#strange boy vs. the world

[theredhairing40]

echo II

Strange Boy: Loud and clear

#strange boy vs. the world #night owl redux #NOR #dialogue #actuallyautistic

[mejcinta]

Aegon and Aemond vs The Strongs: A Show of Loyalty.

To this day it's still strange to me that people misinterpret the dinner scene for one or another reason, misreading the words and actions of the characters using bias and/or team politics.

The episode 8 dinner scene picks up from the previous episode years ago on Driftmark when Aemond lost his eye. It is meant to show us what feelings the Greens harbor towards Rhaenyra's family years after a feud broke between them.

Throughout the dinner Aemond focuses on the Strong boys: Luke sitting across from him and Jace who failed miserably at 'turning the other cheek' and disrespected Aegon by asking Helaena for a dance.

In fact, before taking a seat Aemond is heard lamenting to Aegon about how he hates that they have to break bread with Rhaenyra's brood (I'm paraphrasing but you'll hear it before Viserys is carried into the room).

In the end, both Aemond and Aegon answer to the contempt and audacity the Strong boys showed them. The scene by all means effectively managed to show us how the brothers now work as a unit compared to when they were younger and Aemond suffered bullying on his own.

Aegon supported Aemond's derogatory toast and even tackled Luke (the boy that gouged out his brother's eye) when he tried to join Jace against Aemond.

And Aemond dealt with Jace squarely in response to the disrespect he showed Aegon and Helaena (we all know that dance was not about Helaena for Jace, but coming between a married couple that has an image to uphold and as revenge against Aegon who foolishly made a move on Baela to insult him).

From the very start of the scene it's clear that neither Aemond nor Aegon wanted to be at the dinner. They hated that the Strong boys were there and even bitched about them before Viserys arrived.

Aegon's sly behavior with Baela was a provocation he started in response to his displeasure at Rhaenyra and the Strongs being there and Viserys' wish for them to bury their differences without acknowledging Rhaenyra's wrongs. Aegon was pressing for tension to erupt at every chance he could get.

Aemond silently watched him go and did not stop him for a reason. He couldn't bring himself to rebuke Aegon's mischief, not if that meant making the Strongs upset.

He only intervened when Jace almost lost his cool on Aegon, standing up dominantly to give warning to his nephew and Aegon to a lesser extent (who eyed him knowingly).

When Helaena rose up to justifiably humiliate Aegon with her toast, (she was clearly upset about his sexual misconduct with Baela and earlier with Dyana) Aemond's reaction isn't shown.

However, when Jace stood up to ask Helaena for a dance with his eyes fixed on a scandalised Aegon (Jace had every intention here to get back at Aegon, not to be the better gentleman), Aemond took notice, meaningfully locking eyes with Aegon, but kept his cool nonetheless; whereas Aegon quietly seethed and squeezed Helaena's beetle (reportedly a gift he'd offered her before the dinner) in his hand.

Aemond monitored Helaena because he doesn't trust the Strongs with his family. And I'm sure Aegon would've done the same if he was seated in a position where he was free to watch the mother of his children in Rhaenyra's bastard's arms.

Note how he was staring at Rhaenyra while Aemond monitored Heleana and Jace.

The Targtowers clearly watch out for each other when faced with external forces, just as Alicent said they should in episode 6: "In the world we must defend our own".

When the roasted pig arrived on the table Aemond suddenly took notice of Luke giggling at him, reliving how he and Jace (and a now repentant Aegon) would make fun of him for being dragonless.

The insult was probably less about the pig to him and more about what happened because of his dragonlessness. He gained Vhagar then lost his eye in a sickening twist when the same boy laughing across at him swung a blade at his face!!!

Finally, Aemond lost his cool. He snapped and attacked the Strongs with his infamous toast.

He did not make the toast because of Jace dancing with Helaena, like some believe. He did so because of Luke who had the gall to laugh at his pain!!

Aegon readily supported Aemond because he too was itching to get back at the Strongs, particularly Jace who despite of having insulted Aegon by dancing with Helaena, could not handle the pun in Aemond's toast.

Aegon and Aemond were obviously fed up with the pretenses at that point of the dinner. From the very beginning of the dinner scene and their interaction with each other, their disgust at the Strongs and Rhaenyra was apparent. They hate that those three can get away with having a lord (Vaemond) murdered in cold blood on top of disabling Aemond without consequence!

How safe is their family? How can they trust the Strongs and Rhaenyra when punishment and death follows everyone that dares to challenge them? That is why Aegon and Aemond were evidently frustrated with Helaena and Alicent respectively at the dinner. The boys believe they know a threat when they see it while the ladies are more accomodating of Rhaenyra and the Strongs, Alicent especially believing (perhaps out of resignation) that there could be a chance at peace.

What transpires after the toast shows the factions within the Targtower family itself. Alicent and Helaena being more open and neutral, Otto wanting to maintain appearances and Aegon and Aemond being understandably doubtful and hostile.

The scene is so much more complex and informative. It shows us the relationships between the Targtowers and what their stances on Rhaenyra's party is. How they work together and how they are divided.

#hotd analysis #incoherent thoughts #targtower bros #the greens #aemond targaryen #aegon ii targaryen #strong audacity #helaena targaryen #alicent hightower #otto hightower

[feyd-meowtha]

taps the mic. hilly what are your thoughts on the nature of feydpaul asking for a friend (the friend is me)

No strong feelings really... Pretty impartial ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

Unless we're talking about the fact that they're narrative foils, they're star-crossed lovers. They're polar opposites, they're the same person. They were born to either kill one another or give birth to the most important child who ever lived. Neither of them has ever had a real friend their own age and they didn't even know enough about normal childhoods to mourn not having them. I almost never think about the complex elements of gender present in the fated relationship in a boy with the powers of a female witch, who was supposed to be born a girl, and another boy with pouty lips whose favourite weapon is poison (famously a feminine choice) and wears flares and leotards and lives under the thumb of a powerful, abusive older man.

I especially almost never ponder the fact that one of them tried to kill the other in the most Freudian imaginable possible way - cunty secret poison hip knife - because that simply has no strange and interesting implications which I could theorise about for hours over a bottle of japanese whiskey. The symbolism of penetration and killing thing Vs as bringer of new life, especially in the insanely penetration obsessed world of Dune. (Knives and breeding programmes and worms, whole topic in itself for sure)

It also means nothing to me when I think of they ways in which they were so uniquely isolated. Both having members of their families killed and being thrust into positions where ambition and power seem like the only way to keep themselves alive and sane and safe. It means nothing to me when I consider that no-one in Feyd's life ever genuinely loved him, probably not up until his death, not even Frank Herbert who never even bothered to bring him up again after the first book. I never think about the ways both of their families decay and crumble after they're gone, their children either suffering bizarre fates or disappearing. How even their legacies are bloody and stained.

Never before have life and death and fate and trauma and power and hope and destruction (both of the self and the other) been so entwined in characters with less interaction, and as you can see .... I really have no opinions on it one way or another.

Plato said this about them and it makes me feel really normal, actually.

(thank you for asking - as you can see, they make me deeply unwell and I haven't had a full nights sleep since the second movie came out. Living the dream wouldn't change a thing <3)

#long post #dune #feyd rautha #paul atreides #austin butler #dune part 2 #dune part two #timothée chalamet #dune meta #house harkonnen #house atreides #feydpaul

[leoserblog]

Ok this might be an unpopular opinion but someones gotta say it...

Cassandra is a better Casey Jones than Casey Jr

Ive gotta be honest... i think casey jr is a kinda mid and i dont particularly think all the fanfare about him is warranted LOL

I want to note real quick that i dont DISLIKE him! He is a good character who only got as much development that a 2 hour movie could give him, and he filled and satisfied the role he needed to play in the movie, but the way the fandom latched onto him over the og casey... kinda makes me raise a brow

(Essay/rant about the prioritization of casey jr vs og casey under the cut :P)

Fandom spaces love a traumatized boy from the future, and believe me i do too! But the amount of attention given to casey jr after being revealed as casey is a wild amount compared to the amount of attention the original casey gets. Maybe its just me getting into rottmnt after the movie aired, but this seems a little baised?

Not only that, but the amount of... idk the best way i can think to describe it is infantilization of casey jrs character isnt helping my opinion of him. It feels like most content surrounding him babify him and reduce him only to his trauma post movie. I understand that it can be interesting to explore his trauma now that he no longer lives in the literal apocalypse, but it feels strange to see him reduced to someone who cant get around on his own and lives with the turtles when the original pitch for the movies ending has him leave to explore the world, which i feel is very appropriate for him and wish they had kept it in

In the movie when april shows us where the og casey has been and what shes been doing throughout the film, it tells us that casey is friends april which in theory, shouldve also shown us that she and the turtles are friends to some degree as well and should already have her place established within the group as this generations casey jones

However the final shot of the movie is a group shot of the family+casey jr, which subtlety implies that he's the new casey instead, and that this is the main cast moving forward (should it move forward *sob*). While both caseys being considered in the main cast could be true, it does strike me as a little odd that this was the final direction the rot team decided on for the official ending versus the scrapped ending, especially because it complicates the pre-established canon. It wouldve been one thing if our og casey was a different character, but that isnt the case.. y... (<_<)

Casey jr is an interesting character though! And i can understand why he appeals to fans, especially as his character post movie is fun to expand on aswell as developing his past involved with future versions of the main5, but one (me lol) could argue that the og casey is just as interesting of a character to delve into as she was involved, when you boil it down, a cult most of her life, and that concept, as well as the guilt she could hold for working with the foot and releasing the shredder, ontop of trying to befriend and gain the turtles and aprils trust are also intriguing concepts that could be explored, yet finding content that mentions her at all beyond her relation to casey jr is scarce

It feels as though shes been reduced to a background character within the fandom despite being a reoccuring character for the entire show.

For the two seasons of rottmnt that we did get, we are shown just what kind of character casey is and her possible dynamics with the turtles+april. Shes passionate and powerful and beyond determined to prove her worth and reach her goals. Shes also playful and reckless, a side that fits well with the main cast and their humor and, if the show was given more time, couldve developed naturally as the newest addition to the family as most caseys are. I could also argue that her characterization fits that of previous caseys more than casey jrs does (though i will admit that considering the plot of the movie, i cant positively say what hed be like outside of life or death scenarios, but i also cant imagine hes going to make a 180 in personality without it feeling jarring and ooc)

Now, i wont ignore the fact that her arc was cut horribly short and her involvement in the movie was quite literally a brief mention, both of which definitely play into how under appreciated she is. But at the same time it almost feels like everyone, including the show runners, have willingly pushed her aside for this new boy version to fill the role of casey jones. Hell, even when you look up rottmnt casey jones, cassandra barely shows up. Its casey jr which further proves my point

Idk, TLDR im pretty disappointed that despite being a consistent character for the entire show, no one seems to write or acknowledge her and if she is mentioned, its only relevant to push forward casey jrs character development or a brief cameo. As much as i do love casey jr (i can feel like hes mid and i can like him!) it seems like most people forget about the original casey, or favor casey jr in her place and she deserves more love and credit than shes given!

#rottmnt casey jones #rottmnt cassandra jones #rottmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #leoserpost #sorry to get so passionate about her #shes my little meow meow you see #now OBVIOUSLY some people write about her and casey jr #and they do it well #and im well aware of the rushing of the show along with the strange gap btwn it and the movie #but i still feel its important to mention because shes so cool!!!!! #and the best!!!!! #and i love her very much!!!!! #(also i didnt get into how fandom prioritize male characters over female ones and how that also likely plays a role in her being overlooked #(but i didnt feel like starting an argument w ppl who refuse to examine their own internalized misogyny so :P #we'll leave it at this) #plz appreciate her!!!!!!! #she deserves so much more!!!! #i want in depth fics about her life post shredder!!!!! #*if u want it sm go make it urself* i hear some say #and listen bud #<< #im thinking about it so hard in my brain #maybe i will! #😤 #ddjsjka ok im done #this is all very much my opinion #and maybe theres cassandra circles im missing out on #but this is also what ive observed #at the end of the day these are just silly cartoon characters and i just happen to feel strongly about this one!!

[freakadr0id]

Oh my GOD, I just realized why Donnie acts so weird in Man vs. Sewer. I always thought his behavior was odd in that episode, particularly in his nonchalance towards finding and saving Raph - but I had the most random thought occur to me during work that TOTALLY explains it. I'm sure some people have probably pointed this stuff out already, but I wanted to put this out there anyway.

The episode 'Man-vs-Sewer' is a personal favorite of mine. I love the episodes where the boys are just goofing off, and this episode is that plus some. We see get to see the boys having fun for a bit at the start of the episode, but it also adds a bit more depth to some of the turtles. We see a really surprising side to Raph's character with his fear of being alone, and Leo gets to shine a bit as a leader and hint at his true potential.

However, I was always a bit puzzled by the way Donnie and Mikey were written in this episode. As a rule, Rise is pretty good about keeping its characters, well, in character, so their behavior struck me as kind of strange, particularly Donnie's.

If there is one thing Rise NAILS about Donnie's character is showing that despite struggling with emotions and empathy, he is still NOT AN ASSHOLE. Donnie genuinely and deeply loves his family - he just has a hard time expressing it externally.

'Man-vs-Sewer' kind of stood out to me as an exception to that, however. At this point, Donnie's care for his brothers is an undisputed fact, so why does he seem so unconcerned about finding Raph after being separated? Even for Donnie, this seems like an ooc level of indifference towards the well-being of his brother (at least that's how I saw it).

Except, it isn't. In fact, this episode only reinforces that Donnie does care for his family, it's just a *bit* harder to see here.

One thing many neurodivergent people struggle with is a sudden change in plans. When they expect to do something that day it can be very difficult for some neurodivergent people to deal with it emotionally and can lead to immense frustration or even shutdowns. Since Donnie is confirmed to be, at the very least, autistic coded, this would absolutely apply to him as well.

The turtles planned to have a nice, relaxing day floating along New York's sewers and enjoying a small break from all the stress of finding the Dark Armor. No fighting, no mystic metal, no foot clan. Just a calm day of fun without a care in the world - only for it to be ruined by a bad pass and a lost brother.

I know if my plans were ruined like that, I would be in an absolutely FOUL mood. It can be hard to transition into a different mindset when the expectations for the day change like that, and it can make anyone frustrated, but Donnie doesn't appear to be that way. In fact, he's acting extremely casual.

Even though everything he was going to do today was upended and his brother is now missing in the New York sewers, why does Donnie seem so unconcerned about the whole situation?

Answer: It's a coping mechanism.

It would be very easy for him to be a bit more annoyed and frustrated at the whole situation (I definitely would be), but he isn't. Instead, he avoids getting overwhelmed and emotional by continuing through the day as if nothing has really changed.

The whole time they are finding Raph, Donnie behaves as if they are still on a peaceful, carefree mini-vacation. He makes snide jokes and jabs toward Leo, enjoys the drinks he brought in his shell, and constantly reminds the others that it is his "day off." If he can act as though he's still relaxing, it becomes easier to adjust to unexpected alterations in his day. This isn't Donnie being willfully inconsiderate towards Raph being lost and alone, this is just him trying to manage with the sudden changes the best he can in that moment.

If Donnie really was an uncaring asshole (as some may be inclined to believe given his apparent lack of empathy), he simply would have resumed their original plans, or been more vocally resistant to going after Raph. Instead, he joins his brothers in their search, and although he may not provide the best input for finding Raph because of his coping method (his brain is in "day off" mode which is why he keeps missing clues about Raph), he is still making an effort.

In a way, the episode which I thought portrayed a slightly out-of-character version of Donnie actually provides yet another example of how Donnie really loves his brothers, despite how it may seem on the surface.

~-~-~

(Actually, depending on the way you interpret his character, the same can be said for Mikey in this episode as well. Mikey is always a bit of a goofball in the show but in this episode, it is dialed up to 11. He also doesn't seem to much care or effort into finding Raph and acts like a child who managed to snag one of their parents' energy drinks. If we consider that maybe he is also struggling to adapt to the changes of the day, this could be him adopting a similar coping method to Donnie, it is just amplified because of his hyperactive behavior and personality.)

#damn I am continually impressed with how well Rise writes Donnie #seriously there are so many ways they could have really butchered his characterization #esp. as an autistic/autistic-coded character #but 9 times out of 10 the writers show that they *get* Donnie #and that they take time to consider how they portray his character in a healthy and positive manner #they have a couple missteps here or there #but overall Donnie is written just brilliantly #I hope I explained this well enough #I'm kind of thought dumping after this came to me in a vision during work #and I HAD to make this after I got home #shit this ended up way longer than I intended #rottmnt #rise of the tmnt #rottmnt donnie #rise donnie #rottmnt donatello #rise donatello #analysis #character analysis #I guess #not my greatest work #but it'll do #let's play the 'will it show up in the tags game?'

[twisted-wonderland-but-gayer]

Request: Short or Long if you want; but the Great 7 reaction to Overblot in this world and their counterparts Overblot?

The Blots vs The Seven

Only did the one available in the en version

Riddle Rosehearts/The Queen of Hearts

Horrific ink-stained roses formed from the strange blot that surrounded Riddle. As he floats up, ink overtakes him, giving him a new form. An ink covered dress went over his usual clothes, a black simmering crown rested on his head, and even more disturbing was the creature that seemed to lurk behind him.

[What is that?] The Queen of Hearts asks, horrified within your head. The ink monster took form, its inky figure taking on the likeness of the queen within your head. Its inky dress was patchy and its head was replaced with a glass heart, filled with a black substance. You swallowed and held your ground, getting into position to dodge an attack Riddle and that strange monster would throw at you.

You could feel the Queen of Hearts rage build within you, before disgust overtook. [What a horrific mockery of me!] The queen yells within your mind. [Rose, destroy it at once!] She commands, and then with a softer voice she whispers under her breath. [But be careful]

Leona Kingscholar/Scar

[Be prepared, cub] Scar snarled in your head as he glared at the sight in front of you, ink encompassing Leona and engulfing him whole before he emerged. With him a four-legged inky monster hovered around him before standing to the side of him.

It’s tail flickered side to side as the lionesque screature let out a shriek. [And strike him down.] Scars voice was eerily calm, his face showed pure focus and nothing more. You couldn’t help but obey as the cackle of hyenas in your head laughed maniacally as they emerged, ready to fight with you.

Azul Ashengrotto/Ursula and the Eels

Ursula's face dropped at the sight. [Careful Angelfish, a cornered octomer can become quite dangerous…] You know she must be speaking from experience by the tone of her voice. [Boss! He’s transforming!] The eels whispered

Before your eyes, the man emerged from ink, tendrils swaying in a deadly rhythm. Behind him, another Octomer emerged, warped, and twisted into the image of your mother. The seven whispered amongst themselves as the creature lifted its trident. [That's it, get ready boys, were taking this thing down.]

Jamil Viper/Jafar

“I WILL BE FREE!” You pitied Jamil as he blotted. He was absolutely right for it too. He did deserve to be free, to no longer serve Kalim. What was terrifying is how absolutely right he was. Even more terrifying is how similar his story was to your fathers. Should you… Should you let him win? [No, child.] Jafar speaks in your mind. [He will die in this state.]

You could only stare as he transformed into a form eerily similar to you father, along with a new monster emerging from behind dressed exactly like him, the only difference being the inky bottle that makes up its head. [Defeat him, diamond. And free him.]

Vil Shoenheit/Queen Grimhilde.

[Is that supposed to be… me?] The feminine voice sneered with disdain. The beautiful man before you floated amongst the ink that surrounded him, the monster behind him holding him up as it snarled at you.

[What a mockery!] The Evil Queen spoke coldly as she stared down the beast that was nearly an exact clone of her body, with a terribly warped face. [Child, I demand you destroy them at once for their insolence!] She tutted, [And because they dare to threaten you as well…]

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #azul ashengrotto #riddle rosehearts #the great 7 parents #jamil viper #vil shoenheit #leona kingscholar

[glorious-sunset]

How Immortals age in cdramas – clues from LBFAD

Many of our favourite cdramas sweep us into the beautiful fantasy world of the Xianxia genre, where immortal beings live for thousands of years! But they look so young?! How does ageing work for these lucky immortals in terms of human appearance? LBFAD (Love Between Fairy and Devil) gives us a few clues about this mysterious process!

Details are below, but in a nutshell, immortal beings grow quickly in childhood then the appearance of ageing slows down and stops! Sometimes their hair turns white when they are drained of energy making them look older than they should! For spirits who have cultivated from plant or animal form, it works differently as they transform directly into adult human form :) I created a graph of the immortal ageing process vs. human appearance based on clues from LBFAD (appears further down, yes I am a math nerd and proud :D ).

Young child

Our first clue to the mysteries of immortal ageing is Changheng, who was a few hundred years old during the Battle of Two Tribes (30,000 years ago) and is described as having been only a young boy at that time (let’s say around 7). Babies born to immortal parents mature (relatively) quickly into young children over a few hundred years, but ageing slows down after that.

Shangque was also a young boy when he was orphaned and rescued by a young DongFang QingCang (DFQC). Since Shangque describes DFQC as like a brother to him, they are likely of a similar age and DFQC was also a young boy at that time - both a few hundred years old.

Pre-teen

Shangque says that he has served DFQC for 38,000 years since DFQC saved him (in ep. 17). For the last 30,000 of those, DFQC was imprisoned in Haotian tower. Therefore, DFQC had been aged just over 8,000 years during the Battle of the Two Tribes - rough guess 8,500 – 9,000 years old since he was a young boy when he saved Shangque. The Battle of Two Tribes occurred soon after killing his father* and physically, his appearance was of an 11-year-old at that time (the actor was 11 during filming).

At this time, Xunfeng’s appearance was of a 9-year-old (actor was 9), and his age probably around 5,000 years old (based on graph below :D )

Xiao Lanhua’s (XLH) first life with her parents in the beautiful mountains of Xishan was also cut short when she was the same age as DFQC entering Haotian Tower. Her actress was also 11 during the tragic massacre of her tribe, and she began a new life as a little orchid flower spirit hidden in the mortal realm.

(*We know that the Battle of Two Tribes occurred soon after the death of DFQC’s father because XLH tells his father’s spirit in ep. 17 that 30,000 years have passed since his death).

Early 20s

The immortals Xunfeng, DFQC and Changheng have the appearance of young men aged 21, 22 and 23 (the age of their actors during filming) and represent the early 20s demographic in human appearance! 30,000 years have now passed and their immortal ages are around 35,000 for Xunfeng, 30,500 for Changheng, and 39,000 years for DFQC. (Sadly for DFQC, his body had been unconscious over these 30,000 years while imprisoned in Haotian tower, but his disembodied spirit had stayed conscious and pounded on the Haotian matrix every day.)

Thus immortals aged 30,000 to 40,000 years seem to take on the appearance of humans in their early 20s. Wouldn’t it be great to stay 21 for thousands of years?! :D

Early 30s

The ages of most of the other characters are unknown, but we have one more clue from an older immortal! We know that Supreme Liyuan is aged over 80,000 years, as he tells “Changheng” in ep. 12 that he is over 50,000 years older than him, and Changheng himself is aged ~30,500 years. Physically, Liyuan’s human appearance is mostly that of a 33-year-old man (the age of his actor during filming). What is strange about his appearance is his hair, which had turned white during the Battle of Two Tribes and never recovered – more on this phenomenon further down.

The Immortal ageing process

Based on the clues LBFAD gave us, here is my take on the ageing process for immortal beings born to immortal parents. Plant spirits, and animal spirits (mentioned in the novel but not the drama) that cultivate into human form are discussed separately below.

Hair turning white

We sometimes see the hair of immortals turning white when they are drained of their energy and cultivation. It happens to three immortals in LBFAD. The first is Ronghao – he uses up half of his cultivation to heal Changheng in ep. 13. His face and lips drain of blood and his hair starts to turn white.

DFQC’s hair also turned white during the Battle of Two Tribes. First he was weakened by his battle with Lady Chidi, then Lord Dong, Supreme Liyuan and the entire High Council of Shuiyuntian ganged up on him, separating his body and spirit and imprisoning both with the Haotian matrix. It also turns white when he is possessed by Taisui in ep. 36.

Back to Supreme Liyuan. Along with the others in the Heavenly High Council, he poured his spiritual energy into creating the powerful magical seal of the Haotian matrix 30,000 years ago. Liyuan is one of Lord Dong’s peers, and he and Lord Dong likely worked especially hard to seal DFQC. The process was so draining for Lord Dong that he has been in seclusion since then, leaving his son Yunzhong in charge. Liyuan managed to stay out of seclusion but his hair hasn’t been the same since! It used to be black during the scenes where he enters fatherhood but now seems to be permanently white. (Assuming Danyin and Jieli were born shortly before the Battle of Two Tribes, this would make them around Changheng’s age).

Cultivated spirits

XLH is a special case and has lived three lives in LBFAD (In her third life, she tells Changheng in ep. 35 that she remembers her previous two lives). In the first, she aged “normally” as above after being born to immortal parents. In the second and third of her lives, she cultivates directly into adult human form from a plant spirit form after cultivating for a period of time. This is what generally happens for plant and animal spirits cultivating into human form in Xianxia.

In XLH’s second life, she was an orchid plant in the mortal realm for 28,500 years or less (or so Siming told her). Time runs faster in the mortal realm, where a few hours in the immortal realm is equal to a few months in the mortal realm. Then Siming brought her to Arbiter Hall, cared for her, and she transformed into human form! At the start of LBFAD, she is 1,500 years old (as she says in ep. 2) and mentally a young girl on the brink of adulthood. She then quickly matures through the drama.

In XLH’s third life, DFQC meticulously cared for her orchid form so well every day that her transformation process is much shorter! (the drama doesn’t specify how long but it took ten years in the novel). After transforming this time, she retains the memories of her previous two lives, and is a mature and responsible goddess with the appearance of a woman in her early 20s.

Lived experience

The lived experience of both DFQC and XLH was interrupted early. DFQC was aged only ~9,000 years when he was imprisoned in Haotian tower. XLH was similarly aged when her tribe was massacred and she was reverted back to a plant spirit with no human form. The child actors for both were 11 during these tragic events. XLH re-emerges 1,500 years prior to the start of LBFAD, then frees DFQC in ep. 1. Thus compared with other “young” characters like Xunfeng and Changheng, their total lived experience is much less, and they are most comparable (and compatible! :D ) with each other.

Here is a link to my article: Character Names in LBFAD – Meaning and Significance

All of my LBFAD articles can be viewed with the tag #lbfad reflections (hyperlinked) and the table of contents to these is here.

#lbfad #love between fairy and devil #canglan jue #clj #dongfang qingcang #dfqc #xiao lanhua #xlh #cdrama #lbfad meta #cang lan jue #lbfd #lbfad reflections #cdramasource #asiandramasource #asiandramanet #dylan wang #wang hedi #yu shuxin #esther yu

[one-idea]

Maybe consuming media where parallel dimensions exist has rotten my brain. (The spider verse, years of comic book, au fanfics) but worlds were little changes change the whole world are just fascinating to me.

I’ve seen stories were Luffy is the one that dies at Marineford. Where Luffy is the older sibling. Where Shanks or someone else arrives in time to save Ace. I’ve seen Kuina lived and takes Zoro’s place on the straw hats. But what I haven’t seen is a reverse straw hat crew.

Let me explain myself.

Shanks isn’t the only Yonko vacationing in the east blue, Whitebeard takes a break there as well. Meeting a young Ace. This Whitebeard knows his time is limited but sees a future for Ace. He can’t take the boy with him but they promise to meet again one day when Ace is a great pirate, a pirate great enough to take Whitebeard place in the world. The rest of the back story (meeting Luffy, Sabo, everything) stays intact and Ace sets out at age 17. (I was going to have him meet Shanks instead of Luffy but Luffy and Shanks’ relationship is important to me and will play a role later)

Where he meets 17 year old Kuina. (She is 1 year older then Zoro, and he was one year younger then Ace so they would be the same age) in this world Zoro is the one who died. He was the only one who believed that she could be the strongest swordsman, he didn’t care about her gender. They promised that one of them would be the strongest swordsman in the world and then he died. Now at 17 she is on a journey to be the world’s best swordswoman.

The two start traveling together where they meet Nojiko, a thief, she’s an okay navigator but not as good as her sister. She speaks fondly of her sister but doesn’t mention her village (or the pirates there) Ace instantly likes her, no it’s not because he gets to trade stories with her about how great Luffy is vs how great Nami is. Kuina enjoyed their stories but her heart hurts a bit at the fact she doesn’t have the same number of stories of her ‘dumb little sibling.’ But strangely Nojiko only tells stories about young Nami.

They keep going and meet a sickly girl named Kaya. She was visiting the shipyard while they were looking to get a new ship. Kuina recognizes Kaya’s brand new butler as Kuro and none of the crew are going to let him take advantage of Kaya. (Ace and Nojiko are over protective siblings and Kaya is the same age/a year younger than their siblings. And Kuina has to much honor plus she just really likes to fight) they save Kaya but the girl realizes that there is no life for her in Syrup village. There are just to many traumatic memories for her there so she joins the crew. Bring with her a brand new ship and a boat load of beri. (She leaves behind most of her fortune to Usopp and Merry, knowing they will take care of it until Usopp is ready to sail.

The crew travels on to a floating restaurant where they meet red leg Zeff and his apprentice Reiju. Her backstory is the same and Sanji, her and Zeff trapped in an island. It isn’t until much later that the crew finds out about her connections to Germa 66 and what happened to her beloved little brother Sanji.

The Baratie arc goes about the same with Kuina getting defeated by Mihawk, and Nojiko stealing the boat and the money.

They track Nojiko down and find out what Arlong did to her village. How he killed her sister to send a message to the village and imprisoned her mother. Using Bell-meré’s Marine knowledge to expand his territory and threatening Nojiko and the villages lives to keep her cooperating. So much about Nojiko makes sense. How she only tells stories about young Nami, why she cared so much about Kaya’s money. As they learn about her trying to buy her village back.

Arlong obviously breaks their deal. How can he keep Bell-meré in line without her daughter and village as leverage.

Needless to say Ace, Kuina, and Reiju burn the place to the ground (Kaya helps as she can but she’s still getting used to fighting)

They sail on with Bell-meré’s blessing.

When they get to the grand line they meet two fools named Mr. Nine and Miss Wednesday. But it’s not what you think. Mr. Nine is Koza. Vivi told him about the danger their country was in and he went in her stead. (At this time he is 17 and she is 13, but when he left he would have been 15 and she 11)

The crew agrees to help him, (Ace is thrilled to have another dude on the team) when they meet a mysterious women with white hair called Miss All Sunday. The encounter is very similar to Robin’s introduction.

They sail on to little Garden. Kaya has a great time meeting the giants (thrilled to tell Usopp about them one day) but also starts to really work on mastering a weapon.

They leave with a slowly sickening Nojiko. They stop at Drum Island to get her help where they meet and eccentric Doctor who helps them. His name? Dr. Hiriluk. He tells them about how he was deathly ill when his son cured him by accidentally giving him a Devil fruit. A Zoan type fruit. Specifically the, reindeer model. Unfortunately his son was killed by Drum’s island king for being a ‘monster’

Needless to say Wapol gets his butt handed to him. Dr. Hitiluk, seeing his country free and his dream fulfilled decided to join up with the crew to live out Chopper’s dream of curing all diseases.

They continue on, freeing Arabasta. With Koza staying behind to help rebuild his country, but he might rejoin 👀. As their sailing away someone makes themselves know. The mysterious white hair woman is on their ship and joining their crew, her name? Nico Olivia.

I’ll cover more of this later. I have so many ideas. But all of this to say. Imagine this crew meeting the straw hat crew. Something crosses their Dimensions into one another and Luffy gets to see Ace, Zoro gets to see and adult Kuina. Nami gets to see Nojiko and hear about their mother’s blessing their life of piracy. Usopp and Kaya meeting when both of them are competent warriors of the sea. Reiju reuniting with Her brother Sanji (I haven’t even told you what happened to Sanji in this world!) Chopper and Hiriluk. Robin and Olivia.

(I did this for Ace and Luffy and Zoro and Kuina but I think Sanji, Robin and Chopper will rip my heart out more)

Let me know what you think.

Master post

Part 1/2

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

#monkey d. luffy #roronoa zoro #black leg sanji #nami #nico robin #one piece #usopp #one piece kaya #nojiko #shimotsuki kuina #fire fist ace #one piece ace #vinsmoke sanji #vinsmoke reiju #dr Hiriluk #one piece Koza #one piece vivi #tony tony chopper #nico olvia #reverse strawhat pirate au #straw hat pirates #portagas d. ace #gol d. ace

[celiciaa]

CHAPTER SIX: CHEVALIER VS GILBERT....

Battle in Rhodolite ~Crossing swords, connecting bonds~

translations are not 100% accurate. expect mistakes.

special thanks to @dark-frosted-heart for providing the story!

MINORS DNI.

The Goodwill martial arts competition 5th round — wolf’s team Gilbert vs. deer’s team Chevalier.

The most heated battle of this tournament is about to begin——

But before we knew it, the two beasts had escaped from the venue.

Gilbert: Wow….what is this? A fluffy love story that almost made me laugh.

Chevalier: ….

Carrying books instead of swords, Gilbert and Chevalier indulge in reading stories in a quiet library.

Gilbert: How can you read this stuff with a straight face?

Chevalier: …..

Gilbert: Even though you seem to have nothing to do with things like romance and love…

Gilbert: Surprisingly, out of all the Rhodolitian princes, you’re the one who understands the maiden’s heart the most, no?

Chevalier: …..

Gilbert: Hey, can you just stop giving your guest of honour a silent treatment and entertain me instead? I'm getting bored.

Chevalier: If you have too much free time, go back to the venue.

Gilbert: You're a sarcastic man because you know what I'm talking about.

Gilbert: What do you think would happen if I showed up in front of a crowd like that, even if it was a friendly match?

Gilbert: I’m a prince of the empire that once stained Rhodolite with blood. They might throw stones at me.

Chevalier: I don't think you have a sensitive heart to worry about that.

Gilbert: You’re right. But there is a certain rabbit who cares, you know?

Gilbert: I've decided to be kind to her.

Chevalier: ….Ridiculous.

Gilbert: Besides, I should have fulfilled my minimum obligation by participating in the opening ceremony.

Gilbert: Good for you. The one who came to Rhodolite was not the bloody emperor — but me, the sweetest little guy.

Chevalier: …..

Gilbert: Anyway…

Gilbert: You're still so good at taking care of me, following me around when I wanted to be on my own like this.

Chevalier: I've never heard…the term "care" before.

Gilbert: Is that so? But haven’t I always been so difficult to deal with?

Chevalier: I don't recall taking care of you.

Gilbert: You’re just being too modest. You see, when I was in Rhodolite, we got involved with some strange people——...

━━FLASHBACK━━

Man: Ehehe, you both are very well-dressed boys, huh? Please lend me some money.

Gilbert: Wow, there are guys like this outside of the book world. I've never seen it before.

Gilbert: I've heard that Rhodolite is a relatively safe neighborhood….

Chevalier: Don't deal with them. You're wasting your time.

Man: Cheeky little guy, aren't you? Well then, let me show you how harsh the world really is.

Gilbert: Geh, we’ve provoked him.

Chevalier: It's no problem.

Gilbert: I can't do it. There’s no way I can fight.

Chevalier: I didn't have high expectations from the beginning. You are weak.

Gilbert: ….You’re making me angry.

Gilbert: Watch out——

As the man tried to grab the black-haired boy, the blond-haired boy caught the man’s foot and pulled him to the ground.

The way he stomps on the head of the man who tries to get up is the true beast, even though he is small,

The frightened man simply turned tail and ran away.

Chevalier: That’s how you should do it.

Gilbert: ….You're an incredibly strong fighter.

Gilbert: Thank you for protecting me.

Chevalier: I didn't protect you, I just dealt with what was in front of me.

Gilbert: But he was targeting me first, wasn't he?

Gilbert: If you didn't do anything, I would definitely get hurt.

Chevalier: ….

Gilbert: So, there’s nothing wrong with thanking you.

━━FLASHBACK ENDS━━

Gilbert: ——Even you would still stubbornly deny it.

Chevalier: It's not a matter of denial, it's a matter of interpretation.

Gilbert: Yes, yes. So how do you explain this situation now?

Chevalier: I just didn't want to get involved in troublesome things like martial arts tournaments.

Gilbert: It's part of diplomacy, and as I said, even you would have taken part in it seriously if it weren't for me.

Gilbert: But now that I’m alone, there's no telling what kind of evil I might do.

Gilbert: That's why you're still keeping an eye out to protect the people in the court.

Chevalier: …..

Gilbert: I'm no longer under your protection….

Gilbert: Your actions are always for the protection of your country or people…right?

Gilbert: Well, maybe people call you "cruel and merciless beast" because your way of protecting them is extreme.

Chevalier: If you describe my method as "protecting", I suppose that means you would do the same thing.

Gilbert: Ahaha. Yes, that's right. We just protect different things.

Gilbert: Although we are quite similar, we are never compatible because we protect different things.

Gilbert: Up until now, you won’t get along with me.

Chevalier: I've never wanted to be friends with you, though.

Gilbert: Ehhh....is that what you say to your old friend?

Chevalier: You've just been treating me like one.

Gilbert: I guess that part hasn't changed either….

Gilbert: I don't mind. I'm more interested in antagonizing you than being your friend.

Gilbert: Please continue to be my enemy, okay, Chevalier?

Chevalier: …..

The two beasts spent some time in secret while listening to the cheers of the martial arts contest coming from a distance——.

#ikemen prince #ikepri #ikemen prince spoilers #ikepri jp #ikepri translations #ikepri chevalier #chevalier michel #gilbert von obsidian #ikepri gilbert #cybird #ikemen series

[swordcreature]

How do you think our tiefling boys would react to our world if they somehow ended up here?

i always find these so cute, but in my head i'm thinking "they would be terrified and ready to stab someone because they are in a strange world where they can't understand anyone" lol

so to make things easier and cuter let's pretend that

1. there are no language barriers

2. no one is trying to kill them/no one's freaking out because they look like devils

3. they're somewhat aware enough of what's happening to not be scared shitless or severely confused

4. they know they're going back home at some point (i would be acting SO different if i thought i was gonna live in a different world forever vs just visiting lmao)

ty for the request you're the best!

Dammon, Rolan, & Zevlor - A Part of Our World

How the tiefling boys react to coming to our world

Dammon: 

He’s amazed by the advancements we’ve made, slack-jawed at how we’ve managed to bend metal to form buildings that climb so high he can’t see the top, at how we’ve made metal fly without so much as a single spell, at how we’re able to make metal into machines so big they can move the earth itself.  

It’s overwhelming at first and he has so many questions. How does this work? What type of metal is that? What does this do? It never stops.  

But every answer is met with true awe. Dammon loves smithing, loves infernal machinery, and he’s been suddenly transported to a world built around his craft, of course he is inspired.  

He’s the most open-minded of the tieflings when it comes to a new experience. And just like the Hells, even though this place is foreign, unfamiliar, frightening, he’s eager to learn something from it.  

Dammon takes notes on everything he possibly can, sketching out little pictures of the world around him to bring back home.  

I could see him being a bit of a terror just because he breaks everything around him trying to figure out how it works, what makes it tick, so to speak. I mean, how could he truly understand the inner workings of, say, a car without taking it apart piece by piece until he has it down to its bare bones.  

Overall, I think he comes back home with so many good stories to tell of all the fantastical things he’s seen, all of the new ideas he has, and a renewed purpose in his work. 

Rolan: 

Rolan absolutely hates our world. It’s just not made for a guy like him. 

I mean, first off: no magic. His life revolves around magic, it’s an integral part of him. Without it he feels empty and strange, so this world feels very wrong to him. Imagine being connected to the Weave for years and then suddenly having it stripped away. Completely gone. I would think it would feel disorienting at best.  

He finds some interest in speaking to people of this world who practice magic, but it is so entirely different than his own that they're practically talking about two different things. He expected a more tangible magic like the Weave and is disappointed when he learns it’s so vastly incomparable.  

Second: the people. There are so many people here. Pretty much anywhere he goes, the population would be bigger and denser than anything he’s used to. And it’s not like he’s a people person. Not to mention the way humans tend to treat outsiders.  

Despite his absolute discomfort in our world, Rolan is determined to write down everything he can of his experience. Not many mortals from his world get to experience traveling the universes, so cataloging his journey is a must.  

He’ll write a book once he’s home, and it’ll make a big splash in the academic community, he just knows it! 

When he does leave our world for his own, he’s relieved. In his book he makes it sound like this magical wonderland of things beyond most people’s comprehension, but to those close to him he tells them the truth. He was not a fan.  

Zevlor:  

Zevlor is apprehensive at first. This world is strange – he does not know the customs at all. But he's eager to learn.  

He spends his time amongst the people more so than the other two. He is so curious about the traditions of the land, the history of the world, and hearing it from the mouths of the locals is better than getting his hands on any book.  

He immerses himself in the cultures he comes across as much as possible; he eats our food and sings our songs and actually has a really good time with it. 

I think he finds special interest in the history of combat, how our conflicts have changed throughout time. How did we go from swinging swords and shooting arrows to battling wars from across the world?  

Zevlor also tries to teach people of our world about where he comes from. He tells stories from his days as a Hellrider to anyone who will listen and even tries to cook some traditional Elturian food, but it’s hard to do so without the same ingredients.  

Overall, he’s more interested in the shared knowledge of culture and information between our world and his. It brings him comfort finding similarities between such different worlds.  

When he finally can go back home, he shares his stories with the children first, spinning them tales of the people he met and the things he did. How even in such a foreign place there were still nice people willing to help and to share and to be a friend.  

Zevlor is the one who wishes to come back the most.  

#bg3 #bg3 dammon #bg3 rolan #bg3 zevlor #dammon #rolan #zevlor #baldur's gate 3 #my writing #requests/suggestions #dragomermacorn #HCs

[boytumms]

I'm just thinking about fantasy adventurer boys again. Specifically fantasy adventurer boys doing something heroic, and the locals, of some other species than the adventurer himself (like, elves or dwarves or whatever vs humans, or something), holding a victory feast in his honor. Yay! Cool, right? Except... halfway through the feast, the adventurer notices that his tummy is hurting terribly, because ooops, it turns out that some of the ingredients the local people use for their foods don't really agree with human digestive system.

Can the hero excuse himself somehow, slink out of the feast - that's being held in his honor - somewhere private? Or does he rather try to put on a brave face and suffer through the feast?

I bet this happens all the time in fantasy worlds, like imagine how different dragonborn food or orc food is, a lot of it probably wouldn't be edible for humans. Human adventurers like him would often end up getting very sick stomachs trying to eat food from other species, especially when their cultures say it's rude to refuse a feast. And of course the feast is huge, with massive proportions compared to what he's usually use to, they're so much bigger than he is and the meal sizes clearly reflect that.

After only one course, his poor belly is tight and round, heavy and solid like he just ate a rock (and who knows, he might as well have). More and more plates are pushed towards him, the hosts continuously piling more and more food for him to eat. There's nothing he can do to excuse himself, not wanting to show disrespect, so he forces himself to smile and swallow as much as he can, ending the night with a tummy so achingly huge it could probably be mistaken for a nine month pregnant belly.

His stomach hurts terribly, full with pounds and pounds of strange food, spices and meats and vegetables his body has never had before, and he's not even sure if he'll be able to digest it. His skin feels hot to the touch, belly bubbling and roiling like a boiling pot of water with all the spicy food he had to choke down. He need's help walking back to his tent, and once he's finally allowed to lay down, his hosts apologetically tend to his painful bellyache. They rub his sore belly with their big hands, pushing out the knots where his bloated stomach tightens and cramps.

It takes hours of him moaning in pain and rolling back and forth on the bed for him to finally fall asleep, arms wrapped tightly around his swollen tummy. His hosts stay to care for him throughout the night. They need him to feel better for the feast they're holding tomorrow...

#ask #anonymous #tummy ache #stuffing #belly ache #stomachache #writings #belly kink

[theredhairing40]

Ditto: *Transforms* Richard Nixon: I am not a crook Strange Boy: O_O Richard Nixon: Why are you shocked? Is the nose too pointy? Strange Boy:

The Blogger: What's Jenna Ortega doing here? Strange Boy: That's not Jenna Ortega... just a GIF The Blogger: ...

#strange boy vs. the world #actuallyautistic #random #richard nixon #jenna ortega #NOR #night owl redux #ditto #dialogue

[dandeyrain]

i've been rotating the "this doesn't make any sense!" response to boy and the heron in my head and i wonder how much of it comes down to like...the kind of audience that engages with ghibli movies vs the kind of audience that mostly only engages with weird art movies vs the kind of audience that only really engages with blockbusters and marvel movies, and the overlap of those groups in the theater.

because, like, the boy and the heron is far and away more straightforward, from a plot perspective, than a lot of other Weird Extremely Personal Art Movies i've seen and love, but it IS a Weird Extremely Personal Art Movie even so. usually the only people seeing Weird Extremely Personal Art Movies, especially in theaters, are people who like that and expect that and have seen those types of films before and are therefore capable of engaging with them even when things aren't as clear as they'd be in an average blockbuster flick. like, nobody who only cares about Cinema to the extent of marvel movies and MAYBE john wick is going to see beau is afraid, and if they did they wouldn't have the tools to engage with such a dream-logicy movie. it would just be a weird thing that doesnt make sense to them, at least until they worked their media engagement muscles with other weird films. there's a lot of self-selection to the kind of person who usually sees these kind of movies.

while boy and the heron is weirder and more complex than a lot of other ghibli movies, as far as weird art films go it is incredibly, INCREDIBLY straightfoward. every weird plot point is explained very clearly to the audience, very little is up for interpretation from a strictly "what was the plot" point of view. boy loses mother. father remarries and moves the family. boy struggles to contend with grief. boy is pulled into a magical world by an old man who wants to use him. time is weird and fucked up in the magical world, but the movie is going to go out of it's way to highlight who's who and make it clear how the time travel works and the characters' relations to one another. the boy refuses to take over the magical world because he wants to live in the real world with the real people he loves. boy leaves the magical world having learned an important lesson about moving on. but the boy and the heron trusts its audience, doesn't handhold, and expects the audience to engage seriously and with focus to its plot and characters and stories.

a lot of people never watch movies like that! a lot of people are used to uncomplicated superhero movies and romcoms and that's it. the difference is that those people were never going to see beau is afraid, so the discussion about that movie instead comes from people who have the tools to engage with it. but because of the aesthetic-ification of ghibli, a lot of people who don't Do art films but are really into the aesthetics of cute little guys and girls in pretty dresses went to this art film and were confused that it was weird and dream-like and dark and strange and requires more of its audience than just passively watching.

anyway there's nothing wrong with not having the muscles to engage with weird art films, though i do think everyone should challenge themselves with the kind of stuff they watch. there's nothing wrong with preferring simple straightforward uncomplicated plotlines. but it is really interesting seeing people talk about the movie like it's insanely weird and doesnt make any sense meanwhile me and the friends i've chatted with about who DO have experience with this kind of film all feel insane because the movie is SO clear and SO straightforward by the standards we're used to. its just a neat crossover re: the kinds of movie fans that exist

#rain speaking! #does this make sense #its like if this was a live action more or even an animated movie from another studio half this audience would never engage with it because #it is on its face a weird strange art movie about the director working thru smth #but ghibli is as much an Aesthetic (a highly simplified 'cozy' and uncomplicated aesthetic that has very little to do #with the kinds of films ghibli actually makes) as it is a studio so a lot of ppl whod otherwise never touch this type of work #are going to be in theaters for it #WHICH IS GOOD!! i hope watching it inspires those folks to engage w more weird shit #sorry for the beau is afraid comparison they rly have very little in common it was just the first thing that came to me #when i was thinking abt other weird highly personal art films made by directors who are clearly #expecting the audience to have a really solid base under them re: their ability to engage with complicated films #boy and the heron spoilers /

[primojade]

𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄, 𝐀𝐓 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓.

“ your arms are the safest haven in this chaotic world we live in. ”

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘 | Different scenarios where he questions, and discovers what love truly was, at long last.

𝐂𝐖 / 𝐓𝐖 | gn!reader x wanderer and albedo (separate); fluff, hurt to reverse comfort; cursing; self-hatred for the boys 😭; scara threatens to end ei in his mind 💦 let me know if I missed anything!

𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒 | this is a very self indulgent fic I thought of when watching the 3.3 live stream yesterday 😭 I just added albedo because i'm a simp, okay xD otherwise this is supposed to be scara-centric 👀

Masterlist

The Wanderer always knew that his mother viewed him as a failed creation, knew that she never loved him the way she adored her sister. 

He even knew that the Raiden Shogun never loved him. 

His whole life, the puppet never saw true love, never knew what true love looked like, was afraid of the aspects and emotions that caused love. 

What he thought was love was so sick and twisted. What he thought was love was drowned in emotional abuse and abandonment. What he thought was love all ended up so wrong, so absolutely fucked up. How could he possibly let himself trust again?  

The thing meant to do good for the people, only caused more harm in the end. He put his trust in three people once, and nothing good came out of it. 

The Wanderer would—could—never trust again. 

(But he did trust again.)

Despite this, a closed off boy, a nearly broken puppet beyond repair, fell in love deeply. Simply craving the affection his mother never gave him. Craving physical touches and gentle words from the strange person he recently met.

No wonder the puppet feared what he never had, never dreamed of having. Feeling anything beyond pain and suffering and loss was foreign and unnatural. Allowing such feelings when hating his mother and everyone in the world by the second felt selfish and he hated himself, hated himself, absolutely despised himself over it.  

The Wanderer seemed to change by the days that passed, sometimes it felt more like merely an hour, or minutes that passed by. A boy in absolute terror who cried out for his mother in the past, wanting to hug her, to choke her by the neck, to hear her called him her son, wanted her dead, wanted her suffering in the same way he does.

He had suffered since his creation. A case of Nature vs Nurture; where nurture is superior, and the puppet is left completely alone. 

The wandering eccentric persona, his persona as Kunikuzushi, the cruel Balladeer of the Fatui, the persona he showed to the Tsaritsa and her Harbingers, the persona he showed to the Dendro Archon, the persona he showed the rest of the world…the persona he showed to you.

Among them, which one was the real him? 

Scientific theories stated that people have multiple facets, slightly different personalities that are all ours. Personalities that rebounded social cues curated by the situations and people we are around. Our need to fit in, our need for self fulfilling is what makes us have these multiplying and seemingly infinite forms. 

So, why did it feel so wrong?

On the days when missions and commissions cut a bit too close, he wasn’t afraid to die. Nahida would give him another long lecture about not being invincible, and somewhere along, you would reprimand him for being so careless with himself. He hated how much you and the Dendro Archon could see through his tough farce. 

"...Why do you even give a shit about me?"

"I give a shit about you not dying, idiot, about not having the godsdamn Fatui on our asses because you wanted to plot revenge."

"Shut up, [Name]."

Even the Wanderer knew it was a lie. You cared, Nahida cared. Even the Traveller and their annoying talking companion cared too in their own ways.

But could they really blame him? It's inevitable and hard to change, no matter how hard he tried. Worthless, incompetent beings like him were only doomed to suffer should they allow themselves to feel.

It's what he was, all he was, all he should ever be allowed to be. 

"...Wanderer, I love you."

"...A horrible decision. You could have so much better. Why put yourself in so much danger? You should be with someone safe and reliable. I am a cruel man, [Name], you know that. I could kill you if I—"

"...I know you spent your entire life listening to empty promises and hurtful words. I know it’s hard for you to believe me, but it doesn’t make me love you anything less, you know. And I certainly would never leave you for it. Wanderer, I want to be with you. And I’ll show you by staying by your side, by cheering on you, by taking care of you until the end of time.

"...Why I choose you? Because you’re clever, and extremely intelligent. You’re intuitive, you know when something’s wrong with me. When you told me the truth about yourself, I never felt afraid, it made me want to stay by you, stay with you, be with you more. You love so hard, Wanderer, that you don’t realise how much you care and how much you're hurting yourself in return. You pretend to hide it away because you’ve only been hurt time and time again. But I could see it. I see beyond that ruthless persona you painted yourself into was the real you. I see the Wanderer that Nahida sees as a son. I see the Wanderer that the Traveller puts their trust into no matter how many times he had tried to hurt them.

'"...I see the Wanderer that would put his life on the line for someone he loves, who holds me close to him while we sleep at night. The one that nuzzles his head into my neck before waking up to make the best breakfast I’ve ever had. The one who wants to sit and stargaze and take care of flowers and feel the wind, though begrudgingly.

"The one who wants a normal life, a happy and safe life. Who wants a family and warmth and love and protection. I know, I love you because I know. I love you because perhaps some higher power beyond made us destined to be together despite all the hurt and betrayal. But my free will, my own heart won’t let you slip away—even you yourself say otherwise. I love you so much."

"...I…" I love you so much, too. "...A truly horrible decision, really. You will regret sticking your nose with my business, idiot."

"...Call me whatever you like. But I know I will have no regrets being with you. So, come here. Don’t hold back those tears either, I’m here no matter what."

There was so much that the once broken puppet wished he could say, but he held back for the sake of preserving whatever dignity he had left. But he was completely floored once again by you. Left speechless, and teary eyed, crying inwardly into your shoulder as you whispered comforts and soothing affirmations. Holding him close, rubbing his back in a way that made the anxieties slip away.

This wasn’t the end. He was aware that the insecurities and anger and doubts would bubble up again soon. However, you would be there even then, providing the same stability and affection he needed, he wanted. Time will just keeps on going and turning, but surely the pain, little by little, like grains of sand in a hourglass, will fade away.

Whether this unexplainable feeling was happiness, content, love, or entirely something else…perhaps it should not matter anymore.

Because not all that wanders were lost—at least not anymore. And despite lacking a physical heart, the Wanderer felt it, at long last.

Multiple theories stated that a person is either left brained or right brainedーeither drowned in the world of alchemical codes and mathematical and logical equations, or simply buried knee deep in the latest light novels and in their wildest imaginations. Those with a left brain are logical and cynical. Right brains being artistic and emotional. 

Then, why was it that despite the hours spent fretting over alchemical codes, studying numerical equations, drowning x, y and z; Albedo developed a knack for the arts? 

Sure enough, he was good at alchemy, so much that he could be called a genius of the century, they say. He was intellectually capable of impossible memorisation and observation. So, if learning were as easy as a-b-c…

Why was there the want, the need, to indulge himself in loving you? 

The engagement to have the creative liberty and freedom to live his life with you—that wasn’t what he was known for, was it, now? That was not what he was created for. 

Alchemy and calculations tossed to the side in order to succumb to a foreign feeling like a hopeless romantic, yet Albedo should not feel. He had no right to feel. Artificial humansーa homunculusーlike himself were not meant to feel. 

But, what if he fell in love? 

So, what if suddenly he wanted to draw romantic starry sketches about someone he pine for?

Someone that, despite his numerous attempts to gently push away, only pulled him closer? 

If he were to suddenly be inspired by contemporary romance, that was no one’s concern, but his own. 

Does it feel wrong, however.

Enjoying life created deep depths of bitterness and abandonment. All the sketches, his greatest achievements, and glaringly successful alchemy experiments in the world, felt absolutely meaningless when Albedo thought about his place—where he ought to stand in this world. 

Perhaps that in itself became the reason for his artistic endeavors—emotions bottled up for so long they had been forgotten. It was common, he supposed. Forgetting memories was a consequence of heartless indifference after all, whether they are artificial or natural beings.

Albedo was not quite certain what to feel. Was it anger? Disappointment? Maybe self-hatred for his own existence? Did he feel love? Or was it merely compensation for the years upon years of loneliness and abandonment? 

If Albedo developed feelings for you, the strange person who showed him romantic affection, was it really, truly, love? Was that what it really meant to feel this so-called…true love?

He wasn't certain, that one was for sure. The alchemist could solve an array of problems that would give the seven mysteries of Teyvat a run for its money, could pinpoint the exact ingredients for his never ending experiments, but love…

Love remained the greatest unsolved mystery for him. 

Was it fair to you? 

No.

Didn’t it make him feel like a hypocrite to proclaim his love to you when he didn’t even know what love truly was? 

Yes.

The psychological repercussions of overthinking and intelligence becomes, if it comes to this endevours, a daily nightmare for him indeed.

As much as Albedo tried to be loving, it scared him—terrified him that you would one day wake up and leave him. That this whole thing was a mere fickle dream or a heartless trick of his mind to ease his burdens, and then he’d be alone again, abandoned and lost. Left alone in his strange fascination for alchemy and mysteries, pretending like nothing really mattered, an indifferent alchemist. 

It's what he was, all he was, all he should ever be allowed to be.  

"—Hey. Hey! Albedo? Hehe, you finally looked at me! Could you tell me what’s on your mind?"

"...I really should not. It would merely burden you and—"

"...Nope. Don’t start with that, silly. How many times do I have to tell you that bottling up your emotions will do more harm than good? Plus, I’m always here willing to listen to you."

That’s what he loved about you. Always caring for him. Always firm and assertive when you knew you were in the right. You never backed down, especially if the enemies came from his foreign emotions. 

"...I...I'm terrified,"

"...on the inside?"

"Yes. I just—I was wondering…how do I know if I’m...truly in love with you?"

"Hmm. When I do this, what do you feel?"

"Um…well—heh—my heart starts beating faster."

"...Your cheeks are red, too."

"...And I want to kiss you, truly."

"Why is that?"

"I'm not certain. There’s this fascinating magnetic pull inside me that makes me want to hold you close to me, kiss you senseless, and never let you stray away. I want to tease you nearly to tears, then be the person you could rely on. There's this peculiar feeling that cannot wait to give you everything you ever wanted in the world. Its strange, truly strange, but even more strange enough, I felt...very content."

"Do I make you happy, then?"

"Very, very much. You have no idea."

"...Bedo, I think you just figured out what love is on your own."

My. So, he did love you.

He loved Klee, too. Albeit not the same way as you, but the way a big brother loves his little sister should have, the way family was supposed to be. He loved his Master as well in a maternal sense, and all of his friends and comrades. The want to keep them safe, the teasing, the inexplicable happiness he felt around them, it was all love, all along. 

Albedo would say he had you to thank for helping him realise. But he knew you well enough that you would say that maybe you did help, but for you, it was all himself. You just patiently hinted it out to him to figure out on his own.

Albedo loved you rather intensely, he discovered. And being with you is love in and of itself, at long last.

TAGLIST (let me know if you want to be added in my future works!): @samarill , @maehemthemisfit , @chocogi

#genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #scaramouche x reader #albedo x reader #wanderer x reader #albedo #scaramouche #jaded moments—! #genshin albedo #genshin scaramouche #gender neutral reader #twilight theatre

[fandomshatewomen]

Uhura hate vs Concerned fans? Who is really winning?

In response to SNW Uhura hate, I will like to address this objectively and logically.

1. Admitting it is wrong to hate or bully ceelia gooding.

2. Also saying she is miscast in the role of Uhura. 

I do not condone any hate or racism to any actor. Nonetheless I do believe some actor are not right for a part or sometimes actors are miscast deliberately for a part to push an agenda.

The very first time I saw the promo for snw, I was shocked at the Uhura photos as I could not truly tell if that was meant to be a boy or a girl. having to now accept that, this is meant to be a young Nyota felt too far-fetched.

We should not condone hate. However fans also need space to express genuine  concerns. I do NOT believe that the majority of people that say Ceelia Gooding is miscast hate her. they don’t just think she is right for the role and I agree.

SNW will never have cast a  Danny DeVito or a Jason Alexander actor in the role as Spock. They also would never have cast a Rosie O'Donnell as T-Pring or Chapel or Una. I love all these actors but they will be 100% wrong for some trek roles. This is the same with Ceelia Gooding as Uhura, an actress who may also be undergoing gender hormone therapy as a non-binary actor. It makes sense that Uhura looks very androgynous on the show, she is played by a non binary actor.

Sometimes even with racism, some actors still fit the part that could not be denied. Look at Halle Bailey, despite not been white she was still a perfect casting of Ariel in the little mermaid. This is not the case with Ceelia Gooding. There is nothing about her that is similar to TOS Uhura or what made Uhura Iconic.



Alright friend, you caught me on a day when I've got some extra time and spoons so I'm gonna try and engage with your message under the assumption of good faith (but to be clear, with all due respect, framing your message as "objective" and "logical" is giving big dogwhistle energy...)

Quick piece of context setting, I'm mostly familiar with Star Trek media through social osmosis and not personally watching the movies or tv shows, but I would say I'm familiar enough for a general conversation. I also did about 30min of additional research to double check my info but if I get some details wrong, that's why.

For anyone unfamiliar, Strange New Worlds (SNW) is a prequel to the original series of Star Trek (TOS) so they feature a handful of the same characters.

Now, you say there is "nothing about [Celia Gooding] that is similar to TOS Uhura or what made Uhura iconic." I think there's plenty about Gooding that is similar to Nichelle Nichols/TOS Uhura. They are both black, they are both relatively femme presenting, neither is visibly physically disabled, and they are pretty close to the same height (5ft5in vs 5ft8in). So then are you upset that SNW Uhura wears her hair short? Or are you upset that she wears pants and a tunic style jacket as her standard costume rather than sheer tights and a dress that barely covers her butt?

As an aside, "iconic" is a wholly subjective category but I don't disagree that Uhura is an iconic character. That being said, since you point out that quality, if you're up for sharing, I'm curious what you think made TOS Uhura iconic that is so different with SNW Uhura.

To quickly address your counter example, sure, if Danny Devito were cast in a prequel role to Leonard Nimoy's Mister Spock, that would strain credulity. But let me ask you this -- do you *really* see the same level of difference between the visual presentation of Danny Devito vs Leonard Nimoy and Celia Gooding vs Nichelle Nichols? Really? Let me grab a few pictures just to be sure we're all seeing the same people...

(image description: two photos, both featuring two men standing side by side; on the left is Danny Devito, a shorter heavy-set man, with George Clooney, a much taller and slim man; on the right is Leonard Nimoy with Jim Parsons, they are both tall and slim /end id)

(image description: two photos, both featuring femme-presenting individuals standing alone and looking into the camera; the one on the left is wearing a silky red ball gown with a deep-v neckline that shows off their boobs, they are wearing light makeup and some jewelry and their dark hair is buzzed short; the one on the right is wearing a glittery gold ball gown that has two high slits to show off her legs, she is also wearing some makeup and jewelry and her longer fluffier hair is styled in an updo typical of the 1960s /end id)

Look.......... the only specific/clear(ish) objections you've raised about Gooding getting cast in this role are about her appearance. As I have hopefully sufficiently demonstrated, I think those concerns are unfounded. If you have issues with the narrative/plot/character development for SNW Uhura, your problem should be with the writers and not with Celia.

If you're up for a little self reflection, try and get more specific about what bothers you so much about the situation. Connecting some dots here, you said SNW Uhura is too different from TOS Uhura to be acceptable to you, but you did not raise the same concerns about Ethan Peck as SNW Spock, even though he's also different from Leonard Nimoy as TOS Spock. What's the difference in the differences that makes one of these fine and one of these not?

•mod dyr

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adding this photo i found of nichelle and leonard bc its so sweet <3

#star trek #star trek strange new worlds #star trek snw #st snw #snw #snw uhura #celia gooding #celia rose gooding #long post #p.s. if you want to follow up regarding the questions i've asked here i am open to continuing the conversation! #p.p.s. why did you misspell her name every time like that?

[eganeyes]

you're my favourite blog and I NEED more of your demarco/macon headcanons [normal][im normal]..........maybe nsfw too if you've got them

hi!!! that is soooo very sweet of you to say considering the only vibes i bring to this fandom is deranged overfilled tags and unneeded breakdowns over callum turners face 😭🫰❤️

this is my previous demacon hcs post and the is this a modern au? a post war au? a no pow au? i literally cannot tell you because i do not know is still in effect here very sorry :')

apologies for like taking A While because i really squeezed out my creative juices for this SO:

‘he fell first’ benny vs ‘he fell harder’ macon yeah

i see benny as being free with his feelings, with his affections, there isn't a single person who doesn't get a bit of his heart with them when they leave. his parents' are designers, artists, and they teach him that to create is to love and when he creates bonds he pours love and never feels left with wanting. the minute macon opens his mouth, perfectly civil in taking down people down a notch with his intelligence and an extra brand of fuck you in his voice? he's instantly enamored.

macon, far more closed off—cautious to the point of near callousness, perfectly polite and tiring of talking to new people because more often than not he's being looked down upon and invisible, he doesn't think much of these 100th boys—until bennys there with an easy grin and easier hands, at the end of the day macons left admiring at bennys unflinching steadiness and unconditional kindness.

now for more silliness:

for some strange reason (he was forced.) benny confides about his crush to bucky. which is kind of weird because he's usually closer to buck—except one random day bucky sees benny—steady handed, light fingered benny demarco—grip at meatballs fur a tad too tightly and then stumbles on thin fucking air. he follows benny's unchanging gaze to: one richard macon. from that point on benny's fucked on a biblical proportion.

why he continues to seek out love advice from someone who doesn’t even have his shit together enough to notice his best friend is as in love with him as he is and also a known manwhore (because the conversation went sideways within two sentences) he does not know. it goes a bit like this:

okay, yes, i have a crush on macon.

……oh wow did you sleep with him? was it nice?

why would you ask me that?

you’re right im sorry i just tried to act cooly supportive and that came out. i have had sex before dw.

I’m not worried bucky but thank you.

but was it?

i didn’t have sex with him jesus.

oh wow you’re really bad at this

….please self reflect.

but the talk actually genuinely calmed him down 😭 bucky purposefully winding the conversation up down and sideways so benny could focus on the fact that crushes are supposed to be fun and electric and not the end of the world, benny laughing a bit and confiding more on what he thinks of macon—god i spent last weekend with him to his kid sister's science convention. i met his entire family, what the fuck. he's so soft with his little sister, he knows three languages, he's won every science competition he's ever entered, he's watched casablanca 3 times, he knows every star in the sky and their lores—

the two start out a mini mindmapping plan out for seducing macon, but like completely shit at keeping it a secret so the entire base finds out within 24hrs. benny kind of wants to die from this but when kidd actually starts vetoing buckys plans that benny couldn't for the life of him say no to, he's thankful

do not steal a b-17 to write your confessions on the sky with smoke what the fuck is wrong with you

......blakely's advice is actually not half bad, go on get some photos taken and printed

the entire shit i wrote out on the previous hcs list is a product of this full on 100th written plan out btw, but buckys ideas are very summarily buried never to be thought of again, except for this one thing

benny ties a ribbon around meatballs neck. attached to the ribbon is a letter. inside the letter is a request for a date. a date where meatball chaperones.

macon writes back, ribbon and meatball and all.

(meatball gets used as a conversation starter so fucking often macon thinks benny birthed the dog himself ffs)

god i am so fond of the idea of benny coming by the tuskegee base (again, please pretend their bases are like half a day away) and taking the effort to meet all of macons friends, charming every inch of the base, shooting the shit with alex and daniels again (daniels being initially a staunch demacon anti bc he's overprotective is a whole other thing aaa), making nice with his superiors that they are literally gunning for macon to court the guy back

the drawing that alex did of the two in the officers club is kept carefully pressed between the pages of macon's journal. he commissions another drawing of them for benny's birthday, pressed dried flowers himself around the watercolor sketch, and wrote winding letters in the back, of wanting a future outside of planes and skies he didn't think he'd ever want with someone else. he frames it and ships it to benny, who's in chicago at the moment and is geared for a roadtrip to birmingham, alabama the day after his birthday. times it perfectly so when its the day of his birthday, benny reads it, and whatever his answer is it'll be known in two-three days time: if he does arrive at macon's doorstep with a ring he hid on the side of the wooden frame—a little puzzle that only benny could solve.

now for something a bit more nsfw but like only a few bc i embarrassed myself writing this without the cover of anonymity

do i believe that they're switches? yes.

do i believe that their sex scene mainly revolves around benny face down ass up moaning like a whore while macon drives into him with the sole intent of making benny see galaxies? also yes.

do i believe that richard wakes him up via trailing fingers up from bennys ass, spanning the width of his marked up back, and scratching at bennys hair that when benny finally wakes up its to a gasp and to ground down his hips on the bed? ....yes.

do i also believe that benny spent an inordinate amount of time just worshipping richards cock with his mouth, pushing him back down by the chest when richard tries to rise and pull him off? grinning and humming when richards spluttering and panting and keening, legs hooked around his back like a vice and hands gripping at his hair? very much yes.

will richard bring forth physics talk to the bed? .....yeah.

also: macons a grunter, bennys a moaner 🤗

i am soo sorry for this btw but also thank you for letting me yap about demacon my beloveds <33333

#demacon #benny demarco #richard macon #look at that i called him richard right at the very end #this is honestly kind of superficial bc i can't write all these emotions i have 😭 but anon have at it anyway #and also shit at physics sorry can't write shit abt that #eganeyes