Sorry for just sliding into your asks like this, but ever since I saw you incorporating existing songs into your D&D:HAT fics, I have been haunted by the concept of Edgin composing "Poet, Soldier, King" for Xenk. Because I'm old enough to remember that fandom phenomena and Xenk definitely fits the Messianic Archetype.
Just. Bear with me. The first verse is open-and-shut, though I suppose you could replace "city" with something else if you want, like "despot" or "regime" or even a generic "evil". This is of course a reference to Szass Tam but could also be Ed's cynical take the possible consequences of Xenk's do-goodery.
The second verse was definitely meant to be sarcastic and mock Xenk's antiquated speech but you know how tsunderes in-denial work. Because Xenk's no-bullshit sincerity did cut Ed to the quick and the core both — and your writings show you also believe Xenk's words live rent free in Ed's mind.
The last verse doesn't really work in the context of Faerûn, and I also don't think Ed would play up Xenk as a conqueror too much, so here's my proposed alternative:
There will come a champion
Whose heart is blessed by Torm
He will succor one and all
(I would've put the Triad in there but it didn't fit the meter, boo!)
Because c'mon. What is more classic than an I-hate-him rant that just ends up more and more flattering until it's an unintentional love confession? Although by the time Ed finishes this verse he's probably reached the Actively Pining stage.
Anyways, now that I've put this idea into the world and foisted it upon you, I hope I may finally know peace. 🙏
I really love this idea, so I hope you don't mind me posting this ask publicly, because I think it would be done more justice in fanart or a gifset (the Xedgin fandom has some insanely good artists what the heck) than in a fanfic! I hope that my sharing this gives someone in the fandom some inspiration!
In the whole Izzy-getting-sketched debate, I've weirdly never seen anyone bring up the concept of a compromise? Since OFMD is all about identity, self-discovery and finding people who accept you as you are, it's a bit weird imho that some people keep insisting that Izzy is the only one who has to Change™. (I mean, we all know he's in need of some serious therapy, but that's not the point here.)
I would in fact very much like to see Lucius sketching Izzy at the end of the show as a sign of Growth™, but one on both's parts. Instead of Izzy sitting naked for a highly anatomically accurate drawing, it should be something like a faux-woodcut of the infamous pirate Israel Hands, First Mate Of Blackbeard (And The Gentleman Pirate) — a fully-dressed, flattering-but-realistic likeness. A middle ground between The Revenge's cheerful Muppet Reality™ and Izzy's ruthless pragmatism.
Just.... Let Izzy remain the only human in a Muppet movie. Just let him also enjoy it.
I love that!!!
I do like the idea of Lucius sketching Izzy naked because, well, I want naked Izzy on my screen and also that scene would be crackling hot ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
but from the pov of like, plots and good growth and therapy and stuff lmao? I love it. I fucking love it. Yes, let them compromise on it!!!
In the non-Force-sensitive!Obi-Wan AU, can you imagine the first time he meets Palpatine through Anakin and/or the Jedi? First he suddenly has a Bad Feeling™ and when Palpatine opens his mouth,vBach's "Toccata and Fugue in D minor" starts blaring in his head. When Palps starts acting all ~fatherly~ with Anakin the tune changes to "Dies Irae" (Verdi's or Mozart's version, dealer's choice). Obi-Wan must be so confused about how none of the ACTUAL Jedi seem to notice the Force(?) throwing a toddler tantrum and also be a bit concerned about the state of galactic politics if the Chancellor might actually be evil. (Although several members of his family would feel very vindicated if that turns out to be the case, having raged against the man's malicious incompetence for years.)
My favorite part about this might be that it implies that despite him not being Force-sensitive in this AU, the Force is still choosing to yell repeatedly at OBI-WAN, a random schoolteacher, about how shady Palpatine is, while numerous powerful actual Force users just mill around obliviously. 😂 It’s like...the Force loves the Jedi, and it loves Anakin ESPECIALLY, but it’s also like “...yeah I think I’m gonna tip off Kenobi about the whole Sith Lord thing, because we all know they’ll never get their shit together about this without a little extra help.”
Clearly the good guys aren’t this clueless in canon (though SOMETIMES, I SWEAR TO GOD PEOPLE, hahaha), but in the interest of comedy, go with me here. So the Force is over there dropping extremely overt hints to Obi-Wan that Palpatine is a creep. Obi-Wan, not wanting to stick his nose in something he doesn’t know much about, starts to just politely ask if anyone else notices various...let’s say, potential red flags, abut the Chancellor’s behavior? Anakin, naturally, blows this off completely because what in the world could you possibly be talking about, Obi-Wan, PALPATINE IS A GREAT FRIEND AND MENTOR. Obi-Wan is like “oh, OK, sorry...I guess my instincts must be off. Hmm. Curious.” Of course, this just makes the Force even MORE insistent to Obi-Wan that THAT EVIL MAN IS TRYING TO CORRUPT MY BABY YOU HAVE TO STOP HIM OBI-WAN DOOOOO SOMETHIIIIINNNNGG.
Eventually after weeks of the Force increasingly blasting dramatic orchestral music and the occasional round of “Devil In Disguise” in Obi-Wan’s head every single time Palpatine is around or mentioned, Obi-Wan can’t take it anymore and decides he’s going to have to get to the bottom of this and lay it all out on the table. He goes off and immerses himself in every holo report he can find about Palpatine’s rise to power and the many many MANY questionable deaths, imprisonments, explosions and secretive bank transactions that have occurred during his political career and beyond.
I’m then picturing a montage that covers an all-nighter at the Jedi Temple where Obi-Wan presents to Anakin a report he’s put together about the vast amount of evidence strongly suggesting that Palpatine is, if not actually evil, then certainly involved in some extremely questionable activities, particularly as concerns his investment in Anakin personally. Unable to persuade him initially, he moves onto a slide deck called “That Guy is Shady As Fuck”. The slide deck gives way to Obi-Wan drawing out detailed cartoon diagrams on a whiteboard. Hours pass. Obi-Wan, hair disheveled, clothes wrinkled, chainsmoking and surrounded by numerous empty caf cups and crumpled fast-food wrappers, has moved on to trying to use hand puppets to explain the situation.
Hour 12. It’s 5AM.
“I attempted to confront the Chancellor myself with some questions about all of this information” Obi-Wan rasps, his voice shot from hours of talking, “but he quite bluntly indicated that I am not a person of any real importance, and therefore not worth his time.”
Anakin furrows his brow. He leans back in his seat a bit, concerned.
“He...said that you’re not...hmm.” A look of dawning horror crosses Anakin’s features. He lets out a small gasp. “So what you’re saying, Obi-Wan, is that...that Palpatine is trying to hurt the Jedi? And the Republic?! Kriff, you should have SAID SOMETHING! We need to tell everyone right now!!” Anakin bolts out of his seat and tears off.
Obi-Wan folds his arms on the conference room table and buries his head in them. A glass of whiskey appears out of nowhere in front of him.
“You owe me,” he says, looking at the ceiling and taking a sip. “Big time.”
I am so glad you like them and that I'm not bothering you! 💗 A hell of a lot of words with Good Meanings either A) sound stupid as hell, B) have already been co-opted by English, or C) both. So it is a trial!
Well, if we're going to judge the names based on the English words they resemble, then Darth Umbro is a good "all-around" one while Darth Illiciens sounds like a classier way of saying Darth Thot. So it depends on what angle you/Palpatine want to go for. (Although maybe the fact that Palpatine named him Darth Thot is the reason Obi-Wan despises his Sith name?)
you know what, DARTH THOT IT IS because I like to imagine this very official scene where Sidious ‘knights’ Obi-Wan, who’s kneeling in front of him, saying very slowly, in a solemn voice, “from now on, you will be known as Darth... Illiciens.” and Obi-Wan looks up at Sidious like “😑😑 oh come on master I’m not just good at charming and seducing people” and Sidious’ smiles clearly means “charming? no, this is what you get for fucking your way through your missions”
I've just started reading your Chancellor Kenobi series on AO3 — which is f a n t a s t i c, btw — and I just wanted to say that as a fellow Swede, I am tickled pink by your decision to just use Swedish words for Exotic Space Stuff™. I was thrown when I read "murgröna rose" but I squawked like a loon when "Alderaanian kärleksmums" appeared. ‘This author HAS TO be a Swede!’ I thought and lo and behold, I turned out to be right! So thank you for that extra bit of hilarity och hej från Stockholmstrakten! 🥰
Thank you so much! I’m glad you’re enjoying it, and also my self-indulgent inclusion of my (our) native tongue!
Hi! ♥ As someone who's interested in (western) historical fashion, I think your blog is utterly wonderful. "The Untamed" introduced me to hanfu so I'm a newbie but could you maybe explain the men's hair to me? I've understood that the long hair + top knot look is a fantasy thing but how is the knot actually constructed? And what are those shield-like ornaments called – are they guans or is Google lying to me?
Hi, thanks for the question, and cool to hear that “The Untamed” introduced you to hanfu! ^^
I have a post specifically explaining traditional Chinese men’s hair here - please check it out! It contains a basic pictorial guide on how to construct the topknot, which is the best reference I’ve been able to find so far (perhaps @fouryearsofshades or @fate-magical-girls may have better references for how to create the men’s knot?).
Regarding the “shield-like” ornaments – are you referring to the hair ornaments covering the knot, like in the photos above? If so, then yes - they are called Guan/冠. I have posts specifically on Guan here and here, so please check them out! You can also go through my “Guan” tag for all of my posts on the subject. As you can probably tell, the Guan featured in the drama are more fantasy-like rather than being historically accurate.
Hi, this is a random question entirely out of the blue from a perfect stranger, but may I ask how you were able to watch "Red Widow"? Because the, uh, less legal ways of the internet is failing me and I'm staring at $20 on Amazon Prime, which feels a wee bit steep. Hope this isn't a bother! ♥
Oh gosh, I think at the time I originally watched it was free streaming on Prime? And then I really didn’t feel the need to ever watch the whole thing again and would just watch the Goran/Schiller scenes on YouTube if I wanted a fix. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
You said you're open to any combination of 3zun so does that include... nieyao? 🥺 If it does, could I beg for something canon-divergent and sweet? Back when Meng Yao was at Qinghe and/or he makes better life choices. If that's too vague a prompt, I do also love anything involving their ridiculous size difference.
YES NIEYAO IS ABSOLUTELY INCLUDED they deserve to be soft and sweet too, i love them 🥺🥺🥺 and yes THE SIZE DIFFERENCE I CRI. thank you very much, i’m so soft for this
(feel free to drop me a prompt for 3zun/any combo of 3zun or wangxian and i may write a drabble or short fic!!!)
~~~
Meng Yao slowly rolled his head back from one shoulder to the other, his eyes closing for a moment as he stretched his neck and tried to stave off his exhaustion. His eyelids were heavy, had been heavy for ages, but there were supply orders to review, battle plans to triple check, infantry requests to sort through, and if the war wasn’t going to sleep then neither could Meng Yao. They were leaving the Unclean Realm in less than two days to head down to the front lines for yet another battle and everything needed to be ready for them by then...
Even as his feet started to go a little numb from standing in one place for too long, even as his eyes started to burn with the strain of keeping them open, even as his back started to ache, he fought to keep himself awake, reviewing everything page by page, checking boxes, making alterations and additions wherever necessary.
He was so absorbed in the task that he didn’t hear the door opening behind him, and nearly jumped as he heard--
“Meng Yao, what are you doing in here?”
Continue Reading on AO3 or below the cut
His head turned quickly to see Nie Mingjue closing the door partially behind him, giving him the faintest frown, and out of simple reflex, Meng Yao greeted him with a bow.
Nie Mingjue’s frown immediately deepened and he waved off the gesture. Meng Yao heard the dismissal without Nie Mingjue needing to say it; he’d told him months ago, when they’d first stumbled into being something more than sect leader and his second in command, that such things weren’t necessary when it was just the two of them--but Meng Yao was so used to doing it for an audience that he’d found it a hard habit to break when the were alone.
He let his arms fall, and his gaze motioned to the papers stacked in neat piles across the table as he offered in explanation, “I‘m trying to sort through all this before we leave, Zongzhu.”
Nie Mingjue had also told Meng Yao that there was no need to address him so formally, but that was something Meng Yao hadn’t been able to bring himself to do.
“Hm,” Nie Mingjue replied lightly, stepping toward the table, but moving into the space directly behind Meng Yao.
Though Meng Yao nearly expected it by now, his breath still caught faintly as he felt Nie Mingjue’s chest pressing softly against his back, as Nie Mingjue’s larger hands settled naturally on his slender waist, as his chin rested easily atop Meng Yao’s head--a move that always flustered Meng Yao--so that he could peer over him at the stacks of documents, judging their contents...
“You could do this tomorrow,” Nie Mingjue commented softly, the disapproval obvious in his voice, “And I thought Cheng Guo was supposed to be handling these requests from the front line.”
This time it was Meng Yao’s turn to frown, though having Nie Mingjue’s warmth pressed up against him was making it extremely difficult to resist his exhaustion, and he found his eyes slipping shut. “He was,” Meng Yao admitted. “I decided he was taking too long.”
Nie Mingjue huffed out a soft, almost amused breath; his arms moved to wrap around Meng Yao’s waist, and Meng Yao’s body reacted almost involuntarily. He exhaled slowly, letting himself lean back against Nie Mingjue’s firm chest, feeling... safe and supported by the arms embracing him and nearly ready to collapse. The exhaustion he’d been fighting back for hours was suddenly hitting him quite hard.
“You’re working too hard,” Nie Mingjue scolded gently, holding Meng Yao a bit closer as he felt his weight sinking into him.
“You like that I work too hard,” Meng Yao countered with a faint smile as his hands moved to cover Nie Mingjue’s and hold them in place against him.
“I do,” Nie Mingjue agreed easily, as it would be futile to deny that Meng Yao’s industrious nature was a quality he valued very highly in him, “but not when it keeps you from coming to bed.”
Meng Yao felt a soft heat on his cheeks as Nie Mingjue’s face nuzzled down against his hair. Even now, months later, Meng Yao still wasn’t fully used to the affection Nie Mingjue showed him, the nuzzling, the embraces, the soft kisses, every time Nie Mingjue tucked Meng Yao’s head ever so comfortably beneath his... Being raised the way he was, Meng Yao would hardly do more than blink at even the most depraved sex acts, but the moment Nie Mingjue held him close and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead, Meng Yao’s heart started to race, fluttering about his chest in a way that was almost uncomfortable and was definitely embarrassing.
When this had all started in a fever pitch of an unexpected and intoxicated makeout session, Meng Yao hadn’t realized how soft Nie Mingjue would be with him. He had anticipated correctly that Nie Mingjue wasn’t one for long winded platitudes or mushy sentiments, of course, but physically... when they were alone together, Nie Mingjue was far more gentle and tactile with him than Meng Yao could have ever imagined, Nie Mingjue’s hands and lips lingering on him sweetly every chance they had--and though the two of them had had their fair share of heated and rowdy moments in the bedroom, it was Nie Mingjue’s dedication to tenderness that had caught Meng Yao by surprise.
“You were already gone by the time I woke up this morning...” Which was saying something, because it wasn’t as if Nie Mingjue was someone who slept in late--Meng Yao had just woken up very early. “And I spent the last hour waiting for you to join me. You’ve been working later and later every night.”
Meng Yao exhaled, deflating a little and feeling Nie Mingjue’s arms hold him a little bit closer. He tried to open his eyes again, as he’d really been hoping to finish at least one last pile of papers... but now that he’d closed them, his eyes were stubbornly refusing to open again. “We’re leaving soon,” he said with faint exasperation. “I want to make sure everything is in order before we go.”
Nie Mingjue’s head was dipping down now so that he could press his lips lightly to Meng Yao’s temple. “Meng Yao, you’re very skilled,” Nie Mingjue said, offering up the praise plainly before pressing onward, “but the Nie Sect has survived without you for hundreds of years. I’m certain the Unclean Realm will manage to hold itself together for a few weeks in our absence.”
If Meng Yao had had the energy for it, he would have laughed. Nie Mingjue was right, of course, this was just... Meng Yao’s fear of inferiority rearing its head, his worry that if he didn’t work harder and harder, if he didn’t constantly prove his worth, if he didn’t keep topping his own efforts that... this would all fall apart. He’d worked so hard to get where he was, and he’d worked even harder to prove to himself and others that he deserved the position he’d been given. To slack in those efforts even for a moment felt like a slippery slope towards failure, even if his definition of not slacking involved what others would consider a neglect for a regular sleeping schedule.
He just... finally felt like he found something good here. It wasn’t what he had hoped for, it wasn’t the acceptance he craved so desperately from his father, but... His position in the Nie Sect had granted him a level of respect and power he never imagined he would have, and his relationship with Nie Mingjue...
Well, to put it simply, Meng Yao’s expectations for romantic love in the course of his life had been... non-existent. He’d grown up barely knowing what a romance should look like beyond the depiction of it in books his mother had gotten her hands on in order for him to practice his reading, beyond observing couples in the marketplace when he was sent to run errands. The brothel was pretty much the last place to find examples of a healthy romantic relationship, so... Meng Yao had grown up knowing more about purchased companionship and sex than he ever had about love, and therefore hadn’t spent much time imagining what that might look like for himself.
He’d been with Nie Mingjue only a handful of months, and yet... already, Nie Mingjue had shown him more loyalty and affection than Meng Yao could have asked to receive in his whole life. The thought of losing that because he’d failed in his duties, the idea of all of this shattering like it was no more than some frail illusion, and Nie Mingjue finally seeing him as the son of a whore that everyone else immediately took him for...
It was more than his heart could bear.
“You’re right, Zongzhu,” he conceded. Even if he didn’t already agree Nie Mingjue’s point, he would have been too tired to argue. With some effort, he forced his eyes open, taking a few seconds to make the table come into focus as he said with a sigh, “Let me finish reviewing this last pile and then I’ll join you.”
He was just about to free himself (somewhat reluctantly) from Nie Mingjue’s embrace, when... he realized that Nie Mingjue wasn’t letting go of him.
“No,” Nie Mingjue denied him bluntly.
And before Meng Yao had even the faintest chance to react, in the blink of an eye, Nie Mingjue hoisted Meng Yao into his arms, picking him up as effortlessly as if Meng Yao was made of down and not flesh and muscle. Meng Yao immediately felt his cheeks burning, his heart hammering as he gasped to fill his lungs with air as the maneuver had quite literally left him breathless. Naturally, his arms wrapped around Nie Mingjue’s neck, though it wasn’t as if he wasn’t perfectly and easily supported by Nie Mingjue’s incredible strength.
“As your sect leader, I’m ordering you to get some sleep,” Nie Mingjue said, his tone taking a step closer to authoritative--and though it obviously wasn’t a real order, Meng Yao decided to give in to it anyway. It wasn’t like he could do much about it in his current position.
“Yes, Zongzhu,” he said with a defeated smile. Nie Mingjue had won this round.
Exhausted, Meng Yao let his head rest against Nie Mingjue’s chest as Nie Mingjue nudged the door open with his foot and carried him down the hallways to their room. Meng Yao was... thankful for the late hour, allowing them to encounter no one on their journey; Meng Yao felt flustered enough to be carried around like this, much less be seen in such a position.
Inside their room, Nie Mingjue carefully set him on his feet and then helped the both of them strip off the outer layers of their robes, before tugging Meng Yao into bed. Almost immediately, Meng Yao found himself tucked neatly to Nie Mingjue’s chest, his face pressed comfortably into the crook of his neck; Nie Mingjue’s arms circled around him completely, easily, the heat coming off of his skin an instant comfort in the chilly room. Meng Yao allowed himself to press close to Nie Mingjue’s form, already somehow comfortable sleeping together like this as he half-draped his body over him and took a slow breath against Nie Mingjue’s skin.
His eyes closed, and he swallowed the thoughts that still questioned how this could be real, what he’d done to find himself in such a position... but it didn’t take long for the fiercely battled exhaustion to take over, letting him fall asleep peacefully against Nie Mingjue’s chest.
