#solving systems

[colesworldofmath]

Systems of Equations: MEGA Teacher Resource with TONS of Engaging Activities

[sunderwight]

Shen Qingqiu gets hit by a rare wife plot.

And it actually is a rare one because Airplane didn't even write this one down! He toyed with the idea before ultimately dismissing it as being too controversial for the tastes of his readers, and adapting only a few of the same elements for a subsequent chapter of PIDW.

But apparently the System can pull inspiration even from the author's thoughts, especially when there's nothing to contradict the concept and even a few threads of it still to be found in the original, and somehow Shen Qingqiu runs afoul of this previously-unwritten plot bunny.

The core concept was a cuck scenario, of all things. One of the Luo Binghe's wives gets afflicted by a poison that can only be cured by dual cultivation, but specifically can't be cured by by dual cultivation with anyone who has mastery over demonic qi. Something something conflicting energies, something bullshit something. Peerless Cucumber would have ripped the chapter to shreds if it had actually made it to publication, not just for the insult of implying that Luo Binghe should let one of his wives sleep with someone else, but also because why would Luo Binghe -- able to use both kinds of cultivation -- somehow not be able to keep his demonic energies from influencing the situation just in this one case?

Well it turns out that in his specific case it's because sex gets him too worked up to keep things strictly separate, and the degree of control required to treat the affliction whilst dual cultivating is extensive enough that even a little slip-up would be fatal.

Of course, in the actual chapter of PIDW, this same plot device was altered and used to create a harem orgy where Luo Binghe oversaw several of his wives "treating" one another's "afflictions", but Shen Qingqiu just had to go and get a fatal of dose of the more severe version (he didn't realize the risk, because again, this version didn't even make it into the novel).

Anyway, of course this ends up with Shen Qingqiu trying to figure out another way to cheat death, while Luo Binghe goes through the five stages of grief before accepting that he's just going to have to let someone else fuck his husband. This leads to an argument because of course Shen Qingqiu's not going to cheat on Luo Binghe, and he's especially not going to force one of his martial siblings to sleep with him, come on now, and Luo Binghe trying not to cry tears of blood while bringing himself to explain that a fair few of Shen Qingqiu's sect siblings would be happy volunteers for this task.

Shen Qingqiu's just like, well of course you think that, for some bizarre reason you think everyone wants to sleep with me. Bias is what it is. Really it's flattering Binghe but obviously every other person we know is straight, that's just statistics, and everyone in the entire cultivation world knows that Qi Qingqi would sooner chew glass than have sex with a man!

Luo Binghe, weeping now: Shizun please. This is serious. I need you speak words that make sense in the order you're saying them.

They argue, they reach an impasse, the clock is ticking. So Luo Binghe reluctantly turns to the most reliable source of information (outside of himself) on Manipulating Shen Qingqiu to Do Things That Are in His Own Best Interests -- Shang Qinghua.

At first Shang Qinghua is like, well I'm flattered Junshang but I don't think I could shoulder the baggage of fucking Cucumber-bro for you. But then Luo Binghe is like no I need someone who is way hotter and more capable than you, if Shizun is going to fuck someone else at my behest they're going to be TOP TIER so that when I fuck him better afterwards he's really impressed with me. Liu Qingge, obviously.

Not Yue Qingyuan, Shang Qinghua asks? (He'd take the insult a little more personally but honestly he's just relieved that he's not being asked to navigate this social minefield.)

No, Luo Binghe says. He's not 100% sure he could beat Yue Qingyuan in a fight even to this day, which in his mind also translates to not being 100% sure he could do sex better than him either, so Yue Qingyuan is an emergency last resort. He's way more likely to cry on Shizun too and Shen Qingqiu is into that shit, it's too risky.

Alright, says Shang Qinghua, and he thinks about it, and then he comes up with the beautifully simple solution:

Luo Binghe has to fuck Liu Qingge first.

Because of course the crux of the issue is that even with permission, Shen Qingqiu doesn't want to cheat on Luo Binghe. But in the twisted annals of his mind, Luo Binghe himself is still entitled to a harem, even if Luo Binghe is also happily monogamous in this life. So if he shacks up with Liu Qingge first then Liu Qingge essentially joins Luo Binghe's harem, at which point if Shen Qingqiu sleeps with him it's not an affair, it's the gay version of those fanservice-y 3P scenes that the wives in PIDW did. Shang Qinghua translates the concept as best as he can to Luo Binghe, who -- though slightly dubious -- must accept that so far Shang Qinghua's wisdom hasn't steered him wrong with regards to his shizun's eccentricities.

Luo Binghe's mission: seduce Liu Qingge, or at least convince him to have sex, or possibly to lie and (convincingly!) tell Shen Qingqiu that they had sex. That last one is the longest shot so he's probably going to have to just fuck him (Luo Binghe still underestimates how willing his husband is to believe that just about anyone would have sex with him).

Shang Qinghua's mission: convince Shen Qingqiu that he owes his husband steamy threeway gay sex or something so that this plan he pulled out of his ass doesn't backfire and get him killed.

[archerdepartures116]

Shitpost idea: what if Liu qingge and shang qinghua swapped bodies

[deikshen]

The Shen Qingqiu who has a strong qi deviation and becomes a child of 7, 8 years old? but he talks about weird things like Pokemon, TV, internet, chocolate cookies, his brothers and where they are and where is his mom.

At this moment, Luo Binghe has already fallen into the Abyss- so, there is a bit of relief about Shen Qingqiu not mourning, but that child is a terror of nature. He goes barefoot everywhere, he has no decorum in his dress, he talks nonstop as if he had a sugar overdose- he says that Liu Qingge is pretty like a Barbie, no matter who the hell that Barbie-jie is (Liu Qingge even gets offended, has he been compared to some COURTESAN?), that Qi Qingqi scares him if she does THAT look (and finally challenge her to flex her arm muscles just to hang from them, and she is PROUD), he rejects Yue Qingyuan's hugs by saying that his clothes are ugly and stiff, but then only accepts cuddles because he says that he has puppy eyes and it's not fair. He tries to flee or attack when Mu Qingfang comes near, saying he smells like a bad weird doctor, and only lets him come closer when Mu Qingfang promises that there will be no needles involved (he also talks a lot about something called a UCI, weird operations - how the hell HAD HIS HEART BEEN REPLACED? what the fuck was a pacemaker - and how horrible hospital food is). And definitely NONE OF THEM can deal with the demanding, loud, complainer, critic, easily bored chaos that is that child.

The only one who seems to know what the hell to do with that little Shen Qingqiu? Of course, Shang Qinghua.

He sings to him in an unknown language lively songs to which the child responds by squealing with joy and following the melodies, they talk about something called Pokemon for hours, he apologizes for not having chocolate cookies (he offers him milk candies as compensation), he says they have no internet reception up there and what's the point of having a TV if they don't have good shows?? Entertains the boy for HOURS telling him about monsters and plants, both clearly made-up stories and real stories from that world. He makes him run chasing flying folded paper to exhaust their energy, and even cooks his meals making meals that none of the other Peak Lords have ever seen (much to the chagrin of disciples Ming Fan and Ning Yingying - they also want to spoil little Shizun!!! But the child only makes ugly faces when he sees white rice!!!)

All the Peak Lords are perplexed who happens to be the only one who knows what to do after all. Apparently and thank goodness, it is temporary; soon Shen Qingqiu's qi will circulate normally and his body will return to adulthood as well as his mind. In the meantime, the sect basically leaves him in Shang Qinghua's hands - although they visit him almost daily.

And Mobei Jun, who sees much of all that because the child Shen Qingqiu - or Yuanyuan - does not leave the side of his spy no matter where he go or what he has to do, just think how much he wants to put babies in Qinghua. Many of them. He will find out how, and soon.

[coldgoldlazarus]

I'm so fucking sick of places that close at 4:30 or 5 PM, especially when I'm waking up at 3 PM and not really awake-awake until 4.

[superbat-lmao]

Bruce Wayne dies, and like a prayer, Jason Todd returns to Gotham. Always too late.

He never followed his plans or became Red Hood, instead finishing his schooling and traveling for a while with Talia to stay in shape. He and Damian on and off text or call, but they both know the other is living the way they need to. They’ll always be there, but sometimes you need your own space to figure out what you really want.

When Dick takes up the mantle and Damian becomes Robin, Jason takes a posting at Gotham University and rents an apartment in the alley. Damian comes to visit and Jason tells him stories, as many as he can remember. The kid wanted to know his Dad, after all.

They don’t tell the others. Instead, grieving the loss of their Father together. When Jason came back to Gotham he expected anger. Now he just feels lost.

It’s completely on accident that Dick learns his identity. He gets a call one night from Damian, not panicked but alert. He’s calling for backup because Batman was shot.

Jason has the two of them in the back of a stolen car and makes it all the way past the security of the Batcave before he really comes to his senses. It’s a bit of a clusterfuck after that, between Alfred and Leslie trying to prioritize Dick while interrogating the imposter until they’re satisfied he’s just Jason. Their Jason.

And maybe it gets a little better. Jason has to go out as Batman until Dick’s back on his feet, so he and Damian patrol together and come home to Alfred and Dick. He goes to see Babs at the Clocktower and she introduces him to his sister, Cass, one of the few people Damian speaks highly of.

It’s different, and weird, and he and Dick have a couple of fights. But it could be worse. Slowly but surely, they figure things out. Try to move on.

And then Tim comes home and like a prayer, Bruce Wayne is alive again. Always too late.

[iamfuckingsorry]

So I've recently realized that murderbot's been translated into my native language and it's apparently a he in the translation (which admittedly makes sense, because it's a heavily gendered language and 1. gender-neutral language doesn't really exist in general and 2. "bot" and all the related words - I believe they use "droid" for mb in the translation - are grammatically masculine).

It made me curious how it's been handled in other translations though!

*e.g. being referred to by multiple gendered nouns/pronouns depending on the context, like both "bot" (masculine) and "machine" (feminine).

[stiltonbasket]

sue me but I think Shen Yuan as an old man with crow's feet, laugh lines, and gray streaks in his hair could cure Bingge completely. It would just fix All of his problems.

[violent138]

Chain of custody in Gotham City must be a total joke. Either some corrupt cop played dumb and there are thirty minutes unaccounted for until the evidence shows up in the locker, or some guy in a Batsuit took it and returned a DNA analysis faster than their backlogged labs, and in neither case should the evidence get used, but in Gotham a reasonable judge just lets it slide.

[deathandnonexistentialdread]

KAIBA HAS THE AUDACITY TO SAY THAT YUUGI HAS THE BRAINS OF A CHILD AND THEN TAKE THE PIECES OF THE PUZZLE AND TAKE IT TO SPACE FOR THE AI TO SOLVE IT AND EVEN THEN IT WILL ONLY BE SOLVED IN SIX HOURS.

WHILE YUUGI TOOK EIGHT CONSECUTIVE YEARS OF TRIAL AND ERROR TO SOLVE THE MILLENNIUM PUZZLE, AND ONCE HE SOLVED THE PUZZLE IT ONLY TOOK HIM EIGHT MINUTES TO PUT IT TOGETHER AGAIN.

[erinwantstowrite]

hey erin are you writing rn?

I am in my backyard playing my guitar except I forgot that it's really fucking cold outside and I'm pretty sure I hear a possum somewhere but I'm kind of ignoring it because I mean what the fuck is the possum going to do. unless it's the raccoon that's been harassing my family for the past like 2 years then maybe I should be worried but it's probably fine

[regina-del-cielo]

Maybe it's a 'study finds water is wet' type of thought, but

considering it's an action movie whose overall plot is "immortal warriors Fuck Shit Up™️", I think it's significant that in The Old Guard the thing that makes Copley pull red strings through his Murder Conspiracy Board and say "[Merrick] doesn't care what [Andy]'s done with [her immortality]" is the people they save, not the ones they kill

Most of the Conspiracy Board is him circling random newspaper headlines and faces on old photographs to (more or less realistically) follow the immortals' treck through the world and big historical events. Which is, in-canon, not much different than putting portraits from different centuries next to a picture of Keanu Reeves and saying "they look the same, clearly Reeves is an immortal!"

But then there are the connections. A little girl holding Joe's hand in WW1 becoming the youngest (and first) woman to be awarded a Nobel Prize for Medicine (suck it, Kozak). Or the grandchild of a family that Andy saved from [something] helping people escape from the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia.

They are warriors. They have fought and been in the midst of countless wars, major or minor, throughout history. They must have killed as many people as they saved... and yet.

It's not them taking out a random warlord or dictator or rabidly hateful politician that has tangible repercussions in history. It's the children and families they get out of war zones, save from accidents, protect from natural disasters. People to whom they give a second chance at life, and grow to change the world (or even just their own world), like a mysterious stranger once changed theirs just by holding out a hand or patching a wound.

I don't know I just think it's particularly neat

[deikshen]

The married Bingqiu goes on a hunt/exploration in search of rare monsters, when they meet Liu Qingge. Well, he is on the same way, they can hunt the monster together!!

Except for the fact that Liu Qingge and Luo Binghe accidentally end up in one of those weird flower pollens that are clearly a plot device. Shen Qingqiu quickly tries to go after his husband, helping him to his feet to get him out of the little flower meadow - he is usually the one who ends up with papapa flowers! He knows that legs tend to be fragile afterwards!!

He feels a little sorry for his Liu-shidi, vanished in a pile of flowers, but ah, he will call for reinforcements to take him back. Speaking of which, what kind of flower are these, actually? With a pearly sheen and pollen as clear as powdered sugar...

Luo Binghe barely spoke at his side. When Shen Qingqiu examines him, his husband's face is flushed, his ears are red, and he seems to be trembling. Ah, poor thing! He must be very upset. Shen Qingqiu sighs and moans about his butt for the next few hours.

However, when he tries to take his husband's hand, he seems to almost implode. He walks away with widened strides, pupils dilated, completely red. He seems to be breathing heavily, but still... Is he embarrassed? Shen Qingqiu barely held his hand!! What the fuck?

“Husband?” Shen Qingqiu asked in a small voice. What effect do those damn flowers have?

Luo Binghe made a strangled sound in his throat. He is really embarrassed, and Shen Qingqiu finds him adorable.

His world tilts when he hears the voice behind him.

Honestly, Liu Qingge is a man of few words and much action. That's why, when Shen Qingqiu hears this, he turns to look at him in amazement.

Liu Qingge sat down amidst the crushed flowers, his hair disheveled, his gaze almost lazy, his expression a mixture of bewilderment and clear annoyance.

"Husband, husband. Of course, won't you help your shidi, Shen Qingqiu? Does one have to marry you to be helped as well? This shidi is no longer important to you?"

If the expression on his face wasn't enough, Shen Qingqiu having to restrain his husband from jumping on Liu Qingge's neck with his sword in hand really was enough.

Fuck it. Of all the plot devices, THEY JUST got the personality swap?!

[theredcuyo]

You might think there is a weird time lapse about how the system pulled Hong-er and Wwx out of their stories, but there isn't

When they got pulled out of pidw, back to their own, they just went back to the initial moment when they were pulled, with the system making it hazy for them to realize such thing, initially sealing their memories until Sqq asked it to let them recover them, so it did but slowly, making it blend with the ones they already have-

the system later decided when was the best moment for it to start, for Wei Wuxian it was during the sunshot campain, where he wondered if his brothers had been able to scape such thing, and being relieved that he never heard of the wens trying to aim for his ge's sect, although he did wonder where his little brother might be, he never heard there were temples being burned down, so he probably hid in the ones of the god he used to mention?

Later when mentioned it to Jiang Cheng, he asked why he'd never mentioned them before, they could've searched or something, to which all Wwx could say was that he never thought much of it before

He would recall his ge's absolute master of domestic chores later on, when he was teaching A-yuan

Hua Cheng's first concious thought of them was after killing the 33 gods, when he wondered if some had come from the masters of dage's sect, if so, maybe he would have to pay a visit to the current ones, make sure they're not as stupid and... Wait, where was that place again?

He could remember the teachings about arts and reading dage gave them but... But where was that mountain again? What did those hundreds of stairs lead to? Where...?

Then, when he heard there was someone new in the city who really liked spicy food he couldn't help remebering his ge

Tdlr: The system pulled them back and out and only gave their memories back later on, also, the failsafe was activated twice, second one was not long before Binghe's mom died and, yes, it was also Sqh's fault, but since he had already bought it, he didn't get the notification (Wwx was pulled out before he met Jfm and Hc after XL's ascension but before he told him to live for him)

[my-pjo-stuff]

How comes that whenever people critizes Annabeth for hitting Percy everyone goes; "but she grew up in a system that constantly uses and teaches her to use physical violence!" Yet when people star criticising Luke for "starting a war to solve his issues", that sentiment is suddenly forgotten?

[victusinveritas]