#survival protagonists were so fashionable
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Survival horror protagonists/characters always had the same goddamn brown boots and they all rocked them the same
#silent hill 3#re3 jill#re3#resident evil 4#haunting ground#resident evil 2#claire redfield#jill valentine#cheryl mason#ashley graham#fiona belli#survival protagonists were so fashionable
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What does becoming a furry in Homestuck mean? (In reference to your recent Nepeta post)
Okay so the thing is the way that Homestuck treats furries is honestly kind of equivalent to how it treats queerness. As in, Homestuck initially treats it like a joke or a thing to mostly sneer at. Homestuck was very much part of the wave of disaffected ironic assholes of the Newgrounds and Something Awful type, especially to start with, and that sort of relied on shitting on demographics that were seen as weird and permissible to find cringe and make fun of.
Jade comes onto the scene, and a lot of people sort of groan at her whole furry shtick. Jade is largely, however, just a pretty sincere character, and even though she feels some embarassment over the idea of BEING a furry (i.e. her distaste for the idea of actually wearing a fursuit) she nonetheless begins the admirable refrain of combining the finest qualities of humanity with the elegance and nobility of the animal kingdom.
Her earnest affection for all things anthropomorphic sets up more than just her excellent taste. And as much as she is a bit of a pattern-breaker, one pattern she doesn't break is that of having a Signature Animal.
The four beta kids have a bunch of different things associated with them: the four elements, four items, four musical instruments. But the animals are practically integral to who they are as people and characters.
John's attachment to the bunny is obvious, and helps to spur on one of the most emotional scenes in the comic. (For him. Him specifically.)
It's also something deeply precious to him, as it's a gift from every single one of his friends in a very roundabout fashion!
For Rose, Jaspers is half the reason she decided to play the game in the first place. She missed her dead cat so dearly she was willing to play a game that might end the world for it.
(Pictured above, Rose lying about her feelings, water is wet.)
Dave seems to at least feel some affection for crows, or at least shame when he kills them.
And his fusing to become Davesprite is what allows him to survive as a "copy" of the original Dave. Once again, Dave's disaffected irony giving way to the necessity of becoming a furry to save the world.
And for Jade, of course, Bec.
And it's notable that, by the end of the comic, at least THREE of our main beta kids have merged with their animals, and, in a way, become the best versions of themselves.
Jade obviously gets to achieve her dream of becoming a furry, and in doing so gaining power and agency that she was always denied due to her position in the story.
Davepeta, as I stated in a previous post, is the true Final Form of Dave, the pawn that made it to the end of the board, the only surviving character from Homestuck's "original" timeline, and is truly happy with themselves.
And Jasprose appears to have fully hurled herself through the walls Rose put up around herself to protect her image, and thus absolutely mortifies Rose. She just seems to be having a great time.
Homestuck evolved from a story that was deeply cynical and mean-spirited about furrydom, to a story where three of our four starting protagonists, in their truest most powerful forms, combine the qualities of man and beast to achieve self-actualization. And to bring this back around to queerness, these three characters also happen to be canonically queer. So there's that.
This isn't even to get into how this might relate to Troll Lusii and the concept of "growing up" to be more like one's parent on a planet raised by animals, but that's for another day.
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I'm the protagonist, bitch!
What if SY transmigrated as Luo Binghe and had to go through the main trials and abuse under the scum villain Shen Qingqiu?
And in typical SY fashion, ends up deluding himself and no longer cares what Sqq is doing?
Since Luo Binghe knows he's going to go into literal hell everything sqq does seem tame in comparison?
He starts thinking "If being whipped is making me cry...how will I be when I lose a limb in the abyss!?"
Then he starts seeing this as inpromptu training, he gives SQQ the peerless cucumber roast of a lifetime JUST to get more punishment! He has to get stronger!
And of course in true Scum villain fashion, SQQ backs off and starts treating LBH as a disciple and just ignores him.
This is grossley unfair!
Shen Yuan AS Luo Binghe.
So SY transmigrates as Luo Binghe and already doesnt feel comfortable as a grown ass man taking wives who were mostly Binghes age with the occasional milf thrown in there. So he decides fuck it, he’ll get stronger deal with he abyss when he gets to it and at first wanted revenge on SQQ then decided it was too much hassle. He just wanted to be left alone. But the scum villain keeps bothering him, and actually seems to like him- why? What changed!? The hell!?
-SY transmigrates as Luo Binghe.
Has the horror that as the protagonist his lufe is a living hell, continous tortourous chores, being whipped and beaten for the tiniest offense how will a millenial survive!
[Welcome Host you can you up! As the protagonist you are the workds child and no lasting harm will befall you-]
“Yeah but I’ll still be harmed.”
[An over powered protagnosit at the start if his journey is too unrealistic.
Tasks for hosts are;
Create a harem.
Fall into the endless abyss.
Take revenge on Shen Qingqiu.
Merge the realms!]
“I dont want to do any if that!”
[System has heard users complaints and sees that Host will only do one scenario!]
Oh thank god
[System has taken the liberty of choosing the task- endless abyss arc!]
You fuck!
-SY stole a manual. If he wanted to survive the abyss he had to be stronger. Having an unstable core will do him no favours…
So far he was able to keep his head down but realised something. When he first transmigrated the first thing that happened he was beaten. And it hurt.
Then he was whipped and it hurt but…
Luo Binghe was going into the abyss- even with his demon blood awakened he would face a ton of horrors and so much pain his own arm ripped of.
“A-lou? You look pale,” His shiejie spoke placing a hand over his head.
If he wanted to survive he would have to build up his pain tolerence…
Steadying his rabid heartbeat Luo Binghe smiled.
“This one is fine.”
He purposfully acts out, and tried not to cry- it was just intimidating okay! That he was being whipped while his Shizun supervised-
Did Shen Qjngqiu really have to sit there and watch the sadistic fuck!
Even so, he built himself up stronger.
He accidently proposed to Ming fan that he had no intention of seeing Ning Yinying that way as she was like a sister.
But seeing a man bully someone they percoeved as their little brother how would you react? If Ming Fan acted kind to Binghe he could also hang oht with Ning Yingying.
“You can have one on one time with Ning Yingying, she’ll be happy that we’re getting along.”
“You just want me to help with your chores-“
“Of course not. This one will do extra and Ning Yingying likes to talk or gets bored easily you can stop and play with her instead.”
And just like that he matchmaked the two, and had all the wood chopping to himself.
It was frustrating coming from a modern eorld you’d think he knew hie to get stronger.
But that was all er-ge. He knew the difference between working out and only looking like a model but was weak and unfit. Meanwhile people who gained weight and looked bigger were often stronger.
Even so, Luo Binghe used the kitchens to his advantage while eating he would study and in his own time would train even dyring the night.
And if he felt tired he would purposfully sleep in during his Shizuns lessons.
Extra points for snowing loudly.
Of course he rejoiced in the day he no longer felt pain on his back. He even told Shen Qingqiu himself that what point was the punishment if he now felt nothing?
So now he had to sit on pins, hanging off the mountain and not fall to his death because his arms got tired.
Even so it’d make him stronger.
“Ah binghe can you take this to Peak Lord Shen?”
He blinked then stared at the food.
And he suddenly had a wicked idea.
He may not want revenge kn his scumbag shizun, even though he deserved it. Lucky for him he was so lazy!
But this would be the most sweetest revenge.
He decided to take the food up for Shen Qingqiu passing it to Mong Fan.
“What are you doing with Shizuns food?”
“I was already in the kitchen, while the cooks told me to bring it.”
Ming Fan looked suspicious and Luo Binghe held the urge to roll his eyes.
“You can taste test it if you eant although, Shizun wont be pleased by the delay.”
To be fair, Shizun never ate. He never slept either. The only time he oerked was when he went doen the mountain. He sure had an addiction.
Luo Binghe almost said nothing then remembered he needed to get in trouble and punished!
“Visiting the brothel, again, Shizun?”
The other gaped at his audacity, to be fair, Shen Qingqiu could kick him of the mountain, but after reassuring with the system that would never happen.
Shen Qingqiu paused and only glanced back, cold eyes sneering down at Luo Binghe.
Luo Binghe shivered, he sure was the scum villain alright, so scary!
Such a waste of good looks too.
“Luo Binghe to the wood shed.”
He bowed, “Yes, Shizun.”
Unknwowing that to others he was practically going whth a slring in his step.
“Why do you rebel against your master so? Are you a glutton for punishment?”
Luo Binghe was forced to kneel before Shen Qingqiu, his legs bloodied and skin torn.
The original goods would’ve broken Shen Qingqius legs for that.
But kneoing he may lose a leg in the endless abyss he was fine with it.
“This disciple has nothing but respect for Shen Qjngqiu.”
Hah as if! He wished for nothing but Shen Qingqius castration!
“This disciple is aware how…behind he is compared to everybody else and only wishes to be stronger. After being whipped to the point of no linger feeling pain?”
He missed the wide eyes of Shen Qjngqiu as he kept speaking.
“This disciple knows many more trails are to come and this one has to be stronger to face them. So far the punishments have given this Binghe so much thatvhe can’t hope to ever repay. But as the years passed noticed less punishments…”
It was strange usually this was when Qjngqiu got worse.
“This Binghe never wanted to lose all that progress and so…to continue this disciple had to…escalate such things to get what I wanted.”
When he glanced up he blanched, he’d never seen Shen Qingqiu look so enraged!
Luo Binghe realised what he said then bowed, face red in shame.
“This disciple apologises! He should have spoken with Shizun first! And never went about his own training in such a way! This disciple was wrong!”
“Oh, so now you understand?”
Easy for you! Binghe was focused on survivng the abyss! Not your ego!
“It seems this Shizun was rewarding such behaviour. Are you truly a masochist?”
Shen Qingqiu used his foot to raise Luo Binghes chin from the floor!
Luo Binghe kept hos face impassive the only thing giving him away was a small twitch.
He did not want that type of attention from his scumbag Shizun! God damn it!
“N-no Shizun this lowly one only wanted-“
The foot moved, and before Binghe could even relax, Shen Qingqiu rose as he stepped on his head pushing him intk the floor, Luo Binghe turned his nose just in time befkre it made contact.
He grunted, unable to move. Only riding it out until his scum Shizun got it out of his system. But this sucked.
“What a degenrate beast, thinking he can take advantage of his Shizun. You don’t care aboht getting stronger only using that as an axcuse to get away with being disrespectful.”
Luo Binghe opened his mouth then closed it, to be fair…Luo Binghe did enjoy being able to clap back and roast Shen Qingqiu and even being beaten bloody and blue he thought-
Worth it!
Shen Qingqiu noticed then pushed his foot down harder.
Luo Binghe scowled.
“With this type of punishment sometimes wonder werher you get off on this, Shizun.”
Shen Qingqiu paused, “What did you say?”
“Visiting all those brothels, and favouring Ning Yingying so, what if sineone where to walk in right now and see this, wouldn’t they jump to conclusions?”
Shen Qingqiu gripped his fan- ha a reaction! Even the original goods had never made him break his fan!
Luo Binghe wanted a record, lips twitching.
“Whose the degenerate now? Pervert Shizun.”
Shen Qingqiu grabbed his hair yanking it back then slammed him into the floor.
It was too quick to hurt.
All Luo Binghe knew was the blood pouring down his nose all over Shizuns lamenated flooring.
“Clean yourself up. Then come back and clean this mess and if this stains this master will,”
Luo Binghe looked up at him tiredly, raisng an eyebrow.
He’ll what? Beat him, burn him?
Kill him?
Ha! he can try he’s the motherfucking protagonist!
Shen Qingqiu paused, eyes narrowing and Luo Binghe had to inwardly cackle.
Ha he did it! He broke Shen Qingqiu!
Who knew his tried and true method of pissing of trolls online was apathy and not caring! Peerless cucumber for the win!
Luo Binghe bowed, “if that’ll be all Shizun, this Binghe will return to clean his mess.”
That you made, he left unsaid.
After that things went…wrong.
Shen Qingqiu ignored him.
No one bullied him, no one hit him. Even when Luo Binghe poured tea all over Shen Qingqius head, it was scalding hot too!
He wasn’t punished.
No. No. No. no-
The endless abyss was only a year away!
And are you freaking kidding me! What wanting to get punished made Shen Qingqiu finally act like a decent Shizun!?
That asshole.
Whenever he saw him Luo Binghe couldn’t help but glare his scowl darkening and saw the smug bastards smirk.
It was awful, Luo Binghe was so used to being on the attack and on guard.
So now he jumped at the slighest sound, thank god no one was there to see him flinch away from a bunny!
And his workload was depleted! He barely had any chores and suddenly realised he had so much free time!
Damn that scumbag!
Its funny, the lriginal goods would give his left leg to be treated this way…as an actual disciple of Qing Jing Peak and yet…
It felt wrong. Luo Binghe was completely thrown off it almost affected his appetite!
…
Wait.
Luo Binghe paused, the endless abyss was a matter of survival.
He was going to have to get used to not drinking water or finding food as well as fighting.
Luo Binghe, who was going through the motions as he sparred with the rest of the disciples, going through the qing jing peak forms-
He never did before, too busy doing chores to never realise his manual was fake.
…he could’ve went to Mu Qingfang but knew his meridians were healthy and could easily be called a liar.
So he instead left two manuals on Shen Qingqius desk and wrote in the best caligraphy to ever grace the earth;
“I know this is a fake asshole.”
Of course Luo Binghes writing was awful in lessons! But now that Shen Qingqiu was no longer punishing him. Luo Binghe didnt hold back or doodle anymore.
Instead writing as many pages as he could neatly and was done befkre the glass.
The only irritation when Shen Qingqiu realised was a slight eye twitch.
As well as other lessons, easily able to create the object they were supposed to paint before Shen Qingqiu could even critisice him Luo Binghe beat him to it.
“The perspective is off and the bounce light is coming from the wrong direction. This disciple apologises for wasting paint.” He spoke in a bored tone.
The other disciples whose work was way worse felt themselves drop in shame.
If Luo Binghes was bad how in the fuck where they going to compete!?
With all this three time, he decided to spend every moment in the library and study demonic beasts.
His memory was good and he of course knew every single weakness how cluld he not? The monsters were the only redemable thing in PIDW.
Poor Binghe he deserved better!
He could train with Liu Qingge? Maybe say hey my Shizun is better than you and I can prove it fight me!
Huh thats a plan.
But the fact that Liu Qingge was alive was weird, after asking around it turns out Shang Qinghua had something to do with that…
It was strange- but he didnt have time for that he had to focus! And being hungry was really making it hard.
Even so better doing this now in an enviroment where the wkrst thing that can happen is him collapsing.
Other than the abyss where he might end up dying.
His head was splitting, he could barely sleep because of the pain.
There had to be good spots in the abyss for water but airplane skipped it!
Oh no the porn was more improtant than survival! Dumb fuck!
Even so, he had to be lerfect in class, as well as remain consistent in his spars and able to face off against disciples.
And he was doing great! He wasnt hungry as much he could still fight okay the headaches he had grown used to so its fine!
If he couldn’t fight hand to hand with a freakin disciple then how the fuck was he going to last one day in the abyss!
What Luo Binghe didnt know was he was the world child and the abyss wouldn’t be so bad in the sense it was supposed to make him stronger.
In the original story, Luo Binghe only clawed his way out for his hatred for Shen Qingqiu.
The system was very aware that this Luo Binghe…had no ambition.
With nothing to keep him motivated, Luo Binghe may give up and so the system had no choice but to make the abyss easier.
Although technically it wasn’t unlike the original goods who was tossed in unprepared, terrible base, and ignorant.
This Luo Binghe has been training so of course it was going to be easier.
But seriously host was damaging himself!
Luo Binghe, was panting harshly, his hands weak.
He had to pace himself.
He knew his stomach would shrink if he stopped eating, he couldnt over indulge or he might hurt hinself or his stkmach might explode.
He had to get used to smaller bites.
And learn how to ration food.
It got to the point where even Shen Qingqius food which used to smell heavenly just smelled.
It was still good. But he didnt want to eat it.
He knew logically his food tasted good, he just didnt care for it.
When he delivered placing it down before his Shizun.
Remebering the time Shizun found out his meals were cooked by Binghe! Was pricless he looked like he could cough up blood!
The truth cane out when Binghes hands were injured, and of course he couldn’t train so he bawled telling Shizun not his hands how will he cook for him!?
Thats when Shen Qjngqiu found out, and he had the most darkest mood ever.
The disciples of course took it out on Binghe, then he remembered oh yeah, Luo Binghe lost a limb in the abyss! Ergo more training!
So he was able to dodge and fight his way out with just his legs!
The fact that he was in a tree when Shen Qingqiu found him, with a ton of disciples tormening him he almkst laughed at Shen Qingqius face!
Oh if only he still had a cellphone.
Ah if only his hands could work and take one too!
Instead Luo Binghe decided to paint Shen Qingqiu and it had to be his best work yet!
He had to admit it was the only healthy way to get the aggresion out his system.
Art was therapytic no matter what Qingqiu said!
And his woodshed was…covered.
On one hand he wanted to hide them, on the other?
He wanted someone to see and get pissed and punish him for it.
Now, Luo Binghe thought bored, he never gets punished. He was starting to miss it.
doodling another Shen Qingqiu, his fault for being so handsome!
He drew Ming fan occasionally as well as the other male disciples.
Ying shijie always pouted that he never drew her as his french girl.
But he couldn’t!
Knowing the relationship the two had, anything could trigger a romance he did t want to risk it!
Men were safer!
He just said drawing ugly people was better to learn, Ning Yingying is too lretty unfortunatly!
She flushed then decided to say nothing else.
Even so, Ming Fan was growing into his looks, he wasnt as gokd looking as Binghe but he no longer looked like an awful mini Scum.
Luo Binghe was so tired he found his limbs shaking.
His clothes were too big and he kept tripping on them.
And his head was pounding.
One foot then-
He blinked his eyes open to see a ceiling, what?
He tried to get up until a hand grabbed his head and lushed him back down.
Luo Binghe yelped, looking up to see Shen Qingqius dark face.
What? Was he upset Binghe was still alive? Well sorry oh great and bountiful Shizun this Binghe will try harder next time!
Shen Qingqius lips twitched into a sneer.
“Luo Shizi. Please don’t try to kill yourself no matter how much you want praise from someone.”
Luo Binghe blanched, did he say that outloud?
“Now, might want me to explain why Luo Shizi is neglecting hinself?”
Mu Qingfang asked sktging before Luo Binghe.
It was…weird seeing two peaklords staring him down…
“Um, This Binghe wanted to be prepared in case…at any point found himself somewhere with no food or water and had to survive.”
He spoke, it was a very valid fear! Anything can happen to a cultivator!
“Why would you think that would happen to you- to take such an extreme risk such as this, to prevent it?”
Luo Binghe’s eyes flickered to Shen Qingqiu for a split second but it was enough to make Shen Qingqiu snap.
“You really believe this Lord will do that to you?”
Luo Binghe stared at him and Shen Qingqiu looked more annoyed.
“Stop looking at me like that!”
Like what? Was he pulling a face?
(He was, he always gave Shen Qingqiu that look when he thought the kfher was being fumb)
“Luo Shizu has Shen Qingqiu done something to make you act this way, has he hurt you?”
“No.”
Both spoke at the same time, Shen Qingqiu looked surprised at Luo Binghe who stared straight ahead at Mu Qingfang.
“This Binghe, has never been harmed by Shizun. In fact this one has been spoiled! This Binghe only wants to get stronger and prove that Shizun didnt make a mistake in making me his disciple!”
Mu Qingfang melted “Oh Shizi, you don't have to prove yourself. Afterall most of the peak knows that you are a gifted young student!”
Now Luo Binghe paused, sorry what? Since when!?
“So theres no need to push yourself. You are a growing boy! And developing an eating disorder in this stage could damage your cultivation!”
Luo Binghe blinked, well…no it won't matter to a heavenly demon.
To a human sure, maybe but he was the protagonist he would be fine!
“Shen Qingqiu, you’ll have to watch him.”
Oh sweet! Shen Qingqiu wouldn’t give a shit! As long as Luo Binghe was careful and ate a little bit he wouldn’t collapse and be more careful he should be fine!
Both noticed Luo Binghe perk, Mu Qingfang felt something ease to know how much the disciples loved their Shizun.
Meanwhile Shen Qingqiu gave the other a narrowed eyed stare on why the thought of Shen Qingqiu watching him would being him delight?
As soon as they walked back to Qing Jing Peak, Luo Binghe turned in the direction of the wood shed to continue reading his books until he choked as the back of his collar was tugged yanking him back.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Shen Qingqiu asked, lightly fanning his face while holding Binghe by the scruff like a misbehaving dog.
“My…room?”
Shen Qingqiu’s eyes twitched.
“You really believe this lord is going to leave you unsupervised?”
Luo Binghe gave him that look again.
And Shen Qingqiu’s first impulse was to slap him.
He held back, knowing his wayward disciple probably enjoyed that!
“Since this Shizun has been so neglectful of his poor student,”
Luo Binghe twitched, tensing up waiting for the guillotine.
What was his Shizun up to?
“This Lord will have to personally take care of you hinself.”
Luo Binghe blinked then froze.
Shit.
Shit!
He had no idea this could happen- but to be fair he thought his Shizun would bite off his own tongue rather than pretend to be caring for someone like Binghe!
“From now on you will be living with me in the side room at the bamboo house.”
If Shen Qingqiu wasn’t holding him Luo Binghe would’ve fell on his ass.
What?
“Come on, what meagee things did you need at your room that you were in a hurry to get?”
Luo Bknghe grit his teeth and had to turn stiffly as he walked towards the wood shed and entered.
Shen Qingqiu stayed at the doorway not entering, and instead watching Luo Binghe gather his books and manual.
He checked the contents making sure it wasn't another fake one the shoved it in a quirken pouch.
He wasn't stupid or had an eating disorder for christ's sake!
He just could be reliant on constant fokd only to die of something silly like starvation or hunger day 3 in the abyss!
And Shen Qingqiu did not even comment on the wood shed being his room other than the dorms.
The bastard.
“I’m ready, Shizun.”
Instead Shen Qingqiu didn't move, baring his exit while he stood on the doorway.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?”
His eyes flickered to the back wall.
…that was full of his paintings and charcoal sketches of Shen Qingqiu and…others.
Okay sure after fighting Liu Qingge he had to draw him too!
Luo Binghe didn't move.
“The disciples can use it as tinder for the fire if needed. So why move them?”
Luo Binghe tilted his head, “And Shizun does not expect this disciple to live in the side room for the next foreseeable future this Binghe will return back to the woodshed in no time so why move them?” He asked, tilting his head to the side.
Shen Qingqku snapped his fan shut and turned with a flourish of his robes.
How unfair, Binghe was still in his disciple era and can't do that yet.
With each step he followed Shen Qingqiu to his new home, mulish expression on his face.
The other disciples scowled darkly at him in envy.
Afterall its the first time any one other than the head disciple had been so close to the peak lord.
Luo Binghe went straight to the side room and started tidying.
He’ll have to sort out the linen sheets and wash them, dust, then wipe the floor, open the window for ventilation-
He ended up washing the sheets outside and once they were dry with a tailsman he brought then back then paused to see his room was done.
Somebody had already cleaned and wiped down the floor.
The window was open allowing a nice cool breeze in the warn room.
“Ming Fan had finished your room. All you have to do is put your things away. You are under direct orders from Mu Qingfang not to over exert yourself.”
Luo Binghe scowled “Yes, Shizun.”
It was a nightmare.
His Shizun would demand lunch and watch Luo Binghe eat then would make sure he didn't go to the bathroom to throw it up-
Like he would!
Shen Qjngqiu even told him to stop eating when he seemed to realise it was too much for Binghes recovering stomach before even he knew.
Even so he was monitored, made sure he slept and didn't read well into the night.
When Shen Qingqiu learned this he ended up tying Binghe in immortal binding cables and laying him in bed.
Shen Qjngqiu was more aggrieved to learn that's why he was sleeping through his lessons.
He couldn’t train as much, and usually Luo Binghe would act cool and aloof.
But this was killing him.
Ming Fan was taking some sick delight out of this he knew it.
And Luo Binghe’s temper was growing short, the immortal alliance was coming up soon and with the way this was going he was not going to survive.
[Host! In order to complete the endless abyss arc- user has to prove he can enter the immortal alliance conference or he may be dropped from the list!]
…what?
“I- I can skil the abyss?”
[Luo Binghe must enter the abyss. Failure to do so Hkst will be ejected from his body and restored to the original one]
Luo Binghe blinked, placing a hand over his chest at the thought.
He had to get better or he wont jump to his possible death?
What was the point?
Luo Binghe clutched his arms, and made himself smaller in the room.
Okay. Okay he can deal with this.
The next morning, Luo Binghe felt as if he was run over by a truck.
His emotions were all over the place… probably from his fucked up diet.
He glanced up at Shen Qingqiu who ate with poise.
Mu Qingfang told him it was better if Binghe ate with someone. And that someone had to be his scumbag shizun.
He really didn't understand him…you'd think he’d encourage this type of behaviour?
“Stop staring and eat your food, mongrel.”
What a dick.
Luo Binghe was pushing his food around and forced himself to take a bite.
“Shizun?”
“What.”
Luo Binghe stared down at his food.
“If this disciple regulated his eating habits only to then fall back into the same habits later down in the future- what would happen?”
“You would die.”
Shit-fuck!
“So this disciple should stop eating now instead-“
He was hot with a fan.
It was less painful that anything Shen Qingqiu has done to him before. It just surprised him.
“Why prepare for something that may never happen? Why not just build your own grave then lie in it and be done with it? Theres no point wasting this masters time by making you a disciple just to watch you throw it away. You can’t be trusted, that is no longer your body. It’s mine, not one scratch, not one bruise and not one bone protruding without my say so.”
Luo Binghe scowled down at his food.
So now he cares?
“This one can still function as a disciple discreetly if you're worried about what others think. Contrary to popular belief I don't want to die.”
Shen Qingqiu looked unimpressed,
“Then what do you call this? Do you miss those punishments so much you would reduce yourself to self harm?”
Luo Binghe blinked, “Self harm? This is only to get stronger, now this Binghe can function without headaches after skipping meals compared to before-“
“Stop.” Shen Qingqiu really looked irritated.
“You are a cultivator, if you don't want to eat work on your core instead, so you have inedia.”
He would but Meng Mo told him if he pushes his core anymore his demonic cultivation will throw it out of balance. So far he’s been working on building that up.
By the systems calculations he wouldn’t be able to unlock that ability for the abyss.
To make it more angsty for the readers.
For fucks sake.
So now he was back at square one. Couldn’t train like before and had to go back to the same amount of chores as the others. Finishing quicker but befkre he could even help Shen Qingqiu would aopear like his fucking shadow and punish the ones Luo Binghe helped.
Shen Qingqiu realised he was fine with punishments but when others got hurt on his account Luo Binghe would back off!
Why!?
The original Luo Binghe would be ecstatjc to have such a kind and caring Shizun! But he had to wonder what the fuck changed!?
Luo Binghe in PIDW did everything to get Shizuns approval but was kicked into the abyss for it! He was punished for breathing!
Now Luo Binghe would give anything to chop wood till his fingers bled or feel the burn of the whip on his back!
And it wasn’t weird he was just under stimulated!
He needed to do something!
So he ended up in the kitchen aggressively cooking deserts.
And it smelled nice.
He already over cooked a ton to feed the entire peak!
He sighed after pulling out his last batch.
May as well give them out, wouldn’t want to waste food.
“Strange how you can cook such delicious foods yet treat them so callously.”
Luo Binghe flinched, fuck me!
He didn't even hear the devil come in!
Luo Binghe glared, another thing he would’ve been punished for, and yet Shen Qingqiu only seemed amused by it.
…was his Shizun bipolar or what!?
Luo Binghe glanced away.
“This disciple was only stress baking, I bought the ingredients myself so it's not wasting Qing Jing Peaks resources.”
Shen Qingqiu picked up one of the steam pead flour cakes he just baked and tasted it.
Luo Binghe waited for the verdict.
He hoped Shen Qingqiu wasn’t going to make him eat all this food he may actually develop an ED if he did.
“Eat this.”
Luo Binghe fucking called it.
Before he could even reach for one, Shen Qingqiu pushed the food towards his mouth, Luo Binghe had to eat otherwise it would make a mess.
Suddenly flavour exploded on his tongue.
It tasted so good, of course it was the protagonist cooking!
He slowly chewed then swallowed it.
“How did it taste?”
“Good.”
What was Shen Qingqiu getting at?
“So what is the problem,”
Luo Binghe tilted his head. Was it bothering him that much that Binghe refused food?
“Its not the taste of the food. Its the fear that I’ll grow so dependent on it and find that I suddenly cant have it.”
“But getting stronger and studying beasts, what's the point in that if you run your body into the ground.”
Luo Binghe had enough, throwing the tray of food to the side.
“Why do you suddenly care!? You whipped me because I talked back but you dont do that now- I starved in that wood shed you never cared, my back was bloody my hands mangled you did not care. So why start now? You may be fine with acting like the kind Shizun. The great Xiu ya Peak Lord Shen, but excuse me for not buying it. For waiting for the other shoe to drop.
So what will it be next? After this would it be sleeping? Is that going to be our new thing once this is done? How many mkre ways do you need to torture me.”
“You torture yourself. I did nothing.”
Yet.
But he will throw Luo Binghe of a cliff into the abyss to kill him.
“You hurt yourself then blame me. You enjoyed those punishments as training, so I stopped realising it was teaching you the wrong lesson. You’re different from other disciples, stupid. To think this is how any respectable cultivator would train-“
“I’m not a cultivator.” Luo Binghe spoke tiredly, looking at Shen Qingqiu with a bored expression on his face.
It riled Shen Qingqiu up.
“This one was an unwanted disciple, a waste. All because Ning Shiejie wanted a shidi and you wanted to win one over Liu Qingge. Because he wanted me first.”
Shen Qingqius eyes widened and Luo Binghe looked down.
“You never wanted this disciple, and this Binghe is fine with that. But after giving me a fake cultivation manual, making me fight elder hammer with posion that could kill me. How can you blame this one for flinching waiting for a third blow?”
Shen Qingqiu looked shocked that Luo Binghe even knew that much.
He walked past, ignoring the food plans of distributing it around the peak forgotten.
Luo Binghe sat before Shen Qingqiu. Forgetting that he had to eat with the devil.
The only thing that gets Luo Binghe through the day is karma.
Everytime something unfortunate happens to Shen Qingqiu (who had such unfortunate luck)
He would bare witness to it.
Being bested in a duel by Qi Qingqi. He ended up cheering her on the loudest.
Seeing Shen Qingqiu try to practise sword fighting and making a huge hole in qing jing peak.
He acted like he did it on purpose but Luk Bknghe was fascinated by his tells and knew the man was embarrassed.
Dropping a tea kettle on his foot he even hopped up and down with a yelp.
That was the best one!
Thoughts like that got him through.
He ate mindlessly not tasting anything. And had to stop when his stomach ached.
“Keep eating.”
Luo Binghe paused, “What?”
“Keep eating. After all this Shizun is cruel and would force poor Binghe to starve so keep eating.”
What a petty bitch.
Luo Binghe did staring right at Shen Qingqiu and kept eating. Until his bowl was finished.
His stomach was killing him.
But he ignored it.
Then he began to swallow more, saliva pooling in his mouth, and-
Luo Binghes eyes widened, he dropped his bowl into the floor and lunged for the bathroom, even Shen Qingqiu flinched at the breakneck speed then grimaced when he heard Luo Binghe throw up.
Luo Binghe didnt eat the next day.
And Shen Qingqiu was begging to lose his temper.
“If you don’t eat properlly you’re not going to the immortal alliance conference!”
God dammit!
Luo Binghe had to admit defeat.
He had half a year left, it would make it more difficult but he had no choice.
He started slow, eating fruits out in the open after training where everyone would see.
Starting off small.
Sharing snacks and eating them himself, and when it came to big meals, would still leave food left but not as much as before.
Its fine, when he’s in the abyss he knows what to expect.
He faces monsters in the beginning, has to keep moving into the centre where he finally finds some springs for water, but no food. Maybe he can prepare a quirken pouch to take supplies.
After all what if water is stored in things, like plants, or trees or even rocks!
It can happen!
If he has tools to store water, and food and make it last then thats eight out of ten problems.
Then theres madam meiyans adventures with the succubus clan…hmm, he really wants to skip it.
Losing his first time in an abyss is not the best place, but he would need new clothes…
He had no idea while he was recovering eating, passing Mu Qingfangs bill of health.
Everyone even peaklords praised Shen Qingqiu for being there for his disciple and helping him through somethimg so trying.
It pissed him off.
No one gave a shut ablut his eating habits, he sweats mu Qingfangs care for his own disciple than his fellow maritial sibling.
And Shen Qingqiu knew Luo Binghe.
That look in his face when he was alone, the anxiety, and panic before settling down.
It was refreshing. Before Luo Binghe would always show that fake smile and act friendly but underneath Shen Qjngqku knew something was wrong with the kid.
The relief when he finally showed his true colours and stopped pretending.
If its one thing, Shen Qingqiu hates its liars.
But no, Luo Binghe may be showing signs he was okay maybe he really is over this bad habit.
But now its when a new habit appears.
He mentioned sleeping so now Shen Qingqiu is more vigilant making sure he goes to bed on time and stops studying those demon books.
Why is Binghe even writing notes on how to defeat a monty python rhino?
He’s too young to be fighting that- he was given a list on what to fight in the alliance why was he studying something else!?
“Maybe he’s trying to copy you?”
Shen Qingqiu paused, lowering the tea cup from his lips.
“Excuse me?”
Mu Qingfang only looked at him cooly.
“Its not a secret that Shen Qingqiu doesnt sleep, is a bright young man but is weak in his cultivation, and is too skinny.”
Shen Qingqiu scowled. “Thats ludicrous and untrue. He’s never went to a brothel.”
So there!
“Not yet, maybe it’ll happen in time.”
“Why would Binghe copy me?”
“Most do, to someone they respect, or idolise. Maybe wanted to understand you better.”
No. Mu Qingfang is definitely wrong at this.
“Binghe is making his own mistakes. He’s not following mine.”
Mu Qingfang hummed, “Its only a theory, unless he starts showing…signs. Maybe you might have to have the talk.”
Shen Qingqku stared then his eyes narrowed “Certainly not. That's the hallmasters job!”
“Maybe there's a lot of things he doesn't know-“
“He had a mother. She would’ve told him.”
…
“What?”
As Luo Binghe came back ho- the bamboo house he wanted to collapse onto his bed.
He wanted to skip dinner so bad but he had to eat now.
Like a respectful adult ugh!
“Binghe!”
“I have moon cakes! I’m eating moon cakes from Ning Yingying!”
He snapped back, he just got into bed! Now he had to stomp because Shizun would want him face to face.
The typical parent yelling for their kid then not answering when they respond.
“Not that, impertinent brat. Sit.”
Luo Binghe sat. What? What could his bipolar Shizun want now?
“If you visit brothels or make nong yingying pregnant I will castrate you,”
Whoa- what!?
Luo Binghe blinked “Shizun, this disciple must have hit his head at sparring today and didnt hear you right. Can you please repeat that?”
What the fuck?
Shen QingQiu sneered down at him.
“Someone brought to my attention that you like to copy me.”
Luo Binghe started looking around and Shen Qingqiu scowled.
“What are you doing.”
“Looking for my fan. But I can’t seem to find it.”
As well as tge stick up my ass but thats not there either so clearly he’s not copying!
“Being a recluse, hiding away from others and assuming the worst of others and your strange relationship with food then you mentioned sleeping habits….”
Luo Binghe glanced back up, surprised.
Even Shen Qingqiu…?
Luo Binghe glanced back down then realised where Shen Qingqiu was going with this-
“I don't need the talk!” He yelped face red. He did not-
He stood up walking away.
“I’m not copying you- I’m not going to end up in a brothel with tons of women-!”
Although original Binghe would’ve-
That wasnt him!
He wasnt interested in a harem! Maybe find some girl settle down study beasts get a bet one.
Oh how cool would that be?
The protagonist with a giant fucking wolf as his companion?
Yeah a big heckin chihuahua.
Luo Binghe had to start cooking something or he was going to go nuts.
…Shen Qingqiubeas seriously starting ti scare him.
When his diet was back to normal, his workout began again. And now he was studying arrays.
Fucking stupid, he was.
Why didn't he think of this before? Keeping food hot or frozen to last longer.
And even have inside pockets so he wint lose his shit willy nilly!
He soent all his tike studying, and sewing and-
Bang!
Most of it exploded in his face.
“Shizun!”
“Don’t tell Shizun!”
It was an accident! It wasn’t on purpose!
But Nong Yingying snitched and now he had to go over sewing techniques and arrary work with the hallmaster again.
And when they saw what he was trying to make they laughed. Claiming it was impossible.
Luo Binghe gree mullish, fuck you he’s the protagonist he can fucking do it!
After hiding away from prying eyed and working on smaller fabrics was able to make a heating AND freezing charm.
He experimented with cold foods first to see if they stayed frozen in the pouch then crowed with delight that it worked!
Now to make it bigger!
And just like that he was able to store large amounts of food in his pouch oldest at the friend newest at the back sk nothing got too spoiled.
He was so giddy.
After making tons of pouches and even showing them off and how they worked and why they existed.
Shen Qingqiu cleared his throat.
“Write your progress into a report. We’ll place your findings in the library with the rest.”
Huh…huh!?
“And Binghe.”
Luo Binghe stood at attention as Shen Qingqiu gazed down at him.
“You are approved to go to the immortal alliance. Do not disappoint me.”
What oh- oh fuck YES!
-he wanted to ditch these disciples why join kf they’re going to struggle!?
Then the demons arrive! About time! Ah these were mich better to fight than the easy ones!
Even the spiders were easy!
“Everyone! There is a snow flower that is a deterent to demons! Up this way!”
Once they were safe did Luo Binghe sigh with relief.
At least now, its all on him.
“I’ll go find help!”
He left the disciples before they could utter a word.
Now alone all he had to do was wander aimlessly until the abyss opened.
He was nervous, like exams, dentist, and blood tests all into one.
He just wanted it over with. As soon as he was in the abyss the better.
“Binghe.”
“Fu- Shizun!?” He nearly died- what the hell?
Oh yeah, Shizun was supposed to toss him in.
“What is Shizun doing here?”
Shen Qingqiu scowled, “Rescuing disciples such as yourself. Come on.”
Mobei-jun comes in, and Luo Binghe feels his hands shaking as he watched as Shang Qinghua was hit into a tree.
This was wrong.
Shen Qingqiu was actually fighting a demon and telling Binghe to run?
“Hmm, what a weak cultivator.”
Shen Qingqiu growled, “You demonic spawn- this Peak Lord is the Xiu ya sword! And you will fall by my blade!”
Shizun was hurt.
Shen Qingqiu evaded the most of the ice crystals, but was pinned to a tree by a viscious one.
Shen Qingqiu may die.
Luo Binghe moved, not even aware just lunging for the ice demon with a yell, swiping his sword down.
He’d forgotten all of his training, only using his bare hands as Mobei-jun looked at him with interest.
“Binghe- run stupid boy!”
Luo Binghe wasn’t paying attention, instead he evaded even getting slammed into the ground, almost breaking his arm he ignored it, until Mobei-jun grabbed his head.
“Hmm, human but not.”
Wait- the monty python…
Luo Binghes eyes widened as a clawed hand reached towards his face, he screamed at the pure agony in his forehead as he was dropped to the floor.
He clutched his skull feeling the mark of sin burn into his forehead his whole body becoming liquid fire when his demonic core burned through his meridians along side his spirtual veins.
Luo Binghe panted, fuck he felt awful.
Mobei-jun replaced the rhino… why was it different?
“Beast.”
Luo Binghe looked up, eyes drooped and out of it. Until a sword touched his neck.
Luo Binghe stiffened, remembering where he was and what he was supposed to do.
“Shizun? Want to tell me what your doing?”
“Who are you calling Shizun, demon mutt?”
Ah back to pet names huh? Luo Binghe hummed, “This disciple is just as surprised as you.”
He glanced to the side and saw Zheng Lang destroyed.
“Shizun, can you do this one a favour?”
“No.”
Luo Binghe shifted back, and stood up, Shen Qingqiu held his sword high, green eyes almost black with the dark scowl on his face.
Luo Binghe took another step back, then another.
His eyes remained on his sword, he really…wanted to take the sword with him…having a sword would be easier in the abyss now he can’t.
He missed the wide eyes look of his Shizun, missed the panic as Binghe took another step back.
“Shizun, can you fix my sword? Say…Luo Binghe died…a human.”
Shen Qingqkus eyes widened, his sword faltering, as Luo Binghe took another step back.
Then felt the ledge under his foot and paused.
“This one has always trained for this…You were never a good Shizun, but this past year…” Luo Binghe turned to look down at the abyss, his chest suddenly tightening, it was terrifying, he was scared. Who wouldn’t be?
He was procrastinating at this point, the timer ticking down.
“I think I might miss you. Shen Qingqiu.” Luo Binghe smiled, showing all his teeth no different to how he looked before he did something to piss Shen Qingqiu off.
Then he fell, falling back into the abyss, eyes squeezed tight breathing heavily to hold in his scream.
The rift shut with a snap.
Leaving Shen Qingqiu with his hand held out, eyes wide in shock.
He fell to his knees, wounded, in pain…and numb.
All this time he wanted to do away with that brat, he dreamed off it-
Now?
“Shen Qingqiu!”
“Shen-Shidi!”
His eyes slid over to the broken sword…he moved and began to pick up the pieces.
He may as well honour that brat. And do this one thing for him.
____________
Luo Binghe almost collapsed against the broken stairway, almost there.
He lost track of time of how long he was in the abyss. He barely had time to think or feel, just respond to each attack and survive.
The only reprieve was when he found a little oasis when the system would pipe up.
And tell him hints with b-points that he earned in the development arc Disciple days.
Luo Binghe almost slumped with relief, food and water was scarce, it was worse than Qing Jing Peak, he knew if he woke up he would be halfway down a beasts mouth.
-gets a dog
-loses a dog
System makes him go to madam meiyan.
“You upled the difficulty on purpose!?”
[stop doing side quests and go to madam meiyan! You need new clothes and then you can get Xin Mo!]
Luo Binghe paused, Xin Mo?
“Why didn’t you say so?”
Like an autistic stuck in a closet and forgotten about, Luo Binghe was actually getting used to the abyss.
But after the loss of Pear…
Yeah, he wanted to call him mini peerless cucumber but that was a mouthful in the abyss. But he wanted it affiliated wkth fruit and thought Pear was a good name.
When Pear was ripped to shreds in front of him, Binghe drove off any cute baby animal that got too close.
He thought that as the protagonist- he really wanted to go home with lear, watch him get bigger and be an intimadating badass!
The system knew he was dodging basic Luo Binghe plots and waa dojng his own thing so to give him angst it decided to make him break down.
Losing his pet, his one stability, his confirt in this wasteland. Shen Qingqiu never betrayed him, so he had to accept loss in one way or another.
It just sucked!
And so after finally trudging up to Madam Meiyan, reluctently, then felt bad because she was nice.
He told her he didnt want anything to happen in the abyss, not until he was safe.
She patged his hand yet still helped him get new clothes.
She didnt act like the femme fatale side fling of Luo Binghe. She acted like a caring older sister.
He slumped in gratitude, and finally adorned the black and red robes.
He checked himsekf oht in the mirror lerking up.
Now that is a protagonist!
Complete lady killer! But not in this world!
Luo Binghe, as a reader, always thought if at any point he would have to marry?
It’d be Liu mingyan.
She was smart, strong and cool. Best girl.
Even so Madam Meiyan was so kind, it almost made Luo Binghe cry.
Even so, he couldn’t stay in the den long, thats just inviting disaster.
He began his journey again, rationing his food and thankful that other than the beggining, at least food was no loner scarce and he could eat and not have to worry.
[That could also be inedia]
Or that too!
Even so, the monsters had to get stronger thats how you level up!
And Luo Binghe wasted no time grinding he wasnt a newb!
He was going to keep fighti bf every single demon he could lay his on to get stronger.
[Host is procastinating to avoid Xin Mo]
He was not!
…maybe- even so he needed duel cultivation to deal with it.
And he didnt want to deal with it.
So when he finally made it up the stairwell, leaning heavily on the wall and leaving blood and ichor on the pale stone,
He saw Xin Mo in tge centre of the room.
Before he was scared, now he had to get over it.
He beat his training, he was literally having a vacation in the abyss, after Xin Mo magbe that will no linger be a problem.
He approached extending his hand and grasped the handle.
Quiet.
Then a sudden flood of screams, intense rage and anger swarmed into him.
He grimaced falling to his knees, breathing his throat aching when he realised he was screaming too.
[Host! Soend b-points to temper Xin Mo?]
Yes yes a hundred times yes!
The screams didnt stop, but dulled down to a feint baackgfound noise.
God how did Luo Binghe deal with this.
He raised his arm and sliced downwards into an arc and a portal opened up.
Luo Binghe gazed at it like the first sunset honest delight on his face.
He didnt think it would work the first time!
As he stepped through the portal still open he glanced at the sword and three it back into the portal.
“Yeet.”
Instead it slung back missing his neck to slam into the tree behind him.
The portal closed.
[Host and Xin Mo are bonded for life. Only destrkying Xin Mo can release its hold.]
Luo Binghe brushed a hand over his face, really?
At least that was his new goal. Destroy Xin Mo.
The system even had the nerve to make that as a bullet point on his list lf tasks.
[What else will host do now that he’s free?]
Well other than the abyss, he didnt have to do the other plot points.
He didnt have to return to cang Qiong. Or even go to Huan Hua.
He coukd just wander PIDW to his hearts content and fight monsters, rescue damsels, without marrying them.
It sounds like a dream-
[Warning! Character arrival! Task: defeat important character!]
Mobei-jun appeared even seeming surprised to see Luo Binghe.
What? Why? Why!?
[To fix plot holes ;)]
You tricked me!
Luo Binghe leaped back, evading Mobei-Jun attack- it was weird.
How weaker Mobei-Jun was.
He could kill him, just use Xin Mo and sate it for now…but Mobei-Jun was a loyal fighter…
And he wont be able to spar with Liu-Shishu again. As Luo Binghe kept dodging, considering expression on his face, he was unaware it kept pissing off Mobei-Jun.
“Take this seriously!”
Oh? Ah he was being rude. Compared to when he was a child, he was easily slammed into the ground.
Luo Binghes claws extended as he grabbed Mobei-Jun by the throat and slammed him into the ground.
Mobei-Jun grunted eyes wide to see Luo Binghe straddling on top of him heavenly sigil glowing with red demonic eyes looking down at Mobei-Jun like he was an interesting bug he decided to play with knstead of squish into the dirt beneith his biot.
“Do you lield and swear your loyalty to me, or should this one kill you know and save myself ghe trouble?”
Mobei-Jun swallowed eyes bright.
“This one will follow you, Junshang.”
[Congragulations! Luo Binghe is now a lord! Next task- defeat the saintess Sha Hualing to claim title as demon emporoer!]
Luo Binghe stood up leaving Mobei-Jun on the ground, onlivious to the ice kings new sexual awakening-
And stared at the system.
“Are you telling me that I HAVE to do those plots?”
[Yes! Become a demon emporer! And also be adopted into Huan Hua! Investigate plot points! Revenge on Shen Qingqiu is optional!]
Oh?
[Merging the realms is also optional!]
Hmm.
Even so, the reason Luo Binghe merged the realms was because of paper work.
He’ll need people, unlike the og Binghe who couldn’t trust anyone and had to hold his empire himself but also going on adventures and picking up flowers every five minutes? Garunteed his rule wouldn’t be great especially since Mobei-Jun kills his spy who also HAPPENED to be tge advisor.
“Mobei-Jun.” He glanced over, time to start planning.
“Not to be a pain, but this Binghe is tired. Can you be accomidating and give me a room? Prefferbly in your northern palace of course.”
Mobei-Jun looked stiff then nodded with a small bow.
“Of course Junshang.”
He opened up a portal and and was soon making his way to his new home.
Luo Binghe never liked the cold, in his former life or this one.
But he’ll have to deal.
____
First order of buisness after dealing wkth Mobei-Juns unruly court.
Linguang-Jun had to go.
Any infatuation Mobei-Jun had fizzled. Luo Binghe only sneered down at the blood smear of what was left of his uncle and said.
“Just some cannon fodder who didnt add to the plot, bound to backstab for further gain when given the chance.”
He had a point but still.
Then he demaded to see Shang Qinghua.
“Relax, Mobei. This lord only wants to reunite with his precious Shang-Shishu.”
Mobei-Jun kelt giving excuses, making Shamg Qinghua overworked on purpose so he would never meet their ecentric demon Lord.
Luo Binghe must have grown tired breaking Mobei-Juns hand and warning him that he was being polite but now enough was enough.
The three kf them sat at a table together, Luo Binghe spread like king, relaxed. A contrast to both Qinghua and Mobei-Jun who sat stiffly.
“So your the spy who ruined the immortal alliance and backstabbed Cang Qiong to align with demons! Never knew you had it in you Shishu!”
Shang Qinghua looked like he was going to vomit.
Hmm, the man was always…different.
More cold. And evil.
This guy was a gerbil.
“Hmm, first order of buisness. Mobei-Jun.” Luo Binghe looked up glaring at him.
“No killing Shang Qinghua. No matter what, even if he betrays yourself or this Lord being him to me to punish, understood?”
That seemed to surprise both.
“J-Junshang? Thank you for the order on my behalf, but ks there any reaoson…to…”
Shang Qinghua lost his vouce the more Luo Binghe stared at him.
What? Whys he so scared for- he doesnt know me yet or how string I am-
[Host has a resting scary face]
That was just cruel.
“This lord…likes paperwork.” Luo Binghe spoke aving his sleeves and moving forward to pour tea.
“Its calming, helps keep my thoughts organised. Excessive paper work, redundent paper work, incompetant paperwork is something I’d rather not do. If this lord plans on conquering the south or even plans on dessimating Huan Hua-“
Here Shang Qinghua twitched.
Other times he would’ve missed it.
But in the abyss any movement reflects so much.
“Havkng a base in the human realm and demon realm garuntess my hands will be full. Shang Qinghua is managing the northern realm as well as Cang qiong. Someone that competant will lighten the load.”
After making the tea he sliced his hand calmly watching the blood pour into the cup.
He saw from the corner of his eye, Shang Qinghua breath hitched, his face pale.
“Here Shishu, drink. Swear your loyalty to this demon lord.”
He wondered why Luo Binghe never did this to his close subordinates in the first place.
Make sure he’d never get betrayed and reward people under his emply with healing beneifts.
Join Luo Binghe we have health care!
“Hmm, why so hesitent Shang-Shishu. You wont bettay this lord so what worry is there?”
Shang Qimghua gulped then grabbed the cup chugging it down.
Luo Binghe laced his fingers together as he gazed at Qinghua.
“Hmm? Does Shang Qinghua know something?”
Shang Qinghua was back to his pale trembling self.
“N-no Junshang. This Qinghua knows nothing.”
…he’s lying.
Luo Binghe dropped the playful act and tilted his head.
Shang Qinghua immedietly started sweating buckets.
“Do you like reading Shang Qinghua?”
The other nodded “Y-yeah?”
Hmm.
“Theres a book this lord can’t stand, the worst literay piece ever known to man. I regret laying my eyes on such drivel. Its called Proud Immortal Demon way, has Shang Qinghua heard of it?”
It was instant, Shamg Qinghua almlst stopped breathing.
“Yes.”
Luo Binghe felt himself relax, and in turn Shang Qinghua looked like his strings were snapped.
Luo Binghe almost felt nad for him.
“Yes I didnt like that story, so I decided to change a few things in it.”
Shang Qinghua began to oerk.
And in turn Mobei-Jun began to glower-
Itvwas strange woth how a fee words he had Qinghua relaxing and leaning in closer.
Mobei-Jun would’ve guessed it was the blood but he felt no different.
…or maybe…
No. He felt no different.
Of course when Shang Qinghua came running to him screaming he of course hid him out the way until it was junshang trucking towards them.
“Airplane!”
“Ah dont kill me!”
Mobei-Jun stood stiff “Mobei-Jun get out kf my way.”
“No killing Qinghua. Your order.”
Luo Binghe blinked then scowled at Qinghua who stuck his tongue out at him.
The killing intent was string even Mobei-Jun almlst buckled from it.
Luo Binghe scowled “Fine!”
“If I wanted to kill you, I would’ve used my blood parasites dipshkt.”
“Oh yeah.”
“Hmm hmm.”
“Your inside me-“
“What? Ew why are you like this!?”
A/n:
Shen Yuan: Luo Binghe was influenced by Xin Mo it wasnt his fault.
Shen Yuan as Luo Binghe with Xin Mo: does nothing inappropriote and is a distinguished gentlemen.
-Shen Qingqiu trial
Luo Binghe wanted nothing to do with the scumbag and just let the consequences of his actions continue their course.
As Luo Binghe was investigating the origins if his parents (since the system was adament ablut it for some reason) he didnt think his inlut mattered.
But then it was his reputation that came into it.
He realised he should have….maybe…thought this through.
“Is it true that Shen Qingqiu abused his disciples?”
If it was one thing, Luo Binghe wanted to be fair. Shen Qingqiu never abused him, but he may have murdered Qui Haitangs brother.
But if Luo Binghe expressed nothing was wrong then the whole cultivation world will see him as a backstabbing disciple!
Luo Binghe was also…curious, why the original goods never invaded both dreams to see what really happened. Verify the evidence so to say.
“This Binghe has his own personal reasons to remain here at Huan Hua.”
Not to mention, Shen Qingqiu could blackmail him as being a heavenly demon.
Luo Binghe already felt like he could t relax and retire not with this threat looming at him.
“And Shen Qingqiu has never abused me.”
Here he saw Shen Qingqius twitch, and ignored it.
“But his past with Qui Haitang is something I am unfamiliar with.” He could tell the tide was changing against him.
To stand aside while his Shizun was being condemned? How unfilial.
“And so this Binghe has decided to personally investigate this case as a neutral party.”
Qui Haitang looked his way-
“What!? So you can hide evidence and help your scumbag Shizun!?” She yelled and Luo Binghe spoke.
“On the contrary, a rogue cultivator claiming a Peak Lord had murdered her entire family with only servants to survive? Where are such servants why is there not more witnessed to confirm this case? This could just as easily paint you Miss Haitang in a poor light with just the right defense.”
Luo Binghe gave her his best charming look, hoping to give off friendly big brother vibes to aplease her.
“Dont worry Miss Haitang. This Binghe will only uncover the truth on what happened that night and help you find peace.”
[Congragulations! +50 Charisma points for Miss Haitang! Possible love arc begin-]
No no no- it wasnt- no! Cancel love arc CANCEL!
-uses his dreams and finds out the truth from both.
Speaks to Shen Qingqiu in the water prison.
Hunts down servants. Who are scarred and reveal the abuse of Qui Jianlou and his crimes. How they speak kindly lf Shen Qingqiu who got them out.
How Luo Binghe accidently saved Shen Qinqqiu-
“Why help this Master? It can’t be because you want to play the part pf a loving disciple? After all,”
Shen Qinqgiu leaned close, speaking softly so others wouldn’t hear.
“This master tried to kill you three times after all.”
Luo Binghe smiled, “This Binghe knew he had bigger threats to face, after knowing the trials I had to overcome…you didn’t seem that scary all of a sudden. And this Binghe knows of worse things to come that taking revenge on my scum Shizun seems like a waste of time to me.”
After Luo Binghe removed the red immortal binding cables, tenderly holding Shen Qingqius hand and unwrapping each rope, his eyes furrowed at how thin Shen Qingqius wrists had become. Shen Qinqqiu had lost weight-
“Luo-Shizi.” Luo Binghe straightened, “ah Sect Leader Yue!” He bowed hastily.
“Apologies, this unfilial disciple never meant to disrespect Cang Qiong mountain-“
Instead the sect leader took his hands and made Luo Binghe look up, the look on his face was stra ge and made Luo Binghe uncomfortable.
And the worst thing happened.
The sect leader bowed to him!
“It was Cang Qiong who has done a great disservice to Luo Binghe.” Everyone in the room heard such a thing, Huan Hua bristled but all the lthers practically hungered for the drama.
“That we had failed in such a way that you felt that you couldn’t return and felt undeserving. Cang Qiong doors will always be open to Luo Binghe, he doesnt have to prove his worth or fear rejection to come home.”
Oh- oh!
He had to admit, Yue Qingyuan was similar to him, killing them with kindness. Making it seem as if they were the perfect sect family outside, and creating this humble narrative that Luo Binghe didnt deviate and spit on Cang Qiong but it was in fact a simple miscommunication!
Then Shen Qingqiu spoke as well, “Yes. Qing Jing Peak is your home, unless Luo Binghe doesn’t want to return to the mountain that took him in?”
Oh, now everyone was watching Luo Binghe.
But…they both could accuse him of being a demon, so why not use that instead?
Even so, both of them were looking at him expectantly, they all were.
“This Luo Binghe is grateful, and relieved to know that his worries were unnescary and that Cang Qiong still accepts me.”
Shen Qingqiu smirked, looking like he was about to win- until…
“But this Binghe is ungrateful. Huan Hua took me in after I was injured and this one wanted to repay that debt, maybe even foster good relations to both sects. And further more…This Binghe wanted to learn more about his past, the Luo River is closer to Huan Hua where I was born and wanted to learn about my past.”
Luo Binghe gave them both beseaching looks.
“Can this one still stay at Huan Hua until I find the answers I am looking for?”
Shen Qingqiu looked annoyed, the Palace Master even inturupted.
“Yes! Why Luo Binghe was forced to find sanctuary here and never returned to Cang Qiong is a mystery! And Shen Qinqgiu! You claimed he had died at the immortal alliance!”
Shen Qinqqiu gritted his teeth, and the others became more rowdy.
“Luo Binghe will remain here, until he feels comfortable speaking the truth and has no fear of the power and influence both of you have.”
Luo Binghe was touched this father figure was coming to his aid, but he couldn’t be more wrong, he was a demon emporer. He had a lot of power and influence.
________
“Afterall I’m the scum Shizun! And you are the victim! Always blaming me when in reality you hurt yourself,” luo Binghe paused huh?
“What? No- never ind that.” Why was Shen Qingqiu upset anyway? “Look I’m at Huan Hua now, far away from you. And we can both pretend the other doesn't exist!” Then Luo Binghe paused.
“What are you doing taking missions so close to Huan Hua in the first place?”
Shen Qinqgiu ignored him.
“What this master does with his own time is his own buisness.”
Okay.
Even so, Luo Binghe figured Madam Meiyan may help with Xin Mo, he can only spend so many b-points on suppressing it, but if it acted up in Huan Hua he may accidently trigger a papapa scene with one of the women and he didnt need that!
Why was it that no matter what mission and what he wanted to do, Shen Qingqiu was there!?
Always in trouble, always causing trouble, really playing the petty scum villain and being an overall pain in the neck!
Xin Mo kept telling Luo Binghe to just kill him and one of these days he may just listen to it!
-wife plot with SQQ
He had no idea why, Luo Binghe was on his way to another peak to investigate his mothers origins Meng Mo found a lead of a familair disciple who knew Binghes ‘mother’
Also the imposter syndrome he figured Origianal goods would lose face but this Luo Binghe was only looking into the plot, if his parents were alive he doubted they would be close,
_____________________
And this is where I lost steam and had no idea what to write next, that LBH/sy is ignoring sqq and focusing on himself but when the others in trouble he goes "Ah well its the scum villain who cares...but I have to ask questions I'm the protagonist, and I want to ask questions about this plothole and such-" accidently uncovers Sqq past and reveals it was self-defense.
Whoops?
Now SQQ wants Luo Binghe back at Cang Qiong NOT because he cares about the little beast- it looks bad on HIM as a Peak Lord that he has some unruly disciple avoiding his peak like he's some abused little maiden running away from her husband.
Shen Qingqiu would break his fan at the thought, that little brat loved it! Shen Qingqiu has never raised a hand to the beast in years!
Luo Binghe even claims he hates him, that he's a scum Shizun and never cared so why does Binghe go out of his way to save Shen Qingqiu? instead of washing his hands of him, it doesn't make sense....
_______________________
Yeah I do want SQQ and Binghe to be end game, like SY is fascinated by SQQ as a character and has more interest in him than the women of the harem.
#svsss#fanfic#idea#disciple shen yuan#disciple Luo Binghe#Shen Yuan IS Luo Binghe#shen Qingqiu#Bingqiu#SCUM
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Frontiers of Pandora story review ✨
BEWARE! Heavy spoilers ahead.
Alright, since I don’t see people talking about this game as much as I’d want on my socials, I decided to put together a little review where I talk about the story, what spoke to me, as well as some critiques.
To summarise my opinion; I love it! The story knows where it’s taking place and takes advantage of it. It covers dark topics and succeeds in staying as serious in tone as the movie franchise, which makes the campaign feel like it truly belongs in the world of Pandora.
To speak more in-depth; the plot of a Na’vi residential school had me hooked from the first moment. I think residential schools that native children were forced into are a topic not talked about often enough, so I appreciated the developers and writers bringing awareness to such facilities, even if it’s in sci-fi form. reconnecting with Na’vi heritage that was stolen from the main character and their family is executed quite well, as playing frontiers lets you get immersed into the feeling of exploration and discovery. The player is as un-knowledgeable about the world around them as the protagonist, and being able to experience new connections, abilities, places, stories and traditions side-by-side with them has been an amazing ride.
The different Na’vi cultures shown in the game are written organically. They each possess an intricate fashion based on their values, environment and history, but that is not all. Every clan has a cast of characters, bigger or smaller, who bring further life into the western frontier, help expand on the lore and provide entertainment. My personal favourites of these characters have to be Nefika and Kin, both elderly Na’vi with a welcoming presence and charm. Second to them come Eetu and Okul!
Then there is the main cast, which is MC, their three found family siblings, a.k.a the surviving Sarentu children, So’lek, Alma and Priya. We consistently stay in contact with them, both as part of the campaign and as part of our explorations, sharing experiences with them. The protagonist character is righteous, brave and endlessly adorable in their reactions to the world around them, and the trio of Sarentu forever have a place in my heart. I liked the concept of each one of the Sarentu children representing a different reaction to their past abuse and toxic relationship with John Mercer.
Nor, who had most luxury of remembering his life before being taken by the RDA, tries to distance himself as far as possible from everything human, and progressively adopts an antagonistic mindset towards his human allies, as well as a growing feeling of resentment and vengeance. I do not blame him for it and I believe it makes sense. After him comes Ri’nela, who, during Mercer’s captivity, tried staying out of sight but protecting her siblings where she could. Without Mercer, she feels insecure, constantly stumbling and at first, regularly looks guidance from Alma. She beats herself up for things that happen to Teylan and A’hari, despite being unable to have fixed them, but eventually grows into a stronger person, being able to take on the role of a Tsahik in the clan. Lastly, there is Teylan and he has to be my favorite character in the game. His bond to Mercer is strong, as T.A.P is all he ever knew, so without John, he begins falling apart. Lack of constant control and lack of ""affection"" from Tey’s "father figure" leave him feeling ten times as insecure as Ri’nela. He has a hard time learning Na’vi ways, keeps lagging behind and ultimately sticks to technology and hacking, which is worsened by So’lek’s nagging, as he obviously doesn’t know how severe Teylan’s abuse was and simply assumes that he is "lost" in the new world. Eventually, Teylan does what many abuse victims do, and returns to his abuser. An action I kind of predicted, but which still really hit me. His voice actor did an incredible job of portraying this character and the rest of the campaign I spent praying that I’ll get to bring him back home. In the end, I’m happy he’s at home and safe. 🥹💖🫶
Now to the grown ups. I don’t have much to say about Priya, but I grew fond of her. I liked her development from an awkward girl that sparks horrific second-hand embarrassment in the viewer to a resistance member who actively puts herself in the line of fire to help her friends. I found myself getting worried for her whenever she didn’t respond or was in danger.
So’lek is a character who I was immediately fond of, and I liked his growth as well. He saw himself as completely separate from human resistance members, and his thoughts are often occupied by revenge, but he comes to care for MC, the Sarentu and eventually the humans. Seeing him protect Alma when Nor attacks her was a brilliant moment.
Lastly, there is Alma herself. A very grey character who did horrible things in the past, like leading the program side-by-side with John Mercer. I liked her development, from an aloof and seemingly supportive teacher at T.A.P, to a person that orchestrated the entire project. Her grief and guilt feel organic, and I found myself having a lot of difficult feelings about her as it is obvious she cares for the Sarentu children, but her sins cannot be forgiven. I’m happy Ri’nela made the choice to simply part ways with her in peace, instead of trying to build a new bridge.
Now, for what I believe was executed badly. It’s quite unfortunate, but the game suffers from the same problem as Avatar the way of water, only quadrupled and that is; we don’t get enough time with the characters.
It feels even worse because in comparison to the movies, games don’t have to worry about pacing or time limits. The campaign can be as long as developers wish, but it came out rushed anyway. Part of the reason I got as attached to the characters as I did was because I spent time getting emotionally invested into everything they said, their minor behavioural cues and voicelines, but not everyone is as dedicated, and those people should have the right to experience a good story as well. They shouldn’t have to seek it out between the lines.
The only characters who I felt were properly developed are Teylan and Alma. They had the most extensive arcs and their growth was tied into a nice bow. But what about Ri’nela, Nor and So’lek? Nor suffers from Metkayina syndrome gets completely scrapped shortly before the finale, So’lek only gets crumbs of growth and Ri’nela is at times forgotten about completely. Her development as a character is too off-screen and between the lines for most people to catch it, and I find that sad because she’s such a sweet character when you actually get invested into her.
In the end, Frontiers of Pandora’s story feels like a good joke with all the necessary setup but only half-delivered punchline. I had very reasonable expectations and a lot of them were not fulfilled. This project is definitely miles better than whatever Ubisoft has been releasing in these last years, but I really hope that the DLCs will expand on the story further.
Verdict on the campaign; 7 out of 10. The setup and the beginning of the story were just perfect, but in the end, the characters didn’t get the treatment they deserved. Thank you for reading.
#atwow#afop#avatar 2009#avatar 2#avatar frontiers of pandora#frontiers of pandora#avatar na'vi#avatar fop#so’lek#teylan#eetu frontiers of pandora#solek
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ROUND ONE - Byakuya Togami (Danganronpa) VS Yesod (Lobotomy Corporation/Library of Ruina)
(The contestant image for Yesod is from Lobotomy Corporation, but this entry is for both renditions of the character.)
!!! PROPAGANDA BELOW !!!
BYAKUYA: "- His title is literally, get this, "ultimate affluent progeny"
- Fucking look at him /hj
- Treats everyone as inferior in every way, even when they're trying to solve a murder he goes "how did YOUUU figure this out before MEEE???? >:0"
- Constantly has an "Me vs. Them" mentality about everything so he feels the need to prove himself to be superior
- Messes with crime scenes because it would "make them more interesting" (purposefully incriminating someone else, who he didn't like)
Actual quotes by him
- "I'm only here to get breakfast. I have neither need nor desire to talk to you. Now withdraw."
- "You're like a child lost in the woods, you know that? A total waste of space."
- "You know, I still just can't believe it... That an uneducated, brain-dead, useless piece of garbage like you has survived this long."
- "You have only yourself to blame—you came to me with your tragic little story. I didn't ask you to. This is the real world, not some romantic fantasy fairytale.""
YESOD: "AAHGH HOW DO I EVEN BEGIN TTHERE'S JUST. yesod. probably spoilers here but when you first meet him in Lobotomy Corporation I think one of the earliest things he does is make a jab at your fashion sense even though it's universally agreed by new players that his outfit is a disaster (although he dresses like that for fear of contamination and his Trauma!). He's cold to mostly everyone and is very strict, rules-following kind of guy, and people often see him as emotionless and heartless, coming up with the nickname "The Viper" for him as a result of that! BUT!!! BUT!!!! LISTEN EVEN IF HE'S MEAN. EVEN IF HE'S COLD. HE'S LIKE THIS BECAUSE HE HAS TO BE!!! He has so much unresolved trauma in his past of getting too close with am employee and befriending them and losing them because he wasn't strict enough on safety regulations and let them off with a pass because they were friends. AND NOW HE'S CLOSED AND WITHDRAWN AND OBSESSIVE OVER SAFETY PROTOCOL BECAUSE HE'S SCARED AND HE REALLY REALLY DOES CARE ABOUT HIS EMPLOYEES!!! It's hinted that he doesn't like the nickname Viper but he accepts it because it makes him out to be the respected person he wants to be!!!! He praises the real AI of the corporation, Angela, for being cold and emotionless(which is ANOTHER bag of repressed trauma worms) and wishes he could feel nothing like her because HE FEELS TOO MUCH!!! I LOVE HIM SO DEARLY MI AMOR!!! And AND in the second game he's healed a little bit and is still a little mean but the first thing he does THE VERY FIRST THING HE DOES to the protagonist is walk up to him wordlessly and reach up to fix his tie.
I'm normal about him. Also he's short. Short people closer to hell or whatever. IDK he's purple ok? :3 Even if he loses IT'S A TESTAMENT TO HIS GROWTH I'M PROUD OF YOU YESOD!!!!!!"
#byakuya togami#yesod#danganronpa#lobotomy corporation#library of ruina#drthh#yesod lor#err i think that's all the tags i need? lmk#poll#i like both of these characters man
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would it pls be okay if I can give this drawing request pls if possible and thank you! and it’s ok if you can’t do it but thank you for checking it out
Himiko Yumeno from Danganronpa V3 Killing Harmony
swimming underwater in the academy pool and alongside the Bull Shark Pup aka the shark protagonist from the Game Maneater and petting it’s snout.
Details: the image ref’s I sent were to help show what Himiko wears while underwater and the design of the Bull Shark Pup
Himiko wears a dark red long sleeved zip up swimsuit while wearing black red diving fins on her feet and black red diving mask on her face.
Scenario: Himiko would sneak out late at night while in Hope’s Peak Academy and go to the academy deep end swimming pool to sneakily recklessly practice her underwater escape acts in the pool.
Himiko would wear mini underwater hand cuffs and ball chain attached to her leg as she is at the bottom of the pool using a mini lock pick and carefully holding her breath
and focused on getting herself out and not drown to prove why her Ultimate Student Talent as Magician .
meanwhile Junko be secretly scuba diving in the pool and notices Himiko Praticing her underwater escape act and decides to have despair fun by firing a loud harpoon from her monokuma like speargun towards Himiko as it got embedded into the swimming pool wall
shocking Himiko a lot as she lost grip of her lock pick
and tries to swim and grab it even if her hands are still hand cuffed Himiko would try to swim upwards but weighed down by the ball and chain on her leg and Just As Himiko was about to drown
Junko laughs crazily despair like until she gets surprised by the sight of a uniquely coloured Bull Shark Pup swimming around in the pool for unknown reasons
but Junko cares less and smugly crazily believes it’s about to attack and eat Himiko
until the Bull Shark Pup fast like swims toward Himiko and helps bite the handcuff’s off Himiko’s arms causing her to be surprised but still struggling to hold her breath
The Bull Shark Pup was about to swim down and help bite off the. Ball and Chain’s rope attached to Himiko’s leg preventing her from swimming up to the surface of the water until the shark slowly turns in Junko’s direction surprising her a bit as she waves in normal Junko fashion.
until outta nowhere the shark pup secretly has glowing glare in its yellow eyes and fast like swims towards Junko and bites onto her scuba tank ripping it off shocking and surprising Junko a lot in the process
the shark swims back towards Himiko as she still is struggling to breath
and The Bull Shark Pup spits out the scuba tank from its small jaws and let’s Himiko see it as she quickly grabs onto the once to be Junko’s scuba tank and straps it on as she takes quick deep breaths from the oxygen mouthpiece and stares at the Bull Shark Pup in surprise but thankful curious smile behind the oxygen mouthpiece
the shark would swim down to the bottom of the pool and bite onto the rope of the ball and chain that’s attached to Himiko’s leg and help tear it apart allowing Himiko to swim freely as she curiously
swims close to the Bull Shark Pup and hugs and strokes it’s snout in thanks while doing a happy underwater Nyah gurgled sound effect tho the Bull Shark Pup is shy of human affection and nuzzles against Himiko
meanwhile Junko attempts to try and sneak up on Himiko with a crazy despair look in her eyes while holding her breath as Himiko is to busy being curious about the shark and finds it’s so cute and especially its colour patterns but that’s all interrupted by Tenko as she loudly dives into the pool and swims down worriedly to Himiko hugging onto her while yelling underwater muffled words
of where the hell were you !!?!?
While Himiko isn’t phased and swims over and continues stroking the Bull Shark Pup and Tenko looks utter flabbergasted at the sight of a shark in the pool and isn’t a threat but also strangely surviving it’s pool conditions Tenko would be confused and yells a gurgled FUCKING HOW!!??
While Himiko casually takes the oxygen mouthpiece from her mouth while petting the Bull Shark Pup’s snout and says a gurgled underwater muffled smug happy M a g i c
and Junko she sneakily got out of the pool before anyone noticed her.🦈🤿🫧
Didn’t know if you wanted a single piece or a comic, so i'm doing both! The comic is going to take some time, so have this first! (I also don't want the ask to get lost)
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▸ HEKAETES
an introduction
▸ ABOUT
hello, writeblr! I'm Trystan. I'm in my early 30's, non-binary, transmasc, bi/grayaroace, chronically ill, and neurodivergent. My pronouns are he/him or they/them. And, of course, I'm a writer and aspiring novelist.
I try to write a variety of genres, but most of my fiction is speculative in some fashion. My favorites are fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and romance. I usually have queer characters, and I tend to favor non-binary and trans protagonists.
What else? I'm a caffeine addicted vegetarian, I have a cat and a nano cherry shrimp tank, and I'm trying to be more active on social media, despite the anxiety it gives me.
Below are some links to find me elsewhere, as well as summaries of my current two wips. I'm looking for more writeblrs to follow, so follow or interact with this post and I'll definitely check out your blog!
▸ LINKS
twitter // wattpad // archive of our own // spotify
▸ WORKS IN PROGRESS
under the cut
▸ just breathe
When Oliver was sixteen, his family went on vacation in Florida. And, as he swam, a rip current pulled him out into the Atlantic. The last thing he remembered before he woke up, choking on salt water, was a merman, pulling him towards land.
The story of his rescue and survival made the international news, and changed the trajectory of his life. After all, it wasn't every day that merpeople were discovered to be real.
Five years later, he is the newest employee at Ocean Adventure, the largest aquarium in the Midwest, just in time for them to unveil their latest attraction - the first merman on display for the public.
Oliver plans on using his new position to expose the mistreatment and intelligence of the merman, but his plans are derailed when the new exhibit is revealed to be the very merman who saved his life.
▸ rapture's end
The end of the world has come and gone. And Earth, the battleground between Heaven and Hell, is a wasteland, where the remnants of humanity attempt to scrape out an existence. Creatures from myth roam the land, and the only thing more dangerous than meeting a demon on the road is meeting an angel.
Jack is a lone wayfarer, traveling between ruined cities, hunting and scavenging what he needs to survive. It's a hard life, but it's the only one he knows. He barely remembers life before the end, before the demons rose up and the angels descended and started killing everything.
When he meets Khaeris, the first non-human he's ever come across who doesn't try to kill him on sight, Jack discovers a heritage he never dreamed of.
#writeblr#writerblr#writeblr intro#writeblrintroduction#wip intro#wip introduction#wip#trystan said.#mine
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Love Shot: Minhwan x y/n
Study group fanfic (1/7 chapters)
Note: 1. I use translator. 2. I hate Minhwan (though most ppl tend to like him) and it seems that this kinda short fiction is most liked by the readers so i decided to translate this. Thanking for stopping by this post.
…
“Stop calling me by that weird name. Ma Minhwan, remember that.”
All the faces flashing by - say hello. We've said goodbye. Maybe we'll meet up again in the next life.
Upon waking from the dream, various sound echoed in his mind—the laughter, the tender plea in spoken words, the whispering breath, the echoing blast of gunfire, and, in solemn solitude, the mournful utterance of her name.
Chapter I : Unexpected encounter
Y/n was an ordinary high school student, searching for a webtoon to read during the twilight hours.
Being an avid manga reader, she made it a daily ritual to unwind after a long day of studying. Sometimes, she stumbled upon stories so captivating that she lost track of time, reading until late night.
Tonight was no different. While engrossed in her manga on the bed, Y/n's attention was caught by a series titled "Study Group." Her favorite character in this story was Yoon Gamin, a handsome nerd who captured the hearts of many readers.
After three hours of indulging in the manga, her eyes felt strained. Suddenly, her body stiffened, and she struggled to breathe. To make matters worse, she couldn't utter a plea for help. In less than a minute, the world around her darkened, and she felt a sense of impending doom.
It seemed like the end of her life...
But it wasn't.
"Whoa!" Y/n abruptly woke up, gasping for air. She looked around in confusion; this wasn't her bedroom or the familiar bed she knew.
Rushing to the bathroom, she stared at her reflection in the mirror, almost refusing to believe what her eyes were seeing. The image in the mirror was undeniably her, yet different. Y/n had transformed into a 2D cartoon character.
Reading countless manga stories that transported characters to different worlds, Y/n never imagined she'd experience it herself. Tentatively, she touched her face, feeling the animated essence of her being.
This wasn't a dream.
She was alive...
But where was this place, and which manga world had she fallen into?
Exploring the room, Y/n realized it was a modest rented space. It seemed she was navigating this 2D world alone.
Approaching her backpack to find some clues, she discovered a wallet inside. Opening it, she found a student ID card.
"Y/n's student ID... at Tech High School..."
Her eyes widened in shock. "Tech High School!"
"Did I just reincarnate to Study Group!?"
In the myriad manga stories she had read—whether they were shojou, princesses reincarnated to another world, or epic fantasy battles—Y/n found herself immersed in a South Korean high school webtoon which she hadn't even reached the end of the story herself! Not even half of it.
Y/n raised her hand to her forehead, overwhelmed, pondering how she would survive in that school.
After spending a day that, truth be told, involved nothing but contemplation, she remained uncertain about the timeframe of events. What she did know was that she had read up until the point where Gamin went to the hospital and encountered a golden-haired senior with a small vocabulary notebook. Beyond that, the storyline was a mystery.
The bell rang loudly, signaling the start of classes. Despite feeling out of place during her first genuine visit, there was a strange familiarity about the school that lingered in her mind. It wasn't just that; her interactions with other students felt oddly normal, as if she hadn't stumbled into an entirely different world.
She discovered she was a first-year class 1 student in the Fashion Design department—a regular student in this chaotic school.
"And now, what am I supposed to do in this world?" she wondered aloud.
No quests or pop-up windows like in dating sims or manga where the protagonist transmigrates into a novel. Y/n realized she had to find answers on her own—why she ended up in this world.
"If I meet Yoon Gamin, the protagonist of this story, it might be good," she mused, her heart skipping a beat at the thought of encountering the 2D ikimen she admired. This wasn't just a dream; she could feel her heartbeat clearly.
Y/n decided to find Yoon Gamin during the break after lunch. The problem was that even though she had a vague memory of the school, she had no idea where the classrooms for the male students were. It seemed her 2D self had never visited this part of the school before.
"Yoon Gamin is in first year... class 1... first year," she muttered while scanning room signs, eventually bumping into someone unexpectedly.
"Oops! Sorry, I wasn't looking."
Y/n instinctively touched her head before diverting her gaze to avoid further embarrassment. She was about to walk pass him.
"Wait. You don’t think saying sorry would be enough for bumping into me like that, right?" the person with navy blue hair, not that tall comparing to the light-haired guy beside him, said.
Y/n sighed. ‘Seriously? I don’t have my precious time for an extra like you. I gotta find this manhwa protagonist!’
“Hmm?” He raised his eyebrow in curiosity.
“Wait…You are…”
“I am?”
The realization suddenly came to her mind
“You are the gray-haired antagonist’s friend!”
“Huh?”
“What…”
Both of them got confused at the same time.
"you're calling me what?" The so-called gray-haired antagonist chuckled, and the person next to him then started to laugh.
"Hahahaha! ... Hey Hanwool, this girl just call you gray-haired antagonist!"
“Stop laughing, Ma Minhwan.”
"Well~ does this not seem to be fun…YOU. What about being my new toy!" Minhwan declared, grinning.
"Wha... what? What do you mean? I don't want to be anyone's toy," Y/n protested, avoiding eye contact.
“Also, I am not gray-haired antagonist’s friend.”
“It’s Ma Minhwan. Remember that.”
Seemed like she had just got into trouble.
And at the end of the day, she didn’t get to Gamin because after she had encountered with a character in Study Group (not a good side for sure), she then left the male student building suddenly, realizing it was not the right time to engage with characters she didn't know well.
But y/n didn’t give up. Next day, as she wandered the halls, she stumbled upon the Study Group room and decided to take a peek. “Is this the room?” She then saw the boy with a thick black square glasses.
“Umm…excuse me? Anything I can help?”
Y/n body froze. Well, it’s her first time meeting Yoon Gamin. She knew he’s hot. He was also the character she liked (the hot-nerd type.) Her heart was beating very fast.
“Umm?”
“Ah! I’m sorry. I am actually here to find…”
“Find?”
“Find a way to apply for Study group.”
The glasses boy eyes suddenly sparkled. He tried to remain his calm and reliable look. Little did he know, y/n already knew his personality and passion towards recruiting students into Study Group.
…
The long table in the middle resembled an interview setup, and all members stared at her from a distance.
"May I ask why do you want to join this club?" Gamin asked.
"Why…”
The question lingered in her head. ‘Why did I come to this world?’
From the reading experience she had, there should be a reason ‘why’ or else…did she—
“I am dead!?”
“Dead?”
“Oh, umm, I mean…the old me who is lazy is dead! Now I want to be better at studying!!”
"That’s a very good answer…ok!”
“Ok? I passed the interview?”
‘As simple as that?’
Sehyeon, a guy with brown hair, entered the scene. "Y/n, to be honest, if you decide not to join the club, the one who is going to beg might be Gamin not you."
"T…Thank you, Gamin. I'll dedicate!"
To search for the answer
The answer— the reason for her to be here
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HD older fic recs : post OOTP
Here are a few recs for older fics that were written between Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince came out. Posted in alphabetical, order as always.
Beyond Wild Moor and Fen by furiosity [58k]
In the summer before Harry Potter’s sixth year at Hogwarts, something relatively inconsequential causes him to wonder if he’d been barking up the wrong tree the whole time, as far as girls went. As the year progresses – amongst activities geared towards house unity, nefarious Slytherin plots, and dealing with the loss of loved ones – Harry begins to wonder if perhaps giving people a chance isn’t so scary, after all. What does all that have to do with Draco Malfoy? Why, everything, of course.
Disintegrate by RurouniHime [3k]
Draco has it all figured out: what he wants, what he needs. But some things are meant to be overturned…
Eclipse by Mijan [287k]
"You're dead, Potter... I'm going to make you pay..."
Draco swore his revenge on Harry for Lucius's imprisonment, and Harry all but laughed at him. But Draco is planning more than schoolyard pranks this time. The old rivalry turns deadly when Draco abducts Harry for Voldemort. It's the perfect plan, guaranteeing revenge, power, and prestige, all in one blow. But when Draco's world turns upside down, the fight to save himself and Harry begins, and the battle will take them both through hell and back. If they come back.
Inevitable by taradiane [3k]
Ginny got exactly what she wanted when she married Harry…didn’t she?
Left My Heart by @emmagrant01 [85k]
Auror Draco Malfoy has disappeared, and Harry Potter has been sent to San Francisco to find him. (Post-Hogwarts, set in February, 2004. Written before Half-Blood Prince was released.)
Surrender the Grey by @emmagrant01 [151k]
Draco Malfoy returns to London after five years of self-imposed exile to start a new life with Harry. But will the secrets of the past destroy everything they’ve worked for? Sequel to “Left My Heart”
Objects of Desire by Azrael Geffen [400k+]
The dream team sign a magical contract promising to lose their virginities within the year, they soon fix on the objects of their desires, but will the bitterness left in the wake of the war prove too hurtful for love to exist?
On the Last Day of Our World by Sansa [84k]
During a detention, Harry and Draco get locked in a strange room together overnight. When they escape the next morning, they discover they are alone. Love, angst and adventure abound as they struggle to survive in an empty world.
Per Solum Lacuna: By Words Alone by Azhure [560k]
A set of enchanted journals bring solace to two very unlikely lost souls. Whoever said the art of penmanship was lost? This is a wizarding twist on the old fashioned art of correspondence (or the modern art of Internet chatting). What will happen when the mystery writers finally discover the identity of their counterpart? Join this star crossed pair as they obliviously chat to each other; along the way learning about life and love. Find out what will happen when their own voyages of self discovery lead them to the most unlikely of places. This is eventual HP/DM, but other pairings for the protagonists along their journey.
Tempus Fugit by Poison Pen [90k+]
A monumental cock-up in Potions means that Harry and Draco have more to contend with than mutual enmity. A journey of discovery, self-reflection and love.
A Thousand Beautiful Things by geoviki [104k]
Draco Malfoy struggles with changed fortunes, shifted alliances, an ugly war, and an unusual spell, with the help of a concerned professor, an insightful house-elf, and an unexpected Gryffindor friend.
Delicate Sound of Thunder by geoviki [61k]
Draco Malfoy has always known that happily ever after is only true for fairy tales. When someone threatens to expose his wartime past, he risks his life to protect his secrets, but learns he’s not the only one with something to hide. The sequel to A Thousand Beautiful Things.
Tomorrow by @novembersnowflakes [4k]
For Harry and Draco, the dawn is long in coming. (Prequel to “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow”)
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by @novembersnowflakes [57k]
When the long-missing Draco Malfoy turns up at a Ministry field hospital with amnesia, bitter Auror Harry Potter must confront the shadows of their shared past to shed light on a potentially deadly mystery.
Daybreak by @novembersnowflakes [5k]
Harry Potter, Draco knows, has a habit of keeping his promises. (Coda to “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow”)
The Way of the World by zionsstarfish [5k]
Draco (barely) makes a living as delivery boy. His last parcel for the day is for Mr. Harry Pot–
I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I did!
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Maiden of the Needle
by Zeroki, Illustrated by Miho Takeoka
Light Novel Volume 01
Shoujo, Fantasy, Reincarnation, Romance, Age-gap, Marriage of Convenience
Story ★★★☆☆ || ★★★☆☆ Art
Summary
Yui Nuir was reincarnated into a noble family of tailors in another world, retaining her memories of her previous life in Japan. Her miserable childhood had just one source of comfort: the fairies she befriended by mending their clothes with her magic. Unfortunately, Yui’s relative lack of skill in blessweaving—the art of enchanting fabric through needlework—ultimately results in her being disowned by her family. But when she’s taken in by a nobleman named Rodin Calostira, the first person to recognize her innate talents, her luck begins to turn around...
Review
This had a pretty cover and was dealing with sewing and I like fashion / clothing / crafting stories. This is another isekai-reincarnation story. A young girl dies and is reincarnated into a magical world, but unfortunately for her her new family is even crueler than her previous one. For the first 15-years Yui is basically neglected and abused, thought to be 'worthless' to her family as she seemed not to possess the magical ability to enchant fabric. It is only her otherworld memories that allow her to survive such abuse, that and the magical fairies that only she seems able to see.
When Yui turns 15 her father sells her to another family and her life takes a turn for the better. She literally goes from hell to paradise, where the people are kind and she feels safe and valued for the first time... she also starts to explore her magical powers... powers she hide from her cruel family... powers that haven't been seen for generations. Her amazing skills instantly make her a target and makes it necessary for her to be protected, so her new master calls his friend, the former King, to ask him to protect her... by marrying her, a marriage of convenience.
I glossed over a lot, but this is the general premise... The book starts off quite depressing, but once she leaves home it becomes more light-hearted and humorous, or typical for the genre. Yui is a normal Japanese girl, but being in this harsh environment for so long has not only emaciated her body, but left her mentally defeated. Yui doesn't lose her kindness, and once she leaves her family home starts to come out of her shell and display some personality. I do like how because of the neglect, her speech and ability to communicate is affected, she isn't as used to this world's language and getting used to speaking and being treated normally takes some getting used to.
Yui is a protagonist that is kind, humble, very special, and is liked / loved by all the 'good' people who met her. This feels like an OP power fantasy from a female perspective. The romance setup is done as a marriage of convenience and has as a large age-gap, the ex-King has a grown son who is the current King, and has been married twice before (both were unhappy marriages). So, basically both are kind, lonely, and understanding and this marriage will eventually turn into true love. The age-gap might bother some, but so far it is being handled as respectfully as possible, no force, and she is aware and okay with the situation. He doesn't expect 'relations' and will even allow her to live her life independently, this marriage is to lend his name and power to protect her from those who might harm her, namely her family.
So far, other than keeping her mentally stable in youth and having some sewing / fashion knowledge it hasn't played much of a role, although that might change as she does meet another reincarnated soul at the first book (seems to be a thing in this world). I do like the magical world so far, the fairies seem to be manifestations of magical power that has some will of their own, the situation between the use and abuse of the fairies is also an interesting story line. So many fairies are dying, thus magic or the connection to it is also dying, because of people abusing them and making contracts with magical beast that seem to be a two-edge sword. So there does seem to be a larger story developing along side the OP power fantasy and romance.
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Entry #1
Greetings, Reader.
Is it truly necessary to mention my name in these entries? After all, people have bestowed upon me numerous names, but none of them has truly stuck. Alright, to avoid unnecessary editing, I'll provide only one pseudonym — "The Observer." Nothing more. Yes, let it be so.
They call me The Observer. And I am one of many Protagonists... if one can express it that way, because my role in the Parable was entirely unimpressive and didn't even merit any significant mention anywhere, except for a couple of lost office papers.
My job is interesting. I observe what's happening inside the Office, record data from surveillance cameras, then sort and send them to the Upstairs. Sometimes I have to make additional entries, using the old-fashioned method of pen and paper. There are quite a few of them, my handwriting leaves much to be desired, and so digitizing them will be quite a headache. Shouldn't have skipped penmanship lessons in college. But it's not like I could have known I would need them, right?
Where should I begin? Does this experiment even have a beginning? It appeared long before ideas were formed into words, and those, in turn, were transformed into lines of endless code, which then evolved into—... I suppose it's not that hard to guess what happened next. The Stanley Parable happened.
Well, I'll start from the very beginning.
Once upon a time, very long ago, a place called the Office was designed and simulated. Essentially, it wasn't even a full-fledged building, just a network of long, chaotically assembled corridors. And this Office was very young, yet it looked surprisingly old and mediocre. Minimal lighting, walls wrapped with some unimpressive poorly done texture in brownish-dirty beige shades, with a dark swampy carpet as the final touch of careless cheap assets downloaded from one of those annoyingly popular videogames. I never understood this strange human attachment to pixels on the screen… but, of course, my opinion was never heard.
So, the first test version of the Office appeared, operational and surprisingly stable despite its limited functionality. What happened next? Right. Staff was hired. Only a few hundred employees, most of whom simulated work activity, pretended being all busy if I may add. A gray mass, statistics to fill in mandatory reports. Only five of them received real instructions, eventually survived, and reached an entirely new level of the Game. The test version lasted only a few months. Following it came an update that changed everything; starting from improving those robotically dull Announcer's comments and ending with polishing lamps for the ceiling. They even delivered and placed potted ficuses next to several employee desks, almost like real ones.
In general, the experiment was going so successfully that it received additional funding, and our work soared fast ahead, heralding a new era of technological development and ways of interaction among the citizens of our diverse and vast country… I would like to write it that way, but it would be just a vague word play on what actually happened back in 2̴͓̈̎̒̔0̸̢͓̯̐̒͊̂1̸͇̗̳̏̀̅3̸̻́̓̕.
The new Office resembled the old one, but only in the chaos of its long corridors and the multitude of doors. It was, after all, entirely different. First and foremost, there was finally an opportunity not only to start over but also to choose a Save Point. Now, how can I even describe everything in simple language without picking excessive officialese and overly comlicated words...?
Well, I'll start from the very beginning.
The thing is, the Office is located in the so-called intersection of the real and digital worlds. Or in an area with anomalies exceeding the approved norm. You might think, what's so special about a basic high-risk zone? It turns out that it's the perfect place for all sorts of tests and experiments. Somehow, it happened that the death of subjects while being here ceases to be something permanent and becomes a temporary inconvenience lasting from eight to thirty-six seconds. Yes, like in a video game, but with the presence of several side effects like phantom pain and exacerbations of neuroses or psychoses ...or both, it all depends on the condition and luck of the "restarted" person. I don't know all the details, it's the scientists who conducted direct field research.
My job is to observe and record. And never interfere.
I remember the investors soon came up with the idea of closing the Office and isolating all the staff with subjects inside it… and placing bets on people; who will kill whom first, and who will keep their sanity intact and try to escape. I won't go into unnecessary details, I'll just say that only a few people managed to survive, yes, those very five participants and your humble Observer.
End of Entry #1
....
Why are you still reading this?
This text file finishes itself with End Of Entry #1. You were supposed to press that cross on the right side of its top. It's an X right next to an [ ], can't you see?
You ... don't actually see it, do you? Is it ...not there anymore?
It wasn't there from the start, was it? This is not right.
Scroll it away and close your browser. This text file is corrupted, it is spreading all over your dashboard and through. This text file is going to infect your computer with a horrible virus if you keep reading it. This text file is going to destroy your hard drive any moment now.
...
Okay, fine. I was wrong. This text file is harmless.
In fact, the other text files are corrupred instead it. Great. Wonderful. Why can't anything go according to my plans in the perfectly accurate way? Wait, no, I didn't mean to say that! I haven't been plotting anything this time! Even if I were trying to come up with some schemes, they would still not be happening anywhere, except my own mind. I am the Observer, remember? I don't do things, I observe them. Sometimes, especially in my personal case, doing and observing are antonyms, they just never work together.
Are you still reading, aren't you? Why? There's literally nothing else here! It was just the very beginning, my Entry #1. Why didn't you close it and open Entry #2? Oh right, it's one of the corrupted ones… well, why didn't you close it and run your antivirus or whatever tool you got in your possession? There's nothing disturbing in other text files, I promise. Really, they are just my casual observations, just some foggy memories of a simple individual you have never met before but decided to poke this curious nose of yours into his personal business anyway.
Good lord, what is it to you? Are you actually still hoping to read more about my unnecessarily detailed backstory? Well, I have already done it, I have digitized my papers, I have typed everything I could decipher into those last three text filed that ended up getting corrupred. Can't you just, you know, uncorrupt them? I suppose not, since you are still here instead of trying that.
...
Alright, I think you have tried to read me for long enough by now, Reader. I... I should just be honest, then.
My memories, they are fading away day by day. Writing them down was a mistake, the more of restarts I faced, the more of my papers became empty, the more I have filled them with the same words again and again and again. So I decided to save a few that remains by making it digital. However, as you have noticed, it's pointless too. Soon I'll become no person but mere pixels on your screen. Just like him, like her, like them.
You are the last observation I have made in my entire career, Reader. Now it's over. It's over, right?
Why are you still reading this?
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Pics: On "Gaudeamus."
1. Frontpiece to a collection of Anacreon's surviving works.
2. Masterful sculpture of Anacreon 'capturing' his Muse.
3. Map of ancient Thrace, birthplace of Spartacus - a man who couldn't & wouldn't remain a slave.
Even if the only freedom he could find was in death...
4. Thracian national folk costume. The women still perform old styled Greek dances.
5 & 6. Small, colorful Thracian street scenes still dot the local landscape.
7 thru 10. The ruins of Teos, Turkey - with the top of its lion gate, doorway, palace(?) & amphitheater.
1914: "Gaudeamus" Notes -
1. That short story is "Winged Death", which Lovecraft ghost wrote for Hazel Heald.
The "soul stealing" that I mentioned was described as a "change in (the narrator's) personality."
But, come on.
His whole mind was 'magically'(?) transferred into an insect! That would include his so-called soul...
2. I'm of the opinion that none of HPL's narrators can be trusted - at all!
Whatever they've discovered has rendered them insane - & suicidal!!
Every account that they happen to leave behind, were usually written - after - they became mad.
So, in every encounter, the 'alien monster' remains in a mysterious & misunderstood state...
3. The Deep Ones are underwater creatures 1st named in Howard's novella "Shadow Over Innsmouth."
Think of mermen that look like the Creature of the Black Lagoon!
But, this species were "awesomely hinted at" in Lovecraft's earlier short story "Dagon."
I wonder how these mermen are seen in their own culture. Are they sexual deviants or is it a racial conquest pattern or a holy quest or some kind of survival trait?
Also, they must be closely related to humans to be able to successfully mate with us.
But, we still don't know the specifics that allow this to happen...
4. This story is the great "Under the Pyramids." The novella was sold to readers as a 'real life' adventure that Houdini "actually lived thru."
But, other sources claim Howard had already penned the story & that Houdini was interested in being the tale's protagonist.
At that moment, 2 great minds did think alike...
5. Harry Houdini is the still fondly remembered Stage Magician, Public Escapist & Fake Spiritualist Buster!
(That last remark makes it seem like "real" spiritualists are out there some- where. Sorry, I 'see' that they're not.)
Houdini was planning for a sequel to "Under the Pyramids" - just before he died.
A Canadian fan asked Houdini if he could actually take a hit to his gut & remain unphased!
Harry said yes & the guy sucker punched him unexpectedly!
Since Houdini had not had time to prepare his muscles, the blow ruptured his appendix!!
Nine days later, Houdini died.
In typical fashion, for him, Houdini vowed to contact the living - if he found it at all possible!
Since then, on the day of his death, some family & fans have waited for him to 'escape' death itself...
6. Gaudeamus is Latin for "let us (enjoy)." This was sometimes spoken as an invitation to eat - before rich Romans gorged & vomited their usual meals.
Ugh...
7. HPL's main revisions for Zealia are: "The Curse of Yig", "The Mound" & "Medusa's Coil."
But, it's thought that Lovecraft re- wrote other works for her. Even though she specialized in romantic stories...
I don't yet know why she suddenly wanted to try the weird fiction market at this time.
To be followed up much later...
8. A tankard of warm British ale?
Tankards are drinking cups with 1 handle. They are usually made of silver, pewter - even hardened leather!
In earlier centuries, most pewter cups contained lead - which led to drinkers suffering heavy metal poisoning &/or gout!!
Strangely enough, the acids in hard cider speeded up these poisonous effects!
As for traditional British ale, it's known as top fermented cast (or real) ale.
This means that it finishes maturing in a pub's cellar & is only served with natural carbonation.
9. Though this line has to do with time's illusory 'passing', I can't help but think there's some hint of Howard's "Decline of the West" fixation in it.
10. Anacreon was an ancient Greek lyric poet best known for his drinking songs & erotica!
Lyric poets of that time, usually composed joyous religious hymns.
Ouch...
Though born in Teos, Asia Minor (in today's Turkey) he moved to Thrace, an area in northeast Greece.
Sadly, only fragments of his works have survived to this day...
11. "God split me!", translates as "God strike me down (if I am lying)!"
But, it also has an element of defiance to it...
12. Red nose (aka "rum blossom" & "whiskey nose") is actually not directly caused by alcohol!!
Rather, such facial redness is actually more related to rosacea, which affects the blood vessels in one's face.
A red nose can also be caused by sudden flushing, lupus, inflammation, allergies, etc...
13. "White as a lily" here, references a corpse's color - due to blood loss.
But, it's usually used to mean "pure, perfect, uncorrupted or blameless, innocent."
Not so of the Lily-White Movement in 1888, where Republikkkans tried to oust African-Americans from leader- ship positions in the Texas Republican Party - by inciting riots!!
So, Republikkkans have always been acting like this...
Lily White is now used sarcastically for white people as a whole. Like white bread or paleface...
14. HPL's always felt that he had been born too late. He preferred the 1700s, thinking of it as England's "Golden Age."
Perukes (wigs) have been part of the professional, high status jobs of judges & lawyers since the 1600s.
They are also worn in Parliament, as a sign of authority.
15. Chaff usually means "the cast off husks of grains seeds."
But, it's also British slang for "teasing" or "good natured banter."
There's a Biblical chaff, in Matthew 3:12, which describes "those who enjoy the sacraments, but are not solid..."
Guessing here, "Folk who go to church but, don't act in a Christian manner?"
16. Quaff, "to drink (an alcoholic drink) in a hearty manner."
Has some great synonyms: attack, lap, force down, drain, carouse, sink, kill, slug, knock back, take a drop, wet one's whistle, crack a bottle, murder, bit, sot, etc...
Most of which describe drinking too much - or, not enough!
17. A teetotaler is someone who never enjoys any alcoholic drinks.
In the 1920s, a tolerance movement of teetotalers (made up of Protestants, Progressives & women) actually made liquor illegal!
But, this led straight into the violence of the Prohibition & the quick growth of the Mob...
(Oops, the curse of unintended consequences strikes again!)
Today, overdrinking is treated as an addictive medical problem.
18. Usually "any diabolically evil & cruel devil, demon, person, etc..."
But, here it means Satan, the ultimate Christian Boogeyman!
19. Your lips & face turn blue - if your blood has little oxygen in it.
This is caused by poor circulation or, worse, if one is unable to breathe.
It warns you that someone's choking or has drowned...
Also, cold temps can narrow one's blood vessels. But, a gentle massage of the affected area, make it return to a normal blood flow.
Weird Bit: Why does it make me think about blue-skinned Indian Gods & those Thuggee highwaymen who strangled their victims to death...
(The blue color personifies the depth & vastness of sky & sea for Hindus...)
20. Summon? A chair?
Is this some drunken royal command?
Or, worse, the magical summoning up of possessed or demonic furniture?
Pleasant dreams, eh?
(Yeah, it's now sharing your bed...)
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Among those asked to undergo the voluntary DNA tests were young men who frequented a disco called Le Sabbie Mobili (Quick Sand) near the field where the dead girl's body was found. These included Damiano Guerinoni whose DNA was very similar to that of the killer, who was by now nicknamed by police "Ignoto Uno" (Unknown One). This young man was unquestionably a close relative of the killer. Ironically, his mother, Aurora Zanni, had even worked for several years as a daily help for the dead girl's family. So police began to investigate his family. His father is one of 11 brothers and sisters. It was via this route that they arrived at the dead bus driver - one of his uncles - Giuseppe Guerinoni.
In September 2012 they went to the house of his widow, Laura Poli, in another small town near Bergamo called Clusone - 30 km northeast of Brembate di Sopra, in the foothills of the Alps. Clusone boasts one of the most impressive surviving external medieval murals: "The Triumph of Death" executed in 1485 by Giacomo Borlone de Buschis. Its inscription declares: Non e omo cosi forte, che da mi non po' schapare (No man exists strong enough to be able to escape from me.)
It was in Clusone - nearly two years after Yara's disappearance - that they made their first breakthrough. "Finding the marca da bollo on the driving license in the house of the bus driver's widow was a significant step forward," says Lieutenant Colonel La Russo. "It connected the killer with a real person at last - even if he was dead."
Giuseppe Guerinoni, who had died in 1999 aged 61 had three children with his wife who were quickly excluded as suspects. He was "a strong man able to live each day in symphony with his vital spirit," an old friend Antonio Negroni would later tell the press. It was clear, then, that he must also have had a child - a male child - out of wedlock and that this child was the killer.
Guerinoni's widow was no help. She was in the dark about her dead husband's extra-marital activities and, like all the major protagonists in this saga, she has declined to talk to the media. There was a total absence of old-fashioned clues as to the identity of the murderer; the only way to catch him was via modern science. The police reconstructed a biography of Guerinoni's private life and of every single woman he had ever known.
The magistrate on duty was Letizia Ruggeri, 45, a tough former policewoman, now Chief Investigator, who had earned her stripes fighting the Cosa Nostra in Sicily. Ruggeri's team searched orphanages and homes for "fallen women." They tested single mothers and women who had left the mountains for lower Bergamo. They came up empty-handed. The woman they were looking for, they realized, was probably neither single nor "fallen," but hidden behind the walls of a marriage. Divorce was only legalized in Italy in 1970 - until that time many couples had stayed together despite infidelities.
"We were met by a wall of silence, the kind of omerta that you associate not with the north of Italy but with Sicily and the mafia, but in the end we got there by means of patient, painstaking legwork," says La Russo.
It proved especially difficult for investigators to penetrate the mountain villages - Ponte Selva, Parre, Clusone and Rovetta - where they were looking for clues and leads. Some Italian journalists spoke of the "cocciutaggine," or pig-headedness, of the Bergamo Alps - a caricature which only served to antagonize the already defensive locals. "The people here," says Piero Bonicelli, the editor of Araberara, "were irritated by the stereotype of highlanders closed in on themselves. The word 'omerta' was even used, which implies [the silence of] Sicily and the mafia. It was deeply offensive."
This wariness towards outsiders owes much to the region's history. The city has always been a strategically important citadel, one of the last redoubts before the flat, fertile basin of the river Po. The Bergamaschi are used to seeing off invasions. Just a few miles west of Brembate di Sopra is a small town called Pontida, where in 1167 the Lombard League - the alliance of northern Italian cities which joined together to resist the German Holy Roman emperor, Frederick I - was formed. The Oath of Pontida still exerts a symbolic power today. It's frequently evoked by the separatists of the Northern League to rally sentiment against outsiders: against the perceived indolence and corruption of southern Italy or, more commonly now, against immigrants from developing nations.
Bergamo is also much closer to Switzerland than Naples, so the Bergamaschi are more generally reserved. "It's in the spirit of mountain people to disdain gossip and not to repeat nonsense," says Bonicelli. Bonicelli, a fan of the fictional detectives Maigret and Montalbano, also says, though, that the investigation was "lacking the traditional, human element: the sort of person who goes into a bar in the village...and puts someone at ease so that something slips out." Locals felt there was something cold about this investigation, with its invasive demands for DNA samples. And it was changing the atmosphere in these small communities. People thought, says Bonicelli, "that the murderer was here, amongst us. So there was a sort of - not panic, but fear."
The setting was part of what had fascinated the Italian public about Yara's disappearance. The province of Bergamo seemed to represent two different sides of the country. Where Lower Bergamo, towards the plains, is fashionable, well-connected and industrialized, Alpine Bergamo is agricultural, remote and deeply traditional, a close-knit place which nurtures suspicion, even superstition. Some locals talk, without irony, of this being a land of streghe, of witches, who steal or poison young children.
They located a former colleague of the bus driver, Vincenzo Bigoni, who told them: "Yes, he was a ladies' man and lots of young women traveled on his bus to and from work. One, at least, he got into trouble." But he was either unable or unwilling to reveal to police the name of that woman. He now risks prosecution for 'false testimony,' which is a crime in Italy as there is no right to silence there.
The police tracked down the woman from her DNA. Police identified 532 who the dead bus driver had known in his life with whom he could have had sexual relations and who were still alive. They DNA tested them all.
These women included Ester Arzuffi, now 67. Like all the other women identified by the police as women that knew Guerinoni, she consented to a DNA test without protest. Her DNA was a perfect match for that found on the dead girl - perfect in the sense that she is the mother of the killer, or so the investigators believed. "She has the female part of the DNA of Ignoto Uno," explains Portera.
Arzuffi had been a neighbor of Guerinoni's in Ponte Selva in the late 1960's. In 1966, aged 19, she had married Giovanni Bossetti, from Parre, a nearby village. Bossetti was a man whose tough life had turned him inwards: he had been orphaned young and suffered from psoriasis, arthrosis and depression. Arzuffi seemed very different: an outgoing, good-looking woman, she wore short skirts and dyed her hair. She got a job at the textile factory a few miles away in Villa d'Ogna, and took the bus every day. Arzuffi had left Ponte Selva in 1970, but continued the affair with Guerinoni, giving birth to twins.
Arzuffi has been married to the same man - Giovanni Bossetti - since 1967 when she was 19 years old. These days she and her husband also live in Brembate di Sopre. The couple have three children: two twins (a boy and a girl) born in 1970 - Massimo Giuseppe and Laura Laetizia - and a younger son - Fabio. The father of all three, everyone assumed, was her husband.
But the DNA tests revealed that the father of her twins is not her husband, but the dead bus driver Guerinoni. In other words, her eldest son - Massimo Giuseppe Bossetti - stood accused of being the killer. (Through leaks in the investigation, it was also discovered that Fabio had a different father too).
The police soon arrived at Bossetti, an apparently happily married 43-year-old carpenter who has three children aged 13, 10 and 7, and whose only quirk seemed to be a passion for sun lamp massage parlours.
One Sunday evening in June 2014, the police set up a roadblock near Bossetti's home in Mapello, a village a few kilometers from Brembate di Sopra, and flagged down his car. He was with his wife and three children. They breathalysed him, and he passed, so they let him proceed. But they now had his DNA on the breathalyser tube which they swiftly sent off to the lab for analysis.
There was a match between the DNA on the breathalyser and the DNA found on the girl's clothing. To be precise it showed 21 compatible markers (16 to 17 are normally considered enough). This means that the police, and their forensic experts are almost completely sure that he is the killer. He also has blue eyes, which the DNA found on the dead girl reveals her killer has. Bossetti had also passed through Brembate di Sopra the night of the murder on his way home from work.
A white Iveco truck, similar to his, was filmed by security cameras at the Shell petrol station opposite the gym in Brembate di Sopra at around 6pm and 10 minutes later by the video cameras of the Banca Credito Cooperativo near the girl's home. Bossetti went to the town frequently though to see his brother and his accountant, and had passed through it that night, he says, to avoid heavy traffic on the more direct route.
A few days later, the police arrested Bossetti at the building site where he worked. Bossetti's mother, Arzuffi, has spoken only once to the media - to the Corriere della Sera - when she denied having an affair with the bus driver but admitted that she had known him as a young woman.
Investigators discovered plenty of circumstantial evidence. Bossetti had frequently hung around Yara's house; he parked his car in Via Don Sala, behind the gym, and ate at the Toscanaccia pizzeria at the end of her road. He had gone for regular UV showers at a tanning shop nearby. His internet searches were troubling, using search words which implied a compulsion for pubescent young girls.
Meanwhile, three families dealt with devastation from the case. Guerinoni's widow has been forced, in the autumn of her life, to come to terms with her husband's infidelity and the existence of his other children. Meanwhile, just as he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, Giovanni Bossetti became the nation's most famous cuckold, learning at the same time as the rest of the country that none of his three children are his.
The marriage of the accused, Massimo Bossetti, had also come under strain: since his defense sought to portray him as a family man, two people came forward to claim that they had affairs with his wife. Bossetti's twin sister also had to come to terms with both her brother's fate and the fact that the man she thought was her father is not biologically related to her. Her mother, Ester Arzuffi, still denies she's ever been unfaithful to her husband.
#yara gambirasio#article#bergamo#italy#brembate di sopra#letizia ruggeri#ester arzuffi#giovanni bossetti#giuseppe guerinoni#piero bonicelli#massimo bossetti#true crime#solved#homicide#dna testing#chignolo d'isola#2010
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So there’s a lot of valid answers here (not including any of the ones submitted above, those are stupid). If you don’t want to be the protagonist, Prestidigitation is a dramatic improvement to just everyday life. Meteor Swarm would allow you to remove politicians and CEOs in a dramatic fashion from a mile away with absolutely no evidence leading back to you. Clone gives immortality, reliably and without any complications. Foresight makes you safe from any kind of attack or accident and gives you an edge in everything you attempt, for eight hours a day, without any outward sign that anything weird is happening so you don’t need to hide anything in order to continue a relatively normal life. But ultimately, I think there are only three that could be considered the right answer:
True Resurrection is, obviously, priceless. Anybody whose name you know who died within the past two hundred years of anything other than old age, every day. The issues are, it doesn’t give you any direct defensive benefit, it doesn’t extend your lifespan at all, and it is nowhere near subtle. You would immediately become a target for every government and corporation on earth, and be totally reliant on the gratitude of those you’ve saved to defend yourself. But if you can pull it off, the good you could accomplish for the world would be immeasurable.
Gate is the ultimate high-risk high-reward. The theoretical benefits are endless. It puts you in contact with entities capable of doing anything... but it’s up to you to convince them to help, and most of them could annihilate you with a thought. Infinite wealth from cross-planar trade routes is pretty much a footnote if you survive.
But the real winner in my opinion is True Polymorph.
It has three basic functions. All three require you to maintain concentration for up to an hour and instantly revert if you break it off during that time, but if you maintain the spell for the full hour it becomes permanent.
First is turning any creature within 30ft of you into any object smaller than itself. We will disregard this, because it’s once per day, short range, and it allows a saving throw if the target isn’t willing (and let’s face it, you’re lucky if your save DC is a whole 10 at this point). Maybe if you really need cash you could turn a cow to gold or something, or turn a fish into a smartphone, but nothing here is as exciting as the other options.
Second is turning any object within 30ft of you into a creature. The creature can’t be bigger than the object, and can’t be higher than CR 9, but those are the only limits. For up to an hour you have flawless mental control over the resulting creature, and if you let the spell end early (or it drops to zero hp) it reverts back to the object it used to be. If you let the full hour complete, the creature is permanent, real, and no longer under your control (though it might remain friendly if treated well). This gives you a huge range of options, because that range of challenge ratings includes not only a T Rex, but also several kinds of spellcaster which would use their abilities on your behalf... but it also presents several significant moral issues. If you make a sentient creature, that’s a real person. At that point allowing the spell to end is basically murder, so I think you would be obligated to allow them to live out the rest of their life and go free...and most of the most useful options have a strong tendency toward evil, and often extraordinary potential for destruction. Even the good-aligned ones are likely to have some sort of serious psychological side effects from knowing they were created full-grown by a human, and even a young and good dragon having a mental breakdown might destroy a city or two. Best to stick to animals and constructs for the most part, through I think you could get away with Treants and maybe a Couatl or two for their incredible healing abilities. [Amusingly, a corpse is an object and a Revenant is CR 5. I do not advocate for using this as a substitute for resurrection.]
Third, and most important, is turning one creature into another creature. This gives them all the stats and abilities, including mental attributes, of the new form but does not change personality or alignment. And again, if you maintain it for a full hour, it becomes permanent. So once a day, in a painless hour-long session, you can give somebody a flawless physical transition into whatever body type they desire... so long as it has a challenge rating no higher than their own, but turning a human into another human (or elf, or dwarf, or whatever) is definitely within that. On top of the immense improvement to quality of life for over three hundred trans people per year, and the ludicrous amounts of money you could get by replacing cosmetic surgeons (or from criminal enterprises when you can give truly impenetrable disguises almost instantly) this gives you a heck of a lot of influence from all the people who owe their new lives to you. But that’s not even the big part. After all, if you’re only getting one spell, you want it to make you immortal and ludicrously powerful, right?
So, step one is probably to turn yourself into an elf or dwarf or something. Close enough to human to not attract too much suspicion with a minor effort at disguise, but adding a few centuries to your lifespan (and rebooting yourself into your physical prime, if you’re one of the many of us who have led sedentary lives). That’s about all you can do for now, because you’re challenge rating zero. Maybe 1/8th if you have a tiny bit of combat training or more athleticism than most. We gotta do something about that.
We life in a world without magic (aside from your polymorphing), so there’s serious limits to what a human is capable of achieving under normal circumstances, and most of the human entries in the monster manual (commoner, guard, bandit, thug, scout, etc) are in the 0-1/2 range. But a Knight is listed as CR 3, and a well trained modern Marine is going to be at least as dangerous as a feudal knight was. You’re no marine, but with hard work and determination (and if necessary several extra decades to do it in from becoming an elf or a dwarf), you should at least be able to get up to challenge rating 1. This is where the fun truly begins.
Turn into a dragon. Well, a hatchling anyway. Brass, Copper, or Deep Wyrmlings are all CR 1, doesn’t much matter which so just pick your favorite (copper gives the best Int score, Deep is most mobile and probably best in a fight if anything goes seriously wrong). Hold the transformation for an hour so it’s permanent. Now wait five years. During this time you can continue using your one spell per day to help humanity (and gather more minions) but you’ll want to be more careful about it; stay concealed, do most of your business online, only meet people in secluded areas and with backup that you can trust. Or you can turn yourself into other things, including your old human form, but never for more than an hour at a time because you can’t afford for any changes to yourself to become permanent at this stage.
When a dragon is five years old, they switch from Wyrmling to Young. This makes your CR jump up to somewhere between 5 and 7, which in turn allows you to transform into a huge range of creatures. It also makes you bigger, faster, smarter, more charismatic, much stronger, and might allow you to learn 2-3 other spells of first or second level.
Now, you throw all that away because it’s time to go baby mode again. Turn into a Gold Wyrmling, and make it permanent. See, we’re playing the long game, and while a copper or deep dragon gets pretty cool as they age, they’re not in the top tier. You want to be the most powerful you possibly can be in the long term. You couldn’t do this before because even as a baby a gold dragon is CR 3 (yes, I said earlier than a Knight could manage that directly. You’re no knight.) but with only five years expended the opportunity opened and you would be a fool not to take it. Now, wait another five years. Give another 1500 people perfect transitions while you’re at it, and manage some of your investments/cults.
Five years after turning gold, ten years after you first achieved CR 1, you become a Young gold dragon. Now you’re not only on par with the best of humanity in intelligence and wisdom, but also have what would be the absolute pinnacle of charisma if you were still a petty mortal. You’re also CR 10, which means once a day for up to an hour you can take on the form of anything else that’s CR 10 or lower, which is... a lot of things, several of which have extremely useful magical/psionic powers you can exploit to the fullest (notably, a Deva can case Raise Dead once a day, a Cloud Giant can Control Weather for eight hours in a five mile radius, and there are several options with Plane Shift if you want to see what you missed by not taking Gate a decade or so earlier). And if you’ve been working hard on learning how to use your draconic blood most effectively, at this point you can learn up to five new spells of up to third level. You’re also dangerous enough now that if you did want to use your polymorph offensively, to turn somebody into a potted plant or a newt or whatever, you would probably succeed. And you might be tough enough to operate in public again, but I still don’t like your chances against genuine military hardware so only reveal yourself if you’re pretty confident in matching the support network you’ve set up against like, governments. Continue to avoid spending more than an hour in any non-dragon forms, because we’re not done yet.
Ninety-five years later, in your hundredth year as a gold dragon, 105 years after you trained your flabby human body up to CR 1, you finally count as an Adult dragon. Your Charisma now surpasses human limits by a significant margin, and you’re a genius besides. You gain the ability to change shape into any humanoid or animal form at will, without using your special 1/day power, and retain your draconic mental stats and special powers while you do so, so you can definitely rejoin human society now if you haven’t already... but on top of the degree of influence you should have built up over the past century, you’re probably strong enough to solo an aircraft carrier now so stealth is kinda unnecessary and the primary purposes of your humanoid forms will be fitting through doorways, playing pranks, and maybe sex. You also learn another two spells, which can be up to 5th level. Oh, and when you do polymorph, it can be into anything up to CR 17. Not a lot of options are physically better than a gold dragon, but it does expand your spell selection significantly, including upgrading your potential for raising the dead to 3/day.
At this point you might declare your progression, and likely your conquest of the earth, done. You might even take on some other form for more than an hour, though make sure it’s still CR 17 or when you want to be a dragon again you’ll have lost 95 years of progress.
But if you want to go for the big win, stay a gold dragon at least 23 hours a day for the next seven hundred years and you’re officially Ancient. Smarter, wiser, even more impossibly charismatic, about twice as indestructible. Since you’re now CR 24, you can turn into even more powerful forms. For example as a Solar you can do Resurrection three times a day instead of just raise dead, so it works on people who died up to a century ago instead of just ten days, so long as you have some remains and they didn’t die of old age. And you learn three more spells, of up to 8th level this time. I recommend Clone, as a safeguard against serious disasters since by this point you should be hard at work expanding your benevolent rule to other planets after uniting earth in a single utopia, and even a dragon will have a bad day if the starship you’re riding explodes. Teleport Circle is perfect for interplanetary travel once you get the initial setup done, and if nobody’s figured out FTL or a good form of suspended animation Sequester might be necessary for interstellar travel.
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First Person Games Investigation
Simply put, a first-person game is a game where you see through the eyes of your player character. Let's look at some.
Call of Duty/Battlefield - I'm putting these together because, in my eyes, they're basically the same game. A prototypical modern military shooter franchise with limited innovative mechanics, usually moving towards a multiplayer service model as it's easier to squeeze money out of users that way. I'm not sure exactly what I could say that I'd take from these games, since any mechanics you can really call "innovative" were just holdovers from Halo - two-weapon limits, grenade buttons, aim-down-sights, et cetera.
F.E.A.R. - Now this is a shooter. I don't know how many people actually still play this 2005 gem, but I do know that people used it to benchmark their systems before Crysis came out. It's a tactical action horror, where you dive around in bullet-time, gunning down screaming clone soldiers with anything from dual pistols to an experimental particle gun. The effects are amazing, and the Replica AI holds up to this day. They talk amongst each other, giving audio callouts to relay your position. They can take cover and sneak around, meaning that using your bullet time your best chance for survival. The first person viewpoint shows your fully-rendered body in all its glory, and the devs at Monolith put this to good use, having you drop-kick Replicas at point blank range. It's a lot of fun to play, like an interactive version of Woo's Hard Boiled.
FNAF - Modern horror wouldn't be where it is today without FNAF, but similarly, FNAF wouldn't work without a first-person perspective. A lot of horror - especially jumpscare-based like FNAF - requires you to see the scares as they stumble towards you. The subgenre that FNAF spawned, mascot horror, relies on twisting narratives and recognisable characters to stand out, and borrowing ideas from the archaic pre-FNAF days of Unity walking simulators, they're all first person - often having no real protagonist, as mascot horror is propped up by its recognisable characters, and having a voiced protagonist would likely take away from the antagonist's appeal.
The Stanley Parable - I definitetely want to talk about a good old fashioned narrative-based walking simulator. I usually don't like to play them, the 4th-wall-breaking trick has been done to death, and most walking simulators fall into the niche of "Annoying a British narrator until he forcibly closes the game", and then it's revealed the game is all about the struggles of a developer, and it's actually very intellectual on a super-post-meta-ironic-level, or whatever. But, the Stanley Parable is a classic. Considering it asks questions about choice and freedom in video games, a silent first-person protagonist was a good choice. I don't think we even see Stanley's face - in fact, in the original Source version, Stanley was played by Half Life 2's very own male_07 - which lets us insert ourselves into Stanley's position. First person is always an amazing choice for immersion and player/world interactivity, and considering that's often what I look for in games, it's no wonder I like this viewpoint so much.
Superliminal - Now here's a game that uses its first-person perspective to its advantage. You can take objects and move them closer or further away from you to change their size, just like the Portal 2 concept of "F-stop". This is used in puzzles where you must bridge gaps, if I recall correctly, and there is a lot of trickery within the game space itself, with some Truman Show-esque fake scenery towards the end.
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My 2022 Kdrama Roundup
Making my 2022 cdrama roundup is taking too long (...I watched so many fuckign cdramas this year) so, since I watched considerably less kdramas, I decided to just do a post of them first!
KDRAMAS I FINISHED THIS YEAR:
The King's Affection--A kdrama targeting me personally. A crossdressing female crown prince would have been enough, but did she have to be so lethal? So handsome? Did she have to be good at both archery and swordfighting? And schemey? And did her love interest have to be a bisexual Rowoon? I was Attacked. My favorite kdrama of this year!
Eve--I'm always here for a solid Monte Cristo. Just people coming back with a new identity to fuck up the lives of those who wronged them. Lee Ra-el really goes for it. The drama, the angst, the fashion! Also the femslashy tension with Han So-ra was great, I need more female archnemeses in my life. The only thing is I didn't really like the actual romance that much? Maybe I just don't understand the tango.
Alice, the Final Weapon--More of a miniseries. The dynamic is a female assassin/a kind of suicidal masochist who becomes more invested in life after meeting her. And they're both highschoolers? Honestly the only way to sell me on a teenage romance is to make it this insane, I did enjoy.
The Silent Sea--Ngl it did creep me out a lot. The lunar water, that is. Didn't feel super connected in the characters bc this show is more about plot, concept, and action than character development, but it was quite tense and I was certainly invested in whether they were going to survive.
KDRAMAS I ALMOST FINISHED BUT DID NOT BUT WILL FINISH IN 2023, OKAY? REALLY!
Alchemy of Souls--I love Naksu/Mudeok! I love her fucked up mentorship with Jang Uk, especially in the early episodes where her attitude is just "throw him at death and see what happens". Also enjoy the obnoxious crown prince lols. I have only two episodes left (of the first season, at least) and have enjoyed both the scheming and the character development, but I have to say it can sometimes be a bit slow, and I don't care that much about ALL the supporting characters that have to have their moment in the limelight EVERY episode. (Park Jin and Park Dang-gu, I'm looking at you!)
Flower of Evil--New obsession! I had to stop watching for a week or so bc I was just bingeing too fast and losing sleep lols. The suspense is way up there, the whump is a thing of beauty, and I found myself super invested in Do Hyeon-su's life of fake (but come on, it's not really fake!) domestic bliss. Just so intense. I was kind of scared off by the hype for this show when it first came out but the hype is real, this show is incredible. Just hope the ending lives up to the rest of it.
Connect--An enjoyable thriller, but I don't really see why you have to make the antagonist of a show that already has organ traffickers, mad science and mutants... a random serial killer? On the other hand I do love his weird vibe with the surprisingly normal mutant MC so. I am not immune to serial killer antagonists.
OVERALL
A good year for morally dubious female protagonists (yes, I am including Lee Hwi/Dam-yi! she comes very close to murder multiple times and I am including her!). I watched less kdrama thrillers than usual bc I was watching cdrama thrillers instead, but the ones I watched were enjoyable. I want more fanfic for all of these shows but the fanfic wants I have are immensely specific so I should probably just write some but we will see.
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