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messiahzzz · 11 days

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Hello! I love your meta-analysis of BG3 and share many of the same opinions concerning our boy, Gale. I have an interesting question for you concerning the orbs "volatility" in relation to intimacy (both physical and non-physical). I used to believe it was cannon that Gale couldn't engage in physical intimacy because the Orb may detonate, but when I played as Gale I was able to sleep with Astarion. This is in contrast to when I played as Karlach and couldn't touch anyone.

So, all of this is to ask whether Gale's dialogue at the tiefling party was him protecting himself emotionally or if he truly thought that any excitement would trigger the Orb (ironic given they are fighting for their lives daily)? Additionally is this why the Weave scene only features an imagined kiss rather than a physical one?

thank you so much for the questions!! i’m very glad you enjoy reading my posts 💕

gale: with my condition being as volatile as it is, i fear any undue, er, excitement, may tip it over the edge. so to speak.

i do believe that gale was being honest in regards to avoiding physical/emotional excitement concerning the orb. his first and foremost priority is to make sure to avoid as many potential triggers as possible, being fully aware of the catastrophe that will occur if he doesn’t keep an eye on his condition at all times. fighting is inevitable given the situation the group found themselves in. on top of that, every single day for the past year alone has quite literally been a life or death situation for him, wondering how much longer he can hold on until the orb inevitably takes over. i also think that he has experienced his fair share of horrors and tough fights in his past, considering his status as an archmage, as well as him being mystra’s chosen. even with his now diminished powers & the tadpole in his head he still remains in his element. magic is his life, it comes as easy to him as breathing.

gale: i'm what one might call a wizard prodigy, who from an early age could not only control the weave, but compose it, much like a musician or a poet.

more importantly, the devnotes also proof that the orb is indeed the reason for his deflection during the tiefling party:

gale: i see. then perhaps we see each other in the same light after all. a resplendent one, flush with warmth and anticipation, but one which i must shy away from, for now. node context: still flustered, but pleased to learn you like him romantically. then getting to the point - he can't do anything until the orb is dealt with.

if tav directly tells him to cease the perceived flirting, he will reveal that he considered their relationship to be a "budding romance" at this stage.

player: if this is an attempt at flirting, you should stop. i'm not interested. gale: right. understood. you shall hear no more on the subject from me. gale: consider this budding romance thoroughly nipped. though i hope our friendship need not come to such an abrupt end.

yet at the same time, he is also completely flustered if tav is the one who initiates the flirting:

player: do you like having your belly rubbed? gale: the pleasures i experienced in mystra's embrace go far beyond the pleasures of having one's tummy tickled. i remember once, she took the smallest piece of the weave and made it into- gale: wait. are you saying... nodecontext: taking the question seriously, missing the flirtatious side of it. nodecontext: realizing that the player was flirting, getting flustered

regardless of which flirt option tav chooses to pick, the outcome remains the same:

gale: you know what, i think i've clearly had far too much wine. and you've had nowhere near enough. i think this is a conversation best held back on - for now. nodecontext: flustered, hesitating to explicitly say what he thinks you were offering, then backtracking altogether

while battle naturally is always accompanied by the unpredictable, (as well as the dread of facing a yet unknown enemy) i don’t think he experiences quite the same amount of trepidation as where matters of the heart are concerned. or perhaps it would be more accurate to say it’s an altogether different kind.

the budding relationship with tav is once again unfamiliar territory for him after all those years he went without mortal intimacy, years that have been spent with mystra instead. it’s understandable that he exercises caution at all times, knowing what’s at stake if he lets go for but merely a moment. i also believe gale to be a character who generally goes “all out” once he chooses to be intimate with someone. we know that he doesn’t do casual trysts, friends-with-benefits arrangements, or anything of the sort. instead he wants to build a deep connection first. gale is a romantic through and through, he only feels comfortable being intimate once it has been explicitly established that the emotions he feels for tav are indeed wholly reciprocated. gale puts his whole heart into everything he does, he would’ve felt that it was a disservice to tav if he was only able to give them (according to him) even less than the remaining fragments of a broken man he has to offer — once he decides to give himself, he gives himself fully.

another added factor, however, is that the tiefling party simply wasn’t the right time for him yet, even if he already felt some attraction to them. part of him perhaps would’ve liked to go a bit further, be more direct about his growing fondness for them. spending a night together, just enjoying each other's company, talking until the sun rises, perhaps even sharing their first kiss if he felt that the timing was right — but i don’t think he would’ve considered this to be the appropriate stage in their relationship to sleep with tav either way. orb or no.

gale also tells us this much during the Last Night Alive scene, as well as during the conversation after you just met tara. in an ideal situation he would’ve taken his time, courted tav properly, said it all better.

gale: if things were different, if we were home, i'd have taken the time to do things properly. to say it all better. but time is short.

gale: i always imagined what it would be like when you finally got to meet her. this wasn't quite what i had pictured. gale: i thought we'd be in waterdeep. you, curled up before a crackling hearth while i prepared us a ridiculously extravagant meal, served with a batch of my homemade hundur sauce.

time is short.

i always headcanoned gale to be on the demi spectrum. that he needs to build a close bond before sexual intimacy is something that even remotely occurs to him. tav is an anomaly in this regard — he knows he deeply cares for them, emotions that developed even in the short, few months they've known each other, and that he doesn’t have the luxury of time to let their relationship unfold in all the many ways he dreamed of. all he knows is that he loves tav, wholly and truly. and that, by the gods, he has to make the most out of the few extra heartbeats he’s been given. even if his death is inevitable, he will at least be able to show them the depths of his affection. leave them with shared memories of pure tenderness, a knowledge of a love so profound that it might perhaps even prevail way beyond his passing.

player: what about all we shared together? are you just going to give up? gale: this isn't giving up it's securing victory, at a price i am willing to pay. and everything we shared can live on - with you.

i wouldn’t necessarily say that gale was trying to “protect himself emotionally” during the tiefling party, but rather acted accordingly to the horrifying circumstances the tadpole gang (and especially he himself) find themselves in. i don’t think gale ever really considers a romanced!tav as someone he needs to be guarded around. evident in the way he immediately throws all doors open without any sign of hesitation once he has their assurance that their love is indeed mutual. gale pours his heart out to them regardless, not knowing whether his feelings are truly returned. he is not a character who shies away from being vulnerable by any means. he is an open book, that tav is free to peruse in as they see fit. a slither of trust is all he needs.

during the weave scene the connection abruptly fades once tav either imagines passionately kissing him or holding his hand during a romantic walk. a scene that again shows that he is genuinely stunned by what he’s being shown. after all, it doesn't happen often that gale of waterdeep is at a loss for words.

gale: i... i didn't think... narrator: *you perceive quick-fire gusts of embarrassment, trepidation, and finally... elation.* gale: sorry, i wasn't expecting... but it is a pleasant image to be sure! gale: most pleasant, in fact. most welcome. nodecontext: warm, with real affection

i do believe the weave scene in particular to be a turning point for him. sort of an epiphany. the first moment in which he realizes that he actually might like the idea of eventually being with tav as perhaps more than a friend. that he is filled with fondness whenever they’re near and that he is excited to see where their joined travels lead them next.

player: when i said we could be more than friends, you answered 'perhaps'. what does that really mean? gale: if i recall correctly, the waterdhavian dictionary of the common tongue of faerun defines it as an adverb that conveys the meaning of 'it may be that', or 'possibly'. gale: you see, i'm not a big believer in fate, but i do believe in serendipity. gale: life is a tempest of events that sometimes we brace against and sometimes embrace. gale: you're one such event that, one day soon perhaps, i'd like to embrace.

given my personal hc of gale being demisexual, i genuinely don’t believe that he entertained the thought before that. he was way too preoccupied with other more pressing concerns. his overall condition, the tadpole, mourning the loss of his powers, still dealing with a lingering sense of loneliness and melancholy. a yearning for better times, as well as disillusionment of being cast out and left behind, even if he has already worked through his romantic feelings for mystra and their unilaterally ended relationship by then.

gale: i'm hardly pining. it's been a year or more since mystra cast me aside.

tav’s advances genuinely catch him off guard, which is, according to my interpretation, also the reason why their shared connection abruptly faded. a general loss of focus. gale immediately bidding tav goodnight to reflect on the situation and sort through his thoughts again shows that this wasn’t how he expected this moment of teaching to unfold. it seems rather uncharacteristic of him to initiate a kiss in this specific scenario. tav was testing the waters, whether it happened intentionally or not, and gale found himself pleasantly surprised by the turn of events.

i also believe that we generally shouldn’t use origin playthroughs as a cross-reference for the actual canon. larian approached each story with more or less detail and there are already so many inconsistencies present that have been pointed out by other players. instead we should see origin pts as an oc kind of scenario — larian handing us the reigns of each origin character, a way for us to have fun and figure out all the atrocities we could possibly come up with. sort of like playing with our own set of barbies. (“go nuts, show nuts” as tunglr staff put it back in the day) for example, playing as w*ll doesn’t lock you out of raiding the grove and spending a steamy night with m*nth*ra right after either. which is something that contradicts everything he stands for/something he wouldn't naturally do. even if you try to play an origin character as close to their canon portrayal as possible, you will still encounter several contradictions and discrepancies during the duration of your game. larian sadly also has a chronic pattern of overlooking gale in terms of content, fixes, and overall responsiveness. so it’s easy to conclude that his origin story simply hasn’t been fleshed out to the same extent & treated with the same amount of care and consideration that certain other characters received. (which is awfully ironic considering he’s been proven to be the most popular origin character, but i digress)

basically, this has been my very long-winded way of saying: the reason why gale refuses to be intimate with tav pre-orb stabilization is indeed because he is afraid of the orb accidentally detonating during a moment of carelessness and/or indulgence, as well as because of gale’s own preferences when sex & romance are concerned.

#baldurs gate 3 #bg3 #gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #bg3 meta #long post #asks #gale's romance is the most delicious kind of slow-burn #or well. it would be if larian had actually bothered to put the same care and resources into his story #instead of merely cutting content and deciding to do a 180 #it speaks #please don't check for grammar i wrote this in a rush

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oshiawaseni · 1 year

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Between BkDk, which of them knows they're in love with the other?

A question was asked: Is it just one, is it both, or is it neither? This is my reasoning behind why I think that both of them have realised their romantic feelings for the other.

I'll start with Izuku’s side first, as he is the veteran.

Izuku's been sitting on his feelings for quite some time and repressing them as much as he can, simply just knowing these feelings… exist. Izuku has always loved Kacchan, but I'm talking specifically about the moment he realised what kind of love it was.

I think the moment that really did Izuku in was witnessing the growth in Katsuki's heroic heart for the very first time, during his team's battle in the Joint Training arc. Shiny eyes watched Kacchan's newly perfected teamwork as he fought the opposition while protecting his team and allowing them to cover for him in return.

This change in Katsuki was his heart becoming more like Izuku's, in his efforts to become the top hero that cares about saving and winning equally. He no longer looked down on the action of saving a person, so he no longer looked down on what it meant to be saved by others either. I think this really cast him in a new light for Izuku.

Kirishima: "But it's true it might be the first time we've ever seen him do something like this." (Katsuki protecting others)

As well as planting a seed foreshadowing Bakugou Katsuki Rising, Hori placed the speech bubble over a very bare panel of Izuku watching Kacchan for two reasons: Emphasis that Izuku was also seeing Kacchan's character growth for the first time, and to imply that the change in Katsuki's character that Monoma had just been yelling about was, in large part, influenced by Izuku himself.

The paneling is so genius. It seemed insignificant enough to be ignored by Bones, yet it says so much more than all other panels because it tells a story of the piece in Katsuki that had been missing their whole lives, it’s simplistic emptiness conveying the beauty Izuku saw in him finding it. If Katsuki was changing, maybe Izuku was, too... and this panel was the start of Izuku's admiration evolving into something more romantic.

Izuku watching Katsuki's heroism was an incredibly important moment for them and puts Izuku's view of love in ch.348 into some more context. Because chapter 208 was Katsuki definitely... undeniably sharing Izuku's heart. RIGHT AFTER sending his thoughts to Izuku: "Just keep your eyes on me, shitty Deku!"

".......If it responds to my feelings, at that time, I..."

And not long after JT, we get these unfinished thoughts about WHY Black Whip was triggered and Izuku has been hush about his inner thoughts on Katsuki ever since. (Other than telling Kacchan he doesn't mind being called Deku, if it's too hard to call him Izuku.)

The reason Izuku's emotions were so deeply triggered that day is because Monoma reminded him of the pain he saw in Katsuki's face when he cried to him about ending All Might in DvK2.

The recent anime ending further backs this theory during a montage of Izuku running away from the significant memories he has with his friends. This memory is a very important one to Izuku.

When Monoma triggered him, Izuku felt Katsuki's suffering on a personal level. His precious Kacchan, who had cried to him with that face, had fallen under attack, so by extension, Izuku was being attacked too. That day, Izuku discovered how very protective he is over him. (see also: "Give him back to me!")(see also: Kacchan getting hurt "because of me" to save Izuku was the Vigilante arc catalyst) (see also: Vol 37 Cover Art)

During his Bakugou Katsuki Rising chapter/episode, Kacchan too felt an immense amount of empathy with Izuku, because he refers to the moment he was about to lose Izuku as being "at death's door." Not specifying it was Izuku's death, but death in general. Izuku feels Katsuki's pain. Katsuki feels Izuku's pain. And this attunement with one another makes them both feel immensely protective over each other. Amazing.

So... Izuku has just figured out his feelings... and when asked directly by Kacchan, he runs away from giving him a concrete answer because he doesn't want to upset him with the love and overprotectiveness he feels for Kacchan inside his heart. At this point in the story, Izuku still feels somewhat disliked by him and is scared of Katsuki's potential harsh rejection. I'm sure he was thinking something like "Better to omit the truth and not cause anyone pain." No pain for Kacchan, no pain for him. Hedgehogs can't get hurt if they never lie close to each other, right?

＊* .•° ✿ °•. ❀。• *₊°。 ❀°。 ೋღ

With Katsuki, I think he awoke to a new feeling born inside him after he almost lost Izuku. The uncompromising need for Izuku to stay in his life. And his feelings from childhood that he’d hidden deep inside reemerged with the same explosive level of fervour that he’d given Izuku their whole lives, except now when he thought about Izuku, his heart was filled with something… different.

He only realised what those feelings really were at the same time he faced the looming death that was ahead of him. Katsuki was stripped completely bare by AFO and found all that remained of him, which was now staring him straight in the face, the precious piece of him AFO could never touch: Izuku’s and his intense and binding love for each other. There's no other explanation for chapter 362, other than him becoming more aware of both Izuku's and his own feelings. That's why he thought of him in the end, that's why he longed to see him so much.

That's why he wanted his feelings to reach him, to have Izuku in his grasp, at a time when he knew he had no hope to. All For One told him to face his reality. But that reality and Katsuki's wishes are two very separate entities and nothing can come between the love and belief Izuku and Katsuki have for each other. Katsuki would not be broken… and it was his hope that won out.

Edgeshot: "Don't give up, Dynamight! The guy you're waiting for will... Deku will come for sure. That's why I won't let you die!"

Hori revealed on the back of Volume 37 that Izuku is the person Katsuki had been waiting for because... (and this BREAKS ME):

Katsuki had been waiting to be saved by him.

I KNOW, I KNOW. There's a small part of me that's just like "SHUTUP HORI THESE CHAPTERS WERE ALREADY HARD ENOUGH TO TAKE YOU DIDNT HAVE TO RUB THEM IN EVEN MORE :((" because thinking about all of this hurts like hell.

But I know these lines probably weren’t written to upset those of us who live in a perpetual state of bkdk canon brainrot, and were written so that everyone else, the average "casual" fan, can start to see/accept the love that's between them a little more. I'm sure it's with this kind of intention that he reminded everyone again of who exactly it was residing in Katsuki's heart and whose name it was Edgeshot felt he needed to use to call out to Katsuki with, for the sole purpose of motivating him harder to stay alive. (ily Hori, thanks for the pain.)

As of ch.362, they are both now aware they love the other, Izuku doesn't know yet that it's very reciprocal, but I think Katsuki realised it, and he allowed Izuku's love to overflow him during his delirium, using it as his shield to protect his spirits after the awful things AFO did and said to him. It's devastating that he had to suffer so much to see the truth that had been lying dormant inside his own heart the whole time.

This uncovered truth is why he got back up and acted in the way he knew Izuku believed in most about him. Izuku wasn't coming. But at the very least... he could still become the hero Izuku admires and loves one last time, before it was all over...

"(Never giving up until I get my win is what you always believed in about me,) so I just gotta win, right.... Izuku....?"

Ch.362 felt like Katsuki's answer to Izuku's feelings, an incredibly private moment of him exposing his bare heart for all to see. His final act was an acceptance and reciprocity of the love Izuku felt for him that had been there all along. He was completely run down mentally, physically and spiritually, so he comforted himself by thinking about his special guy.

What provides more comfort than your beloved being right there with you, at your lowest? What greater desire does the heart have than to feel loved by the person it yearningly aches for the most?

Katsuki was only able to see Izuku's feelings because he could finally face and recognise his own.

#bakudeku #kacchan loves deku #deku love kacchan #dey both know thats my final answer #kana writes #bnha meta #bkdk canon #op #sometimes i cry writing about them and i dont know why i do this to you and to myself but alas... please forgive me... my kokoro is </3 to #katsuki's side of their story is //heartshredding//#it's just *impossible* not to get sad while diving into it #it is what it is ig #must read meta #I haven’t tagged them all yet but check that tag if you like reading my meta 🫶🏻

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kobochasketch · 1 year

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A cool Lady rockin’ a fur coat! (inspired by @fabdante‘s lovely Devil May Cry art of all the various fun alternate outfits and fabulous fur coats!!!) ;D

#devil may cry #dmc3 lady #dmc3 #devil may cry3 #artists on tumblr #hello all!! I hope you've been well! Please take this modest offering after *checks watch* a long time!!! hfbvhjfbghgb #I actually drew this way earlier this year but various things had it slide onto the backburner #fabdante's art really inspired me to want to do my own 'dmc character in an awesome fur coat'-#the decadence! the floof!#dmc character in alt outfit #(and before you have to wonder- I have absolutely considered kimono outfits for everyone nbgjrthbgh)#I had originally planned on drawing ReDante or Kat- but ended up drawing my girl Lady instead #I think a fur coat suits her really well ya know?#it was originally drawn in my sketchbook with the fur having been done with a brush pen :D #I tried to keep it on brand colorwise...and actually languished a good while on whether or not to make the fur white or not #I ended up going for the dark fur obviously but with contrasting white lapels meant to kinda invoke the dmc5 jacket a bit! :D #oh and while not my original intent- I can't help but think 'band au' when I look at this now nnfbfhg #anyway!#big thanks to fabdante for keeping up the cool art/meta pots/ and reboot kid art! we love to see it!!! ;DDD

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meraki-yao · 3 months

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Translation of a Bilibili Video Analysing the Paris Love Making Scene

HOLY SHIT THIS LITERALLY TOOK ME ALL DAMN DAY

Preface from me: PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS NOT MY ORIGINAL CONTENT! THIS IS JUST MY TRANSLATION OF THE FOLLOW VIDEO MADE BY 搭火箭都要追剧 A CHINESE RWRB FAN. I REPEAT, THE CONTENT IS NOT MINE, I'M JUST A TRANSLATOR (that being said I did a little bit of commentary, anything in brackets is my own thoughts)

All photos are unedited screenshots taken directly from the video

Preface from OP: The content of this video is very subjective and shallow, if it's different from your opinions, you're the right one (a Chinese saying which basically means "this is just my thoughts don't come at me") and it's most likely to be very different from any official BTS.

Didn't translate the first part because 1, I can't really translate it well due to cultural references 2, I... don't really agree with it, but did like 90% of the video

Also since it's about the Paris love-making scene, there's sexual content, you have been warned

For the moment when Alex slips his hand under Henry's shirt

When Alex slides his hand across Henry's naked waist, his fingertips, the most sensitive part of the hand is touching Henry's bare skin and stirring his desires, which is why Alex's body tenses: he clenches his jaw and takes a deep breath in.

In contrast, Henry is absorbed in the romance of it all. He's been in love with Alex the whole time and finally, the man of his dreams is here with him, touching him.

For the couple of shots where they stand naked with Henry touching Alex

1, Close Up Shot of Henry's hand gliding up Alex's arm

Henry told Alex that he's in good hands, therefore Henry's the one to lead this dance and set the atmosphere, so most of the light is on him, with the bright spot being shone on Henry's wrist which leads the audience to focus on that point

He starts with his fingertips running along Alex's vein, but the brightest spot doesn't follow the movement of his hand and stays focused on his wrist and the lower part of his thumb while the rest of his hand is in darker lighting. This is to strike a contrast and to put the focus on Henry's hand and therefore his movement. The reason only part of his hand is illuminated is because his entire hand is lit, the frame's lighting loses its balance and looks abnormal, and won't match the more subtle, softer tones of the romance in the movie

A highly saturated orange/golden light is chosen, which increases the feeling of content and ambiguity (I don't that sounds weird but it's the closest word I can think of, but a more accurate description… Imagine the use of steam in a shower sex scene) which also hints that this is going to be a lovely night

The use of light and the contrast of brightness on different parts also serve to convey Henry's emotions and internal thoughts. Even though their first night in Alex's room and their hook-up during the polo match were both really intense, but it was more about the surging, frantic sexual desire between the two. Now Henry doesn't actually know how Alex will react and is somewhat worried about it, which is represented by his fingers in darker lighting. But at the same time, Paris is the first time Henry can be so physically close with his long-time crush and be extremely honest/vulnerable with him, and later understand and feel each other on a spiritual level (… Woah.). He feels contentment from that, which is what the brighter area conveys.

In this single shot, the bright and dark areas are fairly equal, which also means these two emotions are in equal conflict at this moment

Then Henry's hand slides up towards Alex's shoulder and he switches to touching him with his fingertips, which, with its sensitivity, means Henry can feel any tiny change on Alex's skin. He feels Alex's excitement and comfort, which in turn makes him happy and bolder, which is also conveyed in the change of the light in the frame: the fingertips that were previously in dark lighting gradually shift into the brighter area, representing his worries fading

2, The following shot of Henry facing Alex's camera right, Alex's back against the audience, camera left

The light is still on Henry which means this shot is still conveying Henry's feelings

There's a clear contrast of light on his face which makes his face seem more 3D (again sorry for the weird translation but I can't find any other words) and attracts the audience's attention more.

The contrast is also represented in Henry's characterization. To explain this, we need to understand what a cognitive schema is: cognitive schema is a psychological concept which can be summarized as when a person is exposed to an object, event or person, they will use precious experience and knowledge to make a general judgment and description of them thus predicting their next actions. So in the case of Henry, at first since he's a prince, the audience and Alex, using their cognitive schema will assume he's prim and proper, when in reality he's horny (ha), flirtatious and adorable (so in conclusion, he's actually a babygirl)

Henry then lingers his hand on Alex, and glances at Alex with a flirtatious smile, enjoying Alex's shiver under his touch.

3, Shot of Alex facing audience camera left, Henry back against audience camera right

The light is now mostly on Henry's back, increasing the romantic atmosphere of the shot.

The light is also on Alex's torso and cheek forming a light contrast, which turns the audience's focus onto Alex. The larger dark area indicates he's being led by Henry in this situation, and he doesn't really know what Henry's gonna do, therefore his nervousness is the dominating emotion, represented by the dark area.

But he's also enjoying Henry's touches, which is why the light is still mostly on Henry but also partly on Alex now, almost like an extension of the contentment that Henry feels

The lamp that in-universe is providing the lighting is on the right side of the frame. If a similar light source isn't placed on the left side, the left side of the frame would seem too cold, which would destroy the atmosphere previously created. Therefore a mirror was placed there both for spatial balance and to create a reflection of the lamp's light, creating a small light spot on the left, balancing the coloring and lighting of the shot.

To the right of the mirror where the light can't cover is a small cupid statue. The statue not only adds to the romantic atmosphere but also indicates what's about to happen, as cupid symbolizes love and sex. Cupid is also a mischievous God who enjoys pranks, which also somewhat describe the boys' relationship: cupid shoots out the silver/lead arrow of aversion and revulsion that leads to their misunderstanding and subsequent hatred, but the shoots out the golden arrow of fall that led to them falling in love with each other and living together happily ever after.

Alex keeps watching Henry's hand as his hand slides down and looks back up when Henry touches his chest and takes a deep breath. Henry smiles brightly at Alex's reaction.

Alex then becomes intoxicated by Henry's touch as his sexual desires take over him

When Henry picks up the key that means a lot to Alex, Alex clenches his jaw. The highlight in his eyes allows the audience to immediately catch the change in his eyes that's filled up with lust.

So to conclude this part, a lot of attention was given to the placement of props and the lighting: the saturated golden creates a romantic but steamy/foggy (meraki seriously can't find the right word) setting, which is a filmmaking technique often used by Wong Kar Wai, in fact a similar lighting was used in "In the Mood for Love" (Matthew is a true fan)

For the shots of them kissing on the bed

There's a red mark on Henry's chest which OP explained in an earlier video that would have been caused by Alex grabbing there when thrusting forward

There's another possibility which is Alex getting excited when being behind Henry but he doesn't really know what to do so all he can do is grind against Henry. But Henry feels and sounds divine, and Alex gets impatient so he leaves marks on Henry's arm and chest

To prove her hypothesis op did an experiment with her own arm: she chose her arm because just like the part of Henry's chest that's marked, part of the muscle curves (into the elbow just as the chest muscle curves into the armpit) it's not a easy place for fingers to exert force, thus can draw a closer, more subjective comparison.

Experiment process: open uses her other hand to grab onto her arm and pull backwards forcefully, to 1, observe the shape of the mark and if it's identical to that of Henry's, 2, observe the time needed to create the mark in order to be the same as Henry's

As shown in the photo, the (faint) red marks are approximately the same shape, width and redness as the ones on Henry's chest. It took 28 seconds to reach this. This approximates the time taken by Alex to "do stuff" (I think she means prep?) from Henry's behind

With how loving and gentle Alex is with Henry it's not that likely that he started groping Henry's chest from the beginning, so the conclusion is when Alex was trying to "move forward" when he was behind Henry (I seriously don't know if she means prep or like, doggy style) but doesn't really know what to do and groped Henry in his nervousness, and this failed attempt lasted at least 28 seconds.

OP thinks the failed attempt was done in front of the window with Henry bending over, gripping the back of one of the chairs, and deduced from the DNC scene: the boys were originally chatting in bath robes on the couch with the curtain mostly closed, but when Zahra barged in, the blackout curtain was out, leaving just the mesh layer closed. There was a bathrobe on the far side of the couch and another in front of the window. So presumably after the talk, they went for another round, Henry ditched his robe on one side of the couch and pounced on Alex (similarly to how he did on Alex's couch), they tumbled around and switched position and ended up in front of the window, Alex remembered he failed attempt in Paris and wanted to make up for it so he pulled open the blackout curtain but left the mesh layer closed, and then he got to work. (...tbn personally I think this is a stretch?)

Henry thinks Alex is adorable but he's also really intoxicated and wants to get down to business asap, so he grabs Alex's neck and presses Alex towards him, kissing from Alex's lips to his neck. He kissed Alex's neck because from their first hook-up and the way Alex immediately stretched his neck to give Henry space when he kissed his neck then, that this is the quickest way to stimulate him. Which is why you can see a faint hickey on Alex's neck

As they kiss they walk towards the bed. During their first hook-up, Henry pushed Alex onto the couch, so now it's Alex's turn to pounce on Henry, which is what we see in the shot: Henry falls onto the bed first, then Alex follows. Alex is really happy and a bit proud that he can drive Henry crazy like this, while (and I quote directly) Henry can't think of anything anymore, and has "please hurry up and fuck me" painted on his face

The mark/hickey on Alex's neck takes the shape of an inverted triangle, with the vertical side and the diagonal side (left down right up, in math it's a positive slope) being more red, which means those two points experienced the largest amount of force

Red Mark on Henry's Chest

Screenshot from In the Mood for Love using a similar lighting

Red Mark Result from OP's experiment

Blackout Curtain Closed on DNC Night

Bathrobe (presumed to be Henry's) on the far side of the couch

Bathrobe (presumed to be Alex's) near the window, Blackout Curtain Open in the background

For the process, deduced with the shot of them laying in bed during the afterglow

The trajectory of sweat on Henry's temple runs downward vertically. If he was fucked lying down, the sweat should run into his ear canal horizontally. Which means he was fucked in a sitting position. For example in the polo match hookup, Henry's sweat is visible in the form of drops running vertically down his face. Also in the afterglow, the sweat also seems to be splattered, which required Henry to have vigorously moved either up and down or front and back. So yeah this further proves that there was a cut riding scene.

Alex also has sweat on his face, and his fringe is wet. So riding should have happened right before they lied down and started talking.

So the process deduced by OP is 1, they tried doggy style in front of the window and failed 2, what was shown in the movie 3, doggy style on the bed 4, riding (OP wasn't aware of the details of the extended Paris love-making scene, but all RWRB fans in China know that there's doggy style and riding that got cut, this is OP's deduction of the order)

Even without looking at the sweats and marks, from the way Henry's signet ring is turned in the movie you can tell that something's deleted, since before Alex intertwined his fingers with Henry, the letter H was facing outwards, and when their hands join the movement causes the ring to turn and for the letter to face inwards. But then the next shot with Henry's hand on Alex's shoulder shows the ring worn normally again, which means something in between was deleted or reordered.

Hickey on Alex's Neck

Henry's sweat in the afterglow

Henry's sweat during the polo hook-up

Alex's sweat in the afterglow

tagging @sanneannelies7 and @na-18dia who mentioned wanting the translation in my original post

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thegirlwhorideslikeasamurai · 1 year

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I believe that episode 5 is totally underrated for how much Yuuri and Viktor learn from each other during their first competition as a coach & student team.

Let's start with Viktor.

Viktor has been training Yuuri throughout the summer, but when it comes to competitions, he still has zero coaching experience so relies on what is familiar to him:

dressing up:

Note his matter-of-fact explanation. This is not the demeanour of a vain person. Viktor knows that clothes make the man and thus dresses appropriately for the occasion. It's just a detail, but Viktor is that serious about being Yuuri's coach!

2. being cute:

Viktor tends to act cute around men to get their attention. His attempts to calm Yuuri down before the SP, however, fail gloriously because Yuuri is already on edge. Viktor's silly cuteness only results in Yuuri being anxious AND annoyed. Please also note. The contrast to Minami's coach who tries the same by yelling and flipping her fingers in front of Minami couldn't be greater! And while both coaches fail to calm their athletes, Viktor deserves credit for being respectful.

3. flirting:

As Yuuri doesn't react to cuteness as hoped for, Viktor eventually resorts to flirting and manages to calm his nervous katsudon enough to skate Eros. Whereas Yuuri isn't comfortable with being hugged without warning, Viktor's bedroom voice and his words work their magic.

4. praising Yuuri:

Viktor underestimates how much shame Yuuri still feels about last year's Jnats and how anxious he is as this is his first competition, especially since Yuuri faces a skater who beat him. Talking in euphemisms is not uncommon for interviews in sports His answer to Morooka falls into this category, while still being his honest (and overexcited) opinion. Nothing to criticise, one might think. But for someone with anxiety and low self-confidence... very bad idea. All that Viktor achieves is increasing the pressure. Luckily, Yuuri doesn't stand for it and Viktor is more sensible in the next interview.

5. imitating Yakov: the famous lecture after the performance

As has been pointed out in many a meta post, Viktor adopts Yakov's habit to lecture his students after their skate. Yakov was his mentor for many years--naturally, Viktor resorts to his observations of his former coach. Of course, Yuuri doesn't like this at all, and he's not the only one. As Yuuri wastes many points in his FS when he ignores his instructions, Viktor contemplates another lecture but changes his mind when he grows aware of how everyone is cheering and finally understands that a lecture right now isn't how he should treat Yuuri. In addition to this, Viktor learns that once he steps on the ice, Yuuri does what he thinks is right, and learns to love this about him.

Now on to Yuuri:

Yuuri's anxiety and his shame about his result at Jnats are the reason why he ignores the other skaters. Plus, he either never learned proper PR skills or couldn't put them to use due to his lack of confidence. Just because you understood something in theory doesn't mean you can pull it off, especially when your anxiety gets in the way. Ignoring the other skaters is like pretending they don't exist, which is supposed to make it easier for Yuuri to compete against them. For Yuuri, this makes perfect sense. But by ignoring them, he creates a larger threat in his mind than these skaters actually are.

Throughout the episode, we often see Yuuri with his shoulders pulled up, a crease between his brows and avoiding Viktor's gaze. This is pure anxiety behaviour.

However, the best way to beat your demons is to look them in the eye. But when one is caught up in anxiety, this often seems impossible even if one knows that this would do the trick. Anxiety trumps reason. It's that powerful.

Yuuri wants to win the Regionals. If he delivers a clean skate, one quad would be enough as of the four skaters he has the greatest experience and the most superb skating skills. Plus, after the SP, he leads by almost a 30 points margin. Viktor is right that Yuuri doesn't need three quads, in fact, there are many sensible reasons for lowering the difficulty of a programme in one particular competition. Why take unnecessary risks when one quad would suffice to win?

When Yuuri overhears the other skaters talking about attempting a quad in the FS, his anxiety convinces him that he must jump all three quads. Again, it's not logical, but by returning to the initial layout, he makes sure that the base score of his programme exceeds the base score of his rivals' programmes far enough that he can see a chance for a gold medal. He needs this to reassure himself.

Anxious or not, Yuuri knows that he can jump three quads and this isn't the first time he shows displeasure because Viktor underestimates him. He doesn't want to be coddled. He doesn't even need to be coddled, and, frankly, this would make it harder for him to overcome his mental issues. So, in the middle of his own personal battles, Yuuri teaches Viktor another lesson.

Now back to Yuuri ignoring poor Minami--and there are several aspects that aren't that obvious at first glance:

Viktor who likely never suffered from anxiety in competition (or forgot how it feels after being unbeaten for so many seasons), doesn't understand how Yuuri's anxiety works. Seeing Yuuri treat a skater, who looks up to him, so poorly angers him. Viktor doesn't care whether another skater is a rival or skates several leagues below him--he's always nice to his fans and treats skaters with respect.

In the end, Viktor's harsh reaction cuts through Yuuri's anxiety and brings him back to reason (he will do this again two episodes later in a way more dramatic manner). Plus, there's this

and this

Yuuri finally realises that Minami's admiration mirrors his own admiration of Viktor. And through this, he can empathise with Minami.

And when Yuuri cheers Minami on and watches his performance, Minami finally loses his terror as an adversary, and Yuuri starts to take him seriously. This entire part of Yuuri reacting towards the other skaters--it's a typical reaction of a person with anxiety and low self-confidence who tries to protect themselves without realising that their method is faulty because it's dictated by anxiety. Viktor slamming the guards onto the barrier and telling Yuuri how disappointed he is might seem rude but is necessary to get Yuuri out of his anxiety loop.

And Viktor is pleased as, be it by accident or design, his lesson was successful.

And last but not least, in this episode, Yuuri learns that he loves Viktor. He has not been able to name this feeling before, but the events in this episode preceded by the months he has spent with Viktor so far, seem to lead up to this realisation. This is speculation, but I believe that this happens during his free skating and causes him to jump into the barrier. Skaters pay attention to where they take off, and Yuuri is too experienced to allow for such mistakes. But he canonically flubs his jumps when something is on his mind, he must have been super distracted at this moment. Also, note how Viktor's expression changes when Yuuri dances through the step sequence only moments before this jump. He knows something is going on.

Episode 5 seems to centre on Yuuri's growth as we experience it through his unreliable narrator's eyes, but in fact, both he and Viktor undergo a learning curve while they stumble through each challenge by trial and error. Throughout the entire episode, Viktor gets to know Yuuri better and learns how to handle him in competition and thus become a better coach. His growth is directed towards Yuuri and their relationship. Yuuri, on the other hand, can handle Viktor already pretty well as shown by how he doesn't put up with Viktor's bullshit. His growth is directed inwards with a focus on his insecurity and anxiety.

This show is done with so much attention to detail, I could swoon over it for ages!

Bonus: Viktor being canonically savage

Viktor learning his first lecture on looking after an athlete during a competition doesn't mean that all the bottled-up annoyance evaporates--no, he vents it through backhanded compliments!

Viktor has yet to learn to trust Yuuri's decisions and be a more sensible coach overall, but it's the first competition of the season and Yuuri is a good teacher in this regard. There's still plenty of time for him and Yuuri to grow as a team and as individuals, but in this episode both take important steps in their journey together.

If you enjoy my meta posts, please consider giving my blog a follow or checking out my works on AO3(link in bio). You will find the results of my meta musings in there!

#yuri on ice #yoi #yoi meta #my yoi meta #katsuki yuuri #viktor nikiforov #yurionice #yuri on ice meta #Viktor is cute but savage as fuck #I love how Yuuri doesn't put up with his bullshit #If you like my meta please check my fics on AO3 they're full of this stuff

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twig-tea · 2 months

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Cooking Crush Finale: I'm Going to Miss This Show

Honestly tl;dr on this post is that this show is great, it ended leaving me the way the show has felt for me week to week, which is a good thing. I've said it too many times in tags and posts but let's say it once more: This show is fundamentally kind, it felt like it was giving me a hug every week, and I'm going to miss that a lot.

In my post after ep10 I mentioned that the writing on this show was making me so happy by having the conflicts converge on this one contest, and that did come to fruition in a way that I found very satisfying. The one nitpick I will say is the bullying storyline did feel dropped. Theoretically, from a thematic read, I actually love that, because these bullies had the best possible comeuppance by becoming completely irrelevant to Prem, Dy, and Samsee's lives and utterly forgotten. They failed at getting them kicked out of the contest, failed at eroding their self-esteem, and failed at preventing them from succeeding. The victory over the bullies is really how these three left that contest still feeling proud of themselves, good about what they accomplished, and optimistic about their futures. The show focusing on their group hug rather than the "winners" of the contest underscores that for me. And I love that we get the timeskip to see Prem's chef's table restauraunt, and that all of them are there as the first customers (including Metha, so glad this MVP stayed part of the group!). However, without the show telling me explicitly that should be my takeaway, I hesitate to assume that's what it meant to do (rather than the show just running out of time). It's satisfying enough for me, but I acknowledge that I had to fill in that detail on my own to be satisfied. And I am willing to do that for this show because it did such a good job with the other threads.

The conflict with Ten's dad was so satisfyingly tied up in Prem wanting to win the contest--not just to prove that he was worthy of Ten, but to be able to pay Ten's father back for the money he'd gotten--and I appreciated how Ten's resolution with his father was nuanced and not perfect. His father showed his support and gave verbal acknowledgment of Prem as a suitable partner but remained distant, and that visual contrast of him sitting at the restaurant table alone in the same spot he used to sit with Ten and his mother was telling. He doesn't apologize, but he doesn't get an easy redemption either; it felt very in character that he'd only accept Prem in Ten's life after Prem proved himself over time (and only after Ten continued to prove that he was still going to live up to his father's expectations while dating Prem).

I referenced in my Fire & Dynamite hype post that one of the things their relationship does for Dy is give him confidence that someone will be there in his corner. When he came out of the room having lost and was the only one without someone to hug, my heart dropped. But his did too, and it's because he knew, in that moment, that something was wrong. He had learned to expect and rely on Fire's presence, and that growth is something I loved to see. The way he went searching for Fire rather than internalizing that Fire wasn't there for him, and then was able to be there for Fire in the confrontation with Fire's mom--that meant so much to me. It was subtle, but compare it with the scene in ep10 when Fire shows up at the contest and Dy is surprised to even see him. My boy has grown so much! That confrontation with the mom was also really well done; I loved that Fire made it clear his sexuality was not Dy's 'fault' but was something he'd hidden from his mother and tied all of that up in his dynamic with her overall: that he's afraid to share his true self with her because he's afraid of disappointing her. This was such a huge moment for Fire, and I was so proud of him! And I love that it took her time to go away with that, sit with it, and decide to take it in and to change. And I also love that she still doesn't really like Dy, and that their relationship is antagonistic tolerance lol that was a satisfyingly realistic place for those relationships to land, and I really appreciated that none of that was easy. The look on Dynamite's face when he sees Fire's mother accepting him was so complicated; I absolutely loved Aungpao in that scene. Seeing someone you love being accepted for something you weren't by your own parent is so complicated a feeling--I don't doubt for a second that he was so happy for Fire, but there's a moment where I'm sure he was also feeling sorry for himself (rightly so). And Aungpao was able to communciate that complexity of emotion. I'm really looking forward to seeing more from him in future.

And the way they retained the Ten and Prem communication dynamics all the way through was so satisfying for me! I wrote a really long post about this halfway through the series here, and I haven't felt the need to do anything as thorough for the back half because the show really just kept doing more of the same (and I loved it every time). But, just to highlight this moment in the finale, when Ten asks Prem to say he loves him, and Prem kisses him and asks if Ten can hear him--for once, Ten doesn't ask him to use his words, he just asks Prem to say it louder (i.e. kiss him more), because Prem is now using his words more regularly and Ten finally understands what he means with his gestures, he no longer has uncertainty requiring the reassurance of explicit communication. It was a really cute nod to their continued pattern through this show, and to the deepening of the understanding between them.

Tying this moment from the finale to one of the broader things I found so comforting about this show: The relationship between Ten and Prem took work, which they showed on-screen, both the initial formation and the maintenance. And in that work, we got to see a couple stay together through difficult times, decide together how to handle problems as they come up, support one another through hardships, comfort one another, give one another strength, and ultimately make one another better at the things they were trying to achieve. Even though there was very little fighting in a literal sense, these two are my ultimate battle couple to date. I wanted to hug this show back every week as these characters made choices I'd been yelling at my screen for protagonists to make for literally years. And there was still conflict, and the characters still had growing to do, and they weren't perfect. But they let one another not be perfect, they let one another be hurt, and then work through that together. This relationship has skyrocketed to one of my favourites in any BL.

And as much as I love this core relationship, as well as the incredibly nuanced queerness of Dynamite and Fire's dynamic, which was so satisfying to see depicted on my screen every week too, and which I will absolutely love forever--the way Dy gave Fire space to figure out how and when to come out even to the point of risking his own precarious housing situation, and then supporting him by being honest about what to expect (and what he will be risking) is something I will also hold this close to my heart as one of my favourite BL moments--the best thing about this show was the core friendships. I will be forever thankful for a show that treated its core queer friendships with the same or even higher priority to the romantic relationships. I've written previously about how exciting it was to me that one of the major conflicts in this show was between the friend group, and I want to call that out again because it was so rare and so satisfying as an arc. And that moment in episode 10 when Ten delays asking Prem to be his boyfriend in order to allow Prem his emotional reunion with his friends was such an important gesture--not just for Ten and Prem, but for the Cooking Crush audience. It was so rare and satisfying to see a show prioritize friendship first.

Alright I've ranted enough. If you weren't sure about this show for whatever reason (too much else to watch; heard rumblings about some of the early episodes; didn't want to trust GMMTV again), I am happy to tell you that if you like good character arcs, solid writing, class dynamics, queer representation, found family dynamics, good communication, couples that stay together and persevere as a team, and lovable dorks, this show was wonderful and it holds up.

AND IT LET TEN KEEP HIS GLASSES ON THE WHOLE WAY THROUGH!!

I'd recommend the uncut version, which is available for free with a Thai VPN on WeTV or grey, but the cut version is available on YouTube and a couple of very cool tumblr folks have summarized and provided clips of the cut bits so nobody has to miss out: @respectthepetty (here) and @keepthetension (here). Thank you both for your hard work every week!

#cooking crush #bl meta #typed so that i can stop thinking it #long post #let a main character be hot in glasses for the whole show you cowards!!!#<<<THEY DID IT #never have i been so proud to have a tag that did not apply #honestly though if you haven't watched this show give it a try #and if you watched it on YouTube please check out the cut scenes some great moments are in there!

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shae-s-heartsong · 7 months

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Crowley's driving (ending S2)

One of the weirdest arguments people make to prove theories - mostly appearance swap theories - is that, during the ending of ep6 (credits), when Crowley rides his car, his face moves very little.

It’s very strange to me because it’s easy to understand why. That’s because he drives slowly (which the same people never forget to mention). In other occurrences, his head shakes a little bit more, because he drives fast.

Comparison below the cut:

Actually the difference is very subtle. Here see Crowley’s face before he reaches the Bookshop on fire in ep4 S1: it’s almost the same thing, but a) he’s driving faster, 2) he’s looking at his phone:

And look, when he’s not talking, his face is often inexpressive and stays rather still, except it shakes because of the car’s movements (I took a random gif lmao):

And it’s like that, most of the time (go check!). So no, it’s not an actual argument to use. It’s not weird. It’s physics!

Now, the fact that he drives slowly is uncharacteristic. But it’s also easy to explain.

Can you tell me where Crowley is going?

Do you think he knows?

He hasn’t anywhere to go. At this point it’s not said that he’s got his flat back. He’s not directly threatened by anything. He’s heartbroken. He’s certainly not going to go to Heaven to take Aziraphale back. And during The Scene he’s made his position clear that he doesn’t want to give attention to the Second Coming (yet) - at this point he knew it was coming but he wanted to go away - with Aziraphale. So he’s not gonna even go to Alpha Centauri, not without Aziraphale (and well not with his car).

He’s not going anywhere. He’s out of options. That’s the point.

(If you want to make comparisons, when he thought Aziraphale was dead and left the shop on fire, he was heartbroken, sure, but he was also angry, and in the shock of the moment. So he drove fast. Here, he’s watched Aziraphale take the elevator. He knows it’s real, he knows it too much. He’s not shocked - he’s dejected).

#good omens #good omens spoilers #good omens 2 #good omens 2 spoilers #good omens meta #good omens speculation #crowley #good omens season 2 #good omens crowley #good omens thoughts #crowley analysis #good omens analysis #please double check your arguments

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tcfactory · 5 months

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Party Planning and Other Deadly Hazards I

5k words of Shang Qinghua bonding with Linguang-jun over being overworked and underappreciated

For the sake of this story, Mobei is roughly 15, Shang Qinghua and Linguang-jun are both 18. Shoutout to @mysteryteacup, whose analysis posts convinced me of the potential in "Linguang-jun is Very Young, Actually". Our Mobei-jun's birth name is Mobei Xuebao (Snow leopard), Shang Qinghua is Shang Cangshu (Hamster), Linguang-jun is Mobei Taifeng (Typhoon)

Also on AO3.

It all started with a small change. You see, Shang Qinghua's shizun made a reckless promise that whoever could push a medicine deal through with the Black Mire Sect - a minor sect skirting the edge of demonic practices by specializing in gu poisons - would take over as his new head disciple. The sect was situated right on the borderlands between the human realm and the northern demon kingdom and they were very reluctant to trade away any of their precious poisons, because they faced constant harassment from a lesser tribe of Snowtusk Boar demons just on the other side of the border. Clearly whoever could get them to agree to a deal would have to be a naturally gifted negotiator!

Usually Airplane ignores these kinds of risky assignments, but the temptation of skipping three years of backstabbing, social climbing and manual labor was too tempting. Besides, he knew how to solve this one. It was one of the wife plots in PIDW so Luo Binghe could marry the sect leader's beautiful daughter.

Step 1: Get rid of the boars. He could, of course, not do this on his own. No way. However, through the power of authorial knowledge, he could tip Mobei-jun off that the tribe stole one of the ancient artifacts of the Mobei clan after a chaotic battle and hid it away in their stronghold. His prince was a little skeptical, but Qinghua had not led him astray yet in the few months since he became his spy. The next time they met, Mobei-jun was generously splattered with pig demon blood and he was proudly holding a crystal necklace that could control all the ice sheets of the northern sea at once, apparently.

So that was that for the boars.

Step 2: Wait a little for the other local demon tribes to fight out who gets to settle in the newly vacated prime location. Shang Qinghua made a passing comment about how the Silkwing tribe could supply a 'generous benefactor' with the highest quality fabrics in the entire northern kingdom and would you look at that, this conflict got resolved much quicker than in PIDW.

Step 3: Introduce the sect leader and their new, much more agreeable, demon neighbors to each other. The Silkwing tribe happened to be a tribe of crane demons who, just like the Black Mire Sect, specialized in insect keeping. Their most prized specimens were the various demonic moths and spiders they cultivated for their silk, but they kept a wide variety of other critters as well. It was a match made in heaven! (Or rather in one of Master Airplane's caffeine fueled all-nighters, just so Binghe could meet a cute bisexual crane girl at the negotiations and turn the whole adventure into a two-brides-special wedding.)

Step 4: Profit! Trade agreement in hand Qinghua showed up at his shizun's house and received his much deserved promotion. The whole plan went off without a hitch, job well done, success and happiness all around! The next morning he moved into the head disciple's apartment and breathed a sigh of relief that he no longer had to live in fear of someone discovering his association with Mobei by barging into his bedroom without knocking.

If only that was the end of it.

-----

Shang Qinghua has barely settled into his new duties as head disciple when one morning Mobei-jun grabs him straight out of bed, before he could comprehend what's happening or put on some actual clothes, and drops him off somewhere in the Northern Palace.

"Baobao, what in the fresh hell did you bring me?!"

The outrage cry comes from a stressed looking demon youth who stares at Qinghua like someone handed him a dead rat instead of a report. He's obviously a Mobei relative, his black hair glossy with a blue-ish sheen and his demon mark a bright teal, but his hair is done up with feathers and beads in the style of the wind demon tribes.

"Qinghua. He's good at organizing." As if on second thought, Mobei-jun snarls at the other demon boy, showing all his teeth. "He's mine. If you hurt him, I'll kill you."

After that he wordlessly stomps away, leaving the equally confused human and demon behind.

Shang Qinghua wants nothing more than to ask a million questions right now - where is he? why did Mobei take him here?? who's the other guy??? - but now that he's more awake than asleep he's suddenly realizing that the room is extremely cold and he's only dressed in his sleeping robes. Are his toes turning blue?! His toes are probably turning blue.

"Here." A delicately carved box is shoved in his face, open and full of uniform black pills. "Aurora Pepper pills. I asked to borrow the domestic staff from Xiao Bao’s castle, but if you are the only help I get, I want you not to freeze to death."

"My lord, are they safe for humans?" They should be. It's one of the plot devices he made up so the Wives could visit the North and still wear their ridiculously skimpy outfits without dying, but who knows what an ice demon would have mixed into them. Shang Qinghua carefully picks just one and pops it in his mouth anyway.

"No idea, they were for my mother. You are a cultivator, are you not? You can survive a little poison."

If this demon is as young as he looks - as young as his outfit leads Qinghua to believe, which is somewhere between fourteen and twenty - then his core is not yet settled. Even if the ice demon parentage runs stronger in him - which is obvious, he's wearing the equivalent of summer robes for northern demonkin - he would have bouts when his core slants towards wind and he would find the cold of the north unbearable for a few days. So this is likely his own stash of pills he offered one from, which is awfully nice when one of your kin just dumps their human on you.

"This lowly one thanks the young master for his generosity!"

"Hmph. At least you have manners, unlike your master." The youth retreats behind a desk piled so high with scrolls and bamboo slats he’s barely visible behind them. "Qinghua, was it? This lord is Linguang-jun."

"Answering, this one is Shang Qinghua, head disciple of An Ding peak." He thanks his survival instinct that he manages to fold into a bow before his surprise shows on his face. Based on the nephew abandonment incident he always pictured Mobei's uncle as someone much older.

"An Ding? Good. Maybe you will be of use, after all." Linguang-jun gestures for Shang Qinghua to join him at the desk. "On account of his sudden spirited showing in regards to the Silkwings and the recovered artifact, my royal brother has finally taken interest in his third-born son. To welcome him to court he ordered a feast to be held, the success of which will determine Mobei San's standing in court and reflect on this lord’s qualifications as an organizer."

"Forgive this lowly one for the question, but why is the Mobei-jun's own brother in charge of such affairs? It should be the duty of the royal seneschal." Or perhaps the queen consort. Since he never had to write a wife plot with any member of the main Mobei clan he might have handwaved a lot of the court related worldbuilding. Still, he's certain there were at least three or four people who had to be unavailable before such a task would land on the desk of the king's brother.

"This lord is the seneschal," Linguang-jun says in a dejected voice. A pained frown slips past his not-yet-perfected mask of stoicism and Shang Qinghua realizes that 1. Linguang-jun is very, very young to be filling this position and 2. he’s probably one stroke of misfortune away from an anxious meltdown. This Qinghua can relate, kid. "My royal brother's temper has decimated his household and, in his paranoia, he refuses to replace the staff he kills. Ever since this one's mother passed three years ago, he has been tasked to fulfill every duty pertaining to household management, including those of the late queen consort."

After looking over a crumpled scroll detailing all of Linguang-jun's current duties, Shang Qinghua has a sudden understanding why the demon resents his brother so much. It’s not just the duties of the royal seneschal, he is doing the work of at least five different people, all of them near full-time jobs in their own right!

"Sorry kid, you are clearly too young for this shit." He didn't mean to say it out loud, but luckily for him the demon doesn't react to the irreverent tone beyond an agitated twitch of his eyebrows. "All right, let’s see what we have to work with."

It proves to be very little. Shang Qinghua looks over the list of the available staff (too short), the amount of food and other supplies Linguang-jun managed to drum up since his brother saddled him with this task last evening (not nearly enough to feed the obnoxiously long guest list) and the time available to them…

“He wants you to put together this party in three days?!” For someone who had only been a vague shadow with malicious intent in the back of Shang Qinghua’s mind whenever he thought about the dangerous demons he might run into while serving his prince, Linguang-jun is rapidly gaining a lot of his sympathy. “Can you even get all these guests here in three days? Jiuzhong-jun lives two months away even if he takes the fastest horses!”

For a royal prince’s introduction to court it was important to get as many of the bigshots present as possible, so they could all take a good look at him and decide if they wanted to try to sic their own spawns on him for a courting chase or not. Jiuzhong-jun doesn’t have any children yet, but he has plenty of nieces he could try to marry out into other clans. He would never miss the chance to come and gawk at the introduction of a Mobei prince.

“Mhm. Xiao Bao has that part covered. While we make this feast happen somehow, he’s going to spend the next two days transporting in all the guests with his portals.” Linguang-jun digs into one of his many piles of scrolls and shoves one detailing the scheduled arrivals into Shang Qinghua’s face. “At least the issue of housing them until the party solves itself on its own. Granny Oxbones is the reigning queen of the guest wing and she wouldn’t accept my input on where to put all these guests even if I bothered to offer any.”

Airplane carefully files it away in the back of his mind that when Linguang-jun gets stressed enough he still refers to his nephew with familiar nicknames as something to consider later, and tries to focus on the task at hand. So the current Mobei-jun hasn’t eradicated all of the old servants - the kitchen and housekeeping staff escaped his paranoia, as well as most of the guards and the hunters - only the ones in the highest positions. That should solve at least part of their problems.

“Okay, so we only have to handle decorating the feasting hall, source a fitting outfit for my prince and get the food ready.”

“What about the serving staff? I don’t have enough people to cater a party this big.”

“That’s easy, have the guardsmen fill in. Let them do something more than standing around and gawking. If there are complaints about the task being below them, tell them that they can take from the leftovers, most of the guests will be too busy brawling or scheming to eat anyway.” Demons love to eat, same as everybody, and even a bite or two of the delicacies served at their lords’ table should be ample temptation to get the guardsmen on board. “But this does mean that we need to make sure that the food is great. Does Linguang-jun have the menu from either of the elder princes’ introduction feasts? No reason to break our brains coming up with something new, nobody will care as long as the food is good enough.” It’s still an awful amount of work for three days, but it’s not undoable if he can tap into the Mobei clan’s supply network and doesn’t have to account for whatever happens to the guests before and after the feast.

“I think I have the menu for Mobei Er’s feast somewhere.” Linguang-jun abandons the desk to rifle through one of the filing cabinets dominating the walls of his study. “We will need to substitute some of the dishes, because that feast was in winter.”

“Still better than having to write the whole menu from scratch.”

“En.”

“Does Linguang-jun have any suggestion where to get my prince a suitable outfit?” For the lack of anything better to do, Shang Qinghua starts organizing the scrolls left on the desk. Linguang-jun’s handwriting is very similar to Mobei San’s, but nothing at all like the blocky characters of the current Mobei-jun. They probably learned from the same ice fairy tutor, which further confirms how absurdly close they are in age.

“I have something arranged with the Silkwings,” Linguang-jun calls back over his shoulder, halfway disappearing into the cabinet as he digs among the stored scrolls. “But - Hah! Found it! - Qinghua has to be the one to convince Mobei San to go. He won’t go anywhere if this uncle tells him to.”

“Ah.”

“Don’t just gape at me,” Linguang-jun says, smacking him reasonably lightly over the shoulder with the scroll until he gets the hint and takes it. “Take this down to the kitchen, then tell your master that if he doesn’t want to go to his own feast wearing my old robes, then he should go visit the Silkwings, the sooner the better.”

Shang Qinghua pales at the idea of wandering the main Northern Fortress alone. “I- this servant worries that the kitchen staff will not heed his words…”

Linguang-jun seems to consider this for a moment, but he finally comes to the conclusion that his life is easier if his nephew’s pet cultivator doesn’t come to harm. He digs around in his desk until he produces a bone hairstick with a bead and a feather dangling from it. “If you wear this, the staff will know that you are working for this lord. Ask a maid for directions and be quick about it!”

True to Linguang-jun’s words, the staff is nothing if not cooperative once they realize that Shang Qinghua is working directly with him to stop the upcoming party from crashing and burning. The demon aunties and uncles running the kitchen fill him in, between tallying all the ingredients they are going to need for the feast and plying him with sweet treats, that the staff has been in a panic ever since the first orders about the feast came in. There is the grim threat of death hanging over their heads if the end result isn’t impressive enough and Mobei-jun feels humiliated by their showing. Apparently this is going to be the first bigger event Linguang-jun is organizing on his own, without the help of his late mother, and his staff is worried about sabotage.

“Does Linguang-jun have many enemies in court?” Shang Qinghua asks, lifting a tiny demon granny up so she can take stock of one of the too tall ingredient shelves.

“He has one and it’s more than enough! Mobei-jun never got over it that his late queen mother birthed one more son after the acceptable period for fratricide was over.” Airplane was proud of that world building detail. Obviously no demon lord wants to have any relative who might challenge his claim, but eradicating the entire extended family is a very fast way for a clan to die out. So, following a leader’s grab of power, there’s a socially acceptable five years when they can murder any relative they can catch, but once that’s over they are expected to limit themselves to those who challenge their position. “I tell you, daozhang, it’s not a coincidence the feast is happening when the hunters are away and we are low on supplies! And what is the king doing instead of procuring a beast for the fighting showcase of his son? Drinking and lazing around in his quarters, that’s what! Poor Xiao Bao, such a sweet snowflake, this old granny worries that his entry to court will be ruined!”

-----

Shang Qinghua is still turning that around in his head when he goes to find Mobei Xuebao later - It took almost no effort to get the grannies to reveal his prince’s birth name. Such a cute name for such a fierce demon! Airplane jokingly wrote it on the margin of his drafts, but he never expected the System to take it and run with it - carrying a big mug of fortifying ice slushie.

His prince looks beyond exhausted after opening portals all over the demon realm since morning and he accepts the refreshing drink without so much as a growl. He does, however, hiss angrily at Qinghua when he recognizes the hairstick stuck into his bun. “How dare he claim you?! You are mine !”

“Ah, my prince, please be calm! It’s only a token so the staff won’t eat me. I am to return it once we are done here.” Qinghua is actually not sure about that, but better not aggravate his prince when he’s in a possessive mood.

“You’d better.” He stops trying to rip it out of Qinghua’s hair, but he still stares at it angrily while Shang Qinghua rattles off the details of the arrangement made with the Silkwings. Mobei shows no enthusiasm for getting new court robes tailored, but at Qinghua’s insistent nagging he makes an affirmative sound that yes, he is going to go, now stop asking .Airplane is not perfectly sure what the kitchen aunties put in the slushie, but Mobei’s mood almost thaws by the time he eats the last of the sweet berries they added to it. A wonderful good mood that lasts for all of five minutes before Linguang-jun turns the corner and yells at both of them.

“What are you still doing here?! Don’t you have things to do other than standing around?” Linguang-jun is flushed a pale pink from exertion and possibly frustration. He’s dressed for a hunt, carrying a Japanese style longbow almost as tall as him and a quiver of elegant, black-feathered arrows. It’s fascinating to see how Airplane’s throwaway details got implemented into the world - he made a passing note that Mobei’s grandmother was an eastern wind demon, then he made one of Binghe’s wives a wind demoness based on a Japanese princess and bird motifs and poof! The world combined these two details into multicultural Linguang-jun. He has to bite his tongue before he could ask Linguang-jun if he had a katana somewhere.

Mobei is clearly not happy to see that his uncle is gearing up to leave.

“Good time for a hunt, uncle,” he sneers. Linguang-jun sneers right back.

“ I am going out to fetch our hunting expeditions back so we have meat to serve at the feast. Someone has to, unless Baobao would prefer to play pretend with snow and ice and berries!” They both flinch, which is interesting. Clearly that’s a reference to a formerly fond memory. When Linguang-jun continues he’s not meeting their eyes and looks just a little sheepish. “Go get your rags, nephew. My reputation rides on the success of this feast. I’m not going to sabotage it.”

It’s hard to tell what Mobei Xuebao is thinking, but his expression seems a lot less murderous than a minute ago. “Take Qinghua with you,” he says, ignoring completely the way his cultivator freezes up. “He has a sword. He can fly high and scout for you.”

What is this? It almost sounds like an olive branch! If only it wasn’t poor Airplane being handed over like a cheap token of reconciliation, it would be great .

Linguang-jun gives Shang Qinghua a hesitant look, but Mobei chose a good way to sell his pet cultivator: Linguang-jun might be part wind demon, but even he can’t fly very high. Give Qinghua one more of those pepper pills so he doesn’t freeze in the icy wasteland and he can track their hunters down in a snap!

Before he can mount an argument about the general fragility of humans and the dangers of the desert, he is grabbed by the arm and the next thing he knows, he’s being swept up by Linguang-jun’s black wind. Nothing can compete with Mobei’s portal powers in terms of speed, but this is not too shabby either, and unlike the shadow portals, being turned into wind doesn’t make him sick. Perhaps because he doesn’t currently have a stomach to feel sick.

While they dash through the desert, Linguang-jun quickly fills Qinghua in: they need to recall three hunting parties, all of them within a day’s travel by horse from the castle. “There are others out hunting, but they are too far to make it back for the feast. And after we are done, I’m going to leave you somewhere out of the way and catch a Diamond-Clawed Tundra Devil.”

“Ah. For the fight showcase?”

“En.”

“Isn’t it the king’s duty to procure whatever his son is to fight?” His question is met by minutes of sullen silence so he startles when Linguang-jun finally deigns to speak again.

“There’s a wolf-bear-hybrid prepared at the palace. Da-ge wanted to give it to one of his concubines as a pet, but the lady has much better taste than to take a mangy mutt like that.” Qingua can’t see Linguang-jun’s expression, but the derision is obvious in his voice. It’s unclear if it’s directed at the concubine or his brother. “It would be acceptable prey for a less skilled prince, but Xiao Bao deserves better.”

“Huh. You really adore your nephew, don’t you? I figured he was wrong about you.” If he lives to tell the tale, Shang Qinghua is going to blame his current immaterial state for the failure of his brain-mouth filter. Never startle the person carrying you at high speeds!

He’s not even surprised when he tumbles painfully onto the snow, Linguang-jun standing above him with a murderous expression, the bow raised as if he’s ready to beat the hapless cultivator with it. “Does he still go around telling everyone about- even his pet cultivator?!”

“No! No, my lord!” He suspects it’s only because Mobei San doesn’t consider Qinghua important enough to fill him in about his backstory, but it’s technically true. “Servants gossip! I heard it from the servants in Mobei San’s castle!”

Linguang-jun lowers the bow, but his face colors with either indignation or embarrassment. He’s more expressive than Mobei, but it’s still not easy to read him. “Good. Do not ever dare to gossip about this lord! Understood, you, you…” He looks at Shang Qinghua sitting in the snow like a plump, bruised peach, face almost disappearing into the soft pelt the kitchen aunties dressed him up in. “You hamster!”

Airplane can’t help himself: he laughs. Then, when the laughter finally feels like subsiding, he notices the baffled face Linguang-jun is making and laughs some more. “Forgive me, my lord. I am not laughing at you. Except. My name does happen to be Shang Cangshu.”

The absurdity of it all finally douses Linguang-jun’s rage and the demon huffs a laugh. “Of course it is. Should I get a bowl of sunflower seeds for you tomorrow, hamster-daozhang?”

“I prefer melon seeds! But worry not, my lord, I can bring my own.” It must be a good sign that Linguang-jun is teasing him. A little bit of harmless farce is always good in anxiety-inducing situations, and the demon appeared to be on the verge of exploding all day. “I do have to wonder, though… I heard that when that incident happened, Mobei San was around four? So you must have been a rather young child yourself.”

Linguang-jun gives a tense, awkward nod and a scene starts to unfold in Airplane’s mind. This is not something he had written, but it is something he could have, if he ever tried to put Mobei-jun in the limelight for a while. Emboldened, he continues: “Traveling at the speed of wind as you do must not leave a lot of room to change course if, say, a tear to the human realm suddenly opens up in front of you. It must have been a terrifying experience, for both of you. Easy to lose track of each other in an unfamiliar world, hostile territory or not.”

Linguang-jun turns his head away, clearly trying to school his expression into a blank mask, but he is too worn down and anxious to manage it. He looks disarmingly young like this; just a teen with too much work on his plate. “He refuses to so much as speak to me unless he has no other choice. What does it matter how it happened? I admitted to trying to kill him.”

Of course he did. For Mobei San to survive an assassination attempt - a smart one too, leaving him in the heart of a cultivator sect that has a longstanding feud with the Mobei clan - was a testament to his talent even at such a young age. If Linguang-jun admitted that it was an accident, it would have only painted him as incompetent, which was the fastest way to political suicide even before he could officially get into court. “Ah, but he lent you this servant, hasn’t he? I think my prince doesn’t hate you as much as he wants to.”

“Hah! That will not save my neck when my nephew becomes Mobei-jun and comes to eradicate the threats from the family.”

“No! He would not kill you, I’m certain of it.” As he wrote it, Mobei-jun at the time of his ascension was secure under Luo Binghe’s wing and didn’t bother to go after any of his relatives - unless they attacked first, that is. “Leave it to this Qinghua, I will smooth this misunderstanding over in no time!”

The look of doubt Linguang-jun gives him almost hurts. “Wait until after the feast before you try. I’m short enough on staff without you getting yourself killed.” The demon makes a sharp gesture with his hand and a burst of wind pushes Shang Qinghua to his feet. “Up you get, hamster-daozhang. We have work to do.”

It all falls in place like a well-oiled machine after that, even the hunt. Turns out that Diamond-Clawed Tundra Devils are really fascinated by flying cultivators for some reason. The beast stands on its hindlegs, reaching fruitlessly for the flying sword, and doesn’t even notice Linguang-jun sneaking up on it until he traps it in a qiankun box. They work well together, Shang Qinghua and Linguang-jun, and the demon stays cordial - almost friendly, even! - to his nephew’s pet cultivator in the following two days.

-----

“I’m so glad that it went well, my prince!” Qinghua sighs a few days after the feast. He’s trying to subtly rescue some of his paperwork from Mobei, who decided that he wants to have this conversation while sitting on his human’s desk. “I wish I could have been there to see, but my shizun would have noticed if I was missing any longer and, let’s be honest, the chances of someone mistaking me for a side-dish were much too high…”

Mobei hums something vaguely positive, then very indulgently lifts one of his hands so Qinghua can remove the papers from there. “Good work.”

“Thank you, my prince! But I really didn’t do much. Your uncle did most of the work.” By the end of the third day Linguang-jun was openly bemoaning that he wanted to go to bed and sleep for a century. Airplane can only hope he got some rest since.

Mobei Xuebao growls at him in warning, clearly not happy with the direction of the conversation, but Qinghua has dealt with so much shit in the last week that he’s too tired to be properly intimidated by empty threats. “No, really! I know he had a horse in this race, but he really wanted you to have a cool ‘welcome to demon court’ party. He caught the Tundra Devil for your fight and he certainly didn’t have to do that!”

“That was Taifeng-shushu?” There’s no better way to describe Mobei’s expression of surprise than ‘cute’. It’s a good reminder that despite his frosty disposition and already powerful physique, Mobei Xuebao is also still a teenager. (Airplane is not geeking out over learning Linguang-jun’s name, he is not . Mobei Taifeng was on his list of potential names when he brainstormed for Luo Binghe’s right hand man, before he even started writing - a character who eventually got split into Mobei-jun and the OG Shang Qinghua, because Tired™ second-in-commands who try to betray their employers so they could have one good day of rest please were more of a comedic relief trope and that didn’t fit the tone of the story.)

“Yes, my prince. This servant was there when Linguang-jun chose and captured the most impressive beast from the pack.” He was so picky about it too! He made Qinghua fly over the Tundra Devil pack five times before he identified the biggest one and by that time the beast noticed the flying cultivator. That’s how they found out about its fascination with the shiny spiritual sword.

Thinking about Linguang-jun reminds Qinghua of the hairstick he conveniently ‘forgot’ to return. He puts it in a plain box and pushes it to Mobei Xuebao. “My prince, I had no chance to return this to Linguang-jun, so you would do this servant a great favor if you passed it along.” Mobei makes a soft noise as he pockets the box, looking almost smug that Qinghua is, indeed, returning the token. His good mood makes the human a little reckless about how far he’s willing to push this matter. “My prince, I know you have no reason to trust this servant on matters of your family, but I have heard many rumors and hearsay while in the Northern Palace. I think there might be a misunderstanding between you and your uncle, so if you could talk to him openly when you return the hairstick-”

“Qinghua has not led me astray so far,” Mobei interrupts, his eyes narrowed. “This prince will talk to his uncle. But if Qinghua is mistaken…” He lets the sentence hang ominously in the air, but the sentiment is clear: if Shang Qinghua is wrong, then all of his credibility is ash.

“I understand, my prince.”

It's going to be fine. It has to be! Otherwise the System would have interfered, like it always does when he's about to alter the plot.

Right, System?

#svsss #linguang-jun #mobei-jun #shang qinghua #making up world building like master Airplane intended #tc writes #fun fact: I had to fight the autocorrect every step of the way bc it wanted to 'correct' hairstick into hair tick #not remotely the same thing #please don't #I already have a follow-up for this in the works btw #to the tune of #how do you fix a sick ice demon so your other ice demon doesn't freak out and break your neck? without your shixiongs finding out?#the answer is you don't #nothing gets past Mu-shixiong #so you just grin and bear it and sigh to the heavens when it turns into a wife plot #because of course it does #anyway please go check mysteryteacup out their writing and meta are chef kiss #thousand times better than anything I do honestly

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theghostwrites · 1 year

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I love how satisfying the Willow finale was in terms of storytelling. My personal faves were Willow getting over his imposter syndrome, and guilt over past mistakes to become the fatherly figure Elora needs. He transcends the mentor archetype to become an everpresent beacon of strength and hope for her, even choosing Elora "over" his real daughter. That is not to say that he doesn't love Mims more, but he chooses the safety of the savior of the world, rather than letting his very human fear for his daughter lead him astray. It would have led him on a not less honorable (IMO) quest to save one person. And yet, by refusing himself, by assuming the spirituality of his role beyond being a mere teacher, that's what ultimately will save Mims and his people.

The second bit of imagery that made me insane was Elora's magical kiss (I don't know how else to refer to it) and how she refused to give it to Airk, parallelling episode 5. It looks to me as a representation of her connection to both of the guys. It's interesting how she refuses to kiss Airk while they are in that lovely, bright, perfect scenario where they are back to an idyllic yet completely fake past. He, who was literally Prince charming and the reason she embarks on this journey in the first place. Not bc she wants to figure out who she is or her place in the world (which happens to be its savior, no less). She even rejects who she is and tries to escape it.

In contrast to this, she actually shares the magical kiss with Graydon as a horrible, dark past is revealed to her. A version of it, in which the intimate exchange of the essence of their beings connect, but their physical (sexual/romantic) connection is strongly hinted at, but they're not at that point with each other yet.

He is the diametric opposite of pretty boy Airk. Graydon is reserved, grumpy, a pawn to his power-hungry father's schemes, and a scholar. He wears all black and has physical reminders of the evils in the world. And I'm obsessed with the fact that by knowing and accepting Graydon throughout the season, Elora shifts the focus of her spiritual quest inwards. Elora starts embracing who she is, training her magic, and LO AND BEHOLD Graydon is a sorcerer too. The animus to her anima. In knowing him, she knows herself. She comes into her power. Her relationship with Gray serves as a parallel for her self-acceptance.

Graydon says it himself, by loving her, his anima, he self actualizes into a brave, good man, even improving his magical skills. This leads me to theorize they are meant to rule together in the end, complementing each other, as equals, but that's a topic for another post.

#Willow analysis #Willow meta #Graylora #Elora danan #Willow ufgood #Willow 2022 #willow tv #Have I mentioned how much I adore this show?#the richness of the story has me drooling #I didn't check for grammar mistakes sorry #PLEASE feel free to add <3

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omgcpausandstuff · 9 months

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Been thinking about the pause in this speech bubble, the "... some time." All of his speech bubbles here are in quotes, which I think could signify that he's got this everything written out and is reading it verbatim - though maybe he's got bullet points and they're there to convey the "I'm giving a speech" tone of voice. (edited to be more clear which part of the speech I'm talking about)

I personally think he has something more revealing written about what his adolescence was like and has decided in the moment that he didn't want to expose himself that much.

Much has been said about the violence and external homophobia that Bitty had to deal with, but I'm curious what his journey of self acceptance was like. What he says here is exactly the kind of spin I'd put on what was, for me, a long and torturous process.

#omgcp #omgcp meta #eric bittle #check please #check please meta

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mudefrau · 2 months

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Shell Thropp

1.7K words of me rambling ❤️ Perhaps more since I'm going to pin this and keep editing whenever I want to add something new.

Under the cut because it's long (I won't be tagging spoilers as much since this book is from 2005)

I've avoided mentioning his most problematic part but I reference it; CW for some disturbing and/or sexual themes. Do not blame me, the source material is like that!

OK so when you Ctrl+F “Emperor” with new knowledge and go back into the book, it’s a trip and a half. “The next hollow man, reeking with glory” -> The early text compares him to the scarecrow puppet governor, but at this point we’re not supposed to know who the Emperor is. Yet in retrospect, I’m enjoying the hollow/shell wordplay, it feels like a subtle hint…

His elevation to Emperor happens while Liir is doing military service in Quadling country, I don’t remember if it’s mentioned but by then Liir was over 20 I think wait no he was still a teenager according to Amazon book description?? I'm confused. it’s hard to pinpoint a date. I want to put together a timeline like I did for the first book someday… Nessa died at 34, Liir was 14-ish then (IIRC Nor is a couple years older than him), so Shell must be 34 – 5 = 29? So taking as reference Liir’s age, we can say Shell is that age + 15.

Speaking of ages, the last time Shell ever saw Elphaba he was probably… 9...?

Liir is, understandably, baffled when Trism tells him Shell is the Emperor and that he’s met him and has become very humble and gentle. But I find this radical transformation very interesting. It reminds me of Nessa, who used to hate sorcery and then became the Wicked Witch of the East. Shell, on the contrary, is the filthiest sinner (“a fornicator and a sot”), then acts like the holiest godsent, the Emperor Apostle.

Shell is very indifferent whenever asked about his sisters and their recent deaths, and often cuts to change the topic. Interestingly when Liir asks him “Was your sister a martyr”, he thinks of Nessarose first; just to say he doesn’t care because he does not have a faith.

It’s not unreasonable to think he's seen Nessa more than he's seen Elphaba… and apparently, he could not stand her (“Nessarose had so much faith that no one else in the family could breathe”. Most likely not intentional, but for someone who uses cutesy nicknames for others (Chyde-ey, Cherryvery, Liir-boy), he doesn’t shorten Nessarose to Nessa or Nessie.

I have a few hcs about Shell & Nessa, but I believe he was suave enough to have her believe he likes her and was on her side. Frex and her thought they were getting data from his espionage job. But he probably was trading back insider information about the government of Munchkinland to other parties as well.

He did not even show up to Nessa’s funeral or at least he was there only briefly (since he did send a message to Elphaba about it) but left immediately; and there were rumors he had defected, but IMO he might’ve not been fully on their side to start with.

Shell did tend to Frex after Nessa and Elphaba’s death, and the text indicates he could not even stop having hook ups then (sorry I have to point it out because I’m just amazed how he Never Stops)

In the last exchange between Elphaba and Nessa, Nessa says “I’ve just been clumsy and outspoken. Don’t expect me to remember how to be sisterly in such a short while” to which Elphaba responds “You’ve had Shell to practice on all these years” and Nessa says nothing about it. I think about that a lot and how It might’ve hurt, considering how Shell sees Nessa + the fact Elphie does not know him at all.

At some point in SoaW, after Shell is elevated to Emperor, there are broadsheets on public boards of “a male foot in an open, leather-strapped sandal stepping out of a cloud” of all the places the Emperor has set foot on in Oz. As if he’s trying to make his shoes as iconic as Nessa’s 🤔 (btw, if not metaphorical he might have a mace as well, a bit like in those emperor tarot cards. I drew him with Ozma’s staff because it seemed logical)

Can we, in general, compare Emperor Shell to Eminence Nessa? Maybe he’s an extreme version of her, theocraticness considered. Liir and Glinda actually discuss how Shell is using “piety as the new political aphrodisiac” and how Elphaba would be “outraged”, but Elphie was only slightly upset about Nessa doing similar things. I already analyzed this because that has to do with the previous book, but anyway it’s funny how little Elphaba ever cared about Shell compared to Nessa lmao (I bet this made him rage too)

There is a part in which Liir and Candle find some kind of potentially inflammatory press that says “Pieties of the Apostle. The virtue of the UGLY”. IDK if it's me not being good at English and not really getting what it all meant but I had to look up the word and does this count as a double meaning? hm

Liir explaining to some Birds: “He claims the divine right of the elect—not elected by people, but by the Unnamed God” heh unelected official (possibly not a musical reference since there are more obvious ones, but I can pretend). I feel like he could’ve taken over Colwen Grounds if he wanted (it’s implied in the first book by Elphie saying that if Nessa wanted to abdicate he could be “located to stand in”), but he didn’t, after Nessa’s death.

“He’d had those two powerful sisters; next to them he must always have felt like shredded cabbage” -> Here it is. (even if this is just Trism speculating)

The thing is, as of SoaW, we still don't know if he's pulling an act or that he actually believes God has awakened him. I suppose I’ll know in… 2 books… Also I am still a bit confused as of where he got the dragons from. It is mentioned he likely has a page of the Grimmerie “On the Administration of Dragons”, could that also be the source?

Let’s talk about pre-Emperor Shell now!!

But first let me go back into the book a bit, when Liir is in a coma and these rumors are emerging from the convent:

“The man-child was the Emperor’s confessor. He was a brigand trafficking in the sex trade. He spoke in the voice of a Loon. Except for a single rib, the man-child had broken every bone in his body.”

I would like to post an analysis on the first page of the first book about Elphaba one day, but my point is I find it fascinating that whenever there’s an Ozian rumor there’s always a little bit of basis. Yes, Liir knows Shell’s dirty laundry. Involved in sex trade, well, Shell was (as supply himself? Not sure, we’ll discuss below). Yes Liir was leading a Bird congress later on and flies, hence the Loon association. And Liir has indeed broken a lot in his body atp.

Edit: wait according to A Lion Among Men he frequented "girlie arcades" so fair to assume he also pays and when he said "I'm to be back at the Palace by midnight for fun and frolic if I can pay with the coin they require" prob he also meant that. The wiki article nota bene of "perhaps a sex addict" might be right. His motto is "one does whom one can" according to Southstair's prison undermajor.

Later, the book goes back to the moment Liir (14-16ish years old, I suppose) meets Shell. I enjoy the descriptions from his pov. The very first one is "A handsome younger man with a keen, guarded expression", of course Liir would point out he's handsome as he can appreciate masculine beauty hehe. Later, “sleek where [Elphaba] had been spiky”. He’s also taller than Elphaba, a fop, well-dressed it gets mentioned a few times (I mean look at this, I googled it verbatim. it's sexy).

I'm convinced he lives in the (now empty, since he and Liir and the only Thropps and Liir doesn't even acknowledge it) family home in Lower Mennipin Street, Emerald City, since he only went back to Munchkinland sporadically and in SOAW not at all, he does most of his business in the EC and he's not giving up a life of luxury. (cap from 1st book)

He is Liir’s guide to Southstairs, the prison. They get through a secret entrance in the Palace (reminder he’s not the Emperor yet) and go down a lot of… stairs, later they take a dory to go through a canal underground, and I get a lot of “hell” vibes here. His name was supposed to be a tribute to Turtle Heart but has “hell” in it, the rhyme even gets made in-universe. I like the imagery

I said I wouldn’t go over detailing the most problematic part, because I feel like most people know and that’s why he’s not a liked character even among those who've read SoaW (especially among those). But IMO approving =/= finding him interesting, plus he’s purely fictional and handsome so I can like him lol? So yeah, he takes advantage of women in vulnerable positions in a very disgusting way. Also if I think too much about it, I end up with quite dark implications that I do not want to think too hard about... (ok I'll say it. Are we SURE he did not give Liir any cousins because seriously- but with the fact corpses from Southstairs are later fed to dragons...oouh it's not looking good)

But I need to add how Tunkle (some prison guard Ape) warns Liir twice not to get too close to him, and how “Liir didn’t have the nerve to follow” (when Shell goes into the first cell) implies to me Shell wouldn’t have stopped him. Creepy… When Chyde suggests whether Nor was one of his “patients”, he said that she’d be too young and he has standards, good to know though 😭

Further description, “sicker than most” (by Tunkle), I’m obsessed. Most men know he's horrible (Tunkle, Chyde, Cherrystone) though they joke about it like it's not a big deal. Women, I think, might not be aware; Glinda would not have directed Liir to him like that in that case, and the family probably does not either (plus her description confirms it: "No friend of mine, but a bereaved member of her family").

Earlier when talking to Commander Cherrystone, he brags about how he got his wool jacket “bartering mostly”, Cherrystone refers to him as having a “prettier penny” to spend, hmm… Listen, the Wicked wiki lists his occupation as “spy and gigolo” but I’m having my doubts here after Southstairs, after he presents his services as some kind of reward he’s giving those (female) prisoners but it’s actually non-consensual.

Coming back to Liir. I want to think Shell has a soft spot for him, but I might be hallucinating. There are moments where he seems defensive of him, even calling him “my boy”. But he flip-flops between almost kind and “ugh, leave me alone and fend for yourself” with him. And in their second meeting (by chance at a tavern) he’s like “lmao I thought you had drowned or something” but also “you and Trism are flirting aren’t you hehe, do you want my ride to get home in a hurry?” (making both of them flustered, but sincerely helpful) so idk what to make out of it.

Anyway, by the end of their first time spent together, Liir absolutely despises him and refuses to shake his hand goodbye (he even considers biting his hand but thinks Shell would even joke about that haha). However, Liir can’t help but compare himself to him at points, “He felt as lithe and full of ginger as that cunning Shell had seemed” and “Was his skin the color of [Elphaba’s] brother Shell’s?”

Nanny goes from being fascinated by Shell’s adventures and retelling them with excitement to “you know what he’s impossible and I never really liked him” lol. I still wonder whether Frex sent him to Shiz like his other 2 children or not. If so, I bet he spent most of his study time at the Philosophy Club lmao

Speaking of Frex, Shell might be a victim of Frex's favoritism for Nessa a bit like Elphaba is- I'm not excusing Shell by any means but I'm saying he got the worst version of Frex (after Turtle Heart AND Melena's death), who must've been super depressed and secluded in religion. Perhaps Shell's libertine behavior is a big "fuck you" to him... not fully, because for sure Shell does the things he does because *he* enjoys it, but could've started as part of juvenile rebellion

I'm intrigued by his portrayal in Elphie, the book about Elphaba's childhood, since the summary refers to him as a little delinquent (“junior felon”) and I'm happy Maguire is keeping this consistent. I've seen him in fics where he's so innocent and... I guess this is also why I'm writing this, so people who don't feel like reading the second book can get a clearer idea of what he's like.

A Lion Among Men addendum: it is confirmed that the men who put the "scarecrow" in power after Glinda were likely conjuring with on the side of Shell, which he very likely burnt. Interesting that I extrapolate from this that he kinda fears Glinda lmao??!

Also apparently he hired Ms Greyling (Shiz sorcery prof) to decipher the page of the Grimmerie. Interestingly he has no inherent witchiness. And this will be backup for my headcanon that he did de facto go to Shiz hence the connection! (and he probably slept with professors because how else would he pass lmao)

OK...the dragons... self-note to talk about the dragons more in the future because trying to figure how they got there makes my head hurt right now. But it's interesting how Shell has friends in places that end up enabling him: Cherrystone, coming up with the attack in Qhoyre so that him as the Emperor has an excuse to unleash his "brand new defensive system" aka dragons. And Chyde the under-mayor of Southstairs supply the dragons with fresh corpses thanks to his "culling campaigns", which are essential to dragons' diet. The men in the Scarecrow cabinet to put him in power after it was mysteriously burned.

Trism and Shell's relationship def seems interesting in the sense that Trism wants to kill Liir for what he's triggered through a chain reaction, ending up in them both being complicit in a killing machine so to speak, but somehow exonerates Shell of everything even though he is the root cause. He praises him and says he was tender. Hmm

#shell thropp #son of a witch #gregory maguire #wicked meta #thropp siblings #long post #i edit this post often please keep checking it. peace and love

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itsme-tori · 2 years

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Awful Silco takes I've seen

So yeah in this post I'll be touching on the shitty Silco takes I've seen going around a lot in the fandom and also the ones which I don't see too much but still make me want to jump off a bridge.

Note: Just because I'm very willing to defend Silco, I understand that he's not a good man nor the best father. I'm very willing to recognize his crimes and I can make a whole list on them if asked.

Silco was only in it for the power

People tend to say how Silco was just trying to satisfy his insatible thirst for power. How he's just another power-hungry villain, using his "Anything to achieve power" speech as proof that it was his main goal.

The thing is, in ep 3, we get to see what is ACTUAL goals were. We see him talking to Vander and when Vander asked if it was all for pride, Silco says, in disbelief that Vander would say that "For respect. Opportunity Everything they've denied us." This isn't a man hungry for power, this is a man hungry for freedom. His speech later only confirms it.

"We had a vision Vander! A dream of freedom. Not just for the Lanes but the whole of the underground, united as one! The Nation of Zaun." His whole body moves with theses words. His believes in this dream. This is something he's always fought even before the betrayal. This isn't just a power grab for him.

Silco didn't do anything to improve Zaun/Silco didn't care about Zaun

A lot of people tend to gloss over the changes that Zaun has went through during the timeskip:

People are in much better clothing than they were in Act 1. There's air filter machines, cars and the economy looks much better improved.

Another thing, Silco has the power over enforcers now. They don't just come in as they please whenever something happened topside. I mean cmon! Compare Piltover's reactions when the kids blew up the building and killed no one in Act 1 to when Jinx blew up a building and killed six enforcers. Yeah, improvement.

There's also a widespread misconception that shimmer is a completely awful drug only used to get people addicted. Yes we do see people in Zaun sadly get addicted to shimmer and in turn ruined their bodies, but:

This belief completely glosses over Silco and Sevika's use of shimmer (medicine for Silco's eye and Sevika's use for it in battle.)

Heck even Caitlyn used shimmer to save Vi's life. Just one drop was used to heal a literal stab wound in seconds. The reason Sky is even dead in the first place is because Viktor decided to not get any shimmer.

Yeah it's 100% bad guys :P

Okay now let's get onto the very awful takes on Silco's relationship with Jinx. Buckle in folks.

Silco's taking in of Powder was a manipulation tactic

This is completely unfounded. Like really? The guy was literally going to stab her only mere seconds ago! How in that moment did he realize that she could be useful to his goals? She's just a mere a child in his eyes and he didn't know that she was the one who made the bomb in the first place!

No instead, his taking in of Powder was one of his few actions in Act 1 that wasn't related to his goals. This girl, crying unto his chest after he asked her where her sister was, sobs out, "She left me. She is NOT my sister anymore." It is at this moment he looks at Vander's body, finds that her pain is similar his, hugs her and gives her words of comfort that she takes right into her heart: "We'll show them. We will show them all."

I've seen people also claim that Silco kidnapped Powder which I go over in this post here.

Silco only loves Jinx as a tool

I know that at first glance that it may *seem* like he only keeps her around for her skills but have you people actually considered that she was also pretty detrimental to his cause?

Literally their first scene together after the timeskip was after she messed up badly on a mission. Sevika complains on how she's just a problem and Silco instead calls out Sevika for not "making sure things went smoothly."

Jinx was the one who messed things up yet instead of a punishment, she only gets a kind rundown of how things will be affected and a day off for her to rest and "focus on her gadgetry."

If she was merely only loved for her usefulness, then Silco does a pretty shit job at making sure she's the perfect solider who doesn't mess up missions.

I mean, look how much he cherishes her! He keeps her gifts around where anyone can see them. Even when she went and killed six enforcers, his only actions against her were to yell at her and take her pen from her when she wasn't listening.

He refuses to give Jinx to Piltover in exchange for the Nation of Zaun, his entire life goal. That is enough proof that he loved her.

Silco doesn't care about Jinx's mental issues/Keeps Jinx mentally instable so that she'll only be loyal to him

Silco takes Jinx to river in ep 5 after she confides in him that she couldn't solve the hexgem in an attempt to help her with her demons.

It's here in this scene that he's wanting her to kill Powder because I quote Silco, "So that the fear of pain will no longer control you." He doesn't want Jinx to be a prisoner of

Why waste all that time on helping her with issues if he doesn't care?

Also there's also there's this weird thing about people saying that had Silco cared, he would've taken her to therapy. WHERE are any signs that therapists exist in their world. Show me the person who has PhD on psychology.

Silco knows she has tons of problems. But what could he do? He's just a broken man helping his broken daughter the only he knows how.

Silco lied to Jinx about Vi being dead

You're telling me that that whole "FROM THE DEAD?!" scene just flew by your head completely? Dude, you're due for a rewatch asap.

Marcus arrested Vi (without Silco or Jinx knowing whatsoever), told Silco that Vi was dead and Silco relayed this to Jinx.

He had NO idea he got fucked over by Marcus until Vi actually came back. That's why he even went to the Sherrif's house in the first place! He threatened Marcus to fix what he's done or there would be consquences.

Silco and Jinx's relationship is romantic/sexual

*seen throwing up into a sink* Sorry sorry but what? A girl being close to man does NOT always mean they're in that kind of relationship. "B-but I wasn't close to my dad like that omg-" shut up for the love of everything that's good in this world. Just because you weren't close physically to YOUR parents doesn't mean it's the same for everyone else.

I'm very close to my mom. I hug her constantly, kiss her on the cheeks, heck I've even slept in the same bed as her for some period of time when I was like 14/15. This DOES NOT mean I want to fuck my mom nor does she want to do the same to me (haha I nearly died typing this message).

"But she sat on his lap-" okay and? Jinx is someone who very clearly goes up into people personal space when she wants to interogate them.

Look at her interrogation scenes with Theiram and Sevika. She got all up close to them but for some reason no one bats an eye at this. This is very typical Jinx behavior which doesn't mean she wants to fuck any of these characters. Context matters people.

Silco should've let Jinx died if he really cared

I shit you not, I've seen not one but multiple people claim this. HUH? You're actually fucking telling me that a father seeing his daughter near death and doing everything he POSSIBLY could do fo save her life, is a sure sign that he doesn't care about her?

I've seen someone argued that since she wanted to commit suicide, Silco should've respected her wishes.

First off dimwits, Silco didn't KNOW she pulled the pin herself. He came only in aftermath, seeing her all bloodied, ashed and went full dad panic mode. Second off, no parent, let alone Silco, would let their child to die just because they're suicidal. I seriously hope these people never meet someone with suicidal thoughts. Like I'm actually serious.

Jinx shot Silco to purposefully save Vi

Look at the scene where she shoots and kills him. She's in the middle of a breakdown and only struck when she heard the click of her gun.

Nothing in that moment mattered to her. Not Vi, not Silco. She was merely reacting to sound which she percieved as a threat. She doesn't even look back to see if Vi was okay, she's completely in her world. I find this scene to be a parallel of her breakdown in ep 4.

Now, this isn't to say that she doesn't care about Vi. She LOVES her sister. But at that moment, Jinx only cared about keeping herself safe.

The "You're Perfect" line was a manipulation Tactic

I'm sorry I just don't see how a scene where a father literally comforts his daughter who just shot him as just some ploy to get her to do what he wants.

He already very clearly expressed how the Nation of Zaun was nothing compared to Jinx ("Is there anything so undoing, as a daughter?)

His last words were as followed: "I never would've given you to them. Not for anything. Don't cry, you're perfect." There's so 'you have to complete this goal for me', this is him dispelling her fear of being betrayed by him and his final message of love. Nothing mattered to him in his last moment, only thing he cared about was his daughter.

#silco #jinx #arcane #bad silco takes #please stop #i'm going to die #i know I'm biased but if you're gonna hate on my blorbo at least do it right #i can list all the reasons why he's bad if you want #also PLEASE check out sweatandwoe's post of why Silco shouldn't be blamed for child labor #it's a very good read #arcane meta #kuro-tori

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