#all the takes about how consensual the golden core's transfer is | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

admirableadmiranda · 2 years

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hi, hope you're doing well! so, i'm a bit confused about wwx being morally ideal vx morally gray esp when you take the golden core transfer into account? it's not exactly consensual considering the fact that wwx lied to jc. additionally, how was jc abusive to wwx or jl? idk i feel a lot of the anti jc arguments involve things he didn't do?

Thank you anon, I appreciate the well wishes. In fact, I am doing very well in part because your ask has made me realize my work against Jiang Cheng stans and their nonsense has not ended.

To all reading this, I am well aware this is a bad faith ask. This is specifically written in a way to annoy me especially given my usual reblog topics and some of the metas I've written before. Anon knows exactly what they're doing.

But too bad for them it's a Friday fucking night and I'm ready for an argument. Come at me stans, we'll see who's better in a slap fight.

You are right! Many of our arguments do include things he doesn't do. Let's go over some of them, shall we?

He does not: treat anyone in this story with respect.

He does not: uphold the tenants or ideals of Yunmeng Jiang in any way. He is a disgrace to his ancestors.

He does not: ever show one lick of gratitude for Wei Wuxian getting him back a golden core, and before we go into the consent shit he told Wei Wuxian he would do anything to get one. He willingly gave his consent to do anything to get a golden core. So how is it relevant that in the end it was a different method than Wei Wuxian told him? Given how Jiang Cheng treated him knowing that he only had a golden core because of a once in a lifetime favor, him knowing that Wei Wuxian gave him his own golden core would not have gone over any better.

He does not: tell Jin Ling any of the truth about his parents or what happened. He told Jin Ling that Wen Ning (who was supposedly already dead at that point) murdered his mother on Wei Wuxian's orders.

He does not: show any signs of humility upon being confronted with the fact that he is wrong, in fact he doubles down on his actions.

He does not: support Wei Wuxian in any way especially not when Wei Wuxian is busy fulfilling his debt to the Wens, in fact he makes sure to bury Wei Wuxian's name and reputation as gratitude for taking on his debts and allowing him to stay out of jianghu politics.

He does not: ever show any signs of character growth outside of one possible blip where he lets Wei Wuxian go at the end of the Guanyin Temple Hostage party, if anything he's more bitter and angry at the end of the story then he started.

He does not: do anything to deserve the whitewashing he gets from the fandom.

He does not: endear himself to me with his whiny petulant spoiled child attitude.

He does not get to get a jail out of free card for serial killing anyone who reminds him of Wei Wuxian after leading the massacre of fifty innocents including an old woman and a toddler.

Oh and just for a note as well anon, not only does he slap Jin Ling to the ground twice, but verbal abuse is also a real thing and that he heaps on Wei Wuxian and Jin Ling in spades. So kindly take your abuse apologism out of my inbox and out of my fandom. You are not welcome here.

#mdzs #jiang cheng #canon jiang cheng #asks #anon #anon asks #anon is trying to abuse apologize #and you do not get away with that on this blog #thank you and good night

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grewlikefancyflowers · 3 years

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Something something about WWX being kinky because of the painful and unimaginable things that have been done to his body without his consent during his first life (from the dogs in his childhood to YZY’s punishment, to whatever happened in those three months alone in the BM and being eaten alive at the end) and how he wants to give control to someone he knows will never hurt him and only wants the best for him to turn pain into something good to erase all the bad pain he’s experienced but drawing a line at spanking bc it’s the only thing no one did to him on his first life so he sees it as the only pride he was able to save 👨‍🍳💋

Hello anon, I'm very lukewarm on this take, and I don't think it really aligns with how both WWX and LWJ are presented in canon for several reasons.

First off, post-canon wangxian are having fun with their sex life !!! Why make it angsty? Why can they simply not be kinky without needing some tragic backstory or trauma to justify it?

This idea of WWX needing to reconcile or process the things he's experienced doesn't really ring to true to his character either - one of his defining traits is that he doesn't fixate on the past like that. Following on from that, out of everything WWX has experienced throughout his two lives, I would not say pain itself has much of a lasting effect on WWX. He has never been fearful of, or severely affected by pain.

Looking at the way WWX looks back on some of the painful things he's experienced, such as when he recalls the golden core transfer in Ch.103 (the whole passage is just a bit long to paste in here), he never even thinks about how painful it was.

We can also possibly see this in how he recalls YZY's treatment of him -

'But, to be honest, in all these years, I’ve never seen a second woman whose temper was as bad as Madam Yu’s. She told me to go to the ancestral hall and kneel no matter how small the matter was. Hahaha…”

But, apart from this, Madam Yu had never really done anything to harm him.' (Ch.87, exr)

It can be said that there are some other things at play here - WWX's very questionable memory, his tendency to view the Jiangs through rose tinted glasses combined with a typical instinct to remember the dead more fondly than they were in actuality. But regardless, I think WWX's focus on this tells us a lot about him, the physical pain YZY inflicted on him isn't what stays with him, but rather her temper itself, that she'd take issue with WWX over any insignificant thing, for no real reason.

WWX's comments throughout the Lotus Seed Pod extra reflect this as well. He never takes any particular note of the pain he's experienced from YZY whipping him, or the lotus lake owner beating him, instead he says

'“It’s not fair! Why do you only hit me! Why is it only me again!”'

and

'He felt his back, covered in scars both old and new, and still couldn’t hold back the question he’d be thinking about, “How awfully unfair. Why is it that I’m the only one who gets beaten up, whenever something happens?”'

Clearly what WWX takes from these experiences isn't the pain, but rather the inherent unfairness of it. So I think it's pretty far off base to suppose that WWX needs to come to terms with this pain post-canon, when it wasn't even what bothered him at the time.

The only experience that WWX seems to be affected by due to pain specifically is dogs biting him. Ironically, I guess? biting is one of the things LWJ does more than once to WWX, without his consent, before they have even established a relationship. WWX was extremely freaked out in Ch.54 when LWJ bit him, he also makes the comparison to LWJ biting him like a dog himself, and does so when LWJ bites him in Ch.93, and Ch.95.

It's a bit of a weird line to draw from 'LWJ canonically bites WWX out of nowhere without consent or negotiation, in a way that does specifically reminds him of past trauma'* to 'WX engage in pain/biting play consensually to help WWX reconcile with past trauma in a safe environment... with someone he knows would never hurt him like that without his consent.' :?

*(Before anyone accuses me of pissing on the poor, I'm not saying LWJ is ~traumatising WWX by biting him like a dog~ or anything like that. I'm just saying WX's kink progression is messy and not at all defined by any careful negotiation or consent.)

I also think this interpretation does quite a disservice to LWJ's role in their relationship. He's a character who is known for careful self restraint, but has very intense desires that he keeps hidden for much of his life. Until he and WWX get together, and WWX tells him he can 'do anything he wants to [him]' and 'don't hold back'.

A key feature of their relationship, that we see throughout MDZS, is this lack of enforced boundaries, not the careful setting of them.

Onto the part about spanking, which I guess is probably what prompted this ask...

To start with, while I do think that the it's as simple as WWX disliking it & LWJ never doing it again interpretation is completely valid, and is cute and cathartic in its own way. WWX's reaction to it is very deliberately ambiguous, to varying degrees depending on what translation you're reading. I'm using these three x x x as reference.

What is consistent is that while WWX does feel ashamed and embarrassed, he also does feel pleasure from it, enough so that he does come untouched.

Aside from that, WWX's reaction to being spanked can be compared in pretty interesting ways to his reactions to other things LWJ does to him.

For example, when LWJ bites him in Xuanwu Cave, I've bolded the parts that are particularly relevant -

'Lan WangJi glanced at him, who seemed to forget all past pain as soon as the wounds had healed. Just as Wei WuXian was about to give him a large grin, he suddenly saw Lan WangJi lower his head.

Wei WuXian wailed, “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh stop!!! Stop stop stop!!!!!!”

Lan WangJi was buried into the crescent of his elbow, biting firmly into his arm. Hearing Wei WuXian, not only did he not stop, his teeth sunk deeper inside.

Wei WuXian, “Are you gonna stop?!?! I’ll kick you if you don’t! Don’t think that I won’t kick you just because you’re injured!!!!!!”

Wei WuXian, “Stop biting! Stop biting! I’ll go away! I’ll go away!!! I’ll go away, I’ll go away if you stop, I’ll go away!!!!!!”

Wei WuXian, “Lan Zhan you’re mad today!!!!!! You’re a dog!!! You’re a dog!!!!!!!! Stop biting!!!!”

When Lan WangJi had finally finished his fit and felt satisfied, Wei WuXian sprang up and scrambled to the other side of the cave, “Don’t come over!”

...

Wei WuXian glanced at the bite marks on his arm and squatted down, still shaken. Curled up in the corner, he continued to poke at the flames, not at all comprehending the situation, How could Lan Zhan do this? ... Don’t tell me that… that I’m really as annoying as Jiang Cheng makes it to be?!

Just as he was doubting himself, Lan WangJi spoke up, “Thanks.”

...

Wei WuXian was so delighted that he couldn’t help but want to move over again. He was the type of person who loved to be shoulder-to-shoulder with others, but the slight pain from the bite marks on his arm reminded him that Lan Zhan had just thrown a fit a moment ago, and maybe he’d be at it again just a moment later.

He gained control over himself at once.'

Firstly, WWX's frequent habit of 'forgetting the pain once the wound has healed' - when LWJ bites him, his reaction is severe enough that he actually does stop himself from going over to LWJ, for fear of being bitten again. Post-spankpocalypse, however - 'In the dream, Wei Wuxian’s flirting came back and hit him in the ass; but seeing this upright, self-contained Lan Wangji upon waking, he couldn’t stop himself from starting to joke around.' In response, LWJ 'swatted his ass, just enough to be playful.' (dragongirlg's tl)

So it seems that how WWX felt about being spanked was far less extreme than how he felt about being bitten...

Looking at WWX's reactions when LWJ bites him in Ch.93 and Ch.95, he is similarly not exactly pleased by it, comparing him to dogs. Both times LWJ does not stop when WWX protests.

'And one of Wei WuXian’s fingers was already caught within his mouth [...] “…” Wei WuXian, “Open your mouth.” [...] Leaning forward slightly, he moved his teeth from the first knuckle to the second. He bit down even harder. Wei WuXian, “Ow!” [...] The bite made his hair rise. Anything that bit made him think of dogs, and his hair rose whenever he thought of dogs.' (Ch.93)

'Suddenly, he exclaimed with an ‘ah.’ ... Opening his eyes, he wiped a tinge of blood from his lips as he scolded, “Lan Zhan! Why are you biting like a dog again?!” ... Lan WangJi responded with another bite. Sore from all the biting and sucking, Wei WuXian frowned.' (Ch.95)

Sooo... WWX allows LWJ to bite him after they are together, after having an initially far stronger reaction to it than he did being spanked, after LWJ simply ignores all his complaints about it!

There are also parallels between WWX's reaction being spanked and when LWJ carries him in Qinghe.

WWX's initial reservations about LWJ carrying him are because he thinks it would be shameful and embarrassing for a grown man to be carried like that. As we know, LWJ does it anyway, WWX reacts like this -

'Wei Wuxian had never expected that this was the consequence of saying “no”. In both his previous and current lifetimes, this was the first time that anyone had treated him this way. He cried out in fear, “Lan Zhan!!!”' (Ch.25, TW translation)

Which immediately makes me think of WWX's 'My whole life, no one has treated me like that!' after being spanked in Ch.119

As I've mentioned in this post before, that phrasing was added to chapter 25 during the edits of MDZS, in a scene that is otherwise largely unchanged, so I don't think it is coincidental.

So once again we have LWJ doing something to WWX without his consent, WWX expresses some almost terrified disbelief that he could be treated like that, but as with being bitten, we know that WWX ends up liking being carried by LWJ anyway.

That line is also repeated right at the end of Ch.119, with a completely different tone...

'With three nights of toil, he felt the fatigue slowly rise. Wei WuXian couldn’t keep going either. He snuggled into Lan WangJi’s arms again and mumbled, “Nobody had ever treated me like this…”

Lan WangJi stroked his hair and landed a kiss on his forehead. Shaking his head, he smiled.' (exr)

While the initial 'no one has ever treated me like this' is alarmed, the second sounds... softer, somewhat disbelieving, but almost accepting? And LWJ shakes his head fondly, something he does at other points throughout MDZS when WWX is being silly. Overall the final tone here isn't really one that fits with the idea of WWX having a boundary crossed in a way that he associates with past trauma.

Also, the version dragongirlg translated is slightly different to exr's -

'My whole life, no one has treated me like that! I’m telling you, you can do what you want, but don’t hit me! And especially don’t hit my…!”

Lan Wangji pulled him back to the couch. “I won’t hit you. Rest now.”'

Compared to exr's

'“Nobody had ever treated me like this!!! In the future you’re not allowed to this either. Really, if you wanna fuck me then do it, I’ll open my legs and let you do whatever you want—just don’t hit me!!”

Lan WangJi pulled him back onto the bed, “I will not.”'

The lack of 'in the future...' in the former tl leans more towards WWX's reaction being a purely in the moment thing. The 'I won’t hit you. Rest now' makes it sound like a less serious placation, which aligns more with the tone at the very end of the chapter.

When taking all of the above into account, I don't think, as is the case with most things in MDZS, that what happened in incense burner 2 is really as simple as a surface level reading might suggest. While WWX has secured his promise for now for LWJ to never do it again, I also think its entirely possible, or likely, that WWX will 'forget the pain as soon as the wound has healed' and tease LWJ into doing it again. In fact I firmly believe it happens.

#mdzs #50/50 whether this'll show up in the tags because of ns/fw filters #tbh when i first read ch.119 and wwx reacted like that i was like m8 are you sure??? but i accepted it.#but after rereading mdzs.... several times i have concluded that no. wwx is not sure #this is my 2000 word thesis to support the title of my blog #the thing is with wangxian is that wwx just never learns his lesson.. lwj will do something that he 'hates so much !!!'#but then wwx will just go and do the same thing to make lwj do it again....#wwx's whole tag line when it comes to lwj is how he 'always forgets the pain as soon as the wound is healed'#just like with the silencing spell during the library punishment during the cr arc.. wwx went in there everyday knowing full well that as #soon as he opened his mouth lwj would silence him and he simply did it anyway !!!!#and is demonstrably something that wwx actually has a kink for..

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magpiefngrl · 3 years

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Do you think people taking issue with the noncon/consent exploration in mdzs are people who mainly read fanfiction? I'm wondering because I've recently read both atonement and the world according to garp and I found both interesting and good reads even when I morally disagreed with the main characters actions or opinions, whereas in fanfiction I often look for 'canon fix its'. All my favorite mdzs fics are about people making amends. Maybe for some reason people want mdzs to be an explicitly queer fanfic version of the untamed? Idk, I think what I really want is to read a full-blown thesis on fandoms

Hi anon and apologies for my late reply.

The short answer: I don't know. I have to say, first, that I'm mainly on the periphery of the mdzs/cql fandoms (who congregate on twitter), I haven't made many new fandom pals, and I keep seeing posts about drama that has happened somewhere somewhen but never the actual drama. I keep missing all the wank lol (seriously, tho: fandom wank can be very illuminating as to the attitudes of the fanbase)

In short, I'm not very knowledgeable as to the prevalent fandom mentality and why people might complain about the consent issues, but if I were to make some assumptions, this is what they'd be:

Firstly, the topic itself. Consent is a sensitive topic, it's a huge trigger for many, and it's understandable that some people don't want to read wangxian's con noncon kink or a dub con kiss or anything similar. Which is perfectly fine, they should stop reading a narrative that explores consent throughout in order to keep themselves safe.

But my gut tells me that you're right, though, in that many of the people kicking up a fuss about the consent issues of mdzs are mostly people who came from cql; in other words, people who have watched the subtle version of wangxian romance, and are used to fanfic or published romance novels like Carry On etc, and expect something similar. They expect romance. Porn. The kind of sex you read in fanfic or in the romance novel section of KU, which is meant to arouse and titillate. When I began reading MXTX's novels, I also initially assumed they'd be like fanfics: a story with a canonically queer pairing posted on internet? It was also my own assumption, come to think of it.

From what I've seen, the romance is the key re: consent (the dub con kiss, the incense burner extra etc) because few, if any, have made similar complaints about the non-consensual golden core transfer, which is the only massively and unarguably noncon instance in the whole series. I've seen excellent meta about it, but not the vehement reactions and hate that the sex scenes have gathered.

The number of fans who began reading danmei recently (and I'm including myself here) must have quadrupled since the success of cql. It's a niche, very niche genre that became almost mainstream, and of course there'd be friction. The success of cql plus other adaptations brought a lot of people that prob wouldn't read danmei or enjoy it. Which is fine to not want to read it, it's fine to dislike the genre, as it's fine to explore new genres and discover new things but many fans, imo, came with the expectations mentioned above. That it's cql but with hot sex. Fans of the novel mdzs are (I'm speculating) people who are comfortable with a highly nuanced book about many weighty themes incl. consent, and prob read similar books which all seem to feature hugely messed up characters and grey morality and be angsty af, so I'd be surprised if the original danmei fans were the ones complaining about a rape fantasy in an extra.

As for wanting to see different things in fanfic, well, that's what fic does, isn't it? It's pure wish fulfillment. You write about the ship you think should be together, or happy endings for the ship that didn't get one, or the yunmeng siblings reconciliation that we all wished we'd see, or Wen Qing being alive etc. It's what we didn't get. I love reading this in fics but I also loved the actual canon story. If I read books that remind me of fanfic (in that everything is neat and orderly and people are being their Best Selves and make few, understandable mistakes for which they immediately apologise), I don't actually enjoy them. I relish the Atonement angst (read this ages ago; should give it a reread), but if I were to read Atonement fanfic, I'd like a happy ending, you know? I get different things from fic than I do from novels, but a lot of people read only fanfic and perhaps they think that's how stories are.

I've rambled on and on. As I've said, I am just a lurker in this fandom. I assume others might have a better understanding of why people have whined so much about the noncon elements of a novel nobody forced them to read. (i'm being salty bc most of the times people complained about this they were also incredibly dismissive towards the author and the genre to the point of coming across as culturally insensitive and racist. Lots of bad faith takes, basically.)

I'm also fascinated by fandom ecosystems---I'd love to read a good thesis on the mdzs/cql fandom too.

#inbox #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #consent issues #tw rape fantasy #just to be safe

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icy-warden · 5 years

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Worse than death

Content warnings: Blood and Injury; Non-Consensual Body Modification; Panic Attacks; Mind Manipulation; Memory Alteration; Alternate Universe - Dystopia; Cyberpunk

On AO3 - prompt Death for Zevraholics Anonymous October Challenge 2019

"You shouldn't do that," Vergil rasps, pushing the blade a millimeter further, watching the black fabric at Zevran's throat work under it, as he tries not to squirm. Golden eyes are alert and sharp, staring straight into Vergil’s. Still, it doesn't stop Zevran from throwing Vergil a cheeky smile.

"Wouldn't be fun otherwise."

Vergil looks at him for a moment longer, amber gaze darkening, and he's stepping away with a huff.

"Your part is done, yes?" Vergil asks curtly, sheathing his blade back at his hip in one smooth move, scanning their surroundings briefly, before he looks back at Zevran. A freelancer, he calls himself, often hired for shady missions like this one. Grey Wardens aren't picky with allies, as long as the money do the talking.

Zevran sighs dramatically with mumbled "work, work, work" as he procures few cores, relatively clean from fluids. Androids don't bleed after all, but the mess around them would beg to differ. Broken parts are scattered across the room, some cut clean by Vergil's blade, some scorched by the blaster he used. He scrunches up his nose at the crunch from under his boot, the smaller pieces of the artificial arm. Damaged synthetic skin smells like the rubber of burnt cables. There are some sparks here and there, lightning up the shadows and reflecting in spilled fluids. There's only one human among the carnage, now lying in unmoving heap among her charges. Vergil was quick with this one, giving her a clean death. He doesn't like pointless violence, going after his targets in orderly fashion. But the droids here didn't make it easy on him, slowing him down when he went after the woman, fighting him as they were protecting her, fighting to harm and stop him.

Abnormal behaviour.

They shouldn't attack him. Shouldn't, if they weren't programmed this way on purpose, so the woman's blame was evident in her creations. Learning AI's are forbidden for a reason.

Nevermind. They were targets and GW wanted them gone along with any data they could obtain.

"The other room?"

"It's clean. Now what about a drink or two?"

Zevran's careful with voicing what he'd like to do with him beside the drinks, as they're on monitored comms, and his words don't sound as suggestive as the impish grin on his full lips.

"Don't push your luck," Vergil drawls, though he lets his eyes to roam Zevran's form in far less innocent way. Zevran's grin widens.

"Oh, but I wouldn't mind a little push from you, Commander," he purrs, preposterously batting his eyelashes and Vergil blinks, fighting a bizzare urge to smile.

And after they wrap the things there, and Vergi's sure to drop the data and brief report, they spend the rest of the night drinking and fucking, like they usually do after a mission together. Using the restless energy in the competition full of mutual pleasure, sharing moments of breathless bliss and leaving temporary marks.

It's a pattern, but it's fleeting and Vergil indulges himself in the now. Immensely and without regret.

/////

Months, and few more shared missions later, they find the time for a meeting without being on a job earlier. Both are out of uniforms, wearing something casual and suitable for the place. Vergil finds himself enjoying the banter over shared meal, unhurried and oddly intimate, like they have all time in the world. He gets to know Zevran from different side and is pleasantly surprised to find that they seem to be compatibile outside their usual settings, joined targets and quick trysts to celebrate the success.

It's dangerous and foolish to seek this out. To chase more of what they have.

But.

Zevran's company helps him unwind a little, and he doesn't mind to let his guard down a bit more. Sharing few drinks, talking about everything, sometimes related to their jobs, but not overly detailed, as it's not so wise to do so in public – it's intriguing. Something in him stirrs, when he looks at clever and warm golden eyes, listening to some high tale full of lies and hidden truths, and picks them apart with well pointed questions, and Vergil sees how amused smirk stretches Zevran's lips and how much he seems to enjoy their little battle of wits. He's content.

And he'd like to do it again.

/////

Blood.

On his hands.

He looks at them, breath short, painful. Choked.

Knees buckle under him, he goes down hard, arms barely protecting the fall.

His chest explodes in agony, his head cracks on the concrete and he sees white and black for a moment and his eyes water, everything blurs when he tries to take a breath, but his own lungs suffocate him, blood filling his thorat in mouthfuls of thick liquid. And he thinks he hears someone shouting and there's flurry of movement, flashes of light and he tries to see, blinking out the fog.

It doesn't stop the pain, he's drowning and can't breathe and wants to bring his hands to his wound to stop it, do something, grasp the life leaking out of the hole in his chest-

But, his hands, he doesn't feel them. He fights for air, struggles for it as panic ultimately overwhelms him and urges him to breathe when he can't and it sends the spikes of heavy, burn-like cramps and more blood, but no air. There is someone talking golden eyes peering into his and an urgent voice and he wants to say something-

help me

But what comes out is a gurgle and another choke, and the black is seeping into his vision. A roar in his head and all he sees is-

Nothing at all.

/////

First time they boot him up, there's a moment of confused recognition, then Vergil proceeds to demolish half of the lab and severly injures two people from the staff. It takes way too long before they are able to shut him down, and it only takes one four-people squad and using the emergency turn off switch. The failure is written off as a "most likely a shock of organic mind adapting to new body parameters."

Second time they are much more careful, as Vergil's cautiously strapped to the lab table and left alone, avidly monitored by cameras and lab staff, standing behind thick, bulletproof windows. But this time, he lies there without life, distant eyes gazing into nothing.

Unmoving and still like a corpse.

And after two days of him not reacting to any stimuli, they decide to cut the power off – they learnt from the first time not to equip the body with independent battery and kept him on external power supply. The summary of the report says "catatonia caused by possible damage to consciousness during data transfer, further work is recommended to solve the process of unlocking awareness successfully."

Third time is similar to the second one, with Vergil being silent and unresponsive, until he starts to wail, the inhuman sound of his cries resonating with such deep grief and so disturbing in it's intensity, that most of the staff is horrified by it. The mumbled, broken words of "I can't feel it" repeated in between the heavy, dry sobs. This, and the failure to communicate were the final arguments to scrap down the experiment and shut it down.

The transfer visibly failed and the subject spiralled into madness. Some thought it a disappointment, some a mercy. After all, they tried to prevent a great mind from vanishing along with it's organic body, and now they had to block it completely.

GW has no use of insane Commander.

But there's always a use for an operational android.

/////

The operation parameters are clear. Find and collect the data about the source of black market's cybernetics parts.

V3R61L is an infiltrator, GW's elite android and the mission goes smoothly until it doesn't.

He pulls out the mission status, storing the obtained information for later, to send it to his handler. He's detected and has to act fast. As he was sent alone, he can only send a part of his mission report. Someone would find the distress signal. He's monitored constantly. GW will send an operative to secure his unit, if he'd have to hide for longer and wouldn't be able to be back on his own.

System malfunctions

Left arm unresponsive

Multiple error messages

V3R61L runs.

Runs away from the warehouse, from the trap he fell into. His parameters urge him to protect the data he collected at all cost. Destroy any, who stands in his way if needed, but keep the data protected. Retreat, if it is the best strategy.

He's heavily damaged and is slowing down, his vision giving him much more information, than unmodded human sight would. His pursuers are mostly organic, human, with few lesser cyber-enchantments. V3R61L plans on using that, but still they could outrun him, as they are better acquaintanced with the terrain. It has V3R61L in deep disatvantage.

The scattered lights from neons on buildings reflect in the rain puddles. Some of the night dwellers are standing near bar entrances, talking loudly, busy in their own affairs, puffing away the smoke along with the clouds of breaths visible in the chill, damp air. V3R61L avoids staying in the light, quickly calculating the best route allowing him to disappear, preferring to use the darkness of dirty alleys. He stumbles when one of the servos in his left knee malfunctions and he loses his balance, crashing into the wall. Still, after he goes down he uses his right arm to push himself up, and when the alarms of errors almost make his system shut down, his vision swimming in pulsing red lines of the code, broken in places-

Abnormal behaviour detected

Immediately contact the nearest GW station

Temporary shut down recommended

V3R61L blinks and closes down some of the overlapping messages, switching into sole mode, testing left leg, as he starts crawling forward through the dirt and puddles. It's too close to people, and to allow himself to be detected if he shuts down is out of the question. He has to hide and wait for the distress signal to reach the headquarters. There's a distant noise in his head, one he can't find the source of and a faint taste of copper in the back of his throat.

And that makes him pause, as he can't exactly feel a taste he is now, as V3R61L's body isn't adjusted to such parameters. V3R61L doesn't need to mimic all human factors to function properly.

The broken line of code appears again. He's disoriented by it and falters mid-crawl, stops moving for a moment. There's a shout near the entrance of the alley and he opens his eyes,

(when did he close them?)

turns on his side to glue himself into the wall beside him, freezes to make himself an insignificant object. One more yell and there are hurried steps, going from the alleymouth and fading into other noises, muffled. V3R61L analyzes the situation and almost resumes the crawling, when the broken line vanishes and appears again, immobilizing him and he opens his mouth with a human like gasp, when the taste of copper intensifies. The system goes erratic and there are some flashes of what he was running from, warehouse full of humans and androids, all of them working together carrying crates from one place to the other, as he was waiting in the shadows, for an opportune moment to strike at the so-called leader, when all went wrong.

How it went so horribly wrong?

Someone, something saw him,

(and they simply shouldn't, his cloaking is the best of the best GW equipped V3R61L with)

he had to move and undetect himself, and there was so much chaos, his cameras probably didn't catch everything, his body caught in fight with both humans and androids, some heavy machines working in warehouse, he slashed and fired and injured some humans,

(not kill, he wasn't ordered to kill)

at some point he was tossed and got his arm crushed by falling crates, then he decided to run with what he had. Only to be stopped by a man with golden hair and golden eyes who freezed when he looked at him with ashen face and faint whisper of "Vergil?" falling from his lips, and something in V3R61L's system went override as the line in his code just broke, the urge to follow "flight" protocols overwhelming any other orders.

It, the broken code made him-

V3R61L's arm falters and he lurches into the puddle, side of his mouth and nose full of dirt water and he has a mouthful of it before the copper taste intensifies, the broken red line imprinting into his artificial retinas and his system finally shuts down.

/////

Green eyes appear in its,

(his)

vision. There's a wrinkle in between blond brows, eyes squinted deep in concentration, strands of fair hair falling into them and the man huffs an irritated breath and they flutter away only to be back stubbornly. The man holds the piece of thin wire, connecting it somewhere lower, where V3R61L can't see without moving his head for a better angle.

He stays quiet, assesing the situation, taking in the surroundings. The place's cluttered with all kind of equipment and parts, lowly lit but with enough workspace. There's a soft curse and a silent shot of burnt circuit and V3R61L's body twitches few times, but not hard enough to topple him forward, because he's propped standing on some kind of custom low workbench. But his eyes flutter to open fully and as soon as the spasms are over there's a hand on V3R61L's chest.

V3R61L can feel the pressure of it, and the warmth of a regular human being, his system seeming to work as it should.

"I'm sorry about this," is whispered with a sigh and the blond head's back in his sight and green eyes widen a bit when they see V3R61L's own eyes staring back.

"Can you hear me?"

He doesn't answer, gaze unwavering and after few moments the hopeful glint in the green eyes starts to dim. "It's okay, I'll fix this." There's a small, sad smile on a face full of freckles, a hint of determination in his soft voice and V3R61L closes his eyes. The lines of code are full of red, but V3R61L's focus stays on the man's work.

V3R61L will let himself be repaired before he acts.

#Zevran #Vergil Surana #Aether #dragon age #dragon age fanfiction #WardenTxt #androidAU

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cryptswahili · 5 years

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Top 10 Cryptocurrencies to Invest in 2019

The crypto markets continue to suffer after a prolonged “Crypto Winter”. But many think that the golden age of blockchain and cryptocurrency is yet to come. We’ve seen incredible technological developments during 2018, even if crypto prices did not follow suit. Sooner or later, some of these blockchain projects are going to break through, and investors who hold these digital coins and tokens are going to reap their reward.

Here are our top 10 picks for the best cryptocurrencies to invest in during 2019. Some of these are old favorites, and some relative newcomers. No one can predict the future, but we hope that anyone with these coins in their portfolio will have good luck in investing during 2019.

1. NEO (NEO)

NEO was one of the most hyped crypto tokens of 2017, but it has fallen off more than 90% from its all time high price. Fortunately for NEO holders, this is where the bad news stops. NEO boasts some top quality Dapps (more on this later), what may be the best consensus mechanism in the blockchain industry (Delegated Byzantine Fault Tolerance beats out Bitcoin’s Proof-of-Work, according to some experts), and a high-return economic model (free NEO GAS for every NEO token an investor owns). All of these factors come together to make this one of the best cryptocurrencies to invest in.

Great interview with $NEO co-founder/key developer Erik Zhang about #Neo’s future and how it truly will be the Smart Economy. The article is not really about why $ETH will surpass $BTC. Neo holds great value IMO. Good to hear Erik working tirelessly on Neo! https://t.co/X4bvXG0SnX

— ART_4_CRYPTO (@art4crypto) January 15, 2019

At its height, one NEO token sold for more than $200 on some exchanges. Today, the same token will sell for less than $10. With tons of interest and development mounting behind “the Ethereum of China”, NEO may be poised to move to the head of the pack, even beyond Asia. Already faster and more scalable than Ethereum, NEO is definitely one of the two or three best smart contract platforms on the planet. We can’t give formal financial advice, but buying NEO, at these prices, could represent one of the best investment possibilities of 2019 so far.

2. Raiden (RDN)

Raiden is a second-layer solution for Ethereum. If that doesn’t make sense, think of it as Ethereum’s version of Bitcoin’s Lightning Network. If that still doesn’t make sense, it could be said that Raiden helps speed up Ethereum by taking some of its traffic. Users can fund Raiden nodes with Ether ETH, then use it to make payments and complete other transactions by sending the funds to other Raiden nodes. Ethereum doesn’t have to do any work to make these connections, taking lots of pressure off the Ethereum blockchain while Ethereum developers look for other scaling solutions.

Raiden RDN is the token used on the Raiden system, and it is way down in price since its all time high in January or last year. Despite all of the declining price action, Raiden development activity remains white hot. In fact, Raiden has more Github development activity than most other blockchains. Even though Raiden isn’t on the radar of many investors, there are few projects out there with a more committed developer base. Furthermore, if you believe in Ethereum, chances are you see the value in a strong second layer solution for the world’s largest smart contract platform. Do yourself a favor and research Raiden. You might find it fills an important gap in your cryptocurrency investment portfolio. You may also ask yourself, “should I invest in Ethereum?” Stay tuned for more on that topic.

3. ICON (ICX)

ICON has been called South Korea’s Ethereum, and the analogy isn’t unfounded. Like Ethereum, ICON allows developers to create smart contracts on their blockchain. However, ICON is more focused on development within South Korea (even though it does have international ambitions). ICON works primarily to connect institutions within South Korea, for reduced friction in financial and data transfer. They also have many consumer-facing applications in their growing Dapp list. However, lest you think that ICON doesn’t look beyond its national borders, the company has recently opened up offices in San Francisco and Singapore, where its focus will be both B2B and B2C.

Very nice, #ICON‘s DEX, scheduled and confirmed to be released in Q4 2017, is now expected for Q1-2 2019 in this exciting news. Keep up the great work! $ICX

And keep up with the great work, @wbm_97, expecting the reward?

— Microoo (@HuMicro) January 18, 2019

ICON development has slowed somewhat in the sustained crypto market downturn, but it has never ceased entirely. With renewed market interest has come increased activity from ICON core. Still down more than 90% from all time high, ICON ICX could represent an incredible opportunity. Not only will it facilitate exciting applications, users in South Korea can already buy ICON at physical ICON ATMs, for use as digital cash. ICON needs to hunker down and build on its promise, but it’s a project we still believe in. With the price down more than 90% from ATH, this is one of the best cryptocurrencies to invest in today.

4. ARK (ARK)

The so-called “WordPress of Blockchain” has done a ton of development during the 2018 market downturn. ARK is a blockchain ecosystem with many functions, but perhaps its most important is its “point, click, blockchain” initiative. ARK wants anyone to be able to be able to create their own blockchain and/or digital token with the push of a button, just like people can create their own website with ease using WordPress.

ARK also allows for interoperability between blockchains. Want to create an application that performs functions on Ethereum and Bitcoin at the same time? ARK can do that. ARK connects the best cryptocurrencies, and is one of the best cryptocurrencies to invest in in its own right.

in the coming months, ARK will also add smart contract functionality, so that people can develop complex dapps on the ARK blockchain itself. ARK is incorporated in France, and despite seeing many other smart contract platforms decline in recent months, development has neither ceased nor slowed.

ARK investors get great paybacks for staking coins, with annual returns hovering somewhere near 9%. ARK may not be the biggest or flashiest blockchain project, but they have great products and a solid governance/economic model (abuse-resistant Delegated Proof of Stake). Also boasting one of the best communities in the industry, ARK has an integrity that is very attractive in the flaky world of blockchain startups.

5. Ethereum (ETH)

You didn’t think we’d complete an investment list without mentioning Ethereum ETH, did you? Despite a miserable price year in 2018, Ethereum remains the world’s most developed blockchain. ETH has more developer talent working on its myriad functions than any other project, Bitcoin included.

#Ethereum update going live pic.twitter.com/F9AcKpeMMQ

— Crypto Community (@crypto_promos) January 20, 2019

Despite delays, arguments over new features, and a price in the absolute toilet, Ethereum is forging ahead, following the vision laid out by visionary leader Vitalik Buterin. So much has already been said about Ethereum, it hardly bears mentioning here. If you want to buy ETH, do your own research and seriously consider investing while the price is still low! ETH is digital cash, and so much more. No matter what you use it for, it’s one of the best cryptocurrencies to invest in.

6. Ripple (XRP)

People love to hate on Ripple. And Ripple just keeps on growing. XRP unapologetically appeals to institutions. Even though this is anathema to certain blockchain aficionados, this singularity of focus has led Ripple to achieve, arguably, the greatest adoption success of any cryptocurrency in the world. XRP facilitates large financial transaction across borders, usually made by banks, which it allows to be much faster and cheaper than conventional methods.

Already adopted by banks like PNC, Santander, and the Royal Bank of Canada, Ripple looks like a foundational new currency forging real world adoption like none other. Those who buy XRP at these low prices may be getting in on the (new) ground floor. With tangible use cases and bargain basement prices, this is one of the best cryptocurrencies to invest in…maybe even better than Bitcoin.

7. Travala (AVA)

Travala may be the best Dapp on the NEO blockchain. If you believe that any NEO application will succeed, AVA should be a part of your crypto portfolio. Aimed at the travel and hotel industry, Travala lists lodging and accommodations all around the world, to help travelers find the lowest prices available through any platform. It’s remarkable just how fast Travala adds new properties, and (unlike many other crypto apps) people actually use Travala. Could this be the killer app that breaks NEO into the mainstream? We’re not so sure yet. But it’s hard to imagine that AVA’s price will stay this low for long.

8. Binance Coin (BNB)

Binance remains the world’s most popular crypto-to-crypto exchange. Billions in digital assets are traded here each day, and what’s good for Binance is good for the industry at large. Binance’s BNB allows users to get trading discounts. Binance regularly burns BNB, reducing its circulating supply, thereby increasing the value of all holders’ BNB through the simple laws of supply and demand. If you think that crypto prices are going to bounce back, then you should really consider what this will do for Binance and, by extension, BNB.

9. Bitcoin (BTC)

OK, this one might seem a little obvious, but let’s think carefully of Bitcoin’s place in the market at this point in 2019. Bitcoin continues to lead the charge, and its price has suffered less over the past year than almost any altcoin. The majority of people in the world see the crypto industry as inseparable from Bitcoin. Bitcoin’s success is crypto’s success. This means that Bitcoin is relatively stable when compared to other coins. It also means that, if the bulls return to crypto markets, Bitcoin BTC will be the first price to increase.

Bitcoin has improved upon its foundation over the past year. Where Bitcoin used to be slow and expensive to use, matters have improved somewhat. The combination of Segregated Witness, second layer solution the Lightning Network, and other development factors, Bitcoin is slowly scaling its massive network, and keeping down fees in the process. Bitcoin development has remained doggedly committed in the past year. We think that, ultimately, one or more digital cash solutions will dominate the industry, and Bitcoin is more likely to succeed than any of its competitors. Will Bitcoin meet and exceed all time highs in 2019? Nobody knows for sure…but at these prices, buying Bitcoin is looking like a steal.

10. Monero (XMR)

Monero XMR is one of the most interesting cryptocurrencies there is. A true privacy coin, Monero can be transacted without a record of the identity of either the sending or receiving party. This leads some to conclude the Monero is sketchy – and indeed the coin has been used for some nefarious purposes – but Monero also has many legitimate and fully legal use cases. Even if a privacy coin can never be mainstream in the same way that a non-private coin like Bitcoin can, its secrecy also helps ensure its ongoing usefulness.

Monero XMR isn’t going anywhere. With XMR prices way down since all time highs in early 2018, today’s XRM buyers could have a real deal on their hands, one supported by one of the largest and most mature crypto communities of any competing blockchain platform. One coin will rule them all in privacy. You may buy Zcash or some other competitor’s claim at superiority more than Monero’s, but we tend to find XMR most successful.

So, which is next biggest cryptocurrency for 2019?

We can’t tell you which projects will succeed or fail in 2019, or which way to invest your money. Do your own research and invest only that which you could afford to lose. Prioritize projects that have excellent software, stand-out community support, devoted development, tangible use cases, and inspiring partnerships around the globe. We’ll be very interested to look at this list a year from now, to see how our predictions did. If crypto prices bounce back, though, we feel strongly that some of these projects will be among the most successful of 2019.

2019 Crypto Investment FAQ

Should I invest in Bitcoin no matter what?

In general, we think it’s a good idea for everyone to invest in Bitcoin, at least a little bit. Right now, Bitcoin is the king of the market. If money enters cryptocurrency, Bitcoin will rise in value. Period. This may not always be the case, but for now, what’s good for crypto is good for Bitcoin, and that’s why every portfolio should have it.

Is Ethereum Still a Good Investment in 2019?

Yes. While not a sure thing, Ethereum has amazing functionality, far beyond what Bitcoin is capable of as digital cash. Bitcoin is very application-specific – you can use it for money and that’s just about it. Ethereum is much more like the internet – you can build anything on it and it fulfills countless functions. A platform like Ethereum will succeed in the long term. Will Ethereum be the one left standing? We don’t know, but it has a great head start, is staffed by thought leaders in the space, and has the finances to fund world domination.

Is the Crypto Market Downtrend Over?

Nobody knows. The Crypto Winter, as it is sometimes called, is ongoing, but it’s not the first time this has happened in this industry. There were past crypto crashes that resulted in the media saying that Bitcoin is dead…but Bitcoin always bounced back. We think that this market crash is going to end the same way…eventually. It’s risky to try to guess when prices will stop falling, because you always risk buying and then having them fall still further. Still, with all-time-high prices down more than 90% in most cases, we think that the time to invest in the best cryptocurrencies for 2019 is now.

Source

[Telegram Channel | Original Article ]

#cryptocurrency

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