#what meiling decided

[chireikiden]

Might be a pretty basic take by the standards of more seasoned yuri fans, but it's my perspective as someone who's mostly read yuri in a Touhou context (though a lot of it), and exclusively manga from the Japanese fans as opposed to i.e. written fics.

Touhou yuri (using it very broadly here to describe any kind of wlw shipping present) is, across the board, in a pool of fan literature going back twenty years, remarkably good at taking the lesbian part for granted. Not counting outright het content or works that simply don't bring it up, I have only very vague memories of a character's lesbian orientation being either denied or even brought to question (even in the cliche "But we're both girls!" manner, which even as a somewhat dead horse trope you might still expect to see, given plenty of doujin writing isn't exactly highbrow). You might be able to read "Does she like girls?" between the lines in the usual question of "Does she like me?" if you really want to, but the way it's still basically treated as default is fun to me. There's a reason Touhou basically has honorary yuri status on e.g. Dynasty Reader, even the stories with effectively zero shipping in them. You might not notice if you haven't browsed the site, but it's literally nothing but yuri + Touhou. We even got upload rights just so we could post more Touhou.

(Of course, Touhou being yuri city is part of the reason any hint of straight romance gets a really strong kneejerk reaction from people, including me. But that's also because the lack of usable male characters makes that shipping inherently hamfisted, up to and including literally making up cardboard villager OCs. Basically the only positive example I can remember off the top of my head is Hisona's An Old Poem for the Cuckoo Bird depicting Youki with a 1000-year-old mostly joking crush on Nue, which after some chin-scratching I decided I liked alright. And Hisona of course has plenty of yuri cred to cover for it.)

But although taken for granted, most Touhou yuri is one or more of: a.) On a "blushing maidens thinking about holding hands" level in its approach to romance, b.) Only depicting the starting moments of a relationship, at best - usually just pining, c.) Only off-handedly teasing, basically to acknowledge the ship is there, d.) Showing a very close and loving relationship but leaving the romance part subtextual, even if thinly veiled.

While those are all fine - some of my favorite artists like e.g. Ashiyama undeniably fall under d.) - it means that artists who depict more established couples, and couples that get depicted as more established, stand out. I love when a story is very blunt about two characters, whether the focus is actually on them or not, already being an item. Be it due to a difference in target demographic or what, many of these works seem to have a slight lean towards being more raunchy/horny even when not outright R-18, but I don't actually mind that too much when it does happen - as long as they're fun and raunchy, as opposed to only raunchy or, god forbid, unfun in raunchy ways.

I like how Moyazou depicts Mokou and Keine as basically-married. I like how Atoki depicts YuuParu or SakiYachi after drawing like twenty books of them (each). I like when Kawayabug depicts Tojiko as Miko's beleaguered wife. But the example of the day is obviously risui (of Ladies of Scarlet Devil Mansion), who you might have guessed inspired this ramble. Funnily enough, in LoSDM she seems to have walked back Meiling and Sakuya's relationship coincidentally at the same time she toned down the content to fit SCoOW's guidelines, compared to her usual works that have MeiSaku at a much more established and mutual stage.

But the point stands that it's really fun to see LoSDM almost rub it in your face from the very start - from Meiling's dream to every other conversation she has - that everyone in it is unapologetically and openly lesbian, assumes everyone else to be a lesbian, and doesn't hesitate to talk about it like a (romcom idiot) adult.

Also, risui draw lady very good

[abluehappyface]

Made a colored in version of a Ladies of the Scarlet Devil Mansion panel based on the colored in Lotus Eaters panels @blubblubisdead2me does! I really like how it looks considering this my first panel I've ever colored! I decided to make Meiling's outfit red because I've always thought that Meiling would look good in red (and I was right.) This took AGES oh my gosh. I'm trying to figure out what kind of "style" this looks like, but tbh it's too detached from any one style to be categorized. I guess that's how you truly know a style is yours lmao

[meimi-haneoka]

I feel like I'm very lucky that I could read Clear Card at the age I'm right now. More specifically, I'm lucky I could meet Kaito as a character while being an adult...or rather, a more mature person. Because I came to the conclusion that you can't understand his character fully unless you have a certain degree of maturity. You can't understand his character, where he comes from, why he acted the way he acted if you are still in that stage of your life where you think you're infallible, and the world is divided in "good people" and "bad people" and very complex nuances don't exist. And you think you're somehow the judge of that "division".

If I think about the me I was back in my teens, when I met CCS as a series the first time around, I think I wouldn't have been able to appreciate Kaito's character as I do now. I would've taken a hard stance towards him exactly like I did with Eriol or Meiling the first time around. In fact, I started to appreciate Eriol and Meiling only when I grew up. Kaito is a character who masks a lot, who forces you to read past the behavior he's presenting on the surface. He's definitely an "unreliable narrator", oftentimes what he says isn't what he really feels. You have to cling to his body language and expressions to read his true heart. For this reason, it is sometimes tiring to follow his storyline.

CLAMP decided to tell the story of a complex character like him in a story like CCS, aimed at the target we know CCS has. I am confident they already knew that, despite trusting a good part of the readership to understand it (particularly knowing there would be many adults too, being this a sequel of a series of 24 years ago), there would be a lot of readers who wouldn't. This is both a "con", but also a "pro" of the series. There might be people who won't understand him *right now*, but growing up, accumulating life experience and re-reading the arc, the story will grow up with them and they will hopefully be able to see the perspectives that only a mature person can see.

That and learn what compassion is, too. Lord, it looks like everybody forgot what it is.

[alchemistdefective]

"Ha… Phew…"

That was… what was it, the fifth round?

Flandre was right on top of herself, or to be more specific, 'herself'. The other being Eri, shapeshifted into a mirror image of the person he's making love to.

If the shapeshifter hasn't managed to impersonate Flan completely before all this, he certainly pretty much did now. After all, how could he not, after the both of them going at it for a while?

"You're… really good in this, aren't you?… Flan?"

"It's my own body I'm dealing with, why wouldn't I be? You're really good in mimicking my sweet spots yourself."

"Is it really a surprise, considering what we've been through? You can thank Sakuya for helping find them out and apply it on myself too."

But… that's not important. In fact, they… actually haven't done much sexual things, aside for going for a few rounds before the both of them started to talk to each other late at night.

The bed was an entire mess, with fluids both dripping down their nether regions.

If Flan were to comment, this was much less intensive and… to put it bluntly, also less pleasing compared to when Seiga impersonated her, so the crown for 'best Flan to have sex with' would go to her. Seiga made her feel more confident of herself, the things she could actually do if she were serious… in other words, the peak of how 'Flandre Scarlet' could go.

Still, this was fine too!

"… You know, I'm envious of you, Eri. You've got… everything. You're an idol with fans, friends who love you, a special soulmate, a normal life… well, 'normal-ish'. It's everything I ever wanted, and more. While I'm… I'm just a vampire whom everyone hates."

"Ha… It's funny you say that, because I'm envious of you, Flan."

"… Eh?"

Eri rose up from the bed, looking at the vampire in the eye with a smile, before giving her a hug, not minding their nude bodies with their fluids touching each other one bit.

"You've seen through my memories, haven't you? Other than my fans and friends… I don't really have anyone else in my family. My mom's always busy with studies, my sister's at work… and I'm always pushing myself to the point where I couldn't sleep. If I stopped, my life would just come crashing down."

"But you… you have Sakuya, your sister, Meiling… Even if I have been in your body for a very short period of time, the amount of support you get from your own family makes me… extremely envious. They will always be there to pick you up if you fall, and no matter what happens… they will always love you too."

"And you have plenty of friends too, those who hold you dear. Seiga, Remilia, Nyalter, Eliza, Annette, Reimu, just to name a few… Just how many people are by your side, Flan? We're with you all the way."

"But…"

"And none of this 'better Flan' nonsense, alright? Seiga and I would stop you before you open your mouth. You're already beating me in bed, so that's already one point for you."

And so, Flandre couldn't help but give a chuckle before gently pushing him back down.

"Hee hee, speaking of bed, how about another round? We're still far from done!"

"Flan, I'm not actually a vampire, I can't even keep you even if I tried… But… just give me a moment to let my body rest a bit…-"

"Eh?~ Boooring. Maybe I'll call Seiga in instead. But if she decides to give one of us a penis, I swear to the devil…-"

It was pretty much said in good gesture as the both of them let out a good laugh.

… Although they might want to clean up before the hermit gets back.

……

Maybe after a while longer. Who knows, Seiga might want to jump in or something.

[sooahlizzy]

Being the new servant of the scarlet devil mansion

What would it be like to be part of the scarlet devil staff? be the servant of Remilia and Flandre? work with Sakuya and Meiling?

Meiling

To be honest, either you get along very well with her or she drives you crazy until you can't (like a certain maid)

Whatever the situation, this woman likes you

As a new servant of the mansion, the first few days she tried to surprise you by showing you her "good job as a gatekeeper"

But after 1 week she went back to doing the same thing she always does. sleep

Of course, if this happens you will always wake her up calmly

She really appreciates this, now she can wake up calm without fear of having a knife stuck in her forehead

Once you were talking about whether chinese tea was better than japanese tea, however, you did not realize that some "intruders" broke through the door and by the time you realized it was already too late

Consequence: a scolding from Sakuya

Whether you are doing your job well or decide to slack off, you will always have something to tell each other

Patchouli

You expected that she would not speak to you, and you were not so wrong, because for a while she did not speak to you

Until you entered the library

At that moment, you saw her reading some books, you had entered and she gave you a simple greeting

The books she was reading were in Esperanto so you didn't really understand much of what she was saying, however they seemed interesting, you asked her what they were about

Patiently, she'd tell you what those books were about, although to you she sounded natural, you noticed how her tone of voice was very low, and, in general, you had the impression that she seemed to be a very quiet person

Her mastery in the Wu Xung was something that caught your attention a lot in her

You asked her if she could use her fire ability to which she told you (for prevention) no

With the passage of time you understood why; her state of health was very poor, even some days you saw her very pale or coughing even when she didn't speak

That made you start giving her green leafy vegetables and other green, orange and yellow vegetables, and now the library is full of all of that

Every once in a while, you go to the bookstore to borrow a book from her (considering the true definition, not that of a certain blonde magician) or just hang out with her

Sakuya

If with Patchouli you thought you would never talk to her, with Sakuya you even thought that I would not even be able to be close to her physically

The head maid was known for being a very cold girl, concentrating a lot on her work, and being a very snobbish person in general

You had heard about her, generally mixed opinions, the "negative" ones from Meiling and other fairy servants and the positive ones, obviously, from her mistress

So the first time you met her, you didn't know how to act, technically she was your equal, however, she made you feel inferior just with her presence

Despite being the most servant servant, she did not treat you any differently, unlike Meiling, she simply gave you instructions as if you had been working for years

Seeing her work like that, you understood why Remilia assigned her as the head of the servants, she was the one who stood out the most in doing her job, in general, she was the one who took her job the most seriously

When you got to know her more and the first time you were able to interact outside of work, you realized that her "serious" personality was totally different

In fact, talking about what oxygen was or why a broken teapot didn't work was actually relaxing

From that moment you viewed her like this: Very disciplined in her work, but absurd for other things

You helped her with chores, because although at the time it seemed very rude of her, she was right; the servant fairies really helped very little. Although she told you that you don't have to do what she should do, she allows you to do it (unlike Meiling)

The times that she woke up Meiling by throwing knives at her has reduced thanks to you (and Meiling thanks you)

In her eyes, you're the only decent person in the mansion

Remilia

Your mistress, the youkai you worked for, your superior, she was someone you couldn't talk to informally

Although she tries to maintain the image of a mysterious and fearsome aristocratic vampire, her appearance and personality is very childish

With her reputation at Gensokyou, the first few days you tried to be as "perfect" as possible to make a good impression on her

And it must have worked, since every time she looked at you she just smiled giggly, approving your work

That was enough for you to secretly decrease in performance, but not to make it so obvious

The other residents of the mansion spend a lot of time catering to her whims, which include numerous parties, but you knew that inside she was dying of boredom

So, using the abilities of your spellcards, you entertained her for a while

It was funny to see how she pretended to be a very serious person, but in reality she was very silly

You did it, you had managed to become one of her favorite servants, not in performance or at the level of Sakuya, however, with a distinction among the other servants

And it was common for you to sit down to talk drinking tea served by Sakuya

Your relationship with her was quite curious. You felt like you were spending time with a little girl and at the same time a wise woman

Now you understood why Sakuya was so faithful to her

Flandre

It wasn't until several years working at the mansion that you had the chance to meet her

You had previously heard about her from Remilia and Meiling

Did the mistress have a little sister?

You didn't dare to ask the mistress, so you asked Sakuya, but she didn't answer you on that topic

So you made the decision to go to the basement to see for yourself if there really was someone in there

You hoped no one was around to do it, and you confirmed your suspicions

There was a little girl hugging a teddy bear

Seeing you, she got very excited, so much so that it caused the other residents to go see what was happening

At that moment you thought that your mistress would send you away, but she just sighed a little annoyed and told you who she was

That girl was so cute that you played with her, quite a lot

Thanks to you Flandre is not locked up for so long anymore, normally Remilia asks you to take care of her

Although sometimes she have to lock her up again because she tends to get too out of control

To Flandre, you are like her big sibling

[hardwareabstractionlayer]

As he lay down at the site of his every nightmare, he decided what he missed the most was waking to Jingyan’s steady breaths and arms.

After the coronation, the new Emperor readily granted Minister Su’s request to spend the rest of his numbered days at the northern border. He swallowed the herb meant for fifteen years ago, said farewell to the few still left, swung the reins toward the dirt road by the pavilion and never looked back.

Who would have thought Jingyan would go before him?

He should know by now fate did not grant favors. But this wound was fresh, and he was surprised he could still feel. His old life—petitions and protocol, ambitious plans half done—bled away in trickles as he rode north, and by the time he was past the last Liang village, he had thoroughly let go of his worries for the country and thought only of holding and being held.

New habits formed in the gashing void. Every time his mind circled back to Jingyan, he rubbed the two lengths of hair looped tight around his finger and each other. The late Emperor, too ill to speak by then, had plucked the grayer strand from his own pillow and dropped it on his palm.

When the route became too steep for his living companion, he found a fallen branch Jingyan would have liked and climbed Meiling’s ridges for the last time. He could see everything from here, and distance was no more.

They say mountains are for the benevolent and waters are for the intelligent, Jingyan once said, but I am neither, and I choose—

He gripped his stick and felt Jingyan squeezing his hand back harder.

[hazysurrealist]

🧸💎💐 :3? for anyone!

okay, so...

decided to choose Toshikazu Hazamada, from JJBA. he's special. one of the first JJBA characters i fell in love. one of my first F/Os... yeah. decided to put Sakuya too, for the same reason, she was one of my first F/Os.

🧸 - what is a song that reminds you of your f/o everytime you hear it?

for Hazamada, it's Happy ni Naritai (ハッピーになりたい) by Nanawo Akari and Boring Life (マンネリライフ), also by Nanawo Akari. both songs talk about solitary, sloppy characters living boring/nasty lifes. Hazamada fits SOOOOO much with those! (content warning for happy ni naritai: it shows suicide scenes such as the main character hanging herself).

for Sakuya, it's Bloody Devotion by Akatsuki Records (and one of my favorite songs from this circle!) and Now, Become the Arrow Tearing the Night by AbsoЯute Zero. now... oh god i think i must rant about this.

look, i just LOVE this both songs. yes they are made specifically for Sakuya, as you know most Touhou songs are based in one or more character theme songs. and oh my god. i just ADORE how those two portray Sakuya. i like how the first one portrays her as someone threatening, who would kill especially for her mistress. and the second one shows Sakuya in a more serious manner, in her loyal, cold way, still being faithful for Remilia. oh my god i love when Sakuya is portrayed like that instead of the typical "moe girl who's often just seen as female dio/pad jokes".

sorry the long rant...

💎 - what is your F/Os preferred love language?

Hazamada loves touching, but doesn't like being touched. he's kind of a pervert, so in the beginning his love language was touching me in more than a romantic way, but when i tried he would feel kinda uncomfortable. i always let him touch me, hug me, kiss me, because it makes him more comfortable. after some weeks being lovers, he actually let me touch him, so i started doing the same: giving kisses, hugs. that's how i like to show my love, giving him the most of affection that other people are too stupid to give to him. if most girls hate him, well, fuck them because that means i can give more love. i love my silly little incel boy <3

as for Sakuya, her main love language are roses. Scarlet Devil Mansion is full of flower gardens (although is Meiling who mainly takes care of them), and Sakuya enjoys giving me some roses. most are red, but she knows how i also love white and blue roses so she made sure to get those for me. Sakuya also told me she got a hobby for botanic after that, and Meiling helps her a lot!

she uses her time powers to make flowers bloom faster, and to have more time to wrap them in a bouquet for me...

💐 - what's your favorite season versus your f/o?

well, Hazamada told me he's very much a fan of fall, he says it's not too cold, but also not too hot, the perfect balance. and honestly it's my favorite season too! i just love how the landscape changes to brown, not a very strong tone of brown, but a very comforting one, mixed with red and orange - and it's also the time of my favorite holiday: Halloween! we both love this season, and it's the best time to relax outside with him, we sit on the benches and look at the town in autumn season, it makes me want to kiss him more...

(although... we don't have much variation of seasons here in Brazil... and Halloween is not popular here too... people here are too religious and see Halloween as a demonic thing...)

Sakuya, however is more fond of winter and spring. Winter is cold, yet calm in her opinion – probably the worst thing winter can have is the fairies being annoying or *cough cough* a ghost girl stealing spring season *cough cough* – it's not too hot, the ground, despite cold, gets a lot more fluffy. and i told Sakuya how i love her winter maid uniform along with that scarf... aa for spring, she grew a liking for it after she started to give me roses. not much to say about it. she also likes the cherry blossoms falling from the tress in some areas of Gensokyo.

well, that's all! it's so long i know and sorry! but i really hope you liked and thanks for coming to my ted talk.

[sillycyan]

Hi! Hope u have a good day! Saw you were doing an ask game & thought I'd shoot u one ^^

How about 1 & 24?

hi hi !! I've been wanting to answer all of this ask game stuff for so long, I almost just posted it all myself... so thank youuu aaa YAP TIME WITH TDLR BC DAMN I CAN TALKK..

how long have you been daydreaming for? (bonus if you can remember: what was your first daydream scenario/paracosm?)

If I'm completely honest, I've been daydreaming and then just roleplaying everything since I was a little lad. I used to have a paracosm of myself as a teacher, and I would act it out with all of my stuffed animals and such. At some point (the entire time), I got a little too into it and was wasting paper because I would go all in and make work, tests, schedules, and nametags for my "students". It was the only thing I did and thought about for a A GOOD FEW YEARS.. But I never wanted to be a teacher ?? it was the first kind of escapism I found in being someone else. And trist me, I was extremely serious about being this teacher. This was not usual kid play. Moving on, all of my current more serious and problem-causing daydreaming began a goooood few years ago, when I was still in early ish elementary and was bullied by actual randoms throughout my entire experience there and in other schools right through middle school as well. It got really bad because at one point I wasn't talking to anyone at school and was left alone with my thoughts. I was already struggling with other issues, so I was able to escape at school and home by returning to what I had done as a child. I used to daydream for hours, almost the entire day, but they were never specific daydreams like my current ones. It seemed to be more scenarios in which I was able to do things that normal people did. I'd sit in class alone, imagining myself talking to people, walking home with someone, or participating in literally anything. Then one thing led to another, and my current main paracosm began officially, and the forever main three, Meil, Reign, and Donis, were formed!! hoorayyyyy igg?? Throughout EVERYTHING, I didn't tell a soul about how much I got lost in my head and was able to hide it fairly well by going on a sort of autopilot.

TLDR : My whole life lowkey HIGHKEYYY..

24. do you have any two paras that are polar opposites to one another? (they don't even have to exist in the same universe, just in general) JUST TWO?!? Actually.. I have the perfect pair for this. There may be a better example of polar opposites, but none can compare to Yasmin and Khoson. They are Lanto family twins and Reign's older siblings by about four years. Their only similarity, I swear, is that they share the same birthday. They are currently doing completely different things. As kids, Yasmin and Khoson often disagreed on everything. If Yasmin loved something, Khoson would likely hate it. Their contrasting behaviors made it seem like they weren't even related. Khoson was always full of energy, running around and being active, while Yasmin was much calmer and preferred quieter activities. When Reign was born, things got even more challenging. They had to learn to share not just their toys but the love and attention of their parents. Yasmin quickly adapted to the new family dynamic, while Khoson found it harder to adjust. This difference between them continued as they grew older. Yasmin always seemed to be a step ahead of Khoson, whether it was in school, making friends, or trying new things. As teens, Yasmin and Khoson found a common ground in music and even started a little band together. Even then, they often fought over what kind of music to play. This "one loves, one hates" problem pushed to everyday things like breakfast, chores, and plans. Although they managed to work things out in the moment, their differences were still clear. At some point, they decided they wanted to be completely different from each other and went out of their way to do so. As adults, Yasmin and Khoson pursued completely different paths. Yasmin excelled in school and decided to pursue a career in medicine like their parents. She is currently a nurse practitioner. Khoson, on the other hand, went after various careers with the encouragement of his parents, attended trade school, and is now a roofer. Their jobs could not be more different. Yasmin is married, has one child with another on the way, and lives in a nice house in their hometown, enjoying a fulfilling life. Khoson, on the other hand, is very single. Though he's had girlfriends, he prefers to focus on his work. He lives alone in a small house and has created his own "found family" in a different town.

TDLR : Yasmin & Khoson. How are they twins BUT NOT TWINS?? Wdym one is a NURSE and the other is a ROOFER?? Make it make sense..

I suppose another example would be "GarfieldGirl" and any other para..

[zponds]

(Credit goes to JWBtheUncanny on Deviantart)

Bubble-Maidens 3

Now I know what some of you are thinking, I have something of a strange obsession for Girls a Bubbloids, But For Reign of Water a Storyline for 2020 as the third Sequel to the so called God Trilogy started with All Stars Memories, I decided to do something Different with the Idea to make it more original, In the Reign of Water Timeline Sailor Moon's side of the Story, The Queen of the Ocean's actions also affected even the Cardcaptors HomeTown, She may have took and Modified Tomoyo's Bubblfication Serum and used it on the People of Tomoeda, Making them as close to Human, but to to the Mermaid the way they represent a Girls Soul. So With the Queen of the Oceans blessing, The Bubble-Maidens became a Race of there own, However like on the Main-Timeline, Tomoyo's Serum doesn't work on Human Males nor any other Non-Human, Only Girls (Not Trying to Be Sexist here) There is a Full version of Tomoyo Daidouji herself, The one Responsible for Transforming every girl in Tomoeda to become Bubble Maidens, But this time, Sakura Kinomoto is there, And your probably wondering... Wasn't she the same colour as the other Bubble maidens, Well, She had her form Dyed Pink to help her stand out more, Both Sakura and Tomoyo are the most Respected in Tomoeda, Rika Sasaki, Chiharu Mihara & Naoko Yanagisawa Are Priestesses who would speak to the Ancestors, And possibly the Sea Deities, And then there's Meiling Li, She is not just the Priestesses Protectors, But she is a Royal Dander to the Empire.

[aliceinclockland]

cardcaptor sakura high school au where Yunaaki are the newly transferred students in Syaosaku's class from an international school overseas.

the dynamic is pretty much the same but i picture all of them in the similar age range of syaosaku's TRC equivalents— Yuna D. Kaito included. what age range?? probabl 15-17 y/o -ish?

Of course the tomoeda gang are there and they're COMPLETE, Meiling included (her parents and Yelan decided it'd be better for her to stay with the group in Tomoeda).

and the high school will be similar to whatever school system there is here in my country bc idk I can't be bothered to do research abt other schools and I don't want to base Japanese schools/their educ system to the animes I've watched and... yandere simulator... 💀💀

oh btw did i mention that the school is a Public School? 😅 so yeah it'll be kinda messy

important note ‼️‼️

idk when im going to start or if im actually gonna push through but I've been wanting to write a HS AU for ccs clear card just to test the waters but i am having difficulties as I can't really grasp the characters' individuality that well 😭

it'll be short small thoughts or hypothetical situations most of the time... or if im lucky enough, oneshots and/or conversational shenanigans 😅

let's see how this goes

[mattithecatti]

thinking about that fuckass fanfic, i know it’d kinda remove the conflict if flan could leave the basement at any time like she can in canon, so i’m going with: at the start of her time in the mansion, she got to roam around, but there was an incident with her ability that pretty much killed most of the servants in the building. maybe this was right after becoming a vampire so she wasn’t as detached yet. after this she was horrified with herself and remilia told her to stay in the basement, and while she could leave, she respected and loved remilia so she just did it.

eventually after EOSD and meeting reimu and marisa, she began to wonder why her sister never bothered to come down and talk with her about the incident, play with her, or even scold her for what happened. maybe eventually remilia allowed her to come out and wander the mansion again, but always avoided her when she asked to spend time with her. so eventually she decided “everyone who likes me are my stuffed animals, i’ll just stay in the basement because nobody except meiling wants anything to do with me.”

and thus begins her emo arc, where she rushes the servants who come in out of her room as quickly as possible, plays up her monsterishness and quits acting proper, and only comes out for meiling(though most of the time meiling goes into the basement to spend time with flandre instead of the other way around)

shit i think i’m just writing a reverse frozen au with the scarlet sisters

[abluehappyface]

A Bluey poll for the first time in ages!

I can't decide on what I should call my new era of music for my audios. There has been a noticeable change in my audios (that you haven't heard yet, shhhh, it's a surprise,) and like with every major change, a new label to help navigate these eras arises. We have the Pre Meiling Era, which includes everything before Meiling day 2023, the Post Meiling Era, which includes everything on and after Meiling day 2023, but now I have a dilemma. The major changes happen for the audios created for Alice day, but that means the end of the last era began on Remilia day. Should I call the new era be called The Peri Alice Era, because the changes happen on Alice day (and beyond,) or should I call it the Post Remilia Era, because the changes happen after Remilia beginning with Alice?

[callsign-bunnie]

Love and War - Chapter 7 - Regency AU

Admittedly, much after Lord and Lady Riley’s wedding was a blur for Rodolfo. Getting used to a new Lady in the castle and his husband being gone was a hard adjustment. To add to that, Roach had barely tried to come see him and Soap was increasingly distant. Lady Garaidh didn’t have to come talk to him, he wasn’t that upset, but it was odd.

He missed his husband. Dearly. 

--

In the very short time that their marriage had been, he had quite fallen for Alejandro and he found it hard to be away for him too long… 

All in all, Rodolfo was shaping up to be rather lonely. He touched his stomach, softening as he thought of the life that was growing there. He didn’t know why, but he knew in his heart that the baby was a boy. A sweet little baby boy… He already had a name, too. Leo Vargas. 

He had mind of a sweet little baby boy with dark skin and black hair and pretty little brown eyes. He wondered if they’d be lighter, like his father’s, or darker like his mother’s. Maybe somewhere in between the two. 

Rodolfo smiled softly, melting a little. He couldn’t wait to meet him. Of course, if it was a girl, he would name her Lucia. But, he really didn’t think it was a girl. 

“Hello, Robert.” Rodolfo smiled at the stablehand, bowing his head. He wasn’t sure why his mind had gotten on the path of taking a ride on his horse, but he had decided to. “Can you prepare Meil for me? The weather is cool and so I’d like to take a ride.”

“Yes, your Highness.” He nodded and then left. He returned later with Meil and Rodolfo happily climbed up onto his horse, taking off down one of the riding paths. It stayed in complete view of the castle, in case Soap or even possibly Lady Riley needed him. 

As he rode, he thought, again, to his husband. He really did miss him dearly. He already had thoughts of when he returned, his face flaming dark red as he thought over the things he’d like to do. 

Alejandro really took care of him so well in bed… He loved being with him. He did wonder if the baby in his stomach was what was causing him to miss his husband so much. Oh well, then they both missed the King. 

Winter flowers had started to crop up along the path and Rodolfo happily looked over them as he rode, keeping a slow pace so he could take in all of them. He was disappointed to realize he’d missed the Solstice but… there had been more pressing issues. 

He was sure there would be more opportunities to celebrate. He was still young, after all. 

Rodolfo paused as he saw a maid running to him, seeing it was Emilia and she looked rather… excited. But he couldn’t decide if she looked positive or not. Worry spiked his heart, since her running at him never meant anything good. “Emilia!” He called. “You mustn’t run like that! One would think you’re trying to warn them!”

He smiled when she slowed to a stop beside him. “What is the news?”

“King Alejandro has returned! He requests your presence!” She smiled brightly.

Excitement immediately coursed through Rodolfo and he helped Emilia up onto his horse so she wouldn’t have to run back, immediately taking off riding back to the castle.

-

Rodolfo leaned down to kiss Alejandro’s cheek, relaxing. “How have you been, mi Rey?”

“Exhausted.” Alejandro shook his head. “Your presence soothes me beyond words, mi Estrella.”

“I am glad.” Rodolfo nodded, resting his hand on his stomach and continuing to stand by Alejandro’s throne. He would sit in his own, but he knew if he sat, he likely would not get back up and he had much he needed to do. 

“Please, mi Reina, sit.” Alejandro murmured, taking Rodolfo’s hand.

“I wish I could, mi Sol, but I have much to do today and if I sit, I will not get back up.” Rodolfo shook his head.

“Abandon your things, your king has returned and he misses your presence.” Alejandro’s voice was soft, pleading, not commanding. Rodolfo melted, his heart giving in as if it was a command regardless. 

“Alright, mi Rey… who could deny such a heartfelt plea?” Rodolfo murmured. He moved to sit, before pausing as the doors to the throne room burst open. Then, one of the many lords they had visiting was marching through. Arthaim, Rodolfo remembered his name to be. 

“Lord Arthaim-” Alejandro paused and Rodolfo saw that he was dragging Lady Riley with him, who was clearly in a state of distress. His dress was torn, half hanging from his shoulders as he desperately clung to it, and he was sobbing. 

Lord Arthaim threw Lady Riley, whom Rodolfo had come to know as Roach, recently, down at the base of the stairs which led to the thrones. “A disgusting fae has infiltrated your court.”

Rodolfo stared down at his Lady, who sobbed harder, lifting up. He was bruised, blood trailing from the corner of his lips, and two pale green Luna moth wings were twitching behind his back, rumpled and clearly abused. Well, that explained the cloak. But…

“Lord Arthaim, what-” 

Rodolfo cut his husband off, unable to stop himself if he tried. “Lord Arthaim, I ask you, what is the meaning of bringing my Lady before me and throwing him at my feet as if he is nothing but waste?” Rodolfo started down the stairs. 

“Mi Reina, this is Lord Riley’s wife-” Alejandro spoke up.

Rodolfo half turned to Alejandro, “Mi Rey, forgive me, but I care not for what happens to Lord Riley’s wife, I care for what happens to one of my ladies. The Lady Riley is a member of my court and as such, I am to see to his safety. I ask you again Lord Arthaim, what is the meaning of this?”

Lord Arthaim looked surprised, staring at Rodolfo. “I beg your pardon-”

“I have asked not for you to beg, I have asked for an explanation.” Rodolfo reasserted. He pulled off his own cloak, glad he decided to remain wearing it after his ride, and wrapped it around Roach, murmuring that he would be alright. 

“He is a fae, an enemy,” Lord Arthaim quickly stated, almost daring to look enraged. 

Rodolfo stood straight up, about to speak, when this time it was his husband who spoke. “Half Fae, Lord Arthaim.” Alejandro corrected. 

Rodolfo shook his head. “Why is my Lady in such distress?” He demanded, growing more and more irritated. Roach had clearly been violated in some way. 

“Because he’s been caught, obviously.” Lord Arthaim shook his head. “Please, your majesty, I have brought him forward-”

“I have again asked not for you to beg.” Rodolfo kept his tone even, but strong, “and should you beg again, I shall cut out your tongue and feed it to you like a dog. My Lady lays before me, violated and exposed. I shall ask you one more time and trust, this will be the last time. Why is my lady in such distress?”

Rodolfo was stopped by Roach tugging on the skirts of his dress so he crouched down and gently took Roach’s face. “What, mi pobre polilla?”

“He…” Roach rasped, his voice barely there. Perhaps it was the injury Rodolfo had already been informed of, or the fact he was sobbing still, that made it hard for him to speak, but it was clearly a struggle. “He tried to… he tried to…” 

Rodolfo softened, understanding immediately. A moment later, his expression hardened and he stood straight again. “I will give you one last chance to explain yourself and tell me why you decided to shred my Lady’s dress, which I have been the one to pay for, and why you brought him before the court, violated and abused, for the chance that we do not know a fact that we clearly already do? What was your plan, should we already know? Which, let me restate, we already in fact knew!”

“He glows, your majesty!” Lord Arthaim gestured to Roach, who indeed was glowing.

Rodolfo laughed in indignance, “I glow, you fool!” He demonstrated to show that he in fact glowed, reflecting the light in the room and throwing his hands out to the side. “It is moon magic! Not fae magic! Fae magic requires an ability to speak, which Lady Riley does not possess. Will you now shred my dress and throw me at my husband’s feet? Or am I slightly more deserving of respect?”

Lord Arthaim stared at him, clearly in shock, so Rodolfo continued. “Mi Rey, may I take every piece of evidence I have been given and draw my own conclusions?” Rodolfo turned to look at Alejandro, who stared at him with a mixture of amusement and adoration on his face. Rodolfo’s skin warmed at the stare.

“You may, Mi Reina.” Alejandro nodded. 

Rodolfo turned back to Lord Arthaim. “My lady accuses you of quite the foul act. When he rejected you out of loyalty for his husband, did you try to take him by force? When, in fact, that did not work as well, did you decide to take advantage of what he was and bring him before us?”

“I- I-” Lord Arthaim stuttered. 

“Speak!” Rodolfo demanded, his patience thinning. 

Lord Arthaim looked behind Rodolfo at Alejandro. “Your queen has demanded answers, which you have continually declined to give.” Alejandro spoke, his tone even. 

“I did not do what I am accused of!” Lord Arthaim finally exclaimed, having clearly gotten over his stuttering problem.

“You have!” The room shook with the exclamation and Rodolfo looked down in surprise at Roach, who had practically screamed it. He’d clearly used magic to make the exclamation and he hunched over, coughing up blood on the floor. 

Rodolfo stared down at his lady and he just felt… rage. It boiled inside him at seeing his lady so clearly in distress and pain. No omega deserved this violation. “Guards, take him.” He spoke carefully, though they heard fine. 

Lord Arthaim shook his head. “No, no, your grace, please, I did not commit this crime!”

“Silence!” Rodolfo flinched at Alejandro’s sudden yelling. “You will stand trial and we shall see then, until then, I do not wish to hear your pathetic whimpers!”

Lord Arthaim stared in shock and Rodolfo just hardened his stance, waving for the guards to take him away. Then, Rodolfo quickly crouched down and helped Roach stand, making sure the cloak was completely around him. “My Lady, you are safe now…”

Roach nodded, his sobs having softened to soft sniffles, now. He seemed weak as he stood. “Emilia, please get me the lady Mactavish,” he glanced back to Emilia, who had accompanied him inside. 

“Yes, your majesty,” Emilia bowed her head to Rodolfo and then curtsied to Alejandro before rushing away. 

Then, Rodolfo turned to Alejandro. “Mi sol-”

“Go, take care of your lady. I will rush a letter to Lord Riley with the most urgent importance. He will not take kindly to his wife being disrespected in such a manner, either.” Alejandro stood. He bowed and then he was coming over, gently taking Roach’s hand. “Trust, this will not go unpunished.”

Roach looked up at Alejandro and Rodolfo’s heart broke at the pure relief in his eyes. He still looked so distraught and Rodolfo’s heart only felt more enraged at the insolence of such an act. How dare that idiot try such a thing?? 

Alejandro kissed Rodolfo’s jaw before leaving and right as he pushed out the door, Soap was coming in, thankfully. “Oh, your grace,” Soap curtsied and then rushed over when he noticed what was going on. “Rudy! What is wrong??”

“Lady Riley has been… it is a long story, can you help me take him to his room? Emilia, my dear, I know I just had you run to fetch Lady Mactavish, but can you please get my physician as well?” Rodolfo requested Emilia, who seemed lost. But, she again bowed and rushed off. 

Soap frowned even more, his eyes scanning over Roach, but he nodded and they both helped him out, with Rodolfo holding the cloak around him so he was not exposed. It was a fast walk to Roach’s room with both Rodolfo and Soap walking quickly. “Roach, do you wish me to send a letter to your father?” Rodolfo asked gently once they were in the room.

Roach shook his head, now pale and trembling. Clearly the whole incident had gotten to him. Rodolfo nodded in understanding. “I’m going to take my cloak so we can get you into a new dress, alright?”

Roach nodded and so Rodolfo gently took it from him. Now that the cloak was no longer around him, Rodolfo took stock of the battered omega, examining each bruise. “Did he manage to rape you, I need to know… You can be honest.” Rodolfo murmured, touching his face, gently. 

Roach looked up at him and then shook his head. “Tried…” He rasped and then he was breaking down sobbing again. Soap’s face softened and then Soap was taking Roach from Rodolfo, gently pulling him to the bed. 

“Lady Riley, it is alright… you need not cry anymore… you’re safe…” Soap murmured, helping Roach sit. Rodolfo frowned as he saw Soap cup Roach’s face and then Roach was looking up at him. The way they looked at each other was much different from the way Soap and Rodolfo looked at each other.

Rodolfo furrowed his brows, confused. “My physician will come. Roach, do you want me here? I can leave if you’d be more comfortable..”

“I have him, your majesty.” Soap smiled. “I can take care of him.”

Rodolfo hesitated and looked at Roach. “Is that alright with you?”

Roach looked at him and then nodded, rubbing at his eyes. So, Rodolfo nodded and then turned and left, seeking out his husband. 

-

King Alejandro was in his study, writing a letter with urgency. “Is Lady Riley alright?”

“I think he will be.” Rodolfo nodded as he came in, standing by his husband. “Soap is taking care of him…”

“Good. I have told Ghost, in this letter, to come home at once. Though, I do not think this needs to be done. Regardless of any affection, or lack thereof, between him and Roach, he will not allow this to go unpunished.” Alejandro looked up at him.

Rodolfo nodded and then took Alejandro’s hand when it was offered to him. “I cannot believe such a foul beast was in our castle and neither of us knew.”

“I understand.” Alejandro shook his head, his tone darkening. “Trust me, I do.” 

Rodolfo gasped when Alejandro suddenly twisted and grabbed him, setting him on the desk in front of him. Rodolfo shifted to get more comfortable, glad the letter had been brushed to the side during the action. Alejandro then leaned forward, pressing his face to Rodolfo’s stomach. “I wish the world would slow down…” Alejandro groaned.

Rodolfo laughed, unable to help agreeing. “What has you so worried, mi Rey?”

“Prince Kyle was recovered two days ago.” Alejandro murmured.

Rodolfo frowned, looking down at him. Alejandro did not sound glad by the news. “He was?”

“Yes. His personal guard, an alpha by the name of Sir Alex Keller, was obviously the first to pursue him when he was kidnapped. He and Sir Farah Karim, the head of the King’s guard found him and his lady Malika, but the kidnappers hit Sir Alex with some kind of spell. It send him into a haze and he ended up mating Kyle.”

“Oh no…” Rodolfo’s heart sank. “Poor… Poor both of them! Mostly poor Kyle but the guilt that Alex must feel…” He felt horrible for them. “What of Farah and Malika?”

“They are fine.” Alejandro shook his head. “But… this causes so many problems.” 

Rodolfo could only imagine. He paused, frowning. “Wait, so that would… mean that Roach’s husband no longer would take the throne…”

“Alex and Kyle will, yes.” Alejandro sighed. “But, that isn’t what is pressing to me. King Graves is… unhappy to say the least. He was helping us search for the Prince.”

Rodolfo frowned. “Surely, he must understand the situation, yes?”

“He does. But, he refuses to rejoin the empire without a marriage alliance.” Alejandro sighed. “So… we have to find a better option. I spoke to your father and your closest omega sibling is only 12 years old.”

“That is too long of a time. King Graves would never agree to that.” Rodolfo shook his head. Nor was he sure he wanted his sibling, Sofia, married to King Graves. She would not thrive in Laupin. 

“Exactly…” Alejandro sighed, again, and put his face back in Rodolfo’s stomach. “So… We are low on options. Ghost, King Price, and I are going to try to talk…”

“What about the fourth kingdom?” Rodolfo tilted his head. “You defeated them shortly before our marriage. Surely they will have an omega to send?”

“No. All alpha sons.” Alejandro shook his head. “Unfortunate. And I am unsure, with all of our forces, that we could defeat the Shadow Kingdom. Laupin may be simply too powerful. I worry that abandoning talks of rejoining the empire for Laupin may cause them to… attack.”

Rodolfo furrowed his brows, trying to figure out something they could do. “I…” The only omega he could think of was his dear Soap… But, no. He would not suggest that. He could not be without Soap, he refused to be. “I guess we have no options.”

“We will figure it out.” Alejandro nodded. “I always do.”

“Yes, mi Rey.” Rodolfo agreed. “You do…” He leaned down and kissed Alejandro’s cheek.

[multimuseticles]

Shinki's Swimsuit Contest, Round 1, Match 5

"That last one was such a close matchup! Will this matchup end up going to same way? Well we'll just have to see! Let me introduce... Hong Meiling(@warriorsofcrimsonrealms) and Satori Komeiji(@awakenedmaiden)! Let's take a look at their swimsuits!"

"Wow we've got some style here! Let's start with Meiling! She came wearing a green bikini, which I would generally consider a bold choice, but on Meiling, it just works! She's also one of the many people to bring a hat with them for the contest! Who knew Meiling looked so good? Then we've got Satori! She got a very adorable swimsuit on and even came with her own beach ball! I love what she's done with her hair! She exudes confidence! But will that confidence be enough? Time for you to decide!"

[meimi-haneoka]

Hello! I rewatched all CCS episodes plus the 2 movies but have never seen Clear Card. I follow the CCS tag here and i reblog stuff ocasionally and I found your blog and i was wondering if you have any advice on how to approach clear card. Do i read the manga first and then watch the anime or what do you recommend?? Thanks in advance and sorry to bother you:)

Hello, and thank you for sending me an ask! 😊 You don't bother me at all, actually your question is pretty legit because we have a little something between the OG series and the Clear Card Arc that could be confusing to those who don't know how things effectively work! Soooo, let's see in detail. After you watched the old CCS anime + the two movies, you can:

Watch the OAD called "Sakura and the Two Bears", which sometimes is errouneously called "Clear Card episode 0" or even "Prologue" by official sources. Truth to be told, that was a very poor marketing strategy because the OAD "The Two Bears" is just the (really pretty and well done) anime adaptation of the entire volume 12 of the old manga. Since the events of the finale in the OG anime and OG manga were pretty different, they decided to use the excuse of animating the manga finale, while it served for the Madhouse staff as a "warm up" for the actual work on the Clear Card anime later on. The DVD was included with the Special Edition of volume 3 of the Clear Card manga. Ironically, even though it's called "Clear Card Prologue" by official sources, this OAD doesn't have anything to do with the Clear Card anime plotline, which resumes the story from where the anime left it with the second movie and follows the anime canon (presence of Meiling, Wei, mentions of the Nadeshiko festival etc). It is a very endearing animated product, but if you don't watch it you won't miss any important info pertaining the anime canon.

You can start watching the Clear Card anime from episode 1. The anime adaptation of Clear Card is pretty well done (I hope you can find the Bluray version with touched up animation) and follows *quite* faithfully the manga, while including some original episodes that are nice to watch and give the possibility to anime-only characters to appear. The only problem with the Clear Card anime is.....that we currently only have the first season, which roughly corresponds to 1/3 of the entire story. 😅 We're all desperately waiting for a season 2... ...And this is where the Clear Card manga comes into play. My heartfelt suggestion is always to read it from the beginning even if it might seem redundant after watching the anime: it isn't, because some things are still slightly different. But if you really don't feel up to it, at least start reading it from chapter 24 or volume 5, where things REALLY start to be different (there is one major difference with episode 22 of the anime). And then continue, to find out what happens afterwards. We're currently at volume 13/chapter 66, and it's bound to be over in volume 14. This is a great moment to read the whole manga and enjoy the last chapters "in real time".

[nisecure]

Avoid A Negative Tone in communication

Criminal Justice

Niccoi Cornwall.1 March 2023

Ethically communicating assumes the speaker will avoid rudeness, be polite and professional, and have tact. The ethical communicator knows that it’s not only important what you say, but how you say it. Tone is one of the most critical facets of communication. A listener may miss the meaning altogether if the tone is wrong, which can lead to unnecessary confrontations that decrease business productivity.

Controlling one’s tone goes along with self-control, a soft skill that allows one to know how they wish to reply to a terse business message (for instance) versus the most effective manner for replying. Essentially, keeping the tone positive or neutral is best, as the tone of a written message – or of one’s voice – is always picked up by the receiver, and can alter how the message is received and/or understood.

Additionally, while it is acceptable to be honest and open, tact – and professional maturity – means knowing when it is inappropriate to speak up, and when it is crucial to. Tact also means knowing that being completely honest does not equate with being rude or negative – it is possible to be completely honest and open with one’s thoughts and feelings while still remaining polite and respectful.

When speaking with others, your tone clarifies and conveys meaning. A phrase as simple as “I don’t know” can be taken in a number of different ways depending on how you decide to express it. Your tone can not only affect how people perceive you but also their willingness to listen to you – especially in the workplace.

Even though your tone is just one small component of communication, it should never be underestimated. Improving your tone can help create a positive work environment, strengthen understanding and appreciation for your team, and result in better collaboration and teamwork.

Refference

J.H. Chen et. al., “Characterization of ArF Immersion Process for Production”, Proc. SPIE 5754, p13 (2005)

C. M. Lim et. al., “Study on the Shoreline for Water Immersion ArF Lithography”, Proc. SPIE 5754, p1056 (2005)

H. Meiling et. al., “Development of the ASML EUV alpha demo tool”, Proc. SPIE 5751, p90 (2005)