#BUT SYS IS A FICTIONAL CHARACTER

[radio-zephyr]

orv spoilers (?) ahead-its a small moment

i think genuinely one of the moments in the novel that really stuck to me, was a quiet small moment between kdj, when kdj was talking to lgy about his sponsor and he raises his hand- and lgy flinches. So kdj holds his hand until he stops trembling.

like that moment is just SO TENDER and quietly devastating. Because kdj loves lgy. But he also sees himself in lgy. And he can't love that reflection of himself.

Yet he still does love lgy sm, and when he raises his hand and realizes lgy's fear, he just holds his hand in silent comfort.. and just sits there with him. until he's able to calm down again, kdj just sits with him.

[grossdyke]

Petunia literally abused Harry bro 💀 and pointing that out doesn’t mean we’re downplaying her grief or bc she’s a woman

yall are gonna freak out when you realise that abusers are also human

[missacidburn928]

All Aboard The Friday Fantasy Train

Chapter 5 of It's Hard For Me To Say... is now live on ao3!

Click the link above to enjoy.

As Always,

Happy Reading Heathens!

[acetheta]

ugh i hate autism

[moonlit-tulip]

Three character archetypes which pop up in my writing with very disproportionately high frequency relative to their base rate in literature:

The semi-retired immortal evil empress who, while she doesn't particularly regret her past evil empire-building, has mostly mellowed out and is no longer all that invested in continuing with evil empire-building at this point. Typically started out with the empire-building more as a proof-of-concept / look-what-I-can-do maneuver than out of any genuine expectation she'd enjoy running it, ran it anyway for a while, but eventually realized there were other activities she liked better, and thus increasingly sidelined herself from the empire-running, leaving herself as more of a figurehead while mostly spending her time pursuing newer less-antisocial hobbies and interacting on friendly terms even with those who very much disapprove of her empire.

The talky character who, in the context of a setting where violence and/or threats of violence are a common approach to problem-solving, instead solves her problems primarily through social maneuvering—persuasion and manipulation and so forth, particularly as targeted at individually-important characters (as opposed to e.g. persuasion-of-crowds, which is much less central to the archetype)—while mostly lacking the skills necessary to withstand direct combat.

The antagonist who, in defiance of the "everyone is the hero of their own story" cliche, is absolutely the villain of her own story, and is unhappy about this, but isn't going to let it stop her from pursuing whatever her goal is. Often is introduced in a not-overtly-antagonistic role, biding her time until the perfect moment to betray the protagonists and achieve her goal, while internally regarding herself as a terrible person for the things she's doing, with her actions being determined by consequentialist reasoning but her feelings about those actions being determined by non-consequentialist reasoning of some sort. Tends to be visibly psychological-issue-heavy in a moral-injury-tinged direction, albeit in a fashion which, if she hasn't yet revealed her status as an antagonist, observers are likely to attribute to a Tragic Backstory (which is a common thing for members-of-this-archetype to have) rather than any plans she might be pursuing in the present.

[mikotobackbreaker]

Cold take Mikoto Kayano is NOT REAL and no amount of fictives in the world will make him "real" so sexualize him to ur hearts' content

[k3yreviewer25]

possible system things that are funnier in retrospect:

when i was a kid, i had really really vivid imaginary friends. like, vivid to the point where they were constant and often took up physical space in the environment. a couple were ocs, but they were for the most part existing characters: the scooby gang, time warp trio, my neopets. one time i fell off my bike and scrapped my knees and hands to shreds (never wear shorts while biking). while i was sitting in the middle of the road sobbing, aragorn and theoden were arguing in my head about whether or not i was a pussy for crying

i was super nervous when presenting my senior project in hs and tried to 'channel' rapunzel's personality to make me seem more friendly and personable (it did not work)

[everyones-least-favorite-bard]

i have many thoughts on lee gilyoung and kim dokja but i fear i may explode if i try to articulate them fully

there is something to be said in the way kdj and orv as a whole really tends to sidestep lgy. like kdj cares about lgy of course. and orv obviously wants us to care about lgy or else they would have killed him off for shock value or fridged him way earlier than they did or something. and yet he remains in the main story but still on the sidelines

i think there is something very sad to be said about how kdj very openly tends to love on/lavish attention onto sys and like consciously acknowledge that she is, in many ways, his daughter, yet doesnt really do the same for lgy. there is something very sad to be said about the way kdj tends to refer to sys individually, but only to lgy in the collective "kids." there is something very sad in the way kdj saw himself in lgy the first time he saw him on the subway and saw him both as a boy to be saved and a tool to be used and i dont think their relationship ever really recovered from this.

like he cares about them because he doesnt want to be a shitty father-figure but hes a shitty father-figure because he cares. and while sys is saved from the brunt of this to a degree because shes a character so he can just mimic how yjh treats her in worldlines where she's saved and get by on that, lgy doesnt have that kind of support. lgy is not a fictional wunderkid or pitiable, fragile little girl (however true or false that assessment of sys is). hes a snot nosed foul mouthed violent boy obsessed with bugs and death and kdj, i think, knows he ought to care for him but he doesnt know how and doesnt bother to learn and that, i believe, the not-bothering that is, is what truly incriminates him as a shitbag father. hes afraid so he doesnt try and lgy spends 90% of orv being terrified kdj secretly hates him and the worst part is hes almost right

[peanutpinet]

girldad sylus with his daughter and accompanying her to a school event?? like kindergarten graduation, twins and reader are there too and sylus being proud of his little dragon 🥹🥹🥹

All Eyes on His Little Princess (Dragon) - Girl Dad! Sylus & Fem Reader

Disclaimer: This work is completely fiction. I do not own any of the images nor the characters or you (the MC). All images were taken from Pinterest and the 2 fanart are drawn by @ng_a10 on X, credit to the two fanart images goes to them.

A/N: hi anon, thank you for requesting. Definitely need more girldad sylus and showing his support for his little dragon T^T thank you for requesting and I hope that this fanfic meets your expectations :’) This won’t take place during little dragon’s kindergarten graduation but more so an annual performance of the students. Let’s say little dragon is 2 years old, turning 3 at the time of this annual performance

“Daddy…” little dragon mumbled in Sylus’ lap as he was finishing up some paperwork

“Yes, my little dragon. What is it baby?” Sylus put the papers down and lifted his little girl up, turning her around and bringing her close to his chest

“You and mama come wright?” little dragon asked, yawning

Seeing his daughter yawn made Sylus smile and kiss her forehead. “Of course we will baby. We’ll be at the very front. Daddy already made sure your outfit will sparkle the most and mama will make you the prettiest one. That’s a promise”

His little dragon smiled in content, squishing her chubby cheeks on Sylus’ chest, making his heart flutter. “What bout uncwle wuke and kwiran?”

Hearing her sleepy voice, Sylus got up from his chair and softly walked to his shared bedroom. “They’ll be there too baby. They would never miss anything in your life. That’s a promise”

Gently, Sylus lowered his daughter into her crib which is right in front of his and yours’ bed, tucking her in with her favourite red velvet blanket that was almost double her size because you insisted on getting an adult-size blanket so you wouldn’t have to buy another one when she gets older.

“Pwomise daddy?” his daughter yawned while hugging the dinosaur plushie, making Sylus smile, stroking his daughter’s hair and cheek. “I promise baby. Sleep now. You need the energy for your performance”

Sylus kissed his daughter’s forehead as he turned on the lavender essential oil diffuser, which would not only help his daughter sleep better but also prepare the room for when he and his wife went to sleep.

Softly closing the door to the room, Sylus went to the kitchen, seeing you packing up some baked goods to share with the other children tomorrow at the school’s event.

Sylus wrapped his large arms around your waist, burying his face in the crook of your neck which caught you off guard. Feeling the tingles on your body, the corner of Sylus’ lips curled up and he kissed your shoulder.

“You’re being awfully clingy all of a sudden. Did you upset our little dragon and make her angry at you?” you asked, trying to sound okay when in fact you were still recovering from Sylus’ sudden physical affection

“On the contrary sweetie. Our little dragon was very pleased with me. Slept without any hassle and…” Sylus kissed further up right by your neck, nibbling it a bit

“And she can’t wait for her performance tomorrow. making me promise that we would all come to see her” Sylus mumbled while you can only sigh

“You’re coming right, sy?” you asked and Sylus turned you around so you would face him

Cupping your cheek, Sylus pressed a soft kiss on your forehead. “I wouldn’t miss it for anything else sweetie”

“Not even your important meeting on sealing that vintage record player you were eyeing for tomorrow?” you asked and Sylus was a bit surprised but suppressed it

“That’s tomorrow?” Sylus questioned, looking at his phone and saw the reminder of the auction tomorrow that was being held in the middle of the night, just a few hours before his daughter’s school performance

“Sy…” you called out to him but Sylus swiped his reminder putting his phone in his pocket and went to hug you

“I’m okay sweetie. I can always find the record player any other time. Sure I might have to pay a bit more than originally if I were to go to the auction but our little dragon is more important to me. She’s been looking forward to this and to hell will I miss it”

Hearing Sylus say how he would much rather miss his auction over missing your daughter’s school made your heart swell. You knew Sylus was willing to go above and beyond for you and your daughter but seeing him taking the parent role very seriously, made you fall for him even more each day.

You tiptoed and cupped his jaw, kissing his cheek which caught him off guard but he didn’t mind it at all. Sylus held your waist to steady you. “Now what was that for, sweetie?”

“Thank you. For taking on this role and willing to do anything for us” you softly replied and Sylus couldn’t help but soften at your statement, rubbing circles around your waist.

“Anytime sweetie. You and our little dragon are my world. With the additional Luke, Kieran, and Mephisto but don’t tell them I say that. I’d do anything for you all. You and our little dragon’s happiness and well-being are my top priority. Now let’s finish packing these delicious treat for the kids tomorrow and get to bed. You look tired already”

Sylus then helped you by cleaning up the kitchen while you were finishing up packing the sweet treats for the other children, teachers, and fellow parents tomorrow. Once you both were done, Sylus didn’t hesitate to carry you bridal style to your shared room which made you giggle but it didn’t take long for the both of you to fall asleep in each other’s arm.

The Next Day - Day of the School Event

Both you and Sylus woke up due to your daughter’s excitement filling the room, practically happily screaming that it was her first school event.

Waking up first, Sylus got out of the bed and kissed your forehead before walking to his daughter’s crib, carrying her out of the crib and nuzzling his nose against her chest. “Oh? Is our little dragon that excited that it’s her first big day?”

His daughter giggled, her tiny hands trying to get Sylus to stop tickling. “Daddy stawpp!! Am pwincess no dwagon”

Sylus stopped his antics and brought his daughter to the bed where you were just barely waking up. “Sure baby, you’re a princess but you’re also our little dragon with the amount of menacing things you’ve done”

Hearing Sylus not fully calling her a princess annoyed your daughter a bit and made her whine to you. “Mama!! Daddy meanie”

You chuckled hearing your daughter whine about Sylus and when you were about to reach for her, Sylus didn’t let her go. “Nu uh sweetie. You’re still tired. It’s still early so go and sleep a bit more. I’ve had Luke and Kieran handle the treats and are preparing to bring them and other goodies to the school”

“B-but…” you tried to protest but Sylus shook his head, kissing your forehead before tucking you under the blanket again

“I’ll take care of everything. You rest a bit more. I’ll get our little dra—-little princess, ready by the time you’re up and ready” Sylus replied and he carried his daughter out of your shared room to get her ready for the day

It took some time and Sylus being splashed by bubbles and soap but he finally managed to clean his daughter and dressed her for the school’s event.

However, right as Sylus carried his daughter out of the room, they heard a loud thunderstorm and rain. Sylus hugged his daughter, allowing her to snuggle against his chest while he finds you, talking on the phone with the school.

“I see. Yes, it’s very unfortunate. I hope everyone is alright. Thank you for letting me know. Yes, stay safe too” you had just gone off the phone with your daughter’s school when you turned and saw Sylus holding your daughter

Sylus didn’t even need to ask you what happened because from the way you replied, the weather condition outside, your expression, it explains everything. You were also about to tell him and your daughter when she turned to look at you.

“Mama? Wrain? No dwance?” your daughter sadly asked and you tried to think of something to keep her happy and excited when Sylus had done so himself

“Who says anything about no performance?” Sylus pitched in, gently lowering your daughter while you walked closer to see what antics he’s prepared to entertain his little dragon

“B-but…wrain daddy” your daughter sadly pointed out but Sylus shook his head

“So what if it rained and there won’t be a performance at school?” Sylus extended his hand to you which you took and brought the two of you to the living room, calling for Luke and Kieran who secretly munched the snacks you prepared last night

Sylus moved some of the furniture around so there was a big space in the middle of the living room, he helped his daughter to the center and signalled mephisto to prepare the spotlight.

“Just because you can’t perform at school doesn’t mean we all don’t want to see you dance, baby” Sylus caressed his little dragon’s cheeks which made her eyes instantly light up

“Wreally?!” she exclaimed while Sylus looks softly at her, nodding

“Of course mini boss!! We would love to see you dance!! You’re the best!! You’ve trained hard!! Let’s go mini boss!!” Luke and Kieran were hyping your daughter who looked even more excited

Sylus then took his place next to you while you played the song your daughter has practiced through multiple times and she got ready then started her performance.

Through it all, not only did Mephisto put a spotlight on her, but Luke and Kieran also threw in some red flower petals around her while recording her performance.

By the end of the performance, the four of you clapped and your daughter rushed to Sylus, eagering to pull him to the center with her and she held both his hands to stand on his shoes.

Sylus who knew what his daughter was up to, allowed her to do as she please and he helped her dance around which made you tear up a bit but of course, your daughter rushed to you and pulled you along with her favorite uncles, Luke and Kieran to dance along together.

By the end of it all, Luke and Kieran napped after having more of your treats, Mephisto also fell asleep. While both you and your daughter were on either side of Sylus, wrapped in a big fluffy blanket by the couch.

[sunderwight]

Okay, concept:

Luo Binghe grew up very poor prior to arriving to QJP. And when he first got to QJP, he was ostracized and neglected. So there are probably a lot of phrases, terms, and ideas that he didn't know were things until SY arrived and started actually teaching him. Right? So the bulk of what he did learn, he learned directly from Shen Yuan's own slightly messy attempts to fake ancient scholarly credentials.

Plus, QJP is supposed to be the peak of scholars and well-read, fancy intellectuals, and YQY probably also doesn't know shit about most of that stuff (having also been a former illiterate street child) and of course is incredibly predisposed to take Shen Qingqiu's side on virtually anything. Especially something frivolous or linked to their shared past, such as someone, say Qi Qingqi, accusing Shen Qingqiu of making up a literary reference or "gibberish" word. If something Shen Qingqiu says is something no one else seems to know, that just proves he's more worldly and well-read than the rest of his peers. Also, Shang Qinghua will probably know it, and despite his many (many) character flaws, Shang Qinghua reads a lot too. There's really very little to convince a former street child turned Demon Emperor whose former education began and ended with Shen Qingqiu specifically and Meng Mo (wildly out-of-touch with human culture anyway) to suspect that some of the difficult-to-source references his master makes really have no worldly source (in this world).

So Luo Binghe, in his quest to become as knowledgeable of all things about his shizun and keep up with him as well as possible, and maybe also put down some arguments he's overheard once and for all, eventually gets annoyed because CLEARLY there is a wealth of cultural knowledge contemporary to Shen Qingqiu and Shang Qinghua that didn't survive to his own generation. His efforts at hunting down all the sources being referenced and origins of certain philosophical ideas or terminology keep coming up empty in certain departments. He's been over the entire QJP library with a fine-tooth comb, but QJP focuses on things pertaining to cultivation, history, and knowledge. Obviously, there are gaps. The archives are unlikely to keep pop cultural references and lowbrow literature, and Luo Binghe begins to suspect (from what tastes his master seems to share with his shishu) that that is that actual source he's missing.

The trashy yellow books and romance literature of their generation! Bawdy poems and lewd artworks so on! Heck, that's probably even where the shared "code" (bad English) comes into play -- disciples are always trying to sneak forbidden material past their teachers and smuggle naughty books into the dormitories. Knowing Shizun and Shang Qinghua, Luo Binghe honestly wouldn't be surprised if the two of them were racketeering that shit in their own disciple days. Shang Qinghua acquiring materials, Shen Qingqiu acquiring buyers, both of them making their extra spending money off of secretly supplying Cang Qiong's population with contraband fiction and art.

Also, that would explain why both Shen Qingqiu and Shang Qinghua get flustered and refuse to elaborate if someone asks them what this or that strange turn of phrase refers to. Shen Qingqiu has a very thin face for actually discussing erotica, and Shang Qinghua doesn't like being caught doing illegal shit.

Luo Binghe desperately needs access to trash lit that's older than he is. However, most of that stuff is not printed to last, and turning it up is like trying to find old Spirk zines without the internet.

Shang Qinghua, the obvious go-to source, also seems to not really have anything that old anymore (intimidating him is laughably easy, if he had anything he would have coughed it up by the second or third time Luo Binghe asked and frowned at the same time), and if Shen Qingqiu did have anything he wouldn't want to be questioned about it. Asking too much might even get it destroyed in an act of excessive embarrassment.

Which means there is just one other person Luo Binghe knows who might be able to lead him to some sources. One other person he is absolutely, 100% certain was extensively reading trashy literature around the same time that Shizun was a young man. Someone who would know where to go to even begin looking for it.

Luo Binghe is going to have to ask Tianlang Jun for help with something.

[missacidburn928]

The vibes for Chapter 5 of It's Hard For Me To Say...

I know I keep it locked down, but all I want now

Is somebody who can tell me how it's gonna turn out

'Cause I thought I'll be doing better by now

[kabukipopink]

People who think LBH is bad at sex and that SQQ does it more than once with him out of pity or guilt have failed to realize that SQQ (SY) is an unreliable narrator.

If SQQ does not want to do something, only death will motivate him, and maybe not even then. He would've rather died than being used as a pawn to hurt LBH.

SY's favorite wife of LBH was the only one not to really have a sex scene, let alone may not have had sex with LBH in the original PIDW.

In those sex scenes, SQQ's actions do not line up with his words. He is easily embarrassed and used to putting up a facade or a wall. He loves the pathetic act and tears LBH puts on.

LBH, by the end, accepted that he can't force people, including SQQ, to stay with him. He lets SQQ go because he loves him and wants him to be happy and to be in the world. SQQ had accepted himself and his feelings towards LBH.

SY has always been in love and weird about LBH. He read a whole novel series he hated the direction of the plot, and all the repetitive story beats because he wanted more LBH. He fell in love with this fictional man before he knew he was.

He always says that the women are pretty and are what any guy would like, but always is more descriptive with how the men look and always how they don't come close to LBH.

SQQ, the character may be older than LBH, but SY is a lot closer in age, with the dead for 5 yrs gap. His mistakes are based on his age, lack of experience, and failure to see the other people around him beyond who they were in the book. When he finally accepts and realizes they are thinking feeling not on script people, do you see a shift in his actions and behavior. He changes into a more authentic version of himself.

We see the action of denying LBH is respected in the extras, much to SQQ's disappointment. It's a game for him in the end. Several times, characters state his actions and words are contradictory and confusing.

All this is to say he likes his sex life. LBH IS inexperienced, and that's realistic, but he does make SQQ happy and does satisfy SQQ. Do you think after months or years every 3 days, he'd still suck at it. SQQ was thrilled at LBH wanting to marry him and is more than willing to try out new things that LBH brings up. SY(SQQ) is a complicated person, but most of all, a weirdo whose narration requires you to look between the lines time after time.

He wondered about what LQG's bullied face would look like. He has a thing for pathetic and capable men. He even stops his assault on SQH(airplane) when he whines and begs/pleads. It's like his thing man.

[jasmine-does-wevertf-she-wants]

Can we talk about what a weird protagonist SY is?

Like LBH is a very typical protagonist, over-powerful, beautiful, inteligent, obsessive, with a dark backstory and a revenge/happy end arc. There's a reason PIDW is such a banger in the genre and SY is obsessed with him. LBH is all that.

But SY? He seems like a kind of normal guy, except that he is so fundamentally weird. Dude rage died because of an online novel he didn't even like. An online novel he religiously followed to rage and hate on the author. To then transmigrate into the novel's world and taking that in stride as well. Really slipping into the poser persona that SJ crafted for SQQ just much much kinder. To use the opportunity to hang out with all his favorite characters and be kind to them but never quite thinking of them as persons or really thinking about what his actions may mean to a person. Just hanging out having a good ol' time never thinking about anything ever, except beasts and what LBH may be up to. Purely out of intellectual interest of course. To repress his feelings so hard about everything some readers seem to get the honest to god impression SY doesn't like LBH. As the protagonist of a danmei!

It would be so easy if we knew of any trauma that caused SY's bizarre mix of obession/repression. But he seems to come from a loving family that he loved in turn. Not that he brings up their loss through the transmigration ever if he can help it. He didn't have to worry about money. His insane wifebeam must have been present in his first life. We have no indication that he changed his behavior as SY in the transmigration and this dude is charming to a degree that borders on protagonist halo. He seems to passingly resemble SQQ meaning he must have at least been handsome. I love fanon terminally ill or disabled SY because it does fit him so well but we have no indication that canon SY has had any issues with his health. His mental health seems okayish to the degree it is in SVSSS - which like the repression speaks of deep emotional issues. But nothing SY would have let himself think about, obviously.

My point is - I really like SY being so fundamentally weird without being given any proper reason. I don't think he quite realizes himself that he is weird. That it may be unusual to have your whole life uprooted, transmigrating into a fictional world (one that he at least knows well) as the main antagonist faced with a horrifying death and just shrug and go, well best I can do it malewife my way into living through this - without intending it in a gay way at all!!

He somehow dissociates so well from his own feelings that he dotes on LBH, truly to an extraordinaty degree that other peaks know of their close bond even before his year-long grief seclusion, without ever considering what such care could mean for a person like LBH. He repeatedly gets affectionate with men excplicitly because he's like we're all men here, this is not weird. I'd excuse SY if he were from a more repressed society where being gay would be a real social taboo that nobody speaks about. But he's from the modern world! He knows of gay people!

It may be that PIDW as a stallion novel never featured gay sex between men in the original - there was plenty of lesbian sex within the harem, although like probably only for Bingge's benefit. We don't know! Bingge's is portrayed as THE straight protagonist, it may be that SY just assumed being straight was compulsory for all men within the world as a result. But! Peerless Cucumber actively knew of people shipping the men in PIDW and even defended them against hate. But that of course cannot possibly apply to him so we're just not thinking about it :)

It's just... for a protagonist in a romance SY has such an active dislike for his feelings. And not even a conscious one! There are plenty of tsundere type protagonists out there who are very vocal about their emotional repression and dislike for expressing their emotions. That's not SY. Not even in his own internal monologue does he admit to himself that he is uncomfortable with his own feelings. He glosses over them with expectations no one actually demands of him - it's shameful for a man to submit to another man (is it shameful for a man to submit - not even sexually necessarily just being captured by an almighty demon king? is that truly a matter of masculine pride?), it's shameful to having his grief brought up in front of others, it's shameful to express anything beyond platonic or familial affection for a man, it's shameful to initiate sex, it's shameful to be loud during sex. He feels more comfortable putting himself into the female role in an interaction, which is also shameful but apparently less so than acknowledging that two men may be in a scenario that he feels would be romantically or sexually charged in a hetereosexual interaction.

SY is lucky LBH doesn't have the same hang-ups, which honestly I would feel would be more understandable from all of the abuse he experienced. SY has no apparent reason for being so emotionally and sexually repressed. He lived a pretty privileged life. And I think that must have been intentional on MXTX's part. It would have been so so easy to give SY a semblance of traumatic backstory that informs his weird hang-ups here. An absent family, bullying, an illness, depression, loss of a friend, truly anything would have given readers something to hold on to why SY has such weird hang-ups about his own feelings. But she didn't. And I think that serves even more to highlight how destructive compulsory hetereosexuality and toxic masculinity is. SY doesn't even read as a particularly toxic masculine man. He has no issues about other men crying (seems to enjoy taking care of them rather), he has no issue with being compared to women even outside of sexual or romantic context (think riding in the carriage while QQQ while LMY rides her horse), he acknowledges and defends gay shipping. He actively cheers for stronger women and a big issue of his with PIDW seems to be how one-dimensional the women were written, only serving as a new papapapa chapter.

And even as a not particularly toxic man, he has such deep issues with his own emotions, it causes most of svsss' plot to develop how he treats his own and other men's feelings. MXTX actively gave him a pretty privileged and open-minded starting position and still SY was so informed by what he expected of a manly conduct, thought and truly just a lack of feelings, he nearly caused the end of the world and the death of his boyfriend. It took him like 800 pages to have sex with a man and even longer to admit out loud that he is in love. Not even expressly. implied.

To me that makes SY such a compelling character. Probably kind of reminds me of my own repressive tendencies but also because not even in the extras, during or after their wedding he really acknowledges it as a problem. LBH doesn't seem to mind, not that I think he would mind anything his shizun does. And their dynamic works well for them - the whining bingmei and SY can keep his poser act that makes him feel so secure. SVSSS to an extent is a story of SY growing into his own feelings but really only to an extent. He's far far away from having a healthy relationship with them. He may not be actively repressing them or wilfully ignoring LBH's but he certainly isn't willing to really look at them beyond the shame he so often carries and glosses over. He'll do it for LBH's sake but really only then. And I think that's why bingmei and SY work so well but read a bit off-putting maybe to many readers. LBH's whining forces SY to look at his own feelings in order to care for LBH. Which an emotional healthy person would probably be able to pretty easily do on their own. But for SY it's such a monumental task that only his very deep love and care for LBH makes him do it. And that's a decidely unhealthy dynamic but works well for both of them, I think. I'm gonna make another posts someday about what LBH's abuse and neglect means for his ability to accept love and care and why then SY's aloof persona and their shizun/disciple dynamic maybe gives him the framework to be able to accept that.

But yeah SY is a deeply repressed weird obsessive person which emotional issues the size of China but he hides it remarkably well behind his aloof act and humour. And I think that makes SVSSS all the more compelling as a commentary on gender roles, romantic fiction and social expectations.

[tumbling-through-deepspace]

Becoming aware (Sylus)

Sylus did not know how it came to be, but he wasn't someone to be stumped by the unexpected things of life. No, he would handle this situation like he would any other, with calculated strategy and a solid plan.

The unexpected thing was the chubbiest set of cheeks he has ever seen and the constant poking of his chest while hearing his name being butchered by what looked like a child no older than a year.

How was it possible for his name to have so many renditions? He wasn't annoyed, but it left him a bit perplexed, finding out that he was a fictional character for a mobile game.

It would seem that his newfound awareness was the result of his Evol, having sensed multiple energies that were so different, popping up at random times, especially at the witching hours.

Just one thought is all it took for his consciousness to be awakened. One voice that captivated his attention.

"Come on hun. Mama, thanks you for her phone."

There was that voice again. A stream of giggles followed "ma-ma. I-yus."

"Yes, baba, that's Sylus, and I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate you poking him so much.

He felt himself being moved, and seconds later, he was greeted by a face that left him speechless. Not many things could catch him off guard. This, however, was an exception.

The person in front of him looked exactly like Lyssa, except lavender eyes were replaced with brown. Her hair was in a style of long braids and face round from motherhood.

Even their voices were similar. "Sorry Sylus, I don't know how she got my phone but I'm sure the constant poking would be annoying."

He observed as she held the hyper toddler in her arms, who just kept laughing. "Sy-Sy!"

"Well, that's a new one. Come on, Mama wants to play her game. How about some Bluey?"

That got the toddler more excited.

A catchy theme song filled the air and she returned.

"Finally. I have half an hour to relax before she comes to get me."

Those bright, round eyes made contact with his. A small smile, formed on her lips.

"Morning, Sylus."

He felt his heartbeat speed up just from two simple words.

There was no way he was going to be stuck in a game, not when there was the existence of a world entirely different from his own.

Not when the woman in front of him made something within him stir. There was a connection between them.

No. He needed to research and find answers. This was far from over. For now, he would learn as much as he can about her.

[3liza]

what tumblr is *actually* really particularly good at as a group rather than as individual famous posters (such as dril on twitter), and this is something we share with 4chan, is originating and then popularizing particular jokes and meme phrases. we are good at coining things. "coining a phrase" means to say something with a particular flourish or carefully-chosen compositional attention in an effort to make the phrase "stick" in some way. for example, "stop trying to make 'fetch' happen" (which became a meme in of itself) is a response to a person attempting to coin a phrase--in this case, referring to things as "fetch" (adjective)--in a way that is not working. i think that tumblr, as a group, is very good at making fetch happen.

"blorbo" is a perfect example of a word that was made up on tumblr and has now become widespread over multiple social networks and is in (limited) use in irl verbal conversation. whatever our personal individual feelings on it (and a lot of us are fed up with it/find the term annoying because it got REALLY saturated here) it's so good that it will likely (i think! this is my prediction) become a permanent resident in american slang as long as it is useful, and this is because there was an empty space where that term was needed: a term for a person from a work of fiction that the speaker (the person who says "blorbo from my shows" in the hypothetical scenario invoked by the post) is particularly interested in, but whom the listener (the hypothetical "you") has no familiarity with.

fandom as an activity is extremely old at this point (no not dante's inferno fuck off) so it's likely we have had terms like this before that either weren't successfully coined, deprecated out of common usage, or which i personally am not familiar with. but when the blorbo post was made, there was an empty space where that term WAS needed in many conversations that were being had. oh yeah, blorbo from your shows. all my friends have blorbos from their shows. i do not have a pre-existing term for this, i would have just referred to that concept as "characters from shows i havent watched, which my friends talk about all the time". it is convenient to have the term "blorbo" for this, and it was particularly canny as a choice of phonemes because it references how fucking stupid all the Star Wars Expanded Universe names are (and always have been, speaking as an old school SWEU fan [NOT ANYMORE]). ponda baba? sebulba? max rebo. the intergalactic jizz wailers. sy snootles. fuck off

coining a phrase successfully actually uses marketing principles, or vice versa really, to launch a word that "sticks". we can use "fetch" as the counter-example: there was no demand for "fetch" in that market (the setting of the film).

this is a sort of cousin to the now-deprecated phrase "it's all greek to me", which meant "i don't understand this, it is as unfamiliar to me as someone speaking greek, a language i dont understand [and which is considered by my culture to be difficult to understand and/or archaic]". but instead of invoking an actual language to exemplify

EDIT 6:19AM PST: i apparently just hit "Post" before finishing the post. i think i had more thoughts about "its all greek to me" but i dont know what they were and its not important

[red-garden]

So I love near everything u write about Yqy, like it’s perfect, so in character, it makes me want fling him around lol

But do u have any kinda silly svsss hc’s that u haven’t gotten to write about??

THANKYOUUUUU I TRY MY BEST

Silly Scumcannons (modern AU and canon setting is blended up like a milkshake in this one, just roll with it)

- Liu Qingge would have a low tech flip phone, mostly because he’s as tech savvy as a fossil, but also because he would break anything that’s not a Nokia

-when he was little, Shen Jiu saved up and bought one of those shitty quality magnetic friendship necklaces for him and Yue Qi, and was heartbroken when YQ wasn’t wearing it at the IAC (it got kinda fused into his body during the xuan su nonsense) (SJ still keeps his in a little bow in the bamboo house)

-Shen Yuan fucking loves Pokémon, and contrary to popular belief most of his apartment’s decor was Pokémon merch. He has enough shame to keep all the PIDW merch he buys in a little box in his closet

-SY and his sister were both art kids. SY is unfortunately one of those traditional art snobs that paints only, and renders in a traditional style. His sister is an exclusively digital yaoi illustrator.

-LBH has two mutual interests with LQG: Shizun, and fishing. SY tries to set up fish bonding between them, but the malevolent aura they create together scares the fish

-LBH prefers the classic Saturday set up a poll and get wasted. LQG prefers boating out with a harpoon.

-SY/SJ is actually pretty isolated from the other peak lords. Most of them are very close friends

-QQQ likes to drink with WQW and she once got him to agree to entrust his future children to her in the event of his death

-not just MBJ but the entire northern desert court think of SQH as a like a hot, domineering, James Bond type. Did you hear he was a spy?! Did you know how many people he killed?!? They’re all doing the demon equivalent of twirling their hair and making goo-goo eyes at him

-less well known than Resentment of Chushan is wildly popular stallion fiction Lord of the Clear Cold Lake, about a badass half demon spy who was playing both the human and demon realm to amass an empire, seducing an ice queen and amassing a harem of hundreds (it was written by TLJ. He wants airplane to fuck him so bad)

-MBJ would be an active enjoyer of fan fiction and has even written some (about the same literary level as My Immortal)

-YQY had to train in the four arts to be a cultivator obviously, and he can draw pretty decent landscapes, but his skill at drawing people never progressed much further than

(He makes do)

-SJ made it MF’s duty to keep disciples from fucking, and he has walked in on some truly awful things. Eventually he just stopped doing dorm walkthroughs.

-QQQ and MQF do sect-wide sex ed together, QQQ focusing on how to do sex and the etiquette therein, and MQF focusing on the health aspects, puberty, and what to do if you get pregnant/an STD/your period/figure out you’re trans. Every years they have a running bet on how many disciples will come in for related medical treatment in the following week.

-while Xian Shu is outwardly women only and Ku Xing is outwardly men only, both peaks allow disciples whose gender doesn’t fit clearly into one category or the other

-Ku Xing is dedicated to creating an environment for aesthetic cultivation, but that doesn’t mean disciples of other peaks can’t also practice it.

-the sect makes money from slaying beasts and protecting the cities in it’s territory, every peak also ha some product production sold to the wider world (other than Qiong Ding). Disciples are encouraged to build their skills to join production. Depending on the quality and quantity of their work, they will make money from sale- convenient for disciples not yet in a paid position within the sect.

-like 20% of the beasts are obvious Pokémon ripoffs