Yknow what while I’m here I know we as a website agreed to oppress the business majors but all the bullshit that comes around every April over ao3’s business practices makes me think we should’ve kept at least one to explain to people how nonprofits, despite their name, still need money to function and do not in fact run on rainbows and dreams alone
That's right, we have an update!
Thank you Tiira for this wonderful piece, everything you do for Heavenly Damnation is gold 🤟
The story of Heavenly Damnation, the TGCF Heavy metal AU by @yabancreations continues with the second part Rotting Waters! Here is a moment from chapter 4!
Chapter 4: Something for Xie Lian
This story is complete! Right in time to alleviate the void left by the ending of season 2 of the donghua (what will be of our Wednesdays now?)
One of my goals for 2024 is to write in a more relaxed and spontaneous way, and here's my first step in that direction.
Summary: After a series of unfortunate events, Xie Lian’s old friends allow him to crash their couch for a few weeks. Upon arrival, Xie Lian is amazed by the amount of online shopping Feng Xin and Mu Qing do, and even more by the extremely awkward timing of the local postman who brings their parcels. How is it possible that this man only rings whenever Xie Lian is in the shower?!
Some fun Surma Lavellan and Solas times feat. Rook, Lusacan and Morrigan 🌹
ABCDMXTX - Day 15: Ouyang Zizhen.
"As disciples of cultivation, your number one goals are to become braver!"
Following WWX's advice, Ouyang Zizhen realized that ghosts like A-Qing are humans with stories, and that they can be cute!
List of prompts.
For the WIP game, The Newcomer one sounds so cool!! I'd love to hear more about it!
Heavy spoiler warning for Heaven Official's Blessing. Hi! Right, so, The Newcomer. I came up with the idea around two years ago, while re-reading the Ghost City arc. Do you remember how the mortal who's betting against Hua Cheng when Xie Lian arrives uses his daughter's lifespan and fate in marriage as a wager? It established fortune/fate as a sort of currency in the world of TGCF, a notion that later got reinforced by things like:
-How Hua Cheng can transfer luck in games of chance to Xie Lian -How Shi Wudu could use He Xuan's divine fate to make Shi Qingxuan ascend instead -How Jun Wu physically took Xie Lian's fortune away from him with the second shackle and scattered it among mortals (or so we hope, because Xie Lian asked for that to happen, but with Jun Wu, you never know) -How Jun Wu can put his resentment to bake in the Kiln and cook curses of horrible misfortune with it, which was what made Hong'er's brief life so miserable
The whole thing is quite intriguing. Does the Gambler's Den have a vault of good and bad fortunes in different areas of life, that they've been hoarding for centuries in order to offer them as rewards to new patrons? How, where, and from whom did Hua Cheng learn the magic required for such a thing? Does part of his extremely good luck come from gambling earnings, or is it all his, and the house has its own separate reserves? Is there anyone able to audit these transactions and confirm that there's no cheating and everybody involved gave their informed consent, which seems to be the requisite for the magic to work without breeding resentment (as opposed to a stolen fate, like the Blackwater case), or do they have to believe in what Hua Cheng says because he's too strong to be opposed or challenged?
If I have those questions, surely some characters in the story could have them too. Cue the new Earth Master, formerly an overseer of a big mining operation at the service of the Chinese empire, who swears that he was coerced into betting his extraordinarily auspicious fate in marriage in the Gambler's Den, and claims that Hua Cheng used it to marry Xie Lian, because otherwise there's no way "any respectable god would agree to marry such a vile monster." He ascends shortly after Hualian get married, which in turn is not too long after Hua Cheng's return. Many gods are still resentful towards Hua Cheng for his past deeds and the fanfare of the bells singing him praises every day, so they rally with the new Earth Master to see if they can take him down. Naturally, Xie Lian doesn't believe any of it for even an instant. He's devastated by the turn of events, and when he's told that he should not only stay away from the case because he's biased, but also stay away from Hua Cheng altogether until they determine if their love is legitimate or the product of a fate switch, he almost gets into his second calamity era and locks himself in Paradise Manor, refusing to leave until the case is closed (he's too strong for anyone to force him out, so at least there's that).
As I mentioned, Ling Wen takes on the case to get some fresh air and see if that can get her out on parole. She's in terrible terms with Hua Cheng, but I think she's too pragmatic to try to use the chance to get back at him. Instead, I think she'd be genuinely interested in finding out whether the old fox is as cunning as people paint him to be.
That's what I have defined so far. The rest is rather nebulous because there are a lot of possibilities, both in regard to what actually happened, and also in regard to the POV(s) I want to focus on. I could stay with Ling Wen and show how the Earth Master mirrors the men who looked down on her and mistreated her through her life, or I could focus on Hualian, or do a mix of both... I have started the story two or three times, testing the waters, but I'm still unsure.
Thanks for asking!
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Back to WIP game main post.
A happy birthday to Happy Mask Collector! I hope you like it!
His hours were hung beside the doors of the clock tower, the smiling salesman obviously taking over the empty space for the three days he claimed to be in town. Link figured that whatever it used to be used for was beyond him, the stones that made up its walls overgrown with moss and the waterwheel frozen in time.
Between the hours of 11:00 am and 10:00 pm, the Happy Mask Salesman laid out his wares, every single one of the masks that were strapped to his backpack. Link, who had some time to kill waiting for night to dusk, stepped in through the large wooden doors at a quarter to 4.
The Happy Mask Salesman lit up when he saw Link enter, eagerly bouncing with happiness at the prospect of a sale.
“Mister Link!” The man said. Link didn’t recall giving his name, even when they first met a few cycles ago. Link decided that he’d rather assume he didn’t remember than think about how the salesman could possibly know.
“Anything stand out to you?” The salesman asked. “As you can see, my collection is vast. My customers often find it hard to choose, but I tell them these kinds of masks have a habit of having a voice of their own. Sometimes the right one just…calls out to you.”
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An action sequence from the Chinese opera 白蛇传·情/Tale of the White Snake, which showcases Chinese opera water sleeves (水袖) and spear kicking (踢枪)
30+ | They/them - Ace | 🇩🇪 🇨🇴 — Fancreator: creative writing and translation EN-ES, cosplay, clothing and doll making, digital painting, photography and video edition
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