#lotus had been possessed by an ancient spirit

[pumpkinpie59]

wanna make idw leolotus just to spite idw bc i hate everything about koya and how they wanna pair leo with her

[matchestopetrol]

MDZS x HOTD crossover drabble

I had an idea for a MDZS and HOTD crossover using more of the magic system from MDZS. Setting is in the reign of Jaehaerys and right before WWX escapes the burial mounds. I’m kinda going for a murder mystery vibe.

Lemme know what you think.

-------------------------------------

Wei Ying knew he had to get out, he had conquered the burial mounds, become the master of resentful energy, and yet the Burial mounds would not let him leave. They clung to him with sticky, boney finger, crying, whimpering and whispering for vengeance, for the pain that they world had inflicted upon them to be paid back a thousandfold.

With every step that he took towards the border of the burial mounds the grasping became more desperate, more vicious

Wei Wuxian, Wei Wuxian don’t you want revenge?

STAy StAy let us burn

Feed us, bring us every unfilial wretch who let our bones rot here

Bring us vengeance!

He pushed forward, raising Chenqing to his lips and let the eerie notes of the ghost flute wash over the grasping hands and tear them away. Yet, stronger older hands reached out, clad in armour not seen for a thousand years, sigils of Xianle and Yong’An on their breasts. They pulled at his their resentment, ancient and fierce.

BRinG uS VenGeNn-

-here is Tian Dianxia-

            -he ate US-

                        wE hAte Hi-

-y mother, mY sister

Vengeance!

They would not let him go and fear swept through Wei Ying, Jiang Cheng and Shiije were still out there, still fighting the Wen, they needed him.

                                    And he needed them

Wen Ruohan had the pieces of the Yin Iron in his possession and he would not stop in his conquest. He needed to return home, he needed to protect his family, they were all he had left, Lotus Pier was ash and it was all his fault.

He had to get back he had to help h-

            “Wei Ying” golden eyes stared at him, burning, and melody half forgotten.

Wei Ying, buried the feelings that rose in chest, he couldn’t think of that now, he couldn’t think of the awful emptiness and the despair that they were no longer equals.

Reaching into his robes Wei Ying pulled out the Yin Tiger Tally. Raising it up he called on the energy of the burial mounds to break free and quell the never-ending hoard of restless spirits. With all his will, he pulled at the energy of the land and beyond, casting his net wide across the clan lands and beyond.

He must break free, There must be Justice!

Then there was a sudden rush, a warmth in his chest and a great tsunami of power rushed over him.

There was a deafening thunderclap that flattened trees and knocked people off their feet for a hundred li.

In the Burial mounds the ghost were cowed and yet their master was nowhere in sight.

 Where Wei Ying once stood there was a great crater, its sites smooth and shining black glass.

-------------------------------------

 Jiang Cheng stood at the war council in the Unclean Realm and couldn’t help the rage he felt boiling in his bones, they had retaken Lotus Pier, reclaimed their swords and struck back at the Wen, and yet his brother was nowhere to be found. Since that fateful day when he climbed to meet Baoshan Sanren he had not seen his brother. At first when Wei Ying had missed their meeting he had been angry, but then that anger had transformed into worry, the days past and yet there still no word about his brother.

A month passed and nothing. The worry and anger began to be tinged with fear.

Then the rumors reached his ears, Wen Chao drinking with his concubine in a tea house and boasting.

That he had killed the upstart son of a servant.

That he had bested Wei Wuxian.

That he had ordered Wei Wuxian to be thrown in the burial mounds.

Jiang Cheng didn’t want to believe it, didn’t want to think it, didn’t want to even entertain the thought that that worm had bested him brother.

But as the days and weeks past and Jiang Cheng could find no sign of his brother the sick feeling in his gut grew.

Was Wen Chao’s bodyguard not the core melting?

He pressed a hand to his lower dantian.

It had been nearly three months and Jiang Cheng was beginning to think that maybe, there was credence in those rumors. His hunt for his brother had produced no results.

He cast a glance sideways at the second young master of the Lan, despite the unasked for aid he had received.

Maybe now was the time to hunt, to track down Wen Chao and take the answers they needed from him. He moved him hand to Suiban, tucked neatly into his belt.

Then he would find his brother.

He leaned forward grabbing a map of Wen movements from the table in front of him, drawing the attention of the twin jades and Nie Mingjue

“ I pla-“

The words were cut off as a wave of restment washed over them, Nie Mingjue shouted and drew his saber while the Twin Jades whirled looking for the source.

A deep, hooking pull caught Jiang Cheng in the chest and he fell to his knees with a cry.

“Sect Leader Jiang!”

He gasped desperately circulating his energies, it felt as if someone was trying to pull out his lungs from his chest, the pull intensified and for a moment he was back in the dungeons of Lotus Pier with the core melting had standing over him.

And then the tension snapped and it was over, he gasped clutching his chest and Lan Xichen was at his side.

“Sect Leader Jiang are you injured?”

Jiang Cheng breathed, carefully moving this energy through his lower dantain, it felt a bit…cooler, but his core was strong and steady.

“I am fine” he allowed Lan Xichen to help him to his feet.

Looking around he saw that the maps that had been on the table were scattered on the ground and a painted scroll on the wall swung gently.

“What was that?”

Lan Xichen frowned looking to his brother and Nie Mingjue, who looked equally troubled, though one could never really tell with the second jade of Lan.

He shook his head “I don’t know”

Jiang Cheng felt in his bones that something had changed, something had shifted in the order of the world.

-------------------------------------

Gael walked towards the Blackwater, the pull of the water was magnetic. She walked forward as if in a dream. The babe in her belly kicked softly and tears poured down and her face, but she was quiet. Most of her sisters were dead and her brothers were distant or dead and the rest of her family seemed to be too near or too. Her father aging and unyielding, her mother clung to her and Gael felt as if she was suffocating.

It was all too much, she had always felt so isolated, coddled and hidden by her mother. A doll and she was so achingly lonely.

But he.

He had made her feel alive, made her feel desired, felt seen.

He had sang so sweetly for her, had smiled at her and whispered of life beyond the walls of the Red Keep. It had been so good and sweet, a taste of a life she had been denied.

But then it had all come crashing down.

She had gone to see him in the embrace of the night, in their place in the shadow of the godswood and he had not shown, she had waited and waited. It was only with the rising of the sun had she seen the ruby red smear of blood that glinted on the roots of the godswoods. She had tried to ask, to see if anyone had seen anything if they knew where her sweet singer was.

But, there was nothing.

She couldn’t press without being questioned on why she was so desperately looking for a bard. With every passing day, she became sure that her sweet singer had been taken from her maliciously. But, there was no clue as to who had taken him from her and no way to pursue the matter.

The days and weeks passed in misery.

Then she had been sick.

Again and again and again.

She had realized then with a nauseating mixture of joy and despair that her sweet singer had left her a gift.

And then she realized she would never be able to keep the babe. Her mother would cry and wail at the perceived despoilment of her winter child. Her father would be filled with a cold rage. Furious that one more of his daughters had soiled herself and brought shame to his name. There was no one she could turn to. Maegelle was in the raptures of faith and would have no mercy for a fallen maiden, her brothers were strangers and her nephews and nieces distant. She had no recourse, no way path left.

Except the narrow lane that wound out in front of her that led to Blackwater bay.

She and her babe would go into the depths and maybe then she and her sweet singer could be reunited. It was a unhappy and unjust end, but it was the only end that she could see.

She had slipped out of the Keep before dawn, escaping the bedroom shared with her mother and dodging the guards. Now the sun was rise on Kings Landing turning the waters of the bay shimmering shades of pink and gold. As she reached the water’s edge, she turned and looked at the silhouette of the Red Keep, whoever had killed her sweet singer was within those walls.

They would live, and she would die.

She squeezed her eyes shut, tears falling and wished deep in her heart of hearts that there could be justice in this world.

The world around her seemed to shudder.

Then she turned towards the Blackwater and a cry burst from her lips.

There was a body in the water.

[catty-smartypants]

Hi, I want to make a post to introduce my Fear and Hunger Termina OC!

Firstly tho, this awesome art isn't mine, it's made by:

Please check them out. They are so cool!

Her name is Edith Benonette, and she possesses the Ancient Soul. She's 40 years old.

Gameplay:

[Starts with a permanent -15% accuracy and foggy view (the latter removed by wearing glasses), incurable by Sylvan ring]

Skills:

Composure - Passive skill, ignores tension caused by enemies and slows mind loss in overworld (twice the time needed)

Prayer - Active skill [Regain 20 mind, remove a stage of fear and phobia stat effects, on self, but inflict bleeding, requires an Alll-mer sigil, increases affinity with Alll-mer "A ritual nuns often perform at churches, inflicting harm to themselves to forget about impure and unbecoming thoughts."

Libriographic insight - [At the cost of mind is able to select any* desired book from bookshelves that haven't been checked before] *The books Pocketcat sells, the mind price of books is 20 times the heads price of Pocketcat.

Appraisal - An active skill, [costs 35 mind] which allows to appraise an item, giving a bit of lore behind it and adds [+50%] of the stat buffs and effects of any equipment (except Beheaded Wizard [special dialogue between Edith and Nas'hrah if done]).

Entrepreneurial spirit - Passive skill, can sell items back to the vendors that sell it too [-20% of the buying price]. Can haggle to buy items cheaper [by 20% off the price] from vendors, the success of that is determined by a coin flip.

Starting items:

Coin Purse [+10 M. Defense, 75% Otherworldly] - "A small, round pounch with a long, beaded string securing it on its wearer. It allows the wearer to store as much coin on them as they can find." [If worn no coin limit]

Lotus Hat [+1 M. Defense 80% Otherworldly] - "An antique luxurious wool hat, with a decorative, sewn, lotus flower. It is said the white lotus represents peace and spiritual perfection"

Shirtwaist dress [+2 M. Defense +1 P. Defense 75% Slashing 70% Otherworldly] - "An old but luxurious and expensive emerald wool dress"

Broken Eyeglasses

As THE chosen character:

Story:

[An animation of Edith smoking by an open window, followed by:]

The soothing sound of the railtracks... You are not used to such peaceful and tramquil atmosphere. You were born in a prestigious noble family from Rondon, both your mother and father coming from old dynasties.

As the oldest child of theirs you were afforded no time for childhood innocence,

you were not allowed to play or go outside without supervision neither to talk with anyone your parents didn't see fit.

Your father hired a dozen of tutors that taught you subjects ranging from playing the violin to economics.

You hated it,

each day felt like you were trapped in a maze, walking the corridors of your family's estate while looking outside, seeing the commoners' children enjoying life made you jealous.

You have begged your mother and father to allow you to go outside, even only to attend a prestigious school.

After years of convincing, at your 14th birthday, you were given a choice.

You either went to a nun covent or at a prestigious boarding school. You chose the...

Nun covent [You learned Prayer]

Boarding school [You learned Composure]

After finishing your studies you returned home.

You would've missed the place if you weren't expected to follow the old rules.

And if your parents didn't arrange a marriage for you,

your future husband was a brash, ignorant and old factory owner. Your family prospered from the shared income while you moved in with him.

By comparison the years spend in the estate were a holiday. You were to attend endless balls, ceremonies, speeches with your husband.

While at home, you endure his violent lash-outs. You couldn't do much to stop it,

not only you had a reputation to maintain but also, you had nobody to rely on. The only distraction from reality was:

Burying yourself in books [You learned Libriographic insight]

Collecting relics of the past [You learned Appraisal]

However, your relief didn't come without a price.

As you spend nights, collecting the few things that brought you comfort, you could see more and more a weird fog surrounding you.

A visit to the doctor revealed that your sight was deteriorating due to stress. You began wearing glasses.

As the war started, your nation was dragged into it and so the economy took a big hit,

your husband's business was failing, and he was never good at holding his anger down,

your life became hell, you couldn't even rely on your past activities anymore. You were thinking to end it all one night,

you went to the housekeeper's area and looked for any poison,

your search was stopped by the housekeeper,

your excuses didn't stand a chance as tears rolled explaining your situation.

She hugged you and showed were the poison was, before giving it to you, telling you a better way of using it.

You waited for the opportunity, and it came,

your husband has invited serval potential investors at your place, a big dinner was supposed to be happening.

You were forbidden to participate but that only gave you a better alibi.

You asked the housekeeper to show you his goblet, and poured the poison in the drink.

The next morning, your husband was found dead, chocked in his own vomit. Since the death cause was asphyxiation, you were off the hooks of suspicion.

And so, you were saved,

you had to pretend you mourned, but the tears you rolled at his funeral, were tears of joy, and pain, for all the years wasted on him.

But now you had to decide on the fate of, now your, business...

You decided to sell it [You gain 200 shillings]

You decided to keep it [You learn Entrepreneurial spirit]

No matter your decision you were decided to begin anew.

You knew your freedom in society was limited to your status, so like before you were stuck in a golden birdcage.

Economical competition is a cruel and unjust game, one you had to shove your sentimentality aside to keep playing in.

You have heard of the war's end, and of the recent rumors of a peace deal between the Bremen Army and the Eastern Union,

this opened a opportunity,

Bohemia was known to be rather undeveloped,

and with the war over, no local enterprises were strong enough to suffice a bigger economy.

If you bought assets from it, it would be a long-term investment. How did you prepare for the trip?

Medical goods [gain 2 light blue vials and 4 cloth fragments]

Food [gain 9 Mushroom stew and 6 meatpie]

Luxury items [gain 1 Pipe, 5 Tobacco and 3 wine vial]

[SKIPPED TILL HERE, if skipped traits received: Prayer, Libiographic Insight, Entrepreneurial spirit and Luxury items]

[An animation would happen where the glasses would drop down and Edith would pick them up]

The lenses shattered. With luck, you'll be able to buy new ones in town."

As NOT the chosen character:

Day 1

She is one of the few characters who do not appear at the gathering outside the train. Instead, the player finds her smoking by the window of the first carriage from the exit. When interacting with her before the gathering, she would have a short dialogue where she dismisses the player, telling them to go outside at the gathering. Once the player does get out to the gathering, no matter if she was interacted with or not, she would be standing right by the door, still smoking. She will not introduce herself but leave right after the dialogue. Talking with her as she leaves let's the player hear her mumble about Tanaka calling him a "competitor" and walking a shorter path than him.

Next time the player meets her is at the mayor's mansion. She would be in the library, there, she is found reading a book. The player can choose to either talk or attack her. Attacking her would lead to a battle, with The Avare scoffing at the player character. If she is not killed or both of her legs are intact after one turn, however, she would run away. You can catch her, but if she exits the manor, she disappears for now. If talked with, she would complain about the poor state the books are kept, commenting on the amount of bent corners and indentations on covers. She also asks the player for a random non-tutorial or functional book. If the player finds it or has it, they can offer it to her, in return she would join the party. If Henryk isn't saved or the Dark priest gets aggroed and she isn't recruited or killed, she would disappear from the mansion.

From Day 2

In the morning till the afternoon, she can be found at Dr. Kefer's store, at the side, reading, talking with her there she implies that she made some under the table deals with them. When asked to be recruited again, she passive aggressively rejects, stating that she can manage on her own from now on. If you had attacked her in the Mayor's Mansion, and she escaped, she would give the player a cold shoulder.

If the player character has aggroed the Dark Priest or The Gentleman appeared before she could be recruited, she would be found instead in the Church of Alll-mer, in the first room sitting in the left-front pew. Her dialogue here is different, she tells the player that she was forced to believe in Alll-mer, but he only pretended to, until this day, she tells the player that there cannot be a logical or optimistic explanation to anything happening in this town. If the player places an effigy on the stand with her alive and present in the room, next time the player enters the room, she will be found inspecting them, talking with her will reveal the origin of these effigies. If the player places all 3 of them, she says she impressed with their feat and propose to become part of the party. If the player refuses or has no available party slots, she says she will be waiting here if they change their mind. She will stay here until Day 2 Night, being available for (free) recruiting.

Here, the player can attack her. If attacked in the Mayor's Mansion or here, she would run in the right room of the Church, if the player doesn't catch to her, she would be gone, if the Chandelier hasn't been dropped or the gate to the basement is locked she will lock herself in the confessional pew, the player won't be able to open the confessional, if O'saa happens to be I'm the confessional too, interacting with his side of the pew will lead to O'saa berating the player for being such a careless hunter, his door too, not opening. If the gate to the basement is opened, she would be gone, but if only the chandelier was drooped she would be hiding in the confessional booth, until the player interacts with the hole caused by the chandelier, upon doing so a cutscene would be triggered of Edith stepping out the confessional and pushing the player down the hole.

MOONSCORCHED FORM

If not killed before Day 2 Night, Edith will become Moonscorched. Her moonscorched form is called:

The Caged Magpie

In this form, she transforms into a grotesque anthropomorphic magpie, alike the Valkyre.

Her entire body is encased, however, in a golden birdcage, where she can only stand with her head hunched forward. Her arms become long, bare wings, her palm still exists though deformed, it tightly holds onto the bars of the cage, as if trying to break them. Her head is shadowed in the cage, however two, piercing green lights can be seen from where the eyes should be, and a big golden beak that pokes out of the enclosure menacingly. Her legs seem the only part of the body partialy out the cage, with two holes letting half of her, now, bird legs out. The birdcage itself seems to be out of lead, with gold paint that peels off it, the cage has no door handle or any forms of exit, only a broken hook on top. At the bottom of the cage, a pile of artifacts, trinkets, and coins shimmer.

The Caged Magpie prefers to stalk parts of towns near shops and vendors. Once in the same location of her, a flavor text: "You hear a metal rustle" and sounds of Eurasian magpie calls while there. If you dont leave the screen, enter a shop or talk to a vendor she will slowly approach the player, it will hop, stalking them and will steal one item the player has equiped if they stand unmoving for more than 7 seconds, after that she will promptly fly away, if the player instead tries to approach it, Magpie will run away alike a scared chicken. If you enter a shop or talk to a vendor as soon as you exit the shop/conversation, the Magpie will fly towards you initiating a fight.

In the fight, the Magpie's body parts do one attack each:

Her legs do a one-character powerful hit called "Digging the dirt", however, this attack is only performed every 2nd turn.

Her arms do a weak one-character attack called "Slap on the wrist", however, there is a 5% chance the Magpie, instead of attacking does a "Acquire" action, which steals one of a character's equipment.

Her beak performs a coinflip attack called "Peck", which is a reference to Crow Mauler's iconic attack. The player will be warned 1 turned before it with a flavor text: "The Magpie seems to shift its head in the cage"

The player can attack the aforementioned body parts and break them. However, her body is protected by a birdcage, which has a lot of HP. Once all the other body parts have been broken, the Magpie will have only one attack "Shove", which deals little damage.

Upon defeating her in combat, you can loot her corpse to get all your lost equipment to her, be it outside or during the fight, alongside a Coin Purse and 99 shillings.

I might make more posts about her, like other character interactions and more about her Moonscorched form!

[bigbadredpanda]

Hi there! I wanna ask about the ressurection in mdsz. I am from a dharmic religious background and as I understand, resurrection involves binding the soul to the corpse using resentment which comes from bad (for lack of a better word) karma. This must really mess up the reincarnation cycle and ultimately the path to nirvana right? So, what would this mean for corpses brought back by wwx&wrh, especially for WN, song lan & nmj? Are WN and song lan effectively immortal? Thx in advance 😄.

Hi! Apologies for the long answer delay, these are very interesting questions and I needed to do some research and digging around as Chinese spiritual beliefs are such a complex subject! I’ll only lay out some broad strokes as a more in-depth analysis would be way beyond the scope of my knowledge ^^' Of course, if I get anything wrong, please do correct me!

As you mention Wen Ruohan, may I make the assumption that you were acquainted with MDZS through the live action? His interest in demonic cultivation as well as the Yin metal subplot were unique to Chenqingling and the live action also made a number of changes like replacing the reanimated corpses by “puppets” due to strict censorship laws that ban the portrayal of a great many things including supernatural aspects. My answer is primarily based on the framework of the novel but in this case it should still apply to the live action!

Systems of beliefs and practices in China tend not be mutually exclusive but intertwined, they find their roots in a number of spiritual/philosophical/religious movements, the main of which being Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and folk religion.

Chinese folklore has a long history of ghost tales and modern fantasy cultivation novels are one more facet of that tradition, corpses reviving and ghosts coming back to haunt the living are considered to be fairly “natural” occurrences, “natural” in the sense that they are relatively commonplace. Exorcising malevolent beings to protect common folk is the bread and butter of the average cultivator and that’s how the story starts out with the Gusu Lan disciples being tasked by the Mo family to eliminate some walking corpses.

看来这莫家庄近来不大太平。走尸，意如其字，即为走路的死人，一种较为低等也十分常见的尸变者。一般目光呆滞，行走缓慢，杀伤力并不强，但也够平常人担惊受怕的了，光是那股腐臭就够吐一壶。

It seemed that Mo village had not been peaceful of late. Walking corpses which were dead people able to move around as their name implied were rather low-level and frequently seen creatures that came from transformed corpses. In general, their gaze was lifeless and their gait slow. They were not particularly threatening but they were enough to scare away common folk as their sole putrid stench could make one vomit. (ch.3)

Ghosts, walking corpses and even fierce corpses are a common nuisance that can arise from a variety of causes: an unnatural death, lingering resentment, lack of proper rituals for the funeral and so on. For instance, there’s a fierce corpse paying a visit to a person that wronged him in life in the gate-crashing extra (ch.120-123).

Concerning the place of religion in the world of MDZS, we know that the ancestor of the Gusu Lan Sect, Lan An, was originally Buddhist monk who left his temple to lead a secular life and then founded a Sect. His descendants uphold practices that originate from their ancestor such as studying Buddhist scripture. However, cultivators are not shown to be particularly pious, they do not worship deities or hold religious festivals, that’s the domain of the common folk: the worship of the local stone goddess or the attendees of the Guanyin temple (even though it was built by Jin Guangyao). The practices that cultivators observe do not fall under one particular religious denomination, they are part of the ubiquitous rituals related to filial piety such as ancestor worship. It’s also worthwhile to note that the purpose of cultivation comes is essentially taoist: to refine the self and prolong one’s lifetime. In more high fantasy settings (MDZS is described as low fantasy xianxia by the author), this ultimate goal is to attain immortality which would be at odds with Buddhist beliefs to reach nirvana.

The worlds created in wuxia and xianxia genre are rife with references to Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian beliefs and practices but as we can see these different influences cohabit together. The topic of the afterlife in MDZS lore is not really broached, the author mentions in an interview that while Wei Wuxian was dead, the remains of his consciousness was stuck in some sort of unending nightmare. Some other poor souls wander the earth, unable to pass on without the assistance of a cultivator. Elsewhere, in chapter 125, Wei Wuxian recalls suspecting an old man fiercely guarding his lotus lake to be the reincarnation of lotus spirit because of his uncanny tendency to know exactly when a lotus pilferer (Wei Wuxian) is nearby. In chapter 86, a cultivator surmises that Wen Ruohan must be fuming from Jin Guangyao’s betrayal in the Netherworld (referred to as the Nine Springs in Chinese). And then you have the memorial tablets in the ancestral halls that are traditionally said to house the deceased’s soul. As there is no single answer, what lies beyond the veil of death remains a bit of a mystery. It’s possible that there is a mix of all these different beliefs just like in folk religion. Upon death, a soul might linger in the mortal world or go straight to the Netherworld where it will be judged (ancient China being the precursor of bureaucracy, their idea of the afterlife is also very bureaucratic with different Courts to punish evildoers). Should the soul be found guilty, it will remain for a time in the Netherworld to be punished and to atone for its crimes and then move on the cycle of reincarnation.

After this long-winded introduction to spirituality in MDZS-verse, I’m finally coming back to your questions. Demonic cultivation does not grant Wei Wuxian powers over life and death. The corpses he raises and controls are those that are already brimming with resentful energy and already possess the latent potential to arise on their own. Nie Mingjue belongs to the same category although he became a more dangerous fierce corpse. Corpses such as him will remain as they are until they are quelled. In Lan Qiren’s lesson, Lan Wangji enumerates the accepted ways to deal with such a corpse:

蓝忘机并不去看魏无羡，颔首示礼，淡声道：“度化第一，镇压第二，灭绝第三。先以父母妻儿感之念之，了其生前所愿，化去执念；不灵，则镇压；罪大恶极，怨气不散，则斩草除根，不容其存。玄门行事，当谨遵此序，不得有误。”

Without sparing a glance to Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji nodded and bowed, he intoned, “First, liberation. Second, suppression. Third, extermination. Appeal first to the deceased’s attachment to his kin, achieve the desires they could not whilst they were living, release them from the fetters binding them to this world. If that method proves ineffective, proceed with suppression. The more grievous the crimes, the more difficult it is to dissipate resentful energy. In this case, it is thus necessary to exterminate them completely and not leave a shred remaining. This is the protocol of the cultivation world and must be observed scrupulously and undeviatingly.  (ch.14)

Wen Ning and Song Lan are different from these mindless, violent corpses as they were able to regain consciousness through advanced techniques of demonic cultivation. They are effectively immortal but destructible. As the author said, how long they may live depends on proper maintenance!

[icecreamkink]

watched all of the untamed / cql in two weeks after my friend 1 told me abt mdzs a hundred years ago and my friends 2 and 3 tried to get me into cql for like two whole years and there are.

feelings.

very first scene is a very dramatic death in the middle of nightmare battle on sith planet land . i will forget abt it in the next tenish episodes and then will be very surprised when it becomes Extremely Painful

anyway magic flying gays and possession and human sacrifice! we are off to a great start

in retrospect, chaos goblin wei wuxian must have had a blast pretending to be so cRaZy and be as disruptive as he could as mo xuanyu lbr

listen. why is fire always evil coded. cant a magic clan wear red, black and orange and have flame motif while being wholesome?

For Legal Reasons These Are Not Zombies

i wish the politics of the sect were a bit clearer, especially at the beggining when the wen clan had sm power, was wen ruohan the chief cultivator? is that why they were so slow in responding to the attacks? im v confused by the pre yiling patriarch politics

fighting in the roof by the moonlight as way of flirtiiiiiiing. as i understand this is a wuxia/xianxia trope and honestly...... thank u for ur service

slight bullying and being a nuisance in general, as a way of flirting we love to see it

wwx: if i drink on the rooftop, thats not inside the cloud recesses! hmmm check and mate :D lwj: i will fuck u up so help me god   wwx: :0

i lov them

through hell or high water (quite literally) wei wuxian rem ains a trashfire gremlin till the end and i love him with my whole heart

in the pt subs wei wuxian calls jiang cheng a stubborn duck and i dearly wish that had come back

my opinions on almost every character goes from love to hate u - Hmm Me Like U - BABY. ILY. and i am Very Pleased w that. its been a while since i loved such a complete cast so much i think

no really. i WONT go into a detailed rant abt what i love about each of these characters and each of their relationships to each other. but i COULD. 

some lan disciples in the loudest whisper ever: YEAH THATS THE JIN BASTARD MENG YAO HEARD THE GOT SUPER HUMILIATED BY HIS DAD LOL SURE HOPE HE DOESNT TAKE SLIGHTS TO HIS CHARACTER TO HEART

lan xichen, immediately: i must Love him 

being into problematic ppl is in the Lan genetics, we come to realize

wen qing deserves so many awards for so many things but not snapping and just stabbing wen chao is at the top 

that scene at lan qirens class where wwx talks about using resentful energy to fight a violent spirit. exquisite.

 It establishes Good Student lan wangji, wei wuxian as curious and questioning and not afraid of taboo,  lwj sees that wwx is not, in fact, a dumb ass hes just a Dumbass,  shows us the audience (esp. a western audience) how shocking the idea of disrupting the dead/dying and controlling resentful energy actually is,  the theoretical foreshadow arguing, everyone else like ‘shUT UP’,  “and how could you ensure that the resentful energy would obey you and not hurt other?” “well i havent thought that far” and of course, lan qiren just straight up lobbing a hard object at wwx head,. chefs kiss

fellas is it gay to bother the hot rule obessessed nerd from ur school and make drawings of him with flowers in his hair and then hide gay porn in his book to antagonize him and ask him to hold ur hand and be ur friend and talk to him all the time and get him drunk and give him bunnies bc you know he likes them and give him a lantern and always want his attention and dedicate yourself to getting him to smile-

and after all of that wwx rly said oh i Admire him, aksd like yeah we all were there in high school buddy

i have Learned. caves = gay.

 accidental marriage +beint physically tied together with the sacred married ribbon+ gay panic+foreshadowing+bunnies! in the cave (1)

the story abt lan yi and baoshan sanren tho. i would like to see it

early days wen bros pull my heart strings like a guqin 

EVERYTHING about the lantern scene; disaster hets jiang yanli and jin zixuan; how wwx made lwj a bunny lantern. how soft and touched lwj was. wwx gleefully pointing out he was smiling and lwj IMMEDIATELY PULLING HIW SWORD ON HIM LMAO. tragically foreshadowy promises to do right by pepople, living without regrets. lwjs 'oh no do i love him??' face. just. all of it. 

i have it on good acc that in the novel lwj is explicitly Repressed Gay Panicked Big Horny which is delightful and rly Adds to the performance

 baby lwj is really just conceal dont feel dont let them know u have EMOTIONS (derogatory)

jiang cheng rly went "why dont.u go play with HIM if u like him so much"

jc and wwx have big BIG annoying sibling energy dont think too hard abt it or youll cry

lotus pier is soo pretty :((((((((((((((((

up until episode 13 you could think this could be a magical ancient chinese gays pride n prejudice w swords and shenanigans ................youre just not prepared for the game of thrones of it all

seriously ha ha ha i cried so much w this show my eyes genuinely swelled up . like. physically. fun timez fun timez

that being said, its hilarious that wen xu goes to cloud recesses like 'come out or ill kill all these hostages' and then DOESNT WAIT FOR AN ASWER AND KILLS THEM ALL IMMEDIATELY. do u know how blackmail works sir

 would like to make it recorded that from day one i was like 'CALL A GODDAMN CULTIVATION G20 THIS ASSHOLE SECT IS LITERALLY MASSACRING YALL!!' and it took them like 3 or 4 massacres to do anything and they STILL sent their heirs into their territory  LIKE

when wwx cites the gusu lan rules to wen chao tho. that rebel/attention whore/cutie pie 'look lan zhan i DID memorize the rules after all' ‘also a big fuck you to the wen sect :D :D’ sweet spot that scene achieves . delicious

all the cultivator young masters being petty af even though they are practically prisoners at the cave is hilarious and i love them

hurt and comfort + gay mistunderstandings + watsonian gay declaration music + accidental evil acquisition! at the cave (2)

its like where do i start? the fact theyre both trapped and kind of heavily injured inside an isolated cave with a murder turtle? wwx gay panicking lwj into coughing up bad blood? lwj being jealous as wwx babbles abt mianmian? telling him he shouldnt play with people and wwx saying he never played him? wwx going Oh. I See what is happening. YOU like mianmian, and lwj absolute done face ??? (iconic) wwx touching the sacred married ribbon Again? the telepathic communication? the sword? WEI WUXIAN ASKING LAN WANGJI TO SING TO HIM AS HE IS PASSING OUT AND LWJ SINGING HIM. THE SONG. HE WROTE. FOR WWX. AND THAT HE CALLED. THEIR SHIP NAME????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

they are SO insufferable pleeeeease

in the words of my friend 1 : “CQL is so gay we were all amazed how it got past the censors Ofc unfortunately it can't be novel level gay But they did their best And we love them for it”

in the theme of songs THIS OST. WUJI HAS BEEN LIVING IN MY MIND RENT FREE SINCE I FIRST HEARD IT the whole ost is so so sO beautiful.

 the costuming in this is also soooo exquisite. the embroidery? the fabrics? the details? how every sect and clan has a distinct style and architecture? (also ik they based each off of dif periods in chinese history which is REALLY fucking cool) just chefs kiss

the direction too!. i enjoy the unusual camera movements and i think they give it that Vibe, also their composition is PARTICULARLY good when it comes to telling the subtext through position of camera/position of character (like nhs off to the side in scenes he at first glance doesnt need to be/ how lwj is often centered when hes Jealous Yearning at wwx being affectionate w other ppl, wwx return from burial mounds etc)

ik madam yu is like Badass Milf Check and shes not getting any mom of the year awards but im delighted at how messy she is. IMAGINE that woman on tiktok

you better have enjoyed gay cave (2) bc its Just Pain from here on out! 

jiang fengmian and madame yu win the Most Dramatic Way to show they do care about each other, actually ..... ever :)

i thought jiang yanli jiang cheng and wei wuxian forcing themselves to escape yunmeng barely holding on after their parents are killed was going to be the height of pain in this show. ha. 

the family dynamics in general on this showwwww, both blood/ adopted/ found families, brotherly bonds and lifelong friendships just. rly. truly. fucked me up. theyre all so important and complicated and well rounded and beautiful and tragic

and beyond being a Win For the Gays im so glad the relationships w wwx and jiang yanli/ wen qing were NOT changed from platonic bc they are so much better like that imo. like maybe if we didnt Live In A Society it wouldnt be so, but the fact wwx and others can love and value them so much and theres nothing romantic or sexual abt it is like. so refreshing. especially @ jyl, with the way he and jc are overprotective of her and shes such a nurturing/care taker figure for them, it would just not vibe as well if they made it romantic

i love that this is a story abt Wei Wuxian, the Yiling Patriarch aka Actual Satan/Boogey Man/Village With/Public Enemy Number One , my dude is literally a necromancer who only dresses in black and has evil smokey black tendrils wafting out of him, but the really edgy one is still jiang cheng, pastel purple fashion icon

and speaking of best/worst siblings wei wuxian and jiang cheng *immediately starts crying* 

The Golden Core Transfer i just. no thots only tears 

wen qing and wen ning putting themselves in so much danger just.... to help them. wn saving jc from wen chao. wq finding a way to get wwx to transfer his core. like thinking about the monumental work these two did to help wwx and jyl and jc... jyl trying so fucking hard to be strong and keep on moving and giver her little brothers comfort after losing everything... jiang cheng. losing his parents and his home and his ability to do anything abt it and his complete desperation and lack of self worth and turning on them with agression  when he didnt realize all that they did for him ... hhhhhhhhhhhhh

me, pointing at the whole cast “i just LOVE them mom!!!”

its sad tho, that BARELY ANY of the women have like.... actual important conversations let alone relationships with each other at all in the story. and like wq and jyl have stayed at the same place for extended periods of time, where wq actively took care of her TWICE,  and still! not one measly convo, nothing! ................ .𝓌ₕᵧ

everyone in this show need a good sip of Self Worth and Stop Sacrificing Yourself juice 

ngl the sword flying looks very dumb 

“a-cheng, please bring a-xian back.” “i will, i promise.” ;-;

the whole calling each other by the More Intimate Version of the name, first as teasing and later as true intimacy. mmmhmmm yes

untamed where everythings the same but wwx evil flute song is eoeo

related that scene when wwx comes back from the burial mounds for the first time w demonic cultivation and he acts all formal and calls lwj hanguang-jun and keeps being evasive and distant and mean and soooooo................. facetious 

and how hes kind of desperately trying to keep intense lwj at bay (A FIRST) and avoiding actually talking to either of them and its all tension ughhh and then he MOCKS his and lwjs relationship, he jokes w him in this like... mean echo of their usual ~banter~ oof 

 and like!!! uncertain but so relieved jc who just HUGS him w no reservations for once and its not like he isnt just as worried as lwj abt wwx and what hes doing, but he chooses in that moment to enjoy getting him back first and mmhmMMMmMm yes (maybe my favorite scene in the whole show? MAYBE SO. ) 

highkey hurt me but also. i might be into mean wwx. i will take no criticism.

lan zhans sad eyes tho :((((((((( 

on one hand i wish we could have seen what happened at the burial mounds but on the other the timeskip adds so much flair to his return so im hnnn

also i love that hes been missing for 3 months reappears kinda melancholic and bloodthirsty and knowing malign tricks and jc is like 'so. are u sad bc of lan wangji'

when ur bae survived the war but he thinks ur evil/ might be evil so you cant kiss :///

hmmm talking at the rooftop under the moonlight not mentioning everything that stands between usssss

they are the two jades of lan and we’ll be the two heroes of yunmeng is the type of line u dont even need to know whats gonna happen to know thats gonna be sad

when they fight wen ruoshan at the nightless city i thought that was the battle we see at the first ep and its not and its so easy and theyre all like ‘yayy we won go wwx!’ i was just. SCREAMS WHAT is gonna HAPPEN

so like. post burial mounds/sunshot campaign pre yiling patriarch wwx is like. ultra arrogant, ultra mocking, peak lil shit and it gave me e v e r y t h i n g i wanted

even tho having the wen prisoners at the targets at phoenix mountain and still having wwx and jzx shooting the arrows was???? so.... tone deaf 

wwx: fucking w demonic energy   jyl: he has never done anything wrong in his life, ever <3 <3 (mood)

the parallels between meng yao/wei wuxian (and even xue yang a bit?) are Seen and they are Valid

wwx post burial mounds: can yall SHUT UP abt the goddamn sword (suibian left the chat)

LIKE truly, we talk abt the angst and yearning with wangxian. but what abt wwx and suibian. xianbian / xianqing angst and comfort 100k

take a shot everytime someone coughs up blood

zidian is simply the coolest spiritual weapon rip to suibian and chenqing and bichen and sendou and baixa........ but tis the truth 

cons: everyones families died in a nightmare war! everyones homes burned to the ground! everyone is traumatized! pros: everyone gets cooler clothes and weapons!!

wen ning and a-yuan and yanli bestest babes squad dont touch me rn

everyone: brooding and fighting                                                                wq and jyl: why dont you try some acupunture/drinking some soup and calm down huh? how abt that bitch?? 

showing the battle/massacre at the nightless city first was genius actually bc then everytime we have a cute scene w yunmeng bros and theyre like 'we'll be together forever! uwu' youre like oh. oh no. oh no no no. 

justice vs lawfulness vs means and ends 👁

jc: stay in the right path and practice the art of the sword                        wx: yeah thats not gonna happen chief

my reaction to wwx renouncing to the sect politics to help the wens was just that elmo burning gif in succession

the dramatic rain. wen qing desperately calling out to wen ning. the ghosts/puppets killing the guards. how terrifying wn actually was while wwx was controlling him :( lwj goeing after him to try and stop him and then he just; he Sees him and understands him even if he cant actually do anything about it other than let them go. 

“there must be somewhere in this earth we can go to :(((((((((”

"IF I HAVE TO FIGHT THEM, I'D RATHER IT BE YOU. DYING BY YOUR HANDS WOULD AT LEAST BE WORTH IT." oh my god oh my god oh my goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooddddddd

also lwjs umbrella is white w black smoke.. .  . nice

yiling patriarch / demonic farming burial mounds settlement is like one of my favorite concepts. they an "EVIL" FARMING COMMUNITY LED BY THE VILLAGE WITCH COME ON

they planted TURNIPS and LOTUS FLOWERS and ONE (1) baby and made lanterns and a common hall :(((((((

wen qing and wei wuxian, baddest bitches and genius science best friends i absolutely LOVED to see it. they rly went ‘is anyone gonna sibling/project partner that’ and didnt wait for an answer

both wwx and jyl getting lotus ponds at the burial mounds and in lanling bc they miss lotus pier ;;;;;;;w

;;;;; wish jyl had actually gone into the burial mounds. we were robbed of jyl and wq meeting again and jyl meeting a-yuan and seeing the settlement and the homes and all ;w; at least jc did go, stab wounds and broken arms and all

wwx like... having thrown his whole life away to help the wens (yeah the sect leaders and jin guangshan in particular wanting his stygian tiger amulet was an Element but still) and not.... necessarily regretting it, but grappling with all of the consequences of it... becoming moody and drepressed at times, missing his family and lotus pier and his friends and probably simply missing being around people and causing trouble, extrovert that he is, lashing out at the wens and at a-yuan, just in general the whole messiness of that experience

the way the resentful energy does affect his temperament is rly nice bc its not too in your face,(i mean outside of the Shaky Hands of Rage) but like he clearly has a much lesser control on his anger and impulsivity (tall order) than both before bm and after hes ressurected

on that note A-YUAN BABIEST BABY BOY BEST BOY

lan zhan being like oh hey there wei ying fancy meeting u and our son here. just passing by u know how it is hmmmmMm and then PLOT TWIST having defied orders to go see him and being punished for it. oof;;

 they habent seen each other in like? a year? and now theyre tgt 10 seconds and are already parenting a child together

also lwj rly kneels down in the snow way too much to be healthy

wwx: calm down guyssss i wont lose control of demonic cultivation omgggg  .   spoiler alert: he loses control of demonic cultivation

did u enjoy cute children? good bc now the Real Pain Begins

jiang yanli and jin zixuan rly out there APROPRIATING both disaster gays AND bury ur gays huh ;w;

i KNEW jin lings birthday was gonna fuck something up but the GASP that left my body when wwx lost control of wn and killed jin zixuan .. . . 

im sorry and thank you aaaaAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaAAAAaAAAAA 

when wen ning and wen qing were telling wwx their plan i was saying NO NO NO NO NO NO out loud in despair 

also can we talk abt how wq is definetely talking about only the both of them surrending themselves but then? everyone else just surrenders w them? IT MAKES NO SENSE LIKE WHY WOULD THEY what would be the Point

 sometimes there are some pretty gaping jumps in logic and continuity that are just like                     ?          ?

wwx: oh so when you try to murder me its justified but when i survive through dark magic and murder all of you its a "war crime"

unsurprisingly, his most feral, most spiraling moment talking to the sect leaders on the roof and attacking them and even fighting lan zhan is among my favorite scenes... its like, so painful to watch but also   so       thrilling   (and maybe my wen bbs dying arose some resentful energy in me what can i say) 

and its JUST, all they ever wanted was to do good but then... war. and trauma. and hubris. 

jiang cheng on the ground clearly thorn between what to do and feel is a Mood, lets just say

i was already crying when jyl showed up, but if i wasnt-

 i suffered SO MUCH through this series trying to figure out WHY jc would kill wwx. and when i understood. its somehow not as bad as i thought and also MUCH MUCH WORSE

a look into my group chat during the last flashback episodes:

SO ANYWAY. after the BLOOD BATH and RIPPING YOUR HEART OUT and FEEDING IT TO YOU  the untamed goes ‘ayy back to the present!! tu du dud ud du’ 

literally it ends a quarter into an episode and then KEEPS GOING i had to pause and stare blankly at the ceiling for an hour

babie cultivators and detective soulmates . i do need some cute after All of That 

(not that the pain is over LOL)

lwj is significantly less emotionally repressed in the present and its delightful. hes just ALL IN with wwx. and not just in the ‘i would and have killed various men and risked my reputation for you’ but also ‘ur tired here have a drink i brought it up cause i know u like it and it want you to be happy, always’

“when everyone praised me and wanted my power, you were the only one that challenged me. now that everyone hates me and wants me dead, youre the only one that stands by my side.” hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhnnnnnnnnnnnnnn 

and just filling in the blanks how lan zhan searched for him. for all of those 16 years he searched for him and was punished for it and raised a-yuan, the only survivor of the burial mounds settlement, as his own in gusu......

and jiang cheng.  being the tough love uncle . having raised the yunmeng jiang clan from the rubble all alone, his whole family dead, some of it on the blame of his own brother, his siblings, his closest friends gone.......and only jin ling there needing his guidance. 

THE PARALLEL BETWEEN JIN LING BEING A LIFELINE FOR JIANG CHENG AND A-YUAN FOR LAN WANGJI AFTER THE BATTLE AT THE NIGHTLESS CITY  

great now i made myself sad

and like . the fact! that lwj and jc dislike each other!!. jc projects blame onto him for wwx both “leaving” him and indirectly causing their families deaths and when hes so consumed by it he makes wwx an enemy, lwj is there now? trying to protect him?? and lwj, who can never understand the pain that wwx , indirectly or not put jc through, but who was right there when jc tried to kill him and will never allow him to hurt wwx again. and how they like. in a way project blame of their tragedies onto each other while dealing with some type of survivor guilt and in their own way still loving wwx through it all???  amd in way its kind of fundamentally selfish but also tragically understandable? and like when u put it against the fact that after he disappears during the sunshot campaign they were looking for him together and fought together??

JUST. THE CHARACTERS. AND THE RELATIONSHIPS IN THIS. MAN. UGH. GOD. 

and like i think thats what makes it so good? its such a sad and painful and violent story, edgy even, but its compelling bc at the center of it there are all of these relationships and different types of love and hope and. :( i love it

enough crying lets talk abt wwx sleeping at the jingshi with lwj and wearing his under garment for a minute 🙏

 jin ling just has that Was Raised by JC energy tho lmao i love him

babie cultivator squad is the perfect ammount of cute and comedic relief while still bearing the weight? of the narrative in a way, both from sizhui and jin lings existences, and also. like. how do i put this. they feel hopeful? they were born after a war, they came of age at a time of relative peace, they dont hold on so closely to the resentments of their parents/father figures, they are specifically shown as more accepting and open minded. and its like.... Hope for the future  

one of the ?? things  i love the most is the fact that the main cast are often in situations where theyre hunted/running but they like. never wear disguises... just going around in their gorgeous expensive clan clothes and hair ornaments and distinctive spiritual weapons.... maybe w a straw hat on, just for kicks

wwx teacher 🥺🥺🥺

so this is why its called Yi City Misery huh

a-qing is such. an icon. im so sad. my girl even knew to leave xys dumb self rotting by the road but no one listens to her thats why theyre all dead or sad 

her and xue yang measuring each other up was so entertaining lmao

 its the funniest thing when hes like. HERES MY SAD STORY. FOR WHY IM A SADISTIC MURDERER. I BROKE MY HAND ONCE. 

like ok someone broke his hand in a horrible way, and like Poverty, i get it but also like.......... that lost the brunt of a proper sob story like, 50 sadistic murders ago bby

and i love that xingchen does not entertain that for a second hes like ‘not ?????? good enough???’ and the best thing is he wasnt even like 'u hadto be the bigger person' or sth but ' well then break that dudes hand back, rip his arm off for i care, what do the rest of us have to do w anything???” 

anjo sensato :(

xue yang is like..... the sexy sadistic evil version of a himbo..... a meanbo...

the fucked upness of xy’s feelings for xxc/ xxc and sl feelings for each other... like my dude literally gave his bf HIS EYES. and xy getting so attached to xxc .... the fucked up fake domesticity.... having him hurt sl..... then desperately trying to bring him back ...................... oof

song lan........... literally had his eyes AND tongue removed, his bfs eyes put in place, was almost killed, turned into a puppet by his bf unknowingly, manipulated by xy, sees his bf killing himself in despair.... and STILL finds the strenght to get up from there, and keep on traveling and helping people and attempting to fix xxcs soul.......... like, my man. damn. 

wangxian looking at songxiao and seeing an Actually more painful parallel for themselves. ft. that Color Coding. 

THE A-YUAN/SIZHUI REVEAL PUNCHED ME IN THE HEART but in a good way for a change

should have know that he would be the Best Boy the cute one w all the braincells

the butterfly AND the bunny lantern. i see how it is

u know is very convenient that no one can see the stark black veins on wen nings neck, ever 

BAT WEN NING 

wns face when lwj comes into wwx room like ‘:0 omg did u two finally get your shit together? good for you master wei good for u’ 

(they didnt) (yet)

DISASTER DRUNK LWJ. JUST. THRUST SOME CHICKENS TO SHOW UR RESSURECTED BAE THAT U LOVE THEM.

i have absolutely no idea WHY they gave lwj the same punishment for fighting his own sect/allies to protect the burial mounds as when they got drunk on cloud recess class days.... like? its such a ... emotional continuity error again

also is lwj gonna get an actual friend besides wwx , ever

mianmian marrying and having a family and a cute life after saying FUCK U AND UR SYSTEM TOO in a much less unhinged and dramatic way than wwx......... fills me w joy

also lol the idea that like. her husband not knowing that shes friends w satan/the boogey man/the village witch is hilarious

i love nie mingjue bc hes the resident Though Guy but also the most dramatic bitch in this show and thats Saying Something

jin ling cant have one uneventful relative can he

the fact that everyone present already knew “mo xuanyu” was wwx at the stairs is so funny, their faces are like ‘oh............ wow. that. sure is a development. shock” 

in the tradition of extremely loud whispers wwx tells lwj with twelve guards standing like one meter away from them: HEY PSH LAN ZHAN PRETEND IM FORCING YOU TO STAY W ME DO IT

oh my god oh my god

the absolute Yearning on his face when he leaves wwx and a-yuan at the burial mounds and refuses to stay for dinner was already Enough but the fact?? they brought it back?? to this declaration of love?? their expressions??????? strike me dead right now just go ahead

lFor Legal Reasons We Cant Kiss but we will have a very sappy declaration of love and trust and look at each other in way that is the actualization of 💞💘💗💖💓💘💞💗💖💘💗💖💕💞

also icb all the sect leaders and guards are standing there watching them say they like like each other with a dozen swords pointing at their neck

i enjoyed the depiction of the fickle public perception and how easily it can be used to scapegoat people. when the sect leaders turn on jgy and wwx knows thats its more for convenience than anything else...

poor lxc is literally like 'oh so when YOUR problematic boyfriend gets called evil its a misunderstanding but when its MY problematic bf-'

ok like i cant get over nmj let jgy play a song that messed with his temperament at all, like maN u KNEW he might be shady wth

wwx: “hey dont say anything bad abt lan zhan hes not an arrogant dick, thats just his face. 

ME ON THE OTHER HAND"

the cultivators as wwx is poking holes in their narrative is literally *nazaré meme*

"wei wuxian-!" "what did i break your leg, too?" not to be problematic but i laughed so hard

not as hard as "you dont have the rank to talk to me " tho

i Enjoy that, over the course of story, wwx sees that... theres nothing truly to Do, but move on. he saw how his arrogance and his mistakes hurt others, and hes trying to fix what he can, but he already did die for his mistakes and there are things he cant fix and that's. just how it is. even towards jgy, the narrative doesn't go gleefully and completely with "lets make THEM pay bc theyre the big bad" bc its not that simple, and it wouldn't lead anywhere but more pain...

re him and jiang cheng and the wens and kinda. isnt that what nhs did? scheming to displace jgy out of revenge more than any justice and doing so in the most painful way?

idk if that actually makes sense im truly just babbling

i thought the scene at the lotus pond would be CUTE but the context was PAIN again

jiang cheng finding out about his golden core and his conflict with wwx at the guanyin temple .... destroyed me but in a nice way kinda.... same way it destroys him look at his face oh god

and. the fact??? he sacrificed himself for wwx?? first?? and he'll probably never tell anyone much less wwx???? keeps me up at night

i havent decided if the neckbreak transition between jgy does sth super Evil or does he he does OR Does He yes he does O R does heeeee is sth i dislike or not

jin guangyao and wei wuxians most interesting parallel is that... theyve both seen 'hmm hey this system is fucked up' and wwx went 'so fuck it all i will renounce it and challenge it' and jgy went 'so fuck it i will use all of it to my advantage and manipulate it to my goals and whims'

the fact jgys mom was actually great and he loved her and his whole issue w it was more than simply being ashamed of being a bastard kinda got me ngl

never trust a dude with a fan.

nhs and jgy: the first rule to a convoluted and decades spanning violent revenge plot is to have fun and be yourself! 

when a-yuan finally FINALLY remembers ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;-;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; wen ning has someone in his family back and a-yuan has someone to talk abt his wen family and wwx has him back bc he survived and lwj raised him anD HES THEIR SON. THEYRE MARRIED AND HAVE A SON. UGH.

and theyre allowed to heal. everyone is allowed to try and recover and be happy

netflix put all of the 3 endings on top of each other and it looks kinda weird actually BUT I DONT EVEN MIND :’’’’’’’’’)

the gasp that left me when lwj says ‘wei ying’ and wwx turns.........

there was also a screen with ‘thank you mxtx for creating these characters, we hope their wishes come true’ and i might. have cried then too. maybe. 

that was . a ride. as is proven by this behemot of a ramble clearly i just really needed and Outlet. i am currently trying to convince dumb monkey brain to not consume the other medias of mdzs immediately bc i REALLY need to like. live. a life. and take care of real responsibilities.  *longest oh boi ever*

[draconicmaw]

Okee so we all know that neither Atem and Yugi aren’t one to get jealous easily the crazy jealous bfs type or something like that. But I’m curious how would they act if they do feel jealous, so if it's not too much for you, I’d love to see how you’d write two one shots for each of them! Thank you sm! :D

I honestly don't find it hard to imagine Atem as a "jealous" lover. However, I don't think that he would be jealous in a toxic sense, since I think he would be very respectful of his partner's autonomy and whatnot, and I will demonstrate that promptly.

(so far, I only have Atem's done, but when I do Yugi's side I will post it and tag you, 'kay? I hope you enjoy!)

<*><*><*>

Atem found Yugi undeniably adorable. And he meant "adorable" in its essential denotation; it was just so very easy to adore Yugi. Yugi was Atem's light, the axis upon which his world spun, the needle that always showed Atem true north when he lost his way in the puzzling maze of life. Yugi was not without his flaws, of course, but Atem found even those endearing.

For what was more beautiful?

A perfect being? Or an imperfect being always striving to be better than his flawed nature?

Atem believed it to be the latter, without a doubt.

Atem himself was not too much a selfish man, and, thus, he wanted to share this light with any who would be willing to see, because any good person would be worse off not knowing Yugi than they would knowing Yugi.

And though Yugi had always been resplendent as any sweet lotus in Atem's eyes, Yugi had simply bloomed in recent years. His lithesome frame took on a taller stance, now confident and comfortable in his skin in a way that was such a contrast to that day when they first met so many years ago. Instead of hesitation and fear and insecurity in those beautiful eyes of his, there was a keen perception and ageless wisdom that sometimes made Atem forget just who between the two of them was once an ancient spirit.

Besides that, Yugi had... grown in other ways, as well. (Summary: Yugi's newfound cardio routine was treating him [and Atem] very well.) In summation, Yugi was beautiful, inside and out, and, as his best friend and lover, Atem couldn't be any prouder or more satisfied.

After all, Atem was no stranger to "strutting his stuff" when the time called for it, and sometimes that happened to include showing off his wonderful boyfriend because who wouldn't?

Anyway, the main point was that, normally, when Yugi caught the eyes of people in public, Atem generally preened on his behalf.

But sometimes, even Atem found the wandering eyes to be too much.

Like now, as Yugi crouched down to inspect merchandise on the lower shelves in an aisle of the local grocery store. Yugi was wearing those pants, the ones that were snug before his exercise regimen began but now fit him like a second skin. They hugged his toned glutes especially right when he was positioned like so. It wasn't until a figure froze in Atem's peripheral vision that he realized he wasn't the only one admiring Yugi.

Subtly, he flocked his eyes in that direction. A woman stood there, frozen, hands limp on the handles of her shopping cart, her face blanked in an expression that clearly read "what a nice ass."

When Yugi sighed and stood slowly, product in hand, Atem sidled close. Yugi hummed, still focused on the bottle in his hands, but he gasped and startled when Atem's hand grasped at his firm butt in a possessive squeeze.

"Atem!" Yugi hissed, cheeks flushing darkly, but he was obviously trying to bite back a smile. "What are you doing?"

"Simply reminding the general public who has the right to touch your cute butt and who does not," Atem replied, matter-of-fact.

"You're so weird," Yugi muttered, but when he shook his head, Atem could see the little grin on Yugi's lips.

Atem looked over his shoulder. The woman was still standing there, gaping. Atem narrowed his eyes. Red-faced and empty-carted, she was on her way out of the aisle.

Atem wanted the whole world to see how wonderful Yugi was. They just had to remember who got to touch his butt, though.

[sesskagarchive]

Dark/Tragedy

Fics that have a darker tone and/or plot, where really bad things happen and the endings might not always be happy.

‼ Please note that these themed lists may always be expanded based on the suggestions and recs we get, so the lists might change at any given time, even after they’ve been reblogged ‼

A Demon Lord's Cry by Kagome Yuki Niwa

Posted on: Dokuga, FFnet Rating: MA Summary: His howls haunted his castle and with nothing else to do, his subjects call upon Kagome to subdue their lord. Rin has died and her death causes Sesshoumaru to loose himself to his raging beast. While subduing the Western Lord, Kagome inadvertently binds herself to the taiyoukai, making herself Lady of the House of the Moon, and suffers all the perks and downsides of being human royalty among a demonic court. **Winner Joint 2nd Place Drama for the 2010 3rd Quarter Awards**Nominated 1st Quarter 2011 Best Drama, Best Canon**Winner 3rd Place 1st Quarter Best Darkfic/Horror**Winner 2nd Place 2nd Quarter Best Drama** Status: Hiatus/Abandoned

A Self Called Nowhere by Noacat

Posted on: FFnet, Spark Rating: MA Summary: Minor Edits to ch. 14. Six years after leaving the feudal era, Kagome contemplates her choices. She looks to the stars for answers and finding nothing, looks inward. Status: Abandoned

A Woman! by Sugar0o

Posted on: Dokuga, FFnet Rating: MA Summary: Loosely based of off 'Mulan.' Kags decides to take her fathers place in the war for the West, but gets caught unexpectedly. AU, S/K, evey1s a demon mostly **COMPLETE**

Alpha by Lyra

Posted on: Dokuga, FFnet Rating: MA Summary: Kagome mates Inuyasha...but Inuyasha was reluctant. Why? Pack politics...and his brother, who is Alpha. What that means will take time to learn, if Kagome can only live long enough for the lessons... Finally Complete!

Behind the Curtain by MissKatt

Posted on: Dokuga, FFnet Rating: MA Summary:  Unable to pay for her brother's cancer treatments once the insurance no longer covers it, Kagome is presented with an opportunity to pay off the debt. After being thrust into a world she never thought she would be a part of, she is presented with several new opportunities; some which are good and some not so much.

Beneath the Light of the Moon by Inari24

Posted on: Dokuga, FFnet Rating: MA Summary: Kagome returns to the Feudal Era and finds that the past has fallen victim to the Dark. An ancient evil has escaped its prison and it seeks to extinguish the Light and Kagome finds herself a target. The Western lord stands at her side, unwilling to allow the Darkness to possess the beautiful priestess or destroy the future he intends for them. Status: Hiatus/Abandoned

Blood Stained by Madison

Posted on: AO3, Dokuga, FFnet Rating: MA Summary:  COMPLETE! A sudden loss of control intertwined their fates. It dragged her through hell and he couldn't have cared less. She tried to escape her fears but the only way to do it was to face him through time and love.

Broken Promises by Oroyukae

Posted on: Dokuga Rating: MA Summary:  She had believed all he had said , whispered at the most intimate of moments in their life together. No, he hadn't lied to her, he couldn't do that . He just repeatedly made promise after promise that he found hard to keep. [ FIN ]

Capital Offense by Oroyukae

Posted on: Dokuga Rating: MA Summary: It was wrong; it was illegal...it was reciprocated. Like his father before him, he could not deny what he felt for the human female. For that, he would pay dearly. He found himself faced with the question he had asked his father numerous times...was it worth it? {Complete}

Captured and Trapped by sweetest angel

Posted on: Dokuga, FFnet Rating: MA Summary: Kagome woke up in a cell...and not alone. Will she survive her ordeal? Will she be able to escape? SessKag pairing. Rating for later chapters. Sorry, bad summary.*Last Chapter*

Dragon Dancer by Scar

Posted on: Dokuga, FFnet Rating: MA Summary: Beaten into giving up her pink ballet shoes. Beaten almost to death, Kagome swore she would never come back. Yet here she was years later back in Japan, surrounded by her future. In the middle of striking business deals something darker then an abusive ex boyfriend is lurking. Sesshomaru has agreed to help her, it was supposed to be just business but it turns into something else. (UNDER REVISION)

Dragon's Prey by CiraArana

Posted on: FFnet, Spark Rating: MA Summary:  A new kind of dragons invades Japan, dragons from the Far West whose prey are virgins. What is the best way for a girl to protect herself against these dragons? Well, it is obvious, isn't it ...? COMPLETE  

Elsewhere by flowers

Posted on: Adult fanfiction, FFnet Rating: MA Summary:  With the medicine of time healing has begun. The well is sealed yet he is hesitant. A promise long ago binds him to his acitons. How will she react to this monster from the past? SessKag. Content somewhat dark.

Fugue by Resmiranda

Posted on: FFnet, Spark Rating: MA Summary: The present revolves around the past; truth and remembrance are two different things. After the well closes forever, Kagome finds a familiar face in the present era. [SessKag] [COMPLETE]

Golden by acediadono

Posted on: AO3, Dokuga, FFnet Rating: MA Summary: War has broken out between the Demon Lords of Feudal Japan, the Lord of the West enlists Kagome to fight on the front lines as his spiritual weapon. Trying to juggle the demands of two time lines and attempting to save the demon way of life is not an easy task. Not everything is as it seems. SessxKag MA Lemon/Smut.

Golden Veil by BelovedStranger

Posted on: Dokuga, FFnet Rating: MA Summary: A 100 word drabble series: Sesshomaru suffered an unfortunate loss; though, he hid the pain inside, but Kagome was a kindred spirit who understood the feelings he refused to acknowledge, knowing without seeing that they were there.

February Lullaby by kaoruhana

Posted on: Dokuga Rating: MA Summary: Kagome and Sesshomaru meet when their respective spouses are in a car accident. The event changes both their lives as they come to learn of the reason for the accident and get to know each other in the period that follows. Loosely bad off the Korean movie "April Snow". Status: Hiatus

Make Up Your Mind!! by Koishii_Beloved

Posted on: Dokuga, FFnet Rating: MA Summary: Sesshoumaru and Kagome, both, have agreed to a divorce. Kagome is all ready for it, but what happens when Sesshoumaru decides to back out?

Moonstruck by Aiwendil Amaurea

Posted on: FFnet, Spark Rating: MA Summary: Sesshoumaru, driven by his pride and arrogance, kidnaps Kagome for his own purposes. In the moonlight, the line between friend and foe blurs, and confusion reigns. Trapped in a deadly countdown, two lost souls wait for the darkness to wane. {Completed}

Never Forget by BelovedStranger

Posted on: Dokuga, FFnet Rating: MA Summary: A man unwilling to commit, a woman whose heart has shattered. Love can so easily turn to hate. Kagome vows to make Sesshomaru feel the same heartache he has inflicted upon her, but will her vengeful schemes backfire when, finally, Sesshomaru realizes how much Kagome means to him and vows to mend her broken heart? Or was he too late?

Of His Blood by OnyxIvyStone

Posted on: Dokuga Rating: MA Summary: This is only a moment. It's’ only a fraction of your life, Kagome. And you’ll go on now and be stronger because of it. You’ll live and be happy, love and grow and forgive. You will because you are loved.

Priceless by Cassie

Posted on: AO3, Dokuga, FFnet Rating: MA Summary: Sesshomaru is the CEO of his father's company. On his way home from work one night, Sesshomaru's beast stirs, which hasn't happened in over 200 years. What could this mean? Sesshomaru had kept it locked up for so long, why is it coming back to the surface now of all times, and what is with this odd sense of urgency? Rated mature for graphic depictions of self-harm and abuse, as well as some strong language. Be warned! Status: WIP

Red Lotus by Maddie-san/Madison

Posted on: AO3, Dokuga, FFnet Rating: M Summary: Five hundred years later, an obligation brought him to her when the end was near. He could watch her die, or he could vow to look after her until death do them apart. Status: Hiatus/Abandoned

Rise Again by Catalina

Posted on: Dokuga Rating: MA Summary: Youkai have become weak and feeble but are attempting to strengthen their population. Sesshoumaru leads them, and discovers the solution to their problem in an unwilling human. VERY non-consensual stuff happens. Frequently.

S t a s i s by wonderbug

Posted on: AO3, Dokuga Rating: MA Summary: Love, he tells her, as he trails a claw along the pathway of her shivering spine, is only a human notion. [VERY dark; drabble-ish CU/AR]

Stealing Heaven by Freya Ishtar

Posted on: Dokuga Rating: MA Summary: COMPLETE! Higurashi Kagome thinks it a dream come true when she gets an internship on an archeological dig, but finds that her life is in another's hands after her professor, Taisho Sesshomaru, becomes possessed by an entity that considers his prize pupil quite the delicacy. *2nd Place Best Angst Fiction at the Feudal Association, Sept. 2011* *1st Place Best Darkfic/Horror, 1st Place Best Lemonfic, 2nd Place Best AU/AR, Nominated Best Drama~ 4th Qtr, 2010; 1st Place Best AU/AR, Nominated Best Drama~ 1st Qtr, 2011; 1st Place Best Lemon~ 2nd Qtr, 2011* *1st Place Best AU/AR & 2nd Place Best Darkfic/Horror~ 1st Qtr, 2012*

The Broken Miko by RosieB

Posted on: FFnet Rating: MA Summary: New summary: After a tragic battle and a wish with unexpected consequences, Kagome finds the infamous taiyoukai. He has the power to help her, but will he? KagomeXSess COMPLETE WITH EPILOGUE!

Unforgivable by Walter205

Posted on: Dokuga Rating: MA Summary: What had happened to her was no excuse. What she had done was unforgivable and now, ten years later, she would finally have the chance to pay for her mistake. (Content Warnings include Gang Rape, Victim Blaming, and Suicide). Status: WIP

Unworthy One… by Vyncent

Posted on: Dokuga, FFnet Rating: MA Summary: They all were dead, but one. Yet the lone survivor was not alive either. **Not for Kikyou Lovers! This story contains violence, sexual content and rape! You are WARNED**

Violation of Honor by Rinseternalsoul

Posted on: Adult fanfiction Rating: MA Summary:  Post Naraku-Canon: Sesshomaru faces a vindictive female youkai that holds a weapon that controls the mind, and he becomes her slave to all things carnal. Used and broken, can a miko's gentle touch save him? Lemon, N/C, Slav

Virginity of the Soul by Madison/Maddie-san

Posted on: Adult fanfiction, AO3, Dokuga, FFnet Rating: MA Summary: Fresh from a betrayal that shattered her world, she was lured into getting even. Alas, the ones we trust and love aren’t always the ones we should. Semi-PWP. COMPLETE

When the Belladonnas Bloom by NovemberDoll

Posted on: Dokuga Rating: MA Summary: Cursed upon birth, exalted as the most notorious puppet of the Warlord Onigumo, his first and beloved consort finally turns sixteen. A gift from her generous lover: a harem of her own, to quell her insatiable lust. But many a man that stepped in her bedchambers were never seen alive again. That would change tonight, when a golden-eyed concubine accidentally unravels a most hidden secret. (AU) Status: WIP

Winter Hearts by Scarredbride

Posted on: Spark Rating: MA Summary: Complete..Dark Sesshoumaru/Kagome fanfiction. Starts out with sexual violence and abuse. Things do run a little smoother later on.

[uraharabyakuya]

Rant: ChenQingLing is a disgrace.

Disclaimer: this is a rant, and it’s antiCQL. So those who like it, pls ignore and refrain from posting your counter arguments to me. I just want to vent my displeasure of this live action and only welcome those who agree with me to comment and share.

Being a massive fan of MDZS, I just have to get this off my chest. I am sick of all these brainwashing and gaslighting by so called “fans” of the original work who are singing high praises for this shambles of an adaptation.

The live action series should be ashamed of themselves because they’re simply using the popularity and following from the franchise and totally disrespecting the core of the story and characters. Before these nincompoops come and wax lyrical about adaptations being different from the source material, there is an obvious difference between a genuine adapatation to screen whereby the major plot lines are maintained, the core stories are maintained, the character histories are maintained and superfluous or extrapolated materials are minimised, also where there are obvious gaps of non-explained or non-elaborated space only is where things are created and imagined. Whereas a rubbish excuse of an adaptation is what CQL has done. Because what it did was to use the characters names, take the fantasy world setting and cool elements, and then totally walk over the storyline by completely meshing and mixing and stirring everything and everyone into a big pot of dog poo. And testament to them just using the franchise’s popularity to milk money and attention is by completely unashamedly BL-bait with all the WangXian interactions including many that are either not in the book or extras, or not in the right context or scene, or completely nonexistent and made up. And then the shameless tag that it’s just a platonic bromance since censorship in China wouldn’t allow this. Right.

So let’s talk about the plot. So WWX is not some grandmaster of demonic cultivation since it has already been going on behind the scenes with Xue Yang casually helping WRH practise some hardcore demonic cultivation and the fact that the Tiger Stygian Amulet is just some relic that’s been around for ages. Nothing to do with WWX’s ingenuity and talent for harnessing the resentful energy stored in that sword found at the TuLuXuanWu cave. Then apparently the TianNu statue that comes to life was already something that he and LWJ had encountered before in their youth whilst they go along to hunt for the Amulet pieces. And then WQ apparently is able to influence the zombified with a flute like instrument anyway. And then apparently Lan Yi and WWX’s mum knew each other cos nothing spells more destined love than when your respective previous generation also had some sort of bond and connection. And the bunnies were really reared by her so not a sweet little homage of the Wangxian love. And the forehead ribbon is not just ugly aesthetics wise but LWJ can’t decide if he’s steadfast about it or he is nonchalant about taking it off and tying it onto WWX’s wrist even when he was not intoxicated. And then WWX was already using some unexplained paper puppet powers which was apparently not seen as demonic cultivation in his youth to mess about, and he apparently could manipulate LWJ quite easily to get him drunk. And when things that are not canon like LXC and JGY they just had to make their first meeting so obviously charged with innuendo. And then WQ since the actress invested in the series, had to be important, so she is given some all so noble duty of being the good guy in the bad camp who is doing stuff that she doesn’t want to but she is still good and should be liked though she’s still a bad guy nonsense trope. So she goes to GuSu to get the amulet piece for WRH, because only when he gets the piece will she be able to somehow bring WN away. And WN was a great enough character both alive and dead as the Ghost General with his design from the source material, but no, they want to embellish it that he’s afflicted with some condition that makes him susceptible to being possessed and taken over by evil spirits. Wtf. And naturally, WQ should somehow capture JC’s eye, because why would JC want to be infatuated with a Wen person when eventually they cause the demise of his parents and his clan. But hey maybe he’d be so selective thinking WQ didn’t do it though so that’s okay. Like wtf.

Let’s talk about the actors. I like WWX’s look, the actor has a good face, he “looks” like a WWX, but damn his acting is bad. And damn, he cannot do the duality of WWX, because he does not exude that dangerous aura and the strength and power that WWX naturally possess because of his natural abilities, evident even before he was a Yiling Patriarch, much less if this guy wants to play a convincing Patriarch. He does all these ogling of LWJ from the get go since they met, cue all the cheap BL baiting. And he pouts and stomps his feet and acts cute the whole time. WWX is cheeky, naughty, devious, mischievous, but not girly, not a sissy. Wtf. Then we move onto LWJ. So that guy is some boy and heartthrob, but damn he has neither r looks nor the presence nor the acting skills to touch LWJ. WTF. The moment he appeared he made me want to slap LWJ, want to cry for his ru8ning of his whole imagery. The action sequence is so wooden, and the expressions are so constipated or dead. Everybody else looked bad. The actors I think chosen right for their looks were WWX, WN (alive version, the ghost general version has such awful make up it makes me cringe), NHS, JGY, XY (he apparently got to get a good looking dude to play him who also looks kind of evil and yet looks like an anime character walked out of the anime) and maybe JC (that’s because aesthetically he actually can be considered good looking and that is ridiculous because he’s better looking than the Twin Jades of Lan in this). LXC and his butt chin hurts my eyes. WRH looking like some voodoo witch doctor gone drag in his evil volcanic dungeon lair makes me want to throw an encyclopaedia at someone’s head violently. NMJ looking like a complete perverted uncle complete with hentai stache is just blasphemous. JZX just looks weird, no better way to put it.

So onto the make up, costumes and props. Make up is so shit that you can see up close where spots are done smoothed over or powdered down, the gore or the effects of veins and wounds are so fake and so obviously drawn on it looked like a 6yo went to arts class and took some marker pen and crayon and created these outcomes. The props are so cheap that the ghost hand looks like a rubber Halloween glove you get from the prop shop around the corner, the deity binding ropes look exactly like rough ropes. The Emperor Smile bottles look so tiny and white that it looks more like medicine bottles on ancient times than an expensive alcohol bottle. Where’s the YunMeng silver bell, the jade piece on LWJ’s robe. The forehead ribbon looks so cheap because it’s too thin and the stupid metallic piece in the middle is ridiculous. Why can’t they just stick with the original to have the silk cloth with the cloud patterns embroidered on the cloth. And the clothes, Lan sect is supposed to be ethereal, so why are they dressed in such plain white and tight clothes. They should have the flowing sleeves, the light blue tones, and the cloud embroidery. YunMeng needs to have their original violet colour, the Wen Sect does not need to be full body red like they’re getting married (see WQ), and the Jin sect needs their golden robes with the centrepiece of the JinXinXueLang peony, not some watered down white with yellow hues and nothing else to show for it. And what is with LWJ’s hair do and hair piece, it has such a disgusting look to it and it doesn’t look right. Do the bun properly and the accessory properly, not some weird plop of hair right in front on top of his head and then put a flat piece of elaborate metal on top of it.

I had been looking forward to seeing the epic ness of MDZS brought to the small screen. I had been completely prepared for changes in terms of the romance line being cut, but I fully expected the main storylines to be followed and perhaps elaborated on. Not to be chopped and changed and meshed up and violated like they’ve done so. And with the ability to get some really lovely natural scenery and some of the sets that actually look good eg the Lotus seat in Yun Meng was elaborate and intricate. So why won’t they invest in the right places like making the make up perfect, getting the costumes and looks correct, getting actual actors who can act cos even if they don’t look aesthetically good enough but if they’re solid actors it would flow so much better, and more vitally, why don’t they retell and elaborate on the existing epic storyline as it is! That’s the core of it, the MDZS storyline and major scenes are so awesome wit( their backstories, no changes need to be made, but merely elaborated and extrapolated on, not to be comepltely vandalised and violated. My heart breaks as for the sake of my love for MDZS, I’ve watched 8 eps and had to stop and restart so many times because of how jarring, unnatural, awkward, infuriating, irritating and frustrating the factors above contribute to my viewing. And now the greatness of MDZS as an original source material will forever be tainted by the sacrilege that is the Untamed.

[carnistcervine]

Twin Avatars + Zuko

Okay, so you know my Twin Avatars AU? I just thought of something. What if I combined it with Avatar Zuko and had Zuko be the Dark Avatar? :'D

-So while Aang ends up frozen in an iceberg, the current Dark Avatar dies fighting against the Fire Nation.

-While Aang is in the ice, Chiaro goes into stasis. With it's twin in hibernation, Scuro also goes into a sleep of sorts.

-Avatars are born and die, never knowing their fate and eventually the cycle swings back to fire and Zuko is born.

-No one knows that Zuko is the Dark Avatar, not even Zuko. Since Scuro is basically hibernating, when Zuko received his burn, he's unable to access the Avatar State.

-So Zuko is banished and sent to find and capture both Avatars, his father knowing full well that neither had been seen for a hundred years.

-Zuko scours every corner of the globe having no idea that he's one of the Avatars he's looking for.

-He doesn't consciously notice the pull of destiny drawing him to the south pole when Aang is about to be released.

-When Aang is released from the ice, Chiaro awakens.

-Instinctively, Zuko knows that the light he saw bursting into the sky was the Avatar. He can't explain why(or rather he doesn't want to accept the reason) but he just knows.

-When Zuko and Aang meet, their spirits resonate and they both just know. Zuko knows that Aang is the Light Avatar, but more importantly, Aang knows Zuko is the Dark Avatar.

-Zuko is confused, he feels like he's meeting up with a best friend that he hasn't seen in ages, but he knows(thinks) that the Light Avatar is his enemy.

-Zuko reacts to this confusion the way he usually does, with rage.

-Of course, Aang happily points out that Zuko is an Avatar too, and it goes poorly...

-Enraged, Zuko denies the accusation wholeheartedly.

-Both Zuko and Aang feel the draw of their inner spirit's platonic affection. Aang is heartbroken by Zuko's rejection. Zuko breaks his own heart by refusing to allow himself to be friends with Aang.

-Aang surrenders to Zuko, hoping that he can maybe talk some sense into him. It doesn't work, Zuko's only interested in fighting Aang.

-Aang hurts because his platonic soulmate hates him and is trying to fight him, Zuko is twisted up on the inside because a deep, ancient part of his spirit loves his fellow Avatar very deeply.

-While Aang is in the Avatar State, Chiaro tries to reach out to Zuko. Zuko resists wholeheartedly, nearly going into the Avatar state himself.

-When Aang escapes on Appa, Zuko finds that he doesn't have the heart to try and strike them down.

-Aang looks back at Zuko who just watches them as they get away.

-Sokka and Katara can hardly believe that Zuko is an Avatar, but being an Avatar himself, Aang can confirm.

-Aang suspects from the scar on Zuko's face that he was tortured into turning against him.

-Suddenly Katara really wants to help the scarred Avatar.

-Sokka doesn't like or trust firebenders, but he can't deny that letting the Fire Nation have their own Avatar would be disastrous.

-Of course Iroh immediately has several questions for Zuko. Because if Zuko is the Avatar... this is very important and it's critical that he is properly trained.

-Obviously Zuko completely denies being the Avatar and tries to make his uncle drop the subject.

-Seeing as Zuko hasn't bent any other elements(yet), Iroh decides to drop the subject.

-With Scuro finally awake, Zuko's avatar abilities begin to show.

-It's not too long before he starts to earthbend. The first instance being on Kyoshi, right in front of everyone.

-Everyone is shocked, but Aang is just like, 'I told you so!'

-Zuko manages to get away, but now the world knows the Dark Avatar has returned.

-The Gaang start making plans on trying to capture Zuko so they can help him.

-Iroh confronts Zuko about being the Avatar.

-Zuko continues to deny the blatant truth, and Iroh loves his nephew but sometimes the poor old man feels like he gonna have a stroke.

-Iroh is afraid that now Zuko's crew know what he is, they'll kill him, but instead they just go along with Zuko.

-Avatar, what Avatar? Zuko's obviously just a cranky firebender.

-Iroh isn't sure if he's relieved that the crew are willing to put themselves on the line to help Zuko, or concerned that they're more-or-less letting him skirt by on his denial.

-Either way, Zuko's crew refuse to turn against him. Though it's less to do with Zuko, and more to do with their undying loyalty to his kindly Uncle.

-They realize that Zuko's the only thing keeping Iroh in this world, and don't want to hurt the old man.

-Even if they think Iroh deserves better than his bratty Avatar nephew.

-The crew end up helping Iroh go behind Zuko's back to find an earthbending teacher.

-The past Dark Avatars start to reach out to Zuko, the most recent ones visiting him in his dreams.

-While Aang is sad and heartbroken over Zuko's rejection, he has Sokka and Katara to help him. Meanwhile, Zuko is rejecting those around him and feels horribly sad and heartbroken deep inside.

-Going back a bit, because Zuko never has to get his ship repaired, Zhao never gets the opportunity to taunt him and find out about the Avatar's return.

-However, he does find out when Aang goes into the avatar state at the Southern Air Temple.

-Zuko tries to follow Aang, but he's a bit late and is incapacitated by strange headache when Aang goes into the avatar state.

-With the knowledge that the Light Avatar is alive and active, Ozai has all resources towards capturing him officially handed over to Zhao.

-Zhao of course throws this up in Zuko's face.

-Once it becomes revealed to the world that the Dark Avatar has returned, Zhao is officially relegated to his capture as well.

-Though, it's a well kept secret by the Gaang and Kyoshi warriors who exactly the Dark Avatar is.

-Iroh continues to slyly try to get Zuko to learn earthbending. He goes through his connections in the White Lotus to try and locate an earthbending teacher, but in the meantime, he has Zuko study earthbending scrolls.

-Obviously Zuko is pissed because he's in denial about being a damn Avatar, but Iroh manages to convince him to study and practice the forms by telling him that diversifying his techniques will strengthen and improve his firebending.

-Technically not a lie, but we all know what Iroh's really tryna do.

-The stress, past avatars trying to nag him, and heartache of being separated from Chiaro all have a severe negative impact on Zuko's mental state.

-He ends up restless, and sometimes slightly delirious.

-Iroh worries deeply for him, and tries to figure out ways to get him and the Light Avatar back together.

-When Zhao ends up capturing Aang, the past Avatars help Zuko break into the stronghold and break Aang out.

-The Light and Dark Avatars being kindred spirits, Aang recognizes Zuko even in his disguise. But Aang doesn't say anything. He plays dumb, because he'd do anything to have his platonic soulmate back by his side.

-When Zuko is knocked out, Chiaro takes out and sends out a blast of light in a fit of rage.

-With the soldiers and Zhao temporarily blinded by the dazzling light show, a Chiaro-possessed Aang flees into the night with Zuko.

-Aang doesn't even bother with the 'could we be friends' speech, he just fucking kidnaps Zuko while he's still unconscious.

-Zuko wakes up before Aang can bring his friends to coherency, and promptly bolts.

-Once Zuko gets back to his ship, he just tells his uncle that he's tired and he goes to bed.

-Zuko keeps trying to chase the Gaang down and capture Aang, and the Gaang keep setting up traps to kidnap Zuko.

-Zuko finds himself feeling increasingly torn about what he wants to do.

-Despite himself, he starts to enjoy the groups antics.

-He tries to tell himself that he hates them. It doesn't work. He tries, but it doesn't work.

-Getting his ship blown up makes him go into the avatar state.

-In the North Pole, Katara actually hides while Aang crosses over into the spirit world.

-The Gaang's plan is to use Aang as bait and to incapacitate Zuko. By either freezing or hitting him.

-Zuko is suspicious of when he sees Aang unguarded and all alone, but as soon as he touches him, Chiaro drags him into the spirit world and effectively incapacitates Zuko.

-While Zuko is trapped, the spirits circle around Zuko and nag the hell out of him. Talking about duty and his destiny and role in this world.

-Zuko isn't hearing a single fucking word of this and yells in angry.

-As soon as Aang comes to his senses, Zuko is dragged right back to his body as well.

-Only problem is that Zhao now knows that Zuko is the Dark Avatar and has the whole group surrounded and both Zuko and Aang captured.

-Zhao reveals his grand plan to kill the moon, and everyone is horrified.

-Iroh stands to defend the moon spirit and breaks out of his restraints and helps his uncle.

-The Gaang break out and defeat Zhao's forces, Zhao seeing that he's loosing, takes Yue hostage.

-Zuko takes exception to this and takes Zhao down, protecting Yue in the process.

-Thoroughly defeated, Zhao tries to take a parting shot at the oasis pool, but a dark shadow reaches out and drags him in before he can harm the spirits.

-Zuko tries to save Zhao, but Zhao is too prideful to accept Zuko's help.

-Now leaderless and unable to beat the waterbenders, the Fire Nation retreats.

-Zuko and Iroh sneak off before the waterbender guards can come to the scene to capture the defeated firebenders.

-Zuko and Iroh have already boarded their raft and set themselves adrift when an unknown passenger jumps on.

-It's Yue.

-Yue says that the moon spirit told her to join them.

-Zuko already hates it.

-The north is freaking out because their princess is missing and Aang vows to find her and bring her home safely.

-They trust his word because he is the Avatar who helped save their home, but they can't help but wonder where the mysterious Dark Avatar went.

-Yue ditches her royal robes and changes up her hair to help hide her identity.

-She also ends up going by Mochi.

-Iroh, Zuko, and Yue traversing the Earth Kingdom.

-Yue learns more about the world outside of the north, and Zuko starts to chill out a little more and gets closer to accepting himself as being the Dark Avatar.

-He even finally relents to learning proper earthbending, and disguises himself as an earthbender.

-He finds that he gets quite good at it.

-His uncle playfully jokes that it's cause he's a bit of a rock head.

-However Zuko does still end up going off on his own for a bit.

-When he goes to the village and confronts the asshole soldier, Scuro possess him and puts on a terrifying show.

-The horrified town chases him out with pitchforks and torches, calling him a half-spirit abomination.

-The world still doesn't know that Zuko is the Dark Avatar, but Azula figures it out fairly quickly.

-When Iroh is shot by Azula, Yue heals him and helps Zuko look after him.

-The Gaang are still trying to capture Zuko tho.

-It's only after Zuko scares them off by nearly going into the avatar state, that as the Gaang are flying off, they realize that was Yue with Zuko. 

-When they get to Ba Sing Se, Yue works at the tea shop too, and she's excellent at customer service.

-When Azula kills Aang in the avatar state, Zuko is too shocked to move. Part of him is deeply saddened, watching his platonic soulmate die, another part is enraged at Azula, and the rest of him just doesn't know what to do.

-It takes everything in him to hold Scuro back and he collapses on the spot.

-Azula takes Zuko back to the Fire Nation and tells Ozai that even though Zuko is the Dark Avatar, he slayed the Light Avatar in the name of the Fire Nation.

-In his time back at the Fire Nation, Zuko feels a deep pain and dread welling up within him.

-He can also feel Scuro writhing within his skin everytime he sees Azula.

-Scuro wants to kill Azula. Badly.

-Zuko knows, he can feel it in his Avatar Spirit that Aang is alive.

-Zuko doesn't have the heart to hire an assassin to kill Aang.

-The world thinks that the Dark Avatar has turned traitor. Perhaps corrupted by his own inner darkness?

-The Fire Nation attempts to groom and train their Avatar for war and destruction, but with his own inner conflict reaching a fever pitch, Zuko's strength wanes and he falls ill.

-He's tormented nightly by horrible nightmares. It gets so bad that he starts to drink drugged tea to get peaceful rest.

-Then, the war meeting happens and Azula gives the suggestion to raze the Earth Kingdom.

-Zuko doesn't sleep that night.

-The next day he confronts his father during the eclipse and tells him point blank that he's taking his rightful side by the Light Avatar and together their gonna come back and take him down.

-When Zuko goes to join the Gaang, the others are all "grrr" but Aang just immediately tackle-hugs him and starts crying because poor Aang has been waiting for his platonic soulmate to come around for SO LONG.

-Zuko can hardly believe it but, he's crying too.

-Also, while Zuko was in the Fire Nation, Yue joined the Gaang!

-Zuko teaches Aang firebending, and Aang teaches Zuko airbending.

-On the day of destiny, Yue and Katara take down Azula, and Zuko and Aang take down Ozai.

-Aang is a pacifist, and Zuko can't actually bring himself to kill his own father, so Aang ends up energybending that bitch.

And that’s all I got. I just wanted to write this out and get it down, because I actually really kinda like this idea.

[herbalcompendium]

A Treatise on Transmutation I: History and Intention

I’ve been asked often about the art and origins of transmutation; its associated stones and what one can create from such a sort of specialized alchemical magic. Transmutation is an art nearly as ancient as the world itself, passed down from gods and titans to men and mortals. It is no miracle art - it cannot turn back time or turn pieces of bodies back to a whole, living being they once were. It cannot turn an ingot of iron to a mountain of gold, nor can it meld or sublime the spirit. What it can do, however, is subsume and coalesce matter and essence into different forms. Nothing in transmutation is ever destroyed, nor created. It is only changed in form.

Practically every race, brood, and tribe of peoples that practice this advanced facet of alchemy have some form of transmutational focus. This focus is colloquially known as an Alchemist’s Stone, or the more archaic Philosopher’s Stone. It was once postulated - no doubt intentionally - that only the supremely learned, noble, and distinguished could create stones of transmutation. While it is true that this art is not a practice that should be meddled in without acute knowledge of intention, it is certainly not reserved for only those born with a silver spoon on their tongues. Albeit, with fastidious study of transmutation one may well be able to transmute a silver spoon onto their own tongue.

The exact origin to the Alchemist’s Stone is somewhat unknown. Virtually every proud and industrious race claims the discovery as their own. My own assumed people, the Pre-Sundering Kaldorei ancients, claim this stone as a magician’s discovery in the noble court of Queen Azshara. I can beyond reasonable doubt dismiss this as a fallacy - for the queen’s court then used hand mirrors, pearl combs, and other useless baubles as their preferred magical foci. They were more a show of wealth than true power. The most ancient clans and broods of elves outside of palace and sanctum had their own version of focusing stones, albeit those were used (and still are, rarely) to read fate, communicate with forces beyond, and see spirit, not for transmutational means. It is far more likely, much to the chagrin of many elves, that the first Alchemist’s Stones came from the Gurubashi Empire. Hysteria and feeble pride grows so rampant in capital cities I may do well to avoid them for some time after producing this fact, but I care not. The Gurubashi trolls and their beliefs have always remained within the center principle of transmutational magics. It is such a strange thing, transmutation, for as logical and exacting as it may be, it is also an art that requires either deep belief or deep spirituality in principle. To the Gurubashi, this principle is expressed by the following phrase in their dialect of Zandali: 

“Vol Ikambokem Taz’Rush, Ija Oshu’Lor”. 

This phrase carries a certain poetry and deep spiritual intention that cannot be translated to the blunt Common tongue, but it loosely means something like this: “By stone and blood I am made, by grace I am born. By the gods I am imbued with spirit, and by this spirit I may carry my spirit into others and back to stone again.” This incantation can be found on tattered Gurubashi heraldry, ceremonial possessions, ruins, and of course - it is uttered over and over when the troll empire created some of the first Alchemist’s Stones known to the world. In alchemy, this principle exists in a much simpler epithet: “As above, so Below.” The central principle of transmutation is the connection of body to earth, earth to spirit, spirit to sky, and sky to gods or kosmos. The Gurubashi revered transmutation as a conduit to the divine and a divine-given power. Their expression in its native tongue is quite hard to wrap a non-native speaker’s tongue around, so it was eventually shortened as an acronym of its parts: “Vol” becoming a “V”, “Ikambokem” an “I”, and so forth, its abbreviation spelling out “VITRIOL”. Subsequently, so was named one of the fundamental substances used to create the first more modern Alchemist’s Stones, known as a Philosopher’s Stone. Then, and still now, “black vitriol” is a relatively anomalous substance found when collecting minerals or even sifting through ancient clay. This substance, along with purple lotus, firebloom, and iron, must all be used in measures of four to create a Philosopher’s Stone. The Gurubashi thought black vitriol to be the spilled blood of a slain loa whose name was lost to time. It is an odd, oily, unbreakable crystal swirling with black within. Unless it is used in the transmutation of a Philosopher’s Stone, it is quite unbreakable by regular means.

[theheartofpenelope]

Simple Things : Chapter fourteen

Excerpt - Because when someone manages to make you the happiest person and the saddest person at the same time, that's when it's real. That's when it's worth something. But her friend kept mum and it drove Lizzie up the wall. Oh yes, the part of an innocent bystander did not become her… never had, never would.  Tag list: @winterisakiller, @devikafernando, @scorpionchild81, @messy-insomniac-bookgirl, @smutsausage, @hiddlesbitch1 @noplacelikehome77 @wolfsmom1 @meh1217 @dina-bln @lilaeye39 @tinchentitri @fairlightswiftly @nonsensicalobsessions @wolfsmom1 @stmeiou @ink-and-starlight @givemecocoaa @profkmoriarty13 @nikkalia @massivelemon @lotus-eyedindiangoddess @argo-shila @emoietmoi@redfoxwritesstuff @sweetkingdomstarlight-blog @raining-litter @theoneanna @coppercorn-and-cauldron @turniptitaness @shadyskit @memoriesat30 @antyc67 @just-the-hiddles @sheris532 @marggot4 @jennytwoshoes @nibtime @hiddlescastle @funnygirlthatgab @deebee9114

Author’s Notes/Warnings: tags will follow later on Anyway thank you in advance for feedback - would love to know what you think…Also on AO3 through this link Masterlist available through here Bonus: click here for the pinterest moodboard (always updated)

Chapter 14 : Athens and a slice of home

1. Curious Lizzie

Friends had quickly detected a subtle change in Charlotte’s behaviour. She seemed softer, tired still but….  happier and maybe a bit more carefree…could that be? Lizzie did not hesitate to, one day, point out  ‘Charlie’s apparent delirious happiness’ .

Ok she might have embellished a bit in that department, but for all the best reasons though. She had teased her friend at first with offhandedly inquiring if perhaps it was because business was going well, earning herself that ‘non-disclosing Charlie-smile’.

Truth of the matter was that Lizzie was fairly sure a certain ‘Tom’ had his hand in Charlie’s new-found bliss. And the annoying fact that her friend still remained to keep the matter under wraps peaked her curiosity only more.

An inquiry along the likes of a  "how's Tom?" was standard met with a chuckle and a serene "good-good, he's fine." But that was as far as she would get. It frustrated her beyond measure that she could list the information she had on him on just one hand. Yes, one hand, five fingers and she knew this to be a fact because she had recited them, all five of them, to her husband David one night.

‘his name is Tom,

he’s British,

Charlie finds him quite handsome,

supposedly he’s also intelligent,

and quite attentive.

Even while low on statistics Lizzie did have to conclude these were at least proper traits, ‘but generic as fuck! We haven’t even seen him or a picture of him. Oh come òn David... ‘

“So, when do the rest of us get to meet him?” Lizzie’d finally blurted out over iced coffee on a sultry afternoon, “it seems about time, no?”

This was a reasonable request though, wasn’t it? If Lizzie did the math correctly at least two weeks or so had passed since their infamous summerbabes-celebration…. two to perhaps three weeks - tops! - since Charlie’s trip to Scotland and her night of rapture over there. And while Charlie had expertly danced around her obvious discouragement after checking her voicemail in Lizzie’s kitchen, over the following fortnight she had slowly transformed back into a very delighted young woman, who was now - against all odds - back in high spirits…

Sure, Lizzie had pondered, Charlie was in talks to work with the Royal London Hospital but that deal was nowhere near set. So both her regret and her newfound cheerfulness hàd to be because of Tom, there was simply no other logical explanation… And that’s exactly what triggered Lizzie even more. Because when someone manages to make you the happiest person and the saddest person at the same time, that's when it's real. That's when it's worth something. But her friend kept mum and it drove Lizzie up the wall. Oh yes, the part of an innocent bystander did not become her… never had, never would.

Charlotte cast her eyes downward to her drink with a slight smile. With her hot pink straw she carelessly dunked the ice cubes while her mind tried to come up with a plan to meet this well-meant request with a sufficient, yet rejecting, answer. Because this was something she and Tom had not yet addressed themselves, not really though…

From out of the corner of her eye Charlotte could clearly see David nudging his wife.

“What? Oh, long distance - shminstance,” Lizzie muttered to her husband.

Still trying to figure out her answer, Charlotte caught her breath when she heard David kindly interjecting;  

“Just let her revel in her little honeymoon-phase, babe,” and he planted a sweet kiss on Lizzie’s temple, “remember when we first got together?”

Charlotte was ever so grateful for that silly, small remark that had shut Lizzie up very promptly.  Good man, that David. Eternally grateful even. But she did make a mental note to doctor out a way to diplomatically answer the next request she would surely be receiving sooner or later. No, Tom and her hadn’t really talked about any of this. And from the looks of it they really should, she guessed. First thing when she’d gotten back from Athens... the next destination she was flying out to later that night.

2. Beautiful Athens

Goes to show you never really can tell. Charlotte had opted to fly out to Athens in the early evening to avoid the heat and city traffic, only to realise that Athens was not at all as hot as she had imagined it to be. It seemed the Western part of Europe was boiling up, while the Southern part was actually quite agreeable and - low and behold - even managed to surprise her with short - yet intense - rain shower. What were the odds?

It initially had seemed to be a perfect evening for a hike up the Philopappos Hill, which promised a stupendous view of the Acropolis in all its glory. And boy, did it deliver... Grateful for the opportunity her life now offered her to travel gorgeous cities and see breathtaking sites, Charlotte had apped Tom the astonishing view that had unfolded itself in front of her. No words needed.

Philopappos Hill, that held the Philopappos Monument, had been quite the discovery… In the fifties it was declared an archeological park that consisted of ‘the Hill of the Muses’, ‘the Hill of the Nymphs’ and the ‘Pnyx’ which had been the meeting of democratic legislatures in ancient times. And while of historical, architectural and even archeological importance, it was also the home of indigenous birds, including the Athenian owl and the peregrine falcon. It was an important stop-over for many migratory birds and then there were the land tortoises and the numerous bats that had scared Charlotte shitless at first, .... Talk about another great picture-opportunity -gone-wrong, but she’d sent it to Tom anyway, in good humour.

Listed by UNESCO as a protected monument of cultural heritage and yet it remained open to all, day and night, free of charge. All that thanks to a movement in Athens that stood by its belief that the best protection for the hill was guaranteed by the love, care and active participation of the local people. Philopappos Hill’s state and beauty had left Charlotte absolutely speechless and amazed. And - well - drenched after that sudden heavy rainfall that had come out of seemingly nowhere…

An hour or so later, Charlotte happily and lazily stretched out in the luxurious bathtub at the Plaka Hotel, revelling in the warm water and the generous amount of bubbles she’d indulged in. She counted her lucky stars for that streak of luck that had brought her there careerwise, before her mind started mulling how on earth she had managed to pull an almost 180° on an emotional level in the same process… Because up until recently a pang of guilt had always plagued her when the concept of ‘another man’ - other than her now ex-husband - was being brought to her attention.

Post-divorce, after all discussions had ended and possessions had been divided, after all the dust had settled and the air had been cleared, Charlotte was relieved to find that she didn’t really miss someone. And when she dìd start meeting men ( mostly the result of a well-meant yet awkward set-up)  it was a bit of a relief to her that she didn’t run into someone who would meet up to the - admittingly - ridiculously high-ranged checklist she had cooked up in the back of her mind.

Ah well. When single and desperate in wanting to remain that way, you just shoot for the moon, right?

So, men and dating… it was a non-issue, really. Charlotte had figured she would give herself the luxury of time. She owed herself that much. Time to take care of herself, she was adamant about that part. Time to get her career onto the desired path by investing fully in (nearly all) the challenges she would stumble across. Needless to say that, at that point, romance could or would only hold her back. Well, at least that’s what Charlotte figured. And with her past, who could blame her…  So she desperately attempted to avoid that particular path, at any cost. She wanted, no needed, to spread her wings and fly on her own. At least for a little while. To be who she’d longed to be again and - first and foremost - to be true to herself. And preferable stay that way as well… And then  he  came along.  Dealbreaker . And he messed up all the rules without realising it. Or did he?

It had been quite a surprise to Charlotte how Tom had managed to settle himself under her skin the way he’d done. And once she’d fully allowed herself to give into that knowledge and the temptation and all it encompassed, she’d found herself truly well lost and it had freaked her out immensely.

For that exact reason Charlotte was tremendously appreciative of her hectic work schedule, for it mercilessly ‘demanded’ that their time together would be restricted, split up in small fragments over time; fragments that were never enough but had to make-do... It would be gruelling and demanding for any lovestruck couple, but for Charlotte all it meant was that she could take things easy. She could ease into it. DIp her toe it, see how it felt. And no person was to blame for it, only her work. It truly was a blessing in disguise.

Now in truth, Tom wasn’t exactly putting his feet up either. So his schedule was partly to blame for this as well. More than occasionally he’d have to fly across Europe for a meeting concerning future developments. And somehow this had led to secret get-togethers abroad… After Vienna Charlotte had travelled on to Budapest and Dubrovnik, before making a passage in Prague. And she genuinely adored Tom for creating time and opportunity to meet up whenever and wherever possible.

On her part, Charlotte had gladly taken to Heathrow as her new airport of choice, where they could meet up whether for lunch when she was in between flights or once for a late dinner before she would rail back home.

Currently in Athens, she was up for Napels next for a mini-cruise that would take her to Rome. Of all the things imaginable! Trust neurologist to have their professional association to work ‘a little something special’ out… But before that she would have a stop at home. A couple of days of normality and none too soon. To her delight Charlotte realised that in about 3 days she was also set to meet Tom again.

Oh dear sweet heaven, I’m counting down the days now…  

3. London to Athens

Even early on, Tom had always kindly urged Charlotte to text him when she’d arrived on her destination safely. A gesture he gladly returned of course. It delighted him that soon her messages evolved to silly apps containing nothing more than a picture of her on a balcony or some other mouth watering location as if to prove ‘doing alright’ or ‘wish you were here’ or even ‘look what you’ve missed out on’. She could be such a tease and that thrilled him so, especially when geography was not on their side...

These days he caught himself, sometimes impatiently so, awaiting what she would send him next. And without fault he would grin widely when he took note that she had upped the ante, time and time again. She had humour and didn’t take herself too serious. Oh, how he loved that aspect of her particularly.

Upon returning to his London home after another trip to Mallorca, he had dutifully put down his bags and went along his usual coming-home routine before picking up his beloved Bobby. The chocolate brown Spaniël was absolutely overjoyed at the reunion with his master and very gladly pranced proudly by his side when they took an impromptu detour across Primrose Hill.

This was lovely, absolutely enjoyable,  Tom had reflected,  but her company would have made a very nice extra…

When his cell phone beeped and disclosed an app of a drenched Charlotte upon a Greek hillside claiming she’d perfected her ‘Rain Dance Deluxe’, he couldn’t help but chuckle out loud.

Scratch that. Her company would have been perfect right now.  

Upon returning home, Tom had eyed his still-packed bags with a sense of scrutiny and uncertainty. He really ought to unpack them, he was well aware. Yet he turned on his heels, rewarding Bobby with a loving pat on the head and urging him along for his dinner…

Bobby was completely unaware of his master biting the nail of his thumb. After all, when being pampered with a delicious ‘master-is-back-home-meal’, all he wanted to do was happily devoured it, context be damned. So he also did not take note of his master aimlessly fidgeting around with his phone while he licked his bowl clean. He did however detect a heavy sigh falling from his master’s lips, but that one could not be on him. Could it? Bobby licked along his bowl once more before calmly lapping up the fresh water in his drinking bowl.

The Spaniël curiously turned his ears as he heard the familiar sounds of the kettle being set. Retiring to his favourite dog bed, he followed the scene before him with anxious eyes because he clearly heard his master sigh heavily and mumble to himself yet again. Was he walking over now? Indeed! Crouching down to his level, Bobby was rewarded with another loving scruff over his head and under his chin. Oh, he’d definitely been a good boy for that, hadn’t he?

“You’re happy to happy home, aren’t you boy?”

Bobby wagged his tail lazily in utter delight and looked up through droopy tired eyes.

“Hmm, such a good boy…. I shouldn’t be leaving you again so soon, should I?”

Tom sank down to his level and opted to sit by his side. Bobby raised and slanted his head curiously, because this maneuver was new to him. However he gladly gave into temptation and placed his head onto his master’s knee while he fumbled around with his phone again, dialing a newly familiarized number.

Now, there was only so much he could follow. He was still a dog after all… But his master opted for the speaker so he could carry on stroking his beloved Bobby while talking.  

“What if,” his master spoke up suddenly. “What if – what?” a woman replied. “What if – you got home and…’ he hesitated, “I would be there?”

Water splashed to which Bobby quietly and anxiously growled… much to his master’s delight.

“Oh, you really àre in a bath, aren’t you?’ he exclaimed in a husky voice, “I knèw I should should have gone with a video chat.” “I never lie,” the woman confessed humorously, “but - also - what are you saying?” “If you have the time. If you’re willing to have me. If you …” “That’s a lot of ‘ifs’...”

Bobby sensed his master seeking refuge in silent nervous laughter. And then felt the loving petting stop when the woman replied, “I have work though.”

“I - I understand completely,” Bobby’s master paused, “then… we’ll just see each other on the weekend then, as we’d planned.” A pause, “right?” “No.” “No?” His master hunched forward some in surprise.

Bobby heard the woman laughing and apologising profusely, something about “surprising” and “not knowing where her head was”.  Silly woman. Something with “whenever you want” and “please” and lots of those good praising words. She even mumbled Bobby’s name at one point.

“Did you hear that boy?” his master cooed to him after ending said phonecall later that evening, “Charlotte insists I take you with me on a little holiday. What do you think? Bobby? Holiday?” But by that time Bobby had been massaged while into his own little land of dreams… 

4. So, this is me...

Charlotte’s heart pounded into her chest as she ushered Tom and Bobby inside her home, muttering a “so, this is me…” and she gestured around inside.

“You’re welcome to stay, if you want,” she blabbered on nervously before rolling her eyes at herself.

Seriously Charlotte? Who are you talking to?

“I could easily book a hotel, you know,” Tom, ever so quick on his feet, retorted to which Charlotte raised her brow playfully and chuckled bashfully.

“I’m kidding,” he murmured while cautiously setting his bag on the wooden floor and gently inched closer to her, “I’m just so happy to see you are just as nervous as I am.”

“Are you though?” Charlotte scrunched up her nose. And to her delight he closed his eyes momentarily and nodded softly with a purred “mmm”. Bobby however ruined the sweet moment with an impatient tug on his leash and subsequent spinning around Tom, desperate to go and explore his new surroundings.

And so, with an endearing smile, Charlotte bent through her knees apologising and exclaiming she should take care of her favourite guest first and foremost. As she cooed over Bobby, sweetly praising and ruffling his fur, Bobby kindly returned her greeting with the attempt of jumping up to her which Tom quickly forbade him to do. Much to Charlotte’s amusement.

She suggested Tom to unleash him, which he hesitantly did after sternly reminding Bobby not to run. It was quite the sight and Charlotte couldn’t help but smile to herself.

Very swiftly Bobby spotted the drinking bowl she’d set up for him in the kitchen. And he lapped up the water gratefully before setting out to search the premises. The soft pitter-patter of his paws and gentle ticks of his nails quietly set through the downstairs living area. It was a sound that reminded Charlotte of her own childhood and still cherished deeply...

She unlocked the kitchen door that led to her cosy little garden, while Tom promptly rolled out Bobby’s travelling doggy-bed onto the hallway floor before following in Charlotte’s footsteps. Bobby followed suit, before roguishly diving into the garden curious-snout first. Charlotte laughed heartily as Bobby went along before easing an insecure Tom he would be alright in her closed-off, dog-proof garden.

He instantly relaxed and leant back against the door jamb.

“I know it’s dark out, but it feels so nice and quiet here,”

“Private,” Charlotte smiled, “drink?”

With a nod he wordlessly followed her path around the kitchen island.

“So, Charlie?” he pointed to the wooden ornament dangling on the key chain at her door.

“Nickname,”

“Charlie,” he pursed his lips as he slanted his head, “I like it…”

He smiled after sneaking another peek inside her living room once more while she fixed them refreshing drinks, “exactly how I imagined it.”

“Oh?” an intriguing smile crept across her lips “and what did you imagine then?”

“Well, I imagined a long sofa, with plenty of comfortable cushions. Shelves filled with books, ...”

Charlotte titterd and shook her head, “Cheater! I told you about that.”

“Fine, fine,” he held up his hands as an act of innocence as he walked over to her in the kitchen again.

“I’ll go again. I -  imagined big windows that invite a lot of light. Erm, I imagined a small garden,” he continued while striding closer to her still, “but I can’t see anything there, so help me god.” A chuckle fell from his lips, “I also pictured an all white kitchen, with… marble countertops.”

“Marble countertops?”

“M-hm” he hummed, “solid, sturdy, marble countertops,” he emphasized as he closed the distance finally and swiftly lifted her up on them.

“Hi,” he murmured while his nose teased hers.

“Hi,” she breathed back, anxious for that kiss she’d been longing for ever since he stepped onto her threshold.

“Am jealous of Bobby though,”

“Are you now?"

He nodded and slid his hands softly over her knees and up her thighs before holding onto her hips with firm care, “he’s gotten wày more attention than I have.”

“Hmm,” she sighed, her hands gently combing through his generous curls, “and we can’t have that, now can we?”

He shook his head, and she caught that mischievous twinkle in his eyes sparkling in full force. It was all she needed to lure her in, and happily she brought her hands to his cheeks before leaning in for a sweet kiss on his lips.

“Missed you,” he mumbled against her mouth. And that was just the final straw.

A wistful sigh escaped her mouth and he captured her lips again with his. She responded instantly and so they finally reunited with passion, with fervour and a very blatant desire. There’s no decorum here anymore. It had been too long. Way too long and she was pleased he agreed with her.

His lips conveyed her of how much he had missed her, longed for her and his fingertips firmly slid up her thighs, trying to raise up her clothing in the process. Charlotte made a quick mental note not to opt for a playsuit again, no matter how cute and sexy, on the eve of reuniting with a lover because his lustful groans suddenly turned to slightly frustrated ones when he failed to figure the garment out.

A mild happy whimper escaped her lips however when his hand circled around her backside and forcefully scooted her closer to him and the growing bulge in his jeans. And all Charlotte could to was grab onto his shirt as she pushed her hips into him needily.

Desperation. Could that be a fitting word here? Absolute desperation? To feel his skin on hers again. To have him fall apart because of her doing again? Her mind gets clouded though when his tongue started a delirious path down her neck before his fingertips tugged the straps of her clothing off of her shoulders. She can hear him mutter how the sun has spoiled her but is unable to reply at this point. Instead she locked her legs around his waist, in a desperate need for that friction.

A groan and he grabbed onto her hips even more fiercely, growling something about ‘where next’ and it takes her a while to realise he’s talking about the directions to her bedroom. Luckily Bobby was having the time of his life in the garden because the two barely made it across the hallway and ended up in her reading chair, Charlotte on top, bringing both herself and Tom to a nearly simultaneous but earth-shattering climax.

Satisfying and fulfilling.

Easily, effortlessly.

Addictive.

Oh dear. 

5. Settling in

With remorse Charlotte left for the office the following day, only to return to her home where the windows had let the fresh air in all day. A dining set was out on the terrace and soft lounge music played in the background while a handsome man lazed in her garden, catching up on some reading. And Bobby? He relaxed under the shade of the shrubbery as if he owned the place.

Charlotte very much enjoyed seeing Tom lounging in the hammock, his long legs stretched out. His one ankle resting across the other one, a book propped up in his one hand while his other arm lazily bent over his head.

Tiptoeing over to him, she knelt down quietly in the green grass by his side so she could surprise him with a soft kiss on his cheek. He hummed deliciously, dropping the paperback onto his chest and stretching out his arms to her, wanting to draw her near.

These were probably the best moments, Charlotte pondered. The ones were he lay in her garden, so free of sorrow or stress. No clocks dictating their lives. Bobby either happily chasing butterflies or resting in the shade.

He muttered for her to 'come hither' and pulled her into his lap. Charlotte giggled and shrieked, claiming the hammock wouldn't last this way. But he would have none of it.

She could spot his laughing wrinkles at the sides of his eyes, and softly caressed them. She could spy her own happy reflection in his ray-bans. So perfectly happy.

"What are you reading?" she asked and wilfully followed the direction he guided her in. With her head resting on his chest,  he grabbed hold of the paperback and read out loud to her. Oh yes, she could get used to this… And she happily informed him later on she’d re-arranged her schedule so she’d be able to work from her home the next couple of days. So it would be just the two of them. ‘Against the world’ , he’d teased.

He was adapting so well, it boggled her mind sometimes. But Tom gladly admitted he truly was happy there, very happy, in their little cocoon. Nobody knew where he was. Well nobody of the outside world. He revelled in the fact he could just shut the door behind him there in her home town and nobody would be any the wiser. It was private, safe, secret. It was all he ever longer for. Not to be hunted anymore. Being able to step out with Bobby to the nearby park and be left in absolute privacy. Going out for an impromptu errand and be left in peace. Being able to kiss someone without having the media shred them to pieces when all they had for now was still so frail and new. And moreover uncertain whether any future could come out of it, although he was all-in already.

There was only one little twinge by the end of his stay. When her doorbell rang, and Charlotte started muttering gibberish under her breath. She’d asked him to hide and to lay low and promised he would thank her later. So Tom saw no reason not to oblige to her request.

But when he realised it was a friend coming over, and a close one at that, questions did arise. The woman was clearly surprised Charlotte had a dog over and he could tell there was some curious questioning going on before the visit ultimately ended.

When he sweetly asked Charlotte later who the woman was, he was appalled that the woman was in fact Charlotte’s best friend Lizzie. And it made him contemplate out loud whether Charlotte was hiding her boyfriend, or  him as her boyfriend?

"Boyfriend?" Charlotte grinned, "Is that what we're calling it?"

And with that she crawled over to him to tempt him into a luring kiss.

"Now love, come on," he furrowed his brow.

"I'm just,” she sighed, her eyes pleading, “not ready to share you yet."

At his silence she softly nuzzled his neck, “I'll do that thing you like ..."

Well, anything really, if it kept his interest away from the matter. And away from the fact the Lizzie was already pushing towards meeting Tom. But Tom’s cheeks flushed crimson, before he cleared his throat with a "darling, you know you better…”

Apparently this was not working and with a sigh she let herself fall back into the bed next to him while he reasoned that her best friend wasn't quite the outside world, and that despite their promise to be discrete he would honestly be ok with it if she would want to confide in her.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Charlotte sighed, “Lizzie is wonderful and very dear to me. And she's also the one who's been most on my case for …”

“For…?”

“For keeping to myself. For shutting off in the past.”

Tom propped his head up on his hand and she could feel his eyes flickering over her.

“She was probably genuinely concerned,”

“Myeah,” Charlotte agreed, “I'm just afraid I guess that she'll only get ahead of things, while I really feel this need to take my time and take this slow.”

Her fingertips trailed over his thigh, apparently she was on a better path now because his lips curved into a soft smile and his eyebrow quirkily while his voice dropped about an octave, "I like it slow..."

Charlotte grinned and tilted her head up to him, he teased his nose against hers.

“Thought you might…”

[alternativewinxcontinuity]

Nymphs of Magix: Profiles (1/3)

Sabrina Yanli Sotterana/T'ana

(Character Death)

Sabrina

Home World: Loc'Brennah

Purview: Fairy of Transformation (Rumoured to have been born a witch)

Hair Colour: Black Eye colour: turquoise-green Skin: black with pale blue-green marbling along her spine, shoulders and hips Height: 5'/152.4 (shortest of all the Nymphs) Personality Key Words: (low-key) mischievous, inquisitive, contemplative, relaxed Hobbies: People watching, harmless pranks, lazy about as a cat, investigating rumours Favourite Foods: anything with intense flavour, anything tart Pixie: Mógū, Pixie of Mushrooms and Fungi (Aggressively energetic, talks about herself in the third person, carries various poison powders on her persons at all times.) Status: Unknown – all contact was lost, no attempts to locate her were successful Last Known Location: Unknown – somewhere in the far edges of the Magical Dimension near the Tumultuous Nebulae, a region of space known for dimensional rifts and wormhole like anomalies.

Loc'Brennah is a dark world, literally a realm of constant night. Its people possess dark toned skin, often marbled with small patches of pastels. The 'World of Hidden Things', its people can see in almost total darkness, and have the unique species wide ability to see through illusions and deceptive magics. Their visual range can cause discomfort when off world and they often wear tinted glasses to help regulate the problem.

The people of Loc'Brennah have a language that is only half verbal, speaking in an apparent monotone, their inflections are done through physical actions in a subtle sign language and micro expressions that makes their language almost impossible for the UTS to translate properly, leaving many outsiders feeling uncomfortable when interacting with the Loc'Brennei.

Sabrina is actually considered to be a very expressive individual amongst her people, since her time at Alfea learning to emote for non-Loc'Brennei, she was considered to be 'excessively exuberant' in the terms of her people, and wears baggy clothing when she can to hide the automatic 'over' emoting she developed.

As The Fairy of Transformation, Sabrina excels at all form of transformative magics, and is a top tier shape-shifter. Made uncomfortable by other peoples discomfort, she avoids them where she can, but is not by any means anti-social.

She enjoys spending her free time as a cat and watching the general flow of life and people around her. She met T'ana and Yanli for the first time in her cat form, and they assumed she was an actual animal, tempting her with small treats of food and spending the day giving her cuddles.

After an awkward reveal the trio had a laugh about it and decided not to worry about it. T'ana and Yanli continued to spend time giving cat-form-Sabrina pats, cuddles and ear scratches.

Sabrina was raised by her two paternal aunts after her mother passed away and her father went into seclusion to deal with his grief. She doesn't talk about them often but has a good and loving relationship with them.

While they don't not get along, Sabrina occasionally had difficulty working with both Io and Ellena because of their exuberant personalities, and though she considers T'ana and Yanli to be her best friends, Sabrina often finds herself working with Syffa to solve mysteries around the magical dimension.

Some years before the Fall of Domino, Daphne began getting inexplicably sick, normally in short bursts and strange things began happening throughout the Dimension. An increase of strange and often negative occurrences drew the attention of Sabrina and Syffa who saw some kind of pattern in the seemingly unrelated cases. Following a lead, they promised to be back in just a few weeks.

Their last known location was in the Tumultuous Nebulae. After contact was lost, several searches for the missing Nymphs were launched, but while Syffa's body and their ship was recovered, no sign of Sabrina was ever found.

-

Yanli

Home World: Melody

Purview: Fairy of Resonance

Hair Colour: black Eye colour: dark brown Skin: alabaster with a hint of peach Height: 5'2”/157.08 Personality Key Words: compassionate, mediator, elegant, patient, caretaker, cheerful Hobbies: playing the Guzheng (a (type of zither) string instrument that looks like a board with 21 strings), making soups, being with her friends, people watching Favourite Foods: soups Pixie: Tùzǐ, Pixie of Rabbits (absolute fraidy-cat, will hide behind Mógū and Ambra, once kicked a monsters head off in a moment of terrified bravery.) Status: Deceased Current Location: Hidden Cemetery - Melody

Normally the most elegant and demure of the Nymphs, she comes from an old family of fairies and wizards who specialise in combat with spiritual type monsters and curses that afflict the spirit.

The eldest of several siblings (some adopted), she lets her playful side show when indulging their childish antics.

Her favourite flower is the Lotus and she enjoys making soups for the people she loves. (Soup was the only food she never messed up, regardless of what kind it was.)

Seemingly the least likely to throw hands, Yanli will verbally berate anyone who dares to talk shit about her siblings or friends.

Yanli was trained from a young age to play the Guzheng, and used it in several of her magical Ritual Spells. Ritual spells are a more uncommon but not rare form of magic that take a little longer than a normal spell but can be more finely tuned to one's needs. Musical Ritual Spells were particularly common amongst the Melody clans who specialised in spirit hunting, and Yanli created dozens of spell songs over the course of her life, all written down in a personal spell book.

Yanli was called home to assist with a case of suspected possession just as the search for Sabrina was winding down. The case turned out to be more widespread than first suspected, not a small case of spiritual possession as first thought, but an entire small town under the influence of a 'still unknown' entity. Yanli gave her life protecting her family and releasing the victims from their spiritual imprisonment.

After her death, several clans tried to ask for spells from Yanli's book (which she had previously denied) but no one could find it.

(The only member of her family who doesn't respond with 'we don't know where it is' is the oldest of her adopted siblings Mo Ying, who's reply is “even if it wasn't destroyed, she didn't want you to have it.”)

((Mo Ying absolutely has her book. Yanli was (and still is) his favourite sibling, he was often accused of having a 'sister complex' before his family realised he was gay.))

-

Sotterana / T'ana

Home World: Eraklyon

Purview: Fairy of UnderGround* (Lit. 'The unfertile Bounty of the Element of Earth')

Hair Colour: Brassy blonde Eye colour: deep amber Skin: bronze-tan Height: 5' 8”/ 172.72 cm (Tallest Nymph) Personality Key Words: steady, hard working, patient, fidgety, compassionate Hobbies: metal work, people watching, petting Cat!Sabrina, listening to Yanli play, making things from spare pieces of wire, collecting interesting looking rocks Favourite Foods: crunchy things like flaky pastry, savoury things Pixie: Ambra, Pixie of Treasures (easily distracted, adores shiny things.) Status: Deceased Last Known Location: The Labyrinth of Pazzia – outer reaches of the Magical Dimension

Born on the continent of Isis on Eraklyon, T'ana comes from a long line of Intuitive Magicals who have been forging magical weapons since the Unification of Eraklyon. The first known Fairy in the family, it wasn't until T'ana's early-teens when her family realised her mild hyperactivity was a result of her Magical Core having no proper/sufficient outlet.

Her family, filled with craft masters and Heroes raised all their children in preparation of joining the family trades, which lead to T'ana developing control of her magic before any outbursts occurred. During a collaboration with another family (Yanli's clan), Yanli and T'ana were told to wait out of the way, only to be found by the creature their families were hunting, together Yanli and T'ana managed to fight the creature off, revealing T'ana's status as an Active Magical/Fairy and cementing their friendship forever.

T'ana's over abundance of energy growing up made her a little twitchy, and she took to bending small pieces of wire into various shapes to keep her hands busy and out of trouble. Once the route of the problem was found and addressed, she kept the habit used to the way it helped her mind focus. (Occasionally swapping out wire bending for stroking Sabrina's fur.)

As a fairy whose purview covers all subterranean matters, from ores and minerals, to fault lines and tectonics, her ability to navigate unfamiliar tunnel and cave systems is unparalleled.

Physically the strongest (and tallest) of all the Nymphs, T'ana sports the standard 'super' strength of stone and metal type fairies, which is bolstered by her years spent learning her family's craft as a weapon smith.

When not performing her duties as a member of the Nymphs, or just hanging out with her friends, T'ana could be found working along side her family, both as a crafter and as back up for Hero family members.

T'ana was lost not long after Yanli, and the remaining Nymphs often wondered if her grief over loosing her two best friends played a part in her death.

T'ana and two of her cousins went hunting rumours of an evil (possibly Fairy Hunting) wizard, and became trapped in an ancient and cursed labyrinth. The only surviving party member claimed that the third member had turned on them suddenly, ranting about how they were never appreciated.

Wielding their prize creation, a knife that turned a magic user's power in on itself, they managed to stab T'ana before the surviving cousin could stop them.

The knife caused T'ana's magic to turn against her, transforming her into a stone statue, and released a magical shock wave that caused the entire area to collapse. Both T'ana and her killer were lost in the ensuing destruction, no retrieval party was able to find them, and eventually her family accepted her death and tried to move on.

[legend-of-taiyang]

Meet the Avatar

Name: Taiyang Meaning: Chinese “太阳 / 太陽 ” - sun Age: Sixteen, born 252 AG, Dragon Year Gender: Female Orientation: Demisexual  Nationality: Sun Warrior

Hair: Black, kept short Eyes: Amber, golden hues Height: Five feet, eight inches Weight: 155lbs, muscularly toned Skin: Tanned, sun-kissed / red face paint Face Claim: San from Princess Mononoke

Bender Status: Firebender Animal Companion: Yin the Dragon Pro Bending Teams: the Sun Dragons + the Lotus Pandas Airbending Master: to be revealed, Eastern Air Temple Waterbending Master: to be determined, Northern Water Tribe Earthbending Master: to be determined

History: She is a young bender far from being called a Fully Realized Avatar. Taiyang (close friends call her Tai or Yang for short) is of pure Fire Nation ancestry through the ancient civilization of the Sun Warriors. Taiyang once approached the masters when she was thirteen years old to receive judgement from them. Like the select few who had been deemed worthy before her, she learned the true nature of firebending. From an early age her skill with the element was apparent long before her identity was known. While she has never generated her own lightning, she is aware of the technique to redirect it- though she has never used it. Maintaining the traditions of her past lives, Taiyang was informed of her heritage on her sixteenth name day by the chief. Recently she has set out from her homeland to begin learning airbending at the Western Air Temple. With her animal companion together they leave the ancient city ruins and fly northeast for the nearby Air Temple. With practically the whole world still unaware of the Sun Warriors existence Taiyang assumes the cover of a mere teenage from the Fire Nation. On the day she left her people Taiyang discarded her cultural possessions. She cut her long hair down to only an inch or two and shaved the sides nearly all the way down. Finalizing her historical shedding she washed away her red face paint and burned her clothing.

Family: Both of Taiyang’s parents died tragically. On her sixth birthday there were summer storms raging across the ancient city. Monsoons of rain caused flash flooding and the temples became overwhelmed. While trying to evacuate to higher ground at the top of the temples the water levels skyrocketed and caught up to Taiyang and her parents. In their efforts to save their only child they drowned. Kwang (father, Korean word meaning “light”) and Hyunh (mother, Vietnamese word meaning “yellow”) were both firebenders and respected members of the Sun Warrior community. While they were fleeing from the rapidly approaching water they succumbed to the waves. Taiyang was with them and began to drown but entered the avatar state after seeing her parents die. Chief Shandian (Chinese word meaning “lightning”) found the young avatar at the top of the temple in a bout of rage and emotional turmoil. Taiyang had used a combination of airbending and waterbending to propel herself, along with her parent’s bodies, to the summit of the temple where lightning began to strike. Taiyang unconsciously redirected lightning away from the water soaked stones and back into the sky. She began to bend the rain and flooding back to a non-life threatening level. Enveloped in the avatar state, Taiyang was out of control and began to bend the stones and rocks comprising the temple, causing them to crack and shudder. The anger and grief of watching her parents die, as well as her own near death experience, combined with the overwhelming sensation of entering the avatar state for the first time caused Taiyang to blackout. Chief Shandian was a witness to her rampage and rather than approach her physically he reached out to her spiritually to calm her. In the aftermath he only told the small handful of elders about Taiyang’s true nature. She is deeply afraid of water and did not know the full extent of that day until her sixteenth name day. 

Personality: On the nature of Taiyang's emotions she is struggling to cope with the sudden swift separation from her culture. Generally she is stoic and reserved due to an internal fear of loosing control over her dangerous bending. In regards to her previous way of life Taiyang is widely naive and detached in her understanding of the world. She has some qualities like that of a foreign exchange student, she does not fully understand the new advanced and futuristic world. Taiyang is blunt, straightforward, and unaccustomed to slang and modern social behaviors. 

Yin the Dragon:  As a parting blessing from her people the Sun Warriors bestowed upon Taiyang the options for an animal companion. There was no hesitation when she selected a young grey dragon as her counterpart and named her Yin. Taiyang’s animal companion is a descendant of the masters Ran and Shaw and resembles Fire Lord Zuko’s dragon Druk (larger and more bulk- rather than Ran, Shaw, and Fang who are more slender and streamline). Yin is primarily grey in color with a darker underbelly and white accents resembling the darker side of the taijitu symbol. Yin grew up alongside Taiyang within the Sun Warrior community (with a few other dragons) and formally become bonded with her rider in the farewell ceremony. Yin is a little over half the size of Druk and is still growing. She is directed by the reins around her horns and later a saddle is fashioned to fit around her back for carrying passengers and those of Team Avatar.

Alternate Aliases: Taiyang assumes a few identities throughout her life to hide her status as the Avatar. One primary disguise is that of the Red Spirit (yes, a parallel to Zuko as the Blue Spirit) where she only uses firebending, hand to hand martial arts combat, and indirect airbending- basically just augmenting her physical skills of jumping and out maneuvering opponents. This persona as the Red Spirit helps those in need or enacts secret missions to preserve Taiyang’s identity (see the gif / images with red mask). 

Combat Abilities: Fire is her strongest element, naturally, and she demonstrates her proficiency in wielding beautiful flames. While she utilizes no physical weapon during combat Taiyang is interested in swordplay. Her body is in peak fighting shape due to her intense training as a Sun Warrior. Bending is a sacred art for Taiyang, she feels that it connects her with the sun and the warmth and lightness of spiritual energy. From a young age (before it was known she was the avatar) Taiyang possessed strong bending abilities. 

Clothing Attire:  She wears black boots with gold toe and heel points along with golden stripe up the front and down the back. Loose black pants are stuffed into the boots and she wears a long sleeved black tunic with golden cuffs and collar and other gold accents. A dark rustic red vest is worn over her tunic and it extends down to just above her knees and has open slits on the side for mobility. Over her tunic she wears red arm braces on her forearms and gold bands on her biceps.

* gif disclaimer, all of these were found on Imgur and stated free for use. 

[outpostsofbabel]

On Names

Demigods and Semi-devils is a phrase that comes from Buddhist scripture. Many Mahayana scriptures describe how eight non-human beings looked on as Buddha preached to bodhisattvas and monks. In the Lotus Sutra, for example, it is said that these eight beings “beheld from afar the dragon’s daughter becoming a buddha”. These eight mystical beings may resemble humans, but they are not human. Chief among them are the Deva and the Naga; the other six are the Yaksha, Gandharva, Asura, Garuda, Kimnara, and Mahoraga.

According to Buddhist scripture, Deva are gods but not supreme beings; they merely enjoy greater and longer-lasting karmic rewards than mortal men. Buddhists hold that everything is transient, and therefore even the Deva must die. There are five signs of a Deva’s imminent death: their clothes will be soiled, the flowers on their head wither, their bodies will stink, sweat will come out of their armpits, and they no longer delight in their place. These are the five great sorrows of heaven, and they are a Deva’s greatest sorrows. Indra is the leader of the Deva.

Naga are dragon gods. The dragons in Buddhist scriptures are not so different from those in the tales of our own country, except that they have no feet, and pythons are occasionally called dragons. In actual fact, the Chinese understanding of dragons and dragon kings is largely derived from these scriptures. Buddhist scriptures make mention of the Fifth Dragon King, the Seventh Dragon King, the Eighth Dragon King and so on.

The ancient Indians revered dragons. They felt that the dragon was the strongest of all creatures living in the water, and that the elephant was the most powerful of all creatures living on land. This is why greatly-respected personages are called “dragon-elephants”*. When someone says that “a dragon-elephant approaches from the west”, this refers to an eminent monk that has come from the west. In ancient India, people believed that rain was water that dragons took from the sea and scattered on earth. The Chinese also accepted this belief. The almanacs indicate how the number of dragons carrying water impacted rainfall for the year. One of the dragon kings was called Sagara, and his eight-year-old daughter spoke of the scriptures to the Shakyamuni Buddha, became a boy, and attained enlightenment.

The Yaksha are a type of demon, and some have been termed the “Eight Yaksha Generals” or “Sixteen Great Yaksha Generals”. The original Yaksha were gods that ate demons, were nimble and agile, as well as brave and secretive. The Vimalakirti Sutra divides the Yaksha into three categories: those that live on earth, those that float in space, and those that live in the fork between night and day. These days, when we speak of Yaksha, we typically refer to demons. But in the Buddhist scriptures there were many good Yaksha. Indeed, the task of the Eight Yaksha generals was to protect all the beings of the world.

The Gandharva are spirits that neither eat nor drink, but subsist on fragrances. They are the chief beings that wait upon Indra, and their bodies give off a fragrance. In Sanskrit, gandharva means “inscrutable change”. For that reason, magicians are also known as gandharva, and mirages are called gandharva cities. Their fragrance and music are faint, indistinct, and hard to capture.

Asura are a unique race of spirits because the males are terribly ugly, while the females are exceedingly beautiful. The King of the Asura often goes to war with Indra and the Deva, for the Asura have beautiful women but not good food, and Indra has good food but not beautiful women. There is a mutual jealousy and a desire to possess what the other side has. Every battle between the Asura and Indra sets the earth into tumult. For this reason, the aftermath of terrible, corpse-strewn battles are known as “asura grounds”. The King of the Asura is typically defeated in these battles. Once, after being roundly beaten, he had nowhere to hide and slipped into the hollows in a lotus root. 

The King of the Asura is irascible, stubborn and quick to jealousy. When the Shakyamuni Buddha speaks of the four domains of mindfulness, the Asura king is quick to speak of the five domains of mindfulness. When the Buddha speaks of the 37 qualities conducive to enlightenment, the Asura king is quick to say that there are 38 qualities. There are many examples of this in the Buddhist scriptures. The King of the Asura has great power and ability, but he is often deliberately contrary and his mindset is “the more chaos, the better”. He is also very suspicious. In the Great Treatise on the Perfection of Wisdom, it is written that the King of the Asura “was frequently suspicious of Buddha... when Buddha spoke of Five Clusters, he said there were six; when Buddha spoke of the Four Noble Truths, he said there were five.” The Five Clusters and Four Noble Truths are all basic concepts in Buddhism. But the Asura king feared that Buddha deliberately left out one of each because he sided with Indra.

The Garuda are large birds with many solemn colours on their wings. They have a large growth on their heads, which contains a lucky jewel. These birds have sorrowful cries and eat dragons. The old myths say that the general Yue Fei was the reincarnation of a “mythical, golden-winged bird”. The Garuda is that bird. The Garuda need to eat one dragon king and 500 smaller dragons each day. When they are about to die, they spit poison and are unable to eat. They fly up and down seven times before flying to the Jingganglun Mountains to die. During their lifetimes, Garuda accumulate a great deal of poison in their bodies from all the dragons they eat. When they die, this is released and they burn to death. All that is left of a dead Garuda is its heart, which has the clarity of green glass.

In Sanskrit, Kimnara means “the one who looks like man, but is not man”. Kimnara look like men but have a single horn on their heads, which is why they have been given this name. They enjoy music and dancing, and bring happiness to Indra.

Mahoraga are huge python deities. They have a man’s body and a snake’s head.

Demigods and Semi-Devils is set during the Northern Song Dynasty. It is a story of the Dali Kingdom in Yunnan.

The Dali Kingdom was a Buddhist kingdom, and its kings were Buddhist. They often set aside their station to take up monkhood - a very strange and unique phenomenon in our country’s history. Of the Dali kings, Shengde, Xiaode, Baoding, Xuanren, Zhenlian, Shenzong and others abdicated to become monks. The South King in The Legend of the Condor Heroes was a Dali king. Demigods and Semi-Devils takes place before the events in that book. This book takes place between the Yuanyou and Shaosheng eras, around 1094 AD.

The eight beings classified as demigods and semi-devils have their own characteristics and magical abilities. Although they are beings from outside our world, they experience the joys and pains of the mortal world. This novel does not contain such mythological beings, but merely uses these beings from Buddhist scriptures to represent certain characters. This is similar to how Sun Erniang in The Water Margin is known as the Female Yaksha, or Ou Peng as Golden Wings Brushing the Clouds.

* I couldn’t find a proper translation for this term.

[luluismynickname]

Headcanon

So ive been thinking

And a friend suggested me to do two origin stories for ludus to keep it entertaining and here is the first one of em

Im just gonna keep it simple because im on mobile atm

Edit: (i didnt keep it simple)

So the Ancient Egyptian Au is that Ludus also known as Seshen, which means Lotus, was a child from the pharaoh.

However at the age of four he had come to live on the streets due to a coup at the palace and as a result he got kidnapped and sold. Seshen died in his early teen years due to starvation and didnt have a proper burial so he could not pass on, but he was not a bad person in life either.

Finally realising he would never make it to the afterlife, his ba and ka merged together. Seshen then often visits the palace as he was never able to when he was alive and doesnt remember the younger years of hisnlife spent there. He wants to know what life is like for the pharaoh.

Upom discovering the pharaoh has been living a good and well life with plenty of food that he could spare for his people, Seshen plans to curse the pharaoh with an awful fate. However he overhears the man mentioning his name with that of his apparently younger brother's: Atem.

He returns tonthe place he awakened as a spirit and prays to the gods asking for answers. Surprisiny, he gets these answers that yes while he was once a prince, he was not going to be suited for the task that Atem would have to face. And if Seshen had been alive and become pharaoh instead, the world would be destroyed by zorc necrophades because Seshen would not be skilled enough tondefeat the monster, and atem would not have enough experience to handle the monster either.

And while it was not their intention for Seshen to die, they did need him to be out of the way for Atem.

Seshen, mindblown by the new information, vows to protect his younger brother any way he can.

It was around the time that the romans came forna pact with the pharaoh that Seshen changed his name to Ludus, which is Latin for the word training, playing and sport. He considered himself to be Atems imaginary friend, and a personal guard.

The Romans offered a Treaty and exchanged goods as proof of an established alliance, including Atem's purple cape.

Theres a theory that back in ancient egypt they could not produce fabric in that color, but i will link it here when i find the post back.

Eventually though, Ludus' spirit became so ever present in the world that he was starting to become vissable to the naked eye.

Come around with the Millennium items that were created after Atems birth (i think?) And everyone possessing an item can see him.

Forced out because he is thought to be a malevelent monster, Ludus hides himself from the public eye waiting either to lead Atems spirit to the Afterlife, or until he dies.

[liannejewelry]

Pink Wedding Filigree band Leaf ring Lotus Ring 14K Gold Floral Band 3 Pink Sapphires Milgrain Ring 7mm width Flower Band Eternity Ring for just $950.00 Three Round cut Genuine Pink Sapphires of Top quality accent the intricate leaves that create the 14K gold 7mm width band. Choose from yellow gold, white gold, or rose gold band to create an engagement ring that is truly perfect for your wife-to-be. Slip this Filigree Pink Sapphire wedding on her hand and, once she’s caught her breath, she’s certain to say yes! You knew you had your work cut out for you when you decided to make her yours for this lifetime and the next. Your nature-loving partner deserves a ring as perfectly Edwardian and Unique as her. You knew when you saw this ornate Filigree Wedding band Leaf ring that you found a ring she would cherish and flaunt for a lifetime. Appraised Value: USD 3050.- ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Setting: Metal type: 14K Yellow, White or rose gold Also available in 18K Ring Width: 7 mm. Available size: 5.50 - 10.75 (US size) Stones: Stone type: Natural Pink Sapphires Shape: Round Brilliant cut Weight: 3 stones / 0.12 carat Color: Extra Fine Pink Clarity: Eye clean Cut: Excellent This ring comes with: * Certificate of Authenticity * Exclusive Ring box * Gift Packaging * Free Shipping with Eco fast delivery mail (trackable & insured) You might want to see All our Milgrain Filigree Jewelry: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LianneJewelry/items?ref=shopsection_leftnav_1&search_query=FILIGREE+milgrain Back to Lianne Jewelry main Menu: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LianneJewelry?ref=search_shop_redirect All stones in our Jewelry are Conflict Free ! Product No.: TEMIX651690PS ……………………………………………… The Power of Sapphire Sapphire is widely known as the birthstone for the month of September. This precious stone gets its name from the Greek word “Sapheiros” and the Latin word “Saphirus”, both of which means blue. Sapphire has been considered to be a prized possession since 800 BC. The rulers of ancient Persia used to believe that the sky gets its blue color because of the reflection of sapphire stones. Kings used to wear sapphires as a means of powerful defense from harm. In the 12th Century, this precious stone was considered to be an appropriate stone for ecclesiastical rings. How wearing Sapphire benefits you? For centuries Sapphire is known as a symbol of the heavens, a bestower of truth, a guardian of innocence, a preserver of chastity, and a promoter of good health. It is believed Sapphire brings gifts of joy, fulfillment, prosperity, beauty, and inner peace. Some even believe this precious stone wards off illness and acts as protection while traveling. Another attribute of this gemstone rock is that it provides protection against secrecy and banishes all evil spirits. In ancient times, sapphires were used to kill snakes and guard off poisonous creatures hiding nearby. They help you connect to the universe by opening your s...