#Rebirth and Recollection

[venti-death-watch]

abundance yanqing is very fun to think about but i’m kinda surprised i haven’t seen anyone bring up dan feng’s failed ritual as a potential creator here. like, as far as i remember, a draconic abomination was created as a result of dan feng fucking around to try to bring baiheng back as vidyadhara— with the help of an abundance emanator’s flesh that ended up turning blade into an abomination. idk. there’s other explanations to this, but it’s always made more sense to me that each ‘donor’ would have someone who dominantly resembled them— bailu appears similar to baiheng, dan heng to dan feng (obviously), and the unknown abundance emanator flesh?? thus, yanqing

[robin-hood-for-freedom]

I love how the geography of Mt nibel completely changes between final fantasy vii, crisis core and rebirth

[munnmolads]

How did MC's and Rafayel's first meeting go? Theory and Analysis

Death and Rebirth gave new vital information about MC's past and it inevidably got me thinking about MC's and Rafayel's true first meeting in the game. When they met at the beach as children? What state Lemuria was at that point?

Spoilers for entirety of Rafayel's story and the main story in Under Deepspace, Land of Secret Flames and Death & Rebirth. Also, a TL;DR at the end.

This theory only touches the side on if they met on the current timeline as kids - my brainpower won't be enough for the 5D chess this game has if it would be in another timeline...

MC's childhood around the Chronorift Catasptrophe

I think we have to start from MC's own timeline since it's "most clear" at this point. Meaning, it still has quite a few gaps, but there starts to be a somekind of timeline of what happened during her time at the Gaia Research Center and when she got to home with Josephine.

I have summarized my points in a timeline, but just so you can see the dialogue and references to it, I have collaged them first with highlighted the important parts:

I'm not going into the details what the other LI's have done to help her since it's not truly relevant to Rafayel. To my understanding, this is the timeline of how her childhood with the details of which day was in question. Only thing that bothers me is that apparently MC was still years in Gaia Research Center before they

It's unknown which day exactly the Chronorift Catastrophe happened - I'm thinking about 43 since we don't have entries after 42, but it could be something in between 42-47. MC was found by day 49 and Josephine mentions about it being several days that she was missing after the Catastrophe. So, she was missing around a week.

All in all, her experiments took atleast 42 days (~1,5 months), and she started to stabilise at 134 days, so three months after her escape.

Possible timing for MC and Rafayel's meetings from her perspective

Before Death & Rebirth, I was almost certain their meeting happened before Chronorift Catastrophe. At this point, it seems quite impossible since to my understanding, MC was trapped in Gaia Research center the moment she got into this current timeline.

So with the information we currently have, there's 3 possible timings for their meeting:

During the week when MC was missing and got to the shelter

Sometime during those 3 months when she was still recovering

Much later than Chronorift Catastrophe, possibly early 2035

Now, we have to take into consideration that MC forgot Rafayel completely. It's not even the case of "You're familiar" (which reminded me of one of earliest theories/headacanons in my blog) kind of way - she has no recollection of it. According to Josephine's notes, she started to have better memory after 3 months after Chronorift Catastrope, which makes me believe number 3 is out of the question by that logic, but I'll come back to it later.

Number 2 is quite likely, but from the small bit we know of their conversation at the beach, Rafayel mentions "we have known for a day". To me, this means atleast some significant time from the day, like atleast a few hours. This is a long time to be away from home as a small child, since MC was around 7-8 years old at this time. it seems less likely since someone like Josephine or possibly Caleb would have come looking for her.

Number 1 seems most likely to me when we think about the circumstances during that time from her perspective. MC was missing at this time, so no one was really missing her to come home, and it's in the timeframe when her memory was the worst.

But what about Rafayel and Lemuria? What state Lemuria was in this time?

In relation for Rafayel, there's an important even to think about when placing MC's and his first meeting in a timeline - when Lemuria got unearthed and discovered in December 31st, 2034. I will try to do a different theory on what happened back then some other time, but it is most likely the point when Lemurians had to flee Lemuria.

Since we know for sure that Chronorift Catastrophe happened in 2034 and Lemuria was unearthed in 31th of December 2034, it's more likely that MC's and Rafayel's meeting happened before Lemuria was discovered in 2034, depending on when the experiments happened. It could be that Chronorift Catastrophe and the earthquake happened at the same time, but it hasn't been mentioned specifically.

Option 1: Their meeting happened in 2034 before Lemuria was unearthed and discovered

The newest birthday event and card could allude that they met in the beach before Lemuria was unearthed. There's several points in the birthday materials about Rafayel talking about how pink is representing happiness and romance for him when he was a child, and before Lemuria disappeared, the ocean looked pink to him.

I can't have all the materials mentioning pink in this post because it's just too much, but here he talks about collecting pink seashells as a kid to make paint in Boundless Seas:

His birthday video specifically spoke possibly of the time when Lemuria was unearthed - I wonder if the inferno he mentioned would have been actually been from Chronorift Catastrophe?

I want to point out that this heavily relies on the birthday events and all other his childhood memories being from this current timeline. It could very well be that they aren't.

Option 2: Their meeting happened because Lemuria was unearthed

If we assume the pink theory about Rafayel being from other time than current timeline, it could be possible Lemuria being unearthed made Rafayel drift into the beach. If we look back on Nightly Stroll, Rafayel does make 2 different points about their meeting that might be true: 1. MC rescued him 2. He was "half-dead"/injured and waiting to die. He is a very unreliable narrator during Nightly Stroll, so it could be just part of his story he made up, but Rafayel does usually hide nuggets of truths in his lies.

He mentions about the deep sea becoming a prison for him. It could mean a metaphorical prison - he has a responsibility to save Lemuria, and that responsibility shackles him so that he feels he has to either choose Lemuria or MC.

In Land of Secret Flames's flashback memory, young Rafayel says "You awakened me", which has an interesting wording. It could imply that MC woke him up from his slumber, which is the Sea God's "death". It could be that Rafayel died at the beach before MC woke him up again, or that he was slumbering in the Lemurian ruins when the earthquake and the tsunami washed him to the shore.

What about MC's field trip to Hat Island? Could that have been a possible meeting place for them?

Possibly, but unlikely. The way how MC describes the trip sounds like a school trip, which would mean that she really wouldn't have had the time to sit in the beach talking to Rafayel for a day (or cuddle him if his annoyance at chapter 8 is telling anything...). Not to mention, she forgot about Rafayel, so why she would remember making the trip and not meeting a boy with scales in the island? Also they made a travel log, which would mean that she possibly would have written about it to her log.

I am ready to eat my words since there's some poetic sadness about Rafayel taking her to the place they were supposed to meet and she doesn't still remember them meeting there. No wonder Rafayel is upset - she remembers visiting some place as a kid but not remembering meeting her husband during that trip? Smh... /lh

Where did they could have met then?

So far we know that their meeting was in a beach, and so far I have assumed it was Linkon. This got me thinking though - if MC was experimented in the current N109 zone, how she would have got to Linkon as a small child if they met during the time she was missing? The distance from N109 zone and Linkon is quite big, even if we aren't completely sure how long it takes. I assume Josephine took her to live in Linkon.

The Lemurian ruins lie somewhere in Southeast of Linkon, which most likely is where Whitesand Bay is. I made a smaller post about it earlier, so you can read a bit more here. In Death & Rebirth, it has been specified in the opening chapters that MC drives to south from Linkon.

So I assume that the ocean from southeast of Linkon goes across to N109 zone, it's completely possible for Rafayel to drift to Whitesand Bay or a beach in the N109 zone. So for them to meet during the week of MC being missing, they might have met in the N109 zone. Most likely if they met later, it would have been Whitesand Bay since MC would have lived with Josephine and Caleb.

I tried to make more accurate map, but based on the visuals of the Hat Island, it's almost impossible to figure out which direction is which, so just take this map as a "general direction where everything could be". Most likely the distances are still quite great, so it's likely that Rafayel was pushed by the ocean to the beach where he got stranded.

TL;DR: What could be the options?

From earliest to latest:

MC and Rafayel met in the N109 Zone beach during the 7-day period after Chronorift Catastrophe when MC was missing.

MC and Rafayel met in Whitesand Bay after MC had moved to Linkon with Josephine (and Caleb) during the 3-month period when MC was slowly getting better memory.

MC and Rafayel met in Hat Island long after the Chronorift Catastrophe happened during a field trip. MC remembers going to the trip, but doesn't remember meeting Rafayel.

I'm actually really torn between all these options. Number 1 makes the most sense to me if we assume that Rafayel's stories about his childhood are from this timeline and Lemuria hasn't been unearthed yet. Number 2 makes a lot fo sense sense too, and it could be both before the earthquake or not. Number 3 makes most sense after the earthquake, because at this point it sounds like MC was having fairly "normal" life if she was on a school trip. I find it just bit difficult to believe she would remember the trip, but not Rafayel.

Of course, nothing prevents the options going together as in their meeting happened long after Chronorift Catastrophe, I just wanted to simplify the options for readability.

All in all, I'm putting way too much logic in this game 🫣 I want to delve deeper into the eartquake that is mentioned, because I find the wording around the topic interesting and how they dance around how vague it really is. Aaand assuming that their meeting at the beach actually happened in this timeline, and not on any other timeline...

[genshinluvr]

To be Reborn

Pairings: Various Honkai Star Rail Men x Vidyadhara!Isekai'd!Reader (Reincarnation AU)

Summary: Waking up in Scalegorge Waterscape, you have no recollection of your past life. You are reborn— you are a Vidyadhara— hatched from an egg. A young blond boy awaits your rebirth, the same boy who volunteers to be your protector. Your past life remains a mystery. Your relationship with three particular men remains a mystery as they gaze at you longingly from a distance. Sometimes, it's a curse to be reborn.

Note: Before any of y'all come at me, the relationship between Yanqing and the reader is strictly platonic. Imagine a protective little brother. I'm glad I was able to type this out and get it posted because this idea has been on my mind for a little bit. So, did anyone get Dan Heng IL? :3 I got him with one pull, and that makes me happy and relieved. Anyway! I don't post anywhere else but on Tumblr (Genshinluvr) and on AO3 (Aaliah_exo).

Warnings: Mentions of murder, mentions of blood, Nanook doesn't make an appearance in this fic :<

Word Count: 4.3k

You’re floating in the sea of darkness, floating around aimlessly. You can’t tell if your eyes are open or if they’re closed. You can’t move your arms or legs, and you feel like you’re underwater. The sounds around you are muffled, making it seem like you’re underwater. You have no recollection of how you ended up in this situation. Your mind is blank; no memories are rushing back to you. Your brain is a blank slate— the only thing you can recall is your name, and that’s it. Everything else? You have no memories of it.

Your ears twitch at the sound of faint cracking around you. Light gradually breaks through the endless darkness. The cracking gets louder and louder, and before you know it, the world around you is flooded with brightness, and you fall to the ground. Well, you land on top of someone. You open your eyes to see bright gold eyes staring at you with awe and worry.

“Are you okay?” The young blond boy asks, helping you up from the ground.

You rub your head and look around, dazed and confused. “Yes. I’m fine, thank you,” you reply hesitantly.

You notice a giant egg resting beside you, cracked eggshells on the ground and on your clothes. Did you come from that egg? You look at the young boy, who notices your confusion almost immediately. The blond boy smiles and rubs the back of his neck, his cheeks turning bright pink.

“I hope you don’t mind me waiting here for you to hatch. General Jing Yuan has spoken about you many times, and I wanted to meet you myself,” says the young boy.

General Jing Yuan? The young boy continues to ramble while you stare at him cluelessly, scanning your surroundings. This place… it feels familiar, but you don’t remember anything. You shake your head and rub your throbbing temples, sighing. 

“Oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself! My name is Yanqing! I am General Jing Yuan’s retainer! I hope you don’t mind me being the first person you meet after being rebirthed,” says Yanqing, smiling at you sweetly.

You have many questions to ask, but it seems like your questions will be unanswered for the time being. Which you don’t mind. However, what bothers you is your lack of memory. Yanqing tilts his head to the side, gazing at you worriedly.

You snap out of your stupor and smile at Yanqing. “It’s nice to meet you, Yanqing. My name’s—”

“[Y/N], I know your name already because General Jing Yuan would go on and on about you,” Yanqing nods, smiling at you boyishly.

Cute. You want to pinch Yanqing’s cheeks until he smacks your hand away from his face. You smile at Yanqing, still confused about how he knows your name. Yanqing’s smile slips off his face when the realization hits him.

You brush off the look he’s giving you and point at the egg. “How long were you waiting for me to be reincarnated?”

Yanqing looks away, rubbing the back of his neck while giggling awkwardly. You cross your arms over your chest, gazing at Yanqing with amusement. Yanqing is like an adorable little brother who’s attached to his older siblings and is protective of them, but he doesn’t want to show it because he doesn’t want to be teased for it.

“Not long, but I would come here every day to check up on you,” Yanqing mutters, kicking a pebble close by and watching it clatter on the ground. 

You press your lips into a thin line and pat Yanqing’s head. Yanqing silently fumes and turns away with a small huff, crossing his arms over his chest while puffing his cheeks out. You snicker and pull your hand back, sitting on the ground beside the egg you emerged from. 

Yanqing sits beside you, looking at you curiously. “Do you really not have any recollection of your past memories?” Yanqing asks.

You shake your head. “No, I don’t have any of my past memories, Yanqing. Am I supposed to?”

Yanqing exhales slowly and leans back on his arms, kicking his feet back and forth as he debates on what to say. You’re a long-life species with draconic features— a Vidyadhara. Your hair cascades down your back as your tail sways behind you. Your tail and horns are a light pink, almost pastel pink. You look breathtaking, even more breathtaking compared to how General Jing Yuan described you.

You turn to look at the young boy beside you, who blinks at you before turning away. Yanqing hums and nods.

“Yes, you’re supposed to remember your past lives when you reincarnate. Many long-life species remember their past lives and their past lovers,” Yangqing says nonchalantly.

It must be nice to be able to remember your past lives and people in your past. Why is it different for you? How come you’re the only person (well, you’re assuming you’re the only person) who doesn’t remember their past life despite being reincarnated? Maybe you’re the odd one out.

“That’s unfortunate for me. I don’t remember my past life. I only know my name,” you sigh, leaning against the hollow egg you emerged from. 

Yanqing hums, tapping on his chin. “Maybe General Jing Yuan can help you recover your memories!” Yanqing says.

You pucker your lips and hug your legs. It’d be nice to have someone help you “regain” your memories, but their memories will be different from your past memories. Then again, what do you know? You only remember your name, and from what Yanqing has told you, it sounds like you and this General Jing Yuan person have some kind of history with each other.

Your conversation with Yanqing was cut short when both of you heard footsteps approaching your direction. You and Yanqing get off the ground and turn to see a large group of people standing before you two. The four men look at you with wide eyes. You couldn’t help but notice they all have long hair, aside from the others in the group accompanying the four men.

“[Y/N]...” The man with long black hair whispers.

He, too, has horns sprouting from the top of his head. You look at Yanqing, who glares at the four men before standing in front of you as if he’s protecting you from the four newcomers and their guests. The man with white hair smiles at you and Yanqing ruefully. You place your hand on Yanqing’s shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile when he turns to look at you.

Despite giving Yanqing a reassuring smile, Yanqing continues to keep his guard up, glaring at the four men before him. You sigh and cross your arms over your chest, looking away from the four men. Everything to you is a mystery. Your past, the four men standing before you and Yanqing, your history with this General Jing Yuan person.

The white-haired man narrows his eyes at Yanqing. “Am I missing something, Yanqing?” the white-haired man asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

The man with long, dark hair chuckles bitterly. “It seems like your lapdog is protective of [Y/N],” he says, his red eyes landing on you.

Yanqing growls and holds his sword in front of him. You can’t help but stare at the ground, drowning out the sounds and voices around you. There are whispers in your head, whispers that are loud enough for you to assume it’s all around you. You bite the inside of your cheek, furrowing your eyebrows as you try to listen closely. The whispers are not only loud, but they’re incoherent. You can’t understand what the voices are saying, and it bothers you. Why are the voices loud yet quiet at the same time? You subconsciously reach your temples, rubbing them as a headache forms. 

“[Y/N]?” 

You snap out of your stupor and look up to see the four mysterious men (and Yanqing and the other guests) gazing at you worriedly. You blink and sigh, shoulders slumping. Could the voices be from your past life? Whatever the voices are, it’s causing you nothing but confusion and frustration. How long have you been spacing out?

The blond man looks at you worriedly. “What’s the matter? You look frustrated,” says the blond man.

You give him a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of your neck. “I’m fine,” you reply hesitantly.

The man with horns raises his eyebrows at you, looking at you worriedly. You’re not entirely comfortable with telling these men your situation. While they know your name, you don’t know theirs. Yanqing moves closer to you, whispering into your ears and telling you each of the men’s names.

“I don’t have much recollection of my past life, but I heard you all know me. Or I knew all of you,” you say nervously while playing with the billowing sleeves of your hanfu. 

The white-haired man— also known as General Jing Yuan— nods and gestures for you and Yanqing to follow him and the other three men beside him. The pink-haired girl steps forward, smiling at you while shaking her legs nervously.

The pink-haired girl clears her throat nervously. “You may not know me, but my name is March 7th! But you can call me March! These two are Caelus and Welt Yang,” says March, gesturing to the older man with brown hair and glasses and the silver-haired man standing beside him.

You smile at the trio before walking ahead with Yanqing sticking by your side. You look around in awe. The more you walk further out of this place, the more you see things you have never seen before. Well, you probably did in the past, but everything is new to you. 

Yanqing gently nudges you, glancing over at you. “What’s on your mind?”

“This place is hauntingly beautiful. Where are we, Yanqing?” You ask, passively looking at the other Vidyadhara eggs as you and Yanqing walk by.

How long have you been in the egg you have hatched from? The young boy beside you smiles at you and crosses his arms over his chest. You may have known Yanqing for less than an hour, but Yanqing can’t help but pride himself in being the first person you trust. Unlike the four particular men— well, three men, but he digresss— who have been anticipating your reincarnation.

“We are currently leaving the Scalegorge Waterscape! If you have any questions, I will be happy to answer them!” Yanqing announces proudly, propping his hands on his hips.

You smile and pat Yanqing’s head as he leads you out of Scalegorge Waterscape with the others following behind. Scalegorge Waterscape is like another world to you— a secret world only certain people are allowed to know of its existence. 

You hum softly. “How much do you know about my past life, Yanqing? You mentioned how General Jing Yuan would go on and on about me. What has he told you about me?” You ask, crossing your arms over his chest.

That piqued the three Xianzhou men’s interest and curiosity while General Jing Yuan’s smile slipped off his face. General Jing Yuan clears his throat as he slowly picks up his pace to catch up to you and Yanqing. Mostly Yanqing. Yanqing taps on his chin as he racks his brain, trying to recall what the white-haired General said about you.

Yanqing’s eyes light up. “Ah! I remember! There’s this drink on the Xianzhou Luofu, and it’s incredibly sweet. Whenever General Jing Yuan sees someone drinking it at the Seat of Divine Foresight, the General would be like, ‘I remember the time when [Y/N] would sneak out at night and buy Immortals Delight with Dan Feng. They were caught in the act by not only myself but by Yingxing as well,’” Yanqing says, mocking the white-haired General’s voice.

‘Immortals Delight?’ you mouthed to yourself, trying to remember what the drink looked like and what it tasted like for your past self to be obsessed with the drink to the point where you and this Dan Feng person had to sneak out and buy it. Yanqing continues to rack through his memories before smiling widely.

“The General would also talk about how the blooming flowers remind him of—” A hand quickly covers Yanqing’s mouth, shutting the young boy up before he can continue.

You stop in your tracks and look to see General Jing Yuan covering the blond boy’s mouth with his hand. You and General Jing Yuan lock eyes for a moment while Yanqing thrashes around in General Jing Yuan’s grasp, trying to remove the General’s hands from his face. You press your lips into a thin line and cover your mouth with your hands to muffle your laugh.

Mr. Yang smiles and looks at Caelus and March, chuckling. “It looks like the General has fond memories of [Y/N],” says the brown-haired man.

Caelus snorts. “Yeah, very fond memories of [Y/N],” Caelus chuckles.

After some time, General Jing Yuan releases Yanqing. Yanqing huffs and crosses his arms over his chest, narrowing his eyes at the white-haired General before scrambling over to you. Yanqing throws your arm around his shoulders, catching the others by surprise. You chuckle, and pat Yanqing’s head before the two of you continue your way toward the main entrance of Scalegorge Waterscape. While walking up the steps, Yanqing turns to look at the other four men— specifically Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae, General Jing Yuan, and Blade— before sticking his tongue out at them and turning back around to start a conversation with you.

“I think it’s weird how, allegedly, long-life species remember their past lives, but [Y/N] doesn’t remember theirs,” the indigo-haired man says, propping his hands on his hips.

The blond man in armor rolls his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. “It’s not ‘allegedly’ when there’s plenty of evidence about it, Sampo,” the blond man says.

Once you all arrive at the entrance of Scalegorge Waterscape, you turn to the others before scanning the surroundings once more. You don’t think you will be returning to Scalegorge Waterscape, or at least not in the near future. 

A man with his hair in a half-ponytail speaks up, “Why do you look glum?”

You blink at him and the other unfamiliar faces. Caelus slaps his forehead before introducing you to the three extra people you weren’t introduced to— Sampo, Gepard, and Luka. The two men, Gepard and Luka, smile at you politely. At the same time, Sampo magically pulls a comb out of thin air, combing his hair before strutting toward you. However, before Sampo can reach you, Yanqing stands in front of you, pointing the tip of his sword in Sampo’s direction with a murderous glare.

“I wouldn’t get any closer if I were you,” Yanqing hisses.

Sampo holds his hands up. “Whoa there, little guy! I mean no harm!” Sampo says, smiling at Yanqing nervously. 

Yanqing glowers at the nickname Sampo gave him before looking at the white-haired General.  General Jing Yuan chuckles, walking toward you, Yanqing, and Sampo. General Jing Yuan stands behind you and Yanqing, placing both hands on your and Yanqing’s shoulders while smiling politely at Sampo. On the surface, General Jing Yuan is calm. Still, on a deeper level, the white-haired General is mildly annoyed with the indigo-haired merchant.

General Jing Yuan clears his throat. “Yanqing, stand down. There’s no need for hostility. We’re all friends here, are we not?” asks the General.

Yanqing makes a dissatisfied noise before putting his sword away. Yanqing continues to glare at Sampo, propping his hands on his hips before pointing his index finger at the man.

Yanqing demands, “What were your intentions with [Y/N] when you approached them?”

You look at Yanqing, surprised. You look at Sampo and smile at him before patting Yanqing’s shoulders. Yanqing doesn’t budge and continues to glare at Sampo. You sigh in defeat and look at General Jing Yuan, who’s already staring at you. You visibly wince with surprise before quickly looking away from him, your cheeks getting hot while the General chuckles. 

“I see the General’s feelings for [Y/N] have yet disappeared,” Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae murmurs beside Blade, crossing his arms over his chest while watching the scene unfold.

Blade huffs beside Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae, crossing his arms over his chest and glancing at the horned man beside him. “I could say the same thing for you,” Blade says nonchalantly.

Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae ignores the look Blade is giving him, acting like he doesn’t feel or notice an obvious stare from the dark-haired man. Yanqing grumbles to himself before tugging on your arm and pulling you away from the group. You find yourself standing at the docks, doing what you have been doing since you hatched from your egg— look at your surroundings. It bothers you how familiar this place feels, but you can’t remember why.

“Ahem. Care to tell what’s been bothering you?” Luocha asks, now standing beside you as he gazes at the horizon.

Your gaze falls to the ground, feeling the sand beneath your shoes. You poke the inside of your cheek with your tongue and tap your fingers on your biceps, debating whether you should tell them what’s on your mind. As much as you wanted to say to them what was wrong, you’re sure the others already knew the issue. 

You look up at Luocha, who stares at you intently with his sparkling green eyes. You look at the sun setting on the horizon, shoulders slumping as you cross your arms over your chest. It almost feels inappropriate to tell someone your problems, especially when you met them not long ago after being reborn. 

“Is there a reason why I’m unable to remember my past life? I find it strange that I’m the only one who can’t remember their past life after being reborn,” you sigh, rubbing your temples.

Everyone looks at Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae, General Jing Yuan, and Blade. The three men look just as clueless as the rest. You sigh and smile at them ruefully, waving your hand in front of you while shaking your head.

You sigh, “You know what? Forget I asked that question. Maybe there’s a reason why I don’t remember my past life, and perhaps it’s for the best.” Realization soon kicks in. You turn to the audience behind you and Luocha (and Yanqing), eyebrows furrowing with confusion. “Now that I am reborn, where do I go from here?”

Caelus looks at you questionably. “Care to elaborate on that for the rest of us?” Caelus asks, propping his hands on his hips.

“Do I return to the Xianzhou Luofu, or do I go elsewhere? I don’t have a home per se,” you reply, playing with the billowing sleeves of your hanfu. “This is a new and strange concept for me— not remembering my past life and questioning if I belong on the Xianzhou Luofu.”

The rebirth cycle of a Vidyadhara is something you have never experienced. At least, that’s what you assume. The waves crashing on shore are almost deafening, loud enough to keep you semi-occupied from your thoughts. What did you do to deserve to be put in this situation?

Mr. Yang hums, stroking his chin. “Well, you are always welcome to the Astral Express,” says Mr. Yang.

You look at the brown-haired man curiously. The Astral Express, huh? Sounds like you will be going on lots of adventures if you board the Express. It does sound better than doing nothing on the Xianzhou Luofu, especially when you don’t have a place called home. March’s eyes light up, and she runs toward you, linking her arms around yours. For a brief moment, a flash of panic can be seen in Yanqing’s eyes as he reaches forward, ready to pull March away from you. 

What stopped Yanqing from doing so was General Jing Yuan grabbing the young boy by the shoulders and shaking his head. Yanqing huffs and crosses his arms over his chest, grumbling while kicking a pebble close to his feet. March caught you off guard when she linked her arms around yours. You didn’t expect her to be bold enough to touch you (mainly because Yanqing would cut anyone who tried to touch you).

You hum, rocking back and forth on the balls of your feet. “I might consider it, but I’m going to stick out like a sore thumb,” you murmur, pointing to the horns on your head.

You know Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae has horns as well, but he can at least hide his appearance and present himself as a human like the others. You, on the other hand, don’t know if you can do the same. However, having horns and draconic features shouldn’t be a big deal other than dealing with the looks of curiosity from strangers and awkward stares when you make eye contact with the person.

Luka raises his hand to grab your attention. “I have a question. Since Dan Heng can change his appearance, can you change yours as well?” Luka asks, gesturing to the horns on your head.

You subconsciously touch your horns and chew the inside of your cheek. “I’m not sure, Luka. Even if I can’t hide my horns and draconic features, it’s no big deal,” you reply, smiling at the now-blushing man.

You and the others got on the boat to return to the Alchemy Commission. Despite reincarnating and not remembering your past life before being reborn, the Alchemy Commission feels almost as familiar as Scalegorge Waterscape. Although, you can’t help but feel grim when arriving at the Alchemy Commission. 

“Does anything feel familiar by any chance?” Gepard asks, walking beside you.

You nod hesitantly. “The Alchemy Commission feels familiar, but I don’t think it’s a good thing. I can’t help but feel uncomfortable,” you reply, subconsciously rubbing your chest while looking around.

Aside from the Mara-struck roaming around the area, the Alchemy Commission looks eerie and empty. Unbeknownst to you and the others not of the Xianzhou faction, something tragic happened to you before your rebirth. Everyone is standing on the ground where you were ambushed and brutally murdered by someone you once trusted. You were lured to the farthest part of the Alchemy Commission, ambushed, and killed by someone you used to consider a friend. By the time Dan Feng (now Dan Heng), General Jing Yuan, and Yingxing arrived at the scene, they were too late. Stricken with anguish, Yingxing, General Jing Yuan, and Dan Feng tracked down your attackers and killed them all. 

They remember clutching your lifeless body in their arms, trying to stop the bleeding despite you being dead at the scene. Your clothes are torn and bloodied, your hair matted with blood, and your skin stained with your own blood. The three men remember the giant gaping hole where your heart was supposed to be— crimson blood pooling around you on the concrete as you stare up at the three grief-stricken men with lifeless eyes. Perhaps it’s best for you to remain oblivious of your past. It’s better that way, no matter how much it hurts the three men who hold you close and dear to their hearts.

General Jing Yuan places his hand on your shoulder. “Wherever you choose to stay— be it the Xianzhou Luofu or the Astral Express, you are always welcome to the Xianzhou Luofu,” says General Jing Yuan.

You smile at the white-haired General. “Thank you, General Jing Yuan,” you whisper.

You stop in front of the Aureate Elixir Furnace, staring at the large crucible with curiosity. You hear whispers around you. You look at the people standing around you, wondering if any of them said anything. But none of them were speaking. They’re surveying the area, not saying a word. 

“How strange,” you rub the back of your neck before crossing your arms over your chest.

You close your eyes and focus on the voice in the back of your head. The voices don’t belong to you, but the voices sound very angry and sad. The voices are gradually getting louder and louder. You squeeze your eyes shut and duck your head low, your hair falling over your face. 

The voice whispers, “We shall reunite one day, [Y/N]. You cannot escape your fate.”

Fate? What’s your fate? Are you in danger by any chance? Could the voices be connected to your past, or does the voice belong to something or someone seeking possible revenge on you?

“Are you alright, [Y/N]?” Blade puts his hands on your shoulders, startling you.

You look up at Blade like a deer caught in headlights. You gulp and smile at him nervously, trying to act normal. 

“Yeah! I’m alright! I’m trying to recall my past life, that’s all,” you lie.

Blade and Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae look at you worriedly as you turn to Yanqing, who approaches you with a worried look. Great, more people to worry about you. Yanqing stands beside you and stares at Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae and Blade cautiously before turning to you.

Yanqing holds his arm out for you to take. “Are you hungry? If so, I know a few places on the Xianzhou Luofu that have amazing food,” Yanqing says, giving you a closed-eyed smile.

You smile at Yanqing and loop your arms around his arm. “I am feeling a bit famished,” you murmur.

Yanqing hums thoughtfully, tapping on his chin as he pulls you away from Blade and Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae. While Yanqing is listing out the food on the menu of the restaurant he passively mentioned, the group behind you follows closely. 

Luocha looks at General Jing Yuan from the corner of his eyes. “You saw that, right?” Luocha mutters.

General Jing Yuan hums, nodding. “Indeed, I did.”

While your past life will be a mystery to you, the voices in your head seem to not want you to live your new life in peace. Whether the voices in your head are from the voices of those in your past life or are trying to warn you, there’s a strange feeling deep down in your gut, and you can’t put your fingers on it. Whatever it is, it will have to wait.

Note: I know a Vidyadhara has many features, but I like the draconic features. Therefore the reader has draconic features. Oh, and the color of the reader's horns... I couldn't come up with a color, so I chose a random color. If you're not a huge fan of the color I chose, change it to whatever color you desire. It's 5 AM, and I need to sleep, so I hope you guys like this story-ish. I won't be posting any fics for this upcoming week, so keep that in mind. Anyway, to my new and/or returning readers, please keep in mind that I ONLY post on my Tumblr (Genshinluvr) and my AO3 (Aaliah_exo)! Nowhere else except Tumblr and AO3!

Taglist for the HSR one-shot series: @ashwasherelol, @mompt2, @elegantnightblaze, @lunavixia, @jadedist, @reversearrowhead, @pinksaiyans, @aurelia-xyt, @lilliansstuff, @starrry-angel, @kaoyamamegami, @kodzuvk, @for3very0urs, @a-cosmicdawn, @g3n0dtt, @theblades, @wntrsblvd, @raaawwwr, @immahuman, @irisxiel, @siaracarroll, @crazydreamcat, @sen-nes, @sagekun, @orichalcumthief, @dyingsweetmackerel, @rosiesareblue, @ichikanu, @undecidingfate, @asoulsreverie, @angelmican, @misdollface, @4-34-am, @sxftiebee, @hispasian-otaku, @the-dumber-scaramouche, @vox34, @tsukkikeisimp, @inapileofbooke

Read more of my works on my Masterlist / Masterlist 2 | Maybe support me by tipping me on Ko-Fi or by reblogging my fanfics! ^^ I will also be posting exclusive fanfics on Ko-Fi as well very soon! I might post all of my stories on there too, but who knows. You can also tip me on Tumblr if you'd like as a way to show support! ^^

[tifa-simp]

I swear, Tifa always has some weird ass changes in her English dialogues, like:

- She and Brian ran to the reactor to hide from Sephiroth. (They were evacuating.)

- She doesn't know that the vision she sees in the LS is . (She thinks it's her precious memory.)

- She thinks Cloud's compliment is backhanded in the cat mission. (She says she plays the piano well because he's there.)

- Vague statement about if Whispers had taken her memory away even tho the line in JP is very clear about it.

- She has a lot of dialogues that use the word "reach" that could reflect Sephiroth's "your words can reach him now," like in the bird watching mission or the triggered dialog when you find Dio.

Some I might understand due to technical reasons, but others are straight up wrong. Especially the Brian one and precious memory one, those scenes don't even show the character talking, they have no reason to change the meaning that much. There's no lipsync to match, the direct translation isn't that much longer than the JP line so the translators shouldn't have much problem fit in time. The memory line in LS is really important to the future event. The hiding line is especially stupid cos later in Tifa's trial, we see Brian RUNS to the mountain alone to chase after Sephiroth, just like in Trace of Tifa. So making Tifa say she and Brian go to the reactor to hide is just character assassination on Brian part and paints Tifa to be unreliable narrator. Same with Tifa's worry about if the whispers have messed with her memory when she was talking to Aerith in Kalm, it sets up conflict between Tifa and Cloud about Nibelheim accident and explains why she doesn't just tell him the truth, because she doesn't trust herself. But English localization makes it so vague for no reason.

How many ppl can catch that this is Tifa doubting her recollection and considering the possibility that Whispers have taken her memory away like they did with Aerith?

Again, this scene doesn't show the character's mouth, there's no lipsync problem here. The devs lay out a lot of ground for part 3 LSS in Rebirth and some of them just get dismissed like this. It's frustrating.

There'll probably be more translation error finds in the future, and I'm honestly so tired of this. It affects Tifa's characterization, it affects the story, it affects understanding of certain crucial details, it's bad practice, why does it still happen?

[ranticore]

Do imimata show signs of fear of being recoded like they fear "death"?

It's very hard for most end users of digital imimata to parse emotions as expressed by imimata as there are often clauses [hard boundaries outside the encoding] forbidding them from all the obvious ways you might think. But the most extreme form is the physical manifestation outside the resonance chamber (creating a poltergeist-like effect)

Recoding is also often not as drastic as a full on death, it can be thought of as a spectrum from "slight make-over" to "complete recycling and rebirth" but it's actually not possible to remove an imimaton's encoding without fully disincorporating them (and therefore losing them forever) as that is their entire make-up and being. Encoding is the process of teaching or gathering experiences that inform a personality or presentation. It can only build on what already exists, never remove it. So, ordinarily, a recoding is just a new set of instructions and clauses to make an intimation behave differently - this is actually Nico's profession in this world, he recodes personal handheld imimata who have begun to show signs of manifesting or instability, 'fixing' them.

Where the removal of memories comes from is a different matter - external media storage has been in use for centuries. Originally taking the form of physical archives of books which an intimation could recollect from as long as they were present in the right part of the chamber, these obviously progressed to the digital era in the form of optical disks, tape, and solid state storage. This information is something the imimaton can recollect but is not strictly a part of them, so it can be removed. Some of them don't seem to like that though

[naturistgirl]

HAPPY NATURIST MIDWINTER

I write on the Eve of the year's longest night. This is the turning point of the natural year, one when nature seems to all but stand still. In the Wild Wood near our home, all seems quiet bare and still. It is as though the earth holds its breath while gathering strength. Still there are signs of strong and vibrant life. The holly trees are green, glossy and magnificent right now; the females laden with scarlet berries. Ivy glows in its shiny glory, its flowers giving way to the slowly ripening berries. By January they will turn glossy black. The Yew trees stand guard, wearing a darker green. There are blue tits twittering in the thickets as they hunt for food. High winds are forecast this weekend and the strong breeze will naturally trim the branches above us.

Now is a time when the ancient Celts mourned the loss of sunlight and looked forward to nature's rebirth. At this time of year, people have always headed into the abundant woodland to forage. Clothing was certainly optional. So it is for us too. I might wear a coat if it is near freezing but little else. People gather those fallen branches to fuel their winter hearths and keep warm. They gather green branches too to cheer their homes. All is at should be and we wander naked among the trees, enjoying the little light there is right now.

I am a person of faith, though not a Christian. I am a mother and appreciate that for some, this is a time to welcome a baby's birth. I brought my own first born into this beautiful world in cold January, not long after this time. New birth always brings joy to everyone, and for a new young Mum as I was, contentment. Your baby rests on your belly in full view where before she nestled inside you. Her little mouth searches for your breast and she imbibes life. All this is done naturally. You are naked, she is too. You will wrap her to keep her warm later but for now you are both as the creator intended you to be: No shame, no worry about clothing, just you and her.

For me and my faith, this is a time to recollect when our liberty was threatened, when the right to be who we are was denied. On the night of the 25th, we light one candle and celebrate our freedom; freedom to be who we are. Each night will see a new candle as others join in that celebration. We eat the produce of the earth; frying potato pancakes, and drink the fruit of the vine. As a naturist I am all too aware of threats to liberty and the right to express who I am. Like the turning of the year when we reject the idea of death and affirm life, I reject those who project shame onto me for being naked. For a woman, it can be tough. Men can tend to see your naked body as their property. They see your nakedness as flaunting something which is theirs by right. There is a tendency to sexualise you and see you as a loose woman. I am my own and my body belongs to me. I belong to my husband as much as he belongs to me. The union of naked female and male is a perfect balance of forces. We lean back and our partner supports us. In a great relationship, that balance is effortless and strong. My body then is without shame, perfect and wonderful. There is no need to cover anything. Certainly not my breasts or my vulva. Why would I want to cover or be ashamed of something that brought my precious and beautiful daughter into the world and why would I want to cover the means by which I fed her?

With my husband, we decorate the house for Christmas in a Dickensian fashion. Our house was brand new when it welcomed Christmas in the 1862. Just 19 years before, a 31 year old Charles Dickens published 'A Christmas Carol'. It captured the public's imagination with its depiction of Scrooge and the spirit of the season. Though I don't keep Christmas personally, I support my husband by celebrating this joyful time. Likewise, my husband joins in my celebration of Chag Urim: The Festival of Lights. We will celebrate life, being naked and the joy of being free. Everyone gets one gift for eight nights. This year our two festivals coincide; the first time since 2005. However and whatever you celebrate: The Solstice, Kwanzaa, Chanukah, Christmas, anything else, or just The Season to be Jolly; we wish you the best of times and the most wonderful of holidays.

Since you have read this far, you are almost certainly a naturist or at least naturally inclined. You don't need to read further. Happy Holidays! Please like and repost with our blessing. Do remember however that the text and images remain our copyright. While you go and do that, I have words of warning below the next picture, for others who aren't like us.

For those of you who didn't bother to read or were simply captivated by my naked body, not naturism, I have a new message. I am getting weary of seeing my posts shared on your sexualised blogs. By doing this, you totally misunderstand naturism. Naturism celebrates the naked lifestyle and not just sex. I absolutely adore sex but It is just one beautiful aspect of being naked, not its sole purpose! So from this point onwards, if you have a weird and empty blog with a name like 'hardon1969' or similar; if you just repost naked girls; other naturist's creative work and don't post your own - I may just have to block you, sorry. You will certainly also be blocked if you send sexualised messages and images of one tiny part of you! (you know what I mean) Do me a favour. Get naked in 2025. Post affirmative images of yourself on your blog. Better still, write something inspirational about naturism too. Make sure you also post an avatar that is actually you and not an icon. Be brave, be yourself and enjoy a Bright Nude Year!

Jane x

[the-insomniac-emporium]

BAD REFLECTIONS

Replies/Reblogs are greatly appreciated! I read every comment/tag :3 See under the read-more for symbolism notes as well as a look at the flat color version, the outline, and the final sketch.

Core concept: Donna faces her own reflection, with the right side representing her journey to healing (and relationship with the MC), and the left side representing her gradual corruption (thanks to Miranda)

While most of the symbolism comes from the flowers (explained below), there are a couple other clear differences: True Donna wears her gloves and watches her reflection with distrust, while Mirror Donna reveals bloody hands and refuses to meet her reflection's gaze, instead staring down the viewer.

Three flowers are present on both sides, representing the core of Donna's grief, the catalyst for both versions of her. However, the color of one (Spider Lily) changes to better match each version.

We have Adonis' Flower, representing painful recollection/sorrow, and Dandelions, representing overcoming hardship. Spider lilies are on both sides. On the right side we have white for new beginnings/rebirth. On the left side we have red, for abandonment/grief/death

The other flowers line up with each other. Left: Marigold (grief/pain) Right: Arnica ("let me heal thy grief") + Left: black mulbery ("I will not survive you") Right: bog rosemary ("will you help me?"). It's about Donna giving in to her isolation OR reaching out for help.

[kalpeavaris]

Anti-Christ Timeline

(Echo is not even finished and here I am making my own seperated timelines for it- lol) Anyways a lil' self-indulgent fun since Kira does die in the Echo-AU and I wasn't ready to let her just disappear B) Theresa needed something to do to honor her title of 'mothers of demons'. More context below the cut!

Theresa herself is quite an enigma. She's the combined mental collective of two women who used to work at the Cabin Fever Labs. How and why they got into a drone body/OS together will still be kept a secret since she plays a role in the MD: Echo fanfiction/lore.

She's extremely based on religion and religious figures such as the concept of fallen angels, nephilims, false prophets and betrayal (think Judas. Just 10 times worse and in a robo world).

Kira dies in the end due to lore reasons (hehe spoilers :3c) and her corrupted patch that killed off her code. Now resurrected she has little to no recollection of her former life, what she'd done, her family/partner... and well yeah.

Robed into the claws of a false prophet using her as example of rebirth and reincarnation this is surely going to be a fun experience - not only for Kira herself but also her husband who doesn't know yet that she doesnt even remember him! :)

[queenpiranhadon]

- Runaway, AURORA

ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴍᴀꜱᴛᴇʀʟɪꜱᴛꜱ:

𝕿𝖜𝖊𝖑𝖛𝖊 𝕯𝖆𝖞𝖘 𝖔𝖋 𝕮𝖍𝖗𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖒𝖆𝖘

𝕾𝖙𝖆𝖗 𝕮𝖗𝖔𝖘𝖘𝖊𝖉 𝕳𝖆𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘

𝕶𝖆𝖙𝖘𝖚𝖐𝖎 𝕭𝖆𝖐𝖚𝖌𝖔𝖚 𝕭𝖎𝖗𝖙𝖍𝖉𝖆𝖞 𝕰𝖛𝖊𝖓𝖙

𝖂𝖆𝖗𝖗𝖎𝖔𝖗

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕾𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖞𝖇𝖔𝖔𝖐 𝕰𝖛𝖊𝖓𝖙

ᴋᴇᴇᴘᴇʀ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴏꜱᴛ ᴄɪᴛɪᴇꜱ:

⟢ May I Have This Dance? ⎸⎸ Sandor x Grizel Oneshot › Grizel finally takes Sandor on that dance he owed her.

⟢ You Must Be Lost ⎸⎸ Sokeefe Oneshot › Keefe asks Sophie if he’s still the guy he was all those years ago.

⟢ His Friend ⎸⎸ Neverseen! Grady x Black Swan! Edaline Oneshot › Grady stops repressing his Talent and instead works to make himself more powerful alongside the Neverseen. But all actions have consequences.

ʀɪᴏʀᴅᴀɴᴠᴇʀꜱᴇ:

⟢ Sorella ⎸⎸ Riordanverse Oneshot › Bianca has to tie up some loose ends before she’s ready for rebirth

⟢ We're Not in Kansas Anymore ⎸⎸ Percabeth Oneshot › Percy decided to uphold the promise he made to Annabeth all those years ago.

⟢ Broken ⎸⎸ Leo Valdez x Reader › You stop Leo from making a mistake he'll regret.

ꜱᴛᴀʀᴅᴇᴡ ᴠᴀʟʟᴇʏ:

⟢ Pumpkin Soup ⎸⎸ Sebastian x F!Reader › You find out how to make the resident all time gloomy boy Sebastian, like you.

⟢ After 10﹕00 ⎸⎸ Alex x F!Reader › Alex takes notices of the local lumberjack after she beats his high score at the Stardew Valley Fair. He decides to talk to her.

ʜɪɢʜ ᴄʟᴀꜱꜱ ʜᴏᴍᴏꜱ:

⟢ The Sea Song ⎸⎸ HCH Oneshot › Three girls and their captivating music attracts the ears and hearts of the small village they were in. Little did they know that this happy family, wasn't so happy at all...

ᴍᴀʀᴠᴇʟ:

⟢ Sweet Angel ⎸⎸ Bucky Barnes x Reader › You fall apart after your year-long boyfriend disappears without a trace. You thought you moved on, and now here he is, months later with no recollection of who you are.

ᴀᴠᴀᴛᴀʀ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀꜱᴛ ᴀɪʀʙᴇɴᴅᴇʀ:

⟢ His Little Waterbender ⎸⎸ Prince Zuko x Reader › You, a Waterbender from the Northern Water Tribe, are determined to protect your home from the Fire Nation. But what happens when you’re opponent is none other than the first prince himself?

⟢ Eel Rolls ⎸⎸ Sokka x Reader › After betraying the Fire Nation, you, and extremely powerful firebender, seek refuge in Ba Sing Se. One day the Gaang stumbles into your path, and you find yourself giddy over a certain blue eyed boy in their midst.

ɢᴇɴꜱʜɪɴ ɪᴍᴘᴀᴄᴛ:

⟢ Dandelion Wine ⎸⎸ Diluc Ragnvindr x Reader › You are finally returning home to Monstadt City after pursuing your dreams and exploring the world. When you get too tipsy one night and you can't defend yourself from an approaching mitachurl, who will save you then?

ʜᴀʀʀʏ ᴘᴏᴛᴛᴇʀ:

⟢ Hate ⎸⎸ Sirius Black x Reader › You, a Ravenclaw, are battling some severe anxiety in the middle of the night, so you slip out and wander the halls of Hogwarts for some reprieve in your thoughts. Turns out though, encountering a professor in the middle of the night is the least of your worries.

⟢ Against the World ⎸⎸ Fred Weasley x Reader › There’s nothing wrong between a Gryffindor and a Slytherin dating, so what better place to tell everyone that than the Yule Ball?

ᴍʏ ʜᴇʀᴏ ᴀᴄᴀᴅᴇᴍɪᴀ:

⟢ His Words, Not Yours ⎸⎸ Bakugou Katsuki x Reader › Katsuki’s parents invite the both of you over for dinner to meet you for the first time.

⟢ Goodnight ⎸⎸ Bakugou Katsuki x Reader › Katsuki finds out about your secret status as an underground pro hero.

⟢ Dumbass ⎸⎸ Bakugou Katsuki x Reader › You and your close friend Bakugou bond over a rom-com movie after having to share a room at a beach resort for a school trip.

⟢ Lipstick Stains ⎸⎸ Bakugou Katsuki x Reader › Bakugou thinks he’s falling in love all over again once he sees you in a traditional outfit.

⟢ Lockers ⎸⎸ Bakugou Katsuki x Reader › Bakugou's getting annoyed when you start receiving a bunch of love confessions out of nowhere

⟢ Wasabi ⎸⎸ Bakugou Katsuki x Reader › Needless to say, your boyfriend's pretty shocked when he finds out you have the same spice tolerance as him.

⟢ "Boy"friend ⎸⎸ Bakugou Katsuki x Reader › Katsuki gets hit by a gender bend quirk.

⟢ Teddy Bear ⎸⎸ Bakugou Katsuki x Reader › Your husband is invited to be on your favorite talk show - little do you know, the only thing he wants to talk about is you.

⟢ Tomorrow ⎸⎸ Bakugou Katsuki x Reader › When test anxiety and stress is too much, your boyfriend is there to help you out.

⟢ Number Four ⎸⎸ Bakugou Katsuki x Reader › Katsuki helps the rest of the world see just how awesome you are.

⟢ Daycare ⎸⎸ Bakugou Katsuki x Reader › You get your husband to finally pick up your kids from daycare

⟢ The Voice ⎸⎸ Bakugou Katsuki x Reader › After a fight spirals from your worries of Katsuki's safety, the voice in your head turns those worries into a nightmare.

⟢ Americano ⎸⎸ Bakugou Katsuki x Reader › You, the pretty barista at the local coffee store, decide to show some kindness to the young CEO Bakugou Katsuki, who's arrived for the first time without his girlfriend.

⟢ Matsuri ⎸⎸ Shota Aizawa x Reader (platonic) › You're scared your pro hero father won't support your dream to become a musician.

ʟᴇɢᴏ ɴɪɴᴊᴀɢᴏ:

⟢ After ⎸⎸ Cole Brookstone x Reader › You and the rest of the ninja settle down after everything ended.

⟢ Sundays ⎸⎸ Cole Brookstone x Reader › You, a baker, encounter the Master of Earth when he accidentally destroys your bakery.

ᴛʜᴇ ɪɴʜᴇʀɪᴛᴀɴᴄᴇ ɢᴀᴍᴇꜱ:

⟢ His ⎸⎸ Riordanverse x Inheritance Games Oneshot › Grayson finds out he's adopted- but the news of his real parents is a bigger shock than he anticipated...

ᴊᴜᴊᴜᴛꜱᴜ ᴋᴀɪꜱᴇɴ:

⟢ Clingy ⎸⎸ Gojo Satoru x Reader › Just some cute dating thoughts :)

⟢ Kiss Cam ⎸⎸ Gojo Satoru x Reader › Basketball star Gojo Satoru saves you from a disastrous kiss cam

[pluckyredhead]

Can you please say more about the Lanterns' politics?

I am so glad you asked me about this because I've been thinking about it since I reblogged that post but also I'm definitely about to get yelled at lol. ANYWAY THIS IS GOING TO BE LONG.

Tl;dr: John is the only one with a coherent political position or an up-to-date voter registration.

Hal:

So something interesting about Hal is that his stories are often very political but his character is not. With one extremely obvious exception, he rarely talks about politics; rather, he serves as a means through which to tell political stories, usually unintentionally.

What do I mean by that? Well, for example, in the Silver Age, his love interest would occasionally be possessed by a misandrist space jewel that would force her to attack him, but always lose because women are inherently inferior to men and prefer to be subjugated by them anyway. That's the original Star Sapphire concept. It's wildly misogynistic, but it doesn't mean Hal the character is misogynistic. But it's also a very political story, even if I don't think the writer was deliberately trying to make a point so much as...being an average, thoughtlessly sexist guy living in the 60s. (Carol continues to be the subject of mindbogglingly sexist writing and art well into the 2000s. Fucking comics.)

And so you have Hal Jordan, whose love life was ruined by his girlfriend getting promoted above him and who called his best friend by a racist nickname for decades; Hal Jordan, poster boy for chest-thumping post-9/11 kneejerk patriotism; Hal Jordan, lightning rod for a certain kind of regressive bigoted fanboyism. Choosing Hal as the Lantern for a particular story over John or Kyle has come to signify something very specific, but none of that is necessarily reflective of what Hal himself believes.

So what about Hal himself? Well, when we first meet him, he's the epitome of privilege: a white, straight, cis, Christian (I know he's canonically half-Jewish now but that's only as of the past decade or so), ablebodied, upper middle class (Geoff Johns retconned him to have a working class background, but in the Silver Age, he had one uncle who was a millionaire, another who was a judge, and a successful politician brother) man with a flashy job. Privilege tends to lean Republican; even if he is from California, I suspect Hal voted for Eisenhower in 1956.

In GL/GA, the word "Republican" isn't used to my recollection, but Hal is definitely presented as...I'm going to say conservative by I mean lower-case C. He doesn't have deeply held political beliefs, but he's traditional. He doesn't question the system, because he's never had to. He resists things that challenge the way he's always understood the world works, and that's very relatable - most people do! And he will absolutely argue with Ollie, who certainly isn't always right about everything. But he's also willing to listen, and have his mind changed, and certainly reachable via appeals to compassion and fairness.

Once the "relevance" trend of the late 60s-early 70s was over, Hal's stories default back to ostensibly politically neutral, although obviously nothing is actually politically neutral. In the late 80s and early 90s he's the most unpleasant version of himself, and that has political manifestations, like when he allows John to be imprisoned in apartheid South Africa for a ridiculous and unnecessary crime Hal himself committed. It's extremely fucked up, but again, it's less because of Hal's actual opinions and more because Christopher Priest wanted to write about apartheid, even if it does make Hal look incredibly, horrifically racist.

Then jump to the mid-2000s and Green Lantern: Rebirth, and you might imagine that losing his hometown, getting possessed by a giant space bug, becoming a supervillain, dying, and becoming the embodiment of God's vengeance might have some effect on Hal's politics, but that is not what Geoff Johns is here to write. Johns is writing a Hal who teleported in from, like, 1967 - no nuance allowed. He's a summer blockbuster that walks like a man. He's a Baja Blast. He's never had a coherent political thought in his life. In his defense, he has had more and goofier concussions than any superhero I can think of and his brain is smooth like an egg. Still.

Anyway, all of this is to say that I think Hal tends to default to center right positions but can be easily coaxed over to center left. That said, he has never not once in his life had his shit together enough to vote in a single election, not even for his own brother.

Guy:

So Guy's deal is a little bit complicated because his most vocally political era was also in part due to severe and personality-altering brain damage.

When Guy was originally introduced in the 1960s, he had the pleasantly bland personality of all superheroes. Many years later, he suffered a series of major injuries, torture, and a lengthy coma, and he emerged from the coma in 1985 with the aggressive, abrasive personality he's best known for today. Justice League International took that even further, using him to parody the jingoistic, red-blooded American action hero of the 80s.

This version of Guy is a vocal fan of Ronald Reagan and despises the USSR. He's pro-war, proudly xenophobic, and treats women badly enough that it crosses the line into repeated sexual harassment, both physical and verbal. (To be fair...ish, this last also applies to Wally West and arguably a number of other men, and was always played for laughs. It was gross all around.)

Again, this is partially a manifestation of his brain damage. There's also a running gag in JLI where if he gets hit on the head, his personality changes to this cloying, timid, gentle one, sort of halfway between a child and a flamboyant gay stereotype. Hit him again and he goes back to Asshole Guy. I'm not going to pretend I don't find some of the gags funny, but it's obviously all highly problematic, and not just from a medical standpoint.

That said, I don't think we can dismiss Guy's politics or his usual personality as simply a manifestation of brain damage. We see in later flashbacks that he developed the abrasiveness as a defense mechanism from growing up in an abusive home, and as he matures through the 90s, he doesn't actually become a significantly different person, even after his Vuldarian healing factor kicks in and heals his brain. (It's a thing.) I think it's more accurate to say that the brain damage probably affected his impulse control, his filter, and arguably even his paranoia levels.

All of which is to say that as much as I would love to go "Guy's better now, so he's not a Republican!"...that dog won't hunt. I think a really good canon writer could make the case that Guy is pro-union-style working class and also a former teacher so he's at least center left, but as of now canon evidence is pretty firmly on the red side. It doesn't help that the GLC has been written as fetishistically pro-cop and pro-military since Johns got his grubby hands all over it. I will happily ignore the New 52 retcon that Guy was a cop, and you could even try to argue that he dislikes cops because his brother was a corrupt cop who became a supervillain, but I think it's much more likely that he identifies with cops as a Corps member. Although I don't think he would have any patience for killer cops. ("You were afraid for your life even though you were the only one with a weapon? Then fucking quit, coward.")

All of that said, I think Guy is similar to Hal: defaults to center right, can be talked into center left on certain issues but he's more stubborn about it. (They would also both be enraged by Jan 6 and disgusted by the current Republican party - I can't quite argue that Guy Gardner is a Democrat but Green Lanterns don't have any patience for traitors or cowards.) It's also kind of a moot point because he never knows what is happening on Earth and hasn't voted since his pre-coma days.

John:

Oh John Stewart, thank god for you.

John was introduced as an explicitly political character in an explicitly political story. The first time we see him, he's stepping in to defend Black men from a white cop, citing his own knowledge of the law to do so. He shows a much more perceptive and informed perspective on the issue's main plot (a racist senator running for president) than Hal does. Even in the little moment above, we see that he's sensitive to exactly what it means for him, a Black man, to be taking on this role.

None of this is a surprise, since we'll later learn that John's parents were civil rights activists. Not only would he not have had the privilege Hal and Guy did to assume his existence was politically neutral, he was explicitly educated about political realities and progressive advocacy from childhood. He's well-informed, he's passionate, and he's going to tell you when you are being fucking stupid.

John isn't immune from the GL cop/military...thing, although I can't blame Johns for that - it was the cartoon that made him a Marine, and the comics followed suit. But that's never outweighed his origin or his upbringing. Like, he's friends with the DCU's fictional version of Nelson Mandela.

This one is straightforward: John is a staunch progressive. He is, however, in outer space 90% of the time, so he's always at least a little bit out of date. I imagine every time he comes back to Earth he spends the first 24 hours watching the news in abject horror.

Kyle:

Kyle doesn't talk about politics a lot, but when he does, he lands pretty much where you'd expect a young California-born artist living in New York City to land: to the left. My read on Kyle is that he hasn't really thought any of his politics through, which makes sense - he's a character who is led by emotion over reason every time. He doesn't have John's carefully thought-through arguments or knowledge of the law behind him. I feel like when something political upsets him, he's more likely to splutter angrily than make a coherent argument (which: same). When he's given the time to think things through and speak from the heart, though, he can be very eloquent, like in his speech to Terry after Terry accidentally comes out to him.

It's also worth pointing out that his solo appearances were mostly in the 90s, which were prone to avoiding politics or only addressing them in a halfhearted both sides-y way like the story above.

That said, I don't think he ever actually does anything about his political opinions. He never votes in midterm or primary elections, and probably only voted in a presidential one because Alex dragged him along one time. I feel like Donna tried to do the same when they were dating and that was when Kyle realized he'd forgotten to change his voter registration from California to New York. Jennie wasn't responsible enough to Mom him into doing his civic duty, and he's been in space pretty much nonstop ever since, so...

Simon:

In that other post, I said Simon's experiences should have radicalized him, but instead he was created by Geoff Johns. Simon is a Muslim, Lebanese-American man who came of age in the post-9/11 era, and was wrongfully convicted of terrorism and waterboarded at Guantanamo Bay. His reaction to this was...to put on a ski mask and wave a gun around. Like, it's been a while since I've read these issues, but aside from the "ripped from the headlines!!!" of it all, I feel like Simon's experiences largely don't inform his actions or perspective except that he's super angry (fair enough).

The thing about Simon (and Jessica) is that he hasn't been around very long, and most comics don't have characters directly expressing political opinions. It's not a coincidence that these characters are in chronological order and each write-up is shorter than the last. I can think of about three times where Kyle has ever said anything I can interpret as political, and he's been around for 30 years. Simon only has a third of that history. So while one could certainly extrapolate what Simon's opinions are likely to be, I can't think of any canon where he actually says them.

Jessica:

Jessica has even less to go on in terms of explicitly political comics. You'd think she wouldn't like guns because of what happened to her friends, but she has one of her own and doesn't seem bothered by Simon's. I'd imagine she has opinions on immigration as someone whose family is from Mexico and Honduras, but it never comes up. If I were writing for DC, I'd make both Simon and Jess leftists, but as for actual canon proof? I got nothing.

I will say that she probably avoids political discussions because anxiety, and I bet she got really good at voting by mail during her years not leaving the house. She probably votes by mail from space. Maybe John's not the only one with an up-to-date voter registration.

Kilowog:

[serenescribe]

the once (and many) prince(s) Twisted Wonderland | 3.3k Summary: Silver is, has always been, and will always be, the crown prince of his kingdom. AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54424864 Collaboration with @ohsleepie | Potential spoilers for elements of Chapter 7

Hi everyone! @ohsleepie and I are back at it again with another collaboration based on his wonderful "The Prince and his Physician" AU! This fic is meant to act as a companion story of sorts to the Malleus-focused "the prince's physician," this time focusing on Silver within the AU! Once again, this fic features incredibly beautiful and amazing art drawn by Sleepie; please check him out and follow him, if you haven't already!

I hope you all enjoy!

The worst part of reincarnation, Silver thinks, is the constant cycle of relearning everything all over again.

Okay, perhaps it would be a bit of a stretch to call it the worst part. There are many negatives, many downsides, far too many to count, to being stuck in a loop of constantly dying and reincarnating. But this particular aspect is, in Silver’s honest opinion, one of the worst out of them all.

There is a bookshelf carved from expensive ebony that sits in his chambers, nestled against one side of the wall. There are several bookshelves in his room, but this is the only one that Silver ever uses, filled from top to bottom with centuries worth of journals — leather-bound books gilded with gold and silver, every detail immaculately painted and carved, the cover opening to expensive parchment made from calves. He tends to absentmindedly run a hand along the spines, eyes glazing over the muted leather colours, before plucking out a book, and reading it through.

Silver only lives a good seventeen years at best, always dying before crossing the pinnacle into adulthood. How much of those seventeen years consist of just… reading? There are, of course, his early years, where he is much too infantile to read and write. But he barely has a few years of reading simple children’s stories before the latest journal is pressed into his hands, and he is briefly explained about the details of his curse.

He pores over the words of those who came before him — the Silvers who came before him, his previous iterations, all dying to form the next one. Their handwriting ghost his own, not just similar but straight up identical, and if he stresses his brain hard enough, he can almost conjure up wispy, fading memories of putting a quill to paper, ink curling across the page in the same, sweeping cursive.

And yet, it is a necessity to read all of it, all over again. Because Silver remembers — but not enough.

His memories are shattered, like an ancient mirror that has been cracked right through the middle, fractured into thousands of tiny, individual pieces. It is akin to a kaleidoscope of lifetimes; when he gazes into this metaphorical mirror, a thousand Silvers stare back, each one reflecting his exact appearance, yet distinct and different in their own ways. And yet each piece is but a shard; Silver remembers only the smallest bits of each past life, the pieces coming together to form a jumbled jigsaw of sharp-edged recollections.

He has lived far too many lifetimes as Silver — the crown prince of his kingdom, the only living heir of their royal family. He has lived far too many lifetimes as a Silver — distinctly different with each rebirth, living a short number of years until the day he inevitably dies.

Silver is immortal, and yet he is not. He lives on as the royal, the prince, a beacon of hope—

But Silver the person changes, with each new looping cycle.

(And so he reads through their journals, no matter how much it exhausts him.)

Many a time, his gaze wanders to his bedroom window.

As the sole heir to the royal family, Silver resides in the largest chambers of the castle, a sprawling set of multiple rooms, from a drawing room to receive guests, to his private bedroom where he slumbers at night. What this also means is that he is privy to the best views of everything within his kingdom, from the area stretching across the castle grounds, to the rest of the kingdom beyond tall and guarded stone walls.

There are many things for him to peer at, but today, he is gazing at the soldiers’ barracks again. They have their own section of the castle, tucked out of the way, but Silver can view them from the sanctity of his study, a room where he pens his thoughts in his journal and reads through old ones.

The emotion that dwells within him is nigh imperceptible, difficult to describe. It feels as though someone has tied a rope around his ribcage, double-knotting it and pulling it tight before tugging at it, and pulling him forward. There are twinges and pangs that cross his heart, a hollow cavern yawning as his soul collapses into itself.

He feels this as he stares out the window at the soldiers training in their courtyard. His eyes fixate on the swords in their hands, at the way they slash and thwack their weapons against straw-stuffed training dummies. Occasionally, he will spot the soldiers gathering together, jumping and yelling as two of them spar with wooden swords, all of them oblivious to his peeping.

He wants this. He longs for this. He—

“Your majesty?”

Silver blinks. It takes him a split second, pulling himself out of his thoughts, shoving away the deep desires that permeate his heart, but he quickly turns around, eyes fixating on the familiar figure in the doorway.

“Malleus,” Silver greets, shoulders relaxing as a smile slips onto his face. Of course it is Malleus; there are few who have his explicit permission to enter without needing to knock, and his physician is one of them. He waves his hand, ushering him in. “How long have you been standing there? Come on in, take a seat wherever you’d like. And what have I said about the formalities?”

Malleus is here for another check-up, and Silver gladly acquiesces. He can think of no other person he trusts more with his very life and soul than Malleus himself. He allows the man to lead him through familiar routines, magic permeating his body as he searches for something Silver cannot see, before shifting to more physical methods of testing Silver’s health.

Still, as Malleus works in a near-silence, preferring to focus and get his duties done before they can relax and spend some time together, Silver cannot help his thoughts from wandering off again. His desires are not new; he has seen them expressed across multiple journals, scrawled in identical, curling scripts across expensive parchment. The desire to pick up a weapon, to learn to fight and defend, to learn how to wield a blade like a true prince — that is what he so desires.

But he is frail, and the council insists that he stays in, that he can learn to fight once they break the curse. So never, Silver thinks bitterly, eyelids slipping shut as he feels cold claws brush against his forehead. Never in this lifetime, and not while I’m alive.

Malleus is many things.

To the populace, he has many names, many signifiers, viewed in many different ways. He is a blessing and a curse, for his magic is by far the only thing that can cure their prince, but all of it comes at the cost of his very existence itself: A fae; a deplorable, wicked creature; a monster that is the very scum of the earth itself. The history of their kingdom is written in the blood of their ancestors, shed through grievous wounds inflicted by the sharp claws and gleaming maws of the fae that slaughtered them all.

To the nobles, the members of the council who govern over the kingdom in Silver’s stead, making decisions on his behest, Malleus is something they tolerate. They do not speak of what will happen after the curse is broken and Silver is cured, but Silver knows, from their whispers and sly glances, from the words penned by the others who came before him, that they wish for nothing more than to rid the world of the last of the wicked — not, and never, fair — fae.

Humans gaze upon Malleus with distrust, wariness, abject hatred.

But for Silver, Malleus is one simple thing alone.

To him, Malleus is his friend.

There are two distinct points in the history of Silver’s incarnations: Before Malleus, and After Malleus.

The difference is like night and day. The journals of before are dismal and depressing, imbued with a bone-deep loneliness that carried all the way through into the parchment pages, stained in the very ink used to scrawl thoughts across the pages. The Silvers of that time tried — truly, they did — to cling to hope, to believe in what their people believed: that one day, their prince would be freed from the shackles of his horrific curse.

But with the passing decades, the many years, the many Silvers that lived and died, they all seemed to suffer from the same truth: there was no cure in sight.

And then there was Malleus.

The guards found a young fae child today, lurking in the borders between what remains of the valley and the kingdom, his own handwriting reads, the parchment yellowed with age, the ink long-since dried. This, Silver knows, is the first point at which Malleus is mentioned, though not yet by name, tucked away in a notebook he recognises by the distinct fern-green colour of its cover. Even now, as I write this, I still cannot believe the abysmal state he was in upon meeting him. No child, whether human or otherwise, should have that many injuries on their body, and though I have had a stern word with those who found him, I fear for his safety.

He shall remain with me for the time being.

Though Silver does not have favourite journals — for such a concept is lost on him when all the journals are such a drag to read, recounting the day-to-day experiences of his past selves, a depressing fog seeming to permeate every page of words — this one is perhaps the closest one to such a concept. Because this journal is different — he clings to every word, phantom feelings of a fierce protectiveness flaring within him, as though this particular incarnation has stirred somewhere deep within him and seized his soul.

It is so painfully obvious how much his past self had cared for Malleus — taking care of him, granting him such patience and endless kindness, spending time with him teaching him the human tongue, of how to read and write. There is a page filled with endless delight upon learning the fae’s name, ink smudged together where the page reads Malleus. Their activities did not end at the crude essentials; there are sweeping recounts of games played together, of crayon drawings and delicious platters of sweet treats — and Silver aches when he reads every word of it, possessed by a longing to return to those simpler times, when Malleus was not his physician, and was merely his friend.

And this care is made so apparent by the last few pages, the cursive made shaky by the cold, approaching winds of Death. To the next Silver, it reads, take care of Malleus. If there is any hope of breaking this curse that ails me, it lies within the powers of the fair folk. And yet, the rest of the page is filled with sentiments, rather than explaining how Malleus is the key to breaking the curse:

I wish this could last forever, these sweet days of playing together. For much of my life, I have been haunted by a bleak loneliness, isolated by my circumstances, and haunted by the weight of all our pasts. I have never had any companions my age, and I know from my readings that all of my predecessors shared the same lonely fate. To indulge in such fleeting luxuries, to have someone to speak to as though we were on the same level, intimately so— it is a happiness unlike anything I have ever felt before.

Blotchy circles stain the pages, the ink smeared in places.

Things may be different from now on. I understand that the council wishes for him to begin his work when the next cycle begins. And it is with that knowledge that I must remind the next Silver: Malleus may be our physician, and he may be tasked with breaking our curse—

But before that, before any of that, he is our friend.

Never forget that, for as long as we may live.

“Thank you for joining me today.”

Wispy trails of steam rise from two cups of tea, sitting in elegant saucers. Before Silver, and in the middle of the round tea table, is a small spread of sweet delicacies: scones accompanied by small glass jars of jam; finger sandwiches, some filled with goat’s cheese and roasted pepper, others filled with cucumber and salmon; and a small, round cake, tiny enough that it’s perfect for just the two of them.

“Of course,” Malleus replies, his voice smooth as usual. He raises his head slightly, slitted-eyes roaming over the tea-time spread before them, before he dips his head. “I thank you for the invitation, your majesty.”

“We have been over this many times, Malleus,” Silver says, unable to hide the exhaustion that spills into his voice. “You need not refer to me by such formalities.”

He knows why Malleus does so, of course. The answer is written across several different journals — It is difficult for him to reacquaint himself with us in each new cycle, and I truly cannot blame him. How alienating must it be, to witness someone you grow close to, time and time again, look upon you with no familiarity in his eyes? There is another reason too, though one of mere speculation, for Malleus has never confessed the truth by his own tongue — Earlier today, I witnessed a council member chide Malleus for regarding me with such familiarity during our meeting. I do wonder if this may be another factor into those needless formalities.

Thankfully, Malleus always obliges whenever Silver asks this of him — though whether it is because Silver is his prince, or because Silver is his friend, he never knows. “Is there any occasion for this meeting, Prince Silver?” Malleus asks, as Silver beckons for him to help himself, unwilling to dig in first when the fae’s eyes are flickering over the food, glinting with hunger. I wonder if he has forgotten to eat again, Silver thinks. Malleus carries over a scone and a sandwich with his utensils, leaving the cake intact. “Not that I mind it, by any means; it is always a pleasure to spend time with you.”

“There is no special occasion,” Silver answers, finally reaching for the spread as Malleus cuts into his meal. “I… only wished to spend time with my friend.”

Their relationship is a strange, tenuous thing. There is undoubtedly a bond there, from the way that Silver always feels so safe and secure in Malleus’ presence, and the gentle way that Malleus treats him, always appearing whenever Silver calls for him. There are even some rare occasions where the facade of dutiful physician slips, a careful veneer crafted for the sake of survival in the court, and Silver relishes those times, watching as Malleus’ expression sours, the stinging barbs that spit from his mouth more endearing than his usual regal elegance.

But all the same, compared to the earlier journals after Malleus’ appearance, filled with much more warmth and life — even as he learnt his role, Malleus would still happily chat with those Silvers, accept his offers to play games, spend the night with him on many occasions — there is a gap between them now. Driven by age, driven by time, and driven by the eternal, scathing judgement of the many humans of this kingdom, who cycle in and out of life and death, but are all fuelled by the same spiteful hatred and prejudice, taking it out on the only fae they know.

Still, Silver tries his best. He knows Malleus does too.

He sees it in the way the fae’s shoulders relax, expression smoothing out at the edges. “In that case,” Malleus says, after a moment’s pause, “let us indulge. How have you been lately… Silver?”

It is a good day for the two of them, Silver reflects. They drink their cups of tea and drain the pot of its excess drink, and the tray of delicacies are filled with nothing but crumbs by the time they’re done.

Even the cake, a dessert regarded with conflicting feelings by Malleus, is finished by the end of it. For once, Malleus eats his slices with a small smile, both their forks scraping the bottom of the plate as they help themselves to their fill.

Death no longer scares him, unlike everyone else. Death, in its own way, is a comfort, an inevitability: Silver knows he will reach his demise at the same time, at the same age. Very few people can ever be privy to such knowledge, going through their lives not knowing if they will pass on at age fifteen or fifty.

In that vein, what does it matter if Silver chooses to speed up the process?

He is not allowed proper access to weaponry. The council states that it is because there is no need for him to pick up a blade when he has guardsmen patrolling the halls around his room at all times, but Silver knows better. This is not the first time he has longed to die earlier than he usually does; he can count the other occasions on two of his hands, based on cryptic journal endings dated months earlier than they usually do.

To an extent, a part of him wonders what the point of it is. He will die, inevitably; why inflict such pain and suffering if he knows he’s going to come back? What is the point of it all?

The point, Silver tells himself, is that there isn’t one. He’ll always come back. He’ll always return — and so why should he languish and rot in his bed as his body slowly gives out on him? Why waste those months feeling his muscles weaken and his grasp on reality slip?

Why not do everyone the honour of ending it early, ending it now?

(The silver blade of the dagger, requested from some rookie soldier who knows no better than to deny this particular request from the prince, is cold against the flesh covering his heart.)

Silver is so, so tired. His life is stagnant, unchanging; he lives and he dies the same person, the same name, the same cursed prince of the same bloody kingdom, every childhood filled with days of reading the same handwritten journals signed with the same, stupid name.

When will he be allowed to rest? The weight of a legacy, the weight of his people’s hopes and dreams, drag him down, like impossibly heavy weights that are shackled to his limbs, pulling and pulling until he’s flat against the ground. He never asked for this — and god, it’s so selfish to even think of that, but it’s true.

Nobody ever thinks about him, Silver the person. They are only ever concerned with Silver the prince, Silver their saviour.

Except—

A memory flashes to mind, unbidden — of twisting, dark horns and raven-spun hair, and slitted green eyes that crinkle at the corners as he smiles at him.

(His hands tremble.)

Malleus.

The name fills him with an ache. If there is anything Silver can take comfort in as he straddles the line between life and death, it is simply that Malleus will always be there. Malleus is a constant throughline throughout Silver’s life, and while Silver may ebb and flow, weaving in and out of the many, many years of a fae’s long lifespan, Malleus will always be there.

And though the thought of that face, rendered a child once more in its shock and sadness, causes his chest to knot itself with hesitance and reluctance, Silver steadies himself.

The humans may come and go, live and die, but Malleus will always remain.

(And the blade plunges down.)

[h3llraz0rr]

LORE DUMP FOR MY REAGENT OC TIME :3

Rafael worked as a cartel lieutenant for a Cuban cartel operation for approximately 10 years prior to going M.I.A. Rafael received intel from a falcon about a drug deal gone wrong, where supposedly the buyer appeared normal but with a flip of a switch began attacking their dealer. The threat was neutralized but not by one of their own hitmen- by someone on the outside. The recollection was bizarre, but Rafael decided to look into the incident himself. Little did they know, that ‘customer’ was a sleeper agent who successfully finished their rebirth from the Sinyala facility. They had been suffering from insomnia and delusions (Skinnerman) and wanted something strong to stop the mania. Clyde Perry had been secretly sent to monitor this reagent upon suspicious behavior on top of his additional investigation on Franco Barbi.

Unable to dispose of the reagent’s body due to heightened activity of the cartel, Perry would be forced to remain in his hidden position as Rafael arrives on the scene with two other hitmen. Rafael takes a look at the bullet wound but also notices odd scars against the reagents temples (referring to the e.s.o.p. scars). Rafael calls in the kingpin and reports the mysterious death to him. The cartel ends up disposing of the body, and Clyde is tasked with a new mission: ‘Recover The Body’. The night of Rafael’s abduction, one of his falcons would have reported a strange man standing in their territory who requested to meet with him one-on-one. Rafael admires the man's guts and accepts the request, heading down to the area alone. The man in question is Clyde Perry, who inquires on where the body was disposed of. Rafael refuses to give him an answer, demanding a hefty fee for the information and on who he works for. After they get nowhere in this conversation, the two men get into a brawl. Reinforcements that were called for earlier upon request for Perry were able to intercept and render Rafael unconscious, retrieving Perry with a dislocated arm and heavily bruised face (with a swollen eye).

Rafael’s whereabouts are unknown to the Cartel, but he would find himself enrolled into the Sinyala facility as a reagent himself. He would be a rather selfish, brute of a reagent, defying all of Eastermans tasks in-therapy and allowing his fellow reagents to do the work. He gets into brawls frequently with other reagents, sometimes leaving them for dead inside trial environments to spite Easterman. Easterman ends up leaving Officer Leland Coyle in charge of ‘rehabilitating’ Rafael as well as gathering more information on the Cartel & where the missing reagent body was disposed of.

[somebodys-nightmare]

Cloud, Zack, & Aerith: Fate, Destiny, Friendship, & Love

This is a piece I originally posted on Twitter that I'm sharing here.

I don't think we talk enough about how Cloud feels about Zack, Aerith, her feelings for him, & the conflicted position this must put him in. I think Rebirth purposefully addressed this & there will be resolution for these characters in Part 3.

Like OG, it's clear Aerith has feelings for Cloud. However, the game does not create a mutual romantic subplot between her & Cloud. That development is saved for Tifa (subject for another day). It develops a deep friendship bond & comradery despite Aerith's feelings for Cloud.

In Chapter 11, Cloud recalls a memory of Zack in the Nibelheim Inn. The subject of the memory is specifically their love lives - Zack asking Cloud if he has a girlfriend in town, and then gushing about his own - Aerith. Cloud is visibly shaken by the memory of this information.

His recollections are still messy and tangled by Jenova's interference, but the fact remains that he remembers critical information that is factual - Zack was his friend, he fought with Zack as comrades five years ago, and Zack loved Aerith.

This is an expansion/new development from the OG, where he was not remembered until after the Lifestream scene and after Aerith's death. Bringing this information to light now has huge implications for Cloud's emotional state as well as his character.

(As an aside, it's also worth pointing out that those of us who played Crisis Core know that Cloud, in a similar Nibelhiem inn scene, has a heart-to-heart of his own with Zack about his feelings for the girl he loves - background knowledge that contextualizes things further).

While crossing the Gunnthra River bridge later, Cloud has another Zack memory, This time, it's of the bridge collapse five years ago, and the Jenova conflation causes Cloud to falsely remember that Zack died here, allowing him to continue living his SOLDIER persona delusion.

Cloud specifically laments that he's forgotten his friend, and states Aerith deserves to know what's happened to him. Cloud knows that Zack and Aerith were in love, and he knows from their visit to Zack's parent in Gongaga that Aerith still carries feelings for Zack.

Tifa, knowing Cloud's recollection of events are wrong/corrupted but unable to reconcile why, intercepts Cloud telling Aerith so that he doesn't communicate the wrong information & further exacerbate his deteriorating condition, & so that she can buy time to uncover the truth.

Let's head to the Gold Saucer. It's an interesting narrative decision to have this plot line lead here, which is why I think it was specifically introduced to bring context & eventual resolution to the romantic entanglements of these four characters - Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, & Zack.

On Aerith's date, much like the OG, she waxes poetically about Cloud's similarities to Zack and how she became drawn to him. Unlike OG, though, Cloud has already remembered who Zack is, as well as both his AND Aerith's relationships with him.

Like OG, Aerith laments that now, she wants to be w/ & find the real Cloud. We know the true Cloud has buried romantic feelings for Tifa (again- subject for another day) & so he won't reciprocate. That notwithstanding, Cloud is now also conflicted by his friendship w/ Zack.

It seems to me that Cloud wanted to clear the air about Aerith's advances on him and his relationship and past with Zack. This follows a plot line that started when they first met, and their unwitting conversations about Zack that have threaded throughout their relationship.

I know some fans may interpret that Cloud wants this out in the open so he can make a move on Aerith, but aside from that both being a terrible read on Cloud's character & ignoring the fact that he is still in the throes of an identity crisis, Tifa's date directly debunks this.

On Tifa's date, during an awkward pause in which both characters seem stuck on what to say next, Cloud also brings up their earlier conversation about Zack to see if Tifa told Aerith. This indicates that it's been weighing on his mind, & that he still wants closure about it.

Again, we see that Tifa did tell Aerith, but again, she isn't forthcoming w/ Cloud about this, because of the sensitive nature of the situation & Cloud's incongruent & incorrect memories. The complete truth is not available yet & she doesn't want to make the situation messier.

Cloud brings up that Aerith must still have feelings for Zack - remembering again what both of his friends told him they felt for each other. But Tifa says it's a little more complicated than that - acknowledging that SHE knows that Aerith has feelings for Cloud.

Cloud takes on her meaning and seems somewhat surprised by this, as he physically reacts & looks up. I don't think he's surprised that Aerith likes him (she makes it pretty obvious) but I think he IS surprised that Tifa knows.

This is especially important in a broader context that given the nature of his relationship with Tifa up to that point, from his perspective, is far different from his relationship with Aerith.

It is at this point that Tifa begins to express doubt about being on a date with Cloud, their intimacy, and ultimately, whether their feelings are mutual. Cloud takes this opportunity to quite explicitly dissuade those doubts, both verbally and physically.

So what's next? I'm not doing an analysis of the Ch14 "date" w/ Cloud & Aerith here, but its narrative purpose is to highlight Aerith's complicated internal conflict regarding her grief for Zack & feelings for Cloud before her death. Meanwhile, Zack is still trying to reach her.

Cloud and Tifa may have exchanged mutual feelings during a magical moment before things go south in the broader storyline, but they haven't had their true reunion or reconciliation yet. And neither have Aerith and Zack, or Cloud and Zack, OR Aerith and Cloud, or that matter.

I believe once Cloud is restored, all these relationships will be reconciled & revealed for what they are - romantic relationships or friendships - that were forged by fate & destiny and experienced through trauma, loss, perseverance, and love, all major themes of the game.

[katyspersonal]

Commentary on religious "redemption" in Soulsborne

To think of it, the rebirths magic used by Rosaria and Rennala, and more particularly people becoming addicted to it and getting corrupted by it gradually, is a very clever satire on the Christians that can't understand their own darn religion?

And, yeah, I know:

But fdhdfshfds I mean like, the sentiment of being "born anew" and furthermore believing that they could basically conjure up atonement and be "purified" upon request, instead of putting actual effort in change and fixing consequences of their actions, if it applies.

Both man-grubs addicted to being reborn by Rosaria and juvenile scholars addicted to Rennala's amber egg (which is still a piece of Golden Order) grow weaker with each next rebirth. The time spans between rebirth grow shorter and shorter after each next one, meanwhile effects grow more and more detrimental rather than beneficial. And, just.. doesn't it all sound awfully familiar?

The first experience of being "purified" and starting over as new, better person is REALLY great. It feels like finding true peace of mind, feels like a bliss, you are full of hope and it is like your sins and suffering got left behind and were like a bad dream, right? But over time, the truth, the deeply ingrained flaws you didn't truly work on, and the rot of this world start to creep in, and you are becoming put back to the "worse" version of yourself that you had hoped you cast away. And you don't want to lose that sense of bliss and being good, so you seek it again. It can feel like you are able to start fresh again for a while. And then again, and again, and before you know it you become just a pitiful parody of that initial experience. It becomes frantic and very quickly changing cycle of "being bad again", and then "casting that sin aside" by praying and moving on, instead of genuine long term effort of fixing what you did (or working on this flaw).

I guess man-grubs are for sure a more plain reflection out of the two? Grubs that will never curl up and become butterflies! In the very same game, there are 'Angels' that sprout from within hollowed humans' Darkness, even against their will!

They, on the contrary, can reflect losing faith to the point of truly finding it, if you see what I mean. Symbolic of becoming so lost in hopelessness, confusion, sins, mistakes and suffering that in the end it becomes faith for its own sake, without any tangible or perceived benefit. The more conscious variant of it, the Angelic Faith, is more like comprehension that blessing is to not wash all your "filth" away but to seek God within it. Not to get too personal here, but it is something I can understand too; I remember feeling SO drowning in my critical flaws and wrongdoings that I thought "damn, only God can truly love the rot and shit that I am fr" and.. it gave me more peace of mind than it sound, to be deadly honest.

Of course, either concept is not a supplement for real growth and effort, but one is deliberately trying to cheat truth and fate and another is unfortunate result of being driven to your lowest by either the world or yourself.

Interestingly enough, Rennala's unity with the Golden Order started with the similar concept of cheating fate.. Celestial Dew doesn't raise the dead back to living or rebuilds the broken things, however, it does do something with your mind. It makes me wonder whether her own attachment to the Amber Egg is not just for the sake of clinging to all that was left of her marriage, but also for the sake of recollection of that feeling where everyone left tormented with the Liurnian war just "forgave and forgot". The scholars are being reborn "fresh and pure", there is still accent on casting away the "filth"

In any case.. I think Fromsoft are just trying to say that if you want to become a better version of yourself, you really should accept that simply washing all your sins, pain, grudges and flaws down the drain won't work and instead you should either work for it (if improvement is possible) or salvage what you can (if improvement is impossible).