💙 Between the Lines by Witch_Nova221

💙 Between The Lines

by Witch_Nova221 (@witchnova221)

M, 153k, Wangxian

Summary: As Wei Wuxian walks a lonely road, he writes frequently to Lan Wangji in Cloud Recesses, unable to receive a reply as he moves from place to place. When fate forces him to remain in place for longer than anticipated, his friend is finally able to reply. With a page and distance between them, words come easier and slowly they come to an understanding of their feelings for each other. When Lan Wangji receives an unexpected letter from Wei Wuxian's hosts though, his hopes of a future for the pair of them is shattered. Refusing to give up, Lan Wangji makes a journey and learns to read between the lines of the story he has been told. Kay's comments: This story. THIS STORY. I was reading it when it first came and out and I have found myself re-reading it frequently, because I like to hurt myself. No worries, there's a happy ending, but... BUT! There's going to be a part in this story where you won't believe that a happy end is truly coming, but it is coming, I promise. It follows The Untamed canon, with Lan Wangji becoming Chief Cultivator and Wei Wuxian travelling and then they start exchanging letters and they confess~ Very sweet, if it wasn't for the heavy angst (which I also love and live for.) And also, impecable found family vibes in this one <3 It starts with as an epistolary but not the entire story is written as an exchange of letters. Excerpt: I do hope you will find time to send a line or two, even if it is just to let me know that you are all well. I keep you all in my thoughts and in my prayers if I ever do pass a shrine that calls to me. Think of your old friend won’t you. I think of you often. As always, I hope you are safe and well and happy. Oh and I shall fathom another guess, as I do every letter, of the title of your song. Today I think it works along the lines of 'ode to a ridiculous boy who is daft enough to get half chewed upon by an ancient tortoise'. Am I close yet? Will you tell me if I have already guessed it in my other letters? I look forward to knowing when I finally get it right. Faithfully yours Wei Wuxian

pov alternating, post-canon, post-the untamed, the untamed compliant, chief cultivator lan wangji, epistolary, letters, love letters, developing relationship, eventual romance, getting together, love confessions, long-distance relationship, families of choice, angst, hurt/comfort, heavy angst, lan wangji/wei wuxian get a happy ending, heavy angst, cultivation sect politics, podfic available

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(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

hello and welcome to another episode of Shi Has Strong Opinions on Niche Canon with Citable Sources, this time focusing on something that technically isn't canon one way or the other — my preferred fan-transliterated name for Raven's hometown in Tales of Vesperia, which is never referred to by name in any officially translated material.

anyway it's spelled Pharihyde and in this essay I will die on this hill

Context

In case you clicked the read-more with no stake in this game just because you want to see me being pedantic, let me recap the relevant facts of the argument:

Raven's backstory is never fully explained in the base game, but it was elaborated on in official side materials. The same story, titled 虚空の仮面 (Kokuu no Kamen, commonly translated as Empty Mask), was released in multiple formats: light novel[1], manga[2], and drama CD[3]. None of these have ever been officially translated, but fans have made their own attempts at each over the years.

The town in question here does not appear in the original game, due to having been obliterated during the prequel events. It's also never mentioned by name in the drama CD, leaving only two sources for a name: the light novel and the manga.

Officially, it is named ファリハイド (Farihaido).

The first translation the English-speaking fandom ever saw of any Kokuu no Kamen material was when one fan (whose identity was regrettably lost to time) took a stab at summarizing the light novels, not long after they were first published back in 2010. This fan transliterated the town's name as Pharihyde.

Tumblr user dokidokimaster was commissioned to finally translate the manga in 2015. In this translation, the town was spelled Farryheid.

By the time the manga was being translated, the web page that hosted the light novel summary had tragically gone down. Luckily, I was active enough in the fandom at the time to have had the link to the light novel bookmarked, so I was able to find an archive via the blessed Wayback Machine, but I can't fault dokidokimaster for the inconsistencies.

tl;dr of section: OG town name is ファリハイド; LN calls it Pharihyde; manga calls it Farryheid. Rest of essay is about why me preferring the name that came first isn't just me being a cranky fandom elder I swear

It's About The World It's In

In the world of Terca Lumireis, on the continent of Ilyccia, somewhere far from the capital city, Zaphias, there was once a town called... Farryheid? No, Pharihyde. The latter fits better with the precedents set by the official names around it, and I will literally break it down letter by differing letter to prove it!

'Ph' vs 'F'

Among officially transliterated locations and other "made-up" names in Tales of Vesperia, there are 3 that include 'ph' to represent an 'f' sound (Zaphias, Zopheir, Phaeroh). Only a single name uses an actual 'f' for that sound (Ghasfarost), and it also still has an 'h' as the second letter in the word.

Single vs. Double 'R'

After a ctrl+F pass through the entire list of location names in this game[4], not a single one contains the substring 'rr'. Only one R at a time in Terca Lumireis!

Vowel Choice and Lexical Stress

So, English has this neat little feature where some syllables in a word get more emphasis than others! And that plays heavily into this section, because 'i' and 'y' can sound identical when using 'y' as a vowel, but the existing place names stress them differently.

Now, as the Drama CD doesn't give us a spoken example of ファリハイド to work from (and Japanese doesn't do stress the way English does anyway), where the stress goes in either "Pharihyde" or "Farryheid" is technically unconfirmed... But my default reading is with primary stress on the first syllable, and secondary stress on the last (FAR-ee-hide).

In the precedent-setting place names, based on the English dub of the 360 version*, a lone 'i' is seen unstressed in at least 16 distinct names, including the ones I referenced in my intro scene-setting sentence (ZA-phi-as, TER-ca LU-mi-reis). To my knowledge, lone 'i' is never pronounced with stress in dialogue (and potentially appears only once, in the plot-irrelevant Niffel Lake).

In contrast, whenever 'y' is used as any kind of vowel, it always gets at least secondary stress, as in Hypionia (high-pee-O-nee-ah) and Rhybgaro (RIB-ga-ro). Thus, "Pharihyde" using an 'i' for the middle vowel and a 'y' for the last one lines up with established precedent.

Also, the double vowel 'ei' is consistently and exclusively used to represent an 'ay' sound, as in "day", not as in "hide"! Deidon Hold, Keiv Moc, and again Zopheir and Terca Lumireis — none of these 'ei's sound the way "Farryheid" wants you to pronounce it!

Silent 'e'

I did say I'd break down every different letter between "Pharihyde" and "Farryheid", but this last one's not for flavour, it's just to get the 'y' to act as the right kind of vowel sound. Just a normal feature of English pronunciation rules here (though not entirely without precedent: Halure, Relewiese, Laulyse). Sorry to go out with a whimper ^^;;

Conclusion

The base content of Tales of Vesperia sets up some implied rules about how its made-up-for-the-game words function. "Farryheid" may be a perfectly reasonable transliteration of ファリハイド in a vacuum, but "Pharihyde" follows the rules of the setting, literally to the letter!

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk

*Footnote about the pronunciation thing: the new voice lines added in the Definitive Edition of the game pronounce some place names inconsistently. I can only assume that by the time they recorded the new lines, a decade after the original ones, they forgot how some pronunciations worked and didn't check their old work... :/

References

(bc it's not an essay without citations!)

[1] Light novel summary (archived): https://web.archive.org/web/20110806003312/http://www.fancomic.com:80/vesperia/resources/raven/emptymask.htm [2] Manga translation: https://dokidokimaster.tumblr.com/tagged/kokuu+no+kamen/chrono [3] Drama CD translation, for completion's sake: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHEDJ_D4tyI [4] List of in-game place names: https://hyouta.com/vesperia/?version=pc&locale=eng&compare=2&section=locations

🆕 Crystal Springs Chapter 30: "What Comes Next" now up on ao3/ff dot net!

Chapter 30: What Comes Next

Jacqueline wakes up; Jack fixes the Dome. With everything all but wrapped up, what comes next?

ao3 | ff dot net

you guys...she's finished.

Crystal Springs is actually, honest to goodness, FINISHED. THIS IS THE LAST HECKING CHAPTER! I AM BALLING IN THE CLUB RIGHT NOW!

Please, take my humble excerpt while I SOB UNCONTROLLABLY--

Bright. It was bright. It had been so, so dark and now it was so, so bright. Why was it so bright? She cracked open her eyes. Bright. Blurry. Sunlight. Water. Humid air. Blue eyes. “…Jack?” A sharp inhale. “Oh, darling. I’m so, so sorry.” “Momma?” She was being crushed. Her tummy hurt. Momma was sniffling. “But where’s…where’s Jack?” She tightened her hold. She didn’t reply. This was wrong. It was bright out. Too bright. But it wasn’t the right kind of bright. She closed her eyes tightly. Opened them again. Squinted. It was bright. Way too bright. Artificial bright. She groaned, turning her head to the side. Blue eyes. “…Jack?” “Jacqueline?” On the edge of his seat, Jack watched as Jacqueline’s eyes finally opened—only to immediately shut tight once more as she winced at the bright light. She groaned. Wrinkled her nose. Her eyes popped open again, blues meeting blues. She blinked. Smiled. “You are here.” “Welcome back, little flurry.”

THIS IS MY FAVOURITE PART OF THE WHOLE THING I AM A MESS! AND I HAVE NOBODY TO BLAME BUT MYSELF!

So, indeed. What DOES come next? Read on at ao3 and ff dot net to find out!

Want to start from the top and read it ALL IN ONE GO, NOW? You can do that HERE on ao3 and HERE on ff dot net! I think it's time for a new pinned post now, lol.

Story summary and chapter musings below the cut!

It’s been almost a year since Jack Frost thawed and things are looking…well, not so great. Jack’s powers are seemingly gone. Without them, the Dome that keeps the North Pole safe from the cold and its magic controlled is melting, putting everything and everyone magical at risk. Unable to hide his power shortage any longer, Jack is forced to admit the truth. Thankfully, there is a solution: enacting the Legate Law, bringing Jack and the sister that he hurt so many centuries ago back together again. But when Jacqueline starts experiencing destructive blackouts, the pair are forced to head back home to Crystal Springs, bringing Jack face to face with the rest of the family. Needless to say, between getting his powers back, helping his sister figure out what in the FROST those blackouts even were, reconciling with his parents, meeting the two even younger siblings he didn’t even KNOW he had, NOT TO MENTION the ancient threat that’s had it out for the ENTIRE Frost family finally making a move? Saving Christmas (regrettably) is looking to be a little bit…complicated.

And there we have it! After way too many years, Crystal Springs is done! Again again! TBH it's probably a GOOD thing I paused halfway through rewriting--my writing has gotten muchas better and I don't think the story would be as lovely as it is now if I HADN'T taken a huge long ass pause from round 2 for a haute minute!

So, here's what's 🆕 This Chapter:

Kept the sillies but made them FLOW better

Since Fino got a whole ass bonding scene with Jack a couple chapters back, the Elfirmary scene went to Fiera instead, and it is LOVELY. It worked out well! She surprised me a BUNCH!

Lucy is in character now :) Love to see it :)

WORD COUNT!!!!!!

And I think that's about it!

OG 2014 Edition: 7,114k words

NEW 202X Edition: 15,387k ish words

Thank you all so much for reading and commenting and creating with me! I really hope that Crystal Springs is as delightful a read as it was to write 🥰🥰

In the meantime! Here's what we can expect to see from the CS-Universe:

Frostmas making it's way over to ao3 monthly! Complete with minor edits for a fresh ✨GLOW UP✨

Smile Shots creeping over there

NEW Smile Shots creeping up over here

The usual scrimblies

Into the Shadows musings? We'll see. She's a little disjointed rn but will be sO FUN once I've got all the threads connected 🥳🥳

And thank you from the very bottom of my heart for coming along on this ride with me! And the asks and the art--all of it has been so, so amazing and SO lovely to see! I cannot tell you all how happy my heart is knowing these lil fucks (affectionate) have resonated with you all, too 🧡💙🤍💖

i started binge rewatching the glee project last night because my mom mentioned she wanted to rewatch actual glee and??? was VIOLENTLY reminded that my first ever foray into reading rpf was because i was obsessed w the Vibes of two contestants on the glee project of all things, when i was fully in middle school. horrifying rediscovery of the self. unfortunately my tweenage shipping lens still exists in my brain so the Vibes were still there upon rewatch. 

disco elysium fanfiction seeking complication 1 that i should have anticipated: drugs

disco elysium fanfiction seeking complication 2 that i should have anticipated: of cooooouuuuuuuurse people are going to get kim wrong. fuckin' A. people can't be fucking trusted with characters whose behavior doesn't always match their immediate vibe

kim kitsuragi is a man who will give you shit. his primary joy in life is giving you shit. almost everything he says to you that isnt directly related to the case is to give you shit

the lord saw fit to give lieutenant kim kitsuragi a mouth and he uses it for 2 purposes only: helping people and giving you, specifically, shit. and maybe bitching, as a treat

...

Shadowgast stans listen to this song right fucking now I'm not kidding

Chapters: 152/152 Fandom: 天官赐福 - 墨香铜臭 | Tiān Guān Cì Fú - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù, 天官赐福 | Heaven Official's Blessing (Cartoon) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Huā Chéng/Xiè Lián (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Fēng Xìn/Mù Qíng (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Pei Ming/Shi Wudu, Hè Xuán/Shī Qīngxuán, Líng Wén/Yǔshī Huáng Characters: Huā Chéng (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Xiè Lián (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Fēng Xìn (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Mù Qíng (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Bái Wúxiàng, Xiè Lián's Parents, Wu Ming, Jūn Wú (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Qī Róng (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Láng Yíng (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Original Characters, Méi Niànqīng, Péi Míng (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Líng Wén (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Shī Wúdù, Shī Qīngxuán, Hè Xuán (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Láng Qiānqiū, Quán Yīzhēn, Yǐn Yù (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Bàn Yuè (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Lán Ān (Módào Zǔshī), Lán Ān's Cultivation Partner (Módào Zǔshī), Jiāng Chí (Módào Zǔshī), Péi Sù (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), Shěn Yuán | Shěn Qīngqiū, Yǔshī Huáng, Heaven's Eye (Tiān Guān Cì Fú) Additional Tags: Basically a retelling of the novels, Hurt/Comfort, Horror Elements, Internalized Homophobia, Hong-er plays a much bigger role earlier on, major novel spoilers, Mentions of sex work, Very minor fenglian, Graphic Violence, Torture, Suicide Attempt, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Fan art included in chapters, when I say slow burn i mean 65k words in u get (1) smooch, implied sexism and abuse of power, mdzs references all over the place, basically everyone falls in love with Xie Lian at one point or another, Yin Yu needs to unionize against Hua Cheng’s capitalist oppression, Implied Sexual Content, gender fluid characters, Cunnilingus (Beefleaf), Vaginal Sex (beefleaf), sexual assault (not of a main character), Domestic Violence, Demisexuality, Edgeplay (accidental), References to SVSSS, implied childhood sexual abuse (not of a main character), Hand Jobs, Anal Sex, Oral Sex Series: Part 1 of MXTX - Retellings, Part 1 of No Paths Are Bound + Extras Summary:

Xie Lian found something in himself that he thought was gone—worn away with every mistake he had made.

Faith.

His arms opened, and the child was hesitant—but eventually, he fell into them, his body trembling with silent sobs.

"I remember you," he whispered again, voice breaking as Hong-er clung to him.

I remember you.

I remember you.

I will always, for as long as I live, remember you.

(A re-telling of TGCF where Xie Lian has his cursed shackle placed in his eyes, blinding him. And yet, through all of his struggles; there is always someone watching over him.)

(MULTIPLE TRANSLATIONS AVAILABLE)

Quick question about the last post: Is there like a specific amount of words for fics to be considered a long fic? Like how drabbles have 100 words, or is it just like ... a longer fic? If that makes sense

There's no specific definition for longfic that I'm aware of. My own personal approximate guide is:

shortfic = under 10K words. This includes things like drabbles and ficlets.

mediumfic or midfic = 10K-50K

longfic = 50K to 100K

epicfic = 100K+

I drew my own definitions from the publishing world where shortfic is like a short story, midfic would be a novella, longfic would be a novel, and epicfic would be... well, an epic.

A lot of people use the term longfic to indicate both long and epic length stories. It's rare that I hear the terms mediumfic or midfic at all, and it's usually a kind of tongue-in-cheek tone when I do. All of these definitions will vary from person to person and really drabble is the only one I hear consistent arguments about.

Feel free to share your own thoughts on longfic (and other types of fic) lengths in the notes!

Proud Author of a New Work

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I've been writing WangXian stories for two years now and only became brave enough to post on Ao3 from January 2023. I'm hoping all WangXian fans will like it, and it's definitely got happy endings. @nebuluscharlie

WangXian Forever

by NebulusCharlie

Not rated, Series, WIP, Wangxian & Xicheng

Summary part one: This story starts from where the Untamed series finished, a few months after both Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi parted. Here, they meet up again and due to both of them finally having the courage to face up to their feelings, learning to live together through a series of adventures. This is the first book in a series of nine, eight are completed and the ninth one will be posted after November 21st 2022.

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WILD CREATURES

by NebulusCharlie

Not rated, 270k, WIP & daily updates, Wangxian

Summary: One night while walking home after a late shift at work, Wei Ying discovers a man badly injured. He refuses to go to the hospital, and Wei Ying has no choice but to bring him home…

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(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – these stories.)

✨Masterlist✨

This is the masterlist for The Californicationist's Tumblr & AO3 texts.

All works should be considered 18+ only. MDNI - no exceptions.

CALL OF DUTY

Novel-Length Works

Gunslinger Price/Reader - AO3 - 100k - Complete You open your home as a safehouse for the 141, and your relationship with John Price unfolds into an epic love story.

Guardian Konig/FemaleOC - AO3 - 45k - Complete Konig, inexplicably working with SpecGru, clears out a Konni base and finds a hostage with amnesia, only to fall hopelessly in love with her.

Guile & Guilt Soap/Reader - AO3/Tumblr - Complete Your best friend has warned you to stay far, far away from her younger brother — infamous party boy, Sergeant Johnny MacTavish. However, when she asks you to be her maid of honor in her wedding, you and Johnny end up closer than you ever expected.

The Sin-Eater Price/Reader - Co-Author: @vampirekilmer - AO3 - WIP Captain John Price is a loving husband, a dedicated soldier, and a good man. But, that’s not all he is. Underneath his controlled exterior lurks something dark, something hungry, and something wholly inhuman. You’re his only solace during his wrath, and only you can consume the sin from his shifts.

One-Shot Works

Gauntlet (Kinktober 2023) [External Post] Price/Reader - AO3/Tumblr - 58k - Complete TW: too many to list here 😈 A collection of 30 kink-focused one-shots

Budapest Price/Reader - AO3 - 1.2k - Complete TW: major character death, explicit sex Captain John Price comes home to you a changed man.

Going Home Gaz/Nova - AO3 - 4.3k - Complete TW: explicit sex, voyeurism Gaz and Nova spend their leave together at his childhood home. This is set in the Gunslinger universe.

Gravitational Shift Price/FemaleOC - AO3 - 2k - Complete TW: Space AU, includes the Force from the Star Wars fandom, force-bond sex Captain Price senses a disturbance in the force, and when he bonds with her, he decides he's never letting go.

Ground & Pound Konig/FemaleOC - AO3 - 5.8k - Complete TW: NC/CNC, bondage, violence Konig's ex-girlfriend shows up to the base, and Konig loses his absolute mind over her...and takes things too far.

Growl Price/Reader - AO3/Tumblr - 2.5k - Complete TW: pegging, femdom When you agreed to come over to John Price’s house for drinks, you had no idea it would escalate so damn swiftly.

The Orchard Price/Reader - AO3/Tumbr - 3.8k - Complete TW: CNC, primal play, bondage John Price chases you through the woods to make sure you learn your lesson.

The Fisherman's Knot Price/FemaleOC - AO3 - 2.9k - Complete ABO AU - Captain John Price rescues a pretty Alpha from a kayaking accident in his fishing cove, his body betrays his gentle nature.

The Honest Man Mace/Reader - AO3/Tumblr - 2.5k - Complete TW: Breeding kink Mace tries to convince you to build a life with him again, especially if it means adding another baby into the mix.

The Missed Deadline Gaz/Reader - AO3/Tumblr - 2.7k - Complete TW: Virginity loss You and Kyle had a virginity pact.

The Fourth of July Alex Keller/Reader - AO3/Tumblr - 3.5k - Complete TW: Blow job You and Alex get a little carried away in the pool house.

The Fox & the Hound Soap/Reader - AO3/Tumblr - 4.5k - WIP(?) TW: Literal porn, exhibition Your first porno shoot doesn't go exactly to plan. Your co-star, Johnny "Dangerous" MacTavish, sets his sights on you and makes you his personal project. (Labeled WIP because I'm considering a Chapter 02 moment).

The Green Light Price/Reader - AO3/Tumblr - 1.8k - Complete TW: Dubcon/CNC John Price comes home with only one thing on his mind: you and those bright green panties. Even though you're sound asleep, he just can't stop himself.

The Dealer’s Choice 141/Reader - AO3/Tumblr - 4.4k - Complete TW: Gangbang The 141 are stranded and you’re the safe house manager. You have fun playing strip poker.

The Simple Mistake Ghost/Soap - AO3 - 1.4k - Complete Soap and Ghost have to hide together, injured and desperate in a shelter until their rescue party arrives.

The Devil's Summer Konig/Named Reader - AO3/Tumblr - 3k - Complete TW: Rape, non-consent, assault, corpses, violence, named reader A tall, foreign stranger comes to town with his masked crew of bandits. They rob the train station and the bank, but the big one… he has his sights set on a different sort of prize: you.

The Advent Calendar Ghost/Soap - AO3/Tumblr - 1.9k - Complete Soap gave Ghost an advent calendar this year. It's a little more romantic than he realized.

The False Alarm 141/Reader - AO3/Tumblr - 1.9k - Complete TW: Gangbang Cleaning the pole in the firehouse was hard work, but someone had to do it. But, when your harness broke and you were left dangling there, free to use for a firehouse full of men… you were in charge of cleaning a lot more poles than you bargained for.

There’s more, but I ran out of room! I’m trying to figure out how to fix it. Sorry 😣

Trilobite beetle Also known as Platerodrilus; these are a genus of beetles of the family Lycidae. The females retain a larval form as adults and are about 40–80 mm in length. The Lycidae are a family in the beetle order Coleoptera, members of which are commonly called net-winged beetles. Follow my page for more epic, silly and boomblu content; share so I can grow if you wish, and come visit my other socials at my Linktree [Just click the word Linktree, it's hyperlinked :)]. Check out the rest of my posts too!!! A lot of them are underrated. ;o Like everything you find interesting if you want. :3

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⇾ Follow my page for more epic, silly and boomblu content; share so I can grow if you wish, and come visit my other socials at my Linktree [Just click the word Linktree, it's hyperlinked :)]. ⇽

Check out the rest of my posts too!!! A lot of them are underrated. ;o Like everything you find interesting if you want. :3 Remember, you can find all of my socials here (click the word [here], it's hyperlinked (｡◕‿‿◕｡) For the plain link; here it is: https://lynkfire.com/Gliphel&Glyph%20LLC%20Incorperated Also; if you prefer Linktree, it's here.

10 secrets that your character has Part Two

1. Embarrassing Childhood Hobby: The character used to have a bizarre childhood hobby, like collecting belly button lint or creating elaborate sculptures out of chewing gum.

2. Awkward Crush: The character has an awkward and hilarious crush on their best friend's sibling or their teacher, but they go to great lengths to keep it a secret.

3. Hidden Talent for Impersonations: The character has a knack for impersonating famous celebrities or fictional characters and often entertains themselves by putting on impromptu performances in front of a mirror.

4. Comedic Alter Ego: The character secretly adopts a ridiculous alter ego when they're alone, complete with a fake accent and an outrageous personality.

5. Toilet Humor Expert: The character has an uncanny ability to come up with the funniest and most creative bathroom jokes, puns, and pranks, but they only reveal their comedic talents to their closest friends.

6. Dance Battle Champion: The character is a secret dance battle champion, participating in underground dance competitions and astounding everyone with their incredible dance moves.

7. Closet Karaoke Diva: The character transforms into an unstoppable singing sensation when they're alone in their room, belting out power ballads and performing extravagant stage moves.

8. Wacky Fashion Obsession: The character secretly has a penchant for wearing mismatched socks or collecting an extensive wardrobe of unusual hats, making them the talk of the school without anyone knowing it's them.

9. Social Media Alter Ego: The character runs a hilarious and wildly popular anonymous social media account where they post hilarious memes, satirical commentary, or epic fails without anyone suspecting their true identity.

10. Sneaky Food Thief: The character has a talent for stealthily raiding the kitchen in the middle of the night, pulling off daring missions to satisfy their insatiable snack cravings without anyone catching them in the act.

A chunk of pages from the 5th chapter of Fairmeadow - If you love intense and uncomfortable character dynamics be prepared for uhhh A LOT OF THAT later on in this chapter.

If you're new to the story, now's a great time to jump in!! Less than 200 pages in (perfectly bingable length? u decide) and lots of idiot characters I will make you love so help me god

Fairmeadow is a post-epic fantasy webcomic inspired by radical communes and the landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. Living In the shadow of a century-long war, a remote pacifist commune takes in a wounded Orcish soldier and falls into turmoil as their utopian vision is tested in the face of massive change.

Read it here / Start from beginning

locked tomb characters ranked by how cringe they are

because this post by @wifegideonnav reminded me that they’re all losers, but some are even more losers than the others

Hot Sauce: 1/10. This girl is cool in all possible ways and definitely future lead researcher material. No cringe, zero notes.

Pyrrha: 2/10. By far the least cringe of The Olds. Yes her nicknames for Nona have dad joke energy but she’s very earnest about it and it’s cute.

Juno Zeta: 2/10. Total MILF. Very smart and should know better than to get flirty with We Suffer, but I get it.

Marta Dyas: 3/10. A complete badass with a very sensible outlook on avoiding unnecessary forms. Call me Judith because I would also make a pass at her at the first possible chance.

Commander Wake: 3/10. She made Pyrrha fall in love with her, seduced ever-loyal G1deon into hatefucking and galvanized a dying resistance movement. She was genuinely nice to Gideon those 3 seconds they interacted in passing! Then she had to go and hide under the bed of a mentally ill teenager.

Dulcinea: 4/10. Her horniness for revenge is epic. Let down Pal as nicely as she could and managed to outwit Cytherea when it mattered. Not cringe at all.

Camilla: 4/10. Yes, she could kill you in seconds but she did once sell cigarettes, her most liquid asset, for about a third of their market value.

Alecto: 4/10. Scary eldritch woman-shaped creature with a sword, comes highly recommended by Pyrrha Dve. Loses points for confusing Middle English and thinking John was the best possible Sailor Earth when he was clearly the worst.

G1deon: 5/10. Utterly willing to burn for what he believes in. Yes, he probably needs some perspective but he made sure the baby had enough air before kicking Wake out of the airlock and Matthias Nonius thinks he’s an okay dude.

Pash: 5/10. She has that freedom fighter swag and the cool hair but she is a terrible bodyguard coasting on nepotism, sorry to say.

Palamedes: 6/10. He didn’t clock the serial killer pretending to be his ex because he was too busy going to painfully extreme lengths to avoid interacting with her.

Naberius: 6/10. My controversial opinion is that Babs is the least cringe of the Third House throuple. Yes he looks and acts like a peacock but he puts up with Corona snacking on him for no reason and is still nice to her, and gives Ianthe solid romantic advice.  

Nona: 6/10. Cringe in the unselfconscious way of a young teenager, and put this ability to use making Pal fess up to his nurse kink. She will never be cool but it’s part of her appeal.

Mercymorn: 7/10. Speaks in onomatopoeias. She knows she is insufferable so she’s gonna do her best to make sure to be the most insufferable person in every room. Once called John Gaius “the best man I who ever lived” to his smug face and not even blowing him up later makes up for that.

Ianthe: 7/10. Looks like a wet rat. Hopelessly dramatic but she pulls it off. Declares her love for Harrow at every turn in the most transparent possible way then pretends she’s just being snarky. Some cool points for actually getting shit done

Coronabeth: 7/10. Terrible taste in love interests. Her freedom fighter era was hot but she thinks pompadour hair is a good look? Also, the way she spent her whole life lying about necromancy speaks of extreme conflict avoidance. Cringe move.

Judith: 7/10. She deserved to suffer and has suffered more than she deserves. It’s cringe how she clings to her imperialist brainwashing but she gets a point for rightfully understanding she should be wary of Corona, something Ianthe still can’t even grasp.

Ortus: 7/10. Yes he quotes his own epic poetry WIP at people but he also had to grow up on the Ninth with nothing better to do. Genuinely a very nice guy.

Cytherea: 8/10. Her unhinged vibes are very hot but she killed a couple of nerds and two teenagers instead of anyone who was actually dangerous. Cringe of her!

Silas: 8/10. Smarmy cloud-looking motherfucker. He is a child Pope and I guess he can’t help the inherent cringe of the Eight. But that’s still no excuse for bringing a portrait of John all the way to Canaan House just to hang it in your bedroom, dude.

Gideon: 8/10. Babygirl is a horny virgin with the vocabulary of a nerd. Harrow is bones over tit in love with her and she fails to notice after living in Harrow’s brain for eight months. Gets points for managing to maintain impressive biceps on a diet with no protein.

Augustine: 9/10. Extremely cringe because of how hard he tries to pretend he’s not cringe. Cigarettes on a space station and effectively performing swag don’t make up for how much he clearly wants to suck John’s dick. Which he did at least twice.

Harrow: 10/10. Spent most of her life being mean to Gideon because she was too hot to deal with and lobotomized a coffee shop AU into existence. Thinks Ianthe Tridentarius is beautiful. Once built a bone cocoon to sleep in after not drinking water for two days. Should’ve told God months ago that she just didn’t want to eat his fucking biscuits and stop offering.

John: 10/10. Unfortunately, this scale only goes up to 10 but we all know it’s not enough. Deeply cringe in a myriad of ways, chiefly among them the way he inflicts his barely veiled incest kink on all his friends. That one dad joke was gold, though.

This was getting too long but for the record: Aiglamene is cool and so is Abigail Pent. Magnus is not cool but he’s a fun time. The Terrible Teens are exempt from judgement on account of being 14.

HAN SOOYOUNG'S 11-STEP PLAN FOR RESURRECTING MY WEIRD SITUATIONSHIP GUY AFTER FRAGMENTS OF HIS SOUL HAVE BEEN SCATTERED ACROSS THE MULTIVERSE:

step 1: gather everyone he has interacted with ever and hear their stories abt him

step 2: use that plus the fragments of his story scattered around plus my knowledge of him from writing a story just for him for 13 years (long story) plus the knowledge of someone who was in his metaphorical brain for a while in order to write an epic-length webnovel/memoir about him from his perspective

step 3: get my other situationship guy who is also a fictional character i made who has now become real to travel into space and across timelines. (he is also in a situationship with the guy we are rescuing so he will think this is a good plan)

step 4: use my powers as an ascended being to create a dropbox link where i will post my serialized chapters as i write them

step 5: armed with my dropbox link, my situationship/fictional creation who is now real will use his time alone in space to help me edit my story

step 6: over the course of hundreds of years from his perspective, my situationship/fictional creation/editor will systematically implant the dropbox link into hundreds of authors' subconsciousnesses across timelines

step 7: those writers will now perfectly reproduce my webnovel/memoir in their own worlds. since i'm a great writer those alternate versions of my novel will no doubt have a wide reach

step 8: since the fragments of our guy's soul have now been reincarnated into other people in other worlds, those people with his soul will now read my novel as if it is just a regular novel

step 9: the power of perspective from those readers will keep our world functioning because the inherent story-based structure of our metafictional reality requires that someone witness it

step 10: ???????

step 11: the reincarnated pieces of our guy's soul bearing witness to his story will allow him to finally be whole once again 👍👍👍👍