#(making a tag for this just in case I make any more and post them)

[jenn2d2]

Neve Appreciation Week Day 1: Investigation

The Missing Cat Case

Summary: Bellara asks to shadow Neve on one of her cases, and pretty soon they're chasing a set of little mysteries around Dock Town.

Characters: Neve Gallus, Bellara Lutare, Rana Savas, Elek Tavor Additional Tags: Mystery, Missing Persons, Detectives, Best Friends, Adventure, Fluff, Post-Veilguard

Read on AO3 or below (2.7K Words)

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"So what's the big case?" Bellara asked, brandishing her notebook excitedly as she trailed behind Neve through the warrens and tenements just outside of the rebuilt hideout for the Shadow Dragons. "Danger at the docks? Suspicious lurkers? Alleyway bandits?"

"That just sounds like a normal day in Dock Town," Neve laughed, looking back along their path. No trails. It was oddly comforting to have Bellara shadow her for a case. She'd been asking for ages, and nothing good had come up until this morning when Elek had dropped a note at her door. Keeping the Threads in line was well and good, but it wasn't what she loved doing most.

"This isn't honestly that big of a case," she smiled at Bellara, who she could tell was barely containing a large amount of excitement narrowed to a very fine point. "But, it is a lot of what I do best, so I figured it would be a great one for you to tag along for."

"Thanks, Neve," Bellara dropped a few coins for a woman and caught up. "I know the little cases are still important. I do hope there's a rooftop chase, though! That would be something to write about!"

A few steps up, Neve took a sharp turn and ducked into a nearly invisible alcove with a Threads symbol hastily scrawled on a piece of canvas. She made sure to pick up the cloth on her way in and discretely checked for any enchantments as she tucked it into her pocket. The space was dark, with a couple of doors leading into makeshift homes with canvas walls. More than tents, but less than secure, with the area between them kept clean with meticulous care. A pot was filled with a glowing lichen, giving just enough light to see by. A lot of these shelter clusters had gone up after Elgar'nan's occupation and the ensuing battle, but the little touches told her people were really trying their best.

"Someone asked for help," Neve stated aloud, looking to make sure Bellara had followed, and waited for a response. There was only a small pause before a younger elf emerged from one of the doorways, hesitant until he took in the two women waiting.

"Are you Neve Gallus?" as he stepped forward out of the shadow, the man's curly blonde hair caught the light. He had a pretty large scar running down the side of his face, and like a lot of the city, it looked a couple of months old. "I didn't think you'd come. It's such a small thing. Not important like your big cases."

"It's important to you though, right?" Bellara asked, peeking out from behind Neve and the man gave her a smile.

"Yes, it is. Well, it's important to my daughter, and that's the same thing."

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Several minutes later, Neve and Bellara were on their way. Ullian had given them a very good description of his daughter Letha's cat, a large Tom that she had dubbed 'Laranas' for his bright orange hue. Bellara had gotten a good sketch, including the white spot over the cat's left eye, and Neve took note of his usual haunts and a list of his favorite foods.

"Do we look for clues? I've never had to find a cat in a city," Bellara asked as they walked.

"Letha's got a friend that runs errands in Spare Coin alley, so I'm going to start there."

"Are they a suspect?"

"No, I don't think he is," Neve laughed, and flipped a coin to a woman selling tangerines and snagged a couple of them out of her basket. "It's good to talk to people who knew the missing… person. Cat. Apparently, Laranas had quite the reputation and territory."

Veering off from the traffic headed to the Temple of Andraste, they slipped around some crates, and found themselves in the back area before you hit the Central Markets. As usual it was full of people buying, selling, and a little desperate. It didn't take long to spot Letha's friend among the messengers, she had flaming red hair and very curly horns, just as described.

"Got a job for you," Neve said, fixing the young Qunari with a look that meant business and tossing him a tangerine. He returned a smile and scampered over.

"Reck," he shook Neve's hand in introduction, and flashed Bellara a smile. "I usually work for more than fruit."

"We're looking for Letha's cat," Neve handed him a small coin and Reck nodded.

"I think I might know where he is," the boy hemmed a bit, looking between them, and Neve returned a knowing look.

"More coin, or a favor?"

"I'd not charge Letha, Miss," Reck looked around. "I'm just working one of my steady gigs. If you can help me out, I can go find the cat."

"OK, shoot," Neve opened up her book and crouched down. "Give the me the details, we'll see what we can do."

"I do the big egg runs for a bunch of the bars, but at the end of the day.."

"There's usually some stock left over to sell for cheap."

"Exactly! When I came back this afternoon, Warren, the egg seller was missing. The deliveries were all ready to go, but he's nowhere to be seen."

"He go missing often?"

"Not without his cashbox," Reck gestured to his pack. "I've got all the day's collectings to give back, and then he gives out the cuts. If he doesn't divvy up, the Threads get real shirty, and I got no extra eggs to take back to my friends."

"Don't' worry about the Threads today, Reck," Neve flashed a smile and finished up a line in her notes. "Just keep a tight hold on that box, finish your afternoon deliveries, and track down our cat."

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"I should have known you would show up sooner or later," Rana sighed as she saw Neve and Bellara approach the empty stall. Her eyes were weary, and Neve could tell the Templar had likely been working far too long today. She was leaned back, arms crossed, glaring at anyone in the crowd who got too close.

"Heard Warren went missing before getting his take for the day," Neve smiled and handed Rana the other tangerine from her pocket. The other woman relaxed a bit and took the fruit, throwing an amused look at Bellara.

"He got caught stealing from the bread peddler two stalls down," Rana rolled her eyes. "At least, that's what the rookie day shift said when they brought him in. Kara is beside herself, she didn't see him take anything from her cart, but they found two loaves, one half eaten, in one of his empty crates."

"Why would he take it? Don't they usually barter at the end of the day?" Neve asked, genuinely surprised. Most of the folks in the market that sold everyday goods were pretty honest, at least with each other, it just didn't pay not to be. The baker needed eggs too, so they usually did deals to keep everyone making ends meet.

"That's what I said when they brought him in," Rana shrugged. "I got them to put him in the holding cell while I came down here to look around. So far, nothing. Most of the day's cash isn't here, but he said that's with the kid doing the deliveries."

"You mind if I take a look?" Rana waved Neve on, and she started picking through the stall.

Front had a simple sign in Trade with a crude but effective picture of a chicken sitting on eggs. Burlap fabric on top of the stall, also used to line the crates. Several sets of woven straw mats for the eggs with holes, making it possible to stack several sets on top of each other with padding. A couple of the mats looked a little worse for wear, so she took one out to take a better look.

"Looks like something tore into this," Neve said, tilting it to get a better angle and Rana leaned in to look as well. A few of the areas around the edge had been picked a part, or pulled, with some of the straw bent and other pieces looking like they were roughly cut.

"Maybe it was the bird," Bellara quipped, looking over their shoulders. Neve and Rana turned in unison to stare at the elven woman. "What?"

"Which bird, Bels?" Neve asked, giving the area another sweep. In the crate where she'd noticed the torn mats, she spied a large, vibrant blue feather that had been caught underneath. "Looks like it left something behind."

"Yes, it probably did," Bellara hedged, looking up and over Neve's shoulder and pointing. "But I'm pretty sure it didn't go far."

As Neve and Rana turned to look up, a very large blue bird with yellow coloring around its eyes and beak gazed back with interest, turning its head to the side to give each of them a look in turn. It was perched on the molding around the second floor of the building behind the stall, near a ladder up to some scaffolding. Apparently satisfied, it returned to picking at a chunk of nut bread it was holding in one foot.

"Great work," Neve smiled back at Bellara as Rana groaned. "I think we found your bread thief, Rana. Now we just need to bring them to justice. Or, at the least, find their owner. A bird this beautiful and well fed clearly belongs to someone with means."

"Supper," the bird agreed with a squawk, finishing off the bread.

"Alright that's proof enough for me," Rana tossed the tangerine back to Neve. "You find out who owns that bird and get them back home, and I'll go collect Warren and get him out of the holding cell no worse for wear."

"Leaving us the easy job?"

"You bet," Rana smiled as she turned to walk away, waving behind her. "You're Neve Gallus, and her amazing Assistant Bellara. Tracking down the bird's owner should be no problem for your combined powers."

"I know I said a rooftop chase would be amazing," Bellara said as she eyed the bird, who seemed interested in Neve. "But I think maybe that wouldn't be as dashing and romantic as it sounds in my serials."

"What do you think, Big Blue," Neve brandished the tangerine, and smiled as the bird followed the motion very carefully. "Do you know your way home? There's a tangerine it for you."

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Two tangerines, one loaf of bread, one rather large bite, and a bag of roasted palm nuts later and they found themselves standing at a fairly ornate door. Neve smoothed her hair and coat, tucking the makeshift bandage inside her sleeve with her pen. Behind her, Bellara was moving carefully as the bird clung to her pack tenaciously. It had finished the last of the nuts as they arrived, and seemed fairly satisfied with itself.

Attached to a set of older apartments near the Temple of Andraste, a small, but richly appointed building squatted, one of the few to survive mostly intact during the fight several months ago. Neve reached up and used the knocker, a satisfying series of knocks sounding into the house. After a moment, movement could be heard inside, as a thin voice called out something inaudible, but encouraging. The bird shifted back and forth on Bellara's back looking excited.

The door opened suddenly, but with little sound, and in it stood a tall woman with dark skin, and close cropped hair. Her expression was neutral, but her features striking and severe. She looked older, but as with many mages of any power, it was difficult to tell her age reliably. The gold pattern on her jacket, however, announced quite clearly her station as a former Magister.

"Oh, thank the Maker," she said with a broad smile, as she took in the sight of Bellara's passenger. The bird extended his wings in what Neve assumed was happiness, and leaped over to the woman's arm as she brought it up for him to land on a leather brace clearly designed for his use. He crooned as he rubbed his beak against her forehead in greeting, shifting his weight back and forth between his feet. "Adolphus! You greedy bird! Where have you been?"

"The Central Markets," Bellara volunteered.

"Of course," the woman smiled. "Apologies for my rudeness, and that of my companion. I'm Ainara, and this is Adolphus. We have been together longer than either of my marriages, but he still insists on leaving me the minute we run out of palm nuts. I hope he didn't cause too much trouble?"

"A couple loaves of bread, and a bit of Templar confusion, but nothing permanent," Neve replied with a half smile, sifting through what she remembered of this woman. Gave her seat in the Magisterium to her daughter several years ago, allied with Mae and Dorian more often than not. Fairly sure she saw her at the Archon's palace tossing Venatori off of the battlements.

"I should have guessed," Ainara rolled her eyes, and fished in a pocket and handed Neve several gold. "I know it won't make up for the law, but if you could reimburse the baker and anyone else impacted I would be very grateful."

"Of course," Neve nodded, feeling a sense of satisfaction as they said their goodbyes and turned to head back the way they came.

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It took a little time to get things sorted out, but by the time Rana had brought Warren back to his stall, Bellara had worked with Kara, the baker, to get it all neatly organized and ready to pack up for the day. Neve made sure to give them both some money for the damages, but neither one would hear of taking the whole amount once they heard how they had brought the bird back to his owner.

Reck arrived as they finished, and as if on cue, Elek also appeared to sort out the day's take with Warren. Neve flashed him a look, and from the tone of the discussion, she assumed the Threads would be forgoing most of their cut for the day if not the rest of the week. Bellara, furiously writing in her notebook, was getting everyone's story in as much exaggerated and gory detail as possible.

"I wonder how this will show up in the papers," Rana laughed as they watched her scribble furiously.

"Oh, I expect a daring rooftop chase, even if we did cheat with food," Neve joked, watching her friend have the time of her life. Elek was trying to angle get Bellara's attention, but he couldn't compete with whatever tale of daring the young qunari was telling. Neve still wasn't sure what she thought of the two of them flirting, but the man was going to have to flash more than his trademark smile to get her attention for more than a moment.

"Oh, I found the cat, Miss," Reck looked over to Neve. "He crawled into the straw at the stables and fell asleep. Must've gotten shut in last night when they closed. He was in there ratting just a bit ago."

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Bellara chattered all about the day's adventures as they carried a very satisfied and sleepy Laranas back to his home. Warren and Kara had insisted on sending some bread and eggs back with them as thanks, and Elek had promised that his people would keep a better eye on the merchants while the Templar's new recruits learned the city a little better.

"That was a good day, right Neve?" Bellara asked, as they got close to Ullian's home. "We found the cat, the egg seller didn't go to prison, the bird got to go home, and Reck got a big bonus!"

"You must be good luck, Bels," Neve, the sense of satisfaction from earlier swelling up a bit more. She didn't get days like this often. Neve gave Bellara a broad smile. "It's not every day my cases turn out this well. We should partner up more often."

[sunjinie]

──"PARALLEL HEARTS"

u.ae

╰┈➤SYPNOSIS : years after drifting apart, y/n and aeri reunite at a casual get-together — but a late-night conversation stirs up long-buried feelings, unspoken confessions, and the quiet ache of timing that never aligned.

⌗TAGS : aeri uchinaga x f!reader, ft. kim chaewon, angst, non-idol au.

➤WARNINGS : women losing women, typos, grammatical mistakes, etc.

➤WC : 1.5k

this has been in my drafts for over a month, i just rushed it earlier lmao💔

y/n read the message, the soft glow from her phone lighting up her face in the dim room.

a high school reunion on saturday night?

she stumbled out of the bedroom, her feet still bare on the cool wooden floor of their apartment. "chae? baby?" she called, glancing around the familiar space until her gaze settled on her fiancée, chaewon, who was busy in the kitchen, stirring something in a pan.

"yeah?" chaewon replied, her voice warm as she looked up.

"do we have any plans this saturday night?" y/n asked, drawn in by the comforting smell of dinner as she approached chaewon.

chaewon raised a brow, wiping her hands on a dish towel. "no, why?"

y/n held up her phone, turning it slightly sso chaewon could see the message. chaewon read it carefully, thinking for a moment. "i'm assuming you want to go. do you need me to drive you there and pick you up after?"

"if it's not much of a bother, yes, please."

"okay, but you owe me a box of donuts."

y/n's face lit up instantly, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "deal! thank you!" she beamed, leaning in to give chaewon a quick kiss on the cheek, feeling a rush of gratitude. chaewon always knew how to make her feel supported.

chaewon smiled softly, the corners of her lips curling up as she returned her attention to dinner. "yeah, yeah, now go set the table. dinner's almost ready."

“i'll see you later!” y/n stepped out of the car, carefully closing the door behind her with a gentle thud. she turned towards the building. it wasn't anything fancy, just a simple local bar that had been there for years, tucked between a laundromat and a flower shop.

she took a breath, then pushed the door open.

before she could even scan the place, her old friends quickly gathered around, welcoming her with hugs and laughter.

they led her to a table in the back, and as she looked around, she recognized many familiar faces — the friend group she once hung out with, her classmates from math class, the people she used to share answers with during tests.

but none of them mattered as much as the one sitting across from her.

aeri.

and just like that, her smile faltered.

and aeri noticed.

she always noticed.

from the way y/n's smile faltered, the way she stiffened when they made eye contact, to the slightest hint of hesitance in her movements.

everything about y/n was like an open book to her.

it used to make y/n feel seen — not just glanced at, but truly understood. aeri paid attention to all the little things, the unspoken words hidden in the silence. when y/n was nervous, aeri would catch the way her fingers played with the hem of her shirt, and when she was happy, how her eyes sparkled just a little brighter.

it was in those tiny details that y/n felt seen in a way she had never experienced before. and maybe that's one of the reasons why y/n fell for her — because aeri cared enough to notice.

but that was a long time ago.

after college, things shifted. they stopped talking, stopped liking each other's posts. everyone thought they were just two friends that grew apart, two friends that got too busy for each other. but to y/n and aeri, that wasn't the case. it was so much more.

it was the late-night conversations that faded into silence, the inside jokes... they used to share everything, from their dreams to their fears, but the more life pulled them in different directions, the more those shared moments seemed like a bitter memory. both felt the weight of things unsaid, and it hurt more than they wanted to admit.

when the night ended, they had only exchanged two — maybe three — smiles. polite, hesitant. the kind that made y/n feel like there wasn't any history between them.

y/n had stayed back to help clean, wiping down tables and gathering cups in silence. when she finally stepped out, the door clicked shut behind her.

she noticed aeri, just a few feet away, arms crossed loosely, waiting for her ride.

she hadn't expected aeri to still be here.

y/n hesitated, then walked over, stopping with a safe distance between them. she pulled out her phone and shot a text to chaewon:

y/n [9:21 PM]:

—just finished up, I'll wait for you outside

chae 🩷 [9:22 PM]:

—don't wait outside by yourself

—im omw, see youu

y/n [9:22 PM]:

—im outside with a friend

—drive safely!

aeri suddenly broke the silence between them, her voice soft and hesitant, like she wasn't sure if she had the right to ask. "so, uhm... how have you been?"

y/n paused for a moment, searching for the right word before she looked up from her phone, the light from the streetlamps casting soft shadows on her face. "...i've been doing okay." her fingers returned to the hem of her shirt, fidgeting — a habit of hers.

"are you nervous?" aeri asked, her tone light but not teasing.

"i'm not," y/n replied quickly, a little too quickly, trying to sound more confident than she felt.

"you're fidgeting."

of course, aeri just had to notice.

y/n immediately stilled her hands, shooting aeri a small glare, but deep down, she appreciated aeri's concern even if it made her feel vulnerable.

aeri smiled, the warmth in her expression softening the moment. it was a small gesture, but it had a way of melting away some of the tension, reminding y/n of times when things were easier between them.

another beat of silence passed. this time, y/n spoke, "i missed you, you know?"

aeri felt her heart skip a beat. she was sure she had moved on — or at least convinced herself she had, but seeing y/n again brought memories flooding back. "i missed you too," aeri said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

then before she could even stop herself, before she could even think, "i liked you." aeri blurted out. she froze the moment it left her lips.

but instead of trying to make an excuse and say that it was a mistake, she continued. "middle school until college. i didn't want to ruin anything between us so i kept quiet. i thought that maybe if i distance myself from you after graduation it would help me move on. sorry for kind of ghosting you..."

aeri braced herself for something like a shocked reaction or even a look of disgust, but what she got instead was a small, genuine smile from y/n.

"i did too." y/n's words had been like a thread pulling aeri back into a familiar warmth she thought she had left behind.

"i—" y/n began, but was abruptly cut off.

"y/n!" chaewon’s voice rang out, catching their attention, making y/n turn to her direction. "sorry i took so long, honey. i totally forgot where the bar is. had to stroll around for a bit." chaewon smiled sheepishly.

y/n sighed, shaking her head with a playful roll of her eyes. "and yet you're the one scolding me for running around by myself late at night."

"it's finee, i brought the pepper spray that you gifted me last week." chaewon laughed, spinning it around her finger.

"that doesn't mean you get to be reckless."

as aeri watched the playful exchange between the two, a sudden realization hit her.

‘honey’

they way chaewon said it so easily, so naturally, it made something twist in aeri's chest. her eyes dropped to their hands.

rings.

of course.

chaewon caught the look on aeri’s face and glanced between her and y/n, a knowing expression passing between them. being y/n’s close friend in college, chaewon surely knew the whole story.

"we should get going,” chaewon said, her tone shifting subtly, “ i heard it's going to rain soon.”

"right, right," y/n nodded, her voice tinged with a hint of reluctance. aeri could see the way y/n hesitated. y/n turned to waved goodbye, "i'll see you around, gi."

aeri flashed a smile back, trying to hide how much that little nickname still affected her. “mhm, take care.”

she watched as y/n and chaewon turned to leave, their shoulders brushing. Their laughter, light and familiar, faded into the night air as they walked down the street together, hand in hand like it was nothing new.

she had imagined this moment so many times — what she’d say, what she’d feel. but she hadn’t expected it to end like this.

the air felt heavier now.

she looked down at the ground, then up at the dark sky, and wondered if it was going to rain.

she didn’t realize how long she’d been standing there until her phone buzzed — her ride was here. without another glance back, she slipped into the car, closed the door quietly, and let the silence take her the rest of the way home.

[darkxwolfdoesart]

Why are DD’s so big? Is it for intimidation? Or is it because the inner fans and pumps that y’know, they kinda breathe/vent with, would be strangled by flesh and other internal organics if left within reach, or would internal fans shred flesh to red soup and leave behind an internal bleeding mess? [Concept inspired by: “The Brightest Candle Burns the Quickest” on AO3 by Graptolite, go read it if you can, it’s awesome!, if a bit heart wrenching- there’s a MCD tag, and it’s not finished- the happy ending tag is my only savior- so if I break down crying and make a unusual for my track record Vuzi fluff post- you’ll know it ended on a bittersweet or angsty note or something-]

[story segment I wrote below, under the read more!-]

J didn’t want to be in the same room as the purple toaster, but the Doorman home was the coolest place in the bunker, and J was burning up, her core feeling weak and pumping erratically, her chest feeling sore and achey, all because her regeneration was off and she’d suffered some breaks to her ribs, nothing major normally, but the slow, agonizing Worker Drone level healing was pissing her off-

plus, the purple toaster was breathing weird, her chest shuddering slightly as she vented heavily, tongue hanging out almost like a dog, the sound irritating J, just like the glinting drops of red dripping down-

RED?- not black?- no- fuck- that was blood dripping from Uzi’s mouth, not oil like J originally thought, oil wouldn’t have been as alarming, Uzi seemed fragile sometimes, shifting all armor plating to her midsection and chest to protect it, even if her chub like excess silicone combined with the normal armor plating distribution should’ve been enough to ward off any hint of extreme damage to fragile internal components.

unless you were J, J had had to shift all armor plating to her chest a long time ago, to protect her faulty core, and the nanite lines and valves that broke and split acid into her chest way too easily-

Uzi coughed again, her fans going on overdrive as her systems registered an overheat, before she doubled over hacking, wheezing and chittering in P A I N.

“Hey, Toaster! Don’t die over there, N would- well he wouldn’t do anything, but V would!-“ J snapped, standing up and walking over to the runty Solver, glaring down at her.

no ‘Bite Me’ or other quipey comment came, Uzi just wheezed for air, the pumps that ran along her spine, just like any drones, straining and causing the casing on either side of her spine to shudder, like the pumps weren’t able to force air between her fans and in and out of her mouth and the vent openings on her sides without struggle, or pain.

J carefully put her hand on Uzi’s side, only for her fingers to sink in with a squish, the toasters casing hiding an internal slurry of blood and flesh that would’ve made even Cyn bat an eye-

“Fourth quarter profits! Shut off your fans! Get an external on blowing on you instead, idiot!” J snapped, shaking Uzi a little, before she lowered the small Solver to the ground, wincing internally in slight disgust as the purple menaces normally solid and muscle filled internal structure squished underneath J’s hands.

“c-can’t!-“ Uzi gasped, before hacking loudly, some of her internal slurry of red coming out of her mouth and landing on the ground with a sickening squelch as Uzi fought both for breath and to get past the pain of her SHREDDED INSIDES-

Uzi kept hacking and wheezing, and J could only hold her, trying to ignore the red staining her suit.

‘you are going to hate me for this, but these systems need to be disabled before you either kill yourself trying to regenerate, or enter a hunting mode killing spree trying to survive the regeneration material burning spree-‘ J thought, before she began to tighten her hold on the smaller drone, knowing from experience that if she prevented the pumps from working for long enough, Uzi’s systems would deem them compromised and shut them and the fans down.

Uzi’s wheezing and hacking grew more frantic and she started to thrash against the Disassembler, trying to get away from the added pain, but she was too lightheaded, and J felt her go limp, passing out as all air was cut off and her fans and pumps shut off.

thank JCJensen that the breathing protocols weren’t necessary and could be shut off without fatal results, otherwise J wouldn’t have actually known what to do.

she lifted the way too small worker up, and set her in the chair, before beginning to feel along Uzi’s sides, trying to determine how the hell the Solver hosts flesh had managed to grow so out of control in so little time that it literally started to strangle her insides and get blended by her internal fans.

then it hit J: Uzi was small and runty by Worker Drone standards, and teeny and minuscule by Disassembly Drone standards. While a DD was fine to have flesh intertwining along the spine and ribs without issue, Uzi’s body was so small that it couldn’t support both bio and tech when one went even a TINY bit off it’s usual amount-

V had had a similar issue once, her flesh had overgrown so severely that it hindered her, y’know, survival- and J had had to burn and cut out the excess flesh in a rushed and nearly botched surgery that V had to be awake for because J hadn’t had any sedatives to use- V had not wanted to even be around J for well over a week-

point was, Uzi needed surgery to clear out the excess flesh, or her internals would keep strangling her and causing her pain until it killed her-

this was going to be so fun to explain to N and V, NOT-

J didn’t even want to be the one to tell Uzi’s parents, Nori didn’t scare her too badly, even if she was huge as a Solverpod- but Khan was a scary drone, J hadn’t ever been able to identify what he exactly was in scans- she did not want to be the one to tell him his daughter was literally being attacked on the inside by her own body-

Somebody blast her with a railgun again already-

[bunnyboy-juice]

NO MORE ASSOCIATING THINGS WITH FEMMES ONLY BECAUSE THEY ARE PINK!HYPERFEM FEMMES ARE GREAT AND I LOVE YOU CAMPY FEMMES WHO EMBODY PINK BUT ALSO JESUS CHRIST CAN YOU GUYS NOT GO MORE THAN ONE DAY W/O TRYING TO SHOEHORN FEMMES INTO BEING ONLY PINK UWU BABIES. I AM FEMME AS IN GRASS AS IN DIRT AS IN TREE BARK AS IN WEEDS SPROUTING THROUGH THE SIDEWALK CEMENT. FEMME AS IN GENDER NONCONFORMITY AS IN FUCK YOU MY FEMININITY IS WHAT *I* SAY IT IS. FEMME AS IN DEPTH AND DARKNESS AND WARMTH AND TERROR. FEMME AS IN CAVES. FEMME AS IN LIGHTNING. FEMME AS IN AN AMALGAMATION OF TRAITS THAT I HAVE DECIDED ARE FEMININE REGARDLESS OF WHAT SOCIETY SAYS. FUCK IS IT THAT HARD TO UNDERSTAND?!???

[odd-chips]

So I've been teasing this character in my tags/posts for a while, and she's finally hereeee. Anyways WHOOPS, another self indulgent Lethal Company character who is basically the Wario version of [Cap'n]!

Meet Echo and her crewmates: Orion (goggle'd circle-shaped one), Spade (short one with big arms), and Guy (shapely GNC one). Being the opposite of Cap'n's crew, they're all men EXCEPT for Echo!

At first, she started out as a grown woman having a one-sided, very pathetic beef with Cap'n, but she evolved into an angry teenager who projects all of her issues onto someone who literally doesn't know she exists (and subsequently does something horrible to herself to rectify this weird beef). Did it work? Well no, come on, look at her, now she's even worse GOKJDFMKDF

And when I say "one-sided", I mean it. Genuinely Cap'n doesn't know who she is, like, at all. I think the first time they meet will be the inevitable werewolf fight between the two of them when things get out of hand.

Anyways I love the kidnapper fox, but alas, she was too swag for this world, RIP to a real one that lasted a month and a half. u_u)!!

[premamelody]

the passed down asgore hug is inescapable

[elderwisp]

Alright. I'll bite. For reference, this is about the blog @tianshi88receipts 's post and because I believe context is important, I'll include the tags of the post above as well.

For someone who speaks in a lot of absolutes, you sure cherry picked pieces of information to suit your narrative but I get it. However with this particular issue as well as many other occasions (as we have now seen in the whole masterpost), you are missing the point and abstaining from speaking about things that DID happen. Man. Ignorance sure is bliss, right?

Also, side note, I wanted to say you can't really compare your harassment towards Jelly in regards to this scenario. The masterpost has factual evidence, while the other was debunked.

For the record, I'm blocked by Tianshi. No actual reason that I'm aware of but one day after looking at a WCIF link, I found out I was blocked by him. However, with that being said, I have perspective on something that DID happen because you keep saying there's no substantial proof. I'm not going to go into the details of what happened to Dani and the baby occult server because... Well. The evidence is already there if you want to look at it but as someone who was apart of the server, had private conversations, as well as watched these receipts happen real time, there was no accountability from Tianshi's side. Sure, you can sit here and argue that his friends were the main perpetrator's however the key detail is they were speaking on behalf of his name. They made an assumption that the mods were homophobic when a majority of them are apart of the LGBT+ community and not to mention the harassment and death threats that followed. The thing is, I'm all for my friends or followers defending me, but if it comes at the cost of baseless assumptions and/or death threats, why in the ever living FUCK would I align myself with that group? What kind of a person does that make me? Because the people you do align yourself with does speak volumes about your character.

And the proof is substantial, I read them all. Proof where you can see the same patterns of three things: making a bold statement, doubling down followed by not holding himself accountable. It's irresponsible and has shown to do more damage than anything. The thing is there is a difference in harassment and holding someone accountable. In fact, I think you should know this by now with your copying allegations.

To sit here and summarize what is happening to simply someone is obsessed (which COME ON that is genuinely so elementary), at least try to understand that while every single person is guaranteed to fuck up eventually, it is HOW we grow from that that matters. But by looking at that masterpost as well as this one, I haven't seen any responsibility and people have the right to know especially if blogs are wiping themselves clean (source one and two) from interactions with Tianshi. And ESPECIALLY if triggering topics are being brought up. As an adult, creating a server with serious topics, even if fictional, it is incredibly irresponsible to say "if a 15-17 joins and then clicks adult role and DD one that's now their problem not mine." It is his problem. It's his server. He can't just say well I didn't personally do it so I'm not responsible yet he created the environment. People have the right to know who they download cc from.

That is the point that YOU missed. Whether it’s because of friendship, ignorance or whatever the case is, but this is the second time (and last if we’re being honest) I’ve see you on my dash posting narratives based on feeling and not fact.

I probably won't respond to you after this, you might even skim through this which further proves my point in understanding context but with all that being said, I am genuinely wishing you the best of luck in your growth as a human. I won't type weird shit like go get help because that's not helpful at all. And frankly, it's disingenuous.

Okay, this is getting ridiculous. Y'all need to get a life. For real. It's fucking sad that you have the time to create a blog, a whole blog, just to put someone down. Because you noticed they've been changing their URL? A character posed with the tongue sticking out is only bad when that specific person is using it apparently, y'all would not care if it was anyone else. It's a fucking tongue, nothing else is being shown. And if a tongue is that suggestive to y'all then maybe y'all shouldn't be on the Internet. Just saying.

If you hate someone that much literally just fucking block them and ignore. Why are y'all spending time to create allegations over someone you don't fucking know. But believe someone else just because they said so. That entire post showed absolutely nothing besides rants of some other blogs talking about them because they dislike them without any proof or receipts of the things they're accusing them of. Y'all serious? Accuse someone for harassing while y'all are doing the same damn thing. Get mad at someone responding to harassment and call it harassment. Sure Jan. Please do something constructive with your time instead of circling your life around someone else.

Or is this one of those cases where you bully the person you got a crush on and can't have them? Y'all are that obsessed.

[vaguely-concerned]

ingellvar must have so many strange off-putting little personal habits in their day to day life that they don't even realize come across as weird, especially if they haven't ever dated outside of the watchers much. in rye's specific case I think lucanis has a capacity for such immaculate 'sure my life is already so fucking weird this might as well happen' energy that I believe he'd be able to roll with the punches admirably given the time, but it really would be a situation like

(what was going on there was that rook was placing down some experimental wards, by the way, it's what he does to calm down before bed and if he wakes during the night. what with the necropolis itself being a liminal space of lf sorts on a cosmic scale, watchers take the additional liminal space between wakefulness and dreaming extremely seriously b/c they know there are things drifting through that would just love to get their foot/tentacle/conceptual spores in that particular half-ajar door that should not be allowed inside. or outside, I suppose, depending on your point of view. rook and lucanis are also experimenting with whether solid wards can help any with lucanis' weird post-spite dreams even if they can't do anything for the more mundane ptsd ones. third reason because in my worldstate they still live in the lighthouse after the game: unless gently dissuaded wisps will sometimes drift by while you're asleep and hover over your face curiously as they sense your mind doing stuff in the fade, and no one likes waking up on an eldritch sneeze with a well-meaning yet terrified wisp zooming about the room. important watcher novice 101 lessons.

blessed mental image of rye cross-legged on the floor, barefoot in his PJs with his hair down and no makeup, peaceably tracing out elaborate geometric shapes that somehow make your eyes scared when you look at them* while lucanis sits on the bed and reads out loud to both him and spite and occasionally sneaks some carnal looks at rook's fully unleashed curly hair and bare wrists & throat...... okay I think I've found the thing that will help me through the day thank you for coming on this journey with me)

*what is the paint he's using made out of and why is it such a deeply unsettling colour? don't worry about it! :) patented mostly well-meaning yet also borderline condescending mortalitasi hand wave of 'don't worry your sweet little non-nevarran head about it we both know you don't actually want to know. do not ask questions lest you learn the answers, especially if you're going to be annoying at me and freak out about it. let the things man was not meant to know stay unknown. unknown by you I mean I'm built different'

[withthewindinherfootsteps]

Wei Wuxian and Narrative Agency – Part Three

For Xiantober Day Five: Past and Present, in which the author gets very unhinged about what parts of the past are shown and how that’s affected by the present!

(Part One | Part Two | Full version on AO3)

The Power of Agency: Shaping the Narrative

When I've discussed Wei Wuxian's agency previously, I’ve talked about how what’s shown and omitted tells us about a character, and we’ve talked about the character himself. Though this is a niche topic, it’s not necessarily something out of the ordinary to analyse, and we can assume everything up to here has been in some way intentional.

This? Linking structure to a character’s in-universe preferences?

This is where we get unhinged.

Before I start, let’s quickly establish something which will be important later: although Wei Wuxian is the central character, MDZS isn’t strictly from his POV. While omitting events a character doesn’t like to dwell on and concealing things the character wishes to hide is common in books with only one narrator, MDZS has multiple narrators which it switches between relatively quickly. This includes Wei Wuxian, but it also includes nearly every major character that appears in the story, and omniscient narrator as well. As a default, this format doesn’t lead to this deliberate shaping and omission because of one character’s preferences, since we have many other sources of information and events – which is what makes Wei Wuxian’s influence over the narrative and structure so interesting. We could have access to a lot more information, and access to it at different times, than we do (and that’s not an insult, quite the opposite!).

To begin: we’ve established that times such as Wei Wuxian’s time on the streets, his three months in the Burial Mounds and his loss in the Siege aren’t shown because Wei Wuxian has little agency there. But that’s not the only special thing about them. They’re also the three most traumatic times in his life, and so moments Wei Wuxian himself either can’t remember, or doesn’t like to dwell on.

This is why discussing Wei Wuxian’s treatment of tragedy in his life was important. Firstly, it shows he doesn’t focus on the tragedy in his life, so the idea that the narrative not focusing on this tragedy relates to his character has merit; secondly, it affirms that this is not a passive trait, but a choice. Therefore, when the narrative omits events due to this aspect of Wei Wuxian, it’s respecting not only a character detail – which would be cool by itself – but also an active decision. One that shapes the story it’s made in.

In other words, its very structure is respecting Wei Wuxian’s agency!

Now, of course there are flashbacks to other moments of his past he probably wouldn’t like to dwell on, too. But within the structure, they’re only shown when Wei Wuxian is thinking about them (or when he has reason to)!

Wei WuXian hadn’t woken up yet. His eyes were still tightly shut, yet his hand didn’t let go either. He seemed to be dreaming, muttering, “… Don’t… Don’t be angry…” Lan WangJi seemed somewhat surprised. His voice was gentle, “I am not angry.” Wei WuXian, “… Oh.” Hearing this, as though he finally felt assured, his fingers loosened. Lan WangJi sat beside Wei WuXian for a while. Seeing that he was motionless again, he was about to stand up when Wei WuXian grabbed him with his other hand, hugging his arm and refusing to let go. He shouted, “I’ll go with you, quick, take me back to your sect!” Chapter 63, EXR translation

Which, of course, is him dwelling on…

Lan WangJi spoke one word at a time, “Go back to Gusu with me.” Hearing this, both Wei WuXian and Jiang Cheng were surprised. Quickly afterward, Wei WuXian laughed, “Go back to Gusu with you? To the Cloud Recesses? Why go there?” He immediately seemed to realize, “Oh. I forgot. Your uncle Lan QiRen hates crooked people like me. You’re his proudest disciple, so of course you’re the same as him, haha. I refuse.” Chapter 62, EXR translation

…the painful flashback immediately preceding this. The third set of flashbacks (which are also painful) are a similar case. Look at the contex:

He lifted the bottom of his robe, revealing a prosthetic leg made of wood, “This leg of mine was destroyed by you, that night in the Nightless City (…)” (…) “Wei WuXian, I won’t ask you if you remember or not. Both of my parents died by your hands. You owe too many people. You definitely won’t remember them either. But, I, Fang MengChen, will never forget! And never forgive you!” (…) “In the fight at Qiongqi Path, my son was strangled to death by your dog Wen Ning!” “My shixiong died by poison, his entire body festering due to your cruel curse!” Chapter 68 (immediately preceding the flashbacks), EXR translation

And Wei Wuxian’s own thoughts and words:

Wei WuXian looked at the cultivators before the Demon-Slaughtering Cave. Their expressions were the absolute same as those of the cultivators from the night of the pledge conference, pouring their wine on the ground as they took the pledge to scatter the ashes of the Wen Sect’s remnants and him.  (…) Wei WuXian, “Now it’s time to ask just whom it is that treasures it so much. It’s like Wen Ning. Back then, some certain sects or so were scared to death of the Ghost General. They said they’d kill him on the surface, but behind their backs they hid him for over ten years. How strange. Who was the one that said his ashes had been scattered back then?” Chapter 79 (immediately succeeding the flashbacks), EXR translation 

Once again, Wei Wuxian’s own thoughts relate to the flashbacks we’ve just been shown. And, as I previously mentioned, though all the events which are shown are tragic, they’re also events which Wei Wuxian’s own choices and actions shaped – which he has this to say about:

“The things I did, not only do you remember them, I remember them too. You won’t forget them, and they’ll stay even longer in my mind!” Chapter 82, EXR

Admittedly, this applies more to the third set of flashbacks than the second (which is still fitting as the third set was the most recent), as in the second, although he still had agency within and influence over his circumstances, the majority of the pain was caused by others’ actions (excluding, of course, the Golden Core transfer… which is something we know stays for a long time in his mind, albeit with a caveat we’ll soon discuss). But it’s still important to note – especially considering that otherwise, focusing on this very painful time in his life wouldn’t seem like something very in-character for Wei Wuxian to do.

Of course, this can all just be explained by good writing. It is best to insert flashbacks when they’re relevant to the characters and events in the present day! But it is interesting to compare these to the start of the (not painful) Gusu flashbacks, which open this way:

At a later time, Wei WuXian pondered upon the reason why his relationship with Lan WangJi wasn’t good. Getting to the root of the matter, everything started when he was fifteen, coming to the GusuLan Sect with Jiang Cheng to study for three months. Chapter 13, EXR

Again, considering the circumstances around which these flashbacks take place – returning to the Cloud Recesses for the first time since the lectures, and meeting Lan Wangji once more – it makes complete sense for Wei Wuxian to be thinking about these events*. So it does fit the pattern of Wei Wuxian dwelling on something, thus leading to the narrative dwelling on it, too (and being shaped by his thoughts)… but there’s another layer to this. Importantly, it is the only flashback where Wei Wuxian’s present thoughts don’t lead to this happening, with his thoughts at an unspecified future time leading to it, instead. I like to interpret this as the text saying that, since these events aren’t something Wei Wuxian wouldn’t focus on in normal circumstances, he can dwell on them at any time. Therefore, they’re free to come up in the narrative at any time as well, even if he’s not dwelling on them in the present moment!

So, to summarise: Wei Wuxian’s decision not to focus on the painful times in his life directly influences the narrative to not focus on these times. When painful times are brought up and shown to us, it’s in the context of him thinking about them in the present day, and even then, his most painful moments still aren’t shown to us. His agency in this regard is still respected by the narrative structure.

This is the main way his agency influences the structure of the narrative, but I’d like to talk about the revealing and concealing of information, too. For example, I said I’d talk about the Golden Core transfer – though Wei Wuxian does think about this many times, as evidenced by his internal narration in Chapter 103. But unlike everything we’re shown through the flashbacks, this is something Wei Wuxian is actively trying to hide from others. And the narrative respects this choice (Wei Wuxian’s agency, again), never reveals it even when it would be relevant in the flashbacks, and we find out not through narration, but through a character’s dialogue!

And to clarify – I know these aspects may not be in the book for this exact reason. Showing flashbacks in relevant moments is good writing, concealing an important plot point you want to do a reveal for is necessary writing, and MXTX has said she didn’t want to write about Wei Wuxian’s time in the Burial Mounds, due to not liking to write transformation sequences (and also because it would not be pleasant at all, which likely also applies to Wei Wuxian’s death). That doesn’t prevent it from also being intentional – MXTX’s intelligence is shown in many aspects of this book, and there’s nothing disproving it – but there’s no proof for either option, so I won’t pretend there is. I bring this up because I know this feels like I’m overanalysing, as I feel that way as well.

But, whether it’s intentional or not, it exists in the text, and I adore it – so, regardless, it’s something I’ll explore. Because taking this into account… We aren't just told about Wei Wuxian having agency, we aren’t just shown it in the text, we aren’t even just shown it through which parts of his past are shown and hidden in the structure of the text (as I talked about in Part One). The parts of the past that are shown and hidden also have an in-universe reason for being shown and hidden, this reason being the choices he makes! Agency is the ability of a character to influence the story they’re in, but Wei Wuxian’s agency, as a property of a character who only exists in-universe, shapes the out-of-universe structure as well! That’s how we’re shown its importance! How cool is that?

At The End Of The Road: Summary and Final Thoughts

In this essay, we’ve covered how important Wei Wuxian’s agency is not only to the events of the plot, but to the structure of the narrative as well. The narrative omits periods in which Wei Wuxian has little or no agency, in favour of showing us periods in which he does, even when important events happened in the former. This indicates that who Wei Wuxian is without agency isn’t important enough to be shown to the audience, and therefore that his agency is an integral aspect of his character in MDZS. We’ve discussed how both in-universe and out-of-universe, tragedy does not define him – out-of-universe, the tragic events in Wei Wuxian’s life are used not to build sympathy but rather to show his strength of character and who he still is despite going through them; and in-universe, he chooses not to focus on the negativity and resentment caused by his circumstances or others’ actions, instead staying true to his moral compass and enjoying his life in the present day. Finally, we’ve also explored how this choice is another reason for the omission of certain events from the narrative, resulting in his agency shaping the story in a very literal way – it affects the out-of-universe structure, as well.

It’s quite fitting, for a story whose essence is about defying a conventional narrative – that of righteous clans rising up and defeating a great evil – and about a character who defies many conventional narratives on his own – that of status defining how skilled you could be, that for a golden core being necessary for cultivation and other paths being unavailable, that of a tragic but complete story of someone killed for staying true to their moral code (instead, that character returns to life and has a happy ending) – to have its own narrative play a role in such an important and interesting way.

(Or, if an image would be preferable:)

Thank you for reading!

(Part One | Part Two | Full version on AO3)

--

*This strong relation to the present day circumstances is another reason I love the flashback placement so much (and why I think it’s such a loss both screen adaptions altered it so strongly)! 

[pardonmydelays]

all jokes aside, our show is in sixteen days and i've never been more anxious about anything in my entire life

[langfield]

Hiya. I notice a lot of fans seem to dislike Vinh's relationship with Max because he moves on to her too quickly after Safi died. They argue that if Vinh really respected Safi's memory then he would hold off on initiating anything with her best friend. The same thing with Max, after she found out about them, people say her character would avoid him even if she already had feelings for him out of consideration for her best friend. I know she writes about her reservations in her journal but it's another reason why fans are saying she's not acting authentically in DE. Wondered what you thought? Thank you very much.

firstly, i do find it very odd that fans want vinh to act as a widow of some sort in regards to his relationship with safi. while it’s undeniable he loved her dearly, the game makes a point to have vinh question if he was genuinely in love with her like he thought he was, or if his wires had been crossed somewhere ( aka devotion must equal romantic love? ). on top of that, i don’t think vinh owes safi anything where it concerns his love life because safi herself doesn’t care about it or him at all. he’s already spent four plus years being unable to move on from her and desperately hoping they’d make up eventually, idly clinging to her via their sexual relationship -- a relationship that safi, again, didn’t care about or viewed in the same sentimental manner vinh did. she is nothing but irritable in the photo of them in the afterglow and has never shown any interest in his other relationships before. she talks about him like they were never friends to begin with, is seemingly unfazed by the idea of vinh not being over it yet in episode four, doesn’t understand his love for the cheap hedgehog figurine she got him, and so on so forth. i don’t understand why vinh is obligated to continue his one-sided devotion towards a person who couldn’t care less about him … honestly, i think he should’ve moved on long before she died : at least then it would’ve been an active choice he made rather than an outcome he had no control over. vinh, for all intents and purposes, clung onto safi and his feelings towards her until the bitter end. so what more could he do? how else is he supposed to prove how much he loved her outside of what he already did? dead world vinh spirals so hard after safi’s death that he basically gives up, as evident by his more authentic behavior and the fact he was planning on leaving caledon to pursue acting ( a career he doesn’t even believe in for himself ) all so he could leave lakeport behind because safi wasn’t there anymore, meaning he no longer had a purpose. living world vinh commits a literal crime to try and save yasmin’s and safi’s relationship because he loves her that much, even if he thinks she’ll hate him forever if she knew, even if his plan was stupid and impulsive at best. loving safi isn’t good for vinh, and that’s more important to me than ‘oh no, what about the girl code?’ any day of the week, especially when said girl supposedly doesn’t care if vinh lives or dies. safi’s and vinh’s relationship is much more complicated than that, of course, but to see my insight of them, i’d go and read this post instead.

as for max, fans really underestimate her selfishness! a shocking thing to downplay given how most people sacrifice arcadia bay over chloe. she is considerate, certainly, but she hasn’t ever let how other people feel dictate her own feelings or her actions. in lis1, despite knowing that chloe is still grieving rachel ( a girl whom max is jealous of and knows chloe was in love with ) she still kisses chloe on a dare and relishes in it, without any thought to how things could change if rachel was alive and returned to them. she also agrees to ‘go ape’ with warren and, when stumbling upon the drive-in poster found in brooke’s locker, seems amused at how badly brooke wanted to go with warren instead … she can also kiss warren despite her priority always being chloe because, well, she wanted to. in that moment, max wanted to show warren how she felt and she did, and there’s no regret about it and no thought given as to what this might mean if she gets her happy ending with chloe and her hometown. i’ve said before that max is extremely impulsive with her romance, in the sense that she never thinks about long term scenarios and sort of ignores standard romance etiquette to act upon her feelings in a moment : a thing i’ve discussed more in-depth here. people seem to think that she is very conventional about love despite all the evidence to the contrary? while max does care deeply for safi, this wouldn’t exactly sway her to not kiss vinh if the moment presented herself … max also adores reggie and harbors a real soft spot for him, but similarly forgets about him the second she is within vinh’s orbit, and doesn’t seem to realize she fucked up until reggie straight up tells her he saw them kiss in a tone that’s all wounded shock. it’s only then that max feels guilty, yet she never apologies for kissing vinh -- she makes weak excuses ( ‘i was drunk’ ) or acknowledges that she should’ve been more considerate, but not once does she wish she could take it back nor does she actually apologize for the act itself. she is sorry for the hurt it caused. she isn’t sorry about what she did. with safi, it’s the same scenario except max is more aware that she’s fucked up, although if she tells safi the truth, it’s just excuse after excuse : you were dead, we were drunk, etc. excuses that safi cares little for and dismisses because it ‘still counts.’

i love max, and she’s perhaps my favorite character in the whole franchise, however she is undeniably more flawed than people are willing to admit. her views on certain things aren’t standard or normal, something that’s a given since max herself isn’t supposed to be just your run of the mill girl. she will do things that don’t make sense! she will cross lines and not really understand she is crossing them … and vinh, in particular, is really easy to get caught up with i think. it is almost natural to be ensnared by him or to be too immersed in his presence and the moment itself to rationally think things through. he is similarly impulsive like max and is bordering on desperation and loneliness the same as she is during spin, with them clicking in a way they just don’t with other people ; both able to bond over safi’s whirlwind effect, over this disconnect from themselves now and who they were before … the pain of their day ebbs as they talk and soon vinh is distracting them with a game that’s so juvenile and stupid it makes them both temporarily forget their issues while putting them in a certain headspace. all the world sort of melts away during the smash or pass scene and even important characters that max cares for ( like amanda and reggie ) blend into the background as they chat and flirt. it’s already stated that vinh’s able to forget about safi when him and max have these moments, and max operates similarly as well! i believe it was very easy for max to kiss vinh when her mind was unclouded by grief and when she was warm, happy, and stupidly attracted to him physically. the setting doesn’t escape me either! max approaches vinh like they’re two strangers at a bar and, while they most definitely are not, i do think the vibes mesh well … in this moment there are no consequences, there isn’t anybody to worry about, it’s just her and a really handsome guy chatting it up as they drink, and their actions are meaningless in the grand scheme of things. max’s ‘whatever, i’m drunk’ excuse isn’t her saying she isn’t into vinh, it’s just a crutch, a safety net, it’s part of the appeal and a way to rob max of any so called accountability, hence why she can bring it up to both safi and reggie as what it truly is … a flimsy, false excuse. it was less the booze and more of vinh’s company and max’s subsequent attraction to him, and max knows this but can’t exactly admit it yet because it would be more shitty than just. oh, i kissed him, but we were wasted and sad! she doesn’t even say it doesn’t meaning anything, she just tries softening the blow. it’s also worth noting that this drunk angle is definitely confirmed to be an excuse because max tries using it in her journal ( ie : i didn’t plan for it to happen so safi can’t be mad ) but then immediately admits that she has thought about it, with an implication of it being more than once. while she didn’t consciously set out to be woo’d by vinh, there was a subconscious part of her that was likely wanting that sort of attention, or at least a part of her was amendable to things taking that turn, if they did.

to further prove my above points, i think it’s extremely telling that if you choose the ‘i was drunk’ option with reggie, the conversation looks like this :

max : we were sad, and drinking, and he’s …

reggie : like an avalanche.

max : yes.

reggie : tell me about it.

it’s about how she can’t help but trail off and bring up vinh himself as a reason. how she doesn’t know how to word those feelings, or describe the way vinh is, and she just relents to reggie’s description with a twinge of relief -- you know, reggie? the man who’s so in love with vinh he can hardly go two seconds without thinking about him? despite the fact his best friend hates his guts? yeah! she is kind of helpless about her attraction to vinh and this little bonding moment between her and reggie really cements that for me. max is notoriously bad at turning away from those she feels so strongly towards, so i find it perfectly in character that she kissed vinh in spite of the whole safi thing.

tldr? yes, max knows it’s shitty and does fight with her shame and guilt over it! although that wouldn’t exactly stop her, especially not after safi makes it crystal clear that there’s nothing in her that cares for vinh in that way ( or any other way, really ). to her, that alleviates any guilt and makes him fair game. and maybe most people wouldn’t agree with that, but i think it makes perfect sense for max caulfield as a character … safi then leaves anyway, with max either supporting her or denying her, so there’s really nothing standing in the way of max and vinh anymore. vinh, similarly, shouldn’t have to let go of a girl who genuinely makes him feel happy and not shitty just because safi just so happened to be close with her. nor should he be expected to not move on at all or treat safi’s death like one would treat a girlfriend’s, because they weren’t dating and he doesn’t owe that to safi whatsoever. while i can understand the gripe itself, people seem to seriously simplify the whole max/vinh/safi dynamic and ignore the nuances and layers to it. on principle, max should always respect the girl code and vinh shouldn’t ever try to get with a girl he loved’s best friend. but it’s much more complicated than a typical love triangle ( it’s hardly that at all, unless you believe in safield ) and it shouldn’t be treated as such, in my opinion.

[liquidstar]

a friend who'd wait :)

[greyedian]

lmao i'm always so bad at actually sticking with my tumblr breaks, but being on here less and not really engaging with fandom already helps a ton tbh. but yeah idk in case anyone's wondering: yeah i'm still here and yeah i'm still having a bit of a creative existential crisis what else is new 👍

[wonder-worker]

I heard that Edward IV and Elizabeth Widvile were known to be very beautiful. Were there any reports on their appearance at the time?

anon 😂

But yes, contemporaries and post contemporaries in the 16th century were pretty much unanimous in praising their appearance. I'll list some of the ones I could find:

Elizabeth:

"The most beautiful woman in England" - Jean de Waurin

"Her very great beauty" - Jean de Waurin

"Her beauty of person and charm of manner" - Dominic Mancini

"None of such constant womanhood, wisdom and beauty" - Hearne's Fragment; its author was one of Edward IV's servants

"A daughter of prodigious beauty' - 1469 Continuator of Monstrelet's Chronicle

"Both faire, of a good favor, moderate of stature, well made and very wise" - Thomas More

Edward IV:

"The beauty of your personage it hath pleased Almighty God to send you" - James Strangways, Speaker of the Commons in Parliament

"The king is a handsome upstanding man" - Gabriel Tretzel, travels of Leo of Rozmital

"A handsome prince and had style" - Oliver De La Marche

"In the flower of his age, tall of stature, elegant of person" - Croyland Chronicle

"One of the handsomest knights of his kingdom" - 1469 Continuator of Monstrelet's Chronicle

"A handsome and worthy prince" - Pietro Alipranto

"...Tall and strapping as the king" - John Paston, Paston Letters

"He was young and more handsome than any man then alive" - Philippe de Commynes

"A man so vigorous and handsome that he might have been made for the pleasures of the flesh" - Philippe de Commynes

"The handsomest prince my eyes ever beheld" and "I don't remember ever having seen a man more handsome than he was" - Philippe de Commynes

"A very handsome prince" - Louis XI, from the Memoirs of Commynes

"He being a person of most elegant appearance, and remarkable beyond all others for the attractions of his person" - the Croyland Chronicle, referencing Edward a few months before he died

"He seized any opportunity that the occasion offered of revealing his fine stature more protractedly and more evidently to onlookers" - Dominic Mancini, writing shortly after his death

"He was a goodly personage and very princely to behold...of visage lovely, of body mighty, strong and cleanly made; howbeit in his latter days, with an over liberal diet, somewhat corpulent, but nevertheless noy uncomely" - Thomas More

Etc.

I'm tagging @edwardslovelyelizabeth because I think you got a similar ask?

I hope this answers your question, anon! I don't generally pay a lot of attention to the physical appearance of historical figures (I find it pretty irrelevant), but in this case, it ultimately does play a role in both Edward IV and Elizabeth's historiographies for better and for worse, and seems to have actually been a personal prop of Edward's kingship, so I don't mind discussing it :)

[numberoneanika]

Honestly the roleplay blogs are stronger than I am because if I saw a post where people were saying my blog was annoying and calling me corny I would jump in a large pit and rot away

[doodl-eo]

Time for some ✨self-advertising✨

introducing The Tabletop Railway, a collection of teeny tiny little trains that I've just made available to 3d print on thingiverse!

https://www.thingiverse.com/drmopp1966/collections/42936938/things

they're like. 4cm long they're tiny

I'll be releasing some track and scenery so look out for that (or don't you don't have to)

there are currently seven engines available (and one truck). I might make more I might not, we'll see if people like them 🤷