#i waffled on some of these but on the whole i like it

[ninjakk]

Hi

I have been seeing a lot how wwx got lwj drunk to sleep with him lately and how that’s implied in his confession is that true. Idk I’ve just been seeing a lot lately it kinda putting me off wx and mdzs 😭

Hi Anon,

Seriously? That's just ludicrous! Please don't listen to such nonsense 🫂 that's so far from the truth I'm surprised people are even saying something like that!

The scene in question clearly shows WWX intentions from the start. There's no room for arguments or interpretation here, it's pretty clear-cut! But, just to prove this ridiculous take is completely wrong, let's have a look through the text - to put your mind at ease 😉

So, prior to the scene in question, Wangxian have had some pretty poignant moments together. Not only has WWX fully realised his feelings for LWJ, but he's started to understand he has had them for a very long time - thanks to the whole scene with the married couple making him realise his need to tease LWJ was not as straightforward as he originally assumed back as a teen. He is also beginning to take real notice of how LWJ treats him "differently" and hopes that it might be in the same romantic way he evidently feels toward him. Then of course, we have WWX even praying to be "tethered" to LWJ for the rest of his life and secretly declares their two bows as part of their marriage bows!

With all that in mind... Why the hell would WWX get LWJ drunk just to sleep with him 😂 Getting someone drunk to sleep with them is usually (but not always of course) because they feel they will not have a chance with them when the person is sober! WWX thinks he might have a chance to be with the person he loves, he wouldn't ruin that just for (his first ever!) quick fumble in the bath sheets!

We can clearly see the rationale behind WWX's actions:

Just as he was about to pour the liquor, he hesitated, taking that split second to warn himself. If he doesn’t drink, then let it go. If he does, just ask a couple things. Don’t do anything else—just figure out how exactly he feels. He won’t remember anything once he sobers up, anyway… It won’t affect anything.

He swore this to himself before he steadily filled the wine cup and pushed it toward Lan Wangji with perfect nonchalance. He was already prepared for Lan Wangji to reject the drink—but maybe the other man had his own worries, for he picked up the cup without a single glance and tossed it back in one go.

WWX literally tells himself and the reader that he has no ulterior motives. I know he can fib at times, but we know WWX is not some depraved sex offender gagging to jump LWJ's bones! Up until this point he's been rather chaste and sweet! He cares far too much about LWJ to take advantage of him. It's more than obvious WWX has a plan to use Drunkji's trait of speaking candidly and without restraint to find out how the man truly feels about him without having to risk asking it becoming awkward and being rejected if he were sober.

“Let’s play a different game. Just like before, I’ll ask questions and you answer them. No lying…”

He had only just uttered the word “play” when Lan Wangji abruptly agreed, “All right!”

Of course, once LWJ is drunk, things don't go as planned and Drunkji decides to go off on a little adventure, dragging WWX along by the hand for the ride. This eventually results in LWJ becoming dirty and WWX offering to help him wash - none of which were part of WWX's original intentions. WWX even tries to leave LWJ to bathe alone!

Wei Wuxian heaved a sigh of relief. “Take your time soaking. I’ll go outside.” He moved to step outside, get some fresh air and cool himself down, but then heard a splash.

In fact, he tries a number of times to distance himself in such a steamy situation. But LWJ is insisting he stay and being very huffy when he tries to leave, so WWX reluctantly complies.

Here we see WWX's motivations reiterated yet again:

And so, despite getting Lan Wangji drunk, Wei Wuxian spent most of the night waffling and didn’t manage to ask him a single thing. It wasn’t that it slipped his mind. In fact, he hadn’t forgotten for a moment that the reason he had given Lan Wangji alcohol was to ask him, Hanguang-jun, how do you really see me? But every time the words were about to leave his mouth, he found all kinds of excuses to back down—There’s no rush; I’ll play along with him for now, wait until he’s had enough fun before I ask, or I can’t be so flippant about this, gotta be a little more serious. I’ll ask again after we’ve sat down…

But despite the many excuses that had him dragging his heels, the real reason was probably that he was afraid. He was afraid of getting a different answer from the one he hoped to hear.

WWX only wanted to get him drunk so he could ask LWJ how he felt about him without making it awkward. He loves him so much he's frightened of losing him if LWJ's answer was not the same as his. This way, he can find out first and ensure they feel the same before confessing when the man is sober. If his answer was not what he hoped, WWX fully intended to keep his own feelings to himself and stay with him as a friend instead, anything to be by his side. He was frightened of losing the one thing he ever truly wanted for himself.

As we all know, things escalated quickly... and WWX was lost in a blazing fire of desire and passion. We, as the reader, can see LWJ had long since sobered up - thanks to the subtle hints with his speech and actions no longer childlike, as they are when he's drunk. I always felt WWX had picked up on this and at least assumed LWJ was sober by the time they became physically intimate.

Although Wei Wuxian didn’t know exactly when he had sobered up, there was one thing he could be sure of. Since this was Lan Wangji’s reaction now that he was clearheaded, it meant he’d been an unwilling participant in what had transpired earlier.

To me, this indicates WWX not only thought LWJ was sober, but he also thought the other was a willing participant in their love making. He certainly would not have reacted in such a heartbroken way if he had always intended to take advantage of a drunken LWJ just to have sex with him. Overwhelming guilt and disgust washes over him and suddenly WWX is blaming himself for everything that transpired.

I'm not entirely sure if they mean it was implied in the above scene or the Guanyin Temple confession scene. But even from the above, we can see it was not planned or intentional in any way. If they are unhinged enough to interpret WWX's confession during the hostage party as him admitting otherwise - they are completely twisting his words!

“Lan Zhan! Lan Wangji! Hanguang-jun! I…I genuinely wanted to sleep with you earlier!”

It's more than obvious this is NOT, in any way, a confession that WWX got LWJ drunk to sleep with him! WWX is trying to clear the misunderstanding up as quickly and efficiently as possible - and if it shocks JGY into letting his guard down long enough so he could escape his clutches and run straight into LWJ's strong arms, then that's a bonus! WWX could not bear the thought of LWJ being in any distress or pain because of him and he had to get him to realise how much he loved him as soon as possible. It's brilliant! He is literally just telling LWJ that he actually had wanted to sleep with him because he really really REALLY loves him and not because he is some flippant man who slept with a friend in the heat of the moment because he wanted to or to "thank" him in some way - as he had alluded to earlier in an attempt damage control. That's what the above is. Not WWX revealing he had intended to get LWJ drunk to sleep with him from the very beginning!

Overall, such a claim doesn't even make sense. Why would WWX get LWJ drunk to just sleep with him if he already suspected the man had feelings for him? What would that even achieve? I'm going to put this down to Wangxian haters trying to pick and pull at threads that aren't even there to begin with.

Don't listen to the haters, it seems they can't read 🤷🏼‍♀️

[scone-lover]

Pics from Undredal 🌧️

When I started my fic Northern Downpour, I wasn't intending it to be a magical AU that explored... well, all it does. Destiny, magic, vampirism, family. I really just wanted to put it in this beautiful setting that kept popping up on my browser home screen. I literally threw a pin at the southwestern fjordlands of Norway and picked Undredal based on the goats.

Anyway, fast forward a year or so and I actually visited Undredal, like some type of crazy person. A big joy in writing this fic for me was crafting descriptions of the gorgeous scenery. Getting to see it in person was nothing short of absolutely magical. I walked the paths I've described in the fic, visited the cafe, took a kayak out on the fjord, and even got chewed on by a goat. I wrote in my journal, "I feel dwarfed in majesty."

I updated the fic a bit for accuracy, and here are some new pics with the real life locations!

The original photojournal can be found here.

Thank you all for following along- I love you dearly ❤️

Like, is this real?!?!?!?

More pictures below the cut.

the town

Simon's house No one was living there at the time so I didn't feel too stalkery lol. I was so enamored by this house, it's right at the edge of the main part of town and so charming.

Sunset from Simon's balcony

Simon's 30 second walk down the street

Undredal probably looks like this for most of the fic, since it takes place in the dead of winter

The real cafe!

The lighting situation in there is gorgeous, because norway.

with this beautiful outdoor deck!

ITS JUST SO PRETTY.

In the fic I envisioned that bright blue building on the water as the cafe - it seemed like the right color :)

WONDER VALLEY FOR REAL!!!!!

The real cheese room!

The stave church - so tiny

Insane views from kayaking - it started raining and the whole town just kind of disappeared into the fog and it was so gorgeous

I came back feeling exactly like a wet rat. Baz core

Oli captains one of these RIB tours lol

The river ran gold, and all that

You might recognize this shot from Twelve's art in chapter 12 :)

Undredal from above

Waffles with geitost!

Fancy ferries that Simon mentions in a later chapter

And here's Flåm from the water:

Goodbye Undredal <3

[freyaloi]

The orb has spoken, It's time for me to speculate some more because I need to get my thoughts out.

Many have suggested the Orb is talking about Flameheart himself here... But I can't help but wonder... From the last batch and then this one... I have my doubts... What would Flameheart have to be mournfully about?

Let's entertain this for a moment because why not. It is indeed possible that Flameheart's time in the Sea of the Damned manifested his old estate... But why would he need to be collected via horse and coach? His physical form has been in the living world all this time, so surely he'd just manifest himself like any other time...

Now, the wreck the Reapers were reassembling has vanished, but we all know where that is going... However, so has the Burning blade (the sword). With Tasha supposedly now cured, according to her and Ramsey the Reapers have apparently stolen that too but why? To give to Flameheart? Probably, or maybe not, as it was done so quietly in the night, without much fanfare and the Reapers usually like to make a huge scene... (I have another theory there but that isn't what this I about right now). All of this is in keeping with the return of Flameheart, including Olga's cards.

What isn't lining up as of late is the Orb... As if it's trying to tell us something else... And there's someone else lived on an estate, possibly the very same one the Orb is referring to, who used that very same study... someone who perhaps was still dealing with grief... and was about to embark on a new life... someone we know and is very much tied to Flameheart and that glass bauble.

"...Having travelled full circles in every possible direction, Father eventually settled down on this magnificent estate, in which a small candlelit corner of the most private room I now write.

Tomorrow I will not be here.

I arranged to vanish over the horizon to retrieve myself." - Tales from the Sea of Thieves (aka Junior's journal, the very first page)

From what I understood, Junior spent the night in that room and vanished to the docks and his newly bought ship in the early hours to set sail... And while he was no doubt excited to start his new life, there was probably undoubtedly some grief... Of the things he was leaving behind, and no doubt thoughts of his father crept into his head... Of the stories, of the legends... But soon enough he'd get to see it all for himself.

While Flameheart could have done exactly the same thing when he took back off to Sea, it seems improbable given we know he came and went with decreasing regularity on his adventures while Junior was growing up, until one day he never returned and news of Flameheart's death eventually reached back home.

So unless Rare has done a lot more retconning recently than we thought... Including changing Flameheart's backstory...

I can't help but still feel the Orb is talking about Junior here... (Unless it's talking about the time Flameheart decided to deck a couple of merchants that wanted to confiscate his house, but he was pretty much broke back then so I find it unlikely lmao.)

Also, the fact Junior is missing from his usual spot in the latest trailer... Maybe it's just an oopsie on Rare's part... But they showed us the hideout for a reason., yes to show off Flameheart obviously, but I think there's a hidden message there. Maybe they just moved him for the trailer, maybe he has a new spot... But time will tell I suppose, let's see what this ornament has to say next week.

I also could just be waffling because Junior is the only character in the whole game that has caught my interest so my theories naturally have a bias I suppose, lmao. But I like discussing lore in games, even if it is just with myself.

Either way, food for thought.

Again, If you read this, props to you and thank you.

I'm am literally just brain-vomiting theories at this point, at least the semi-concrete ones because they need an out... And maybe it'll get me writing again, lmao, at least my will to draw is slowly returning.

[thatswhatsushesaid]

maybe the real plan was hidden in the life-destroying secrets we were keeping from each other along the way

[rocker-socks]

not to be insane but Stephanie Brown is so underrated and i really do hate to say its misogyny but. well. It is.

[high-voltage-rat]

POV: you're a student at GEARS University and the weird 35-year-old who sat next to you in Mecha Piloting 101 and never took off their safety goggles is your neuroscience TA because it turns out she's a literal actual doctor.

As I mentioned in my art of her post-reset self, Ravyn is much more fleshed out as a character in Mechquest. So here's my lore-dump, which may serve as the preface to me posting the fic I'm writing of her (if I can work up the courage to do so, lmao).

As a fun little intro, some trivia:

Always introduces themself as "Ravyn, Ray if you prefer single syllables".

Wears their lab goggles and white coat as part of their piloting gear because they're paranoid about ocular open globe injuries and their coat is fire-resistant. Other medical professionals tease her for being like a med student who wears their first white coat everywhere.

Uses her energy blade for everything: lighting the way to the bathroom, opening packages, making toast, and cutting her hair over the garbage can any time it gets long enough to be in the way.

Lectures everyone who will listen on why acetaminophen and ibuprofen should be taken together for their synergistic mechanisms, the ideal nutrient intake to have energy throughout the day, and the neurochemical reasons why one should maintain good sleep hygiene.

Is also a hypocrite who doesn't eat or sleep right themself.

Considered joining Mystraven, but couldn't bear the jokes about Ravyn and Ravens that were sure to come, so joined Runehawk instead. Still hears bird jokes regularly from Starbuck anyway.

Loves to design new ways to inject mecha into combat. Really enjoys a "fastball special"-esque entry using the momentum of a dropship taking a tight turn to fling her at the enemy. Sys-Zero is the only one brave enough to do it, though.

(Thanks to @cyraen-ae for the character sheet template!!!)

Unlike most students of GEARS, Ravyn isn't a young teen full of fire when she enrolls. In fact, up until the Shadowscythe war, they'd never really piloted a mecha before. Born in Tibattleonia on Loreon, Ravyn discovered early on in their life that they were gifted with a natural affinity for psychic, specifically empathetic, magic. Able to feel the emotions of others, and even manipulate them to a degree, she naturally fell into the path of a doctor- using her abilities to soothe pain, ease fear, and even diagnose issues in the cases where patients found themselves unable to describe their ailments. In cases where anaesthesia wasn't an option, her abilities were highly valued- though using them always left her feeling quite drained.

She was a Neurocritical Care specialist serving with the Soluna Defence Force's Medical Corps, nearly through her fellowship with no thoughts of a career change- when the MASH unit she was stationed at suddenly found itself under constant fire from a threat they'd never seen before. The Shadowscythe hit them hard, the soldiers posted to protect them were going down, and for the first time, the doctors of the camp had to requisition a communal mech to allow them to chip in on defending their patients. Originally very reluctant to pilot, Ravyn was taught how to pilot by the head surgeon of their camp, Col. Henry, and quickly found that they were a natural prodigy- and a bit of an adrenaline junkie, to boot. Their quick thinking, impulsive but tactical, and highly adaptable nature meant that their piloting was full of decisive and strategic moves that made them a very effective pilot- and the precision of a doctor accustomed to neurological procedures is not to be underestimated.

Over the next few months, she began spending less and less time in the O.R., and more and more time at the helm of their Skuld mecha, affectionately nicknamed "the Monster M.A.S.H.". Her coworkers pushed for her to receive formal training at GEARS, believing that she could do a great deal of good if she honed her natural talent. She didn't want to leave her patients and colleagues, but eventually reluctantly agreed, and the camp chipped in to buy a new communal mecha, sending The Monster M.A.S.H. with her as a not-so-regulation parting gift when she left. In the spirit of that mecha, she tries to keep her oath of non-maleficence whenever possible, avoiding fights with non-Shadowscythe at every opportunity, and fighting to subdue and minimize harm when she can't.

As one might expect, this highly atypical background left them pretty alienated from the rest of their GEARS class- being a solid 12 years older than everyone else will do that to you. They ended up being closer to professors like Sys-Zero, external professionals like Helia, and grad students like Starbuck, Jaania, Casca, and Xaria- though they did also form an odd friendship with the Reliant crew (River, Sally, Dooder). As the war progressed, they grew closer with the crew as they ran missions together regularly, and with Sys-Zero, Warlic, Char, the house leaders, and Odessa as the people bearing the burden of leadership in the darkest times their world had ever seen.

The Shadowscythe take a lot from Ravyn- she witnesses the ruins of her hometown firsthand, has to fight twisted creatures in its crumbling rubble. She watches the mecha of friends crumple and burn under their fire. One day, one of her closest friends from the M.A.S.H. camp comes into Specific Hospital on a stretcher, and breaks down as he tells her that everyone else is gone. She sees the horror of the Shadowscythe virus, turning people she cares about into enemies. This all leaves her with significant PTSD, including night terrors. Despite it all, however, she fights hard to hold onto her sense of humour, to love warmly, and to keep hope alive in the hearts of those she protects.

That's something the reset can never change.

[beatcroc]

comic planning/roughs on the clock at work 👍 ok. this one's still a few posts out though

[strawberry-jackalope]

the craving to go to waffle house at 3am

[wormonastringtime]

she just wanted to thank that kind stranger for saving her

(Oc-tober Day 4: Hidden. prompt list by @oc-tober2022 )

[tonyglowheart]

after like a week of running between Michaels and JoAnn to compare yarn types and colors (why are the colors I am trying to match so hard to acquire, hm ? ), I have finally gathered the materials to make a Leetol Guy

[coolspacequips]

I feel like I broke the seal and now I keep wanting to urgently tell you guys about this mean gay valet, too, RIP

[topflights]

got a specific soft spot for wrestlers that seem like theyd be good company to take to waho at 3 am. if you give me the vibe that youd be down to sit in a strangely lit little building eating waffles and hashbrowns while the rest of the world is asleep then i’ll give you my unwavering support in your endeavors 

[crybaby-bkg]

discovered the hard way that I have a naturally high tolerance to shit 😔

[the-acid-pear]

Why did my cooking dream get hijacked by my brain making a William Afton oc and au what was that about.

[freakpercent]

please look at this funny ass title on a post we found yesterday

[jamescarstairs]

you know there's something wrong with me when i'm grateful work is getting me out of the house 😭