#[touches ground] hmm. lore.

[leaf-line]

𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐈𝐬 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐫𝐮𝐞𝐥

Yandere! Jiaoqiu X Gn! Reader

❏ Jiaoqiu finds himself enjoying your company that he wants to extend it more.

cw: might be lore inaccurate, might be ooc, a hint of angst, you being called annoying, force feeding, mentions of pinning, no beta we die like Tingyun, written in Jiaoqiu's pov + he doesn't talk, pls don't be confused, reader is loud.

w/c: 962

Immortality is a crime... No, rather, it's a sin.

"Alchemy Commission... Agh—!! Where was that place again?! Wait a minute... Hey there! You! The pretty foxian boy with pink hair!"

Jiaoqiu finds it hard to believe that a human like you were accepted into a prestigious place such as the Alchemy Commission. You weren't even a Xianzhou Native, just a regular human. Why did he even try to put an effort into knowing who you were? Maybe it was because apart of him was curious about you and why the hell were you so loud? Honestly, he shouldn't have.

"Ohhhh, so this was the place, wow, I could've sworn I've ran into here multiple times before, why didn't I see it? Speaking of which, can you even actually see that? Why are your eyes closed?"

He wasn't exactly sure why he welcomed you so easily into his life. To put it into words... You were eccentric, goofy, and a slacker with no sense of direction, you speak out loud what's on your mind, no matter the place and time.

"Alas, we meet again, blind foxian... So you're my senior? But you're so short—"

You were blunt, sometimes it was funny, sometimes it was annoying. But Jiaoqiu never heard you tell a lie ever since the first time he met you. Although if he ever hears you call him any more honest insults, he's gonna spike your lunch with one of his handmade concoctions.

"Noooo!! Please! I don't want to memorize another set of ingredients for a different medicine!! Have mercy!!!"

And did he mention that you were loud? He'd be lying if he said he didn't find it entertaining, since the people there were so serious and gloomy. You were like the clown of the class, and Jiaoqiu was simply there to be entertained.

"You mean to say that in your own eyes, you think that food is medicine? That's... Super interesting!!"

...That wasn't a lie right? Well, Jiaoqiu hoped so. You were cheerful, upbeat, and optimistic at some times, he's yet to be accustomed by that kind of personality.

"Oh, yeah, sure I'll have a taste of your cookings, leave it to me! I'm a good food critique!"

Have a taste, he says. He doesn't know what you will reply. Will you tell him it tastes garbage? Will you tell him it's the most godsend food you've ever tasted in your life? He doesn't know, not unless he tries to have you eat it. At some point you were brutally honest it hurts him through the gut, but surely at some point when he impresses you, it would feel rewarding, right?

"This straight up tastes awful, this one is painfully bland, and this is, hmm... Let me taste again, ...mmmm!! It's super delicious!"

Was it a wrong choice when he interacted with you more? No, otherwise he would have felt so much joy in a long while. Bit by bit, you warmed up your way into his heart, securing a comfortable place in it. There was a saying that the way into person's was through their stomach, so why was it when the more he poured into your stomach and the more he was successful at making you happy, the more was being poured into HIS own heart?

"Jiaoqiu... Thanks a lot."

The second you were calm and silent. Aeons, you were adorable, beautiful, handsome and majestic in your own way that Idrilla would be jealous. He wanted nothing more but to cup your cheeks with his hands and connect your lips to his own. He wanted to hug you dearly, bask in your touch, bask in your scent. But he holds himself to the ground, after all, looking at the picturesque scene in front of him will suffice more than enough.

"What do you mean my hair is turning white? I'm still young you know?"

...Oh. Did time fly that fast when he's having fun? Was it this early for someone he would willingly hold dearly to part ways with him soon enough? Or was time just cruelly toying him? How could he even forget that you were a short-life specie, just how?

"Ugh... Sorry and thank you, Jiaoqiu. I mean, for taking care of me, I'm still really sick, my body is just getting weaker and weaker by the day... I don't know why..."

Time is running out. Why was his time with you getting cut short? Why? Why? No. He's gonna fix this, he can. All he wants is a little more time with you, can't he have that? He doesn't want to feel lonely again. Please... Stay...

"Jiaoqiu... Are you okay? You've been stuffing your nose into books all day. I just... Have a feeling your doing something suspicious, don't get me wrong, I'm not accusing you, I'm just worried."

Immortality is a sin, he knows that, he knows it all too well. The only way to achieve it is through the flesh of an Emanator of Abundance. The last time that went... Didn't go well. Fuck around with immortality and there will be a cost... That he's willing to pay, unfortunately for you. All he needed is to make a medicine that will ensure you to live longer, even if you become mara-struck, it doesn't matter.

"Are you sure this medicine is safe? I don't think that it is..."

Aeons! Just consume it will you!? Do you know how hand it took him to get his hands in these things!? Do you want him to strip naked and beg you to consume it!? You want him to pin you and shove it down your throat!?

Jiaoqiu wouldn't really consider himself sinful... So he wonders why he's dragging you into the pits of hell.

a/n: uh... this is inaccurate as hell, i barely read the lore leave me alone— 😭

[obsessive-valentine]

How would Dark-Yandere!Farmer react to finding reader taking Polaroid photo shoots of his retired senior dogs in silly clothing like sunglasses, hair clips, etc. Btw love your writing keep up the good work!🫶🏼

Dark-Yandere!Farmer x GN!Reader

TW - Readers def developing Stockholm Syndrome or something of the sort, nothing else though this fix is sweeter as an apology for the intense one last time about reader being punished. This was meant to be a qick paragraph or two as an answer but I got to deep into lore and this sweet scenario as it’s a side of him we don’t see much. Thanks for the idea glad you’re liking this blog❤️

I’ll proof read later

You’d expressed an interest in his old cameras after he let you rummage through a few boxes he’d stored away. In a box he’s got a old digital camera a Polaroid one and then a really fragile one that’s much older than the rest, you didn’t dare pick it up in fear it would fall adapt just by touch. Then at the bottom of the box, a few images, some developed film some printed. You recognised him in some home images or family portraits, he looked like a happy kid with a cheesy grin sometimes even pictured on this very farm but most of them look to be taken in a small town house.

It’s weird to imagine at one point he was just a normal kid, living a normal life, photos of him blowing out candles on his birthday or with some older family members reminded you that no ones born ‘bad’. Makes you wonder why he’s the way he is now, what happened?

A part of you wanted to take one of those sweet images of him as a child and hide it away, to uncover and re-remind yourself he’s not a living monster but a human and a kind one at times. To ground yourself when he gets angry and all you can see him as is a living demon. To set the aspiration that if he was once so -he can be again.

You recognised a woman from the images as his mother because he kept a image of her in the bedside draw, she looked loving and kind. But he’d never talk about her, answering your careful questions about her with “she was a good mother” or “she was an admirable woman” he seemed emotionally withdrawn about it so you didn’t push it. You figured since she’s dead he’s just remembering her face.

The rest of the pictures seemed to be from the building of this farm, dated on the back in scruffy hands writing, maybe by his father or grandfather. You could look through this pile of history for hours, not just to learn more about your captor but about the history of this place and the his family that he’s so reluctant to talk about.

The ladder to the attic creaks behind you and his distinct heavy boots land with a thud and groan on the ladder steps “what’s got you so occupied up here?” You felt like you’d been caught looking in something you shouldn’t have despite having permission “j-just these cameras, I had a polaroid camera once” you turned to him showing him the old camera, he now off the ladder and standing over you.

“Hmm, old thing -maybe older than us” he gently took it from you hands to inspect it “probably still works if you want it, not any use just sitting up here” he hands it back “thank you” you reply with a smile he waves you off and crouches down beside the box with you. He shuffles through it completely ignoring the images from his past and he rummages in search of something “No film stacks though, I’ll pick some up from town next time”

“Really?” You look over at him in excitement, he shrugs “sure” he stands up ready to head back down stairs “had I known you’d be so happy I’d have gotten you one sooner” he chuckles at your excitement over something so small.

To you it’s much more than a old camera to take up some free time when you get bored. It’s yours, you can control it, keep it for your own. You don’t have much things that’s yours anymore but the collections growing.

...

You’d basically forgotten about getting film for your camera as a week or two had passed. But he hadn’t, he returned to the truck once again being one of may shops he had to stop at. But this time he didn’t have heavy bags of stock or material and tools for the farm but just 3 small boxes that he could carry in just one hand.

He sat down in his seat and extended his hand to give you the boxed, you furrowed your brows in confusion until you read one of the box’s. A big smile plastered you face when you got to the word ‘film’ “that should be enough to last you a long while” “thank you” you grinned giving him a quick hug out of appreciation.

Once you both pulled into the driveway of the farm you had already thought up many picture opportunities, and you couldn’t wait to get to it. The car parked and he gave you the go ahead “You can finally get to your photography, take some pretty pictures” you practically ran to the house to retrieve the camera.

...

You’d been in the house for a hour or two at this point and he’d began to get a bit concerned, usually you’d come outside now and then or spend the afternoon in the barn playing with the animals. But no sign of you. He put the final nail into the fence he was fixing and decided to come check on you.

He got to the front door and could hear you laughing before even opening it “good boy Berty, you’re so handsome” his curiosity peaked at those words, he quietly made his way to the room you and presumably Berty the elderly farm dog was in and observed from the door frame.

There you sat, infront of Berty whose dressed up in various items and fabrics mimicking clothes. The camera clicks and your silent as you watch it develop, Berty still sits patiently. “We got the picture, look at how dapper you look” you praise him and he gets exited leaving all the items fall off his as he runs up to you to get pet.

“When I said pretty pictures I was envisioning landscapes or with artistic vision” he jokes still standing in the door way unable to not smile at such a bizarre but cute sight. You stand shocked for a moment, he’s not one to creep up on you, it when you see his amused smile you loosen back up. “This is artistic vision, and Bertys my muse, look at how handsome” you joke and show him the photo “it’s something alright” he almost laughs out.

“Hey, this is worthy of a museum, the composition the choice of colours the muse, it all tells a story” you continue to joke, he just shakes his head unable to wipe away his smile “as long as your happy, I guess” “I am, thank you again” moments like this you forget everything you went though and are able to exist in ignorance.

Those moments are becoming more frequent now especially since he’s began to become more relaxed, he wasn’t as authoritarian anymore, your sure if you pushed it he wouldn’t have a 2nd thought of going back to the way things were. There’s always that lingering threat but it’s not as pronounced anymore. You’re starting to see the love he has for you, sometimes unconventional and deranged possessiveness but moments like this, seeing him smile and joke you can delude yourself into believing he’s a normal partner.

He brings you in closer by the hips “you’re so cute” his grin is akin to the little boy in those pictures, you’ve seemed to restore a part of his childish cheer. He pecks your lips “I bet the barn animals are missing you, maybe you should take this photography session to them, I’m sure they’ll appreciate the attention”

And that’s what you did, dressed up the chickens though they didn’t stay still -the cows were great models -but a few animals tried to eat the accessories and clothing which made things harder. The farmer got less work done than normal that afternoon as he found it quite amusing and cute watching you through the cracked barn door trying to wrestle a bow onto a goat.

[forlorn-crows]

crow. babe. darling. my love.

do you know what i need? i need aeon and dew reluctantly being sweet. all the tension that's hung in the air between them dissolving as one of them sneaks into bed because being alone is too much right now, even if their only option is someone who (they think) hates them.

i know you know what i mean.

oh wow how convenient of an ask. would you look at that. and from my sweet darling mal. however could you have known what i wanted to write today. that is crazy (tee hee)

what is ALSO crazy is APPARENTLY @miasmaghoul and i, onCE AGAIN, have the same braincell and wrote basically the same fucking thing at the same fucking time. no, i literally told her nothing about what i was writing beyond "aeon/dew comfort somethin somethin", and she told me nothing about hers. love you bitch

a little bit of aeon/dew Feelings. breaking down walls and such. @waywardsamaritan inspired me to write them with their fic about dew bein all sweet to aeon.

iimagazh means 'little light' in ghoulish; word so graciously borrowed from mal's big lore brain

Dew flips around for what feels like the hundredth time, smushing his cheek into his pillow with more force than necessary. Sleep continues to slip through his claws like fine sand, leaving a heavy weight of . . . something in its wake. Maybe it’s just insomnia or uncomfortable bus bunks. Maybe it’s the pinprick of emptiness gnawing at the back of his brainstem, a feeling that situated itself there as soon as they left for tour.

He wishes Aether were here. To pull him close with those big, warm arms. Aid his addled mind. Kiss him on his hairline and lull him to sleep with a few well-placed waves of quintessence. 

But he’s not.

Instead, Dew stares across the aisle at Aeon’s sleeping form. His eyes roam over his back, bouncing between his wide shoulders. His chest rises and falls evenly in sleep. Lucky bastard, the fire ghoul thinks. Envious. He can almost feel the tug of Aeon’s magick from here, the tiniest tingling at the edges of his awareness. Dew can recognize it well enough, even if it’s not the same brand, so to speak. It’s more subtle than Aether’s, more demure. For as big as his presence is on stage, his magickal footprint is anything but. Aeon’s is more of a low hum, stuck in a tight aura around his vessel. It doesn’t quite warm a room like Aether’s, big in energy and personality as he is. But Dew’s caught the edge of his quintessence enough times to start to get familiar with its calm, yet electric spirals. 

It’s dangerously tempting now, even with their strained relationship. Dew clutches the pillow in his arms a little tighter, scoots closer to the edge of the bunk. He could crawl in with Mountain, as he’s done already so many nights prior. Tucked himself into his nest of long limbs, drawing close to the steady, grounding beat of his heart in his rumbling chest. Putting him as close as he can to their oldest bond. 

He’s just not Aether. And as much as he hates to admit it, he misses the calming touch of quintessence in general, not just from his mate. 

Dew feels vulnerable. Like his longing has cracked open a chasm in his chest and left him open. Wanting. 

His body is moving before his brain can ruminate any further. He slips down from his bunk, careful to avoid the creak of the built-in’s edge. Dew pads across the small aisle, standing dumbly in front of Aeon’s bunk. Breathing as quietly as his lungs will allow. 

Fuck it.

Deftly, the fire ghoul climbs over Aeon and into his bunk, nearly launching himself into the back wall in effort not to jostle the other ghoul. The quintessence ghoul grumbles a little at the dip in the mattress but doesn't fully wake. Dew situates himself close to his front, moving to curl his limbs into himself so as not to touch. Just enough to be close. 

"Hmm . . . iimagazh. . ." Aeon mumbles, pulling the fire ghoul to his chest and throwing a leg over his hips. The lisp of infernal language makes Dew’s breath hitch, let alone the way Aeon easily slots himself against his suddenly over-warm body and presses his nose against the crown of his head, right between the horns, and sighs heavily. 

This is not how this was supposed to go. He can’t know it’s Dew. There’s no reason to elicit such an intimate reaction from someone he’s barely even touched beyond a civil handshake. The fire ghoul holds his breath and wishes he could whisk himself back to his bunk. 

It only takes a few more moments before Aeon unsurprisingly stirs, brow furrowing as he no doubt inhales the scent of fresh shampoo and burnt spices. The quintessence ghoul lets out a confused chirp, shifting back to blink open his eyes and stare at the ghoul in his arms. 

Dew’s eyes are as wide as saucers, fingers curled weakly into Aeon’s sleep shirt. Aeon flicks his gaze all over, realization blooming across his cheeks in the form of a lilac blush, visible even in the dim of the bunk. 

“Uh.” He clears his throat weakly. “Thought you were ‘Rora,” Aeon mutters, avoiding Dew’s eyes in the dark. He moves to pull away, but Dew interrupts. 

“Is it . . . okay that I’m not?”

Aeon makes a small noise, a cross between surprise and disbelief. He hovers between too far and close enough, breaths as shallow as a rabbit’s. Something unreadable crosses his face, but eventually he relaxes a little. Tentatively rests a hand on Dew’s hip. “S-sure. It’s alright.”

“Okay.”

He’s not sure which of them moves first. But soon after he speaks the word they’re pressed together once more, skinny legs intertwined and Aeon’s arms holding him close. He’s surprisingly dense, if Dew had to choose a word for it. He’s not as big and soft as Aether—he’s closer to Dew’s own physique, with a dash of Rain’s height and limber joints. But there’s still a gentle edge to him, comforting in a different way—smells different too. Like the static in the air before a storm, like cool air and myrrh. Yet underneath the mark of quintessence is something else; sage, a hint of metallic tang, and the smell of sap that bursts from a freshly broken branch. Earthy. 

Dew doesn’t want to unpack how that makes him feel right now.

Silence passes between them, broken only by the shuffle of limbs, Mountain's snores from the bunk above, and the dull rumble of the tires on the road.

"Thought you hated me," Aeon whispers.

Dew sighs. Rubs his face into Aeon's shirt. "Don't hate you. M' sorry." 

A beat. Then: “I’m glad you don’t.” Dew lifts his head up, face now millimeters from Aeon’s, tips of their noses barely brushing. Copper eyes gaze into dark ashy brown ones, searching. The quintessence ghoul reaches up and brushes a stray strand of hair back behind Dew’s horns, touch feather-light. And though Aeon’s gaze dips down to his mouth, almost imperceptibly, he only leans in to place a chaste kiss to his forehead before tucking his head back under his chin with a slow exhale. In a way, Dew’s thankful for that. He slips his arms around Aeon’s middle, shuffling as close as possible before allowing himself to close his eyes and release the last bit of tension still straightening his spine. 

Mountain’s the first one up in the morning, dropping down from his bunk with a soft thud. He’s met with the sight of the two lanky ghouls absolutely tangled up in each other in the same small bunk, Dew notably flung across Aeon’s torso and drooling onto his shoulder. The earth ghoul looks at them with amused shock, fondness tugging at his heart a little. 

“Oh ho ho, look what we have—” Swiss is immediately silenced by a well-deserved pillow smack from across the aisle. Mountain frowns at him, miming for the multi ghoul to shut his mouth. 

“Not a word,” he hisses. Mountain presses into his mind instead. That, the earth ghoul points to them, is the best sleep he has gotten this entire time. 

Swiss holds his hands up in surrender, smirk tugging at his lips. Okay, okay. I’ll let the gremlin and his new friend have their beauty sleep. 

[iheartchv]

Hiii ii

was wondering if I could get a cod matchup? preferably a romantic one (forgive me, im a bit delusional)

Im a 5'3 and rather lithe woman, but i like to wear platform boots that make me a little taller. my hair is longer with bangs and naturally black, and i have dark eyes. i come from singapore, so naturally i speak english and chinese fluently, but i'm learning japanese and russian. i have undiagnosed dpdr cuz im broke, but im planning on getting some form of help soon as it has been getting worse as of late. i have a back tattoo down my spine of a cyberpunk-esque sigil, and i have piercings on my earlobes.

my favourite characters are krueger, keegan, nikto, soap and logan, both for the lore in the campaign and the way they sound in game (oh my god when they growl into my headset i swear i lose it). Though my favourite is nikto as his DID is lowkey relatable. speaking of which, ive been playing cod for a few years now, starting with black ops 2.

im calm most of the time, but i cannot sit still for my life (unless im gaming or listening to a subject i like, like history). while i got ENTP as my result for the 16 personalities test, other sources give me a mix between INTP, ENTP and ISTP. anyways, im not shy to confront people when it is necessary, but i don't like asking for help.

in college, i study engineering and im doing quite well in terms of grades (at the cost of stress). i have absolutely no idea what i am going to do in the future, and the only thing i can think of is to become a combat enginner. this decision may or may not be affected by cod

thank you for reading my little rant of some sort, please remember to hydrate 💦

//this was tough to pick just one; if you don't like your match, all that matters is who YOU pick... 💗

🤔hmm.. I'll match you with...

Nikto

You have stolen the heart and affection of Nikto

He loves you and your features

Even though he's about a foot taller than you, he thinks you're the perfect size

He also likes your tattoo and piercings

They just add a little something to you he doesnt know how to explain

He proposes to be your partner to help practice your Russian

"отличный (otlichnyy). Excellent."

Starts giving you rewards for completing lessons 😏 yk what I mean...

During your first kiss, he will ask you to close your eyes...

You could feel him trying to be as gentle with you as he can

Knows how to treat/please a woman but wants to take it slow with you..

...because he cares about you to just treat you like he had with other women

Buuuuut as you get closer in the relationship he will take his mask off around you

He will do anything for you

He will also want to stay around you, or you stay near him

I think Nikto's love language would be physical touch

He wants to touch you and to be touched

It also keeps him ( and you ) grounded in reality with each other's help, and outside help

He promises to help you get what you need

Hugs and cuddles all the time, when you both are alone

[the3rddenialist]

Void Silver #1 Liveblog

Hello, this was done on the 1st of June, but will be posted later, this is me liveblogging Void Silver #1! Find The Somewhat Incredible Jackie-boy Man Liveblog here

Edit(28/06/24): I believe enough time past so I'm posting this, ignore the spelling mistakes. These are my initial thoughts from liveblogging

Spoilers ahead haha

Cool cover, hello galaxy higgins

London in the 90s? Back in the past baby!

Did lil marv have a bad day at school?

Oh god he looks tired, dude you're like 12 chill mate

"Bruv" "wicked" oh wow, also hi little sam

British teengers, oh no. And teacher strike on the newspaper

aww lil marv likes magic, haha the guy on the magazine looks like jbm

oh rude dude, that's a child. also ay the preview page thing

huh, the circle seems almost common knowledge in this world. so is magic like normal in this universe if the guy was comfortable to do it on a public train? marv still is sad

marv surely you could of grabbed, liek an apple, also he's an A student? how old is he? and there's meeting at 5 pm?

marv...

oh god i love his mom. i was spoiled he had a mom but she looks so cool. trial prep tho? hmm

THE CAT! and mention of cosmic entity ooo. also a cyborg dude spitting prophecies? this is a strange world

depression the page

gardening!!! also marv what you thinking. also it's weird higgins didn't introduce this volume, I guess it's not going to be a reoccurring thing

OH THE GUY WAS FROM THE PREVIEW PAGE TOO, hey it's the big cat. what is a 'mark' tho?

marvin looks happy for once, but mother dearest is concerned. i mean she's in the right here but the narrative ain't going to like that. ohhh are we going to see marvin sneak out to find the guy.

chill marv, some people care about the bees

bill clinton is canon to marvin lore

yooo another dream. oh don't trust the cat

here's the sneaking scene

my guy has a sick place. a water fountain and everything

marv you don't just zap a man.

IT IS RAMESSE????? I was thinking that but i thought the head was wrong. OH HELL YEAH. WHAT IS HAPPENING???

time eh ramesse? i'm not sure how much a trust this whole 'mark' business. also marv you really shouldn't be walking with a random stranger.

oh that's the headquarters hun? so i suppose the other place in the last page of #0 was somewhere else then. does ramesses bring random kids here often lol??? god he's weird.

two years is along to marvin but short to ramesses is funny. ayy mother dearest is to the rescue! being grounded for the twentieth century isn't the worst punishment when there's only a decade remaining. marv is crying?

i do like colour in this volume. oh god marv read the room. glad you're happy though

TWINS SPOTTED????????? Also this dude was from when he first entered the circle. huh marvin is special or something? this doesn't feel right, echo also told chase he was special. perhaps it's linked. but what great things do you speak of braid twin.

Ramesses how did you manage to insert yourself in marvin's life. mother dearest you okay. is the magic circle and magicians a big enough deal that you're allowing this? interesting.

HE EIGHT??? OH THAT'S SO MUCH WORSE. RAMESSE THAT'S YOUNG. seems time is broken haha. marv you're going to kill someone.

MOIRA!!!!!! NAME DROP THANK GOD. So she's Irish? or at least Gaelic maybe? or just cool name.

oh okay okay we have magic rules now.

Mana energy of non life (abiotic things?)

Malia energy of life (biotic?)

Impetus energy of forces (potential and kinetic energy?)

Apotropacis? To ward off evil. Nazar protects people from the evil eye. but what is the evil?

UNICORNS ARE REALL. TWILIGHT SPARKLE!

cosmic horror takes form of a cat to calm 8 year old kid. ramesses why you broke.

"alchemy in her guts" ramesses stop. stop touching. why are you such a menace.

ohhh incantation. we've seen that a lot. just realised marv will be 10 for his exam, wow.

heyyyy moira. and good effort ramesses.

can marvin opt out of magic? god imagine marv as a lawyer. oh no he has been selected, no choice there. god marv looks anxious about moira and ramesses talking. is that another sam?

TATTOOS AT EIGHT WOW. moira i'm so sorry. OH FUCK MOIRA YOU GOOD????

tey look like a family in the car, grandad, mum and kid. marv got his green cloakkk. hey moira, nothing bad is going to happen to you right. please.

time passing. oh no, marv you good?

HE FAILED????

oh god trial and tribulation art looks so good.

woah. okay. so we have yet to see everything that was on the final page of #0. so that will probably be across the next couple of books. what happened when you fail? does he need to wait another 2 years? 5? he looks significantly older in #2. did not expect a proper ramesses introduction. anyways this was interesting! I enjoyed it a lot, and liked the background character designs too.

anyways until next time

[chercornersppl]

Life Before Hell ~ 1

I made a Hazbin OC! His name is Silver and these few pieces of writing will be based on him, his life and what happened to him! (For my friend ~ @ryuua because OC LORE!!)

Warnings: Hints of gore? No others (I hope)

Word count: 1049 words !!

Part: 1/5(?)

Lips connected, fingers entwined, sweet nothings spoken. Silver's lips twitched into a smile as he pressed them against Stephan's again. Both men shrouded in darkness by the cover of night. Both safe and cared for in each other's arms. If only it could last forever. If only they didn't need to hide their love from all they saw. Oh, how they craved for the ability to bask in the light of day with their fingers entwined. But they never would be able to kiss, touch, date out in public.

"Ah... How I wish we could do this all day... Not just at night." Silver mumbled between soft kisses.

"Night or day, I'm just happy we can do this at all." Stephan concluded before pressing his lips to Silver's for a moment longer, the contact lingering longer than before.

Wearing a loosely fitting collared tee tucked neatly into a pair of slim fitting slacks, Silver sat on the couch with a hopeful smile spread across his face as his green eyes scanned over his watch again and again, clock seeming to be ticking and ticking at an agonizingly slow pace. He hadn't been on a date in so long! Stefan had asked him out after a while of not meeting each other romantically, which made Silver incredibly jittery with excitement and nerves.

Silver had been so busy at work he'd barely had the time to meet his boyfriend and maybe... Spend some time with him. Even if they couldn't publicly kiss or hold hands at least without being shamed, he loved their relationship. He loved how Stefan made him feel. He felt loved, safe and cared for. Despite hiding around just to get one moment alone with Stefan, the quiet and sneaky giggling, the subtle touches, the gentle hand squeezes under the table - every moment spent in his presence was a gift to Silver. A gift he treasured. A gift he would never dream of throwing away. A gift he would have never imagined would be whisked away from him.

Blood pounded in his ears when his eyes groggily pried open after being sealed shut for the duration of the night. His body had been curled in a fetal position on the couch while he had waited. And waited. Silver slowly extended his limbs to let out soft cracks and release the tight knots from his unconventional sleeping position. His head moved slowly as he sat up, using his hands to push his torso upwards while his hips were still on their side. Had... Stefan never come? How did he forget the date?

Silver bounced up from the couch, letting his socks slide over the hardwood as he ran to the rotary landline mounted on his wall, picking up the receiver and pressing it on his ear to hold it there. As if it were muscle memory at this point, he keyed in the number he wanted to call, his finger rotating the dial till it clicked seven times. He assumed that he was the one who forgot. Slept off and perhaps ignored Stefan unintentionally if he did come over.

Hmm... Zero messages.... Odd. Silver had ignored that and simply waited as the phone continued to beep in his ear - showing the phone was ringing on Stefan's end - but the wait was unusually long. Surely he wasn't at work. Stefan never worked on weekends.

Silver's heart lifted when finally, the call connected!

"Hello?" A sweet, feminine voice rang out.

Just as quick as his heart soared, his spirits plummeted.

"Who... Who are you?"

"Carol Lyons, this is my boyfriend Stefan's phone, though. He's not awake yet. Are you calling in from his work?"

Silver didn't even reply. He slammed the phone back on the receiver.

His back pressed against the wall as hot tears spilled over his cheeks. Silver covered his eyes with his hands and a pained wail left his throat while his back slid down with the aid of his knees buckling down below him. He collapsed on the ground, his whole body wracked with sobs as his tears pooled around him. His body curled in, his knees pressed to his chest as his tears wet his pant legs. "I thought... I thought you were mine... And I was yours...", he moaned, his voice cracking in pain as his heart was seemingly torn out of his chest.

"I gave you my heart and you cherished it with love and adoration..."

"But... When you saw a shiny new heart dangling in front of you...."

"You dropped and shattered mine."

With heavy breaths, Silver stared at the grey, heavy, metal door as a crooked, uneasy smile stretched across his lips. His eyes were wide and the wrinkles under his eyes grew deeper and his eyes were sunken in. It had been 7 months. 7 months since he stopped talking to Stefan. Since his heart was torn apart. But today... Today he would be put to peace. Peace at last. Peace knowing that no one would ever stand between him and his love ever again.

A part of Silver screamed at him. The remaining bit of the kind, thoughtful and forgiving man he was yelled at him to wake the fuck up. His body moved on its own accord. It was like he was a different man in these moments. But he couldn't see reason anymore. He didn't want to listen to his past self. He wasn't going to be that man. That boy. The one who saw the very best in people. The one who found excuses for the mistakes others made. Never again. Never would he fall for that. But its okay... Yes... It'll all be okay... Once loose ends were tied all the way up and pulled tight.

Yes, tight, like the knot on her laced up corset. Tight, like the vice grip he had held her down with. Tight, like the knot atop the black bag, covered in blood, heavy, sunken to the bottom of the river. Why... She was stunning. So much so her beauty could be comparable to the most beautiful women in history. No wonder Stefan scrambled after a pretty little thing like her. But it would soon be her scrambling as she was dragged into the gates of Hell for stealing his beloved.

And there it ends so far ladies and gentlemen till I update this again when I'm feeling it !! 🫡🫡 ~ Cher

[dragons-eat-people]

The “Soft” Apex Predator

You’re quite lucky to consider yourself able to acquaintance yourself with Misty, you know that right? In her home, she’s feared by many. The ravenous hunter who protects Bandit’s Run is a rather renowned title. Hmm? What’s that? You don’t remember why they call that area of the Isles Bandit’s Run? I may enlighten you. 

Bandit’s Run was named by the icy dragoness herself, as it was her very first hunting ground. Her prey? Anyone unfortunate to find themselves unable to escape. They weren’t just bystanders, though. They were ruthless thieves, armed and dangerous. They were after priceless artifacts and treasure, after all. Even so, a large amount of them didn’t escape. Oh? Looks like she’s back. Better stop daydreaming. 

You snap out of your own conscience, looking toward Misty as she approached you from the side. She was so close, her fuzzy tail brushed up against your shoulder. The large dragoness gave you a soft smile as she sat down, accompanying you next to the campfire you’d prepared a long while ago. 

“You look like you’d been in a trance, [Name]. At least let me lure you into one if you’re gonna daydream.” She teases, staring into your eyes. Hers are cold. A rather sinister stare. That’s right. She can hypnotize people. You chuckle, only shaking your head a bit. Then realization hits. You know why you’ve met tonight. 

“You remember what you’ve gotten yourself into, right? I believe you owe me a bit of...pleasure...” She mumbled mischievously, nuzzling her snout into your chest. You chuckle again, but a bit more nervously. She backs off a bit, looming over you. You both know what’s coning next. Misty rises up, opening her maw above you. Soon, a minty colored tongue wrapped around your waist. The dragoness pulled you up into her mouth, slurping up all your delicious flavor. You shivered, but also felt warm. Misty took your body in further, purring in delight as she did so, dragging you down into her wet and chilly throat. Her claws held onto your bulge in her gullet, happily rubbing against it. It was hard to consider the thought of THIS being the sacred and scary apex predator. She was nice, at least, to you. How lucky. Once she was done savoring you, the belly awaited. 

You sunk inside, quite eager to touch the stomach walls. I mean, nothing could stop you. Enjoy your stay...

I hadn’t posed anything about Misty here yet, regrettably. Decided to spout a bit of lore with a small story. 

[fudge24-7]

Spamton for the send the character thing 👍

Send Me a Character & I'll Tell You✨️

My first impression:

I thought he was a fun character, I didn't think about how odd he was nearly enough though, he reminded me of mad dummy a bit with how he jumpscared me from some trash and wanted my soul, i was also reminded of mettaton when he mentioned showing off our soul, in general spamton felt like a classic undertale interaction, which I should have realised was odd to have in deltarune where practically no one else even mentions your soul, was a bit surprised how much everyone was into him because I never did his side quest due to misunderstanding his instructions, but I also couldn't blame them because he's pretty fun

My impression now:

God, I love him so much, I want to kiss this puppet scam artist so bad, And His lore drives me insane in a good way, so damn tragic, Yet he's also really dang funny too, it's honestly a shame I didn't get to do his sidequest blind before getting things from it spoiled, or maybe it is good I nearly cried watching my sister beat spamton neo when I already knew what was gonna happen, I can only imagine how much emotional damage it would have dealt if I experienced it blind, all in all a wonderful character he's been living in my head rent free for almost 3 years now

Favorite thing about that character:

Hmm, that's tough, maybe a tie between his lore and his dialogue/personality, I frigging love how much there is to this guy, I might have to go with dialogue honestly though there's so many good lines of his

Least favorite thing:

Probably the fact he calls noelle a hoochie mama (well "hochi mama" but its not hard to geuss thats what hes trying to say), sir that is a teenager why are you basically calling her a whore- (I should probably clarify I don't see this as like a writing flaw on Toby's part, it's just probably my least favorite thing about spamton personally)

Favorite Line/scene:

Line wise it's a bit silly, but "YOU'VE GOT [guts] KID! THATS [Discomfort and abdominal pain] IN MY [guts]!", idk it seems like he's going to say something positive about kris having guts, and then he says that, hilarious to me, "turn up the juice turn up the juice make sure to not get any on your shoes" is pretty dang great too though

as for scene, deffinitly the one where you've almost cut all his strings during the neo fight. Obviously it ends very sadly with him just falling on the ground and realizing he'll never be free but, idk him finally realizing kris is trying to help him, it's bittersweet, he's probably been pretty convinced for a while no one would ever genuinely want to help him, and he seems so touched when he finally realizes kris does, it gets to me, the scene after he falls on the ground is really good too

Favorite interaction that character has with another:

His interactions with kris is kind of an obvious one, but Honestly, I think his interaction with noelle we learn about from the sweepstakes is really sweet, how she was the first person to read his emails, so he sent her that code for a pipis in that game she played, which his brackets imply was probably the first gift he ever gave anyone, idk to me it shows a sweeter side to spamton you don't usually get to see, also the implication that even when he tries to do something nice he ends up sending a suspicious link that crashes a cumpter is pretty funny (also kind of sad when you really think about it)

A character that I wish that character would interact with more:

Hmm, maybe noelle I geuss? Or berdly maybe that would be pretty damn interesting to me, I do get why we never see him do so in chapter 2 though

Another character from another fandom that reminds me of that character:

Hmm, I can't think of any that came to mind while i was playing, do ones you think of afterwards after seeing them count? Theres honestly quite a few... but you know what you can have one that deals me slight psychic damage, jack frost from the 3rd Santa Claus movie, yeah you know the movie trilogy that started with a man becoming Santa after the original died from falling off his roof? Jack frost from the 3rd one kind of reminds me of him

A headcanon about that character:

I like to think his brackets quoting ads and things in the internet constantly is like when autistic people quote things from movies and things like that to help communicate, Yes this is basically me headcanoning him as Autistic, actually there's more related to him being autistic where that came from, the fact his smile is an "award losing" one being the result of him not being able to control his facial expressions well, him being a spam email while his peers are regular ads could work really well as allegory for being autistic among allistics as well, especailly being undiagnosed with how the addisons say he was "just like the rest of us" and don't seem to want to acknowledge or say that he's different from them in any way, even though he is, and how because he most likely didn't realise he was, he tried really hard to be like them and failed and didn't get why (before he gets that phone call even), (idk of toby fox intended for it to be, part of why its with headcanon stuff, i just think it could be interpreted that way)

this one's a bit of a stretch, since he probably is willing to push boundaries to get what he wants if how he acts when you try to decline his deal is anything to go by, but he also doesnt seem to ever acknowledge how uncomfortable he makes kris, going all the way up to their face even though they backed up from him, I could see that being him being bad at picking up social cues, and also struggling with boundaries like how close you should get to someone (like i said, it's deffinitly a stretch)

A song that reminds me of that character:

Too many, I have a private 2 hour long playlist on spotify full of songs that make me think of this guy, if I typed out every one that would be a lot of songs so just have a few, 'Everybody Loves Me' by OneRepublic (specifically him during his big shot days in 1997), 'The Drunk' by Kiltro, and 'Shake My Hand, Look In My Eyes' by Rinse & Repeat

An unpopular opinion about that character:

Was going to say not believing in acid theory, but I feel like that isn't unpopular enough so, I don't think he was as much of a shy wittle soft guy uwu as people make him out to be pre big shot days, I mean it's not impossible, but the one thing we learn about him is that he'd run his mouth about making it big some day every night he was at the cyber grill, which tells me he was probably more like, ambitious and confident really, I mean I'm sure deep down he had his doubts but I don't think he was that open about them

I mean there's nothing wrong with portraying him as shy, and once again he could have been for all we know, but I think it's refreshing when people approach addispam differently, and it would be nice to see more takes based off what we're given rather then what would seem more sad

Favorite picture:

Every. single. one. Ok actually to be more specific one of these two, hard to pick, love how messed up he looks in the right one from the door knob thing, but I also love the left one because look at him, he's so happy to be eating that nice big cheeseburger, he should get to eat big tasty cheeseburgers forever <3

[flaray25]

How did Patrick got an eyepatch in his right eye? Is there like a deep lore about this?

Hmm There is a lore about it anon thank you for asking!

What you can see here that patrick has a scar on his left cheek and has a massive burn in his right eye and includes his permanent blindness.

Explaining these:

Sandy is currently working on her latest science invention (includes what she learns in chemistry and stuff.) And Spongebob helps her. MEANWHILE Sandy and Spongebob are busy, Patrick is kind of exploring Sandy's potions and stuff around her scientific room. When he accidentally slip from a wet floor and knocked out one of sandy's works to the ground causing it to break into many pieces and splatter. While patrick is still knocked down and the potions kind of spread everywhere. The red and purple mixed together while he was laying down and towards him. After the potion mixed it made a toxic yet dangerous potion for a person to ever touch. The potion went into Patrick's right eye and burned. It hurts too much like heck and he loses his right vision. After he got up to the floor and accidentally touching the potion with his left hand and touched it on his left cheek which turns out to burn his cheek as well. When Patrick screamed from the pain, Sandy and Spongebob heard him and rushed to the room immediately helping him.

His right vision is blind. He couldn't see clearly but all he could see is a blurry vision and a black and white color.

[doctors-star]

“Yeah, I can see how hiding behind a rock is a much better strategy.” for Cowboys??

Sometimes, Ainsel feels that they and Edelweiss are coming to some kind of understanding. That, perhaps, Edelweiss is the type of horse with whom it was possible to have some kind of normal relationship, and generally not the sort of creature to possess too-clever eyes and be prone to depositing Ainsel without memories somewhere they shouldn’t be.

These times are infrequent, and they do not ever last.

Rarely, though, has Ainsel taken quite so strongly against the concept of horses altogether, Edelweiss or otherwise. Normally, their lack of particular equine affinity is not an issue, given that they never need to travel that fast, but in consequence they never did learn how to sit or stand when Edelweiss’ legs are really pumping, apparently delighted at this taste of freedom and the wind in her mane; Ainsel is being galloped across the desert like a bag of jumbled bones with their head tucked in behind Edelweiss’ ear and their fingers wrapped white around the pommel, clinging on for dear life. The sand is kicking up on the wind and spitting against any exposed skin, so their eyes are more like slits and are streaming wildly and all they can really see of the desert and sky is a blur of orange and blue.

The jolting is going to shake their kneecaps right out of their legs. Their spine will be compressed by six inches by the time they get off. Ainsel hates horses, just now.

And then, without any input from Ainsel, Edelweiss is slowing to a gentle trot and then a lazy stop. Ainsel puts their head up a little to push the horse on further, because they have someone to urgently find and no delay can be had - but then they blink, and their sandblasted, watery vision coalesces into the very face of the man they had ridden out to find. When the ringing in their ears from being so thoroughly shaken dissipates too, they can hear Will murmuring to Edelweiss and petting her nose as he casts worried glances at her rider. Ainsel winces; what a clattering they must have made, to pull Will unprompted from his observations.

Ainsel unpeels their fingers from the pommel and attempts to straighten up. The pain is immediate and terrible, lancing up and down their shaken spine, and they list worryingly to one side; they slide into a pair of wiry arms, so they assume Will is rescuing them, but it’s hard to tell, what with the white-out of pain. They end up on the floor, Will being altogether too small to lift anyone over the age of eight, with Williams crouched near their head and looking worried. “Howdy,” Ainsel grits out politely. Will’s frown worsens.

“Alright, who’s done what now,” he says, eyes tracking the length of them as they stretch slowly and awkwardly to catalogue the points of greatest pain. For all that Will Williams is not a doctor, he certainly is getting better at doctoring. He’s less agitated every time: last time Finn had sliced his leg open on a splintered fence, Will had been more annoyed than worried; and these days, he even wraps aching joints and teaches folks how to clean cuts and sores and he went out to see Noel’s husband - God rest him - whenever she asked, even though he couldn’t do anything, until he let her down gently a few weeks before the end. Ainsel is abruptly reminded, with new urgency, of how much they appreciate having not-a-doctor Will Williams around to doctor them all.

“It’s good to have you around,” Ainsel wheezes, their brain-to-mouth filter shaken about a bit by relentless horse riding; Will looks slightly horrified.

“Oh lord,” he says, “are you dyin’?”

Ainsel shakes their head and sits up on their elbows. Will’s palm slides behind the ball of his shoulder to support the motion, warm and steady. “Naw - no-one’s in trouble, promise.”

“Uh huh,” Will says, sounding deeply unconvinced. “And this bat out of hell impression you’ve got going, what’s that in aid of?”

Ainsel makes a face, which Will picks up on immediately. It had been too much to hope that he wouldn’t, of course, and this is all the point anyhow: Ainsel is here to tell Will as early as possible something he may not want to hear, but will eventually find out regardless. He may as well hear it on his own terms.

They had been walking Noel to the hotel for an hour of coffee and polite conversation, for the duration of which they may both pretend that they only know similarly polite and calm individuals. It is...therapeutic. They sometimes bring Will, who can be relied upon for good behaviour, but he’d usually rather be out by the creek or in the prairie grass or in the shade of a cactus pretending he doesn’t know any humans at all; it is, therefore, a surprise to see him standing with his back to them in an expensive pine-green suit at the front desk. Ainsel notes all these details only in hindsight: the broader shoulders, the bowler hat, the set of his stance which is not quite right - like Will, only a good bit older, mirrored and two steps to the left. At the time, though, they had simply seen Will, and not thought a thing of it that Noel should raise the hand not tucked into Ainsel’s elbow and say “Mister Williams! Will you come sit with - oh, I do apologise; I thought you were an acquaintance of ours.”

The man smiles with disproportionate pleasure at being misidentified, leaning forward on his toes in his road-dusty brogues. There is a suitcase at his feet and he is holding his hat to his chest deferentially, but he is still standing in the hotel with a confidence and appearance of belonging that Will has never possessed - possibly ever, but certainly not in a genteel environment like this one. He wears a day’s stubble well, flecked with slightly premature grey, on a jaw which is squarer than Will’s, but just as fine-boned and angular; his voice, when he speaks, sounds like Will when he’s at his most anxious - all old-money, old-country, cold and tall and prickly like the pines in whose snow-capped shadows Will grew up.

“Not at all; perhaps you can help me. You see, I am indeed a Mister Williams - Thomas Williams, ma’am, at your service - and I am seeking a relative of mine who may just be this acquaintance of yours.” Noel makes the appropriate interested noises, but Ainsel goes abruptly cold as though they had broken and tumbled through the surface of a frozen lake, instantaneous and gasping for air. They have this sense of déja vu when looking at Thomas Williams, more than the ordinary familiarity of seeing Will in him - and then they remember. They have seen Will’s big brother before, in the card that had shown them Will’s youth; they barely need to glance at their palm to know that the cards have found their way into their free hand once more, and that the top card is the card that might be the Tower, and might be the Queen of Spades.

“Has something happened?” Ainsel says, interrupting the polite and non-committal conversation Noel is maintaining with the stranger about the quality of the road into Danser Town and the inconvenience of not having a railway out here yet, at every opportunity steering him away from asking her any question about Will’s presence or existence that she might actually have to answer.

Thomas Williams blinks, wrongfooted, but rallies quickly. “I’m afraid my mother has recently died,” he says, and Noel murmurs condolences; Ainsel just watches him. “She and my - cousin were never as close as one might like, but…” Williams casts about, looking away with a shadow over his brow, and Ainsel realises his grief is real and painful - though whether it is for the lost parent, or the lost opportunity to reconcile, they cannot say.

Ainsel nods and tucks the cards back into their pocket, turning solicitously to Noel. “I’m afraid I gotta go; will you be alright-?”

Noel pats their elbow and releases them, message received. Of course Noel will be alright; Ainsel has no idea if she knows what they know about Will’s relation to this stranger, but she sure has gathered that Ainsel is not eagerly bringing one party to the other. “You go, then. I’m sure this fine gentleman will keep me in good company,” she says, fluttering her eyelashes and turning her charm upon Mister Williams like a beam. He blinks in the face of it, and finds himself abandoning his luggage to offer her his arm and lead her to a table almost without noticing.

He certainly had been stunned enough to ignore Ainsel turning on a dime and taking off through the doors at a dead run.

Which leaves them here: lying on the dusty earth in the shadow of a rocky desert outcrop with Will Williams crouched by their head, and wishing that they had sent Tommy or Finn or Johnny out instead - how those bastards make galloping look easy, Ainsel may never know.

Ainsel takes a deep breath, fixes their gaze on Will, and says it firm and simple. “Your brother is here in Danser, and he’s the absolute fuckin’ spit of you, so I don’t reckon you can get away with him not knowing you’re here.”

Will, in an action which is either a credit to his propensity for forethought or reminiscent of a small furry prey animal, does not move for a good five seconds. Then he drops Ainsel’s shoulder and stands abruptly, marching six paces away and staring at the dirt. Ainsel watches in silence as Will chews the inside of his cheek intently. They can’t think what to say that might help: he seems nice is true, but seems is a big word that hides a multitude of sins; he said you were his cousin doesn’t quite accurately convey, the way Ainsel wants it to, that Thomas Williams doesn’t seem to know who he’s looking for at all (sister, brother, neither, both) but is keen to find that person nevertheless; I’m a little concerned that if we leave them alone too long, Noel will have married him for your inheritance by the time we get back doesn’t seem remotely useful, for all that it is honest.

“Did he say why?” Will says eventually, after a good minute of silence in which Ainsel regains their breath and manages to sit up properly and look around Will’s little camp. He usually comes back to town overnight, unless he’s seeking something nocturnal, but he always takes a bedroll and cookpot just in case he gets distracted and forgets to come home; he’s got it all, still packed, in a pile near his horse, and has only brought out a leather-bound notebook, a pencil and some charcoals which he has left on a flat rock pointing southwest where some animals, presumably, are being interesting. In rampant defiance of the gun safety and maintenance talks Finn has repeatedly given him, Will has left his rifle broken over a rock far out of reach with cartridges spilling out over the floor, where any young man with spurs on or sturdy horse in iron shoes might step on or near them and give everyone a terrible shock. Will can be so childlike about animals, sometimes - so focussed upon them and nothing else - that Ainsel reckons he needs protecting. So he shuffles over and puts the cartridges in a box, and carefully mulls over how to answer the question.

“He did,” Ainsel says eventually, voice taut and unwilling. Will sniffs, face twitching with it, but says nothing and doesn’t look his way. They sigh, and turn the box awkwardly between their fingers. “It’s your ma,” they settle on. “I’m afraid she’s, uh, passed. Recently.”

Will doesn’t move an inch. He tells them, sometimes, when he’s drunk on two whiskeys and tired of Danser Town’s shit, about his home country in the northeast; the great lakes in their vast and cosmic stillness, the endless plains of undisturbed snow, the deep dark woods of solemn, unmoving pines stretching out past the point of vanishing. He used to sit out for hours in the summer watching herons stand proudly on the banks of the lakes, being plagued by mosquitos but never minding it, for if he waited long enough a herd of deer might drink by his side, or a great, ageless moose, or perhaps even a bear seeking fish before his winter sleep. Will would sit, ever so still, and wait for the world to unfurl its shy beauty before him like a gift. Ainsel wonders if it’s something they all know to do in the north: if the mountains and lakes and forests impose a certain quiet stillness upon all its inhabitants like austere, frowning schoolmarms, or if this is something Will learned on his own on those occasions he could escape the family home in town.

In the winter, Will says, the trees shiver and pop. Water gets in them, see, and then it freezes, and the sap too; when it expands, it breaks down the pines’ firm, fibrous defenses and the trees start to explode.

“I’m sorry,” Ainsel offers.

Will nods, short and sharp, like he’s decided something. And then, without looking at Ainsel at all, he goes back to his notebook and squints at the horizon.

“...you ain’t gonna come back an’ see him?” Ainsel says cautiously.

“Thank you for telling me,” Will says, sounding more cool and moneyed than he ever has - the difference takes Ainsel aback a moment, for all that it is rather familiar. Will had sounded like that fresh off the train into town, and it hadn’t really occurred to them before how much his accent had mellowed into something more gentle, casual, and local to Danser. The switch back is a little like being struck. “You may go, now.”

Ainsel is not quick to anger. They have long accepted the vagaries of the universe, and others within it; their follies and irritations are something to which Ainsel is quite resigned. A thing has to be pretty damn offensive to rile them into anger.

So there is no small amount of alarm on Will’s face when Ainsel hauls themself off the floor, marches across the small clearing between the great desert rocks, fists their hand in Will’s shirtfront and presses him against the rock with a snarl. “Listen here, you sonuvabitch,” Ainsel says sternly, “I rode across the desert so fast all my damn bones are broke so’s you could know your brother was here on your own terms, and not ‘cause some helpful bastard in town’s brought him straight to ya. I ain’t askin’ for nothing from you, Will Williams, but I reckon I deserve some of your goddamn respect.” Will looks rather contrite. Ainsel thinks of the card vision, and the gentle man within who so cared for the child, and how eager Thomas Williams had been at the hotel to find someone who looked like him, and presses their advantage. “What’s more, I reckon you oughtta come speak to your brother, who’s grievin’ and who came out all this way lookin’ for you-”

Will’s dark eyes flash abruptly flinty, and Ainsel knows that they have misstepped. It’s still not enough warning: Will makes a fist and punches the soft inside of Ainsel’s elbow with his sharp knuckles, breaking the hold Ainsel has on his shirt, and while Ainsel is gasping with the shock of it he plants his hands flat on Ainsel’s chest and shoves hard enough to move them a good few paces. “You have no idea who he came out looking for,” Will hisses, pointing accusingly and stalking forward into Ainsel’s space, “but it sure as hell wasn’t me. He may be my brother, but I’m not his.”

“I reckon you are!” Ainsel blurts out, too busy thinking about how Thomas Williams had leaned forward on his toes to get nearer those people that might know Will to mind themself.

“The devil do you know about it all?” Will cries, throwing his hands in the air, and Ainsel recoils, wounded. “I don’t see how you can tell me what to do, as though you’ve no secrets you don’t want to address. You don’t - you don’t know me. None of you do. You-” this with a look of disdainful, injured pride and a dismissive gesture in their direction “-don’t even know yourself. So get out.”

Ainsel, for a moment, cannot breathe for the terrible hurt of it all. They have to shift one foot behind them a little to avoid stumbling backwards and folding like a broken chair to the floor. Will turns away to fuss with his drawing materials, and Ainsel works their jaw until sound comes out. “So that’s it, huh. You’re skipping town because you’re too fuckin’ yellow to see your own brother.”

Will shakes his head without turning around. “No,” he says, cool and measured, “I am going to stay here until he leaves and then return once he’s moved on, because he won’t search Danser twice and because I am-” he tilts his head thoughtfully, like a mockingbird “-too fucking yellow to see my own brother.”

“Yeah,” Ainsel mutters, turning back to Edelweiss and hauling their battered frame back into the saddle. “I can see how hiding behind a rock is a much better strategy.”

Will turns, glare spitting with fury, but Ainsel is already pulling Edelweiss around and nudging her into a steady trot back towards Danser. Edelweiss, having enjoyed her taste of speed and freedom, wants to run wild and joyous across the desert dust, to loop around the town into the prairie where the ranches are and cascade over the hill past the fenced-in stock animals and whinny her mocking laugh at them all, for she is free, free, wild and free - but Ainsel does not. They keep her reined tight until she snorts and huffs and tosses her great head and shows her tombstone teeth, but they allow her nothing. Ainsel is tired of runners, anyway.

[orangelemonsstuff]

Life From Back Then

Leona x Yuu (My MC)

Summary: Leona lies behind the tree as he listens to Yuu's story about their life back on their old world and not noticing his presence at all

(this is not targeted to the readers out there sorry, it's about my own Yuu and their backstory/lore) (if u guys also relate to this Yuu's issues that'd also be cool to me)

Leona yawns as he let the wind touch his face and even sweep some strands of his dark mane to his face

he love taking naps in botanical places like this, exampled the garden inside of the school grounds, the random comfortable tree spots, the benches, and this big old oak tree that rests in a hill behind the school

getting away from people is a conscious idea, of course he don't just skip school because he wants to take his sleep all the time, he is not the type of housewardens who would go around to be extroverted who have all the energy to interact with their classmates or housemembers, he would rather be carefree of the world and be just observant as he is

although, he knew one person who would exactly be the opposite to him, someone who's been a helpful a lot towards normal incidents, big or small and even overblots, someone who dealt with a lot of shit yet still smiles and even forgive people who do them wrong, someone who's magicless but strong and has a lot of courage, someone he--

"Grim! hah...wait up!"

speak of the devil

Leona's ears perked up, Yuu wheezed seemingly to be entirely breathless even by just running a small hill

Tch, the solemn peace had now been ruined

"This...is not fair....hah..!! you know I'm not good at running!!" Yuu exhaustedly panted as their hand got caught by their knee, breathing out tired huffs and legs shaken by the endless running they did earlier to get Grim

just how weak could this hervibore be? it's just a short run yet they're breathing like you made them run a whole lap of a field

Leona slightly parted his eyelashes, revealing a scene of large tree branches standing still but leaves swaying with the wind, covering and barely showing the blue sky and white fluffy clouds

laughter of a wicked tanuki... or cat sounded from the other side of the tree Leona resides in, a laugh of evil of making his henchman suffer by running to chase him

"Nyahahaha!!! henchmen like you should learn how to run, after all sprinting is a skill you should have if you were to be MY henchman" Grim snorted as he stands proudly with his white chest puffed up with pride, Yuu on the other hand, walked towards Grim and lays besides him

"haah... I'm beat...you are a fast runner as always Grim, have you always ran like this even before you came here?" Yuu asked with slight exhaustion from the running

Leona also wondered how the tanuki have been also living before it came to the school, he assumed it was like how Ruggie used to live before he met him and aware of living conditions to those who don't get to be born in a lavish royalty life like him

"Ufufu, of course!! being able to scurry out of danger is a trait a future Great Mage would have!!" well that add nothing to what Leona knew about Grim, oh well it's not like he's all about learning what his business was like back then, that thing could be a familiar of a powerful being and he still wouldn't bat a shit, maybe a slight curiosity want him to learn but he wouldn't get invested in it

"How about you Yuu? you avoid and don't like running at all, do you not run a lot back in your world?" now that's interesting, the herbivore's life would be more fun to hear instead, what kind of life did the magicless

"nah, I'm not the type who likes to run away from my problems, i am used to handling it myself" Yuu grinned with a proud smile, it made Grim cringe a little bit

"ehh... so you're that type of person huh? now that i think about it... how's your life back then Yuu?" Grim looked at the relaxed face of his human henchmen, the leaves of the tree shaded Yuu's face leaving a few trace of light

"hmm~ ehehe don't tell anyone about this okay? well I'm actually like Deuce back then" Yuu stretched their arms upward and then leaving a satisfied sigh after, Leona's eyes are still closed but his ears are all perked up to listen

"when i was at the age of 14 i was very rebellious, but not the delinquent type, i never smoked or vandalized public property nor even bully someone and drink booze" Yuu put their hand on the chin making up a thinking position

"and what i mean by dealing with my own problems i tend to get in fights often and never ran away from a single one" Yuu closed their eyes and remembered the scared faces of their opponents back then, some are familiar and names were known, some are not.

"i used to color streaks on my hair, i even once dyed my hair with my favorite color" Yuu twirls the strand of ebony with a finger, reminiscing the memory of their mother's outraged face after she discovered the dirty sink and Yuu with tons of aluminum foils in their head

"that... sounds like a delinquent would do you know" Yuu chuckled at Grim's word, maybe they are a delinquent without even noticing it, a yankee would be a fitting word.

Yuu hummed, a smile plastered on their face opposing the vibe of their words "i always disobey my mother's words, of course i never snapped on her but me and she would also fight alot especially after my siblings moved out of our house," Yuu sat up back making the grass crunch a bit, Leona's ears moved, his senses are responding on awareness of Yuu's sudden movements

"she would always say things like: "stop getting into fights, our bandages are running out", or "be more careful, hospital is expensive", "Yuu, if you don't want to go to school anymore just say so, I'll immediately drop you out myself" Yuu frowned as they flinged their hand and shaked their head in dissatisfaction

"those lines are the ones that started big fires between us, i mean if she don't really want a bother she should just ignore me" those memories of endless arguments with their mom isn't a good memory, the two of them would be stuck explaining to each other of how unreasonable they are being

but Leona thought that sounds like what a worried mother would say to her child but, he guessed the message didn't reached to Yuu the way it was meant to be

"how nyabout yer dad? does he not care about what you do?"

"well uh... i never met my dad actually, he left before i was even born, only my siblings knew who he was" Yuu held up a finger and scratched their face with a sympathetic smile

"oh sorry Yuu, i didn't mean to mention it" Grim felt bad a little for asking such thing, after all he also never met any guardian for as long as he can remember

"nah it's okay Grimmy, i would love to meet my old man one day too, maybe even give him a good punch for leaving us or so" Leona want to snicker a laugh, the way Yuu could joke about shitty people in their life is funnier than expected, it implies that Yuu would try to find a positive needle in stack of negative hay even if it seemed impossible

he hated people who had that trait but since it's Yuu, he doesn't mind making an exception

"geez i wonder if your violent tendency was influenced by Ace..." Grim sighed "what was that?" Yuu added with a confused look

"n-nothing moving on, you said you have siblings right? what are your folks like? are they bad too?" Grim questioned as he tilted his head

"oh no not at all, they are great if you ask me, I'm the youngest child that makes them all my older siblings and i have a lot of respect for them you know!!" Yuu objected, Yuu admires their older siblings alot, they are what you call a proper adult who got their life completely controlled the way they wanted it to be

"but to be honest... i am a bit jealous of them, they are good at their passions unlike me, I'd never be good as they are" Yuu's gaze wondered on the peeking sky above completely unaware the words they are going to mumble

"if anything, the best i could do was to be in a second place and just stand besides them" Yuu muttered as they fiddled their fingers and their lower their head in a pitiful way, the whisper was not left unheard by Leona who felt a little heartache dwell into his heart, even if both of their situation is different he knows well enough what it's like to feel being second and being disappointed in yourself

"now to come to think of it, i remembered me and my mom never squabbled about that, when i told her about it she didn't had the sour face and didn't get mad at me" Yuu crawled in the grassy texture of the hill to slouch and to rest their back at tree bark

"all she suggested was i should acknowledge my own great instead of looking at how my siblings are better than me"

wow Leona never thought Yuu's mother would always know what to say to her kids especially after how Yuu told how their relationship as a parent and child was like

"ahaha just kidding, she didn't say that but it sounded like that though"

"i stopped being a rebellious teenager after i transferred school because of...a certain thing that happened back then, we even moved houses because of it"

"hmm? what happene--"

"it doesn't matter." Yuu interrupted Grim before he can finish his words, Leona was intrigued, did that incident left something bad on them that they don't want to talk about it? maybe, he don't want to pry on the herbivore's business but he just want to know what actually happened and why it displeases Yuu

"henchman? Yuu?" Grim's face looked worried, Yuu flinched and realized that they are being awkwardly quite right now

"Before i got to into this world, i remember having a misunderstanding with her it felt like i barely said a word in the argument but that's not probably the case" they scooted closer to Grim, picked him up and put him on their lap, petting his head all of a sudden looking distantly at the back of the school building

"i never realized it was my fault after spending first few nights at this world, i wish i could at least go back just for a second and apologize to her, hope she can forgive me though"

"Ffgnya~ I'm sure she does, i heard from Deucey that mothers will love their kids no matter what" lies down on Yuu's lap stomach-flat

"Yeah, I'm sure they do" Yuu smiled continuing petting the behind of his ears

is that the only reason Yuu would go back to their world for? possibly and possibly not, Leona would leave that up to them, but for him the prefect is fun and interesting enough to be around he would kinda hate it if they would have to go someday

the herbivore definitely held a special place in his heart but he would never admit it, a crush was developed slowly inside still he kept pretending it was never there but, whenever they cross each other on the hallways, Yuu's greetings whenever they notice him, Yuu reminding him to wake up to do his housewarden duties, it wasn't all that easy to ignore the heart thumping feelings inside his chest.

a moment of silence was shared by the party of three sharing the same resting spot, the rustling of tree branches of the huge tree was calming enough to lull a child to sleep

till suddenly, again it was ruined by Grim, who yawned wantonly and stretched his paws

"that was a loud burp Grim" Yuu joked while grinning

"Hey!! that was a yawn!" Grim jabbered, tone increasing its loudness

"Oi, you guys are noisy, pipe it down." Leona annoyingly grumbled at the two laughing at their own

Grim and Yuu looked at each other and let out a shout

"Leona!?!?" Both Grim and Yuu loudly exclaimed as they peeked behind the tree, a Leona laying down was found, smirking and being smug like the prideful lion he is

"have you been there this whole time!?" Grim cried out with a shock expression

"before you two have even arrived and started yapping to each other"

Yuu didn't worry about Leona using their told story against them, Leona isn't that kind of person and besides it's nothing special and they don't really mind the others knowing it was just a bit embarrassing if Yuu were the one to tell the story to other people

"oh sorry Leona, we would just leav-- wah!!" Yuu got cut off as their hand were caught by Leona pulling them and making them lean down on him,

"argh, i said pipe it down didn't i?" Leona pulled them more with force and flipping them to lay besides him, he put his hand on their waste practically hugging them with one arm

"Leona..."

"Ugh, this lovey dovey air is making me sick im outta here, see ya at the dorm henchmen" Grim turned his back and started hopping down the hill

"wait, Grim no--"

"Shh" Leona cutted off Yuu again but they didn't protest, they just glared at the face of a impersonating asleep imitation of a lion

Yuu didn't know what they're doing but they took a risk of moving closer, head leaning on his, they can't tell if it's the smell of the grass or Leona's scent is the one comforting them and a gloved hand carefully caressing their waist

"haven't met your siblings yet so i can't tell but, i think you are great as you are" Leona mumbled a slight blush adorning his face

"of course you would be listening still, thank you leona" Yuu cupped his face, trailing Leona's jawline a shy smile formed at their face

"would you like to meet my mother too?" Yuu added

"come again?" Leona halted and opened wide his eyes by the question, a question that repeated over Leona's head twice before actually realizing what he think they meant

"Hey herbivore..!! what do mean by that!?" the blush started spreading on his face, an embarrassed look he give as he glared at the sleeping (?) figure of a magicless prefect.

it's way too early for that kind of thing after all

a/n: I want to write leona content so here's leona content, also my Yuu's backstory was inspired by Aubrey from omori, i love Aubrey with all of my heart that's why i decided to inspire my Yuu at her a bit, I can't decide if i want to make my Yuu a girl or a boy so why not both and let them use they/them pronouns so it would be easier to write about em. I'm still working on my English but I hope you enjoyed this

[hheavenlysinful]

and they were roommates.

✘ k.k x reader

summary: you’re 10 more pulls from pity and your roommate kenma might just be the only way to get xiao.

wc: 1.7k

✘ fluff; no warnings

✘ an: hi! this is my very first post on tumblr! i hope you enjoy ^-^ asks are open!

masterlist

"80," you whined as you kicked open the door to kenma's room. it was midnight and you had still yet to sleep as you consumed cult-like rituals. you didn't believe in sacrifices, but if you had to throw your diluc of the highest mountain in liyue...so be it.

you wanted.... no.  you needed xiao. you had saved up so many primogems, even as ayaka's banner came and went. and it took every single bit of self-control to not pull on yoimiya's banner, especially with the arrival of the cute claymore wielding chibi, Sayu. but if all this pain meant you could have xiao in your hands...it was worth it.

you had begun wishing late at night, at exactly 11:11. it wasn't a really important time, but you'd take any luck you could get. you would have xiao in your party even if it meant swiping money from your non-existent bank account. but...you should have known from your previous summons that the power of god and anime was not on your side. it was terrifying as you wasted 1600 primogems. your heart stopped as the shooting star streaked across your screen, only to fade into a bland colour of purple. but even if you did get a gold star, you would have to fight genshin's worst enemy of all.

the 50/50.

many have tried fighting this enemy, coming out of the fight with a qiqi or a jean. not that you would mind any of them. you were lacking five stars anyway. but... you just wanted xiao. you loved xiao. you loved his design all the way down to his lore. you had farmed everything for him. his ascension materials, exp books, mora.... you had even suffered months in the viridescent domain and even gotten a couple good pieces.

your eyes sullenly looked at the last 1600 primogems.

your last ten pull.

you gulped, closing your eyes as you pulled one last time. you didn't stay on the screen long enough to see the colour change. you pressed skip and waited, scrolling through the ten objects.

but alas.

no five star.

it hit you like a truck as you went back to the wishing screen only to see the 0 primogems mocking you. you scowled at the banner, at the xiao you would never have.

you groaned as you turned off your laptop, tucking your head in your knees.

you really thought you would get him and it's not like you had any money to spend.

the house was quiet the only sounds were coming from a closed-door a mere feet in front of you.

your eyes sparkled.

surely, kenma wouldn't mind....right?

your roommate was a bit introverted, opting to stay huddled in his cozy room. he rarely came out even for dinner. not that you really complained. it was an awkward situation in the first place. he didn't want a roommate or express that he deesired one, and yet here you were. he never really complained either, even seeming to enjoy your presence sometimes. although you had to admit, it was difficult to have a real conversation with the pudding-haired man. but the few conversations you had with him were pleasant and calming.

you took a deep breath as you made your way to his room. you didn't know how to enter. sure, the knocking was a good idea, as it showed respect. but maybe that would be too formal with someone you had lived almost a year with.

you kicked open the room, ignoring the small screech that came from the lean, slouching figure.

"y/n, hello." his mouth gripped into an odd smile as his eyes darted from his pc screen to you, clad in only a thin shirt and shorts.

"hi, kenma, I have a favour—"

"uh, wait a moment." something like a blush glazed over his cheeks as he looked back to the screen. "no chat, that's not— chat. no."

confusion must have shown all over your face as kenma whirred towards you in his chair.

"i'm streaming," he rubbed his neck awkwardly as if he had just proclaimed something embarrassing.

"oh," you chuckled,  stepping from one foot to another, "i'll just leave—"

"no." he stopped you abruptly, almost getting out of his chair, pausing at your firm figure.

"chat," he pointed towards his pc, "wants to uh... meet you?"

you couldn't tell if he was asking for your permission or giving you an order but you chuckled softly before walking towards him.  it was hard to not let your blush show was you took him in, sleep-deprived eyes and all. his shirt slightly rode up near his hips, the small slip of lean muscles full-on display. the sweatpants clutched at his waist, loosely covering his legs. his arms were fidgeting, small flexes of his biceps catching your eye. you nervously chuckled as you stood behind his chair, arms hovering over the top of his head.

"wait," kenma rose, skittering over to his bed to get an oversized crimson hoodie, "put this on."

you nodded embarrassingly before slipping on his hoodie, moaning slightly at the warmth that seeped into your arms. he motioned for you to sit on the chair, to which you furiously shook your head.

"no, n-no, I'll uh just...stand," you muttered. kenma rolled his eyes, pushing you towards the chair. it was a side of him you had never seen. though he kept his slightly awkward facade, his eyes glimmered with a slight slyness. it was utterly beautiful. the dark circles under his golden eyes seemed to disappear as he gave a smile to the stream. you blushed at the compliments and comments that rushed in the chat.

she's so pretty?!?!?!?!?!

omigosh please she's blushing it's so groineorignerrg

are you single????????????

are you and kenma dating :0

it was the last question that caught your eye, your heart beating uncontrollably.

"i- uh, um no, see—"

"chat calm down," he rolled his eyes, but the teasing glint still remained. the smirk that wavering on his mouth grew into a full-blown smile as you groaned into the warm soft texture of the hoodie.

"this is y/n," he smiled towards, "my roommate."

"this is...chat," he motioned to a screen filled with random emojis of cats.

"hi," you murmured as you shyly looked away from the camera.

"hmm," kenma hummed, "what were you here for?"

"oh," it wasn't till then you remembered why you were in his room.

"i wished today," you sadly said, a monotone tone engulfing your still shy voice.

"oh yeah, the xiao banner is today isn't it."

you nodded, looking down at the ground.

"did you get him?"

you silently stared at your hands covered with the long sleeves of the crimson hoodie.

"did you lose the 50/50," he asked, patting your head softly. you felt like a cat, as you leaned into his soft touch.

"i didn't have even have enough wishes to pity," you pouted, "i'm stuck at 80."

"and you came to ask for more?" he couldn't hide the teasing smile that peeked onto his mouth, the corners of his lips turning up into a humour-filled smile.

you only pouted, grumbling about the lack of luck you seemed to have.

"well," he looked towards the stream and the flurries of comments that asked him to get you xiao, "how about this."

he reached over your head, muting himself. his mouth hovered over your ear his warm breath wafting over your neck.

"turn off the camera," he whispered. your fingers trembled as you slowly turned off the camera. he leaned back, his forearm laying on the crown of the chair. you were about to talk, random words popping in your head as you opened your mouth.

you yelped as kenma suddenly whirled the chair around, the loud screeches of the chair echoing in the otherwise silent room.

"hi?" your voice was no louder than a whisper as you looked into the intense gold of kenma's eyes. he loomed over you, loose strands of hair tickled your nose.

"hmm," was all he said as he came closer, one leg right beside yours and the other anchoring himself to the ground. his arms laid right next to your hunched-up shoulders, trapping you. and though at this moment you ought to be frightened, you couldn't help the strange excitement that bubbled in your stomach.

he came closer, lips only a finger width away from your own. you closed your eyes, waiting for the soft impact it seemed you desired.

you only opened your eyes when kenma let out a soft laugh.

"your face," he wheezed slightly. you threw him an incredulous look, a scowl growing on your face. you swore as you threw your hands around his neck, pulling him in for a slight impact.

your lips moulded together, it was nice. softness and the taste of apples lingered on your tongue, on your lips as he slowly moved away.

it was your turn to laugh. a dark red blush had smacked itself on his cheeks, the colour trailing down his neck. he stuttered as he averted his gaze from your slightly swollen lips.

"your face," you mocked, rolling your eyes. "can i get xiao now."

he looked at your face as if he could see the invisible heat that rolled of your skin. you pouted, eyebrows pinched together. kenma moved back, hand covering the blush that continued to burn his skin.

"yes," he muttered as you pushed you towards the computer, motioning for you to log into your account. he refused to answer any of chat's questions as you gleefully logged in. though it was hard to hide that something had happened, especially at the unnatural blush that kenma still bore.

"stop chat," he whined as you chuckled.

you sighed into his touch as he grabbed your shoulder, small circular motions making you melt into his touch.

you may not get xiao, but you did get something slightly better. you smiled at kenma.

"how many primogems?" he asked as he looked at the store.

"oh just enough to make one ten pull." you nonchalantly said as you watched the elegant cursor hover the 980 genesis crystals. you hadn't ever bought primogems as you were a free-to-play player allowing you to double your purchase. a sinister look crept into kenma's gaze as the mouse snapped to the last option.

"kenma," you screeched, "no."

"kenma," he smiled, "yes."

you growled as he went through the transaction.  you blanched at the 12960 primogems now in your possession.

that was enough for 80 wishes.

"c1 xiao, chat?" he asked, chuckling at the flurries of excited yes.

you continued to scowl, but when you saw the pure happiness that glowed in his golden eyes...you couldn't help but smile.

[ryttu3k]

What are you top 3 fave vtm clans? Do you feel like there are any clans that don't add much to the lore or are in need of a rewrite?

Number one - absolutely Tzimisce. I just find them so fascinating! The core concept behind them, that delicious contrast between a clan that is known for its fluidity and shifting nature, holding on to their domains because they need something to (quite literally) ground them? Beautiful.

Also, I love love love Vicissitude as a discipline. I mean, I'm nonbinary, disabled, love the concept of transhumanism, and never even reached five feet tall, believe me, I want Vicissitude XD Not to mention the whole... vampires are static and unageing and unchanging, at least conceptually. Tzimisce can transcend that! Metamorphosis, both as a Path and just as a concept, is all about seeking your own unique self - you can do some absolutely fascinating stuff with it.

Also, Koldunic sorcery! I'll touch on it again when I talk about the Banu Haqim, but I love the cooperative nature of working with spirits to achieve magic. It's not just a, "I will force magic through precise symbols and rituals" like Thaumaturgy, it feels much more of a give and take kind of thing. You can't shape the world without the cooperation of others.

And frankly, in terms of temperament, I'd fit them pretty well, haha. I like my own space. I feel I can be hospitable but I'm very very pleased when guests leave. I like reading and learning. And legitimately, on top of Vicissitude, my most-wanted disciplines would be Auspex and Animalism. Sign me up, baby!

Second - Banu Haqim. Just completely became fascinated by them playing my Night Road character. They have been... very mishandled in the past, yes. This is the description on the Wiki:

"The Assamites have gone through many revisions. In first edition, they were generally presented as an all male fanatical sect of Muslim assassins. In second edition, sorcerers started to make an appearance, but they were poorly defined and a tiny section of the clan, so it was an all male fanatical sect of Muslim assassins with mysterious blood sorcery to boot."

They've been refined more and more since then. Libellus Sanguinis introduced the three castes and a lot more depth, and V20 (especially Dark Ages V20) made them spectacularly more interesting. V5 actually did get rid of one of the more questionable elements (their clan curse being growing darker with age, which is... hmm), so that's one area where I genuinely like what they've done, as well as reaffirming that, no, the clan is called the Banu Haqim, not Assamites. 'Assamite' had been considered pejorative for a long time even before that, but it was still the default name, which felt... iffy.

The clan politics are fascinating. The Schism adds a ton of potential for conflict, and their history with the Baali and the Tremere add a lot of tension. Also love how they've worked with the Salubri, another favourite clan. And like Koldunic sorcery, Dur-An-Ki also relates to working with spirits, another thing I find funky as hell! (Dur-An-Ki isn't exclusively Banu Haqim, I know, they're just most associated with it.) I love the idea of getting into this mindset where you're open to communication and occult stuff, and the different ways to get there, ranging from drugs and meditation to dancing. That's rad.

Also really like how, even though they're known as having a majority Muslim population, there's still a prominent Jewish community within them. I have an old vizier who follows Derech Chaim and think they work great.

Third... I'm gonna do a three-way tie here because I literally can't pick one out of Toreador, Gangrel, and Salubri, haha. Won't go too in-depth on those three since I've already spent many words on the first two, but short versions:

Toreador: Artsy clan! Honestly, as much as I think I'd fit awesomely as a Tzimisce, I feel I'm pretty obnoxiously Toreador too, haha. Love the aesthetic focus and creativity. The focus on emotions and humanity and being connected to things that make you feel even though you're, y'know, dead. Connections!

(If I was a Toreador and posting on like... Schrumblr, I would definitely be reblogging posts like, "Unattractive and introverted Toreador are valid".)

Gangrel: When I go "heck society I'm gonna run off and live as a tree", that's my Gangrel side speaking up, lbr. Talking to animals! Turning into animals! I read so much Animorphs when I was younger. Also, the existence of non-stereotypical Gangrel like Beckett and Lettow are just... spectacular. Feral nerds are super valid.

Salubri: Vampire healers. That shit is awesome. Also, Saulot's possible dark side, also, the fascinating place they hold in Cainite history. Just a really, really cool concept.

...With Tzimisce, Banu Haqim, Gangrel, and Salubri as four of my five favourite clans, I'm sure you can guess my least favourite ;D That said, I do think the Tremere have an important part in the lore, as do all the clans, albeit to different extents. Reworks... well, for one, I'd ignore the V5 versions of Tzimisce and Salubri entirely XD;; I do like what they did with the Banu Haqim, and I think the Ravnos rewrite was done pretty well. The Hecata are interesting, and offer a lot more opportunities than just the Giovanni, who I have to admit, I really don't like. Cappadocians? Fantastic, love them. Giovanni, uh, no XD So having the Hecata works well for me.

But for others being reworked, honestly, none really come to mind. The most problematic ones (freaking Ravnos) have been addressed decently, and some of the ones that were reworked (like Salubri) are. Arguably worse so we're just not going to use it, haha.

If anyone else wants to chip in with their favourites and/or clans they think could be reworked, please feel free!

[kyogre-blue]

Tianqiu and Nantianmen

I think everyone probably already noticed this, but there's a fairly obvious thread being laid down about a future boss/event in the Nantianmen area.

tl;dr since this got long:

There is a dragon sealed in the tree in Nantianmen.

It is connected to geovishaps and possibly Azhdaha in Tiangqiu Valley. There may be two separate but connected beings involved.

It(/they) will awaken soon. (Future event!!)

Now, for the details below!

Let's start with the tree:

At the foot of this Moonlit Tree is a stone tablet:

And also a creepy little girl named Jiu:

The games very sure you are aware of her via the quest "The Secret of Nantianmen" which consists of purely going to this tree, talking to her, and fighting two geovishap hatchlings.

Her dialogue (with some minor lines removed):

"The awakening is coming... and with it, the storm..."

Jiu: You're a little early... Are you here to witness the resurrection of the most ancient, most awe-inspiring individual in Liyue's history?

[about Rex Lapis] Jiu: Hah... That usurper?

Jiu: Humans... They care only about history since the dawn of the age of mankind...

Jiu: Are people really happy to just draw a line under the litany of atrocities humanity's ancestors are responsible for, call it "ye olde worlde," and just get on with their merry little lives?

Jiu: Well, I hope that anyone who willfully indulges in this fantasy world of false prosperity will be consumed by it, and thus get what they deserve.

Jiu: The adepti thought to suppress it with trees. Hah! Fools! Little did they know that after thousands of years... the trees that hold the beast shall surely become one with the beast...

Jiu: And lo, it shall stretch wide its arms, and unfurl its body, and reach out with its roots... And the ley lines of the world shall heed its call.

Jiu: Then, once the beast has quenched its great thirst for that energy which only the ley lines can provide...

Jiu: I imagine any significance we presume to have in this world will vanish for good. Wouldn't you agree?

(Worth noting: Jiu refers to a "He" in a reverent manner during The Secret of Nantianmen, but talks about "it" "the beast" instead dring her normal dialogue. These may be separate things.)

Whatever is sealed in Nantianmen is also mentioned in the description of The Unforged, a claymore that ran along side Vortex Vanquisher. (The theme presumably being "past enemies of Rex Lapis that he only sealed instead of killing properly.")

A long time ago, a dragon there was to be found in Liyue. But it was not a dragon that soared through the skies, but one whose abode was the mountains. Indeed, this ancient dragon of stone was as large as the very mountains it called home.

The legends say that it slumbered in Nantianmen, seeming not at all unlike the surrounding hills.

Then, Rex Lapis came before the dragon, seeking to stop the earth's quailing. They say that for a long while, the land knew peace, and that Rex Lapis gained another comrade by his side.

But in the end, the union of dragons, gods and men was perhaps not to be... The dragon was sealed in the bowels of the earth, and fearing the burning ire of the gods and the adepti, that great vishap, that had once caused rock and stone to tremble, fled into the roots of the mountains.

But over the passage of millennia, the dragon would stir once again...

The legends hold that those who triumphed over the dragon stabbed this sword into the giant tree that subdued the ancient dragon. As one of the seals, monsters and malevolent mortals would be unable to touch it. Indeed, if the legends are true, only those with hearts as pure as clear mirrors could even come near it. Yet, if those legends are true, how did this sword come to be lost?

Nantianmen, check. Sealed in a tree, check.

You can see, this is all connected to geovishaps in some way, and their lore ALSO talks about then returning after a long time. Two hatchlings spawn when talking to Jiu causes an earthquake, The Unforged talks about "that great vishap," the Primo Geovishap's boss area is right near Nantianmen...

Here is the Primo Geovishap description:

After many years, the awesomely powerful Ancient Geovishaps grow accustomed to changes in their elemental environment.

Folktales hold that after the great draconic calamity that led to the ruination of Tianqiu Valley, the overlord of the Geovishaps and Primo Geovishaps was imprisoned deep beneath the earth, and so too did they burrow into deep and unseen places, awaiting their chance to rise once more...

(Note again that the vague language here and in The Unforged makes it entirely possible that the "draconic calamity"/"the dragon" sealed in the tree and the "overlord of the vishaps" are two separate beings.)

But here we get to the next point: Tianqiu Valley. And with Tianqiu Valley, there is an important name: Azhdaha.

One of the associated wiki pages suggests that the dragon in Nantianmen might be the Chi. But I don't think that's likely, given how far away Qingce is and that we do find what is probably the Chi's heart in a cave near the village there. Far more likely is Azhdaha.

Now, Azhdaha is mentioned in two pieces of lore. One is a tablet in Tianqiu Valley, during the "Trails in Tianqiu" quest.

Ancient Tablet: "At Tianqiu Valley the adepti's ancient trail grows cold, I fall down and weep at the ruins I see. Though defeated is mighty Azhdaha of old, there's no restoring this past land of beauty."

(The trail "grows cold" in Tianqiu, so it might have started elsewhere, like Nantianment.)

Something in the valley is very much lingering, based on the notes of the treasure hoarders who tried to solve the puzzles first:

Scratched-Out Treasure Hoarder Notes: "I'm to the point where I'm trying to crack this puzzle in my dreams, or maybe nightmares is more accurate... I saw an old man squatting beside me with a wide grin, urging me to hurry up and solve the puzzle."

Scratched-Out Treasure Hoarder Notes: "Hmm, no... was it an old man or a young girl? ...Ugh, I can't remember."

Old Treasure Hoarder Notes: "And all of the guys who've been in start acting strange once they get out. They insist that the monsters followed them out, but I don't see any monsters."

There is more details about Azhdaha in regard to the "Nameless Treasure" items:

Linlang: I just had a look at this one. These markings are definitely those of Liyue, and you can see inscribed here an anecdote about Azhdaha.

Linlang: They say that Azhdaha was a dragon spawned by a convergence of the spirits of Geo in Liyue, and that even Rex Lapis could not easily subdue it.

Linlang: Rex Lapis thus summoned three adepti to his aid, and together they created a cavernous realm.

Linlang: Rex Lapis then battled the creature, luring it into the cavern, before ordering the adepti to seal the entrance, trapping Azhdaha within.

Linlang: The patterns on the thing you brought seem to describe the three adepti joining hands to create the cavern.

And when you get all three treasures:

Linlang: You... actually managed to put them together? Please, let me see... Indeed, these three patterns, when put together, do tell the story of Azhdaha.

Linlang: This crane must be the adeptus Mountain Shaper, and this deer might be Moon Carver. But this last one...

Linlang: Eh? It seems like this pattern has been... intentionally ground away by someone, to the point where I can't make it out. Who was this third adeptus?

Yes, who was the third adeptus??

Obviously, there is a discrepancy here, saying Azhdaha was sealed in a "cavernous realm," but it's all vague enough that the mechanics can be explained away with more detail. Also, I do feel like there might be two connected beings, once in the tree, one deep underground.

[apocalypsewriters]

A/N: Feast your eyes on part one of five in a Superhero Au official arc! This is going to be my first official finished project, and takes place relatively early in any planned universe lore. Without further ado, I present

next

Part I: Opportunity

Bella’s leg bounced under the desk as she tweaked with her newest creation. Her hand threaded through her chestnut hair, which was frizzy and mussed after working through the night. The door to her office slid open and her head snapped up to meet the gaze of who was entering. She gazed, unseeing, unblinking, at the person in the doorway. 

Zach stepped into the room, dressed in his navy blue and muted yellow uniform, holding his limp mask. After staring vacantly too long, making Zach shift uncomfortably, Bella finally beckoned Zach inside, not standing to greet him, as social propriety demanded.

“Are you okay?” Zach blurted after sitting down across from her. He perched awkwardly on a flimsy, foldable chair. 

“Hmm?” Bella rubbed the heels of her palms against her eyes as she tried to focus on the real world. Finally processing Zach’s question, she said, “Oh, yeah. Just a little” – she broke off with a yawn – “tired.”

“So, what did you call me in here for,” asked Zach, eyeing her cautiously, as if he was afraid she’d keel over and pass out.

Bella waved her hands vaguely at the slate-gray glove displayed on a stand. Dim red and blue wires crisscrossed the insulated fabric like veins, connecting to barely covered over processing chips in the pads of the fingers. Grounding herself, she inhaled sharply, the acrid smell of the Bladed Officer, Zach’s, suit filling the room. 

She said, “I made these. For me. On the field.“ Prepared for the inevitable disappointment she added, “I know I’m not allowed, but what’s the harm in trying. Again.” And again and again, she thought, bitter from rejection.  Fixing a lazy glare at the boy in front of her, she seethed. He dared reject her as she tried to do some good in the world, after years of prosperity and success in the market of villains, as if she was a green programmer, as if she hadn’t improved the company tenfold, as if he was better than her. Distantly, she wondered why she put up with the treatment she suffered in the company. 

Despite her doubts and trampled hope, Zach miraculously seemed to consider her offer. He placed his chin in his hands and his elbows on her desk. “Explain,” he said. “And simply, please. I’m not as smart as you.

Picking up a glove, Bella pulled it on. Its manufacturing was perfect as it slid onto her hand, given she had spared no expense on it. The glove was cool, and the currents running through it made her blood hum more than usual. Biting her lip, she mentally tamped down on the tirade she could easily go on about the device. It was nice to be listened to, but she shouldn’t push it. Zach didn’t need to know about logistics, he didn’t care about the intricate programming, he just needed to know what it did. “These can take control of anything with an electric current just by touching it,” said Bella. It was almost painful to dumb it down so much. Beyond the electric current making the hairs on her forearm stand up, she barely felt it; something so complex and advanced was revolutionary in its physical simplicity. It had taken months of work, dozens of sleepless nights, but for the sake of her employer, she could only convey its brilliance in a single sentence. She stifled the urge to scream. 

Zach leaned forward. “What?” he asked, baffled. Good, a chance to elaborate. 

“Look,” Bella said, reaching out on a whim and grabbing his covered forearm, gripping the place she had installed his comms. She tapped a button on the holographic screen that appeared above the glove.

A robotic voice rang out. “Calling Dad.”

“No!” Zach sputtered. “Stop.” His cheeks were bright red. 

Immediately, Bella released his wrist, letting her hand fall onto the desk. Seized by another idea, she gripped the lamp on her desk. A slider projected in front of her and she swiped her finger back and forth on it, the lamp dimming and brightening and accordingly. Zach’s eyes widened. His pupils expanded and contracted, more than likely mirroring her own.

“Okay,” he said, wincing as Bella froze with the lamp on its brightest setting.  “You can go out.”

“What?” Bella said. Every thought screeched to a halt.

“I said,” Zach repeated, “You can g-”

Finally processing his words, Bella cut him off. “Really?” she asked, hope flickering in her chest against all odds.

“Yes,” said Zach. “That glove clearly only fits you, and the stuff it would be used on will be too complicated for anyone but you to understand. At least in our company.”

“O-okay,” Bella said, still stunned. She made to stand up, but Zach caught her wrist, the fibers of his thick glove chafing, and tugged her back down to sit.

“Hang on,” he said. His words rang out in the silent room as Bella stilled. “When I said you could go out, I didn’t mean with me. Right now. You need a little more experience before you go public.”

Stifling a snort at the irony of his words, Bella nodded, indicating for him to keep talking.

Chewing the inside of his cheek, Zach finally continued, “I’m going to have to confirm with the higher-ups, but I think it would be best if you start with a tamer mission.” His comms beeped. He glanced at it, sighed, and got up. As he made his way to the door, he said,  “If you find a smaller villain, one that doesn’t put you in a lot of danger and arrest them quietly, we should be able to consider you for more field work.”

That made sense. Who knew what kind of legal mess would be made if some office worker was killed immediately after going out. Not only that, but it would spell doom for the company’s publicity. “Perfect,” said Bella, already hatching a scheme. Warehouses of equipment and veritable phone books full of villain contacts were at her fingertips. 

Catching the gleam in her eye, Zach sternly said, “Just wait until I talk with management. Please.” It was difficult to take him seriously, no matter how intimidating he tried to be with his teenage face still spattered with acne. 

“You got it, boss,” Bella teased.

His expression softened. Stepping into the doorway, Zach turned back and said, “And get some sleep.”

Bella rolled her eyes, which were dry and aching with exhaustion, but nodded. The adrenaline from his news was fading, leaving her energy drained and thoughts moving at a snail-like pace. Zach’s shoulders slumped with relief and he strode out. Mere seconds after he disappeared from the door, Bella heard a clatter, a thump, and a grunt. How someone so clumsy was such a competent hero, she’d never know. She snickered, packing up her tools and equipment, finally heading home to crash. Her hopes coming at last to fruition, she left the building with a small smile and a metaphorical spring in her step.

next

[rivalsforlife]

you know it’s 2am guys and you know what that means: more incoherent thoughts about lotrop. I genuinely was going to try and do a rewatch and take notes and screenshots but I don’t feel like it. those things are long. so [insert general disclaimer about future show spoilers from the assorted works of tolkien]:

I’m probably going to collapse any second now but my brain is buzzing I need to yell at someone and nobody else is with me :( so tumblr you get to suffer through this.

NUMENOR STUFF:

Numenor is cool I love the statue of Earendil. I actually really like how they’ve set things up so far? Making it pretty clear it’s in a state of decay/decline. The thing with Miriel and Pharazon is interesting because it sure did seem in promotional things that Miriel had more control than she actually had. I think she is secretly Faithful but is playing along for now to try and keep her control over the people, but the second Tar-Palantir dies, Pharazon is going for the kill (cousin marriage). I liked their little line of like. Pharazon saying that they had to be careful with Galadriel since they don’t want to risk the “cloud that [Miriel’s] father brought over” or whatever. Nice way to allude to Palantir being one of the faithful and the last of the faithful so briefly. Honestly I can’t remember if that’s just a thing I picked up on or if it is something casual viewers would pick up on too. idk.

I liked the little name etymology conversation with Elendil. And I’m glad that it was very clear Anarion IS existing in this show and around just not... here. my numenorean geography sucks. this main city place. ... armenelos... idk. again: 2am give me a break.

The main complaint I see is that Elendil doesn’t seem to be Lord of Andunie and Miriel seemingly doesn’t know who he is. Possibly Miriel could have been lying about not knowing. And I guess possibly Elendil (or Amandil) could have lost that title when people got very anti-Elf and anti-Faithful. idk. A bit of a departure, but not an extremely egregious one, I feel? like the gil-galad stuff was worse for me. But I do think Miriel at least believes he is secretly one of the faithful by giving him the task of watching over Galadriel. I like the “keep her confined to the palace grounds” [galadriel and elendil go on a trip to visit halls of lore] which may imply that Miriel defied her seeming orders and hopefully Pharazon doesn’t find out about it.

Hmm THE ELROS POSTER. I was so happy. I was going to do a “watch the show normally and then rewatch for the commentary” but I did pause for Elros. I’m so glad he got a decent mention and explanation about him being Elrond’s brother. That’s important stuff I’m glad they got to touch on. and elros building the library <3 I see you’re a nerd like your brother. always good.

OH AND ABOUT GALADRIEL’S INTRODUCTION [<- jumping around everywhere] FINARFIN MENTION!!! GALADRIEL OF THE NOLDOR. DAUGHTER OF THE GOLDEN HOUSE OF FINARFIN. LOVE THAT.

The thing is there was a teaser for this scene that just had her introduce herself as “galadriel of the golden house” and that just seems to be the marketing team cutting out all the lore stuff so it seems more accessible [COWARDS] I’m so happy we got Finarfin mention. I know he was probably in the appendices and Fingolfin wasn’t but I’m still holding out to complete the trio with Fingolfin. somehow. somewhere. episode 4 maybe. [sorry feanor for putting you in a trio with fingolfin and finarfin]

like I already have a Reaction every time the word “Noldor” is dropped. even in the simplest ways. I am That gone for the Silmarillion. But hearing Finarfin’s name made me clap to myself like in an excited way. Finarfin namedrop + long Elros mention were the highlights of this episode. it is interesting how it implies that Galadriel knew Elrond and Elros fairly young -- like I assume right at the end of the first age. Elrond and Elros walking out of the care of Maedhros and Maglor following their horrific ends only to walk right into another house of finwe member:

Oh also uhhhh one thing. the Galadriel planning to take a boat by force. IS SO FUNNY. GIRL. WHAT HAPPENED THE LAST TIME SOMEONE TRIED THAT.

Uhh last thing I can remember right now (though undoubtedly I forgot something important like how I FORGOT THE OATH OF FEANOR CALLBACK FOR THE FIRST EPISODE WRITEUP DESPITE THAT BEING THE THING THAT MADE ME CARE ABOUT THIS SHOW IN THE FIRST PLACE anyways) is the reveal that the sigil is a map of Mordor. I’ve seen that theory online but I didn’t expect it to be revealed so soon! 

isildur and earien I’m not super attached to right now. I think Elendil is going to be an interesting guy. I think right now the standout to me of the Numenoreans is Miriel. 

oh actually one more thing about deceptive trailer editing. There’s a line somewhere in one of the major trailers with Miriel and Galadriel by the Palantir and Miriel says “It is here, Galadriel. The moment we feared.” and that line is actually her talking to her father like “It is here, father. The moment we feared. The elf has arrived.” I am interested to see what the implications of that are (prophecy?) and also that she does seem to actually be on her father’s side here. which seems contradictory at first about the idea of an elf being here but you know. anyways trailer editing is so deceptive it’s weird and honestly I don’t like taht but it’s not the show itself so whatever.

wait another numenor thing I had to come back to: UINEN STATUE IN THE CELLS!!! I was whispering to myself trying to remember her name when I saw it like NOT OSSE. WHO’S ASSOCIATED WITH OSSE... I think it’s Uinen. that was another exciting little thing.

hm I think that’s all the Numenor stuff. except for one crucial thing I’m going to take a whole part to talk about:

THE HALBRAND THING:

Did not expect a Halbrand Identity Reveal this soon. Because I was really feeling nervous throughout this whole thing. Him being drawn to forges and claiming to be very good about it? Concerning. Him trying to win people over by being charismatic but deceptive? Concerning. And him seemingly being very strong, enough to like. break limbs easily. Concerning. I really was feeling like this was beginning to build towards Sauron but then Galadriel came in with the save (king of the Southlands reveal) and I was like. oh okay that’s a relief.

and honestly I know that they could fake that out later. but I really really don’t want them to. I don’t want them to have a twist for the sake of having a twist, you know? I want Sauron to show up as Annatar. I think it’d be super weird if he’s pretending to be a man and tries to deceive Galadriel but then Galadriel eventually finds him out after seemingly trusting him and then he leaves and then HE COMES BACK AS ANNATAR TO TRY AND DECEIVE GALADRIEL AGAIN. like that would suck. 

like between this and then his later numenor thing it’d be weird if like... “here’s a guy you think you can trust... SURPRISE IT’S SAURON. okay now here’s a new guy you think you can trust... SURPRISE IT’S SAURON AGAIN” back to back over 2/3 seasons it’s going to seem real bad. The audience (or at least those who are familiar with the lore) are going to guess Annatar right away AND THAT’S NOT A BAD THING. The interesting thing is seeing why Celebrimbor and the Gwaith-i-Mirdain are won over by him and stuff like that. Not the OHHH I NEVER GUESSED HE WAS SAURON that’s cheap.

I know Sauron later claims to be the King of Men. But I don’t see why that necessitates him being an actual human PLUS trying to escape -- to Valinor? To Numenor? Having other people with him who get killed and don’t seem to hold him in any particular reverence? And also I hate the idea of Galadriel and Sauron teaming up. that’s so much a... non-tolkien thing. it’s unbearable to me. it’s like “isildur ringwraith” level.

though admittedly it could make the significance of the dagger somewhat interesting since Sauron would recognize it as Finrod’s dagger and thus this is Finrod’s baby sister, but. the costs FAR outweigh any benefits they could have here. both lore-wise and also just the integrity of the story. I’m good with Halbrand Future Nazgul, I’m good with Halbrand King of the Southlands, I’m good with Halbrand eventually defecting to Sauron and giving him info on the elves and Numenor, I just do not want him to be Sauron himself because that seems so. weak. you know?

Also the One Thing on my “If you do this I am dropping this show, despite the possibility of seeing stories I’ve wanted to see come to life for a long time actually come to life” list is Galadriel-Halbrand romance. I did not like some of those comments from the other guys hinting at it. I want to bash my head against a wall. let people be friends. my god. the last thing this show needs is a Galadriel romance plotline that’s not with Celeborn and even then they should keep that to the fucking minimum I am not here for this shit I am here for Celebrimbor Forging The Rings Of Power And Getting Turned Into A Banner and I am here for Silmarillion References and I do not need this romance stuff. ... I’m getting belligerent from being so tired, so time to move on to stuff I care less about.

HARFOOT STUFF:

this one will be brief. ... which is that I have no real thoughts on them. I’m sorry. my brain is mostly noldor. and silm. in which the harfoots and hobbits have no part. 

The Stranger is helping them now so now I extra do not want him to be Sauron. I just don’t want any of these people to be “Sauron in disguise” like save it for annatar. sheesh.

ORC STUFF:

orc time. how did those other guys get captured? I feel like I didn’t care enough for them to care when they died it kind of reminded me of “Haldir dying at Helm’s Deep” in the jackson movies where it’s like wow. that sure happened. and I feel it has more weight here than it should.

The big thing is Adar since he’s the episode title and we didn’t even get to see his unblurred face which is such a shame I was really looking forward to that given my crack theory that he’s Maglor Gone Off The Deep End. (It’s how I trick my silly little brain into caring more than I should.) I’m glad they addressed it’s an elvish name.

but on the subject of elvish it’s REALLY bothering me that the elves who are seemingly silvan elves are speaking quenya. literally why would they do that. it’s the extreme version of the “why are they answering to gil-galad” from the first episode THESE AREN’T NOLDOR, YOU CAN’T INTERCHANGE THE DIFFERENT ELF TYPES OR PEOPLE LIKE ME GET MAD. IF YOU WANT THEM TO BE NOLDOR JUST MAKE THEM NOLDOR? and it’s not like we have no information on Sindarin as a language! IT’S THERE. PLEASE.

like it would make way more sense for all the elves to speak Sindarin than Quenya that stuff has been outlawed for a decent amount of time and even then only the Noldor should really be speaking it anyway. quenya by silvan elves... the world has gone upside down. I’m really tired and probably angrier than I should be. Maybe This Was A Bad Idea Typing This So Late.

I am curious about what’s up with this adar dude though. why’s this guy running an orc camp that captures and tortures his fellow elves. like that does push me away from the maglor crack theory a little more. (not that I was ever sold on it in the first place but come on. you have to admit it would be funny.) but since they left it on a cliffhanger we’re not getting the answer until episode 5. but I mean he does seem to be built up into a decent part of the story?

I know the elves are speculating he’s Sauron but I think that would be too obvious. Yet despite that between Halbrand-Stranger-Adar being Sauron I’d prefer this Adar guy since he’s so far had zero positive interactions with anyone he shouldn’t be having positive interactions with. BUT STILL. SAURON COULD JUST NOT BE HERE YET. 

hmmm I was hoping I would be more convinced by this episode since 3 is my lucky number. and there’s a couple times now I’ve gotten invested in something on the third episode/installment of the thing. but not this time :( I mean I loved the numenor stuff but some things like the “silvan elves using quenya” seems oddly careless? which I mean... there may be a reason and I’m trying to be open to that, I definitely don’t know languages enough to pick up on if this is actually sindarin and the subtitles are just messing with me, but if it is quenya then that’s. really weird. sorry. it’s strange since the elves are so Important but it feels a bit like they dropped the ball on some important elf stuff, or maybe it’s actually not that important and I’m just a crazy person obsessed with the Noldor and nobody other than me cares. and THAT is a sign that I should stop since it’s now 2:30 am. hopefully I didn’t forget anything massive in my sleep deprivation. bye bye