#doesn’t mean that the others i still have aren’t just as important and precious

[ollycohens]

Hello! I was wondering whether you have any tips for writing Five in s1? I feel like I’m writing him ooc but I don’t know how to write him in character.

I hope this is allowed. Thank youu!

This is definitely allowed!! I love questions like this. I hope I can answer this alright, because I struggle with this too haha.

For me, when writing s1 Five, I may rewatch some scenes from the show. It may help to look at separate scenes from different episodes just in case so you can get an overall idea of him. I specifically go into this mindset that separates fiction from canon and I think of scenes from the show, depending on the situation I’m writing. For example if Five is talking with Klaus, we all may think he acts mean to everyone but actually remembering and possibly going back to look at interactions youll see that he’s actually quite mellow and plain in interactions, doesn’t insult unless he’s stressed (with the apocalypse) or someone is getting on his nerves (I’ve found rewatching happens less than you think).

S1 Five is running on straight adrenaline at all times. He has the constant fear and dread of the apocalypse dooming over him, and his siblings are not helping so he lashes out at them sometimes. Either ignores them or will say something similar to an empty stressed out threat (trying to get them to leave him be so he can work on the apocalypse).

Main takeaway points to think about and recognize when writing s1 Five is:

- he’s stressed about the apocalypse. No one is helping him

- it’s the (possible) first time he’s seen his siblings. They are strangers to him but he still loves them, awkwardness and precious traumas of last seeing them dead aside

- he’s in a “new” body. He’s going through puberty AGAIN. He is a child again. He doesn’t feel like himself and is mad about that but he has bigger problems.

- Klaus is the only one not being rude to him. He trusts Klaus more than the rest. Not in a “always reliable” way, but a “will be useful if offered something in return”. He goes to Klaus for most things in s1 (?), specifically apocalypse related help.

- he has no manners, doesn’t quite understand people and that what he says actually affects others. Either that or he is stressed and doesn’t care

- he has the mindset of “everyone is equal, no one is bad or good, they’re just people, they all can do bad things and or good things, doesn’t mean they are inheritely just bad or good people”

- he will kill people who will do bad things in the future (example: he talks to Luther about killing a flower merchant in case he causes the apocalypse in the future)

- he’s rude to strangers in s1 due to stress and constant dread, and these strangers aren’t giving him the answers he needs to stop the apocalypse so he’s upset and tired and angry. Outside of s1 you’ll see he’s kind to strangers, most of the time.

- he stands and acts like an old man physically but the toll of being in his younger body are affecting him mind and stuff because of puberty, so he may act on impulse out of anger but he rationally thinks things through often

- he actually does vent to his siblings. He tells them things in s1 (Luther: found their bodies. He’s feelings about murder. Viktor: what he found when he teleported when he was younger.) he talks to people about his problems, but not often because he doesn’t find the time or the reason. He doesn’t see it as necessarily important unless it helps further solving something. This may not apply to when he talks to Viktor in s1 about the apocalypse for the first time. He adds some things while explaining that the world is ending that make it seem like he’s just venting, not trying to get Viktor to understand the end of the world

- He starts showing signs of PTSD in s1. We don’t know if he’s had symptoms previously but in s1 we see him have a flashback in his van at some point after seeing some kids playing (reminds him of his childhood and the apocalypse??). PTSD is a problem in s1 for him, but we don’t really see him bring it up, but it’s there. We don’t know what happens off screen so that’s up to interpretation

Overall, he’s just an old guy stuck in his old-new 13 year old body and is going through puberty again. He’s mad about his body, upset that his siblings aren’t helping him (Klaus and possibly Luther aside. Luther helps him later in the season with confronting Cha-Cha and Hazel). He’s tiny and angry.

If you’d like to, you can send me (in dms or asks) some little things you’ve written of Five and I can give some critique or feedback on making him more in character <3 that’s up to you though!!! I’ll help with anything! I hope this helped, or atleast made sense, I may have ranted and got off topic but I’m not sure so let me know if there’s anything specific I can help with!

Thank you for this ask!!! It made me happy! ♥️

[lilis-doodle-dome]

I have so many questions about every dynamic you can think of for this au im so interested in hearing more about the tenma siblings (toya included) and nene + emu's relationship with tsukasa

im also interested to hear how the dynamic between ena and mafuyu, emu and mafuyu, + rui and mizuki changes.

There is not enough space in these charts for any real information aughh, sorry for the weird text sizing. Also I didn’t put that much effort into editing Kasa/Mafu in these images haha

But relationship charts between the group! Sorry it doesn’t answer every question, but hopefully it’s enough? Feel free to ask more if anything needs clarification!

Here’s a transcript:

Tsukasa- Emu: Always tries to make me smile, but should she really waste her energy on me?…Sometimes she reminds me of Saki when she was younger

Tsukasa-Nene: Stronger than she seems. The least chaotic of the others, when we’re together she doesn’t expect anything. It’s…nice, although it might not be good.

Tsukasa-Rui: Always has something new to try, but I think it’s more for his own curiosity than for my self discovery. He knows a lot, could be more helpful if he ever shared it.

Emu-Tsukasa: Someone important to me that I’ll help find the smile of, no matter what! You’re no oohm doom villain Tsukasa-kun!

Emu-Nene: The most wonderhoy singer! Thank you for helping me see what it means to be a leader, I promise to never lose sight of my troupe again.

Emu-Rui: He always has the best, most fun ideas! I really appreciate his support, we always do best with his directing!

Nene-Tsukasa: He can seem pretty intimidating, but he’s actually rather clueless. I hope he can figure himself out, just not at the expense of others.

Nene-Emu: You’ve grown into a person deserving of the title of leader and I’m grateful you brought us together. I know you’re determined about your goal, but don’t forget we’re here too.

Nene-Rui: I’ll get stronger, I won’t turn a blind eye to you ever again.

Rui-Tsukasa: He tests anything I ask of him without complaint, I wish I could say that was a good thing. Let’s keep using each other until we’ve found what we’re really looking for, okay?

Rui-Nene: I’m glad she’s standing up for herself more, but I hope she knows there’s nothing she needs to make up for. It’s just nice to perform with her again.

Rui-Emu: A truly admirable person, she’s dedicated herself wholeheartedly to other’s smiles. Your smile is something precious as well though, don’t forget that.

—

Mafuyu-Kanade: A musical genius to match my lyrical! Her soft mannerisms belie her unmatched stubbornness, she’ll ever so gently, tell me I’m doing too much, all while she neglects herself! How confounding!

Mafuyu-Ena: She reminds me of those small dogs that get a poor reputation for being aggressive, despite it being people ignoring their fear signals that cause those reactions. That being said, it’s rather entertaining how differently she responds to Kanade versus Mizuki.

Mafuyu-Mizuki: They’ve introduced me to many new styles I’ve never experienced before. It’s amazing how they can make the most intimidating outings seem approachable. I enjoy any and all time spent with them!

Kanade-Mafuyu: She can’t see how she’s hurting herself for the sake of others. I need to help her, someone who can actually save others- shouldn’t have to suffer for it.

Kanade-Ena: Her art is still filled with hurt, but I’m glad she’s found some peace in our group. If only I could do more for her…

Kanade-Mizuki: They always have the frankest opinions of everyone else and seem to speak their mind freely, yet rarely say anything about themself. Their perspective is always appreciated though.

Ena-Mafuyu: Aren’t the big headed types supposed to not actually be good at everything? How is that fair at all, and she’s even got the nerve to be a nice person! I’ll show her-

Ena-Kanade: She’s wonderful. The soft, patient voice-of-reason needed to reign in the group, listening to her music is like a miracle cure for bad days.

Ena-Mizuki: They’re an insistent pest, that won’t leave me in peace. I guess I don’t hate the company though and they are good at putting together outfits for photos.

Mizuki-Mafuyu: A willing dress-up doll, she’s pretty enough to be one too! Kinda reminds me of an old friend with how many questions she asks about everything, guess geniuses have that in common.

Mizuki-Kanade: Always makes sure everyone feels comfortable and safe. It’s really nice to have a space I won’t be judged…

Mizuki-Ena: She’s way too funny not to tease, but she’s just as capable as the rest of the group. It’s kinda scary how easy she is to talk to, wouldn’t want to say anything I regret.

[thealogie]

I know I go against the shennant codex here but gotta say I still don't see them as, like, super close friends. And I realize there's a lot of projection here, because I have this one friend and I can't help superimposing our relationship on the shennant situation. We've known each other for a long time, from work initially, and we have super easy and fun, and even a little bit flirty relationship (we're both of the same gender and straight, but you just have to go with the flirty flow when it happens). We both sparkle when we meet, and I always feel like I'm a better, mentally healthier person when I'm with this friend. Our communication has a sort of Mozart quality, I feel. I'm always super happy to hang out with them and it's always very sweet, pleasant and fun. But I leave my actual heavy or unpleasant day-to-day stuff for my closest circle, we can be unpleasant and deep with each other, we can get bitter and fall out. But I would never bring this unhappy stuff and my unpleasant underbelly to THAT friend. They're my happy, normal, unbothered place. And I know it's a projection, but I just can't help it, I absolutely see the shennant of it all as that type of relationship as well. Like two guys who stumbled on an incredibly natural work chemistry and mutual understanding (a truly rare and precious thing in creative professions, you need to grab and never let go), whose wits are super compatible and sparkly when they're together. The added bonus of similar background and family stuff and happy coincidence of kids and partners getting along etc. I also think that I see MS at least feeling himself a better and healthier, less complicated person when he hangs out with the Tennants, like I do with that friend. The sparkly flirtiness is also born from all that. But I think they both have closer friends whom they can allow themselves to annoy and completely relax with, and be deep and unpleasant with etc. My closest friends actually get jealous about that friend, because when I talk about or with this friend, I seem more happy and pleasant than I'm with them. But it's not a sign of special closeness, it's just how our chemistry with that friend works. I wouldn't be able to survive with only that relationship, I need my "underbelly buddies" more because we can dump stuff on each other. So that's my personal rpf projection of shennant and all its charming quirks.

Dude that’s a wild view of friendship. not only are you projecting but I also think you are underselling your own friendship and have some unresolved feelings for that friend. Like not even romantically, but just…we all have very sparkly “put your best foot forward” friendships but at some point you can get messy and deep with that friend. that friend can probably handle going a bit deeper and messier if you so desire. Conversely, even if you discover you can’t be messy with that friend, that doesn’t mean they aren’t a close important friend. as you get older you realize it’s ok to have different close friendships for different purposes/topics.

If you have a friend you go out of your way to work with, and you hang out a lot and your families now hang out too? That’s a close friend regardless of whether you have other friends that are more for talking about personal stuff.

[itz-wanderer]

hi!! can I request headcanons for how majima and kiryu would be with a nonbinary s/o? who also happens to dress super masc some days, super fem other days. thank u so much, and I hope you have a rad day :)

Hello! Thank you for requesting ! 💗 I'm sorry this takes forever and I still don't know if I make this right but here it is!

Hope you enjoy!

Having nonbinary s/o (Majima and Kiryu)

Kiryu Kazuma

- He personally thinks that gender is secondary to attraction and doesn’t really mind or care. For him, all it takes is to have a deep connection and deep base of relationship which can be in the form of how deep you understand each other, that’s the most important thing to be romantically attracted to.

- There would be some days where you’re in the mood to dress pretty feminine, all girly with those crop top, short skirt, makeup, and he thinks you look so pretty and cute like he just wants to protect you from any harm, then there would other days where you feel like dressing masculine and he still thinks you look pretty cool and badass. Either way, you’re going to get a compliment from him.

- In his eyes, it’s your choice whether you want to dress all feminine or masculine because he’ll respect your choice and he’s never been one to give that much attention to how people dress, just look at him, wearing the same suit for years and he never gets tired of it. Anyway, it doesn’t matter how you see yourself as, he would never force you to be something you aren’t; in contrary he prefers you to be yourself, that way, he’ll feel how deep the connection is between you both.

Majima Goro

- He believes that people don’t have to understand what it means for someone to be nonbinary. For you, to be coming out as one was considered one of the bravest things by him. In his eye, you were the most precious thing that ever happened to him.

- Shopping with him was one of your favorite past times on the weekends when both of you had days off work and Majima spent it practicing his baseball swings in the backyard but this time you had managed to drag him off to a mall.

- “How does this look, honey?”, you muttered as you put on a cute tank top which had “No gender only goose” written on the front of it in rainbow colors. “I won't lie but I think you should get a size shorter, cause I need to have a glance at that pretty waist when you are walking around the house.”

- You made sure to get some super frilly clothes as well which Majima said radiated your adorable and clumsy side. He always used to say how he loved that side of you making him always feel like protecting you. A natural instinct ofc.

- Majima too kept surprising you with all kinds of expensive dresses and all kinds of clothing from an expensive seller having them handmade a week before your birthday and surprise you with it on the same day, while no matter what, it sure ended up on the bedroom floor by the night with him wrapped in your arms tightly as he whispered naughty things in your ear.

Note :

Feel free to keep requesting! 💜

[cinnamoncountess]

Fellow Travelers Rewatch Party | episode 2

Content warning: NSFW, strong language (maybe)

Let’s continue the weekly review / reaction session while watching episode 2 tonight!

First time seeing the title sequence and the composition of different LGBTQ+ and historical photographies as well as original sequences from the show - Hawk hanging Tim’s cross chain over the bedpost - merged in is spectacular. The intro has been composed by Paul Leonard-Morgan and he explains the build-up and musical structure as follows: 

„The idea was to have this loop which kept on evolving and descending keys,as Hawk’s life descended into inner turmoil.Tim’s cello sound playing the pizz at the start and the end - I wanted to represent that Tim was the grounding force, keeping the steadiness in the relationship while Hawk’s life descended into chaos.Each character adding a layer to the arpeggios on the top - first the violin, then the piano, then the wind. Sticking to our rule of never resolving. It gets increasingly frenetic until the final reprise played on the cello. Also, it’s written in. Again, so we never settle, just like @MattBomer (Hawk) and Jonathan Bailey’s (Tim) complicated relationship in the show.“ (source: Paul Leonard-Morgan via X / twitter)

It’s incredibly beautiful, well-crafted and the meaning behind feels very palpable in the music, especially with the given explanation! You should check out the Fellow Traveler’s OST: 

We’re in the 80s timeline with Maggie and Hawk meeting in the café!

I still wonder how that came about… Did Tim just tell Maggie to call Hawk? Did they have a discussion about that with Tim pondering whether or not he should go and meet Hawk and Maggie, the protective sister she is, intervening and shushing her brother off in a ‚no way, I’m gonna call and meet this douche who breaks your heart every decade‘ manner?!

Maggie: Although he swears no one else even came close. - Ouch. Tim never found happiness with someone else. That’s truly devastating. However, I’m actually curious to hear a conversation between Maggie and him on that. What did Tim tell her about Hawk and their past relationship? How did he justify his feelings for the man? I crave for more scenes focussing on Tim and his family.

Hawk is part of the Smith family. Leonard is rightfully salty at Hawk, seeing right through his scheme of settling himself a place in his family whilst masterfully playing a false game, while his standing with his own father is standing on wobbly feet.  

Tim: Had I know there’d be pictures I would have worn my best tie. - Dawww. 

I love seeing Tim and Mary socialising with the key political society and shielding each other. The supportive friendship between them is absolutely precious.

Roy Cohn looking Tim up and down suspiciously and then presenting his mom as his date, what a goblin. At first I thought he’d eye Tim up as a potential ‚interest‘ of McCarthy, but maybe he’s just extra cautious recognizing him from the State Department Bureau and the fact that he always seems to linger around when important meetings are held. 

That change of scene from Mary/Tim sweetness to Tim full on blowing Hawk in a doorframe is just  so filthy, sinful and juicy - it nearly threw me off the couch the first time I’ve watched it, such an unexpected switch. Also, damn Tim, clutching the peachy cheeks! (I get it, I get it) Also, it’s Jonathan’s / Tim’s muffled moans while he’s at it, enjoying it just as much as Hawk and edging him on, that makes me feel like a sinner. 

Tim figuring out that Mary is a lesbian and Hawk plans to encourage them to see each other, caring about both of them, their safety, because they aren’t bulletproof like he is. It’s his way of protecting the (vulnerable) people he cares for. 

Hawk talking about his dreams of buying a villa for himself, living a life where no one is judging. He doesn’t explicitly mention Tim but it makes me think of the villa he buys on Fire Island, which comes as close to his dream as it gets, just under more tragic and depressing circumstances. Tim seems satisfied with every little glimpse he is allowed to have into Hawk’s perfectly guarded ‚inner world‘ and emotions. He doesn’t press further and ask what his own place in this dream of Hawk’s would be.   

Them falling asleep together and Hawk waking up to the sight of Tim sleeping peacefully next to him, the sun and lightning in this scene - so beautiful and warming and at peace! That's how every morning for them should be.

Oh no, the neighbour seeing them together. Hawk, you can’t fool him. He’s got his own newspapers in his hand and these were definitely not handed over by a dorky looking man in glasses and a suit.

Marcus introducing us to Langston Hughes and a world where he struggles between racism and homophobia. He’s an outsider in the black community for being gay, which is why he can only handle and focus on one cause… This is far worse than living a fake life in a ‚white people‘ world. 

Momma Fuller: Don’t tell me you’ve gotten some poor girl in trouble. Didn’t think so. - Oh, Momma Fuller knows everything. What a lady, ahead of her time. Like, she’s a Gilded Age woman and is more tolerant and accepting than most of society at the time, very fierce, knows what she wants and willing to marry for a wealthy entourage. She also reminds me of Lucy, because I think she indicated as well that she’d marry a man if he’s wealthy and even if he’s ugly (because then she wouldn’t have to try too hard to hold onto him).

Momma Fuller: And he’s had a change of heart.

Hawk: Doesn’t seem likely in the absence of one. - Hawk can cut super sharp, especially when standing up to homophobes and his father. Love it. 

Mary’s party is honestly my favorite scene of this episode! The pure joy, the music, the playfulness during the charade game, seeing Tim happy / smiling and dancing with Luis. Mary insisting that Tim shouldn’t mention her relationship with Caroline to Hawk… well, she knows very well that Hawk wouldn’t approve at all, that he’d consider it dangerous, not only for them but also a threat for him. AND Mary might be worried for her job as well, she's his employee after all.

Hawk preferring to stand up for his past actions, talking down to his father’s homophobic bullshit and thus refusing to gain the heritage. Wow. Delicious, superb cinema. Wonderful. Perfect. Love to see it!

Hawk (to Tim): I’m home now. - Remember the echo in episode 8 and hold back your tears till then.

Hawk is the big spoon! Awww. Again, such a beautifully staged scene. 

Hawk dictating the love letter, formally addressed to Mary with words actually aimed at Tim - my heart. 

Again, Hawk’s attempt to protect both of them, Mary and Tim, with ethically questionable but effective means. Mary does as Hawk predicts - they know each other very well. Also, can we please recognize that Mary and Marcus as well are just as willing to throw people under the bus as Hawk is?

Back in the 80s timeline!

80’s Hawk refusing to go and have fun with the young guy in the gay bar, instead warns him to be more cautious. 

When Hawk enters Tim’s apartment and Tim notices who it is… then just traces his lips with his fingers, reminiscent. Also, I just love that Hawk still calls him ‚Skippy‘ (affectionately) and Tim doesn’t protest, although he would have every right to claim that he doesn’t call him by this pet name, a name that arose from their first sexual encounter. But he doesn’t. Because he still loves his Hawk.

Sen. Smith: But someone asks me the other day why one of the most eligible bachelors in town hasn’t married yet and I couldn’t think of an answer. - Here’s the pressure for Hawk to start courting Lucy, to protect is mentor and not be his Achille’s heel. 

Hawk (to Lucy): You’ll make a wonderful mother. You’ll teach them to have principles.

Lucy: You always found my principles annoying, silly even.

Hawk: Come on, you know I’m too smart for my own good. 

Their whole conversation, looking ahead. Ouch.  

The whole Marcus and Frankie scene is so effin’ sweet. The way they talk about their poetry and Frankie opening up on his first drag experience and what that entailed… Such natural chemistry between them. The poem Marcus recites is flows so well with the scenes!

Seeing 80s Tim all overjoyed and happy and smiling when they sit down together for Chinese Takeaway food is such a treasure (His ‚thank you thank you thank you!‘ is so sweet)! I’m pretty sure a great part of his delight must derive from the fact that Hawk is there with him, spending this evening with them, eating together. They NEVER had that, not even in the 70s, Tim and Hawk eating with a family member of either of them.

That’s it for episode 2!

[mellowwhumps]

looks at you with my big blue eyes

Do your characters have any cool facts about their hair? Do they represent anything? Hair lore :3

big blue eyed blahaj guy is in my askbox LETS GOOOOOO HELLO LEM!!!! LOVE THIS ASK (check out his writing btw!! very awesome!! he’ll be doing an oc intro post soon as well so stay tuned)

YES!! yes all of them have hair lore it’s so fun i planning out hairstyles that are development-related…it’s so fun. scuffed question btw i know what you are (the correct answer is in my dms as the voice whispering in my ear to write)

also i stole your divider. mwahaha

————☆————

Haley - for the most part he keeps long hair because it’s natural…but because he’s so adamant on it being related to balance, not wanting any external factors to affect his perforrmance in battle, he doesn’t ever cut it. and this is meant to represent a lack of change! 

beyond a certain point he does start exploring other hairstyles even if he still doesn’t cut it, showing how he still is the same, mistakes can’t just be cut off like hair, but he shows an acceptance for growth and moving on!!

and of course i have to mention the braids!! because originally they are also a symbol of the past (with elowen, he braids them because they obscure his face when fighting + elowen is the one who taught him how) but they are also part of ria!! in the end, he is a mishmash of everyone he has ever loved

————☆————

Halcyon - her current hairstyle is extremely screwed up because if you actually imagine it untied one side is much much longer than the other!! and this also does have a part in her story too

because she’s been living on the streets for so long (old oc…generic backstory is a must but she’s so precious to me), her hair just got really really unkempt. split ends, everything, semi-long, and obviously that doesn’t give a good impression. so!! cerilux (her commander/senior) tells her to cut it! and, yknow, typically she would have obliged because she was a heavy people-pleaser…but halfway through she disagrees

and this does show the competence of cerilux for giving her a choice, since this is very important in halcyon’s character development!! since cerilux would have wanted her to have short hair like most of the other male recruits, since that’s the norm. but she wants to make that difference. 

the half that has long hair is sympathy for the others like her, the half that has short hair is the one that wants to protect, the one that, no matter how conformative, is still an act of change.

and of course her hair color! which is a very unnatural kingfisher-feather shape of blue (the bird she was themed off of). but actually the kingfisher’s feathers aren’t blue, but brown! no matter how much she’s idolized as a hero, perhaps, this is still her. she is no queen, unlike the one she serves. she’s just doing her job. but still she’s special, and so many other things that makes others admire her just as it is. in the end, nobody cares.

————☆————

Twelve - in querencia, their hair was LONG. like to the floor long. once again it is so messy. nobody cared about them, at least. but verrill doesn’t care. verrill spends half a day trying to maintain it since he knows they still don’t want to cut it even if they don’t say it. braids it, even, combs fingers through the hair of someone nobody else would touch. he cares so much about them even if that act was dooming them both…ouh

stuff goes down. verrill’s gone. and they still had that braid, really, never did want to fully take it out. they can’t remember why, the phantom of some caring touch in their memory. because no matter how much their memories fault and fade, other things sometimes don’t. by all means, they can’t let go, even if it is a hindrance. 

eventually, it is cut, though!! they don’t want to be burdened by it anymore. it shows their longing for something more, something better, something real.

never mentioned this to anyone before (very old concept), but in querencia, long hair is seen as weak! since it covers skin and makes them look less vulnerable, less free. hair is a confine, and though they do want short hair, they never could ask for it. they were weak before, but now they know how not to be while still being weak. on earth it isn’t the same and will never be the same, because dystopias and utopias aren’t earth.

maybe that’s why they liked emmei in the first place, because emmei gives them a place to be weak and they do the same in return. in the end, they’re both trying to live their own lives.

————☆————

Verrill - once again, long hair in his hometown was seen as weak! and of course he doesn’t want to be that way, so it’s kept mostly short. oh, but that isn’t the case. 

the front part of his hair is still long, still obscuring. he wears a scarf/cape to hide the parts of his neck that aren’t covered. he is not meant to escape. he is not strong enough to escape, despite him having so much compassion in him. he’s shackled.

it’s still hope. he hopes that one day people just will stop caring. one day something will happen, things will change. nothing happens. that’s what drove him to release twelve from their cage.

hope never changed anything for him. because of his act, he causes the downfall of an entire city. nonetheless, his hope does indirectly affect the one person he wants to save semi-positively. selfish, but it’s enough for him. in the end, he’s not a saint or a hero, just verrill. the warmth of the sun in winter, no matter how much it burns.

————☆————

Ria - not much here, actually! but the colors of her hair are dual-toned since she’s essentially a mix of the two kingdoms focused on in the main story!! a symbol of harmony, if you will. blue for hampton, the kingdom by the sea, and brown for irecel, the landlocked kingdom!!

silly fun fact she does the braid for herself because she learnt from watching haley!! while she does learn from him she won’t ever explicitly ask him to help her either, and that’s something that will be worked on :))

she has clips pinning her hair to the side as well because just like haley, she’s cautious on instinct and any threat can and will trigger a fight-or-flight response, so she doesn’t want hair to obstruct at least one of her eyes. but it’s not full coverage, because in the end, she’s still a child and still messes up.

————☆————

Elowen - honestly since his hair is the exact same for the first arc of the au with 🫵lem i have and it’s similar plot i’ll just. use the au LMAO (yes i know you’ve heard this before lem. do i care no i’ll say it again.)

so yes! his braid was originally at the back because that is a remnant of his past! his hair isn’t naturally too curly he just kinda. does it. and straight hair is easier to braid anyways!! but because it resembles a ponytail like naeri’s he just couldn’t wear it like that anymore when he left to form the syndicate.

but he does still keep the braid. because just like haley (or rather haley is just like him) he can’t fully let go of that past. in the original universe he died with the braid at the back because there is no change, he’s as stationary and closed-off as ever, but in this au i do allow him to!! 

and i was thinking that when the timeline ends he goes back to the braid at the back. because no, it’s not that he doesn’t want to change, it’s more of honoring the dead and learning to move on with the past, facing it headfirst and breaking through. in the end, the past does shape the future. which is also why i nicknamed the au ‘futures past’!! once again subject to change but fun fact of the day

————☆————

Ida - woah new ocs i swear i’ll do an intro post soon…anyways!! hard to describe it but yeah it’s undercut hair and yes is it really mello if i don’t try to relate it to identity

because!! he served in the military and the right side of his hair, which is cut, is meant to symbolise his time there! the part of him that he doesn’t know how to deal with, something that he can’t part with because it’s what changed him the most. and the left side of his hair which is left long is meant to symbolise his present! 

my honest thought process was i make this guy look as mascfem as possible because yes he is trans and no i do not know how to write dysphoria whump so this is the second best thing. have fun lem.

and yes! he does have a dark-purple streak in his hair. while he wants to rebel and be different from the others, it is still the purple of auxili’s (the laboratory he works for) logo. just like his entire outfit honestly…in the end, he is forever in control by them!!! he simply cannot escape! and that’s also some sort of screwed up metaphor for his identity as well. and also he’s a foreigner so that’s also symbolism. go get him yuuto 💥

————☆————

Ibys - another new character! ida’s fault this time for their hairstyle!! they refused to let him get close at first, but then one time ida was bored and he just. kind of started doing it. it’s not even out of care or anything, because he will always view ibys as a tool (he has to), but he braids their hair. (and they’re touch starved…)

after that, they just kind of assume that’s what he wants it to be like, so every day they turn up with that exact same hairstyle. ida obviously doesn’t notice because it isn’t really his job to care, as long as they can do their job he doesn’t mind. so that’s just how it is. after everything ends i like to think ida has a good laugh about it

however, as it is, their hairstyle wasn’t very good for seeing. so? solution? headband! since ida doesn’t really want to chop off their hair knowing they’d agree anyway. so now the headband’s just part of their attire.

it’s really symbolic in a sense since it shows their dedication towards him…since the hairstyle is extremely complicated, a mishmash of braids and random accessories, yet they do it every day. ida’s influence on them is extremely large since their last handler wasn’t exactly too kind, and yknow. 

parting hair to braid is just such an extremely intimate thing and for it to be done without any sort of emotion towards it on one side, while sparking the first semblance of freed emotion on the other…well. it’s complicated, but in the end still beneficial.

————☆————

and that’s it!! once again thank you for the ask lem…actually made me think about my characters more that’s crazy

[beevean]

“What did he wish from me, that he even rebelled…? Unforgiveness is my nature. The more precious things are, the more they resist and are lost…”

“I shall take his head as a consolation… One more thing… while this is regrettable…”

“I will obey You…”

«Why are you hurt? Humans are difficult, aren’t they…»

This is my translation: here’s the much more widely available fan translation of the page, which I’ll use as comparison.

This is quite the fascinating conversation, and I think it’s worth analyzing. It happens after Hector confronts Dracula and affirms his own humanity - and gets thrown off the castle keep as a response. But that’s not the point: the point is that these three panels show facets of Dracula and Isaac that I would have never imagined.

“What did he wish from me, that he even rebelled…?”

Not much to say about this line for now, but I’ll point this out: Dracula is genuinely confused. This doesn’t sound particularly angry, not even in a “tranquil fury” way.

“Unforgiveness is my nature.”

I genuinely struggled to find the right word for 情. It can mean anything from “heart” to “emotion” to “compassion” to “situation”, and it’s more commonly found in compounds. The fan translation goes with “Being unforgiving is my compassion”; I think “nature” is more apt, based on compound words such as 人情 (human nature) and because, well, it just makes more sense in context. Lord Dracula isn’t known for being forgiving. Implied, Hector should know that. And yet he rebelled anyway, and Dracula can’t wrap his head around what was so important to him, that he’d rather face the wrath of the Dark Lord.

“The more precious things are, the more they resist and are lost…”

“Precious” is 惜しい, which has three meanings: “regrettable/pitiful” (as in “such a pity that...”), “precious/dear”, and “too good for something” (for example “too good to be thrown away”). The fan translation says: “So is one dear, so is one wrested away”. The other two don’t make much sense and I don’t think they fit grammatically, so I agree with the fan translation for one main reason: the tone of the whole conversation implies that Dracula was genuinely affected by Hector’s betrayal.

This is so intriguing. Is that so? Not just enraged that his underling dared to question him (and how enraged he was!), but actually hurt and confused? The mighty, cruel Lord Dracula? Well, this is purely my speculation, but... remember who else turned his back on Dracula during this period of time? Someone precious to him? :)

That’s got to sting. Ah, if only they didn’t completely ignore Alucard in CoD...

Basically, compare this whole speech with its equivalent in the MF manga, and you’ll see that the tone is very, very different:

While Dracula’s feelings were surprising, Isaac’s softness was also unexpected, coming from him.

"While this is regrettable, I will obey You…”

The fan translation says “I’m sorry to say... I will serve you now”, which... I don’t know if it’s correct? Why would Isaac say that it’s unfortunate that he will serve Dracula? Yes, 残念ながら all together means “unfortunately”, but I think the words are meant to be read separately in this context. It makes much more sense that Isaac is trying to comfort Dracula: “yes, it’s regrettable that Hector left, but don’t worry, I’m still here”.

There is something to be said about the hesitance that comes off with the pacing: “one more thing...”, and “I will obey You” being in a separate panel, to emphasize it. It’s as if Isaac is scared to say those words, because of their inherent gravitas.

(as for “serve”/”obey”, I just found the latter to be a more common translation of 従う, along with “follow”.)

(also when I first read 貴方 it really threw me off - anata? Isaac is calling his Lord anata??? That is way too close. But apparently it really used to be a polite way to refer to someone of higher status that became ruder as time went on, kind of like kisama. So nevermind, Isaac is still being as formal as he should :P I was already ready to question their entire relationship)

“Why are you hurt?”

And this is why I went for the translation above, and what cemented my interpretation of Dracula’s tone: there is personal care here. Isaac is feeling sorry for him and empathizing with him. He’s surprised that Dracula seems to be affected by Hector’s betrayal: it might mean “why are you hurt? You’re Lord Dracula. You’re above this”. That’s why he wants to comfort Dracula, by reaffirming his loyalty and swearing that he’ll bring Hector’s head back. It definitely feels something more than mere servitude.

I wonder if perhaps the sentiment is also influenced by Isaac’s own personal feelings. After all, I’m just assuming that the subject is Dracula. It could be Isaac talking to himself. Japanese is funny like that :)

“Humans are difficult, aren’t they…”

This comment takes sad connotations when you remember the pervasive theme of Devil Forgemasters being human but not feeling like they're part of humanity - fun fact, this is also present in the Japanese version of the Devil Forging formula heard in the game! Devil Forgemasters call themselves “a person who is not of the human world” everytime they forge an Innocent Devil :)

So, does Isaac consider himself as “difficult” as the humans that have hurt his Lord, or is he speaking from a place of detatchment? The tone, along with the art, feels melancholic to me. Knowing Isaac, I would assume that he’s keeping distance from the humans that he resents. “Difficult” is the direct translation of 難しい, but other good translations would be “troublesome” or “complicated”, which have different connotations, and I don’t know which one I prefer.

Have I looked too deeply into three throwaway panels? Maybe. But the potential for alternative character interpretation is too vast to ignore <3 I’m just enjoying a lot this deeper side of Isaac that we didn’t get to see in canon thanks to the Curse (related to this, his honor code when it comes to fighting), and what could be an inkling of humanity from Dracula.

[astrolaurical]

This has been in my drafts for a few days.

Good thing BTSTarot is deactivating their account so they can’t spew harmful misinformation like this anymore. Like tell me you know nothing about Korean culture and have never been in korea without telling me. And remember, I said that I have agreed with SOME things they have said in the past. This was wayyyy back during the YNWA era where Jin was getting unfair treatment. That I 100% agreed with BTSTarot. But conspiracy theories like this that can seriously harm others? I cannot get behind. I will wholly change my views if it comes out that I am wrong in the future, but until then, I am cautioning readers AND posters to be careful about posting things like this and labeling personal choices like buying an expensive house with hard earned money as “living in a dungeon” or getting thought-out and meaningful tattoos labeled as “being branded like cattle”. Please choose your words more carefully.

1. Koreans have a hard work ethic going back to the Korean War, WWII, and even back to Joseon Dynasty, really. Korea had rarely been free. They have always been ruled by another country or fighting someone else’s war. This has made Korea for CENTURIES a very poor country. Some of the older generations (boomers) in korea don’t even know how to read because they were too busy working for WWII and are attending primary school with their grandchildren. There are reality shows about this. This generational trauma of poverty has created a hard work ethic in Koreans still seen today. Korea has a minimum 9 hour workday. Many go for an average of 10-12 hours. Then you have the 회식 after work hours. So like really 16-18 hour work days. All to make an average of 40 million won ($32,000/yr). And this is the average day for a Korean office worker. Hmmm I wonder why the suicide rate in Korea is so high then?

So you’re wondering why idols have their fandom names tattooed on them? Because idols aren’t working 18 hour days. We’ve seen behind the scene videos of them at dance practices. Or the multitude of BTS documentary films. Idols put their bodies on the line until many have permanent damage (just look up any SM idol- 80% chance they will have had 1 serious injury). Seventeen even had a reality show filming when they were trainees!! All when they were minors, too, mind you. Documenting their battles before they even signed a contract! So I don’t blame these idols for getting tats of their fandoms. On Idol Quiz Show, JK even said how important and precious fans are, especially at the beginning of an idols career. Fans not only mean support, but also sales and money, like a paycheck.

2. BTS worked hard and put in hours of overtime, emotional and physical harm to their bodies to get to where they are. To discredit their hard work and say they are living in the company building??? Uh no. They live in gated apartment communities. Why would they choose to live in the company building that has a PUBLIC MUSEUM ON THE BOTTOM FLOOR? Where anybody can get to them?? All 7 of them didn’t drop $7 million in cash on their high security apartments for bs rumors like this. They did it to keep naysayers like people saying they live in dungeons away from them

3. Yes the company does monitor what they say and do (Tae even said so on JKs live… but Tae and JK also said that BTS is so big that it doesn’t matter why the company says. The company needs to listen to BTS to survive. Remember BigHit almost was filing for bankruptcy and BTS was their last shot. And BTS owns shares of the stocks. Hybe is already prepared for a drastic drop in stocks when they all enlist. That is why they are focusing so much on TXT, Enhypen, and Le Serrafim.

All I’m trying to say is those who read things like this: use media literacy and common sense. Dissect everything you read like I have just done above. Don’t believe everything you read, especially if it is so nefarious like this.

[bi-lullaby]

I would love to hear more about why you love Dean/Lisa. I never quite got a grasp on her character's personality or how she and Dean were similar and/or different, but I did like a lot of Dean's scenes with her---and, of course, with Ben!

Ohhh I hope I can get my thoughts out in a concise way!

There’s lots of things I like about them.

There’s a pure and simple aesthetic level- They’re gorgeous together. It’s the most shallow and not my main reason, but it’s the “eye catcher”. I remember, upon rewatch, thinking that in her introductory scene if we were in the “Trickster land” show, they’d make that corny-ass effect of her opening the door and her hair flowing around and Dean being thrown back by a sudden wind because she’s just so smitten. They look good together.

Secondly, they’re up to the task of working to build something together, and that’s just exactly my thing. They care for each other deeply (although they aren’t each other’s main priority, which is perfectly okay for a mother and a guy who saves the world for a job) and want what’s good for each other. They’re tender and soft with each other (seriously all of their kisses are just so… Gentle? Almost lip-caresses? That scene of them cuddling in bed makes me melt). Lisa doesn’t try to fundamentally change who Dean is - She tries to work with it until the threat to her kid is bigger. Dean is conscientious of her life and all that it entails and tries very very hard not to let his own traumas bleed on them, and he tries to better himself. They weren’t built to work, not in that universe, not within that storyline, not thematically, but they loved each other enough to try. That scene where he goes “then ask for something” because he doesn’t know how to be loved like that (without being needed, loved purely because he is and not because he is xyx) breaks me and I think shows why they didn’t work - I think they’d be genuinely good for each other in a “right person, wrong lifetime” way, almost. I feel the need to point out here (mainly bc I feel that meaning has been lost lately) that shipping something doesn’t always mean “I wish those two were together in canon right now and think they are the only people right for each other”. For me, I ship Dean x Lisa because of their inherent tragedy, their inherent loss, their almost so’s. I tend to visualize Dean with her if I’m thinking of an AU where Mary didn’t die, for example, because I feel they would have more opportunity to turn that seed of feeling into the actual act and decision of love and relationship.

There’s also the fact I’m a Dean stan first and foremost and I think she’s fantastic for him. She cares about him. She knows him enough to know how important hunting and Sam are to him and tries for compromise (come back when you can). She is tender with him and treats him like he’s valuable and worthy and precious. She represents a lot of the things lots of Dean stans want for him - Stability and normalcy, but still with someone who knows about hunting (I have way too many thoughts about Dean and leaving hunting or not to ever articulate), someone who appreciates him and thinks he’s worth it and cherishes him and cares about his well being, a chance at a family, healthy connections (we see him with a stable job and making friends in 6x01), growth and peace. I think it’s disingenuous to say Dean was unhappy at her house because he didn’t love her or that sort of life - Sure, it could be that but we’re shown and told it’s far more likely it’s because he kept having horrible nightmares about his baby brother (whom he thought was dead at the time) jumping into a cage to be tortured for all of eternity. No one could (or should) be expected to be an instant cure-all for their partner’s trauma (especially not the sheer amount of trauma someone like him would have), but I do see Dean having a chance with her to deal with his.

It’s absolutely true we don’t know a lot about her! However, I don’t think it’s too much to infer and extrapolate (a lot like how we do with Jess, for example, drawing from context clues and details we’d have to give them for a relationship with their respective Winchester boy to work). We know she was wild and fun and enjoyed herself in her youth, we know she matured and stepped up to be a single mother, we know she raised Ben pretty well, that she’s protective of him, that she is empathetic to Dean’s plight and willing to accommodate it but that also she puts her foot down when her lines are crossed. It’s not hard to extrapolate that she’s still a fun person and we do get snapshots of her having a great sense of humor (Did you almost shoot a yorkie?). We can infer that they talk to each other and confide (She talks about Dean as “guy who saved the world” and I doubt that’s a direct phrasing from Dean so she was told at least enough to draw that conclusion, which then can lead you into thinking how hard it must have been to put Dean at ease to talk about that). We know she admires Dean and thinks he’s a great role model for her son and from that we can see that she values courage and kindness and selflessness and humor and all sorts of things Dean is. We can infer some wildness and even courage from herself just by allowing Dean into her life. Her yoga background and It’s not an encyclopedia of knowledge but I almost like that - She was never built to be a main character, she was always supposed to be a bridge Dean had to the “civilian” world that had to be burned down at last.

[randombrainworm]

Worm reads Discworld, part 1/41

The Watch sub-series: Guards! Guards!

“Listen, if anyone ever sets fire to this city, it’s going to be me.”

OR: A drunk, a dragon and a dwarf, but somehow nothing’s quite what it seems.

Of course I’m starting with this one. Of course I am. It was an obvious choice. That bastard (affectionately) Samuel Vimes owns my heart. He’s a cynical pragmatic who’s done with the world but at the same time cares deeply about his city, he knows what it means to be poor, to scratch the bottom of the social ladder from the other side of the pavement, his job is the only meaning of his life for a long, long time until she meets a Lady who takes care of dragons for a living (and is quite obsessed with them in fact), is way taller and stronger than him and on a direct opposite of the wealthy spectrum (not that money matters to Vimes) and falls fast and hard for her (relatable. I too would ask Lady Sybil for her hand in marriage). And YET, Vimes’ character doesn’t experience a major shift, he doesn’t decide to give up on his job in Watch and focus on personal life only - no. Unlike many protagonists, Vimes proves that it’s entirely possible to hate-love your job and not abandon it while at the same time make room in your life for something more.

But I’m getting ahead of myself (forgive me, I could write essays about Vimes and Sybil and the importance of the Watch). So let's get back to the book itself:

Ankh-Morpork:

Ankh-Morpork is presented to us in a low point. It’s functioning (somehow), but things aren’t going extremely well. The Watch is a joke, a bunch of nobodies who don’t know any better summon a dragon that, for most of the book, may or may not exist, and the supposed heir to the throne is… An interesting case of a dwarf.

Carrot:

Now, having read later books, I really like Carrot, but the first book didn’t really sell him to me until the last dozen or so pages. Admittedly, he too had to try to wrangle the chaos that’s Ankh-Morpork (which makes this story a good starting point in my opinion - we can watch the city through the prism of an outsider, not that different than ourselves) but I didn’t see much of the “Where people went wrong was thinking that simple meant the same thing as stupid.” (a sentiment explored multiple times in “Men at Arms”). I suppose my main problem was that because of the book’s structure I wasn’t sure until the last moment in I should treat him like one of the main characters or an important support to Vimes’ arc.

General remarks:

The overall plot was pretty straight-forward and you could quite easily figure out where it was going, even though the strangeness of the Discworld still managed to make me raise a brow (the rats… If only they could read). The characters (always Pterry’s strength, in my humble opinion) are diverse and interesting and there’s just enough of the outer layer peeling off to get us hooked in their future development (simple watchmen who maybe are ready to risk their lives instead of pretending All’s fine, even if they do it with eyes tightly shut; the genius Patrician who always has plans B to M at ready). The magic is a tad bit confusing, but that's a given in this series and the fact that it was the first book on my reading list definitely didn't help. The Watchmen getting a swamp dragon as a pet was precious, especially the bit when Carrot bought him a rubber hippo. Not to mey it's good to see a middle-aged woman who's passionate about something and isn't a snob or a blushing mess. Sybil's friendship (?) with Nobby was especially nice, people seen by others as weirdos solidarity for the win!

Rating:

GREEN - from my experience, the first book in the series is always either a total success with later ones being unable to reach its level (this happens when the author put all their good ideas into the first book and had to scrap something together because of the tight deadline) or the first book is the weakest and the rest of the series gets increasingly better as the author gets a feel of what does and what doesn’t work. This is the second case, I believe. Guards! Guards! is a strong basis to build on, should it be other author I’d probably give it PINK, but I know what PTerry is capable of.

Until next time,

Worm

[tarnishedxknight]

Borage - How courageous is your muse in general? What limits do they have to their courage? Are there any situations that will give them more courage than they normally would have? Clove - Does your muse believe it’s possible for love to endure all hardships? Chrysanthemum - Who considers your muse precious to them? Are they aware of how they feel? Gorse - How does your muse feel about each season?

Borage - How courageous is your muse in general? What limits do they have to their courage? Are there any situations that will give them more courage than they normally would have?

Very courageous. He’s brave and selfless, and that combination means he is willing to defend with his life and/or die for those he loves or who need to survive more than him, e.g. his princess or his king. There really are no limits to what Basch would do for something or someone he believes in as far as using himself as a tool, a weapon, a shield, etc. If it needs doing and there’s no other way, he’ll die for a cause or an important person. Hell, he’d die for some random little kid on the street if it came right down to it. And it’s not that he thinks little of himself, that he doesn’t care about his own life, or that he thinks life isn’t precious... quite the contrary. Basch thinks life is immensely precious, but he also believes in enabling others who can change the world for the better as well as in being a protector and giving selflessly of himself. It’s not just a nice idea he believes in, it’s who he is and a true calling in his heart that he can’t ignore.

Clove - Does your muse believe it’s possible for love to endure all hardships? 

No. Nothing endures forever, and love is no exception. Love can fizzle over time, lovers can die, love can be diluted or broken by distance, circumstance, tragedy, war, etc. There are many reasons why love is not invincible, immortal, permanent, or guaranteed in one’s life. But that, to him, just makes it all the more precious. If you’re lucky enough to find it, hold onto it for as long as you can. He is a firm believer of “it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” 

Chrysanthemum - Who considers your muse precious to them? Are they aware of how they feel?

I...? Don’t know...? If anybody feels Basch is precious to them...? I honestly can’t think of one person. In canon, anyway, not including his ships on this blog. But yeah, like... his father really wasn’t one for that kind of sentiment, his mother only cared about herself, Noah’s got too much anger for Basch to care about him like that, and he never married or had kids, so..... Yeah, I really can’t think of a single person in canon who would consider Basch precious.

In my version and my AU that I’m still writing up, Ashe does consider Basch precious to her in her own way. Although she doesn’t share his romantic feelings, she does value him as a friend and mentor in addition to a knight/guard. She considers him family in an emotional sense if not in a true sense, because he’s been there her whole life and she trusts and respects him. That took a hit during the two years she thought he’d killed her father, but once hat was rectified, the affection for him returned again.

And I would think his ships on his blog consider him precious, in a way. Otherwise they wouldn’t be in a relationship with him, heh.

Gorse - How does your muse feel about each season?

Basch pays attention to the seasons. It’s a reminder of the passage of time, the power of nature, and a connection between humans and the world they live in. There aren’t as many seasons in Dalmasca as there were in Landis because of the different climate, but he pays attention to things like changing temperatures, storms, and other indicators of the seasons. In Landis there were four seasons, although it tended to be cold all year round, it was just colder in winter. But there was rain, snow, wind, and various animal life cycle indications of the changing of the seasons. It gives each quarter of the year a different feel to Basch. Dalmasca was the opposite. It was almost always hot during the day and cold at night. Rain was rare in spring and summer and snow in winter was an extremely rare nighttime occurrence only. But he found himself looking for those same indicators of time passing and life changing with the seasons that he did in Landis, and when he saw them, it would give him a nostalgic feeling.

[canyouhearthevoices]

ATEEZ Theory TidBits Ep 7 - What did TREASURE Epilogue: Action to Answer contribute to the storyline?

ATEEZ’s fifth album, a mini album, again, released 3 months after the fourth. It was the last album in the TREASURE series.

In this post;

Materials included in the album

Additions to the storyline

Meaning of the album name

Track breakdown

Reactions from the fandom

Important motifs and storyline elements which were added

My perspective on the storytelling (from a screenwriting kid)

Quality of the album

Other important things to note

Conclusions

Action to Answer was the epic (I guess) finale of the TREASURE series, and supposed to be the end of the ATEEZ storyline, kind of. By the end of the album we thought that the group had reconciled with HALAteez and that they had reached the Treasure together... Needless to say, KINGDOM and later comebacks proved this was certainly not the case.

Full discussion below the line.

Materials included in the album

Only the particularly important things, not the random, daily content that groups put out as part of their... existence. Everything ATEEZ does have some references or relevance to their storyline, but that doesn’t mean that all ATEEZ storyline content is created equal.

Album - physical, with two versions

MVs - ANSWER

Dance practice/choreo videos, or other performances, for ‘Answer,’ ‘Horizon,’ and ‘Precious’

The regular contents; teasers, reaction videos, vlives and so on.

Logbook roughly 38-45

Additions to the storyline

The album was a deceptive finale to the storyline so far. We had the cool wrap-up in ‘ANSWER’ - HALAteez and Treasureteez came together, possibly had a truce, and, based on ‘Outro: Long Journey,’ we saw that they had reached their Treasure.

But then we got to ‘Precious,’ which was a bit bizarre in theme for such a triumphant end to a series. And the start of ‘Outro: Long Journey’ sounds great, but then you get to the end, and that voice comes in saying ‘can you hear those voices?’ and everything just goes out the window. 

What the hell was that? Which voices? Who what when where why? Was it HALAteez possessing them again and betraying them? Was it the dude in the white suit who showed up at the end of the MV? Hongjoong? Wooyoung?

Anyway, no one knew, and pretty much no one still knows. But it was definitely creepy. So at that point we were pretty sure that we hadn’t seen the end of the storyline, and that it would continue in the next era. 

Meaning of the album name

The actions they took in Treasure Ep Fin took them to this answer - the answer we see in ‘Ode to Joy’ as HALAteez sacrifice themselves for Treasureteez to find their Treasure.

Track breakdown

Answer - Reaching the answer - which is interesting. They never tell us what the answer is, and judging from the later albums, I’m not so sure that they found it, honestly. Actually, I suppose that the answer is putting in your all and not being afraid to stretch yourself and things. But that’s like the plot of every coming-of-age film to ever exist.

Horizon - Let’s continue on our journey to reach the Horizon together - goals and dreams and everything in between. An epic ballad made by our one and only Joong.

Star 1117 - It’s sweet and shows their love for ATINY. People still aren’t entirely sure what the 1117 means.

Precious - Most people say it’s literally the ‘evil’ version of ‘Treasure’ - disaster and loss of dreams instead of the hope of a new journey.

Outro: Long Journey - They reached the Treasure - or did they?

Reactions from the fandom

I mean, what do I say except for that everyone loved it? Center Yeosang in ‘Horizon’ was especially a big plus for people. And watching reaction videos is so fun because as soon as anyone sees the dinner table scene where the two groups show up and THEY’RE IN THE SAME ROOM, PEOPLE! And Hongjoong’s toasting himself, adn everything, and anyone who reacts to it for the first time - their jaw just drops. It’s hilarious. 

Important motifs and storyline elements which were added

The butterfly showed up - I don’t think it had really been around before, so it’s important

The Cromer and the dining table

the thunder and the flowers that were on the tour hoodies - not entirely sure what this means, but it looks cool as 

The Guardians/the men in the white suits 

My semi-professional perspective of the storytelling, production and production values, etc

I thought it was a bit of a filler album. While it obviously had importance to the storyline, there were only 5 tracks and only three of them were really important. Of course, they were all well-produced, and the ‘ANSWER’ MV was a masterpiece, which also introduced the FEVER album era. It did a really good job of what it needed to do, and it introduced so many people to ATEEZ. It was iconic and legendary, and, as with all installments of the storyline, was high-quality.

That said, it was kind of like a really high-quality, high-budget filler episode for a cartoon. Think the international specials of Miraculous Ladybug, or the between-season specials of Total Drama. That’s what this was. Important and high-quality, but also filler. Yeah it sounds like a paradox. Yeah that’s what it was.

Quality of the album

It was very good. No matter what the postman does with the package, your ATEEZ albums are going to come out in top quality, without a scratch!

Other important things to note

This was the era that I became an ATINY! Happy two-and-3/4 years of me being an ATINY!

Conclusions

A very iconic album but didn’t do much for them and was kind of boring in terms of the storyline, especially compared to the previous three. Although, I suppose the storyline gets more boring after they’ve established the major elements of their storyworld.

[moemammon]

Could I request HC of MC falling asleep on the brothers and someone asks them to do something but they don’t want to move bc of MC🥺 kinda like how it’s illegal to move if an animal is asleep on you🥺💕 thank you!

I'm soft for stuff like this tbh

The Demon Brothers react to GN!MC falling asleep on them

Lucifer

Lucifer has found that he works best when you're near him. Something about your presence calms his old soul. So it's become a habit that he has you near while he's going through paperwork, always touching you in some fashion.

Today, you were resting your head against his shoulder in the late afternoon, the warmth of his body and the sound of his pen scribbling on paper lulling you into a sense of peace and sleepiness.

He looked over after noticing the added weight against his side, and found you'd drifted off to sleep. And man.... this man realizes just how soft he is for you. Like, can you BE any cuter??? You're gonna kill him.

He feels a warmth swell up in his chest, not only from his affection for you, he the way you seem so peaceful sleeping against him like that. The fact that you feel secure with him, while others only seem to fear him, makes his heart fill to the brim.

But now he can't move, or you'll wake up. And to make matters worse, he just heard a loud ass crash in the hall right outside, and the sound of Mammon cursing under his breath. MAMMOOONNNNN-

As much as it pains him, he doesn't have the strength to get up while you look so content and secure sleeping against him like this. Besides, he can always kill punish Mammon later. He’d just text Beel to string him up from the ceiling until then.

Mammon

It's not unusual for the two of you to chill on the couch together, and he doesn't even care that you're all over him. Actually, he's probably the one that pulled you into such a position.

You're laying on his chest, and he's got his arms around you while he plays around on his phone. And that's when he notices the tiniest of snores coming from you. He looks down and sees that you've fallen asleep.

FUCK does that make him wanna scream. His heart is so full of love that he's literally trembling. You were so.. sO CUTE. IT SHOULD BE ILLEGAL. HE LOVES YOU, DAMN IT.

But then he gets a text from Lucifer, asking him to go back to RAD to fetch some documents. Why'd he have to be his errand boy all the time? Why not Satan??

Mammon is no stranger to Lucifer's wrath though, so now he has a strong need to get you off of him, yet an equally strong need to hold you close.

Especially when you mumble something that sounded vaguely like his name in your sleep. Maybe... it’d be fine to let you rest a little longer? It's not like those lousy papers were going anywhere, right?

Levi

You????? Felt comfortable enough to sleep on him?????? In the middle of a movie he put on????

There's practically steam coming out of his ears. He's short circuiting. He's going to die and it's all your fault. WHY ARE YOU SO CUTE YOURE JUST SLEEPING ON HIS ARM AND YET THE MOE IS TOO STRONG-

Seriously though, he's so red up to his ears that you'd think he might die. The only thing that keeps him from death is that you aren't awake to look at him. He was safe!

But then a notification pops up on his D.D.D, and he suddenly remembers he’s got a tournament to compete in with a couple of online friends! He promised them!!!

Maybe... he'll wake you up? No no no, he'd really die if that happened! You can't wake up yet!! But the game-! The dungeon run-!! The loot!!! What can he do?! There's no way he can ruin this 'straight-out-of-an-anime' moment!!!

Levi's never been one to miss a chance to game, so why was he so conflicted?! Now he was thinking that maybe he could just reschedule the match? Besides, when was the next time he might get to see your sleeping face so close to his own? He wonders if he could sneak in a picture or two...

Satan

Satan's entire room, albeit cluttered, has a cozy vibe. Just the way he likes, as a man who prefers to keep calm and indulge in the wonders of books. And he's invited you over to indulge with him, per usual

Though he'll admit it IS a little late, so he understands that you're sleepy. It doesn't even surprise him when you slump against his arm from your position next to him, the book on your lap sliding to the ground.

As much as it pains him to see the book fall like that, he quickly realizes he can't bend down to grab it, or you'll wake up.

And he hasn't had a chance to really look closely at your sleeping expression, so he has to get his priorities in order. He could get that boom later, anyway.

He laughs at you, and how easily you've fallen asleep. Why didn't you just tell him you were tired? He’d walk you back to your room so you could sleep. Yet you wanted to spend time with him so badly that you pushed through?

He closes his book and leans his head against yours with a soft sigh. Peaceful days like this were all he could ever ask for. He wished he had a spell to preserve this moment forever.

Asmo

Helloooo? Are you even listening anymore?? He was in the middle of telling you about the time Beel ate his entire collection of bath bombs, and you fell asleep right on his lap!

Probably because he was making you lay there while he dabbed products onto your face. "This one is a great toner. Doesn't it smell good? And this moisturizer here is sooo creamy!"

He can't help but notice how peaceful you look laying there, fast asleep. He could just eat you up! Catch him leaning in to kiss you a million times, wondering if you'll wake up.

He's gotta put that kissing on hold when he realizes he has a photo shoot to get to in an hour! He'd need every single minute to get himself ready of course, so he needed to start now. The only problem was... you. On his lap.

He can't get up or he’d be cruelly abandoning his precious MC! And there was no way he’d be that heartless. But that photo shoot was pretty important... How else would he give the devildom its dose of his gorgeous face???

Cue Satan coming in and finding Asmo doing his skin care on his bed, straining to see his reflection in the far away vanity mirror... all so he wouldn't disturb a hair on your adorable little head.

Beel

Beel had asked if you'd lay on his back for extra weight while he did his planks, but he never expected you to fall asleep there. Belphie does the same thing sometimes, so he's no stranger to having to stay still for someone else's sake.

The warmth of your form draped over his back makes him smile, and he wonders if you're cozy laying like that. Wasn't his back kind of hard?

He was fine with waiting until you woke up, since being stuck in a plank for an unknown amount of time would be a great workout, what wasn't so great was the gnawing of hunger slowly starting to creep up on him.

Beel was hungry. Starving, even. And he was stuck because you fell asleep on him. He tried muttering a soft "MC, wake up" as a means to gently wake you, but when you didn't budge, he wondered if he might die like this.

The longer he waited, the more his hunger built. It was five minutes. Ten minutes. Twenty, and then- he lost it.

You wake up to being suddenly dumped onto the cold floor, and you only catch a glimpse of the avatar of gluttony rushing off to empty the fridge of its contents.

He'll apologize when he's full, okay? He promises he loves you, but his hunger is no joke. Promises to treat you to Madam Scream's later as an apology.

Belphie

Not unexpected that you'd fall asleep while in Belphie's care. He had a knack for that sort of thing, bringing the air around him to a sleepy halt and making your eyes heavy with that smooth voice of his.

You were listening to him talk about the old days, when he and Beel would sneak away from their brothers to have their own adventures. Then the next thing you knew, you were drifting off to sleep.

Belphie immediately noticed when your head leaned against his hand; he’d been toying around with your hair and occasionally stroking your cheeks. This was one of those moments he didn't feel like bullying you, after all.

But now he kind of does. You were so innocent, and so vulnerable right now! He could tickle you awake at any moment and you wouldn't be able to stop him at all... Though he doesn't.

He instead looks up when the door opens and Beel pops into the bedroom to ask if Belphie can help him find his jacket. There's no way he’d deny his brother, sooo sorry mc. He hesitates for two seconds, but he's leaving you.

Belphie is a sleep expert, and that includes his mastery of the art of not waking people up, so somehow he's managed to carefully maneuver around you so you're still fast asleep.

Leaves you with a little kiss and tucks you into his bed. He'll come tickle you to death later 💕

[muffinrecord]

I think it’s interesting that a huge theme of the pmmm series is self sacrifice, and not in the way you think.

Homura has that whole spiel about how self sacrifice is bad, that it doesn’t end well, and you can be tricked into thinking that this “deconstruction” of magical girl stories is all about it. 

The thing is, when you look at the characters and their actions, it absolutely isn’t. 

Sayaka is all about self-sacrifice, and one can say it led to her downfall. However, at the end of the series, she still decides to go through with it. Madokami even states that Sayaka’s wish as precious and important, and Sayaka agrees. I feel like this is the series outright stating that Sayaka’s wishes, dreams, and sacrifice aren’t just important and worthy of acknowledgement, but that they were right.

Kyoko talks a big game about being selfish and self-centered and not caring for others or helping them, but at the end of the day she sacrifices herself to protect Madoka and to make sure Sayaka didn’t go out alone.

Homura is. she’s homura. what more can I say.

Mami wishes she could redo her wish, so that it wasn’t as self-centered. She spends her time thanklessly helping others, and isolates herself. She’s an ideal magical girl with some flaws, but at the end of the day she still goes out and saves people. She is the epitome of self sacrifice.

Then you have Madoka.

If the series agreed with Homura, that protecting and helping others was thankless and worthless, it wouldn’t have ended with Madoka sacrificing herself.

Because Madoka saw all of this, saw how things with Sayaka ended up... and she decided it was worth it.

I really like this from PMMM. It’s not saying that helping others is stupid and bad and dumb. It’s saying that yes, it hurts, and yes it might put you in a worse position, but it’s what being human means. It’s the right thing to do. 

Sayaka affirms at the end of the series it was a correct decision. Kyoko goes out with a smile on her face. Mami... uh, well, I dunno. Homura is separated from Madoka, but she has renewed hope, and her tireless battles have saved magical girls. Madoka? She’s become hope.

I dunno. Does this make sense? I hope so.

[robininthelabyrinth]

For a prompt, what if Wen Xu arrives to burn down the Cloud Recesses while everyone is studying there

Home Alone - ao3

“All right,” Wei Wuxian said, when Lan Qiren announced that the Cloud Recesses would be imminently under attack by Wen Xu and the Wen sect armies, the calm in his monotone voice belied by the wrinkle of concern in his forehead. “We’re going to make that bastard wish he’d never been born, right?”

He was speaking lightly, as he always did, trying to make those around him feel more comfortable, braver, less afraid – his was the language of confidence and arrogance, of never backing down, and he didn’t know how else to speak.

He didn’t mean anything in particular by it, or at least not more than he usually did.

He wasn’t expecting Lan Qiren to look at him and say, “If you have any ideas, now is the time to contribute them.”

-

“So what exactly do you do again?” Wei Wuxian asked, following the older Lan sect disciple around – at least, the man was dressed like a Lan sect disciple, and with a forehead ribbon suggesting that he shared blood with the main clan, too, but Wei Wuxian wasn’t so sure he really was one.

“I blow stuff up, usually,” Lan Yueheng said cheerfully.

That was why Wei Wuxian had doubts.

The man was practically skipping. There was no way he was a Lan.

“Shishu is an alchemist,” Lan Wangji said. His hands were folded behind his back, as always, and he looked tense as might be expected, what with an imminent attack on his home by a colossal army intent on ravaging and destroying everything in its path – but the way he looked at Lan Yueheng was unaccountably fond, as if he were someone he was close to. Wei Wuxian hadn’t known there was anyone other than Lan Qiren or Lan Xichen that Lan Wangji was close to. He was oddly jealous. “Not always successfully.”

“Hey, at blowing things up, I am the most successful!” Lan Yueheng grinned. A moment later, though, the grin faded, and he looked anxious. “Wangji, are you sure you won’t go with your brother?”

“Brother will protect the sect books,” Lan Wangji said solemnly. “I will stay here to defend the sect and the guest disciples.”

Wei Wuxian appreciated that, being one of said guest disciples.

Anyway, it made sense. Lan Qiren had seriously considered trying to send them away with Lan Xichen, saying that their lives were more important than some extra books – other Lan elders hadn’t necessarily agreed, judging by their expressions – but regretfully concluded that adding more people to Lan Xichen’s escape route would do nothing but reveal its existence, dooming all of them.

So they’d split up: Lan Xichen, heading out virtually alone with the most precious Lan sect books, and all the rest of them here to try to resist as much as they could – even Lan Wangji.

Lan Yueheng didn’t try to argue with Lan Wangji, only sighed, sounding as though he’d expected nothing less from him and had only felt the need to make a token protest before accepting it as inevitable. It seemed he really was close to Lan Wangji.

Yeah, Wei Wuxian was definitely jealous.

“All right, then,” Lan Yueheng said, shaking his head and resuming his cheer. “Blowing things up in self-defense plan it is! You’re both talented in music, right?”

“What does music have to do with explosions?” Wei Wuxian asked.

-

The answer, apparently, was a lot – at least when you were an experimental alchemist in a musically inclined sect and you’d developed a way to trigger explosions via certain combinations of musical notes.

-

“So, did you know that Teacher Lan was scary?” Wei Wuxian asked Jiang Cheng, who’d finally returned from helping get all the elderly and children and civilians to evacuate – and refusing to join them, of course, even though he was entitled to go in order to preserve his life, being the heir of a sect and all that, completely typical Jiang Cheng – and was now pacing around, eager for a fight.

“Just because he punished you a few times doesn’t make him scary,” Jiang Cheng said.

“No, it doesn’t,” Wei Wuxian agreed. “You know what does make him scary? Playing music that makes his opponents try to cut their own necks.”

“…what?”

“Apparently he gets really upset when you mess with his students,” Wei Wuxian said wisely.

Unlike Jiang Cheng, he’d had time to adjust to the concept of Lan Qiren being terrifying: they were on the fifth wave of scouts, and this set wasn’t doing any better than the first four, not even when they’d realized it would be better if they stopped their ears with wax before approaching.

That’d only made Lan Qiren shift tactics – and songs.

Some of which had an even wider area of impact.

“Wei Wuxian,” Jiang Cheng said, looking at him suspiciously. “What did you do?”

“I convinced Teacher Lan that guerrilla warfare that destroyed as much of the enemy as possible would be more effective than just trying to defend the sect’s territory, since that was clearly a lost cause,” Wei Wuxian said promptly. “He agreed, but said that he could only do so much since he wasn’t a very good sword fighter. And then I asked him if he knew anything else that could be used as an attack and he said ‘no’ and then he said ‘well, I suppose’ and then he listed off a few things that – according to him – aren’t meant to be used in warfare but, and this is a direct quote, ‘could be put to a destructive use if one so wished it’.”

“And we now ‘so wish it’?”

“Yup. Oh, and watch out for anything that has a Lan sect cloud with a three-looped circle carved into the side of it, and I do mean anything– those explode.”

“Of course they do.”

“Hey! For once it has nothing to do with me!”

-

“I thought you said he said he was bad at swordfighting,” Jiang Cheng said suspiciously.

Wei Wuxian held out his hands helplessly in a ‘don’t look at me’ gesture, trying to defend himself from a sharp and pointy elbow to the side while also not pulling his eyes away from the ongoing battlefield for even a single moment.

“Shufu considers himself to be of average skill at the sword,” Lan Wangji said in the peaceable tone of someone who had been taught the basics of swordfighting by the person in question. The basics of really awesome swordfighting. “His real strength is in music, as you’ve seen.”

“I get that, really, I do, his music is terrifying,” Wei Wuxian said, and meant it completely. Between the two, he’d rather go up against Lan Qiren with a sword, where he’d at least be able to make a decent showing of himself before getting chopped to bits by the man’s fluid and almost seemingly delicate style that was nevertheless highly effective at skewering Wen sect disciples left and right; it would be better than with music, where he might as well just cut his own throat or strangle himself with guqin strings now to save Lan Qiren’s fingers the trouble. “But Jiang Cheng’s still right, okay – why in the world does he consider that to be ‘average’? Who is he comparing himself to?”

Lan Wangji considered the question for a long moment, then finally said: “A statistical outlier.”

-

“I wish we had aerial attacks we could use against the Wen sect’s swords,” Wei Wuxian said wistfully, and next to him Jiang Cheng nodded with a sight of longing – it was so frustrating seeing more and more Wen sect soldiers arriving in groups, like flocks of birds that started to fill the skies because they couldn’t be so easily shot down. “But if we try anything, they’ll just shield against us.”

“Teacher Lan said we can’t use spiritual energy against them, since we’d lose,” Jiang Cheng said, and as much as they all regretted it, Lan Qiren was probably right: they might be better trained than the Wen sect soldiers, might be better cultivators and stronger in spiritual energy individually, but they were young and immature, and at a serious numerical disadvantage.

It would be far too easy for the flying cultivators to stop their flying just long enough to set up a defensive array, block whatever spiritual attack they sent out, and then keep going to find and stab them before they’d even recovered from the energy expenditure.

“I didn’t mean spiritual energy,” Wei Wuxian grumbled. “I just meant, you know, like the explosives we’ve laid in all over the ground – something like that. If we could attach those to something…”

“I don’t think we have anything that flies anyway,” Lan Yueheng said regretfully.

“You have lanterns, don’t you?” Nie Huaisang said, and everyone turned to look at him. “Fill them with something that explodes when disturbed and send them floating into the air. Better yet, write ‘peace’ on the side of them to make it look like you’re making some sort of meaningful gesture designed to shame them. The Wen sect won’t be able to resist kicking them aside as an insult, and that’ll trigger them.”

They all stared at him.

He shrugged.

“We have a lot of defenses set up against invasion, at home,” he said. “And not always the budget to pay for anything fancy, so we’ve come up with some slightly more unorthodox ideas, too.”

“It’s a really good idea,” Wei Wuxian said, suddenly focused on the hitherto ignored Nie Huaisang. Clearly he’d made a tactical error, thinking of himself as the only person who knew how to get up to tricks. “Do you have any other ideas like that?”

Nie Huaisang smiled.

-

“Teacher Lan, I have an idea,” Wei Wuxian said, inserting himself briefly into the clearing near the Lan sect gate where Lan Qiren was sitting to rest in preparation for the Wen sect’s next attack. “But you’re going to hate it.”

“You may proceed,” Lan Qiren said, not looking up.

“Wait,” Wei Wuxian said, blinking. “Really? You’re not even going to ask what it is? Or why you’d hate it so much?”

“There is no time for that,” Lan Qiren said, and finally spared him a glance. He looked tired. “Things will get worse very soon.”

“But we’re winning!”

“No,” Lan Qiren said, shaking out his fingers – even despite occasionally alternating to using the sword when necessary, he’d played his guqin to the point of drawing blood and breaking nails, and was continuing despite everyone pleading with him to stop and swap out for someone else for a while. He’d said that there was no one else on his level, and he was probably right, but still, surely, just for a little… “We are surviving. Do not mistake the two.”

-

“Okay, so,” Wei Wuxian said, rubbing his hands together. “Resentful energy –”

“No,” Lan Wangji said.

-

“Thanks,” Wei Wuxian said to Jin Zixuan, who’d probably just saved his life by stabbing a Wen sect cultivator in the back right before the man had been able to stop Wei Wuxian from activating another series of explosions. “I guess I owe you one?”

“Don’t mention it,” Jin Zixuan said. “How else can I help?”

“I don’t know,” Wei Wuxian said, scratching his head and thinking about Nie Huaisang as precedent. There wasn’t time for schoolyard rivalries right now. “Do you have anything really unexpected that could be used to hurt people? Be creative – they’re guarded against all the usual defenses, so the weirder the better, anything goes. I won’t judge.”

Jin Zixuan thought about it. “I’m pretty sure I have a drug that puts people to sleep?”

“…why do you have something like that?”

Jin Zixuna grimaced. “My father gave it to me along with another one that he said not to use in excess, though I don’t actually know what that one does because that was about when my mom ran in and started throwing things at him. I can’t throw it away because it was a gift from my father, but I put it as deep into my bags as I could so that I’d never have to see or touch it. Ever.”

Wei Wuxian’s nose wrinkled. He’d never before felt pity for Jin Zixuan, but having to put up with Jin Guangshan on a regular basis was pretty bad – much less owing him filial piety.

No wonder Jin Zixuan was so twitchy all the time.

“Okay, so one sleep drug and one…uh…”

“Enhancement. Presumably. Can we throw it at the other side? Maybe turn it into incense and make smoke-bombs or something?”

“You know what,” Wei Wuxian said. “Why not? If nothing else, it’d be distracting, right?”

-

“This doesn’t feel honorable,” Jiang Cheng said, watching the fun. They’d raided the Lan sect’s medicine cabinets and kitchens for other noxious and irritating substances that might make for good smoke-bombs – Jiang Cheng himself had even located a whole patch of something not unlike poison ivy that had been quickly repurposed for the cause. “Strictly speaking.”

“Honor’s overrated,” Wei Wuxian said. “Making the Wen bastards pay for attacking Lan Zhan’s home is what’s important.”

Lan Wangji didn’t smile, exactly, but Wei Wuxian took his expression as a win regardless.

-

It turned out that music could also make plants grow really fast.

According to Lan Qiren, the spell ruined the plants’ nutritional value and made them basically useless.

Well.

Useless if your goal was eating them, anyway.

(First they could grow under their enemies’ feet and attack them, roots and vines twining around them to strangle them, and then they could be used up in the smoke-bombs – two for the price of one!)

-

“Are you sure about not doing the whole resentful energy thing?”

“Wei Wuxian,” Jiang Cheng said. “No.”

-

“Hey, Wei-xiong, do you have or can you create any more papermen?” Jin Zixuan asked.

“Yes, sure, plenty,” Wei Wuxian said. He’d like to say that he’d known he’d one day need such a skill, and that that was why he’d learned the trick so thoroughly, but that was a complete lie. “Why?”

“Nie-xiong, Jiang-xiong and I are going to use them to make a shadow-play to lure a bunch of Wen sect cultivators into another plant-and-explosives trap.”

“…that’s amazing, Jin-xiong,” Wei Wuxian said, marveling. “How do you even think of that?”

“Even I get into trouble sometimes,” Jin Zixuan said, and was startled into an unexpected smile when Jiang Cheng punched his shoulder approvingly.

-

Wei Wuxian was actually having a pretty good time with it all right up until the main force of the Wen sect decided to ignore all their traps and charge straight towards the classroom they’d fallen back to using as a headquarters, and then suddenly he wasn’t having a good time at all.

“Run,” Lan Qiren said, and put down his guqin, drawing his sword once more.

“But we can fight!” Jiang Cheng argued.

“Run.”

“Shufu –”

“Run.”

They ran.

-

“If you don’t come out, I’m going to make him pay,” Wen Xu called.

His fingers were knotted in Lan Qiren’s hair, pulling their teacher’s head back to show how his face was covered in blood, how it was seeping out through his mouth and nose, how one of his eyes was badly bruised and swollen from having been beaten down by sheer force of numbers.

Lan Qiren had made them pay dearly for their efforts to bring him down –

But there were just so many of them.

“How dare he,” Jiang Cheng hissed. “He was once one of Teacher Lan’s students, too!”

Wei Wuxian was holding Lan Wangji back, but only barely; his fingers were starting to go numb from the sheer effort of it. If Jin Zixuan and Jiang Cheng weren’t there to help him hold him down, Lan Wangji would have already given away their position, rushing out to make some futile gesture in his overwhelming rage. Wei Wuxian was focusing with all his being on how much he had to stop Lan Wangji from doing something like that, because if he wasn’t, if he let himself think about anything else for even a single moment, he’d have also run out there, sword drawn, without so much as a care – he hadn’t realized he’d be so angry over it, so furious, so betrayed and horrified by Wen Xu’s cruelty.

Prior to today, he wouldn’t have said he even liked Lan Qiren!

“My students are not so foolish as to fall for so obvious a scheme as that,” Lan Qiren said, his tone as monotonous as it ever was during his lectures – for the briefest moment, Wei Wuxian felt that he was dreaming, that he had merely dreamt everything that had happened: surely it was still yesterday, with Lan Qiren standing tall, safe and healthy, at the front of the classroom, lecturing about one of the Lan sect rules…which one had it been? Shoulder the weight of morality? Have a strong will and anything can be achieved? Be mighty, and others will die for you?

Do not break faith?

Somehow, despite everything that had happened, Lan Qiren’s eyes curved ever so slightly.

“Present company excluded, of course.”

Wen Xu threw him down to the ground, mouth twisting and teeth gnashing with offended anger.

“Beat him,” he ordered his men. “Make it hurt. I want him screaming – let’s see how his precious students like that. Or maybe it’s just that they don’t care?”

-

“Wei Ying,” Lan Wangji said, eyes red with unshed tears and barely swallowed rage. “Tell me your idea about resentful energy.”

-

“Perhaps,” Lan Qiren said, then paused briefly to cough up some blood. His voice, when he resumed speaking, was hoarse. “Perhaps I should have reviewed your idea more closely when you first proposed it.”

“Possibly,” Wei Wuxian said, offering up some cloth to help wipe away the blood. Lan Wangji was busy bandaging his uncle’s injuries up, while Jiang Cheng, Jin Zixuan, and Nie Huaisang hovered by the door, only barely pretending to be keeping a lookout the way they were supposed to. “In my defense, I didn’t quite expect…that.”

Everyone politely did not ask him to elaborate.

The effects had been…well, it turned out using resentful energy the way Wei Wuxian had thought was possible, to say the least, and also that they’d taken down an awful lot of Wen sect soldiers in their defensive efforts.

“You will all have been affected by the resentful energy you used to summon the corpses,” Lan Qiren said. “Although the method you devised appears to avoid the most immediate consequences, which – let me remind you – include qi deviation and death in some instances, there is always the possibility that it has left traces of resentful energy within your meridians. If it is allowed to build up, it will escalate into a backlash that would rip your body and soul to pieces. There are spells and songs that can help clear your spirits and ease the effects.”

“Nie Huaisang has been playing some of them for us, since he can’t fight,” Lan Wangji said. “Nie sect ones – they’re…uh, not especially calming, more of a cleanse-by-force thing, but they seem to be working.”

Jiang Cheng nodded. “We’ll listen to any others that you’d like, Teacher Lan,” he said, anxious, and the rest of them nodded. “Just say which ones. If there’s any array or anything – or if you want us to write an essay about why using resentful energy is dangerous and wrong –”

Even Wei Wuxian nodded at that – even Nie Huaisang nodded, and he hated essays more than anything.

Lan Qiren huffed lightly. “Now you’re all so obedient.”

They all bowed their heads.

“…you did a good job,” Lan Qiren finally said, and they all looked up to stare at him. “You rescued me and repelled the Wen sect, however temporarily. Even though you used demonic cultivation, which is forbidden, you did not purposefully disturb graves, and you can make recompense to the spirits later. It was well done, and I thank you for it.”

He noticed that they were gaping and frowned at them.

“What have I taught you?” he scolded, and he sounded enough like he normally did that Wei Wuxian had the sudden urge to burst into totally inexplicable tears. “The preservation of human life is the priority, always. Why is this a surprise?”

“Shufu is right,” Lan Wangji said, and there was something of peace and calm in his eyes, the foundation of his world steady and unfaltering – he was almost glowing with it, satisfied and happy, and he was so utterly beautiful in Wei Wuxian’s eyes that it was almost blinding. “We acknowledge Teacher’s words.”

“We acknowledge Teacher’s words,” everyone else quickly agreed.

Lan Qiren shook his head, nodding in appreciation. “What is your next step now?” he asked. “The Wen sect was only repulsed, not defeated. They will not be gone long – they are already regrouping outside our gate, and this time they will be prepared for the effects of your demonic cultivation. In the end, they still have the advantage of numbers.”

“I don’t think we got as far as that in our plan,” Wei Wuxian said, rubbing the back of his head.

His thinking had mostly stopped at get Teacher Lan back and make them pay. He was pretty sure the same was true for Lan Wangji, and probably all the rest of the, too.

“Maybe you didn’t,” Nie Huaisang said with a sniff, and damnit, Wei Wuxian really needed to stop underestimating him just because he was a bad cultivator and a bit empty-headed. “I, on the other hand, sent a message back to my da-ge way back when this first started, and he should be here very soon with an army of his own.”

-

There were those in the Jiang sect that liked to mock the Nie sect as being unduly paranoid, always preparing for war and speaking grimly of its inevitability, always training their disciples and soldiers as if each one of them would need to fight five or ten of the enemy at once.

If Wei Wuxian ever met any of those people ever again, he was going to punch them in the face.

“Just be sure to get your sect ready when you get back,” Nie Mingjue advised them all grimly when it was all done and Wen Xu’s head was stuck on a pike at the entrance to the Cloud Recesses as a warning. The Nie sect’s forces were smaller than the Wen sect’s invasion force, but their people were better trained; even after flying all the way from Qinghe, they’d come down on the remaining invasion force like a hammer. “This isn’t over, not by a long shot.”

“We understand. There is still war to come.”

“Not just war, but uneven and unbalanced war, and not in our favor,” Nie Mingjue said heavily. “Understand that even with this loss, the forces of all the cultivation world put together can’t match up to the armies under Wen Ruohan’s command.”

“Actually,” Lan Qiren said, and gave all of his students a pointed look, probably on account of the fact that they all still owed him the essay they'd promised to write, “I think you’ll find that there’s something more that we can add…”

[holdmecloser-gandydancer]

52. “Does my being half-naked bother you?” and Merle and John? Ajfhalfhskf

from this prompt list!

“Y’know, we really should play cards sometime.”

John looked up as he finished setting up the board. “It’s your move,” he said, spinning the board around and facing the white pieces in Merle’s direction. The sun outside the sterile, sleek boardroom looked to be beginning its retreat below the horizon.

“Must be boring, winning all the time, beating a guy at your game,” Merle considered his pieces before moving a pawn.

“It really isn’t, I have to say.” John barely hesitated before moving a pawn. He did almost look bored, Merle noted, if it was for the fact his jaw seemed to be clenched something vicious.

“I think you’re just scared to lose,” Merle said airily, moving another pawn. John let out an exhale that was almost a laugh.

“Merle, you and I both know that me losing is not a possibility.”

“You could always try letting me win,” Merle suggested, half-joking. John frowned and clenched his jaw a little tighter.

They played in silence for a while; Merle scrutinized each of his moves for longer than allowed in a traditional chess game, though these Parleys were hardly traditional matches. John captured pieces swiftly, thinning the board significantly.

“You’re squandering precious time, you and I both know this game’s not going to continue for much longer.”

“Not with that attitude, it won’t!�� Merle squinted at the board and moved his remaining knight. He scratched at his chest and then laughed. “Okay, here’s a question for you. Does my being half-naked bother you?”

John looked as though he’d aged a hundred years in a moment. “That’s what you want to ask?”

“Sure is,” Merle affirmed, looking all too proud of himself.

“No, it doesn’t. Now I—”

“Wait,” Merle interrupted. “Important follow up. Does it do anything for ya?”

“It decidedly does not,” John moved his rook to capture Merle’s last knight. “Now, how long do you and your…colleagues think you can conceivably keep this up? This foolish flight against it all…aren’t you tired? You know I can’t let you win.” He glanced at the board. “Check.”

Merle scoffed. “’Course we’re tired. I’m tired. But that doesn’t mean we’re not going to keep going. Y’know, we have things to live for. We have each other. And one of these times, we’re gonna beat your ass. And it won’t be because you let us win or because you bow out gracefully. I dunno what you and your colleagues are fightin’ for, but I’m fighting for my family.” He moved his king. He still wasn’t great at chess but he knew defeat was fast approaching.

“Seven of you against entire planes. How do you all gain that kind of confidence? That kind of belief in yourselves?” He was stalling, Merle realized. His hand hovered over his queen, not quite ready to make the move.

“We just gotta believe. If we don’t believe in us then who will?” He cringed to himself as John moved the queen.

“Checkmate, Merle. That’s the game, I’m afraid.” He held his hand out in front of him.

“No.”

He blinked in disbelief. “No? That’s checkmate, shah mat, your king is helpless. Lost. That’s the game. You can’t help yourself. You lose.”

Merle looked at the board and shrugged. “Okay. Fine. But I’m not gonna just step down. Do it. Take my king. Kill him yourself,” he challenged. The sun outside finally sank below the horizon.

John barked out a laugh. “Merle, it’s almost humorous how little you understand of this. Checkmate is a courtesy. When an opponent knows he’s beaten, it’s polite to step down. Makes it easier on all involved,” he said grimly.

“I’m not a very good chess player,” Merle said firmly. He motioned towards the board. “Do it.”

John smiled ruefully. “Have it your way.” He captured Merle’s king before holding his hand out, a dark fire forming. “I do hope you learn from this.”

Merle grinned. “I won’t,” he promised.

John’s smile fell before he swatted his hand, killing Merle instantly.