Welcome to my thoughts

Yeah, so I was consulting my Ancient Greek dictionary while reading through the Iliad - as one does - when I realised that, hey, even if the goddess was never real, the NAME was, right ?

So, what does the name “Mesperiyan” actually mean ?

Well, to begin with, it breaks down into three distinct morphemes: μέσος (mésos), περί (perí), and ἀνία (anía) or iane

(I’m taking both -ania and -iane here, because while her suffix is actually -ian, that’s not a suffix that feminine names end with. It could be reverse-engineered into the more standard -ania, or the feminine suffix -iane, though, so…)

First !! Mes- (Μεσ-) :

This one’s the easiest. It likely means - μέσος (mésos), meaning “middle”, “in-between”, or “midst”

For example, names like Mesomedes (Μεσομήδης), the poet, whose name combined “mesos” with “medos”, meaning something like “He who counsels with moderation" or "Central Ruler.". Or Mesobates (Μεσοβάτης),

In Orphic and Neoplatonic theology (such as the writings of Proclus), the "middle" (to meson) represents the cosmic tether or liminal bridge between the celestial gods and the material or chthonic worlds.

Soo… pretty fitting for a goddess of the underworld, I think.

Next !! -per- (-περ- )

Now, this is interesting, because it could come from either περί (perí), or πεῖρα (peîra).

If it’s the former, then the implication is something that is “beyond”, or “all-filling” or “surrounding”. Basically “very much”.

Combined with the prefix, Μεσο-περι- creates a spatial compound meaning "Center of the Surroundings.”, or “Most Central”

I think it’s vastly more likely that it maps onto our second possibility, though - πεῖρα (peîra), meaning an attempt, a perilous trial, or a test forced upon mortals by the gods, for example, the Odyssey.

Bringing it together with our prefix, we get Μεσπειρ-, meaning "Immersed in the Midst of Torment/Trials.", which… well, she IS a goddess of torture, no ?

Third !! -yian (-ιαν)

This is not historically accurate. Genuine ancient Greek feminine names cannot end in a nasal -an sound. To make it authentic, a classicist must treat "-yian" as a corrupted modern phonetic spelling of one of two genuine suffixes:

Either, Ania (ἀνία), meaning mental distress or bodily pain or sorrow, as defined by Hesiod.

Putting together with Mes-peri-, this yields Mesperania, implying “In the Midst of the Surrounding Pain”

Putting together with Mes-peir, we get Mes-peir-ania, meaning “Immersed in Trials and Pain”

Or, it could be -ianē (-ιανή), meaning “follower of”, “descendant of”, or “loyal to”

OR !! OR !! My favourite potential answer - it’s not a misprint or bastardisation. It’s intentional. How ? Maybe Mesperiyan was never worshipped as a woman, but instead as a man.

That’s right !! The Tumblr god of torture and punishment is actually a trans man !!

So, putting everything together, with my favourite reading - what is Mesperiyan’s name, really ?

Μεσπειριανός (Mesperianos), would literally mean “He who is characterised by the Midst of Torment”

A more Classical version would imply -ιαν (-ian). Which would be recognized as a modern shift from the pure, ancient masculine agent suffix -ίων (-iōn) or -ίας (-ías).

That would give either Μεσπειρίας or Μεσπειρίων, meaning more or less the same thing.

Alternatively, if treated as an uncorrupted archaic fragment, -ian matches the epic feminine/common dialectal present participle ἰᾱ́ν (iân) from the verb εἶμι (eimi), meaning "to go" or "to advance".

But that’s no fun

So, it could be

Μεσπειριανός, as in “He of the Midst of Torments”

Or

Μεσπειριάν, as in “The Traveler through the Trials”

Getting wilder, we can read it also as “Μεσοεσπεριανός” ( Meso-hesper-ianos)

This reading accounts for the prominent "s" sound before the "p," treating it as a phonetic contraction of Ἑσπερίς (Hesperís) or Ἕσπερος (Hésperos), the ancient Greek personification of the Evening Star (Venus) and the West.

By Crasis, this would become “Μεσπεριανός”, and imply “He of the Exact Evening Star”

OR, it could be “Μεσσοαριανός”

This reading interprets the middle fix "-per-" as a phonetic corruption of the Homeric root ὄαρ (óar) or the verb ὀαρίζω (oarízō), which means "to whisper," "intimate converse," or "secret discourse".

Over centuries of phonetic drift or Western European transcription, the Greek breathy "oar" sound with a digamma or soft glide can morph into a plosive "per" or "pyr" sound.

This implies “He who whispers in the midst”

OR, Μεσπειριανός, via πείρω (peírō), the root of the aforementioned “peir”, which means "to pierce through," "to fix securely," or "to run a spit through an object".

What if Mesperiyan isn’t Greek ? After all, plenty of Greek gods were syncretised from pre-existing deities in other cultures. The implications here is that Mesperiyan (and the name) are both imports from another culture

The first implication is a kind of merge between Indo-Iranian and Armenian languages.

According to this, Mes- is actually 𐎥𐎠𐎥, a truncated marker for Mesopotamia (Ancient Greek: Μεσοποταμία, from Old Persian Miyanrudan, "The Land Between Rivers") or a reference to the Medes (Mada).

-per- comes from -𐎸𐎠𐎢𐎥, meaning the Proto-Indo-Iranian root *pari- (Old Persian: 𐎸𐎠𐎢𐎥 / pairi-), a spatial preposition meaning "around," "surrounding," or "against"

Finally, we see the last, which could be Armenian - as in -yan (եան). In Armenian onomastics, -yan (եան) serves as the definitive patronymic suffix meaning "descended from," "of the house of," or "son of."

Mes-pairi-yan translates to "The Child of the Enclosed Borderlands.", masculine, but it could also be read as feminine.

Or, second possibility, the god came from the West. Italic regions. Namely, from the Messapian tribes.

Under this reading, the prefix is Mesp- / Messap- (𐌌𐌄𐌔𐌔𐌀𐌿𐌉), which derives from the endonym of the Messapii (Greek: Μεσσάπιοι), a population occupying the Salento peninsula. Etymologically, Messapia is traditionally interpreted as "The Land Amidst the Waters" (*medhyo- "middle" + *ap- "water").

After that the Hellenic suffix “-ianos (-ιανός)” was added, implying “Son of Messapia”

Third possibility !! Phrygia, or Anatolia. Here, the prefix is Mes- / Men- (Μήν)

This maps to Mēn (Ancient Greek: Μήν; Phrygian: 𐤌𐤄𐤍), the highly powerful, indigenous Anatolian masculine moon god who governed the nocturnal sky, the underworld, oaths, and the punishment of the wicked

Next, -peir- / -pyros (𐤓𐤖𐤓)

In Phrygian, 𐤓𐤖𐤓 (pür / pyr) shares a direct Proto-Indo-European root with the Greek pŷr (πῦρ), meaning "fire."

And finally, -ian, the Hellenic root marking an active agent or devotee.

OR ? Maybe, it goes even older.

Going back to Mycenaean Greek/Linear B, we can concoct another reading.

Me-(𐀕) - Derived from the root of μέσπιλον (méspilon), the ancient wild medlar tree—a thorny Underworld-associated shrub.

-pi-re-(𐀠𐀩) - Phonetic rendering of the core stem; functions as an archaic adjectival locator or variant of the root peirō (to pierce/anchor).

-ja(𐀊) - The archaic Mycenaean feminine/common agent suffix, denoting an active entity or localized personification.

Putting it together, “𐀕𐀠𐀩𐀊“ (Mepireja) would mean “She of the Thorny Medlar Thicket”

Next possibility - Phoenicia.

Looking at this through a Hebrew/Phoenician viewpoint, we can break it down again.

Mishpat- (מִשְׁפָּט)(𐤌𐤔𐤐𐤈 ) - from the Northwest Semitic root meaning "divine decree," "judgment," or "cosmic justice."

-p'er- (פְּאֵר)(𐤐𐤀𐤓) - from the root meaning "splendour," "magnificence," or "ceremonial adornment" (e.g., a crown/diadem).

-yan (־יָן)(𐤉𐤍) - a standard Semitic intensive, abstract, or directional nominalizer denoting a state of being.

Here, Mishpat-p'er-yan, (abjad : 𐤌𐤔𐤐𐤈𐤐𐤀𐤓𐤉𐤍), means something like “The Decree of Splendour”

Or, finally !! It could be Illyrian.

Med- / Met- (𐌌𐌄𐌔 / 𐤌𐤄𐤔) - from the Indo-European root meaning "to rule," "to judge," or "to measure out."

-per- / -por- (𐌿𐌄𐌓 / 𐤐𐤄𐤓) - from the Proto-Balkan verbal root meaning "to cross over," "to journey through," or "to ford a river."

-yan / -an (𐌉𐌀𐌍 / 𐤉𐤀𐤍) - a traditional Thraco-Illyrian individualizing or tribal naming suffix, frequently featuring a stable nasal terminal.

Here, Medperyan / Metperianos (𐌌𐌄𐌔𐌿𐌄𐌓𐌉𐌀𐌍 / 𐤌𐤄𐤔𐤐𐤄𐤓𐤉𐤀𐤍), implies something like “The Ruler of the Crossing”

First of all, it is plausible that Mesperiyan comes from Sanskrit, via Manas- (मनस्-), -para- (पार), -yan (यान)

For those of you who know Hindi, this should seem familiar - Manasparayana, means something like “The Vehicle for Crossing the Shore of the Mind."”. This typology is grounded in the Garuda Purana and early Upanishadic eschatology, which describe the terrifying Vaitarani River—the fast-flowing, volatile river of blood and bone that souls must cross to exit the mortal sphere.

During the height of the Kushan Empire, Greco-Bactrian merchants and soldiers frequented tax-collection hubs like Taxila and Purushapura.

It is fully plausible that the encountered Manasparayana, a Buddhist deity/concept related to surpassing maya. They would have brought it back to Greece, but their tongues would have mutilated it into… Mesperiyan.

Next possibility, Orkhon Turkic -

From Mengü- (𐰋𐰭𐰇), meaning “Immortal, eternal, or infinite.”

-bör- / -peri- (𐰌𐰇𐰼𐰃) — Derived from the ancestral steppe wolf (börü) or an early Central Asian adaptation of the Persian spirit entity (peri).

yan / -khan (𐰪𐰭) — A suffix denoting sovereignty, leadership, or a royal lineage.

Bringing it together, we get “𐰪𐰭𐰌𐰇𐰼𐰃𐰋𐰭𐰇” - Menguborkhan, something like “Khan of the Immortal Wolf”

This is unique because it is a) pure conjecture, b) not even remotely related to cthonic stuff, and c) young.

This construction relies heavily on the ancestral Asena creation myth recorded on early Orkhon runic stelae, wherein a sacred wolf guides the early nomadic tribes out of a mountain crucible into the open steppe.

Along the northern Pontic-Caspian steppe and the frontiers of Thrace, early Greek colonists from Olbia and Tomis traded iron works for horses with migrating equestrian tribes.

To the local Greek settlers, the figure of Menguborkhan became synonymous with the untamed, dangerous wilderness beyond the frontier. Over centuries of oral transmission along the Black Sea trade routes, the historical title drifted into myth. Byzantine and Late Roman chroniclers hellenized the harsh runic sibilants and labials, transforming the "Immortal Steppe Wolf" into Mesperianos, an underworld lord governing the dark, boundary-less margins of the known world.

Now, as promised - Chinese.

From Miè- (滅) — To extinguish, dissolve, or transcend into the formless void.

-pò- (魄 )— The yin-soul; the corporeal, earthly spirit tied to the physical anatomy that descends into the soil upon death.

-yuán (元 )— The absolute origin, primordial source, or first principle

Giving us Miè-pò-yuán (滅魄元), “The Primordial Source of the Extinguished Yin Soul."

This framework functions within the mortuary traditions of early Taoist internal alchemy (Neidan). It records the ritual return of the physical, animalistic energy of a human (Po) back into the vast, cosmic fabric (Yuán) once the physical life force is snuffed out (Miè).

Yeah, so I was consulting my Ancient Greek dictionary while reading through the Iliad - as one does - when I realised that, hey, even if the goddess was never real, the NAME was, right ?

So, what does the name “Mesperiyan” actually mean ?

Well, to begin with, it breaks down into three distinct morphemes: μέσος (mésos), περί (perí), and ἀνία (anía) or iane

(I’m taking both -ania and -iane here, because while her suffix is actually -ian, that’s not a suffix that feminine names end with. It could be reverse-engineered into the more standard -ania, or the feminine suffix -iane, though, so…)

First !! Mes- (Μεσ-) :

This one’s the easiest. It likely means - μέσος (mésos), meaning “middle”, “in-between”, or “midst”

For example, names like Mesomedes (Μεσομήδης), the poet, whose name combined “mesos” with “medos”, meaning something like “He who counsels with moderation" or "Central Ruler.". Or Mesobates (Μεσοβάτης),

In Orphic and Neoplatonic theology (such as the writings of Proclus), the "middle" (to meson) represents the cosmic tether or liminal bridge between the celestial gods and the material or chthonic worlds.

Soo… pretty fitting for a goddess of the underworld, I think.

Next !! -per- (-περ- )

Now, this is interesting, because it could come from either περί (perí), or πεῖρα (peîra).

If it’s the former, then the implication is something that is “beyond”, or “all-filling” or “surrounding”. Basically “very much”.

Combined with the prefix, Μεσο-περι- creates a spatial compound meaning "Center of the Surroundings.”, or “Most Central”

I think it’s vastly more likely that it maps onto our second possibility, though - πεῖρα (peîra), meaning an attempt, a perilous trial, or a test forced upon mortals by the gods, for example, the Odyssey.

Bringing it together with our prefix, we get Μεσπειρ-, meaning "Immersed in the Midst of Torment/Trials.", which… well, she IS a goddess of torture, no ?

Third !! -yian (-ιαν)

This is not historically accurate. Genuine ancient Greek feminine names cannot end in a nasal -an sound. To make it authentic, a classicist must treat "-yian" as a corrupted modern phonetic spelling of one of two genuine suffixes:

Either, Ania (ἀνία), meaning mental distress or bodily pain or sorrow, as defined by Hesiod.

Putting together with Mes-peri-, this yields Mesperania, implying “In the Midst of the Surrounding Pain”

Putting together with Mes-peir, we get Mes-peir-ania, meaning “Immersed in Trials and Pain”

Or, it could be -ianē (-ιανή), meaning “follower of”, “descendant of”, or “loyal to”

OR !! OR !! My favourite potential answer - it’s not a misprint or bastardisation. It’s intentional. How ? Maybe Mesperiyan was never worshipped as a woman, but instead as a man.

That’s right !! The Tumblr god of torture and punishment is actually a trans man !!

So, putting everything together, with my favourite reading - what is Mesperiyan’s name, really ?

Μεσπειριανός (Mesperianos), would literally mean “He who is characterised by the Midst of Torment”

A more Classical version would imply -ιαν (-ian). Which would be recognized as a modern shift from the pure, ancient masculine agent suffix -ίων (-iōn) or -ίας (-ías).

That would give either Μεσπειρίας or Μεσπειρίων, meaning more or less the same thing.

Alternatively, if treated as an uncorrupted archaic fragment, -ian matches the epic feminine/common dialectal present participle ἰᾱ́ν (iân) from the verb εἶμι (eimi), meaning "to go" or "to advance".

But that’s no fun

So, it could be

Μεσπειριανός, as in “He of the Midst of Torments”

Or

Μεσπειριάν, as in “The Traveler through the Trials”

Getting wilder, we can read it also as “Μεσοεσπεριανός” ( Meso-hesper-ianos)

This reading accounts for the prominent "s" sound before the "p," treating it as a phonetic contraction of Ἑσπερίς (Hesperís) or Ἕσπερος (Hésperos), the ancient Greek personification of the Evening Star (Venus) and the West.

By Crasis, this would become “Μεσπεριανός”, and imply “He of the Exact Evening Star”

OR, it could be “Μεσσοαριανός”

This reading interprets the middle fix "-per-" as a phonetic corruption of the Homeric root ὄαρ (óar) or the verb ὀαρίζω (oarízō), which means "to whisper," "intimate converse," or "secret discourse".

Over centuries of phonetic drift or Western European transcription, the Greek breathy "oar" sound with a digamma or soft glide can morph into a plosive "per" or "pyr" sound.

This implies “He who whispers in the midst”

OR, Μεσπειριανός, via πείρω (peírō), the root of the aforementioned “peir”, which means "to pierce through," "to fix securely," or "to run a spit through an object".

What if Mesperiyan isn’t Greek ? After all, plenty of Greek gods were syncretised from pre-existing deities in other cultures. The implications here is that Mesperiyan (and the name) are both imports from another culture

The first implication is a kind of merge between Indo-Iranian and Armenian languages.

According to this, Mes- is actually 𐎥𐎠𐎥, a truncated marker for Mesopotamia (Ancient Greek: Μεσοποταμία, from Old Persian Miyanrudan, "The Land Between Rivers") or a reference to the Medes (Mada).

-per- comes from -𐎸𐎠𐎢𐎥, meaning the Proto-Indo-Iranian root *pari- (Old Persian: 𐎸𐎠𐎢𐎥 / pairi-), a spatial preposition meaning "around," "surrounding," or "against"

Finally, we see the last, which could be Armenian - as in -yan (եան). In Armenian onomastics, -yan (եան) serves as the definitive patronymic suffix meaning "descended from," "of the house of," or "son of."

Mes-pairi-yan translates to "The Child of the Enclosed Borderlands.", masculine, but it could also be read as feminine.

Or, second possibility, the god came from the West. Italic regions. Namely, from the Messapian tribes.

Under this reading, the prefix is Mesp- / Messap- (𐌌𐌄𐌔𐌔𐌀𐌿𐌉), which derives from the endonym of the Messapii (Greek: Μεσσάπιοι), a population occupying the Salento peninsula. Etymologically, Messapia is traditionally interpreted as "The Land Amidst the Waters" (*medhyo- "middle" + *ap- "water").

After that the Hellenic suffix “-ianos (-ιανός)” was added, implying “Son of Messapia”

Third possibility !! Phrygia, or Anatolia. Here, the prefix is Mes- / Men- (Μήν)

This maps to Mēn (Ancient Greek: Μήν; Phrygian: 𐤌𐤄𐤍), the highly powerful, indigenous Anatolian masculine moon god who governed the nocturnal sky, the underworld, oaths, and the punishment of the wicked

Next, -peir- / -pyros (𐤓𐤖𐤓)

In Phrygian, 𐤓𐤖𐤓 (pür / pyr) shares a direct Proto-Indo-European root with the Greek pŷr (πῦρ), meaning "fire."

And finally, -ian, the Hellenic root marking an active agent or devotee.

OR ? Maybe, it goes even older.

Going back to Mycenaean Greek/Linear B, we can concoct another reading.

Me-(𐀕) - Derived from the root of μέσπιλον (méspilon), the ancient wild medlar tree—a thorny Underworld-associated shrub.

-pi-re-(𐀠𐀩) - Phonetic rendering of the core stem; functions as an archaic adjectival locator or variant of the root peirō (to pierce/anchor).

-ja(𐀊) - The archaic Mycenaean feminine/common agent suffix, denoting an active entity or localized personification.

Putting it together, “𐀕𐀠𐀩𐀊“ (Mepireja) would mean “She of the Thorny Medlar Thicket”

Next possibility - Phoenicia.

Looking at this through a Hebrew/Phoenician viewpoint, we can break it down again.

Mishpat- (מִשְׁפָּט)(𐤌𐤔𐤐𐤈 ) - from the Northwest Semitic root meaning "divine decree," "judgment," or "cosmic justice."

-p'er- (פְּאֵר)(𐤐𐤀𐤓) - from the root meaning "splendour," "magnificence," or "ceremonial adornment" (e.g., a crown/diadem).

-yan (־יָן)(𐤉𐤍) - a standard Semitic intensive, abstract, or directional nominalizer denoting a state of being.

Here, Mishpat-p'er-yan, (abjad : 𐤌𐤔𐤐𐤈𐤐𐤀𐤓𐤉𐤍), means something like “The Decree of Splendour”

Or, finally !! It could be Illyrian.

Med- / Met- (𐌌𐌄𐌔 / 𐤌𐤄𐤔) - from the Indo-European root meaning "to rule," "to judge," or "to measure out."

-per- / -por- (𐌿𐌄𐌓 / 𐤐𐤄𐤓) - from the Proto-Balkan verbal root meaning "to cross over," "to journey through," or "to ford a river."

-yan / -an (𐌉𐌀𐌍 / 𐤉𐤀𐤍) - a traditional Thraco-Illyrian individualizing or tribal naming suffix, frequently featuring a stable nasal terminal.

Here, Medperyan / Metperianos (𐌌𐌄𐌔𐌿𐌄𐌓𐌉𐌀𐌍 / 𐤌𐤄𐤔𐤐𐤄𐤓𐤉𐤀𐤍), implies something like “The Ruler of the Crossing”

(check pt.1 for other crossovers)

~*~

The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System

~*~

Hello, Neighbor!!! by Dragon_Scribe (M, 70k, bingqiu, LBH & WWX & SQQ, wangxian, SVSSS, canon divergence, demon WWX, found family, angst w/ happy ending, dimension travel, mystery, mind-control, love confessions)

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Chunshan by alittleliar (M, 62k, WIP, SQQ/YQY, SQQ/LBH, WangXian, SVSSS, Angst and Tragedy, Blood and Gore, Body Horror, Unreliable Narrator, Mental Instability, Grief/Mourning, Flashbacks, Canon Divergence, Non-Consensual Somnophilia, Found Family Dynamics, Reincarnation, Immortality, trash grandma sj, Gods, terrible but trying parent figure sy) WWX is mentored in the Burial Mounds by dismembered fierce corpse SQQ

The Scum Villain’s Demonic Blessing by Hamliet (M, 81k, WangXian, HuaLian, BingQiu, XuanXuan, XiCheng, ZhuiLing, FX/MQ, MBJ/SQH, NYY/MF, SVSSS/MDZS/TGCF, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Unplanned Pregnancy, Mpreg, Romance, Reconciliation, Crack Treated Seriously, Potential Spoilers) a curse leaves all the canon shous, as well as a number of supporting characters, pregnant. Warning for realistic portrayal of morning sickness, bloating, and other pregnancy symptoms; several readers commented with their own gestational war stories.

~*~

Tiān Guān Cì Fú/Heaven Official’s Blessing

~*~

🧡 The Red Ribbon by Xiao_Hua (M, 21k, WangXian, HuaLian, Canon Divergence, Ghost City, a bit of beefleaf, Immortality, Cultivation Partners, Juniors, XL and HC find a child who happens to be WWX, Fluffy wangxian, WWX is a Supreme Ghost King, First Time, TGCF)

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Farmer’s Almanac / 情雨濛濛 by Irrelevancy (T, 13k, YSH/WQ, WWX & WQ, hualian, wangxian, SL/XXC, TGCF, canon divergence, fix-it, humor, families of choice, sibling bonding, action/adventure, resurrection)

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Back From The Dead by Suibian_613 (T, 45k, wangxian, hualian, JYL/JZX, beefleaf, fengqing, TGCF, major character death, canon divergence, supreme ghost king WWX, canon-typical violence, BAMF WWX, WIP)

Song of Joy and Regrets by HelloKitten (Not Rated, 134k, wangxian, hualian, WIP, TGCF, Angst, Self-Harm, Child Abuse, characters watching their series, Time Travel Fix-it)

Get By with a Little Help (from My Friends) by SomeGoodSheith (T, 20k, hualian, wangxian, MXY/OMC, SL/XXC, TGCF, married hualian, married wangxian, hurt/comfort, reunions, multiple POV)

Black Flute Melody by English is my death (Lena013) (T, 4k, HuaHe, WWX & Everyone, Female HX, HX & HC Friendship, Short HX, WWX is a Calamity, WWX the Child of Two Calamities, hx and hc friends with privileges, BAMF WWX, Drama, Personality Breakdown, YLLZ WWX, Family Drama, Hurt WWX, Minor HuaLian, TGCF)

Intertwined by Tsukimiko_san (T, 4k, wangxian, hualian, major character death, canon divergence, no resurrection au, red string of fate, reincarnation au, sad w happy ending, ghost LWJ, TGCF)

Lan Jingyi and the Adventure of the Immortal Cultivator by litbynosun (T, 5k, JL & LJY & LSZ & OYZZ, crossover, TGCF, post-canon, canon-typical violence, minor injuries, ghosts, friendship)

The Remnants of our Struggle by Naamah_Beherit (G, 11k, hualian, WN & WWX, WN & WQ, WN & XL, crossover, TGCF, canonical character death, friendship, family, ghosts)

No paths are bound by CataclysmicEvent (E, 1.158k, hualian, fengqing, PM/SWD, beefleaf, LW/YSH, canon divergence, retelling, hurt/comfort, horror elements, internalized homophobia, major novel spoilers, graphic violence, torture, suicide attempt, implied/referenced suicide, slow burn, sexual content) Super long, super awesome, it follows the tgcf plot but spans the mdzs (and some svsss) lore and some of the plot too. The crossover bits are so worth it tbh

Narrative of Strength by MeltedIceAngel (T, 61k, WIP, WangXian, HuaLian, Canon Divergence, Adopt WWX, Found Family, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Protective XL, Protective HC, Adoption, Kidnapping, Attempted Kidnapping, Serious Injuries, Angst with a Happy Ending, TGCF)

if we could change it all by silver__butterflies (T, 37k, HauLian, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Crossover, Wēn Remnants Live, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Attempt at Humor, JYL Lives, JZX Lives, POV Multiple, Post-Canon for TGCF, Spoilers for both fandoms, Fix-It, Happy Ending, BAMF XL, Fluff, Found Family)

Just pray to me. I’ll answer. by skeletonofaplant (G, 28k, WIP, HuaLian, WangXian, Canon Compliant, Crossover, Post-Canon, TGCF, gratuitous use of the word husband, Identity Porn, Identity Reveal, 5+1 Things, (actually 4+1 but who’s counting?), Fluff, Humor, POV Alternating, Angst, But Only a Little Bit)

Not Only Gods Are Listening by dancing_pencil (Not Rated, 69k, HuaLian, WangXian, Post-Canon TGCF, MDZS Fix-it, Fix-It, Post-First Siege of the Burial Mounds, YLLZ WWX, Fix-It of Sorts, Crossover)

To heal and nurture by Aki_no_hikari (G, 11k, WangXian, Post-Canon, Memories, Married Couple, Domestic Fluff, Festivals, Healing, Trauma Recovery, Light Angst, but mostly this is wwx living all of his cottagecore fantasies because he deserves it, TGCF crossover) Wangxian, having retired to farm, take part in a nearby village harvest festival honoring Yushi Huang

Somewhere Sits an Empty Throne by Siamesa (E, 19k, WangXian, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, tgcf fusion, Gods & Goddesses, Ghosts, Romance, vengeance, Dark LWJ, Grief/Mourning, Explicit Sexual Content, Angst with a Happy Ending)

Crimson Spiderlilies and Silver Wraith Butterflies series by tinyfoxpeach (G/M, 1k, HC/WWX, TGCF crossover, Fluff, Morning Routines, Morning Cuddles calamity WWX, ghost WWX, POV Outsider Soft WWX, Soft HC, HC in Love, Established Relationship, canon divergence, angst, implied/referenced suicide & abuse, flashbacks, dark, YLLZ WWX)

Grim Grinning Ghosts by Theladyofravenclaw (G, 3k, Junior Centric, Ghost City, the juniors shenanigans, Gambling, slight mention of gore once they enter the city, but nothing very graphic)

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Word Of Honor/Faraway Wanderers

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What’s in a name? by Anonymous (M, 3k, Canon Divergence, Not JC Friendly, WOH)

CH.1 of Tumbling Random Fandoms and Stuff by esama (M, 45k, WIP, WenZhou, Drabble/oneshot collection, WOH)

The Young Masters of Four Seasons Manor by gaotamao (G, 91k, WangXian, WenZhou, YeRong, Time Regression fix-it, WKX raises monstrous sons, Not Jiang Sect Friendly, No Golden Core Transfer, WOH)

🧡 A Song of Healing and Reunions by SilasSolarius (Not Rated, 6k, WangXian, WenZhou, XiangNing, WOH, YBY is LJY, Hurt WWX, Grief/Mourning, Presumed Dead Character Death, I’m So Sorry A-yuan, Healing, Nails of Seven Torments, Implied/Referenced Torture) (unfortunately this fic has been deleted, but you can find it on wayback here)

To Stop A Prince by fallen_ghost_star, GKoi (fallen_ghost_star) (E, 20k, WIP, WenZhou, WangXian, WOH, Canon Divergence, POV Multiple, Smut is gonna happen, trying for low angst)

Bad Liars series by (E, 28k, wenzhou, wangxian, WOH, post-canon, dark past, memories, developing friendships, trust issues, flirting, exhibitionism, jealousy, orgy, smut)

Our Scars Unveiled by cj_is_alright (M, 16k, WenZhou, WangXian, WOH, POV WKX, POV ZZS, WangXian and WenZhou becoming friends, Canon-Typical Use of Husband and Wife, Post-Canon Faraway Wanderers, Post-Canon, MDZS, Non-canon, Crossover, They are all overprotective of their respective husband, Fierce Corpses, Walking Corpses, Fierce Corpses show up in the Faraway Wanderers Universe, Drunk LWJ, Hurt WKX, Protective ZZS, Healed ZZS, WKX fights with a fan, they all have trauma, Implied/Referenced Sex, But only between the actual couples, the couples are just friends)

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Guardian

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The Human Realm Is Not Worth It by Ju_StADreamer (T, 150k, WIP, WangXian, WeiLan, BSSR/LY, Guardian, Time Travel Fix-It, Child!WWX, child!LWJ, Major character death in the first chapter, Friends to Lovers, Canon Divergence, Wise Child WWX, Shen Wei and Kunlan adopt WWX, No Yin Iron (it seemed important), Character Study, Angst Happy Ending, Not Cultivation World Friendly, Not Jiang friendly – but no bashing, I might as well say it: slight crossover with TMOPB, specific TW’s in the chapters, Madam Lan’s arc fix-it)

The Source of All Resentment by Aquamarinade (T, 41k, WIP, WeiLan, WangXian, Guardian, Crossover, AU, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Pining) Wei Wuxian approaches the mysterious subterranean Dixing Shen Sect seeking asylum for the Wen Remnants

i’ve finally found you again by HanguangMoon (G, 809, WangXian, Guardian AU, fusion au, LWJ and WWX are SW & ZYL) the MDZS characters are the Guardian characters reincarnated

I was told by my professors that Kitty Genovese was a 28-year-old unmarried woman who was attacked, raped, and brutally murdered on her way home from her shift as manager of a bar. I was told that numerous people witnessed the attack and her cries for help but didn’t do anything because they “assumed someone else would”. Nobody intervened until it was too late. 

What I was not told was that Kitty Genovese was a lesbian who lived more or less openly with her partner in the Upper West Side and managed a gay bar. 

Now… is it likely that people overheard Kitty’s cries for help and ignored them because they thought someone else would deal with it? Or, perhaps, did they ignore her because they knew she was a lesbian and just didn’t care?

Maybe that’s not the case. Maybe it was just a random attack. Maybe her neighbours didn’t know she was gay, or didn’t care.

But it’s a huge chunk of information to leave out about her in a supposedly scientific study of events, since her sexuality made her much more vulnerable to violent crimes than the average person. And it’s a dishonour to her memory.

RIP Kitty Genovese. Society may only remember you for how you died, but I will remember you for who who were.

One shouted out his window for the attacker to leave her alone, which did successfully scare the man off temporarily.

Another called the police but, seeing her still on her feet, said only that there had been a fight but the woman seemed to be okay.

And when Kitty Genovese was finally attacked in a vestibule where she couldn’t be seen from outside, Karl Ross, a neighbor, saw what was happening but was too frightened himself to go to her rescue–so he started calling other neighbors to ask what he should do. Eventually one of them told him to call the police, which he did, and the woman he called, Sophie Farrar, rushed out to help Kitty even though she didn’t know whether the attacker was gone.

Kitty Genovese died in the arms of a neighbor who tired to help and comfort her while they waited for the police and ambulance to arrive. Kitty was in fact still alive, although mortally wounded, when the ambulance reached the scene.

The man who saw the final stabbing? Who panicked and called other neighbors first instead of the police? The man who said, infamously, that he “didn’t want to get involved” because he was reluctant to turn to the police for help? He was thought to be gay himself. He was a friend of Kitty and Mary Ann’s. After being interviewed by the police he took a bottle of vodka to Mary Ann and sat with her, trying to comfort her.

So, no. I don’t think the evidence indicates that Kitty Genovese’s neighbors let her die because she was a lesbian, because Kitty Genovese’s neighbors tried to help.

See also: Debunking the Myth of Kitty Genovese (The New York Post)

A Call for Help (The New Yorker)

At the time, the NYPD was coming under quite a bit of criticism about rising crime rates and the seeming ineffectiveness of the police’s response to the problem. In the Kitty Genovese case, even though people did in fact call the police, it took about an hour for them to show up and the first detectives didn’t arrive until three hours later (at which point they mostly spent their time interrogating Kitty’s girlfriend about their relationship, because for “some reason” they considered her to be the most likely suspect for the murder. In fact, the police wouldn’t catch the actual killer until six days later when he was picked up for having a stolen TV in the trunk of his car, at which point he admitted to having committed a total of three murders). It’s not an accident that one of the things to come out of the Genovese case was the establishment of the 9-1-1 system, because at the time that the attack happened, you had to call the specific number of a particular police precinct and it was up to the duty sergeant on the desk to take action - which was usually to send someone out from the precinct to the address reported, because cops on foot patrol wouldn’t be outfitted with two-way radios for several years. It’s more than a little convenient that at a time when the NYPD is coming in for public scrutiny about its ability to do the basic job of responding to reports of crimes in a timely fashion, the Police Commissioner happens to hand the City Editor of the city’s most prominent newspaper a story which puts the blame for the slow response on the apathy and inaction of New Yorkers, neatly absolving the NYPD for its ridiculously poor performance in this case in particular and its response to the rise in crime in general. 

my resident and registrar went out to grab coffee and as we were walking back we all compared names

um

but still, sometimes, things surprise me. and i was surprised today. because today an old man approached me at the park. and he said, you know, im a pediatrician.

which is already a weird start to a conversation, because i didnt know that. and maybe i should have just rolled with it, but instead i went

wait. i dont know that. why did you think i knew that?

which didn't even put him slightly off balance.

cuz you're bald, he said, so confidently that i didnt even question it until the conversation was over. now. i was - i was over there, sitting -

and he gestured across the park to a giant pile of soft dirt that had an almost cartoonishly exaggerated ass print on it which derailed me for the second time. right? because whoever sat on that dirt, clearly, had an ass like two coconuts being fired out of a spanish cannon. whereas this man had an ass that could probably only be detected with powerful scientific instruments. i told him this in more succint terms by simply saying that was clearly not his buttprint.

now at this point we'd gotten derailed twice, and as unflappable as he'd been the first time, he was starting to get a little defensive. so he said perhaps someone with a large butt sat down after i got up, and i said why are you lying about where you were sitting, and he said why would i do that? and i said if i knew, i wouldnt be asking, and he said fine, i was driving by - and i said why didn't you just say you were driving by?!?!?!?! and he said because i didn't want you to think i was the kind of crazy person that would just stop his car to tell a stranger in a park that he, as a pediatrician, could tell that your parents REALLY cared about tummy time!

then he left. angrily. he actually stomped back to his car. i dont know when i started laughing but i didnt stop until i got home. my voice is still all scratchy right now. ive been in a little bit of a writing funk but i had to get this down while i could still remember it so perfectly.

I don't know if you, oh tagger, were meaning actual bones, or just teeth, but it's such a pet peeve of mine that I'm going to plow ahead under the assumption that you meant teeth

Teeth are NOT bones. They're not even remotely related to bones, and have completely different compositions and cross sections.

Your assumption is indeed incorrect, and you are also missing some information. Some of the information can be gathered by reading the tags you highlighted again, and processing it with your knowledge about bones.

What is different about the bones of “really young” children? (This information is also gestured at in the original post: skulls of small people are upsettingly soft.)

You are also missing information about something that is sometimes called “dentofacial orthopedics.” These are corrective orthodontics, surgeries, and other procedures that include remodelling bones - usually the jaw and palate. Mostly done on children.