#fof musings

[kandadze]

Xiao-Zhuo-daren. You can already turn water into ice at will. Shall we try materializing your sword form next? Giving form to the intangible. The concept is the same.

Fangs of Fortune, ep 8

This is one of my favorite little action sequences in the show.

I love how ZYZ has a complete trust in ZYC and doesn't try to interfere, instead making sure that WX is safe and stays out of the way. (Like I'm really not sure what she was thinking of doing - did she honestly believe the tank of their group needed her help in a swordfight? Fer cryin' out loud.)

And I love how PSJ, usually so rigid and unyielding in her black-and-white thinking, almost becomes a liability as well, because even though she has even more reasons to shoot at her "brother" now, she can't bring herself to do it. (And then the drama writers pulled a DM and benched her for a couple of turns for hesitating for too long XD)

And of course ZYC, getting to grab someone by the throat for once manipulating water like a badass that he is... A+, no notes.

[alipeeps]

Oh my goodness, now that we've seen how it ends, the fucking parallels/contrasts between Ran Yi in episode 5 and Zhao Yuanzhou...

Ran Yi says to Zhao Yuanzhou in episode 5:

"I'm a sinful man. I don't know how to face all the promises I made. I just hope she can consider it a dream. The road is muddy in the dream. She'll see the light after she wakes up. The world is desolate. Take care."

Zhao Yuanzhou understands all too well facing up to your past actions/promises. But unlike Ran Yi, he is prepared to face his rather than hide away. They both did terrible things - took lives - because of circumstances that were not their fault. Zhao Yuanzhou lost control of the malicious qi and was controlled by the malicious qi when he killed. Ran Yi was badly injured and instinctively killed to feed on malicious qi to survive... however, of the two of them Zhao Yuanzhou was the more in control. He did have a choice (both as in he could have chosen not to kill, even though the consequence would have been his death, and as in he chose who to kill, specifically targeting brides in the hope of delaying his beloved's father from forcing her into an unwanted marriage). Of the two of them, objectively Ran Yi's crimes are greater, because he was in control, if desperate, and chose to kill. Zhao Yuanzhou had no choice in the matter, no control. Yet he is the one who has chosen to face those he hurt and pay for his crimes.

And again we have the dream imagery/references to dreaming - Ran Yi hopes Miss Qi will be able to live on without him, regarding their affair as a dream with muddy roads, which she has woken up from. He sees the world as desolate, and his dream with Miss Qi as fleeting and beautiful but inevitably doomed to failure - muddy roads that will not allow them to escape. He wants to hide from the world and her, thinking she will be better off without him.

Zhao Yuanzhou's final words are that meeting his friends has been like a beautiful dream... but dreams must end, and it's time to wake up. He sees the world as worth saving, worth sacrificing himself for. Instead of hiding from the world, he has embraced the dream, temporary though it may be, experiencing love and loss and friendship, and though he doesn't want it to end, he is willing to sacrifice his dream - and himself - for the sake of the world.

And this is Zhao Yuanzhou's expression after Ran Yi said his piece above:

[reubyocs]

“What have you got there, Avon?” Asks Val, looking up from his notebook. Avon has just returned home from his daily exploration of Los Santos. In his arms, there is a bouquet of soft coloured flowers with foliage intertwined. Val pulls his glasses down the bridge of his nose for a moment, looking in awe at the stunning bouquet.

“I purchased some flowers from that florist you, and I keep walking past.” He speaks, approaching Val with the bouquet. Val is intrigued, taking the opportunity to get a better glance at them. They're stunning - and certainly cost a lot for such quality. “I bought them for Pete. As a gift. I overheard him talk with his colleague that no one has ever bought him flowers before. So I thought, as his husband-.”

“I think you should let the marriage thing go now, bud.” Val sighs solemnly. He regrets even coming up with the idea of Avon and Pete getting married because all it's lead to is conflict. “I get that you want to be friends with him, and for him to stop hating you but… I know one major thing that’s hurting any ability to be nice to you is your marriage to him.”

The lock in the front door clicks as Pete returns home, looking directly at the pair. Avon turns, bouquet in his arms as he attempts to briefly analyse Pete’s emotional state. Annoyed, frustrated, tired… just like normal.

“Avon-“ Val goes to speak, but he's cut off immediately by Avon.

“Hello Pete.” Avon speaks, slowly approaching Pete. Pete sighs, rolling his eyes as Avon stops before him. “I bought these flowers for you. I saw them at the market today. I understand pink is one of your favourite colours, so these flowers made me think of you.” Pete glances down at the flowers, briefly admiring their elegance. Avon isn’t wrong. Pink is certainly one of Pete’s favourite colours. He’s never had anyone buy him flowers, no friends, no co-workers, no one. He hates that the first time this has ever happened, it’s because some stupid AI is trying to learn about humans. For once, he doesn't mind that Avon overheard his conversation with Luchadora.

Behind Avon, directly in Pete’s line of sight, Val is waving his arms about trying desperately to mouth to Pete that he should be kind. He puts his hands together as though he is pleading to Pete.

“Well... thank you, Avon.” Pete mumbles as he very gently takes the bouquet from his arms. Immediately, he cannonly smell the sweet aroma from the flowers.

“You didn’t-“ Val spoke, watching Pete look down again at the flowers. "You weren't mean, and you actually thanked him-"

“What. Do you think I’m completely stupid?” Pete speaks. "A bouquet of flowers like this would cost $400 or so. I don't want to waste money." Val sighs, finally understanding how Pete's attitude changed so quickly. It's all about finances.

While Pete does whatever he can to portray that he hates this gift, he’s never felt so appreciated before. This is something that was bought for him, just because it made someone think of him? And that someone was an AI with a physical body of all things.

Having made his way to his own bedroom, Pete places the flowers into an ornate vase, admiring them for a brief moment before going back to Val.

[kandadze]

Bai Jiu woke up and chose violence lol I was so appreciative of the fact that ZYC says this more than once.

Even though back at the Mount Kunlun, it could be read as him being jealous over ZYZ and WX's bond and trying to diminish the specialness of it by pointing out that there are other bonds that are just as meaningful, and it does sound as if he was trying to console himself rather than to express his beliefs (which I find hard to get behind because I don't see ZYC as someone who would lie to himself. Also, seeing how queer this show managed to be, I'm convincing myself that they played it for surface laughs for the uninitiated 😅)

Here, he's talking about his feelings directly and not in context of what others might have, and I have no issues believing that he genuinely means it. Whether he's trying to say that his love for WX is different than what Bai Jiu might have in mind, or to hint at something else entirely (or both lol), that I find less important.

When you're not ready to discuss the nuances of your sexuality with your younger brother.

And how this isn't the first time Yichen has said that phrase.They couldn't have hinted louder.

[ckret2]

FBW TOLLFW AUE XILW IR ROF! M XUPH'L JCSGLW MN AGN GR GK AQF FYOMOKI C IMM MRZMYCDMUD ICLL NTMN KXSXQ IX GCBTYJ, FOF U XAH LQMFADY UF QSWH'F VOKX U EGVKXCFGNASH. ("XXS" LMJBQX EI IRR.) C TIN NUFD KIF M EAGE AGN GJ NTQ WGHY IALV LUHUHY "QOEQ" CF MN. M BLAZUFQ FAXNXQ DGOY.

it's a cipher used p frequently in the credits & such in gravity falls, especially for the second season. i consider it the pain-in-the-ass cipher

bill voice "MUSEUM? I BARELY EVEN KNOW 'EM!"

translated below the cut so no one else has to go decode it

THE PUZZLE WAS LOTS OF FUN! I DIDN'T FIGURE IT OUT ON MY OWN BECAUSE I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THAT STYLE OF CIPHER, BUT I DID REALIZE IT WASN'T JUST A SUBSTITUTION. ("LLY" TIPPED ME OFF.) I BET BILL GOT A KICK OUT OF THE CODE WORD HAVING "MUSE" IN IT. A PRIVATE LITTLE JOKE.

[forestofforever]

Meet the Muses: Forest of Forever Edition

From Left to right: Benjamin, The Heart (FoF), The Heart (M. FoF)

Benjamin Forest is a cruel man who has managed to gain control over a significant amount of people through blackmail, threats, and using his wealth to keep them from talking. He has very little sympathy for others and enjoys seeing others suffer, especially if he's the reason for their suffering. Still, he looks like Prince Charming, and plenty of people fall for his kind and alluring facade.

The Heart (FoF) died for the forest centuries ago, and he has spent his newly given life protecting and caring for the Forest. He is quite literally the lifeblood that runs through the Forest. He has a tight grip on all creatures that call the Forest their home, his control never wavering. It's not to hurt them, no, it's to ensure their survival as well as his own. He's keeping them safe, even if they don't always understand that.

The Heart (Modern FoF) did what he could to keep the Forest safe, but in the end, he couldn't stop the destruction brought about by humanity. After the Forest ceased to exist, the Heart, and in turn the magic that he carried with him, managed to survive. The Heart began anew, recovering his powers while slowly taking control over a city and its citizens. He'd make humanity pay for what they had done, one person at a time.

[mindeullebe]

hi there!! i'm bear (h/h, 25) and i've returned after being away for many months with a muse i've never written before but am very excited to dig into. cho mindeulle (20011027) is the twin brother of @jindallaebe, however he's very different. here you can find his profile, and eventually i'll have his biography here. i'll leave a tl;dr version and some fun facts under the cut, and as always please like this if you'd like to plot and i'll hop into your IMs, or if you'd prefer, i have discod (upon request)!

min was born premature, and due to this suffers from ongoing health problems. these health problems were much more pronounced when he was young, but now the only things he deals with are shitty stamina, asthma, and a pretty crappy immune system

he spent a lot of time in the hospital as a child for various things from inections to pneumonia to flu's that he should have been able to fight off on his own but couldn't etc. up until middle school he frequented the hospital, though nowadays manages to stay out of the hospital (he likes to attribute it to the fact he takes about a million vitamins and supplements daily)

during his hospital stays he'd fill his time with reading, writing (stories, poems, songs etc), listening to music and watching mainly the music channels on the little tv in his room

despite being ill quite a lot, he managed to keep up with his schoolwork, and genuinely really enjoyed learning and studying, so was always near the top of the class and became class president towards the latter half of middle school and a few times during high school

he never seriously considered music as a career, despite really liking singing as a hobby and writing lyrics to express things he didn't feel he could talk about. instead he decided to pursue literature, since he loved reading so much

he graduated from high school top of his class and secured a place on the korean literature degree course at seoul national university, but postponed it until he'd completed his military service. due to his asthma and shoddy immune system he was assigned a 'civil service' type position, but had to serve for 21 months, intead fof 18

he was discharged in december of 2021, and began his degree in march 2022

the usual places min can be found are coffee shops around snu, or jongno area, libraries, bookstores, cat cafes, or his bedroom

min comes off as calm and polite, and almost a little too agreeable. it can come off as naivete sometimes, and he's very easy to pin as a weak person, physically and in will, but he's really not, he just doesnt play all his cards immediately

mins incredibly smart, which is how he got into a SKY university in the first place, and surprisingly creative

many people see min as a sweet, book nerd who never shouts or gets angry, has every vitamin known to man in his bag, along with hand sanitser and multiple kinds of masks, and has a great love of sweets

[kandadze]

Speaking of Bing Yi's mask (just as beautiful as the demon-turned-human was), when ZYC sees him in his delirium in ep 24, the mask is back on Bing Yi's face. He turns to ZYC and removes it, and it's as if the vision of him that ZYZ shared with ZYC was a "forced" reveal, only related to the sword form (which has a special connection to ZYZ via Ying Long), while this one was "real," because it was happening via ZYC and Bing Yi's connection through their very blood.

Thank you @kseniyagreen for this wonderful post about mask symbolism in FoF, it immediately made me think about the first time ever we saw Bing Yi!

His appearance wearing a mask has always fascinated me and I could feel it was also deeply symbolic because we've seen these other characters using masks metaphorically and literally.

I think Bing Yi's mask is a symbol of him staying hidden for so long, unknown and unseen by Zhuo Yichen, who was his direct descendant (that, and his very reincarnation). And when we first get to meet Bing Yi in that pretty fighting sequence showing his power and his fighting prowess, he appears in a mask, and it almost immediately shatters into pieces, revealing both the character, and the force, and ultimately, the very true nature of Zhuo Yichen, which is and has always been connected to demons, on a much deeper level than just fighting with them (well, he was kind of fighting himself when he was fighting the demons, including Zhu Yan who used to be his worst nightmare).

And it's interesting that it's Zhao Yuanzhou who reveals this memory(?) of Bing Yi to Zhuo Yichen, whether it is his own (from the times when he was Ying Long) or he's simply using his mind power to evoke the memory of Zhuo Yichen's blood which has the force of Bing Yi passed down to him, enabling him to use the Cloud Light Sword.

It all ties nicely with the idea that Zhao Yuanzhou and Zhuo Yichen are not simply repeating the fate of Ying Long and Bing Yi by some weird coincidence of fate, but are, in fact, their reincarnations (and everything points to that, really), which makes me think that maybe ZYZ even had memories of Bing Yi prior to them visiting that ancestral burial ground with the remnant of Ying Long's soul staying there.

That would explain why Zhao Yuanzhou knew so much about the Bing Yi force - he could tell that Zhuo Yichen wasn't using it at full power just from the first glance upon meeting him in ep.1, and he could actually teach him how to use that Bing Yi force later. Like, he's a Great Demon, sure, but how on earth would he know about that ancient dragon who passed away thousands of years ago? If he didn't come in contact with Bing Yi closely (and dare I say, intimately), so he knew exactly what it felt like and the icy forms it could take. And how Zhuo Yichen was not using the sword made out of Ying Long's horns at full capacity. Like it makes sense, and it's my little headcanon now :D

[rise-my-angel]

Heart of the Great Wolf got me SOBBING bro, your writing is immaculate 🫡🙏🏼

PRAISE MAKES ME ANXIOUS

Do you like read more cus I put a read more on this one cus as per usual my response turned into this:

I am deadass so nervous because I am like 15 chapters written in advance right now, so everyone's being so kind about chapters I wrote like over a month ago and now I'm so nervously rereading my new ones worried they'll be disappointing.

What was essentially the Robb era of hotgw has come to an end, and we're about to enter the Jon era and a lot of my favourite parts of this series are in these next unreleased chapters. A lot of set up in the first 15 chapters has been building up to so much of what's going to start playing out and I can't help but feel nervous everytime yall are so nice. Because now I'm entering that prime era of:

"Remember when Game of Thrones was really good then it started going downhill and everyone ended up hating it?"

Now I'm looking at what is much more going to be more original not show/book dependent content and I'm like: WHAT IF THEY HATE IT WHAT IF IM JUST AS A DISASTER AS SEASON FUCKING 7.

Also I mean kudos to yall still sticking with it because this fucking series is so long. I just finished chapter 30 on Monday and I still am on what would be the plot equivalent of early season 7. I still haven't actually gotten to fucking winter yet. (Which to be fair plays out a lot different then the show so it's not going to be even comparable)

And the Jon era of the series starts having more flashbacks and other povs (granted typically those chapters are longer to make up for it), and a lot of scenes are what I call classic season 1-4 GoT scenes which are mostly just quiet dialouge that doesnt necessarily move the plot forward but are necessary for character development, world building, and narrative themes and foreshadowing.

That and I'm in the era of "Jon was fucking abysmally mistreated and miserable in the show by this point" so my Jon frame of reference is so skewed by bad characterization I'm worried he comes off as out of character. Whereas other characters I'm immensely proud of my work such as my character work for Theon Greyjoy, Selyse Baratheon, and Olly specifically. I really love the work I put into what I think was really bad late show (season 5 fof Selyse, season 6 for Olly, and season 6 - 8 for Theon) and yet I'm also finding writing Jon to come so naturally to me yet I'm worried I somehow will do worse then..

Also I start really cementing certain positions I hold now, especially in regards to hot topics such as my opinions about Jon being a rape victim of Ygritte, my opinions on the subject of dragons and Targaryean restoration, stuff about Robert's Rebellion I've purposely ignored, and I start including a very specific book plot ignored by the show and can only hope show only or show preferring fans will not get taken out of it for those plots being used instead of certain show ones.

I'm just really passionate about asoiaf and early Game of Thrones I always have been and finding the motivation to write 30 chapters of like an average of 11k each for a fic is insane to me and its baffling anyone still reads it let alone likes it.

But it's my favorite series I've ever done, I think about it pretty much non stop, all day everyday. If I'm not writing I am actively outlining and brainstorming and rewatching and re reading the show and books to make sure I have a grasp in this world and its characters in a fair manner. asoiaf/GoT was one of the biggest influences on my musing influences and direction as a fiction writer. It has always been more special to me then I've talked about (mostly because during its prime peak I was in high school and college and was not terribly active in fandom due to work load) and then when I got back into it it was after the final season and all anyone wanted to talk about was how bad it got. I look at the final 3 and a half (I think season 5 is mostly bad but Castle Black is a great storyline right up until the comedy that is dumb and dumber just ending the Baratheon storyline for good cus it was between writing Euron "Bick Cock" Finger in the Bum, or writing a real storyline for one of your moat interesting morally grey characters that was post blackwater Stannis) but I like figuring out why it's bad and where it could have taken those ideas to make them work and a lot of that meta became aspects of hotgw, and its essentially an extension of what I love about this series regardless of the bad.

This went on for a long time for no reason, JUST LIKE MY HOTGW CHAPTER LENGTHS-

[kandadze]

The loneliness of what we did; the loneliness/ of what was done to us.

Tony Hoagland, Application for Release from the Dream: Poems, The Complex Sentence

Fangs of Fortune, ep 16/ ep 9/ ep 25

PSH coming to with blood on his hands made me flash back to the other two similar scenes in the show, the main difference being, PSH is the only one who, indirectly and unknowingly, but still, had a hand in his own tragedy, whereas ZYZ and ZYC had no say in what happened to them.

PSH ran and was eventually hunted and killed; ZYZ ran, if metaphorically, hunted by his own conscience and the fact that if he died, someone else would take his place; ZYC stayed to face the consequences and his imminent death - which at that point of the story was quite certain.

Knowing what we know about these characters - especially ZYZ and ZYC - their responses to this horrifying awakening make sense; I also think that out of all three, ZYC was the most fortunate. He didn't actually murder anyone; he wasn't alone; he had someone with an intimate understanding of what he was going through; and, maybe the most importantly, he had options. There were still things that he could do to influence his fate. The initial change was forced upon him, but he took full responsibility for what he was going to do about it.

[acr3ss-the-cosmos]

"Still can't figure out who confessed for being a plushie thief? Well, do I want to make it easy for you or no? Hmm. I do have another confession I wanna make."

"I did feel bad for taking your doll away fof myself. It reminded me so much of you I needed a bit of company through the stars. So guess what I am doing? There's a little gift I am sewing to make it up to you. Do you think a weasle can be purple and not brown? Have my golden eyes?"

send my muse an (not so) anonymous confession. accepting!

[kandadze]

This drama is great at showing how our goals and priorities can shift, drastically so, as we change and mature. I have a different take on WX's "ending," not that I disagree with you on it being tragic in a way, I just choose to look at it as temporary. As in, yes, at a time that the drama ends, WX is alone. But she hasn't lost what she gained (love and friendship, and confidence in herself etc), rather her grasp has become very loose.

Someone said that once ZYZ died the whole squad scattered to the winds, and I think it's only natural that after living in one another's pockets for a while, especially considering how eventful that "while" was, there will be a moment where everyone will need to be by themselves. Simply to process, away from outside influences, but without losing touch with them.

Going back to WX's main relationships. ZYC and her were practically inseparable since she arrived at the Demon Hunting Bureau 8 years prior; it was high time for him to come to terms with his feelings both towards her and ZYZ, and act on them as he saw fit, and he does just that. I cannot imagine WX would try to stop him from finally doing something just for himself.

I believe WX left PSJ to give the archer a slight push to figure out whether she actually wanted to pursue what seems to have started between them at the beginning of the drama. She showed clearly enough that she was interested, but PSJ has to make that final step.

And it might have been me who said that WX gave ZYZ's soul the freedom to fly to ZYC (though I'm pretty sure I just expressed a lot of folks' exact same thoughts out loud) by leaving the contract at the altar stone, but in my mind it wasn't giving up on the relationship with him... or rather, it was giving up the relationship with who he was before - the great demon, full of malicious energy and suicidal ideation to boot, who could never be truly hers. She might still be able to have a new relationship with the "new" ZYZ, if he comes back, and if he comes back early enough, and the thing is, at the end of the drama, we can't know if any of that will come to pass, just as she can't.

But she can hope, and so can we.

I paused my FoF rewatch for My Journey to You but reading fanfics about FoF has me thinking about how tragic Wen Xiao’s ending is. When I watched it the first time, I was so focused on the tragedy of Bai Jiu, Pei Sijing being left alone, and how how happy I was that ZYC and ZYZ got a hopeful ending that I didn’t pay that much attention to Wen Xiao. But I keep coming back to how sad her ending is and maybe it doesn’t seem as sad as it actually is, at first, because nominally she got exactly what she wanted — the restored powers of the Baize Goddess. In fact…EVERYONE gets exactly what they wanted at the start:

Wen Xiao starts out seeking the Baize token and trying to make herself useful — at the end she is the fully restored Baize Goddess, very much alive and useful

ZYZ starts out wanting to die at ZYC’s hands — ends dying at ZYC’s hands

ZYC — wants to restore the Demon Hunting Bureau and kill ZYZ — ends with the Bureau restored and kills ZYZ

Pei Sijing — wants to solve the mystery of her brother death — solves it

Bai Jiu — wants to bring his mom back/find out what happened to her — brings her back

Ying Lei — wants to become a cook — becomes a cook

But as each character gets what they said they wanted, we see that their priorities have shifted and they are now focused on something else. This ranges from Bai Jiu, who is overjoyed that he succeeds in his original mission, but is now focused on saving his found family, to ZYZ, who doesn’t want to follow through on his original goal at all.

For Wen Xiao, like ZYZ and ZYC, getting what she originally wanted turns out to mean sacrificing her personal desires for the greater good. But unlike ZYZ and ZYC, who manage to duck out of their worst ending at the last minute, Wen Xiao is trapped by her fate as the Goddess without reprieve (as far as I can tell?! someone come tell me i'm wrong?!).

Not only does ZYC leave her and Wen Xiao leaves Pei Sijing, she also probably gives up her relationship with ZYZ (someone wrote a great meta about how she places her contract with ZYZ on the alter stone and this is her letting go of him and that only by releasing him in this way is he able to find his second chance with ZYC).

She ends the drama completely alone in the Wilderness, having lost everything she gained over the course of the drama except the token itself! It’s what she's been working towards the whole time and it’s only made possible by her selflessness and it’s a complete fucking tragedy!!

Wen Xiao’s selfless generosity is a dreadful and heart wrenching thing.

[talesofourworlds]

1 for Jade, 2 for Sync, 5 for Rinwell. From the meme ^^

From this meme! 1. What is the biggest headcanon deviation from the canon material that you have incorporated into the way you write your muse? Why did you come up with it?

Out of everyone within the 'Jade Gang,' Jade finds he has the best chemistry in battle with Natalia. Everyone in the party benefits from his FOFs, it's true, but Natalia seems to make the best use of them. Especially in the form of the ever reliable Angel's Breath. What started as an accidental discovery where coincidental timing of Natalia using Revive while being just within range of a fully charged earth FOF Jade had set up became a consistent strategy. And Jade and Natalia became something of a 'dream team,' relying upon one another and learning to trust each other to the point where they don't even need to share words, just looks, to set up specific combinations.

Coupled with that, Jade does have a decent bond with Natalia outside of battle too. He'll still tease and prod her just as much as he does anyone else, but they have a sort of mutual respect for one another. Natalia isn't intimidated by him (see the scene when she just fucking grabs him in the beginning of the final third of the game when everyone thinks Kimlasca attacked Malkuth and led to Frings' death), and if anything she can really hold her ground with him. At the same time, Jade isn't afraid to give Natalia a reality check now and again (see the scene after Asch's death and after the final fight with Sync). They get each other. And it's certainly not a bond either of them expected.

This headcanon honestly became a thing simply because of my sister and I's playstyle when we play Abyss together. I use Jade, she uses Natalia. And together they're an unstoppable duo that keeps the rest of the party alive. Our discovery of Angel's Breath was, if I recall correctly, a complete accident and really has become an invaluable part of our strategy.

2. Do you have any controversial headcanons that go against what is generally accepted by the fandom? Do you incorporate this into writing your muse or keep it to yourself?

Not exactly controversial, and I don't imagine it really goes against anything beyond Sync in game just not liking anyone or anything, but I headcanon that Sync likes wolves. I haven't ever really brought it into play here, but it became a key part of his character in a super ancient roleplay I did with my sister when we were younger where Sync had a wolf companion that was basically his ride or die best friend. I don't even remember specifically how it happened. It just did. But I don't think that specific element will ever become canon over here. Sync's appreciation for wolves as a species, though? That might happen at some point. Should the right thread come along.

5. What is an aspect of your muse’s canon material or canon existence that you never had the opportunity to explore but really want to?

I guess the main thing I've never really gotten to explore with Rinwell is the whole aspect of her having to hide her mageness. Technically? I mean, I guess I have explored it a tiny bit in some early threads with her and Yuri, but not super in depth. I'd love to do some pre-Arise stuff honestly. Just get into her head when she's freshly a part of the Silver Swords, having to hide her being a mage and the whole 'Trust no one' mentality of Cyslodia under Ganabelt's rule.

[waterloggedsoliloquy]

a book i’m working my way through that i DO like: The Grammar of Fantasy: An Introduction to the Art of Inventing Stories by Gianni Rodari

This book’s title is very literal! It deals with the word choice, word placement, and structural essence of storytelling. The chapters are more like conversational essays or editorials, and Rodari’s history as a teacher (and as a communist) shine through. Many of his analyses of storytelling and storycrafting come from a lens of making education engaging for students, and reforming how things are taught within the classroom. His perspective of mostly teaching elementary schoolers makes the techniques he describes feel accessible, rather than a disciplinary slog. 

There are muses of the psychology as well: why do these techniques work? How are they engaging? What do children gain from them? What do adults gain from them? “Why do children like riddles so much? My hunch is that it is because they represent the concentrated form -- and are somewhat emblematical-- of their experience of conquering reality. For a child, the world is full fof mysterious objects, incomprehensible events, and indecipherable figures. Their own presence in the world is a mystery to be resolved, a riddle to solve, and they circle around it with direct or indirect questions....In these challenges, children’s feelings of security are reinforced, their capacity to grow, their pleasure in existing and knowing.” 

It’s a book that is teaching me a lot... I don’t really write my stories "for" kids, even my kid-friendly ones; I guess for a while the process of "how" had eluded me. I certainly don’t want to condescend to my audience, and I think a lot of children’s literature-- or the people who decide what literature should be in children’s hands-- fall into that pit well enough on their own without my contributions. It also would just be plain unfun to write, having to second-guess everything I put into a story to make sure it’s “appropriate” for whatever arbitrary class of child I’ve decided it’s “for”. 

What makes a story of mine "for kids", then, must be some storytelling mechanism disconnected from the stated/perceived complexity of the story or how it’s presented. Big words and nuance can make some works inaccessible to some kids, but all my stories will be inaccessible to kids if i don't take into account a child’s perspective of story and their own relationship towards storytelling. 🤔 If Rodari says children approach stories as a means of “conquering reality”, then that’s what I have to keep in mind: I need to write from a place of wonder, not know-how. The only thing different between a child and an adult is experience, so i suppose the way of doing it is “Instead of assuming my reader is understanding of this concept, introduce it in a way that my reader feels as though it is able to be understood, and tell a story that helps them do so.” 

"The world can be looked at from the height of a man, but also from a cloud (airplanes have made this easy for us). Reality can be entered through the main door or it can be slipped into through a window, which is much more fun.” so says Rodari.

[kandadze]

Agreeing with what's been said already. Also,

3: I'm fairly certain they mention the puppet master demon being 100,000 years old, so I'd assume the original goddess goes back pretty far.

4: I'm not sure dividing of the token/ every Baize goddess needs to have a demon counterpart was actually a norm? The goddess who sealed away Fei and Qing Geng seemed to be able to do her thing without any help. And ZYZ might as well have been Zhao Wan'er's counterpart the way he was, as her friend and confidant.

6: Hm, as far as I can recall LL's energy looked the same in the blood oath scene (I think they show it briefly in ep 29), so before the ever burning fire happened. I think I actually giffed that, hold on...

Hopefully the novel has more lore in it. Till then, it's a field day for fanfic writers 😁

Fam, I need your help. I have so many questions about Fangs of Fortune lore, but I don’t think I can handle rewatching the show yet- if you know the answers, can you please share?

(Pretty baby!ZYC to catch your attention)

1. Did we ever get an explanation as to why ZYZ, the forgiving and allegedly chatty old demon, didn’t bother to go and talk to his “best friend” of 30k years after they had a fight? I just don’t get what stopped him? Li Lun didn’t hurt the Baize goddess (much), nor did he hurt ZYZ . Killed humans? Yes, but that argument is out of the window since ZYZ had no problem exploding a man’s heart in the first episode just to prove his point. So, why not go and make up? After all they’ve been through? Especially considering that ZYZ knew that the magical STD he accidentally gave LL was killing him, and then helped Baize lock him up for all eternity “to save him”?

2. In the light of the first question- when did ZYZ find out that ZYCs sword can remove the ever burning fire? if he knew that before he showed up at the Bureau, why didn’t he convince ZYC to do it on LL? (It would be a hard sell, yes, but strategically speaking, it would solve most of their future problems- LL would be healed (or dead), and would either stop helping the big evil or even join them).

3. ZYZ and LL at some point fixed a tree and a tower (when they exchanged wedding vows oath at that bloody stone. Why did they have to do it? Where was the Baize goddess then? Or mountain gods? What was it even about? Did we ever get more info or was it just for the visuals?

4. If every Baize goddess was destined to have a demon counterpart / lover (as per that puppet demons story), why wasn’t ZYZ Wen Xiao’s masters destined lover? He spent more time with the master than with WX? And if he wasn’t, where was that masters demon?

5. Is Baize goddess immortal unless killed or suicided, or does she have a mortal life span? Or, does she stay young and healthy until it’s time for her sacrifice for the greater good?

6. Li Lun’s original energy signature was blue with white light. It later got corrupted by the ever burning fire, but when he reconstituted himself from a tree branch, the fire was gone, so why was his energy still smoky black with yellow flashes in it?

[forestofforever]

Meet the Muses: Forest of Forever Edition

From left to right: Etienne, The Merchant (FoF), The Merchant (M. FoF)

Etienne Bisset is a shameless flirt who runs the Black Cat Theater. He is creative and spontaneous but also a little selfish and a bit flaky. He can usually read people quite well and puts this skill to good use in order to seduce others. While he enjoys flirting, it's mostly about the attention that he receives, he isn't exactly eager for commitment... but he does love being in the spotlight!

The Merchant (Forest of Forever AU) was created specifically to teach people a lesson. Those who are greedy, selfish, or arrogant will find themselves most unhappy after purchasing one of its wares. The Merchant has a nose for people's weaknesses and it makes sure to take full advantage of this skill.

The Merchant (Modern Forest of Forever AU) was given more freedom to mess with people -even those who had done nothing wrong- after the Forest was destroyed. The Heart no longer cared for humanity, if anything, he wanted to see them suffer. The Merchant is more than happy to make this happen. It will lure you in with the promise of a wish being granted, though the price you will have to pay may prove itself to be more than you bargained for.