#Equipped Disciple

[nathan-r-dooley]

The Seed of Today

A Morning Walk This morning, I rose with strange energy—despite just 4 hours and 28 minutes of uninterrupted sleep. No grogginess. No resistance. Just alertness. Purpose. As I geared up to walk our dog, Rocky, my wife Laura blinked in surprise. “Are you going for a walk?”“Are you okay? Why?” “The Lord told me to,” I replied, equally surprised at my own response. We exchanged a few words…

[albertfinch]

Daily Meditations and Affirmations - June 19, 2024

We cannot stay forever on the "Mount Of Transfiguration" basking in the light of our mountaintop experience (See Mark 9:1-9). But we must obey the light we recieved there; we must put it into action. When God gives us a vision, we must transact business with Him at that point, no matter what the cost.

Our job description now is to reveal the LIGHT OF ETERNITY in a dark world void of it

In Luke 10:2, HARVEST is literally mentioned three times, "Then He said to them, 'The HARVEST truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore, pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."

The word "LABORER" can be interpreted in the ancient text as "toiler or TEACHER." New Believers need to be TAUGHT (discipled) into an understanding of their Christ identity.

Affirmations:

I AM LIGHT TO THE WORLD AND AM HERE TO TRANSFIGURE AND TRANSFORM IT.

I AM A CITY SET UPON A HILL THAT CANNOT BE HIDDEN.

I AM THE TRANSFIGURING LIGHT OF HIS PRESENCE AND AM THE ONLY HOPE OF THE WORLD TO SEE IT.

ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

[sunderwight]

SV fic where Shen Yuan's status as a body-snatching entity is revealed before the Immortal Alliance Conference can happen.

Maybe the system suffers a glitch while some unforeseen side quest is active, and suddenly Shen Yuan's status is revealed and some of the other peak lords he's with seize the opportunity to exorcise his spirit and put Shen Jiu back in his place.

Shen Yuan has mixed feelings about this development, needless to say. On the one hand, it's kind of not actually that bad? He got caught out like a week away from the IAC and the necessary Abyss plotline, so at least like this, he's managed to give Luo Binghe a slightly better time on Qing Jing for the past few years and equip him more capably to survive the Abyss, but he also doesn't have to personally throw him down there. That's the silver lining.

On the other hand, everything else about this situation sucks! He got attached to his life as Shen Qingqiu, dammit! And now he's been revealed and branded as some kind of horrible demonic spirit thing, and he was rather painfully expelled (even though he wasn't even there willingly in the first place), and so he's been reduced to some a kind of sparkly ghost light hovering on the fringes of existence, highly susceptible to being harmed if any more righteous cultivators get it in their heads to disperse him!

Which is better than just being catapulted back into his rotting corpse in the other world, but not by as big of a margin as he'd like.

Basically, in terms of his ability to influence the world Shen Yuan has been downgraded back to "read only" status. He finds that he can manifest himself in places that he's already been, or around people he has a particular affinity towards, but they can't perceive him and he can't communicate or even do much more than some minor poltergeist type activity. Which he is cautious about anyway, because if he gets caught around Shen Jiu, Shen Jiu is going to disperse him with extra prejudice.

Unfortunately, nearly everything Shen Yuan cares about is in Shen Jiu's orbit.

So he can only watch, metaphorically gritting his teeth as the newly-restored Shen Qingqiu kicks Luo Binghe out of the bamboo house, burns all the bridges that Shen Yuan painstakingly rebuilt for him, refuses point blank to let Liu Qingge help with Without-a-Cure, resumes and even begins taking more frequent trips to the nearest brothels, and neglects his duties to turn into a paranoid wreck as if he half-expects Shen Yuan to steal his body back from him the next time he lets his guard down. Corporal punishment spikes back up on Qing Jing Peak.

Shen Yuan is surprised to hear the whispers of dissent, even so. A spirit possessing a righteous cultivator is a pretty damning incident, and there's no way that he could come out of it smelling like roses. And yet, even though his -- Shen Qingqiu's disciples know enough to be circumspect about saying anything of the sort, there are still murmurs and rumblings about how things used to run, not too long ago.

Ming Fan quiets any such talk as soon as he hears it. Ning Yingying scarcely seems to know how to respond to the situation, except to sometimes plaintively insist that she hadn't even noticed much change between Shen Qingqiu's at all. But Luo Binghe...

Well.

Whenever there are mutterings, it often seems as though Binghe is there. Nodding. Whispering. Carefully putting forth suggestions that others barely seem to recognize as suggestions. Shen Yuan only notices because he knows what Binghe's capable of when he decides to be manipulative, and even he finds himself wondering if it's not just a coincidence, something he's imagining, because Luo Binghe hasn't even blackened through his Abyss arc yet.

Even so, there he is, musing carefully on how strange it was that he's heard that Hong Jing hadn't identified any untoward presence in Shen Qingqiu before, how Shizun had never done anything bad to the peak despite all the claims that he'd supposedly been possessed by a malicious entity for years, and wasn't this new Shen Qingqiu acting much more suspicious? Much more malicious? Isn't is the new Shizun who jumps at shadows and talks to people who aren't there, and seems so uneasy in his own skin?

If one had to guess which version was an unstable monster possessing a human's body, and which was the righteous and noble peak lord... ah, well. It's just surprising, isn't it? Luo Binghe would of course never suggest that this new Shen Qingqiu was in actuality the being that had stolen someone else's place. He's surely never second guess the judgment of the peak lords, who claim to have let an interloper among them for YEARS in total ignorance. It's just something to think about.

Alas for Binghe, though a lot of the peak seems inclined to agree with him, he can't win over enough to inspire anything worse than discontent. The "new" Shen Qingqiu does behave a lot more like the one that most of the Qing Jing knew prior to his qi deviation, after all, and it's no mystery why Luo Binghe -- spurned former favorite, now back to being at the bottom of the pecking order -- would be unhappy with the change. Shen Yuan appreciates that this is at least doing a good job of setting up Luo Binghe's altered opinion on his shizun, and he's touched that he made a good enough impression for Binghe to be mad about the sudden regression, but he wishes he could tell Binghe that there's simply nothing to be done about it. That is the real Shen Qingqiu, and Binghe ought to concern himself more with the upcoming conference!

At least, despite being kicked out of the bamboo house, Luo Binghe managed to farm enough good opinion with some of the other disciples during his tenure as Favorite that he doesn't go back to sleeping in the woodshed. Without Shen Qingqiu expressly demanding it, no one would dare, just in case Luo Binghe might regain his status one day. There seems to be an awareness that "evil" Shizun would have made them run laps, but "good" Shizun would now probably whip them half to death in a fit of temper. No one wants to take chances.

Finally, the Immortal Alliance Conference rolls around. Shen Yuan can only watch and cheer Binghe on as best as he's able to, even knowing the probable outcome. And Binghe does so well! He fights bravely but also smartly. When Shen Qingqiu arrives, Binghe doesn't lose an ounce of his caution, though he does still nobly defend his master even though the good feelings between them have dried up. He correctly identifies Without-a-Cure's flare up and silently helps compensate for Shen Jiu's weakness, and sticks by him even though the Original Goods is hardly appreciative.

When the Abyss opens up, and Luo Binghe's demonic seal is broken, Shen Qingqiu seems almost relieved to have this information brought to light. He accuses Luo Binghe not only of orchestrating the invasion of demons at the conference, but of arranging fro Shen Jiu to be replaced too.

"Of course, for a demon like you, summoning some wicked force into this master's body would be easy!" he spits.

Luo Binghe looks bowled over by the accusation. But rather than defending himself, he latches onto it as if it might be some kind of lifeline.

"For a demon like this one... it would be possible?" he echoes.

Shen Jiu hurls more accusations. Of course it is. Luo Binghe is not just any demon, but the most powerful, dangerous, and destructive sort there is. Little is beyond the scope of a Heavenly Demon's power, or wretchedness. Luo Binghe must have uncovered his heritage and seen a convenient means of ridding himself of an inconvenient master. Wherever that horrid spirit is now, it's probably just waiting for the next chance to leap back in at Luo Binghe's call!

"Shizun's spirit... that spirit from before, it still exists?" Luo Binghe catches.

"As if you don't know. Beast. Even the sect leader could not destroy your minion completely," Shen Jiu sneers.

"And it would be within my abilities to put it back in your body. Instead of you."

"You won't get the chance."

Shen Jiu stabs Luo Binghe before throwing him into the Abyss. Binghe fights back, but he seems reluctant to injure his shizun, even now.

Shen Yuan supposes that such reluctance won't survive the Abyss. Still, it's emotional for him. That such a little kindness could cause Luo Binghe to hesitate, even at this point, it really speaks to the resilience of hope in Binghe's heart.

Shen Yuan's little ghost light almost follows him down. But the Abyss would be too dangerous for him, even as he is now. He'd be a little mote of spiritual energy, easily gobbled up by any number of creatures in that place, if he wasn't just swept up by the chaotic ambient energies themselves. So he can only stay behind and think some very colorful swear words in Shen Jiu's general direction, until the rift closes and leaves no trace of Luo Binghe behind, except for the shards of Zheng Yang.

The shards are left behind. Shen Yuan finds that he has a little bit of spiritual storage space. Just enough to maybe fit all of them, so he goes and painstakingly uses his limited powers to lift up each piece and drop it in. It takes him hours and hours, but luckily the clean-up of the whole disaster is something that will take months. No one seems inclined to go reclaim Luo Binghe's shattered blade or risk getting too close to the remnants of the rift, even closed. So, Shen Yuan manages.

The next few years prove difficult. Shen Yuan finds that it's hard to retain his presence in the world. His little spirit has dampened considerably, and few things seem to perk him back up. He has more troubles following anyone who isn't Shen Jiu now that Binghe is in the Abyss, and Shen Jiu is depressing as hell to spend time around. He's rotten with kids, sucks at teaching, he has no friends, his health is deteriorating, and Shen Yuan has no interest in seeing what he gets up to in the brothels.

But Binghe is definitely coming back, and Shen Yuan wants to see him again.

His patience is rewarded the first time he finds his consciousness drifting, only to snap back to awareness in a place that's not Qing Jing Peak. He instead finds that he's in an unfamiliar patch of wilderness along a river, watching as Luo Binghe fights a small pack of demonic beasts.

It's definitely not the Endless Abyss. Has it been five years already...? Shen Yuan hadn't thought so, but then again, he's not the best at keeping track of time in this state.

Luo Binghe defeats the beasts, but they land more hits and wound him worse than Shen Yuan would have anticipated. The wounds aren't healing as quick as they should either. Was Binghe poisoned? Or is this a remnant of Shen Yuan's own poor teaching, the clumsiness in sword practice he never totally managed to correct leading somehow to this?

He gets it when Qin Wanyue and several other Huan Hua cultivators show up, however, and Luo Binghe manages to play the righteous cultivator who just survived a harrowing battle role to the hilt. It takes him very little effort to get the Huan Hua disciples to take him back with them and help "patch him up", and soon enough Shen Yuan has front row seats to watch as Binghe ingratiates himself with the sect.

Mostly, Shen Yuan is just relieved to confirm that Binghe did indeed survive, and glad that he's out of the horrible Abyss and in a place where he can rest and eat decent meals and be fawned over by his well-deserved admirers. Though Luo Binghe seems colder even than Shen Yuan expected, especially in some places where a bit of charm would serve him better. He declines outright to address the Palace Master as "shizun", even though he accepts the offer to stay as a guest disciple at Huan Hua Palace, and he is abrupt and aloof towards both Qin Wanyue and the Little Palace Mistress, despite their obvious interest in him.

Binghe doesn't seem to sleep as soundly as he should either. At night he often brings out a dream stone, which Shen Yuan recognizes as an amplification tool from the novel, but it seems that whatever Binghe is trying to search for with it is beyond his reach. Sometimes Shen Yuan imagines he can hear his disciple's voice calling Shizun at night. But always, Binghe is asleep, and there's no one in Huan Hua Palace he has deigned to address like that anyway. It's a trick of his own imagination, missing the days when Luo Binghe could call out and he himself could answer.

Things go mostly according to the plot, with a few disruptions here and there. Luo Binghe seems to be lagging behind on the romantic subplots, but rushing ahead on the vendetta against his old teacher. The Trial of Shen Qingqiu takes place at Jinlan City, with demon instigators who work for Luo Binghe accusing the peak lord of colluding with demons and setting him up to seem like he was involved in the sower attack. Shen Yuan knows, from watching Binghe, that the sower thing was mostly taking advantage of an existing situation to frame Shen Qingqiu. Binghe himself didn't have anything to do with Jinlan's suffering, but is obviously not above using it to his advantage.

Combined with Qiu Haitang's testimony, Shen Qingqiu is arrested and locked up where Luo Binghe can torture and dismember him at will.

However, Binghe... doesn't do that?

Instead he swiftly relocates Shen Qingqiu to a prison in the demon realms, and seems to abandon his concerns with Huan Hua Palace and the righteous cultivation sects altogether. He just leaves them to fight it out amongst themselves, as if he's got no concern with who comes out on top, and in the meanwhile he keeps Shen Qingqiu locked up but surprisingly well-treated?

Despite Shen Qingqiu's obvious terror and vitriol towards him, Luo Binghe forces him to eat nutritious meals, and attends to his health problems, and makes no move to injure him at all. He has nothing good to say to Shen Jiu, but he doesn't hurt him. Yet there is something distinctly weird about the whole dynamic, not at all like someone who has decided to keep a prisoner under ethical conditions for moral reasons or something like that.

Shen Yuan's not sure what to make of it.

In the end, Shen Jiu himself illuminates the situation.

It happens after Shen Jiu has rejected food. Luo Binghe tuts and asks if Shen Jiu suspects it would be poisoned. Shen Jiu sneers at him.

"I know it isn't," he says. "You wouldn't poison this body. I know what you're after."

"Oh? Wise Master Shen figured out this much?" Binghe replies, dry as the fucking desert.

"You're keeping me in this condition because you want to put that thing back in my body!" Shen Jiu accuses.

It takes Shen Yuan a moment to realize that Shen Jiu is referring to him. That he thinks Luo Binghe is keeping him fit and healthy for Shen Yuan's sake.

Wouldn't that be going too far just for some old teacher who was nice?! Yes, he knows that he made an impact on Luo Binghe, but it wasn't hard! Shen Jiu set the bar at the earth's crust, clearing it hardly required the kind of effort or devotion that would inspire an entire elaborate scheme purely on Shen Yuan's behalf!

He can't believe it.

But, Binghe doesn't deny it.

In fact he smiles, his expression somehow conveying that Shen Jiu guessed perfectly correct, but also that there's no good it can do him. Binghe has never looked so much like a piece of PIDW fanart before, with some dark and potent rage simmering just beneath the veneer of his placid smile.

"Shizun should not be referred to so impolitely," Luo Binghe counters. "If anyone in this room is a thing, it is this usurper in front of me."

"Usurper?! In my own body? You're mad."

Binghe tuts.

Master Shen should understand that his claim is contested. After all, if one woman gives birth to a child but then casts it into a river to die, but another fishes the babe out and cradles it to her breast -- which woman deserves to be called that child's mother? Just because Shen Jiu was born into that body, doesn't mean he deserves it more than anyone else.

But even if he did, Luo Binghe wouldn't care. He would kill to get his Shizun back. This isn't really so different from that, is it? And there is no love lost between him and Shen Jiu to make him hesitate. If his Shizun disagrees, he may disciple Binghe as he sees fit once he returns.

Shen Jiu points out that Luo Binghe's machinations have ruined his reputation. Even if he gets that creature to possess his body again, there's no way that they could infiltrate Cang Qiong Sect a second time.

But Binghe waves off his concerns. He clearly has thought of this, and has plans for it, but is also not about to be stupid enough to monologue any more at Shen Jiu. Once he leaves, Shen Yuan lingers for a little while, and notices that Shen Jiu actually seems genuinely concerned about what might happen to the sect if Luo Binghe succeeds and gets Shen Yuan put back on Qing Jing Peak.

Of course, Shen Yuan knows he wouldn't actually do anything to harm Cang Qiong, but Shen Jiu doesn't. This is the first time Shen Yuan has seen him actually reveal shades of what might be called a noble impulse.

It's not much, but... sigh.

The thing is, Shen Yuan doesn't really want to steal anybody's body! No one consulted with him the first time it happened! And they sure aren't consulting with him now, either, although to be fair they can't. But he might just have enough ability as a little ghost light to stave off some of this whole process, and he's got to decide if he wants to try. Or if he'll let Binghe have his way, and succeed in pushing Shen Jiu back out and giving Shen Yuan his life again.

Because Binghe will definitely succeed if he really does try. That's how the world works.

And if he did... that might be the only way for Shen Yuan to get his life as Shen Qingqiu back. Which he does want, desperately! He misses it. He misses it both in the general sense of having a body at all, but also in the particular sense of all the things he managed to attain as Qing Jing Peak Lord. As Shen Qingqiu.

Shen Jiu, also, makes a very tempting sacrifice in all this. Shen Yuan frankly hates his guts. Maybe it could have been different, but the fact that Shen Yuan worked so hard to try and make that life better, only for Shen Jiu to just go right back to being an intractable asshole who, frankly, should never be in charge of children ever, rankles! He went right back to mistreating Luo Binghe as well, and threw him into the Abyss, and if Binghe's plan was to violently kill him again as revenge for that then Shen Yuan wouldn't fault him. He didn't fault him the first time. He wasn't going to fault him even when it seemed like he would be the one Binghe was destined to rip apart in justified vengeance.

This is different, though. Shen Yuan wants to fight for the life he longs to be living, especially now when the axe of the Abyss is no longer hanging over him.

But is he willing to actually become the thing everyone else decided he was in order to get it? A body-snatching, malicious spirit?

Shen Jiu is horribly unsuited to his life as Shen Qingqiu. But, it is still his life. Shen Yuan really just managed to borrow it for a while.

Deep down he knows that, even if he would like to ignore it.

So when Binghe finally sets up the ceremony, and Shen Yuan's soul is called back into Shen Qingqiu's body, he hesitates. Shen Jiu is poised like a snarling, wounded animal within the confines of his own body. Even the gentlest tap would knock him back out again. Shen Yuan gets the sense that the system is also there, just waiting and even eager for him to do it. Take back the body, resume whatever quests or directives are waiting for him there.

Shen Yuan, even as fragile as his own spirit is, could crush Shen Jiu's battered soul to dust.

Instead he withdraws.

Binghe tries the ritual again, and again, and each time Shen Yuan feels stronger. But it doesn't matter, because he doesn't want to be an evil body-stealing parasite! He wishes he could just tell Binghe to stop wasting valuable resources on this, especially when Binghe could be focusing on other, more important things! Like building up happy relationships or consolidating his rule of the demon realms or establishing an actual strong foothold in the human world, or something!

Somehow, Shen Jiu figures this out before Luo Binghe does. Of course, he conveys the information in the worst way possible, snidely wondering what Luo Binghe did to alienate "that creature" he's trying so hard to resurrect so badly that it will refuse even the open, glowing invitation he keeps writing for it!

Excuse you, you miserable old man, Shen Yuan isn't avoiding Binghe! He is facing a very difficult moral dilemma and handling it LIKE A CHAMP! Fuck you!

Unfortunately, even though Shen Jiu has decided that Luo Binghe and Shen Yuan were in cahoots about the first body snatch, Luo Binghe knows that they weren't. He also doesn't know that his old Shizun knew full well that he was a Heavenly Demon the whole time. So now he has a lot of doubts to wrestle with, especially give that, despite the consensus of the rest of the world, Luo Binghe is not convinced that Shen Yuan actually is some kind of demonic spirit.

Maybe he's a good spirit that has rejected Binghe for his wretched blood?

But Shizun always said that things like that didn't matter!

So... maybe it's not his blood. Maybe Binghe's actions are what has caused Shizun to forsake him. All the terrible things he did to survive the Abyss, and the machinations afterwards, framing Shen Qingqiu and imprisoning him, setting himself up as a demonic ruler... all of that.

Binghe entreats his Shizun to forgive him. Or even if he won't forgive him, to still come back. Binghe will... stay away, if that's what Shizun wants. Just so long as Shizun is alive, is somewhere in the world, safe and happy, then... then...

He can't quite get through lying to claim that it would be enough. But it would be better than the current situation, so he tries.

Shen Yuan, luckily, has been juiced up enough from all the failed summoning rituals that later that night, he finally recognizes the little whisper-calls as echoes of Luo Binghe's dreams. And he's strong enough to follow the invitations! He goes to visit Binghe in his dreams, and reassures him that he's not trying to reject him at all. He's very proud of Binghe, and wants him to be happy and successful. Binghe could rule the world and Shizun would just cheer him on!

It's just that Shen Yuan never willingly possessed Shen Qingqiu in the first place. He misses his life, but given the choice, he doesn't want to be that kind of entity.

So, new plan -- if Shen Yuan won't take a body off of an undeserving asshole, then Binghe will make him a new body! Luckily, Shen Yuan knows a way to grow one. They "borrow" some genetic materials from Shen Jiu to aid the process, and then Luo Binghe, surprisingly indifferent about the whole thing, cuts Shen Jiu loose at the border.

Shen Yuan is surprised. Binghe really doesn't care about that? Turns out no, not so much. Shen Jiu is awful, but he's nothing to Binghe in the long run. (Also it's a long shot but if nothing else does work Binghe might have to force Shen Yuan to take Shen Qingqiu's body back, though of course he's not about to say so, and anyway Shen Jiu is still going to have a hell of a time waiting for him back in the cultivation world. Luo Binghe wishes him luck and every pleasure of trying to clear his ruined name, living a life on the lamb with an insidious poison constantly eating away at him, or the full enjoyment of a second visit to the water prison, whichever ends up happening.)

With the help of Luo Binghe's blood parasites, the Sun and Moon Dew whatever mushroom body grows in record time. A summoning ritual isn't even required, Shen Yuan just scoots right in as soon as the body is ready and blinks his eyes open to see his anxious disciple's face peering back at him.

Happily ever after!

[startheskelaton]

I'm curious how becoming a parent/mentor on Cybertron works. Do the ones that want sparklings just go pick a random one from the ground? Is there like a process they need to go through first?

So first off, this post goes into some information on protoform nurseries. However I’ll delve into this further!

Where you are born determines who and what you are. For example, I image the Seekers as being a noble family in a way, as they have their own nursery that creates bots that are able to fly in vehicle mode (a very coveted ability). Also having red eyes, as that indicates a particular powerful spark. So those sparkings are given to Seekers in need of a disciple or ward, helping to sustain the Seekers high status.

With middle class nurseries, I image it’s more of a fill out a form and get assigned a sparkling kind of thing. Middle class transformers don’t really have to take in Sparklings, as any that are not found homes are given to academies to grow and learn a skill, be it as officers, builders, teachers stuff like that. They can be cars, motorcycles, trains, and even boats

Miner Sparklings are born in the mines, no surprise there. All are checked and given batch numbers as names, only some are given more traditional names by caretakers. They enjoy a small time of peace before being put to work in the mines when it’s deemed they can fallow directions. Miners are mostly working vehicles/ heavy duty vehicles, loading trucks, even mining equipment is common.

[knickety]

doing some digging and reading of lore for my yaoqing trio manifesto (which is leaning slightly feiqiu heavy at the moment BUT I AM determined to do Moze justice as well. part of the reason I am yelling about this here, because it is so fascinating)

When Feixiao first meets Moze, he tries to attack her, angry with her+her troops for routing the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus who had been experimenting on him. Despite the experiments, he had considered them family, not knowing the broader details of their operation but only that they had 'saved' him (for their own purposes) after he was orphaned and abandoned by his previous home. We don't know any details about his life prior to the Disciples, for now.

Back to Feixiao! It seems that she had initially planned to have nothing further to do with Moze after freeing him- after his initial first lunge at her, she deflects, telling him that "Someone will come to plan a home and life for you. Just follow them and you will be fine."

Moze does not listen, and continues trying to attack her. She dodges, holds him back, tells her soldiers not to react or punish him- and admits that he reminds her of herself, freshly escaped from the borisin war camp where she grew up. And this similarity prompts a change of mind:

First of all, hilarious that part of the deal was Feixiao being like "you can try to kill me... but you need to learn and grow and take care of yourself first." okay mom

Second of all:

We see this odd transaction they've got going- Feixiao, who says her only enemy has ever been herself, places a guard who has a vested interest in killing her close to her side- to keep her on his toes, to (presumably- this is my own speculation) train him to be the best equipped to take her out, should she ever actually become a threat.

She trades his attempts on her life for missions carried out on her behalf- and it is through those missions, which Moze at first only carries out to earn more 'forgiveness'/attempts at trying to revenge himself upon her, that he begins to question his loyalty to the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, and realize the extent of the harm that they did- but doesn't think about it, because to question that would be to throw this whole tenuous balance into question. If he no longer feels loyalty to the Disciples, and no longer wants revenge on Feixiao, what does that leave him with?

And in his E6, which I've seen people refer to as the character represented in their purest form, we see this:

Moze, clutching one of Feixiao's strales so tightly that it cuts him. Clinging to the fascimile of vengeance, of her transactional forgiveness- even if he has stopped truly wanting to kill her, and even if there is nothing to forgive.

[coquelicoq]

[chengqing canon divergence, <2k]

There had been a very short period in between arriving in Lotus Pier and becoming confined to it. The plan had never been that Wen Qing would always stay in the compound under guard; even Jin Guangyao, in agreeing to let Jiang Cheng take her out of Jinlintai in return for his silence around the circumstances of her reappearance, had said that if they were married there would be no expectation for her to be, or appear to be, a prisoner. That was before the first close call with an assassin.

Any time she ventured out after that, which was infrequent, it was always with an armed guard of senior disciples. Because there had been more assassins, of course. If the first one failed, they had to try again. Jiang Cheng was matter-of-fact about it. He established safety protocols and schedules and drilled the disciples on them relentlessly. He equipped her with defensive and signal talismans he had prepared himself, meticulously, sometimes with his own blood. He seemed to take for granted that she would want to go to market, or take a boat down the river, or forage for herbs in the forests and marshy expanses of Yunmeng, and he prepared plans for each of these scenarios and many others besides.

But she found it difficult to leave the premises. And it wasn't because of the assassins, though they provided a convenient excuse. In an odd way, the first attempt, the one that had come closest to succeeding, had felt—exhilarating. She had expected to die in Jinlintai, and she had woken up, years later, alone and alive in a changed world. Now she wasn't alone, but the world was still so strange, and she felt dislocated in it, like there was a shadow space slightly to her left, always pulling at her to return to where she belonged. The sword had come from her right and had seemed to be guiding her to that shadow space, popping her back in the socket. She had felt the rightness of it for a single pure moment, and then, as if in response, something else surged through her, burning through her meridians and down her feet into the hard earth: the urge to stay.

For that one tiny instant between the sword appearing and Zidian yanking it away, she had made her peace with both living and dying.

So she wasn't afraid of assassins. If she died, she would be taken to wherever her family awaited her. If she didn't die, maybe she would experience that moment of total clarity again. Her respect for the time of the senior disciples kept her from testing the theory recklessly, but there was a part of her that was always curious.

No, death was not the problem. Or, more accurately: It was not her own death that was the problem.

***

In that first week at Lotus Pier, before the assassin, Jiang Cheng had shown her around, alternating between shyness and ease with an abruptness that would have been dizzying had she been present enough to feel the awkwardness. Automatically, dispassionately, she memorized all the routes and names he told her and exerted herself at intervals to react to his conversation, making appropriate noises and facial expressions. He took care to point out places he thought might interest her, and, she realized eventually, avoided saying anything whatsoever about what he had built himself versus what had survived the Wen.

After a few days of this, he couldn’t stay away from his work any longer. And perhaps he felt that he had started to wear out his welcome, even though he was the host. In any case, once he had taken her everywhere and introduced her to everyone, he showed her how the barriers had been adjusted to recognize her energy and then took himself back to his office. She was alone, with the run of the place.

She hadn’t known what to do with herself. She was something of a failed corpse—thawing out, the blood returning slowly. Everything felt either much too close, or too far away to be real. Or rather, it was far away that was real, and she was something else.

She tried meditating, sitting on the dock reserved for her use, but confronting the flow of her thoughts was almost excruciating. She got up and followed her feet, which took her on a direct route to the cramped workroom attached to the infirmary. Yes, there was something comforting about this place. All the little jars and packets, the mortar and pestle, the small pot with the heavy handle, the fan for the flames…She had seen similar rooms too many times in too many places for this scene to bring back any one particular memory. This was simply a way for the world to be, and for her to be in it.

She ran her fingers over the familiar tools, and her mind without her say-so began making an inventory. She didn’t know how much time had passed when she came down from a state of pure focus, a list of supplies written in her own hand. The Lotus Pier infirmary was understocked. She had a purse and she knew the way to the apothecary. She left without a second thought.

***

Away from the workroom, the world again took on its blurry contours, through which she glided as though passing through fog. She was so removed from herself that it didn’t occur to her until afterward how odd her walk through the market had been. She should have had to return greetings from every shopkeeper and stall-owner. She should have been asked to come look at hairpins and baskets and the latest root crop. She should have had treats pressed on her to take back and share with her husband. They had all been introduced to her as the new furen of Yunmeng Jiang and had all seen Jiang Cheng, their golden boy, treating her with respect and care. Even if they did not know her, they would have wanted to show their favor for him in their treatment of his wife.

But it was only later that Wen Qing realized she hadn’t returned a single greeting on that solitary walk, not because she ignored them, but because there weren’t any. Thinking back, most people had simply dropped their heads slightly and taken a step back—no words and not really any bows either.

She only became aware of the weather—hot, sunny—when she stepped into the apothecary’s shop, where it was dark and cool. She must have been backlit in the doorway, because the apothecary greeted her amicably and generically as guniang, and it was only when she came farther in that the heavy silence fell.

As her eyes adjusted, she saw an array of customers scattered along the long counters, attended by a couple of assistants, and the apothecary in the center, frozen in the posture of accepting payment from a little old granny. Wen Qing walked slowly to a free spot at the counter and placed her list on the polished surface, then carefully rotated it so that the characters would be right-side up to someone on the other side. The whisper of thin paper sliding against wood was the only sound in the room.

She turned her head to look at the apothecary, and he dropped his eyes and cleared his throat, taking the granny’s money and telling her to take care on the way. Then he walked, not toward Wen Qing, but toward another customer already being helped by an assistant. The other groups resumed their business and one by one trickled out, to be replaced by others who were greeted and assisted right away, as Wen Qing continued to stand alone in a bubble of eerie stillness.

She heard the word Wen and focused in on a conversation. The apothecary was refusing to take payment from a man with a prescription to treat phantom pain in the leg that had had to be amputated after he had been shot in the thigh by those Wen-dogs.

“We people of Lotus Pier have to stick together,” the apothecary was saying. “There aren’t as many of us as there used to be. My own honored father and mother, my wife and son, they would want you to have this.” He smiled gently as the man left, then his face fell into an unnatural rictus as he stood alone, no one to wait on—that is, no one worth noticing.

So that was how it was. She remembered the walk through the market now, and it made sense in retrospect. She wondered, in an academic sort of way, how she could leave this place with her dignity intact. Leave the inventory there, with some money, and act as though she had meant all along for the supplies to be delivered to her later?

A familiar change came over the room. She felt all the attention suddenly snap away, sucked into a point by the door behind her, where she knew without looking Jiang Cheng must now be standing.

She was still looking at the apothecary's face and saw how it changed when he saw Jiang-zongzhu. It fell out of its harshness and took on something tender, even protective, the brow loosening, the eyelids softening, the corners of the lips tucking back into the cheeks, the start of an indulgent smile. But in the next moment the eyes dropped, the chin falling slightly, in shame, she thought. In shame and in confusion, because this man loved Jiang-zongzhu but had been harsh to Jiang-furen for the sake of his lost and restless dead.

And perhaps defensiveness. Why should he feel ashamed to honor his dead? Why must Jiang-zongzhu put him in this position?

"Jiang-furen," Jiang Cheng said sharply, and even after only a week, she knew that meant he had read the tension and was preparing to be harsh to someone on her behalf. "Did you get what you needed here?"

She knew what that meant, too. If she said yes, he would understand that these people had been good to her. If she said no, he would understand the opposite and they would lose his favor. They had treated her like dirt, which she could not and would not deny. But they were just people, and they had already known suffering—and what did it matter that it wasn’t at her own personal hands?

She couldn't take either of the options he had presented her. "I'm tired," she said instead, and abruptly felt its truth. She turned and met his hard eyes. "Let's go home."

The tension left his face at once. Home, he said without opening his mouth. Home. She took a step toward him, then another, keeping her eyes on his, on those eyes that were looking at nothing but her. He looked at her like he would never look away.

***

That night, after dinner, when she sat down before the mirror in her room that was not a prison, she caught a glimpse, in her own reflection, of the complicated face of the apothecary in the moment of Jiang Cheng's arrival. “Yes,” she said, and then, taking forceful hold, rotated the jagged cliffs of her thoughts until they became a smooth, flat ground.

No one had locked her up here; she could leave at any time. But she knew that she would not.

She blew out the candles and went to sleep under the gaze of her lost and restless dead.

[lurkinginnernarrator]

Shen Qingqiu/Meng Mo

When I saw this my first thought was a "Shen Jiu's conscious is still around" au, and when Shen Yuan and Binghe are fighting Meng Mo, Shen Jiu is finally able to make himself heard. Meng Mo and him bond over being accidental parasites to the ungrateful young people

I love that. It's so beautiful. I can imagine them spitting blood anytime bingqiu shenanigans go on... That would be so entertaining to have Meng Mo and Shen Jiu making running commentary like it's a sports game whenever Bingqiu does something.

The au I've been playing with recently is OG!SQQ dying and reincarnating into SY and then transmigrating back into SQQ, and Meng Mo helping SQQ unwrap his memories.

I also love the thought of SQQ and Meng Mo just beginning to chat after the dream realm arc, co-shizunning Binghe even though Binghe is of course going 'I only have one Shizun!', and then Mengshen just having intellectual conversations with one another.

(Meng Mo, feed up after this brat keeps on refusing to become his direct disciple: "Fine! If this brat won't accept me as his Shifu, I might as well become his Shimu!")

I think Meng Mo is uniquely equipped to be one of, if not only, people able to engage with a discussion of history, lore, flora, fauna and the world of svsss at large with Shen Qingqiu.

And there's also the fact that Meng Mo might be one of the only people to actually have insight into SQQ's intentions and thoughts. He canonically is aware of Shen Jiu's past, and even weaponizes the tragic memories of Shen Jiu against Qiu Haitang, while also declining to subject Shen Qingqiu to them. (Need citation for the last part I can't quite remember but Im pretty sure this happens? Anyway, grain of salt.)

And Meng Mo had access to Shen Qingqiu's dreamscape before LBH did. And displays more awareness of Shen Qingqiu's mind than most, So Meng Mo is uniquely suited to be shipped with beloved fandom bicycle SQQ

(Also Meng Mo is still a demon, and seems to be aware of what the actions Shen Qingqiu took in the Holy Mausoleum, so between SQQ's unnatural learned-ness about the place and how hardcore it is to rip the Ties that Bind (Or Qingxi? If I remember) out of his arm. Any, I think, demon would find that attractive.)

I also love how Meng Mo and SQQ work together in the Holy Mausoleum arc.

I have many thoughts on this rarepair of mine, and I need to reread canon specifically for this pairing, but I hope anyone who is interested enjoyed. Thanks for the ask, and sorry if I rambled a bit

consider Mengshen, that's all I'll say to end this.

[moonshinesonic-moonstarslight]

Paper Plane's verse

Shared looks between Airplane and OG Shang Qinghua:

Dark brown hair

Dark brown eyes (look black unless the light hits them)

height

same body shape really

Sword nowhere to be seen, daggers tucked in every place they can put them (and somewhere it seems illogical to have a weapon)

Differences between Airplane's and OG Shang Qinghua's looks:

Airplane: hair is always put up in tight braids and in a bun usually neat and tidy unless you catch him on in the middle of tax season chasing down Liu Qingge for paperwork.

dark smears under his eyes (doesn't take as much rest as he should/workaholic millennial)

Sleeves tied close to the wrists, practical clothes at all times, all masculine cuts and styles

only really wears earrings and occasionally a pretty pin for his guan.

light makeup usually a bit of concealer for his eye bags and some eyeliner

OG Shang Qinghua: hair in a half up half down style - to show off the sausage curls more than it being a popular hairstyle among Peak Lords. (Loves his curls. They're the big sausage curls commonly found with Villainess characters. He takes very good care of them in comparison to Airplane who mostly grumbles about his character design choices as he fights the tangles)

healthy complexion (actually sleeps and takes breaks)

loose sleeves, feminine cuts and styles mixed with some masculine styles here and there, elaborate robes that are easily adjusted to become practical if needed (but easy to hide those modifications) [More room for weapons/equipment!]

decorative hair ornaments, dangly earrings, necklaces, and occasionally a ring or some bracelets (tends to have a season theme to match the current time of year)

more makeup than Airplane but still tasteful for an androgynous look: eyeliner, concealer (if needed), face powder, lipstick (usually blood red), ect.

Besides that the two hold themselves differently, Airplane is cold and aloof. Distant and untouchable unless he is playing pathetic and clingy for Mobei Jun (who finds the dichotomy amusing and arousing). Or letting himself be a little bit freer while talking to Cucumber-bro.

Og Shang Qinghua is warmer and seemingly more open. (You're actually safer standing next to Airplane, OG gets a little stab happy.) Dotting and overbearing to his disciples and comes off as a distant uncle you can 'of course' trust to the rest of the sect. More seductive and vicious than Airplane. (Mobei Jun doesn't try getting this version into his bed unless he is positive that there won't be an assassination attempt or that it would be a 'one in done' type of deal. But he does find the mystery of where are the weapons and how will the fool be killed fun and arousing to think about.)

Might add more later. But that's what I got so far~. Going to have to see about making one for my 'in general' differences between the two and not just for a story.

[cosmichorrorlesbians]

new Silt Verses ep was so incredibly good and there's so much to talk about but I keep coming back to Sibling Rane.

I think Jon and Muna do a great job of making even minor characters feel distinctive and resonant with the main cast, and the disciples of the various faiths are one of the places this shows most strongly. The disciples of the Trawlerman are the people Faulkner has made himself responsible for and as early as Chapter 22 a thread develops that many of them are naïve, and young, and almost comedically earnest.

And yet, at the same time, these 'children' are part of-- at the forefront of, even-- Faulkner's acquistion of power within the Parish. In the same episode, Thurrocks accurately articulates both the depth of the faith they have in him and the result to which it is already leading.

So. Young members of the faith as (at least superficially) earnestly artless and yet having a dangerously fervent power of belief. Rane, when we meet them in Chapter 30, seems like another genuine and ardent neophyte.

They're eager and conscientious and I half expected them (like Jasp) to last less than two episodes. But they become a quiet background voice to Faulkner's downward spiral. They take on administrative tasks, attending to Roemont when he visits the Gulch, and-- increasingly-- becoming an emotional and social anchor for Faulkner as he slides into depression.

Rane doesn't seem to be a born diplomat. Earnest. Naïve. Clumsy. But I think that ambiguity the stage directions draw out is interesting. Is Rane really so ingenuous? Are they 'pretend[ing]'? They've taken on so much responsibility for the faith, smoothing over awkwardnesses, arranging things in the background, organising transport and supplies while Faulkner broods. Is it earnest? Pragmatic? Both?

I think it's very easy to read Rane as having unreciprocated romantic feelings towards Faulkner. I certainly do. Their devotion shades into excess, and in the moments where the pair seem to engage almost as equals, like the car ride in Chapter 38, there's this real sense of simultaneous shared joy and an underlying desire on Rane's part to 'get Faulkner's attention' and prove themself worthy of it. To impress him.

This Chapter sees Faulkner experience a dark night of the soul. He's already depressed to the point of suicidal ideation, detached from his surroundings and utterly anhedonic. He's clearly not equipped to acknowledge or accept love from others, romantic or platonic. This episode is about caring for someone who is fundamentally disconnected from you, who will never see things the way you do but must be loved and kept safe nonetheless. It's also where Rane saves Faulkner's life.

Rane, acting as caretaker, quietly reverses the established power dynamic of their relationship. Faulkner's attempted drowning directly parallels his childhood experience of conversion as recounted in Series 1. He becomes the lost, frightened child in their dynamic.

This speech obviously underlines Faulkner's insecurities, his youth, and the validity of his prophetic status as "chosen". We know he's engineered and manipulated his own glorification.

But it also draws attention to how Rane acts as a parallel to Faulkner. Faulkner, when we first meet him, seems precisely this enthusiastic if inept younger disciple. 'Was I like that?' he asks himself about Thurrocks. Maybe he was once. Because we see the same kind of darkness surface in Rane. As Faulkner clearly no longer cares if he lives or dies, they take on more and more of the unspoken burden of leadership.

They 'stage-manage'. They become the structural surety at the heart of the myth of Faulkner, putting in his hard work, handing him his kelp wreath, shoring up his crumbling facade. They recognise the gap between what he is and what his people want him to be, what they need him to be.

'It will be different when it's written'. Did Faulkner trip, or was he shoved? Does it even matter? We don't truly know whether Rane has taken the wheel as the endgoal of some Machiavellian scheme, or as a decision of pure pragmatism motivated by their faithful zeal, or out of desperate, genuine, self-deluding care for Faulkner, but is it important?

Faulkner isn’t just made up of Faulkner any more. Rane is being quietly assimilated into his legend. 'When it's written', I doubt they'll be much more than a footnote in his story. But I would also dispute whether High Prophet Faulkner isn't substantially a creation of unnoticed, unappreciated Sibling Rane.

[emmkayyy03]

🎾 Jupiter vs. Venus: The Duel of Gurus. 🏅

In the infinite drama of the cosmos, two larger-than-life forces play the role of celestial teachers: Jupiter (Brihaspati) and Venus (Shukracharya). These two aren’t just gurus—they’re the ultimate life coaches, each with their unique vibes. Jupiter is the philosopher who hands you a map to enlightenment, while Venus is the savvy mentor who teaches you how to conquer the world and look fabulous doing it.

But wait—there’s more to Shukracharya than just luxury and indulgence. He wasn’t only the guru of the asuras; he was a healer extraordinaire, the cosmic doctor who literally brought the dead back to life with the Sanjeevani mantra. So, while Jupiter gives you the wisdom to transcend, Venus might just save your skin (and soul) when things go south.

Let’s dig deeper into this ultimate cosmic clash of the titans and see how their wisdom, morals, and approach to life shape their disciples.

🎓 Knowledge: Universal Truths vs. Practical Skills

Jupiter’s Wisdom: Jupiter’s knowledge is like a sacred text—ancient, profound, and illuminating. As the guru of the devas, he specializes in timeless wisdom that transcends the material world. He’s your go-to for unlocking the mysteries of dharma (duty), moksha (liberation), and the universe’s ultimate purpose. Think philosophy, ethics, and everything that makes you go, “Wow, life is deeper than I thought.”

Venus’s Knowledge: Venus is the practical genius who hands you a toolkit for mastering life’s complexities. From diplomacy to healing, Shukracharya doesn’t just teach you how to survive—he teaches you how to thrive. His lessons are rooted in the art of living: navigating relationships, enjoying material pleasures, and even harnessing the secrets of immortality. He’s the cosmic mix of a life coach and a healer, ensuring you’re prepared for anything life throws your way.

⚖️ Morals: Righteousness vs. Pragmatism

Jupiter’s Morality: Jupiter is all about the straight and narrow. He champions dharma and universal harmony, even if it means personal sacrifice. He’s the teacher who insists that doing the right thing is non-negotiable, no matter how tough it gets. With Jupiter, it’s always about the bigger picture.

Venus’s Morality: Venus operates in the real world, where things aren’t always black and white. His moral compass is more flexible, designed to help you navigate life’s gray areas. Shukracharya understands that sometimes bending the rules is necessary for survival—and that’s okay. His pragmatism is his strength, making him relatable and incredibly effective.

💎 The Hedonist vs. The Ascetic

Venus: The Sensual Healer Venus doesn’t shy away from the material world; he embraces it. He teaches that beauty, luxury, and pleasure aren’t distractions—they’re part of the human experience. But Venus is more than a connoisseur of indulgence; as a healer, he shows how to channel these desires into personal growth. His mastery of the Sanjeevani mantra highlights his deep understanding of life and death, proving that he’s not just about the good times—he’s about second chances too.

Jupiter: The Ascetic Sage Jupiter is the spiritual minimalist, urging you to detach from desires and focus on higher truths. He’s the guru who reminds you that fleeting pleasures pale in comparison to eternal peace. While Venus heals your body and mind, Jupiter seeks to heal your soul by guiding you beyond the illusions of the material world.

🌌 Life’s Approach: Harmony vs. Mastery

Jupiter’s Path: Jupiter leads with faith, devotion, and the pursuit of inner peace. His approach is about finding harmony within yourself and with the universe. His teachings encourage gratitude and humility, aligning your actions with the greater cosmic order.

Venus’s Path: Venus believes in mastering the art of life. Whether it’s relationships, success, or overcoming obstacles, Shukracharya equips you to excel in the material realm. His lessons emphasize empowerment and resilience, reminding you that even in chaos, there’s beauty—and power.

If Jupiter is the grand monastery, steeped in philosophy and higher learning, Venus is the opulent palace ballroom, alive with music, dance, and earthly pleasures. Jupiter’s domain is the university lecture hall, a sanctuary of timeless wisdom, while Venus presides over the art gallery, where beauty and creativity are celebrated. Jupiter governs the sanctum of a temple, a space for introspection and spiritual growth, whereas Venus sparkles in the marketplace, where life’s sensual joys and connections unfold. Each represents a world of its own: Jupiter uplifts the soul, and Venus enchants the senses

The Verdict 💫

So, here’s the cosmic tea: Jupiter and Venus aren’t competing; they’re balancing forces. Jupiter offers the wisdom to transcend life, while Venus gives you the skills to embrace and heal within it. Jupiter is the sage who helps you unlock eternal truths, and Venus is the healer and mentor who ensures you enjoy the ride and survive the bumps along the way.

Are you drawn to Jupiter’s lofty ideals or Venus’s grounded guidance? Let me know—Team Jupiter or Team Venus? ✨

[gurggggleburgle]

Being more indulgent about my funger svsss au and establishing more ideas and lore my idea around the whole original nature of PIDW as it existed as it's rpgmaker broken mess rage bait game format is the character selection roster that Airplane would have made in the first place and how this impacts Shen Yuan's insane blind gamer rage in general.

So the motivational set up within this game au is like in the original a quest to either kill or save someone from inside the dungeon. Originally, this was Huan Hua palace, but it's been since twisted into a horrifying hellscape by the sheer presence of the dungeon resulting in the cultivators and creatures inside twisting into horrifying visages of their original selves. The original opulence and finery having degraded as the abyss/dungeon of fear and hunger sank into it.

each character is seeking a captured Shen Qingqiu in some capacity as he was sent to the water prison at the basement prior to the start to be put on trial after his past was brought to light. But something went wrong as people arrived for the procedings and communication between Huan Hua palace and the outside world was cut off without explanation for weeks.

Among the playable characters selected is of course Luo Binghe who is broken and stupid OP and there are like a shit ton of girls in the dungeon that he can rescue and make into part of his harem and it's like a whole thing. He's the only male main character with romance scenes and shen yuan thinks it's bullshit.

There is then Liu Mingyan who is best girl and is there because among missing is her brother. she heads in intending the find Liu Qingge who is by game design is always dead when you find him with evidence that the one who did it was somehow Shen Qingqiu almost immediately.

Ming Fan, Shen Qingqiu's head disciple set on rescuing his falsely accused master. He's considered a joke within the community and labeled suffering mode by default as he has the worst abilities, equipment, and ultimately due to his past Luo Binghe is a nearly impossible to beat boss fight without so much cheese.

Gongyi Xiao, head disciple of Huan Hua who was out when the dungeon manifested and is now desperate to find an answer and also safeguard the lives of any prisoners that remain.

Mobei-Jun, who's just here to kill and destroy Shen Qingqiu after a slight made against the northern realms. He's still nobility but within this narrative but he's not a demon. instead he's just a shirtless barbarian man in virtually no clothes out for revenge.

Shang Qinghua, who in this is less a peak lord and more just an actual middle man guy the sect had who was working for both the northern kingdom Mobei-Jun hailed from and Cang Qiong mountain sect as a double agent. He ends up running into the dungeon basically in attempt to save his skin. Unfortunately he's now deeply aware that both parties know he was playing both sides so his only hope is to present Mobei-Jun with Shen Qingqiu's head first or something better in order to save his skin. This is what makes airplane once he transmigrates and ends up at this point terrified. Because oh god oh god. please don't say it's dungeon o'clock.

everyone else of the main cast of svsss gets represented as npcs with all the girls being dateable party members for Luo Binghe.

[albertfinch]

Exhortation - October 31, 2024

He is preparing His Bride through the raising up of His family. His purifying fire is refining, and His baptism of fire is igniting. He is calling you out to arise and take your place.

"Is not My word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?" (Jeremiah 23:29) Now is the time to speak forth His word with boldness on the leading of His Spirit and see His fire fall to annihilate the plans of the enemy, and see the path before you made straight. His word is like fire, and as you speak forth His word, you speak forth fire from Heaven.

You have had your character forged in the fire and your faith strengthened to the degree that you will now step out with ferocious faith, for you have seen His faithfulness. The fire of His word released through you silences the enemy.

His roar is released through you. You reflect and radiate Him; therefore, you release His roar and sound. The roar of the fire of your words and sound is one of breakthrough, alignment to truth, and an overturning of the plans of the enemy. The fire of your roar is burning that which is not of God and is making the way clear, for your roar is one of authority and power.

This is your hour where you will equip, train, nurture, and disciple those souls who are new in Christ. You will support and guide them as they come to understand their Christ identity and God's purpose for their life. His family is arising, -- now they can carry the FIRE!

ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

[reds-skull]

More Cyberknight AU sketches... I can already tell I'll have to do something with this universe, considering how much I'm thinking about the world building, plot, characters...

Speaking of world building, gonna write down some of it under the cut, if anyone's interested... (it turned out to be....... a lot..............)

Alright, so obviously there's a lot of influence of medieval knight armor, so my first line of thought was adding some sort of magic system. Initially I was like "well, can't use the magic system I have in my original stories, since Revenant AU is based on that, and if I do that again it would be way too similar". I considered scrapping magic off this AU completely, because I didn't think I could make a magic system different enough from rev AU to not be just the same thing but To The Left. And then it hit me.

COD already has a magic system. In Zombies.

Now, the Aether is not really treated as magic, more like scientific phenomena, but it's practically magic, taking to account the field upgrades, and its effect on living being (zombies, and special zombies like manglers, mimics, disciples...).

And the moment I thought about that, everything started clicking together.

Picture this, post apocalyptic world. Operation Deadbolt failed, and the Aether spread from Urzikstan to the rest of the world. Decades later, humanity found ways to ward it off, leaving swaths of land infected with the Aether, quarantined away from the remaining human cities.

This quarantine isn't perfect, however, and certain Aether forms threaten the delicate peace on the cities. This is where the Cyberknights come in.

Using Aether portals (the ones in-game), they teleport deep into Aether territory, and with motorcycles traverse the land, tracking big Aether forms that pose a big enough threat.

Scientists have found ways to build weapons made of Aether. The more in the metal, the better, so guns were now dwarfed by the power of swords and spears. These new weapons use the Aether of fallen enemies as a power source, for charging a powerful attack (in-game they're called Field Upgrades, and I'm giving them a lore explanation as to why it takes a while to charge them, and why it charges by killing zombies).

There are a few types of Aether forms: Aether-Mechanical (think the Manglers from the game), native Aether forms (Disciples, mimics, Aether worm), and infected Aether forms (humans turned zombies). Because of that, each unit must include at least one of each: a mechanic (in charge of equipment, and the mechanical nature of Aether-Mechanical forms), an Aether expert (for teleporters, and Aether forms in general) and a fighter (acting as sort of a tank as the others work).

I also thought a bit about the 141's weapons and field upgrades, so here's a little blurb on each:

Soap - Wields 2 short swords, the right with Cryo Freeze (Ammo Mod in-game), and the left with Napalm Burst. Field Upgrade is Frenzied Guard: Killing zombies grants a shield, but all hostiles are attracted to Soap once he turns it on. This Field Upgrade is usually reserved for fighters, which Soap used to be, but he's now acting as a mechanic for the 141 unit.

The blue and red in his design are for his ammo mods, ice and fire, and the helmet obviously resembles his hairstyle. Originally I went for something more Scottish, but it didn't look exactly like I imagined (Scottish warriors were notorious for not wearing a lot of armor, and they kinda scared other cultures, sometimes carrying the head of their enemies to intimidate others. So metal haha).

Gaz - Wields a spear, that uses Aether as a sort of magnetic force, meaning he can throw it and pull it back. Field Upgrade is Energy Blast: turning it on will create a force field around him, pushing and injuring anyone attempting to get close to him (this is a modified version of the Energy Mine in MWZ, just thought I can make it more interesting).

The purple on his belt are Aether crystals, as he's the 141's Aether expert. The "horns" on his helmet are actually a detector of Aether forms (and they're there to look cool).

Price - Wields a foldable shield, and a short sword, with Brain Rot applied to it (Brain Rot will make a zombie turn to your side for a short while, attacking hostiles for a few moments before their head explodes). Field Upgrade is Healing Aura, which will... heal everyone around him, obviously. Price is the fighter of the 141.

Price is nicknamed "The White Knight", as a well known fighter with a long history of felled Aether superforms. The piece on his right arm (his right), is his shield in folded form.

G.H.O.S.T. is a robot, powered by Aether, the first of his kind. This means he uses 2 Field Upgrades: Aether Shroud, making him go invisible for a short while, and Tesla Storm, which channels bolts of electricity through his body and his teammates', as well as his knives, so he makes sure to throw them in tactical positions before activating this. The electricity doesn't hurt his teammates, their armor makes sure of that, but it will kill lower Aether lifeforms, and damage the stronger ones. G.H.O.S.T. is the secondary fighter of the 141.

G.H.O.S.T. - Wields several knives, that use a similar technology to Gaz's spear, meaning he can pull them back at will.

[Edit: forgot to mention that the things sticking out of his forearms are his knives]

His design is based on the "Gilded Ghost" skin in-game, without the gilded part lol. The purple parts are the Aether powering his mechanical body.

For the story, I have something planned... but I don't wanna spoil you lmao. I was thinking a lot about Soap, who (if I make a fic which lets be honest I probably will) will be the POV.

Soap joins the 141 mainly as a mechanic. Each unit has a fighter, a mechanic, and an Aether expert. Gaz is the Aether expert, and Price is the fighter, G.H.O.S.T. acting as a support for Soap when the unit splits up. Soap comes from the northern territories, so he's very different from the rest in terms of his background, basically an outsider. He used to be a fighter, but a knee injury forced him to change positions. All members of a unit can fight, but it's not their main job, bar the fighter of course. He feels bitter about that.

He finds in G.H.O.S.T. an odd companionship, considering the robot can't feel. His AI is exceptionally advanced, so he does talk unnervingly, almost like a human. Soap often just rants, talking about his home city, about the life he used to have, and G.H.O.S.T. listens with no complaints, not that a robot can really complain.

It all changed on one fateful deployment, where Soap and G.H.O.S.T. get separated from the rest, and Soap finds the truth behind G.H.O.S.T.'s technology...

That's all I'm gonna leave you with for now, haha. As you can probably tell, I spent a lot of time playing Zombies in MW3 (idk I just find it a good way to relax), so I really enjoy trying to think of explanations for each mechanic, and how the world would look like 50 years in the future.

[shanastoryteller]

Happy love day Shana! I would *love* some more of the WWX and Jiang Yanli runaway story! I love it so much!!

a continuation of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Jiang Cheng would very much like to throw all the Lan and Jin disciples out from Lotus Pier because they’re all irritating as hell and even worse when they’re together, but there’s the issue of keeping them from spreading rumors and that Lan Wangji and Jin Zixuan are going to refuse to leave.

Jin Zixuan is fair enough. That’s his wife and child. But Jiang Cheng give anything to be able to kick Lan Wangji into the nearest lotus pond rather than put a roof over his head.

He wants to lie down and not think for a little bit and he wants to hide his face in his older sister’s skirts like when he was a child and he wants to hold onto Wei Wuxian so he can’t leave him again but none of that is reasonable or justifiable or fair.

So instead he watches as they discuss what to do next, how to handle this without kicking off another war.

It’s good to be concerned, and careful, but he doesn’t think there’ll be another war from this, even if they just them back into society with minimal explanation. At least, there won’t be as long as they don’t start killing sect leaders.

Things are different now than they were thirteen years ago.

He has a much firmer grip on his clan and the place of the Jiang in cultivation society isn’t desecrated and limping along. The same can be said of Lan Xichen and the Lan.

Nie Mingjue was an ass last time, somewhat understandably, but both Nie Huaisang and Lan Xichen are better equipped to talk him down and pacify him this time. Besides, Jiang Cheng is a lot more willing and able to kick his ass about it if he has to.

While he would very much like to avoid doing anything with Lan Wangji, he knows he would help, that now that Wei Wuxian is back it’s going to be hell getting that asshole out of their hair. They might as well put him to work.

He real problem, the thing that just shoehorning them back in place stupid rather than inadvisable, is the Jin and the minor clans that have clustered around them.

Jin Zixuan and his ilk aren’t a problem, of course. But Jin Guangshan and the older members of their clan that are still loyal to him, which is a rather large amount, don’t like anything that upsets the balance of power away from them and they do their best to crush it. And often succeed.

He wishes he’d known, he wishes the letter A-jie and Wei Wuxian insist they’ve sent had gotten to him and that he hadn’t spent the past thirteen years drowning and curdling in his grief, he wishes they hadn’t had to survive on their own, hiding and lying and running, and that he could have helped them.

But despite all that, he understands why A-jie felt the need to take her son and run from Koi Tower.

[afsosville]

Spreading some Shen Jiu positivity coz I need it lol.

You know what's so great about Shen Jiu? It’s that we don’t have a clue what Shen Jiu would’ve been like if he had a chance to heal from his trauma or was equipped to deal with it. (That includes learning coping mechanisms that don’t involve lashing out on other people and getting the TLC he deserves.) We have already seen him at his worst, I wanna know what he’s like at his best!! The world nerfed him with trauma and angst coz it knew a Shen Jiu with mental stability would be a force to be reckoned with. He embodies the quote “Jupiter was meant to be a star but failed.” This is why I love Shen Jiu fics so much (at least the ones where he heals and all that). No coz I'm not getting over the fact that he used a powerful sword flying technique during the burning of the Qiu manor without practicing it first and only saw it once before just straight up pulling it out of his ass like- Or that he become a peak lord despite every fucking disadvantage thrown at him. Also! I'm pretty sure his spirit roots and cultivation talent was equal to, or even greater than Yue Qingyuan as a kid before it got ripped away from him LIKE WHAT- 

Everyone has their own interpretations of Shen Jiu’s character and it's nice to explore. Ofc I don’t like the way he is in canon. If he was a real person, yall would hate him too. I like Shen Jiu for the potential he had as a person and who he could’ve been. And I like coming up with AUs and ideas for how things could've gone differently for him because, for me, there's something so therapeutic about seeing/writing characters break cycles. Shen Jiu not having done so in SV had a narrative impact by emphasising how people display problematic and violent behaviours in response to trauma. That is why the protagonists and male leads of MXTX novels are written the way that they are, to contrast the villains. Characters like Xie Lian, Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian are examples of people coping with their trauma positively (semi positively if I'm being honest but the point remains). So excuse me for making Shen Jiu the protagonist in practically all the fics I'm working on lol.

Technically you can’t even say Shen Jiu is OOC for these kinds of SJ fics, coz, again, we don’t know what he’s like if he actually got the help he needed. There's this fic called Residing Over Autumn Leaves, where Shen Jiu’s personality is so malleable that he completely reflects the environment he was around in his earlier years. He suffers through a Qi deviation that actually erases his memories and he becomes a white lotus Jiumei. It’s because he was in Qing Jing peak most of the time and all his disciples and martial siblings protected him. And then there’s fics like The Hidden Flower, and the Memories Remembered series. Those speak for themselves. I'm assuming yall read them coz they're pretty much the most popular Shen Jiu fics on AO3 lol. 

Btw, I am NOT looking to argue with anyone over smt like this. Like YES I know what he did, and made sure I had that info (coz the spreading of misinformation is wild).

But I hope it's at least undeniable that he deserved to heal for what the Qiu's and Wu Yanzi put him thru??

[agelr94]

Our Long Lost Bond 🪷

(A Sun Wukong x Reader fanfiction where reader was his childhood friend during their time in subodhi's place)

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Chapter 1: A New Face

The sun slowly rose with beaming light, a sign for the new beginning of your day. You have been prepared your needed equipment before heading out to your new class since previous night, feeling restless and excited for your first day learning in patriarch Subodhi's place.

You followed the map that was given to you, your eyes diligently scanning the right path of your journey. Until then the path leads to an end, a sealed cave with massive door tightly shut beneath it. You were unsure if this cave is the right place of your destination, but you dared yourself to give a knock on its door. Not even a second after, the door swung open and a person peeked out from the door. As if they already recognize you, they smiled and lead you into the cave, where the patriarch done his teachings. "Come inside, young one. The master has been waiting for you," They spoke to you.

You found yourself surrounded with other disciples, some were sparring and training their strength, while the other spend their time studying scriptures and practicing Dao. You met with the patriarch that you will soon call as "Master", introducing yourself and then become one of his diciples. You have stayed there for months, enjoying a simple life among your friends under you master guidance,

Until...

A strange monkey found this place. He entered the place with his clothes looked all shabby and disheveled, leaping around the room begging for Master Subodhi to accept him as his student and teach him. You and your other friends feel disturbed by his immature and disrespectful act towards your master, shouting at him to leave this place and never return. But this monkey is more stubborn than you thought, he kept begging to your master for his teaching that in the end, he finally accepted him as his new student.

Master Subodhi asked for the monkey's name. But to his surprise, the monkey has been wandering around for years nameless in his way. And so, he gave the monkey a new name for him to use, Sun Wukong. Your tongue subconciously repeat the monkey's name under your breath, not even taking your eyes off from the new face in this place. But you still can't believe this monkey will be your new school mate, and the thought of it making you shiver in disgust.

Later after the unexpected event, you and your friends taking a rest under a tree to relax and chat. But your frustration continue to take the toll on you, and you seem cannot get rid of that monkey from your head and couldn't even enjoy chatting with your friends. "Unbelievable! How could master just let him enter and be with us??" You expressed your annoyance to your friends, leaving them in surprise by your sudden outburst. "Calm down, y/n. It's not like the world would start chaos if that monkey join us!" One of them joked. "Still! You all saw how he act in front of master! I don't think he would even listen to him at this point!" You scoffed, your frustration is getting visible.

You were unaware at that moment, the monkey you just talked about accidentally heard what you have said about him when he walked pass by the tree. Instead of being angry, Wukong just laugh in amusement, his loud voice shock you and your friends in place before he revealed himself in front of you, jumping out from the tree shadow. "Such a bold thing to assume about me, human!" He spoke between his laugh, a wide goofy grin linger in his face. You jumped from your spot by his sudden entrance right in front of you, your poor heart felt like it could burst out from your chest. "You foul monkey! Stop bothering us with your antics!!" You shouted at him, flustered and still in shock from his entry. Wukong giggled again, not taking your anger seriously. "Antics? We called that having fun!" His carefree nature were unbearable for you, but somehow... You found amusement in this monkey.

He already made a bad first impression to you, yet his innocent look couldn't make you stay mad at him for too long. You took a deep breath and stand up on your feet while dusting yourself off, then turned to him. "Is that how monkeys having fun? Jumping into someone's face and scare them off?" You replied to him, a hint of mockery in your tone. Wukong's grin getting wider and he clap his hands in amusement, leaping around you. "We do that sometimes, their funny reactions always leave us in laughter!" He giggled.

"Ha-ha, very funny. Say what's your name again? Oh yes, Sun Wukong..." You responded sarcastically, your eyes rolling in slight disturbance. "Since you're here, guess i have to introduce myself now. I'm y/n, and those are my friends." You added, pointing at your friends near the tree. Wukong clap his hands again, eager to make new friends here with you and the others. "Ohohoh! What an interesting turn! Mind if i join with you?" He asked shamelessly to you, after he almost scare you and your friends to death by his surprise. He's a weird monkey, yet entertaining to be kept around. You can't help but let him join your group, chatting and laughing together until the end of the day.

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Shoutout to @fluffynna for making this fanfic idea!!

(This is my first writing blog here, and i'm not really good at writing too cuz i rarely do that so pardon me 😭)