#I've had to find a new hyperfixation after the finale okay

[stars-and-inkpots]

Ok- sorry I’ve never done this before. But I was wondering if you could do a Gale fic/ oneshot where tav/reader somehow finds a way to like remove his orb but instead of getting rid of it all together it goes to them? Like now they have the orb in their chest and they have like all the pain and the possibility of going boom? If not that’s completely fine- I just had that idea and I felt you’d be amazing for it! I hope you have an amazing day!<3

OKAY! I know I've been gone for like five months, but I finally got motivated again! (Those new patches have thrown me right back into my hyperfixation) I know this is so very very late, but I hope you enjoy! I really liked this idea, and it honestly might end of a part of a multi-chapter thing if I get around to it. This is set before the events of the game.

(p.s. it's 3 am and I haven't really read through this, so I'm sorry if there are some mistakes that I won't catch till I've slept)

What's Yours is Mine | Gale x Reader

After months of research, you finally find a way to get rid of the volatile orb in Gale's chest. Of course, things don't work out exactly the way you intend them to.

Pairing: Gale/Reader

Tags: hurt/comfort, angst, brief allusion to suicide(kinda?)

Ao3 Link: Baldur's Gate 3 Requests

Word Count: 1249

You know it isn’t going to be easy. It’s taken months of research, and even now as you look through the large practically ancient book, you aren’t entirely sure that this is going to work. Gale is sceptical too, he doesn’t want to get his hopes up. He also knows that when it comes to old magic like this, there is always the chance of something going wrong. It wasn’t like this was simple magic either. The nature of his condition is complicated and volatile, and this could easily cause problems.  

Gale sits in the centre of the chalk circle while you finish drawing the runes around it. 

“Are you sure about this, my love?” 

You’ve been talking in circles like this for the past twenty minutes while you’ve been preparing for the actual ritual. 

“Yes, Gale. We’re so close to a solution now.” You draw the final line of a rune and walk over to kneel in front of him. “I’m sure. If there’s a chance to help you, I want to take it.” You kiss his forehead and he gives you a small smile. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?” 

“I’m sure,” he answers, and kisses you quickly before you stand again. 

With the circle of runes finished, you move to grab the book. The page you need is bookmarked, and you flip to it to study the words on the page once more. Between the lines are notes and annotations in both Gale’s and your own writing. You added reminders on how to pronounce some of the words, and Gale had marked the translation. You look at Gale once more, and he gives you a reassuring nod. 

You start reciting the lines from the book. Immediately, you can feel the air begin to buzz with magic. Three lines in, and you can taste copper, which is a common side-effect when it comes to older magic like this so it’s not too concerning yet. What is a little worrying, is the sheer amount of power you can feel moving through your body while you speak, and the slight purple glow that is spreading across your arms and steadily growing brighter. You chance a glance at Gale and notice that he too seems to be feeling the same effects. There’s a growing apprehension in both of you as you continue to speak the words on the page. By the time you reach the final line, the feeling is almost unbearable. It’s like the pressure in the room has increased tenfold, like a weight has been dropped on your shoulders and bears down on your lungs.

Once you utter the final word, everything seems to slow for a moment. 

Then you feel it. 

A horrible pain wracks through your body. You let out a scream. It feels like something is tearing open your chest- or is it clawing its way in? You can’t tell; you can’t think. Your vision is dark, and you aren’t sure if it’s because you’ve blacked out or because pain has forced your eyes shut. Everything feels cold, far, far too cold, but also so terribly hot. 

Finally, the pain lessens enough that you can take a full breath, though it is interrupted by a sputtering cough. When you eventually open your eyes again, you realise that at some point you must have fallen to the floor. You can feel Gale’s arms around you, he is shaking. 

“Did it work?” You ask, despite how much it hurts to speak. The burning feeling in your chest hasn’t entirely left yet. 

“That doesn’t matter. Are you okay?” 

You try to sit up and wince with the effort. Gods, your chest hurts. 

“I’ll be alright. Gale, did it work?” You ask again, looking for the tell-tale mark on his chest and neck. You find the scar still, skin sunken in some parts and raised in others, but it is no longer the usual, shimmering purple. Now, it just looks like a normal (save for the shape) scar. You smile, because at least the spell did its job. Then you see a look of horror cross Gale’s face. 

“No, gods no,” he whispers, tentatively brushing his fingers along your collarbone. You hiss in pain. It feels like he’s brushed his hands across a fresh burn. 

You bring your own hand up to feel the centre of your chest, and your stomach drops. You know the shape, having memorised it from the number of times you ran your hands across Gale’s scar. This spell worked, but not in the way it should have. 

“We have to do it again,” Gale stands, pushing a still shaky hand through his messy hair. He stares at the special candles that have already burnt far too low to make it through the ritual a second time, and lets himself believe that they will be enough. “I am not going to let you carry my burden like this. Get in the circle and I can start the ritual again.”

“You know that won’t work. The candles are out, and all the herbs and incense are burnt, not to mention the crystals. It will take ages to find those again.” You don’t blame him for this, no matter how much he might blame himself and how much he might want you to blame him. “I’ll be fine, Gale. You managed it for so long, and now it’s my turn. We’ll figure it out.” A part of you remembers what Gale said of his power and how the orb drained it, but you quickly silence those thoughts before you can worry too much about your own magic. 

“No. This wretched thing is the consequence of my mistake. I will not let you suffer through it. I can’t.” He’s kneeling in front of you again, cradling your face in his hands. “What if it becomes unstable? I can’t-” Gale tries and fails to keep his voice steady. “That cannot happen to you.” 

“And it would be better if it were to happen to you? It is fine for you to die with it?” You return, perhaps too harshly, but surely now he might understand how it felt to hear him say such things when it was him with the magic bomb in his chest. 

“I’m sorry,” is all he answers after a few moments of silence. You aren’t sure what exactly he’s apologising for, but you wrap your arms around him and rest your head on his shoulder. 

“We’ll figure this out. We always do. I promise.” The pain still hasn’t subsided completely. You can’t imagine how Gale has managed to grit his teeth and bear it on his worst days if this is how the orb feels when it is, more or less, stable. You feel him press a kiss to the crown of your head. “It’s like we always say, remember? What’s yours is mine.” The phrase was common between you two. It was one of the first things Gale had said when you moved into the tower with him. ‘What’s mine is yours,’ he had said with a grand sweeping gesture. Since then it has been used whenever either of you had to borrow something from the other, anything from books to warm wool sweaters you had no intention of returning anytime soon. It seems strange to say it now, but you hope it gets your point across regardless; by the slight shake of Gale’s chest as he laughs softly, you figure it has. 

#bg3 #baldurs gate x reader #gale dekarios #x reader fic #gale x reader #baldurs gate 3 x reader #baldurs gate 3 fic #baldurs gate gale

[lorebeth]

When you aren't looking

Disclaimer: Hello! This is my first ever piece on this website so I hope it reaches the right audience! I'm still a little new to this so if you have any tips for how to get better accustomed to the app I'd be happy to learn!

I've recently had a hyperfixation on Dan Heng so hopefully this expresses my love for him psfjdhfjsj HELP THERE'S A FEW SPELLING MISTAKES

TW: Might be a little sad, Dan Heng ignores reader due to his feelings, Dan Heng hopelessly in love with you and terrified of his feelings towards you. Readers birthday, mwah!

Dan Heng couldn't comprehend it. His feelings for you have skyrocketed and he can't help but get a feeling at the bottom of his stomach whenever he sees you.

He doesn't like what you've done to him these past few months since you first joined him and the others. He couldn't find it in his heart to trust you after the effect you had on him so drastically but he also couldn't help not let you into his heart through your caring actions towards the others. How you communicate with March 7th, it makes his heart flutter and the way you make coffee for Himeko before her waking up.

He wonderered what you haven't done to make everyone's life just that inch more easier. Even Pom Pom adored you in their own little way.

What really hit the nail on the coffin for Dan Heng was when you found him awake in the dead of night when even Welt himself was asleep. You carefully approached him with a careful hand on his shoulder, making him shiver whenever he remembers the event.

"Would you like a cup of coffee? Tea, perhaps?" he knew you could see the bags under his eyes and the messy nest ontop of his head, yet all you did was offer him a hot beverage. You could have told him to go to sleep but he knew you knew that would have done nothing. And for that, he slowly started opening up to you. From a distance that is.

You had in fact won him over but his crippling fear of rejection stopped him. He couldn't face you again after he came to the conclusion he doesn't feel the same way he does with you with Himeko or March for example. How would you react if you saw him smile ever so gently whenever you help someone or whenever you explain to March why Welt has his phone brightness too high and can't change it due to his lack of expertise in mobile phones, causing March to giggle and try take Welt's phone.

So, he began to ignore you. And it did hurt him to see March come in his room without you because he simply couldn't see you. You had caught on quite quickly after the 3rd or 4th time he kept making excuses to not being able to spend time with you.

As time passed, your birthday was finally here and of course you felt horrible because this amazing boy was ignoring you, and of course you told March who felt the need to scold him personally and escort, as she frased it the, "Sorry Looking Emo Potato Salad" to the meeting held in place for your birthday. He of course had said previously that he was busy sorting out the files of the new monsters you had stumbled across and it would take the whole day. You felt your eyes tear up when he came in startled and with a face full of shame and desire to run away from the situation.

"March.. It's okay, he said he was busy. Honestly, Dan Heng it's okay, go do what you have to do." it angered you that the one you most wanted to spend your birthday with couldn't be bothered but your interest rised when he pulled out a little dark green envelope and a blue bag with a Happy Birthday plastered on it. It looked like his handwriting so perhaps it almost made up for him ignoring you all this time. Almost.

"Oh..? Thank you Dan Heng! I know you've been really busy these few weeks. So I appreciate it!" you were still upset but alot less now that you've seen the boy and you had a beautifully wrapped gift inside from him, there was shredded navy blue tissue paper covering the top.

"Happy Birthday Y/N. I'm sorry I haven't seen you much. I have to go now. If you don't like it or it isn't right, come to my room later tonight. I want you to open the envelope and my present last, please."

With that, the boy was off again. And instead of the feeling of sadness and hurt wash over you, you felt quite happy and curious for what he could have gotten you.

"Well that was weird.. Oh Y/N, Y/N!! Look at my gift!" you went on and started opening the rest of your presents, almost forgetting about the raven haired boy and his mysterious envelope and present.

After the little party, you found yourself ecstatic. You were going to have a sleepover with March after you got dressed and changed your out of your beautiful birthday outfit. Himeko wouldn't stop complimenting you and your colour combinations. It made you feel special.

Just as you were about to leave, from the corner of your eye, you see the little bag. You had put the envelope inside and from there you took it upstairs, having a quick chat with Welt and then changing.

You picked it up and saw a rectangular box, as you carefully tear off the paper, you see a stunning pair of earrings, they matched your everyday work outfit and still stood out, in the light shining your favourite shade of (F/C). You felt so full and empty at the same time, these must have cost a fortune but they were so fricking pretty. They made you laugh softly.

You had only discovered your feelings for him a week before he started disappearing on you. You made him that hot beverage and took him to his room, helping him put the last of his data he had collected and took his mug when he was finished. That moment was so domestic and made you strangely happy. You couldn't see yourself doing that for anyone other than March and you loved her like a sister.

The envelope caught your attention, as you begin to open it you hear a knock at your door, "Y/N! Are you coming?" March did have a habit of being impatient.

"Yes! One second, I'll be right there March." as she walked away, you opened the envelope, noticing the little pattern engraved onto the paper inside and on the envelope itself. It had a scent to it, as if Dan Heng himself hugged the letter and it caught his perfume.

Dear Y/N,

I'm sorry I've been so distant lately. I've grown to like you more than a friend would, and it hurts me every time I ignore you and you hurt. I've been afraid of rejection almost my entire life and I could not stand to lose another person I have grown to love. If you do not feel the same way, please ignore this letter. I just felt the need to explain myself because you deserve it. I've been selfish.

Yours, Dan Heng.

You've never sped walked to his room faster.

#dan heng #hsr #honkai star rail #Honkai #Dan Heng is so hot omg #Y/N #dan heng x gender neutral reader #dan heng x reader #dan heng x y/n

[mxltifandom-imagines]

The Kings Spy.

Nikolai Lantsov X F!reader | 18+

summary: You get back from Fjerda after being a spy for King Nikolai. Nikolai comes to find you immediately and your love and lust gets quickly rekindled.

wordcount: 2345

warning: Includes smut.

authors note: I made this after a hyperfixation. Loving Nikolai a lot and having some inspiration to write after reading the books. Enjoy.

There was an urge in his voice, even before you heard the knock on the door. You had been gone, being one of his spies in Fjerda. You had hated him for it, clearly. But in the end you were one of his most important and smartest Grisha. He needed you. And you knew he had hated it. 

"Is she okay?" you heard him say, making the sun start to shine again.

"She always is." Nina's triumph made you chuckle.

"Come in!" you called out, the door being opened mere seconds later.

Nikolai.

His eyes traveled towards you in the dimmed light. And you realised you missed him, more than you ever thought you could.

He seemed to be speachless, for once, so you smiled. 

"Hi King Lantsov." 

He rolled his eyes. His hand going through his blonde locks.

"I'm so s-" 

You were up before he could finish his sentence. Your finger pushing against his soft, baby pink lips.

"Don't be. I am your spy. I always will be. I gave you what you needed. Now I demand something I need."

His brow raised, a twinkle appearing in his eyes. 

"Where did you learn to speak like that to a king?" 

Your fingers traveled down his lower lip, pushing it outwards, ever so slightly.

"From a pirate. Maybe you know him? Sturmhond?" 

"Privateer." he corrected you, the never ending correction playing over his lips.

"Ah, yes. That's what he was." you smirked.

"He is a good looking guy."

Nikolai pushed his body closer and your breathing got mingled. 

"Saints, I've missed you." he whispered, before your lips finally— finally collapsed. 

You had spend every day in the cold Fjerdan country, waiting for God knows what. It could take hours, days, years. And every single day felt more like you were gonna rip your heart out. You had fallen for Nikolai badly. But he was the king. And you were a Grisha. And everything that stood in between felt like a wall; a mountain. 

Nina had known from the first moment that you had fallen for the young fox. And she hadn't spilled it once. She loved to talk about it though. Every. Single. Day.

And it made you miss him more and more. 

Nina had told her to go back. Screw what that blonde king had to say. 

But you didn't know what would happen. 

So you stayed. A long, insane year. 

Longing for the King a little more every day.

You took a deep breath, your body shivering by the slightest touch of his long, slender fingers. 

"How is your Shu princess?" you couldn't help but ask. 

He froze, his eyelids falling slowly.

"Gone." he whimpered. 

"G-Gone?" you frowned.

"You give me no time." he whispered. His lips against your temple. "I wanted to explain.. later."

His hands were on your hips, his tops pushing slightly into your covered skin..

“We won’t be getting married.” he spoke, his voice low.

You weren’t sure what to say. The last news you heard were the talks of Nikolai Lantsov getting married to a Shu princess. You knew the day would come, you had been dreading it. But you had to accept it. The alliances were more important than your stupid teenage love for that man.

For all you knew he only loved you for your body. For your comfort. For your touch.

You spoke, finally. “Why not?”

His darkened eyes were studying you, lurking for a reaction. But you were scared for the answer.

“She, we-” he licked his lips.

“The handsome prince is too handsome for the Shu.”

He sighed, a soft laugh escaping his mouth.

“We had another plan.” he said, his guard wearing off now that he was around you. “And it would break my heart.”

He dipped your face into his hands, his thumb; rough from fighting, caressing your delicate skin slowly.

You looked up, wondering where this conversation would lead. There was a single curl hanging onto his forehead and he smiled when you pushed it up.

“It would break my heart not to have you by my side.” he whispered.

You never needed those words from him. You never demanded them from him. But now that he spoke them, so clearly, your heart made loops inside your chest.

“Really?”

He nodded, smugly and you laughed.

“I can’t go another year without you here. And Saints, who cares what anyone else thinks. I love you.”

Those last three words were just a whisper, against your needing lips.

He kissed you, his hands claiming your cheeks. His lips claiming yours. You pushed yourself up, tiptoes on the ground. He shamelessly entered your mouth, lifting you into his arms as he lead you to the bed. He laid you down gently, finally doing what he came here to do.

A knock on the door made you scream. He pushed his hand in front of your mouth, making you sputter. He had a devilish smirk on his face.

“It’s just me. It’s Nina.” the familiar voice came from the other side. “I know you’re in there doing something I enjoy more than waffles when it comes to my own husband, but I believe Tamar called for you.”

Nikolai rolled his eyes.

“Tell her I will be with her when I will be with her.” he growled.

“I didn’t know you could be so nasty when you grave something other than Ravka.”

You held your laugh underneath his hand and he shook his head at you. His eyes warning you.

“Go off, Nina. Come on.”

She giggled loudly. And as the giggle disappeared slowly, Nikolai focused back on you.

“You think she’s funny, huh?”

“Not as funny as you, Sturmhond.” she winked, making him moan as you pushed him against you.

“I need you, Nikolai.” you almost begged as that oh-so familiar smirk filled his face.

“Are you in luck then, my queen, I need you too.”

There was something about Nikolai. When he got you, alone, he would turn darker, wilder. You loved it. It made him someone nobody knew he was. Need was a big word between the two of you. You never spoke of needing each other. But being gone for what felt like an eternity brought that out in you.

You nervously unbuttoned his white blouse. The compass safely around his neck. He looked down, following you.

“You’re never gonna get rid of it, are you?”

“It’s a part of me, love. A part of Sturmhond too.”

You nodded, going over the cold metal with your thumb. You knew how much the compass meant to Nikolai. You just wanted to hear his voice, just a little more.

You draped the blouse over his shoulders, pushing it down gently. The first time you saw his body. The naked skin underneath that oh-so kingly attire, you had took get a second look.

Nikolai had a gentle face, but underneath it all there was man who worked for his body.

The compass was dangling back and forth against his chest.

“Korol Rezni.” you whispered, the scar of the demon still just underneath his shoulder. King of scars, he was famous for it now.

He kissed you, tentatively. Opening up your dress. The dress you had put on to formally come back to the King. Tell him of your stories. That was of no need now. He let it fall down your stomach and he stood up, pulling it off slowly.

“You’ve never been this calm.” you said.

“I want my time.” he smiled softly. “Besides, we need to meet soon. In about-” he checked the clock. “Twenty minutes.”

That devilish smirk came back and you bit your lip to hide your smile. He took a quick glance at the dress, his eyes widening slowly.

“It’s the exact same..” - “Blue.”

You nodded, standing up. Your arms wrapping around his neck. 

“Sturmhond was the man I met. I thought it would be rather fitting.”

He smiled. Worlds most beautiful smile.

“I’m sorry for sending you away.” he whispered, his tone serious.

“Maybe it’s okay.” you answered, lowering down the bands of your bra. “Maybe it made me want you more.”

He had those big blue orbs, looking down at you. The intense stare that always made you feel awkward, but not with him. Not with Nikolai.

You opened your bra, letting it fall onto the ground.

“Can I?” Nikolai asked, not touching you at all.

You frowned, nodding slowly.

“I don’t have a ring or something that comes close to show you that I want you. But I do have something else.”

You whispered a ‘no’ as Nikolai raised the necklace off his own neck. And you watched in disbelief as he laid it down against your chest. Falling beneath the valley of your breasts.

“Hold onto it for me.”

His hand was curls around the golden metal and your fingers lashed onto them.

“Forever.” you whispered, kissing his fingers.

He nodded, sincere. You never believed you and him could be a forever thing. But right now, you knew things had changed.

He cupped your cheeks. A smile curling around his lips before he bowed over, kissing you happily. You laughed against his lips, holding him close. The metal was hissing between you. Cold between your heated bodies.

His cheeks were red when you pulled back. His lips even more so.

His hands trailed down your body, onto your hips. His thumbs grasping onto your panties, pulling them down so you could step out of them.

You sat down on the bed, waiting as he got rid of his pants. You glanced at the compass, knowing what he did was something special. Something only he could do.

You looked up, his body exposed against the incoming sunlight. You breathed out heavily, meeting his sky blue eyes.

“Come here.” you breathed out.

He listened, his body covering yours as he pushed your hands up. Your fingers intertwined, disappearing into the sheets as you kissed eachother slowly.

“Twenty minutes.” you whispered, making him chuckle.

“They can wait for the King.” he chirped.

“Not when the Kings spy ain’t there either, Nik.”

He rolled his eyes, surprised by your cleverness.

The room got quiet, apart from the hisses and the breaths leaving their mouths. Heated kisses were shared, as Nikolai let his length push against your body. He was hardening, even though he had been far gone anyway.

He let go of one hand, the other one still intertwined with his. He positioned himself as she let your thumb go over his warm cheek.

“I love you too.” you said softly.

His eyes shot up, a smile brightening his face.

He answered as you did just mere minutes before. By giving you the love you so desperately seeked for. You held in a moan, the sound filling the room anyway as he became one with you. His body pushed against yours, his hand going back into place as he fell into a rhythm.

Little drops of sweat were starting to form underneath his blonde curls. The compass was moving against your chest as he pushed you back and forth softly.

“It’s been too long.” he whispered.

“Don’t tell me that.” you giggled, a moan following up that giggle immediately.

You never blamed him for sending you away. But you had always missed him.

He hummed, quieting your talks by kissing you. You opened your mouth as his tongue asked for more. Your hands letting go of his, so you could wrap your arms around his broad shoulders, your hands in his hair as you really felt everything.

You felt desperate for his touch. Nothing more and nothing less. And Saints, you knew Nikolai knew how to give you that. Your legs curled up, your feet going over his legs, trying to ground yourself. But your walls were clinging around his shaft and he was giving you the best time you had ever had.

You dropped your head into the silk sheets. An opportunity for Nikolai to let his lips find your neck. You closed your eyes, your body burning and producing fireworks as he kissed, nibbled, sucked.

“Nik.” you said.

He knew enough.

“Look at me.”

You opened your eyes.

“Stay with me.” he whispered.

And you nodded, before your body exploded into one of the best orgasms you ever had. He followed, simply by looking at the ecstasy on your face. And you held him in your arms. Your bodies a bit too sweaty, but not all too bad anyway.

Once you were calmed down, a laugh left your mouth. You let your lips find his and he smiled.

“Five minutes.” he whispered.

“Saints.” you giggled, wiping away some sweat of his forehead. He just stared.

“Hide the compass.” he mumbled.

“I will.” you nodded, meeting his eyes. “But I will carry it. Always.”

The smile he gave you, was one you wouldn’t forget fast.

“I have to go.” he sighed. “To meet my spy again.”

You hummed. 

“I heard she is just as good looking as that guy- that privateer. Sturmhond.”

You chuckled, kissing his chest.

“I’m not sure you’re flattering me or yourself right now.”

Nikolai let go of her, standing up to dress himself swiftly.

“A bit of both.” he said, buttoning up his blouse as you stared at him. 

He smirked smugly, bowing down to give you another kiss. His fingers going over the compass before he stood up.

“I’ll see you soon.” he whispered, leaving one last kiss on your forehead before he straightened himself and made his way to your door.

“Remember to tie your shoelaces when you go out. I don’t want you to end up falling for someone else.” he said, a twinkle in his eyes before he opened it and disappeared right after.

Nikolai was a flirt, a charmer. He could get anyone he wanted. He was the King of Ravka after all. You had been in luck, you realised. And as you softly kissed the compass, you know that luck hadn’t run out just yet.

#nikolai lantsov #nikolai x reader #lantsov #patrick gibson #shadow and bone #one shot #sturmhond

[fortheloveofarchons]

Nanami Kento, the man with greenest flag to ever exist :D

I just love this man so much like-- As much as I love the jjk cast, Nanami is written to be the most realistic character I've ever seen so far.

Even with his cynical and pragmatism in the beginning, you can slowly see that he truly cares for everyone and always prioritise others more than himself, which could be argued to not a good quality. But as one of the adult characters in a jjk world, it definitely shows that he's not a selfish character who runs away from battle but takes care of others to make sure no one gets hurt even if it meant harming himself in the process.

Admittedly, when I saw him on season one (I didn't watch jjk much just saw clips of it on YouTube), I didn't think much of it but find him very funny in the beginning to see how direct and pessimistic he is. But during the scene when Mahito trapped him in a domain expansion, and the moment they showed his backstory I was hooked about him.

When he took those sunglasses off and showed his face I was like-- Wait, hold up-- He's kinda handsome...

Like-- Okay, I get why people would call Gojo a daddy, but to me he felt more like a goofy uncle and the real father is Nanami.

As I said in my previous posts, father is fathering.

And this father is free therapy.

I'll be a bit personal, during the next few years I got some terrible family news (which made me see a guidance councelor during high school) and had a few guys take advantage of me for academic validation which soon made me had a thing for hot dilfs because of it :D

Don't worry, I'm okay for now. Just that I definitely won't trust guys who act 'genuine' with me and made me feel like I could open up to them.

And I definitely don't wanna date men who have anger issues.

So yeah, when season two rolled in and I finally decided to watch the whole of season one. After watching it, I was completely swooned.

Like, I knew I like him. But when did I start wishing for a man like him? He immediately went from a character I like to a character that I would be emotionally attached too.

Tall, buff, kind, respectful, stern, a foodie, financially stable-- A man like him would definitely scold me when I made a mistake (not in a violent way but in a gentle way) and would tell me how disappointed he is of me. I would then apologise to him, telling him that I won't do it again. And then he'll pat my head and say, "Good girl, I know you can do better."

Swooooonnnn~

...aaannnnd that he's definitely the guy who could rail me well, and then teaches me how to do taxes after that session of railing.

Also, Tsuda Kenjiro's performance as his JP VA immediately had me applauding for his work! He really brought out the best when it came to voicing characters like Nanami. Will be looking forward to more of Tsuda Kenjiro's upcoming projects and works!

Spoilers for Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 Shibuya Arc:

.

.

.

Okay, but as a Malaysian, I was very happy when he mentioned Malaysia and I was like-- YO??? My country??? Let's gooooooo!!!

But also really heartbreaking... I saw the manga spoilers before season two was announced. And yet, now that I have an emotional attachment to him it really broke me that we lost a lot of favs this season two. I remember crying for about two weeks (it still hurts when I watch that episode) and I made a fanfic about him taking care of Yuji in Jujutsu Kindergarten, where everything is all okay and that Nanami gets himself a love interest.

For those who wanna read that said fanfic for serotonin boosts, it's called "Jujutsu Spiderverse Scrolls" and you can read it on Ao3! Yes, I know the title sounds odd, but I promise you it'll be a serotonin blast!

Don't worry Nanamin, I bought a thirty cm plushie of you so you'll always be in Malaysia relaxing! And a bunch of posters of you, and stickers, and polaroid photos...

Yep, I'm in my hyperfixation moment.

Either way, I'm still glad to have watched this anime. If not, I wouldn't have found a character with the most beautiful soul that I want to protect at all cost.

Rest in Paradise my King.

#nanamin #jjk nanami #nanami kento #jujutsu nanami #nanami hot af #gege when i catch you gege #kento nanami #malaysia #kuantan #father is fathering #hot as fuck #jujutsu kaisen #jjk gojo #jujutsu gojo #gojo satoru #yuji itadori #jjk itadori #jujutsu itadori #itadori yuuji

[quibbs126]

I just saw you’re doing parent requests, and I might as well throw my hat into the ring! Can you do your interpretation of Cherry Blossom and Cherry Cookies’ parents? I’m curious to see what kind of parents resulted in such different cookies.

I’m finally done with these two; took some time but I got them down

Okay now I just want to talk about them

So Cherry Powder is a fireworks technician. She’s very smart, probably has a chemical engineering degree, but she chose fireworks just because she likes them and wanted to make them. She’s also very outgoing and energetic

Plum Blossom on the other hand is a florist. She’s very chill and serene, and really likes flowers, to the point of hyperfixation. Though some times she’s a bit too chill and goes along with things she probably shouldn’t because everyone’s enjoying themselves, if that makes sense

They met when Cherry Powder was looking for flowers to use in some new fireworks, and she ended up going to Plum Blossom’s shop to look for some and asking her about flowers that could work for her research. Plum Blossom started excitedly explaining about all sorts of flowers and Cherry Powder excitedly listened to her. Basically their relationship started because they both would and liked to listen to the other’s interests

During the drawing process I considered making Plum Blossom an actress, probably in part due to the current update, but I tried to keep her a florist because it was the fact that she was one why the two met and I really liked that

I'm realizing I may have drawn them looking a bit too young, they're probably at least 40. I guess because I don't really know how to draw older characters (although I think for Cherry Powder it might just be that she looks young). Ah well, I guess this could have been when they're younger

Also, while I didn't draw them, I imagine that there's also a grandma on one side (to complete the Red Riding Hood look that Cherry has going on), and Cherry Powder also has a sister that's Cherry Ball's mom. Also I've decided that basically this entire family, at least on the cherry side, is comprised entirely of women. Don't know why but why not

Oh also, I have their concept sketches, with PB's eyes open. I think I forgot that they wouldn't be seen so I had them closed

So anyways, on to design stuff

So Cherry Powder and Plum Blossom are named after their respective objects, with CP being the cherry (also I believe cherry powder is Cherry's Magic Candy ingredient), and PB being the flower part that Cherry Blossom gets her name from and also not cherry. Also I believe that plum blossoms and cherry blossoms look very similar, so there's that

Cherry powder and plum blossoms:

So I had some amount of an idea for their head designs (Cherry Powder far more than Plum Blossom), but I didn't really know what to do for the outfits. That was the implied struggle at the beginning, I was dealing with that all day

I mean, I think by the end what I got wasn't bad, maybe it's just that the struggle makes me not see them that great

So I made only CP have the eyelashes because for the sisters it's supposed to mimic cherries, which PB isn't

I also made Cherry Powder's hair red because most of the images I could find of the stuff turned out red or pink. But the white streak is supposed to reference Cherry's hair color, maybe she gets it from a grandparent. Also it makes CP more unique looking

Plum Blossom's dress is supposed to reference the actual plum blossoms, but I'm not sure how well I did. Her outfit was what I struggled with the most

I also have no clue how to draw bouquets

To be honest, I noticed somewhere through drawing that typically with the official designs, they reference the Cookie's ingredient multiple times within their design. Like for example here, Cherry Blossom's pigtails, front bang, and pink part of her dress all reference cherry blossoms in some way, and for Cherry, she has her big cherry bombs. And as I stated prior, their eyelashes also reference the stems of cherries, as well as gives them a similarity between each other since they're sisters

I bring this up because I feel like I don't do that enough in my own designs, and I need to do that more. I especially don't like giving my characters objects, at least not anymore, because it's a lot of effort to try and figure out how to implement those and draw those accessories as well. That's why I gave Plum Blossom her bouquet, to at least give her something to hold (though they're not plum blossoms, just generic flowers). I suppose that's something I need to work on

But regardless of what I've been saying about how I'm dissatisfied with them, I do really like these two, and honestly I want to draw more of them, like them kissing or hanging out or just them with their kids

I hope you like them too!

#I remember feeling like the lineart brush was too big for them #probably because I need to draw them smaller than normal #bc of the formatting #anyways #cookie run #cookie run oc #cherry blossom cookie #cherry cookie #fan parents #cherry powder cookie #plum blossom cookie #my ocs #my art #requests #answers

[aerodaltonimperial]

Ship of your choice. ‘ "I think... I'm in love with (Name)" || "Congrats on being the last one to find out” ‘

(💚🖤 sorry i'm in hyperfixation mode i gotta write 5 more fics to get to #1 for both of them)

7:29 PM sure, i'll text you after i'm back as long as i don't get fuckin jumped or some shit lol

"You better not," Jack grumbles to his phone in the other locker room.

"Are you talking to yourself again?" Hook asks, without looking up.

"Darby," Jack says, while typing out a quick reply of don't fuck up your back again, we're gonna have to buy stock in IcyHot. "He thinks he's gonna get jumped again. I should probably go back to the tunnels, make sure nothing happens."

"Uh huh," Hook replies, absently. He's scrolling through Instagram. "When's the last time you did that for me?"

"You don't need it," Jack points out.

Hook looks up, unimpressed, and rolls his eyes. "LFI literally fucking knocked me out last week. You didn't even notice."

"Okay, but Lucha is probably gonna go after Darby," Jack says. "I have to be there for that, y'know? And also I noticed!"

"You noticed when I texted you about it."

"No, I knew it before then."

Hook sighs. "I had to text you, literally, hey LFI just fucking punched me in the head, do you have any ibuprofen and you ignored me for an hour."

"That wasn't my fault, Christian was taunting Darby backstage. You know how obnoxious he is. I was busy."

"Nothing even happened. Christian didn't want to damage his Gucci turtleneck."

Jack shakes his head. "But something could have. Jeez, Hook."

The expression Hook levels him with is very, very unimpressed now. Jack stares back at him, a battle of wills, until finally he says, "Don't look at me like that."

"Jack."

"Whatever you're going to say, it's not a thing."

"I invited you to New York last week and you said, and I quote, 'haha I'm busy all week'."

"I was busy all week, I was in Atlan—"

"I tried to get you to come out to dinner with me and a remarkably good-looking group of single women, and you said, 'No, Hook, I don't feel like Thai food'."

"Okay, well I didn't."

"We were going for Mexican."

Jack groans. "I had other plans!"

"I know you did," Hook says, waving his phone. "I know, because you always have other plans. I try to get you to do a Starbucks run, and you'd rather have shitty gas station coffee en route to the local skate park. I asked you if you wanted to be super impulsive and go to London for a few days, and you told me you had to check with someone else first, and then, by the way, you never got back to me. I asked if you were going to Caleb the med staffer's wedding, and you told you that you already have a plus one, which wasn't even what I fucking asked."

"Hook, okay, so I've been maybe a little bit distant, but I'm not—"

"Jack," Hook says, with the sort of infinite patience that Jack knows he'll pay for later, "when is the last time you went on a date?"

Jack stares at him. Stares, and stares, and stares, and then says, "No."

"Yes," Hook replies, eyebrows hiked.

"That's not..."

Hook spreads his hands wide, his left hand still holding his phone.

"No, Hook, I'm not..." Jack trails off. Stops. His stomach drops low as his veins turn to ice. "Oh my god. Oh my god. I'm... oh my god, I think I'm in love with Darby."

"No shit," Hook snorts. "Congrats on being the last one to find out."

"Holy shit." Jack can't breathe. "Do you... do you think everyone knows?"

"Yes," Hook says.

Jack's vision blurs a little at the sides. "Do you think Darby knows?"

"Yes," Hook repeats.

"OH MY GOD," Jack says, quite reasonably and measured. "WHAT DO I DO."

"He's just waiting for you to make a move, dude," Hook says, and goes back to scrolling on his phone as though Jack's life has not just fundamentally imploded. "So... you should probably do that. Like, maybe immediately. Mostly so you can stop lying to yourself and being so annoying about it."

"WHAT," Jack replies, a picture of serenity.

"Just, like, I dunno, find a closet or something? Or the rafters? Somewhere where I don't have to see you shove your tongue down his throat. As a courtesy. To my delicate eyeballs."

He then ignores Jack's ten consecutive panic attacks, which, honestly, is really just the worst.

#tag so you don't lose this shit

[thoughtspeaker]

is it okay to ask about the Submas AU idea you had?? i kinda just wanna hear what it's generally about since it suddenly nagged at me out of nowhere.

I'm glad you asked!

Some context that may not make sense to my bringing it up until proper explaining: I've been headcanoning N as being autistic, much like how many headcanon the Submas twins to be(myself included).

How is that relavant, you might ask?

Well, assuming you know the original games the twins are from well enough, you should know that N was taken in by Ghetsis after being found by him, having been raised by pokemon prior to that. From there, Ghetsis worked to build him up to become the chosen hero to one of the legendary dragons(exactly which varying depending on the game, of course).

Well I had a thought.

What if sometime after Ghetsis finding N, he ended up finding Ingo and Emmet as well? A trio of children that he would take the opprotunity to try and mold into the perfect heroes for the trio of dragons.

Reshiram and Zekrom had already been proven to like twins, after all. That was why there was a legendary pair of them in the first place. Surely they would like a set of twins raised specifically to live their Truth or Ideal, right?

And so, raised and brainwashed by Ghetsis, Ingo, Emmet, and N all grow up as siblings(even if only the twins are by blood), each one having been told they had to be the perfect hero for one of the three legendary dragons. Emmet and Ingo had already liked dressing in opposite colors after all. Why not assign them the corresponding dragons to those opposite colors?

Emmet would be told to always follow his Truth. To always be honest with himself and others, regardless of their feelings.

Ingo, on the other hand, would be told to always work for his Ideal. To wave away other's truths if that was necessary to make his Ideal a reality.

And N? Well, he would be told to make himself open to others Truths and Ideals, just as Kyurem is known to be.

Of course, this also means Ghetsis needs to find all three dragons instead of just one, but... Well, he deems it no small sacrifice to use his time for that. Especially since it means nobody would be able to rise up with those same dragons to stop his plans.

...He's severely underestimated the power of a train hyperfixation spread through a trio of autistic children.

He's underestimated the way the things he's trying to teach the children will backfire on him when his plans finally begin to unfurl.

And more than anything? He's underestimated how much of his brainwashing can be undone over the course of just one journey made with siblings and rivals.

...That, and he has no idea that the Light and Dark Stones will be found by those he brainwashed sooner than he himself can acquire them.

Ghetsis will try to progress with his new plan regardless of all he doesn't know.

After all. Wouldn't having all three dragons be the best he could get for his plan? Surely all the frustation of raising the three children will be worth it. After all: Three Are Better Than One.

#Did I do good at making it sound ominous? #I reeeeeeally wanted it to sound ominous #I don't really have many idea for what to call the AU #Nothing solid for sure #Especially considering the two ideas I have could probably be better #My thoughts are it being either #Three Are Better Than One #or! #Extra Siblings #I particularly like the first one but it feels a bit like a mouthful #Imagine saying 'Oh it's the Three Are Better Than One AU' #A bit of a lot there #Could be abreviated to TABTO AU though #I think I like that #TABTO feels like a funny acronym #Which makes it perfect for an au with the funni train men #Submas AU #N Harmonia AU #I quite like the potential

[cuppa-chai-chatter]

AAAAA okay these films WHACKED the mini-hyperfixation button!!! here we go

SO Cecelia Condit (the director of both Possibly In Michigan AND Beneath The Skin) based both short films off her real life experiences??? I watched an interview with her and went wiki diving and WOWZA

uhhh TW for like. murder? and a suicide attempt.

so from what I can find online, Cecelia dated a guy for about four years. His name was Ira Einhorn, but in her video Beneath The Skin she calls him Ike. Before she dated him, he had an ex girlfriend named Holly Maddux. They had split it off not long before Ike got with Cecelia, but in her video she says it was pretty mutual. So Ike and Cecelia date for about two years, at which point Ike tells Holly that if she doesn't come get her things from his house he'll throw them out. So Holly comes from New York to get her things and isn't seen after that. Ike is investigated for obvious reasons, but police don't have enough evidence to search further.

Two years later, an investigator hired by Holly's family finds out the people living under Ike's apartment have been complaining about a "rotting smell coming from the closet ceiling". Presumably he brings this to the police, because not long after that Ike's house is searched and they find a trunk in his closet that has the decapitated and partially mummified remains of Holly. Cecelia says that the head was shoved so far down into the chest cavity that it was originally thought to be missing.

Cecelia says in an interview that her art projects (in particular PIM) really helped her heal and move on from things, which makes me think the scenes of Sharon dreaming of being a corpse is probably a representation of survivor's guilt (though that's just my personal, non-professional thoughts) because Cecelia goes into how she wasn't mad about Ike killing Holly, but how she was mad about what Ike did or didn't do to her. Even though I've never personally experienced survivor's guilt, my long term SPIN about psychology has given me enough information that it's awful and takes a long time to heal.

Anyway, Ike (aka the Unicorn Killer because Einhorn means unicorn in German) skipped bail and was a fugitive for 17 years. He lived in Europe, married, and was finally extradited to the USA in 2001 after a lengthy and complicated extradition process. He tried to kill himself at one point to avoid jail. He just recently died in jail in 2020.

Cecelia says in her video how the blankets that Ike would give her when she'd stay over laid on the chest that Holly's body was in. The only reason she couldn't smell the corpse was because she was on medications at the time that took away her sense of smell.

Despite that all being extremely fucked up, it puts Possibly in Michigan in a whole new light. A lot of the strange symbolism suddenly makes a lot more sense and I'm glad Cecelia has found healing through her films.

Also, some more light hearted funfacts.

Cecelia only got permission to film in the mall before opening time by sitting in the mall office and refusing to leave before she got permission.

The guy who plays the Prince Charming was a friend of one of the actresses. Cecelia mentioned they'd need a knife and he pulled one out of his boot. Cecelia jokingly said "oh, do you have a gun too?". He did.

According to one comment on YouTube, Cecelia is down with the idea of Sharon and Janice being in a wlw relationship. I haven't checked this for myself because there's a bajillion comments and it's 3:30 AM.

Cecelia named Arthur that because it sounds like "Art Her" and she wanted to represent that art is sometimes used against women to put them down. She is also the person who wears the creepy mask in the mall scenes!

#possibly in michigan #cecelia condit #Beneath the skin #films #short film #art project #My posts

[langernameohnebedeutung]

what did you think of the izombie ending?

I thought the resolution of sticking all the zombies on a segregated island was not great, and I kinda wish blaine and don e had a better ending than just dumping them in a hole and leaving them there together, but what do you think? also if you could change the ending what you make happen instead? sorry for autismdumping izombie thoughts on you,,, have a good day !! +also sorry if you’ve already talked about this one

!! I mean, we're...I think in year 2 of my absolute hyperfixation on this show and me rambling about it so you have nothing to be sorry about!! I love talking about iZombie!! (and I don't think I've talked about the ending before bc...I only watched it one single time, went 'duly noted' and then...proceeded to care a lot more about everything that had been going on before that. So it's also that part of the show where I'm the least immersed)

(Which, in the defence of the show, isn't entirely their fault. I have a way of trying to repress the fact that my favourite shows are over by not thinking too much about the endings).

And I also know there were some budget issues, personnel issues, CW issues so I also cut the show some slack for all that stuff affecting the writing. I also think that with everything that happened since the season 3 finale and season 4 only beginning to set up New Seattle, it would definitely have taken more than season 5 to unwrap all of those plot-points in a really all-around satisfactory way. Especially since s4 also spent a significant amount of time on the whole Brother Love plot which then ended with the season finale, meaning it gives season 5 barely any material to build on BUT also stealing a lot of time they could have invested in starting to set up a satisfactory finale in s5. I heard a lot of people say that the ending was rushed ...and yeah IT WAS - but honestly, I don't see how you resolve a zombie-Seattle under the control of a mercenary army being threatened with nuclear destruction in just 12 episodes without breaking a few eggs.)

What I don't understand is that they knew they had this time problem and then...spend a lot of time introducing so many new plot points and focussing on new ideas and elements. For example, I think the whole Dead-Enders plotline was not very compelling, rushed and...I don't know, I just didn't feel particularly intrigued. Especially since it was introduced so late in the show.

Or Liv's father being Beanpole Bob - for one, I didn't really care about Liv's father up to that point bc...she never really seemed to care. I didn't even really take much notice of the fact that she didn't have a father around and it didn't feel like something we were supposed to be invested in. Honestly, up until that point, Liv didn't seem to care much about her father at all. There was no significant journey to find him, and I wished they had dedicated more time to exploring her relationships with her actual relatives and their falling-out after the season 1 finale. Maybe even really dedicate an episode just to the Moore family. Hell, give me Evan Moore as a narrator, talking about his feelings over the last few years. It would have been better if they had delved into those dynamics earlier instead of cramming them into the last season.

And perhaps this is a personal preference, but as someone who is also fatherless and okay with it, it's a bit irksome from a feminist perspective how just HAD to give us a father to Liv. It feels as though we were suddenly supposed to care deeply about the identity of our female protagonist's creator and rejoice in this revelation. Like they thought we were watching this entire show wondering desperately where Liv's father is and why she doesn't have one around. Especially since the Moore-family is very well-situated and successful and is clearly managing just fine - while the media often likes to make deadbeat dads look like a problem specific to precarious living situations. I think it would have been good to show a family that is well-off, successful without a man around and no, you don't have to ask where the father is, just be normal about it. And yes, Liv's mom is toxic in many ways - but I genuinely think that this is something that never really is resolved, for better of for worse because suddenly we have a father for Liv to care about. They spend so much time on Blaine and Angus horrible father - son dynamic that it feels a bit annoying that they never fully explored the disturbed mother - daughter dynamic between Liv and her mother.

Also, the whole twist of discovering that Liv, who became a zombie simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and had no involvement in drugs or related activities, happens to have a father who was connected to the creation of the zombie virus and the Boat-Party Massacre felt just too contrived. It didn't sit well with me; it felt forced.

(sorry, I know this isn't really about the ending itself but I got carried away)

As for zombie-island - I feel like pretty much everything has already been said about the issues with that entire solution. The biggest problem I see is...with eternity. It doesn't really feel like much of a resolution to me.

Take the idea that you now have terminally ill people getting infected and living on the island. This is going to get very crowded very soon - not to mention the rise in brain demands - this would mean over time, it would really difficult to keep this place working without once again giving power to brain dealers and brain smugglers (also, again: eternity. Islands aren't exactly getting bigger these days, with the oceans rising). And if the good-will and brain donations depend on people being a lot more pro-zombie because they're helping sick people, then this sentiment can also turn sideways very quickly when they start rejecting people because they cannot feed them anymore. It would be the same problem they had in Seattle. Moods change, governments change, problems change. It feels unrealistic to me that just because there is a cure now, people are just going to be fine with this for the rest of time. (This is part of the reason why I at least made it a government secret in one of my fics)

Not to mention what it means for the main-characters. Again, this is a bit of a personal opinion but...I never really liked stagnant endings. The kind of endings that are 'well they're living in small house in the countryside now and have 5000 kids and don't work anymore'. That kind of Peter Fox Haus am See ending. Especially not if it's for all eternity. Because that's...not really a happy ending to me, unless e.g. that person was always shown to have really longed for that or maybe they spent their entire life without having peace like that. For example, Liv and Major taking care of kids together is something I enjoy because this was something they both wanted - Liv wanted kids and Major was a social worker who lost his job because of this situation. But especially Liv was always an extremely driven person - she was always in motion, always chasing that feeling of accomplishment. And a big deal in the show was her realisation that she was chasing things that weren't actually making her happy and that she wasn't doing what she did because she believed in it. She had to learn to do what she thought was right and important over what others thought was right and important. She had to learn that she wasn't taking the time to rest and look around and take in the sights and live.(In fact, one of the many things I consider zombism to be a metaphor is - at least in the early days - Liv suffering from burn-out). And the ending feels like it's going into the opposite extreme and I don't think she would be happy, spending literal eternity living in secret on an island. Like...what's going to happen to her? It still hasn't really been answered.

(don't get me wrong! I'm excited that Major apparently got to live his dream of building outdoor furniture like he said in season 1).

The problem was never that Liv WAS a driven person or active person - the problem was that she applied it to the wrong things in the wrong measures. Her drive is one of her best traits and while she certainly deserves a few decades of peace and vacation and relaxation after all the events of the last 5 years, I don't think that would work for her for the rest of eternity. What will become of her? That question still hasn't been fully answered for me. The lives of the other main characters went on. I like that - even though I'm a bit sad that their group is kind of separated now and to be back together, they also have to live in stagnation.

So yeah, this is kind of my biggest reason why I'm not over the moon enthusiastic about the ending. I'm also not like...super-angry about it but I'm also not thrilled. It just wasn't one of those endings that are brilliant, for me. It's just...an ending.

As for Blaine and Don E:

Honestly, I'm going to out myself here ... I think it's a fitting ending for them. On the one hand, I think it is intentionally a somewhat ambiguous ending. Blaine and Don E were fan-favourite characters but they were also pretty awful people AND especially Blaine also had some parts of the audience that really, really hated him - so it's a bit hard to find an ending for those two that works for everyone (and I mean, this one also clearly doesn't work for everyone).

But...the well-ending, even more so than the zombie-island ending, leaves room for speculation. Maybe they're down there for the rest of time, going Romero. (something that would be a giant fucking biohazard btw). Maybe the main gang just leaves them down there long enough to scare the shit out of them, before having someone fish them out, cure them and put them in prison. Maybe they climb out on their own (they're not weighed down like Angus was and it IS a pretty narrow well) and kill each other. Maybe they escape and play some Catch Me If You can and finally make up again. Maybe one of them kills the other and gets away, maybe they both kill each other, or maybe they were killed by the fall. The opportunities are basically endless so everyone gets to have their cake and eat it.

Another reason I'm fine with the well-ending is that I'm a bit obsessive about the symbolism of the well (I'm going to make a really long post about this one of these days and will be legally declared insane) but long story really, really short: I think the well is a symbol of how Blaine never managed to truly define himself outside of his own upbringing and trauma. Despite how much he resents Angus, he also defines his own worth by the way Angus defined his (lack of) worth as a son: Angus is all about power, selfishness, capitalism, how feelings and compassion are weak and pathetic etc. Après moi le déluge. And his entire life, Blaine ran after those values, trying to accomplish something in this framework. His efforts to do something else were very brief and dishonest (like the amnesia-thing where he tried to live a lie with Peyton).

His only idea of changing was being seen differently by others - but never to actually work on himself. He could never bring himself to commit to the idea that if his father is such a horrible person it doesn't matter if he thinks that Blaine is a failure - that it is, in fact, a badge of honour for a guy like Angus to consider him a failure. (I think this is at least partially because Angus is the only person left from Blaine's childhood. He could never even really bring himself to kill him, he just freezes him or dangles him in a well and talks to him).

Blaine never found friends of his own other than Don E, never went to therapy, he could easily have moved to a new city, found a job there, gotten married to someone or done whatever the hell he wanted with his life that WASN’T mass-murder and become a fully self-actualised person. And sure, he would probably always have carried that trauma and pain with him - but we can't change the pain we carry within us. But we can do is decide whether we're going to do something about it and grow - or whether we're always going to venerate what was done to us and try to climb into a shell to keep that from happening again. A very important aspect of Blaine's storyline was always that he felt entitled to act the way he does in order to get rich and reclaim the privilege he was born into and that he feels he's owed. And for me, the well and his relationship with it, his talking to the well, throwing his father in there (even instead of killing him!) really symbolises how much he's a prisoner of his own pain and of his own stunted self-image and that's why in the end - he ends up being devoured wholly by the well. The more unhinged he becomes, the more he becomes part of the well.

And...as for Don E - and I know this is probably the even more controversial point bc I know a lot of people wanted a redemption arc for him: As it stands, I'm also fine with him going down the well. The reason I stand with that is specifically the exchange he had with Peyton when he found out that Blaine had killed Darcy - he was absolutely fine, even amused with everything Blaine did UNTIL he learnt that it affected him this time. His response to learning that Blaine had killed some girl was literally "well we all have our hobbies". And that's really always been his thing, honestly. Yes, he did less genuinely awful things than Blaine - but he also never really spoke up against them. He was always happy to profit from Blaine's bullshit and sit on the bandwagon as long as it got him forward. So him getting the same ending even if he's not directly as bad as Blaine - I feel fine with it.

Now, mind you, I'm not entirely against Blaine and/or Don E getting a redemption arc if it had been done right (and it would have had to be done early enough). However, in Don E's case, it would have required more than just falling in love and caring deeply about another person like he did with Darcy. I think it should have required some initiative regarding something that isn't just him protecting something or avenging something or someone he cares about.

I understand that many people view Blaine as beyond redemption, but honestly, the point of no return for me would have been if he had simply become friends with the main gang, especially if someone like Peyton or another female character did all the work to fix him (as he intended with the amnesia arc). If he had shown personal growth and started establishing moral boundaries on his own at some point and chosen something like compassion or idealism or morality over profit and personal power, and if it had been handled intelligently and with care, I would have been okay with that. Nevertheless, I'm not upset or saddened that they didn't go that route, because it's a delicate matter that could have easily gone awry, and I prefer him not being redeemed over a poorly executed redemption arc that mishandles his character.

Things that I would change:

Small thing I think about a lot: I would have made Al Bronson the relative or former teacher or friend or maybe a girlfriend (I guess she's a little too old for that) of one the kids Blaine killed in season 1. I liked that he got his comeuppance for what he did to those kids and that he got outed as a child murderer but I feel like the fact that she's the niece of Mr Boss cheapens it a little. For one: Al Bronson is the one who manages what no one else previously could do - she really brought down Blaine. This would be a lot cooler if she was e.g. the sister of one of the kids from season 1. By making her Mr Boss niece, her accomplishment kind of falls onto a male character and Blaine's punishment suddenly becomes more about the gang war he started in season 2 rather than the kids he exploited in season 1. He openly admits that he killed those kids because no one was going to notice or care or investigate for long - so someone genuinely caring about them and THIS causing Blaine's fall would have been great. But now it's just...part of another scheme in the endless scheme-war these guys got goingand Mr Boss gets away with everything and doesn't receive his due punishment despite also being pretty awful.

In the grand scheme, I would have avoided introducing so many new things in the finale, like the Dead-Enders.

I wouldn't have introduced Liv's dad. I genuinely don't care about meeting Liv's dad. Instead, I would have wanted more episode with her established family.

I really didn't like that they killed Michelle

maybe an ending where the main gang is a bit closer together

and I mean, if I had all the power ever to make changes, I'd have...maybe dropped a few cases of the week in order to stretch the resolution over a few more episodes.

Heck, if I had all the powers in the world ever (and budget, I'd just have made a season 6)

#sorry this took a while bc I accidentally opened it in two tabs and tumblr kept resetting my changes t_t #izombie #fandom #spoilers I guess

[pyraffin-drgo]

Things are better???

4 years of suffering physically and countless meds and things that didn't help, including surgery. A while ago I had yet another doctors appointment, in a new place, and I just expected to be brushed off again, have another blood test done and told nothing was actually wrong, maybe to be thrown yet more pills.

Well, I was given more pills. But it didn't feel like they just threw them at me without hearing my issues like the others had. But I was still terrified of trying yet more new pills. Chronic pain treatment that doubles as antidepressants/anxiety meds. I read the paper that comes with them and it does not help my base level anxiety lmao. On top of that I didn't have much hope for my suffering ever easing anymore. I was also worried that being antidepressants, it would change my brain. I worried it would somehow destroy my weird creative process, prevent me from latching onto hyperfixations, or whatever.

But... they work? As intended??

I still have the occasional pain. No where as bad or disabling as it was. But my nausea... is gone? A few days into taking the pills and I had the best day in my life in 4 years. I had no pain. No nausea. I ate decently and didn't feel in miserable recovery for 5 hours after!! I ate and could walk after!

I was happy, giddy even, relaxed, ENJOYING! I developed a new hyperfixation after not being able to find anything interesting in so long!!! I felt like I could sprint around the world! Zoomies!! I had energy! I wanted to get out and walk around some place, even a walmart! I loved the world and wanted to be in it again.

My creative process hasn't changed. I'm still out of the loop in some of it but I've been broken for so long so it's understandable. With the spare energy I can actually work on it. I'm happier! I'm okay! My stomach is manageable! It's so much easier to be kinder to myself now. I don't feel a pang of fear at every little thing I feel inside my body anymore. I can tell myself "it'll be fine" and I actually believe it.

I'm not numb anymore. Last year the grass and trees and flowers budding didn't make me feel anything, when previously it made my day every day. Now... it does again. I can't wait to feel the joy summer brings again.

But my general everything else is still kinda fucked. I'm still used to eating too late, then staying up too late because of that, and I also need to get back into the habit of brushing my teeth. I never had the energy to do it before, but now that I do I need to work it into the routine again.

I got a lot of work to do... but it actually doesn't scare me. I'm just glad I can finally do the work now. And can enjoy things along the way. That's why I'm cringe on main.

#personal

[hello911]

Now that Eddie told Buck about his will....what if Eddie gives Buck a St. Christophers medallion? Like how Shannon gave Eddie one to keep him safe? And Eddie gives one to Buck, because he's not expendable and does all the reckless things.

I'll tell you what would happen. I would literally die. I want to die just thinking about it.

#Buddie #I'm fucking floored by this thought #and now if i don't get it i will cry #tv: 911 #don't come for me if someone already said this #I've had to find a new hyperfixation after the finale okay #literally only come on tumblr to hyperfixate on 911

[incorrectdmp]

Blog Maintenance / Lack of Posting

HI so i kinda put this all in the tags of one of Drift's submissions today but i wanna actually kinda give a proper update of how i plan to go forward with this blog as DMP is coming to a close. a lil bit of this addresses something that happened last episode so HERE is your spoiler warning NOW

Okay so first things first, with Juniper's new name I am going to be going back to all the Junior tags and ADDING juniper to them. Originally i was gonna replace everything including the actual name in the quotes but bro told me not to haha. it's... a lot of maintenance and Juniper's arc is more about trying to find an identity for himself rather than distancing himself from an old name ie Charlie. going forward all quotes not explicitly pre-void will be labelled as Juniper and tagged with all three juniper/junior tags. the one person who submitted me a Juniper quote on anon, i haven't forgotten about your post. I've held onto it for a bit bc i didnt wanna have another post to deal with the name change tag so soon to the episode happening haha

Second, out of context spoilers is coming... eventually. I've had to put my regular post-episode notes on hold until i'm far enough along in my finale work i'm COMFORTABLE taking a likely 2 day venture into a task that's both time consuming and physically taxxing, and so i'm planning on rewatching the episode some time today or tomorrow to do a run for anything in OOC spoilers i wanna add before posting them

Third, I'm.... REAL sorry i haven't been posting a lot on this blog. there's a lot of reasons for that. obviously as most of y'all know as I am an official artist for DMP now i'm INCREDIBLY busy with the finale, and even though putting quotes from the backlog onto the blog or on a queue isn't terribly hard or time consuming it's also something that just slips my mind a lot. also i have a lot of anxiety surrounding my backlog getting too short, even though it's not THAT bad right now. plus, considering I know the ending of the show and a ton of my quotes have BEEN in the backlog for SOOOO long some of them may be outdated in terms of dynamics and such, and I'm not sure how many of them i'm ACTUALLY willing to post because i haven't combed through them in a while. plus a lot of the older ones just aren't as funny to me. once DMP is done and i still have the hyperfixation brainrot i may try to maintain this blog a little more until i at LEAST get through all my backlog quotes. once those are done I'll probably just post quotes as i see fit whenever i find them, instead of actively trying to maintain a backlog. i haven't had time to actively go hunting for new quotes in a long time, so that stuff will come once dmp is done, again. I wanna keep the blog running for at least a bit after DMP is done as a way to help everyone including myself with going content cold turkey, and as i'll NOT be swamped in work it'll be a good time to TRY and find new material. plus i wont have to worry about anything with dynamics changing.

as for quotes running as we lead up to the finale? i'm gonna try posting around every week or so, maybe in 5 quote batches? i'm not sure. again, lots of anxiety surrounding the shrinking backlog combined with So Much Work that i make no promises but i DO wanna at least treat yall as we enter one last mini hiatus as we're working hard behind the scenes to give yall the finale you DESERVE

#not a quote #blog maintenance #dmp #discord murder party #dmp spoilers

[eleanorbloom]

Teach Me How To Love (Bryce x MC)

Pairing: Bryce Lahela x f! MC (Eleanor Bloom)

Word Count: 1.8k 

Warnings: Fluff and some innuendos. Rated T.

Summary: Bryce and Eleanor dancing Teach Me How To Love by Shawn Mendes.

A/N: So, I’ve been obsessed with this song since Shawn Mendes released his last album, and one morning I was listening to it on repeat and bum, my hyperfixations mixed, and I imagined Bryce dancing this song with Eleanor. So here it goes. For once in my life I’m not posting plotless smut, and instead is plotless fluff 😂😂😂

Hope you enjoy it!

Taglist @utterlyinevitable​​​ ​​@choicesficwriterscreations​​​ @starrystarrytrouble​​​ @lahellacute​​​ @lucy-268​​​  @cinnamonspongecake​​​ @romewritingshop​​​ @bratzlahela​​​ @mrs-raleighcarrera​​​​   @mercury84choices​​​  @curiousconch​​​ @openheartfanfics​

____________

 It’s a quiet afternoon. A soft piano melody is playing in the home sound system while Eleanor is curled up on the couch, immersed in an article about Hypercytokinemia.  

She’d been the first one to wake up from a nap Bryce and she decided to take after lunch. As she saw him completely asleep, she took that as an opportunity to read some of the medical journals she’d been postponing for days.

“In addition to inducing fever,” She reads out loud, taking some notes at one side of the text “augmenting systemic inflammation, and activating antimicrobial responses such as interleukin-6, TNF can induce cellular apoptosis and regulate immunity…”

But everything can change in just a second.

It’s always like this with him. Unexpected. Unpredictable.

The piano stops playing. Instead, a few drum notes fill the air, followed by a masculine voice singing:

Ooh, your body's like an ocean

I'm devoted to explore you

Eleanor lifts her nose from her iPad, startled, and finds Bryce standing in front of her in his graphite sweatpants and a lilac tee shirt. His hair is somewhat disheveled, and his face is still a bit drowsy, but the moment he meets her eyes, it lights up with the radiant smile he gives her.

“Oh, you’re awake, honey. Didn’t hear you coming”, she says, smiling him back.

When he leans to peck her on the lips, he takes her iPad out of her hand and pulls her up from the couch, “Come dance with me, gorgeous,”

She giggles, “Okay”

That’s what it takes to surrender, that dazzling smile of his, to make her willing to do anything, to leave everything she’s doing, and join him in whatever adventure he’s planned.

Ooh, what do you desire?

I’m inspired, I’ll do it for you

Bryce takes her other hand and leads her to the center of the apartment, a spot that seems to have been left clear, unconsciously, for dancing purposes, as an always-ready dance floor only for the two of them.

“Won't you draw a map for me?” Bryce sings moving slowly towards her until his face is mere inches apart, and his hot breath is caressing her cheeks, “Laced with strawberries, and I'll get on my knees.”

Eleanor bites her lower lip, and gives him a playful smile, pleased with how seductive her boyfriend can be in such a short time.

“Put my hands around you, ooh, teach me how to” Bryce continues singing. Eleanor, still smiling, takes his hands in hers and places them on her sides, “touch you, tease, caress you, and please you, teach me how to love.”

He pulls her tight and flushed against him, and Eleanor wraps her arms around him. Then he kisses her cheek and goes down her jaw, until he reaches the crook of her neck, causing her shivers and tickles, to which she responds with more giggles while they both keep swaying to the beat of the music.

Put my hands around you

Ooh, teach me how to

Touch you, tease, caress you, and please you

Teach me, teach me, teach me how to love

After a few seconds, he twirls her a couple of times until her back is against his chest, and he hugs her tightly from behind….

Your imagination, now I'm fixated

And I'm dying to learn

…And leaves a trail of kisses on her earlobe and down her shoulder, while his hands begin to explore her body with soft movements, starting in her hips…

Every inch of you, there’s something new

…And then kisses her up her earlobe again, while her hands are up to her waist…

F'ing me up…

“I'm what you deserve” He whispers in her ear.

“Yes, you are, my love.” She answers, with her head tilted, and a hand stroking his hair, while they both move in sync with the melody.

“Draw a map for me, laced with strawberries, and I’ll get on my knees” He sings again, sliding a hand over the side of her breasts, making her hum with pleasure.

“Do I really need to show you? I think you know me better than myself by now.”

He chuckles.

“There’s always something new, babe, always.”

Put my hands around you

Ooh, teach me how to

Touch you, tease, caress you, and please you

Teach me how to love

He makes another twirl so she’s facing him again, and they both dance with hands intertwined, swinging them in the air playfully

Put my hands around you

Ooh, teach me how to

Touch you, tease, caress you, and please you

“Teach me, teach me, teach me how to love!” And then, they start singing to one another, louder and louder, eyes glistening with joy, “How to love! How to love! Teach me, teach me, teach me how to love!”

And when the funky notes start, they move backward, their bodies flowing in rhythm with the music.

And just like that, they have their own party, where they can dance loosely or close to each other, focused or ridiculously, where they can steal kisses or laughs, or just let the music take over their bodies.

With Bryce is just too easy to get carried away.

Teach me, teach me, teach me how to love

“Babe, I won't stop 'til you feel the rush” They sing along, while they wander through the room. “Babe, I won't stop 'til you feel the rush”  

Bryce sways his hips and slumps his shoulders smoothly, sometimes moving his head to his sides, while Eleanor is rocking her hips with each step she takes, while she is twirling her hands in the air.

Eleanor is lost in the song, drunk with happiness and freedom.

Because Bryce manages to even give a new meaning to spontaneity. Because with him, it's not just about doing things unplanned, but about feeling new things and let them flow. Happiness, ecstasy, joy, freedom, looseness. She lets her feelings flow just as they come, and she feels so good. So free. She feels exceptionally herself. Like she could never feel that way with another person that it’s not him.

His magic reaches those levels.

Babe, I won't stop 'til you feel the rush

Teach me, teach me, teach me how to love

Both start snapping their fingers, musically, completely immersed in the beat.

Babe, I won't stop 'til you feel the rush

They can be themselves. They can express themselves.

Babe, I won't stop 'til you feel the rush

And they’re loving every second.

Babe, I won't stop 'til you feel the rush

And when the guitar solo comes, Bryce closes his eyes and moves his hands and fingers, pretending like he's playing it. Then, in the end, he opens his eyes and gives an exaggerated nod,  to then continue with the song, “Put my hands around you ooh, teach me how to…”

“Touch you, tease, caress you, and please you, teach me how to love” Eleanor continues, approaching him seductively.

“Just teach me how to love” Bryce follows, with his best falsetto.

Until finally, she slides her hands up his chest and locks her arms around his neck. Bryce envelopes her in his arms instantly and starts roaming her whole body with his warm hands, grazing her hips, drawing the curvature of her waist, grasping her shoulder with one hand while the other wanders past her lower back.

Put my hands around you

Ooh, teach me how to

Touch you, tease, caress you, and please you

Teach me, teach me, teach me how to love

And then she leans her forehead against his, singing, until Bryce can’t take it anymore and grips the nape of her neck, and kisses her frantically, pressing her body flush against his.

It’s just senseless, sloppy. Just as he feels at that moment.

How to love

How to love

And they pant every time they pull apart, gasping for air, but they do it again and again, because is intoxicating, because it feels right. Because she seduces him so damn well that he wants her badly. And he incites her just as the same.

Teach me, teach me, teach me how to love

How to love

How to love

Teach me, teach me, teach me how to love

But then they part and follow the beat of the music…

Babe, I won't stop 'til you feel the rush

...Mixing technique and humor...

Babe, I won't stop 'til you feel the rush

…Twirling playfully, and then elegantly…

Babe, I won't stop 'til you feel the rush

…Bryce catching her back in his arms smoothly…

Teach me, teach me, teach me how to love

…Waltzing gracefully, and then seductively…

Babe, I won't stop 'til you feel the rush

…Making her desires each time more visible…

Babe, I won't stop 'til you feel the rush

...Until he, unexpectedly, because he’s always surprising, unpredictable…

Babe, I won't stop 'til you feel the rush

Twirls her and then dips her backward, just as Shawn Mendes sings the last words of the song:

Teach me, teach me, teach me how to love.

And he plants a sweet peck on her lips.

Just like that kiss at Donahue’s on day one, when they were just interns and couldn’t imagine what the future was holding for them. Playful but romantic, just as Bryce Lahela is.

But then he deepens the kiss, holding her in his arms for a few seconds until both are visibly breathless, and all their sensations resurface.

“Woow indeed.” He breaths.

“Woow.”

“Since when you listen to Shawn Mendes?” Eleanor asks after Bryce pulls her back in place.

“I don’t, but I was snooping your playlist last night and I found it very catchy, so… I've been stuck with it since then. Kept me very awake during my shift."

“Oh no, poor staff that had to hear you last night.”

“Poor you, because this is the only thing I’m gonna listen to today.”

“Lucky for me, I’m stuck with this song too.”

“A woman after my own heart.” He pulls her for another kiss, this time on her temple.

"Why were you snooping my playlist?"

“Because I like to know what you like."

“You see? You perfectly know how to please me.”

“That's because I’m constantly learning, babe. You’re always evolving.”

“Mmm, that’s true. Well, considering that we’ll be alone until 7 pm, I guess I can teach you a thing or two, then."

“Laced with strawberries?” He asks as he picks her up and takes Eleanor to their bedroom, determined to make her feel the rush.

_______

If you reached this far, thank you so much for reading. I hope it not as messy as I think it is. If doing a song fic is... complicated, trying to sync it with dancing is terrible, but I really enjoyed this experiment. So thank you to whoever joined me in this! 😘

#Bryce Lahela #Open Heart #Bryce Lahela x MC #Bryce x MC #Bryce x Casey #Shawn Mendes #Pixelberry #Playchoices #Choices Stories You Play #Open Heart Fanfic #Open Heart Fic

[tam--lin]

I MISSED THE BRANDON SANDERSON STORY please do tell... I haven't read him yet but 3 of my family members are neck deep in reading and rereading his current series and I have book 1 on my shelf...

AH YES, the time I vacuumed around New York Times Bestselling Author Brandon Sanderson.

Alright. I'm in highschool and I'm house manager for a student-written, student-directed one-acts production at the theater I grew up in. House manager is the PERFECT role for me, personality-wise, and I'm taking it super seriously.

Also, I'm maybe sixteen. I am casually into Doctor Who and Percy Jackson. I am on Tumblr but mostly because my current hyperfixation is religious headcoverings and I have a blog about them. I have never been to a fan event of any sort. I am not the sort of person who reads big hefty second-world fantasy series. I probably don’t even know what the word “cosplay” means.

Setting: day after opening night. I arrive early to clean up last night's mess, ready to put my headphones in and clean in a blissful, quiet bubble before the chaos of the evening.

I am deeply confused to arrive and find the lobby -- my lobby, my territory, my exclusive responsibility -- filled with elves. Just, completely packed, wall-to-wall with very tall people holding very large weapons. I have to physically push my way between them. They are gracious and funny as I make my way to the concession booth, which is nice but does nothing to mitigate my confusion.

I eventually learn that some guy who I'd never heard of called Brandon Sanderson was doing a book signing at the local indie bookstore, which was WAY too small for this sort of event and the theater powers that be offered at the last minute to host the signing in the lobby.

Which, cool! Great! Fancy fantasy writer who I've never heard of is doing a signing in the theater. That's all well and good, but I have a responsibility to the cast and crew and guests and, elves or no elves, this place is getting cleaned before people start getting here. I finish the concession booth, I check the bathrooms, I do everything on my checklist that I can possibly do besides vacuuming. The elves are almost gone. There are still a few stragglers. Mr. Sanderson stands around with some bookstore people, chatting.

Which is fine! But he's still on my carpet!

We are getting perilously close to the point when I need to start letting ticket holders in so I break out the vacuum. I start at the far end of the lobby, hoping that maybe the book people will all take a hint and move this conversation outside. 

They do not take a hint.

Mr. Sanderson is very nice about the fact that I am literally vacuuming around him in a circle, but he does not move.

I don't remember if the book people left or if an adult who was an actual employee had a polite conversation, but finally, finally, the lobby is free of elves and authors and theater-land returns to the normal brand of pre-performance stress.

To this day I haven't read a single thing Brandon Sanderson has written but I do think about him chatting with the booksellers every time I see his name on a con program or on a bookshelf. I hope he's doing okay and still commanding crowds of so many elves they wouldn't fit in the local bookstore.

#brandon sanderson #are there elves in his books? #I don't know I don't want to know they were very much elves to me at the time #personal #fairestoftheseasons

[sanctuaryforascrivener]

Hey I've been following you for a long while and at this point I'm just gonna ask so I have some context with your reblogs, what is the untamed about? I don't get any of it but I don't wanna unfollow so maybe if I can be like "oh yeah it's those men in wigs doing x again" it'll be less confusing before I scroll on. Also happy new year!!

!!!!! oh, hi! Happy New Year! I really.... need to actually start tagging stuff..........

It’s. My latest hyperfixation/obsession. I’m sorry that I’ve been spamming... Honestly, I had the same thing going on, seeing all these gifs of pretty people on my dash and being like “what is going on, I gotta know”. Let me see if I can give you a brief summary. The good news is that it’s on Netflix if you’re curious or interested, and I believe there are a few sites you can find it streaming free, too, if you don’t have access to an account.

Meta stuff first: The Untamed is a Chinese period fantasy drama that came out in 2019. It’s 50 episodes long and is based on a Chinese online boy-love novel called Mo Dao Zu Shi, often translated as “Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation” or “Founder of Daibolism.” There’s also a manhua (manga) and a donghua (anime/cartoon) that are both ongoing and, unlike The Untamed, don’t censor the explicit romantic relationship between the main male lead and the secondary male lead. Or, at least, the manhua doesn’t. Given the donghua is ongoing, it’s a lot harder to tell whether or not that’ll end up explicit or just as heavily implied as The Untamed.

Plot wise, The Untamed follows the story of Wei Wuxian’s life, death, and return. The first two episodes are a bit confusing because you wind up dropped in the middle of things without very much context, beginning with a scene of Wei Wuxian’s death and then jumping forward in time to when another man, Mo Xuanyu, sacrifices himself in order to bring him back to life, so that Wei Wuxian might take revenge upon Mo Xuanyu’s family. The reason he opted to bring Wei Wuxian back is because Wei Wuxian is the scourge of the cultivation world.

(Cultivation is a path of magic and supernatural study by which someone cultivates their own spiritual energy in order to, ultimately, ascend to immortality. Cultivators do a lot of ghost hunting and monster slaying as well, making sure that spirits and souls are laid to rest. I do not know a whole lot about all of this because I am not Chinese and very new to Chinese media, so this is a very rough outline, but the important thing to know is that they’re sort of magicians and they take care of supernatural stuff. There are various sects that pursue specific specialties and paths of cultivation, and there’s a LOT of political intrigue going on as well.)

After the first couple of episodes, there begins an extended flashback to the years shortly before Wei Wuxian died to show how he went from one of the greatest and most admired cultivators of his generation to the most reviled. When things finally jump back to the present, the rest of the show focuses on the mystery set up in the first couple of episodes and Wei Wuxian rebuilding his relationships with the various people he loved in his former life, as well as--ultimately--clearing his name.

There’s a lot of political intrigue, drama, humor, romance, and tragedy. The show examines some serious themes of good vs. bad, how the actions of a person reflect upon those around them regardless of intention, how people can become trapped by the society around them, what does it mean to sacrifice, whether the ends justify the means. Despite all of that, the show DOES end on a hopeful, if somewhat bittersweet note, and even though the explicit gayness is censored, there’s more than enough to be like ‘oh, yeah, okay you two,’ about it, and neither of the couple are shoe-horned off into some forced heterosexual marriage in order to make it clear that they’re not gay or anything like that, which is nice. Plus I basically refer to the set up and beginning as “Unbury Your Gays” given that the first ten minutes or so involve Wei Wuxian coming back to life. Because I think I’m funny.

It’s a beautifully filmed series, so many of the actors are drop dead gorgeous, the plot is engaging, the soundtrack is to die for, and I drool over the costumes. Basically, highly recommend. It’s not without it’s problems (the women characters are few but kick-ass, but also most of them die), and there’s definitely some triggering stuff in there--death, dismemberment, self-harm, suicide, and incest, and probably more that I’m not able to remember, so if you do watch it and any of those are triggers, proceed with caution.

But in general, I HIGHLY recommend it. I found a whole new sub-genre of fantasy that I never knew about! I’m telling myself I’m not going to learn Mandarin but I’m probably going to break soon.

Also, I’m really flattered that you actually asked me because you like my chaotic blog so much instead of just being like ‘meh, guess it’s time to unfollow.’ OTL Thank you.

#inked-to-bring-you-back #long post