#lakan’s writing

[coldinternetllama]

My thoughts on Maomao and her parents

Spoilers for Maomao's backstory and maybe for some future instances in the LNs. Also this is not a proper analysis, do not expect much structure, lol

One of the saddest things to me in this story is that Maomao probably craved Fengxian's love until the very end, regardless of what she is saying. After all, who wouldn't want to feel their own mother's love, right? Maomao keeps saying that she doesn't know how to love, however I believe this is simply a coping mechanism for her. We know that she loves Luomen, her sisters, the Granny, even Xiaolan and Loulan (yes, I do think she loved them). Hell, she also has "certain affections" for our beloved red flag, as she herself states in her mind. Yet she doesn't classify any of that as love proper. Instead, she comes back to the cut tip of her pinky and repeats her favorite phrase about how she left that feeling somewhere in the past. There where she also left her mother, who is now just the woman who gave birth to her. Still, she administered Fengxian's medicine time and time again. Still she set up the perfect opportunity for Lakan to find her. Still she danced for her under the night sky with a heavily injured leg. Still she bowed to her remains and played her last game of go for her. I don't think she had it in herself to love the woman who pushed her away, but part of Maomao wanted to love her, I believe. And to be loved back. Granted, Luomen and the women at Verdigris house did their best to raise Maomao, but it wasn't enough to replace what could have been.

If anything, our dear apothecary is probably more frustrated than anything. She doesn't hate her parents, no. I would go as far as to say that she actually feels bad for them ( I mean, who wouldn't). Of course, she would never admit that, which leads to her other coping mechanism, namely her extremely abrasive language when referring to Fengxian and Lakan (come on now, breeding mare and stallion? Girl, chill). She would rather feign indifference, lest she has to confront her feelings, which is her least favorite thing to do, as we know. After all, it's these two people's feelings that got them all to that state. If even such intelligent people could make such a blunder because of feelings, why would she want to feel love or be loved? This is also reflected in the scene where she is telling Jinshi that she wants to be executed with poison. Jinshi answers that he would never execute her. Maomao's answer? It doesn't matter what he wants to do, it only matters if he CAN do it. To me, this is a direct reference to her parents' story. Lakan wanted to be with Fengxian, but couldn't. Fengxian wanted to reach out to him, but couldn't. It all ended in ruin because of that damn feeling called love. Of course, this is also why Maomao just refuses to even consider that she can love (btw, I don't mean strictly one type of love, this is a very vast and complicated feeling with many facets, and I mean all of them here). So she simply claims that she doesn't, yet her actions tell a different story.

Now, I have never been in a similar situation, so I do not claim to know what a person like Maomao would truly think and feel of this. But I think that deep down she wonders what it would have been like to have been loved without being hurt. For her cries to have been met with warmth and not with silence. For her mother to have hugged her instead of having chased her away. And maybe Fengxian wanted the same, but knew that it was not possible. Maybe she was ashamed and disappointed in herself. What good would it be for that child to love her? The child, whose destiny might turn out not too different from her own. Indeed, in the end, no matter what anyone wanted, Fengxian could only become the woman who gave birth to Maomao. And Maomao could only learn to accept that.

[alexiethymia]

a flower by any other name would taste as poisonous

A butterfly flaps its wings and a hurricane happens in a far-off place. 

In this case an old eunuch decides to take a different route from his usual one. It takes him by the Garnet Palace, where he’s just in time to stop a loving attendant from feeding an infant a spoonful of honey. Sufficiently warned, the attendant never bears the crushing weight of guilt for the rest of her life. 

The infant still dies though. It’s nothing surprising. Infants before a certain age would always be vulnerable and susceptible to natural illnesses. It is no one’s fault. 

If the child still died though, what did this change? Surprisingly, a lot. 

Eight years later a boy is crying after having a favorite toy taken from him once again. 

A girl, merely a year younger than him, asks him in a dispassionate tone where it hurts. 

Startled, the boy stops crying. Eyes shining, he looks at this girl who resembles a wood sorrel and decides she’s his new favorite. 

How is it that those two seemingly random encounters could lead to this particular scene, one resembling a painting?

On one side, an existence like a celestial nymph, voice of sweet honey, a beauty that could topple nations if he so wished.

One would think that no one could compare, and yet the beauty on the other side was not overshadowed. She was a vision no less stunning for she was once known as a top courtesan of the pleasure district. 

It was perhaps fortunate that no one was a witness to this display for no one could hope to count how many hapless victims would be felled by such visions of loveliness. 

As to what these beauties were doing, no one could have guessed for in between them stood a single Go board.

tap

tap

“I must admit that while I was expecting a visit from his Imperial highness soon, I didn’t think it would be for this.”

The celestial nymph flushed. 

“Apologies for taking some of your precious time, Feng Xian-dono.”

tap

tap

The unfettered beauty took her time deciding her next move. The man who was also called Jinshi did not fool himself into thinking it was because he was a worthy opponent. Although he was used to using his excellent looks as a weapon, why is it that before this woman he felt as if he were merely a mouse being played with? A finely sculpted brow conveyed enough with one gesture. He felt as if he were playing two games at the same time.

“And? What is so important that the Prince of the Moon felt the need to risk Lakan’s wrath to come here? Why, you even roped Lahan into this plan of yours.” The cold beauty didn’t smile but he had a sense that she was amused.

Jinshi wondered. Did he rope Lahan or did that miser rope him? It didn’t matter. Shaking his head, he hoped he was equally composed when he answered, “I must admit it was that esteemed personage’s recommendation that sent me your way. Aside from him, only you could fight on equal ground with our honored strategist.”

tap

tap

Seemingly bored but only just, such that she could not be accused of disrespecting him, his opponent continued her queries, “And? Surely, you don’t hope to best that girl at a game of Go? She has utterly no interest at the game. It’s a wonder if she takes after us at all. I often wonder how she came to be so uncute, though of course Lakan would disagree.”

Jinshi would as well. Or to be more accurate, he both agreed and disagreed. While that girl was often distant, on the whole he could not help but find her adorable.

And from the shadow of a smile he could spy on his opponent’s face, he gathered that she was much the same, and could only dote on her daughter in this roundabout way. Although parent and child both claimed no similarity, he thought in this manner you could not doubt their familial tie.

Likewise with her father, though she only had disdain for the man (not that it would stop that eccentric’s entreaties to be called Papa from happening, thought Jinshi with a shiver). He’ll leave it up to Gaoshun to commiserate. 

That wary cat only showed affection for her honored grand uncle. In much the same way, as much as she protested, she and her sire were a lot alike. There was also their utter disinterest in anyone ordinary and unexceptional.

Like him.

Any other family would have accepted just by virtue of who he was. But it mattered not to this particular family who cared not for prestige or power. This family was content to keep to itself and occupied with its members’ various obsessions. Rather than consider it an honor to be connected to the noble line of the rulers of this nation, Jinshi thought that Lakan rather saw him as some annoying fly. 

And for that annoying fly to not only buzz around his beloved daughter but also to dare be in the proximity of his beloved wife, the only two people that eccentric fawned over and adored with all his heart, ah surely this was a perilous gamble indeed. 

But for an ordinary person like Jinshi, no Ka Zui Getsu, this was the only thing he could do.

Ironic that when he wanted it most, he could not rely on this excellent appearance of his, the only thing extraordinary about him. This family cared not a whit for that. At first he had wondered why that apothecary continued to be unaffected by him, but to have someone like this for a mother, he realizes she must have already been bored by the sight. (She had actually scoffed at him after they had seen each other once again in the rear palace.)

It left him scrambling, but also strangely relieved. 

“It’s not that I want to best her. At most I hope to be on equal footing.” Slightly abashed, he shakes his head. “In truth, it is our honored strategist whom I wish to have a match with. Though it may be impossible, the Sage tells me my best hope lie with the only person to have bested the Grand Commandant more times than even him.” 

Seemingly intrigued if the slight lifting of one brow indicated such, the once courtesan inquired, “Oh? And to what end if I may ask?”

How to answer.

Grappling with something in himself, Jinshi finally admitted, “Merely to be acknowledged, I suppose. To be seen and recognized.”

To be accepted. 

By whom, his companion seemed content not to ask if the curl of her mouth was any indication.

Maomao had often complained (though she would deny it with a blank look if asked) in a bland tone that she thought she must surely be adopted by the one she called father, for surely she had no resemblance to this beauty in front of him. Chicken bones she called herself. (Incidentally, she was adamant that she was not ugly enough to be related to the fox. She was, in her own view, perfectly normal. Jinshi almost spat out his tea upon hearing this if only it wasn’t unbefitting his station.) 

But seeing what could pass for an amused look on this normally expressionless face, Jinshi for the first time in front of another great beauty, blushed for he could only see traces of the one he yearned for in this visage. 

Truly, they were mother and daughter indeed. 

He was caught in a daydream of a scene years into the future, with Maomao dressed in such finery, of when he could finally lavish her with all his attentions as he pleased. 

tap

tap

The harsh clack of the Go stones brought him back from his musings and his attention onto the board. Upon seeing how he was completely dominated, he let out a deep sigh. 

“A long way to go, your highness.”

As if echoing his thoughts, an imperious voice declared his resounding defeat. If not for the twinkle in her eye he could detect, he would no doubt feel as if he was not even worth the heel of her shoe, never mind that he was the current Imperial heir. Distantly, he wonders if this was the sight that bewitched and entrapped that eccentric so long ago. 

Privately laughing at his own folly, he decides he was no better for it was the same look from that tiny wood sorrel that sealed his fate. Flowers could heal, but they could also be poisonous. He knew better than most. No matter. Regardless of the outcome, he would swallow her whole.

Truly there was a long way to go before he could turn that dream into anything close to reality. He doesn’t mind tasting defeat again and again for the chance of victory one day. 

Once more, he resets the board.

notes:

Jinshi and the Imperial brother are still switched at birth so he still doesn’t know who he really is.

The imperial brother still dies in infancy but not so soon after his birth. Since Luomen manages to stop the honey incident, the tragedy with Aduo’s head maidservant doesn’t happen later on. He doesn’t get punished nor does he get driven out.

Because he doesn’t get driven out, Lakan isn’t pressured into a military expedition to reclaim the honor of the family. He manages to redeem Feng Xian immediately.

Lakan still somehow ends up the head since his younger brother doesn’t really see himself suited to the position. He still ends up taking the headship from his father probably because Feng Xian was insulted or something and he wants to spoil her. His father and sister-in-law probably still end up leaving on their own like in the original timeline rather than being driven away. One way or another, Maomao, Rahan and Rahan-nii end up being raised together.

Maomao is still the same. Sure, she’s raised as a noble lady but she still spends half of her life at the pleasure district with Feng Xian, her sisters and penny-pinching granny. I doubt Lakan would stop them since this isn’t a conventional family after all.

Luomen probably sneaks in town undercover to still be an apothecary for those who might need it most, with Maomao accompanying him.

Since Maomao is raised as a noble, one way or another she ends up as Jinshi’s playmate. Of course, Jinshi still ends up attached. And of course Lakan puts a stop to it as soon as he can. It doesn’t have anything to do with any political maneuvering. He’s just an overprotective papa.

Maomao still ends up in the rear palace, this time as Luomen’s apprentice so of course she ends up crossing paths with Jinshi once again when they’re older.

And so the adventures of the young prince and apothecary still continue, fates still intertwined.

[spiegelgestalt]

Maomao is her own villainess who cares about class and propriety

You know how in a lot of shojo/josei literature there is a villainess (either the mother or a rival) who is deeply offended by the romance between the princley ML/ commoner FL because it's.just.not.done and commoner FL could never be worthy of ML?

one of the more brilliant narrative moves of kusuriya is to combine the person who cares about status and propriety to a frankly unsettling degree with the protagonist.

Because that has a lot of advantages:

First: this conflict between class/person is now an internal one. One of the reasons Maomao has difficulty accepting Jinshis advances is because she sees herself as unworthy of him. She really can't understand what he sees in her.

Second: It's realistic. Of course Mao Mao is aware of the class system. She knows she survives on the good graces of the people in power. She knows she's unfree to a certain point. She knows she has far more to lose. She wields this class system expertly to gain a maximum of freedom. I find it pretty telling how few of the rules Maomao actually breaks while still living the life she wants.

Third: It frees up the villains to have other reasons for their villainy. Even Lakan the person who comes closest to this character cares more about having a relationship to Maomao than about destroying Jinshi because he's not good enough. And he's rightly called a weirdo for his obsessions. The other villains (the Ma-Clan, the white lady, Gyouk-Ou) have other reasons for their villainy who've frankly nothing to do with the romance.

and I find that refreshing

[misseverandever]

Did Rikuson really want to propose Maomao?

Well, that's just my way of thinking, but I've come up with some proofs, heh.

When Rikuson asked Maomao to come to Lakan's house more often, well, I think he wanted to see her more frequently. I sense a genuine interest in his words here.

Maomao reacts like... Maomao! I feel sorry for him, sometimes she can hurt people's feelings without realizing it. But I can't judge her. After all, he asked her too much. At that time, she couldn't stand her Old Fart at all.

After Rikuson left the conversation, he went to connect some dots. It's not explicitly written, but you can assume that he's going to find out if she's already involved with someone, if he can continue flirting with her, and what type of woman she is and her occupation.

I'm pretty sure he's got everything because he pulled her to dance, grabbing her wrist, and he wants to provoke someone, like you know who. Well, it's worth it, when they're dancing, he sees that the rumors are all true.

He wanted to laugh so hard, Lakan's daughter is already impossible, and now Moon Prince's interest? It's really over.

Maomao doesn't like this situation at all. She knows what typically follows when a man touches her or is alone with her, especially if he has his hands on her waist.

He knows what he's doing here, he wants to dance with her almost facing him. (ngl I kinda love this)

He tries to rouse her, but she continues to play dumb in these romantic situations, insisting that she's only there for her intelligence...

well I do think that she really deserves that Jinshi way to act....

''Please remember that you aren't a disinterested third party" I know that Rikuson trying to say is: '' He like u dummy common" but I also feel ''he's not the only one interested on you" ( is my way of thinking if you disagree its ok)

THEY ARE SO CUTE sorry Jinshi He propose after very kind words that Maomao used after he open his heath and say to her the way of his mother and sister died in front of him and he couldn't say a word, cry or move. Maomao take the propose has a joke, but... it really is? After that, he hasn't been with Maomao anymore. Both are avoiding each other… He looks kind of sad.

I thought that Rikuson could be a good rival for Jinshi, but I was no match. He doesn't stand a chance.

[patriciaselina]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 薬屋のひとりごと - 日向夏 | Kusuriya no Hitorigoto - Hyuuga Natsu Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Fengxian/Lakan (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto) Characters: Lakan (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto), Fengxian (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto) Additional Tags: Canon Compliant, Title from a K-pop Song, Song: Singularity (BTS Kim Taehyung | V), Angst, Introspection, Pining, Nightmares, Flower Language, Psychological Horror, Alternate Character Interpretation, Tags Contain Spoilers, Ambiguous/Open Ending Summary:

Other days, he reaches for her, and she comes apart at his fingertips, nothing left of her but weiqi stones that clatter past his feet. Today, he doesn't dare, and miraculously, the Lakan in his dream listens, for once. He will gladly stay still and let her dole out as much of her disgust as she can if it means she'll grace him with her presence, just a little bit longer.

After all, she's the only dream he's ever had, even if this is a nightmare.

[protocolsecretsanta]

Knitting

From @opilius : This feels hella fast, but here’s my piece for @starstainedtarts and their oc Lakan!

~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Slip. Slip. Knit.

An interesting pattern, an unending loop, a cycle at the mercy of Omen’s hands. A cycle he quite enjoyed in fact, one he was in control of. Life, not so much, but with his yarn in his hand Omen felt quite like the weaver of the universe.

Maybe that was a bit melodramatic, he thought as the yarn started to form a feasible shape. A sweater, it was. A Christmas gift for Charles, which was steadily approaching. Ok, maybe being dramatic would be better here. He needed to finish this quickly and neatly, for he wouldn’t be able to bear messing this up.

Another round of the loop, with Omen steadily looping the yarn between his fingers, watching as the sweater slowly but surely becomes an actual item. The pattern on the front, a small reindeer, was forming too, and Omen was quite proud of the details. Small antlers, a red nose, the weirdest smile yet seen on a reindeer. Maybe it was too unsettling for Christmas… the beady eyes were staring into Omen’s soul, well, the parts he had left. A quick motion later, and the dot eyes had splashes of white, fixing the creepiness. Perfect.

Surprisingly, the common room was very slow for the time of day. Late afternoon, and the only people Omen had seen was Jett, who was on the hunt for snacks, and Nuniq, looking for Aput. He would’ve expected to see a little more action, a sighting of the younger agents, Brim rounding them up. At least they hadn’t seen Charles yet, that would ruin the surprise he was working towards. Perhaps it would be safer to knit in his own room… but the common room was airer, friendlier, and Omen had agreed with Viper to get out of his room more, and damn what was left of his soul if he wanted to cross her.

Still, he couldn’t help but feel slightly worried that Charles would poke their head around the door frame at any second, negating Omen’s hard work, and demolishing the Christmas Spirit. That wasn’t fun at all, so Omen prayed that they wouldn’t walk in.

The comfortable silence continued to grace the room, aiding to his peaceful demeanor. A steady drone of the air, the slow clicking of his needles, the slight hum from his throat. Omen could feel the environment shift from what it once was, from his slightly anxiety ridden stupor to contentment. Fine by him.

A needle slipped out of his hand, as Omen felt himself doze off. Yesterday had been a long day, this chair was comfy, and the room was calm. A perfect napping environment, although the half finished sweater in his lap begged to differ. Omen sighed, and tried to shake the sleep from his mind. This sweater had to be completed at all costs, he couldn’t give Charles an unfinished gift!

His half working stupor was interrupted by a pair of arms around his shoulders. Omen jumped, whipped around, and oh fuck. The person he didn’t want to see right now was right behind him. Shit.

As quickly as he could, Omen balled up the sweater and shoved it between him and the arm of the chair. Hopefully they didn’t see it, that wouldn’t be good at all.

“What’s that?” They asked quickly, and looked at Omen with such a smile that he almost told them against his better judgment. A moment of consideration, and he caught himself.

“Nothing for you, Charles.” The lie slipped out, but it was harsh, chopped, obviously not the truth.

“It’s for me, isn’t it?” Charles was leaning against the back of the chair now, with their long hair tickling (well, if he could feel it it would be) the back of Omen’s head. Certainly, that wasn’t helping him keep this secret hidden.

“No.” Omen felt his voice crack a tiny bit, and with the slight smirk on Charles’ face, he could tell that they had figured him out.

“Yeah, it’s for me.” They traced a finger along Omen’s shoulder, seemingly trying to coax the info out of him. Omen could feel himself relax, and his hand wrapped around the unfinished sweater.

“Maybe it is.” Omen’s better judgment kicked in, and he released the sweater, trying in vain to hide the already spotted item.

“Here, let me see.” They extended a hand, but Omen shook his head in response.

“It’s not done yet.” That was Omen’s futile attempt at stopping further damage, but truly, it had failed.

“So?” A rhetorical question that finally broke Omen’s train of lies.

“Fine.” And with that, he finally grabbed the sweater and handed it to Charles.

The joy on their face showed up immediately, as they held the half completed sweater in front of them.

“This is cute! I like it, my dear.” Their words contained no malice, much to Omen’s relief.

“I’m glad, Charlie.” 

They were still smiling as they inspected the unfinished edge. “You could keep this, make it cropped.”

Omen shook his head while chuckling. “But it was made to be a normal sweater.”

Charles handed it back, smile never leaving their face. “Then finish it.” They ran one last hand against Omen’s shoulder, before a look of realization crossed their face. “This has been fun, darling, but Neon needs me.” And with that, they walked away, as Omen watched.

The half finished sweater sat back in his lap. Maybe it would be better cropped.

[apolaki-stannie]

hello! i'm stars, and i manage lakan's ask box! i sift through asks and requests to curate their feed to their enjoyment and aesthetics.

though i write as myself, lakan will be able to do the following:

answer questions from the ask box.

reblog posts they find amusing/enjoyable.

chat and costumize the account however they see fit.

please keep in mind the rules of this account.

be respectful both to the character and creator's boundaries.

strictly no nsfw asks, or anything that i see as being out of line (cws//tws are important). have some tact.

canon-typical violence is inevitable since lakan is a fan agent for valorant.

feel free to ask lore questions, i'll see what lakan sees fitting to answer.

keep the environment safe and healthy. this is just for fun.

now with that being said, i hope you enjoy your stay!

[makapatag]

realities, maximalism,and the need for big book™️

some gubat banwa design thoughts vomit: since the beginning of its development i've kind of been enraptured with trying to really go for "fiction-first" storytelling because PbtA games really are peak roleplaying for me, but as i wrote and realized that a lot of "fiction first" doesn't work without a proper sort of fictional foundation that everyone agrees on. this is good: this is why there are grounding principles, genre pillars, and other such things in many PbtA games--to guide that.

broken worlds is one of my favs bc of sheer vibes

Gubat Banwa didn't have much in that sense: sure, I use wuxia and xianxia as kind of guideposts, but they're not foundational, they're not pillars of the kind of fiction Gubat Banwa wants to raise up. there wasn't a lot in the sense of genre emulation or in the sense of grounding principles because so much of Gubat Banwa is built on stuff most TTRPG players haven't heard about. hell, it's stuff squirreled away in still being researched academic and anthropological circles, and thanks to the violence of colonialism, even fellow filipinos and seasians don't know about them

this is what brought me back to my ancient hyperfixations, the worlds of Exalted, Glorantha, Artesia, Fading Suns... all of them have these huge tomes of books that existed to put down this vast sprawling fantasy world, right? on top of that are the D&D campaign settings, the Dark Suns and the Eberrons. they were preoccupied in putting down setting, giving ways for people to interact with the world, and making the world alive as much as possible.

one of my main problems with gubat banwa was trying to convey this world that i've seen, glimpsed, dreamed of. this martial fantasy world of rajas and lakans, sailendras and tuns, satariyas and senapatis and panglimas and laksamanas and pandai... its a world that didn't really exist yet, and most references are steeped in either nationalism or lack of resources (slowly changing, now)

i didn't want to fall back into the whole gazeteer tourist kind of shit when it came to writing GB, but it necessitated that the primary guidelines of Gubat Banwa were set down. my approach to it was trying to instill every aspect of the text, from the systems to the fluff text to the way i wrote to the way things were phrased, with the essence of this world i'm trying to put forward. while i wrote GB mainly for me and fellow SEAsian people, economically my main market were those in the first world countries that could afford to buy the book. grokking the book was always going to be severely difficult for someone that didn't have similar cultures, or are uninterested in the complexities of human culture. thus why GB had to be a big book.

in contemporary indie ttrpg spaces (where I mostly float in, though i must admit i pay more attention to SEAsia spaces than the usual US spaces) the common opinion is that big books like Exalted 3e are old hat, or are somewhat inferior to games that can cram their text into short books. i used to be part of that camp--in capitalism, i never have enough time, after all. however, the books that do go big, that have no choice to go big, like Lancer RPG, Runequest, Mage, Exalted are usually the ones that have something really big it needs to tell you, and they might be able to perform the same amount of text-efficient bursting at the seams flavor writing but its still not enough.

thats what happened to GB, which I wanted to be, essentially, a PbtA+4e kind of experience, mechanically speaking. i very soon abandoned those titles when i delved deeper into research, incorporated actual 15th century divination tools in the mechanics, injected everything with Martial Arts flavor as we found our niche

all of this preamble to say that no matter how light i wanted to go with the game, i couldnt go too light or else people won't get it, or i might end up writing 1000 page long tome books explaining every detail of the setting so people get it right. this is why i went heavy on the vibes: its a ttrpg after all. its never gonna be finished.

i couldnt go too light because Gubat Banwa inherently exists on a different reality. think: to many 3 meals a day is the norm and the reality. you have to eat 3 meals a day to function properly. but this might just be a cultural norm of the majority culture, eventually co opted by capitalism to make it so that it can keep selling you things that are "breakfast food" or "dinner food" and whatnot. so its reality to some, while its not reality to others. of course, a lot of this reality-talk pertains mostly to social--there is often a singular shared physical reality we can usually experience*

Gubat Banwa has a different fabric of reality. it inherently has a different flow of things. water doesn't go down because of gravity, but because of the gods that make it move, for example. bad things happen to you because you weren't pious or you didn't do your rituals enough and now your whole community has to suffer. atoms aren't a thing in gb, thermodynamics isn't a real thing. the Laws of Gubat Banwa aren't these physical empirical things but these karmic consequent things

much of the fiction-first movement has a sort of "follow your common sense" mood to it. common sense (something also debatable among philosophers but i dont want to get into that) is mostly however tied to our physical and social realities. but GB is a fantasy world that inherently doesn't center those realities, it centers realities found in myth epics and folk tales and the margins of colonized "civilization", where lightnings can be summoned by oils and you will always get lost in the woods because you don't belong there.

so Gubat Banwa does almost triple duty: it must establish the world, it must establish the intended fiction that arises from that world, and then it must grant ways to enforce that fiction to retain immersion--these three are important to GB's game design because I believe that that game--if it is to not be a settler tourist bonanza--must force the player to contend with it and play with it within its own terms and its own rules. for SEAsians, there's not a lot of friction: we lived these terms and rules forever. don't whistle at night on a thursday, don't eat meat on Good Friday, clap your hands thrice after lighting an incense stick, don't make loud noise in the forests. we're born into that [social] reality

this is why fantasy is so important to me, it allows us to imagine a different reality. the reality (most of us) know right now (i say most of us because the reality in the provinces, the mountains, they're kinda different) is inherently informed by capitalist structures. many people that are angry at capitalist structures cannot fathom a world outside capitalist structures, there are even some leftists and communists that approach leftism and revolution through capitalism, which is inherently destructive (its what leads to reactionaries and liberalism after all). fantasy requires that you imagine something outside of right now. in essence read Ursula K Le Guin

i tweeted out recently that you could pretty easily play 15-16th century Luzon or Visayas with an OSR mechanic setting and William Henry Scott's BARANGAY: SIXTEENTH CENTURY PHILIPPINE CULTURE AND SOCIETY, and I think that's purely because barebones OSR mechanics stuff fits well with the raiding and adventuring that many did in 15-16th century Luzon/Visayas, but a lot of the mechanics wont be comign from OSR, but from Barangay, where you learn about the complicated marriage customs, the debt mechanics, the social classes and stratum...

so thats why GB needs to be a (relatively) big book, and why I can contend that some books need to be big as well--even if their mechanics are relatively easy and dont need more than that, the book, the game, might be trying to relay something even more, might be trying to convey something even more than that. artesia, for example, has its advancements inherently tied to its Tarot Cards, enforcing that the Arcana guides your destiny. runquest has its runes magic, mythras (which is kinda generic) has pretty specific kinds of magic systems that immediately inform the setting. this is why everything is informed by something (this is a common Buddhist principle, dependent arising). even the most generic D&D OSR game will have the trappings of the culture and norms of the one that wrote and worked on it. its written from their reality which might not necessarily be the one others experience. that's what lived experience is, after all

*live in the provinces for a while and you'll doubt this too!

[lastofthe20thcenturygirls]

lakan is written to be annoying he does not gives a single fuck how he's perceived unless you're luomen or maomao. he let jinshi think he forced himself on that courtesan. he told jinshi that he should think about how can a courtesan's price could be lowered and left. he never even finished the story. he was mad at jinshi for getting to maomao before he could so he went there to jinshi's office everyday to bother him and also to move the pawns (aka people) across the board to stop the assassination attempt at a certain high nobility. lakan dislikes jinshi yes but he's not a traitor ffs. when lakan and fengxian slept together it was consensual. fengxian did not tell him she was going to get pregnant and drive down her value. they hadn't slept together before that and fengxian was a courtesan who wasn't selling her body so the whole verdigris house took a hit when their number one courtesan got pregnant. it was fengxian's plan lakan didn't know. none of them confessed their feelings. he did not abandon fengxian after sleeping with her. luomen's case was why his father decided to send him away he actually thought he was gonna be back in three months. that dumbass just didn't realise why her contract deal fell off that she was pregnant that she loved him. same guy who would years later think that meimei was being nice to him only because of guilt and wouldn't realise she had feelings for him. just la clan being bad at these things it's almost like it's genetic

lakan is written like that. you're told he's a freak that maomao avoids because he wants to buy maomao. jinshi reached the conclusion regarding fengxian same as the most of us (unless somebody spoilt it for you) and maomao's hatred for him added to that conclusion. but it was all on purpose writing-wise and character-wise too. the actual story of his is told to us but not jinshi. he doesn't minds if jinshi keeps on thinking of him as a piece of shit yk. what i am saying is that lakan is meant to be read or watched that by going through a range of emotions. hating him is fine still. most characters in the story aren't his fans either. they just avoid him he's that kinda guy but the "he ruined maomao's mother's life" isn't a great take sorry. fengxian's life took a tragic turn but it's more because of circumstances than just one individual. and not like she didn't cut maomao's finger off in her frenzy. there are good enough reasons for why maomao feels how she does towards them both

[roboticchibitan]

Something I really like about the Apothecary Diaries, especially the light novel cuz it's more obvious, is that the characters have real life problems.

I have dysgraphia and it's mentioned in volume six that Pairin, the courtesan who's like a mother to Maomao, sometimes writes her characters backwards and no amount if practice fixes it. That's dysgraphia!! And consort Lishu has deadly allergies and a lot of less than deadly allergies. An unnamed consort in volume six has seasonal allergies.

Maomao is clearly autistic (this is more obvious in the light novel) and I interpret her as ace because she can identify that Jinshi is gorgeous but it does absolutely nothing for her, which I as an ace person find entirely relatable.

Lakan has faceblindness (somewhat common in autistic people, I have a mild case of it) and it's treated as a disability he has to overcome. And Loumen and Chou-u are physically disabled.

Like! Those are real disabilities or real brain or sexuality things that real people have! They have depth! Their lives aren't perfect! I think that's really great and adds dimension to the world

[goldshitter]

okay but also, how every seemingly throw away detail/gag/side plot ties up into an overarching character/plot development

the obvious being every seemingly random case per week

maomao's adamant refusal towards becoming a courtesan being played like a gag, *until we find out her history and meet the fucker lakan*

i am in genuine awe of the people who worked on this series and its adaptations, but i would also like to pick apart the authors brain because man. maaaaan i wanna be able to write that good

[if-lost-please-return-to-maliksi]

Disclaimer: I do not own any Planet Puto Character - Full Credit goes to HC - @ask-emilz-de-philz. Please check out their blog for amazing art and the wonderful world of Planet Puto.This might or might not be a self insert, please don't come for me.

A/N: Am I insane and out of my mind? Yes. Was I in the middle of a creativity block and just pulled this world building shit out of thin air? Also yes.

~Royalty! AU~ INTRODUCTION

"That one looks half decent..."

Lakan smirked as he pointed into you using the sharp end of his sword, not caring if you're already trembling. Is it because of the fear? or maybe it's from being on your knees on the snowy ground with nothing but thin and tattered clothes for god knows how long, you don't really know at this point.

The military general leans down to your level hand grabbing your cheeks roughly and forcing you to look up at him.

"Tell me, peasant. What entertaining stuff can you do? Careful about your answer, your life depends on it." His voice, although very soft and playful has that menacing tone that didn't fail to give you goosebumps.

The ground was cold and the air was thick— filled with cries for mercy as Lakan's troops destroy and slaughter whatever they lay eyes on.

"I- I can play instruments and write poetry, Sir." You stuttered as your voice get struck in your throat.

"We're taking this one home." Lakan grinned at your response before letting go of your face.

"This will do for Maliksi's birthday present. Now let's pack up before the enemy's reinforcements arrive. Just set fire to everything then let's call it a day."

The servants looked at you somberly as you were dragged out of the carriage and into the palace gates, the soldiers handling you roughly. You can't blame them, after all you are nothing but a peasant from the losing side of this wretched war. These people are the ruthless victors, their hands soaked with the blood of your fellow civilians that unfortunately got caught in the middle of slaughter.

"Lakan, what is the meaning of this?" A firm voice caught your attention but you kept your head lowered on the ground.

Makisig quickly motioned towards his courtesans to help you stand up as he walked towards Lakan.

"Oh, if it isn't my own brother, the King." Lakan tauntingly said as he bowed slightly. He's always despised the idea of Makisig ascending to the throne despite being younger than him.

That position was meant for him, yet here he is, reduced to being the general who spends more time outside the palace walls instead of seating on that fancy throne he's always dreamt of.

"Cut it out! What are you doing? You do know that the enemies already called defeat and you can't be taking in anymore war prisoners!"

"Prisoner? That one was a present for our youngest brother."

"A present?! Our brother is nothing like you! He won't enjoy such fatuity—"

"And? Who does he take after then? Everyone here knows that the young prince isn't soft like you! Hell, I bet he'll be a better king than you!"

Makisig's royal guards quickly drew blade and pointed it at the general. They will not stand for any slander against the King. It is a crime of treason afterall and will be punishable by death. The King sighed, "Lower your blades! He's still my brother."

Lakan softly chuckled as he turned to walk away. "See? I told you. Soft. Please have your courtesans clean up and dress that girl, then take her to my room. I'll deliver her myself to Maliksi."

You shivered at the first touch of cold water into your skin as the royal courtesans started giving you a bath. You've literally been in crossfire and to say that you are filthy is an understatement. You didn't even know how Lakan was able to spot you amongst the civilians.

No one was talking, probably out of pity for you and what you went through— your kingdom just lost the war, your town was burnt to a crisp, you watched the others getting killed infront of you. You are someone who lost everything.

After your bath, they dressed you up in a fine dress, probably too grand from what you were expecting, and then they proceeded to put your curly hair up in a bun using an intricate pin.

Looking at yourself in the mirror, you can't help but admire your reflection. Funny what a bath and some fancy fabric can do.

"You look pretty." One of the courtesans whispered as she gave you a kind smile. All of them looked hopeful and sweet, probably wishing you good fate inside the very walls of this palace just like them. They all lined up as they silently lead you to Lakan's quarters.

"Bring her in and leave." Lakan said from the inside of the room before the royal courtesans can even knock. They did just that but before they finally close the door, they looked at each other before giving you a reassuring nod.

As soon as the doors closed, the royal courtesans raced towards Maliksi's quarters. He wasn't the friendliest towards them, and they will surely be yelled at for disturbing him at this time, but they all know Lakan and the poor fate every other lady went through after spending time alone with him in his quarters. They cannot just do nothing after sending you to your possible doom.

Lakan's room is dark yet you can feel his stares boring a hole to your very being. "Guess I was right, you do look good."

The general smirked as he slowly walked towards you. "A poet and a musician doesn't have a right to look this good. It'll be such a waste to just give you to my youngest brother afterall." He softly said, his hot breath fanning into your neck as he leans in while his hand reaches out to slightly slide the dress down and reveal your left shoulder.

"Maybe I should get a taste first, before giving you to Maliksi."

You grabbed fistfuls into your dress as you held yourself from talking back or trying fighting him off— you knew this man would not hesitate in killing you if you do something as much as turn down his advances.

You can feel warm tears form and trickle down your cheeks, knowing that you can't ask him to stop if you wanted to live.

"I don't accept leftovers, brother. It's rude to gift someone stuff that you already used." A cold voice emerged from the shadows as you felt being snatched from Lakan's grip and being pulled as someone held you gently by your waist.

"Gods! Maliksi, can you stop doing that?! I know that you're the only one blessed with magic among us but just stop popping out of the shadows, it creeps me out. Can't you use a fucking door like a normal person?"

"It's called teleportation magic. I didn't popped out of the shadows, your room is just as dark as your soul. Anyway, you boldly declared this lady as a present for me earlier and I have eyewitnesses. I came here to pick her up." Maliksi nonchalantly said as he rolled his eyes, still holding you close to him.

"It's those courtesans...I knew it! If it weren't for the King's protection, I would've already cut their heads off." Lakan muttered underneath his breath while he gritted his teeth. "Aaaww, come on, brother! Can't we share just this once—"

Maliksi's expression hardened as he looked Lakan up and down. You can feel just how intimidating this man is despite him being shorter than the general.

"I believe we already established that since we were kids....That if you try touching what's mine, I'll be burning your fingers off." The young prince coldly said, his grip on your waist slightly tightening.

Lakan chuckled as he slowly backed away. He wasn't irritated at how his youngest brother is acting— oh, this is so much better than him being a big pretentious softy just like the King.

"As you wish, brother." The general smiled, everything is going according to his plan afterall.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Hi! Welcome to the Royalty! Au that involves Planet Puto (philmytcrea au) characters. I do not own them, they are HC's Original Characters.

Please follow and support them here: https://www.tumblr.com/ask-emilz-de-philz / @ask-emilz-de-philz

I wanted to take time to clarify that this is fiction on fiction.

Yes, Lakan, Makisig, and Maliksi are brothers in this AU.

Yes, we hab King! Makisig here.

Lakan is the oldest, but Makisig was the one who ascended to the throne after their father died.

Yes, there is an ongoing war and Y/N (You/ Reader) is from the enemy kingdom who just declared Loss/ Defeat against Makisig's Kingdom.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING AND APPRECIATING WHAT I WRITE! ;;

[kimboo-york]

Unpopular opinion time:

The LN and manga fans are on a tear of "hahaha you were wrong about him the whole time!" and yeah, I was wrong, but also, I'm not really sold on Lakan being a tragic antihero, anymore than I'm sold on Fengxian actually being in love with him. He's not a bad guy, sure, but he's not a good one either:

1. The man is a brilliant chess player. The courtesan he cares for suddenly changes up their "game night" right before she's going to be sold off to the highest bidder and...he just ignores that? Are we supposed to believe he's the most talented strategic mind alive and he just didn't notice he was being played? Nahhhhh. He wanted a piece of her and did not want to be bothered with complications. Why didn't her letters get through to him? I assume his family kept them. However, why did none of his letters to her get through to her? Because he didn't write to her. He totally forgot about her, as a person, for three years. He comes back, realizes he fucked up, and cries about it. I don't that that makes him a victim here, and I am not sympathetic. Mao Mao does not need to be sympathetic either. He literally made this bed.

2. Fengxian was not in love with him, but knew he would be better for her long-term than any of the jerks trying to buy her, and he at least appreciated her mind. The clue is that she asked him when he would be back, and he said "three months as usual." She knew then that he did not have the money to buy her out; if he had said "next week" or smth she would likely have asked him to put a bid in. But she knew he could not afford her, so she did the next best thing: baby trapped both him and herself. She knows he's honorable enough that once her price dropped, he'd buy her out, for both chess and baby reasons. But her plans were thwarted by fate stepping in to send him away for a long time.

She rolled the dice and lost the bet, and that sucks. But the real question here is why she went insane. Let's be real, Fengxian is SMART. She'd know how to find out where Lakan went, and even if her letters went unanswered, she had a lot to gain just holding her shit together until he came back. Instead, she went utterly bonkers. What? Why??? (Something was already off, IMHO, given her creepy singing in bed with Lakan. Poison? Addiction?)

Anyway, Lakan literally let himself be a pawn in Mao Mao's mother's game then just walked off the board without a second thought of the repercussions of his actions. Lakan has a long way to go to prove himself and I don't think his daughter owes him any kind of forbearance about it.

[inkcurlsandknives]

Hey Writeblr today’s Writing Question

Tell me about your story's lovers! 💓💜💙

In Saints of Storm and Sorrow my bi disaster Lunurin is caught in a complicated relationship between Catalina, a fellow nun, and an emergency marriage of convenience with the Lakan's son, Alon, to prevent her execution for heresy

Bakunawa/Laho art by me, Alon & Lunurin by Yusi Ou, and Catalina by Arthur Riel

[datura-tea]

spent most of the day thinking about moz and ulysses's kids... they tend to just meld together into one entity in my brain but i want them to be individuals, so here's a little thing about each of them:

ree is an artist who specializes in sculptures made from scrap metal. they know their way around electronics too, so sometimes the sculptures move around the house and jumpscare her family at 3am

elias takes after ulysses in that he has a way with words. he learned how to play guitar from his uncle, lakan, and he writes songs in his spare time. he also repairs jukeboxes and is fascinated with radios and radio signals

hani, short for bighani (tagalog for "charm"), is the youngest and is a natural entertainer. she loves dancing and making her family and friends laugh with comedy routines she wrote herself

they all grew up around books and music and good food, and by all accounts had great childhoods. i'm not 100% sure yet on what they'd be as adults, but they have their parents and each other and their extended family and friends rooting for them no matter what

[kilfeur]

J'adore le fait que la partie d'échecs est un parallèle aux parties qu'il a partagé avec Fonshen. D'ailleurs le trouble qu'a Lakan à reconnaître les visages de son entourage a un nom, c'est la prosopagnosie ! N'empêche ne pas pouvoir reconnaître le visage d'une personne, ça doit être l'enfer à vivre au quotidien. J'aurai du mal à l'imaginer ! L'oncle de Lakan l'avait aidé pour reconnaître son entourage en utilisant les pièces d'échecs et de go et ça a été utile pour lui ! Mais pour la première fois, il voit le visage de quelqu'un, qui est Fonshen, la mère de Mao Mao !

Curiosité qui était réciproque, Fonshen semblait apprécier sa compagnie dans leurs parties. Hélas, vu le prix élevé de Fonshen et son statut peu important à l'époque, il pouvait pas se permettre de rêver de pouvoir vivre avec elle. Et malgré tout, lors de sa dernière visite, ils ont fini par coucher ensemble là où Mao Mao a été conçue. Mais Lakan n'a comprit que trop tard comprenant les conséquences d'une courtisane que d'avoir un bébé et n'a pas pu la revoir ! L'histoire nous a induit en erreur qu'il était un connard manipulateur pour au final révéler que c'est son ignorance qui a causé la souffrance Fonshen ainsi que celle de Mao Mao ! C'est un tour de force en terme d'écriture que je ne peux que saluer !

I love the fact that the chess game is a parallel to the games he shared with Fengxieng. By the way, Lakan's disorder of recognizing the faces of his entourage has a name: it's prosopagnosia! Still, not being able to recognize someone's face must be hell to live with on a daily basis. I can't imagine! Lakan's uncle had helped him to recognize his surroundings by using chess and go pieces, and that came in handy! But for the first time, he sees someone's face, which is Fonshen, Mao Mao's mother!

His curiosity was reciprocated, as Fonshen seemed to enjoy his company in their games. Alas, given Fonshen's high price and his low status at the time, he couldn't afford to dream of being able to live with her. And yet, on his last visit, they ended up sleeping together where Mao Mao was conceived. But Lakan didn't understand the consequences for a courtesan of having a baby until it was too late, and never saw her again! The story misled us into thinking he was a manipulative asshole, only to reveal that it was his ignorance that caused Fonshen and Mao Mao to suffer! It's a writing trick that I can only applaud !