#& first bc i don't wanna get it wrong of what i assumed that part meant

[leonisandmurex]

“And for the argument about Catherine getting sympathy and support for still adjusting after so much longer, it probably has something to do with the fact that she was a young teenager with no experience with the media or any type of fame.”

Additionally both William and Catherine stepped up as full time working royals - which is what she actually meant in her answer I think - in the summer of 2017.

That’s 2.5 years before covid and less than 4 years until Prince Philip died.

Thank you for adding this point too

I'll let @duchessofvolterra reply to her piece

[stray-tori]

link click s2e01+02 eng dub thoughts

waiting for my friends to wake up for new link click ep so i'm watching the dubbed episodes and ??? holy, the death flash segment has such a different vibe.

well not SO different but yknow... I do hope they didn't write themselves into a corner here...

Dub: "I'm sorry… everything is going to be different now. death isn't something even one of us can change. the best we can do is accept it, so please don't let this be another burden for you to carry." Sub: "It seems... everything is changing... If death cannot be avoided, then it might be better to face it now."

"don't let this become another burden" ???? ToT

Dub!LG was rly like "dude, speak faster- thERES SO MUCH MORE PAIN YOU CAN FIT IN HERE" dshjds-

Also I find the "even one of us can change" bit to be a little off-throwing. Maybe the emphasis is slightly wrong but I didn't process what he meant immediately upon first hearing it. Sounded more like "ONE of us" than "one of US" (i.e. ability).

alejandro's slight stutter when answering about the ability UGH GOLD

Little sad that the flow of red-eyes conversation isn't as good. usually the dub did great with convo flow, but here it seems a little jumpy. "if you dont know where to start, let's start with activation" -> "I can't quite figure it out" (then proceeds to explain how much they alr figured out adhsjds-)

Also the "i need to trust you again" depends heavily on the viewer knowing what red-eyes means there (i.e. the lie of no cops/the dark room plan).

ik that this is in the sub too, but the "but she sees right through you" is still a little weird to me and it's more obvious in dub i think. I thought that what this was going for was a sort of "you may be okay with fooling me, but fooling her (while i'm her) will end badly" kinda deal, but maybe I was wrong? In the dub it just directly sounds like they mean they were only able to tell the lie because they're in QL's body and get some of her memories and feelings (like CXS does, maybe?) - but they actively paid attention to his shaking hands and everything, so I kind of don't think they relied purely on QL.

nooo they keep making red-eyes slightly different. from them assuming the photos and then confirming it through the "does he run here or teleport" moment, instead they just try... to stab her?? i guess?? and then they go "ohh i get it now" which... isn't a huge difference but kind of takes away from their smart thinking.

Going from the reaction -> "oh so I was right! How interesting!" (sub) to -> "teleporting with pictures, talk about a convenient power!"

STOP!! REMOVING!! THEIR THOUGHT PROCESS >:(

"why would I wanna hurt lu guang? he's family to me!" dub out here confirming the marriage, good for them good for them why would they do this to me

"you said the girl is innocent" -> "from what we saw it wasn't the girl" WHAT ABOUT THE BLOOD ALL OVER HER MADE YOU CONCLUDE THAT

Changing the part where CXS calls the murderer "the person who calls themselves my friend" (paraphrased) was a good call, bc that... sure was A Move.

Damn, dub just implied CXS wanted to perma-dive via "Two years... that is more than enough time. i could go back and change everything.". afaik we still don't know if the 12h restriction is bc of lu guang's rules or actually a restriction, so that is... certainly A Move, too. In Sub I felt like it was just desperate and he might have tried even with the 12h windows, but here it rly does sound like he'd just dive for longer? Unless I'm reading the dialog wrong...

"Sorry to disappoint" LOL ICONIC, slight adjustment but based.

"what's with the stuffed animal? not for me, i guess?" LMAO HELP ME- "it's for my daughter, wise guy." PFFT

"and he's already a ghost. he doesn't even have social media. some might say he doesn't exist" o... okay? does dub know more than we do dshjds-

"Breathe, damn it!!" pfft Captain Xiao is trying-

"is he the streetfighter master siwen talked about?" DUB WHAT ARE YOU DOING- i'm p sure this is just about the style, not the person ahhh-

"our backup's gonna be here soon" - "how funny, mine just arrived" While not what I've seen people translate this line as, still a good flow for this moment.

Aight. Some stumbles imo, but maybe they know more than we do and it'll all work out!

[aluckiicoin-a]

budget mobile rules/about

Aventurine belongs to the Honkai Star Rail universe. More specifically:

A senior manager in the IPC Strategic Investment Department and one of the Ten Stonehearts.

As far as personality goes:

He is not a nice person. While he seems rather laid back and as if nothing could ever bother him, he will talk down on you, use you for his own advantage, sell you out if he thinks the offer is good enough. He will manipulate and use you to his whims. His constant smile and ability to wrap words around makes it almost impossible to discern his true feeling. Truthfully, he might not be able to ID them himself. He can be nice and he will be if he thinks it will help him win you over.

But if you want more about how he is, you will have to look up the Information tag (or read old rps).

A very short breakdown on rules:

he won't know who you are unless you are (for now) Topaz. If you want him to, you can mention it before (that does exclude OCs that are a integral part of the IPC). He might have heard of you if you're known to the IPC however.

I can decide what he does by myself, thank you

I'm not big on ships, mostly because I don't wanna hurt myself or others; and he's likely never gonna be what you want him to become

I'm terrified of people and therefore hate dms with a passion

no nsfw here, it's all over there

if you have a problem with trans folks you can fucking leave and get hit by a car for all I care

general tumblr rp lingo:

Aventurine is a sideblog, so if you're mutuals only you will have my OC @hyenapriest following you

I am not mutuals exclusive

on here I also don't care if you are of age, there's not gonna be anything more than suggestive too but I count on you to wager if you wanna click on those readmores

I will have favourites, it's a human thing to do

I'm a fan of OCs, so come at me

I don't mind duplicates - really I wanna see him mess with other versions of himself!

as for now I'm independent

in the spirit of favourites I'll probably find mains, those will be the people meant if any muse is ever mentioned in a thread. That's not first come, first served.

I might make this a main blog sometime in the future (or not)

And last and least the Mun(ster):

I'm not a good person even though people that know me will disagree

I agonize over everything I say and then it still comes out wrong

for someone usually rping muses with people skills I am AWFUL at it

I'm overthinking everything, I get anxious about anything and I wish any of my muses would just share a tiny bit of their fucking ego bc I sure could use it

I'm Skully (Skullbert) and basically 10k dead rats in a trenchcoat (or a Lich)

I'm also a guy and if you ever find me anywhere else and see a muse of mine pls never assume them to be straight.

I'm really slow, it can be months (work, gaming, personal life) before I answer, over 30+ years and from europe

and verses!

There's currently only two but only one has a name

- encased in amber light ( verse I; everything star rail) & everything else

[sagemusesoutloud]

Anti-Romantic, Part 1

(credit to the original owner of the image)

Character | Jaehyun x reader Genre | nonidol!au, Mutual Pining, Slowburn, Fluff WordCount | 3.6 K Author'sNote | lmaoooo the fact that I intended this to be a oneshot type of thing oops. Wellllll, I tried. Most likely to be a two part series, but we'll see.

This is part of a series I intend to call "If Songs were Fics" and this particular one was loosely inspired by TXT's Anti-Romantic bc I'm obsessed. I hope you enjoy reading as much I enjoyed writing it!

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

I don't know who loves me

And I don't care, It's a waste anyways

A romantic feeling, Kinda scares me

“Any plans for you birthday next week?”

Jaehyun shakes his head at you, “no, not yet, don’t you have that date with that barista?”

“I’m not sure, he’s been acting weird over text lately. Might not be worth it,” you shrug your shoulders. “Besides, it’s your birthday! You only get one of those a year, we should plan something.”

You were on your way to the gym, a ritual you and Jaehyun had ever since you both found out you worked for the same company. You had been childhood friends, but ended up losing touch since you went to separate universities.

It was a nice surprise to see a friendly face on the first day of orientation and throughout the duration of your training for the next six weeks. Although you were both from different departments, you enjoyed taking your lunch breaks together and sharing small gossip about your old class-mates.

“ugh, don’t remind me,” he let’s out a long sigh, “every year, it seems like my family won’t stop pestering me about starting a family.”

“What’s so wrong about that?”

“Nothing, just not for me. Or at least not yet. I don’t think I’m the type to settle down,” he shrugs again as if it were no big deal.

You gasp, “how could you say that? I’ve seen your insta account. It’s got your cousin’s kids all over it!” You stop to take a good look at him as he holds the door of the gym open for you. “Back in school too, you used to tutor those elementary kids for volunteering hours. Even when you didn’t need them. You’ve always liked kids.”

“That’s different…”

“Right. Totally different things. Got it,” you roll your eyes. This wasn’t the first time he mentioned not wanting to settle down. At first, you had thought it was because he liked ‘keeping his options open’ like back in high-school. Or, not that you knew for sure, but if the rumors were true then it meant he slept his way around. Apparently, he never slept with someone twice and despite the cold shoulder the other party would get, all you had ever heard were praises. Not that you paid that much attention or anything.

You and Jaehyun had the same circle of friends, but despite that, he had never made any advances towards you. You’d be lying if that didn’t bother you at least once or twice. You just assumed that he didn’t want to make the friendship awkward or mess with the friend dynamics of your group. Which was why your crush on him in junior high ended as soon as you got to high-school.

You ended up going on dates with other people, but nothing that kept your interest. Nothing that compared to how you felt around him. Not that he seemed to think the same, so you tried your best to stay the good friend you always have been. You didn’t want to push something he clearly didn’t want; not that it didn’t hurt any less. Throughout the years it’s become bearable, at least. Almost like a painful habit.

You check in and head to the locker rooms to change. His nonchalance about the subject had always puzzled you. You’d seen first hand how all the female coworkers seemed to sway their hips as they walked by him, how some would pop a blouse button more than usual when around him, and you swore no one else was getting that much help throughout training more than him. He was handsome and a gentleman, that much was painfully obvious.

You meet him outside by the water fountain, “ready for warm-up?” he guides your way to the treadmills.

“When’s the last time you dated?”

You would have laughed if you weren’t so shocked to see him trip from the corner of your eye. “why the sudden curiosity?” He finally responds.

“Not sudden, I’d always wondered.” You defended. “You’re good looking and you’re very…I mean, you live on your own and have your own car. You have good relations with your family AND you’re good with kids. So, what is it?” You hadn’t realized how troubling you thought it all was. But now that you started digging you couldn’t stop.

“I just—” you pause, “it doesn’t make sense.”

You hear him chuckle, “you might wanna slow down before you pull something.” You look down and realize that your pace had gone from a relaxed jog to a borderline run during your rant. Maybe this wasn’t the best time to psychoanalyze your only friend in the city.

“Well, I just don’t know how to let people in. It’s just that.” He finally responds. “I love kids, but I don’t know or think I’d be a good partner.” He slows down before stopping, ending the conversation. He waves you off with an easy smile as you stay running.

Huh, maybe you pushed him too far. Your eyes can’t help but follow him around the gym.

Sweet and bitter chocolate, The taste at the end is always the same

Like the saddest movies, Only tears in my eyes

Your hands were sweaty the entire morning, anticipating your lunch time. It was his birthday today, and while you hadn’t made any concrete plans you ended up agreeing to go over to his place after work. Your gym bag was ready with snacks and comfy clothes to stay over. You remembered him saying he was excited to watch that new Marvel movie that had recently come out so you had bought it online to stream it at his place as a surprise. But what had you nervous was the small heart shaped box sitting in your purse. You didn’t know what possessed you to buy it but you had immediately thought of Jae when you passed by it at the mall. You remember vaguely mentioning that it was a special occasion to the sales lady (as in, his birthday), but she must have thought it was your significant other rather than friend because she changed the box to the red velvet shaped one while giving you a wink. In her defense, you could have protested but…why didn’t you?

You hear a knock on your door, “hey little miss sunshine.” Ah, Nakamoto, this couldn’t be good news. He was only sickly sweet to you when he needed a favor.

“What do you want?” you deadpan. He only laughs as he makes himself comfortable in your office. “Well, nothing in particular. Can’t stop by and see how you’re doing?” he feigns hurt.

“Right—the last time you ‘came by’ you left me working over-time through the weekend,” You sigh, “so what is it this time? Missed meeting? Late proposal?” To be fair, your supervisor WAS overworked sometimes. And since you were the only worker under him, it was normal for him to sometimes share some of the load with you.

He smiles at you, “nope. Just have a proposal for you. I know you’ve been working hard these past few months and I’ve been really impressed by your work ethic.” He stands and moves closer to your desk, “And I thought some sort of reward was in order, as well as celebration.” Ok, now you’re confused. You were ok with the reward part, it usually came in the form of a gift card to your favorite coffee shop, but celebration?

“Why would we celebrate? Did I miss something?”

“Not yet, but I did recommend you to the partner position with me. And I wanted to be the first to tell you that the boss approved it earlier today. So, what do ya say? Dinner on me?” he extends his hand out to you and wiggles his eyebrows playfully.

Oh.

Shit! You were hoping this would happen eventually, moving up from the entry-level position you had. But you had never thought it would be this fast. “Oh my gosh, are you serious?” You give him your hand and he shakes it in mock salute.

“Of course, some people will come by to move your computer to the office next to mine. You start Monday!” he winks, “So, wanna go to that new rooftop restaurant? This is a once in a life-time ticket, so you best say yes.”

But your dinner with Jae…He’ll understand, right? He has to. It’s not like he seemed that excited about it anyway. And you could always spend the day together tomorrow, too. It would be pretty rude to turn down Yuta after he pulled some strings for you…

You smile at him, “Thank you Mr. Nakamoto, I won’t let you down as a partner. Yeah, dinner sounds great. Wanna meet there?”

You sit down on the small table, now nervous for other reasons.

Jae sits opposite of you, a small smile on his face. “Hey you,” he greets.

“hey…” you start, “I hate to change plans so suddenly, but…” crap, you feel really shitty. But you really were between a rock and a hard place.

“everything ok?”

“yeah, no. I actually just got promoted,” you start.

“You did? That’s awesome! So fast, too. Wow—but shouldn’t you be more enthusiastic about it?” he chuckles.

“I am, just—my old supervisor wanted to go to dinner to celebrate. And I don’t think I could say no after helping me out like that.”

“I mean, did you want to skip it or?” Now he’s confused.

“Well, he wanted to go out tonight since I start Monday and today’s Friday…I don’t think I can come over tonight,” you explain.

Realization crosses his features before he gives a small smile. “Don’t worry about it, you’re fine. And he’s treating you! You don’t know when the next time he offers might be,” he continues, “we can celebrate another day anyway.”

“Are you sure?” now you feel like shit.

“Of course I’m sure.”

For the rest of the lunch, a thick silence settles before he excuses himself back to work.

Jaehyun knew this was coming. Nothing ever went his way; it’s why he kept everyone at a distance from his heart. But he was weak when it came to you. This game of push and pull was bound to keep happening, and it only brought him that all familiar foul taste in his mouth.

I know, that sweet love song, Those words of promise

When you turn around, It's just an unfamiliar someone

It was why he decided to go else-where for university, instead of joining you and some of your friends to the one closest to home. He chose to go across the globe—far, far away from the curse of you.

It had started on a windy day, back when you were 4 and new to the town he grew up in. Jaehyun didn’t want to leave his mother’s arms, he didn’t like the thought of being with strangers until later in the day even if his mom promised that she would be back. A little girl with jean overalls like his came up to him and his mom, “why are you crying?”

“I am not!” he sniffed. He didn’t need to make new friends like his mom was trying to tell him. All he needed was to go back home. You took out something from your pocket and showed it to him, “look, my mom said I could give one to my first friend. She said it was sharing. Want one?”

In her little palm, were two kiss chocolates. “You’re not my friend,” he grumbled, “I don’t know your name.” At that, you giggled, “I’m Y/N!” you took his hand and placed a chocolate there, “there, now we’re officially friends.”

“See, Jae? You can spend some time with Y/N and have fun. Before you know it, I’ll be back,” she promised.

“Yeah, Jae! Come play blocks with me, and then we can try the coloring.” You held his hand as you led him deeper into the classroom. Just like that, Jae began to feel a little warmth in his chest. He didn’t mind that his favorite thing to do was play tag outside or that he wasn’t really good at coloring inside lines yet. But that didn’t matter to him. As long as he had this one friend around, he was content.

Sorry I'm an anti-romantic, I want to run far away

My heart that already chases after you, Blazes up as a small flame

Looking back at it now, it was a little funny. All it took to let you in back then was a simple chocolate kiss and your little sticky hand in his leading the way. You were always larger than life to him, sometimes he forgot that you were just as human as him.

As you two continued to grow, nothing seemed to change your friendship. But he knew that the depth of his feelings wasn’t mutual. It was in the way that you brought a lot different people together and decided to call it your family. Another of your friends, Jungwoo, liked to joke that you collected introverts for fun. To Jaehyun, it was more likely that you just didn’t see the fun in leaving people out. You were charming and passionate. Traits he wished he had. Your empathetic nature and gentle disposition were all that Jaehyun needed, even if he wasn’t the only recipient.

Once you guys started to hit puberty, things started to feel rocky. Jaehyun couldn’t help but physically distance himself from you, his ears were always red-hot. You had always been pretty to Jaehyun, but you were starting to become really beautiful. And if the boy’s locker rooms’ talk were anything to go by, then other people were definitely starting to realize “what a great catch” you were.

It really pissed him off. Who were they to say things as if all you were was a piece of meat? It disgusted him. But what disgusted him more was the fact that sometimes, he couldn’t help but also feel the way your body felt in his when you hugged in greeting. He hated the way his body reacted to everything you did.

He first messed around with a senior girl back when he was a sophomore, Sooyoung. She was leaving and he couldn’t take it anymore. Your boyfriend was a piece of trash and he was tired of hearing the way he would share what Jae considered to be intimate moments that had no business being public. But you seemed so happy… that next game, Jae stole the ball from him and scored on his own. Even if it cost him a three hour lecture from the coach, he would do it again. Fuck being a team, that guy was an asshole.

What he hadn’t planned on was liking messing around. He would never admit it, but the reason he couldn’t commit was because he couldn’t get rid of that small grain of hope that glowed in his chest every time you stared at him longer than would be deemed normal. It wasn’t often, but he knew he wasn’t seeing things. So, he succumbed to the cycle of push-and-pull that you guys had going on.

Jaehyun wasn’t blind, he knew that your work definitely spoke of your professionalism, but he’s also seen the way Nakamoto stared after you. Of the way his hand would often touch your waist when walking together. Even now, as he hears you apologize through the phone again as you get ready for your “date” with him he can’t help this heart feel heavy with anger. Anger at himself, for letting you slip away once more. He usually hopes for nothing but the best for you, but this time, he wishes you had an awful dinner.

Sorry I'm an anti-romantic, I don't believe in romance

I'm afraid that after burning my whole heart, It will only leave behind ashes

Throughout the entire dinner, you can’t seem to get Jae out of your mind. It keeps you from enjoying the delicious food, keeps you from keeping your usual banter with Nakamoto.

You’re about to call it a night and thank Nakamoto for inviting you out when he beats you to it, “damn, I was hoping this might be a good break from the usual overtime we do, but something tells me your mind has been elsewhere,” he offers good naturedly, “I know it’s valentine’s, so maybe this is why we feel so awkward, right?”.

You grimace a bit at that, “ah—I’m sorry. I really am grateful for the way you look after me in the company and I’m also thankful for this lovely dinner,” you stop a bit, afraid you might offend him, “I agreed to come out tonight, so no need to feel awkward.” You offer a smile.

“Alright then. I guess you already have your sights on someone?” he prods. Should you be honest? There was no rule against dating outside your department, and you were pretty sure your new boss’s wife also worked within the company. “…I do. But I’m pretty sure they don’t feel the same way. It’s been so long since we’ve known each other. Surely if something were to have happened, it would have by now.” You were loosening up, definitely the wine’s fault.

Nakamoto sighs at that, “damn, and here I thought I could woo you after this,” he winks jokingly but you laugh him off. You knew he didn’t care for you that way. “I really hope you’re talking about the guy you always eat lunch with. I swear everyone thought you guys were married when you were released from training.”

“What?! No, I—we’ve been friends since we were children—”

“Aha! So it was him then,” he smirks. “Good.”

You groan, “Please, no.”

“What, it’s not him? You sure about that?”

“I will neither confirm nor deny that statement,” you groan. Why were you discussing your love life? You push the wine away and take a sip of your water.

“Hmm. That’s too bad. Could have sworn that guy was after you.” He stands up. “But fine, I’ll stop prodding.”

You sigh in relief—“for now.” You groan. “What do you even mean by that? You don’t even know him. Or me, or at least personally at least.”

“Mmm, I don’t have to. Some things you just know. Like how he wishes I was six feet under every time we run across him at work,” he sobers up at that. “He seemed like a cool dude, but his glare isn’t too friendly. I don’t know how you fell for that.”

You scoff, “just because someone has a resting bitch face doesn’t mean they’re a bad person.”

You both make your way to the underground parking. “You’re right, it just makes them unapproachable. Is that why you won’t confess?” His genuine tone rubs you the wrong way, you don’t need be given false hope.

“Stop it, you said you would drop it,” you frown, “Anyways, thank you for the food boss—”

“—not your boss anymore. Just call me Yuta, we’re partners now.”

“Aren’t you two years older than me?”

“And?”

You shrug at that, “well, thanks Yuta. For the food, not for the interrogation.” He chuckles at that, nodding while pulling out his car keys. “see you Monday!” he waves you off.

You sigh as you get home. It wasn’t as late as you thought it was, only a few minutes past nine. You really wanted to see him. Would he be busy?

You fish out your phone and dial his number before chickening out.

“Hello?”

“Jae! It’s me. Are you busy right now?” your heartbeat is pounding so loud, you’re scared he could hear it on the other end. “Right now?” you hear shuffling on the other end, “no, I was just reading that book Jungwoo sent me. Might have dozed off a bit into it but don’t tell him I said that,” he chuckles.

“Why, is everything ok? It’s still early, did you end dinner that fast?”

“Oh, Yuta and I called it a night pretty early. Too many couples were out and about and it got a bit awkward,” you explained.

“Yuta?”

“Ah, yes. Yuta Nakamoto, but now that we’re associates, he said it would be better to address him less formally.” You waive him off, “actually, I was wondering—if it’s not too late, can I still come over? If not, that’s cool. We can still hang out tomorrow, but your birthday is today and I thought—”

He laughs at your rambles, “of course you can come over, you know you don’t have to ask. How many times have I told you that?”

“Ok, ok. Just checking,” you still had your comfy change of clothes in your car, so you opt to save those for tomorrow and change into something causal for tonight.

“Do you want me to go get you? We can get ice cream on the way, hopefully they don’t close early.”

“Sounds like a plan then,” curse your heart for melting at everything he says.

“Alright, give me 15 and I’ll be there.” He hangs up.

You look at your bag, resting on your sofa and you sigh. The entire night, it’s almost as if you could feel the weight of his gift weighing it down. Yuta is known for being very observant, it’s why he was so good at his job. Closing deals and making contracts in advertisement. Would he be right about this? You know you desperately wish he was, but is it worth risking your best friend?

EndNote | Woooow, that was a longass ride. Let me know if you liked it or if there are other typos I missed! Or just to let me know what you thought, that would be much appreciated. I'm thinking of finishing it by Sunday 6/13, so hopefully the next part is up by then. Until then!

Here's Part 2!

[cadriona]

i do not know if tumblr submitted an ask before i was ready to send it or not but quick summary is just love the idea of having a beiguang collection on ao3 since ship tags on ao3 have been turning into absolute slush piles to browse these last few years, and a moderated collection is a viable solution i've seen around before

the questions i have at the moment are twofold:

1. when the intro says the collection is dedicated to works "featuring" beiguang, does this mean that beiguang can be the only pairing present in the fic, no exceptions, or is this a sliding scale? i suppose the intent is that beiguang are the Main Pairing (i.e. they (as both individuals and a unit) get the most focus and development/the plot hinges on their character actions/relationship development), but what would happen in the rare situation that multiple (presumably mutually exclusive) pairings drive the plot equally? assuming it's executed well and (we'll assume two for now, as this argument probably weakens as the number grows) both pairings are featured throughout the entire story, would that qualify as a legitimate part of the collection under the current rules?

and if other pairings are allowed to be features (in the most basic sense of the word, like "facial features", not synonym for "starring") but not costars (in a sense) in a fic, what is the cutoff point for a fic to no longer be considered A Beiguang Fic, but instead A Fic Which Has A Lot Of Beiguang Who Are Important To The Story But Is Not A Beiguang Fic? i understand this is a pretty finnicky question, but art has a lot of grey area by nature, so i think it's worth at least considering.

and 2. aside from Collecting Beiguang Fics, what is the goal of the collection? like, specifically, is it meant to simply be an archive of fics (in the same sense that ao3 is an archive) where beiguang are the main/a major focal point of the story, regardless of how good, bad, or ugly the content may be at times? or is it meant to be more of a community resource, for lack of a better term, for people looking for beiguang fics meant to end well for them? i don't think there's anything wrong with the latter--esp since the rule abt foreign-language fics requiring a fluent reader to vet them first leads me to believe that fics posted to the collection would be fully read before passing judgement on their belonging and would therefore bring up mental health concerns for those moderators in the face of a fandom as prone to bad actors as genshin--and as your collection, i think you should be free to put as many restrictions as you like on the content it contains.

if it's meant to be an archive, then i have some questions regarding the details of the rules simply because they seem worded vaguely enough that annoying tricksters or whatnot with too much free time on their hands might want to toe that line and just generally be problem-riddled nuisances. but, since i'm not invested enough in beiguang to write for them or search through their slush pile, i don't wanna just be Some Outsider pestering a community member abt this resource they've created and curated for other people with substantial investment in the pairing simply bc i happen to enjoy using their resource myself, if that makes sense.

anyway, yeah!! thank you for your consideration w/the long long ask, and best of luck maintaining the beiguang collection~

Hihi! yeah this was the only ask I got, so no worries on that front :D

I'll try to answer without rambling too much, so here goes:

featuring beiguang as currently defined is indeed a sliding scale. This is because I think the fics that features two ships where neither of them are exactly a side-ship (so for instance, a double-date with ganqing or similar), may be included as well. With your example of a fic with two ships in a more plot driven fic, i'd say it would depend on more of a case by case basis and by suggestion/submission? An example would be how there are many childe/zhongli fics where beidou/ningguang are also tagged and present, but as I haven't read many of them and can't exactly judge with the rate I'm currently going through the archive, it would be difficult to say whether or not there's enough beiguang to be added to the archive. For drabble fics and the like, with maybe half of the content predominantly featuring beiguang, if that makes sense? Honestly some of your questions for part 1 are ones that have been bugging me as well, but I think I'll need the thoughts of people who have actually read the fics in question to be actually able to determine if it is a predominantly beiguang fic, or if its just one where they are present, but more in the background.

At the moment the collection is more meant as an archive in general: pretty much the good the bad, the inbetween, with certain fics left out (such as those that came about due to harrassment on twitter featuring the pairing but uh, done so in a malicious manner). It's also meant as a way to be able to quickly find beiguang-centric fics in general, seeing as the current tags are filled with chat fics, fics that tag at the slightest hint of a ship, and etc. The foreign language rule is mainly to prevent similarly malicious fics from making it into the archive, so fingers crossed I can find help on that aspect TuT

Since it's meant as an archive, yeah I agree the rules are somewhat vague at the moment and could therefore be suspect to trolling behaviour. It's why the collection, while open, is also moderated, but by the time I start adding more mods onto the team (hopefully soon because this was... a much larger undertaking then I had anticipated), then I hope it is people that I can trust and love the pairing enough to not want to ruin the experience for other people. As I get further along/more people get added, I'll definitely try to clarify the rules more, so hopefully people will bear with me as its still a growing collection and I am only one person orz

Thanks for the ask and the detail you went into for it! It helped me clear up some of my own thought processes, which i very much needed xD

And for future reference, I'm going to try to tag posts related to the archive #beiguang archives so there's that too lol

[rickybowxn]

let's talk about these kourtney and nini scenes shall we?

first off, they do such a good job in establishing everything we need to know about nini's psyche right now, and how it's changed and evolved from the rickini/rini break-up to getting the lead in the play to the entire ej relationship. let's break that down:

1. i mentioned it in response to @softbowen's post on how nini commented on ricky as 'an ex that can't even be friends' but it's worth mentioning again on this post. i personally saw right through the re-invention that nini went through. from ep1, it's clear to see that nini 2.0 is more so a product of everyone around telling her to be more confident and empowered (ej and kourtney mostly) + her having to put up a front in front of ricky that she's moved on and better off without him, rather than her seeing herself as talented, worthy of love, beautiful and intelligent. she willed this version of herself into existence for everyone who cares about her and not for herself. and it's more so a reason for her to distance herself from ricky, it's obvious that they are really comfortable with one another and getting closer to him would mean that she has to see all the growing up she has to do through interacting with him and not on her own. additionally, accepting the part she had to play in ricky leaninig into that kiss would have meant that she has to face how fake it all is. her realizing all of it independently in this scene really allows for her to see herself, and ricky and her in a new light i think (pretty excited for that actually). i think this ep really helped her come into being a little more confident in who she is as wholly and unapologetically herself.

2. ricky and nini, it's safe to assume, got into a friendship/crush in middle school!! or atleast, nini had feelings for him (and was thus effected by his opinion of her) from seventh grade. seventh grade. that made her and ricky 11/12 at most when they met and first had feelings for each other - they were absolute babies. this makes their relationship, and everything that went wrong with their relationship so much clearer and definitely more substantial. they were both, and still are, incredible impressionable and got into a relationship when they were 14/15, which objectively, is way too young to have something super serious and long term without someone screwing up due to the lack of maturity in communication, confidence and esteem as well as self-image. they both clearly don't know who they are without the other and this is arguably the first time both nini and ricky are figuring that out. nini specifically bc she got right into another relationship with ej right after ricky. and kourtney was amazing in pointing out that one of the roots of nini's insecurities comes from seeing herself through the people she cares about, especially ricky and ej, rather than forming a healthy and independent image of herself.

now the best part of this entire post, my girl KOURTNEY BROUGHT IT. y’all don’t know wonderful it is as an 18 year old girl to see a best girlfriend give it to her friend straight. there was no bs, no misunderstanding, no dire circumstance that resulted in the conversation. it was just kourntey looking out for one of the people she loves most in the world. this is the first disney show that i’ve watched (and i think of the genZ era) that absolutely called out this bullshit element of fullfillment and success that a young teenage girl magically gains when she gets into a relationship. not only do most shows consider it and paint a relationship in high school a necessity, they barely ever address the harmful effects of a young teenage girl getting into a relationship when neither person is mature enough. the writers did all kids (especially girls) such justice this scene - we don’t need boys, we don’t need a relationship, what we need is to find ourselves, our confidence and our beauty independently and honestly. and then, and only then, can we look at finding and being accepting of love and affection from another person. don’t get me wrong, y’all can date whoever, whenever, but i believe that it’s really important to normalise not being in a relationship in your teen years, not only does it encourage growth and self-sufficiency in young girls (which arguably benefits them when they wanna pursue a relationship), it above all allows girls without relationships (such as me growing up) to not feel inferior. hsmtmts did it right.

( just wanna say that i haven't really done much with nini's character or had commentary on her because she's been pretty one dimensional until this episode. her arc starts to evolve into complexity this ep and i'm so excited to see where she goes from here. its a bit edgy for the writers to start developing the protagonist's character and arc only half way through the season but hey, they did a pretty convincing job of it this episode. i grow to love this show more and more every week it's wonderful in the most unexpected of ways!!)

i loved this scene, it showcased a loving and beautiful friendship, an epiphany that hopefully pushes nini on the path of honest self-love and maturity independently (with respect also to what she wants with ricky) - a true nini 2.0, and an epic segway into an amazing dance number. this is one of the less talked about parts of the episode, but its just as important and inspiring. hsmtmts continues to impress (that’s why my posts keep getting longer and longer lmaooo) kudos to you hsmtmts, kudos to you. 

[roominthecastle]

So you really think that Red is Illya? I got the feeling that Dom outright lied to Liz. This lovesick puppy act since childhood really doesn't fit, imo. It's like Red feels guilty about using Katarina to accomplish his own ends. He respected and was attracted to her (similar to Samar) but I don't think he ever truly loved her. I don't think he is Illya at all, but one who (like the real Red) got scapegoated for something Katarina did, lost his fam, and so used her & her childhood friend Illya.

Yes, for now I remain convinced that Ilya == our Red. And the “lovesick puppy act” fits, imo, but I do share your views on the rest + I got another message that ties into this nicely, so more on all of this behind the compulsory cut bc yes, it’s long again:

Everything that’s been hinted about Red’s past over the years (took on RR’s identity, was close to Katarina, knows Dom quite well, “difficult child”, Russian mother, well-versed in tradecraft, etc.) fits Ilya, so why would Ilya be a random third person in an episode that draws on all these clues to reveal another layer of our Red? If our Red was someone else who used Kat & Ilya, then why didn’t we see at least a firm hint of him doing that? This would have been the time to intro him given that we are ~6 years in now w/ one, maybe 2 more years to go.

I agree that what Dom told Liz is not the whole story (and the missing parts are gonna end up producing a much darker and less flattering picture when they are revealed) but the broad strokes are true, imo. If this whole ep is a lie, then this whole ep was kinda pointless to show us bc if Ilya is not our Red, then we see nothing of our Red in the very episode that is meant to provide us w/ a glimpse into his past and his ties to Kat and Dom.

I know many fans have issues w/ Ilya for various reasons (mostly for two, 1. he is not related to Liz at all and 2. he had feelings for Kat at some point) but I think Gabriel did an excellent job and his Ilya fits the bill for me:

Ilya is our Red ~30 years ago from Dom’s (forgiving/sugarcoated) perspective

3 decades – esp those 3 that Red has lived through – do change ppl, so Ilya having traces of the man we know today but not his fully developed persona and “code of conduct” is how it should be

“lovesick puppy” is what our Red is around Liz, too. he often embodies the “Dulcinea Effect” trope, too, and, generally speaking, he has problems managing emotional attachments (despite excelling at business relationships), so it makes sense to me that it’s already present in Ilya and the way he acts around Kat.

and Dom flat out lying to Liz is… why? he has nothing to gain by lying and everything to lose if Liz finds out that yet. another. dude. lied. to her face. That’s exactly why Red landed in prison, too, so pissing Liz off is really not the way to go.

There could be something to the manipulation angle, tho. I have another ask about this, too:

Red is a first-class manipulator w/ attachment management issues, so any question that begins with ���is it possible he manipulated…” gets a yes from me, anon #2. He loves Liz, he is willing to die for her every time they run out of options, but love also doesn’t prevent him from pushing his secret agenda and using her to further it w/o letting her in on what it is exactly that he’s doing and why. This duality (fiercely protecting her while also carrying out a secret, death-magnet mission) is their “conflict engine” and is understandably a major issue for Liz. This behavior is what finally drives Dembe away, too, imo. He already warned Red in S4: “People are dying all around you.” Mr. Kaplan also kept telling him that he must change. Dom has the exact same complaint about his dogged and dangerous behavior. Everybody who knows him well seems to agree on this one thing.

So I think it’s entirely possible Red/Ilya did the same dance w/ Kat, as well. He genuinely cared for her but he also had his own agenda when he took on Reddington’s identity, one we don’t fully know yet, one that likely got her killed, one that Dom is still struggling to forgive him for. This whole thing was Ilya/Red’s idea and once he came up w/ it, he didn’t let go until he convinced Kat to go along w/ it.

“Rassvet” overshadows its lead-in episode but we get a quality build-up for this in 618 when Dom is all up in Red’s grill again:

Dom: *gestures at the cooler*Red: Thank you.Dom: Might as well offer. You’d take one whether I wantedyou to or not.Red: A beer?Dom: A beer. A life. You do what you want, no matter what Ithink.Red: Which you find unforgivable.Dom: You want to know what I find unforgivable? You notseeing how forgiving I am.Red: You forgiving? You forgave Katarina. But not me.

if we add to this bits from previous conversations like

“It was a Hobson’s choice. There was a woman and her child. Both were doomed. Both would die. I could either saveone or lose both. I chosethe child. It was… it was the worstthing I’ve ever had to do in my life. Worst thing by far. […] I was arrogant.” - Red, 319

“She’s gone because of choices you made for both of them. First Katarina andthen Masha. As far asI’m concerned, you killed myentire family!” - Dom, 320

Red: She deceivedme, faked herown death. At thetime, she wanted to getaway from me.Dom: Ha! Well, so do I.Red: I know you’ve been conditioned to assume my selfishness. I’m sure that’slargely my fault. You don’thave to believe me or help meor like me. You neverhave. I don’t know whyyou’d have to start now.But this isn’t about me, Dom. This is about Masha. If I don’t come back–Dom: You always come back!Red: If I don’t come back, you need to find her, Dom. Tell her who you are. I have to go. I’m sorry.Dom: For what?Red: All of it. I wish I’d been the person you wanted me to be.

“I’m not sure Elizabeth will ever be ready to learn about what you did to Katarina.” - Dembe, 422

it certainly reveals how Dom’s “Rassvet” story is incomplete and depicts Ilya/Red more like the person he wanted him to be and less like the one he actually was/is. If Ilya/Red purposefully neglected to inform Kat about what it was exactly that he intended to do w/ Reddington’s identity and it was too late to back out once they started, if he was playing his signature “I’m telling you a truth but I’m never telling you everything” game already, then Dom’s behavior makes sense: he believes Kat had no real choice since she was not aware what she was walking into when she agreed to Ilya/Red’s plan and this got her killed. Ilya/Red’s mission is an inherently noble one but not even inherently noble ends justify every means.

And then the exact same thing happened when Ilya/Red showed up in Liz’s life w/ his blacklist, telling her “I wanna help you. That’s why I am here.” when his motivations were far more complex and calculated from the start, and Liz is still not fully grasping them. But she is already questioning why he kept the fake identity, which is truly the key to everything. Dom’s story might not have been entirely faithful to reality, but while Liz previously had no handle on the million questions strategically obscuring Red from full view – so she had no real chance to unmask him –, now her attention is focused on the one question that can lead her straight to the truth. Dom – unintentionally or not – gave her a shortcut. Red knows what this means and he is scared.

I think what we ultimately have here is a conflict of true love and calculated/manipulative behavior that’s wrapped together to serve a semi-obscured mission motivated by a semi-obscured past. With Liz, Red has a second chance, a chance to right things he did wrong with Katarina -- but only if he is willing to adjust his behavior and start treating her as a real partner.