#SQ Personal

[iridescentmirrorsgenshin]

the fulfilled motifs in alhaitham and kaveh's relationship are on my brain!!

- most poignantly, the two coming together to unveil the temple of silence in cyno’s story quest, which parallels their thesis on ancient architecture and runes of king deshret’s era, as the two appropriate the other’s respective signature (alhaitham recognises architectural structures whereas kaveh is struck by the beauty of an emblem) - where the two once fell out due to the disharmony of their viewpoints, they have reconciled them within this quest

- there’s the two working together in the house of daena, where they argued in the house of daena upon meeting them in the archon quest, where they were described to have a ‘terrible’ relationship by the npc geoff, which is mirrored in cyno’s story quest by the two actively working together - as well as paralleling the npc archon quest scene the player has to actively seek out in which the two argue once more, whereas in cyno’s story quest, the two willingly exchange information and are supportive in helping the other

- we have the fulfilment of kaveh losing his family and therefore his idea of ‘home’ through him actively referring to the house he and alhaitham share as ‘home’, and that he wants to return to it together with alhaitham, as a set, and by implication a family, in cyno’s story quest

- by extension, kaveh not concealing his living arrangements by openly referring to him and alhaitham’s ‘home’ in front of his friends, which refers back to when kaveh asks the traveller to keep it a secret upon meeting him officially in alhaitham’s story quest

- kaveh buying wine and coffee beans in the tavern, alhaitham and kaveh sharing wine in their house, which is something they are mentioned to do in the bulletin boards of sumeru as well as in alhaitham's story quest, going hand in hand with the two drinking coffee together in the house of daena, with kaveh mentioning he wishes he had made some for them before leaving the house, which refers back to his 2023 birthday letter where he and alhaitham taste tested coffee beans (i am, once again asking, for an alhaitham mention in 2024....),

for future sumeru quests or events i am thinking of the unfulfilled instances or things that can be addressed??

- whether kaveh accepts alhaitham's research into sachin's influence over his father as closure for his involvement in his father disappearing into the desert, as his reaction differs from whether alhaitham tells him vs when the traveller tells him. since cyno's story quest 2 indicates that alhaitham telling him is what happened in canon, this subsequently betters their relationship. the idea of kaveh's cycle of self-detriment due to his past guilt hasn't been addressed since apop and it remains uncertain as to if kaveh has made steps to forgive himself or if he even wants to. this development of kaveh's character is truly interesting and i would love to see it explored at some point, and also in turn what alhaitham's involvement is in this, as in his newly accepted support of kaveh

- kaveh writing to/visiting his mother in fontaine? or at least a mention of kaveh's mother, as his hangout has a heavy focus on faranak's past relationship with kaveh and her hopes for his future, which we see in her advice to him as a struggling artist being that to found reliable companions. if kaveh undergoes a reconciliation arc within himself, as in he aims to forgive himself for his past guilt, then it would make sense for him to have a reconnection with his mother to talk about the past in order to truly look to the future

- kaveh and alhaitham having a role to play in the exploration of the temple of silence in future events - hints of this may be seen in sethos cautioning cyno that he may only invite people he and lord kusanali deem worthy, for cyno to then tell alhaitham and kaveh upon arriving back in sumeru. To this, kaveh expresses an open interest and cyno tells him that he will have an opportunity to investigate in the future. As alhaitham and kaveh have teamed up together in order to investigate into the temple of silence, and are indirectly connected to it through their thesis of king deshret, it seems they will likely be a part of the role the temple of silence will play in the future

(- i thought that an unfulfilled instance could be kaveh referring to alhaitham as his friend in game as this would be a callback to when paimon asked whether he and alhaitham were friends, to which he replied that they ‘used to be’ but weren’t anymore… but in terms of how alhaitham and kaveh's relationship is handled in-game, i think queercoding plays a big part in having labels such as ‘friends’ continue to be evaded (i have spoken about definitive labels being avoided in the writing of haikaveh here), this is backed up by sethos’ voice line as the two are paired together as “alhaitham and kaveh” and are referenced as a set with “those two”, rather than a definitive label such as ‘roommates’ or ‘friends’ being placed on them. Rather, they are conceived to be something outside of this, as sethos conveys their ‘otherness’ with “something about those two hanging out, you just can’t look away”, so i think, imo, it would fall more in line for them to continually not be assigned definitive relationship status, but if the improvement of their relationship is actually mentioned in-game since it was only shown and not told in cyno's story quest 2, it would make sense for them to say something that indicates they overcame misunderstandings or something vague like that. as there's an air of secrecy around alhaitham and kaveh's relationship, the traveller won't ever be privy to the specific details)

[themyscirah]

Complaining abt Suicide Squad yet again but the fact that they have Waller exposing the alien community to space racist attacks and talking abt how she got to her position through deceit and being a terrible person and stuff is just. Ahsfiwueh JUST SAY YOU DONT KNOW WALLER.

Anyways literally the 3rd mission of the Squad ever (and the first framed as smth Waller picked and not orders from above) was the Squad discrediting and stopping a rogue vigilante who was only arresting POC and funneling white people into white supremacy groups (of which he was the most prominent member) in SUICIDE SQUAD #4. and it's explicitly framed as this mission being personal for Waller that she's hiding from the government bc its illegal like. Guys. Please why are we having her incite (space bc comics) racist attacks now

Also the whole "Amanda got her position through deceit and being a terrible person" NO. she KEPT her position through being shitty and playing complicated political games!!! She wasn't always that way like there is a difference and it is IMPORTANT ppl PLEASEEEE. In Secret Origins #14 we learn Amanda's backstory and she used to be a normal, caring person! Like even after she entered into working in government and politics she wasn't automatically morally bankrupt like please people. She was originally given control of the Squad by Reagan (*sigh* 80s comics...) to distract and get rid of her because she was so successful at pushing progressive social policy in Congress. Acting like she's this static pillar of evil is such a waste of her character and so fucking uninteresting and disrespectful to her arc it drives me MAD.

Like I am NOT saying Waller is all sunshine and rainbows, she fucking SUCKS (said w love <3) but like there's a human being there. It's a progression, she has a character arc like please, DC, please!!! They've fucked up Waller so bad and made her so opaque and uninteresting she can't even be the protagonist of her own story for fucks sake!

Like I don't know how many times I have to scream it until DC hears me or remembers but WALLER IS THE MAIN CHARACTER OF SUICIDE SQUAD. ITS HER BOOK. yet right now she's a cutout to be used as the villain wherever the writers please. Even in her book we get none of her perspective really displayed, no exploration of her thoughts with any kind of understanding of the role she traditionally has played and was made to play in the story.

[ouatsqincorrect]

coming back on here briefly to tell you guys i’m taking a class on fanfic so i can finish up college and i feel as if swan queen prepared me for this moment

[queenofhearts7378]

“So this is Jake's fault, right?” Randy asked.

Danny made a noise of agreement as they continued running down the hallway, red flashing against their eyes and alarms ringing through the air.

And okay, it wasn't really Jake's fault they were being chased by a killer robot after breaking out of some holding cells.

Ever since Jake had turned 16, he'd been getting more duties outside of New York, really stepping up into his role as the American Dragon. NYC was still his home, his main area of protection, and the main capital of the magical community; he wasn't leaving anytime soon.

But occasionally a smaller community would reach out, asking for help with bigger problems they couldn't handle and he couldn't answer over the phone or e-mail. So Jake began traveling (through mundane or magical means), and solving the problems in person.

And occasionally dragging his out-of-town friends along with him.

Which is how the four of them ended up here: in an off-the-books government facility in Horrible, Arkansas, and made up of the same branch as the GIW.

(Danny had groaned out loud in his and Rand's cell, thunking his head against the bars when he heard that.

The agent that was interrogating them gave him a weird look.

“He's from Amity Park.” Randy said solemnly, patting Danny’s shoulder.

The agent went white so fast Randy honestly thought he was about to pass out before fleeing the room.

“Wow,” Randy said, “Y'all's city really is a curse.”)

The four of them had literally stumbled onto the grounds, got searched and had most of their stuff taken away, and thrown into holding cells where agents would periodically come to interrogate them on how they found the place and who else knows about it.

Danny had phased them through the back wall as soon as they were left alone, and accidently ran directly into a wall of weapons that fell on top of them both. Randy only got a sore shoulder, but something zapped Danny and he hadn't been able to transform since.

Which was when the alarms went off.

And when they discovered that the facility used killer robots as security and were all too happy to shoot a couple of teenagers.

Now they were running for their lives trying to find their stuff and their friends without getting shot by the robots or the agents.

They skidded around another corner, and Danny grabbed open the nearest door, throwing it open to check for their stuff.

Instead they were met with two startled agents in the middle of grabbing their weapons.

Randy didn't waste the chance and spun around Danny, landing a kick in the first man's diaphragm and then bringing his knee up just as the man bent over to gasp for air.

(The ninja suit let him be faster, stronger, more bouncy, and protected him from hard hits. The lessons and training of 800 years worth of ninjas were pressed into the fabric enabling him to fight when he had never done it before. He still had training though. He spent hours in the Nomicon practicing the moves and katas his brain knew but his body didn't. Following the footsteps and marks the Nomicon drew out around him, mirroring the poses the illustrated samurai and dragons went though. And lately, following along next to the First Ninja as he performed the moves next to him, occasionally fixing his posture, as Plop Plop chattered nearby.

Being the Ninja wasn't all cool flips and awesome weapons. Even without the mask, Randy was still a ninja.)

Danny took the chance to leap onto the other agent's back trying to get his weapon, throwing the man off balance right as he tried to shoot Randy.

The shot went wide and hit the wall, leaving a faint scorch mark on the white plaster. Randy dived under the shot, rolling forward right past the agent. He kicked his leg out, catching him in the back of the knee, right as Danny yanked the weapon out of his grasp and leapt off the agent's back. Between the teenager using him as a springboard and his leg giving out on him, the agent hit the floor hard. Danny didn't give him the chance to get his bearings and swung the weapon, clocking him over the head.

He swayed for a minute before hitting the ground. He wasn't unconscious but he wasn't getting off the floor anytime soon.

Randy and Danny high-fived before fleeing back out the door.

“Randy, that was awesome!” Danny exclaimed as they checked the other doors for their stuff. “I didn't know you could do that!”

“I know, I know, I'm the Bruce McCheese. Hold your applause,” Randy bragged as he opened the last door in the hallway to reveal yet another supply closet. Running past Danny, he punched him in the shoulder, “I'm still a ninja without the mask Casper.”

“What was that? I couldn't hear you over your ego getting in the way!” Danny laughed as he turned the corner, only to catch a metal leg in his stomach. His back hit the wall and his stolen weapon went flying away from him.

“DANNY!” Randy screeched, knowing he wouldn't get there in time as the security bot charged up to fire.

His feet and hands moved before he could think about it.

‘Separate - Gather - Free’

Randy could feel the energy pool through him, starting with his feet (“Your stance grounds you,” First Ninja said, “It centers you. It's the most important part of using the spells.") and surging upwards through his body in a way he's never felt while in the suit. Randy could feel the air thicken in his palms and he thrust out his hands just as the energy hit his palms and the top of his head.

“Ninja AIR-FIST!”

He could see the ninja magic hit the security robot and smash it into the wall. All the energy that had surged through him faded out, leaving Randy feeling like he just played Grave Puncher for two days straight.

He swayed for a moment, exhaustion hitting him like a brick, before he stumbled over to a gob-smacked Danny.

“Since when could you do that?” Danny asked as he scrambled to his feet.

Randy braced himself against the wall, “Uhhhhhhhhh……now I guess?”

Danny looked at the dented wall, then back at Randy. “Can you do it again?”

“Nngh….think I'll pass out if I did.”

“Alright, last resort then. And I still can't go ghost.”

Randy groaned. “Man we are shoobed.”

“We just need to find the others…..and our stuff.” Danny crouched down in front of Randy. “Alright hop on. You look like you're about to pass out now.”

“Pretty sure it'd just slow us down.” Randy said, even as he wrapped his arms around Danny's neck.

“Dude it's like I'm holding a couple of grapes. What are you, 80 pounds soaking wet?”

“Screw you too.” He dug his heel into Danny's thigh, “Giddee up. I think I hear the others breaking things up ahead.”

Jake and Adrien were indeed in the next hallway over, both transformed and absolutely wrecking anything they came across.

“Hey guys!” Chat grinned at them, impaling the last security bot with his staff. “We were looking for you!”

“Yo Ribbons! What happened to you?” Jake flew over to hand them their backpacks.

“Turns out Mister Ninja over here can use his ninja magic out of the mask.”

Jake blinked at them, “You can do that?”

“Apparently,” Randy said as he slid off Danny's back, “if I want to feel like I went ten rounds with a hoard of robo-apes.”

“Oof.” Jake shook his backpack at them as Randy pulled on his mask. “Well we found the main computer room, stole a bunch of hard drives that I'm going to give to Spud and Tucker, and Chat broke like, everything in there with a Cataclysm so no need to worry about cameras.”

“And we found out what they are called.” Adrien chimed in, “Beings Under Government Surveillance. They had a sign.”

“Bugs?”

“B.U.G.S.!”

“No wonder the GIW are such pests!” Danny and Adrien said together, high fiving. Randy snickered at the pun.

“Yeah, you're all comedians, can we go? The missing fairies are running loose and I've got to figure out if they need to move, or if they'd be fine with some more magic barriers around their town.”

“And I really gotta talk to the Nomicon. It's wack they didn't warn me about this.”

~~~~

Later in the Nomicon:

First Ninja stared at him in disbelief, “You did what.”

[uncanny-tranny]

One tip I learned as a young kid that I use now for my IM injections is to relax the muscle I'm injecting into make it as painless as possible. The idea behind this is that when your muscles are less tense (i.e., when it is relaxed), the needle will have an easier time penetrating into it to administer medicine.

Here's how I, personally, relax my muscles for injection:

Put on music or a YouTube video that piques my interest

Make sure I am focused on exactly what I'm doing to ease my anxiety; basically, being intentional and mindful

Sit myself down since I inject into the thigh, then slightly position my foot further than I normally would when I sit

Jiggle my thigh a bit before prepping it with an alcohol wipe (I don't know why, but this helps me so much)

Take a deep breath before injection, making sure the injection needle is at a 90° angle

Look away! (helps because I have very shaky hands that get worse when I look at what Im doing. Do check on your progress as you push the plunger down, but I find I don't have to look to know now)

This will be different than if you do SQ injections, so this is geared toward folks who are doing IM. These tips are things I find, personally, to be helpful, and so I implore anybody reading to realistically explore if it would work for yourself.

[lucyllawless]

Added my new art to the wall which meant a little re-arranging. Gonna find some small pieces to fill that little gap.

[dividedsingularity]

Artfight 2024, 6/33 - Square @guacomelon

I decided to draw Sq in one of Guac's favourite levels, Granite ^^ I checked the pattern to remember, so here he is staring up and the exploding bullets. Progress gif under the cut.

[zaffiri-saffici]

Here's a screenshot of my fic's tagline from the SQSN Blurb Generator. (if you want to use the generator yourself to read the other taglines for the amazing fics being released, click here!)

Ahhhh, y'all don't know HOW excited I am about this!

Not many know this, but I've been in a big writing slump the last 10+ years. I used to write Sweenett, Bellamort, Bellamoine (my how the times have changed lol) and when I got a corporate job, I lost a lot of my motivation to be creative from a storytelling perspective. Going into 2023, I decided it was time to change that.

This year's SwanQueen Supernova Challenge was just the kick I needed to get motivated to write again. Over the last few months, I've put together a ~86K retelling of the Camelot arc, a story that does the arc justice and gives us the SwanQueen tale we should have gotten on screen - the real story that was being set up since the beginning of the show.

This arc was especially impactful for me when it first aired years ago. After Emma sacrificed herself in place of Regina to become the Dark One at the end of season 4, I thought to myself, Yes, this is it. This is how the writers are going to finally give us SwanQueen. The greatest magic in OUAT is about True Love, and love is sacrifice - the ways in which we demonstrate, through our actions, what oftentimes words fail to do, right?

Wrong. A&E shat the bed, turned the Dark Swan arc into a complete mess, and slapped a big CS stamp on it at the end. Outside of just the blatant queer bait, 5A was simply: unfulfilling. It was lopsided, lazy. It did not fit the countless messages we were receiving as watchers and fans of the show, in all the ways the writers would define what 'True Love' was, to then push the story in a direction that made no sense to those definitions.

Well, this October, as part of SQSN, I'm here to change that. I am so excited about this piece. I am so proud of myself, too. I have never put together something so large (my longest fic was 18K words and is still incomplete). Further, I've never put together something as complex and full as this piece. It not only rounds out that arc, along with lots of the unanswered concepts that the show introduced in earlier seasons that eventually went nowhere, it does it in a way that feels right. Good.

This story was a practice in healing; I hope it can offer you the same.

Sneak Peak 1 | Sneak Peak 2 | Sneak Peak 3

Stay tuned for the reveal and the fic link drop this October 3rd!

10/3 Edit: The fic is officially here! Enjoy, my friends!

[moonssugar]

im sorry if i were helaena targaryen i would start religious engineering so hard to create a dedicated bubble of prophet followers to protect me from my family's bullshit. "are you saying helaena should start her own cult to defend herself because shes a prophet and the smallfolk love her so she can use that to her advantage?" auntie rhaenyra is already doing it with her dragons and the religions significance they carry to use it to her advantage in the war. if she did it so can helaena. "so you endorse women manipulating people?" yeah its hot when women religiously engineer situations next

[amomentapart]

Every single rich person who acts like the population is collapsing has clearly never been on I5 at 5pm, like yes the earth can hold a zillion more people but that doesn't mean all zillion of us are gonna have a good quality of life or even most of us and idk about you but I'm not excited for when they start trying to popularize us all living in coffin apartments so they can have 20 square mile properties where they don't have to see the riff raff.

[viharistenno]

Fuck I read (read? More like devoured) 322k words of Swan Queen fics in 10 days what is happening to me????

[tonyglowheart]

Having a big "apartment 'complex'...really? I find it quite simple" moment with Chap 46. Like. This is it. This is Shen Qiao and Yan Wushi and why Chap 45 had to happen but ALSO flat-out addresses & answers the question of "but how/why does yanshen work?" Like. This is it right here:

[silvers-and-reds]

I’ve come to the conclusion that I just need to date within the SQ/Supercorp fandom because I’m so not normal about either of them. How do I explain that to a random person???? How do you explain fandom culture to a person outside of it???

[fvkvrodani]

...yk. i really wish we get a prolonged cutscene abt how zhongli had to repress everything—including his own traumas—for the past 2000+ years for the betterment of liyue & the ppl... i wanna see his trauma unpacked. hes literally the only archon so far that hasnt had that—the aq was abt him moving forward w his life but.

this man is still repressing. his trauma was never explored.

[sophieswundergarten]

IN THE BEGINNING OF TPD

Mr. Gaines mentions that Jackson/Jillson/Martina have been given the option to have whatever memories Curtain had taken from them restored, and they refused

Now, Mr. Gaines writes them off at this point because he's a terrible person, but, for the Executives. How must that have felt?

J&J are maybe twenty or so, but Martina's not a whole lot older than the Core Four. What must have happened? What must have Curtain told them that made them so resistant to get their memories back? Were they scared? Had he threatened them? Or were they still holding out hope that Curtain might return to power, and if they had accepted Nicholas' deal he wouldn't take them back? How much of their short lives was missing? How many blurred faces and half-remembered names littered their minds like scraps of paper fluttering in the emptiness?