ethiy

[ethiy]

The craziest thing about Xie Lian's trauma to me is that nobody knows about it. Absolutely no one! All the humans that were around when that shit was going on probably died after 800 years. It's not like Wei Wuxian's trauma that was made public by every single person that has a mouth (people in MDZS like to talk. Parrots. Can't keep a single thing secret. The Lan clan is the only exception).

Xie Lian's trauma was that skeleton buried in a cupboard so deep that no one knows it's there. The only ones who truly know every single detail is Hua Cheng and the person who tortured him. It's no wonder even after 800 years he's still bond deep terrified of White No Face, it's not the kind of thing anyone recovers from. It's a past he worked so hard to forget, and worked so hard to keep forgotten. He didn't even know that Hua Cheng knew and was terrified at the thought of him knowing. Not even his best friends, Mu Qing and Feng Xin know, and Feng Xin was there for most of it. He had no idea what was happening behind his back. No one knows shit beyond the fall of Xianle.

I'm very glad that Hua Cheng knows, at least Xie Lian is learning to talk about it and overcome it, one step at a time. He didn't come out with it but they at least made sure his abuser was punished.

[ethiy]

Some things about Will/James relationship

Both of them need to show they're capable

Both of them had been abandoned by their parents

Both are trapped by their past selves

They both like being cared for (excessively)

Will needs control, James needs to feel protected

Both love challenges

Both fear rejection like the devil

Both feel rejected

Both protect people to feel they belong

They know how to pretend being someone else

And they know how it feels like pretending to be someone else

They both feel like they need to be important to be loved

Will sees himself in James

And since he sees himself in James, he demands from James the same protection in return (Will does the same thing to Violet, which he also identifies)

Which James obviously gives, with almost his life in the process

Both of them resent (and love) the Stewards

Both of them fear what they feel

Both of them fear what they are

Oh fucking god, my babygirls

[ethiy]

The Question of the Collar & the Dark Rise Trilogy

I am pro collar. And Ill tell you why.

I have been seeing a couple posts on this topic and people go back and forth, but none have fully encapsulated what I see as being one of the biggest reasons I believe the collar is consensual and probably a kink. I also think there is a possibility it also allows free will, but today I shall argue for why I believe it’s consensual on James’s part, because that is where the doubt lies within the fandom it seems. It is very clear to me that Will is erotically enticed by the collar also, but who really needs convincing of that?

So, firstly, there are so many instances where we see that James is visibly turned on by the collar. See how Will acknowledges James in the quote below as looking already surrendered, and going “pliant as if the same hot gold ran like sweet need through his veins” :

James is clearly very turned on by the collar, it’s in the text in many instances. The words used here are evocative: need, pliant, sweet, and hot.  Where do you see that kind of language other than in the erotica and romance genres? It then goes on to talk about how his shirt is open, how his eyes are glazed, and how he is “yielding”. Basically, this is a sex scene without the sex. The collar is an object of lust for the duo, and this is being communicated to the audience. Authors, when writing, do not use evocative language by accident. No. They paint a picture with words to influence their readers emotionally in the direction they want our minds to go. Every detail is planted on purpose when you are a good author. And Pacat is a good author!

But there is so much more. Here, in the next scene, James is seen wetting his lips:

Wetting one’s lips is a sign of attraction. If you don’t believe me, just Google it! We also have another scene where James’s pupils are blown wide when watching the collar in the throne room scene; yet another physical sign of attraction in a human being and something we see in novels all the time.

But Pacat goes further than just showing the physical signs of being turned on. If Anharion consented to a collar that controls him (to what extent it controls him, we are still unsure) we should see the signs that this is something he is possibly interested in emotionally. Or at least, something Anharion was interested in and James responds to at least on some level. And there are so, so many signs. This is shown through what he likes, shown through what he does, says, and what others say about him (not just Will, but Sinclair as well as others). Why is Pacat seeding all these comments about James’s need to serve, to please, other than to put in our minds that there is an aspect of James/Anharion's character that this is something he likes, and that it is a possibility that the collar might have been his choice in the past? It’s a kink for sure, and something James may determine he is not interested in in the next book, but for the sake of argument, look at the screencaps below:

Will is picking up on something about James’s personality, and James is relieved and perhaps surprised that he has been so transparent. It is clear to Will that James likes to take orders. After all, before he was Sinclair’s (the Dark Lord’s) man, he was the exemplary novitiate, wasn’t he?

In an even better example of this below, we see him kind of asking Will that Will's request for James to come to him after opening the gate become an order. But, why ask this? What purpose does it serve James to make Will give him an order? Why does James want it to be an order?

Will catches on and gets it, equally turned on. His lips curl (in a smile) and lowering your lashes is a sign of submission in human interaction; James is lowering his lashes showing submission to Will. James is aroused here too, because in the next moment he asks Will to kiss him.

We have it from others perspectives too, here below, we have Sinclair telling James he likes to serve, he is a born submissive and to “belong” to someone, echoing what James himself has said to Will countless times:

And just to top this with a cherry, Sinclair’s scene with James he tells us James, upon a successful mission, liked being praised and “sitting at his feet”. This calls to mind the imagery of the chain at the bottom of the throne.  

In terms of similar character types in Pacat's work, Erasmus from Captive Prince comes to mind. He was a collared slave and we get some glorious descriptions with him being quite the submissive with the “lowered lashes” (ring any bells?) :

May I just interject to reiterate that the language around the collar is really so sexual, I don’t think I need to post more about this, because some of the screencaps above illustrate this, but I am sure you can all imagine and remember how you felt reading those scenes; they were enticing. I just cant imagine Pacat would use such romantic, erotic, and lush imagery if this collar were the instrument of coercion, compulsion, and humiliation, and even possible r*pe, that we are supposed to think because this is YA fantasy genre and not horror. Someone might argue that they weren’t sleeping together when Anharion was wearing the collar, but I would counter-argue that of course they were! Everyone who knew about the Dark King and his Betrayer knew they were in a romantic relationship, from James’s father, to Gauthier, to Kettering. And we are only supposed to think the collar is all these bad things based off the second hand knowledge passed down by characters like Gauthier, or the vague and evasive language used in the last chapter by both James and the narration (but this is not really shown by James's feelings when he has it put on him). But when James first puts it on, he is described as “hating how good it felt” as well as having some rather erotic flashbacks to Anharion and Sarcean (and that didn’t sound coerced to me, it sounded romantic and swoon-worthy, it sounded like he was being "filled up" which is a way my old therapist friend used to describe being emotionally fulfilled by one's partner). So, why would the principle couple be one that started in coercion and assault? Maybe this is something else being said by Pacat about purity culture, and how there is nothing morally wrong with kink as long as the two are consenting, loving adults who trust each other? James CLEARLY trusts Will to "hold the key" so to speak as he asks him to in the throne room. Just because some of us dont explore our sexuality in this way doesn't make it wrong and I think Pacat is challenging the readers (as Will is being challenged) to reconsider their biases about what is "wrong" not through the lens of what other people think but through what two people feel is right in the loving and trusting relationship that they have together through Total Power Exchange. This is not a story about abuse. Who would want to read that?

No, this is something else in my opinion. I think the collar is completely in line with the desires of Sarcean and Anharion, and their reincarnations are now echoing those desires thousands of years later and they will see whether it is ultimately something that they want to explore together in the next book. The collar was consensual: it is not in line with the YA romance fantasy genre to have a couple start out so grossly abusive towards each other, especially when the language is evocative of romance, and the personalities are showing desire. I think we are meant to challenge our assumptions here about people and what is considered “normal” instead of just thinking if a couple doesn’t fit our idea of a perfect mold that there must be something wrong with them. Also, please remember that Pacat is twisting our heads in one direction with the characters own misconceptions and half truths, when I believe he is planting enough evidence to surprise us (and Will) in the last novel with the revelation that has been hidden in plain sight all along: that Sarcean wasn't hurting Anharion. On the contrary. He was freeing him.

[ethiy]

About narratives: the story of Sarcean, Anharion and the Collar.

Ok soooooo I finished Dark Heir and I have THOUGHTS.

This could be my delusional mind speaking BUT I firmly believe that the whole thing about the Collar and the relationship between Sarcy and Anharion depicted in the story written and established by the winners (the Lady's faction) and Gauthier is far from the truth and a lot more complex and fascinating.

More ramblings under the cut!

Putting all the hints given in DH aside for the moment (I will discuss them later) for me the biggest red flag about these narratives is the way Anharion is depicted in both.

This is a little twisted but it’s something I’ve been thinking about since DR, so let me elaborate.

In DR, the Stewards DON’T know about the Collar. James himself admits that he found out about it from Sinclair, and so the Stewards are convinced that James/Anharion had willingly betrayed the Lady’s side, becoming willingly Sarcean’s lieutenant and his lover.

Gauthier instead reveals a more twisted version of the story.

It’s clear that the two narratives are in contradiction with each other: the one told by the Lady’s faction and echoed throughout the centuries among the Stewards doesn’t include the knowledge of the Collar, and it entirely blames Anharion for his deeds and his betrayal; Gauthier’s version instead, serving for the readers as an introduction to the existence of the Collar, specifies that Anharion didn’t have any agency.

So, which version is the true one? Neither of them, because both, as it often happens in history, took the truth, and twisted it to serve its own purpose.

Let’s start with the narrative ‘written’ by the Lady.

My biggest doubt about it is why the f*ck it seems that A LOT of people outside the Hall know about the Collar. Gauthier knows about it because his ancestor was the one who stole it, but Sinclair? Let’s hypothesize that he knew about it from Kettering. Kettering knows about it because he is a Returner, so someone who was THERE, in the Old World. It’s not a stretch then to theorize that the existence of the Collar and its power was somehow known in the past.

And in DH, the presence of the chain attached to the throne in the Sun Court, where EVERYONE could see it, hypothetically ( and I underline this because I don’t trust ANYTHING of what we saw in the Undahar for it was the Sun King’s court before Sarcean’s) linked to the Collar around Anharion’s neck, makes me think that the Collar and its power weren’t such a well-kept secret.

So, the whole “the Lady’s side didn’t absolutely know about the Collar” narrative is a bit sketchy at this point. I believe someone knew at some point, so why would they iterate this version of the story, instead of depicting Anharion as a victim and blaming Sarcean for it?

Well, the answer is simple: damnatio memoriae. The version of the story known at this point had been written by the Lady’s faction, so of course her enemies are painted in the worst light possible. Anharion’s memory is, in my opinion, even more tainted by this narrative than Sarcean’s one; we don’t even know his true name. It didn’t matter that he could have had reasons for his actions: he went against the "good side" and chose the dark, the end.

This narrative is not interested in reporting the truth. Its purpose is to celebrate the Lady as a Saint figure and vilify her opponents, disregarding their reasons, their feelings, their insight of the events entirely.

So, it’s not so difficult to believe that underneath all the twists and the lies, in this version of the story there is a grain of truth; that, in a way, Anharion did betray willingly the Lady. Maybe he understood that the so righteous Lady was, in fact, not that pure and good. Maybe, at the culmination of the fight, he somehow hesitated to kill Sarcean, because he was a human being, not just a cold hearted betrayer. All factors that would of course be excluded from this narrative, for they would expose the Lady’s true face.

At this point this is all but speculations, but one thing is certain, and this takes us to the second point: it’s canon that Anharion had feelings for Sarcy. Before the Collar.

I would not call it ‘undying love’ at this point of the story, but the affection is there. Palpable, visible, corporeal in glances and words. This is, like, a HUGE revelation.

Because this proves that the narrative told by Gauthier is not the truth either!

While I believe that the Collar has some kind of power (I’ll explain this too), in the Gauthier’s version of the story, it’s clear that the emphasis on the submitting part of this power comes from the desire to possess Anharion, from the (false) conviction passed on for generations that whoever put it around his neck would master him. I suspect it consumed not only Gauthier himself, but also every member of his family who owned the Collar before him.

In the end both narratives, pushing for their own agenda, give an insight on the relationship between Sarcean and Anharion not only false but also humiliating for Anharion, for he is depicted as a selfish, cold hearted betrayer where his own agency is totally dismissed (and not even mentioned) in one, and a plaything slave of the Collar in the other.

The truth is far more complex than this, of course, and the one million dollar question about it is then: how much influence did have the Collar on the true nature of their relationship?

In these days I have read a lot of theories about this. One of my favourites is the one depicting the Collar as a mere object of fashion without any power and Anharion not only conscious but also willing the whole time and the fact that this may be hinted in the text makes me feel unhinged (if this is true, you will hear me screaming about it for years)

In my opinion, and I will believe this until I read the third book, the Collar has some kind of power on James/Anharion but not in the way it has been described so far. This is but a mere speculation for the moment, but maybe this power leans more on binding Anharion’s magic to Sarcean’s than controlling his free will or feelings. (this bit in DH is soooo interesting!!!)

I’m convinced that the Collar cannot create something that is not there and that underneath its power, it’s clear that Anharion had conflicted feelings for Sarcean, he always had, because James REMEMBERS feeling this even with the Collar:

This means those conflicted feelings are still there and are not magically morphed by the Collar into pure and simple obedience and that whatever Anharion felt was real, whatever James feels is real, contradictions and all.

We still know so little about this two at this point, and since Pacat really loves plot twists, I believe that their real story will come out in the end and that Will and James will achieve what their past selves couldn’t had, unravelling the conflicts and the misunderstandings between them, and conquering the freedom they search in each other’s arms to be just Will and James.

I had fun writing this, please feel free to give me your opinion on this!

(PS. I think I needed to specify that this whole rambling is focused on Anharion’s feelings. What about Sarcy? I believe his feelings were a deadly cocktail of desire, affection, possessiveness, admiration and horny thoughts, like the disaster babygirl he was, thanks for your attention)

[ethiy]

୨୧ character ; — idol! lyney x underground artist! reader [ fluff, celebrity au ]

୨୧ synopsis ; — dating a celebrity comes with it’s perks. writing cheesy love songs dedicated to you and showing you off to the whole world. what’s there to possibly hate?

note: just some hcs i thought of for lyney from my smau series of him! ignore the fact i’m like 3 days late for this special. i also decided to tag those from the smau encase they’d be interested in reading this :3

so you’ve found yourself dating one of the most famous celebrities within the music industry, huh? well lucky for you, you’ve managed to get yourself one of the good ones

there’s no doubt lyney wouldn’t hesitate to show you off to all his fans and the entire world basically

constantly posting cute pictures and videos of you two online, writing songs dedicated to you personally

jumping at every chance to make mention of you during interviews or when fans ask questions about you

literally the moment your name is mentioned boom he’s spending the next 15 minutes gushing over about how much of an amazing s/o you are

dude is like tom holland being in love with zendaya 24/7

“of course i love my fans, more than anything! but comparing that to my love for [name]? heh, let’s just say it wouldn’t be right to put them both on the same scale…”

i swear he’d go on like those interviews where the celebrities play with puppies/kittens and would literally forget about the interview itself halfway and just talk about raising a pet with you–

“wait…what was the question again?” “lyney…we haven’t even started.”

even though he’s all for making your relationship public he takes your thoughts and feelings into consideration first

the last thing he wants is for you to be overwhelmed by the constant paparazzi and attention of fans. if you want to keep your relationship a secret then he’ll respect your choice

“don’t worry, darling. as much as i want my beloved fans to see the person who i can proudly say is the love of my life, if you aren’t comfortable with going public we don’t have to. besides, that just means i get to keep you all to myself!”

of course, when the time came that you were ready to go public with your relationship, he’d first do a few soft launches of you, gradually including you more and more in his posts

like omg i can just imagine him uploading a video or something of you playing with rosseland and then eventually doing those cute couple tiktok trends once you’re more comfortable </3

always wants you to be in his company whether its at the studio, his performances, photoshoots, interviews, all of the above bro

makes sure you aren’t feeling too left out during it all and even tries to include you!

“wait can [name] be in the music video?” / “does this recording sound good to you, love?”

you know those songs where they include an audio of other people talking? yea lyney would for sure include a recording of you in one of his songs

oh yea you can also expect him to write lots of songs about you because he just loves you that much duh

if you’re able to be at one of his performances, he’ll ask you for a kiss five min before he goes on as a good luck charm and whenever you cant go you make sure to send him messages cheering him on

i can imagine after his show when one of the staff tells him you’re waiting for him backstage when he originally thought you wouldn’t be able to make it, he’d immediately go to you and run into your arms hugging you tightly :((

meanwhile all his fans are going crazy over the two of you because they can actually see what’s happening and are recording the cute interaction that trends among his fanbase on the internet for a bit LMAO

when he’s on tour he does video calls with you every night before sleeping and sends you pictures of all the sights and foods he eats with things like “we should come here together!” or “i’ll bring you lots of souvenirs!”

once his tour ends he comes home and as soon as the plane lands he’s asking to be drove over to your place where he’ll be spending the next few days at to make up for all the lost time

first thing he does when you open the door is bombard you with lots of hugs and kisses while going on and on about how much he missed you

wants nothing more than to cuddle with you and have you run your fingers through his hair as you both lay down on the couch or your bed and watch movies together until you both fall asleep in each others arms <3

songs that just give me pov dating idol lyney vibes: lavender - JVKE, pink sweat$ , seven - jungkook , just for me - pinkpantheress

taglist (open) ; ━ this taglist is dedicated to my smau only! if you are interested in being added to the taglist for the smau, you can either comment on the masterlist post or send to my inbox!

@peaceindreams , @miwafei , @whipped-for-fictionals , @blissfullyapillow , @yotraumainthebuilding , @reixtsu , @almond-t0fu , @quacking-simp , @kika-a , @kookiibun , @silentmissinghallucination , @sleepyeri , @xiaossocksniffer , @14-paradise , @kaitfae , @cupid-spams , @semi-orangeapple , @scarletttcroww

[ethiy]

What people think why i became a bookbinder: Oh she wants to explore her artistic horizon with those pretty leather bound books of hers. She even gives them out as gifts to her friends. It most likely helps her with anxiety or maybe she just wanted a more special costume made notebook.

Why I actually became a bookbinder: I just illegally downloaded and printed out several of my favourite fanfics and books and started binding them into books cuz I love reading them but looking at screens for too long gives me headaches.

[ethiy]

HE BEAT THE ALLEGATIONS! venti doesn't mooch off of others nor does he have a large tab! He has his own money and he pays for himself! He knows when to stop when he doesn't have the mora! GO KING!!! GET YOUR BAG!!

[ethiy]

one of the things that gets lost in a lot of the discussions around tgcf is that hua cheng knows xie lian can take care of himself. xie lian knows he can take care of himself. although he's had 800 years of bad luck, that's different than not knowing how to take care of yourself. not just that, throughout the whole book, especially the flashbacks, shows how xie lian tries to shoulder all the weight of the world by himself. hua cheng just shows him that he doesn't have to do go through it alone

[ethiy]

i need more of them😭

[ethiy]

Your Fate Is Up to You

“I WILL CHANGE FATE I DON’T POSSESS. MY FATE IS UP TO ME AND NOT THE HEAVENS!”

So said Shi Wu Du right before he died. In doing so he directly stated TGCF’s existentialist themes on deciding your own fate.

On the most obvious level, within TGCF the roles of god, demon, human don’t dictate whether or not someone is a good or righteous person. I mean, the worst demonic calamity in Bai WuXiang and the head god Jun Wu are the same person.

To start with I might as well just state it outright that my thoughts on Jun Wu are probably a lot harsher than most of the fandom’s. That said the narrative definitely has empathy for him and his ending was perfect and objectively beautiful.

Like most of MXTX’s antagonists, Jun Wu is attempting to force empathy because he feels lonely. It’s the same motivation that drives Shen Jiu, Xue Yang, Jin GuangYao, He Xuan, Qi Rong even, etc, etc, etc. It’s also what drives many of our protagonists (Wei WuXian, Luo BingHe, Hua Cheng, etc.) Yet in the end, Jun Wu is not actually forcing people to empathize with him, but instead dragging them down with him, and he needs to realize this.

Keep reading

[ethiy]

Lyney 'invites' scara to the stage to mess around with him (part 2)

[ethiy]

Where Ei kept scara and would look for him when he starts wandering

[ethiy]

Hey, now I'm on tumblr!  🍁 🍁 🍁

[ethiy]

Haikavember Day 14 - Reverse 🔄

They're visiting the Chasm's Inverted City but-WHAT THE FORK ARE YOU DOING ALHAITHAM

[ethiy]

Lyney and Freminet's first fight, according to holy lore✨ (PART 1)

“Lyney”, Freminet’s voice went, shyly, through the open doors of the House of Hearth’s living room. “Are you alright?”

Lynette had been gone for quite a while now. Lyney stayed. Unqualified, again. Without much to do to them, Freminet couldn’t say how long quite a while was, however, he bet Lyney knew. After all, he had saw their fingers turning white as they hugged at the entrance. A blueish gem was shining at Lynette’s hair. Her movements were quicker. Her eyes, precise. Yet, they both were stiff. And, — Freminet could see it —, took a while for Lyney to notice it.

Their last departure wasn’t like that. The first one, not even close. Without a vision, as reality hit out of reach, their farewells have gotten longer and tighter with time.

Lyney was at the sofa, Rosseland in his lap. Playing, he stretched its pawns up and down, up and, then, glanced at Freminet. His gaze remained, as his shoulders went down. The clock ticked. Rosseland sniffed.

“Uh, of course.” A little grin passed through his face, and he waved with Rosseland’s paw.  “Shouldn’t I? I was distracted with Rosseland here. Do you believe he is still messing with my hat?”

“Really?” Freminet’s eyes swayed a little through the empty corridor before speaking. “You can tell me.”

Something stuck at Lyney’s expression. Silence.

“Yeah. It’s alright.”, he started. “I mean, why these kinds of questions? Do you need help with anything?”

“No, I just…” His words were stuck, just as his feet. The sofa was welcoming, however, the ground felt sticky. As if it was advising him to stand still. “Lyney, I… It’s alright if you’re worried.”

Lyney didn’t answer. Instead, he pushed Rosseland back, picking at its paws. Rosseland protested, his meow rumbling through the living room. Freminet approached, sitting at their side.

“You don’t need to wear a mask all the time.”

“Freminet, really…” Lyney chuckled, and something dry went through his voice. Back off. “What are you talking about…? I’m fine.”

Freminet felt this warning caress his arm.

[ethiy]

Restless Heart

Lyney who's excited after hearing news that you were back in Fontaine. His giddiness & enthusiasm practically oozing out of him all throughout the night; while eating dinner, while practicing with his cards, while getting ready for bed, while in bed. The magician was restless, tossing & turning he just couldn't fall asleep!

In the end he had to turn to Lynette, in hopes of finding a way so he could finally settle down (he had to look his best when seeing you tomorrow after all!). With a tired sigh, she offered to listen to him. Maybe after he says everything that was on his mind, once he got tired of talking, he'll easily fall asleep.

Lynette had greatly underestimated Lyney's adoration for you...& it obviously shows in the eyebags under her eyes as she followed her overly excited brother. He was practically sprinting to Vasari Passage after purchasing a bouquet of your favourite flowers, & hiding them so he could surprise you upon your so called 'unexpected' run in.

However, seeing the way Lyney's eyes brighten at the sight of you & how much more happier & livelier he was whenever he was with you...perhaps she'll let her lost of sleep go just this one time. Hopefully he'll calm down after this.

If not, she's rushing her brother to your house tonight.

[ethiy]

Saving bc I want to comment on this later :D

"Your hand looks heavy, can I hold it for you?"

.

Rolls his eyes at the line (playfully), maybe even make a small comment of how ridiculous it is, yet he indulges you...& if he tries to hide it, you can still see the blush on his cheeks~

-Tighnari, Wanderer

A loving smile immediately graces his lips as soon as he registered your words, smoothly accepting your 'offer' with a playful yet still genuine word of thanks. He even gives your hand a gentle squeeze, his mood clearly cheerier than it already was 😊

-Kazuha, Albedo

Blinks once, twice at your words. The confusion in his eyes are as clear as daylight. You couldn't help but be amused when he replied with something along the lines of his hand not being heavy. It's not until you explain it to him, his hand now snug in yours did he turn shy, avoiding your gaze yet not at all pulling away...

-Xiao, Freminet, Chongyun, Rubedo

Pleasantly surprised & easily accepts your offer. He tries to hide the fact he's flustered & delivers his own line. Gently squeezing your hand & looking straight into your eyes;

"Thank you for being so considerate love. Though now that I think about it, I can't help but notice your lips look a bit lonely...let me remedy that with mine..."

-Lyney, Heizou, Cyno