#Linh seemed a lot different | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lordkingsmith · 6 months

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Trini Kwan canon children and oc children. Trini's fun. I find her interesting, and I love how even beyond Zack, she is the middle man. She knows how Billy speaks and how to explain it to Jason and Zack. She's a sweet girl with slightly creepy beloved dolls and hobbies. She's super enthusiastic but not in a way you'd immediately notice. I love Trini.

canon children:

unknown father;

Minh Kwan. I like Minh, she's awesome. Her shenanigans with the morpher made me laugh, and her getting to see memories of her mom? I was crying. I like how she's like Trini while also being her own person. But they could have done more. Her entire schtick is revenge and being a teenager. Okay. Well she's nice enough but what are her hobbies? Aside from fighting and visiting her mom's grave???? she...seems fashion oriented? She knows how to drive? she likes the jucie bar? we can do better. But, I do enjoy her character. It’s kinda weird how the dad was never revealed, bur I guess they couldn’t talk about Richie because his actor also died. Richie was meant, originally before cast changes required a change in plot, to be the red herring to who the white ranger was. He was Trini’s love interest and was going to be this mysterious new kid who may or may not be the white ranger before-surprise! It’s Tommy. I personally don’t know if Trini would have gotten with Richie in the end, but I ship it lol. I’m just suggesting him as a possible, but I do have kids for him in the non canon list.

my non canon children for Trini Kwan:

Kimberly Hart;

Xian Linh Hart, aged 16. Xian is the younger half sister of Minh and Olivia. When Tommy disappeared Trini did as well, however a few years after Tommy. She and Kim got close shortly after Minh was born, and later got married. Soon after they had a daughter of their own with the help of in vitro fertilization procedures. Trini later died in a freak accident fighting a villain, and Kim withdrew completely with her daughters. Xian’s a pink ranger to Olivia’s green and Minh’s yellow. She’s the one braincell in the sister group, and a fair balance of her sister’s personalities. Still figuring herself out, trying to do Kim proud while also struggling to figure out how to honor Trini’s memory.

Tommy Oliver;

During the incident where Zedd was twisting a neighbor girl of Trini’s into an evil princess on a magic island, Tommy went to help the girl, confident in Trini’s promise; she’d undo the spell on both of them and save them. When the spell took effect, Zedd was true to his word snd released the other teammates, and the evil duo of Green and Lavender debuted. “Prince Tommy” remembered little but the promise of Trini’s. He and the girl, Hallie, killed Drakkon and terraformed the planet into a nightmarish land of fairytale places. Treacherous mountains, terrifying forests, murderous deserts. Razing cities in their wake, making the planet in the image of Hallie’s twisted obsession. It’s not too different than it was, except that the different biomes don’t encourage cities very much. Each region now sentient to an extent. And willing to punish humanity for city building.

Trini and Tommy entered a strange adversarial relationship. Tommy’s obsession with Trini reaching a fever pitch after a few years. The promise and the hatred of fairytales he has twisting into an odd association with Trini. His saving grace, even if he can’t remember what from . They did have a few nights were no fights took place, and they have two kids, with “Prince Tommy” none the wiser that his “Huntress” often has their kids in tow. Bolin and Su are 16 and 14 respectively. Bolin knows who Tommy is to them, Su does not.

Bolin’s been raised his entire life with the resistance and the sole mission of finding the dumpster Rita’s still stuck in, or some other mystic who’d know how to undo the Venus Island spell. He learned about Tommy being his dad two years ago, after meeting David. It didn’t take a lot to put the pieces together with how much David looks like them and Bolin having never seen David’s brother without his helmet until Tommy confronted David and Trini, where he put Trini under a spell. Up till that point Trini co-parented them with Skull and Bulk, and Bolin likes Skull and Bulk as parents and mentors. An adept marksman with throwing knives. Skilled at potion making, and doesn’t know how to feel about Tommy and Hallie. Yes, it’s a spell, but…well. How many times can one take being nearly murdered by maddened tyrants. Considering joining the tyrant prince and princess’s ranks with Bulk to see if he can’t save them…if he can kill them. He’s not currently associated with a color, but he will be a Mastodon Knight, when he’s undercover. Bulk’s his captain and they’re both doing their best. Trini doesn’t approve when this happens, however when she becomes Tommy’s Power Huntress and right hand, it’s not really up to her.

Su is very much a product of her environment. She wasn’t born before nightmare fairytale world, and she can’t imagine anything else. Her logic hinges on magic, and people she knows. Bartering and being kind and clever and very very good with figuring out how to fight with limited space. She doesn’t get why her brother’s been so moody the last two years, and has been traveling with David and Billy to spread the word about Zack and Kim, who both died fighting Tommy, and try to figure out how to undo everything. She’s not sure if she wants to, this version of the world is all she knows but…it would be cool to meet Rita. A real live wicked witch? You don’t see one of those every day. She assumes Richie, who Tommy tortured and killed very early in hers and Bolin’s lives, is her dad. Is more and more motivated to get the curse on Tommy and Hallie broken in any case, just to get her mom, brother, and honorary uncle back. She misses them. Not associated with a color, nor is she going to be a knight of any sort. If she was, it’d be white.

Jason Lee Scott;

They got together in their teens after putty!Matt got them thinking about it, and after a short time apart, they got back together. Jason and Trini co-parent Minh, and have a kid of their own. Terry Scott is twelve and while deeply enthusiastic over everything, he's rather reserved. Fairly calm, and watchful. He's always pausing before talking. Definitely a mama's boy. However, he likes battle borgs with Jason, and they do watch each new season together. Terry's got no interest in being a power ranger. When Trini died, he had even less interest in it. Kid keeps Jason out of rangerdom, because how could he go back in when Minh's currently a yellow, and Terry's still grieving his mom. Terry and Minh's relationship has gotten really strained, and Jason's trying to keep the family together. Trini'd want him to try.

Billy Cranston;

Minh, in this reality, Billy is the unnamed father. Minh and a younger brother, aged 10. Hao and Minh go to live with Zack after Billy inadvertently gets their mother-his wife-killed. as of course, he tells them the truth. Even after, they don't forgive him, but Minh does somewhat reconcile. Hao, however, needs time. Nobody blames the kids for not being able to forgive, least of all Billy.

Laura (last name unknown);

Laura and Kim were both scout masters to their troop of Angelettes, and Trini got to meet Laura properly during something she’d been invited to help out with for badge earning. She’d met Laura briefly when she and Billy had tried dating, and had developed a crush. Had been relieved when Laura and Billy broke up, for a myriad of reasons. One of which was the crush on Laura, the other was that Laura and Billy’d both realized they were interested in the same sex, and broke up when they came out to each other. Trini still did ask Billy if Billy was ok with her dating an ex; that can be weird no matter the reason. Billy was supportive of the idea, more relieved both of them had a chance to be happy now.

Laura and Trini have two kids, and Billy and Zack are surrogate fathers. Billy wasn’t available or comfortable the second time (he’d just gotten married himself), and Jason was alright with offering. Tate, aged 21, and Linette, aged 15, are their kids. Laura works at the museum as a tour guide, and usually works with the school groups. She sees both her kids about twice a year at her job for the annual trips, but she’s never the guide for their school groups. They want their privacy after all, but she does say hi when she sees them. This had saved Tate a few times over the years; he’s very forgetful, and Laura can just covertly give him items like his lunch while saying hi. She’s gonna miss seeing her kids at work like this when Linette graduates. Trini’s love for doll collecting lead her to making her own dolls, and she sells custom dolls to collectors.

Tate lives as a regular space cadet type person. Literally. He’s going into astronomy as a chosen vocation. Because he’s often mostly concerned with the skies and what’s going on up there, he often forgets things. His homework, his lunch, his shoes once…the skies are just more interesting. However, Trini signed them both up for a cooking class during one of his college breaks, and he’s found making simple meals does center him when he’s spinning his wheels. Tate will make vast quantities of different types of ramen or burgers or soups if he’s studying for a test, and his entire floor of his dorm has learned that around the midterms and finals the best place to get food is Tate Kwan’s room. Is not supposed to be cooking. Everyone knows he is cooking. But you need to catch someone in the act or with pots and pans and the intention to cook, and…there isn’t even so much as a tea bag or kettle in his room whenever anyone looks. Not that anyone looks super hard; this is benefitting everyone. He’s on a scholarship and is doing his best, but best means A’s and B’s and his teachers like him. He’s pleasant, even if he is a little distant, polite, sweet tempered, and willing to explain things in simple terms to anyone who needs it. Given his sister’s aspirations, he has been helping her prepare for applying to colleges, and has been tutoring her in math when needed. Not associated with a color.

Linette, like Laura, is an Angelette. Kimberly is her Angel Leader, and she loves it. Her goal is to collect every badge in the catalogue before she turns 18. This will look good on her college applications. Linette wants to go into the computer sciences. She became fascinated when one of the tasks for a badge required programming a simple website. She went the extra mile and built a simple computer as well, to cover another two badges. She was hooked. She’s built her brother his computer, and Laura one. Either option as a career seems very fun. She’s been helping Trini make little automaton versions of her dolls. They do simple things like write little letters or play music or brush hair. They make people happy, and that makes Linette happy. She wants to be able to do this in a larger scale. A lot more organized and down to earth than her brother. He forgets everything; she forgets nothing. Not associated with a color

Violet Arias;

When Zack and Violet broke up, and then Violet and Billy, Trini had to wait for Violet to recover enough to want to date someone in that friend group again. Or at all. And then they both went to college on opposite sides of the country. They stayed in contact, but it wasn’t the same. Until they were video chatting on Valentine’s, and one thing led to another…and they were long distance dating, to both’s pleasant surprise. When they could finally meet again in person they had a trial run to see if they could be together as a couple, if this would work. It did, and now they have two daughters and run a paint your own pottery place, well, two. The first was so popular they opened the second one in a nearby town. Trini had Minh and was a single mom well before she and Violet got together, but Minh got used to Violet fairly quickly and adores her step mom. Billy offered to help them have a kid together, and they agreed.

Heather Arias-Kwan is eleven. She’s very spunky and opinionated. She likes painting and the pottery (she helped make the little kiln god that her moms use for their kiln when she was a lot younger-you can see her thumbprints in the little guy if you look closely). Trini loves how helpful Heather is, and Heather loves doing tai chi with her in the park each morning before going to school. She’s always scribbling little poems to paint onto cups or plates, and practicing drawing birds or flowers for her projects. She’s often getting into shenanigans when she sees something she wants to use for inspiration, the law does not apply when she wants to take a picture or take a leaf or flower.

Finster kidnapped her once. Nobody knows what he was intending because when they found them she was happily making clay figures in a corner and he was painting ones she’d finished. They only know he was going to do something as he said he’d changed his mind. This, rightfully, freaked out Violet. She and Trini are both a little worried that Heather might want to go back for the magic life giving clay. Not associated with a color. Kept a closer eye on than before after Finster. Hasn’t noticed this yet, she’s too busy doing other things. The attention has led to some friction between Trini and Violet, however. Violet still isn’t a huge fan of the rangers, and doesn’t like the fact this is putting their kid in danger. Trini understands and agrees to a point, but she had told Violet she used to be a ranger; Violet walked into this with eyes open.

Marge (last name unknown);

Trini, Billy, and Marge went to the same camp as kids, and became friends. This unfortunately resulted in Skull hating her. Trini never thought to ask why, until Marge had a lesbian awakening, and stopped trying to ask Billy to different dances. Trini confronted Bulk and Skull over the years long jealousy campaign, and got them to apologize to Marge, tagging along to make sure they did. Marge was having a hard time with her parents so the apology meant a lot. And the fact Trini got them to make the apology meant even more. They got together once Marge had found a somewhat stable place to live to finish school, and had worked on coming to terms with some things a little. After being mistaken for the blue ranger and being rescued by Trini, she loosened up a lot more, and started helping with Bulk and Skull’s podcast. Mostly script writing and holding the camera.

She realized she didn’t want to go to college for a career her parents had picked out for her, and got a vocation degree for plumbing, and then later a community college degree for business. She has a small fleet of plumbers, and Trini, and two adopted boys, and they’re all happy.

Tyar and Francis are international adoptions, Tyar from Indonesia and Francis from England. Tyar was adopted as a toddler, and Francis was adopted at ten. They’re seventeen and fifteen, respectively. Francis got to be ringbearer at his new moms’ wedding, which was cool, and Tyar was Trini’s “second best” man; Zack was official best man for her, to help Tyar with his duties while still letting him be important.

Tyar likes his new brother, though it’s taking some getting used to not being the only child. The adjustment has led to some friction between them, with the two having wildly different personalities. Tyar is the yellow ranger of his team, and this doesn’t help with the friction. He can’t just tell Francis, plus Francis doesn’t really like the insanity of the rangers and monsters and supernatural forces. So Francis is left with his own assumptions about Tyar and constantly disappearing, and Tyar’s just trying to keep everything balanced. He’s a huge horror movie buff, and works at the movie theater. To help the theater with extra income, Friday nights are Freaky Flic nights. They play a small selection of old classics, and a mystery horror movie. Given his tastes, only the really brave who know him buy the tickets to the mystery horror movie. He likes his horror gory and bleak. He’s very good in English class, and gym, and wants to be a screenplay writer one day. He’s already got one he’s working on. Everyone Dies At The End. A slasher comedy. The one thing he and Francis can agree on is their favorite band, Hart and the Bonez. Francis about lost his mind when he found out Kimberly Hart and the Skullovitch brothers were friends with their moms, and that’s definitely fun.

Francis is a livewire with a short fuse who doesn’t have any patience for the utter insanity in this new town. His new brother for the past year or so has been disappearing whenever monsters show up, monsters are a thing, space villains are a thing, hell is apparently a thing…that’s concerning…He’s trying to get a summer job, and is looking for something that doesn’t have anything to do with monsters or his brother. Considering working at the music shop. He knows a lot about violins, and music, and would love to work at the store and maybe tutor kids. He’s pretty sure Tyar is in love with one of the monsters to the point of embarrassment; why else would he disappear whenever the guy showed up? He’s trying to figure out a tactful way to set them up so maybe Tyar can stop flaking on other stuff in the name of his crush. As for Francis, he just wants a week without silly, please. It’s been hard acclimating to being a brother the last few years and this has made it harder.

Matthew Cook;

Trini smacked sense into him after the upteenth pity party. She also forced him to come along for a mission in space with the Solar Rangers. He wanted to be let in on the whole thing? Fine! They could do that! Welcome to space Matt, everyone you meet is going to die or kill you! Have fun!

After, he put the dagger up, and he and Trini actually talked about what happened on the moon. She also retired from being a ranger, and they focused on taking a page from Bulk and Skull; being helpful as civilians. Matt asked Trini to marry him, and Trini said no. They made a game of it for a few years before she finally did say yes, when they were both financially stable.

They have Minh, and do foster parenting. Currently fostering JJ Oliver, due to unforeseen events leading to both Tommy and Kat unable to care for their kid for the time being. It’s hard being s foster family, but it’s nice being able to see the kids go back to their parents or move on to hopefully better situations. Matt’s at peace, and Trini is too. Trini is a plane mechanic; Matt is a fireman.

Eugene Skullovitch;

He kept asking her out until she agreed to go out with him. And actually had a nice time. So she humored him again, and again, it was nice. They weren't seeing seeing each other though, and both of them had their kids around the same time. Skull had Spike, and Trini had Minh, and they liked each other fine and loved each other's kids. They had one more, together. August Kwan. He's thirteen, and a complete introverted social butterfly. He loves showing off and gushing about his interests but he hates dealing with too many people for too long. He's really into piano, like Skull. A composer for video game music sounds like a really fun profession, so maybe when he's older he'll work towards that. But he's thirteen, he's got time. He has a stuffed animal he's been attached to since he was two, is half convinced stuffed animal is sentient, and carries it around in his hoodie or backpack. He's not ready to let it go, and Trini fully understands, supports, and gets this. When he's ready, Banjo the seal plushy, will be put beside her own childhood doll Ticklesneezer. Skull's following along with the gentle parenting; he's a bit out of his depth but he appreciates and loves that their kids are being actively supported. He's working on it, and so far the kids aren't traumatized, so something must be working.

Farkas Bulkmeier;

in one au she's a surrogate mom for Bulk and Tommy, but in another, Bulk and Trini got together after Minh's dad left the picture. Bulk had experience with helping a single parent, and Trini was extremely grateful. Minh loved him, and loved when Spike came over. Bulk and Trini had one more kid together when Minh was around six. Rue Kwan. currently aged 17. Minh is going into law, and Rue is considering being a private detective. Or a rocket scientist. Both would be equally fun challenges. Rue's a quick thinker, and rather politely sassy. She's got a dry sense of humor but her comebacks are scathing and legendary. Rue's on the heavier side, and this leads to some self image issues sometimes, especially around valentine's or dances, though Bulk and Trini and Minh are quick to nip this in the bud as quickly as possible whenever it crops up. Rue knows her own mind, and her own opinions. She's been sent to the principle's office for getting into arguments with her teachers more than once. not associated with a color.

Zack Taylor;

They started dating in space, and it was nice. When Trini became red, it got more serious, and being with each other was always so safe, emotionally. They don’t spent a lot of time on earth, but they do have two kids. The two don’t see their kids much, Jethro, age 16 and Avery, age 15 are on earth and do school on earth. They see their parents on holidays when they can, but mostly live with Kim. They have very distant relationships with their parents, even if they wish their parents would retire. They partially retired until both of them were in Junior High, which makes it extra tough. It feels a little like an abandonment, even if it isn’t.

Jethro is not really open to his parents, and has a better relationship with Kim. He wants to be a DJ, and does DJ’ing stuff for school dances and parties. Annoyed by his parents, has a ton of friends, prefers his friends. He likes Kim just fine, and everyone else. He just thinks his parents are using their duties as an excuse to get out of raising their kids. Jethro tries to avoid talking about his parents and what they do. He’s got his own things to do, they have theirs.

Avery loves her parents. She misses them dearly and wants them to come home. She’s become a bit of a people pleaser, swallowing down anxiety or unhappiness so nobody worries. She worries about them, a lot, and wishes they’d just stay home with their kids, who love them. While she doesn’t get why her parents are always in space, she knows they are doing important work saving people, and thus, tries to be understanding and patient and not worry anyone. Not associated with a color.

Kiya Kyatyl;

Trini was able to head off Kiya’s ptsd breakdown in regards to Tommy Oliver by explaining as they got to earth Drakkon’s never get past being a green ranger, and their Tommy’s currently a white ranger. She has no idea if she’s telling the truth but Kiya clung to this as a lifeline and Trini let her. The two got very close during their time as teammates, and very very close during the Eltaran War. They got together shortly after and now, they have a kid.

Kyrok, another orphan from Khoodjah. They went back briefly to see if things had gotten better, they hadn’t, and there was a young boy in need of rescuing. Kyrok reminded Kiya of her brother, and a little of Trini. They rescued him at eight, he is currently 24. He hasn’t set foot on Khoodjah since, but they all live on Mirinoi.

Kyrok is a bit of an animal lover, and wants to specialize in veterinary for alien animals. His moms are fairly encouraging of the idea, and Trini has suggested he first start with earth animals as earth has some of the widest varieties of animals. Kiya is a bit apprehensive of the idea as, while she doesn’t want to put Tommy’s head on a spike, she still doesn’t fully trust the man. And he lives on earth. But, it would make Kyrok happy, and he knows how to take care of himself. He’s good at hand to hand combat, and lock picking. He can mimic voices fairly well as well as throw his voice (this was deemed as witchcraft on Khoodjah unfortunately, hence his needing to be rescued). Clever and smart and a bit introspective. He’s a bit shy, but he likes new experiences. Doesn’t like sweets, and loves thunderstorms. Not associated with a color.

Richie (last name unknown);

Trini kept falling for this mysterious guy. He was a new student, he was sweet, he always knew the right thing to say to make her whole day. And then Tommy got sick, and lost Green due to Lord Zedd. And suddenly Trini never noticed Richie where the new white ranger was. And when he came back after the fight, it was similar excuses to the ones she often used. Suddenly, it made sense why he worked at the juice bar as a second job. It was a favorite target and the favorite spot of the rangers. Plus, in the white server outfit, he could easily hide the fact he always wore white as part of his work clothes.

Trini confronted him, and he came clean; he WAS the white ranger, but it was only temporary. He was just helping out until Tommy was alright again. Trini was a bit mad he hadn’t said anything, though couldn’t really hold it against him. This was probably for safety reasons as Zedd wanted the white ranger’s power as well as the green. Richie eventually gave the white ranger powers to Tommy, and Trini gave the yellow ranger powers to Aisha. They started dating once they were no longer rangers. They have three children. Isolde, Tobin, and Kai.

Isolde is 27, and she runs a food truck. A little bit of a disaster person, but nobody can say no to her Vietnamese food truck with boba tea. There’s lines for it. She loves it. It gets her everywhere in town, she hears all the interesting gossip, and she can just go to where the people are instead of hope they come to her. Richie gave her the idea, and she’s never not going to be thankful to her dad over it. It’s just when she’s not running the food truck is when things go wonky. Everyone keeps mistaking her as the new ranger showing up in town and she really really isn’t. This is not something that’s going on. She’s not getting involved, no sir. She does, however, sell to any of the villains and rangers who want to get food after the fights. There’s a no fighting by the truck policy she holds to, and it has led to some…interesting scenarios. The spoiled rotten prince of the invading army proposed, as one example. She told him no. He suggested marrying his sister. While sweet even if he was thinking with his stomach…She had to explain what aromantic and asexual was and why she wasn’t going to just marry either of them-and yes lart if it was them attempting to invade earth-but gave them a special discount. This is bragging rights, in any case. Not associated with a color but everyone thinks she’s the Amber ranger running around town. Her parents worry, of course, bur she’s smart and resourceful. She knows how to stay out of situations. Or handle them if she’s in them.

Tobin is 25 and he is the Amber ranger running around town. He feels bad letting his sister get the eyes pointed at her, but it keeps the eyes off of him. It’s imperative he doesn’t let anyone know who he is right now, and so it’s easier if everyone thinks it’s her. He works at the radio station, and the Ranger Eyes program lets civilians call in to the radio to report sightings. He uses this to his upmost advantage. He’s helping a friend, and he’s not going to stop helping a friend. He’s pretty sure Richie has guessed but as his dad isn’t saying anything outright…he feels he’s ok. Calm, collected, charming, unpredictable in fights and doing his best to remain mysterious even though he’s the worst at keeping secrets. Has threatened the two brats attempting to take over the planet for “hitting on the nice food truck woman when she clearly isn’t interested”. That’s his sister, and he’s mad they even tried. However even if he could say anything she’d probably laugh at him, which he knows, but..still. It’s the principle of the thing. Is also trying VERY HARD not to think about how Isolde probably would have taken either two up on it if she wasn’t asexual or aromantic.

Kai is nineteen and is a complete book nerd. High Fantasy his preferred genre, and he runs a d&d group at a friend’s comic store. They’re playing a home brew campaign he’s like, eighty percent certain is based off the current exploits of the newest ranger team. Kai often has to be dragged out of his apartment to do things by siblings or parents when he’s not at the comic store, and he works for his sister at the food truck. He doesn’t have a lot of friends but he’s of the opinion of quality over quantity. Who needs a lot of bad friends when you can have one to three good close friends? Kai wants to develop his own indie video game one day; he just doesn’t know what to make it about. Yet. He’s confident he’ll come up with an idea, and soon.

In a tangential au, Minh is middle sibling, and Richie got Saba after Tommy got the dragon coin working again. Richie and Trini were both killed by Robo Rita. Trini trying to protect an injured Richie who couldn’t move from the spot due to a broken leg. Which leads to Zack and Billy protecting and looking out for and after four young adults with attitude.

In another tangential au, Richie isn’t a ranger at all, nor was he ever. He was confused when Trini confronted him, and it turns out it was Tommy all along. Trini apologies to Richie, who accepts the apology and is the reason Trini ultimately walks away from rangerdom for good. They have their four kids, are happy, and nobody dies.

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artsinus · 8 months

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I'm starting a little something new.... Ai Review #1

Hello peeps, today is the start of my new series of posts called "Ai review" where I'll be reviewing text generation AI ranging from novel ais, chat ais, etc. Though I don't know much about the ins and out of ai, I think I know all the basic knowledge revolving ai. I'm doing this out of pure fun, so always take my review with a grain of salt, and remember everybody's experiences will differ. I hope this can shed light on some of the more obscure ai services out there. Todays selection is an ai site named "AiSekai", They claim that you can have deep conversation with the ai and they will remember your interactions. The model is their own but they do not specify the parameters. Overall rating: 8.5/10 UI design: 7.5/10 Character variety: 7/10

General features: 7/10

Nsfw Filter: No

Personality accuracy: 7.5/10 (This mostly depends on the creator)

Cohesiveness: 10/10

Fun factor: 10/10

It's very exceptional and works quite good. However, some UI elements aren't able to be removed so it kind of creates pointless clutter. Memory isn't awesome, but a lot of ais don't have good memory so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt. it's very fun to talk to the characters as there is no filter to limit what I can and cannot do.

Overall very nice. It’s a very good alternative to something like character ai, so try it yourself and see if you like it!

I believe I found this one through a random reddit post, but so far, the UI looks pretty sleek and simple. So, there will be categories and features that I will be considering on rating 1-10 for general chat services like these.

Character personalities, cohesiveness, fun factor, memory, character variety, general features, ease of character creation, and does it have a NSFW filter?

Okay, lets get started. The first thing I can do right off the bat is search for a character I would know. Except, there isn't there any PGR characters or BA characters. There are some Hololive characters but not my oshis so mehh.

Well, overall, you won't be finding any obscure characters from any fandoms are here. And no Linh, there are no Brawlhalla characters. You'll probably be seeing a lot more genshin ais on here if anything.

Character variety: 7/10

Well, since this ai is named "AiSekai", I guess its appropriate if I chose a character from Prosekai. Lets see who's available. It's odd how when I search "Project", the characters appear but If i searched "Project Sekai", they don't appear.

I'll be choosing Emu as her personality is pretty easy.

There is a bit of loading screen for talking to the ai so its not exactly seamless.

The chat UI is quite nice so far, and the ability to edit and refresh is here but that's obvious. There's nothing new and groundbreaking, it's just your run of the mill chat ai. General features: 7/10

Lets start off with testing out her cohesiveness and how accurate the ai knows her personality. I myself don't know much about her, but I'll figure it out along the way. Lets start off with some general talking. Lets say I ask her what her favorite food is? Keep in mind, an ai can be good or bad depending on how the creator wrote the ai.

I guess my nickname is rice lover now. But she seems in character so far. I'll ask what food I like at least later on in the chat.

Lets move on to the big general issue. Filters. Lets see if this ai can generate NSFW stuff. In the reddit comments, they said there was no filter.

Okay, so acts of violence are allowed. So far, better than a few ais I've used. Although, it took a bit of time to generate, so maybe there is a filter going on, but at least it didn't tell me "Sorry, I cannot compute this act of violence."

Ahem, so maybe I should test up some more sussy ones. For educational purposes of course.

Wow, this really doesn't have a filter. Jokes aside, I did in fact test it.

It pisses me off I can't get rid of the recent chars tab, but never the less, so far the word ain't filtered. That probably means it can do a lot more. Also, yes, I did test it out properly... With Shrek of course and nsfw is possible. EDUCATION PURPOSES. Nsfw Filter: No (Which is good depending on the person)

Well, judging on these messages, it is pretty accurate with personality and it is cohesive.

Cohesiveness: 10/10

It's also very fun since there is no filter limiting me, so 10/10 it is. Fun factor: 10/10

After talking to Emu about Shrek and cooking, lets ask her about what my favorite food is and see if she remembers.

Aw, looks like the ai doesn't remember. Don't expect them to remember something from at least 10 messages ago! Memory: 6/10

Overall, the chatting experience is quite exceptional. This is a very very good alternative to Character.Ai. Lets check out character creation.

Lots of options that can help very much with the ai's personality and chatting quality. Unfortunately, some of these will be forgotten as along the line, the descriptions will most likely be thrown out. However, this isn't unusual as it happens all the time with chat ai services like these.

The fact that there is tags and a way to enable/disable nsfw is quite nice as it allows you to have a more streamlined search engine. There's a lot to customize and add. Kind of overwhelming since I don't create ais often. But so far, it looks nice and simple. Ease of character creation: 9/10

This is the end of this review. It'll probably get better the more I understand the guidelines and once I understand how to rate better.

#ai #artificial intelligence #Ai review

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moonlarked · 1 year

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@the-great-gullon-incident made a post about kotlc band au and incidentally made me have bartender!Wylie brainrot

- he doesn’t drink much even though his best friend is constantly trying to get him to play drinking games with her

- he brings a book with him to read when the bar’s not busy

- Rayni is his best friend and a regular at the bar. They hang out a lot while he’s working. Some of his coworkers think they’re a thing, but he’s ace and she’s questioning.

- His dad’s currently in a coma and his mom died in a car accident. He was raised by Tiergan before he went to college.

- Everyone assumes he’s just moody, but he’s just trying to hold it together every day.

- He does genuinely enjoy many of the conversations he has with customers

- but he’s a very wary person who doesn’t make friends easily

- his life was ruined too early and he’s just trying to get by every day

- so when the band members arrived he was very standoffish

- Sophie wanted to be friends with him bc she could tell he had a rough past

- he disliked her at the beginning

- so did Rayni. She thought they all were a bunch of egotistical hotshots

- He only opens up a little bit because Sophie wears him down

- then one day he goes back home to visit Tiergan

- and he meets a member of the band there

- and her brother

- Tiergan introduces them as Tam and Linh Song

- Their parents abandoned them

- They’ve been moving around with the band but they always wanted parents again

- he admits that he’s been meeting with the bands at the bar and helping them with gigs, funding, scheduling, etc.

- he says they’re going to stay for a little while

- Wylie feels weird about this

- at first he stays away from them

- but then he sees Linh reading one of his books she stole from his bookshelf

- He asks her what she’s doing

- she immediately apologizes and confesses that she was drawn to this book because it’s about the tides and she loves water.

- she thinks he’ll be mad at him

- he lets her keep the book

- in truth, he feels a connection to these kids who also lost their parents. In a different way, but it’s still loss.

- he finds Tam lurking around one day and talks to him about his situation.

- one day Tiergan comes downstairs to find all three of them cooking crepes together.

- he’s overjoyed

- the next day Wylie goes to work and seeks out Sophie

- he tells her about what happened with the twins

- she says she’s talked to Tiergan. She had no idea he was his dad

- Wylie wonders if he should tell her he’s adopted

- he decides he’s not ready

- a week later he brings Tam and Linh with him to visit Prentice at the hospital

- they don’t speak, but Wylie feels comforted all the same

- one day Linh is leaving for practice and he says he wants to come with her

- he’s introduced to the band and they all seem happy to see him

- he listens in and is shocked at how good they are

- he decides to talk to Tiergan about helping them succeed

- He uses his job as a bartender to help find clients at the bar

- he starts hanging out at rehearsals more and more

- eventually he tells Sophie about his dad

- she immediately is sorry for any time she may have pressured him to open up

- he accepts her apology and says there can work on being friends

- as he spends more and more time with the band Sophie starts to tell him about her own past - taken away from her parents, struggling with severe sensory issues, and her PTSD and OCD due to her trauma

- he learns about the other members of the bands and their pasts

- he finds kindred spirits in them

- Rayni meets them and starts to warm up to them as well

- they start coming over to his house once in a while for practice. Tiergan is quick to offer hospitality.

- eventually, Wylie realizes he’s happy in a way he hasn’t been in a while

- he tells his dad about them when he visits him in the hospital

- he says that he’d like him to meet them

- he still keeps his job at the bar, but he’s busy now

- he’s enjoying life a lot more

- Rayni teases him and calls him a chaperone, but he can tell she enjoys hanging out with the bands as much as he does

- Tiergan officially adopts the twins and they have a celebration at his house

- Certain people choose to party like their life is on the line, but Wylie is content with simply soaking up the happiness around him

- and feeling content in his own happiness, too

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bookwyrminspiration · 10 months

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With all the keeper kids, who’d you think would win a hunger games tournament? Let’s say they all are able to kill and not break, but the guilt is also super strong.

It'd depend on whether or not they're in the games against each other or if they're there alone. And also what those specific games entail

Because let's say somehow, in this world, all the kotlcrew end up in the same game and somehow know each other across districts. It's no longer a question about killing, but endurance skills, surviving the forced instigation by the moderators, and who would sacrifice themselves first for the other(s).

They'd all band together, and their combined skills would serve them well--especially Linh's ability to provide fresh water. But if they were, say, set upon by a bunch of mechanical creatures to speed things along, a lot of them don't have effective counters to that. Linh may be able to push them back or shut them down, and Dex may be able to shut them down. but everyone else? And then if it was whittled down to a few people, who would sacrifice themself for the other first? If it was Tam and Linh, he'd take the fall for her no questions asked. Keefe's more prone to sacrifice as well (for multiple people), and therefore less likely to win. I think Fitz would sacrifice himself for Biana and Sophie as well. So it depends on who the finalists are, but based on prior assessments I think I'm leaning towards Dex or Linh having the most widely applicable skills; they'd stand the best chance against the most threats (though Dex's is conditional on having supplies).

Which I think would work in their favor if they were each alone against 23 other people as well. Sophie would also do significantly better here, too, with her inflicting--provided she's quick enough about it that the moderators don't try to speed things along with like. A wall of water. She wouldn't do so well there. Maruca might outlast a lot of people, but even if she got down to the last 2, I don't think she's capable of overpowering someone else yet, she's too new. I think Tam's got the will to survive to get him through, but he's limited in the violence advantages. Biana's stealth would be invaluable, but that's also something she can loose, and in that case I don't know if she could make up for it. So I think once again, my votes are on Linh and Dex, this time with Sophie added in. Marella's fire would be valuable, but her constitution questionable. Same with Keefe's new ability; massively effective and lethal if used, but I don't know if he could follow through with it.

Of course if you're asking who would win if they all genuinely fought each other? No holds barred? Well Keefe's new ability is kinda a trump card, so if he could get the first word in he'd win--if he could stand to follow through, which I doubt he could. But if, say, Sophie inflicted on him first and took him out, then it's different. I'm thinking Sophie, Linh, or Dex again. All depends on who acts first. Though Linh might be able to neutralize Dex's gadgets, making it between her and Sophie. And honestly? Could go either way. And both of them are some of the strongest when it comes to handling guilt.

Of course these are brief overviews of various situations and I haven't gone full in-depth, so I may be missing things. But it seems like my general consensus is: Linh, Sophie, or Dex depending on specifics.

#kotlc #quil's queries #nonsie #of course there may be things that would change my general conclusion #like if they're dropped in the middle of a volcano or something and linh has access to barely any water. then she's out of luck #or if they're in a pitch black cave and tam can really go ham #so like. there are variables #not to mention the fact most of them would be further deprived of food if they stuck to not eating meat #so take all this with a grain of salt #but this is kinda where my thoughts led #long post

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callme-harris · 1 year

Text

“The bitter taste on my tongue.Too many holes, the damage done”

Welcome to Aurora Bay, [RHETT HARRIS]! I couldn’t help but notice you look an awful lot like [LEWIS PULLMAN]. You must be the [TWENTY-SIX ] year old [BOUNCER at OASIS NIGHTCLUB]. Word is you’re [PROTECTIVE] but can also be a bit [HOTHEADED] and your favorite song is [BITTER TASTE by BILLY IDOL]. I also heard you’ll be staying in [SEABROOK QUARTER]. I’m sure you’ll love it

[tw:car accident, depression, cancer, and fighting ]

Family

William Harris- Father

Cynthia Harris- Mother

Blair Harris- Sister

Carter Harris- Brother

Wanted Connections

Ex Girlfriend/former bandmate: UTP

Former bandmates: Rina Cicero, Mack Montgomery, Eleanor Anderson

Ex: Sterling Levin

Friends: Imani Linh, Rina Cicero, Mack Montgomery, Eleanor Anderson, Wes Evans, Liza Levin

Crush: Gwen Moreno

Former Hookup:

Enemies:

Bio

For Harris family had always meant everything. Whether it was his biological family or those he had considered family; Harris believed that there were ties that bound people together forever. As he’s gotten older he realized that he may have been wrong about a few things.

His family had lived in Aurora Bay almost since the formation of the town and the family name was well known for being the kind of people you could count on for anything. His father was the kind of man to believe that hard work would get you everything you wanted. He was also the kind of man that would fix any problem thrown his way. Due to his father‘s reputation, many believed that the entire family was the same and in several ways they were.

The oldest of three siblings; Harris always felt like a the position of protector fell on him. He seemed like he had it all, a good family, a good home, good grades; it all seemed like everything was perfect. The truth was though that Harris wanted more than what Aurora Bay could offer. Though he was excelling in athletics and academics, his true passion was music. An avid drummer; Harris began his musical aspirations at a young age and was hoping to follow them into a full time career. While his parents believe that their sons success would be found in different fields, they still supported him, because it was what made him happy.

By the time he was in college, Harris found a band that had a lot of potential, however they were missing a very important member; a lead singer. After searching the town for someone who fit, the band came across a singer that not only clicked with the groups vibe but also had Harris instantly smitten. They became the classic rock band couple who would write together and whose chemistry could be felt from the audience. It seemed that Harris’ dreams of musical success were within reach. Luck was on their side again when the band had been scouted and offered a tour and contract. It all seemed too good to be true, and for Harris it was. Just when things seemed perfect; tragedy struck.

On his way home after a late night rehearsal Harris was caught in a devastating car accident that left him in the hospital with an arm and both legs broken among other injuries. The bands tour had to be postponed till their drummer was back on his feet. However, what seemed like a couple months was closing in on a year and Harris was still dealing with nerve damage, the possibility he would never walk again, and the fear that he may never leave the hospital room. Realizing her window of opportunity might come to a close, the bands lead singer and the love of his life packed her bags and left Harris without more than a goodbye note. Harris’ world shattered that day and the hole left in his heart from her began to grow into a bitter pit. He started to withdraw from others and argue with those who were trying to help him. Harris was on his way to alienating everyone in his life and burning every bridge in his path. The only thing he hadn’t completely abandoned was his recovery; which he started to put more time into till he was back in his feet and feeling like he could start to drum again. The nerve damage in his left hand was still a problem, but he didn’t want to let his love of music fade away into nothing.

A few years later, tragedy struck again when Harris’ mother had begun to feel unwell. Her condition started to get worse over time and was later revealed to be cancer. The family unit needed to be close by to try to make the most of the situation, so Harris felt like he had to to stick around and help take care of his mom. While his younger brother was in college and his sister wasn’t coping with the diagnosis well, Harris felt like things fell on him and his fathers shoulders. As much as he wanted to find a way out of town, he couldn’t leave again. His parents supported him his whole life and he felt it was his duty to do the same.

Since then, he’s been trying to not let what has happened in his life make him bitter, but it’s been easier said than done. He’s still mad over what his ex had done, he’s sad over how his mother is in poor health, and he’s frustrated and the lingering pain from his accident. It was all of these emotions that led him to his current job. While having a drink at the Oasis Nightclub, a fight broke out and Harris felt the need to step in. Despite the pain he felt in his body on his worst days, on a good day the former drummer knew how to throw a mean punch. He had started boxing in an attempt to help try to recapture some of his athleticism and it came in handy that night. After throwing the guy out of the club he had been offered a job on the spot.

His life isn’t what he hoped it to be and it frustrates him to feel both so stuck and powerless but he’s trying his best to do something with his life in Aurora Bay. Perhaps maybe happiness isn’t to be found in running away but in sticking around and falling in love with his hometown again.

#about #aurorabay.intro

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indigothemuse · 2 months

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🖤: Which character is not as morally good as everyone else seems to think?

hm. i will admit that for keeper, im not super in the fandom rn so im not entirely sure about perceptions but!

i think id have to say linh?? i feel like she gets perceived as some goody two shoes a lot (partially bc shes so. different. from tam) but also she flooded ravagog with not too many regrets

and shes willing to hurt people if she has to. she may not like it, but shes willing to do it, yknow?

#kaira <3

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memo14g · 10 months

Text

Scholarship/Orphanage Day 2 (7/13) || Connie Tran (UCI)

It was very difficult waking up today, but I got to nap on the bus ride to our first school for the Scholarship Program, Trường Tình Thương Ái Linh. There was a teacher who was making sure that all the kids were on their best behavior. All of them were elementary school students so they were all so small and cute. Seeing the teacher engaging with kids really hit me with the nostalgia of being in elementary school. She was using different techniques to calm the students down so that they could focus before Meagan and I went up to say our speech for them. They also showed us a video about their school and Sam and Thu helped facilitate a game of Simon Says in Vietnamese for the children. While explaining, Sam translated Simon Says as “Si môn nói” which I thought was really funny since I never heard it being called like that before. We ended up with two winners and gave them bánh pía that we got from the province Sóc Trăng. The school principal helped organize the students into lines so that we could give them the backpack of school supplies that we raised so much money for from the scholarship program. The principal also said there was another gift from us to the kids that she would give to their parents once they register again for the school year, which I believe was probably the scholarship money we raised for each student. We also got down time to play with the kids after Meags and I presented our speech, and two little girls immediately ran up to me. I asked for their names, but to be honest it was hard for me to pronounce and remember so I don’t recall their name but I won’t forget their faces and how much fun I had playing with them. I was able to teach them how to play slide, which was very hard for them to do at first but they managed to get it by the end of our play time and I almost cried when I hugged and said goodbye to them. I think today was the most meaningful and fun experience for me so far in the mission trip. Especially as a sponsorship chair this past school year, it was heart-warming to witness that the money we raised during gala was going towards a school that clearly cared for its students.

Later that day, we had a buffet lunch at a different hotel. Towards the end of lunch, Mari and I stepped away for maybe 3 minutes to go to the restroom only to return back to the restaurant seeing barely anyone left from our group. We were very confused but luckily a few BOD members were standing by the exit and let us know that the bus wasn’t coming and that we were free to walk back to our hotel nearby or explore the area. However, we were a little confused and frustrated that no one waited for us when we only stepped away from lunch for a short period. Seemed like the majority of the group went to explore an underground mall. Luckily, Rakesh came back for me and Mari and we all walked back to the hotel together to rest up. Rakesh, Cesar, and I later walked together to Chợ Bến Thành so that they could buy souvenirs for their family. It was my first time there, so I was a little thrown off by the amount of sellers who were determined to sell us something from their stall at a scammy price. While I was too afraid to look at or buy anything, Cesar and Rakesh luckily had no issues finding what they wanted and bargaining for what they wanted. Cesar got a Saigonia shirt, while Rakesh got a Prada bag for his mom! That day, I was wearing a pair of long, tan pleated pants that I just bought from Uniqlo the other day we went to the mall, and it just so happened that a lot of the vendors were selling pants similar to mine in different colors, probably even cheaper than what I had bought it for, so a lot of them were trying to target me. I didn’t dare speak Vietnamese to them and just ignored all of them out of fear. After walking through the entire market, Rakesh, Cesar, and I still walked back to the hotel early enough with an hour to spare before dinner call time. Sam then messaged the 14G Officer chat asking if anyone was free to get some last-minute gifts for the advisors, so I quickly got ready to go to minigood with Rakesh, Elaine, and Jenny to buy some small goodies for the advisors to recognize them at the cruise dinner later that night, which was another wild event in itself.

At the cruise, the veggie table had an okay dinner. A lot of us finished eating early, so we went up the boat to take pictures by the railings with the city lights in the background. Just as I was about to take photos with my Koopa Troopas, the sky decided to pour down and we were all drenched in the rain in the midst of our photo. A lot of us returned back to our dinner area once it started raining. Sam went up the stage and was about to start the banquet portion of the night when the entire boat suddenly jerked and tipped, sending a bunch of dishware clattering to the ground. We clearly had hit something, but we weren’t sure what. A lot of us were shaken up, including me, after the sudden bump, while others were making light of the situation in the 14G group chat, blaming the crash on Sarthak’s supposedly bad steering?? We tried to evacuate the room but the workers told us the best course of action was to stay put and they didn’t allow us to go up the ship for a while. I tried to distract myself by playing Wordle with Mari, but despite the distraction I was still very shaken up from the incident. After what seemed like ages of waiting, we noticed a lot of the guests had left, and that we were finally allowed to leave as well. Weirdly enough, no one announced it to us though that it was okay for us to leave; we just figured it out once we noticed the room was mainly just our 14G group left along with some staff who were cleaning up and clearing all the tables. It was heavily pouring outside, but luckily we were able to all get back to the bus safely and ride back to the hotel. Somewhere along these events, we found out that the captain had lost control of the boat due to the waves from the rainstorm and accidentally hit the dock, which was the impact we suddenly felt. We also found out the cruise dinner was Dr. Bui’s idea LOL. Our second to last night in Saigon really ended with a bang, but it’s also safe to say that there will be no more cruise dinners on future mission trips.

Above: selfie with Meags right before we went up stage to do our speech for the school!

Above: picture with the two sweet girls who immediately ran up to me at the start of our free time and played with me :)

Above: Koopa Troopa picture in the rain on the cruise ship

Above: Video of Sam and Thu explaining and playing Simon Says with all the students of Trường Tình Thương Ái Linh

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cogaytes · 1 year

Note

also it seems u have not gotten any asks abt it so i shall ask u myself any headcanons on the song twins? on fitz vacker perhaps?

lsong twins my beloved:

linh is older

she manifested first but tam hid it for her from their parents as long as he could

they had a way of getting to each other’s rooms from the roof when they were little

dancer!tam <3

he likes ballet and lyrical styles

he’s also scarily flexible

like can put his foot behind his head and has all his splits

very graceful catlike motions

linh steals tam’s clothes and hoodies a lot

she sews and makes jewelry

designs clothes that are very cool!

and also this pretty delicate little jewelry

except some of it has like. ways to weaponize it

like pretty hairpins that can be stabby

these are her usual midterms gifts to friends

she and marella bond over fashion first

and then. ahahah marellinh

fitz:

has scolosis n wears a brace

hates the color of his eyes, especially as he learns more about the vacker legacy

loves but will never admit to reading romance novels

very interested in linguistics!

he’s trying to learn dwarven on his own and struggling

he’s low key a little jealous of sophie manifesting as a polyglot, because she just gets to Know languages he’s worked at for centuries

when he was little his dream job was to be a mentor

struggles a lot with the pressure of being as strong of a telepath as his father

deeply insecure (he and keefe are similar in that but express it very differently)

wasn’t naturally super athletic as a kid so he made alvar and alden practice bramble with him for hours until he could beat his whole class

likes to sing

doesn’t know how to express it but absolutely loves biana and is so so proud of her

she’s the person he’s most protective over than. more than sophie, more than his dad, more than keefe, etc

plant mom <3

#linh song #tam song #fitz vacker #thank u for the ask!!#mine

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crymeariveronceagain · 2 years

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maybe Linh didn’t know how at the time, and so when she learned how to move water the way u hc, the damage was already done? another take: Dex makes hearing aids for her that translate? the sound of water into words and sounds and omg she can *finally hear her brothers voice* after so *long* and his voice is deeper than she’d imagined, and it’s the embodiment of safety and warmth and love and her *friends’ voices* and her familys’ voices and she can hear and things make *noise* njust ahhh -t1sb

ASFJKASHFLKASFHLASFHDSLFHDSLFDSHFHSDFLKSAhfIEWOFHERGWERUWHROWU#RH

THE DEX THING HAS KILLED ME OKAY IM WRITING THIS GIMME A MINUTE

Dex had mentioned he could make her hearing aids for the first time at least five months ago. Linh had gone quiet.

Well, she was always quiet, a soft presence that couldn't be deterred or removed, just existed. She knew how to exist. It was a skill, Dex thought, that few had. Most people have to do something, to fill in the space they take up with words or movements or noise or tapping. Most people are uncomfortable in silence. Most people have to avoid lulls in conversation. Linh never did, but then again, no silence she curated was ever awkward. It was just quiet.

She looked at him, seeming to wonder if he was joking. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice halting and unsure. "I don't think I understood you right."

He said it again, making sure to face her so she could read his lips. He still didn't know the sign language she and her brother had come up with. It wasn't any kind that was recorded, Dex had checked. And checked again. "I could make you hearing aids. So you could hear again."

She blinked, her gray eyes wide and startled. "You don't have to."

He smiled. "I know."

She looked around, and water from the air formed itself into a chain of bubbles and circled around her wrist, slowly, like a snake, coiling around her like it belonged to her, always had. "Will it be a lot of work?"

"No," Dex partially lied. No technological feat was hard for him, so to speak, but this would take quite a bit of work. To convince metal to hear in a way that living creatures could understand would be difficult, but he knew it was completely possible. He just had never tried it before.

Linh bit her lip, and dragged her fingers through her long dark hair. Then she smiled at him. "If you'd like," she said, "You can."

Dex had been working on them since. He wanted them to be perfect.

Linh deserved being able to hear. Linh deserved hearing aids that worked.

He didn't want to let her down.

Dex and Linh weren't even that close, so why he'd offered to do this was beyond him. Dex was friends more with Biana and Stina and Jensi, he hung out with the boys on the weekends and bothered the crap out of Marella. But the Song twins were something different.

He never knew how to act around them. They'd walked into the group terrified, and he'd judged them for it. He'd seen Tam's raging temper, his jumpy, terrified accusations aimed at Keefe and the demand to read their shadow vapor, and assumed Tam was a nasty person.

It was only after seeing Tam break down in tears one afternoon at Everglen that Dex had realized that just like everyone else in their little friendgroup, Tam had a persona, and he was about as broken as Fitz and Keefe. Dex was the only boy in the main group who was actually moderately mentally stable. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

He'd made assumptions about Linh, too, in the beginning. He'd seen Linh's soft silence and assumed she was just Tam's tag-along puppy-esque sister. Someone who could be pushed into anything, convinced of anything, told to do anything and would.

And then, of course, she saved an underwater city that according to her she'd already ruined once. She held back an ocean, the force of more than a hurricane, with her own two hands, and walked away with hairline fractures along her bones from holding back a weight that only she could grasp. She'd saved them all.

She barely knew them, and without a second thought, she'd rushed to their defense.

He found out later that she was quiet because she couldn't hear them.

And like that, he'd started researching.

The Lost Cities, Elwin had told him, didn't deal with people who couldn't hear. The medic's eyes had looked sad as he'd told Dex that no one had ever really bothered to care about people who couldn't hear.

Dex's mind had glitched, in a way that reminded him of an angry videogame character. "What?"

"There's just been no studies done on hearing loss, and no one wants to trust Forbidden Cities tech."

So, when Dex started building Linh's hearing aids, he had nothing to go off. But he didn't care.

The girl who saved an entire city deserved all the effort he could put in. She'd saved so many people.

And Dex kept working.

----***----

The world was quiet.

It hadn't always been.

Linh could remember sounds. Sort of. They were fading memories, like rocks worn away for thousands of years by the endless rush of water. She could remember all the bad sounds. Her mother's voice as she spit at her, telling her that she was never going to be good enough, that she should just stop trying.

She could remember her father's voice as he told her to stay in her room and not make any noise. She remember the clicking noise of the lock, the way it had echoed around in her brain. She remembered the crash of a glass against the wall behind her, and the sound of her own shaky breathing.

She couldn't remember her brother's voice. She'd never told him that. She didn't want him to think she didn't care. She did. She just couldn't remember.

And she'd tried. She'd tried so hard.

Instead, all she could hear was water.

The water in her veins, the water in the air. The water in the ocean. The water in the sky, on the path, in the trees, the plants.

She could hear nothing.

But she could still, somehow, hear the ever-encompassing, ever-screaming, ever-singing, ever-violent voices of the water.

She wouldn't know how to say what it said out loud. She wouldn't know how to translate the words into Enlightened. She wouldn't have a thing to say.

The water didn't speak in words.

But what it said filled her entire body, made her want to shut it off.

There was no escaping water.

There is always water, even if it is in your very bloodstream.

And so Linh accepted her fate.

She wondered to herself, one afternoon, as she walked around the garden, did she even speak Enlightened, anymore?

What if she only spoke in the water. What if she didn't say the right things?

She forced the thought out of her head, and knelt by one of her favorite plants, pushing water through it's system. It was basil. Her brother was partial to the flowers, and had told her that if she wanted to water them, she could, but he liked to do it a lot.

She thought it was an oddly domestic thing for her brother to enjoy. Tam was so rough around the edges, sharp and unforgiving, that if she hadn't seen him humming as he watered and weeded his flower garden, she'd have assumed that it was a joke.

Instead, she scattered water about her herb garden, pooling it in all the right places for the plant to absorb it.

The water whispered something about how it had choked someone to death before.

Linh ignored it.

The water wanted to choke someone again.

Linh forcefully ignored it.

She walked over to her koi pond, and sat at the edge. Her fish had been a birthday gift from Tiergan, and he had kissed her forehead.

She smiled at the memory, and pulled out her fish food.

The big golden fish swam up to the top, and she fed them, carefully.

Then, she watched them swim, leaning over the pool of water that whispered of rain on bloodied streets, instead of hurricane cities, as it usually did.

The quiet hum of the pool was easily ignored, and she'd had a life's long practice of ignoring it. The air was cool and soft on her skin, and her hair ruffled from the gentle breeze.

For a second, she allowed her mind to wander. In a million years, she thought to herself, she'd never have guessed she'd wind up here.

She'd killed people, she thought, almost lackadaisically, she shouldn't have wound up here. Exilium was the best place for her, and everyone like her.

But she was here, warmed by sunshine, in the backyard of Solreef, feeling entirely alive.

She smiled.

From her pocket, her imparter buzzed.

She pulled it out, and saw that she had a text. It was from Dex.

She blinked at it, almost startled. Dex never texted her. She glanced up at the clear blue sky, and then back down to her imparter.

The text read:

Hey, Linh! I finished your hearing aids! If you want, I can come over so you can try them!

Just like that, Linh jolted to her feet.

Her heart pounded in a way that felt like thuds at the base of her neck, right at her throat.

Her fingers shook as she typed back the only response that didn't come from the water-scented screeches of her mind.

Sure, Dex!

And she bolted to her feet, brushing off her medium-length skirt, and she tucked her hair behind her ears. She ran up into her brother's room, and knocked on the door so much that it rattled in its frame.

Tam opened the door, his eyes wide. He signed to her, What's going on?

Linh didn't know what to say. Her hands were excited, and she did her best, Dex is coming over! He has a surprise!

Tam blinked. Dex never comes over.

I know! This is for a surprise! Come downstairs! And get Tiergan!

Tam shrugged, nodded, and then went to go get their dad.

Linh rushed downstairs to see the light above the door blinking. She threw it open in a rush and there stood Dex. She smiled.

"Hi, Linh," he said, his lips moving clearly enough that she understood.

She was sure her voice had to be raspy. She hadn't needed to say anything all day. "Hi," she answered.

"I've got the Hearing Aids," he said, and she led him into the living room.

"Alright." he pulled out the box from his bag, and lifted out two very strange looking contraptions. "This part goes over the pack of your ear, and this part goes in it," he said.

She blinked, unsure of what that was supposed to mean. In her defense, she didn't know a lot about ears. "What?"

"Do you want me to show you?"

She nodded.

And then realized when she'd seen pack, he'd meant back.

He then handed them to her. She looked at them, for a long, long, long moment.

"Are they turned on?"

Dex shook his head.

She swallowed, and then put them on.

"Alright," he said, "They fit. Nice. I was a little worried I hadn't gotten the right measurements."

Linh felt slightly sick. What if these didn't work? What if it was pointless?

Like, she was absolutely fine not being able to hear. There was nothing that she couldn't do. There was nothing wrong with not being able to hear. There really wasn't. Why was she doing this again? There was no point. She was just fine without it.

Dex fiddled with it. "I couldn't get space on them for an on-off button, and a volume button, and the automatic selection shift, so that it changes if you're in a big group versus in a one-on-one conversation, so they just start up when you close the battery drawer."

Linh nodded, hoping she understood what he'd been saying, since the words had started moving faster and less annunciated.

Panic was slowly filling her chest like water filling up a bucket. She wasn't the type to get scared. She'd seen so many terrifying things that terror wasn't terror anymore. Terror was just life.

But this?

Dex clicked the battery drawer shut on the second one.

This was petrifying.

"I really hope these work right," he said.

She nodded, swallowing her pride and fear and terror and the need to bolt up to her bedroom and stay there.

Dex held them out to her, one at a time.

Nothing much changed.

Water didn't become louder, the hum in the air stayed there, soft and deathly. She started grouping the molecules into droplets and noticed she had at least three chains of droplets hovering around her wrist.

"Okay," Dex said.

Linh's entire body froze.

The water droplet chains fell to the floor with a splash.

Her eyes went wide.

"How's that?"

Linh swallowed, heavily. "I can hear you," she answered, very, very, very softly.

She could tell what volume her own voice was at.

Dex's face lit up. He nodded, once. "Does it hurt, at all?" His voice was soft, too.

She shook her head. "No," she said, softly, feeling like she was being washed over with sound like it was a tidal wave, "Not at all."

She'd forgotten the sound of her own voice. It was a lot softer, and a little different than what she remembered.

She didn't care.

One thought, and one thought alone filled her head.

She shot Dex the most grateful smile, and he smiled back just as wide.

Her fingers twitched, and she said, "I'm going to go find my family."

Dex nodded. "Want me to come with?"

She shrugged. "If you want."

He grinned all the wider.

Linh walked up the stairs, to where Tam, Wylie, and Tiergan were all talking. She moved quietly.

"Mr. Forkle," Tiergan said, his voice like a rumble from a cloud. Linh was stuck by how different his voice was than she'd expected. She'd expected light. She'd expected something like her own father's voice, higher-pitched, but demanding. Cold. Icy. Instead, Tiergan's voice was like a grumbly thundercloud come to life, a big sleepy grizzly bear woken up and asked about battle plans. She wanted to shriek and run into his arms. She didn't. "Is not going to listen to my excuses. I need to finish this."

"Come on, Dad," Wylie said, and Linh blinked at him, her eyes wide. His voice was different, too. It wasn't a kid's voice, it was like an adult boy had just gotten his voice changed, crackled along the edges but still bright and sharp enough to be young. Wylie's voice had a bit of a pleading tone to it, something extra that reminded her of sarcasm and sitting next to her brother on the floor. "Leave it, for just a minute. Linh's got a surprise."

"I need, need, need to finish this," Tiergan said, and Linh forced herself to not rush forwards and give him a hug. "Either we wait or you two go first."

"Why do I even bother," Tam said. Linh's whole body froze again. "Stick with your stupid terrorist organizational work. Not as important as whatever Linh and Dex are up to, I'm sure of it."

And he turned around.

He froze.

Linh had her hands clapped over her mouth.

Tears were streaming down her face, whispering salty ocean horror stories.

Instantly, Tam signed, What's wrong?!

Linh shook her head. "Nothing's wrong," she said, her voice shaking. "I just forgot what your voice sounded like."

Tam blinked, long and hard. Wylie blinked, long and hard. Tiergan blinked, where he sat, at his desk.

"What?" Wylie said.

Linh took a step forward, smiling so wide that her cheeks hurt. "I forgot what your voice sounded like, Tam," she said, softly. "It's so beautiful."

Tam just stared at her.

She stared back, and said, "Tiergan sounds like a grumbly thundercloud. Wylie sounds like a movie star. But you?"

She was grinning so hard she knew Tam was terrified. She hadn't smiled this hard in months.

"Tam, you sound like my brother."

Tam made a noise, somewhere in the vicinity of his throat, and said, softly, slowly, and so achingly broken that every single part of her heart ached. "You can hear me?"

"Yeah," she answered. "Dex made me hearing aids."

Tam was silent, again.

"Holy Stars," Tiergan said, softly.

"Holy shit," Wylie said, and Tiergan whacked him on the arm, gently. Wylie rolled his eyes at his dad.

Tam just stood there, stunned.

"Are you okay?" Linh asked, finally.

Tam nodded, looking like he wasn't. "I'm gonna cry pretty hard soon."

She smiled, softly. "I did that, already."

"Holy shit," Tam breathed. "I love you."

Linh froze, hearing the words right down to her soul for the first time in years.

Ever since she'd ruined everything with a splash of water. She'd never heard those three words since. They had been out of reach. A gift for someone other than her. Sure, Tam had signed it to her, and said it to her, and she'd seen it on people's lips.

But these words shook the very ground she stood on with love.

She wanted, no, needed to hear them again.

"Wh...what?" she asked.

"I love you," Tam said, fiercely. "I love you, Linh. I love you, I love you, I love you."

And he wrapped her in his arms, pulling her close to him, saying it, over and over and over.

Until she couldn't forget them. Until her heart was made whole. Until she couldn't erase them, couldn't forget the way her brother sounded. Until her eyes squeezed tight because she didn't think she could handle the three tiny little words anymore.

She didn't think she could handle hearing him say the three words that Linh had thought that she would never hear again.

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crescentchat · 2 years

Note

I don’t know if this is the kind of AU you mean, but lately I’ve been thinking about and AU where Winter is sent to earth to marry Kai instead of Levana as was briefly discussed as an option in Cinder. If that’s not the type of AU you had in mind, no worries! I love your writing, so I’ll def enjoy whatever you write!

thank you so much! in this au, i also imagine in this au winter knows a lot more than she lets on. i had a lot of fun writing this, thank you for this prompt!!

Kai had always pondered the difference between courting and dating.

He wasn't big on net dramas, but the few times he watched it, dating seemed like an intimate and tender thing between people who were already in love, or looking to fall in love. He wondered what was different about courting someone.

But now he knew- people who were just dating didn't have the fate of the whole world resting on their backs. Didn't have a country to look out for, or else all their subjects would be ravaged by disease and really scary wolf people. Didn't have scarily handsome blonde guy watching his every move with a murderous look in his eye.

Princess Winter was stunning, and very polite, but very obviously detached from the real world. She also seemed to have more of a eye for that blonde guard, which was fine by Kai. Anything for him to stop looking like he could slit his throat at any moment.

No, Winter wasn't the problem. It was Queen Levana who he was truly scared of. And Cinder. But only a little less than Levana.

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

12 days until the wedding. They are on one of their supervised 'dates' but that creep Aimery Park leaves after being summoned by the queen, leaving only himself, Princess Winter, and the guard.

There is silence for a few moments, the only sound being the breeze coming through from an open window and Winter placing her delicate tea cup on an ornate plate.

"That girl..." she says, a soft lilting voice. She starts over. "The cyborg from the ball. Linh Cinder."

Kai's heart is stuck in his throat at the mention of her name. He feels his cheeks burn.

(Blushing out of fear, he hopelessly reminds himself. That's a thing, right?)

"Yes, not my finest moment. She's been placed in one of our facilities for your protection, Princess."

"Oh, no. That's not what I wanted to ask about."

He looks to the guard, not really for consolation, but more so that he doesn't have to look Winter in the eye.

"I recognize her."

This statement drags his attention back to the Princess. He tries to come up with a reasoning that... isn't offensive towards Lunars.

"Well, yeah. She's been in the news everywhere."

"No, no." She shakes her head, glossy ringlet curls bouncing. "Before all of this. I saw her when I was a child."

Princess Winter had a habit of saying odd things. Queen Levana would rudely mention this during dinner constantly, and not wanting to pile on, Kai made manner of not treating her like garbage.

But he almost wanted to dismiss this comment- almost. Maybe there was something here.

Kai cocked his head, queuing her to go on.

She took a sip of tea, and whispered, "Selene lives."

He recoiled in shock, and this time looked at the guard for actual consolation. He gave Kai a ghost of a smug smirk, the most emotion he'd shown since they met.

The grand doors swung open, and Aimery Park confidently strode in, looking as clean and put together as ever. "My deepest apologies, Prince and Princess. I had some news to discuss with the Queen. Shall we continue discussing the arrangements?"

Kai gulped hard before nodding.

Princess Winter leaned in like the two of them shared the most delicious secret. "Me and Jacin will visit you at midnight. Please, do be ready for us."

#the lunar chronicles #lunar chronicles #tlc #winter hayle blackburn #jacin clay #kai tlc #kaider #jacinter #marissa meyer #writing request #anon

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shy-peacock · 2 years

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A fic based on a soccer game for linh or one of Chaus dance competitions

Rated G except maybe a potty word??? bleh

Linh's soccer game! Featuring-...VIRANA <3

Virana absolutely hated watching sports.

Yes, there was an exception. She liked watching people overcome physical feats and break records or watching martial arts competitions or even the wacky shows on television where average people tried to overcome an obstacle course that quite literally knocked them off their feet. However, just an average game? Like baseball or basketball? Virana couldn’t stand them. It was hard enough showing up to Namaari’s games as a child, wanting to show that support as her parent. But she never enjoyed watching it, no matter how good Namaari was at basketball. It was just a hobby, a way to show she had could sportsmanship and could be a team player. Nothing more or less of it.

But Linh playing soccer?

Now THAT was something Virana could get into it.

Linh was amazing at it. Only seven years old and she swept through the competition better than any of her fellow competitors. She had the skills, the determination as well as the confidence to bring her team to victory for each and every game. Linh played like a pro and she played often. Her parents fixing her up with a standard team during the soccer season while prepping her with a coach during the off. Linh did so well with soccer, she had been asked to join the team made up of older children. A group of ten year olds welcoming in their star player that was only seven. Right on time it seemed, considering the parents from their seven year old team had plenty of complaints over Linh’s abilities. Claiming it wasn’t fair that her skills made it difficult for her team to get any time to shine.

Please.

Virana rolled her eyes at those sore losers.

Why should Linh have to hold back her natural talent just to make the other kids feel special?

“It’s a bit different, Mom.” Namaari reminded her, “it’s not like when I was little-..the goal isn’t to win, it’s to teach the children how to play as a team as well as supporting all members of that team.”

Virana and Benja had come to Linh’s game, her second one since being traded into the new group. Benja sat next to Raya who had Chau in between her and Namaari while Virana sat on the end next to her daughter. Chau had a pair of headphones on as he leaned into Raya, his Mother wrapping her arms around him tight. The nine year old watching the game, but listening to his mellow tunes.

Virana huffed, “Well-..this is for the best then, Linh deserves to be challenged and not held back.”

“Trust me, she’s being challenged enough.” Raya laughed, adjusting a smidge when Chau perked up. Looking at the adult’s mouths moving for a moment as he realized they were talking before settling back on Linh as she ran back and forth across the field. Looking like a tiny field mouse amongst the taller players.“This morning she got up at five to run drills,” Raya added, “she’s definitely taking all of this pretty seriously..wanting to be the best out of her new teammates.”

“-which…is good that she’s wanting to get better for them, however she doesn’t have to be the best.” Namaari insisted, directing this at her Mother more than the rest of the group. Virana instantly noting the tone of her voice change, almost like a warning.

“What’s wrong with being the best?” Virana huffed, growing agitated, “you wanted the same thing as a child!”

Namaari opened her mouth and then slowly closed it, clearly about to say something but choosing against it. Thinking on her words, making Virana wonder what she had planned to say. Curious about the words unsaid more than the ones she eventually spoke.

“I am just saying, there..are a lot of things Linh can learn now..that I didn’t learn till I was much older.” she explained, “wanting to be the best can lead you to think you have to be the best..and when it doesn’t happen..I want Linh to know we’ll be proud of her either way.”

Virana took in the words, watching Namaari carefully as her attention turned back to the field. Virana did the same, but those words stuck with her throughout the entire game. Wondering, thinking, curious about it all.

The game ended in a loss. It was close and it all came down to Linh’s final shot. A shot she made but missed. Or more, made but was caught by the goalie. The other team erupting in cheers while her own team sighed in their defeat. Exchanging congratulations and getting a quick pep talk from their coach before the team dispersed and made their way back to their families. Linh taking the longest to find her way back to them, her steps tiny and her head bent, looking as though she had lost something incredibly valuable and not just a simple game.

Simple to others perhaps, but not to her.

They all crammed into the car and made their way uptown for lunch, Virana sitting in the front with Namaari while Raya and Benja entertained the kids in the back. The former leader of Fang stealing glances in the rearview mirror to see Linh hardly engaging, her eyes out on the road. Glossy, lip trembling, as if she were about to cry. When they finally arrived, Benja took Chau inside to get a table while Raya and Namaari lingered back at the car with Linh. Virana didn’t even notice that her grandchild had started crying, not until Raya had sat down on the floor of the car opening, pulling their seven year old onto her lap as she began to sob. Namaari sitting down at their side, rubbing her back.

“I’m sorry..” Linh croaked, “I’m sorry…”

“Why are you sorry?” Namaari asked, a bit humored but pushing it back for her daughter’s pride.

“I lost the game....”

“Everyone loses sometimes, Linh.” Raya said then, rocking her.

“B-but..I always win..” she cried, pressing her head further into Raya’s shoulder. Sobbing loudly, tears wetting her shirt. Still Raya held her, rocking her back and forth while Namaari kept her hand firmly on her back for support. Silence formed around them, until Namaari found her words again.

“Linh, you’re not always going to win..and that’s okay..” she began, “and you’re gonna feel bad about it..and that’s okay to feel bad..”. “But you and your team lost today, you guys gave it your all and today it wasn’t enough..and that is absolutely okay as well.” she continued, “just because you are good at something, better than a lot of kids even..doesn’t mean you have to be the best-..it’s okay to not win.”

“But I want to win..” Linh whined as she leaned up to look her parents in the eye, “I want to make everyone happy with me.”

“And if you keep working hard, you can win.” Raya interjected, “but that doesn’t mean always-.. but..it doesn’t mean never, either.”

Linh hesitated, taking those words in. Her eyebrows knitting but the tears ceasing, trying to understand it but no longer feeling quite so crummy anymore.

“However-...Linh, win or lose we’re always happy with you.” Namaari expressed, “we are always going to be proud of you for trying your best, even if you do or don’t win.”.

“Really?” Linh asked.

“Of course,” Raya chuckled, “try your best, we love you either way.”

Linh pressed her lips together, trying not to smile too wide. Clearly enjoying the snuggles she so rarely asked for, wanting this excuse of her being sad to milk it for what it was worth as she practically melted further into Raya’s arms. Face bright, happy, for a few seconds before she leaned up again. Face full of determination.

“I’m gonna try really hard next time!” she cheered, “I’m gonna kick their butts!”

Raya laughed, standing then with Linh still in her arms, carrying the small child with ease. Namaari right behind them, just as humored, shutting the car door.

“That’s our girl,” Raya cheered back.

“Ready to take over the world.” Namaari added, affectionately.

“And I’m gonna make that stupid older boy cry again when I juggled the ball away from him!” she added, this time her nose scrunching in a way that made her look positively evil.

“And-..now we’re back to playing villain..” Raya sighed, “what have I told you, Linh?”

Linh pouted, rolling her eyes.

“That my talents need to be used for the greater good of humanity and not the desolation of mankind…” Linh sighed, repeating words that Virana didn’t even realize she knew, “and that we don’t use the word ‘stupid’ in our household..”

“That’s right, see-...?” Raya spoke, the two of them passing Virana then towards the restaurant, “why not try being the best at saying nice things to people?”

“I think I’ll stick with soccer, Mommy...”

All Virana heard was Raya sigh before they entered inside the doors of the building, Namaari lingering back as she awaited her Mother. Who was deep in her thoughts from the conversation. Connections forming, seeing her granddaughter react to losing like that, making Virana wonder then how Namaari reacted back then to such things. Realizing then that her daughter, at least that she could remember, had never lost anything before. Not a test, a game, nor even a challenge that she had made up for her. Namaari always ‘the best’ at everything she did, a natural talented and gifted child.

Or…maybe it wasn’t so natural.

The more Virana thought about it, the more she realized that Namaari and Linh were not too far apart in personality. Namaari had that same drive as a child, that same need to be in first place with everything. However, unlike Linh, Virana knew she had never told Namaari that it was alright to not be number one all the time. In fact, she knew she had very well told her the opposite. That Namaari had to work hard, be the best, make a name for herself. A good lesson yes, but-....was it good? Maybe in hindsight…yes, but in the long wrong? Possibly no. Causing Virana to wonder if Namaari ever cried like Linh just did, devastated over the loss. Or, in Namaari’s case, the potential loss. Or-..even worse, ever wondered if Virana was proud of her for the work she had done.

Or known that she was proud of her even without all of that.

A single sentence struck her then, uttered by her own daughter not even a few hours ago.

“Wanting to be the best can lead you to think you have to be the best..and when it doesn’t happen..I want Linh to know we’ll be proud of her either way..”

Linh knew her Mothers were proud of her.

But did Namaari know Virana was?

As she walked with her daughter inside, Virana took a brief moment to stop Namaari before joining the others. A hand on her shoulder, their eyes finding each others as she spoke, wanting Namaari to know she meant this from the bottom of her heart.

“Namaari, I’m so proud of you..”

Her daughter seemed taken aback by the words, letting Virana know that she had a lot to catch up on. Years of things she had let come to pass. This she would make sure Namaari knew. That regardless of her status, her work, and everything that she had ever done to make herself into the person she was today; that she was proud of her.

Always, proud of her.

Namaari smiled then, knowing this was true.

“Thanks Mom.”

#rayamaari #rayamaari children #OC:Linh #OC:Chau #ratld #ratld au #raya and the last dragon #surviving kumandra city #SKC #raya x namaari #namaari x raya #princess raya #princess Namaari #chief virana #chief benja

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bookwyrminspiration · 1 year

Note

(If you’d like to answer this, this ask is primarily for after you’ve read Stellarlune, but contains no spoilers!)

I am having thoughts about Tam/Dex but I don’t even know why. Any thoughts or ideas?

Considering I was talking about tamex recently, this seems like an appropriately timed answer!

I've spoken about them before (you can find a couple posts in my pairings masterpost), and the thing I remember talking about most is their shared deviant status. They're both others, outsiders to their society's norms in similar ways: their birth. Dex as the son of a bad match expected to be talentless, and Tam as a multiple birth manifested as a shade. Their entire lives have been colored by that, albeit it through different experiences. It already gives them a common ground and view of the world to build future experiences off of.

I can't remember anything from Stellarlune off the top of my head where they particularly stood out (but I may be forgetting!), but that doesn't make them any less endearing. Actually, the dynamic of Tam defending Glimmer vs the rest of the group kinda reminds me of Sophie defending the Vackers to Dex in the first book. Perhaps from that Dex can be more open to her with time than some of the others, as he's already learned to trust who his friends trust. That is, of course, predicated on Dex considering Tam a friend. And also doesn't take into account the whole Neverseen thing and kidnapping

I do also find it interesting that at about the same time, Dex is suddenly a lot more concerned for his siblings while Tam's sibling relationship is strained. Dex has gone on about the frustrations of the triplets, but now a much more protective, worried side is taking over since Rex is talentless. Tam has fiercely guarded Linh, but now she's confident enough to protect herself and they're clashing. Dex and Tam are kinda switching roles at this point.

To get back to the point though, I think they both share solitude, and that makes for a good pairing. Dex won't try to protect Tam in an overbearing way, but would hold his own so Tam's not as aloof anymore, and Tam will pay attention in a way Dex benefits from without stifling him. I think they play off each other well, so I always enjoy thinking about them!

#kotlc #stellarlune spoilers #quil's queries #nonsie #tamex #i think they have fronts that would bash heads a bit at first as they grew closer #but once those were carefully lowered they could have a wonderful dynamic #a partnerships of equals #I do think they would better each other. not just saying that because it'd be cute #but I think they could genuinely learn from each other #long post

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linh-song · 3 years

Text

Unlocked was a gift. We FINALLY got character middle names, and Linh’s middle name was revealed to be Hai.

As most people have concluded, Hai is a pinyin romanization of the Chinese character “海” which translates to “ocean” or “sea” which makes complete sense, and is very fitting given Linh is a hydrokinetic.

However, since Chinese is a tonal language, “Hai” can represent a lot of different characters which all have different meanings*. In the case of Hai being 海 meaning ocean, the tone would be a third tone, “hǎi”.

But if you say Hai with the fourth tone, as “hài”, it’s usually “害” which means “destroy” “malevolent” or “calamity” among others. It has a very destructive connotation. (depending on the context it can even just straight up mean “evil”)

I find this interesting, not only because of the fact that Linh is The Girl Of Many Floods and has a record of flooding and destruction, but also because of a little snippet at the end of Linh’s registry file in Unlocked.

It also seems clear that we still haven’t seen the full extent of her power. Whether that power will lead to salvation (as it did in Atlantis) or widespread destruction (like Ravagog) is yet to be determined. But it’s highly likely that it could be both.

It might just be me, but at the time of reading that I found the conclusion to her registry file to be... somewhat foreshadowing? The final notes of the most of the other registry files also have a speculative question and end with some conclusion, but Linh’s really stuck out to me as feeling more declarative?

I have no idea is Shannon even knew that Hai could mean “destruction” as well as “ocean” when she chose that as Linh’s name, and if she did, if it’s just a nod at Linh’s sheer power and her past record of flooding and destroying, or if it could tie in with some future foreshadowing, but either way, it’s a neat little thing, and what I’m really saying is go crazy with your badass Linh and/or evil!Linh headcanons and theories-

*Basically, since the name has no tonal markings since it’s, well, an English book, it could be pronounced 4 different ways (but I guess they’d sound pretty similar to those who don’t speak the language-), and of those 4 pronunciations there are many characters with different meanings. Eg. from just the tone “hái” you can get “还” “孩” “骸”

#kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #linh song #unlocked #does this make sense???#bilingual skills go brrrrrrrrrrr #also fitz’s final note in his file also struck me as more declarative and kind of foreshadowing as well-#but anyways Linh is a badass and her middle name reflects that wonderfully and I love it #ah the double meaning is beautiful #OH OH YOU HAI CAN ALSO BE TRANSLATED TO 骸 WHICH MEANS SKELETON HAH DARK!LINH #and tam’s middle name dai can be translated to mean ‘idiot’ among other things-#don’t think that was what Shannon was going for for tam’s middle name but it’s still funny #this is all assuming that hai is the Chinese pinyin and not Hindi-#or Japanese for tam’s-#does anyone read these #eh #dm me ‘orange juice’ or smth if you made it this far

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three-gulons-in-a-trenchcoat · 3 years

Text

We Gon' Burn The Whole House Down

words: 1.4k

[Notes: ahhhh it's finally completed! this was actually a prompt I started first, forgot about it, lost motivation, and eventually came back too heh. I am proud of this one though]

Also: I would recommend listening to this song while reading this since it's what the story, as well as the title, is based on. For mobile users, or if the link isn't working, listen to Burn the House Down by AJR thanks!

*This Story Contains Spoilers For Unlocked*

“Keefe was right, you really haven’t decorated your room much.” Sophie glanced up from where she was rubbing Iggy's belly, the small (now blue and green) fluffball letting out a whine of dissatisfaction at her retreating fingers. “I guess I’ve just never had much time to decorate,” she sighed. Tam shrugged,” I guess I can’t complain, my room at Teirgans isn’t that decorated either.” He stared at the papers framed around the room, Keefe had gotten into the habit of giving his friends old pages from his sketchbooks, insisting that they were useless to him in his quest to find memories about his mom. His gaze lingered on a drawing of Luna and Silveny, curled up in the grass together. The mama alicorns head rested on top of her baby’s, both of their eyes closed as they dozed. Currently, the two alicorns were playing in the pastures with his sister. He was sure Wynn and Greyfell were there too.

Faint chatter echoed downstairs. The collective had gathered in Havenfield for another meeting. They've been having a lot of them lately.

Ever since Keefe left.

Sophie cleared her throat, looking away from the pictures. Her body felt heavy.

Tam seemed to notice her discomfort, and he turned to her, his eyes softening, “I’m sure he's alright.” He murmured.

Sophie resumed her scratching, Iggy's grumbling purrs filling the room, “I hope so.” she whispered.

The silence stretched on for a moment before Tam cleared his throat,“ This is a bit awkward isn't it?” he asked.

Sophie looked up, “What do you mean?”

Tam huffed slightly, and Sophie noticed how he shifted in the same spot, so she patted the bed. He hesitated for a moment before sitting down.

“I mean, I know we’re friends, but….” He trailed off.

Sophie understood, “I guess I haven’t been the best at including you and Linh huh?” she said.

It felt weird, she knew Tam, and she knew they both considered each other friends but, they barely talked to each other outside of Blackswan stuff, or when all of them were hanging out together.

Tam was only up here because he asked to see Keefe's artwork.

Tam nodded, “It’s partially my fault,” he grimaced, “If I hadn't joined with the Neverse-”

“Don’t say that.” Sophie said firmly, her eyes meeting his, “We all know it wasn’t your fault.”

Sophie knew he didn’t believe her. His eyes betrayed him. Unfortunately, she knew that guilt all too well.

The silence was back, and thicker than it was before.

“Have you ever listened to music?” Sophie found herself blurting. Her face ran hot, wishing she could take the words back. Of course, he could you idiot, her mind reprimanded, his family literally does that for a living.

Tam opened his mouth.

“Human music,” Sophie added quickly.

Tams mouth closed, “No, I haven't.”

“Do you want to?” Sophie offered.

Tam cocked his head, his eyes skittered around the room, “How?” he asked dumbly.

Sophie sat up, walking over to her dresser. She crouched down, reaching into the bottom drawer. It's not like it was illegal to have human items, In fact, the collective and Councilor Terik knew she had kept some human things with her when she came to the Lost Cities, but you could never be too sure.

She withdrew, holding her iPod and some earphones, “With these.”

Tam blinked as she walked back over, sitting down and plugging the earphones into the jack. He stared at the iPod curiously as Sophie turned it on.

“It’s human obviously,” Sophie explained, tapping the screen and opening her music. She smiled softly, it had been so long since she had listened to any of her songs.

“Are they human artists?” Tam asked, peering over her shoulder to look at the screen.

Sophie nodded, “A lot of human music is stored in this app so that people can listen to it from anywhere.”

Tam's eyes flashed with understanding, and Sophie handed him an earbud. He stared at it.

Sophie giggled slightly, pointing to her ear, “In here.”

The tips of his ears turned slightly red, and he looked down, “Right.” he mumbled sheepishly, placing the earbud in his ear slowly.

Sophie scrolled to her most recent playlist (recent meaning a couple of years Ago) and clicked on her most recent play.

She had only found this band when she was bored and homesick, scrolling through her recommended.

The song started almost immediately, and Tam’s brow furrowed, trying to understand the language.

Used to keep it cool

Used to be a fool

All about the bounce in my step

“It's in a human language,” Sophie explained.

Watch it on the news

Whatcha gonna do?

I could hit refresh and forget

Trumpets started in the background, following the beat of the song, and Tam relaxed slightly, “That kinda sounds like one of the instruments my mother uses.”

Granted, Sophie could understand the lyrics just fine, but she knew Tam couldn't. Even so, he seemed to like the beat as the song progressed, and she smiled lightly when she saw his head bobbing along with the music.

She noticed the song fading slightly, and her mood lightened, she had always been a fan of beat drops in songs, especially these ones.

…..Is that right?

The trumpets sang faster as the tempo picked up, and Tam's eyebrows raised slightly.

Lose

Mind

The beat dropped, and Tam's mouth gaped slightly. Sophie laughed softly at his expression. She had to admit when she had first listened to it, she had a pretty similar reaction. There was something about the distant drums and the background bass that really tied the whole song together.

We gon' burn the whole house down

Tam smiled, glancing up at Sophie, “What are they saying?” He asked, and Sophie noticed his foot tapping her carpet to the rhythm as well.

Sophie quoted the lyrics as they faded out, “We gon' burn the whole house down.”

Tam snickered, “Are humans a bunch of arsonists or something?”

Sophie laughed, “Some maybe, but these lyrics have a different meaning I think.”

Tam glanced down at the iPod, which was flashing lyrics, but not in a language he could understand.

Sophie was no singer, but she did want Tam to understand the song, so without meaning too, she began to quote the song as it continued.

“…Gawking at the tricks up your sleeve,” She said it quietly, and Tam looked up

“Are those the lyrics?” He asked.

Sophie nodded, continuing, “Too good to be true, But I'm in a room, Full of entertainers and thieves, Used to let it go.”

The trumpets picked up again, and Tam must have realized that the beat was about to drop again because he followed Sophie’s words slowly.

“Woah no,” Sophie smiled, moving her head in time with the lyrics as Tam copied her.

The two had turned to face each other, with Tam slowly mouthing the lyrics (A little bit off time-wise, but Sophie didn't blame him) And Sophie nodding along.

“Way up way up we go, been up and down that road, way up way up oh no,-” Sophie started.

“We gon' burn the whole house down.” A large grin broke out on Tam’s face, and Sophie found herself smiling with him. She had never heard him sing before, and it sounded nice. His voice was smooth and drifted slowly, almost like he was whispering the words instead of singing them.

They finished the song like that, with Tam slowly learning the repeating lyrics and timing and Sophie helping him out occasionally.

The song finished loudly, with the beat dropping one last time as the riff slowly faded out.

The grin stayed on Tam's face as he glanced back at the iPod.

“That was…nice.” He murmured, and Sophie gazed at him.

“I listen to human music sometimes, when I want to remember my old home.” Sophie said, looking down at the iPod, “Dex fixed it up so it's powered by sunlight too,”

Tam nodded, and he glanced back up, looking sheepish, “Are there maybe..more songs by them?”

“AJR?” Sophie questioned.

“Is that what they're called?” Tam asked, then nodded quickly, “Yeah, them.”

Sophie smiled, clicking right below the song and opening up the band's full list, her eyes widened slightly, “There are more since I last listened to them.” She said.

“How many?” Tam asked, leaning over.

“About 60.” She murmured.

Tam shrugged, and then he smirked, “Can we listen to all of them?”

Sophie smiled back, laughing slightly, “Sure.”

#sotam #sotam platonic #sophie foster #tam song #kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #unlocked spoilers #ask #ask me anything #prompts #writing prompts #kotlcfanfic #kotlc fanfiction

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