#this story is more of a study on grief than it is a mystery :(

[quaranmine]

firewatch au is an interesting story because mumbo is such an omnipresent non-character. it doesn't matter if i characterize him correctly or not, because his character isn't ever present to exert change in the story. the only thing that does matter is grian's rosy, absence-defined ideals about who his best friend was. every single thing we learn about mumbo is filtered through like 12 different layers of love and grief and denial until he's on a pedestal so high nobody can see the truth. his character is almost solely defined by what someone else says about him.

in doing this, grian also inadvertantly strips away all the little mistakes and mishaps that are part of mumbo's agency and part of him being a real person until he's perfect. and all this idolization ends up making it worse for grian in the end, because he actively avoids engaging in any theories that suggest mumbo might have made a mistake or gone astray. there's clear dissonance between reality—grian knows mumbo got lost and is searching for him—and the way grian lashes out at anyone who suggests something that clashes with the perfect ideal of mumbo in his head, including getting lost. mumbo should be a character in his own story, but grian won't let him be.

instead he wraps his desire to find mumbo into a weird sort of side quest where he's just as interested in finding someone else to blame as he is finding mumbo. he spends the same amount of time trying to figure out exactly where it all went wrong during the search as he does actually searching for mumbo—even after he knows the general area mumbo was last in! it's a puzzle and he can't put anything to rest until he solves it. he's trying to force logic into everything so he can cope with it. because if he doesn't find someone or something to blame, then he has to face the reality that sometimes things just don't make sense. if it makes sense, he can solve it and fix it. if it doesn't make sense...then he just has to live with it, and he doesn't think he can.

#fw au drinking game! take a shot every time grian says something abt Knowing mumbo or makes a bold statement of what mumbo would/wouldnt do #his mindset is so contradictory at certain points. a lot of what he says doesnt make total sense or falls apart under scrutiny. #and that's on purpose! grian is not a reliable narrator in this fic. he's a guy who is Going Through It who needs help. #theres several parts of the fic where he's so logical about things that it loops back into being illogical #cause he's got huge blindspots he can't/won't look around. he selectively excludes things he doesnt want to think about. #this story is more of a study on grief than it is a mystery :( #also dont get me wrong! i am not saying grian is Always incorrect in his characterization of mumbo. they Were besties ofc #it's just that you have to read everything he says about mumbo with the acknowledgement that his grief #has smoothed away every flaw or painfully human bit #and only left a certain limited picture of mumbo left #combine that with his intense desire to only see things that fit within his set beliefs? you've got a recipe for an unreliable narrator #hc_firewatch_au

[teaberrii]

Chapter 13: The Archons

You and Dan Heng are a match made in heaven until fate takes him away from you too soon. Years later, you think you moved on with a mutual friend who shared your grief and stuck with you during tough times until you meet a mysterious man with a striking resemblance to your past lover and a hidden motive. You’re determined to get rid of him, but how are you going to get rid of a god?

Dan Feng/You

Notes:

Cross-posted on Ao3

Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail crossover

Female reader

Chapter index at the end of chapter one

Support my writing

A car and cab pull up to a large neighbourhood with tall high-rise apartments with multiple swimming pools, luxury lounges, and gyms. You aren’t surprised, considering Furina’s wealth and status. Soon, you and the dragon gang are behind Signora as she presses a couple of buttons on a call box.

“I’ve been expecting you! Come on in.”

As the gates start opening, Dan Feng notices Zhongli's skeptical look.

“Is something wrong?” Dan Feng asks.

"Oh, it's... It's nothing," is the answer as Zhongli follows Signora inside.

"My sixth sense is telling me otherwise," Bailu says quietly.

You walk past a diamond chandelier in the lobby and politely nod at those at the receptionist's desk. Eventually, you’re standing in front of a tall door that looks identical to the others on the brightly lit floor. As soon as the door opens, you see a short, young woman with fair skin and eyes with different shades of blue.

“You…”

Everyone turns to Zhongli who looks like he's seen a ghost.

Furina smiles. “Long time no see, old friend.” She opens the door wider. “And of course, my dear Chief Justice.” 

"Old friend?" Bailu asks, looking from Furina to Zhongli. “Do you two know each other?”

“It’s… a long story,” Zhongli says, sighing.

Finally, she looks at you. “Why do I have a feeling we’ve met before?”

“I can assure you we’ve never met,” you say calmly. “But… You knew Dan Heng and his mother.”

“Ah!” Furina’s smile turns nostalgic and sad. “Were you his girlfriend? I remember…” Then, she said your name, and you nod. “He mentioned you.”

“If I may,” Neuvilette says, his arms crossed, his stern gaze never leaving Furina. “You have a lot of explaining to do.”

Furina pushes the door more. “I know, I know. It’s been… What? Centuries? Surely, we’ll need more than one afternoon to catch up.”

“I understand all of you have some kind of history with each other,” Signora says, entering Furina’s insanely large flat. “But, I hope we won’t deviate from our focus.”

“Ah, yes." Furina walks to the kitchen. “Lan and Nanook… Our notorious Aeons, am I correct?”

“Before that,” Neuvilette says, frowning. “I need to know. Why are you here? How are you alive?”

“Now, now, Chief Justice, I know you must be ecstatic to see your old pupil.” Furina grabs some fancy-looking teacups and starts pouring tea from an elegant-looking teapot. “Take a seat, and I’ll tell you about my little adventure.”

You, Dan Feng, and Neuvilette take one couch in the living room while Zhongli, Bailu, and Signora take the other. After putting the tray of cups and biscuits on the glass table, Furina sits in a large, blue armchair where a white cat is sleeping at the top.

“Let’s start with the basics, shall we? My name is Furina. In this world, I’m in the luxury business. But, I was once a lawyer”—she looks at Neuvilette—”studying under the great Mr. Chief Justice.”

Neuvilette frowns. “But that was centuries ago.”

Furina picks up her teacup and smiles at him. “I’ve been around much longer than you think.”

“Longer than Lan and Nanook?” Signora asks.

“Correct.”

Bailu frowns. “How? With magic?" 

“She was once a god." Furina smiles. Bailu looks from Zhongli to Furina and back to Zhongli until he says, “Before the Castle of Dragons… Before any of the gods existed, there were the Archons, the original gods who created life.”

“The Archons…”

Dan Feng looks at you. “Do you know something about them?”

“There’s a lot of folklore surrounding them. My parents used to tell me stories of them when I was a kid…” You look at Zhongli. “But those were just stories… You’re saying they really existed?”

Furina chuckles. “You’re looking at one of them.”

“Is that true?” Dan Feng asks Zhongli with obvious surprise. “You... You kept this a secret from us this whole time?”

“There was never a reason to bring it up.”

Bailu scoffs. “Yeah, I guess just randomly dropping the fact that you’re one of the original gods who created life is too much for us to bear.” She slaps his leg. “How dare you!”

Neuvilette sighs. “This is what happens when we don't talk about our pasts.”

“That’s ‘cause we want to stay away from all the gloom and doom!” Bailu says. “Heck, if I were one of the original Archons, I’d flaunt it.”

“No, you wouldn’t,” Neuvilette deadpans.

“It sounds like something happened to them,” you say, taking a biscuit. “I mean…" You look at the dragon gang. "You're gods. If none of you knew Zhongli and Furina were Archons, what happened to them?”

“You catch on fast,” Furina says, leaning forward with curiosity in her eyes. “You’re supposed to be human, right? Sounds like you know quite a bit."

Signora has one leg crossed over the other. “Well? Don’t keep us in the dark.” She looks at Zhongli. “Is she right?”

“There was what was known as the Archon War,” Zhongli says, after a pause. “There wasn’t just a few of us. There was an Archon for every aspect of life. Some created terrain such as mountains and another made the seven seas. But, when it came time to decide on a ruling party, a consensus couldn’t be reached.”

A gavel hitting the block echoed throughout the large courtroom but failed to silence the overlapping conversations completely.

“We agreed upon a democratic vote,” a woman with long, dark violet hair said calmly, but her patience was wearing thin. “All of us should respect the result.”

Someone scoffed. “Respect a result where it’s skewed?” They glared at her. “You may have won, but the combined votes of the opposition clearly show they do not want you in power, Ei.”

“Please stop fighting,” a man said. “This will get us nowhere.”

Another stood up. “Screw the votes. Why are we deciding amongst ourselves? We should let the people, those we preside over, decide who should rule. We're doing this for their future, are we not? Whoever we decide on bears the responsibility of paving humanity's future."

“That is absurd! Do humans have the knowledge or common sense to decide on a proper ruling party? They are prone to bias and rely on feelings.”

As a war of words broke out, a man in a brown and white cloak watched from the sidelines before making eye contact with another who was also watching in silence: a slim, young woman with long white hair and light blue streaks.

“Instead of solving our conflict rationally, a war broke out to determine the strongest of us all,” Zhongli continues, picking up his tea. “And it wasn’t just us who suffered. Because of our actions, we also caused great grief to the humans. Crops failed to grow due to absurd weather, night and day became indistinguishable, and many natural disasters shouldn’t have happened.”

“Many died in that war,” Dan Feng says, “and only seven survived. Am I right?”

“I should have known you would know something about it.”

“I’ve read about it. But while there were details of the Archon War, there wasn’t a lot on the Archons themselves.”

“Well, you’re right. Only seven survived, but we didn’t escape unharmed.”

“We were much too weak,” Furina says, putting her teacup down and picking up a biscuit. “If we didn’t do something, we would cease to exist as we couldn’t carry out our duties as gods anymore. Those who survived still wanted to live… so, we used the last of our strength to split ourselves apart.”

“Wait a minute…” Bailu narrows her eyes. “Are you saying there’s more than one Zhongli? More than one you?”

“Not exactly,” Zhongli says. “It would be more accurate to say that we split from the power we had left which poured into repairing the damage of the Archon War. We were left as a human when we separated from our magic.”

“With all of your memories as an Archon?” Neuvilette asks.

“Gosh,” Bailu mutters. “Would that be a curse or a blessing?”

“Is that how magic was born?” Dan Feng asks. “Through the remaining powers of the Archons that seeped into different parts of life?”

Furina smiles. “Of course, there’s no solid proof… but I’d say so.”

“But… If all of you still had your memories,” you say, “how come you didn’t know each other?”

“We took on different forms and names as Archons,” Zhongli says. “While we still have our memories, we never crossed paths again since we became human.”

“I saw the look in his eyes at the door,” Furina says, slightly chuckling. “We recognized each other instantly. Perhaps that’s how it is if we ever meet the other Archons.”

“Now, hang on a darn minute,” Bailu says, turning to Zhongli. “How’d you end up at the Castle of Dragons if you’re already an Archon? You lived a human life as Zhongli and then became a god again?”

“I can ask the same for you, Furina,” Neuvilette says, frowning. “Your appearance now is how I met you. You also know who I am, which means you have memories of your life as a lawyer. The Archon War didn't happen during my time. So, I have to ask.” He looks at her. “Are you a god? A human? What are you?”

Furina finishes her tea, but before she pours herself another cup, she refills everyone else’s. “After becoming Furina, I remained human for a while until I recovered my magic." She picks up her cup and takes a long sip. “And since then, I retained this form without getting older."

“You can’t be serious,” Bailu says, frowning. “I spent a good portion of my life researching immortality and all it takes is a little Archon magic? I feel cheated.”

Furina chuckles. “Not exactly, my little doctor friend. It wasn’t just any Archon magic. It was my magic. It was like I recovered myself as a god. Except, I never changed to the form I once took. I'm stuck in this body.”

Dan Feng turns to Zhongli. “Why do I have a feeling you never tried recovering your Archon magic?”

“At one point, I did, but… I let it go.”

“Why?” Bailu asks.

“That is a story for another time,” Zhongli answers, to Bailu’s dismay. “When the Archons became human, we were treated as such. We weren't special because of our pasts. So, the story of how I became a god shares a common theme similar to yours."

After a moment of silence, Neuvilette turns to Furina. “Well, this explains how you knew so much about magic.”

Neuvilette couldn’t believe his eyes. Did a textbook—his textbook—just teleport from one place to another? But, more importantly, why was his pupil responsible? He closed the door to his study, and she spun around. 

“Chief Justice! You scared me! You could’ve said something earlier.”

“I just got here.”

Furina looked at the silent clock on the wall. “Much earlier than anticipated, but I shouldn’t have expected less.”

Neuvilette walked to the table. “What were you doing?”

“I think you knew exactly what I was doing."

Neuvilette looked at his textbook on the coffee table. “You… made something teleport.” Then, his attention went back to her. “Since when do you know something about magic?”

“It's impossible not to know something about magic, don’t you think, Chief Justice? It’s humanity’s flashy new toy.”

“But not a lot is known about it,” Neuvilette said skeptically. “How would you know how to wield it?”

Furina smiled. “I’ve been dabbling. What? Are you interested?” She chuckled. “I could mentor you if you want.”

But, Neuvilette didn’t look pleased. “It’s dangerous.”

“Are you talking about black magic? If so, then I agree.”

“All magic is dangerous,” Neuvilette emphasized. “White magic, if used for the wrong motives, does that not count as black magic?”

Furina sighed. “We are far too early to distinguish between white and black magic. But, you make a valid point, Chief Justice. I wonder how our laws will change as magic gets more developed.” She picked up his pen. “Could you imagine the possibilities if we could make people teleport?” Neuvilette narrowed his eyes. “It could change the world.”

You can’t put your finger on it, but something is tugging at the back of your mind. You remember Dan Feng’s story of the surprise military attack and your dream about eavesdropping on an important conversation. Could the woman who betrayed the brothers know something about teleportation? But, before that, you need to know…

“Was that ever made possible?"

“Hm?” Furina asks. “You mean human teleportation?” A pause. “It was."

Your heart races, and you’re about to ask another question when Signora cuts in.

“What about the Aeons? Do they know who you are? Who you were?”

“Lan and Nanook were humans when I was an Archon,” Furina answers. “They became who they are as a consequence of their actions, but we’ve never met before.”

“Hm… Guess they kept a pretty low profile,” Bailu says, picking up a biscuit.

Furina takes a long sip of her tea. “From what I know… They were the first to experiment with dark magic.”

Dressed in a long, black, dark blue robe covering her from head to toe, Furina had recently recovered some of her magic, and because of that, she could sense when any magic was being used. Her foreboding gut feeling took her to a large cemetery in the middle of the night. She stood in front of a large, wrought iron gate. As she stepped forward, the gates eerily opened as if expecting her. The cemetery was quiet except for the soft steps of her shoes against the pavement. Flowers, most of them fresh, were neatly placed on some of the graves. As she got further in, she began hearing voices.

“Goddamit, Lan, you aren’t doing it right.”

“I’d love to see you try, Nanook.”

Furina looked around but there was no one in sight. So, she continued walking in the direction the voices were coming from.

“Perhaps… we need more than just her skull.”

“Great. And where’re we going to find that?”

Two men stood on either side of a grave on a small hill underneath a dead tree. One had longer hair and held an open book while the other held a candle and a small, round gold mirror.

Suddenly, the one holding a mirror said:

“Who’s there?”

The other turned around and narrowed his eyes. Then, he turned back. “Did you see someone, Nanook?”

“I saw something,” Nanook muttered. “Wait…! It might be—”

“Don’t be ridiculous. That’s not how this works.”

“How would you know? We’re following instructions from some unknown book where it might be all fake for all we know.”

“Magic exists,” Lan said sternly. “You saw it. I saw it. If normal magic can exist… Why not push it to its boundaries?”

“It was obvious that they were trying to bring someone back from the dead,” Furina says.

Bailu pours herself more tea. “Who?”

“A woman named Idrila.”

Dan Feng immediately looks at her. “Idrila….?”

“Do you know her?” Neuvilette asks.

“She was a princess who lived a short life,” Furina answers, to everyone’s surprise.

“Her parents were at odds with mine,” Dan Feng says. “Her military was the one who invaded us.”

“Invade?” Bailu asks, eyes wide. “So… Was she still around when it happened?”

“No, but it added to the tension. There were rumours that someone from our side poisoned her." He looks at Furina. “You sure are knowledgeable about a lot of people’s lives.”

She chuckles. “Are you suspicious of me?”

“You knew about us,” Dan Feng says. “My brother and I. Yet, we’ve never met you.”

Furina glances at you. “I guess you knew about that because of her.”

“Dan Heng showed me your book,” you say. “The Book of Curses.”

“Clearly, Lan and Nanook weren’t the only ones dabbling in black magic,” Signora says. “I may have thought you were crazy before, but now I have to ask. What made you write something like that?”

Furina finishes her tea and puts down her cup. Her eyes land on Dan Feng. “I knew about the plan you and the Stellaron Hunters came up with to erase magic.”

“How did you know?” Dan Feng asks sternly. “That information was confidential.”

“The Stellaron Hunters suffered a similar problem to how the Archon War started. There will always be a majority, but there will always be someone with different opinions.”

The moon was full; the night was calm. Furina, holding a small oil lamp, stood at the shore of a large river that stretched into the abyss under the night sky.

“You’re early.” Furina spun around, startled that she didn’t hear the tall man approaching behind her. “Don’t be alarmed,” he continued. “I only just got here.”

Furina put the oil lamp on a large log. “Shall we get straight to business then? What does a Stellaron Hunter want with a human?”

“A human?” His red eyes shone in the night. “You are far from human. I saw it myself. You were using advanced magic. Magic that has surpassed human knowledge. You're not a human. Not completely. Am I right?”

“Asking questions when you know the answer…” Furina crossed her arms. “Is this the nature of the Hunters?”

He looked at the lake. “Soon, we’ll be living in a world devoid of magic.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Dan Feng… the sole survivor of the massacre that left his nation in shambles. He wants to rid the world of magic, and most of us are in agreement.”

“I take it you aren’t, considering you’re here.”

The fire in the oil lamp flickered.

“I’m not a stranger to his family,” the man said. “So, we’re acquainted. But I know he is not doing this for the good of the future. He’s doing it to restrain himself. He wants to use black magic to revive his dead family and rebuild the life he once had. He cannot accept what has happened, but he knows bringing the dead to life...”

“Has serious consequences,” Furina finished. “The chances of something going wrong is through the roof.” She sighed. “So, he’s running away from his desires? Is that what you’re saying?”

The man scoffed. “He wants to wipe the world of magic but keep our memories of it alive. It doesn’t make sense if we cannot continue using it. It’s simply being sentimental.”

“Someone sure has some strong feelings.”

“But the majority of us agreed upon this decision,” the man said without a change in his stoic tone. “Dan Feng says he won’t wipe our memories, but who’s to say he won’t.”

The flame flickered again. “Are you looking for a protection spell?”

“I wouldn’t want to fight magic with magic. We all know where that led us.”

“The Book of Curses is more than just a book about magic,” Furina says. “It’s also about our history… of how things came to be.”

The conversation between you and Dan Heng comes flooding back.

“So…” Neuvilette begins. “It was this man who asked you to document everything… Who was he?”

“Blade.”

Everyone turns to Dan Feng who has a stern look.

“What gave it away?” Furina asks amusingly.

“Right.” Bailu sighs. “So, where does this leave us now? We know about the Archon War, Lan and Nanook’s strange past to Idrila who was at odds with Dan Feng's family, and Furina’s book. The big question remains… What are we going to do about our black magic mischiefs?”

“Finding out more about Idrila would be a good place to start,” Zhongli says. “We know she was a princess… but what about her connections? Why would Lan and Nanook want to bring her back?” He looks at Dan Feng. “Have you met her before?”

“No. My brother and I were too young at the time to attend any political meetings. I’ve only heard about her and her sickness.”

“Sickness?” you ask.

Dan Feng and Dan Heng were walking towards the banquet hall for dinner when three maids turned the corner talking amongst themselves.

“Oh, yes, I heard… They were afraid her sickness would be contagious.”

“That would be frightening. I heard it was making her as pale as a ghost!”

“Perhaps that’s why there’s so much buzz about advances in medicinal magic… Still, is this really a good idea? What if we’re playing with fate here? “Upon seeing the brothers, she stopped and bowed. “Good evening, Young Masters!”

“What were you talking about?” Dan Heng asked.

“What is this about a sickness?” Dan Feng added.

The maids glanced at each other, and one of them said:

“The princess of—”

“It’s nothing, really,” one of the other maids interrupted. The brothers glanced at each other. "Dinner should be served shortly. You should hurry. Your parents are waiting.

“What do you think, Bailu?” Neuvilette asks. “You were a renowned doctor. Have you heard of anything like this?”

“Well… There are tons of illnesses that can make someone pale. But it sounds like it’s either just the beginning or a side effect of something.” Bailu looks deep in thought. “I told you before that we were experimenting with immortality. Before that, we were researching immunity. What if we could make people immune to literally every single illness? Or, at least to just develop mild symptoms.

“We’d make millions selling this magic medicine. But, it was way too good to be true. In other words, there could never be a ‘one-size-fits-all’ to medicine since infection takes different forms. But now that you mention it… Ah!”

“What is it?” Dan Feng asks.

“A colleague of mine was researching a strange illness that"—Bailu looks disturbed—"drains people's blood."

“Drains…” Neuvilette begins.

“...Their blood?” Signora finishes. "Do I want to know how that works?”

“It’s like…” Bailu hums quietly as she wonders how to explain it in simple terms. “...Like Death is living inside of you. Your blood slowly stops running to different parts of your body and then once it stops at the heart… you just… die.”

“Well, now that that nightmare is ingrained in everyone’s minds, is this an illness that’s inherited? Can someone get infected? If not…” Signora looks at Dan Feng. “Why would there be rumours of someone poisoning her?”

“If I remember correctly,” Dan Feng says. “She died earlier than she should’ve.”

“Does this illness still exist?” you ask. “If we could find records of it or anything about it, might give us a better understanding of this woman… and possibly her connection to Lan and Nanook.”

“Now that you mention it…” Bailu says. “The hospital I used to work at is still around.” She smiles. “Maybe it’s the perfect time for me to say hi.”

“I’d be concerned if someone remembers you,” Neuvilette deadpans.

Signora sighs. “I guess this is all we can do right now.”

“Hey.” Noticing Dan Feng is looking at her, Furina turns to him. “You met Dan Heng and his mother. Then, have you met the others? Tsaritsa… Pierro… Childe?”

“Not personally… I know of them but Dan Heng and his mother never talked about them.”

“Did you ever tell Dan Heng about his past self?” you ask. “You gave him that book, after all.”

“I wanted him to find out for himself,” Furina answers. “But, I don’t think he did. Perhaps he treated everything like it was fiction.”

“Why?” Dan Feng asks sternly. “Why would you want to make him remember what happened?"

Bailu looks at him worriedly. “Brother Moon…” 

“I—”

A loud ring interrupts Furina. She stands, walks over to the counter, and looks at the caller on the screen.

“...I’m sorry,” she says to the group. “This conversation will have to wait.”

And you think it’s for the best.

After saying your goodbyes, you and everyone else are at the apartment’s front entrance when Signora asks:

“Keeping Idrila a secret from Tsaritsa… What do you all think?”

Neuvilette nods. “Not until we have more information.”

Bailu’s hand is in a small fist, and she pats her chest. “You can count on me! I’ll get something for sure.”

“Is the hospital where you’ve been disappearing when you visit every dragon year?” Zhongli asks.

“Oh, well, you see…”

You and Dan Feng are standing a little behind the group, and as Bailu talks about her hustle, you glance at him.

“Hey…” Dan Feng looks at you. “You okay?”

“Yeah…” He sighs.

“I had the same question,” you say quietly. “Why did she want to make Dan Heng remember? And… I remember what you said before about people being doppelgangers upon their reincarnation.”

“In short, it has to do with how they accepted their death at the time they died. If they can’t accept it, they can be reincarnated with the same face and name, which signifies a continuation of their life. If they accept it, they can be reincarnated as a new person, which means a new start.”

“I don’t know how Dan Heng died back then… but”—you sigh—”it sounds like he has unfinished business or something.”

“My impression was that she murdered him…” Dan Feng says quietly. “But”—he puts a hand to his head—”I suppose I can’t say that with confidence considering he was already dead by the time I found them. But, she was the only one with him. It wouldn’t make sense for my brother to kill himself. Or, someone else killed him and spared her." He sighs. "But that doesn't make sense either."

“With the way she died, it sounds feasible to say that she was poisoned.” You quickly look at him. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t make all these assumptions when there’s nothing to go on.”

“No… It’s something I never considered before because”—he closes his eyes for a brief moment—”I wanted to blame someone. All I have are pieces of what happened, and if I convinced myself that she murdered my brother, I'd have closure."

“Then… Let’s gather the missing pieces and start putting them together.”

“Hey!” You and Dan Feng look ahead and see your friends in front of a cab. “Are you two lovebirds done chit-chatting over there?”

You sigh with a little smile. “It's not like we have a choice now."

Dan Feng smiles at you. “You’re right.”

As you and Dan Feng head to the cab, your phone buzzes with a message. Without stopping, you take it out of your pocket and…

Dan Feng, a short distance away, turns back. “What is it?” When he doesn’t get a reply, he walks over and sees the chilling message on your screen from an unknown number.

Found you

Chapter 14

End notes:

Still thinking about how I wanna push Jing Yuan in here XD and Blade may or may not get an appearance next chapter (finally)

Tag list: @lunavixia @aerithsthingss @sunsethw4 @boomie-123

#dan feng x you #dan feng #dan feng x reader #hsr dan feng x reader #imbibitor lunae x reader #imbibitor lunae

[thehallstara]

year in review

wanted to reflect on the things i've made this year. here goes nothing!

Games

ghost story is a point-and-click mystery made in unity as my final project for code coven's IGM course!! I genuinely think we managed a pretty solid concept and execution in two weeks, and if you like murder mysteries, this is for you!

lungs to burn is a short poem game made for the may 2023 bitsy jam, talking about wildfires, grief, and queer connection. featured in both indiepocalypse #43 and hand eye society's SUPERFestival. in general, the response i got for this one was kinda overwhelming (and a little confusing), but i'm glad it resonated with people! still very proud of it.

no postage required is another bitsy game, this time made for the trans game dev server jam. a somewhat-sequel to the end is near; or a letter to a lost love. there are definitely things i'd redo with this one but all in all, not too bad!

Zines

Kriah: a personal zine about some of my experiences with antisemitism over the years. definitely a heavy read but honestly i stand by it just as much as when i wrote it? idk as someone who has a lot of trauma from years of antisemitic harassment, this has been a WEIRD fucking year, and it's weird to revisit something i wrote at the beginning of the year that feels even more relevant now.

how to the hold the pain is a collage/web weaving zine i did for this year's blaseball zine jam, using blaseball narratives as a way to view crip theory and vice versa. i spent a LOT of time reading through articles for this (both academic and other) and every second of it was worth it. genuinely one of my favourite things i made all year.

Fic

i wrote a lot less fic this year than the previous two for a multitude of reasons but i still put out a few bangers!! here's a brief selection of my favourites:

swallow your guilt (blaseball, 13.2k), a story about the new seattle garages, the old chicago firefighters, grief, and finally growing up, all through the biased eyes of one baby "ruthless" triumphant

spectroscopy, or a snapshot of a light and that which it absorbs (blaseball, 2.6k), the coda to my bright zimmerman series. i technically wrote this in the fall of 2022 but posted it in march so it still counts.

somewhere there's a fire burning (rogue one, 1k), a character study of bohdi rook between the destructions of nijedha and scarif. my first non-blb fic! and still a banger imo

i play dead, come alive (hatchetfield, 12x100), character study of stephanie lauter during the events of npmd. now officially my most popular fic and honestly i'm good with that!!! i think it's a solid little fic.

just all of corona borealis. i did some good stuff about grief and growth this year y'all.

the back half of this year was mostly filled with portfolio updating, job hunting, and just generally struggling with everything lol but!!! i still made some cool stuff and am hoping to get more back to making stuff next year! it's where i feel most at home. have fun checking these out if you do!

#s.txt #stara makes stuff #blaseball #indiedev #gamedev #zines #2023 #happy new year #...almost

[sitp-recs]

HP Rec Fest, Day 28

I’ve been reccing underrated fics since this blog was created and so I thought “there’s no easier @hprecfest prompt than this one” lol famous last words, this post took me ages to prepare 😂 I was initially overwhelmed by the amount of fics that came to mind, and going through my bookmarks and old recs only made it worse. How was I supposed to shortlist?? In the end I gave up and decided to rec 2 Drarry fics + 2 rare pairs. I could have included so many more but I really didn’t want this to become a tl;dr post and these rec blurbs are already going out of control, so here we go!

Day 28) an under-rated fic:

Drarry

In Dreams by @moonflower-rose (E, 38k)

Harry wasn't expecting to ever see Draco Malfoy again. He also wasn't expecting to walk into a political conspiracy that morning either, but apparently that's exactly what the day has in store for him.

I’ve screamed quite a few times about this fic (see my rec here) and every time I do it’s in the hopes that more folks will stop whatever they’re doing and go feast on this. not only a delicious and intriguing case fic with Rosie’s trademark epic dialogue and superb sense of humour, this also wins the award of best fic opening I have ever read. the way I gasped at chapter one and am forever haunted by its utterly devastating ending oh my god!!! my heart belongs to this gritty Harry, and the slow burn is masterfully crafted within the urgency of their teamwork to solve the mystery combining comfort, grief and hope in a thrilling, poignant and perfectly paced adventure. plus, the emotional payoff is chef’s kiss, honestly I cannot recommend this enough!

Survival of the Species by @romaine2424 (E, 47k)

Draco approaches Harry on the 9 ¾ platform, after their sons have boarded the Hogwarts Express, and invites him over for tea. The discussion they have leads them on an adventure that neither could have expected. There be dragons! HPDH compliant but before any other canon info had been released.

considering this masterpiece was published back in 2007 I think I’m allowed to say this is definitely a formative story when it comes to the creature genre, more specifically Veela fic. I first read this a couple years ago and my jaw legit dropped at the amount of world-building and carefully researched lore that went into this. so detailed and intricate and different from everything I’ve seen before or since, I was truly fascinated and couldn’t stop reading. kudos to the amazing slow burn covering years of their struggles stuck together in a dragon cave and having to rely on each other to survive. I loved seeing the hardships and how they genuinely came to care for each other, definitely one of the most moving and convincing Veela love stories I’ve read in the fandom.

Rare pair

With a Look by earlybloomingparentheses (Ginny + Deamus, E, 5k)

Now, twenty years old and done with boys and looking forward very much to putting her hand down some lucky girl’s shirt later this evening, Ginny looks at Dean Thomas’s gold-painted fingernails and feels heat pool between her legs.

I think about this fic every now and then - such a sensitive, thought-provoking and beautiful homage to the 🏳️‍🌈 community. the visceral and contemplative tone takes it beyond your regular PWP, and I’ve rarely seen gender and queerness explored quite like this. seeing Ginny figuring out and owning her identify is mesmerizing. her voice is powerful, sexy, earnest and articulates so many complex and layered feelings - I was particularly moved by the inner turmoil of not looking “queer enough”. I’m sure this fic will be eye-opening and comforting to so many people out there, and that’s why I never cease to rec it. an intimate character study, a sinfully hot and self-indulgent threesome but above anything, a poignant love letter to the queer community.

Passion, Patents, and Pen Pals at the Ministry by @violetclarity and @yrfrndfrnkly, art by @anaxandria-writes and @veelawings (Hermione/Pansy, T, 32k)

After an extremely ill-timed lovers'-tiff-turned-food-fight at the Ministry leaves her less one boyfriend and suspended without pay for six months, Hermione pleads for some position–anything–to fill her days until her suspension is up. The good news is, her temporary position in the Magical Games & Sports's Ludicrous Patents office is just down the corridor from Harry's office in General Inquiries. The bad news is Harry's officemate is Pansy Parkinson, the Ministry's operations are shockingly outdated, and every altercation between Hermione and Pansy winds up a headline in MoM's internal rogue gossip zine, Hot Goss.

rivals to secret pen pals to lovers yes please?? this hilarious Pansmione is a ship triumph and yet criminally underrated. I had a blast getting into the world of Ministry gossip & politics, and immediately fell in love with all the characters, l especially with this lovely meddling Harry. it’s SO MUCH FUN to watch poor him (and Blaise omg what a duo) in the middle of a ladies’ tug of war. I’m impressed by the amount of world-building especially around their workplace, not to mention all the side interactions and the fun, organic slow burn. I love this take on identity porn with tons of banter and Pansy and Mione connecting through their shared worldview and feminist principles, such a power couple ✊🏼 the mix of semi-epistolary, witty dialogue, dorky meddling friends and mild angst make for peak entertaining, I laughed non-stop and cheered so bad for them. femslash ftw!!!

#hprecfest2023 #day 28 #an underrated fic

[rockislandadultreads]

Read-Alike Friday: Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Indian Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe.

Then, one by one, they began to be killed off. One Osage woman, Mollie Burkhart, watched as her family was murdered. Her older sister was shot. Her mother was then slowly poisoned. And it was just the beginning, as more Osage began to die under mysterious circumstances.

In this last remnant of the Wild West—where oilmen like J. P. Getty made their fortunes and where desperadoes such as Al Spencer, “the Phantom Terror,” roamed – virtually anyone who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered. As the death toll surpassed more than twenty-four Osage, the newly created F.B.I. took up the case, in what became one of the organization’s first major homicide investigations. But the bureau was then notoriously corrupt and initially bungled the case. Eventually the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to try to unravel the mystery. White put together an undercover team, including one of the only Native American agents in the bureau. They infiltrated the region, struggling to adopt the latest modern techniques of detection. Together with the Osage they began to expose one of the most sinister conspiracies in American history.

Covered with Night by Nicole Eustace

The Pulitzer Prize-winning history that transforms a single event in 1722 into an unparalleled portrait of early America.

In the winter of 1722, on the eve of a major conference between the Five Nations of the Haudenosaunee (also known as the Iroquois) and Anglo-American colonists, a pair of colonial fur traders brutally assaulted a Seneca hunter near Conestoga, Pennsylvania. Though virtually forgotten today, the crime ignited a contest between Native American forms of justice―rooted in community, forgiveness, and reparations―and the colonial ideology of harsh reprisal that called for the accused killers to be executed if found guilty.

In Covered with Night, historian Nicole Eustace reconstructs the attack and its aftermath, introducing a group of unforgettable individuals―from the slain man’s resilient widow to an Indigenous diplomat known as “Captain Civility” to the scheming governor of Pennsylvania―as she narrates a remarkable series of criminal investigations and cross-cultural negotiations. Taking its title from a Haudenosaunee metaphor for mourning, Covered with Night ultimately urges us to consider Indigenous approaches to grief and condolence, rupture and repair, as we seek new avenues of justice in our own era.

Return to Uluru by Mark McKenna

A killing. A hidden history. A story that goes to the heart of the nation.

When Mark McKenna set out to write a history of the centre of Australia, he had no idea what he would discover. One event in 1934 – the shooting at Uluru of Aboriginal man Yokununna by white policeman Bill McKinnon, and subsequent Commonwealth inquiry – stood out as a mirror of racial politics in the Northern Territory at the time.

But then, through speaking with the families of both killer and victim, McKenna unearthed new evidence that transformed the historical record and the meaning of the event for today. As he explains, ‘Every thread of the story connected to the present in surprising ways.’ In a sequence of powerful revelations, McKenna explores what truth-telling and reconciliation look like in practice.

Return to Uluru brings a cold case to life. It speaks directly to the Black Lives Matter movement, but is completely Australian. Recalling Chloe Hooper’s The Tall Man, it is superbly written, moving, and full of astonishing, unexpected twists. Ultimately it is a story of recognition and return, which goes to the very heart of the country. At the centre of it all is Uluru, the sacred site where paths fatefully converged.

Yellow Bird by Sierra Crane Murdoch

When Lissa Yellow Bird was released from prison in 2009, she found her home, the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota, transformed by the Bakken oil boom. In her absence, the landscape had been altered beyond recognition, her tribal government swayed by corporate interests, and her community burdened by a surge in violence and addiction. Three years later, when Lissa learned that a young white oil worker, Kristopher "KC" Clarke, had disappeared from his reservation worksite, she became particularly concerned. No one knew where Clarke had gone, and few people were actively looking for him.

Yellow Bird traces Lissa's steps as she obsessively hunts for clues to Clarke's disappearance. She navigates two worlds - that of her own tribe, changed by its newfound wealth, and that of the non-Native oilmen, down on their luck, who have come to find work on the heels of the economic recession. Her pursuit of Clarke is also a pursuit of redemption, as Lissa atones for her own crimes and reckons with generations of trauma.

#true crime #history #nonfiction #killers of the flower moon #reading recommendations #reading recs #book recommendations #book recs #library books #tbr #tbr pile #to read #booklr #book tumblr #book blog #library blog #readers advisory

[darthstitch]

the professor wet cat fandom

Imagine that you're a Rose Walker fan.

You remember the first time you saw her book Into the Night on the shelves of your favorite bookstore. Let's face it - the intriguing cover art and the title caught your attention. The synopsis on the book jacket and a quick skim of the first chapter made you bring that book to the counter. Something about the story just resonates with you, the aching sense of loss and grief that Briar, the main character, had felt, the headlong rush into adventure that was a means to escape that sorrow, beckoned by the enigmatic King of All Night's Dreaming.

You read that book in two days. And then you read it all over again. Rose has just opened up a universe that you don't want to leave.

Then the audiobook is released. The voice who did the reading is incredible, a voice that's deep and resonant, like the voice inside your head, seducing you into the very heart of Night.

Everyone thinks it's an actor like Richard Armitage or that other guy with the cheekbones whose name everyone just loves to mangle, Betadyne Carrotene or whatever but he's not credited at all. Either way, you're all in agreement about this.

It's the voice of the King of All Night's Dreaming, the voice of the Prince of Stories.

Fine, you and everyone else just fell in love with the antagonist of Rose's novel. He's not really evil, more a neutral entity than anything else. But he was a bit of a bastard to poor Briar, even though you can understand the reasoning behind his manipulations. He's described as beautiful and mysterious and very charismatic.

Of fucking course he'll be internet catnip. Edward Cullen whomst? Tumblr and Twitter are fighting over their new precious blorbo. There's meta and fan art based off Rose's description of him in the novel and yes, you're among those who check AO3 every day for brand new fan fiction.

You end up trying to find all the articles about Rose Walker. She's a lovely young woman who looks around your age and she talks about going back to university and continuing her studies. She's all mysterious about her voice actor, only saying that "he wants to stay anonymous and really, I got him to promise that he'll read the next book for me!"

And everyone in the fandom rejoices because Rose just officially confirms that there's a sequel.

You're among the first to hit the bookstores when the sequel The Prince of Stories comes out. The cover art is gorgeous, somewhat reminiscent of Yoshitaka Amano or Ayami Kojima, a rendering of the Prince in glorious detail - the fantastic costume in black and gold, the wild black hair, the pale skin, the fine features and the brilliant blue eyes.

On second look, the Prince looks strangely familiar.

Rose Walker doesn't disappoint. The sequel is just as good as the original, expanding a little more on the character of the Prince of Stories. There's also a new character joining Briar and her brother in their adventures all over the Land of Night's Dreaming. He's something of a rogue and adventurer straight out of medieval England, charming, mischievous but ultimately quite noble and kind.

You start chortling at his scenes with the Prince, which are so obviously charged with UST. Everybody to kingdom come is going to start shipping those two. You hit Tumblr and already, there's a goddamn ship name. Oh, this is going to be fun.

You scroll through the blog posts, enjoying the fan art, the fan fiction and the meta and then you see this post:

Is the Prince of Stories based on a real person?

And there's a screenshot of a dedication on Rose Walker's book:

For Uncle Dream, our Prince of Stories.

Oh, come on.

So out of curiosity, you do a little more digging. Rose Walker also has a blog, in which she entertainingly talks about the writing process, answers asks with humor and wit and occasionally, she talks about her family. The antics of her little brother are hilarious. There are also stories about her great-grandmother Unity, who she had tragically only known for a short time, and then stories about her recently found "Uncle Dream."

You can see why the other blog poster had started to blur fiction with reality. Rose's descriptions of her Uncle Dream oddly matches up to the King of All Night's Dreaming, with some added extras, because obviously, magical anthropomorphic personifications of dreams and nightmares do not wander around in Real Life.

Apparently, he's also an adorkable wet cat of a man who unfailingly helped her with the writing process, giggled with her brother over his superhero comics and was completely gone on his husband the history professor.

Hang on a minute. Some of the details sound really familiar.

"Uncle Dream" also teaches on occasion at university, keeps a raven as a companion and is known to talk to him like they really understand each other, outrageously flirts with his husband the history professor in Middle English, in iambic pentameter and in Shakespearean quotations, even if said history professor loathes Shakespeare...

You suddenly raise your head up from your phone because your literature professor just walks in, holding on to a copy of Rose Walker's newest book.

Holy shit. No way.

"Professor Murphy, we didn't know you were a fan of Rose Walker," one of your classmates say.

Professor Murphy has a proud smile on his face. "My niece has quite the story to tell. I've been looking forward to reading her next book."

You can't help it and now, hearing his Voice, you're also suddenly dead sure who Rose Walker's audiobook reader is too. "You're Rose Walker's Uncle Dream?!"

Eventually, you all get to explain to Professor Murphy why you want his autograph as well as his niece's on your books. He's still a little confused about that but he's fairly gracious about it.

He's amused and is barely able to contain his laughter when everyone starts asking if the dashing rogue "Captain Gadlen" is based on Professor Robert Gadling. For once, Professor Murphy neither confirms or denies anything.

-end-

#dreamling #rose walker #dream of the endless #hob gadling #professor mysterious and professor wet cat #in which rose inadvertently launches dreamling in universe #i crack what i want #the professor cryptid wet cat fandom totally becomes a Thing #but they're all protective over their professor dream so it becomes an in campus thing #shhh nobody tell neil

[iamthecutestofborg]

Ok I'm really going to need people to start watching The Way Home. I can barely find anyone talking about it on here and y'all are seriously missing out.

I know the Hallmark channel isn't really known for the kind of programming Tumblr fandom culture is interested in, but I'm telling you, this show is DIFFERENT. I was skeptical myself, but no one was more surprised than me that it's actually this good.

First of all, it's a fantasy. It's a time travel story, and what's more it's a REALLY GOOD time travel story. There's also a very compelling mystery plot tied in with the time travel.

The characters are fantastic. Great writing, casting, performance, direction, everything! Great relationships and very emotionally charged storylines. The most recent episode made me cry.

And of course, Tumblrs favorite thing:

Themes include: Loss, grief, denial, trauma, obsession, guilt, family secrets, relationships, love, communication, and healing.

It's a really good character study about the ways that both individuals and families are affected by trauma and grief. It highlights how even the strongest bonds can be damaged by lack of communication and unhealthy coping mechanisms. The time travel element displays the idea that we must examine the past in order to understand the present. It explores the various ways people react to a traumatic past, either by trying to forget it, becoming obsessed over it, or trying to learn from it so you can heal and move on. It also shows how people are affected over time and their personalities can change, and how people are never all good or all bad.

If you like stories about time travel, people healing from grief/loss, or stories about generational trauma (like Encanto, Steven Universe, etc.) then I can't recommend it highly enough. It's really something special. The first season is almost over, and it's been renewed for at least another season. The whole thing is available on Peacock or Xfinity on demand.

(Note- if you have experienced a traumatic loss, be aware this show could be triggering. Of course, it could also be helpful to some of you, but proceed with caution.)

#the way home #Hallmark Channel #Hallmark the way home #the way home hallmark #please somebody watch it i need fan content

[chronicas]

I've been following you for so long but I know nothing about your OCs (how? Idk.) so how about a basic rundown or something? Who's on the roster.

Ooooh man we've got a menagerie of guys over here in the Noxsylvaniaverse. Sorry I went overboard.

WELCOME TO THE NEW REQUIRED READING (joking)

ARRAY OF CICADAS Akira Akamatsu -> Devan Ranim -> Karma Gjalleon

Genre: Fantasy, Sci-fi Core themes: Comradery, grief, and redemption

Array of Cicadas is about a girl struggling with grief and the adventure that helps her come to terms with it. Akira is the protagonist (but not the main character) of AoC. Growing up in the magical realm of Genesis, Akira was raised as a Fire Mage, hiding from her family and everyone she knew that in reality she's an extremely rare Elemental Mage. She hid her power solely because she REALLY didn't like the son of the dragons (Ryuji, he's on this list in spirit) who would've become her teachers had she revealed herself. She moved from her magical homeworld to live on Earth and go to college after her sister's death. Family drama gets her thrown into Hveske where she meets her soon-to-be best friend, Devan! Devan is best described as Positive Change Personified. As the true main character of the story, there are very few people who's lives aren't improved by having this little guy in it. He meets Akira in the middle of his own personal quest to help his friends take down the Izebellian Empire, that's currently threatening to take over his home realm Hveske. Devan might still be just a kid, but he's always coming up with bright ideas that've gotten him and his friends out of dozens of scraps. Karma Gjalleon is the main antagonist of AoC. An unknown threat looms far greater and more powerful than that of the Izebellian Empire, that is the Regicidal Regent, Karma Gjalleon! She was once ruling regent of Hveske a few thousand years ago, but decided to broaden her horizons and now plans to conquer the entire universe! Her desire is to eradicate all tyranny by becoming the ultimate tyrant, once she has successfully done this, she wishes to be taken down herself by a righteous hero.

Array of Cicadas: Cryptadia Serendipity Grace Vulcan -> Salem Graves -> Qwynn Vandale

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Mystery Core themes: Identity, love (DIFFERENT from romance), stress/pressure

Array of Cicadas: Cryptadia is the second installment of AoC, taking place at the same time as the first. Akira disappears from the small Coloradian town of Adderdeen, kicking off a series of events that binds three of the town's most extraordinary people together to solve an interdimensional mystery. Serendipity is a teenage vampire who's adoptive family sent her to Adderdeen to study under the renowned Master Alchemist James Emperor. Serendipity lives with a poorly understood condition that makes it difficult for her to use her own magic, therefore she had to give up the family trade of witchcraft to learn about a more external magic like Alchemy. She struggles best she can to keep up with her magical studies as well as her high school studies as a foreign exchange student at Adderdeen High School. After she's found out as a vampire by her classmate Qwynn, she gets roped into a whole new world of mystery. She just hope her grades don't suffer too much as a result. Salem is a local celebrity in Adderdeen as host of a popular local radio show he titled The Nightwatch, a show cracking down on local supernatural sightings. He also balances his job as a mortician on top of it as well as raising his teenage sister single-handedly.. all while not letting it slip he's West Virginia's Very Own Mothman! After an encounter with an old moth-like spirit and a chaotic interdimensional entity at 13, Salem has to deal with being a towering moth monster when he's not in his glamored human form. He also takes on the daunting task of keeping the supernatural hotspot of Adderdeen a simple tourist town without letting the truth of the supernatural slip up. Qwynn is a simple teenage girl with simple aspirations. She wants to keep up her honor student status, get a good scholarship, get into a good, local, college, and also help her parents with their Monster Hunting Gig. Daughter of a human mother and a werewolf father, Qwynn is the only of her three siblings to not inherit lycanthropy from her father, much to her annoyance. Without claws or fangs to take down some of Adderdeens more unnatural inhabitants, Qwynn has to improvise with quick and flashy magic and even faster blades. All for the good of a town that will ideally never know the service her family provides. She makes it a point to investigate any strange happenings in Adderdeen, so it doesn't take long for her to figure out her new classmate is secretly a vampire or that the mortician who works with her mom is Mothman.

Array of Cicadas: [REDACTED] Penumbra -> Aranea Weltgeist -> Izebel Lucifer Walpurgis

Genre: Fantasy, Sci-fi Core themes: Knowledge, war, hope

Not much I can say about this installment as it would spoil the mysteries I'm setting up for AoC and AoC:C. But I CAN say this third and final installment of this story sets up the final confrontation and brings all our previously introduced characters together. Penumbra is a force by which many things have come to an end. Two thousand years ago she was merely a scientist who aspired to know more about the world around her. Her drive to learn more was inevitably her downfall. Her lover and enemy, Kirke, would later go on to use her findings to create a curse meant to Destroy the Universe. Aranea is a teenage visionary Created by her Father Out of Love using Alchemy. Her father, Issac Weltgeist, was found and murdered by the Izebellian Empire for his reasearch as a Master Alchemist. As a homunculus herself, Aranea was kidnapped in case she hid any secrets of her fathers research. Quickly dismissed by Kirke as useless to the empire's research on homunculi, Aranea was told to watch after the child Empress Izebel, who was only a few years younger than Aranea herself. Aranea spent the next two years searching for a way to escape the empire. Her plans where put into motion early when she found they had acquired the legendary sword Excalibur. Stealing the sword, Aranea made her escape. Izebel is a bit more of a figurehead as Empress of the Izebellian Empire. She was created by the sorceress Kirke to be the vessel for her curse. While she is a living source of destruction, Izebel is treated with respect by her underlings. However, the only person to truly show her kindness, was Aranea. Izebel quickly took to viewing Aranea as an older sister, and demanded she be treated with the respect an Empress' sister deserved. She did her best to give Aranea everything she wanted to make her happy, but refused to let her leave. When Aranea finally escaped, she left Izebel confused, heartbroken, and enraged.

Mother of the Apocalypse Alexios -> Asterius Polaris -> Armageddon

Genre: Cyberpunk, Fantasy, Tragedy Core themes: Family, lies, perseverance

MotA has nothing to do with AoC, and is instead it's own independent world. It's a story about a prophecy told by the Goddess of Fate to her oracles. That entails the end of the world at the hands of the Mother of the Apocalypse, only able to be stopped by the Savior of the Rim. How this prophecy ends, is up to Fate. Alexios is the son of Kepus, the Goddess of Life and Death, and himself, the Savior of the Rim. He much despises his own title. All he did to earn it was stop a Colossus that was bent on the destruction of a Spire. Now he's wrapped up in probably the dozenth prophecy in a life that's lasted over a millennia. Problem with this prophecy is that it wants him to kill someone to save the world, and he put such violence behind him centuries ago. With his newly adopted child to take care of, Alexios can't think much on how he'll save the world while sparring it's vessel of destruction. Asterius is the son of Taphion, the God of the Crypt, and Septentria, the Northern Star. However he spent the first 13 years of his live believing himself a demigod who had a human mother he never hat the opportunity to meet. Once his true identity was revealed to him, as well as his role in the prophecy as the Beast of the Crypt, a monster born to stand as the guardian of the Mother of the Apocalypse, he ran. He landed in the care of a hero, who he would later discover was the very man destined to kill him, the Savior of the Rim. After Alexios became determined to find a way to break the "curse" on Asterius (a clever lie the kid fabricated so he didn't have to reveal to his would-be murderer who he really was), the man came to see Asterius as his own child. As much as Asterius loves his new father, he can never bring himself to tell him the truth. Armageddon is the titular Mother of the Apocalypse. Daughter of Ignarus, the God of Destruction, she is destined to raze civilization to the ground. Unfortunately for Ignarus, she would rather die than have any part in the Apocalypse he curated for her. When the Savior of the Rim does finally come for her, she and Alexios' mutual interest in stopping the Apocalypse though means different than Fate has offered draws them closer together. Armageddon comes to believe that maybe their love will prove stronger than Fate herself.

LIZ and the Biohazards Logan Griffiths -> Samantha Griffiths -> Miriam Riveria

Genre: Horror, Sci-fi Core themes: Rebellion, survival, girlhood

Oh man I would love to tell y'all ALLLL about this comic, but as I am literally working on the script rn, you'll have to wait and see for most of it. But MAINLY, it's a story about a teenage science experiment who grew up in a lab and decides to break free and experience all the world has to offer. (Previously titled Unchained Phenomena) Logan Griffiths is labeled by most of the people who know him as a crazy conspiracy theorist, but Logan knows what he's seen and what he's heard. His son was sent to war almost 18 years ago and never came back. The last letter he received from his son detailed the horrors he had seen on the front lines, saying he fought beside people who "weren't people anymore". Ever since Logan has worked to crack down on the government's experiments on humans, and expose what decades of propaganda and coverups have worked so hard to hide. One disaster strikes the government base he's spent a decade studying, and his answers are delivered right to him with one phone call from some friends. He just didn't expect them to come in the form of a young girl. S-072, or Sam, as she prefers to call herself now, was created in a government lab after the Bio War ended in an attempt to bolster Texas' defenses as it stands on the brink of independence. S-072 was designed for espionage, with the original intent being to create a human who could alter their physiology to mimic anyone. However, while she can indeed alter her physiology, the raw-looking flesh and bone she is able to warp and change isn't going to pass as anyone alive. After the initial failure, they found that S-072 was better suited for just slaughtering things. She could withstand bullet wounds after training, she could warp herself into her own weapons, and was overall the perfect killing machine. Too bad someone started putting ideas in her head. Miriam is a survivor of war. She wasn't a soldier, but she was a sister, and a daughter. Her hometown was hit with a biological weapon and she lost her family and was left sick, disabled, disfigured, and traumatized. She did her best to survive, but unable to work, living on fixed income wasn't cutting it. When the government offered her an experimental cure for her illness, she took it without reading the fine print. Subjected to many experiments, but never a real cure, Miriam plotted a way out.

THE MIXED BAG OF RANDOM GUYS! "Charlie" -> Caelum Ketch - Jinlong

Dream Journal: The Central Mind

Genre: Horror, Sci-fi Core themes: The unknown, death, grief

This story is from a dream I had that I've reworked to make a story that I'd love to make into a short comic someday. The basic idea of the dream (maybe nightmare) was there was a family that lived on an island who were studying an interdimensional entity. Shortly after they moved to this island, their daughter died. Something, someone else.. came back. "Charlie" is the name of the person who is distinctly NOT Charlotte to anyone who looks close enough. A fragmented piece of a much larger entity with the mind and memories of the late Charlotte, Charlie is just trying to solve the mystery of why her family keeps acting so strange around her.

Cache of Sybaris

Genre: Sci-fi Core themes: Idk man it's just fun Space Pirates babeyyyyyy

The Sybaris Galaxy celebrates the many rich cultures that exist within it, art and culture is a top priority of the Galactic Union! So when the entirety of the latest Trivlexian exhibit on the planet Nik is stolen by Captain Wretch and her band of pirates, it becomes a Galaxy wide chase to steal it back! Especially to other pirate crews who might never have the chance to catch a better score. Ketch is one of such pirates who's crew is after Captain Wretch and her recently stolen goods. While most are after the art that was in the exhibit, the crew of the Red Death is much more interested in the Trivlexian technological artifacts. Namely because Ketch, the crew's finest mechanic, is Trivlex himself. Ketch knows well enough that anyone who isn't rich enough to be able to conveniently ignore is knows all Trivlexian artifacts are stolen, but he has no noble ambitions for his people's artifacts. He just wants to make better weapons and improve his crew's ships. Regardless of how many bounties it gets on his head in the process.

Shifting Stars and Moving Mountains

Genre: Fantasy Core themes: Grief, change, culture

SS+MM is a story that takes place in the same universe as Array of Cicadas, but remains mostly disconnected from the main story. It follows the dragons of Genesis, their politics, culture, and how they influence the rest of the realm. Jinlong is a young dragon, just a few decades over 500, who grew up during the Great Dragon Hunts. Jinlong lost both of his parents in the hunts, he survived the only way he could in such a time of hostility towards dragons, he lived as a human. A human family took him in and treated him as their own. Jinlong spent so long as a human he slowly lost touch of what it meant to be a dragon. After his youngest human sister died at the EXTREMELY impressive age of 200, Jinlong was taken in by Sage Ragnormr, an ancient dragon who advised him to rest. And rest he did, for 2000 years, Jinlong slept, regaining the strength he expended from holding his body in human form for so long. He awakes in the modern era, things have changed drastically, and this little dragon needs to learn what it really means to be a dragon again.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND I have 400+ other ocs that I won't cover on this post, but if anyone is ever curious about my silly little guys, there's nothing in the WORLD that brings me more joy than getting to talk about them with other people :)

#asks #ophidian lore #array of cicadas #array of cicadas: cryptadia #mother of the apocalypse #liz and the biohazards #unchained phenomena #dream journal #cache of sybaris #shifting stars and moving mountains

[hechiima]

Sholmes and Mikotoba break me b/c they were so clearly meant for each other and yet they were separated for so long. This is kinda a long ramble and it's obviously all my HC b/c we know so little about their earlier days but. Ugh.

Before he met Mikotoba, I don't think Sholmes had any friends - he was not lonely per se, as he was quite content with his own company/interests and was used to being alone but he had never really been known or understood. He was used to being needed b/c he was brilliant but nobody had ever sought to really befriend or love him. And it makes sense. Sholmes, esp younger Sholmes, I think was probably a deeply difficult person to manage; arrogant, headstrong, and all too aware how much smarter he was than everyone else in the room. I would think the only close relationship he had was with his brother but, even then, Mycroft is seven years his senior and has never been particularly portrayed as a soft man.

And then Mikotoba shows up and here's this man who is smart and brave and kind, yes, but most importantly, he listens. He wants to learn Sholmes' methods and makes an earnest study of them. He praises Sholmes sincerely, follows him into danger, and delights in Sholmes' ramblings and hobbies. He tolerates Sholmes' more difficult moods, learns to manage him, cares for him when he is injured/sick, and tries to even protect Sholmes from himself. For the first time, here is someone who sees all of Sholmes and actively chooses to stay by his side. Mikotoba is the first and only person who knows Sholmes and Sholmes has never experienced anything close to this before. To be known like that is such a beautiful thing; how could he not fall in love?

From Mikotoba's perspective, I think Sholmes gives him a purpose again. When he arrives in London he's not in great shape. I think he left Japan partially to escape the memories of Ayame and to run away from the responsibilities of rearing Susato (which is a shitty thing to do, yes). He's there to learn about the British justice system but I don't think his heart is in it. How can it be with that much loss and grief?

And then he meets Sholmes and suddenly he's thrust into Sholmes' world. I think Mikotoba maintains he wants to lead a peaceful life but the allure of the mystery, the thrill of danger, and most importantly, Sholmes himself are things he simply cannot stay away from. Sholmes is fascinating and brilliant and captivating and most importantly, he is a good man. And I think that goodness is so important for Mikotoba because it reminds him that there is good in this world and not everything is loss and grief and despite everything, he is here by Sholmes' side for a reason. He has a purpose again. Ofc he would fall in love with Sholmes.

On top of all that, I think they just are also pals. They're good friends who laugh together and dine together and go to concerts together. They teach each other how to fight (in the original stories, Holmes escapes Moriarty with a hybrid form of martial arts that is based partially in judo and jiu-jitsu so I think in dgs he learns that from Mikotoba) and gossip about Scotland Yard and get into trouble together. They have this grand love story yes, and it is built in dark alleyways and dangerous pursuits and the London underbelly but it is also built in easy laughter and private violin concerts and comfortable domesticity.

And then Capcom separates them for ten years without even cellphones or planes, with two daughters to raise, and the horrible grief of losing some of their closest friends in London. Sholmes loses the only person who knew him and Mikotoba loses the man who gave him purpose again. They both lose their best friend. God. I know they're eventually reunited but the sheer loss of time is staggering; ten years is so long and it is especially long to miss your other half. What the fuck Capcom.

#tom talks #sorry im going insane this friday night #this is why hmmk hurts me prob more than any other aa ship #nobody does it like them what the fuck #a lot of this is pulled obviously from other sherlock holmes material but it still breaks me #how could you separate holmes and watson they are literally a set #and for an entire decade #ahHHHhhhhh!!!!! #anyways sorry for this ramble but. them. ugh. #dgs #herlock sholmes #yujin mikotoba #homumiko #dgs2 spoilers

[ohifonlyx33]

Sorry, I'm just thinking about how Agents of SHIELD set up the themes within their characters and gave them such rich characterization (even if they never had enough time to show us the long conversations and therapy sessions). Like overall, you just KNOW who that character is.

And the finale stayed true to that. And in a sense gave those core struggles some closure.

Coulson is an agent of mystery, and yet a seemingly average guy. He never was able to have a normal life, but he was given a family, particularly a daughter and a wife (Daisy and May). The show started with #CoulsonLives and, he died peacefully with the woman he loved. Only his memories and legacy still lives on in the form of an LMD. In a sense, he is both dead and alive.

With May you have a woman who wanted nothing more than to be a mother, but who was living in the guilt of having harmed a child on a mission. Here is a traumatized agent, who only comes out of inactive duty to help Coulson. To protect him. But she becomes a mother to Daisy, and later Robin and Flint. She takes care of the whole team. And when her duty is done, she can rest again. This time, content and absolved. Not hiding, but truly retired from active duty because she completed her mission.

With Daisy you have Belonging & Becoming. She never had a family. She didn't know her self-identity. She believed she was a weapon and a curse, but people showed her that they cared for her. The team became her family. She found a family, and she knew who she was even without them... so that in the end she was able to go off and start a new family as children must do.

Then there's Jemma, a sweet and brilliant and curious young mind turned toward helping others and trying to study them. Jemma always had problems processing and expressing her emotions which resulted in repression, internalized responsibility (which turns to guilt), compartmentalization, hyper-vigilance, and over-rationalization of everything. She went through so many traumas and had to learn how to not only have courage and be resilient but how to have compassion, how to let herself be vulnerable, how to let go of guilt, how to be open. In the last season she starts losing her memories, but they come flooding back to the surface along with all those emotions--love and pain and motherhood and family and all her grief and joy is no longer repressed.

And here with Fitz... his story deals primarily with his identity as a genius boy, but it becomes a story about free will and choosing goodness and not letting yourself be programmed by the mistakes you make or the people who hurt you... and in the end he doesn't find his peace and self-worth in being a heroic agent, but in being a loving husband and father. His story is about self-image and forgiveness and staying kind. And he becomes the kind of father Alya deserves. A father who stays, a husband who lives, a man who has made himself a sacrifice so many times at last gets a reward.

You have Mack, the gentle giant, the team mechanic, who is really a simple guy. He starts off hating violence, but he also realizes he has to fight sometimes, in order to protect people. Losing his daughter when he was younger made him a more cautious individual. Finally he used his grief and his own faith in God to bring Hope to others. He became a leader in his own right, learning not to be paralyzed by indecision or fear.

And Elena, she never slowed down or looked back or questioned herself because she couldn't let herself. But she always ended up back where she started, getting nowhere. She learned she needs to wait for others, take time for herself to be still, and think through her actions. She almost lost her faith because she was running from God and her inner self, but in the end, she slowed down, remembered the beautiful power of grace, and started truly running the race.

#aos #agents of shield #phil coulson #melinda may #daisy johnson #fitz #jemma simmons #alphonso mackenzie #elena rodriguez

[quaranmine]

How do you go about writing mysteries? Like how your firewatch one has its slow drip of discoveries and backstories and stuff. I keep getting totally lost, cuz I already know my endings, and keep forgetting the audience doesnt and shouldnt know the same. Mysteries are fun. They are also the hardest thing ive ever tried to write.

Honestly, mysteries are SO hard. I don't really know how to write them well either. And your ask honestly surprised me some, because up until this point I have never really considered my AU to succeed as a mystery. There is some legitimate mystery in the story (as to where Mumbo is) but, as it becomes clear in chapter 10 I think, most of the things about the Forest Service, Grian's conspiratorial thinking, and finding someone to blame are just set dressing. Or, to give myself more credit, more character study than reality. Something I've had written in the outline since day one is "Is this a mystery, or is Grian just convinced it's a mystery?" Half of the mystery in the story is finding out what actually happened, and half of the mystery is actually just a character study on Grian's grief and thought processes.

I going to put the rest under a cut, it gets kind of long. I can probably talk about my AU forever honestly. And if anyone reading this isn't caught up to at least chapter 10 this will spoil things:

But anyway. I think the best advice I have is to work backwards. You say you already know your ending so it seems like you're doing that already. I knew from the moment I started working on the story how it was going to end, so working backwards from that is a matter of arranging things to be in the places you want them. Having a complete outline also helps because that's what helped me create that "slow drip of discoveries and backstories" because I wanted to reveal things at a relatively steady pace. As for forgetting that your audience doesn't know things...idk I just try to focus super hard on what has/hasn't been revealed and where everybody's povs are. I think that just becomes a learned thing. I don't just know more than the audience, I know more than all the characters too, and I have to make sure they all operate on exactly what they currently know. I think rereading your already-done work as you go helps to refresh you on this.

Another hard thing about mysteries is like....trusting the audience to make connections. I think that I often overplay my hand and spell things out because I am inexperienced in knowing where to draw the line. For this AU, I didn't really intend it to have any big twist ending. I wanted the truth to be telegraphed as the audience uses their own logic to realize that Grian's POV is biased. And even though I haven't released chapter 11 and 12 yet, I....think I succeeded? Based on the difference in comments from chapter 1 to chapter 10, I think most of my readers are where I want them to be. But I didn't know that until I actually released the chapters. Anyway, I think the surprise is less about what the answer is and more about how it all goes down.

In terms of backstories, Firewatch AU has an almost parallel "before" section. There is never a "flashback" to before Mumbo disappeared. The first scene of the story is the ground zero and we never go before that. So the timeline of the story is always "contained" despite skipping around sometimes? Over the course of the fic I slowly introduce scenes that eventually lead us into exactly how Grian got here in the present-day plot. Pretty much all the "before" sections emphasize one way or another that Grian has been struggling.

I guess I can summarize my intentions with the chapters? There's a specific structure to them and their purpose (if I could help it.) Sometimes I feel like I have this story structured within an inch of its life, which is one reason that I have been able to post as I go without needing to make any retroactive changes to already done chapters.

Chapter one: establishes the central problem in the story, introduces the main characters to each other, and introduces Grian's goals. Honestly, I think this is a great first chapter since it introduces everything it needs to. It swaps time periods more than any other one but that is because I specifically modeled it to reflect the intro of the game Firewatch.

Chapter two: introduces fire as a major plot element, and serves as character development and relationship development between Scar and Grian. Also introduces more of Grian's grief, his thoughts about search and rescue, and specifically (vitally, to the plot) allows Scar see just a glimpse of what's happening with Grian that Grian isn't telling him.

Chapter three: mostly vital character development (especially for Scar) and relationship development; I've got to set them up as becoming friends before the big stuff kicks in. also, fire lookout knowledge!

Chapter four: first big clue (found by chance, not by Grian, which sort of emphasizes the idea of things being out of anyone's control that comes up in the narrative a lot.) Bigger spotlight on Grian's emotions (understatement of the year.) Scar gets officially looped into the Real Story. From this point on the plot progresses relatively regularly.

Chapter five: more character development, and another backstory hint about Scar. also, now that Scar is looped in, he gets to contribute information to the plot by bringing the newest clue (that builds off the information revealed in chapter four) (hey grian, it turns out when you communicate to people they can assist you)

Chapter six: this chapter is mostly a flashback section, which i wanted to avoid in chapters but IIRC it was simply too long to include with chapter five. This section with Pearl serves to emphasize a few different self-destructive tendencies Grian has (isolation, his living space, his financial situation, etc.) And finally, more information Scar gives him since he has contacts from working there so long. Also, from here on out Grian's conspiratorial thinking grows.

-> side note, one part of this story being a mystery that was difficult was that like. without internet research being available in the 80s, most "detective" actions would naturally involve talking to people, interviewing, looking at documents, etc. but since grian is Alone, in the middle of the Wilderness, he has none of that. it's, uh, difficult to introduce clues when the main character has little ability to find them. I had to sit down and be like, realistically HOW can he solve this without just wandering around in the woods endlessly? It's not a fun story if all he does is hike around the forest. In the game Firewatch, that sort of worked, but that's because you're controlling Henry. It doesn't translate well to reading. But with Grian entirely on his own, exploring the forest is the only "tool" he has. So Scar is a useful addition since he actually knows people to talk to that Grian doesn't and can move things forward by bringing more information to the table. But I have to proceed carefully to ensure he isn't just a deus ex machina for any hard parts of the plot. Scar talking to someone off-screen can't solve every problem in the story or else it's a bad story.

Chapter seven: some conflict/roadblocks introduced, because Scar cannot just endlessly poke around and find information without repercussions. also, the govt loooooves to make information available only to specific people. you can and will get slapped on the wrist if you consistently overstep the boundaries of your job. also, i need Grian to contribue his own piece to solving the mystery without Scar, so with his boots-on-the ground he finds the trail Mumbo took to get to from point A to point B. He gets a dangerous idea that will later escalate the plot closer to the climax, since we're officially in the second half of the story. There's a flashback that is purposefully the first part of the story so far to have someone outright state they think Mumbo is dead (and of course it's Jimmy.) Ends with more character development for Scar.

Chapter eight: WOOOO SCAR CHAPTER! but not before some egregiously obvious foreshadowing and a distinct reminder that this is a story about fire. i break from my deep character pov for the first time just to give the readers some scientific and historical background. we finally learn more about Scar, which should in theory retroactively piece together why he specifically wants to help Grian so much: because he sees his own experiences reflected in what Grian is living through now. also, since so much of this story is Grian isolating himself and pushing help away, it is vital for him to be shown someone else Does understand him

Chapter nine: beginning of the end pt 1 of 3. we re-center fire as a risk in the story again. grian commits a few crimes, because his main motivation this whole time has been information. and he simply can't get that information sitting in a tower by himself in the woods. he is desperate to find puzzle pieces to slot together so that everything makes sense. this is also the height of his conspiratorial thinking and there's a big disconnect between how he views other people, and their actual actions. I initially didn't want the story to "leave" its main setting, I wanted it to be a bottle. But that just didn't work in practice when plotting this out.

Chapter ten: beginning of the end pt 2 of 3, and we bring the flashback scenes full circle by including grian's decision to become a lookout in the same chapter we learns he gets fired. a somewhat anti-climactic reveal of there not being all that much conspirarcy to Mumbo's disappearance, in a way that hopefully is not disappointing since hopefully everyone reading realizes Why grian was convinced of this and Why he's wrong. woooo fire again! the return of the mystical bike location that was introduced early in the plot! grian finally being forced to reckon with things he's been avoiding thinking about all story! a fallout between our beloved main characters at the 11th hour!

Chapter eleven and twelve: ???? coming soon but you can guarantee they'll deal with the loose ends here since this story is standalone in its plot

So, idk if that type of analytical breakdown is useful to you. But you can kind of see how my plot was guided by the constraints on my narrative--a lot of my choices involved either needing different characters to help grian, or needing grian to go somewhere else. but i constantly wanted to make sure that it made sense for Scar to help Grian, that Scar never overstepped his place in the narrative by being "all-knowing", and that all of Grian's decisions are driven, even to the point of Problems, by his grief. Also, to kickstart the plot, I needed at least one major shake-up to happen (in this story, finding the bike) or else Grian probably would have been just as doomed as everyone else to look in the wrong places. Since it's more or less a cold case, a breakthrough needed to happen to move things forward. So I suppose what I needed was: first, to know the ending I needed to get to; second, to know where I was starting; and third, to provide at least one major clue to give the characters an opportunity to unravel the rest.

Also, this is less about mysteries and more about characterization, but when writing Grian I put Mumbo at the highest priority in all situations. This means he is willing to tank his financial situation, his jobs, his relationships with his friends, and even commit crimes for Mumbo. He consistently does not consider his own future when making decisions. He's reactive and more than willing to take things to the extreme, which I think makes him honestly more fun to write about. I think his Drive pushes the story even when there's just dialogue sitting in a fire tower. One thing I never wanted to do in this story was soften characters' emotions or actions into something "easier."

anyway, this is a story about trying to find logic in places where there is none, coping badly and learning to cope, accepting support from others, grief, and finding closure <333 thank you for your ask it was very sweet to be asked for advice and hopefully SOMETHING in this essay helps <333

#twirls hair hiiiiiiii #i can analyze like every bit of this au like an english assignment u have no clue #i think uhhhh half my enjoyment in writing is not just writing but engaging in analysis of things. it is Enrichment for me #there's so much to talk about with the theming in this story honestly. i do A LOT of things on purpose in this fic. #this story is not gonna join the ranks of the Literary Greats but it is my first shot at trying to do many things and i've enjoyed it a lot #from here on out any other story i write (that i take as seriously as this) will just continue to get better because i learned a lot here #hc_firewatch_au #quara asks

[floatingcatacombs]

On Reading Yuri with a Death Wish

12 Days of Aniblogging 2022, Day 1

This essay will discuss suicide.

Existentialism is the study of why you shouldn’t kill yourself. This is a noble pursuit, because I’m never sure what to do with the philosophers who commit suicide, if that act retroactively invalidates their theories or not. (Hegel, on the other hand, died sane but has driven more philosophers to madness than any other individual)

What I mean more specifically is that a lot of existentialist texts and theories are rooted in the anguish that humans alone face due to our consciousness. We’re talking depression, despair, and existential angst. In this way, existentialist writing serves as a therapy workbook, a reminder that individuals are wholly responsible for their own actions, which includes finding meaning, personal values, and contentedness. Of course, an absurdist would say that there’s no point to searching for any of that and only through giving up can we be free to truly live, but it’s all in the same spirit.

These deeply human themes lend themselves well to art, and anime is no exception. Unfortunately, most of these attempts are pretty trite. How often do you put on an show only for it to get fake-deep during the narrative climax by reciting a bunch of out-of-context philosophy? We can punch down at Death Note all day if we want, but there definitely is anime and manga out there that actually succeeds in weaving an existentialist core. Being who I am, I particularly care about the stuff that does it through the lens of yuri, and well.

Otherside Picnic is one of these works, if you ask me. One thing that reveals itself very quickly, especially if you’re reading the novels where Sorawo’s thoughts are on full display, is that our main character is downright suicidal. She’s rescued from an early watery grave by future love interest and partner-in-crime Toriko, who makes a quip about her looking like the drowned Ophelia. Sorawo is familiar with the Millais painting from reading a Wikipedia article, but not Hamlet itself, which serves as a great early example of her encyclopedic strengths and shortcomings, as well as the author's tendency to source from the internet. The two quickly become well-acquainted (partners-in-crime, even!) and set out to explore the mysterious Otherside they’ve independently stumbled upon, which is rife with monsters straight out of scary stories passed around on 2channel.

my eternal rival, Ms. Boston Dynamic, makes an appearance

Once the premise of a slowburn yuri like this is set up, the author usually throws an obstacle in the way of the relationship to prevent things from working out immediately. If said author is a hack, it’s a romantic rival, in the worst-case scenario a childhood friend. Sometimes it’s a miscommunication, where the girls treat the blossoming relationship differently and don’t realize they’re seeing past each other. Sometimes it’s life circumstances, like the girls going to different schools or having different social standings. And sometimes, it’s because one of the girls has something deeply wrong with her. Ideally both.

As it turns out, Toriko has just as much of a death wish as Sorawo. She hides it better at first, by being a manic pixie Canadian gun otaku dream girl, but the sheer desperation and denial present in her search for her old mentor quickly comes into focus. She’s lost someone close to her and is throwing herself into dangerous situations because it’s easier than facing her grief.

There’s a stretch of the series where Toriko and Sorawo are in a rocky patch over the exact issue of Toriko’s mentor Satsuki and whether seeking her out is worth it (with the undertone of Sorawo trying to figure out if Toriko actually likes her or is just using her to help find Satsuki). This manifests as the two of them throwing themselves into the Otherside again and again, with less, more quarrelsome recovery time between each stint. They start drinking more and more irresponsibly in their post-expedition celebratory dinners they start. All of this culminates in the Otherside starting to come to them instead of the other way around.

For all of creepypasta set-dressing, this is the one part of Otherside Picnic where there’s genuine terror and dread. If you don’t have enough anchors to the real world, you’ll lose yourself for good in there, as Sorawo gets warned a handful of times. Obviously this is meant to frame the Otherside in eldritch horror terms, but to me it brings it closer to representing suicidal ideation. Hell, a few times Sorawo finds herself drawn into Otherside specifically because of her harmful thoughts. When she’s mentally at her worst she keeps inadvertently ending up there – and the monsters are trying to get her to cross the point of no return. It’s barely even a metaphor at times.

So yeah. Can’t get away from the Otherside, can’t give in to it. Sorawo and Toriko are left to just…learn to live with it. After buying a tobacco harvester on a drunken bender (long story) the two of them start to chart out rudimentary roads, establish supply bases, and do plenty of small construction jobs to make the place just a bit less hostile. It’s all very Minecraft, which Sorawo just flat-out says at one point. This aspect of Otherside Picnic is definitely indulging Miyazawa’s hobbyist tendencies in the same way that all the creepypasta and gun otaku stuff is, but it also establishes a certain kind of coping. Though Sorawo and Toriko keep finding themselves in dangerous situations, the sense of dread never returns to the narrative in the way that it does in the early sections. These later volumes are definitely a bit less interesting, but you can only give your characters an absolute death wish for so long before it gets stale, and something of an iyashikei atmosphere emerges as a periodic counterbalance. Life must go on, even with the absurdity of SCP monsters hunting you and your kinda-girlfriend down.

shoutout to the offhand remarks these girls make to each other. the weirder they are, the more genuinely romantic

Have I mentioned how fun of a protagonist Sorawo is? She’s a subculture weirdo with a poster’s soul, she’s a walking encyclopedia of 2channel netlore, and her sense of reality is so distorted that she takes truly terrifying events at face value and gets lost in the details on regular human relationships. She’s something of an accidental lesbian chad, getting Toriko to go from leading her on to falling desperately in love with her without even really trying. She’s got unprocessed childhood trauma straight out of a ghost story, which gets weaponized to scary effect down the line. She makes the most baffling offhand remarks. And her dry wit is a perfect fit for the narrative, which, like I said earlier, is at its best in the novels where we get to spend more time in her headspace.

It's out of character for me, but I haven’t actually talked much about the yuri parts of this yuri manga. I’m save that for the second part of this writeup, alongside the elephant in the room: author Iori Miyazawa’s ‘yuri of absence' interview. I’ll wrap up my Otherside Picnic talk by saying that the anime adaptation is pretty terrible, failing to understand everything I’ve been talking about up until now by changing the pacing to that of an action series. The manga, on the other hand, is quite good, with some especially interesting panel composition during the more surreal moments. It’s worth a look, but you’re ultimately best off reading the original novels.

I want to bring up another philosophical yuri manga I read this year, Shimeji Simulation. It’s definitely on the absurdist side of things, but that doesn’t become apparent until you’re further in. What we get in the opening chapters is pure depression-core, exactly as expected for mangaka Tsukumizu, whose previous works include Girl’s Last Tour and the Touhou doujin Flan Wants to Die. Our protagonist is a driftless shut-in who hasn’t been to school in two years after something unspecified and traumatic happened to her in middle school. She scrapes together the will to go to school this year, and makes fast friends with a classmate who has a giant fried egg on her head. Fast girlfriends even, though it’s unclear what that really means for the two of them.

I’ve found that Shimeji Simulation is difficult to pitch, so I’m just going to write about my favorite character: Mogwa, the depressed art teacher. She moonlights as the club advisor and only active member of the “hole-digging club”, a club that…digs holes. When asked why, she starts waxing philosophically about the absurdity and futility of the act. With each following chapter she becomes further obsessed with hole topology. When Shimeji’s sister develops a boring machine, Mogwa falls into despair. Evidentially, her digging had become deeply important to her regardless of its uselessness, and a machine doing all the digging for her sapped all the joy out of it. She lets herself slip into the seemingly bottomless pit, only saved from her fate by someone with nigh omnipotence.

The thing I love the most about Mogwa is how she’s a clear manifestation of the Myth of Sisyphus. She condemns herself to a futile impossible task, and this ends up becoming the very thing keeping her going. Only through accepting absurdity can she be truly free, and the opposite when her self-made purpose is pulled up from under her.

Buried away in the depths of Dynasty-Scans is a prequel comic to Shimeji Simulation that shines a light on the whole comic, and why it’s so strange, contemplative, bleak, and snarky all at once. I’m not linking it because it’s pornographic and more than a bit questionable, but the gist is that in middle school, Shimeji’s only friend had sex with her and then inexplicably killed herself the night after. That’s it, end of one-shot. It’s a cruel joke. Even disconnected from the published manga itself, this suicide casts a very long shadow, making the whole of Shimeji Simulation a “well…now what?” affair.

It’s why the characters in this manga are so willing to invoke philosophy, and ultimately to take the plunge into total surrealness, irrevocably writing over their world to create a weirder one. This act is self-detournment and a fitting spin on Tsukumizu’s typical depressing yuri, the fantasy of a world which responds perfectly to our desires. It’s existence preceding essence made literal, an ultimate reminder that humans are responsible for their identities and must continue to live, so they have the freedom to keep making choices and acting upon the world.

possibly one of the best pages of manga out there, period

This was a difficult and disjointed article to write, and recent personal events have made it harder yet also more necessary to get out. Next time, I’m going to talk about Otherside Picnic again, but from a different perspective: yuri and the act of authorial self-abnegation. 

#12 days of anime #otherside picnic #shimeji simulation #existentialism

[princessofxianle]

Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks...

well THANK YOU for asking, you are the first to!

tbh ive been meaning to do this on my main blog bc I take these wayyy too seriously lol but ANYWAY heres my top 10 faves (in no particular order) that I can think of (tbh theres prob more i forgot about, or i wanted to keep only 1 per fandom... except tgcf)

Huge Spoiler Warning: for ALL of tgcf, 2ha, aot, AND JJK MANGA!!!

1. Feng Xin (tgcf)

do i even need to explain this one? loyal to a fault, just a cute lil puppy, one hell of a sculpted archers back, and he's head over heels in love with Xie Lian (but tbh same) i have a lot of thoughts about him on a daily basis on this blog (and also theres the #fx backstory au tag)

2. Noé Archiviste (the Case Study of Vanitas)

MY BABY

the absolute bestest boy of EVER... with a LOAD of unprocessed trauma (yknow the typical stuff like seeing your childhood bff get decapitated in front of you) and a lot more to come once we find out how he kills his boyfriend best friend, Vanitas...

i ALSO think about him a lot but over on @noes-pillow

3. Sejanus Plinth (The Hunger Games: tbosas)

hated reading as a child... HATED it... picked up the og trilogy when i was 12 and i was a goner. The funny thing is i still hated reading for YEARS up until i picked up the prequel novel then in 2020, and now ive read all of tgcf, 2ha, and more fanfic than i could ever imagine... all because this stupid boy (i love him) chose to trust the WORST person as his friend, rip sejanus my baby

the movie is v good btw, if you havent seen it you should

4. Xie Lian (tgcf)

*Taizi Dianxia Fang Xin Guoshi General Hua Xie Lian*

how this man survived 800 years of being physically unable to die and never went insane is a mystery i will never be able to fully comprehend (aaand im in love with him... hmm i wonder why...)

5. Mihael "Mello" Keehl (Death Note)

the chocolate-addicted blonde boi that was my first anime crush... by proxy I must also add Mail "Matt" Jeevas because they are a package deal

these two are also the reason i started writing fanfic so they will ALWAYS hold a special place in my heart

6. Xue Meng - (2ha)

*sigh* he's just everyone's fav peacock (yes technically the image is XM 0.5 but he had a cool ass bird so im using this photo bc its COOL anyway...) mengmeng is another one of my trauma bois who has lost next to everything and yet is STILL kicking ass and taking names #thatsmyfuckingsectleader so proud of you my son

also this might get me into hot water here but imma go ahead and say it...

this is what i wanted Jiang Cheng to be... (i LOVE my angy grape but...) through thick and thin, despite EVERYTHING, and even mo ran fucking abandoning him he will still call mo ran his "ge"...

fgjhdfhfdg THEYRE BROTHERS, OKAY???

7. Howl Pendragon (Howl's Moving Castle)

ok this one i just simply do not need to explain... if you think i do, go watch this whole movie and then there ya go thats your answer...

GENDER

8. River Song (Doctor Who)

aside from being the character that unlocked my unhealthy obsession with :) Main Character Death :) at the ripe ol' age of 8 YEARS (although Will Turner from POTC also helped on that front... Orlando Bloom my beloved) River's story was a stroke of absolute GENIUS from start to finish and i simply love how Alex Kingston played her...

"You don't expect a sunset to admire you back."

I just love the doomed ones, okay...

9. Satoru Gojo (Jujutsu Kaisen)

look... theres *gojo girlies* uwu and then theres GOJO GIRLIES... i couldn't give 2 shits about how he's fan-serviced (tho im not complaining) but have you SEEN the amount of grief pumped into that man? he could explode in a fit of fucking insanity at literally any moment and take the whole goddamn world down with him bc what happened with suguru WASNT FAIR to him and satoru has more than enough power to go apeshit... but he DOESN'T... even after losing so many of his co-sorcerers... he still puts on a brave face to the end in order to protect the childhood of his students even tho his own youth was stolen from him during hidden inventory...

SEE? The DOOMED ones!

10. Levi Ackerman (Attack on Titan)

i read the manga during my last year of uni and when i tell you i SOBBED at the end... yes ofc for obvious reasons, but mostly bc my little Levi loses EVERYTHING. He is the SOLE survivor of the veteran scouts. He's missing multiple fingers, an eye, and the ability to walk. He was the strongest (yowaimo) but wasn't even granted the mercy to die at the end of his narrative! Broke my fucking heart.

BONUS: Morph (Treasure Planet)

he's a morph!!! nuff said <3

fin

#thanks for the ask friend! #gonna rb this to my main too bc i needed a new one of these #alex talks #asks #i swear im gonna wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night remembering a character i forgot lol oh well i tried

[phantomoftheorpheum]

i think the reason mr martin collected all the objects was because he was studying the students death to see how to crossover. now i don’t know if he actually wants them to crossover or to be stuck with him in the school forever and that’s why he’s keeping their stuff from them. i agree with you on maddie maybe not coming back to life in her body because she literally said ‘my mom killed my spirit’ and janet knocked it out of her so how would she ever get it back? i just really want them to keep her actually dead and not have this all be for nothing.

Yeah, it sounds like we're on the same page about things. I just wonder how Mr. Martin seems to be exempt from a lot of the ghost rules? He was able to lock doors & keep journals without those things resetting? I suppose the things he collected that belonged to the other ghosts were things they had on them when they died (like the ball from Wally's game), so those items are exempt, but unless Mr. Martin was carrying a big stack of notebooks, those should reset? He clearly has some abilities that make him exempt from the rules, but I really wonder what the extent of that is. And I'm definitely very interested to learn what his ultimate goal is.

I've been trying to figure out how to explain why Maddie's "death" being a real death feels important to me... I want to say, firstly, that I'm not against happy endings in general. In fact, I feel really strongly that something is not inherently more profound just because it's sad, and it bothers me that we often treat it that way. My favorite endings are usually ones that are hopeful, but not completely tied up in a big happy bow. That being said, when done well, I love a good tragedy and I love a good happily-ever-after. I'm not a big fan of literary suffering purely for the sake of suffering. So it's not that I'm automatically against a happy ending. I just feel that it's really important to make sure that your ending, whatever your ending, feels genuinely earned. Obviously, that's subjective. For me, one thing that can make an ending feel cheapened is undermining the weight of death. Personally, I feel that the show actively asked me to emotionally engage in the concept of Maddie's death and carried that through pretty much every element in the show (the mystery, her relationships from her life, her relationships from her afterlife, etc.), so if she gets some kind of "get out of jail free" card, it makes so many of those tragic but beautiful moments (like when Maddie realizes that her mother living on false hope isn't good/fair) feel hollow. I worry, with Maddie's body being okay, that the show might choose to take the direction of this being an experience that makes Maddie & those around her really appreciate life, rather than an exploration of grief/loss/death. While that's not a bad story to tell, it's not the one I was invested in, and I personally don't feel that it is as fitting to the concept/tone of the show, or as complex or interesting. But, of course, that's my opinion & I'm sure there are people who completely disagree.

Regardless, I really hope we get to see a season 2 and see where these writers choose to take this story!

#ask #answered #anon #school spirits #school spirits spoilers #school spirits 1x08 spoilers #maddie nears #i hope y'all have your spoiler filters on because this one is full of them #also srry if i took this further in a direction than necessary #i've just been trying to figure out how to explain this

[rockislandadultreads]

Native American History Month: Fiction Recommendations

And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliott

On the surface, Alice is exactly where she thinks she should be: She’s just given birth to a beautiful baby girl, Dawn; her charming husband, Steve - a white academic whose area of study is conveniently her own Mohawk culture - is nothing but supportive; and they’ve moved into a new home in a posh Toronto neighborhood. But Alice could not feel like more of an impostor. She isn’t connecting with her daughter, a struggle made even more difficult by the recent loss of her own mother, and every waking moment is spent hiding her despair from Steve and their ever-watchful neighbors, among whom she’s the sole Indigenous resident. Even when she does have a minute to herself, her perpetual self-doubt hinders the one vestige of her old life she has left: her goal of writing a modern retelling of the Haudenosaunee creation story.

Then, as if all that wasn’t enough, strange things start to happen. She finds herself losing bits of time and hearing voices she can’t explain, all while her neighbors’ passive-aggressive behavior begins to morph into something far more threatening. Though Steve assures her this is all in her head, Alice cannot fight the feeling that something is very, very wrong, and that in her creation story lies the key to her and Dawn’s survival.... She just has to finish it before it’s too late.

Bad Cree by Jessica Johns

When Mackenzie wakes up with a severed crow's head in her hands, she panics. Only moments earlier she had been fending off masses of birds in a snow-covered forest. In bed, when she blinks, the head disappears.

Night after night, Mackenzie’s dreams return her to a memory from before her sister Sabrina’s untimely death: a weekend at the family’s lakefront campsite, long obscured by a fog of guilt. But when the waking world starts closing in, too - a murder of crows stalks her every move around the city, she wakes up from a dream of drowning throwing up water, and gets threatening text messages from someone claiming to be Sabrina - Mackenzie knows this is more than she can handle alone.

Traveling north to her rural hometown in Alberta, she finds her family still steeped in the same grief that she ran away to Vancouver to escape. They welcome her back, but their shaky reunion only seems to intensify her dreams - and make them more dangerous. What really happened that night at the lake, and what did it have to do with Sabrina’s death? Only a bad Cree would put their family at risk, but what if whatever has been calling Mackenzie home was already inside?

Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline

Joan has been searching for her missing husband, Victor, for nearly a year - ever since that terrible night they'd had their first serious argument hours before he mysteriously vanished. Her Métis family has lived in their tightly knit rural community for generations, but no one keeps the old ways... until they have to. That moment has arrived for Joan.

One morning, grieving and severely hungover, Joan hears a shocking sound coming from inside a revival tent in a gritty Walmart parking lot. It is the unmistakable voice of Victor. Drawn inside, she sees him. He has the same face, the same eyes, the same hands, though his hair is much shorter and he's wearing a suit. But he doesn't seem to recognize Joan at all. He insists his name is Eugene Wolff, and that he is a reverend whose mission is to spread the word of Jesus and grow His flock. Yet Joan suspects there is something dark and terrifying within this charismatic preacher who professes to be a man of God... something old and very dangerous.

The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson

Rosalie Iron Wing has grown up in the woods with her father, Ray, a former science teacher who tells her stories of plants, of the stars, of the origins of the Dakhóta people. Until, one morning, Ray doesn't return from checking his traps. Told she has no family, Rosalie is sent to live with a foster family in nearby Mankato - where the reserved, bookish teenager meets rebellious Gaby Makespeace, in a friendship that transcends the damaged legacies they've inherited.

On a winter's day many years later, Rosalie returns to her childhood home. A widow and mother, she has spent the previous two decades on her white husband's farm, finding solace in her garden even as the farm is threatened first by drought and then by a predatory chemical company. Now, grieving, Rosalie begins to confront the past, on a search for family, identity, and a community where she can finally belong. In the process, she learns what it means to be descended from women with souls of iron - women who have protected their families, their traditions, and a precious cache of seeds through generations of hardship and loss, through war and the insidious trauma of boarding schools.

#indigenous heritage #fiction books #fiction #reading recommendations #reading recs #book recommendations #book recs #library books #tbr #tbr pile #to read #booklr #book tumblr #book blog #library blog #readers advisory

[rachelbethhines]

60 Years of Doctor Who Anniversary Marathon - McCoy 8th Review

The Professor & Ace: The Left Hand of Darkness - Behind the Scenes

There's potentially several things you can cover in this section during the wilderness years. There's sequels, spin-offs, documentaries, articles, books, interviews, Big Finish, and various unrelated films that have nothing to do with Who but seem to be cast with nothing but actors from the old show.

But for my money, the absolute wildest thing to come out of this period is straight up Bootleg Who.

Same actors, same writers, same basic premise, same characters in all but name.. or even in name in some cases... But it's not called Doctor Who so legally it's not Doctor Who you see.

Man, UK copyright is weird.

There were two prominent bootlegs at the time.

The Stranger, staring Colin Baker, was a series of direct to video films with a few spin off audios. He and his companion 'Miss. Brown' (played by Nicola Bryant) travel through time and save the day... you know, just like in Doctor Who, but they never say their names and you never see their actual method of travel.

The second is The Professor and Ace, aka The Time Travelers, aka The Dominie... yeah this thing had a lot of monikers. It's called the Professor and Ace on Audible where I bought it so that's what I'm going with.

This was an audio series staring Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred as two time travelers, one a mysterious 900 year old alien called the Professor and the other a delinquent teen called Ace... but her real name is Alice in this, not Dorothy, so it's totally a different character guys.

It's insane!

It's glorious!

It's the closest you can get to official Doctor Who with out it actually being officially licensed Doctor Who.

Even the 60s Dalek movies are more canonical than this...

Which is in some ways is a shame as, it's actually good. Or at least the one episode that I listened to was.

The series manages to be mature without being grotesque. It succeeds where I think things like the Virgin New Adventures fails.

There's cursing, but it never feels out of character, or unwarranted, even as Ace peppers her dialogue with the usual kid friendly slang.

There's mature topics discussed but nothing is gratuitous or in your face. It's all real things being brought up like, loss, grief, and trust; bad childhoods and the effects of traumas ... not gory violence for the sake of being shocking.

There's nudity, but only in scenes that call for it in the story... like medical treatment or a bath after running around in the jungle. It's not awkwardly sexullized, but there to add realism to the story and to help ground the setting.

It's basically Who for grown ups, not 'Who for teens that want to appear grown up'. Therein lies the difference... despite what the original cover would have you believe.

Was this really needed, BBV?

Anyways, I've waffled long enough. Let's get down to the actual story shall we?

Ace becomes separated from 'The Professor' and winds up in a crashed spaceship. She's the sole survivor of the wreck and is rescued by a mysterious man named Dorsai.

Dorsai is also a survivor of a previous wreck. A group of scientists crashed landed on the planet that they had originally intended to study. With no workable communications and no hope of rescue from pasting ships due to the remoteness of the planet, the group built a home out of the wreckage of their ship and continued their work.

Dorsai is the only one left now as the rest of the crew have died off one by one. Ace doesn't trust the man, but finds herself reliant on him for survival. Not only because he's the only person around who knows the area and has all of the supplies... but also because she's been blinded by the crash.

(The Left Hand of Darkness By Hisi79)

Like I said previously, this feels more like a continuation of the adventures of Seven and Ace on screen then the actual official continuations we got. Heck in some ways it's an improvement over the tv show itself!

Remember how I bitched about how vague Ace's arc was in The Curse of Fenric novelization?

Yeah, this actually addresses that!

We finally find out why Ace hates her mum. It's nothing we couldn't have figure out with some basic guess work, but it's still nice to actually hear it from the character herself. You know, because it something that effects her and informs her decisions... like why she travels and why she doesn't trust anyone but the 'The Professor'.

We also delve deeper into her blind faith in 'The Professor' and how shaky her strongman act really is, but in a way that feels real and frightening, and not her being manipulated by virtual gods to further some convoluted plot point.

Finally, we address the elephant in the room that I think was set up in Survival but was never fully resolved... Ace going home for real. Not just to see her school mates... whom she all quickly forgets in favor of hot catgirls... but actually returning to where she left off and confronting her problems/past.

Fuck it! This is cannon to me. This is where she leaves the Doctor for real and what she and Seven were discussing in Power of the Doctor. It's my box of head-cannons and you can't take it from me!

#doctor who #classic who #seventh doctor #sylvester mccoy #ace #the professor and ace #bootleg who #the stranger