters find themselves in. This tends to be my preferred style of humor, in comparision to the comedy stylings of pratfalls, pranks, and goofy insults. Anyone who read my fanfics back in the day knows that I enjoy throwing my couples into ridiculous situations and then watching them have to deal with it in all seriousness (and fall in love in the meantime.)

Per usual for me in a narrative that's primary-romance, what matters most is that A) I understand why these 2 people match each other; B) by the time we reach the end, the otp are equal partners; C) BLOOD LUST (look I just enjoy an otp who will both stab an enemy in the gut, it is very sexy of them ok? ok)

Things that make me rabid about this drama:

At first he doesn't even register how beautiful she is, while canonically people are staring at her in the street, she's so lovely. This is because he is so fixated on this rival that he admires, who he has been battling for 3 years, that he only registers her as a pawn in their game

Very romantic & sexy to me that his connection & attraction to her build from him growing to understand her personality and admiring her qualities

Zhang Wanyi handles situational comedy tbh much better than I expected (having previously enjoyed him in a tragic role and then an angsty melo). Both Zhang Wanyi and Wang Churan very much embodied their characters, both the dark and light sides.

True enemies to lovers because he falls in love with all the qualities that he'd admired in his respected enemy: her decisiveness, her clever scheming, her loyalty, her meticulous nature. He is drawn to her as someone who is his equal and could be a true confidant - the same thing she sees in him.

By episode 7, he's started falling for her and the audience can see how it happened and why.

It was so good for me that when her memories secretly awaken, he senses this by observing, "Lately, I've always felt that there is someone who understands my thoughts, spies on my actions, and constantly leads me by the nose. Even if I gain something like today, it's because (he) made me this way. I haven't felt this way for a long time." / "When did you last have this feeling?" / "The last time was when I dealt with Lu Wen. Lu Wen should have returned."

We can also see why FL is falling for this person who lets her take charge and likes it, who enjoys her wits and starts backing her play.

The narrative structure is not just in medias res... It's truly atypical: we're dropped into this story 3 years in and because the perspective in the first third of the drama is the ML's, we share his narrow viewpoint and naturally presume that he's the protagonist hero of this tale, the morally grey but capable prince who is defending his province against bandits while fending off a royal court threatened by his military power.

But oops, what if it turns out that basically you're the sheriff of Nottingham and you've been battling Robinhood, who's actually your hot & brilliant fake-wife. And when you unknowingly captured Robinhood, it was too late -- she'd already been secretly supporting The Rightful King™ for years, and now she's a hero who helped the monarch rise to the thrown, and to an outsider you would be considered the dastardly scoundrel in this tale. 🤡

So IS he a villain? No, not really. He can coldly have his enemies killed and he certainly originally intended to kill FL, and then dispose of her bloodlessly, and then... (ANYWAY, yeah bro is Going Thru It™)

But everything he does is within the rights & privileges of his role, as ruler of the province and subject only to the emperor/empress dowager.

A man accostomed to wealth & power who was jaded and obviously just going thru the motions, fulfilling his responsibilities and resigned to being suspected by a weak ruler & conniving court, marrying a cousin who just wants his title, and protecting his borders out of duty. Until 3 years ago, when he starts battling against bandit leader Lu Wen. Now he's awake, he's excited, he has news to look forward to.

It's hilarious how he doesn't even see it in the initial episodes, the way he's accidentally moved that person in and now he's having to constantly maneuver around this person's decisive actions, and it's invigorating him. It's emotionally and mentally stimulating.

And then it's flipped where FL now has to come to the realization that life is more rewarding when she has ML to plan with, more satisfying than going it alone.

As a hater of amnesia plotlines, why didn't it repel me? 1) when we meet the character, she already has the memory loss; it's a defining trait and 2) she doesn't lose her intellgence with the memory loss and become pliant and just malleable like portrayed in other dramas - what makes the first 17 episodes a cat vs mouse cat game is that even with her memories stripped away, this person who's been told she's a merchant's sickly wife is still clever, conniving, and assertive... and we even see the willingness to get ruthless & violent if needed.

She's understandably infuriated & resentful upon regaining her memories -- such a proud & capable & independant person with big plans just manipulated for a year, tricked into giving care and affection to her enemy. But when she dismisses ML's now sincere feelings as, "What he wants to marry is not me, but the canary he has raised." ....the script has provided substantial evidence that in actuality he has a total complex about his mysterious nemesis; the real her inside, that couldn't be erased, is what he has always liked.

And then he gets the chance to prove it and finally openly express that to her.

After 17 episodes of her under the thumb of manipulation, the drama provides another 15 or so where she is in control of her own life and given the agency to decide if they could work, and she waits to be certain that ML doesn't want the canary in a cage after all. 👌 👌

I just very much appreciate dramas that show instead of tell, and earn the relationship. Convince me! The screenwriter shows their work not just on the main ship and secondary ships, but also the friendship between FL and the He merchant daughter. (The way they shift her from 'love rival' to empathizing w each other and actual friends was great - lol reminds me of Qin Zhenzhen from Princess Royal; sorry not sorry, my love rival actually likes me best now 😜)

Also also the emperor and empress slow burn ship in the 2nd arc of the drama was good stuff, I quite liked them.

Also also ALSO the main otp get 20+ minutes devoted to their (real) wedding in the final episodes. We get a proposal, marriage certificate signing, and one of the longest wedding ceremonies I've seen in a cdrama. Giving the people what they want!

[ezziefae]

Thoughts on Chap 2 of The Prisoner's Throne.

"Oak takes the stairs, careful now. He has the surreal feeling of being in a video game. He played enough of them, sitting on Vivi’s couch. Creeping through pixelated rooms that had more of the appearance of Madoc’s stronghold where he grew up than anywhere they went in the mortal world. Leaning on Heather’s shoulder, controller in his hands. Killing people. Hiding the bodies."

Okay, starting off strong already. I squealed when I read the part where Oak has his head leaning on Heather's shoulder. The "Killing people. Hiding the bodies" part was an obvious reference to Oak's blood thirst.

This is a stupid, ugly, violent game, Vivi said. Life isn’t like that. And Jude, who was visiting, raised her eyebrows and said nothing.

JUDEEEEEE

a few selkies hang around at the edges, no doubt gathering news of a rising power to take back to the Undersea.

These selkies are snitches. Holly did confirm that we were gonna see many familar faces from TFOTA, so I am definitely expecting to see Nicasia or Orlagh.

But after he and Vivi and Heather had to carry bags of laundry to the basement of their apartment building and feed quarters into a machine, along with detergent and fabric softener, he realized that someone must have been performing a related service for him in Faerie.

AWEEEE! how humble Oak has become. I'm so happy we're not only getting more Jude and Cardan but also Vivi and Heather.

He feels a bit foolish as he wades into a vat, naked. Should he be discovered, he will doubtless have to play the silly, carefree prince, so vain that he escaped his prison for a bath. It would be a crowning achievement of embarrassment.

LMAO! I can just imagine how hilarious this would be.

Oak knows it’s ridiculous, and yet he can’t help feeling as though they have an understanding of each other

Oak had the bridle placed on him, he was imprisoned for three weeks, he was starved and neglected, and he still thinks this way of Wren. This boy is soooo in love.

Nor is he sure what it means about him that he finds hope in the fact that Wren has kept him. Fine, not everyone would see being thrown into a dungeon as a romantic gesture, but he’s choosing to at least consider the possibility that she put him there because she wants something more from him.

Oak is absolutely DELUSIONAL, DE LU LUUU. LIKE BOY FINDS BEING IMPRISIONED A ROMANTIC GESTURE. THAT IS VERY CONCERNING. IM CRYING

since Hyacinthe was the one who stole Damsel Fly

NO! NOT DAMSEL FLY TOOO! Oh a war is definitely coming.

Hyacinthe is now Wren’s second-in-command

oh this will not be a fun discovery for Tiernan.

Either way, he’d be free. Free to not need rescuing. Free to attempt to talk his sister out of whatever homicidal plan she might foment against the Citadel. Free to return home and go back to performing fecklessness, back to sharing the bed of anyone he thought might be planning a political coup, back to being an heir who never wants to inherit.

The way Oak believes he can talk Jude out of battling with Wren. Like does he not know his sister?

"Back to sharing the bed of anyone he thought might be planning a political coup" WHATTT!!! okay this is a huge deal, Oak has been sleeping with people to find out if they are a threat to him or elfhame. My poor boy, does oriona not watch over him??? or jude?? how did it get so bad that he had to start doing that???

Not that he knows how to stop either of them if he remains here. He’s not sure anyone knows how to stop Jude. And Wren has the power of annihilation. She can break curses and tear spells to pieces with barely any effort. She took apart Lady Nore as though she were a stick creature and spread her insides over the snow.

Yeah so when I finished The Stolen Heir, I feared for Jude and Cardan. Oak is right, Jude is dangerous and she will try to fight ANYTHING that gets in her way, but Wren is horrifically dangerous as well. I fear for both Jude and Wren. This is gonna be chaos.

Then he sees Wren, and longing shoots through him like a kick to the gut. He forgets about risk. Forgets about schemes.

OH OAKKK STOPPPPP.

“Not my future.” There is a hollowness to Wren’s cheeks, Oak notices. She’s thinner than she was, and her eyes shine with a feverish brightness. Has she been ill? Is this because of the wound in her side when she was struck by an arrow?

Oh no.

Bogdana does not contradict her this time. “You have need of my strength. And you have need of my companions if you hope to continue as you are.” Oak stiffens at those words, wondering at their meaning.

so wren is not doing so well, and bogdana hope she listens and gets help from her companions. the real question here is what is the problem?????

Mother Marrow does not seem discomfited in the least. She walks to Wren and deposits the white walnut in her hand. “Remember these words, then. To conjure it, say: We are weary and wish to rest our bones. Broken shell, bring me a cottage of stones.”

So wren can make a cottage appear and dissaper with the shell she received from mother marrow. Im assuming that this shell will be used in the story somehow. But what would get to that point? wren already lives in a palace of her own, so why give her a shell that can make a cottage house appear? will Oak use it when he escapes? will wren run away and use it???? im guessing this cottage house will be used significantly.

And yet, Oak notices that she sways a little before gripping the arm of her throne. Forcing herself upright. Something is very wrong.

Yikes.

The man steps forward. “Though I do not like to be outdone, I have nothing so fine to give you. But Bogdana summoned me here to see if I can undo what—”

So from what I'm getting, there's something more about wren we don't know about. something that's hurting her or affecting her deeply. Her power? stress and anxiety? I might need some time to crack this one.

Her eyes move restlessly under their lids, as though she doesn’t even feel safe in dreams. Her skin has a glassy quality, as though from sweat or possibly ice. What has she been doing to herself ?

I'm starting to feel very overprotective of Wren. With Jude and Cardan coming to the citadel to save Oak I fear for both sides.

But as though she can sense him, Wren opens her eyes.

SERIOUSLY THIS IS HOW THE CHAPTER ENDS??? At this point Oak is asking to be killed, he could've had the oppurtunity to escape, yet he chose to follow wren to her room. This chapter made me feel very empathetic of Wren, she looks like a villain, but she's really not. She has been betrayed, tortured, abused, neglected for many years, her actions of becoming queen and imprisoning Oak all come from hurt.

[fwoosheye]

*sighs* Not again

Okay so it's another LU idea and can someone please adopt it so it will leave me alone? Anyone? I have too many projects already. Someone please save me!

Anyway. This is a "Legend is the last one to join the chain" idea. He was practically raised by Fi after he pulled the Master Sword for the first time (was it @bokettochild who came up with that? I know I've read some really good fics with that but I'm not sure I remember by who correctly. Please correct me if I've mixed people up), and it takes place on Lorule's Death Mountain. Link is a regular at the Treacherous Tower, because it's an easy way to earn money and with the Triforce restored the monsters aren't as mindless as before so he actually befriends them (though I hc the monsters in the T-Tower were the least mindless to begin with (at least the ones in the audience, maybe the ones one fights were caught mindless ones), probably around the level of Blind the Ex-Sage the Thief, and that they just became more "stable" and better att communicating when the Triforce was restored). Anyway when the story takes place, Link is actually filling in for the final boss because the Purple Moldorm is sick and their new Union demands sick time or something.

When the chain appears in Lorule it's fairly near the T-Tower and when they ask the Devilish Girl about the Hero and learn he's the final boss, they realize someone will have to get up there and defeat him for his shift to end. She will only let one of them enter, so Sky, Warriors or Wild traverse the Tower with the Master Sword in hand (and I'd pick one of those three because they're aware of Fi's presence. Wild might be post-TotK Wild).

When Sky/Wars/Wild finally makes it to Legend there's some brief chatting, and when they attempt to attack each other they simultaneously get their hands burned and Legend accidentally hisses an undignified "Mom!" at Fi making the other Hero realise this teen was practically raised by a sword (and yes this is the scene that gives me the urge to write this, please save me). It becomes a sword-less battle, because Legend shift won't end if he's not defeated and his (magical?) contract don't permit him to hold back more than making it non-leathal. Tri-Force Heroes might've taken place before ALBW for this fic so Legend actually can use doppels/doppel medallion/etc so there 3v1 for a bit. Surprising move from Sky/Wars/Wild eventually sees Legend defeated and he meets the rest of the chain. He probably offers to guide them to the Castle to talk with Princess Hilda, if it doesn't turn out they've managed to get the information they want from the monsters on the audience while they watched. Maybe the chain are chatting about different friendly/civil monsters they've met during their adventures while descending the mountain. And/or Sky/Wars/Wild asks Legend why he addressed his sword as mom.

And because I am utterly incapable of keeping a story idea short, I was also considering to make it so Link is stuck in Lorule because the bracelet only had enough power left to send one of them home to Hyrule and both Link and Princess Hilda agreed Princess Zelda should be the one to return. Ravio would in that case likewise be stuck in Hyrule because he didn't have enough magic. He had probably managed to sneak into Hyrule's Sacred Realm trying to go home and met Zelda as she came back so he knew Link had won, though he might've left before Zelda made her wish (or even woke up?) and thinks Lorule and Link is gone. Maybe. It has some sweet juicy angst potential to let Ravio think his home and hero are destroyed. But also including this would for sure make it a longer fic...

[lunanoc]

so probably against what should have been my better judgment, i went ahead and actually wrote “meta”, except it’s only borderline meta because it ends up veering off into crack theory territory and is also insanely long, but i figure since it’s now too long to be posted as a discord liveblog like it was supposed to be, i might as well just. post it here (in several parts because no one wants a 10k post lbr)

disclaimer: i like to be transparent about where i’m coming from, so just know that i have not finished reading all the books yet. currently i’m practically through everything, books and extras included, up until and including sand sea part III, so anything i talk about relating to that is my own reading experience. i’ll sometimes reference later books i’ve either read snippets of, or talked about with people who have (and verified the information as best as i could), but because i lack full context for those, any mentions of those elements are automatically grain of salt and relegated to crack theory. for everything i have read that i can grab quotes for, i’ll be providing clear references to the specific chapters of the books they’re from

also, blanket spoiler warning for the books

but that being said, let me actually get into this thing:

king shang of lu, the iron-masked gentleman, king mu of zhou, the queen mother of the west, how they’re connected, who they might be, and what that could mean for the larger dmbj narrative

PART I: KING SHANG OF LU AND THE IRON-MASKED GENTLEMAN

writing this shaved years off of me, the rabbit-holing was insane, and there’s still no clear answers in the end but welcome to the ride i guess

starting off here, the problem with these two characters is that we have conflicting information about them from three different sources that all give a different version of the same story, all of which are various degrees of dubious for different reasons. and you could say ok but really, who cares i do apparently about these two because in the larger plot they don’t really amount to much in the end

BUT

given both the things we learn by the end of sand sea (and elements that pop up in later installments) about all the various parties involved in what’s essentially a subplot, and the fact npss goes into so much detail with such a deliberate throwback to something all the way back in the first book, i don’t think the fact that the various versions of the story of king shang of lu sometimes blatantly contradicting themselves is a mistake, but is rather proof of deliberate obfuscation of the truth. npss tends to like revisiting sometimes seemingly anecdotal or trivial things from previous books to connect them with a subsequent revelation, or open the door to a different interpretation of them, so that he’d do it here isn’t all that surprising to me

the three versions of the story of “the emperor” (or the ruler of the state of lu), king shang of lu, and the iron-masked gentleman we get are, in order of appearance:

version 1 from a silkbook found in the purple jade box in “king shang of lu”’s coffin (Book 1, Ch. 26, Purple Jade Box)

version 2 from xiaoge himself who gives an opposing account to the previous one that he supposedly read from a warring states period silkbook he found in a song dynasty tomb (Book 1, Ch. 26-27, Purple Jade Box / Lies)

version 3 from the powerpoint lesson given by the wang family to li cu (Sand Sea Part III, Ch. 132, 133, 134, Lesson / King Mu of Zhou / Deception)

the first two accounts are both from book 1 and immediately follow each other, but neither of them quite fit with the last one, or at least it would seem so. you could argue this is simply because book 1 was when npss was still trying to figure things out both with his plot and characters, so the final account given by the wang family is a retcon, and while that’s always possible, like i mentioned, npss likes to connect things and tends to either incorporate these kinds of seemingly obscure and irrelevant details for a reason, or simply retroactively fleshes them out to revisit them at a later date and shed a new light on the bigger picture. so it’s more the fact we just don’t know which things he implements deliberately from the start and which ones he ties back to retroactively, but in the end seeing as the result is the same it doesn’t matter much. what does matter is that he does it pretty consistently, so it’s safe to assume he’s also doing it with this particular story (side tangent, but i like to think that npss has shown he’s a big fan of something called chekov’s gun and no i won’t elaborate on that or else i’ll be here for hours but google that if you’re interested it’s fun)

so tldr; i basically just want to argue that by intentionally bringing back this story with obvious divergences, it might be a way to shed light on something else that informs king shang of lu’s story while placing it as a puzzle piece in the bigger picture of dmbj lore

but let’s break down those three different accounts of the story of king shang of lu

the first account

i’m going to tldr; most of these for the sake of clarity, but i’ll be referencing the various chapters all these bits are taken from if you want to verify any of it

technically the first real account of king shang of lu’s story we get is what’s written on the stone slab in the hall with all of the coffins in the seven star palace that says that he was “born with a ghost seal and could borrow ghost soldiers from the underworld” (Book 1, Ch. 10, Shadow), but i’m not counting that as a full-blown version of the story because it’s not dwelt on all that much and mostly serves as a preamble for pangzi to later posit to wu xie that it’s a bunch of bs and was probably just an exaggeration meant to mythologize king shang of lu given that the tomb itself is a weird anachronistic mix of western zhou and warring states architecture (which is an important argument but maybe not for the reasons you’d think)

so i consider the first fleshed-out version of king shang of lu’s story we get to be the one wu xie reads off of the silkbook he and wu sanxing pull from “king shang of lu”’s coffin, and is one that very quickly gets debunked within book 1 itself multiple times, so while it may seem easy enough to write off, it’s not so much what it says that’s interesting, but rather why it exists in the first place

this version of the story essentially relates the life and deeds of king shang of lu, recorded on what’s supposed to be a warring states period silkbook pulled from the man’s own coffin. it talks about how he inherited his title from his father and was a lowly grave robber lord who was cruel and greedy, and how one day he gained from a snake demon/spirit in a tomb he excavated “two treasures” in a “purple and gold box” (this will be important later) which are never explicitated, although wu xie speculates one of those treasures to be the ghost seal as its acquisition is directly mentioned in the text. the snake comes to king shang of lu in a dream and promises to make him a high-ranking official and teach him how to use the treasures in the box if he spares its soul (he doesn’t). and so king shang of lu becomes a military officer under the command of the “emperor” of the state of lu. in his later years, however, he starts to get old and sick, and so the “emperor” demotes him back into being a lowly grave robber, and he starts to fear death, so king shang of lu goes to his military advisor, the “iron-masked gentleman” or 铁面先生 tiemian xiansheng, in search of a solution. the iron-masked gentleman then tells him that something called jade burial armor, a treasure from ancient times, exists, and that it can keep someone young forever. so king shang hunts and hunts and scours tomb after tomb until eventually he finds a western zhou dynasty tomb which will later become the seven star palace where he discovers a corpse wearing the famed jade buriam armor. iron mask takes the corpse out of the armor, subdues the blood zombie it turns into, and then helps king shang of lu fake his death in front of the “emperor” so he can be buried in the tomb he built for himself on top of the western zhou tomb he’d found (Book 1, Ch. 26, Purple Jade Box)

however

this version is quickly debunked twice in pretty quick succession, and then a third time a bit later, still in book 1, but before i get to that, a few extra little details i want to point out:

to be fair literally no one (who doesn’t speak chinese and is reading the original text anyway) would be able to guess either from the translation or merebear’s footnotes that “iron-masked scholar/gentleman” or 铁面先生 is not in fact necessarily meant to be taken literally. it’s partly an idiom. 铁面 tiemian is an expression that can mean “someone who is upright in character”, in other words someone with a positive reputation. so this man isn’t necessarily implied to have worn a mask at all (i think he did, but that’s also for later)

the purple and gold box that’s mentioned in this version of the story is the one wu xie finds in the hands of the corpse of the green-eyed fox (who’s also wearing the belt that has the qilin blood clot wu xie accidentally swallows can you believe, which is also another detail for later) that’s accompanied by a key in the corpse of a woman next to it (Book 1, Ch. 22, The Eightfold Treasure Box)

the second account

before we get into the first version of the story more, let’s briefly take a look at the second one. the first version of the story is first debunked by the second version of the story which is told in abridged format by xiaoge pretty much right after wu xie finishes reading the silkbook. he says that the silkbook’s account is incorrect because the person in the jade armor isn’t king shang of lu, but iron mask who faked his own death in order to escape the systematic execution king shang of lu enacted on all the people who knew about and/or helped build his tomb. he then snuck into the seven star palace and disposed of king shang of lu’s body before taking the jade armor for himself

xiaoge explains that he found this story in a song dynasty tomb he’d robbed a few years ago that contained a complete silkbook that turned out to be iron-masked gentleman’s memoirs (Book 1, Ch. 27, Lies). and you’d be inclined to believe this version of the story over the first one because it’s xiaoge telling it, and xiaoge usually isn’t one for intentional deception unless it serves a purpose, even less so if it’s verbal deception (literally the only time i can think of him openly lying rather than lying by omission is when he disguises himself as professor zhang). except even this version is called into question multiple times. the first time is by wu xie himself, who while choosing not to confront xiaoge about it, senses that xiaoge seems uneasy when wu xie presses him on the point that if it’s true that two people were pulled out of the jade armor in that tomb, then why is there no second blood corpse. xiaoge answers that he doesn’t know because iron masks’s memoirs only mention it briefly, and that maybe king shang of lu was pulled out early enough that he didn’t turn into a blood zombie. technically there’s the mummified body they find in the sacrificial ding cauldron next to the coffin with the monster at the entrance to the seven star palace whose head is cut off that could fit that description (Book 1, Ch. 9, Ancient Tomb), but in any case xiaoge according to wu xie looks like he’s lying. the second time this version is refuted is by wu sanxing, but i’ll get to that when i get back to the first account and how it also gets debunked

arguments against the second account 

i already mentioned xiaoge isn’t typically someone who’s into overt deception as a course of action unless it’s strictly necessary (and even then). it’s always possible he was either acting on a compulsion from the heavenly gift or under some order from chen pi ah si (since he was working for him at the time, even if i doubt this to be completely honest) or even something else, so it’s mostly my own assumption that he’s not actively deceiving them by fabricating a story, because xiaoge’s deception usually relies on omission rather than a concentrated effort at producing an elaborate lie. so really, the only fact we can be certain of is that he has an “uneasy look in his eyes” when he talks about the lack of another blood corpse, and that wu xie gets the impression he’s lying, which is a sentiment wu sanxing apparently shares because they look at each other in that moment and silently agree. whether this means xiaoge was *actually* lying, or that wu sanxing was taking advantage of xiaoge’s unease to further his own deception (re: arguments against the first account i’m getting to in a bit) is really up in the air

however

i’d like to think if xiaoge was lying and there was nothing more to it than that, he wouldn’t make it so apparent that that was the case given he only ever really projects visible upset or discomfort at anything when it’s related to his memories or lack thereof, and only much later in the story does that start to extend to allowing himself moments of vulnerability, or just his own brand of open concern for wu xie and pangzi. but this is all happening in book 1 where wu xie, as perceptive as he is about people, doesn’t know xiaoge yet, and so doesn’t know his tells. therefore that he can tell xiaoge is visibly emoting when it’s xiaoge is noteworthy in itself. also, given that book 1 takes place at a time when xiaoge’s memory was still very much lacking and fragmented, and he was likely still working for chen pi ah si partly to search for his memories, i wouldn’t be surprised if his unease was visible because the confrontation of both the first and second versions of the story started triggering his memory in some capacity, or it might have even triggered the heavenly gift senses into letting him know that there was something of importance in these stories since the particular episode of it he’s going through at the time gets a bit fast-forwarded from the seven star palace onward seeing as not too long afterwards xiaoge goes into the gate at the end of book 3

something else that’s worth mentioning is the logic behind these memoirs of iron mask even existing. why it would be in a song dynasty tomb is up for debate and probably irrelevant (although it does to be fair align with king mu’s motives of perpetuating grave robbing for deliberate dissemination of information), but mostly i question how he could have written his memoirs if he faked his death and slipped into the jade armor himself shortly after, unless he waited a significant amount of time before doing so and lived his life in hiding, which is also possible given there’s nothing more we know about him. but more food for thought

arguments against the first account

let’s go back to the first account from the silkbook for a bit and take a look at the other two times besides xiaoge’s second account where this version is debunked:

the second debunking comes from wu sanxing as he and wu xie are waiting around in jinan while panzi is in the hospital, and wu sanxing comes back outraged bc when he tried to have the silkbook they brought back from “king shang of lu”’s coffin, he was apparently told it was a forgery because the gold in it was too pure to have dated back to the warring states period, and so was necessarily more recent, though how recent is never specified (Book 1, Ch. 29, Purple-and-Gold Box). he then suggests to wu xie that he thinks it’s xiaoge who snuck into the tomb ahead of them, and with his skills successfully planted a dupe to trick them. i’ll get back to this eventually, but again, while it’s not impossible, it feels unlikely to me that xiaoge would extend so much effort in deception unless it served a clear purpose he agreed with, which is why i’m not convinced he would have blindly been following orders from someone like chen pi ah ai. and xiaoge would likely not have gone to the trouble of making a fake silkbook either, so the idea would have to have come from chen pi ah si, which then brings into question what motive chen pi ah si would have had to go to such lengths to deceive wu sanxing. again, really the only time we ever see or hear of xiaoge making an effort at deliberate deception is when he disguises himself as professor zhang, and while we never get an explanation for the reasons behind that, that’s more likely to have stemmed from feeling like he had to conceal his identity rather than wanting to deceive if that makes sense. in any case, i don’t know what tangible reason xiaoge would have had to deceive wu sanxing and his team with a fake silkbook even if he’d been acting on chen pi ah si’s orders, because would chen pi ah si have had a reason to go to the effort of creating a fake silkbook to deceive wu sanxing with details so specific that you quite literally have to have been in that tomb before to know them?  

the third debunking of the silkbook version is ironically a reverse uno from xiaoge directed at wu sanxing when he, wu xie, and pangzi are stuck in wang zanghai’s tomb in xisha (Book 1, Ch. 63, Chain). xiaoge’s just recovered a massive amount of his memories related to the first xisha expedition, and very bluntly tells wu xie that not only is the silkbook from the seven star palace a fake, it was wu sanxing who planted it there. to which wu xie obviously responds with “wtf no you did”. to which xiaoge then replies completely deadpan as he does with “no, it was your sanshu, he and da kui dug a hole under the tree to do it, probably why da kui had to be silenced”. which leaves wu xie very torn about what and who to believe. and mind you this is also a little before they find the inscription on the wall from “xie lianhuan” accusing wu sanxing of murdering him. honestly it’s possible xiaoge is telling the truth if you consider that wu sanxing might have planted a fake if he knew ahead of time what the silkbook contained, what the seven star palace was, and basically faked his own way through the entire thing

it wouldn’t necessarily surprise me because he does sound very pretends to be shocked in the delivery of many of his remarks (but again, how much of that can you attribute to this being book 1), and while he did bring wu xie along because he was trying to ease him into the game with the wangs, it’s possible he was prudent enough that he would have made wu xie’s first tomb experience take place in a somewhat controlled environment. which doesn’t mean he’d necessarily been there before, just that as entrenched in the wang shit as he is, i wouldn’t be surprised if he’d known even vaguely what the seven star palace represented and what could be found in there. he did know about the snake cypress and about the stone used to subdue it, and while that doesn’t necessarily mean anything seeing as wu sanxing is a highly experienced tomb robber, it’s worth noting that the only times we’ve ever seen those trees is in the seven star palace and in the snake mine in gutongjing. in other words, always somewhere connected to longevity and The Secret and all the parties involved in that power struggle

but then again, we don’t really know how much wu sanxing knew about the wangs and the zhangs etc, so it’s all very up to interpretation. if he did in fact plant the fake silkbook though, it might have served the purpose of making sure there was something to string wu xie along to push him towards xisha and the conspiracy, but the copper fish ended up serving that purpose in the end. nothing really elaborates on this silkbook again, so we don’t know why xiaoge would speculate that wu sanxing was the perpetrator, unless it was because he’d just recovered his memories of xisha (but even then xiaoge doesn’t accuse people so firmly based on impression alone) or he literally saw wu sanxing do it

regardless of who did it, the bottom line is that it’s safe to say the silkbook was probably fake and was placed there intentionally, both because as wu sanxing points out, it is suspicious that wu xie would conveniently only be able to understand what happened to be key portions of the silkbook relating parts of king shang of lu’s life, and because it mentions the purple and gold box in it, which when opened, wu xie discovers contains the first snake-eyebrowed copper fish

to me this actually pushes suspicion more heavily onto two parties in particular: wu sanxing and the wang family. because to be able to forge a silkbook that would specifically contain passages tailored to wu xie’s knowledge of old chinese and not run the risk of him either knowing more or less than speculated, you would have to have extensive knowledge on wu xie as a person on a personal level. and to be fair, this idea hinges a lot on the silkbook being put into that coffin for wu xie specifically ti find, so i’m working on assumptions again, but if this were the case, then only wu sanxing and the wangs qualify to fill that role, and in some ways the wangs even more so because this kind of covert manipulation is very much the way they do things. xiaoge would not have known wu xie to that extent in book 1, if at all, and while wang zanghai himself is a tempting possibility, he was obviously in the seven star palace long before any of this took place, so it can’t be him. in fact, the only thing that ties wang zanghai to any of this at all is the purple and gold box containing the copper fish, since whether or not the box had originally been there and he simply emptied it of its contents or brought it in from outside, he’s the one who placed the copper fish in it

as to why if it was wu sanxing who planted the fake silkbook he would shift the blame onto xiaoge, my theory on that would be that xiaoge was another convenient means of stringing wu xie along into the xisha expedition mystery by virtue of him being zhang qiling and therefore both highly mysterious and suspicious, as well as personally involved. part of me wonders if part of the reason wu sanxing went to chen pi ah si to hire xiaoge specifically because he was added insurance that he would have the means to trigger wu xie’s curiosity, and provide a first clue to lead him into the It conspiracy. wu sanxing did use the picture of the expedition team to explicitly tie xiaoge into it along with the copper fish story, so there’s that to consider

the third account

which finally brings me to the final version of the king shang of lu story, which is the one given to li cu during the wang family powerpoint lesson. this particular version also overlaps with the story of king mu of zhou and the queen mother of the west, but i’ll get to in another part of this meta. so this version of the story is mostly ironically both the version that most blatantly contradicts the first two, while also being the version most accurate to the tiny introduction we get to king shang of lu at the entrance of the seven star palace that says he was “born with a ghost seal and could borrow ghost soldiers from the underworld”. the only real issue with that this third version has it’s told by the wang family to li cu, so just by virtue of it coming from obvious wang propaganda, it’s immediately suspicious by nature

going back to speculations about who planted the fake silkbook version of king shang of lu’s story in the seven star palace, it then also raises the question of, if the wangs were the ones who did it, what motive they would have had not only to do so, but to tell the story in that particular way, only to then tell a completely different one to someone they consider a candidate to join them. in my opinion, the only thing that makes this third version hold water is that given how it’s explained to li cu, and how wang xiaoyuan (the girl who passes by the window during the lesson) has the same version of it, the wang family believes this version is true, and by virtue of that, it gains a little more credibility, bc suspicious as they are and twisted by their own biases their version of history may be, the wang family is nonetheless well-informed for the most part. not to mention because the narrative has the wang family consistently mirror the zhang family and the way they function so perfectly it’s almost eerie, it stands to reason that the wang family also dabble in historical revisionism when they can, so putting out a fake version of history onto a fabricated silkbook seems up their alley

i’ll get into king mu of zhou separately because that’s a whole other can of worms, but this final version of king shang of lu’s story begins between the “emperor” of the state of lu and his advisor, the owner of a fox mask “with ancient patterns that often appeared on bronze ware” (Sand Sea Part III, Ch. 132, Lesson). the “emperor” asks his advisor “around 1000 BC” (fyi the original says 一千年上下 which amounts to “around 1000 years” but it’s more of an approximation and can technically encompass the warring states period too) as a hypothetical whether or not it’s possible “to prevent people from dying”, to which the advisor answers that he himself doesn’t know how, but he does know where to find something that can “beneath the loess inside the mountains”. he then goes on to tell the tale of king mu of zhou to the “emperor”, and of how he was given an elixir of immortality by the queen mother of the west that he likely hid inside of his tomb centuries ago

it very quickly becomes apparent to the reader that this story is an obvious ploy by the owner of the fox mask, who in sensing that the “emperor”, while tempted, is reluctant to cast all appearance of morality aside to deploy his troops to rob king mu of zhou’s grave, calls a “strange man” to the court who’s “believed to be a descendent of the zhou emperor” (that is to say king mu of zhou) “who was able to communicate with the underworld”. the ruler of the state of lu thus gives this “strange man” a jade seal and seals him in an iron coffin deep in a well for 49 days, saying that if he can come back up from it with the ghost seal in hand after having successfully spoken to king mu of zhou, then it would be proof of king mu granting him permission to rob his tomb and take the immortality elixir from it. and so this “strange man” does, in fact, come back, not only with the ghost seal in hand, but with an imperial edict written by king mu of zhou himself that granted him the title of king shang (殇 shang meaning to die young or at war) as well as all the contents of his tomb

the ruler of the state of lu then uses this to make several leaps in logic to justify being in the right if he deploys his troops to rob king mu of zhou’s tomb, because if this “strange man” can communicate with the underworld and was given a title relating to dead people, then surely that means that this strange “king shang” is likely dead himself, and that king mu of zhou chose him as his heir after he’d died. it’s a very convenient out for the ruler of the state of lu to say that he’s only helping an esteemed deceased elder to recover his birthright if he makes him a general and lends him troops to go find king mu of zhou’s tomb (Sand Sea Part III, Ch. 133, King Mu of Zhou)

it’s also quickly obvious to the reader that the owner of the fox mask and this newly minted king shang of lu are in fact working together, given it was the former who referred the latter to the state of lu’s court in the first place, which is something i’ll come back to in another part of this meta. from here, under the ruler of the state of lu’s orders, king shang and the owner of the fox mask, together with more grave robbers who also wore fox masks (as according to the wang family, foxes would live in graveyards and grave robber’s tunnels at the time, and so grave robbers associated their imagery with the profession), began their search for king mu of zhou’s tomb and the immortality elixir it supposedly contained. while this version of the story of king shang of lu more or less ends here, you could assume the rest of it might follow along the same lines of the first two versions, and maybe it does. you’d then assume that the person king shang and the owner of the fox mask (who’s by then inferred to be iron mask from the previous two versions) find in the western zhou tomb is king mu of zhou, who they then divest of the jade burial armor to take for themselves

however, one very important detail in this version compromises this assumption: king mu of zhou isn’t actually dead, and he thus gave king shang the edict personally (Sand Sea Part III, Ch. 134, Deception). what this means is that the ruler of the state of lu was duped presumably not by two, but three people, all of whom were working together to find the jade burial armor for who appears to be king mu of zhou. in other words, where the other two versions of the story have two key players, this final version suddenly introduces a third one, and that changes things. how much it does is what i’ll be getting into in the next part on king mu of zhou more specifically

(tbc in part II and part III of this madness)

[mykingdomforapen]

more link click headcanons as I ride the bus

The more I walked around the city, the more I noticed piles of cat food left in random street corners, stairways, and sidewalks. People will genuinely just leave little disposable cups or piles of dry cat kibble for the stray cats to eat. Naturally, Lu Guang is responsible for many of these.

Cheng Xiaoshi takes the BEST pictures of Qiao Ling whenever she asks for them. She will never tell Xu Shanshan this. Cheng Xiaoshi has the photography squat down like a king. Although she never posts them on social media, her self confidence quadruples whenever CXS gets her best angle. It’s also the only time any stranger will ever mistake her and CXS as a couple because both parties will happily spend a whole hour taking pretty photos of QL in some photogenic spot. Lu Guang takes that hour to wander off and get a lemon tea.

This isn’t a headcanon so much as a note for anyone who would like to know, as well as it will add a fun little sprinkle for anyone who continues reading my longfic spinning silk—the Guang in Lu Guang’s name is 光，which means light or brightness. Do with it what you will.

Growing up, Cheng Xiaoshi’s mother would refer to Qiao Ling and Cheng Xiaoshi as her two little bunnies, after the children’s rhyme. Qiao Ling at three years old made that a permanent fixture in her aesthetic.

Personally, my headcanon is that Cheng Xiaoshi is the originator of his and LG’s abilities, but Lu Guang has the advantage of time hopping to seem to understand their abilities sooner than he does. CXS’ parents also have some magical side to them, vaguely related to photography.

Lu Guang was raised mainly by his grandparents, and is very close to his Yeye. His parents had gone abroad to get their masters but died in a car accident when he was a toddler, so he doesn’t really have memories of them. Personally he would say he had a good childhood and was loved if not a little spoiled. He looks at photographs of his parents whenever he’s feeling vulnerable, though.

Qiao Ling’s parents out of respect of Cheng Xiaoshi’s dignity will claim that he will need to pay off a 10 year debt, but secretly they refuse to hold him to it. Cheng Xiaoshi as a little one would freak out about living away from the studio but also was terrified of spending a night alone, so there was a period of time where her dad would literally sleep on the sofa overnight just so that he would feel safe.

Just a factoid for you to do with it what you will—if you intend to put a photo or something on someone’s grave or urn, traditionally it should not include the living in it. So you can’t have a photo of yourself with the deceased on their grave because you are still alive. That being said, while Lu Guang has no interest in taking photos of himself alone he treasures the photos he has of himself with CXS. To him, it is either a promise or a threat, and he doesn’t mind either.

Cheng Xiaoshi has absolutely suggested that he and Lu Guang become sworn brothers Jin Yong style, and was 100% sober at the time.

bonus: Lu Guang’s cat rest stops

[shirohige-pirates]

Just Like Fire

CisFem Reader x Portgas D. Ace

CW: angst, language, erotic, violence, serial killer, stalking, poisoning, over-bearing controlling parents, attempted forced marriage, possible dub-con, Munchausen by proxy (aka Factitious Disorder), wildly cute and fluffy despite the warnings. 18+ only

Summary: You're Sabo's biological sister in this AU. After college you moved in with your dear brother and his two sworn brothers in order to avoid going back home. You and Sabo despise your family equally.

Chapter 1: Nakama

“Thanks for letting me stay here.” You say for probably the fiftieth time in as many hours, setting down a small box of personal items in the room you’d been provided.

Sabo, your beloved brother, smiles at you. “Of course, (Y/N), I told you as long as you can deal with Ace and Luffy, you’re welcome to stay as long as you want.” He gives you a hug as the two of you hear a crash from downstairs, and can hear Ace and Luffy starting to squabble. “… Try to make it a month, at least.”

You start to laugh as the two of you head toward the stairs to see what happened.

“Oi! Be gentle with it Lu!” Ace snaps, picking up the scattered books carefully while his younger brother helps him.

Ace, Sabo and Luffy had been “brothers” since they were little kids. Your parents blamed Sabo’s rebellious nature on the other two, but there wasn’t much they could do about it. You knew Ace and Luffy were cursed, Sabo had talked to you about it when you were considering moving in with him. Cursed people had all sorts of things they could do, but the cost was an inability to swim. There were some other weaknesses, something about a certain kind of stone or metal, but unlike your parents you didn’t care if someone was cursed or not.

People were born that way, there wasn’t anything they could do about it, for better or worse. Just like how you and Sabo had been born to parents that didn’t suit you – there wasn’t anything you could do to change that.

“Honestly, we could just dump them.” You say, coming down the stairs.

“Oh, those are The Books, huh?” Sabo asks, his voice changing when he says ‘the books’.

“Haha, yeah, yeah.” You smile as you pick one up. Luffy looks confused, and so does Ace for a moment before he smiles. “Dad’s collection of must read titles.” You roll your eyes. “I couldn’t control what got packed, so these ended up coming along. I’m not going to suggest we burn them, but if you have a wobbly table or something?”

“What’s so bad about these books?” Luffy questions, flipping through one idly. “Aside from a lack of pictures.”

“It’s a bunch of flawed philosophy. Blood purity bullshit,” you say with a grumble. “Debunked theories and bigot science.”

“Burning stuff like that could be bad for the air.” Ace says flatly. “Oh! I know what we can do with ‘em – Lu, help me get ‘em gathered up.”

“Might I ask-?” You start as Ace looks up at you with a smile.

“It’s a surprise!” He beams up at you.

You tilt your head and feel Sabo’s hand on your shoulder. He gives you a reassuring smile before he continues past you to help the other two gather up the books.

“We’re going to the station, I assume?” He asks and both Luffy and Ace chime in the affirmative. Sabo looks back at you. “The station’s cooler and usually filled with some rough-.”

“-but nice!” Luffy interjects, head popping up over Sabo’s shoulder as your brother takes a second before continuing.

“-but nice people.” Sabo finishes. “You might not need a jacket, but you might want to dress warmer.”

“Any chance of a meal while we’re out?” You ask, already heading back upstairs.

“You just ate.” Sabo gapes.

“Just was nearly three hours ago, dear brother.” You correct. “We’ve been hauling boxes up these steps for the last three hours. I am hungry.”

“How does something so small eat so mu--.” Sabo stops as he and Ace look over at Luffy who’s already laughing. “Never mind.”

With the books eventually gathered, the four of you loaded into Sabo’s car.

“I still can’t believe you ended up with the Odyssean.” You muse as the box is loaded into the trunk. You clear your throat when you see a smile from Sabo, and confusion from the other two. Doing your best impression of your father you open your arm toward the vehicle.

“A masterpiece of bespoke stitching and sustainable design, this mainstream produced Bentley offers a balance of luxury and quality, while still leading the edge of sustainability and viability. A perfect first car for my chosen heir.” You rolled your eyes at the end. “If dad hadn’t said the words ‘mainstream produced’, Stuffy might have actually kept it.”

“Pfft – hahaha.” Ace laughs, Luffy breaking into a laugh with him. “Stuffy, ah-hahaha!”

You grin. “You’ve met him, it seems.”

“He came camping with us once, remember?” Sabo says as Ace holds the passenger door open for you with an exaggerated flourish.

“Oh right, he pitched a fit for weeks to be allowed to go, and then was livid when he came back.” You laugh. “I’d almost forgotten, you were what, eleven?”

“Mm, it was one of the few times I had been hoping that father wouldn’t give in.” Sabo sighs.

“How long are you staying with us?” Luffy asks as the drive begins.

“A few months. I was thinking a year tops if you can all put up with me that long.” You answer with a smile, turning a bit to look at Luffy while you talk. “That should be enough time to job hunt and then start apartment hunting.”

“You should just stay!”

“… HUH?” You feel your mouth go slack.

“There it is.” Sabo says flatly.

“Well, it’s been decided.” Ace says with a smile.

You recover quickly and laugh. “Just like that huh? What in the hells just happened?”

“Luffy determines friend or foe very quickly.” Sabo explains as you sit back in your seat.

“I am in the friend column, it seems.” You muse as you hear Luffy laughing.

“No you’re not.” He says, still laughing, and there’s a second of tension in the air. “(Y/N) is nakama!”

“Sorry, what?” You ask, turning fully toward the backseat.

Ace points to everyone in the car. “Nakama.”

“Is that like siblings?”

He shakes his head. “Think of it like a step up from friends. Kind of like a found family, but not necessarily familial.”

You can feel your face starting to heat up and turn away before it shows. “Well… thank you then. Not even done with my first official day and I’ve been adopted.”

Sabo reaches over and pats your head. “It’s going to be a lot of adjusting. Ace and Luffy are doing a good job of holding back.” He admits. “Luffy usually hugs everyone he likes, and Ace is pretty handsy too.”

“Han- HANDSY?! Don’t say it like that, it makes me sound like a pervert!” Ace growls, hand on the headrest of your seat as he leans forward. “I give better hugs than Luffy, and I’m not asking to see people’s panties like Brook.”

“Will Brook be at the station?” You question, trying not to sound too concerned.

“Huh, no – er – he works at the Library downtown with Robin and Nami.” Ace answers you. “The guys at the station are pretty tame, you don’t have to worry about them.”

You can’t help yourself. “Mm, but I do have to worry about you?”

Sabo and Luffy are laughing as Ace’s entire face goes red. “No, I’m-.”

“Y-you can-can not say you’re tame!” Sabo manages between laughs. The infectious laughter hits you too and the car’s filled with it for a couple minutes.

“Ah, haha, haaa,” Sabo wipes a tear from his eye. “Oh, but you can trust Ace and Luffy, (Y/N), as I’ve said before. No matter anything else, they’re my brothers for a reason.”

“Brothers with you cause they’re menaces just like you are.” You tease, causing Luffy and Ace to laugh at Sabo’s expense. Which seemed only fair since you’d been tossing around teasing one another all morning.

The rest of the car ride was a continuation of the same. A little roasting, a lot of chatting, by the time you made it to the station you were pretty tired. Between all the moving you’d done that morning and all the laughing you were starting to run on fumes.

You let out a yawn and Sabo pats your leg. “I’ll go get us something to eat after I drop you off. Will you be okay with Luff, and Ace?”

You nod. “Even if all I had was your trust of them, but it’s been a fun few days moving with their help. I trust them on my own.”

Sabo smiles as he pulls into the fire station’s lot. “I’m just going to grab some grub - given the time should I-.”

“Oi!” A man with brown hair, a wide smile and a scar on the side of his face is waving at the car. “I recognize that beauty anywhere! What timing you lugs have!”

Ace opens the door getting out. “Whaddya mean, Thatch?”

“Izou and Marco just came back with a truck load of subs and sodas. There’s plenty to go around come on— oh, hello Miss.” Thatch offers you a wide smile. “You must be the mysterious sister.”

You open the door with a grin. “The mysterious sister does vaudeville on the Red Line.” You tease, offering your hand for a shake. “I’m just the disappointing sister, (Y/N).”

“Disappointing to our parents maybe.” Sabo says after putting the car in park and shutting it down. “Food’s already here? How fortunate.”

“Yeah, it’s Ducky Bree’s birthday and we’re just having some grub.” He explains. “Nothing too over the top.”

“Birthday?! Thatch did you make a cake!?” Luffy asks, nearly tackling the older man.

“Yes,” Thatch says, hooking Luffy with his arm and holding him back. “For later, you unhinged little black hole!”

“At least make sure the birthday boy gets a slice first, Luffy.” Ace teases. He holds out his elbow toward you with a smile. “Would you like an escort, oh mysterious sister?”

You laugh, putting your arm through his offered one. “I see you offered your elbow so as not to be too handsy, hm, Mr. Portgas?”

Sabo laughs as Ace’s cheeks flush a little. “Not living that down huh?”

“We’ll see.” You say with a smile as the two of you walk toward the station. “Sabo said you’re a firefighter. Luffy as well, yes?”

“Yeah, he’s a part-timer, he does volunteer EMT work for the main hospital. He’s good friends with a couple of the doctors there. I mean, it’s Luffy, he’s never met a stranger.” Ace explains.

“I don’t feel like you have either.” You say with a smile.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” He says, unthreading his arm from yours and opening the door. “After you, Miss.”

The man-door opens into a huge, cooled room with several large fire trucks in it. There’s lines painted on the floor to direct traffic, and where to park the trucks. There’s poles, stairs, and gear everywhere, and there’s a few fold out tables set up with food and drink on them. There was a small mess of people inside, all well-built guys walking around in little more than pants and boots with the tops of their fire gear hanging around their waists. Some wore t-shirts. Some did not.

Everyone looked warm and kind, and several people greeted Luffy, Ace, and Sabo. Most of them gave you a wave from a comfortable distance – they probably knew they could be an over-bearing and rowdy bunch and were doing their best to hold back a little.

Ace brought you a seat, and Sabo brought you something to eat, the two sitting with you for a while.

“You doin’ alright?” Ace questioned.

You nod, swallowing your bite of sandwich. “Yeah, my uh, constitution’s a little weak, but I do well enough.”

“The move’s worn her out a bit.” Sabo offers. “If it had only been a day or two it probably wouldn’t have caught up like this.”

“Oh. Oh, hey, if you need to stay in we can go back, I didn’t mean to drag you out when-.”

You put your hand up. “It’s okay. I promise.” You say reassuringly. “I don’t like to let it hold me back if I can help it. If I was really worried, I would’ve spoke up though, I promise.”

“Alright.” Ace accepts it, looking at you for a moment before going to get himself something to eat.

“He and Luffy will likely worry about you,” Sabo says. “I hope it’ll be okay.”

“Mm.” You nod. “It’s genuine concern, I can’t fault that. It’s not like what mom and dad did my whole life.”

“Once he comes back I’ll go get some-.”

“Sa-boo.” You tease, sticking out your tongue a little. “I’m good, go get something to eat. These guys aren’t going to eat me if you leave me alone for a minute.”

Sabo grunts a half-hearted laugh before getting up and going to get his own food. You look around a little while you eat, noticing some pictures taped onto the wall. There’s a bunch of guys in various states of uniform dress in the pictures. You recognize quite a few of the guys who are here right now. You find a couple pictures with Ace and Luffy in them, and even a few pictures with Sabo reluctantly hauled into the middle.

It warms your heart. Growing up with your parents wasn’t easy for either of you. Sabo came away from it with physical scars, and you came away from it with emotional ones. Both of you were considered disappointments to the rest of the family, but once they shifted all their hopes and dreams onto Stebby’s shoulders things almost got worse.

At least for a little bit. Once you were both able to leave for more than just a few hours a day, things began to improve. You’d both specifically chosen Universities and jobs in the New World, instead of the East Blue. It kept you further from home, which suited you both. Ever since the One Piece had been found, the New World had been the center of growth and opportunity. Maybe a little rough for you, but Sabo had a solid foundation here and that gave you a better chance of getting your own feet under you.

The better you could do for yourself, the less likely you were to get dragged back home.

“Ah, you found the pictures, huh?” Ace asks, sitting back down and breaking your train of thought.

You smile. “I did. Quite the lively bunch. I can see how you and Luffy fit in.”

Ace beams. “They’re good guys. The Family I didn’t know I needed sometimes.”

“Nakama.” You offer, and Ace smiles wider. You feel your heart skip a beat at that smile.

“Exactly! Catching on fast.” He says taking a few big bites of food. You’d spent a couple days with him and Luffy now, though most of it was packing, moving, unpacking, organizing and then sleeping like the dead, so you hadn’t really had time to just chat. But you’d seen the two of them eat, and your only thought was how your parents would be appalled.

Somehow, it made it endearing.

You’d matched up most of the people in the photos to the people in the station, but there were a couple you didn’t see. Either they were off today, which seemed unlikely, there were a lot of people in the station in civilian clothes, and it seemed everyone meant to come by for the celebration. Or they had moved on to something else.

Ace talks you through some of the people in the photos, pointing from them to the hubbub in the room. He gives you names, and little anecdotes about them. Sabo joins in when he comes back, sprinkling in complaints about what some of them had nearly done to his favorite hat. One you realize he isn’t wearing right now.

“Who’s that?” You ask, pointing to a man with shaggy black hair and an impressive beard for a guy running into burning buildings.

Ace’s eyes darken. “Teach.” He says before giving you a sheepish look. “He… was executed.”

Your eyes go wide.

“We kept the one picture up because for a long time he did save people, yoi.” Marco interjects, causing you to look over at him. You recognize the blonde from Ace’s earlier run down of people, and already you know he has a high regard for the older man. “Doesn’t excuse what he did, but -.”

“No, I get it.” You say, looking back at the picture. “The good he did doesn’t excuse the bad, but the bad he did doesn’t invalidate the good. People are complex like that.”

Marco’s eyebrows raise a little before he tips the bottle of soda toward you and the picture. “Well said.”

“… I think I remember the story about that.” You admit quietly.

“It was international news.” Sabo agrees. “I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“He was… cursed, right?” You ask tentatively. Sabo nods, but you can see Ace is getting uncomfortable. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to-.”

“Ah, no – no, it’s okay.” Ace interrupts, giving you a sad smile. “It’s just-.”

“It’s an extra sour subject for us.” Marco interjects again, having come a little closer. “Most of the people at this station are cursed.”

You make a dissatisfied face. “There needs to be a better word for that.”

“Eh?” Marco’s head tilts and Ace looks at you questioningly.

“Cursed is such a negative connotated word. But you’re not. You’re not monsters. There’s nothing wrong with you. If anything, … I don’t know. If anything, I think people should at least be kinder about it, I guess.”

There’s a moment of silence and you see a flicker of blue slide over Marco’s shoulders.

“Sabo, your mysterious sister is divine, yoi.” He says before smiling brightly at you. “Pardon me, but I think you need to meet everyone.”

“Wha-uh, sure?” You question as Marco leans down and lifts you up easily onto his shoulder. You yip a bit as Sabo and Ace move to steady you if Marco loses his grip, but the older blonde has a good hold on you.

“Sons of the New World!” Marco says getting everyone’s attention. “Meet the guardian deity of the station!”

“… the what?” You murmur, holding onto Marco’s head as he steadies you easily.

There are hoots and cheers and people are raising their bottles of soda and water. Thatch cheers over the crowd.

“Three cheers for (Y/N)! Hip!”

“Hoo-rah!”

“Hip!”

“Hoo-rah!”

“Hip!

“HOO-RAAAAAAAHHH!!” Even Sabo and Ace were cheering for you by the end of it.

Your face was burning hot as Marco set you down. You were smiling, even if you were confused to no end.

“What just happened?”

“Nakama.” Ace says with a smile, catching your gaze. “Feeling okay?”

“Yeah. I mean, a little confused, but I’m good.”

“The New World is a little more accepting of the cursed,” Marco explains. “But there’s a lot of fear and anger around it still. Most of us end up in jobs that are dangerous, yoi. People expect us to take the risk, but there’s not much acceptance or reward to go with it.

“Hearing you say something like that, it’s kind of its own reward, yeah?”

“Ah, but I’m nobody.” You try to say, but the words die on your lips a little. You might not like your family, and you might not like that they are your family, but you and Sabo are still nobility.

“Even if your family was different,” Marco says, crouching down to catch your gaze. “What you said shows you get it. That’s rare, yoi.”

After that there was a blur of face-to-face introductions with the people at the station. You met enough people you were losing track of names, but the faces were easy to remember. Eventually, Ace remembered why he had dragged everyone to the station in the first place and got a few people to help him bring the books from Sabo’s car.

The books were set near a brick wall out in a small training area.

“We train everything except live fires here.” Ace explains as he, Marco, Luffy, Izou, Jozu and Thatch help him set up a hose. “It’s enough to help keep us all warmed up without any big risks. Stand there.”

Ace points and you do as he instructed. Sabo is nearby, but he’s standing away from the set up. Ace stands behind you, with Marco on the other side of the hose. The other men line up behind the three of you.

“We’re going to brace the hose, so don’t worry about that.” Ace says, continuing his explanation. “Put your hands here, and here. When you’re ready, we’ll turn it on.”

“… You’re letting me use a fire hose to …?” You prompt, tilting your head.

“It’ll tear those books to pieces.” Ace beams. “C’mon, this is why we came here.”

“I’m not strong.” You admit a little reluctantly.

“We are.” Ace says, making sure you realize how many people are keeping the hose steady. “You’re not alone, I got your back. Sabo’s at the emergency shut off, it’ll be okay.”

You grip the hose a little more surely. “O-okay, let’s do this then.”

“Good, you can brace against me, it might buck a bit even with all of us holding it, but don’t worry.” Ace assures you.

“S-Sure.” You nod, setting your feet in a way that you hope is a little more steady than how they were.

“Relax, (Y/N).” Marco says.

Easy for you to say, you think. You don’t have your brother’s unexpectedly hot roommate ‘braced’ against you.

Ace has you put your hand over his as he engages the hose. There’s a small jolt as the pressure’s released and a jet of water shoots out of it. Ace lets you guide his hands as you take out one book after the other. There’s a thrill in the rush of water, and the catharsis of destroying the damnable books – especially in the company of the kind of people the books lambast.

You’re giggling and the guys holding the hose are laughing and cheering. You don’t even know if they know what’s written in the old books, but the whole thing gets your heart pumping.

After a few minutes, Ace turns the hose off and the blast of water turns into a slow trickle. A few shifts in the wind had misted you a little, but the cool water was refreshing and it was still plenty warm out.

“Oh – whew – that was more fun than I expected!” You say, bouncing a little as you head over to the ruined books. Sabo and Ace follow you as the others get the hose put away properly.

“Father would be furious to see these in this state.” Sabo says with utter delight in his voice.

You laugh. “Yeah. I almost want to take a picture.”

“What’s stopping you?” Ace asks.

“I wouldn’t get to see the looks on their faces when they opened the email.” You say with a devilish grin. “I’d much rather tell him in person.”

“Going back home anytime soon?” Sabo questions.

“Nah, but I’m not going to forget this day for a long time.” You admit with a smile.

[xryosakeyx]

Anyways, here's some random sketches related to the fic I finally can get around to posting 'cause it's a bunch! (These span from about three months, so yeah...) They don't really lean into heavy spoiler territory, so I thought it'd be safe to post them!

^Blawsth's champ (name's Lucille, if anyone cares...). First sketch is from earlier today and it's supposed to be of him in his youth. If you've read chapter one already, a specific detail that was made was that the Pokémon Ash is looking for pops up every thirty years or so, and let me tell you, a whole bunch of stuff happened within that time lol. The rest of the sketches were made in June, so I haven't drawn him in a good while. His whole thing was that I based him on shock-rockers and his backstory does take influence from that subset of performers. That comic in the last pic kind of gives ypu the idea of it, and that is if you can even read my stupidly tiny handwrit–

Okay, y'know what? Let me decipher it:

JAKE: You don't get it Ash, Lucille was banned from performing 'cause he went overboard!

ASH: Oh, really?

JAKE: That and he's the champ!

PIKACHU, as a tiny blob thing on Ash's shoulder, turning his back away from the camera as he sees a weird goth-thing from the distance: Pi.

JAKE: Ah! There he is, great eyes Pikachu! Lu-cille! Sign my autograph, please!!!

Alright, satisfied?

^Some gym leader stuff. First sketch is supposed to be of a double-battle gym where one specializes in water and the other with fire. Their main motif is that they're supposed to be treasure hunters, so their Pokémon are very agile in combat as they bounce back from one another. I'm still trying to work on their outfits a little, but their masks are supposed to be based on their aces which are (of course) more fakmons! Their names (right to left) are Lenny and Hans.

Second was two sketches I did of the grass specialist, Vendanna, who is an actor known for her stunts. The main challenge in her gym is the various status effects her Pokémon can create (mostly poison), so trainers should watch out!

Third is Lizzie who is supposed to be a ghost specialist. She tends to be very introverted, only popping up whenever the supernatural bells ring, but her Pokémon are the complete opposite and love getting other's nerves. I based her off trad-goth stereotypes because I feel like they're very underespresented in media, but yeah, she's basically Blawsth's personal "witch" and has more knowledge about the card game than most people (still unsatisfied with her boots though...). Also, her ears are pointed 'cause I felt like making them pointy :P

Also, BTW, these won't be the exact order of gym leaders Ash and co. have to deal with, I just felt like sharing them for now!

^Rivals. I unfortunately can't really share much of their story with you guys as their role leans into spoiler territory, so I'll keep it as brief as possible. First is named Cianna and seriously wants to be the The Very Best Like No One Ever Was™. Out of Blawsth of course. Alright, in all seriousness, as a childhood friend who had to move upstate years ago, she hoped to reunite with Miley, who is oddly very evasive towards her, which is quite sad because she never got around to say goodbye to her...And that is as much info I can actually share on the both of them as characters! Alright, onto the next one...

The second is named Urie and oh boy I seriously can not wait to finally introduce him to the story. If you can recognize who I nabbed his color pallete from, congratulations, you're still not really going any relevent story info until I actually write about it. Anyways, all you gotta know about this guy is that he has this smirk you just want to punch and he's annoyling very friendly, surprsingly enough. To an extent (I could only post this single sketch of him though as (A.) I was only going for the color pallet when it came to this set so I couldn't care less about the face... and (B.) I do have an entire page just dedicated to him because he's so absurd of a character to me, but unfortunately it's behind another page filled with sharpie sketches and if you guess anything from the third pic, it likes to bleed through a lot).

Third is Luka and not only is she a coordinator hailing from Unova but she also participates in gym matches as well! She also oddly wants Ash to step away from his companions, for some reason...Yeah, gotta keep things hush-hush, lol. Other than that, she's a very snarky individual, some might even compare her to an Ekans. Others...a more sinister Pokémon...(anyways, say hi to Lizzie again at the bottom corner! She's selling her a doll that doesn't even work, LOL!) (Also, I imagine this one with a Joisey accent!)

Anyways, that's as much as Tumblr will let me post without going over the image limit, so I'll go follow up with this post tomorrow! Your SOTD has been brought to you by, once again, Specimen! I keep thinking of this song in paticular when it comes to contest ideas, especially considering Blawsth's whole culture going a little bit overboard with it ever since Lucille was banned from performing.

[grandvoyant]

Alright, I'm going to be normal for a second about a creator I've come to love in the past few days.

Lu is not someone I know much about, a furry artist on twitter (https://twitter.com/kawaiishinitai) with some small games released on Steam (https://t.co/3q5RU4wCwk). I don't know their gender, age, etc, but I have been playing their games because of a small review on their game HOLEHOLE.

HOLEHOLE is a very sweet game and I will spoil none of it other than the fact that it isn't pornographic despite that name and the big-titty mousegirl on the cover. It is just incredibly surprising for what it is.

I just played PRIPRI, the game I probably like the least of the three I've played thus far, and still really enjoyed it and had a lot to think about. Spoilers for PRIPRI ahead:

PRIPRI is a small game where you play as a prison guard who can speak to three girls: I, S, and K. The gameplay is simple, you just walk up to a room each day and then pick from a menu who you wish to speak to. Nothing at all besides that. I can tell that this game was used to learn camera work in whatever development program they have been learning, because the camera actually moves independently of the player this time, and it blends the usual first person style with VN-style talking segments.

I is a girl who likes music and short stories. I likes music seemingly because she can predict it: she has an ability to see the future, and can tell you exactly when to turn on the radio to hear the song she wants. She only asks for the radio when it is playing what she wants to hear. She likes to spend time reading books, but she doesn't read the last page: she feels lonely after endings. Likely, this is because of her ability, but we will get back to that. She predicts two endings for you that will lead to an escape, and using K, projects them into your head. K's end shows a wedding, and gore. S's end shows the promise of nudity and joy that comes with someone bursting down your door.

S, or SMILE, is a girl who explains how she has had all her limbs chopped off during different times being imprisoned. All she wants to do is enjoy life, but even escaping prison in a thing she feels might only be temporary. Living an exciting life, with someone she cares about, is enough. She has a telekinetic ability (to move fridges?), and enjoys sweets. She is short sighted and knows it and doesn't mind it. I think there's something to her being both limbless and having the ability to move things. She can move forces beyond herself, but needs physically carried by the player to go anywhere. S ends up escaping with you, tempting you but seemingly sticking around and saving you with her fridge powers. Her ending is about going somewhere far away together. Always running from the law, but enjoying it while you can, like the sweets she loves.

K is a girl who can project and perhaps create imagery. She's created many things that seem dangerous in a way she doesn't fully intend, and has gathered people she doesn't intend to. There's a trauma behind her power that has led her to twist things towards the negative. At one point, she creates the prison yard for you two to move around in, as she is tied up even more than the other prisoners and has no ability to do anything at all. During this short segment, she realizes there's no reason to create the fences, even though it is accurate. There's no need to create a world that reflects the real and painful world she exists in: so she stops doing that. Her escape with you is one that is twisted, violent, and strange, like her, but it ends with happiness.

Now, back to I: If you choose to go with her first, nothing happens. She predicts you'll die when the escape is triggered. There's nothing you can do about that. Nothing you can change about that. Go with her again at the end, however, and the other two escape, and you are saved from the fated barrage of bullets. She reveals to you that the first route with her was a prediction, one she showed you using K's ability to project images into people. And now, being hardworking, you've managed another ending. You've made her happy, allowed her to bathe in a hot spring. She admits her love for you, her hardworker with good timing. I think the game is about this, about not being afraid of what will come because of your own limitations. You can make something a little twisted, a little limited in some ways, but you can use your unique abilities to create something, and you shouldn't fear the end product.

Its beautiful! All of this text I typed about what happens assigns a lot of meaning to it, but the game never outright tells you much. No one's inner thoughts are on display for you. I played for 48 minutes for a total of four playthroughs. That's...so little time for the amount of information here. It uses the format of a game with routes to create a larger story by the time you reach the last one. It clearly has programming issues, but it doesn't really matter. I think these games are a strong case for making something no matter your skill level. Passion and fun come through first. When making art, skill is one thing, but no one can create something with your personal flavor besides yourself.

[saturnskyline]

temptation tuesday

rules: share something about an idea you have/something that's speaking to you/an au you'd like to see and are considering writing/etc. etc. Basically anything that is tempting you away from your current wips!

tagged by @lu-sn, thank you so much!! still in awe that we're mutuals tbh, you're the coolest <3

well.... the question is, what is NOT tempting me away from my current wips 🥲 apologies to anyone who has kept up with my snippet posting bc none of those are remotely close to done yet fjdkskfjs. for starters, my main wips from before were the vegaspete oneshot ("when i look deep down") and lita polycule shenanigans (as yet untitled). now, i have several more ideas that are circulating and i have no idea where i'm going with ANY of them, let alone the actual wips 😭 😭 anyway here's the shortlist eh oh el

vegaspete watersports of all things ??? i'm surprised too, this coming from a person who literally has never attempted smut ever and now i'm suddenly tempted to try THIS 💀 no title yet, but i do know that if this gets finished, there will be sexy gaslighting involved (both a threat and a promise)

drugged vegaspete sex where pete gets drugged as part of an earlier negotiation. SMUT AGAIN I KNOW. LITERALLY WHERE DID THIS COME FROM. anyway, if that even goes well, the working title is "i put your love on and sank into the glow" from a very lovely vegaspete coded song <3

had a thought recently (which i think i've read in fics before) about vegas having a garden and i just MAY have to write it smh. anywayyy most important part is he feeds pete with it and i think that's beautiful

toddblack something. very vague but i want biting and kissing for them so that's the starting point 🥰

3 will be free brainrot. consuming me always, to the point of me wanting to not only try smut but write sex for three people 😶 although i guess if i actually go through with lita there's four involved there sooooo. basically i guess i'm looking to try writing new things hehe

winteam !!!! who knows lol but they are certainly speaking to me and i have a google doc open there so that's something

so yeah, those are the current brain worms! hopefully i can finish at least one of them in the near future, or i may be in danger of losing my mind :D enough from me though, better tag some other folks @pitchercries @mandaloresson @m-a-w-a @lady-guts @shubaka in case you're interested ❤️❤️

[pizzatheif]

two machines appear in town within days of each other. one, a bright blue with illuminated butterfly wings and MORPHO in bright bold letters at the top ; the second, black, blank. the only illumination coming from the screen tucked behind a curtain — it felt like stepping into a photo booth going through its goth phase.

hugo had seen both. hell, the blue one was hard to miss considering it had turned up in the old borders-turned-cvs that sat neatly next to that one bagel place with the thin-sliced taylor ham; his fave. in a matter of days, he’d had to start taking the long way if he wanted breakfast. traffic down that street was a nightmare — worse than usual and that’s saying something.

he decided he wasn’t gonna buy into that crap, though. a matter of principle, he’d claimed ( though he’d probably misspoken ). what did he care that some stupid machines were telling people’s fortunes? he’s content where he is, anything else needed work or schooling and when would he find the time for that?

it eats at him, though – subconsciously plagues his dreams. especially when he finds tony’d gotten his done. ❝ ey, 'ugo, lookit this shit. ❞ the blue card is shoved under his nose and hugo squints at it, narrowed eyes darting upward to meet tony's in the space of a breath. ❝ i thought we thought this shit was bull? ❞ to which tony shrugs, tucking his potential back into his pocket. ❝ you do the death one too? ❞ gaze averts and hugo holds out his hand, ❝ cuh'mon, tone. you holdin' out on me? it's me. ❞ but tony won't let him see the card and hueg don't like the feeling that settles in his stomach because of it.

a couple of days later, he follows his feet to breakfast but he ends up in front of that damn blue machine. his tummy grumbles — he ignores it.

sweaty palms are pressed to the glass when prompted. he almost leaves the stupid butterflied blue envelope that pops out.

he doesn't read the card for a week.

there’s nothing he can rationalize as to why he’s so nervous for it, only that he’s been disappointing people since he was born. what if this card finally means he’ll be disappointed in himself? what if it means tony’ll expect him to change? what if he don’t like who he’s supposed to become?

he knows the thoughts are silly. especially when he gets the call from eloise because she’d gotten her blue card and she wanted to jabber about some conspiracy theories she’d read online that the potentials aren’t what you’re supposed to become, only that they’re supposed to show you a path forward. maybe she won’t become the next picasso, but now she knows wendy doesn’t have a leg to stand on when she criticizes lu’s choices. if she hadn’t gotten an artistic path, she says, then she’d be able to explore what that might mean.

it bolsters him. at least enough to slide the card from his envelope. a cold sweat breaks out when he reads the word.

RAT

hugo flips the card over to see the silver embossed butterfly on the back before rereading those three little letters. fuck.

a rat? his life's potential is to be a fuckin’… nervous gaze darts to the empty spot on the couch, half-relieved that he’d chosen to read his card when tony wasn’t home.

a wave of anxiety shoots through him as he stands, throwing on the green jacket he’d commandeered from tone ages ago. thoughts spiral with each step out the door — who the hell would he rat on? how’d they get him cornered enough to get him to squeal? what if it’s tony he gives up? god, he’s sick to his stomach until he looks up and finds himself at the blue machine, again.

maybe it's a mistake. yeah... yeah. hugo wipes his hands on his jacket, looking over his shoulder to make sure no one was tailing him. laundry quarters are slipped into the slot and he goes through the motions to get another card.

RAT

❝ fuck! ❞ he jumps out of the booth and slaps a five on the counter. ❝ can i get change? ❞ is his voice cracking? he clears his throat, voice dropping half an octave with the follow up demand of : ❝ quarters. ❞ hands are clammy, again, as he punches in his social, again, to draw another card.

RAT ( again ).

he sits in the booth, this time, world crashing down around him. how would lulu spin a card like this? his phone is in his hands as he hovers over her name, hesitation stalling him until there's a knock on the booth that rouses him from his panicked thoughts. a mumbled apology falls from him as he pushes past the person waiting their turn and he shoves the three identical cards into his pocket, as deep as they'll go.

he shoulda never read the card. he shoulda dumped it or maybe never tried it in the first place. how're you supposed to come back from this? is he just supposed to give up crime in favor of a boring-ass nine-to-five? you can't be a fuckin' rat and not expect to get got because of it.

he doesn't realize where he's going until he walks into a dude at the end of a line and almost gets himself punched because of it.

he’d heard the news label it the machine of death. hugo swallows thickly, stepping gingerly behind the dark curtain when it's finally his turn. he’s gotta know if they’re related – is he gonna pull cement shoes? is he gonna get whacked just for pulling RAT? the white card slips into the slot and hugo all but rips it out in his fervor.

PIZZA

❝ wh... what the fuck is that s'pposed'tuh mean? ❞

[ghostspiritnovel]

GhostSpirit: Chapter 2

The demon sits at his desk on a Discord call.

“Do we wait for him?” He asks his friend on the screen who is sitting in a darkened room.

“Lu, it's only been like a minute, chill.” The vampire, Jax, adjusts the blanket wrapped around him.

“You're the one chilling” Lu chuckles. To his amusement his friend actualy laughs. It is not often that Lu will make a stupid joke and Jax, the cold one himself, will laugh. This satisfies Lu enough to wait for his friend.

30 seconds later.

Ping!

“Hey guys!” Evan has just logged in to the chat. “What's up? Sorry, did I miss anything?”

“I made Jax laugh!” The demon states proudly.

“I was waiting for you, I have some news.” Jax rolls his chair closer to his computer in his dark room.

News. This could be good or bad. Evan was never fond of news. “Please let it be good and not bad.”

“Sorry, I forgot you get anxious if I don't say what kind. But its interesting to say the least.” Jax reassures his friend. “So. Is it odd that we are all moving at about the same time? And-and we are going to where our parents met each other? “

Lu and Evan slow blink. They in fact have not put these things together.

“Well, did you know a like insane war happened in the past or like paranormal dimension portal had been in this town… at the same time.. As our parents!?” Jax tries to keep his hype contained. He finds this stuff fascinating.

“What does this have to do with us moving to this town?” Lu asks slowly.

“Nothing, I thought it was interesting. Do you guys not, like read up on places?”

Lu shakes his head, Evan does the same but adds “ it is kinda cool, maybe I'll ask mom about it!”

“Did you read anything about what happened to the dimension portal?” Lu asks.

“Nah, just said three people closed it never said who.”

Evan quietly sips his mango drink.

I wonder who they where. Evan thinks to himself. He has always liked the idea of being special. Like Link in Legend of Zelda or like a Pokémon trainer destined to beat the elite four and champion. Nah maybe that life isn't for me.

“You ok buddy?” Jax voice gets Evan's attention. He didn't realize he was still drinking is drink as he was deep in thought.

“Yea,” he puts the drink down. “Sorry thinking.”

“Well I leave first out of the three of us and tonight is packing. I'm glad we could call. I know you arn't always up for calls Evan, but thanks for talking it does mean a lot.” Jax gives a small smile. His friends say good bye as he logs off.

These three have known each other since they where 16, they where 19 now. Their parents would talk to each other but it wasn't until a 16 year old Evan had asked Cynthia “ do you know a….Bloodbeck or…. Necroson?”

Evan was posting his art on Instagram, Evan was suggested as someone to fallow for Lu and Jax.

Because they have known each other for so long Jax and Lu had been there for Evan during his first breakup at 18.

There was always something between Jax and Evan. But due to events, Jax didn't feel it was right to tell his friend how he REALLY feels.

Lu and Evan continue talking. Jax comes up as the topic. Lu wants to see his friends together. He knows they both need someone like the other to be there and support the other while knowing they are with someone they can trust.

“His hair looked nice today.” Evan says quietly

Lu smiles. “ I can tell him that if you want.”

“No he probably knows. I-I hope he knows.”

A knock at Evans door.

“Oh I have to go, nice talking with you dude!” Evan waves to the camera.

“You too g'night!!!”

They log off.

“Good night?” Evan looks out the window. Its dark. Its past dusk. He checks the time. 9:00 pm

[tenten18282]

Thank u for your Doubt comic it had me actually sobbing at 2 AM, my sleeves ended up damp from wiping my face so many times haha. OK OK but I love?? Your depiction of young Time/Mask?? Like my actual first contact with Zelda was reading the ocarina of time manga which depicted oot Link as a cheerful kid so when I stumbled upon linked universe (which I adore but still) I was just like ??? at Time's more "serious jaded veteran" characterisation bc it was so off from what I imagined him to be like haha.

Plus I just don't find his adult self as interesting as his child self but there's SO little content abt child Time, so ur little links AU really hit my soft spot (besides little time being less jaded and having a brighter outlook just makes his tragedy hit that much harder haha) AND ITS NOT JUST THAT BUT ALSO how, despite Time looking like a kid and being more cheerful, u still add all these lovely glimpses into the side of him that he keeps hidden, which has been aged and hurt and simply *changed* by his adventures, with behaviours that aren't childlike at all (how used he is to hide when he is hurt, his fear of being alone and forgotten, how intimately he understands others' grief)

Time is my fave Link if me rambling all over your asks didn't give you a clue haha, BUT ALSO! WIND!!! I adore how you completely flipped things and made wind the oldest of the kiddie Links!! Bc he's usually the baby of the chain and I just love love LOVE how you flipped it around, how it just perfectly fits him bc he's the only Link who's also an older brother in the canon text and now he can use his big brother powers on the other three

Ik u said Wind is kinda intimidated by Time, but in your comics it really feels like he has a special connection to Time bc like! Wind knows Time's legend and now is his friend, so it's like Wind is the perfect person to see both what Time has achieved and who Time is as a person if that makes sense? and as such would have more tools at his disposal when trying to understand Time and end up knowing him best—which imo Time really needs someone like that, poor bby is always caught in-between and never quite belonging anywhere

Anyways this got away from me haha tl;dr is that I love your art and your comics and your characterization and you :D thank you so much for sharing!! Have a lovely day!

AH! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR KIND WORDS!!! also its completely okay to send long-form asks like this…. I love reading opinions and thoughts… its fun and I also took screenshots of this ask for safe-keeping…. thank you….. Shockingly enough, I made this comic to be a comforting story!!! I originally did not expect so many people to be sad or touched by it in such a way, it was very surprising… I think i just have a different criteria for what i consider sad…. haha... I wish I could continue with stories like these but comics take longer for me than usual…. I've been told i should make a blog to write down my thoughts on these characters and this AU as I do have a lot of them, and I also actually really do agree with a lot of what you're saying right now! Originally, I thought of this concept as a way to bring a smaller form twist of the LU characterizations i've enjoyed a lot … which is why i say it's an off-shoot of Linked universe, as these versions of Time, Four, Wind and Rulie will become the LU heroes in the future to me… also i just want them to hang out and have fun ha

I have a lot of thoughts on what you mentioned, and would like to elaborate on what i think while also just talking about it in general, so i will put down a "read more" so as to not make it difficult for other people to scroll through this blog.

I find myself seeing the Linked Universe iteration of the hero of time to be a character who's at the end of their development… someone who's fully come to find a resolution to what they've gone through and is now somewhat at peace, especially after meeting the hero of Twilight. Child time is the initiation of this period of darkness for him; yet despite him going through so many adventures he's still very much a child- I doubt he has the tools or abilities to fully process how cruel fate has been to him. He's still an odd-ball of a kid who's still cheery…. I think that the true tumult of his life reaches his peak just when he reaches his 20's not right when he finished his adventures, so younger time is someone who i really wanted to write and draw…

Besides, I don't think he genuinely focused much on the horrors of his adventure at this current time of his life, and probably even had fun at some points. I always saw him as the kind of optimist who down-plays these horrors… Since he's always been placed in the pedestal of the hero of time, I think he's used to becoming someone who's very dependable! While he has his friends Deku scrub, Mikau and Darmani, they can only do so much for him… Which is why i do think pairing him up with these young heroes will do him well! He finally has others who truly get it… I feel like even if he's a bit cryptic over what he's seen and found in his adventures (His hero friends only seem to think he has four transformation masks…) he'll soon learn to be more at peace with it, and start unpackaging his feelings on it…

(unrelated) It also kind of translates to how I view his masks in this au. While Time has healed them of their worries and let them be at peace through the song of healing, I also believe in my eyes that time himself is one of the MAIN reasons the masks truly haven't moved on, because if you play the elegy of emptiness, there's four statues you play to, link being one of them… to the masks he's the only one left who needs to heal and Link is not allowing himself that… so they're in a state of half-consciousness where they can vaguely communicate to Time, who's the only one who can truly understand them (Much like how the happy mask salesman comprehends the masks' emotions, I just like the idea that Time picked up this empath ability from using the masks so much... I also imagine that if the others put the transformation masks on, it wouldn't work).

Time treats the masks with complete respect because to him they're his close friends, people who have seen almost as much as him, they've been through the adventure as well… they're actual tangible proof that his adventure happened, and mattered… It goes to say that having your own consistent group of companions be masks is not very healthy- which is why the masks are happy Time has found more friends. (see "random conversations" for context.)

I also noticed i put a lot of focus on the hero of Winds as of late, but that's because I feel he's quite underutilized… He's a really emotionally mature, smart kid who's also one heck of an older brother! The way i see it is that Wind being intimidated over Time is less so of fear and moreso of realizing that the person you've been equated to your entire adventure by a lot of people is standing right there. It's originally an intimitading feeling, that is later translated into intense older brother worry; Wind most likely expected this capable adult who was untouchable, but the reality of it really frustrates him… He's at a loss on how to address him, either as a respectable fighter who's very well his predecessor, or someone who's is younger than him who shoulders too many responsibilities. In the end, his older brother insctincts kick up…. but he doesn't want to disrespect Time by implying he's incapable so he's quite conflicted. He finds a middle ground eventually. To me, Wind is Time's perfect successor, I find the dynamic they both share to be really interesting. I always imagined wind to be rebellious of the legends and destinies as he's quite an oddity compared to the other heroes, so he definitely tries to help and connect with time, who in the other games somehow becomes a symbol of the legends themselves. He just wants to help Time, someone who's slowly sinking but refuses to acknowledge it.

[professor-tammi]

okay here are some Three Hopes thoughts!! spoilers for first 4 chapters of the Lions route, and also some (more minor) Eagles spoilers

- I went into the game expecting to hate Shez (not a big fan of the design) but. they’re not only an actual character, but also quite charming? very positively surprised here :D! I also really enjoy the English VA for both m/f Shez (went with male Shez and female Byleth for my Lions run; will prob do female Shez when I play Eagles)

- having Byleth take on a Lu Bu-esque rival role is an interesting idea, and letting them Actually Speak and be a character is already helping undo some of my Byleth hatred. (only some though. it is still mostly there!!)

- Arval is cute! I like them (? what is gender ?? gender not real) much more than Sothis, which surprises me a bit because I feel like they’re objectively very similar characters. maybe it’s just that Arval’s banter with Shez works out much better than Sothis’ attempted banter with Byleth a wall

- so Arval is obviously somehow Slither-related, but judging from how both Rhea’s and Shez’s eyes glow in a distinctly similar way when they transform, I’m gonna venture a guess and say that Arval is also somehow a dragon. just maybe, like, a different dragon tribe or clan to Sothis’. I dunno.

- I didn’t expect Monica surviving and joining the Eagles this time around to be of much interest to me but. apparently she is very gay for Edelgard and honestly? the one thing Edelgard as a character has always lacked was a cute co-dependent gf. please Koei let Monica be this. I would very much like to have yet another problematic ship! thank you!!

- the Lions plot truly wastes no time getting started -- one moment you’re defeating bandits and the next you’re... executing Rufus and Cornelia!? but I’m not complaining! the political intrigue is fun. I only hope the game still manages to capture the darker sides to Dimitri’s character (which I’m quite positive it will, given they’re foreshadowing it in much the same way 3H did originally, it’ll just happen later on)

- the part at the beginning of Chapter 4 where Faerghus is discussing whether they should aid the Church and risk war with the Empire or not and Felix just interjects with “ok we have two choices. either we aid the church or we submit to imperial rule” was also, excellent. maybe it’s also partly due to the current goings-on in the world and the shockingly poor takes I’ve seen people have about those, but it’s just nice to see Felix instantly lay it out as “yeah you know the Empire is not going to just leave us alone even if we agree to their terms”

- also the Dimilix content in this game already too good and this is just the demo?? yes their meal conversation definitely stands out the most but also little things like Felix’s C support with Shez (which, yes, is about his relationships with the entire childhood friend quartet, but still), and how it’s House Fraldarius that’s immediately singled out in Rufus’ ploy as being closest to Dimitri (”in what cruel world would our noble house take the reins of a boar like you?” ok felix!!), how Felix is at the forefront during Rufus’ execution scene (which... there’s a lot to say about, in general), and how the trailers are hinting at more development of their relationship and!! im just. so excited. (please let me read their B / A supports not knowing is killing me)

- (perhaps it is more accurate to say that the game has a lot of Felix content. and for once I support koei’s character favoritism)

- oh and speaking of Shez supports, Edel-critical people will probably appreciate Edelgard’s C support with Shez, which features Shez calling out her hypocrisy in a very frank way. good content.

- on supports more broadly, only the support levels with little speech bubbles lead to conversations, and it’s been interesting to see the decisions Koei made in regards to who gets how many conversations with who here. I’ve already seen some anger about Felix and Annette only going up to B and only getting one conversation, though in all honesty, I’m not very surprised as I always found their original supports just cute but shallow -- there’s not a ton for the writers to focus on there.

- (otoh I am very much looking forward to whatever the Felix/Dedue support contains, because there’s a 3H relationship that could do with more development!)

- also curious to see which characters will end up joining which houses. Lions are definitely getting Catherine and Gilbert in addition to Rodrigue. Eagles should be getting Hanneman in addition to Manuela and Jeritza (and Monica, also). Deer get Shamir, and presumably also Judith and Cyril (and possibly Holst or something). as for the Wolves, if they’re not exclusive to some secret fourth route, I imagine Constance goes to the Eagles, Balthus to the Deer, and Hapi and Yuri to the Lions. where do the dragons figure in, though? Seteth, Flayn and Rhea would all make the most sense with the Lions, I guess, since they ally with the Church... though that seems like an unusually large cast of playables for them!

- another thing that interests me is the identity of Shez’s mysterious mother, who was apparently a noble living in Leicester... ... the first silly twist I thought of is “what if it’s Patricia, who escaped after the tragedy”, but I’m pretty sure I have zero good reasons to think this? I don’t even know if it works timeline-wise so I’m just documenting it in case I end up, miraculously, being right, for no reason (I just think the idea of her being the mom of 3/4 main characters is cute)

- also I wasn’t tumblering when the new designs where revealed initially but: ponytail felix. ponytail felix. ponytail felix. (Koei you are still not forgiven for taking away Ran, my original high ponytail hyperfixation, but, thank you, for this Felix)

- have to quickly shoutout Annette’s new design though she is SO cute :’) I think the only new Lion design I don’t really like is Sylvain’s. my condolences Sylvain fans. (Ingrid’s bangs are cute sorry!!) (also Dimitri with the tiny ponytail? thank you. my skin is clear my crops are watered)

- for non-Lions: love Edelgard’s design!! it’s almost like. I really like ponytails in character designs. Marianne also looks lovely! annnd I think Caspar’s Three Hopes design is what his post-timeskip design should have been, honestly

- general gameplay thoughts: this is very much a traditional musou, very reminiscent of SW, and I appreciate that bc I miss SW... also I felt AoC had too much of a combat focus to the detriment of the more tactical decision-making that I like having in my musous

- also having permadeath in a musou game is very interesting?? it’ll only come into play in the full release since the game says it’s after Chapter 4 only, but still, intrigued at how this will affect how difficult the game feels :D

[the-fair-maiden-of-fandom]

qjj livetweets pt.2 but only on tumblr

|| for the record this contains like. so many spoilers. ||

good cop bad cop cezhou,,,,,, big brain 

the way that i’m putting off work to keep reading CANT be good for my future but,,,,, scary men doing scary things,,,,,

ugh im going to have to draw them scaring the shit out of this man aren’t i

actually, props to the like. three people in this book who actually do their jobs non-evilly. kudos to yall you’re the backbone of da zhou. maybe four? i could add more but they’re all like accessory to major crimes so idk. let’s go with three

just realized the empress dowager is kind of a small fry at the moment. girl what are you up to

THEY KILLED OFF FOURTY THOUSAND SOLDIERS FOR SOME FUCKING GRAIN?????????

oop i bet that’s shen zechuan’s secret mastermind at work

xiao chiye: uh no actually my dad just isn’t a SLUT like the rest of you

oh shit the kids died this is happening fast

AND NOW LI JIANHENG?????

solid speech. five stars for emotional damage. 

FUCK IT UP XIAO CHIYE

bro why the FUCK are you making this long-distance (yes i get why. no i do not care)

QI HUILIAN????

you know what sir. yes. be proud of yourself.

hommygod he said he’d bear the burden - my emotions im in mental turmoil

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO I KNEW IT WAS COMING BUT NOOOO

beat ass and kill people, my darling lanzhou. you deserve it after this

MURDER BOYFRIENDS

‘Lu Guangbai washed both of his hands clean in the rain and held up his long spear once again.’ the symbolism here is so damn obvious and yet i love it so damn much

yeah im sure it took so much convincing for her.

oh poor hai liangyi. you were one of the three with a moral code.

wait does li jianheng count for the moral code??? he wasn’t really all that upright, just kind of a dumbass. i still love him tho

oh poor baby

omg not the “it hurts” no i’m flashing back to tgcf and it’s making it even more painful

OH DARLING

i love qi zhuyin but this is NOT the time for me to be bisexual

but,,,,,, to say qudu is just. not a priority at the moment is too funny. girl what do you mean

qi zhuyin: if my dad says anything.... just tell him to shut the fuck up

ding tao i would marry you with a warped frito as my ring

oh so he’s stupid stupid

hot

PLEASE sir you can’t just tell him he’s broke like that

oh and it turned into foreplay

[the-archlich]

Dynasty Warriors: Who Is Zhurong?

It’s somewhat amazing that anyone even talks about Zhurong. Although she almost certainly has her origin in earlier folktales and operas, she appears in only one chapter of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms but has overshadowed many other individuals who had much more time on the page. Maybe the idea of a tough Amazon is just too interesting for people to overlook.

Despite being a very minor figure in a much, much larger story, Zhurong has had a steady presence in Three Kingdoms adaptations for over 20 years now; at least as far as gaming goes. She made her introduction on the scene with Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV in 1994 and has appeared in most installments of the series ever since.

Years later, in 2001, Zhurong was introduced as a playable character in Dynasty Warriors 3. She was removed in DW6 but returned in DW7 and has remained a steady presence in the franchise and its spin offs ever since.

Zhurong is also one of the few characters who has had a more or less consistent personality throughout her history in the DW franchise. She’s a tough woman with a temper, one who doesn’t tolerate foolishness. She is also fiercely protective of her homeland and very affectionate to her husband, Meng Huo. She doesn’t make many appearances in those games but she’s usually part of the more unique stages inspired by Zhuge Liang’s southern campaign of 225.

She’s popped up in a few other places too. Zhurong has the distinction of being one of few characters featured as a monster card in an odd 1999 Magic the Gathering set. I haven’t played enough MTG to know if these stats are good, but the mere fact that she is present is kind of wild.

She appeared in the famously bizarre Kessen II (2001) and you can also find Zhurong in Total War: Three Kingdoms. Though not included in the game’s 2019 launch, she was one of the unique officers added with 2020’s The Furious Wild expansion.

I’m listing all these appearances because when you look at her origin, it’s nuts that she has this kind of consistent (if small) presence.

These different versions of Zhurong are all inspired by her appearance in Chapter 90 of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. It’s difficult to stress how brief this appearance is. Not only is it limited to a single chapter, her part is so short that it all easily fits in this essay.[1] You can read along for yourself at https://www.threekingdoms.com/090.htm

Meng Huo was much distressed. Before he had recovered, they told him: “The army of Shu has come over and is encamped at the mouth of Silver Pit Ravine.” Just as he was in the very depths of distress, a laugh came from behind the screen.

A minor note, because this will come up later: Dynasty Warriors usually depicts Zhurong riding an elephant. As you can see, she rides a horse in the Romance story. That same chapter does have elephants, though, being used by the chiefs Mulu and Wutugu. For what that’s worth.

The novel’s version of Zhang Ni and Ma Zhong don’t get the clout their historical counterparts deserve, but Zhurong winning out against them though both strength and cleverness does make for an interesting character. In the context of the story, it has to be a compliment that Zhuge Liang decided it would take Zhao Yun, Wei Yan, and Ma Dai to bring her down.

The Historical Zhurong

It’s a pretty widely known fact at this point that Zhurong, as depicted in the Romance and its adaptations, is a fictional character. Nevertheless, stories generally come from somewhere, and we can point to at least one figure of the Three Kingdoms era who likely inspired part of the Zhurong tale.

Lady Trieu

In the year 248, local forces in Jiaozhi and Jiuzhen revolted against the state of Wu. Emperor Sun Quan appointed a man named Lu Yin (a relative of Lu Xun) as the head of the province and sent him to put down the revolt. Lu Yin did so with relative ease. After meeting up with friendly local forces, he marched to the troubled area, giving generous rewards along the day. This quickly satisfied enough of the locals that the rebellion fizzled out. Lu Yin remained in the south for the next 10 years, putting down at least one other significant revolt in Cangwu and Jianling.[2]

Vietnamese sources record that during this time, there was a rebel leader known as Lady Trieu (Triu Au). The more or less standard version of the story can be found in the Complete Annals of Great Viet, completed in 1479.[3] All accounts of Lady Trieu agree that she was a ferocious warrior who rode on an elephant. They also write that she had breasts that were so long she could throw them over her shoulders. I have no comments on that but it felt like something I should mention. She was worshiped by a local cult following her death in battle against the Wu forces.[4] A Vietnamese king, Ly Bi, dedicated a shrine to her in the 6th century.[5]

While there is certainly room to debate the specifics of these various accounts there is no particular reason to doubt that Lady Trieu was a real person, a warrior and rebel leader. The similarities between her and the character of Zhurong are broad but easy to spot. With Lady Trieu being a leader of indiginous rebels during the Three Kingdoms era, it’s fair to assume that the legend of Zhurong found some inspiration from her.

Lady Cuan

Other sources of inspiration for the Zhurong can actually be found closer to home. One of the most important families of the Nanzhong region was the Cuan family. A stele created in the 5th century and dedicated to Cuan Longyan states that the family was descended from the Chinese fire god Zhu Rong.[6] This is, of course, a claim made by the fictional woman and the source of her name.

The Cuan family was prominent in 225, when Zhuge Liang led his campaign against rebels in the south. Cuan Xi is described as an uncle to both Yong Kai and Li Hui; the former being the main leader of the rebellion and the later being the official Shu tasked with governing Nanzhong. Both of their mothers must have been of the Cuan clan. After the rebellion was subdued, the Shu government acknowledged Cuan Xi as a general with independent command and validated his family’s control over the territory around Lake Dian.[7]

In the Cuan we find a powerful family of Nanzhong who played an ambiguous role in Yong Kai’s rebellion. They were connected to other regional magnates through marriage and claimed descent from a fire deity. It may be that the Cuan have some foothold in the later legend of Zhurong.

It would be going too far to say that Zhurong was a historical person, but there is more truth to her story than one might expect. We can see the root of her legend in the Cuan family and in the story of Lady Trieu. That’s a firmer foundation than Zhou Cang, at any rate.

Though never one of the most popular figures of Three Kingdoms lore, Zhurong has still achieved an outsized presence compared to her very brief appearance in the Romance. I generally like these adaptations, but I would love to see them lean into her historical roots more, such as they are. Giving her the Cuan surname would be a very firm step in that direction, giving her one foot firmly planted in the real world. It would be a good way to represent one of Nanzhong’s local powers and it could be interesting to see her grapple with the Cuan clan’s conflicted loyalties.

Endnotes

1.  SGYY 90 2.  SGZ 61.3 (Yang) 3.  Ngõ, S. L. (2020, September 18). Đại Việt Sử Ký Toàn Thư - Ngoại Kỷ Toàn Thư 4: Thuộc Tấn - Tống - Tề - Lương. Lý Nam Đế. Đại Việt Sử Ký Toàn Thư. Retrieved March 25, 2022, from https://www.diensu.com/2020/09/ai-viet-su-ky-toan-thu-ngoai-ky-toan_1.html  4.  Taylor, K. W. (1983). The Birth of Vietnam. University of California Press. p.70 5.  Taylor, K. W. (1983). The Birth of Vietnam. University of California Press. p. 110 6.  Cuàn Lóngyán Bēi 爨龙颜碑 7.  For more on this campaign, see https://classicalamateur.wordpress.com/2020/08/21/the-laixiang-expeditions/