#Ling has some... interesting tastes..

[skullybonez]

Since it's almost halloween I thought of posting this here as well.

Most likely will do another spoopy thingo with these two.

[number1greedlingfan]

Headcanons that are meaningless to everyone but me (or extremely niche inside jokes formed by my friend group)

Hawkeye finds pleasantries, mostly "hello"s and "goodbye"s, pointless and kind of annoying. She'll sometimes engage in them in person but never over the phone. She often hangs up while the other person is mid "bye".

Havoc's "tried and true" opener on dates is that he prefers rainy weather because he, quote, "loves to curl up by the window with a good book and some tea". This is not only a bold-faced lie, but it hasn't helped him get past the first date so it's not any more effective than his other lines.

Fuery pulls more women than Havoc does (not that there was any competition lmao) but he is somehow unaware of this.

Mustang's singular hobby that he does purely for fun is building model ships. His only social interaction is with his coworkers because he does not have any other friends.

Ed thinks Winry is cooped up in her shop all day and all night but that's literally only when he shows up because he DOES IT UNANNOUNCED!! Winry has a thriving social life both in Resembool and Rush Valley. She knows every single person in Resembool and keeps tabs on the neighbors. She's invited to dinners and group outings all the time. People mourned when she moved to RV. Within a month of working at Garfiel's, she'd already met most of the people on the street and she remembers most of their names.

Because of her interests, it's often assumed that Winry is a "not like other girls" type but she is the exact opposite. If you say a single misogynistic thing about other girls' interests (like astrology or pop music) on a first date she is getting up and leaving.

Ling is hypermobile and can bend his hands like this️ ⬇️ as well as do things like back bends and pulling his shoulders out of their sockets. When he was younger he would go up to literally anyone (family members, visiting officials, perfect strangers) and ask if they wanted to see him pull his shoulder out and then not wait for an answer.

Ling's favorite fruit is mango. When he was seven he refused to eat anything but that and had so many that he threw up at a family function. (Mangos were ruined for him for two years.)

Lan Fan does not get sick often but when she does It's Bad and she's taken out for a week or more. When she was younger and delirious with fever, she started distressedly mumbling that she was turning into a cookie. Nothing would convince her otherwise (Fu tried everything). In the end, they had to get Ling to help and he calmed her down in seconds by saying "there are no crumbs so I think you're probably okay".

This is a small one: Lan Fan is on the ace spectrum.

When Mei cooks for other people she makes it as cute as humanly possible. Everything that can have a smiley face or heart on it will. Side note, Al and Mei are 100% a couple that cooks together.

Mei is a little bit fujopilled. You understand.

While he seems shady as hell, Greed's rap sheet is actually pathetically small. The worst crime he's ever committed is, of course, the single instance of kidnapping that we saw on screen.

Greed doesn't understand electricity. He thinks it's powered by electric eels ("eelectricity") and has numerous drawings in his diaries theorizing on the mechanics of these machines. Ex: A generator that has an eel tank with a water wheel inside of it. The drawing is accented with large arrows and question marks and "HOW DOES IT WORK"s. That being said! He's not stupid in all academics. Give this guy some numbers and put it in a financial context and he can calculate anything.

Greed likes the "finer things" but he also has bad taste and sometimes these clash horribly. Is the furniture in his home expensive? Yes. Does any of it match in any conceivable way? Fuck no. Also that nice walnut hutch that cost 1.5K is used solely to display his novelty bong collection.

Heinkel and Darius only became close and discovered the other was gay because of the Camping Trip. So,

[red-garden]

When will we, as a society, understand that Jin Guangyao’s story is about survival and the things he had to do to make it, rather than one super evil guy just trying to be awful and kill people? We can look past Wei Wuxian torturing and killing nameless Wen soldiers because we’re not attached to them and they’re Wens. That gets to be justified because it’s the bloody revenge of the protagonist on henchman #362. We can look past his desecration of the dead, his raising of fallen soldiers to tear apart their brothers in arms, because they’re the baddies. We look past him deserting Jiang Cheng after his return because he had people to protect and Jiang Cheng is an asshole (affectionate). Don’t misconstrue me- I love Wei Wuxian, and I think that he is a basically good person that was pushed past his breaking point and did some truly awful things as a result. He’s not a bad person. But he’s not better than Meng Yao.

Walk with me, Jin Guangyao antis. Let’s recount every bad thing Jin Guangyao has ever done in chronological order.

1) killed Nie Mingjue’s general

2) got Su She to cast the 100 holes curse on Jin Zixun (possibly to frame Wei Wuxian)

3) advocated for and later worked with Xue Yang

4) killed Nie Mingjue

5) banged his sister before he knew they were siblings, later married her after knowing

6) everything about Jin Guangshan’s death

7) allegedly killed his own son

8) chopping nie Mingjue up into little pieces and keeping his head in a cupboard

9) putting all the juniors in The Zombie Cave to get everyone on Wei Wuxian’s ass and kill a lot of people

10) almost killing Jin Ling

Numero uno first ever Bad Meng Yao Deed was killing Nie Mingjue’s general. You know, the general that constantly belittled him and repeatedly insulted his mom. Not only is this one totally understandable, it was also filial.

Next the 100 holes curse. There’s not solid proof that he wanted to frame WWX for this, it’s more likely this was just a better hidden filial killing in the name of his mother’s honor that ended up negatively impacting WWX.

Xue Yang is a little freak, but he’s a powerful, smart little freak. He was to protect Xue Yang in the interest of his father, although he does keep working with him after JGS’s death. This one was a power grab, trying to have extra pieces on the board to ensure his position among the Jin.

Nie Mingjue was another filial killing. If there’s one thing Meng Yao is gonna do is always be filial to his mom. Additionally, Nie Mingjue was not a perfect innocent angel either, he supported killing the Wen remnants. This wasn’t Meng Yao killing the last unicorn y’all. AND AND ALSO ALSO Jin Guangshan ordered this!!!!!!!!!! He was obeying his father to maintain his social position!!!!!!! What’s not clicking?

I get really mad over the Qin Su stuff, because marrying her after she was already pregnant was the kindest thing he could do for her. Should he have told her they were siblings and let her make her own choice? Absolutely. But he was trying protect her, and I can’t fault him for that. (Call back the nonconsensual golden core transfer)

The only thing I won’t defend is how he killed JGS. JGS was world’s worst guy, but no one deserves to be raped under any conditions. The sex workers he hired didn’t deserve to die, they didn’t deserve any of that. One thing I will say is that he didn’t plan for Sisi to be there. She had been transferred, he didn’t expect her, and after the fact he fed and clothed and kept her comfortable for the rest of her life. Keeping her under house arrest was how he protected his social position. Psychologically speaking I understand why he killed JGS like this however. While jiggy loved his mom, it’s clear he didn’t love sex workers more broadly, and saw his mom as an exception among them. He didn’t see the sex workers he killed as people, only saving Sisi because she was another supposed exception. For JGS, this was a taste of his own medicine type beat. JGS is a rapist, who raped Qin Su’s mom and jiggy’s mom when she was 15. I completely understand why he chose to kill JGS this way, but that doesn’t make it okay.

Jin Rusong’s death is completely alleged. While it ended up being politically advantageous to jiggy to squash the smaller sects that plotted against him, we have no idea if he killed his son. While he does say he does, he also says he killed Qin Su, who killed herself. While he may feel responsible for both their deaths, that doesn’t mean he killed them. I should point out the one claiming he killed his son was Sect Leader Yao, you know, the mob mentality character.

Chopping Nie Mingjue up is just common sense. Harder for a fierce corpse to kill you if it’s just a head. Harder to identify a body if it’s just a leg. “This is desecrating the dead” AND WHAT WAS WEI WUXIAN DOING, RIDDLE ME THAT BATMAN

For the juniors, this one was just poorly thought out tbh. He needed the Jianghu to get WWX’s ass because he was going to uproot him from his comfortable life. So he harmlessly leaves all the kids in a cave, gets everyone out there, gets their energy sealed, and lets people point fingers at WWX when the zombies start coming. He knows this likely would result in the deaths of many cultivators- many cultivators who need I remind you, make up the bourgeois, talk nasty about his mom, and who supported killing the Wen Remnants. This was like the ocean gate of wuxia, but y’all aren’t ready for that. He was protecting the life he worked so hard for, plain and simple 

Okay there are two things I won’t defend. While I don’t think he would’ve taking JL’s life, I can’t imagine how traumatic that was for Jin Ling. BUT AGAIN, I understand why he did it. He was grasping at straws, clinging to anything he thought might keep him alive, and he did a desperate, shitty thing. If you want to believe he never loved Jin Ling because of this moment, be my guest, but if there’s one thing jiggy can do is love.

All in all, he did a lot of desperate, shitty things to claw his way to a better life, and a lot of desperate shitty things to keep it. If you think he shouldn’t have cared so much about being part of the Jianghu, CONGRATULATIONS, YOU MISSED THE POINT !!🎉🎊 Poverty is violence, and he grew up in it. It was his mother’s wish, what she broke herself doing, to give him a better life. He was a good son, not going to squander what his mother gave him, trying to protect his very precarious position in a society that hated him for the fact of being born wrong. He’s not a moral paragon, but no one in mdzs is. They’re all people that react in deeply human ways to deeply unfair situations. They lash out, commit violence, do things they regret. Jiggy did a lot of terrible things, but the point is that he shouldn’t have had to.

[tossawary]

Thinking about the actual living arrangements between Wu Yanzi and Shen Jiu is interesting, because I would think that Wu Yanzi should be more than a little concerned that his new apprentice might decide to turn that bloody sword on him sooner or later.

Putting this below a cut because I'm talking about child abuse here.

You can come up with all sorts of angsty, abusive behavior for Wu Yanzi on the premise that he's afraid of what Shen Jiu might do, simpler examples being things like "he might have made Shen Jiu sleep outside if he was ever taking a room at an inn" and "he might have regularly taken all of Shen Jiu's belongings away because he couldn't 'trust' his disciple with them". More extreme, antagonizing examples being things like "he might have tied Shen Jiu up at night like a dog" or "he might have planted some kind of talismans that prevented Shen Jiu from coming near him or from leaving a small space". He might have even been "matter of fact" about it. Not obviously taking pleasure in a "necessary measure".

I don't think Wu Yanzi treated Shen Jiu like complete shit all the time, I think it probably would have depended on his moods, as it does with many abusers. I just think it's interesting to think about why exactly young Shen Jiu was "terrified to death" of this person. There has to have been a line of "worth putting up with this to learn some cultivation techniques" keeping Shen Jiu from deciding to just risk it and try to kill Wu Yanzi (the line ends up being Yue Qi at the Conference).

It's possible that Wu Yanzi treated Shen Jiu kind of okay most of the time, actually, trusting in his young apprentice's fear without relying on any kind of physical abuse. At the beginning, Wu Yanzi is something of a cultivator and Shen Jiu is not. By forcing Shen Jiu to participate in his foul crimes, he makes it harder for Shen Jiu to leave him, because now Wu Yanzi can threaten to TELL PEOPLE what Shen Jiu has done. And seeing Wu Yanzi kill people in horrific ways such as the Cursed Black Light talismans functions as a very effective threat by itself. "Behave or I'll kill you," is probably all the rope that Wu Yanzi would need to tie Shen Jiu up at night, honestly, stopping his apprentice from killing him in his sleep. Verbal threats and abuse are more than enough, especially when said by an actual murderer.

I think it's interesting to think about the different ways that abuse manifests, and how the different styles of abuse from Qiu Jianluo and Wu Yanzi might have affected Shen Jiu. We don't see a lot of Shen Jiu's life with Wu Yanzi, so we don't know whether or not his behavior was playfully cruel or tersely paranoid or coldly detached. It's easier to draw links between Shen Jiu's abusive treatment of Luo Binghe and Qiu Jianluo's abuse of Shen Jiu.

Anyway, I was thinking about this because I was thinking about more Canon Divergence AUs for Qijiu. Like, what if, after killing Qiu Jianluo, Shen Jiu gets a taste of what his life will be like under Wu Yanzi and throws caution to the wind to murder this guy? He desperately wants to learn cultivation, yes, but he doesn't want another master. Maybe there's some bounty on Wu Yanzi's head and Shen Jiu decides to take it, and hopefully leverage the kill as his legitimate entrance into the cultivation world?

I'm wondering how easy it would be to somehow get Shen Jiu to Cang Qiong Mountain Sect when Yue Qi has been trapped in the Ling Xi caves. I don't think that Shen Jiu would be happy about Yue Qi's imprisonment at all. That could end up being a very dramatic rescue.

[mxtxfanatic]

As someone who has far too much time on their hands I have waded through Ao3 and found some canon-complacent fics that do not assume that Jiang Cheng is a good brother, are not influenced by the untamed, and are hopefully to your tastes!

Our Feelings Remain Unchanged by Karmiya

When Wei Wuxian is resurrected with his original face, any plans to hide in plain sight as 'Mo Xuanyu' are ruined before they can ever begin. He soon runs into old faces, and finds that despite what he feared in his last days, Lan Wangji's feelings for him never changed; whatever they were in the first place.

I really like this author in general! All their fics are good but this is my favorite of them. It is not remaining in line with cannon because oh boy Wei Wuxian having the same face changes things starting with the fact that Sizhui recognizes him...

The Shade of Old Trees by Kryal

“We rest in the shade of trees our ancestors planted.” They called the man in the ice Yiling Laozu, after a folk hero associated with the town in the foothills of the mountains where he was found. No one expected him to be alive!

I believe you will appreciate this authors long footnotes. Also the historical details and world building is fascinating. They clearly put a lot of research into this.

this world (what I make of it) by glitteringmoonlight

The war had consequences. Once, a fully realized Avatar referred to one who had mastered all the elements and could go into the Avatar State. Now, that has changed. No one could master fire when there was no one to teach it, and people feared the abilities of a firebender too much to allow anyone, even the Avatar, to learn too much of it. Now, an Avatar was simply said to be fully realized when their instructors decided they had learnt enough.   In which Lan Sizhui is the Avatar, but he cannot firebend, nor can he waterbend very well. That changes when his travels take him to Yiling.

The best avatar fusion fic I've read. No mentions of jc so far and Wei Wuxian currently remains a mysterious figure who is for sure not a bloodbender and definitely isn't in hiding.

A look back at the past (it's never like they lie) by Imnobody122

Jin Ling had always wanted to know his parents so when he heard rumors about a ghost forcing people to relive their earliest childhood memories he jumped at the chance. Things did not go according to plan. Instead he's stuck watching the childhood memories of Lan Sizhui and Jin Ling is forced to confront the truth the Sects lied about. The Yiling Laozu should not be good with children!

It's harder to get more canon complainant than when you are literally quoting the text. Don't worry the author makes no excuses for Jiang Cheng and this fic tears apart the rumors surrounding Wei Wuxian.

Return to Sender by Theasaurus_with_no_words

On yet another gray and eerie morning in the Burial Mounds, Wei Wuxian wakes up with his golden core back. It turns out he lost something else in the process. (Aka: Wei Wuxian's feelings towards certain people get erased. It changes things. Is it a curse, or a blessing in disguise? And can Wei Wuxian trust himself, his choices and his priorities, after losing a defining part of who he is?)

Wei Wuxian regains his golden core and loses his loyalty due to Jiang Cheng's ingratitude. This is not a bad trade.

I hope you like them and it is kind of depressing that this list only has five entries but oh well.

Some more mdzs fic recs if anyone is interested!

[wisssp]

Whistling in the Dark

i'll say it louder for the people in the back- this is a Weasley twins x oc piece. don't read it if you don't like it(:

{didn't expect to get another chapter so soon did you???}

female reader; first person pov; slow burn; smut; minors-DNI

wc: 1,612

Chapter 11

~Lee~

{The day prior}

At 8 pm sharp, I was stood in front of the boys' door. I was wearing an old, plain white t-shirt with my ripped jeans and converse, hoping I wasn't under-dressed. Before I could knock, the door swung open and revealed an empty room. I slowly walked in, not really knowing what to expect.

"Fred? George? Should I come back?" I speak loudly into the open space and take a couple more steps forward. The door quietly shut behind me and I felt a hand cover my mouth. There was a brief moment where I panicked, until the scent of cinnamon and vanilla engulfed me.

Fred.

"You are not ready for what is about to happen." He whispers in my ear, sending chills down my spine. The kiss he placed below my ear shortly after didn't help much either. He removes his hand and guides me towards the opposite wall, where the window was sitting wide open. He stands beside me and tugs my arm downward. "Oh, you're probably going to want to sit for this."

I sit down and look out at the night sky before us. The dark grey clouds mixed almost seamlessly with the navy sky. If it weren't for the twinkling stars peaking through, the sky would resemble the strokes of a paintbrush. A couple minutes go by and I continue to enjoy the view, when all of a sudden I feel Fred nudging me with his elbow. I look over at him and he's smiling ear to ear.

"Look up." He nods his head toward the ceiling.

It's beautiful. Swirling galaxies and stars hung down, almost close enough to touch. I heard the window close and saw George sit down as well. My mouth hung open from the pure shock of having the night sky trapped in a bedroom. I look back down to see both of the boys staring at me, grinning like maniacs.

"Since you've moved over here, we've noticed you like to get lost in the stars. So while we've been working on some prototypes for our own thing, we wanted to do this for you." George uncorked this empty bottle in his hands and stood up. The mass of stars and space matter was pulled straight into it, almost like a vacuum. He quickly corked it back up and placed it in my hands.

"This is your little galaxy. You can let it loose anytime you wish, as long as the environment you're in is stable. You can also just keep it in the bottle and swirl it around if you'd like. Seriously, whatever you want to do with it." George's cheeks start to tinge pink.

"Brother, you're rambling." Fred claps a hand on his shoulder. "Basically what he means to say, is this is a metaphor. Our interest in you has been growing and growing at a rate which we can't control, kind of like the universe. This is kind of our way of showing you. It's also because your ass is out of this world-" I cut him off by smacking his shoulder, earning me a chuckle. I tilted my head to the side and pulled Fred in for a hug, clinging tightly to his neck.

"I love it. Thank you." I whisper in his ear. If I didn't know any better, i'd say he shuddered but I could be over analyzing things. Shortly after the embrace, I release him and make my way over to George. I look up in his eyes and brush some hair out of the way.

"This is extremely sweet. I seriously can't believe you guys did this for me. Thank you so much." I place my hand on the back of his neck and bring him down to my level. I softly place my lips on his and he instantly starts kissing me back. I start kissing him harder as his hands find my waist and drift to the small of my back, pulling me in closer. My hands end up in his hair and I soon feel his tongue tracing my lips, almost as if he's asking for entrance. I let him in and fight for dominance, moaning at the way he tastes. He pulls away to get a few deep breaths. His eyes look darker, almost starved. Sweet mint lingers on my lips, making me want more.

"Holy fuck, Lady Bird." Fred pipes up. I looked over and smirked at him. I let his brother go and took a few steps toward him. I gripped his shirt in my fist and pulled him down, his lips crashing into mine. His tongue immediately forces its way into my mouth, the flavor of cinnamon flooding my taste buds. He lets out a low growl and wraps his arms around my waist, squeezing me tight. He lifts me up and I wrap my legs around his waist, his hands drifting down to the underside of my thighs.

I pull away for a quick breath and see George leaned back against the bedpost. His eyes are wild and his hair is messy, like he's been running his hands through it. I make eye contact with him and smirk, causing him to groan. Fred turns us a bit so I now have a clear view of George over his shoulder. Fred starts kissing my neck and I regain the eye contact I had with George. I tilt my head to the side, giving Fred more access. I let out a moan and bite my lip, making sure I keep that eye contact. I point at George and then curl my finger, beckoning him over. He doesn't skip a beat and he makes his way over. I feel Fred start to nip and bite at my neck, causing me to moan a bit more. George's hand then grips my hair and pulls my head more to the side, giving his brother a bit more room before he captures my next moan with his lips. He starts biting and sucking my bottom lip, driving me fucking crazy.

I didn't know George had this side to him.

I pull back for another breath and George steps back, walking over towards the window. Fred places me back on my feet and I am a hot and bothered mess. I glance at the clock which was a big mistake. Everyone was supposed to be in their house dorms in 4 minutes. I clap my hands together.

"Alright boys, as much as I don't want this to end- and trust me I really don't- I don't want to get another detention so much more. I will see you guys tomorrow. Have the sweetest dreams. Oh, and seriously, thank you for this. It means a lot to me." I grab the bottled galaxy off of Fred's dresser and head to the door. They both look at the clock and then look at me with wide eyes and rush to walk me out. We all get to the door of the Gryffindor common room when the boys decide to block my path.

"Okay seriously i'm going to miss curfew and I don't want that. It's not the time to fuck around." I cross my arms over my chest.

"You can't leave without a kiss." They state firmly in unison and mirror me, crossing their arms over their chests. I smile and roll my eyes, giving them both a quick kiss.

"Now move!" I push between them and open the door. I run at full speed down the corridors until I reach the barrels and tap the sequence. I make it in with a minute to spare. I stop in the common room to catch my breath and see that Cedric, Michael, and Anthony were sitting on the couch. They all stopped their conversation and tuned into me and my harsh breathing.

"Sorry guys, don't mind me." I manage to get out between breaths.

"Where have you been off to?" Cedric places his arm on the back of the couch and smirks, his arrogance filling the room.

"Where were you taught to mind your business? That's right, your mom's house." With that I turned around and walked up the steps to my room. I walk in and see that Paige is sitting in bed, reading. I debated on talking to her about the whole Ron situation but frankly I am exhausted.

"Hello, beloved sister. I am so unbelievably tired and I honestly would love nothing more than to fall into a deep slumber. Can we save our stories of today for tomorrow?" I drop my bag on the floor and fall into bed while she laughs at me.

"Of course. Thank you for being clear and honest with me. I hope your slumber is bountiful and I hope your dreams are pleasant. Get your rest." She smiles at me and turns the main light off, but keeping her reading light on.

About 15 minutes go by and I hear her switch her light off, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I really don't know what i'm getting myself into. I really, really enjoy both of the boys but I really don't want to cause any problems between them. They didn't seem worried about that when they both were devouring me, but I better prepare myself for when that day comes. I really don't know how i'll feel or how all of this will go but I guess I really just have to take a step back and let it run its course.

I toss and turn a couple times until I get comfortable, soon drifting off into a very peaceful sleep.

[horsegirlwarcrimes]

Alright, you have answered me again (SY gets two daemons sounds extremely interesting! The "what the fuck happened to Shen Qingqiu" Peak Lord meeting in this AU is going to have some shit to talk about, huh!) so now I'm moving on to the next in my list of WIPs I'm really super curious about - Scooby Gang Juniors? Juniors fics are so fun what shenanigans are they getting into?

auw im literally dead u r so kind ( ;´ - `;)♡

scooby gang juniors, actual title some 'Never Love An Anchor' lyrics bc thats the theme song of this fic, is actually the first longfic i ever started writing! it has also been a WIP for mmm. four years or so. i started writing it right after watching the untamed for the first time in 2019 lmao, but never finished it because at that point id never written ANYTHING as long as it was gearing up to be (the outline is 20k). i hope to finally finish it and post it some time soon, probs after WINR and the ZZL&YQY fics are done. its probs some of my fav writing ive ever done but never shared with anyone haha

summary: Wei Wuxian may have drafted a ritual for willingly bringing someone back from the dead somewhere in his madness in the caves of the Burial Mounds, but if he did it was never found. In the absence of a convenient literal ghost from the past to help exact his revenge, Nie Huaisang turns to the next best thing: his old friend's son.

Meanwhile, Lan Sizhui finds a man buried deep underground with soft, familiar eyes.

[Lan Sizhui, Lan Jingyi, Jin Ling, Ouyang Zizhen, and Wen Ning go on a life changing field trip, dodge their worried parents, and dig up some corpses, in approximately that order.]

“When I realized how deeply affected by the Yiling Patriarch Hanguang-Jun was, I began to realize where this slip in righteousness had come from. You see, while I and the rest of the cultivation world believed that Lan Wangji had been in secluded cultivation for three years to move to a new level in his cultivation, or because he had been wounded fighting the Yiling Patriarch, the truth is much the opposite. Hanguang-Jun was in seclusion as punishment, for siding with the Yiling Patriarch at the Siege of the Burial Mounds. All along, these famed enemies had secretly been allied.”  Jin Guangyao shook his head, expression deeply sympathetic even as the cultivators of the room began to turn to Hanguang-Jun. Hands went to swords, only remaining undrawn due to the thick tension in the room that had yet to break. Hanguang-Jun stood immovable through it all, flawless as jade and cold as ice.  “I believe the Yiling Patriarch must have altered his mind, and had been using his demonic arts to corrupt him as far back as the Sunshot campaign. Now, with the feared patriarch dead, it seems this would no longer be such an issue. But Wei Wuxian left one final plan even after his death, a fail-safe to bring ruin to the cultivation world once again even when he was long gone, and he entrusted that plan to Hanguang-Jun before his death.”  At last, his eyes met Sizhui’s again. Sizhui’s mouth tasted electric, the buzz of the room crashing into him in waves even as it narrowed just to himself, his uncle at his back, his father, and the man before him. He inhaled through his nose and straightened, perfect Lan posture and the ribbon on his forehead proudly on display. He narrowed his eyes back at Jin Guanyao and did not drop his gaze. Jin Guangyao smiled, a flicker of amusement, before he regained his expression of earnest concern to address the crowd.  “I found proof in the records of the Wen work camps, and writings recovered from the Nightless City. You see, Lan Sizhui, ward of Hanguang-Jun and First Disciple of Gusu Lan, was neither a war orphan nor a poorly concealed bastard, but instead a child smuggled out of the Burial Mounds before the siege.”  Jin Guangyao swept a sleeve over Sizhui’s group.  “Honored cultivators, I stand before you to reveal the surviving heir of the Qishan Wen Sect. Called Lan Sizhui but born Wen Yuan, the son of Wen Xu and his first concubine. Cousin of the Ghost General, and former ward of the Yiling Patriarch, already beginning the work of reviving the Wen and overwhelming the righteous sects with demonic cultivators.”  In the chaos, only one voice cut so bitingly through the noise. Calm and cold and sure, Sizhui latched onto it with all his heart. Anything to avoid looking behind him, at the friends he had lied to.  “So you admit it.” Said Hanguang-Jun, unmoving from his spot amidst the Lan. Jin Guangyao blinked wide eyes at him.  “I’m sorry?”  Hanguang-Jun stepped forward. Even with his name being almost literally dragged through the mud, cultivators still parted around him with automatic deference.  “You admit you knew children were being tortured, in your work camps.” 

[gay-disabled-characters-showdown]

LBGTQ+ Disabled Characters Showdown Round 3, Wave 1, Poll 10

A character being totally canon LGBTQ+ and disabled was not required to be in this competition. Please check qualifications and propaganda before asking why a character is included. 

Check out the other polls in this wave and prior here.

Hunter-The Owl House

Qualifications:

He's bisexual, and also has SO MUCH autism vibes. Also trauma. Lots of trauma.

Propaganda:

He's so cool. Just like genuinely.

Zhou Zishu-Word of Honor / Shan He Ling

Qualifications:

He might not count but I wanted to submit just in case. So in order to leave an assassination organization, he has to basically give himself a terminal condition that slowly destroys him over time, killing him after 3 years. So his ability/power is severely limited which is a big hindrance because he only has the strength to fight for a short while before his condition flares up. And over the course of the show he also looses some of his senses. He looses his sense of taste and smell and his ability to feel pain is significantly lost. The reason why it might not count is that they figure out how to cure him at the very end, but he spends the vast majority of the show suffering from this condition.

Propaganda:

He and his soulmate/husband are iconic. War criminal duo. They're both mass murderers who want to settle down with a nice domestic life with their adopted son. He's also got amazing gender. The show also has some interesting things to say about chronic/terminal illness

[namu-uman]

This is the first time in over a year where I'm watching more than 2 dramas at a time so I figured I should make a post about it to commemorate 😬

I think I like Guardians of the Dafeng best of the 3 I'm watching currently which is funny because I expected to watch it just for fun and not get attached. When I started it I thought it'd be Brooklyn 99 in fantasy version of ancient China lol.

I love Xu Qi An/Yang Ling a lot, he's fun and brave and kind and charming but he's also an opportunistic dumbass that really enjoys those brothel outings so he feels real and not some Gary Stu. The supporting cast are funny and endearing and the family and friendship ties feel believable. The only thing I wasn't sure of was the main couple and I even expected it to be the one part I'd dislike but they've actually become really sweet too. But I'm worried the drama will end in a cliffhanger and then we won't get season 2 for years if ever 😣. It's been doing great with viewers and has lots of ads but the ratings on douban are apparently bad...

As for the other two, Flourishing Peony is pretty great but I'm not as into the romance tbh. I don't mind slow burn normally, but I don't know if they'll pull it off convincingly in the episodes left. I still like it despite that though, and it's gorgeous which is saying something cause Tang dynasty make-up is usually too... distracting for my tastes lol. This is also the only one of the "female empowerment through business" cdramas that I actually enjoyed until now. The peony business discussion stays boring but they've so far given me enough plot and character development to keep me interested.

Moonlight mystique is fun and I like the main couple though I'm kinda indifferent to the rest and I did skip a few times. The set and costumes are very cheap looking though and even all the blinding colors can't hide it. The story and main characters are interesting enough to make me ignore it fortunately. Also I really hate the flower demon lady. She's somehow even more hateful than the princess in The Double. Half the reason I'm watching at this point is that I want to see her get punished, ideally by SML's sword though I worry they'll make him get Stockholm syndrome ugh

[adanseying]

book recs? My fav books are trc, aftg, soc, shadowhunters/riordanverse etc and the likes (so basically the most basic literature taste known to man) thanks!

well I enjoy all of those and trc is my fav series so will give you a couple of my main fantasy recs along those lines or not dissimilar and throw in one of my fav thrillers which is very gay and explores dark themes for aftg adjacent rep, and then another suspense book i love. I sort of went with books i could draw some type of lines of comparison to at least one of the books you mentioned.

•The Diviners series by Libba Bray — this is my go to ya fantasy rec these days, it’s historical urban fantasy with some horror and mystery elements. It’s set in 1920’s New York, book one opens focusing mainly on Evie and a specific case of a ghost serial killer but introduces other chars, after the first book it becomes more about an ensemble cast of Diviners who have different supernatural powers and their dynamics, also the main antagonist is bigotry and hate which I’m aware is a concept that can be done poorly in fantasy and I won’t pretend every beat of it is flawless but it is my favorite example of a fantasy series take on that concept that I’ve read. More importantly stunning character work I especially adore the female chars among the diviners Evie Theta and Ling, Ling is one of the most special characters ever and these books should be worth reading because of her INTP canon ace lesbian with autistic swag realness alone. 

I definitely would recommend it to TID/TLH fans for the historical setting and atmosphere as well as some of the playing with man vs machine + to TRC/TDT fans for the characterization and also the second book is largely about Henry and Ling learning about their dream powers and developing a friendship through this and also Ling has a narrative foil in dreamspace she’s gay with just think some of those idea would resonate with trcers + to SoC fans for the ensemble dynamics. 

•The Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray

This is one I used to describe to people as The Gangsey all girls au set in Victorian London and that’s not fully accurate but it works enough to be a pitch, but basically it’s about this group of four girls who go to a boarding school together and discover a sort of parallel world where they can bee free and realize their ambitions detached from society, but in the real world they’ve awakened horrors they must deal with too. I need to reread this one but it was deeply formative, if you love messy complicated female friendship dynamics and paranormal/mystical plots that are just creepy enough this is for you. Also my favorite character in it is a gay blonde mean girl character who is ambitious and wants autonomy above all else but does also love her friends fiercely Felicity Worthington you will always be famous <3 if you enjoy Jessamine Lovelace and Grace Blackthorn from TSC she has strong parallels to both those chars imo and is better written/handled arc wise. But I will tell you that the other wlw char in the book who is her love interest dies there is byg, just so you no one gets mad at me for that. But still very worth the read imo. 

•The Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor

this series is a mix of urban fantasy and high fantasy, the first book is set mainly in Prague but large parts of the other books take place in a fantasy world called Eretz so there is a fun parallel worlds element. But it’s about Karou who is one of theee protagonists of the 2010s yet got paid dust justice for my girl, and she’s an art student in Prague who was raised by a family of monsters (chimeara), her surrogate father is Brimstone and he has a business of selling wishes for teeth that Karou sometimes helps with but is frustrated that she isn’t allowed to know why or what they’re for. Karou’s dynamics with the chimearas and with her best friends Zuzana who is also a wonderful character and inspo for my letterboxd url rabidfairy09, are really lovely and the prose is so beautiful… but the story really takes off when the love interest Akiva is introduced I won’t go into details about that because spoilers, but they have one of my absolute favorite romances in the genre that does subvert and play with those paranormal forbidden star crossed romance tropes in ways I think are quite fascinating. Books 2 and 3 are more complicated to describe there is an essential conflict between chimeras or devils vs angels in this world so there’s your modern tsc connection, and very lyrical prose although I find Lainis even lusher and more elegant than trc prose. 

• Sawkill Girls by Clara Legrand 

Ya horror book that I remember reading over the summer in high school and I think it’s a good summer read tonally, part of the plot is one of those stranded on an island survival stories but it’s less intense than like Yellowjackets (no cannibalism), I don’t actually have much to sell about the plot I just enjoyed the vibes and also there are lesbians one of whom is an ambitious driven abuse survivor who had an arc I remember really liking.

•Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie Mclemore I actually really love all the books by her I’ve read but I think this is a great one to start with. Basically there are multiple generations of women who are all witches living together (300 fox way vibes), and Estella has several cousins and she and them are all in love with the same woman who is the daughter of the man who owns the estate, and there’s a thing where boys and this family keep disappearing and then one of them shows up and resulting drama. The main romance is m/f but like all the female chars being bi, it is a good romance from my memory but the main event is the familial dynamics, the main character Estella’s arc around dealing with her internalized self hatred and a lot of anti colonial themes those anti colonial themes and themes of multigenerational trauma are very relevant in all the Mclemore I’ve read so yes, very much would read her starting with this book. Also very gorgeous prose as is in all her magical realism stuff. 

•this one is already quite popular on tumblr so you may have read it but The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black, if you enjoy the cutthroat gang in SoC and that high fantasy world I think you would enjoy it I also get some Zoya vibes as well as Kaz vibes from Jude the main heroine. Won’t bother with detailed description because again, very popular books. 

•Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire

basically a series of portal fantasies or fairytales for adults, they are all novellas and it’s an ongoing series following several different chars not all of whom appear in each book. But I enjoy them and I think if you like Riordanverse this is like an adult fantasy take on similar concepts in a way, even though it’s not directly mythology based.

•The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir

This is the other tumblr popular series on the list and has a good amount of overlap with trc/aftg/soc fans so will only give the brief pitch that it’s adult sci fantasy and about lesbian necromancers in space. You will be very confused at least some of the time but it is worth it, trust me. 

•Black Iris by Leah Raeder 

new adult psychological thriller with a sapphic romance that slaps so hard. Delaney Keatings is one of my favorite unreliable narrators and also just an A+ character, there’s not a lot I can say about the actual plot because a lot of it is psychological but will give one other plot hint: vigilantes. Definitely look up trigger warnings before reading this there’s a lot about homophobia and also references to sexual violence, drug use a lot more it’s very in line with Aftg in terms of like, grittiness in that regard. Do highly recommend. 

•Dare Me by Megan Abbott 

like with Mclemore I love this author in general and would recommend everything I’ve read by her but this was my first book of hers so it’s a good introduction, and also a lot of it is about girls on a cheer team having homoerotic psychosexual dynamics as well as the murder, so it’s also in line with aftg thematically in that way. gay sports media. 

There are a lot of others but I don’t want to make this list ridiculously long so… here are some recs <3 thank you so much anon for letting me ramble and I hope you like them!

[lgbtlunaverse]

In an echo of sorts on my "I want post canon wwx to have complicated feelings on jgy" post, though in a different way, I would love to see post-canon Jiang Cheng having some seriously complex feelings to unpack about Wen Ning and Sizhui.

Like. The entire cultivation world has to answer for what happened to the Wen Remnants, there is not one person singularly responsible (though things would have been so much easier if we got rid of jin guangshan earlier. alas.) But of all those people in either siege Jiang Cheng is the only one who actually met them before on the burial mounds, at peace. And while the siege was happening he was very much not thinking about the overall ethics, mostly busy with the fact that his brother in law and sister were dead. And after Wei Wuxian's death I have to imagine not much "productively working through feelings surrounding wwx" of any kind was done.

But now he's back. And with it all the other shit that got repressed.

And cql canon very handily present an opportunity for the complicated feelings with the chengqing and all but even in novel canon uh... Wei Wuxian's back. And Wen Ning is back. And Lan Sizhui is the toddler that Jiang Cheng met and thought was dead for 13 years, a death he would have personally been involved in. And he's his nephew's friend. And also the teenager who's been fascilating extremely tilted and antagonistic conversations between him and Lan Wangji for years now. That kid. You could have killed that kid. You almost did.

And Wen Ning strongly dislikes him now, in a way that is deeply painful and interesting for both of them, but any of Sizhui's and Jiang Cheng's interactions have had no reaosn to be anything but polite and cordial. Pretty sure Jiang Cheng as of the end of the story doesn't even KNOW Sizhui is a Wen but a-yuan and wen ning aren't gonna seperate anytime soon and jin ling will know which means eventually he'll probably find out and... I don't know, you look at a kid your nephew's age and realize he is one of a handful of people still alive who knows what your sister's soup tasted like, and that you've personally helped murder his family. Not to even mention him being wangji's ward and wangxian considering him family meaning that... if you look at it from a certain angle (and accepted several truths about wei wuxian and who you are to each other that you are not willing to admit) that's your other nephew.

(And again in cql-verse that's the little cousin and brother of the woman you wanted to marry at one point so haha that's cool another family you never had and lost anyway have fun thinking about that!)

[w0lfinsheepscl0thing]

Rating Song Spotify Picks for 1899 Characters (1/2)

I shuffled my liked songs (the most vast playlist I have), then analyzed them to see how well the lyrics or overall vibe matches the character. Here's how it went!

Maura - Cigarette Daydreams (Cage The Elephant)

Strong start! I think this actually isn’t far off from Maura, and the theme of loss can tie back to Elliot, relating to Elliot’s condition slowly getting worse, but Muara’s struggle because of it going up alongside it. The themes of there being a physical closeness but emotional detachment make me think of Maura’s possible relationship with Daniel throughout all of it. There are definitely some takeaways, but I think I’ll give this a solid 7/10!

Daniel - House Of The Rising Sun (The Animals’ version)

Now, Daniel doesn’t waste his life away in the House of the Rising Sun which is widely understood to be a brothel, but if you really try, you can make the house out to represent the simulation. It doesn’t directly relate back to him, but you cannnnn see it as wasting time in a perfect world instead of facing the reality of 2099 (if that really is reality…). I’ll go with 4/10.

Eyk - You Get Me So High (The Neighborhood)

I can see this relating back to Sara, because I like to believe that she and Eyk deeply loved each other before she passed, regardless of Maura’s later connection. However, this song is about the high and intoxicating part of being with someone who understands you and it being taken away, I don’t think that’s exactly what they had. The latter part, though, can resemble their connection being broken when Eyk’s work gets in the way, and I think that’s worth something. 5/10.

Ángel - Please Please Please (Sabrina Carpenter)

I think out of anyone on this list, this applies to Ramiro, not Ángel. The overall tone doesn’t match (I’d be more convinced if it was the acoustic version), but the idea of ‘keep yourself together’ makes me think of Ángel having to keep his head down and Ramiro enforcing that. But this just isn’t it; I save so many songs that encapsulate Ángel, and this just doesn’t do it for me! 3/10!

Ramiro - The Killing Moon (Echo & the Bunnymen)

This is an amazing pick! While the song encapsulates the show with its core theme being the meaning of life, the verse reminds me of Ramiro with Ángel, depicting some being taking the protagonist by force. In my head, this makes me think of an early reluctance to love and Ángel cutting to the chase. I could be reading into this too much, with this song and the others, but I’ll give this a 7/10 for effort!

Ling Yi - A Different Age (Current Joys)

I’ve said it five times and I’ll say it again: I can see the vision, and I believe it can go back to Ling Yi and her mother. She wants to leave their harbor and see more things, which eventually leads her to make big mistakes. Yuk Je, and her eyes, cannot understand this like she can because she has lived a safe life as a prostitute to provide for the two of them; Yuk Je bottles herself, Ling Yi does not. But by the end of episode three, Ling Yi starts to want to change, sort of going back to “And I wish I could change, but I’ll probably just stay the same”. 6/10 for effort.

Yuk Je - Eleanor Rigby (The Beatles)

It was bound to give me a Beatles song at some point with my music taste! But I do not see the vision. You could argue that Yuk Je is one of the many lonely people, surrounded by people but only remembered by her daughter, but I believe that’s as close as the story of this song and that of hers collide. Great song, though! 3/10 because I have a Beatles bias.

Jérôme - The Bug Collector (Haley Heynderickx)

Yeah, I don’t think so. The story in this song shows someone trying to make their partner feel safe while also teaching them to enjoy the world, and nothing comes to mind relating Jérôme or others in his journey. I’ll give this a 1/10 because I can’t find anything that may relate to him.

Clémence - Advice (Alex G)

Interesting! I would say it could resemble Clémence confronting Lucien, but the narrator truly cares about the person receiving the Advice, and the rest speaks for itself. I feel like I’m missing something, but other than that, 2/10!

Lucien - Stress Relief (late night drive home)

I don’t think it’s impossible to associate this song with Lucien, but I can’t. I’ll cut to the chase: 1/10.

I think I was hoping for shocking responses, but this bunch isn’t too bad! Cigarette Daydreams rightfully earned first place for this half of my list of characters, and we’ll see what arises next shuffle!

[burninface]

🍾Weekly Tag Wednesday Friday🎉

FINALLY, after overtime work for three days straight, I can leave work on time and have time to finish all the interesting tag games 😇 it's a 3 in 1 post so:

first thaaaanks for tagging me ling @lingy910y , Al🧊 @spookygingerr, dean @transsexual-dandelions , deanna @deedala , sarah @atthedugouts 💖

name: face

age: it’s year of loong🐉 and 🐉 is my animal sign

location: bed

what is your dj name? well… hddnd, pronounce upside-down puppy

if you were a genre of music, what would it be? Fusion, a little bit of this, a little bit of that

what would you title your biography? Random Dream Generator

what are the first three things you'd do if you were invisible? It sounds boring and nerdy😴: 1)test out the how invisible I am, will all my metabolic substances also be invisible. 2)test what will happen if I intake some drink or food, or use skincare. 3)find out how would I look like in mirror/camera/photos

what subject do you wish was taught in every school? adulting classes and death education, maybe sex education and mental health too.

when was the last time you tried something for the first time and what was it? I tried osmanthus cheese ice cream today (I just picked out the box from my trash bin to check the English title lol), it tastes… meh😌

what is the most underrated city you have ever visited? I don't know? I never check much negative comments about a city before I go there...?

what day in your life would you like to relive? If I can relive it as my recent self, then maybe the day I birthed. if I can only relive it as my past self, then none of them.

if you could eliminate one thing from your daily routine, what would it be and why? Picking up my hair all around my home😩

how long would you last in a zombie apocalypse? Depends, if it’s bite-you-and-you-die kind of zombie, about a week I guess (with all my skill learnt from zombie games lol). If it’s bite-you-and-you-become-zombie kind, at first day I’ll be bitten (out of curious) and I’ll try my best to write down how it felt like to become a zombie.

what would be the most surprising scientific discovery imaginable? I’m actually living in my dream and my dreams are my real lives neuron regeneration/ braindance (physical sensations, emotions, and thoughts recording technic in cyberpunk2077, but ethically it may won’t be achieved)

if you could have any view out your office window, what would you choose? As far as it’s natural scenery, I’m ok with it

🎊pinterest tag game🎊

thank you Al, deanna, nosho @creepkinginc , julia @blue-disco-lights , tee @mickeym4ndy for tagging me💕

rules: search up fashion, pantone, mood, and food on pinterest and then save the first picture that comes up.

that outfit looks like smth I'll be interested in enough to try out in the shop but then never choose to buy. and that pantone pic is just…… so me. and I got the same mood pic with tee! the last one, not a fan of green onion😬

🍦positivity tag game🍟

thank you Al🧊, ling and keely @thepupperino for tagging me do this💝

rules: list 3 things you’re excited about for today.

1 after overtime work for three days straight, I finally can leave work on time! 2 I finally left work on time! 3 I LEFT WORK ON TIME!

Ok, just kidding 😗

1 after overtime work for three days straight, I finally can leave work on time! 2 ELDEN RING Shadow of the Erdtree released today! 3 Adam Lambert has a new song cvnty released on today too!

No tagging anyone since I'm late but just go ahead if you want to do any of these games!

[altarfates]

Silence suffocates. Qiao Ling can’t remember the last time she and Cheng Xiaoshi had fought this badly. They squabble all the time, and yet. This is different. This has stung. She can still feel the ache of crescent-shaped indents from where she dug her nails into her palms. You can’t go to Bridon. You can’t go to Bridon.

Posture rigid, she clears her throat as she joins Xiaoshi in the living room of the photo studio. “Hey,” she begins. Fingers wring together in front of her, an old, nervous fidget. “I’m… sorry. About yesterday.” Where does she go from there? That she hopes he understands? That she’s glad he’s seemingly listening to her? “I just didn’t want you to go and get hurt.” After all, she had no idea what he’d find over there.

She didn’t want him more disappointed than he already was.

[ glare ]+ reciever is still hurt after an argument. ( not nonverbal after all, oops )

His anger was a deluge, rapidly filling the room, until each breath was imbued with it, uneven and remorseful. Cheng Xiaoshi couldn’t remember a time they had fought like this. As every other instance of bickering paled in comparison as soon as he deflated, hurt rose to breach that tempestuous surface. It wouldn’t have been hard to reconcile had it not been for the truth that settled between them leaving an unintentional wound. Qiao Ling had only ever cared for him and even as anxiety seethed within him, urging him to run, that fact remained unchanged. He wants to apologize, as that inundating feeling dissipated and he was able to breathe once more it tugged at him, insistent and imploring. Almost as instantly as he had retaliated, Cheng Xiaoshi wanted to apologize. Still, it took some time for him to approach her, it wasn’t intentional avoidance it was just ━ each time he thought he knew what to say, how to apologize, the words promptly dissolved on his tongue. With Lu Guang in his corner, dependable and reassuring Lu Guang, Cheng Xiaoshi’s remorse now returns two-fold. They were going to lie to her. Even as his heart insists that it’s crucial, that he can apologize in earnest later, its reluctance remains persistent. It wasn’t that he would regret going to Bridon, nor was it that he was fearful of what they might find, only that hurting Qiao Ling was something he couldn’t abide by. 

Is that why tension settles in his shoulders, why he cannot quite bring himself to meet her eyes. Whereas once he would languidly sprawl upon the couch, firmly pressing Lu Guang up against the opposite arm, he was now hunched over. It was so disparate to his usual demeanour, it seemed like he was trying to curl in on himself, stubbornly concealing the places he hurt the most. He had been like that when he was young, fiercely stubborn even when he wanted to cry the most. Cheng Xiaoshi’s gaze lifts, slow, hesitant but when he meets hers his mouth still attempts futilely to smile, it quivers before relenting. 

“ Hey… Qiao Ling.” even his greeting is dejected, as if all his usual ebullience had been drained away. Still, he lifts his hands in a meek wave. It was better than nothing. He has to manage something, should he smile, even if it's dishonest, no, that feels wrong. Should he apologize even when he’s going to disobey anyway, that feels wrong too. Cheng Xiaoshi settled for shaking his head, it wasn’t to dismiss her, only that he understood. “ It was my fault too, that reaction sure was something.” It leaves an unpleasant taste in his mouth and as he fabricates what he thinks that lie should look like his fingers press into the plush couch, seeking purchase. “ You always have our best interest in mind, I know that.” Even if he resists it still comes out as a tremulous exhale, his brows furrowing. “ I…” he trails off, he’s listening but words remain elusive, tangled in amongst thoughts of what awaits them on the other side of their journey to Bridon. The conflict in his heart rages on; anticipation of what he might learn, believing he might finally grasp the reason his parents left him behind, knowing he’s going to hurt her again. “.. I know that.” and the way he spoke this time, soft and contrite, felt like an apology. 

[contractbound]

more chen/yu vale thoughts, but specifically related to the main world quest series.

my thoughts unrelated to the questline can be found here

978 words

overall, i found the questline interesting, and a welcome addition to what we already knew. the echoes of an offering artifact set painted a compelling but incomplete picture. much of it was expanded on in the questline, along with other things being introduced, allowing for more clear understanding. unsurprisingly, i came out of the questline still harboring questions, but that can only be expected, so i'm not discontent. having this much to chew on is fine enough for me, for now.

one thing these quests established that felt like a breath of fresh air was how they blurred the line between "adep/tus" and "non-adep/tus". in particular, fu/jin's dialogue about how "no one is born an adep/tus, and no one stays an adep/tus forever" stood out to me. i imagine among mortals in-universe, the divide between adep/ti and non-adep/ti can seem clear-cut. some could consider it a divide between species, lifespans, ability, power, and knowledge — what is second nature to one party may be unfathomable to the other. so, i find moments like these interesting when gen/shin blurs the lines between us.

this is a little tangential, but specifically in the case of mortals, adep/ti have been adep/ti for their entire lifespan and more, so from their perspective, we may as well have been adep/ti forever. since the game follows the perspective of a new arrival to tey/vat as well, it's possible for players to develop a similar perspective. adep/ti were adep/ti long before the traveler had arrived, so we may give off the initial impression that we are eternal, and easily identified. there are a good few cases though, where gen/shin states the contrary.

in particular, hearing the perspectives of other adep/ti is invaluable to me, especially from someone like fu/jin. many of us tend to be proud, and at times imposing, but fu/jin isn't like that. she's modest, perhaps even to her detriment. she has the experience and the humbleness required to reflect on existence as an adep/tus in a more raw and honest way. if only she could have a little more confidence in herself and her abilities....

another individual that stood out to me particularly strongly was ling/yuan. it's nothing earth-shattering or profound; i just relate to her, to an extent. it hit close to home how she was more isolated, and couldn't understand the whims and tastes of mortals. there had been a few times where i too thought about what it might be like if everything "reset", so to speak, and humans no longer interfered with the environment. still, there was never any real desire or effort behind those thoughts; it was only idle musings. after all, the lives and desires of mortals were intertwined with mine for most of my life, whether or not i want to accept it.

still, i can also understand being stuck to one's ways. i can understand going about your life thinking certain behaviours are simply your nature, and you have no desire (or perhaps not even the ability) to go against it. it also resonated with me when she had to come to terms with the fact she'd gone against her "nature", and felt compelled to understand more. i hope to hear more of her perspective in the future.

a final thing that stood out to me particularly strongly was chen/yu vale's former god — fu/jin, ling/yuan, and herb/lord's former master. not much information was given, but it was enough to sound suspiciously familiar. how this "unnamed god" was described makes me wonder if she's the same god i served before mor/ax came along. i don't want to go into too much detail, but i'll write down the gist of my thoughts.

for one, fu/jin described this god as having "made many dreams come true". this is probably the single line that gives my suspicions the most substance. it sounds like something that would have been within my former lord's power and jurisdiction, considering they ate dreams in excess during the war. in tey/vat, "dream" is a word that holds a certain weight — i doubt such wording of fu/jin's dialogue was unintentional. there's also the matter of my personal connection to dreams within my canon, but i'll write about that another time.

another thing that sounded familiar to me was fu/jin describing the god as having "gone mad seeking the position of a god who may rule this world, or perhaps seeking survival". while as of now, i personally have no conclusive knowledge of the reasoning behind my former god's motives (and may never attain it), these sentiments fall in line with some possibilities i've thought of.

the morality of the ar/chon war isn't clear-cut. it's been established many times that bloodshed was the only option. whether i forgive or absolve my former god for what they've done is another story entirely, but we cannot assume certain gods are wholly good while others are wholly bad, especially not during a time like the ar/chon war. i had been considering for some time now if perhaps the prospect of power had driven them mad, or if they simply threw morality out the window just to survive. either way, it was affirming to see fu/jin describe my exact thoughts.

thinking back on their powers, and on their affinity for dreams, i've wondered for some time too whether or not their abilities had a more benevolent use. had their spent their whole reign mistreating their subjects, or was there a time where they treated humans' dreams kindly? could the ar/chon war have changed or corrupted them? if fu/jin and i truly do share the same former lord, i suppose my questions are answered. but until either the game's canon or my own memories confirm this, i can only continue to speculate.

regardless, i feel no sympathy for them. whether their temperament was innate or acquired, that doesn't change a thing.

[auranova26]

Dark Embrace Powers and Abilities

In this entry, I'd like to go over the powers, abilities, and aspects of the Dark Embrace for Hsien-Ko and Mei-Ling as they are quite a big part of Cryas Darkstalkers lore. To start out with, official ref sheets of their designs to help visualize some things that will be discussed:

To start things off, 'Dark Embrace' (Xié è De Yōngbào) is a technique known as a 'Burst'. Burst is the term used by beings in the Cryas Chronicles reality in regard to the ability of using stored potential energy in the individual to invoke a power-up in the individual. This power-up can simply be a boost to aspects of the individual's capabilities or manifest in a transformation in the user. For Hsien-Ko and Mei-Ling, the Dark Embrace manifests as a transformation invoked by their Qi, mutated Corriyami, and the 'shadow selves' that were created in them thanks to the mutated Corriyami within. The appearances they take on invoke the looks of beings that would later come to be known as Corrians.

Once both sisters have enough potential energy to initiate the Burst, one sister can trigger the transformation and cause both to transform. Later on, through training they find a way to where only one sister can transform and the other can hold on to their stored energy to tag in later better utilize their stored energy in a strategic manner.

When Hsien-Ko uses the Dark Embrace, her physical strength is bolstered to further heights, allowing her to overpower quite a number of physically powerful individuals in close quarters combat. Not only that, her stamina and endurance are increased to allow her to tank her way through hits with greater ease, allowing her to get into the thick of battle and power on through with great fervor. Another benefit is her healing factor is hastened, allowing her to recover from horrible wounds quicker to allow her to get back into the battle. While it is unknown if Hsien-Ko can regrow body parts while in the Dark Embrace should they be severed, it is theorized that should the limb still be in one piece, she could attach it back and her body could re-attach to the limb. However, neither sister is in a position nor desires to test this theory.

(credit: @o-corvo-art)

An interesting quirk of the Burst is how Hsien-Ko's sleeves can move and function. While Hsien-Ko has always been able to move her sleeves with manipulating her Qi, in the Dark Embrace they move in ways as if they have a mind of their own. The sisters theorize it is Hsien-Ko's 'shadow self' that takes control of the sleeves during the Burst, allowing Hsien-Ko to more focus on what her body is doing. Because the shadow self is a part of her psyche, it synchronizes better with her movements and makes her quite a dangerous foe to face. Speaking of shadows, if Mei-Ling attaches to Hsien-Ko while in the Dark Embrace, she can call forth the Qi and Corriyami in Hsien-Ko's body in the form of an energy mass that is referred to as a 'shadow'. This mass of energy is able to be manipulated to take on the form of fully functioning limbs, weapons of varying kinds only limited by the imagination, or they can attach to the inner lining of Hsien-Ko's sleeves and drape out to give her 'wings' of sorts. These wings allow for Hsien-Ko to fully be able to fly.

(Credit: @itsununnusart) Initially, this shadow mass was only able to be called forth by Mei-Ling, but overtime as Hsien-Ko improved her capabilities with the Dark Embrace she eventually found a way to do it herself. This effectively gives her six functioning limbs to work with, making her incredibly dangerous if she is fresh and ready for battle. Another noteworthy aspect of the Dark Embrace, and the mutated Corriyami in general, for Hsien-Ko is how the influence and voice of her inner jiangshi, Xienian, are effectively nullified. However, cautions are still taken to assure she doesn't taste blood in case that still triggers this inner darkness to come forth.

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Mei-Ling, like Hsien-Ko gets a notable increase to her physical capabilities and stamina, able to match up more to her younger sister's base form. However, that pales in comparison to the other profound changes to her. The immediately noticeable feature of Mei-Ling's Dark Embrace is the shadow mass on her. When she initiates the Burst, her arms melt away as the Qi and Corriyami in her body sprout from where her arms used to be. During this Burst, her shadow becomes her arms. These shadow limbs make Mei-Ling an incredible dangerous foe to face down. These limbs are quite powerful as they are able to pulverize bodies, shatter rocks, and even pierce metal. Not only is it strong, but it is very resilient. While it can be cut off, the shadow will grow back fairly quickly from the stub left on Mei-Ling’s body, without causing pain to the jiangshi spirit. Due to their amorphous nature, they can change shape per Mei-Ling's will. Beyond simply taking on the shape of normal arms and hands, they can change size and length per her will. Should she need to, she can change the shadow to take on the form of varying weapons, of which are many thanks to her knowledge as an enthusiastic weapon master. However, one of the most prominently used forms of her shadow is that of a dragon. This 'shadow dragon' is basically a corrupted mirror image of the memory of seeing her mother's dragon form the day she sacrificed herself. It is a cathartic way for not only her mother to still be aiding her in a way, but for this corrupted image to pulverize her foes with great ferocity.

(credit: @o-corvo-art)

Beyond the shadow, another notable trait of Mei-Ling in the Dark Embrace is the astronomical increase in her magical powers. Not only are her Xianshu arts increased in their potency but so are the many magi artes she learned from her friends and allies in the other reality. So great are her magical capabilities in the Dark Embrace, she is capable of even using the powerful Jrukoshn Aarts with relative ease.

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A shared aspects with Hsien-Ko and Mei-Ling in the Dark Embrace is the fact that due to the nature of how they obtained this Burst, both sisters are immune to the Corruption inflicted by Corriyami.

Powerful as the Dark Embrace is, it is not without limitations. Like all Bursts, it requires a certain amount of stored potential energy in the user in order to even make use of the Burst, of which the amount varies between each individual, each Burst, and their skill with the Burst. Once the Burst is active, the user only can only keep the Burst active for as long as there is enough stored energy to fuel the Burst. With practice, the energy consumption can be made more efficient to keep the Burst going longer, but eventually the reserves will run dry. Normally once the pool of energy is gone, the Burst will force the user to deactivate the Burst. However, individuals can force the Burst to break past this limitation and keep it going once the potential energy is gone. However, this is incredibly dangerous as the Burst is then relying on the user's own life forces as a means to fuel the Burst. Should the user recklessly keep this up, it can kill the individual. Hsien-Ko and Mei-Ling nearly had this happen to them in the Void Labyrinth, the Burst only shutting off once they fell unconscious after a great ordeal. Should this happen, individuals can be left in a comatose like state as their bodies try to recover and stabilize their energy.