#this is a novel im so sorry

[fairsweetlonging]

system wardrobe malfunctions and small scenario pushers: exteme edition au

after his qi deviation, shen qingqiu starts working on slowly building up relations with his fellow peak lords and disciples; saving liu qingge in the caves, spoiling luo binghe rotten, freely praising his students, inviting the sect leader over for tea, he's a whole new person!

and yet... his friendliness levels aren't going up.

he knows it's a bit icky to judge his relations with other people based on numbers an alien entity is giving him, but he needs them to survive, and he swears that once he's above a certain threshold (somewhere between "civil" and "friendly", he figures), he will mute every and all notifications regarding it.

but they're just not going up. since his deviation he's at least managed to claw his way from "hostile" to "tolerant" with most of them, but some are somehow still stuck in the "aloof" section! they wouldn't even care if he died!

he just doesn't know what he's doing wrong; he understands these things take time, but it feels so bad when people refuse to sit next to him or sigh when they're assigned a mission with him, especially since it's not his fault.

now, it so happens that, one day, the system hears his woes and takes pity on him.

【 user seems to experience difficulty increasing character favor levels 】

you could say that

【 would host like to utilize our special deluxe package to activate 'The Path of Blossoming Hearts and Unspoken Affections' free of charge? ₊˚⊹♡ 】

though shen qingqiu isn't trustful of the system's antics, he can't deny that so far they have helped him well enough, and since it's free of charge with no penalties, wouldn't it be a waste not to use it? the title is a bit dubious, but was the original shen qingqiu not known for his frozen heart? for never sparing a single nice word to anyone? this could be his chance to let it blossom without the system nagging on his characterization.

【 accept optional mission? [yes]/[no] 】

he picks [yes].

two weeks later, he wishes he hadn't.

the package is devided into small scenarios that mostly appear at random, ranging from small dialogue challenges where he has to pick the right option (he really doesn't like those, the dehumanization of it makes his skin crawl), to the equivalent of two rivals getting locked in a room together.

the first few scenarios are minor and not very impactful, to the point where he's finished three of them and his favor count with qi qingqi has increased a whopping +2 (still "aloof") and that of wei qingwei +5 (still "tolerant").

his fourth scenario, however, reminds him of exactly why he should never accept gifts from strange screens floating in the sky.

he's on a nighthunt with liu qingge to slay a mirebeast that's been terrorizing travelers—an amphibious creature with thick, slimy skin, a crocodile tail and a leech-like mouth that shoots mucus when threatened... and shooting mucus it did.

while his clothes can easily be cleaned with a cleaning talisman, he never feels truly clean himself unless he actually bathes. luckily, there's a beautiful, glass-like pond nearby that's surrounded by natural demonic-repellent vegetation, a win! he's just draped his clothes over a nearby branch and submerged himself in the water, when the system rings out.

【 heads up! small scenario "Stolen Silks and Sunlit Waters" is about to begin! penalty: none. wishing user good luck (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶) 】

hold up—stolen what.

stolen silks. his silks. stolen by a mossy-jade stag that happens to scratch its huge antles on the exact tree he hung his clothes on, which rattles the branch and causes his robes to fall exactly onto its head, spooking it into a gallop as it disappears into the forest.

how. how does that even happen.

shen qingqiu is just about to get out of the water when of course liu qingge chooses that exact moment to stomp into the glade looking for him, even though he should have been miles away to the village to ensure the people the beast is dead.

for anyone looking in from the outside, it's not a bad picture: shen qingqiu, with his hair pulled up and away from his slender neck, submerged to his (very bare!) pale shoulders in golden sunlit waters, surrounded by lotus flowers and lily pads. to liu qingge, this must be a terrible view, apparently—shen qingqiu can think of no other reason that would cause his face to flush so bright red.

liu qingge tosses his outer robe on the grass between them and turns resolutely around. it's only a bit insulting—is shen qingqiu not pretty enough to try and sneak a look at? even just a glimpse? meanwhile liu qingge is trying really hard to mentally recite the ethics sutra to not fixate on the sound of shen qingqiu getting out of the water (naked!!) or the rustle of fabrics as he wraps liu qingge's robe around his (naked!!!!) body. when liu qingge turns around he flushes an even darker shade as he sees shen qingqiu's bare legs and feet sticking out from under the robes.

"thanking shidi," says shen qingqiu, who notices none of this, as he pulls the robe a little closer around him, "for coming to this one's untimely rescue."

liu qingge grunts, turns, and walks away.

【 congratulations! liu qingge's favor increased. character satisfaction points +50. please continue to work hard! 】

shut up

【 ૮(˶╥︿╥)ა 】

they return to the sect victorious, but very embarrassed. the mirebeast gets all the blame. where his clothes are? well—uh, gone. the mucus dissolved them. yes he knows that's not how mucus works but it did this time okay?!!

yue qingyuan acts a bit strange seeing shen qingqiu wearing liu qingge's outer robes. he almost qi deviates when he finds out his shidi is wearing absolutely nothing under it. it's all very dramatic. apparently the sect is made up of people who shower with their clothes on or something.

【 ⁺‧₊˚bonus scenario!!˚₊‧⁺˖ interactive dialog quest: pick the best suited options to win additional favor points! 】

i don't like where this is going

"shidi?" yue qingyuan asks, looking at him with those big worried puppy eyes.

【 choice A: (demure) this shidi is cold. will you not invite me in at least?

choice B: what are you looking at?! mind your own business stupid old man!

choice C: i'm in love with liu qingge 】

WHAT

if he was drinking tea he would have spat it out, and then coughed himself to death. what the hell kind of options are these!!

【 system has based these options on what will earn (or lose!) user the most points. please pick one. 】

[ admin notes: option A will earn +60 points. option B will neither increase nor decrease points. option C will decrease -100 satisfaction points and increase +200 heartbreak points ]

shen qingqiu silently curses the system. option B is way out of line, even for the original shen qingqiu, who probably would insult yue qingyuan, but not with so little class. he doesn't even consider option C an actual option. and, well, he is cold. and wet. and almost naked. he would like a warm bath and some clothes. A it is then.

he doesn't like the way yue qingyuan's face light up when he grits out the dialog.

【 congratulations! yue qingyuan's favor increased. character satisfaction points +60! keep up the good work! 】

he can't keep doing this much longer.

unfortunately, he does have to keep doing this for much longer.

he's just about to go to bed when someone knocks on the door. luo binghe is already sleeping so he goes himself. just as he's about to open the door the system rings out—but it's too late.

shen yuan is used to wearing old tshirts to bed and no pants (he hates the feeling of his legs being restricted while he sleeps), so he doesn't really care when the only equivalent of this in pidw is a silk nightgown. his mother wore them, his sister wore them. hell, one of his brothers once bought one for fun and ended up using it for months. it's florally embroidered with puffy sleeves and reaches to his knees, that's decent enough, right?

【 heads up! small scenario "Dreamy Encounters at Dusk" is about to begin! good luck! 】

he has no idea what that's supposed to mean and he doesn't care. he opens the door, and it's mu qingfang. not... that unusual, but still.

"can this master help you?"

it takes mu qingfang a moment to remember what he's here for, it seems, because he stares at shen qingqiu for a good few seconds before raising an eyebrow like he's caught him doing something wrong.

"does shen-shixiong always answer the door like this?"

shen qingqiu glares back. "only when unsolicited guests come stumbling around my porch in the middle of the night."

"fair enough."

apparently he's here on behalf of yue qingyuan, who had asked him to do a post mission check up as soon as he was available, which is now. which yue qingyuan had apparently forgotten to relay to shen qingqiu himself. awesome.

he invites mu qingfang in (he can hardly close the door on him, it's late for him too!), and sits through the usual poking and prodding.

the system is prodding, too.

【 would user like some advice on how to maximize point earning? 】

no

【 ( •̯́ ^ •̯̀) system is only trying to help!! 】

i really don't need your help with this, thanks. i can keep a conversation on my own.

【 optional system booster: not mandatory. user may choose to decline this quest.

option 1: this one appreciates your care. the hardship is... unexpected. (look away shyly). i find it difficult to accept help sometimes, even when i need it.

option 2: i'm in love with you.

option 3: stand up and pretend to faint into his arms 】

shen qingqiu is about to spit blood—what the HELL is this!!! why do all your options make you look bipolar HUH??? and what's this about professing my love to people?!! why is that always an option??! this isn't a dating simulator, stupid system, they'll think i'm crazy!

【 all these options result in an increase of character satisfaction points (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶) 】

HOW

【 (ó﹏ò｡) user seems misinformed about character preferences. [mu qingfang] likes to take care of people! 】

... i decline the quest. booster. whatever. i'll figure it out myself. and stop talking about him like he's some one dimensional character!

they hear stumbling coming from the little side room, then the creaking of floorboards. binghe peeks through the door, hair sleep-ruffled and his robes pulled on over his sleeping clothes.

"shizun?" he asks, worried, "what's wrong? why is mu-shishu here?"

【 ⁺‧₊˚bonus scenario!!˚₊‧⁺˖ interactive dialog quest: pick the best suited options to win additional favor points! 】

oh god, not again.

【 option A: (gently) nothing is wrong, binghe. this master is alright. go back to sleep.

option B: (gently) nothing is wrong, binghe. this master is alright. (invite him to sit next to you during the examination)

option C: (gently) nothing is wrong, binghe. this master is alright. mu-shidi is just keeping me company tonight. 】

huh. so you can give meaningful options that i would actually consider picking?

【 ◝(ᵔᵕᵔ)◜ 】

[admin notes: option A will decrease -100 points for luo binghe. option B will increase +20 points for luo binghe. option C will decrease -300 points for luo binghe, and increase +20 points for mu qingfang. option A & C increase luo binghe jealousy levels with 400 points].

[ronkeyroo]

ECHO VN

[ghostinghome]

uriel,,, in these trying times

[deimosatellite]

like idk it just seems actually nefarious to take one of the very few widely known instances of queerness in older history being a symbol to show queer people that we've always existed and aren't alone for CENTURIES and taking away the queerness from it. like. i know some people say that ''the queerness isnt important in the book" which i mean in my opinion i could go off for 10k words in an essay as to how basil's love for dorian is integral to the story BUT EVEN APART from that its really just. having a real explicitly queer character in such an old and widely regarded classic novel is HUGE for queer history and this is just. literally like. its 2024. why are you doing queer erasure to DORIAN GRAY

[yandereraven]

its hard for me to remember what I posted here and haven't posted here tbh

[justanotherfanfolks]

Detective Time! Book 2 keeping the ball rolling with mystery, lore, Grilled Cheeseburglers, and wild Malleus appearances.

[burloire]

So like 6hrs ago I was working on my Atonement inspired piece and then I could NOT stop thinking about what the cover of Randy Dowager's novels looked like. And well, I have a Healthy collection of 1970's romance novel covers in my reference folder....and went Oh So Very TAME because you don't give away all the goods at the front door!! hehehe

[cosmicrhetoric]

the thing about acofaf rue and hobb was that it was like. a technically perfect regency romance. this is tabletop gaming okay stats are REAL and that fucking felt like the end of an ice skating movie where the girl finally lands a quadruple axel

[spitblaze]

Anyway I didn’t say anything at the time bc I was stressed out but I will now. I changed my pronouns to they/them publicly, no he/they unless we're good enough friends. He/him in the way I like (as opposed to 'this stranger cannot possibly know at a glance what my pronouns are and it's still more correct than the alternative, so') is reserved for closer friends, who I know for a fact understand that I am not a man and do not identify in the vicinity of the gender binary. It's a bit of a 'don't bro me if you don't know me' situation. I feel like there have been a lot more instances in the last year where he/him was used to either malgender or degender me by people less close than a certain degree so. He/him privileges revoked. I'm they/them only and please do not call me a man, because I am not one. I'm nonbinary and genderfluid but none of the fluid genders are binary either. Thanks 👍

[honeyfractals]

themb

[samgotnobrain]

Happy new year!! :D

This is my first post of the year and WHAT THE HELL HAVE I DONE.

[dartalias]

There is something so important to me in Rangi always being so determined to be the best of herself, to not disapoint, because her duty, her "armor self" is who she was trained to be, its where she hold her pride over and she cannot fail, as if she does it she is nothing

But is in the iceberg where Kyoshi gasped at the vision of Rangi without her armor and her top knot that is the first time in the books we actually see Kyoshi looking at Rangi in a romantic way

There is just something so sweat in Kyoshi not even knowing from what clan Rangi is from, but noticing that she trace the flor with her finger when she's nervous

Or how she is so happy to discover Rangi's favorite snack, and momentarily froget all the anxiet about the party she's in and start to think in how to get them into Yokoya

How she overflows with love at Rangi exasperaed ranting at her about traveling with her mom, because is in these moments Kyoshi can see Rangi just being herself, and its when (in her own words) she fells falling in love again

[horrorlesbion]

lolita, my love || interview with the vampire 02x07 "i could not prevent it"

bonus:

[lesbianralzarek]

trying to not complain about the discrepancy between how much content fictional women and poc have vs the white dudes in every fucking fandom im in, because no one owes me fanart/fic and i can make shit myself, but holy fuck can any of you name a woman?

[seeminglydark]

what's the timeline for caros gender exploration and settling in to their identity? in some of the comics earlier I thought they mentioned wanted to be a boy pre transition, so I'm curious as to how they settled on the enby identity (did they ever play around w he/him pronouns for ex.?) and what that looked like. i absolutely LOVE their design and learning more abt them!!

hello! So first off, Caro mirrors my own gender journey growing up in the mid nineties pretty closely, just translated onto paper and at a younger point in their life and set in mid 2000's, which is why i write them the way I do, and also why i explore different stages of their journey openly. They were created to help me understand and cope with myself <3

Timeline wise, they've always known they didn't feel like a girl, living in a small town with the only queer person they know being a 15 year old gay teenage boy, they didn't have access to resources to know there was more out there, and that gender didn't exist in a binary. Of course sully explains trans to them, but he doesn't know much or totally get it either at that point. They DO experiment with he/him pronouns, because they don't know there's more options out there for them, switching over shortly after leaving home and starting work at the GasCo, so 18-to about 20, and Sully uses 'he' for them in private before that, at 16. Their he/him years are spent emulating the boys they knew and looked up too, sully and his crew mostly, so a lot of oversized clothes, black, punk things, even though that wasnt really them either. It still felt like a costume. They still didn't see themself in the mirror or hear it in peoples voices. They feel out of body, like a ghost.

They start learning more about trans things when they meet Goldie, their 'handler' and manager for their show, once they start gaining traction. I haven't fully written this part so it might change later, but I never actually use Caro's pronouns in the podcast, because I have this image in my head that when Goldie meets them for the first time, she is unsure, and defaults to 'they.' and Caro has their AHA moment. This is closely related to my AHA moment when someone who met me was unsure and defaulted to 'they.' I can't explain the euphoria of finding your moment, but if you have with ANY set of pronouns or descriptor words (for example, both Caro and I prefer masc descriptors ie: handsome), you know what I mean. Personally I burst into tears and probably terrified that poor person. I'm sure Caro did the same ahaha. Sometimes we can't know things until we try them on, sometimes that can take a few tries. Sometimes we find ourselves by complete accident somewhere along the way. And thats ok.

Slightly related: I usually default to 'they' if im talking ABOUT them, though I will use their current pronoun if I'm telling a story. I don't have an issue with people using they/them or he/him with adult Caro or she/they/he for young Caro. Their hairstyle is usually a tell for those following along, long for she, mullet for he, undercut/crop for they <3 but we don't stress about it around here.

heres a post I made actually that breaks down Caro's Gender Journey in a Sears Catalog kind of way <3 https://seeminglydark.tumblr.com/post/760091118673313793

[hualianisms]

finally got a copy of the revised tgcf novels and skimmed book 4 and the fenglian breakup hurts so much more in the revised version... fx's whole line about "i really don't know, then why have i followed you all this time" is removed. instead what happens is, right after xl says "no, it was the past me who was crazy", xl directly tells fx to leave:

XL: "You should go." FX: "What?" XL: "I said, I don't need you anymore, you should go."

all the other parts of the scene are the same. these revised lines, though, are so painful... it also makes it obvious that fx did not abandon xl, he only left bc xl literally dismissed him as a servant and directly told him to leave 😭 fx doesn't even have that line questioning why he followed xl anymore.