#Apologies if its incoherent

[buckys-arm-and-rios-dagger]

OKAY SO I JUST FINISHED SECRET INVASION (I know I'm late to the party but it was airing while I was at Stagedoor and I have like no signal there and wifi is spotty at best) AND I AM 1. U N W E L L and 2. BREAKING OUT THE RED STRING REGARDING THIS GOING INTO THUNDERBOLTS SO STRAP IN

(spoilers below the break and also this is gonna be a long one)

So I know they've said the Thunderbolts movie is gonna have things to do with Vibranium, and I get that, but part of me thinks the Skrulls are gonna play a part in it.

Edit: HAD TO EDIT THIS POST BC I FULLY FORGOT ABOUT THE EXISTENCE OF JOHN WALKER. LIKE. TRULY IMPRESSIVE HONESTLY.

Okay so I have a lot of thoughts so we're just gonna word vomit

HEAR ME OUT

This may be entire circumstantial evidence but looking at the lineup we have 3 people who fight with brute force in a hand to hand situation (Bucky, Alexei, Antonia kinda), 3 people who are shown to be amazing ranged weapon fighters (Bucky, Antonia, Yelena)

And also Ava bc I havent figured out how her specific power set factors into this theory but I think someone like her is just giid to have around for strategic/espionage/surveillance reasons.

We've seen in SI that Skrulls even without the Super Skrull machine have some sort of enhanced strength with Talos in like the first or second episode and then again during the Motorcade fight when he saves the President

(and we will GET to the president)

which for Super Soldiers might be an even match, like Steve and Bucky in CATWS

or at least they can take a lot more damage and heal a lot quicker than the others.

Ranged weapons, I mean there's a full on human/Skrull war going on now, you're probably gonna want at least some people who can stay out of direct fighting

or in the case of Bucky and Antonia, you can't have them taking damage all the time,

and then also having someone like Ava who can sneak around unseen and undetected is of course a good way to infiltrate Skrull bases undetected/figure out who all is a Skrull/again she's just generally a strategic advantage to any team she's a part of imo

The Vibranium could also still factor into it too

I mean Skrulls are an alien species and Vibranium is a metal from space like it isn't unheard of

Also I have a horrible thought that won't happen bc Chris and Scarlett are gone but Bucky and Yelena having to fight Skrulls that look like Steve or Nat respectively would make me U N W E L L

I don't think it would inhibit them tbh, I think it would go a lot more like the Mustang Vs. Envy fight at the end of FMAB where it's like "they're dead I know they're dead and the fact you're wearing their face isn't weakening me it's making me angrier"

Watch FMAB it's great

This is the scene though if you want what I'm talking about condensed, the specific spot it starts at is 4:18

Or Bucky fighting a Winter Soldier Skrull

The TRAUMA but also the CATHARSIS of Bucky LITERALLY fighting his demons

AND WINNING

Aaaaaaanayways

Looping back to the President I said we'd get to

Diet Trump over there is definitely not gonna be president by the time TB rolls around

like Fury said what he did with the Skrulls is definitely some one-term president bs.

By the time he's out of office there's gonna be such a spike in hate crimes(?) against Skrulls/general murder that no one in their right mind would back him for re election

(at least I think. I hope. I'm praying Marvel doesn't emulate real life in this respect)

So my thought is

I'm basing this solely on a rumor I heard months ago abt Ross's role Thunderbolts so big grain of salt here

that's how Ross becomes President

and , and he may run on a campaign stating he'll end the lunacy

and I don't doubt that he'd want to

but from what little I know about him he seem like an "ends justify the war crimes" type guy

so my thought is he's sending the Thunderbolts in to do something relating to Skrulls

The Super Skrull machine may be how we specifically get Red Hulk too

I know we established in She-Hulk that the Hulk blood can be injected and stuff

But my thought is maybe he recreates it or something

And when infused with Radiation instead of Gamma rays (I don't know science they might be too different idk) it gives us Red Hulk instead of the usual Hulks we get, or anything like Abomination

That one has less backing it I just think it's neat

But idk those are my theories pls tell me what y'all think I have so many thoughts

[theweeklydiscourse]

What’s with the ATLA fandom’s bizarre tendency to discuss Aang as if he’s a real-life kid? It’s gotten to the point where if you criticize the messaging of the show or certain writing decisions that are conveyed through Aang, people act like you’re picking on a real person with real feelings. Furthermore, he’s also not a paragon of wisdom, yet people talk about him as though he is based on his fictional circumstances in the narrative. These two issues are connected somehow, both claims ignore the fiction of the show and blur the lines between fictional dilemmas and real-life moral dilemmas. Ultimately, Aang is a vehicle for the morals that Bryke wish to communicate and consequently, their shortcomings, blindspots and biases surface in his character.

[trans-queen-administrator]

Hey, can I hear about your shatterbird thoughts? She's always been my favourite member of the nine :]

[@faultlinescrew]

Oh I'm about to type for entirely too long.

Alright so a chunk of this is kinda headcanon, but any of that is fully based on canon. I had a giant fanfic planned that was literally an expanded telling of Shatterbird's life from trigger to death, and some plot points there may bleed into this unconsciously.

Number one favorite thing about Shatterbird is that initially, she did nothing wrong. She was unwillingly dosed with a Cauldron vial, and her scream and subsequent exploding of Dubai wasn't her fault. She had no intention to hurt anyone, it was done entirely out of her control as she gained powers and she should not be blamed for her first time destroying a city. The thing is, that doesn't matter in universe. She's still going to be hunted down by countless capes because she killed an untold number of people with that scream. No one's going to just let her go because it wasn't her fault, because she's the only person who can be blamed. People want revenge for their loved ones, and I'm willing to bet that she had a sizable bounty. It's similar to the situation we see with Rachel, where she can't have a normal life because she killed someone in her trigger and her identity is public, but on a much much larger scale.

I think the guilt ate at her so fucking bad at first. She killed her dad, her friends, her sister, her mother, countless others, and as much as it wasn't her fault she's still the one that did it. There's no way she doesn't blame herself for what happened, but when does she even have time to mourn? She's fled to a desert, she's gotta be struggling with food and water, and she's being hounded at every turn by people who want her dead. What's she supposed to do, let them kill her so she can atone for what she did or something?

I just love what a tragic backstory this is. She's one of the most horrible people we meet in canon, and I don't think it's unreasonable to say she has one of the highest body counts on Earth Bet, but she started as someone innocent and desperately trying to survive. And as much as I love this backstory and will defend to the death that she did nothing wrong at this point, it doesn't excuse who she becomes.

Shatterbird laughed.  “There’s only two ways to recover from something of that magnitude, to deal with the fact that you inadvertently killed thousands and thousands of people, and hospitalized twice that many.  You break, or you become it.”

(quote is from the missing interlude)

This is the quote that puts her entire character in a nutshell. The biggest question to me is... when did she become it? She implies in that interlude that it was rather quick, and that she went to Britain so she could hit a big target, but the Tattletale clone calls this out as a lie. She was running, the desert that she'd been in for months was unbearably loud with all that sand, and I think she was sick of living on the run. She wanted society, structure, something to make her feel human. I think she's full of shit saying she went there to destroy it, some accident or desperate confrontation occurred (timeline fits well enough for it to be a result of the Simurgh's attack, but that's just one possibility) and she broke London just as bad as she broke Dubai. What do you even do from there? Any slim hope of clearing her name is gone, she just has to keep running and try to ignore the guilt. And she ran to America, where the Slaughterhouse Nine found her.

The recruiting of people by the Slaughterhouse Nine fascinates me, because most are unwilling to join at first. Unfortunately the alternative is to die. No one in Brockton Bay was jumping to be the lucky winner, and the only people we know nominated themselves are Cherish and I think Siberian. Shatterbird (ever notice how she's the only S9 member with no canon first name? drives me nuts) was dragged into the recruitment process with no say in the matter just like most everyone is. Someone in the Nine found her, thought she would be a good fit because of London and Dubai (and how would that feel, to have someone on the S9 see you as just as bad as them?) and even if she explains that was on accident... what does it matter? It never matters that it was an accident. It never will matter. It's just something that she can tell herself to keep her sane.

So she's doing the fun little tests, I'm actually very curious how she altered herself for Mannequin's since he always does the same test, she's a very vain person, but that's off topic. Atrocities, horrors, being hunted by the Siberian, and suddenly she's at the end. Her and someone else.

“That’s not really a test,” Shatterbird spoke, “There hasn’t been a round of testing since I joined the group where we didn’t whittle it down to one candidate.” “We could forego the final test, pitting them against one another.” Shatterbird turned to him, “Ah.  But, again, the last test where we had to go that far was… mine?”

And she kills them. Dubai, London, those were accidents. This was on purpose, maybe even the first time she's done it on purpose. She could either break and decide she couldn't live with herself as a member of the nine, or she could just as horrible as everyone sees her. All her choices were rigged, there was never much of an opportunity to get better since so many paths closed off to her, but she voluntarily chooses to get worse. What's the point in holding on to the fact that it wasn't her fault at the beginning? She's never escaping what she did, so she'll become the monster everyone sees her as. You break, or you become it.

And there's not much of the more sympathetic side of Shatterbird in canon (partly because her backstory chapter was removed). She's fully embraced herself as a mass murderer. She revels in the attention, the fear. She parrots Jack's philosophy as a way to feel better about what she's doing, and eventually she doesn't need to feel better because she enjoys who she is now.

I don't know, I rambled for a while there but it boils down to me being fascinated by the circumstances of her gaining powers, and the shift from innocent but hated/feared to making damn sure that fear is justified.

Ok, so moving on from the backstory analysis, other miscellaneous details. Fuck it, I'm putting every thought I have on Shatterbird in this post.

She's the Nine's primary recruiter! Woo, good for her. Notably, she recruits Burnscar. Mimi is in a similar position to Shatterbird's past self with the whole involuntary mass destruction, although on a lesser scale (it'll always be on a lesser scale, Shatterbird has the worst trigger event out there in terms of consequences and she didn't even trigger). Mimi was on the streets and trying not to use her power, and Shatterbird scooped her up into the Nine.

“I- before I knew it, the Slaughterhouse Nine had found me.  Shatterbird recruited me.  And now I’m stuck.  I’m trapped.  You know there’s a kill order out on me?  If I try to quit, either the Nine or the cops will off me.  So I keep going, I work for them, and it all just gets worse.”

It's a situation Shatterbird can very likely relate to, but she's perpetuating it and making Mimi suffer like she did. No sympathy, no helping someone get through it and avoid the pitfalls she fell into, she's dragging other people down with her like a crab in a pot. Worth noting that I believe she's still bitter about the hand she was dealt even if she's embraced where it led her to, she remembers how horrible it was to be forced into everything and she does not care if she inflicts it on others.

But if someone else willingly joins the Nine, she takes it personally. Cherie says Shatterbird hates her, and that's because Cherie chooses the life Shatterbird was locked into. She's bitter that she never had that choice, and so she makes sure Cherie understands what it's like by chasing her for days for her test, not allowing any rest or sleep. However, this could also simply because Cherie sucks and is an unpleasant person to talk to, and Shatterbird is stuck-up.

Another thing I like is Shatterbird's appearance of knowledge and elegance. She's trying to appear put together, confident, in-control, and to be fair she does a pretty good job, her costume and theming are great. But under that is someone violent and angry, she's keeping up appearances to everyone else but also to herself. The fact that she's always trying to keep up appearances, even when locked in a room and doomed to die with one Witness (haha get it) she's trying to make it look like she was calm and in control when her body is found, is what 100% convinces me exploding Britain was an accident. The Tattletale clone calls her out, and to me it seems like another attempt to seem in control by framing it as deliberate.

Anyway, my attempts to woobify a mass murderer aside, I also like that she was a spoiled rich kid before all this and her prim asshole attitude points to that. She quotes Edgar Allen Poe, she reads because it makes her feel better than others, she's just so pretentious and unpleasant and to be clear I love this as a character trait, it's fun and leads to her speaking in overdramatic ways.

“Then you should know, nearly-Tattletale, that I’ve spent too long in the company of monsters to be scared by words.”

She thinks she was soooo cool saying that.

I also want to look at the last few weeks of her life. She spends so much effort propping herself up as great and in control, only to be locked in a box and puppeted around against her will. Genuinely I cannot think of anything more humiliating and agonizing for her to endure. She has nothing to do but think as she's used as a marionette.

She had a long time to reflect on her life, to look back at how she got here and what she regrets.

But I think she spent it stewing in her rage, itching and planning to get violent revenge and keep hurting others to be respected. She's unwilling and unable to go back, she'll double down on this forever because this is who she is now. And because 99% of characterization for Shatterbird isn't in Worm anyway, I may as well toss in this minor AU summary by Wildbow. If she escaped, she would have started her own version of the Nine with Damsel of Distress and Trickster. There is nothing left to sympathize with or redeem Shatterbird by the time we see her in canon, she's simply past that point. Side note but Shatterbird + Damsel of Distress + Trickster as a team is perhaps the funniest combo ever and I really wish those 3 fuckers got to interact in canon. Weirdo assholes who dress up fancy and have a taste for theatrics as a murder crew, we were robbed.

I could analyze the Hookwolf interlude but I don't want to. I'm very annoyed that Shatterbird (still no first name) is the only member of the Nine to lose the fight against her recruit instead of appearing terrifying and unstoppable. How come Burnscar can solo Faultline's crew but 3 nazis can take out Shatterbird, who has way more experience? It's pretty uncomfortable to have the only member of the Nine who isn't white be the one that loses to nazis, while one calls her a slur in his internal monologue, in the interludes where everyone else on her team is introduced as a force of nature. I think we should just collectively agree to make this interlude not canon and un-retcon the Witness interlude. While I'm on the topic it's also a bit questionable to have Sophia and Shatterbird (no first name. I am annoyed by this) as the only named capes puppeted by Regent?

But that's not the topic I wanna explore. The topic is that Shatterbird is a great character and I wish that she had depth in the story itself rather than scattered through 20 different sources, because she's legitimately my favorite non-undersider in the story. There is a lot of potential to explore her, one could interpret her backstory in a less charitable way than I did just for an example, and I really think she's neat! She takes hurting someone in an accident and then becoming the monster people see her as, something we see a few times throughout worm, to its ultimate conclusion in terms of scale. That alongside her outer layer of intellectualism and pretentiousness, which I'm a massive sucker for as a trait, and she's just perfect. Did nothing wrong (citation needed). I love her and I do hope that at least some of the stuff written her makes someone appreciate her character more.

Ok! That was... 2.2k words about Shatterbird (no first name). Woo! If some stuff seems inconsistent between paragraphs here, it's probably because I wrote this in chunks over the course of a few weeks and my feelings at the time can influence my interpretation of things and my writing to feel different when read all at once and compared. If you think I'm woobifying her too much, cool. I think it makes her more compelling to examine how much we know was her fault and how much she shouldn't be blamed for, and making her have less agency makes her more tragic which I always like. If you actually read this to the end, thank you! Have a nice day!

[whump-in-the-closet]

A Healer's Hands

poll results came in: team whump, medic is broken down to be made an example of

cw: gore, medic whump, creepy whumper, team dynamics, captivity, torture

The Medic's crew stumbled through the cell door, one after the other.

Captain, with a black eye and a limp, lifted two fingers to their temple in a mock solute. Their clothes were torn and there was blood on their uniform's collar.

Youngest trembled as one of the henchmen shoved them inside the gated door. They looked around, eyes brighter than a deer's in headlights. "H-hey Medic." They wrapped their arms around themself.

"Hey," Medic swallowed down the twisting feeling that rose up. He forced his voice to soften, to not carry any of the sharp panic he felt. "Where are you hurt?"

"We're fine," Captain cut in, gesturing behind Medic's shoulder. "It's--"

Medic had already whirled around.

Lieutenant.

The Lieutenant held onto the cell wall with a shaking grip. Where he touched it, blood trickled down the stones in a steady faucet run.

Drip.

Drip.

"Lieutenant?"

He glanced up. His nose was gushing red. It stained his uniform, bright and electric in the dull light.

"Turns out those fuckers can throw a punch after all," said Lieutenant with a hoarse laugh. Still unceremoniously reckless.

But he let Medic hold a makeshift bandage--ripped from Medic's shirt-- to his nose.

As Lieutenant sat down, Medic crouched beside him, correcting how he was holding the bandage. "Don't tilt your head up."

Lieutenant winced when Medic readjusted the bandage.

Medic drew away and reevaluated the situation. "It's broken," he said.

"It’s just a new look I’m trying out – call it avant-garde." Lieutenant tried to laugh but ended up grimacing. He waved Medic away. "I'll survive."

Medic shook his head. "Wiseass." But he smiled. Then. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

Lieutenant tilted his head against the wall, pieces of choppy hair falling away to reveal a swollen eye and pulsing bruises. He closed his eyes. Through a clenched jaw, he managed, "I think they broke my ribs."

Medic swallowed down a wave of helplessness. "Just stay still."

Lieutenant kept his eyes closed, breathing shallowly. "My pleasure."

Medic turned to Captain and Youngest. "So, you and you, where are you injured?" He only asked to make conversation. He had already identified that Youngest's arm was dislocated, hanging loosely at their side. And on Captain's right thigh was a raw-edged wound, seeping and damaged.

Medic took off his jacket, ready to tear it into makeshift bandages and a sling.

But neither looked at him.

Youngest was staring at something over Medic's shoulder. They pressed back into the wall, shaking.

"No," they whispered. "No. Not again."

Captain put a comforting hand on their shoulder, mouth set in a thin line.

Electric fear whispered a spider-like path down Medic's spine. They turned just as the cell door opened.

Whumper entered with two henchmen strolling behind them. Whumper grinned, teeth canine-sharp. His blood-red hair was tied back, accentuating fox-like features. He didn't look quite human-- too tall, too much of a bounce in his walk.

And he wouldn't stop smiling.

He swung a crowbar.

Even Lieutenant flinched.

Oh.

Oh.

Whumper arched an eyebrow when Medic stood his ground. "You're Medic?"

Medic glanced at Lieutenant-- saw panic and web-woven fear-- then back at Whumper. "Yes."

Whumper flicked the crowbar side to side. He kept talking, a paper mache smile at the corner of his mouth. "I don't appreciate you wrecking what I'm trying to build here."

Medic failed to understand. "I'm a medic. I have to provide care," he said automatically.

His head buzzed. He couldn't-- couldn't think clearly.

Whumper appeared to consider this. He tilted his head to the side. "I see. Well, I have to do things too, I get it."

"Yeah. Wait. No, what?"

The henchmen grabbed Medic. One kicked him in the back of the knees, forcing him to kneel.

Medic struggled, lashing out like a trapped animal.

A henchman brought the edge of their gun over Medic's head and Medic slumped forward.

His vision suddenly doubled.

The short-wired tension burst into flame.

Captain lunged forward. "Leave him alone!"

It took two henchmen to restrain Captain, pinning their arms behind them, and another to kick Lieutenant in the ribs, so he doubled over coughing. Incapacitated.

Whumper leaned over Medic, tilting his chin up to look him in the eye. "You should have left well enough alone," he whispered.

Medic snarled something unintelligible. A curse. A plea. He didn't know.

Whumpr straightened. To the others, he said, "You all break as easily as his hands will. And if you don't believe me? Watch."

There was a sharp intake of breath. Realization hit with a dull, sick thud. "No!" Lieutenant cried out, "No! No-- don't!"

But the henchmen had dragged Medic's hand out and splayed it on the tiles, kicking him when he tried to pull it away.

Whumper lifted the crowbar.

Medic's eyes widened in horror.

"No-- no, nonono! Please--" His voice arched into a desperate cry, more animal than human.

Crack.

A splintering sound.

All Medic could see was white. Electric pain filled every nerve, spilled into every bone, coating his teeth and burning-- burning, burning, burning.

A terrible sound ripped itself out of his throat.

And then again--

Crack.

His left hand.

Medic screamed.

Maybe he had screamed before.

Had always screamed.

Maybe he would scream forever.

Darkness filled the corners of his vision, blurring the sharp flashes of red of white--

Electric, pulsing red.

Burning, vicious white.

Blood trickled down his arms, bright and throbbing with a cinching pain.

Whumper wiped the gory crowbar on Medic's shirt.

His henchmen let the unconscious medic slump to the floor, little more than a bundle of clothes. They released Captain, who sank to the cell floor, unable to look away from Medic.

Whumper bent down by Lieutenant, whose breaths were coming in sharp drags. He wiped a tear off of Liutenant's face. "Crying?"

"No." His voice shook.

Whumper smiled generously. "Oh, no." He stood. "Tomorrow, one of you will offer up the information on your base. I do not make idle threats."

The door locked on the blood-soaked cell.

Lieutenant muffled a sob.

"We...we can't," said Captain. Sorry. Sorry. I'm sorry.

They didn't know if they were apologizing to the unconscious Medic or to what remained of his hands.

tagging the people who interacted with the poll: @acer-gaysimpstuff, @yet-another-heathen, @another-whump-sideblog

[a-sad-mage]

"Sad Mage, you fool, Dr. Blakk can't be a feminist he's-" [gets smacked with a pan]

"Silence heathen, you know not my reasons!"

♤

First, to quote a fic i read

"Im a businessman, not a monster" - Dr. Thaddius Blakk

And i have never agreed more.

Blakk is a horrible guy with little to no redeeming qualities, but here's the thing-

He's not like, a major d¡cƙ either.

Sure, he's a jerk to a lot of his employees, but he's not outright crule either.

Remember, Thaddius Blakk was once a traumatized kid who was to claw his way to the top. And probably witnessed a punch of messed up crap while Viggo Dare was still in charge.

And FYI a true feminist cares about men's problems

Blakk is equally himself to just about everyone he meets, you know what your getting into when you get involved with a guy like him.

Blakk does not care if you are man, woman human, elf, Moleinoid, Cave Troll, have money, or are a poor orphan on the street - all the man cares about is whether or not you're useful.

Feminism, at its core, is equality for women and men. To be on equal footing in every possible way. No discrimination. Just equal rights and equal fights.

[This next bit is kinda a tangent, tbh but i feel like it helps explain my 'Blakk genuinely dose not care' mindset]

Hell, he tried to convince Eli he wasn't all that bad when they first met, and had it not been for Burpy and the suddenly showing the young Shane that Ghoul Slug, Blakk might have convinced Eli he wasn't a threat had things just played out differently.

Blakk didn't officially become Eli's antagonist until Eli declined any sort of 'professional relationship' with him and then declare 'war' in episode 3. Because at that moment before being turned down, Eli Shane, was useful in some capacity. Even if that usefulness would have involved a lot of manipulation.

On top of that, he doesn't undermine Trixie either. While he may not personally know her name, he knows enough that Trixie Sting is an obstacle and a threat. And treats her as such.

And probably made sure his henchmen knew as much.

Then there's Dana

He went out of his way to higher one of the best Highered Marks just to track Dana down, get his blaster back, and get rid of her. Blakk, could easily not care about something like a Blaster, Blakk Industries makes them for crying out loud, he probably has a collection of them! But he goes out of his way to get that one Blaster back from Dana, and then make an example of her. Even went as far as to show up in-person to make sure.

A thing, he wouldn't do just for anyone.

Blakk's fits are rated E for Everyone

The man does not care who you are, prove yourself useful, he'll pull the strings to get you on his side, prove to be a nuisance, and you'll be dealt with accordingly regardless of who you are.

Hence me HCing the man as a Feminist.

You can stand on business, have upstanding morals, all while still being a horrible individual.

It's like Odalia from TOH. She doesn't care, Amity is into girls, she just doesn't like Luz and the rest of her daughters friends because 'their beneath them', and she wants to rule over the Demon Realm.

Same thing with Emperor Belos/Philip. The guy grew up during the era of witch hunts, yet two of his most trusted individuals were women(or female identifying). While he was going to ultimately pull off the biggest witch extermination in history, he didn't care who was working for him, as long as they were useful and fulfilled a purpose. He doesn't underestimate Luz for being a girl, just young and nieve, before getting bitch slapped with the reality this human is more resourceful then he was.

-

Now to touch on something @mrros-e my brain rot buddy in crime mentions in the tags.

How Blakk being a Feminist effects his relationship with whomever Tads mom was.

Jokes on you, friend, because i hc Tad is an oops, baby.

Yeah, that's right, Blakk had a fling with a lady, and she got knocked up and didn't tell Blakk sht

I don't know where the idea of Blakk having to have been married or even a committed relationship to have a baby spawned from, but with as much networking that guy probably had to do while building up Blakk Industries it's safe to assume he met ppl and had a few casual flings.

One of which resulted in Tad.

(And this is not me discrediting/bashing the hc of Blakk having a wife/romance partner, I think its an interesting concept and adds onto Blakk still being a human even though he may act like a monster, a concept i very much so like and will champion because i love complex villains like Blakk. But for the sake of this particular narrative and the limited clues given in cannon, lets pretend otherwise)

The woman, somehow leaving Slugterra and to the Surface, is a plot whole (let's be real, it is). But ignoring it, and just assume the lady was a Surface dweller who would sneak down to Slugterra for fun, and met Blakk by chance.

And when she did realize she was pregnant, she had a choice, and at first she wanted to tell Blakk, he was the baby's father after all, but by then Blakk had developed his reputation, and when she tried some probably thought she was after his money or something.

You know, because people suck.

So by the time Blakk learned of the pregnancy, the Lady had returned to the Surface and swore off coming down to Slugterra ever again. (For reasons)

Blakk probably tried to track her down, but was stumped because there where no records of her ever exiting in Slugterra, and then he remembered bits of their conversations, and how it sounded like she wasn't from Slugterra but the mythical world above.

Thus, his obsession with Shane Secrets begins.

I have a completely different post in my drafts I'm working on, but it relates to this a bit, and the gist of it is, Blakk would have support the woman who was pregnant and any decisions she made, but also given Tad everything he didn't have as a kid.

Again, absolutely horrible individuals can have completely, perfectly normal morals and standards. You can have a monster, give them a humanizing trate, and still be irredeemable.

Dr. Thaddius Blakk is a villain of the highest degree, but he has standards damn it.

This was an incoherent rant of a Mage in desperate need of sleep

Peace ♤

[ahamkara-apologist]

cayde and crow skipping enemies and heading straight to lovers

Entirely for meme value: both of them are hunters they understand the assignment of 'we gotta do the funniest shit possible' and that means skipping directly to blatant homosexuality

Real answer: i mean they weren't really enemies to begin with, there's def. the lingering anger/fight response when crow comes through the portal bc of the whole 'hey past me fuckin true killed you' but since Uldren was very clearly fuckin out of it I don't think Cayde would think to hold it against him. He lets up as soon as he realizes that Crow got rezzed bc that means he's no longer the rabid dog that was rampaging around slaughtering people en masse, and to Uldren pre-death, Cayde was just a bump in the road that he had to get rid of

[wobblystrawberry]

going insane over becky calling hannah “california” in do you want to play. because it wouldn’t make sense for BECKY to call hannah california, but it would for wiggly. because wiggly represents corporate america in black friday. because to corporations and capitalists, we aren’t actual people, we’re just the shit we want, the things we’ll spend money on, the advertising that works on us. these kids are willing to steal and sell the doll, taking a major personal and financial risk to get to california? then thats pretty much all the data he needs.

[raspberryjellybrains]

I've been thinking a lot lately about identity, culture, parody, pastiche, and empathy (which I'm aware is a very broad umbrella, but bear with me.) I think a part of the reason why post-modernism doesn't resonate with younger generations as "art" is that its core conceit has become mainstream. There's still the critique of capitalist work as fetish which hasn't been taken up in the mainstream, but the overwhelm of images and ideas both industrial and organic pared down and/or magnified past the point of comprehension then replicated infinitely has become the general stew the internet is mired in. It is, by nature, the very thing depicted as perverse by earlier artists; thus, there's no edge to it anymore, simply another smooth rock wearing away at the boundaries between our selfhood and the world (if ever there was a meaningful delineation to be made.)

Further, I think the lack of self-awareness is deadly. When one takes every element of culture, regarding depth and meaning carefully, and creates something new from it (however scathing it may be towards the source material,) that is one thing; it is something entirely different to do so without care. This... loss of care in the handling of culture is a symptom of the panoptic nature of the internet. To regurgitate everything, it must first be swallowed, and before that? Ripped and shattered on the rocks of the gaze. The only way to avoid the gaze is to hide all noticeable traits until you blend in with the scenery, and to do that, you must erase every emotion, trait, or interest; you turn into a cold mask of a human, mocking your kind and taking the teeth you hardened to avoid into your mouth, becoming a new eye on the mutated tower of our own insatiable curiosity. This is a very roundabout way to refer to irony poisoning.

That poison does exactly what I outlined. It breaks the self whole, and blended with the most pernicious mechanisms of capitalism, sells the most delicate parts to the highest bidder. Pale copies of it are then disseminated as the real thing and turned into a hollow, post-modern collage of one's most sacred parts to cover the vicious nothing underneath. Pale copies of pieces of people destroyed become a collage element alongside hundreds of others for a trendy mask, long discarded in a years time.

Even the reason for this practice has become subsumed in its mimicry, rendering the perversion of post-modernism so two months ago.

[hongluboobs]

given that it looks like the family's been 'smooshed' to be closer together (Jia Huan going from half-brother to just a brother) my current theory is that Daiyu and Baochai are the younger sister and sibling mentioned (though I'm not sure which is which, ie. who was made NB).

I think Jia Huan remains a half-brother in Limbus!

He only has one line in this game, which I'll put here:

It makes sense to assume they're full brothers because Hong Lu calls Jia Huan "brother" but in the book Bao-yu still refers to Jia Huan as brother at some point. (I would go find this in the text but as you can imagine it is a PAIN to find the word brother in a 5 volume 2000+ page text)

Jia Huan's use of "your family" instead of "our family" is another clue! Because Book Jia Huan is a half-sibling via a concubine he isn't considered as much of a part of the family as a child by marriage like Bao-yu would be.

There's still some wacky stuff going on with Hong Lu's family, though! Limbus Jia Huan is an older brother, which is Interesting because he's a younger brother in the book.

(The clarification of age is only in the korean/japanese text, but it does exist!)

I'm going to bring up all the mentions of Hong Lu's sibling now, because there are a few (I may have missed some in the IDs, I don't have an easy way of checking them)

These tell us... Pretty much nothing that I can really go off of. The interesting thing is the first quote seems to reference a moment in the book where Jia Huan cheats at cards, but because he's an older brother now who knows.

Bao-yu does have both younger and older sisters in the text, and then his younger brother is Jia Huan but we've established he's the older sibling in limbus. Sister and younger sibling are both plural in the third example so there could be some compression of the family here but I don't have a lot to go off of.

I have NO idea what they are going to do with Bao-chai and Dai-yu because there's that awkward classic lit adaptation problem of "these characters are related, but at the same time their romantic entanglement is very important to the story. We are adapting this through a modern lens where it is not the 1700s and being engaged to your cousin is bad, actually!" and honestly? I don't want to make any calls until we for sure know more about their relationship. They could be going the full family angle for Hong Lu and retcon the marriage, or have it take place in a different part of the story where it hasn't happened, or similar.

In the text, Bao-chai and Dai-yu are Bao-yu's cousins, not siblings, and with the wedding being one of the most important scenes in the book I really have no idea what will happen. Hong Lu is described as a bachelor/unmarried in Limbus but honestly, I don't know if I believe him on that one. If they do retcon/not mention or adapt the marriage they could very well collapse parts of the family tree, I'm just relatively wary of if they Do Not do that.

A pet theory I've had is that the younger sibling could be Hong Lu's way of coping with his childhood through detachment. (as in: the younger sibling is Hong Lu, but the past Hong Lu who had to deal with Everything growing up). I don't really have proof for this aside from some small things in the book and thinking it'd be an interesting way for things to be adapted in Limbus. Bao-yu's childhood is already rough for a variety of reasons in the book, but putting him in the city would make everything much worse so I could see it happening. The use of "sibling" is so interesting because it's a deliberate choice to not gender it and so it could be anything!

Apologies for the wait on this one! I have school and work again and I haven't been as Hong Lu brained because I've been making my way through ruina again but it was fun to drop some stuff like this! I'm really curious to how they will adapt his family and honestly Red Chamber as a whole because it is so thematically rich and there's a lot of stuff you can tie to the themes of Project Moon's games!

[saintadeline]

Lately ive been feeling like im progressively becoming more and more completely unable to word my thoughts and sound coherent at all, my whole brain is foggy and it makes it hard to make sentences when i cant remember how i started them, and its even worse irl ive been stuttering a LOT and i'm starting to get really self conscious about it since i know people have trouble following what im saying and take me less seriously. Idk. So bear with me etc

[horsegirlwarcrimes]

would u tell me a bit about some svsss thoughts, au‘s ideas or wips of yours?(<- half way through a 9 hour train/bus journey & really bored) please?🥺

i could tell u about my tgirl-sqq/sy au that i’m never gonna write, cuz i genuinely don’t enjoy writing? or maybe show u a picture of my sisters newborn (cutest baby u have ever seen)

omg PLEASE tell me ur thoughts on tgirl sqq I love trans sqq (any direction but esp transfem it's so special to me)

let'sss see, I have a lot of wip and au thoughts at the moment as I nervously procrastinate several important projects 😅

I had a cold earlier this week so I wrote half of a fluffy fic inflicting my cold onto SQQ:

“Liu-shidi is out at the moment,” Shen Qingqiu said, an awful rasp to his voice that Luo Binghe hated.  “Surely Shizun can call him back?” Luo Binghe pleaded.  “For what?” Shen Qingqiu asked, waving a sleeve. “A small cold? This master has managed worse. He’ll return when he returns, and until then it's not so bad.”  “But Shizun–” Luo Binghe tried to object, but Shen Qingqiu gave him a stern look that caused Luo Binghe to fold at once. He redoubled his efforts of looking sad and concerned and despondent as a quick countermeasure, and Shen Qingqiu sighed.  “It’s not so bad,” he repeated. “This master can still perform his duties just fine. Most likely it will pass before Liu Qingge even returns.”

outside of that, i have been on a major qijiu brainrot kick (i have a 8k fic for them i should be posting as soon as i decide if it needs a stronger dose of sqq or not + decide how to end it (sob)), and also reading a ton of disciple days/canon timeline bingqiu and having big feelings about how much i love them. ive also been returning to my unhorny women and gender studies liu qingge omegaverse fic that i am always contemplating but never actually writing, in which liu qingge is a not-like-other-girls omega in PIDW omegaverse and tries to marry shen qingqiu due to fantasy comp het

besides that, here are some concepts ive jotted down in my notes app this week loll:

dragon!YQY hoarding peak lords

this is literally all i have written down for this but i want it to be something SO BAD. save me dragon yqy. dragon yqy save me

Yue Qingyuan is cursed into an endless sleep The other peak lords call on Shen Qingqiu to enter his mind and wake him up as the person closest to him, only... SQQ actually barely knows this guy! He and Binghe take a dream journey through YQY's subconscious and eventually find that SJ is haunting him and eating his power which is keeping him asleep. They must either banish him ORRR.... Sun and Moon Dew mushroom time

i dont think ill write this so if anyone else does....... please take this idea and run w it haha

Sy transmigrated into the little palace Mistress??? Ahhh...

i THINK this came after reading stiltonbasket's SY!QWY fic, because i was thinking about the old palace master being a huge creep and shen yuan dealing with that from inside huan hua palace. i really see shen yuan going on a journey of gender discovery (his own gender AND the perils of misogyny that he never understood as a cis internet man(he thought he was cis at least)) and political intrigue as he tries to get to the heart of whats wrong with huan hua while dodging and or attempting to track down luo binghe. plot??? idk her

Deaf Shang qinghua!! Mbj doesnt notice

someday i must write this bc i love writing my favs as deaf or hoh. id love to explore shang qinghua as being both physically and culturally Deaf and how that plays into his interactions with the world post-transmigration, where there is even less accommodations or access for someone with a disability and he is cut off from his community, especially in terms of his work on an ding and relationship with his martial siblings. mbj not noticing a major facet of his life feels in character and like great drama lol, and i think the conclusion is definitely mbj learning ZGS that teaches him and he ends up liking using it way more than speaking verbally, both for sqh's ease and because he doesnt like to talk lol

i hope this is what u meant hahaha i could talk abt wips and svsss ideas all day. they are living in my head rent free 24/7 ｡ﾟ(TヮT)ﾟ｡ i hope your trip goes by smoothly and quickly!!

[monards]

i genuinely can’t remember anything from June but this one text exchange i had while under anesthesia sums it up pretty well. i think.

[hyperfixated-homo]

y’know it kinda feels like psychological horror is kinda perfect for Leo, but i still wanna hear your reasoning

Psychological horror is my favourite genre to read. Maybe it's because I'm so intrigued by understanding how others think, but it just really hits the spot for me.

There's such a heavy focus on our mental and emotional states in psychological horror that you don't get as much with other genres. That's part of the reason that I chose it for Leo, because it's not based on any real, tangible fear, but rather what is going on inside your head. It works well for him because Leo internalises literally everything! And represses the hell out of it! He's literally the perfect psych horror protagonist. He wouldn't trust himself- much less the people around him- with what he's thinking, which would lead to spirals and inevitably more dangerous situations.

I also think that Leo wouldn't be scared of that many other genres unless it was a very specific sort of fear caused by a phobia. I can imagine him maybe having a fear of death, or of losing his family, but neither of those fears have a full genre based on it (like Raph's fear of the paranormal). Both seem more likely to be used as plot devices in a psychological horror story.

[iniziare]

Hi!! I've been seeing your stuff in Gui's tag and I was wondering if you're okay with questions? If not, please ignore this :) But what do you think of Guiping as a ship? I've seen a lot of artwork that says its the ship that's 'closest' to be her canon ship or something like that. Thoughts? Have a nice day!!

Hi 'non! Thank you for this, and I never mind questions, if anything, I welcome them any day, as they kind of force me to test my knowledge unexpectedly (best way to do it really). I actually have a fair bit of thoughts on this topic, so I'm glad you asked! I took a bit of time to do some additional research so that I have my facts straight, or, straighter, but all of it kind of confirmed what I'd already come to the conclusion of.

So, my answer to this may be a bit of a hot (and sensitive) take, but please do know that this is based on analyses and quite some thorough research throughout months of writing Guizhong, because the 'Guiping outdoes all else' is discourse that I've absolutely been unable to avoid. So yes, let's talk about Guiping, and why I think that people's hyperfocus on the dynamic as immediately and inherently romantic is a take that comes with numerous problems. Not only do I think that it sorely takes away from at least three characters (of which two are female) in multiple ways, but it also absolutely disrespects the cultural significance tied to linguistics, all simply for the purpose of 'representation'. I think we live in a world where people are so big on representation that they're quick to label things unjustly. And aside from that, I'm also personally concerned with how quickly people see things as being 'romantic' in today's age and preach it to be the 'irrefutable canon', but I digress, I'm rambling, so let's actually get into it. I apologize, for this'll get long and ramble-y, if there is one character that I will type essays about for days and days, it is Guizhong. I don't know what it is about her, but she is the dearest to my heart in entirely different ways. So this will touch on more than just 'Guiping', and instead will talk about Guizhong, Ping, Cloud Retainer, and of course, also Zhongli. But I'll speak in what we can actually see, and hear, instead of what we might feel, and envision, and hope.

While I'll explain what I mean with the disservice to numerous characters soon, let's touch on my first point, and let's actually talk about why Guiping is so fiercely shouted from the rooftops, and put under a spotlight as it is. All of it, yes, all of it, stems from how Ping uses the translation of 'soulmate' to refer to Guizhong in the original Chinese text, along with the following quote, during Guizhong's reveal in 2023's Lantern Rite:

"When the one attuned to my soul is no longer here, who else could hope to understand this tune?"

Without some critical thought, many in today's would consider this to be a reference to someone Ping would have likely been in love with, but I think (and I don't even mean this with genuine disrespect) that it's a shallow take for multiple reasons, but let me explain why. I think the best way of doing so, is to actually look at the terminology used in Chinese that people then translate from. In the original Chinese text, Ping uses 知音 (pronounced as zhīyīn in Mandarin) when speaking of Guizhong, and after some research, I found this thread. Now let me quote a little from it, because why try to put it into words on my own, when this author and translator's explanation is really quite formidable:

zhī 知: to know, knowing yīn 音: music, sound Literally, a zhīyīn is someone who "truly understands your songs." The term zhīyīn comes from a story about finding a kindred spirit through music. There are many versions of the story, and here is one of them: One day, the musician Yu Boya was playing a qin in the wilderness, when he met Zhong Ziqi. When Boya played one song, Ziqi immediately understood it and described it as reflecting the mood of soaring mountains (高山). When Boya played another song, Ziqi also comprehended immediately and described it as creating the mood of flowing waters (流水). Ziqi could understand all of Boya's songs. When Ziqi passed away, Boya felt so distressed that he destroyed his qin and never played it again. Boya thought of Ziqi as a "zhīyīn," and that term continues to be widely used to this day.

With its origins and explanation behind us, let's actually look at its definition and how it is modernly translated into the West's English language, while retaining its actual meaning:

In a modern context, the term of "zhīyīn" is often translated into English as a soulmate, a kindred spirit, or a very close friend, but at its core, it's a term that refers to a type of intensely emotional, spiritual, and platonic connection with someone.

In truth, the term 'soulmate' has never in any language, even in English, been irrefutably tied to a romantic love, but current times seem to have people conflate it with such a concept. But in reality, it's never been an automatic deduction. A soulmate refers to a kindred spirit, someone who understands an element of your person (or your entirety) in a way others might not. It means that there is a connection that defies the norm, a connection that's deeper than that, but 'deeper' does not equate 'romantic'. A romantic connection is not, by default, a representation of the deepest connection that you can have with a person. Hot take, but your partner in life is not automatically your soulmate, nor your kindred spirit. That's an addition that is rare in existence, it's not the foundation. Making that assumption is an incredibly modern takeaway, and it removes all weight of the word. But you know, let's actually take the origin of the word zhīyīn to move onto and into my next point, which is actually something that is most important to me as a writer of Guizhong.

Ping and Guizhong were, by all accounts, rivals in their area of music. The former found music to be an endeavor of the heart, while Guizhong invented an instrument that was able to compose melodies of its own accord (though also made note that it could never replicate or outdo human composers), a bit like 'AI' but in the olden days, which Ping opposed, so they clashed. Enough so that Morax had to intervene as to put a stop to it. But in this same element of musicality, they found a kinship with one another, something that they both understood (despite their differences) and bonded over. Yes, it went to a point where Ping felt like only Guizhong could understand the melodies that she composed. Only one that feels how you feel about the world around you (which is an immense thing), could come to comprehend what you mean to convey, or achieve with your song(s). We also know that they spent time together, but that isn't actually specific to their dynamic at all, and thinking so is an absolute neglect to a fundamental part of Guizhong's character. Well, you know, let's get into all of that. Because if we apply importance to all of these details, then we need to take into account that Ping was not the only one, and there is another who shared, honestly, the exact same connection with Guizhong, but over a different field of expertise.

Yes, I'm talking about our very own Cloud Retainer, the one who first properly introduces us to Guizhong as an individual (even if we technically already 'meet' her indirectly during Liyue's archon quest with Zhongli, more on that later), and the one that's entirely overlooked in this grand talk of 'those who sorely miss Guizhong'. Cloud Retainer's story with her is also described as being one rooted in rivalry, which, exactly like with Ping, is also put to rest by Morax' interventions (although this one is requested). They were both incredible inventors, and as Cloud Retainer notes in her 'Something to share' voiceline, she rather believes only Guizhong to be capable of helping her complete the larger version of her mechanical bird for all of the purposes she wants for it. Would another engineer/inventor with a similar understanding of the profound nature of mechanics (and how said inventor thinks), perhaps not be... the only one to 'understand' another? The origins of their stories— very similar, no? And yet, it doesn't stop there, and we also, at this point, need to take Morax into account as well (yes, I am pointing at the little laughing lines, just for a lighthearted addition to this long ramble of mine), but more on him as I continue.

Noting that Guizhong's time spent with Ping to be 'superior' or most meaningful is taking away, and immensely so, from the former's intricately extroverted nature. I invite you to listen to the tale Cloud Retainer recounts about her in this part of Lantern Rite's 2023 quest, so that you refresh your memory (or learn) on just how intense Guizhong was on her social gatherings, and in that, how much she thoroughly enjoyed all of the characters of Liyue, from the more known adepti, to other known gods (Marchosius) and adepti. These social gatherings, by all accounts, seem to have been entirely instigated by her, 'Guizhong often invited her friends to visit her home (...)', and it is noted that these banquets would last well into the night, until the sun rose anew. Guizhong was exceedingly extroverted, with all of the adepti, with all those she held dear, this was in her nature, and this was an incredibly common occurrence. What I'd like to point out at this point however, is that there's one place where such socializing was preserved, and that was right outside of Cloud Retainer's abode. And it's not just any 'spot', but let me explain.

For those unaware, the stone table at the beginning of the Echoes of the Heart cutscene, is still there, and can be found right outside of Cloud Retainer's abode. But it isn't just any table, its stools each bear an engraved name, one for Cloud Retainer herself, one for 'Rex' (Lapis), and one for Guizhong. It is also the only one that seems preserved, as if frozen in time. I say that, because the utensils are explicitly noted for each stool when you interact with them in-game. 'There is a bowl and a pair of chopsticks in front of the chair on the north side. Engraved on this chair is: "Here sits Guizhong."' These utensils are either replaced countless times in the 3700 years since her passing, or they're protected by adeptal energy. Both of which, I don't know about you, weaken my heart, because that to me shows an unwillingness or inability to let go, that's a continued form of mourning. That is right outside of Cloud Retainer's own abode. Tell me that this woman does not grieve the loss of Guizhong still, dare tell me that Ping outdoes everyone else's so entirely, that it should be negated or worse, neglected entirely. I know all of this is a bit of a mess, but to return to this video for a moment, tell me that Cloud Retainer does not sound as if she's still grieving, that she doesn't sound wistful. And tell me, as you read the following, what I've written so far, and after what I'm about to write still, that Ping is the only one who 'grieves' Guizhong's loss:

Paimon: Or are you saying that... it was Guizhong? Didn't she, um... already, um... Cloud Retainer: Alas... Long has one avoided this place for precisely that reason. The sights here are a reminder of a time long gone, and evoke much sorrow.

For anyone's recollection: it has been 3700 years since Guizhong died. Now, to also touch on Zhongli here, and I want to begin by reminding people of Shenhe's voiceline about him:

That gentleman claims to be a mortal, yet is very familiar with my master, who is an adeptus. Master once said: "If you see him drinking on a stone stool in front of my abode, do not disturb him. Let him sit quietly for a while." And that's precisely what I did.

And if you want your heart to break just a little bit more after you read that, then have a look at 'The Divine Stone Sees the World', the Genshin Impact EP made specifically for Zhongli by Hoyoverse, to see the visual tied to this little voiceline. Not just that, but look where he sits, look what's in front of him to find out whose seat that is. I'll let you find out for yourself, but I will say that he's not seated on his own stool. Outside of this, even while Zhongli, as one who enjoys recounting tales, hasn't spoken of her at the time of me writing this, there is so much in him that shows that he, too, is mourning or is at least remembering times long past, times that included her. I will raise the topic of the Rite of Parting that we helped him prepare during the Archon Quest, the one where we had to collect Glaze Lilies, and Noctilucous Jade, and a perfume for an older woman. All ingredients that are either directly or indirectly tied to Guizhong, no? If you agree, tell me that the Rite of Parting was for him, still. Tell me that Ping's mourning outdoes that of his, or Cloud Retainer's, like I see people on X and Tumblr respectively claim.

But then, in that light, I know that a common take to Guizhong, too, is that of polyamory, instead of acknowledging that perhaps, she was simply one who bore incredibly deep friendships across the board. Romance is not, by default, the deepest form of connection, and what saddens me more, is the willingness to make one character's being about romance. Guizhong is fundamental in the values that you see in Liyue to this day, she is more than just ship fodder, and she is more than just a character to use as 'F/F ship fodder, because I'm still waiting on a proper explanation as to why I should condemn other characters for it, or see it as canon, if there even is such a thing in Genshin Impact, outside of 'it's an F/F ship, Sae, let us have this.' No, why? If you insist on shoving it down my throat as the be all, end all, and it outdoes the connection between Cloud Retainer and Guizhong, and Morax and Guizhong, then I want more than that. Because quite frankly, I could make a better argument for the other two (not that I am, despite my bias towards the latter after a lot of crumbs all over the place, but that's a topic for another day). If people are going to make a claim for a ship, and are prepared to hate on other ships for it, then I'd love to know proper substantiation. And don't worry, 'non, I'm not talking about you whatsoever. I actually appreciate the question a lot, because this is a topic that I've been wanting to touch on (albeit, I wish I was more coherent, but I'll sum this up for Guizhong's navigation page soon). I'm just easily frustrated when people start throwing hate, and I'm tired enough that I'll verbally build castle walls to counter it.

But I'll leave you with one more point, which isn't specific to Guiping exactly, but to remind people of something fundamental about Liyue, that no other nation has done. What Liyue, and 'previously' the Guili Assembly, is so representative of, is how two 'forces' that should oppose one another, actually worked together willingly, and peacefully in perfect harmony. The 'adepti' in Liyue, outside of those who were referred to as Gods (Morax, Guizhong, and Marchosius), are elemental beings that are native to Teyvat. From what we know, outside of humanity and the 'Seelies', all life on Teyvat stems from its seven sovereigns (as we learned from Nahida's second story quest). Which means that by all logic, they should oppose everything that the Gods are, as they are, in essence, usurpers (indirectly through the Primordial One), and yet, look at what Liyue achieved that no other nation has in any such way: harmony. And not just that, but they found active, and willing cooperation with one another. And that is also what makes the concept of incredibly deep friendships between these adepti and gods that should dislike one another, incredibly beautiful. And I think that turning those dynamics into something immediately romantic, takes away from that. I think too many people forget about what makes Liyue so unique, and so gut wrenching.

P.S.: Before it's potentially pointed out, yes, I actively ship Morax/Guizhong, but I tried my best to keep that out of my opinion against Guiping being called 'canon', as it is not the reason why I oppose it, which I hope my answer made obvious. I will happily go into why I believe that those two did have a dynamic that went past a deep friendship and alliance one day, because my beliefs for it are quite vast and very deeply substantiated, and no, it is not because it is a 'hetero ship' (they're gods, I firmly believe that they defy sexes). But I'll save that for a different day.

[always-a-joyful-note]

Okay but you have to understand how READY I am to get a live action ORV film series. Quick disclaimer that I honestly know really little about film/visual media (and even less about East Asian media), but...

On a story level, it simply sounds like a Bad Idea. I mean, how do you translate a story about stories told through the medium of words into live action? How do you translate the way it makes sure to tell you that this story works as reality because you can't see it, because there concepts that you can really only visualise in your head through the written word?

But then again, they could go the direction of using the medium of film itself as Dokja's fourth wall. Make it seem like a cool but generic live action with subtle hints here and there that it's more than it seems. Have Dokja be hot rather than his plain and average...have fight scenes and choose which thoughts or not we get to hear. I mean, seriously...the film doesn't have to be cohesive or accurate to the book. It could literally just be the way Dokja wants you to experience his story and his narration - the film could be a depiction of his unreliable narrative. And as he and the walls begin to crack, so does the story...and maybe we'll get to see those thoughts and cracks in the beginning of the story through flashbacks rather than real time (could make the inner speech filters sound nicer but idk).

Or if it's truly just Bad(tm), it's still fun because yeah...guess who took on the role of the Star Stream and forced a story and its characters into a tale to pander to audiences simply for capital gain? (Or what if they really do make big changes to the ORV story so as to accommodate the medium of film as story? Make it so that the film itself is the Star Stream?)

And also, a last slightly less ironic and overenthusiastic observation....just that, yeah, I do wish ORV was animated instead of live action. But given that their animation industry is somewhat small, currently, and that means they might have to rely on Japanese studios, I prefer they just stick to live action. There's no telling how Japanese studios will localise Korean names/settings/history, as they've done with Solo Levelling and Raelina. Again, I have NO idea if this is a right assumption to make, so if someone knows more about it, I'm happy to be corrected.

The point is, though, that ORV live action has the potential to be spectacularly bad or good - either or. I don't think it's possible for it to be just mediocre or average and I wouldn't want it to. It's either KimCom definitely made this movie post-Dokja return to make money off their leader's stupidity or the studios will capture the essence of how stories and humans are fatefully intertwined but through the medium of film.

[cytocutie]

Each node represents a momentary event with multiple possible outcomes. In this model of the multiverse, every possible outcome exists in some universe. This is what allows a hot-dog universe, despite its entirely different evolutionary conditions, to end up with laundromats, Bollywood, Debussy, Evelyn and Deirdre. Some separate paths convergently develop similar outcomes.

Inter-dimensional beings (Jobu Tupaki, Evelyn Quan Wang, Mr. Mxtylpk, The Spot) should be able to access all of these universes. By contrast, Miguel O'Hara's technology can only access universes with native Spiderifying radioactive spiders (including those such as Earth-42, whence originated a radioactive spider but not a Spider).

Properly speaking, the Pinocchio node also descends from "Humans (tool-using)".

Theological implications uncertain.