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Adding onto this whole analysis, including the previous post which is linked at the beginning: I think we need to really consider the level of sentience or even sapience of the Hexcore.

We often talk about Viktor offering up his blood and going too far in his pursuit of salvation with the Hexcore, but he was not the one making the first step.

The Hexcore took Viktor's blood into itself. The visual language of the Hexcore changing color from the innocent Hextech blue to a more malevolent purple after ingesting Viktor's blood tells me that that's when it "awakened" so to speak.

This also serves to explain how professor Heimerdinger noticed that Viktor changed, that "something's different" which Viktor is confused about, because in his mind, he hasn't done anything.

But Heimerdinger might be picking up on the Hexcore's awakened state, and thus, by extension, it's newly formed bond with Viktor.

I have actually held onto another theory as to why the plants and Sky died when interacting with the Hexcore, but Viktor didn't. And while yes, we have the Shimmer adding to his resilience, I also believe that from the moment the Hexcore fed on Viktor's blood, it was bound to him, imprinted on him, if you will.

It never interacts with others the way it does with him after all.

If we suppose that the Hexcore wanted to corrupt Viktor specifically, it possibly saw him (on some level, as I said, idk how sapient the Hexcore could ever really be) as a tool to be used.

Taking over Viktor's body would put one of the greatest minds of their time into its control, allowing it to achieve its goals with relative ease. All it took was some manipulation and deception.

The post which is linked in the one I'm reblogging here, mentions Viktor's eyecolor as a sign of his manipulation.

But in the astral plane with Sky, his eyes remain golden, as well as his hair being in the style it was when he "died". To me, this signifies the way he sees himself. He sees himself the way he remembers himself - as a human - with human ideals and human goals. He sees the Hexcore represented through Sky, a person he can relate to, someone he is predisposed to be gentle towards - in part due to his guilt.

It isn't until Ekko breaks his mask and metaphorically opens his eyes to the truth - which Jayce then shows him - that Viktor's self-perception aligns itself again. And the moment it does, he fully understands the gravity of his actions.

I also want to add, as an afterthought if you will, that Evolved Viktor no longer saw people as people. He saw them as sparks of light. Jayce comments on this, while Viktor takes it for granted. When Viktor reawakens to himself, he looks into the distance where - as far as the eye can see - people are reduced to nothing put spots of light. And it horrifies him, where before he saw it as a positive.

He literally didn't see the world the way he used to.

All this to say that I believe that Viktor was very much under some level of mindcontrol/manipulation; not simply because the visual language tells us so, but also because the Hexcore is shown to be capable of such sapience, if you will.

(Arcane Meta) The Hexcore was already controlling Viktor in S1

As a follow-up to my post about how the Hexcore's control over Viktor in S2 is probably best compared to the One Ring from Lord of the Rings, in that it magically amplifies desires but to what extent its manipulations could be confused with free will is very hard to determine, I wanted to offer this piece of comparison to Lord of the Rings as further evidence that Viktor is under some level of control from the Hexcore as early as S1.

I was fortunate enough to take a course on Tolkien's works in college and there's one point our professor made that stuck with me. He pointed out that Frodo was always doomed to fail at casting the One Ring into Mt. Doom because he was already unable to do so back at Bag End, before he'd even spent significant time with the Ring.

It's less apparent in the show than in the book, so here's the quote,

"To Frodo's astonishment and distress the wizard threw it suddenly into the middle of a glowing corner of the fire. Frodo gave a cry and groped for the tongs; but Gandalf held him back."

Though his time with the Ring has only barely just begun, already Frodo is distressed at the thought of harm coming to the Ring and is trying to save it, before he even stepped out his door. How then was he ever supposed to throw it into the fire of Mt. Doom after having spent months in close proximity to it?

Well, this moment reminds me rather strikingly of this one:

This is only S1, the corruption of the Hexcore has only spread to Viktor's hands and leg, but it has also just killed Sky right in front of Viktor. He has been weeping on the ground, mourning her when he then resolves to destroy it and rises up, brandishing the stool.

Unlike Frodo, who had no idea what the Ring was at that point and still was distressed by the idea of harm coming to it, Viktor just saw the Hexcore kill someone right in front of him. And yet, like Frodo, he can't bring himself to harm it.

The Hexcore then actually physically shies away from the stool, which is where I get the notion at least that it is sentient, and then because Viktor had the audacity to raise a hand to it and fail to follow through, it knocks him out like a light:

This is why Viktor has to beg Jayce to destroy the Hexcore, and even there he can barely get the words out, and he only makes this request while far away from the lab and the Hexcore.

I would argue that the reason he doesn't explain more to Jayce there is because he might even be unable to, even asking that much might have been a strain. Or, I'll admit, perhaps there's any number of human reasons he didn't, like shame and fear.

Shame and fear that is of course gone by the time the Hexcore has consumed him when he finally tells Jayce what happened to Sky.

I would argue that the look of hopelessness and disappointment on Viktor's face when he decides to leave Jayce isn't because of the weapons blueprints he might have spotted on the lab table. Or at least, it's not only that.

Personally, I see that as Viktor knowing that he was now so physically consumed by the Hexcore he had no hope at all of fighting it anymore. To quote Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, "I knew myself, at the first breath of this new life, to be more wicked, tenfold more wicked, sold a slave to my original evil..."

So when people ask why Viktor is suddenly going along with everything the Hexcore wants, when before he wanted to destroy it, I would argue this: because it was already infecting him in S1 and in S1 he realized this and begged Jayce to destroy it because he knew it could stop him from doing so already. But because he was unwilling, or unable, to tell Jayce more about why he wanted it destroyed, Jayce instead defied his very strange request and used it to save Viktor's life as they had originally planned.

From that point on, I would argue, Viktor is under the thrall of the Hexcore and is carrying out its virus-like desire to spread itself and grow. I mean, just look at him, it now has consumed nearly every part of his body except his face. By the end, it has taken that from him as well.

Viktor might still have his own intelligence on top of it, but how much is very much the topic of ongoing debate. For the man to say that there is always a choice to suddenly say that there is no choice, the man who tried to destroy the Hexcore now freely spreading its power, and who once lashed out at the very notion of the use of Hextech as weapons making his own army of apex Hextech robots and using the Hexclaw against Jayce, and who looks so horrified at what he has done once the Hexcore's shell has been broken off of him by Ekko's bomb and Jayce's revelations, I would argue that we should assume at least some level of control was overpowering Viktor for much of S2, and that is exactly the fate he was trying to avoid in S1.

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ONE (1) COMMISSION SLOT OPEN NOW!

I am doing this for the first time, please be kind to me! For any questions or clarifications please comment or DM me! This is cross posted from Twitter, so the commission slot might get filled outside of Tumblr.

Art examples

(examples are labeled according to hypothetical price composition!)

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let me just dance the dance of being re-traumatized for the n’th time, to the point that I am basically desensitized to it~

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I’m still alive! I got bored one evening and did some artistic manipulation on photos my mother sent me...

Follow my Mom on instagram @tenmuuutter !

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An open letter...

I wasn't going to comment on this; I wasn't going to say anything, because it is not my place. I am a half-white, cis woman in Germany. None of this relates to me personally, and yet I can't not say something.

Wherever I go nowadays on the internet, I can't escape news and updates on the situation in America, the riots following the murder of George Floyd... and I struggle to comprehend any of it.

I live in Germany, a country with a troublesome history; a mark of shame that haunts us to this day. This country has done heinous crimes to Jews, homosexuals, people of color and many others. And yet, as I went to shop for groceries I encountered 7 or so people of color, who were walking safely among the others. A black man stood in line behind me, a woman wearing a hijab was my cashier, a middle eastern man stood in the elevator with me and at no point did anyone say or do anything bad. Do you know why? Because after being defeated at the end of WW2 Germany was forced to examine itself, its culture, its politics and its people. Being defeated was one of the biggest triumphs in German history, because it taught our people to be better, to do better.

That is not to say that Germany is perfect. We still have issues, we have backwards groups and individuals who try to bring back fascism, we have inequality among genders, races and classes, but our people at large are more tolerant than their ancestors. Our youths are taught in school to heed the lessons of our predecessors.

Look at yourself, America. A while back you and your president were the laughing stock of the 1st world. Nowadays nobody is laughing anymore.

How did you let things get this bad? How did you ignore the signs this long?

What more does it take for you to see, that the core of your country's very foundation is rotten?!

White supremacy was, and is to this day an integral part of your country. Systemic oppression is real, and it isn't enough to denounce interpersonal racism, you have to acknowledge the racism baked into the soul of your country. You have to stand in solidarity with the people, who cannot stand up for themselves lest they be killed. You have to stand in solidarity with those who cannot protect themselves from the system that is meant to - and continues to fail to - protect them.

It is June. Pride month. I would have loved to see diversity and tolerance being celebrated.

But instead I see a people that is being crippled and killed by its own government.

Look at yourself, America.

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Everyone please be safe, take care of yourself and your loved ones. Be kind to each other and remember to be happy whenever you can!

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An Illu inspired by/drawn for geraldinegrenadine’s beautiful fic it's the little things, you see? Fluffy, cozy WangXian and little wingbaby A-Yuan!

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Post Canon WangXian AU

WWX’s hair turned white at some point in his life... Him and LWJ now travel the world as rogue cultivators, known as the YinYang Shenmen - Yin and Yang Deities/Spirits...

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Wow, I forgot I submitted this... XD

Kidnappers: We have your brother!

Jiang Cheng: I don’t have a brother.

Kidnappers: Yes you do.

Jiang Cheng: [sighs] Fine, yes I do. What do you want?

Kidnappers: Please take him back.

Jiang Cheng: … Aren’t you supposed to ask for a ransom or something?

Kidnappers: No. We’ll actually pay you if you come and take him away, he’s so annoying, we can’t stand it!

Jiang Cheng: [cackles and ends the call]

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...?!

100 of you people. What are you doing here...? XD

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Due to recent developments with the COVID-19 or Corona Virus I am now again in a position where I struggle to pay my insurance.

I had a pupil for tutoring, who now cancelled our sessions for the next weeks, due to the virus, which leaves me with no income.

I'm not trying to beg you for money or anything, none of you owe me anything, but if you have something to spare and you want to help me, I would be most grateful for a donation to my Ko-fi! (For a more detailed update click here: https://ko-fi.com/post/Life-and-such-N4N21I1CR )

This caffeine addict has found ko-fi! To enable my addiction (and maybe see some art) check out my page!

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Very yes, Thank you.

I’m not even chinese and it irks me when people get it noticeably wrong...

MDZS FanFic Common Misleading

So, sometimes I found these misleading to some MDZS fanfic that I have read before. And just want to clarify and write it down here for future reference.

This is ONLY if you want to make the characters, rules, status, etc as close as the original. If you want to make your own kind of jiang cheng or wei wuxian or the other characters with your own rules then it's up to you. Because it is free to write what you like.

Some of these are not applicable if the fics is in different universe

Hope it is easy to understand because my english is bad, and Im still practicing ;_; Sorry if it sounds rude or anything, I'm trying to be polite as much as possible here.

JC address JYL as A-jie/jie/Jie Jie NOT Shijie NEITHER A-li

Yes, I often find fanfic where JC call JYL as shijie (and the author thought it means the same) sometimes A-li (Jiang Cheng is younger guys, you can't carelessly call your older siblings without honorifics in China and some other Asian countries, especially in ancient times, they pay attention to this a lot). Shijie is how you call the female senior disciple, that's why only WWX and maybe other junior disciple call JYL as shijie. A-Jie or jie jie (wen ning use Jie jie) is how they address the older sister. However, in some situation, some people might call a female stranger that looks just slightly older than them as jie jie (like how WWX call the woman who sells loquat in the donghua as jiejie).

JC can't handle spicy food as much as WWX (NOPE, HE CAN)

Sometime I also find some fanfic where they make as if JC can't eat spicy food or can only handle a lil bit of spicy. In one of the audio drama extra eps. JC eat WWX's very spicy congee like it's a normal food without coughing or anything and he said it taste normal. Unless it is clarified that the food is something like "the spiciest food in the world that gives you diarrhea" or something like that in the fic then it is acceptable that JC won't eat it.

If I'm not mistaken I see some parts of the manhua in instagram saying that Yunmeng people love to eat spicy food (so I guess it's their traditional food?). So not only JC and WWX but also the other yunmeng jiang can handle spicy food.

Jiang Cheng to Wei Wuxian

Sure they are brothers in everything but blood. However, Jiang Cheng never say anything about Wei Wuxian is his brother loudly and proudly because he's a tsundere. OUR SALTY YET LOVEABLE UNCLE IS A TSUNDERE.

Titles and Honorifics are IMPORTANT

They always pay attention to title and status. Remember, TITLES and HONORIFICS ARE IMPORTANT. Only the elder or very close family might call LWJ as 'wangji' or 'lan wangji'. The other disciple won't dare to call him 'lan wangji' even if they are on the same generation as him (unless they are WWX because he's shameless, and JC when he's salty and angry). They always address him as 'Second young master lan' or 'Han Guang Jun'. He's a YOUNG MASTER not a COMMONER. Don't make some random disciple calling our Hanguang-Jun as 'Lan Wangji' that is so RUDE.

Even modern China still pay attention for their honorifics (there're a lot). Even those Chinese descendants in any other countries (like mine) still use it. Yes, there are a bunch of it, even the way you call uncle from mother or father's side are different. Eldest, second, third uncles/aunties from both side are different. It is very confusing sometimes I need to ask my mom "What did I supposed to call him again?"

Same goes to the other young master (JZX, NHS, JC, etc)

Gusu lan elders can't accept WWX so they tried to get rid of him by attacking him

(Take time after WWX married to LWJ)

Don't forget. Killing is prohibited in the cloud recesses. Fighting is prohibited in the cloud recesses. They never mention this but I'm sure attacking other people one sidedly is prohibited, especially if they are doing it quietly with no one looking. What can the elders do if they want to complain? Talk. So mostly they can only attack WWX by using words. 'Proper' and 'polite' and no 'yelling'.

Han Guang Jun title

LWJ got this title when he's around 18-20. So when WWX was 15 studying at the Cloud Recesses, LWJ don't have this title yet.

Courtesy Name

They get their courtesy name when they reach around 13-15 y.o. So no courtesy name before that, only their birth name. However, courtesy name can be prepared as early as they want like in Jin Ling's case (but he doesn''t like his courtesy name because it sounds girly).

Only males get courtesy name according to wikipedia.

Actually, in modern AU courtesy name is not really needed (except modern AU with cultivation). However, it's not fun without it so this is also up to you whether to use courtesy name in the modern era or not.

How A-Yuan address himself when he was a child

Whenever baby A-yuan talk to older people he will not use "I" or "me" to address himself but "A-yuan". Not only A-yuan, but most of little children address themselves using their names when they are talking to older people, especially their parents and older siblings.

For example "A-yuan is hungry" instead of "I'm hungry".

Does Gusu Lan people all vegetarian?

There's no official statement all Gusu Lan must be vegetarian. They eat bitter herbal stuff probably for health and cultivation. However, eating meat is not forbidden for Lan people. Our Jingyi eats chicken wings. Sure he likes to broke so many rules, but there's Sizhui who always remind him, told him to keep his voice low when he's yelling, told him to slow down when he's running, but never stop him eating the chicken wing.

Gusu Lan founder, Lan An, was a monk. According to my research whether a monk allowed to eat meat or not, yes they can. However, do not to have any animal killed for your own satisfaction.

For example, do not order the meat when the animal is still alive. Order whatever that is already cooked.

(Src: mothership 'S’pore monk answers questions on whether Buddhists can eat beef & their dietary restrictions' by Nyi Nyi Thet)

Use Jie jie instead of shijie

If you are doing a modern AU or any other AU where there's no cultivation. WWX don't have any reason to call JYL as 'shijie' since shijie is for female senior in cultivation. You can use Jie, Jie Jie, Yanli-jie, Li-jie, etc.

However, if you still want to stick to the original to make it easier and more recognizable is also okay. (Remember, this is your own fanfic, if you don't want ro follow what I've written don't force yourself)

So yea, I think that's it for now. Please correct me if there's some mistake with these facts. Thank you

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Untitled

Lan Wangji thinks he sees the flicker of his life flashing before his eyes when he first walks into the classroom on the first day back at school.

Actually, what he sees is a classmate, as he rests his arms on the windowsill, bent forward and his hips tilted. His white tank top appears to be just slightly damp from sweat, and his ridiculously red trousers sit low on his hips, held in place by a glossy black belt, adorned with various chains and dangles.

But most importantly Lan Wangji sees the pale exposed nape of said classmate.

It’s so... white compared to the rest of his skin, his arms a warm shade of gold under the sun. If Lan Wangji looked closer - not that he would want to do so... - he would see the faint redness of a slight sunburn on those exposed shoulders.

Jiang Wanyin, who stood by the window next to Wei Ying’s, talking to him about something noticed Lan Wangji and threw him a glare.

Wei Ying noticed it and turned to face Lan Wangji, and his face lit up with a grin.

“Lan Zhan!” he called out and waved his arm in the air as though Lan Wangji wasn’t standing a few paces away but on the other side of a busy street.

Jiang Wanyin elbowed Wei Ying in the ribs, but the latter didn’t even seem to notice.

He strolled up to Lan Wangji and shook his head a little, making the wavy locks of his hair bounce.

“What do you think, hm?” Wei Ying asked with no preamble.

“At least ask him how his summer break was, you idiot!” Jiang Wanyin almost yelled from the window.

Again, Wei Ying ignored him.

“You cut it,” Lan Wangji managed to say. “Your hair,” he added belatedly. Internally he was slapping himself for being so painfully useless at verbal communication, but thankfully Wei Ying didn’t really seem to care.

“Yes,” he said with a wide grin. “The long hair was just insufferable during last week’s heat wave, and I asked Jiejie to cut it for me,” he explained, “Does it look good?”

Not trusting himself to speak Lan Wangji just nodded stiffly.

Wei Ying let out a delighted giggle and practically danced back to Jiang Wanyin’s side.

“I told you so,” he said, his grin audible in his voice.

Jiang Wanyin rolled his eyes and let out a long suffering sigh.

Lan Wangji meanwhile sat at his desk and went about placing his materials on the desktop. Folders, his notebook, pencil case... all in the methodical manner that he had always preferred.

It kept him from faltering in moments like these, when his brain was running amok, because his hands just went through the motions on their own.

Wei Ying’s hair... was short now.

And it was wavy, with the ends even more.

It just... looked so fluffy, and deep down Lan Wangji wanted to imagine running his fingers through the short fuzzy hair at the back of Wei Ying’s head and nape...

Oh...

Oh...

That did it.

That was the moment when he couldn’t hide his feelings from himself anymore. The moment when ambiguity and inconclusive notions just didn’t cut it anymore.

He wanted to touch.

Even worse he wanted to do more than just touch.

This was bad.

This semester would be... bad. And great, because he would hopefully catch more glimpses of Wei Ying’s slender, pale nape... but also... really, really bad.

Lan Wangji was doomed.

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Happy New Year!

Happy new year, all who see this!

I hope you have had a good year, and you will have another good year in 2020! Hold onto your loved ones and look after each other! Be safe, be healthy and be happy!

Lots of love!

- Ten.

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Awesome!

welcome

this a maiden rose sideblog to celebrate all things Maiden Rose, + my miscellaneous musings inspired by the series. 

MR is created by Fusanosuke Inariya. 

please enjoy. 🌹

main blog: @gemilux

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 Everyone knows that the Omegas from Yunmeng are good for a single night of unbridled passion. A single night, no more.

 You can consider yourself blessed if you manage even that much.

 Yunmeng’s Omegas are wild and unruly, and they will fight you without hesitation. If you manage to get one into your bed - or you sneak into theirs - you can expect to wake up a changed man.

But Wei Wuxian is an Omega too. And he is nothing like what the rumors say about Omegas ... or is he? https://archiveofourown.org/works/22023364

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Oh wow, a buzzfeed quiz that’s actually quite well done!

Wow, buzzfeed was able to understand Jiang Cheng but CQL twats couldn’t understand him even after watching 50 episodes.

In this house we love and appreciate Jiang Cheng.

PS: if anyone wants to take the quiz they can go to this link: