#I JUST LOVE FARMER LIN

[roseeycreates-blog]

I've been playing Stardew Valley and named my character Lin. Then I had an idea for an AU. What if Lin was taken by her real father and her grandpa gave her a farm to manage? She becomes a supplier of goods to Republic City and falls in love with Tenzin. They become a couple, but when Lin introduces him to her dad, he immediately forbids the relationship. Her dad doesn't want her to be close to Toph, afraid that she'll know about her true identity. All her life, Lin thought she was a non-bender who just loves the earth, which is why she loves farming.

[jadelemonadee]

What r ur thoughts on people who twinkify samuel seabury…like when his only personality is being soft uwu boy who gets bullied by hamilton and king george is his protector!!1!1!1!

I HAVE SO MANY THINGS TO SAY ABOUT THIS I HATE IT SO MUCH

okay first of all I’ve said this before but i feel like the only reason people see him like this is because of “chaos and bloodshed is not a solution” which caused people to be like “omg he doesn’t like violence such innocent baby protect him 🥺🥺” WHEN HES A GROWN ASS MAN (45 - 47) AT THE TIME OF FARMER REFUTED ☹️ also about the king george thing there’s lots more to his character than just being a loyalist he was a priest / bishop fcs 😞 how about jesus being his protector!!!!! /j another thing about him is that i feel like people tried babying him to make him seem less of an antagonist maybe…??? like ive seen people say “poor sammy he was trying to express his opinion🥺” ok well we’re not rooting for his opinion in this musical ARE WE?? like idk maybe we should let antagonists be antagonists and be in the wrong 🤗 personally i dont agree with samuel’s opinions AT ALL but that doesn’t make him any less kissable in my eyes!!! can we let characters be pathetic without infantilizing them PLEASE i just see him as this annoying snooty man who sees the revolutionists as childish and immature / sees him + other loyalists as above these “barbaric patriots”. also i recall thayne sayinf something on the hamilcast podcast about seabury trying to “save everyone from the king” (i pray the king shows you his mercy) before its too late and i dont know how this aligns with what im saying but i think it tells us a bit more about him (at least thayne’s version) and i just find it a silly detail 😁 btw you guys im only talking about all this from the musical perspective and this has barely anything to do with actual history or the characters’ historical counterparts 🤗🤗🤗🌈🌈🌈🌸🌸🌸

[thisonehere]

A Match Made In Hell

Cheating!Bi-Han x Reader

A/n: This was a lot more late than I wanted it to be but I'm glad I finally got it done. I love Bi-Han but this idea was just constantly in my head so I just had to write about it.

Edit: Part 2

Tags: MK 1, MK AU, cheating, drabble

C/w: Cheating, angst, mentions of sex, Y/n kinda snaps, sad ending

Today was the day, Bi-Han was finally coming home. You buzzed happily before your vanity, carefully analyzing every feature of your face. You admire the flowers that you delicately braided into your hair. They were from your garden, you planted them with the intention of wearing them the day Bi-Han finally returned to you.

Unbeknownst to Liu Kang, Bi-Han has been very active in building a place for the Lin Kuei in the new world. He has been leaving many times to create alliances, defeating enemies, collecting power for his clan to prosper. Bi-Han felt discontent with the role they had played for the longest, he once even said that they were basically Liu Kang's lap dogs.

The moment when he used his men as test dummies for those two farmers and an actor was the final straw for him. You remember how he was that night, he was in such a state of fury and devastation that you consoled him for hours. The next day he gathered up a small group of trusted Lin Kuei and went somewhere in secret. He then came back with allies and new resources. It's been like that ever since.

You hated it when he left, especially now, this is the longest he had been gone. You were alone many nights in your shared bed missing him, wondering if he was thinking about you like you were thinking about him, missing you like you missed him. Whenever he was gone, you would go to Kuai and Tomas for support. But no, He had taken them along as well, much to their protest.

You were so scared so many times, you feared that the last you would ever see him sad when he left, he dodged and planted a kiss on your forehead, promising to come back to you. It had been months since that day had passed, so many were you scared that you would receive news that something happened to him, that he had died. Out of respect to you, she had called you to her office to be the first to receive the news.

Thankfully that sooner ended when Sektor had announced that not only was Bi-Han alive, he had also successfully created a major alliance with a strange clan from the Netherrealm, the sisterhood of shadow led by someone known as Quan Chi. Bi-Han had sent her a letter describing it all, he specifically brought one of the members, a demoness known Sareena. He brought her up quite a few times, whenever he did he spoke adamantly about her, almost praising her, which was odd because that wasn't something Bi-Han ever really did.

But you didn't think about it much, you were so overjoyed to hear this, to know that your husband was safe and coming home. You bursted into tears of joy and relief right there, it was embarrassing but you couldn't care at that second. Ever since then you have been excitedly preparing for Bi-Han's I'd return. You acquired his favorite tea to serve him, you baked his favorite pastries to feed him, you pressed and ironed the dress you knew he loved. Now the day was here, you were practically shaking with excitement to see him again.

Once you were satisfied with how you looked, you leaned back into youu chair, rested your eyes, and fantasized about the moment Bi-Han would walk through the door. The way he takes you into his arms and kiss passionately, then you'd stay up all night so you could show him just how much you missed him. You could hardly wait.

You were soon snapped out of your daydreaming when you heard something outside, the deafening roar of thousands cheering. You knew that meant one thing: Bi-Han was finally here.

...

Thousands of Lin Kuei gathered around the main entrance to welcome Bi-Han. They roared deafening cheers as their Grandmasters led the procession of his group through the crowd. His heart swelled with pride and so many gathered to welcome him home. It was a welcome one too, this journey was the most periless one he has faced yet, but it was also the most rewarding. He acquired very powerful assets in this journey.

There’s one specifically that valued most of all.

He looked behind him to look for them, and he was met with the unhappy looks of disapproval painted his brothers face. Not much to Bi-Han’s surprise, his brothers have been against what he has been doing for the longest. They have fought and protested every step of the way. Venturing into the Netherrealm caused the worst one yet.

"This is Insanity!" He remembered Tomas protesting, they were standing before a portal to the Netherrealm. Kuai and Tomas were trying their hardest to convince not to do this. "No, this is necessary, for our clans future." Bi-Han said. He attempted to approach the ort but Kuai blocked his path. "Our future is with Liu Kang and serving Earthrealm. Not this, not joining hands with devils."

Bi-Han just stared at Kuai and shook his head disbelief, "Serve? The Lin Kuei aren't servants, we're warriors. Liu Kang squanders our potential, uses us to play his trivial games and puts us back on the shelf when he is done with us, forbidding us from growing, stifling our true potential. We must make a deal with demons to finally reach it...then so be it" It is so good for Bi-Han to finally say this, for so long he had kept his thoughts inside, but the past successes in obtaining allies emboldened him to speak freely.

Kuai stared at him in disbelief, he looked at his brother like he was a stranger. Bi-Han pushed past him and to the portal.

And now here they are, the mission was a success and now his warriors celebrated him. Bi-Han tried to look past his brothers for his special guest, but he did not see it, he turned forward to continue his walk with his men. He scanned the celebration about him. So many happy faces celebrating him, a slight smile spread across his face. But then notices some people in the crowd begin part as he passes, making way for someone so that they could though. Bi-Han's smile quickly fades who they were making way for...you.

You were standing in his favorite dress, your hair done just the way he likes with flowers in them. You smile at him, tears of joy begin to well up in your eyes. At that second, everything came back to Bi-Han, he remembered you, his marriage to you, how you adored him...how he betrayed you.

You looked so beautiful, it hurtled Bi-Han to look at you after all he has done while he was away.

So he didn't look at you, he avoided eye contact and sped up his pace. You were no doubt hurt by this, the image of your sad and confused face flashed in Bi-Han's head, causing him to go even faster. He drowned you out with sound the thousands cheering for him.

...

W-What was that?

As part of the celebration, a banquet was to be held in Bi-Han's honor this evening. They were all celebrating, drinking until they blacked out drunk and chattering until throats hurt, and you outside tried not to freak out. Bi-Han looked away from you like you were nothing, not his wife who has been by his side for years, but like just another one of his nameless Lin Kuei. You were pacing the floor, outside the entrance to the Banquet.

Were you just overreacting? Maybe, Bi-Han would never purposely ignore you or do anything to hurt you... r-right? You feel silly right now, every one is having a good time inside and you're here overthinking something that's not even that big of a deal. It just hurts though, you have spent so many nights alone, longing for him, missing him so much that it hurt, only for him to not even send you a loving smile then he comes home.

Maybe he's just tired, he did travel a long way after dealing with a long and stressful journey. That's right, he was tired you are just overreacting. That's what you are desperately trying to convince yourself, but deep down inside a feeling won't relent its protest. It's trying to tell you that something's wrong, deeper and deeper do you try to suppress. But it's still so loud.

Something's wrong... Something is very wrong.

"Y-Y/n?"

You hear a gentle voice behind you. Part of you wishes it was Bi-Han. But when you turn around you are met with Tomas's gentle smile. It's not Bi-Han, but you are happy to see his face nonetheless. "Welcome back, Tomi, I missed you" You warmly embrace Tomas, he returns your embrace with a similar joy. You and him were very close. Whenever Bi-Han was cold or too harsh to him, there you were with cookies and a loving smile. He was like a brother to you, seeing him makes you almost forget all about your worries. "Did you grow while you were away?" You jokingly ask, trying your best to mask the pain and worry. "Not at all...but I fear you might've shrunk." Tomas jokes back at you with a light chuckle. Seeing him brings you an ease that had evaded you for so long, you missed his smile, you missed his laugh, you missed... Bi-Han...

Suddenly all the pain and confusion washes over you again. "I noticed you weren't at the banquet, you were still out here, so I wanted to see if everything was alright." Tomas gave you a concerned yet knowing look, causing you fear that he somehow knew what you were going through. "I-I'm okay, I just-uh-had a few duties to attend to before I joined you." You lied, you forced a smile on your face. But you could just tell by the way Tomas looks at you that he knew that you weren't okay. Something flashes past his eyes, guilt. As if he knows something and hea feels sorry for keeping it this long. An uncomfortable silence passed between you two, it was like there was an elephant in the room that had yet to be addressed.

"So how was the trip." You finally say. "Well, I went to hell so.." you softly chuckled as you blush in embarrassment. "Right, sorry. How was hell? Wait, don't tell me, I don't want to know." Tomas paused as he thought for a second. "Imagine everything horrible you can think of, everything that scares you, your worst fears and insecurities...and multiply that by the highest number you can think of."

"Uh...okay, say no more. I'm happy that you're back."

Tomas smiles in agreement. Once again you notice a look on his face, like there's something he wanted to tell you but he didn't know how. "Y/n...there's something I need to tell you. Something that happened while we were away. It's about Bi-Han."

"There you two are." A drunk Kuai interrupted as he exited the banquet and ran up to hug you. He was warm like always, with a smile on his face as he greeted you. I smiled, it felt nice for them to be back. But you wanted to hear what Tomas was going to say. What happened with Bi-Han? Oh gods, did something happen to him? Did someone hurt him? But you don't have time to wonder as Kuai guides you inside. Tomas lowers his head in shame at not telling you.

...

The event was in full swing, Kuai guided you through the chaotic mass of Lin Kuei drinking conversing which created a meat deafening cacophony of crude jokes, gossiping, and cheering. After he got you past a drunk Sektor and Cyrax, you finally got to you table. The table with Bi-Han.

As grandmaster, his was the biggest of all of them, decked with precious ornaments and decoration made from the purest gold and decorated with diamonds. "Only the finest for our grandmaster." You all agreed when setting this all up. You remember how much care you put in placing every decoration and how you slaved away in the kitchen to make his favorite cake. Bi-Han often insisted that he hated cake, but he never hesitated in taking a slice whenever you baked it. You wanted this celebration to be special, you thought of him with every step of the way.

Now there he was, sitting at the center of the table, drinking the wine you chose just for hims . At the sight of him it felt like everything froze, you forgot Kuai was there, you forgot everyone in the room. You stared nervously at him as you approached. It's odd, after all these years the man still makes you feel butterflies in your stomach. "Husband." Bi-Han froze at the sound of your voice. He looks up to you, your heart nearly melts the sight of his dark eyes as he stares you down. You can't read if he is surprised to see you or it's dread

"Wife." He finally said, a hint of longing can be sensed in his voice as he rose to his feet. He gently places a hand in your cheek as he looks into your eyes. "I... I have missed you dearly." You fight as you feel the grandmaster's touch, it had been something you have been deprived of for so long. A few years begin to escape your eyes as your lips spread into a smile. "Bi-Han, I have missed you too. I missed you so much I-I" he shushes you and kisses your forehead. He then tales you into his arms and holds you. That's not something he usually does, especially in public, it was almost like he was feeling guilty of something. But you didn't care. Everything felt right right now, you forgot all about your ridiculous worries from earlier. Everything is fine now, everything is jus-

"Bi-Han?"

You hear an unfamiliar voice behind you. Bi-ha lets you go as quickly as this new voice immediately takes his attention. You turn to see who is speaking, and you are a strange woman with white streaks going down her black hair. She stares at Bi-Han that at you curiously. Her black eyes especially linger on you for some time, like she was trying to make sense of you. "Yes, Y/n, this is Sareena. Sareena, this is Y/n...my wife." You and Sareena's eyes meet for a second, you look her up and down and she looks you up and down. Neither of you know of what to make of the other.

Finally, you force a smile onto you face "Sareena...so you're the sareena that I've heard so much about." You say as you hug her, much to Bi-Han and her surprise. You take in her scent, it's something unearthly yet familiar... familiar as in you smelt it on Bi-Han as you hugged him. You release from your hug as you continue to smile, that small part of you started screaming louder and louder that something was wrong, and you began to listen to it more and more.

"It's so nice to meet the infamous Sareena, the devil that has captivated my husband so." you continue to smile, and Sareena smiles at you too. Bi-Han is quick to cut in between you two "Sareena has been a most valuable asset in my venture. She helped me travel through the Netherrealm and make my deal with Quan Chi. She has been by my side ever since." Bi-Han smiled at Sareena...He SMILED at Sareena! That's something he has hardly ever done. He has never smiled at you, in public at least. The more that you think of it actually, you don't ever really remember Bi-Han smiling that much at all. A ugly feeling arises inside of you, you can't describe it. It just feels so ugly hateful, but you continue to smile.

The night went, you didn't touch your plate, you didn't drink, all you could was sit there and stare blankly into the distance. Sometimes Kuai or Tomas would try to strike a conversation with you. You replied with short answers, quickly ending them. And Bi-Han? Your husband whom you thought you'd be smiling and laughing with all night? Oh, he was completely enthralled with his demon friend. He smiled at her, laughed with her,he seemed to be all over her. You sat there helplessly as you watched them, not sure exactly what to do. You just kept smiling.

...

Sareena arose from her chair, "I need to, um, relieve myself." She lied as she walked away. Before she left, she gave Bi-Han a certain look to follow her. Bi-Han waited a few moments. Finally, you seem to be distracted by Tomas so he arises from his seat and follows her.

He walked down the dark hallway until he saw her standing at the doorway, her arms crossed with a mischievous smirk on her face. "You know, for a demon, lying is not your strongest suite." Sareena grabs Bi-Han and pulls him into a room, and they begin to violently kiss. His hands tangled themselves in her hair as he pressed her against the wall.

While Bi-Han was in the Netherrealm, and Sareena met. He was in awe of her strength and her deadly beauty. He loved, he truly did, but he often saw you as...weak, too soft. Being with Sareena was something so different yet amazing at the same time. She shared his ambitions,was as vicious as him, murderous to the point that it was scary, but he loved it all. She was everything he ever dreamed of and more, how could he not desire her?

His brothers were furious over this newly found entanglement. "What about Y/n?" Kuai questioned. Bi-Han valued you as he always did, it was you who was always by his side no matter what. Your love for him was so pure and strong that he doubted anything would ever kill it. It would be a shame to damage that love by telling you, so he rationed that he would never let you find out.

But the moment Bi-Han laid eyes on again after being away from you for so long...guilt immediately began to eat at him. He remembered all those nights you were up consoling him, listening to his thoughts no matter how silly he thought they were. He remembered how you would take care of stitching his wounds, the loving yet concerned looks you would give him. You offered him comfort and solace that Sareena could never. He remembered how much you adored him, and he had betrayed you.

But Bi-Han tries to fight this guilt, he attempts to suppress it with every kiss he gives to Sareena. "Worried about your little bride?" Sareena says, somehow sending the guilt. Bi-Han just rolls his eyes as he begins to undo his shirt. "Never, She is the least of my worries. Right now...I need you" And with that, they begin to kiss more passionatly as they take each other's clothes off...not noticing you standing right there.

...

When you would read romance books, they always described heartbreak as being completely shattered, left in a state of screaming and tears. But you...you felt nothing inside. You felt cold and hollow, like you were dead. All you could do was stare at your husband and the demoness as they began to embrace, as he entered her. You often wondered what you'd do if you were ever in this situation. You always thought you would make a scene, scream as loud as possible and maybe throw something.

You stared at your husband and you just walked away. You descended the steps and entered your room and sat yourself down at your vanity. You took the flowers out of your hair as you stared blankly at your reflection. You looked down at your dress, no longer did you think it looked beautiful, in fact you thought it was the ugliest thing you ever saw. You take it off and throw it somewhere. Tears were falling down your face but you didn't even notice them you looked over at the bed, his side of it. So many nights you spent up worrying for him, praying for him...and he does this to you?

Finally, you begin to emote. You start to laugh. The tears don't stop falling but you don't stop laughing either. You laugh harder and harder and tears fall heavier and heavier as you stare blankly at you vanity.

...

When Bi-Han finished, he returned to the party, he expected to see you still there, laughing with Tomas and Kuai. He was hoping to see your sweet face after what he just did, perhaps it would make him feel better about what he did, or worse. But you weren't. You were gone and there was his brother's shooting him a disgusted look as if they knew what he had just done. Bi-Han ignores them and searches the area for you, but you were nowhere to be seen. He left the festivities to go search for you.

He went up the steps and entered your room and he found you sitting at you vanity, it's mirror shatter and if you threw something at it. But you didn't bother by this at all, you just gleamed at him with that sweet smile he knows you best for. "Husband" you smile as you rise up out of your seat and gracefully walk up to him. "You weren't at the banquet."

"And you came to check on me?"

He nods, he stares into your eyes and remembers just how much you mean to him. He reaches out and hugs you, much to your surprise. But you didn't resist him, you instead melted into his arms. "Did you enjoy the party?" You ask, sounding so sweet, so innocent. Bi-Han just responds with a nod and short "Mhmm" sound.

"Did you enjoy Sareena too?"

Your voice kept its sweet tone, you asked it like it was nothing that big. But Bi-Han froze at this, he releases you stared at you, a little bit of horror forms on his face. He looks into your eyes and notices that they're glazed just a little bit. "You're drunk." He says dismissive. You just stare back at him and shake your head slowly. It was at that second that Bi-Han noticed that you were holding something in your hands, bags, you were leaving.

You attempt to walk past him but he blocks your path. "What do you think you're doing?" The look he gives is a very stern one, but you've known him long enough to see fear in his eyes. "I'm leaving." You grip the bags tighter as you stare at the door, it hurts too much to look at him. "You will not." He says sternly like you were asking. "Why, you have Sareena now."

"I don't want Sareena...I want you."

"Yet you 'need' Sareena." You finally find the strength to look him in the eyes. Tears blurred your vision, you wanted so desperately to go out strong, yet you began to cry. "Why?" that is all you can bring yourself to say. "Why wasn't I good enough for you? What did I fail to do that a demon could? I-I love you, I'd kill for you, I'd die for you. Why wasn't I enough for you? You were enough for me... you're everything to me..." Your voice begins to crack, but you can't care anymore. You look into Bi-Han's eyes for answers, but he avoided your gaze.

He doesn't stop you from pushing past him and going out the door. A crowd had formed outside the Banquet hall, seems that the party had ended. You were a slobbering mess as you marched through the crowd, avoiding all their confused gazes. You saw Kuai and Tomas, they could tell what happened. They gave you a mournful yet understanding look as you passed. You saw Sareena, you both gave the other a cold glare as you passed.

You made your way to the nearest gate out of the Artika. You stared at the large structure, you hesitated slightly. You're leaving everything you built, everything you loved behind...you looked behind you and noticed that the crowd began to part as they made way for Bi-Han. He stared at you longing and you returned the look. Neither of you wanted this to end, neither of you wanted you to leave.

It was so painful to look at him, so you put it on the ground and you opened the large door and walked out into the cold night.

...

A/n: Well that was heavy. I'm gonna have to do a lot of fluffy stuff to make up for this lol.

Btw, should I like to do a part two where Y/n and Bi-Han get back together?

Edit: Part 2

[ryin-silverfish]

Hello ryin! I saw in a recent post of yours that you dislike the "class warfare" reading of the Havoc in Heaven arc in JTTW and would honestly love to hear more about your thoughts on that! Your takes have been really interesting.

Thank you!

My biggest problem with the "class warfare" reading is, first and foremost, what it has been historically used for.

Like, after the Havoc in Heaven opera and movie came out, the propagandists absolutely ate it up; SWK was associated with Mao Zedong and used to promote Mao's personality cult, and soon after, the White Bone Spirit story would be interpreted as this fable for the Sino-Soviet split.

Whereas Havoc in Heaven was intended and viewed as a metaphor and love letter to the victory of Chinese revolution, the White Bone Spirit story was interpreted in the context of the horrific fuck-up that is the Great Leap Forward, where the party were starting to doubt its leadership, and the path to the future seemed an uncertain and arduous one——much like the pilgrimage.

So, in the new twist on the "class warfare" narrative, Tripitaka and Pigsy became the poster-boy for "party members who were easily captivated by revisionist ideas" and needed to see how wrong they were, the WBS became the personification of Khruschev, imperialism, capitalism, revisionism...you name it, and SWK the Mao expy who could do no wrong yet was unfairly blamed by everyone.

Came the Cultural Revolution era, SWK would then become a sort of hero and role model for the Red Guards, smashing down all that was considered archaic and backwards, tearing down older authority figures and perceived "class enemies" alike, all the while emboldened by Mao's saying that "To rebel is justified" (造反有理).

Yeah, no, fuck that shit.

Terrible historical baggages aside, it is also a reading that reeks of presentism, and Lin Geng, a renowned professor of literature, had done a thorough takedown of the "SWK as peasant rebel" idea in his 西游记漫话.

Namely, it neither fits the circumstances of Havoc in Heaven, nor SWK's backstory and motivation. He's not rebelling because his monkeys are oppressed by the Celestial Realm, he's doing it because he feels personally slighted.

His mindset is also not that of a traditional peasant; compare and contrast that with Zhu Bajie, whom the author argues is very much peasant-coded in terms of his obsession with going back to Gao Laozhuang, his rake, and his comedic ignorance that stems from urban stereotypes of rural farmers.

To paraphrase Lin Geng, "Not all rebellions and rebel narratives in Chinese history are peasant ones, and we shouldn't just cry 'peasant rebellion metaphor!' the moment we saw a rebellion in fiction."

Lastly and more personally? This reading also tends to remove SWK's depth as a character. The representation of the Mind can be both heroic and flawed, capable of great feats and fuck-ups alike, but the representation of The Revolution has to be heroic and his opponents, whether celestial or demonic, must be evil oppressors and political boogeymen.

Like, the demons in the novel are representations of the mental obstacles a person will face on the path to Enlightenment, but they are also capable of being funny and very human characters, and not all of them wanted to eat Tripitaka.

The Celestial Realm is a satire of the imperial bureaucracy, sure, but the novel is also a product of its time and cannot magically promote 20th century ideas of revolutions and political reforms 500 years before they were a thing. Besides, SWK can still get help from them on the Journey and their relationship is more complicated than "oppressed rebel and oppressors".

And that's exactly why I dislike the "class warfare" reading: it creates a simplistic opposition of good and evil, and tries to squeeze the work into a narrow political framework that is neither nuanced nor accurate.

[dramatea88]

Kill Me Love Me Episode 16 - 17: A pocket of peace

Some may think that these are filler episodes. I'm here to declare that it is 100% not. These episodes are absolutely vital to the Mei Lin and Jinghe's growth.

Also, I didn't find the transition from the heavy episodes of 13-15 jarring at all but an absolute pleasure and relief after the intensity of those episodes. If the intensity had gone on for a few more episodes, it would exhaust the viewers!

In this hidden village, Jinge and Mei Lin were able to find themselves again.

Here, in this pocket of peace, they could again be themselves, free of the intrigues and terror that had ruled their lives for the past 10 years.

Mei Lin could be a simple village girl again, and Jinghe was able to return to being that bright, carefree boy, shedding the bitterness and despair that had cloaked his life for a decade.

Seeing them so happy, especially Jinghe shedding his mad prince persona, I was struck by the depth of the loss they had suffered in Qingzhou.

Seeing just glimpses of this pure happiness is almost heartbreaking because the laws of dramaland dictate that angst and pain will soon follow.

Was Jinghe's mad prince act purely a front then? I think some of it was a front, but a lot of it was truly how he felt: angry, bitter and cynical. (Not to mention, half the time the act was probably fueled by alcohol. Am convinced Jinghe was a semi-alcoholic during those years, partly to drown out the pain in his body and dull the memories of what had happened to him.)

To think that he lost his bright, hopeful real self is sad to think about.

Also, this was the all-important episodes where our couple finally openly showed love to each other.

The two episodes establishes why they could fall in love. It's because of each other that they could reclaim what was long lost in that fire.

And again, this is contrasted with the Crown Prince's "love" with Luo Wei. It's not love, we know, more like a hunt for a prized treasure, and Luo Mei is the ultimate treasure in the Crown Prince's eyes because she loved Murong Jinghe and not him. By winning her, he would ultimately "beat" Jinghe.

While Mei Lin and Jinghe fell in love with each because they saw each other's true selves, without the masks they had to wear, the Crown Prince and Luo Mei did the opposite. The Crown Prince donned a fake persona to "win" Luo Mei.

Other notable moments:

Jinghe 100% regretted insisting that Mei Lin call him 大哥 (big brother), even in private. LOL

The emperor knows more than he lets on. "I have walked this path before." That's a powerful performance by the actor.

Again, I so, so, so appreciate the being filmed at actual locations. It really, really enhances the whole drama. It just feels so real. How am I going to go back to those fake village sets or forests OMG.

As usual, Liu Xueyi does a good job with comedy. We saw glimpses of it in In Blossom. Murong Jinghe jealous of a simple farmer is absolute gold.

Maybe I'm contrary, but I honestly believe that the emperor thinks of concubine Yan as a daughter, not a concubine.

Yue Qin became an heir prince. Whatever.

[khaosrealms]

I love the Syzoth X Princess!Reader so much I can't even- ❤️❤️❤️ Is it alright if I request something similar but with the Lin Kuei trio? Syzoth falling in love with Sub-Zero, Scorpion, and Smoke's younger sister? I imagine her joining the Outworld investigation bc "Lord Liu Kang, you're sending two of the least stealthiest people in our group for a covert op? With all respect, why in the world did you think this was a good idea?" Basically pressuring the local demi-god into letting her tag along, and the mission going to hell anyway. Super-ninja be damned, the chaos cannot be contained. I also imagine Johnny isn't going to let that fact go anytime soon.

NUWA’S RAZOR. / SYZOTH X LIN KUEI! READER.

a/n: of course it is alright to ask for such a request, that is why i’m here! thank you so much for sending the ask— i am happy to respond 💚

- Perhaps it comes with the territory of being the sole sister of a family of boys. A sense of responsibility likened to that of a mother coordinating a group of toddlers. Younger than your brothers you may be, but hardly inept and hardly easily swayed enough to be told by your Lord when your presence is unneeded. What else was he to expect, when you spent the many of your living years upon Outworld’s soil doing everything in your power to prevent your brothers from slaughtering one another where they stood? If there was anyone more capable of investigating Outworld with discretion, it is you.

“Look at them, my Lord.” You utter, gazing upon his champions. A cabbage farmer, a former yakuza, a deadbeat stage fool. Men who can hardly so much as breathe before taking a bite at one another’s necks. Well, at the very least— with Kung Lao, it was more to take a nip at your own. Easier to control. “If it is recognition you fear, you know you may trust me to remain hidden much better than these… Earthrealmers you have chosen.” You do not miss the gasp of insult that escapes Johnny’s lips; rather, you choose ignorance. Searching for answers in Liu Kang’s glowing eyes. Yet nothing speaks, so it is words you are forced to accept. Words that come in what you imagine is a form of sigh from your Lord’s lips. “No one is to know that you are Lin Kuei.”

- And also, perhaps, you should have simply chosen to let the Earthrealmers suffer their own given fate. The bickering, the clumsy coordination, Tarkat, Shang Tsung, by god, Kenshi’s own eyes. By the time that you awake in a cell, dank and filthy with the smell of corpses and gore, you feel as if that day, you’d been better suited to remaining at home. Continuing your daily training as you’d had for years on end. But instead, waking with an ache in your head so deep it rushes to your spine and forces you up, you realize you no longer had that privilege. Here, instead, you were residing within Shang Tsung’s true laboratory— soon to be faced with the horror of being taken apart and made into whatever greeted your eyes through the cell’s bars.

- You’d been the second in the cell to awake, after Kenshi, woken by virtue of true and utter pain, gouged of his sight; and Baraka, awake since his capture, there to fill the hours alongside you both while you stew in your fate. You’d learned from the former merchant that your jailer had passed prior to your awakening. And now, all five of you await for his return, well— some of you. Johnny and Kung Lao were deep sleepers, it seemed. For now, the ones in the waking world, Baraka, Kenshi, and yourself, filled the rancid air with words. Jailer, you wondered. A chance to flee, bars wide enough to wrench a hand through, threaten for freedom. Options, all waiting for you to spring upon the man who chose to align himself with Shang Tsung and would die for his choice.

- Nearly, you do it. When Johnny finally rouses, stumbling to Kenshi’s side, your jailer appears. Dressed in green, red fabric tied around his bicep, and a tattooed arm that reaches in just enough to be held and twisted around. But it is Baraka who makes the first move, his word that gives you enough pause to listen and discover the true nature of your jailer. Not a herald for Shang Tsung’s cause— a slave to it. His family in the clutches of a man who would slaughter them if so much as a whisper of betrayal left him. A shapeshifter, a Zaterran. Syzoth, a name you only learn due to Shang Tsung’s arrival after fighting the hoards of his creations. A sorcerer who revealed your jailer’s only purpose for remaining in enslavement was a lie. His family dead “many moons ago”. Suffering for no cause but for Shang Tsung’s cruel ambition. Here to die alongside the five of you; suffocating in toxins.

“I should’ve simply stayed with my brothers.” You can’t seem to get the rancid smell of Shang Tsung’s labratory out from your lungs; no matter how hard you breathe in the air of Outerworld. Johnny cackling out a laugh. And too, that smell sitting in the newfound companion of Syzoth. But rather, more so— the scent of despair. Enough to give you pause; to bite back Bi-Han’s insults and instead lean towards Kuai Liang’s guidance. “…He will get what he is due.” A momentary sentiment, but you can see his eyes flicker. Heard, even in the abyss of his mourning. “I am sorry, for your grave loss.” For a moment, he reminds you of Tomas. A sort of kindness in a place where it should have no place coexisting. “Thank you.” “Thank me once we get what you are owed.”

- From that time forth, an agreement formed between you both. To seize the moment, to make Shang Tsung fear the hour for which his own actions would smite him, and you would be there— to assist in that vengeance. A blood pact, almost; shaken hands on even. A source of comedy for Johnny, who found nothing but delight of the thought of the ‘big bad serious ninja’ actually shaking someone’s hand. Syzoth simply shared in your confusion. A mutual link of attitude towards the odd Earthrealmer. If a bit more lenient of his callousness than yourself.

- In Syzoth, you suppose what you find is a… reasoning for balance. You’d cared for your family, always, yes— but you never considered what truly was at stake had someone taken them away. If, like your father, all those you loved were slaughtered. Would you still find the determination to keep going once they were gone? Would you still fair with that kindness he holds when the two of you speak during the night? Still passionate about living beyond vengeance against Shang Tsung— enough to laugh with the Earthrealmers where you failed to join. Too set in Lin Kuei ways; the silence of it, the tight grip of it that these days Bi-Han holds over it as grandmaster. You’d never considered it before. That it was possible you could be swayed. That it would be a Zaterran who would make you question the way of the Lin Kuei as it was.

[risingsoleil]

Hello Soleil! Hope all’s good with you.

Wanted to ask about your thoughts on Linzin’s love language. How they prefer to give and receive, things like that 🥰

Hello Yellow!! I'm doing good after a really busy week haha I hope you're doing great and getting a lot of rest over the weekend 🫶

Thank you so much for the ask! Let's break it down!

Lin's love languages: physical touch, quality time, and acts of service

Growing up with Toph, I think everyone can definitely agree that Lin enjoys receiving and giving physical touch to show affection, support, comfort, and love. Simply focusing on her relationship with Tenzin and how this plays out, touch also helps her feel grounded. Bad day at work where she lost a colleague or she faced a lot of criticism from the press? First thing Tenzin does is give her a hug, and just being in that embrace grounds her back to reality and also soak in the love and protection of her partner.

Also, when she cuddles Tenzin, sometimes it's super aggressive bc CAN'T. GET. CLOSE. ENOUGH. TO. HER. BOYFRIEND (or husband 😍) She's wearing a tanktop and some shorts, while Tenzin is shirtless. Lin has her legs around him too so he can't escape. But he's a fucking heater, so after a while she needs some space to cool off lol

Second love language would be quality time. Toph was really busy with work, leaving Lin and Su to fend for themselves more often than they should have. I feel that since she didn't have that with her mom, it becomes something she values in her relationships with others. This only solidifies as Lin and Tenzin grow up and become involved in their careers. Their jobs take so much of their time, and they need those days of simply being together or going on quiet dates. Luckily, they have similar outlooks on how they want to spend their time together. Plus, the world and especially RC is so nosy on their relationship and business, that they just want to be together in peace. I like to imagine that they have conversations sometimes about what kind of life they would like to live if they weren't who they were. Tenzin would say living quietly in the countryside as a farmer...Lin would joke he can be a cabbage farmer. Lin would say that there's no use in thinking about a different life bc what else can they do to change it? Nothing. But her answer might be a pro-bending coach.

Lastly, she values acts of service. I think Toph instilled in her the idea that words don't mean anything. Actions speak volumes. Lin is a protector and will take the bullet for anyone she cares about. I feel like the line between protector and taking care of others' needs can get blurry with her. When Tenzin is stepping up for her and taking care of her, she's gonna protest, but inside, she appreciates it so much. She has the difficulty of learning how to allow others to take care of her, but Tenzin knows.

Overall, her love languages to receive/give are mostly the same.

Now, we move on to...

Tenzin's love languages: words of affirmations, quality time, and physical touch

Tenzin has a different dynamic going on because he has this title: airbender. For him, he has this luxury of being "spoiled" or "adored" by the world, but the other side of the sword is that he must deal with the crippling responsibility of "reviving the Air Nation and continuing Aang's legacy." I can imagine he would hear compliments, receive facors and gifts due to his connection to Aang and also being the first airbender born in...a long time. All of those things always felt superficial to him, so it doesn't hold as much meaning for him. Also with receiving gifts, his culture teaches to detach from earthly materials anyway.

Words of affirmation: He might appreciate this to some extent. Tenzin needs a lot of verbal validation, especially since he is insecure about how he's continuing his dad's legacy (if we follow canon). Lin may not be lovey-dovey with her words, but she knows how to support and comfort him by telling him what he needs to hear.

Lin: Tenz...of course you are good enough. You are more than enough. So what if you can't get into the spirit world? Do I love you less? Tenzin: No. Lin: Exactly. I love you regardless.

On the other hand, Tenzin is amazing at giving words of affirmation. Reading all of those ancient scrolls makes him a pretty smart cookie and helps him talk smoothly. Except when he tried to ask out Lin on a date for the first time...that was...mind went blank and somehow she ended up dating him. In general, he enjoys showering Lin with loving words all the time. People can be cruel, the press is merciless at times and that weighs on Lin, and she might not have the best record of speaking highly on herself very likely. If no one else is going to tell her she's beautiful, loved, powerful, fierce, and enough...who else will? Tenzin will gladly work overtime to make sure Lin hears his millionth poem about how much he loves her and adores her.

His second love language is quality time, and I think it's for the similar reasons as Lin. Although, I think he spent a lot of time with people growing up, but felt very alone. He wasn't seen for himself, but rather his bending. Lin knows and loves him for who Tenzin is. Spending time with Lin also helps him get a reality check because he tends to be more coddled by people than her.

Lin: You can't just force people to become air nomads, Airhead. Tenzin: But they're airbenders now! They need to be part of our nation, who wouldn't want to? Lin: Tenzin...do you hear yourself? The acolytes started out as groupies. They became acolytes on their own volition. These are people who have their own identities. You can't just force them to give up everything they know for YOU.

Lastly, physical touch. I think he grew to enjoy giving/receiving physical affection especially when he started developing feelings for Lin. The added layer to this love language is that it reminds him that Lin is alive and with him. She's breathing, unharmed, and safe in his arms. Her job is so dangerous and she's constantly putting herself on the line. He's had nightmares of losing her and just being able to hold her while they sleep? Never letting go.

Finally, let's be real. Tenzin is horny and wild af in bed. I don't think he can keep it in his pants when he's around her. But who can blame him? Look at Lin Beifong. Celibacy? That word has not been in his vocabulary since he was 17 and started dating Lin.

That's all of it, thank you so much again for the ask, queen! I hope you enjoyed reading!

[xinamie]

— kung lao thoughts !

just saw someone on another platform say that kung lao is not complex and lemme just. ok hold on. he's more than a cocky, food loving man.

i'm gonna focus on mk1 for now, but hear me outtttt !!! mk1 story spoilers ahead, you've been warned!

kung lao, a humble farmer, who is the descendant of the Great kung lao (lord liu kang's champion in the past iirc and like they were CLOSE bcs remember the scene with the jade statue? anyway off topic).

of course with family honor like that, lao would have this confidence, this arrogance, this ego that everyone groans about. he has this reputation to uphold - this legacy. he wants to be as great as his ancestor!

in the beginning, you find out that he isn't satisfied with the farm life like raiden is. he's the first to jump and react when liu kang tells them all about earthrealm after the test with the lin kuei. he craves adventure, glory, and a sense of just ... achievement.

he loses the title of champion to raiden, but sucks it up and congratulates him. he supports him along the way - bragging about raiden to general shao and cheering for raiden through the outworld matches. even if he was upset that he wasn't the chosen one (re: liu kang hitting him with that one line 'if you trained harder, you would have been champion' LIKE OW DAMN ok) - he still honors raiden and accepts the outcome.

let's talk about his story ending, kung lao messed up with shujinko! shujinko went haywire and it was because he didn't learn humility because kung lao couldn't teach it to him!! lao had always been so confident that he didn't put that into lessons for his student which led to liu kang and raiden stepping in. in this moment, i like to believe that lao learns how important humility is. not through himself directly, but seeing what had happened to shujinko.

omg what about the funny little lines about acting? how johnny offered them movie roles in the end and when raiden politely declined, lao whined. maybe he's intrigued about being able to work on a movie, to get out there and experience the world than just that farm life he knew.

kung lao didn't get to be champion, but he was able to go on missions in outworld and i like to think that he thrived. he got a taste of that adventure, that journey, you know?

kung lao is playful - those lines about wanting to spook raiden's sister with syzoth or how he whined to kuai liang(? i think or tomas?) about how he wanted to test raiden's sister too. how he flashed johnny with the flashlight LMAO. how he gets scolded by madam bo for making excuses sometimes.

LASTLY and also something i think people forget here and there, kung lao is ALSO respectful to some degrees omg. remember when johnny pulled that ripley line and kung lao was like bro??? that plus how he stood up for raiden as mentioned before, he literally becomes a shaolin master ... he may not be a saint, but i don't think he'd be treating people horribly or the type to be flirty every single time.

all in all, there are many sides to kung lao and i think there's a lot to be explored here. i'm down for the silly fandom lao moments, but also serious lao, conflicted lao, focused lao, etc etc. he's a champion to me.

[galaxywrites]

Personally I love my chaotic found family troupe. Can you describe each of them?

Hopefully I do this right and understood the ask anon 👍 My little ramble thoughts have also been put here for the kast.

Liu Kang ❪ 🔥 ❫ the new emperor of the dead. It was Liu Kang's idea for them to stay, and be the kind of people that the citizens of the Netherrealm would aspire to follow. He is still bitter over Raiden and the mistakes that led to all of them being killed, but it is more simmering now that Quan Chi's magic isn't amplifying it.

Kitana ❪ 💙 ❫ the empress of the dead and one of two new rulers of the Netherrealm. She spent a lot of time considering what kind of leader she wanted to be, and heavily relies on counsel to make any major decisions. However, she is protective of each and every person that is among her subjects. She's gotten into so many fights over defending her friends' honor, it's not even funny.

Jade ❪ 💚 ❫ Kitana’s right hand in decision making. She can usually be found sparring with Tomàš, though those two are usually found together. She and Tomàš have formed a bond almost akin to siblings, with her acting as an older sister to him most days. ... She makes a lot of staff/bo puns.

Nightwolf ❪ 🐺 ❫ the peace keeper of the group. The unofficial dad of this group of trauma bonded adults, some with more trauma then they have time to unpack. He has personally gotten them all a therapist because, dear god, do all of them need one. Some more than others. Wise advice is common to hear from him, and he's probably the third oldest of the group, other than Kitana and Jade, I imagine he would have been in his early to mid forties by the time he died.

Kabal ❪ 🪽 ❫ think of him as like, the news person in the Netherrealm. Kabal goes from city to city, town to town in the Netherrealm to spread the latest news due to his super speed. Due to the revenants still being technically dead, I don't think he needs his mask, but more so he wears it so he doesn't scare anyone.

Stryker ❪ 👮 ❫ Kurt usually goes to the nearest village and helps out the Netherrealmer children. He also helps out with farmers, and has taken an interest in how plant life grows in the Netherrealm. He always has something to talk Kabal's ear off when the man returns to the castle. [He's enjoying the domestic life.]

Tomàš ❪ 🩶 ❫ while he doesn't have an official role in terms of he isn't either of the rulers right hands, Tomàš can usually be found around Jade, Nightwolf, or Kitana, or on very rare occasions, making neck jokes with Kung Lao. But occasionally, he'll disappear into the depths of the Netherrealm to find and speak to the old members of the Lin Kuei. (He has even roped/bribed Bi-Han into doing odd jobs for the castle.) In the early days of the group trying to help the Netherrealm, Tomàš is very reserved as he actually doesn't know any of them that well, and the first person he opened up to was Jade. Also I just feel like he's a bit feral, so there's also that... ++ He has caught the attention of many Netherrealm inhabitants who recognize that he is an enenra. He's basically been dubbed as everyone's little brother at this point.

++ Enenra is also present here. But they are more so a background force apart of Tomàš' character. But I've written them as more of a protective force that only kicks in when Tomàš' life is in danger. Given the fact that Enenra was born/created from when Tomàš died as a child, I feel that they really only want what is best for Tomàš, and only takes over his body when they feel Tomàš needs their protection. If killing is necessary to protect the boy (he isn't a boy anymore), then so be it.

Kung Lao ❪ 👒 ❫ Liu Kang's right hand. Very rarely does he leave Liu Kang's side, but when he does, you can usually find him around the castle. Honestly? The only person that has since made it to Earthrealm to troll Raiden, and reassure Kung Jin that he and everyone else is doing fine. (He went back and ripped his family a new one for kicking Jin out, though.) Kung Lao.. has a terrible habit of making neck jokes and causing Smoke to laugh his ass off at them, because they were both killed in the same manner. It's funny for them, but Nightwolf is concerned.

There is also a little shipping in this au 🤏 but not much.

[sketchfanda]

A Little Moxxie Love:Lin's Rodeo

Never let it be said that Lin May wasn't a woman of her word,I tell you what. But right about now she had to wonder what the Anti-Christ she'd been thinking accepting her daughter's wager. Okay sure maybe call it karma coming back to bite her in the ass or someone's idea of a joke but she hadn't expected she'd lose. But here she was now, time to pay the piper as they say.

Right so context because it's key and king, it was once again time for the annual Harvest Moon festival which of course meant the farms on Wrath were in high gear for the occasion. And for the Goetia himself to grace them with his high classed presence along with his hired security entourage aka her daughter Millie and the rest of her misfit co-workers. Including that stringbean runt who somehow wound up marrying her, And Millie was especially not in any mood for her folks to be questioning her choices, not like they were ones to talk given the whole Striker fiasco. Least she could count on Sally May being civil towards him though Lin could swear there was something about the looks Millie’s sister would give their in-law but maybe she was reading too much into it.

But I digress so Millie had the bright idea to have her mom figuratively out her money where her mouth was by agreeing to a friendly little wager. That being that if Moxxie managed to do well during the harvest moon games then Lin would have to a favour of Millie’s choice and she be damned the little stringbean actually came out on top. Managing to best out Millie’s brothers and putting hi performance from last year to shame which meant it was going to be time for Lin to pay the piper. Now what was the favour she decided on you might ask?

Folks come on if you’ve all been reading this story long enough then you know what Millie chose? But to clarify, yes Millie chose that her mom should have a threesome with her and Moxxie, one night to have her man rock her world!! So here she was using the showers together with Millie at the modest little apartment that was their love nest at Imp city and the farmer gal still couldn’t believe she was still going through with this kinky nonsense. But a bet was a bet and Lin May was a woman of her word especially as this was one time thing and Joe would never know.

Far as Joe knew and the boys knew, she was just paying Millie a surprise visit in the big city, not simply because she had to pay the piper, no sir. But she could swear the look in Sally May's eyes and that smile of hers said she wasn't fooled for a second as that was neither here nor there of course. Not especially when Millie derailed her train of thought by giving her fat apple bottom heart shaped milf ass a slap, making those crimson blood red cheeks jiggle like jelly. Lin shooting her cheeky perv of a daughter a look over her shoulder as she tried to hold down how rather good that sensation had felt, seriously when had her baby girl become such a perv?

Seriously, she'd heard plenty about succubi and other sex demons here and there in Lust as well as the other circles of Hell but Millie seemed to put them to shame somehow. It was more mind boggling than the how and why she had settled down with a guy like Moxxie, okay sure he was easy on the eyes a polite city boy but come on!! But knowing Millie, part of this kinky forfeit was to prove her mama wrong on so many levels and you can bet she was going to get herself a show and some satisfaction. So as soon as the shower was off, mother and daughter stepped out to give themselves a quick dry off before wrapping their towels around their glistening wet bodies to go make some erotic magic with Millie's man.

Moxxie of course sat on the bed naked, save for a blanket covering his manhood shifting nervously and really who could blame him? He was used to Millie's peculiar little kink but seriously a threesome with her own mother? Of course his treacherous dick was already starting to swell and rise at the thought before his wife and her mom graced him with their presence, their modesty maintained only by the towels before they soon dropped them to expose their crimson red nude forms before him. His eyes widening, jaw clenched shut as his shaft was pitching a very visble tent as certain key switches began going off in his brain.

Neither he or Lin were sure when they’d started right into it but next thing either of them knew, the ranch owner milf and her daughter were kneeling on the floor giving Moxxie’s now exposed cock a double team blowjob. Taking turns licking and sucking on his length and girth to which Lin had To say, he was somehow as big of not eben bigger than her own husband!! The sight of such a prime piece of imo meat had pretty ensured any doubts or hesitation, let alone inhibition and shame went right out the damn window as she even found herself making out with Millie, their tongues dancing over the tip of the dick between them. Marking it from head to base and balls with lipstick as their pussies gushed and dribbled with nectar raining don to make growing puddles on the floor.

IT only got more intense once Lin found Moxxie grabbing their horns as he took turns giving each of them a deep, powerful facefuck. His hips jackhammering away as those heavy crimson red balls slapped and smacked their chins, making their drool splutter as his shaft became coated in a heavy coating of it. Lin feeling overwhelmed by the flood of bliss and ecstasy flooding her brain while Millie glsdly welcome this erotic assault, glowing hearts of lust tingling in her eyes as Her man once more asserted his latent alpha male skill of dominance. Knowing that it was only going to get wilder and more fun from here on in.

Which it most certainly did as she watched with mischievous pornographic delight at the sight of her mom riding Moxxie cowgirl style, fittingly enough. The MILF gasping and howling as she bounced her thicc cougar imp booty on his jackhammering shaft, making his twin rEd cheeks clap and jiggle. Before Lin soon found her daughter facing her as the kinky shortstack mounted and sat on her own husband’s face, his no doubt skilled tongue eating her out. All the whole Millie leaned forward to clasp hands tougher with her and press her lips to hers in an intimate, sloppy incest fuelled kiss.

Before !in knew it, she found herself being out through a veritable erotic montage of positions and combinations shifting from one on one to two on one, the former being for when one of them needed to recover and catch their breaths. For a stringbean looking runt, Moxxie had more stamina than some of the beasts back on the ranch! To say nothing of how it felt having Millie eat her out as Moxxie fucked her missionary or her eating Millie out as the secret stud fucked her doggy style. Now her sex life with Joe wasn’t vanilla by any means, after all look how many kids she’s had with the man.

But Christ on a stick was it any wonder Millie seemed to pimp her own man out and have him try to sow wild oats like he was a hell horse being out out to stud? An alpha male like this was too much for one woman to handle so of course why wouldn’t Millie have the kink she does, let alone figure her mom should have a taste? So of course Lin found herself experiencing a whole different level of paradise that she hoped wouldn’t make her too much of an addict. Wouldn’t want Moxxie feeling like he was becoming a homewrecker after all.

Of course with the kind of life and work he lead, Joe wouldn’t be around forever, so who knows if maybe Moxxie was more than willing to provide relief and comfort to his lowly widow of a mother in law? But of course the future was a distant thing and it was just a an idea that came to mind, as Lin found herself laying together in the messed up, sweat and juice stained bed with him and Millie as they basked in the afterglow. The warm light of sunrise brightening up the room after a wild night of a kinky passionate three way that the farm milf was certainly not going to forget for a good while. No doubt just as Millie had planned, the crafty naughty girl….

That was certainly on her mind as she later took the train ride home, that is after a very filing breakfast of waffles after another quick round of fucking. That stud of Millie’s really got some major morning wood that was for sure. Far as Joe and the boys knew, it was just a simple little visit to the city and some bonding time with Millie and her man but as said, given the look Sallie May was giving her? She knew damn well what has happened and it made the girl look forward to her own future visit to the big city, and how sweet it would be….

[bruciemilf]

Im gonna pump out some fan art of this OC I have in mind later, but for now, I’m gonna go a bit insane about Bi-Han’s mother. (Mind you this is is wholeheartedly not canon lol, my hyper fixations are just WOOOSH)

I think we can safely assume the Lin Kuei in MK1’s timeline are a little more progressive than their previous depictions. Yes, women can become members. But what of the girls born with crowns on their heads, and a legacy of nothing on their shoulders?

What if Bi-Han’s mother was a royal born who couldn’t participate in training even if she WANTED to?

What if she was purchased courted as a domestic servant for the Grandmaster? Because I can imagine that woman. a titan of ice and a scowl like fire. I imagine her, lonely, brutal, and dejected, with two children at her chest, asking what was she supposed to do with them?

“Love them.”

“And what will YOU do?” She spits at the Grandmaster. And he says he’ll rule. And she’s left wondering why the roles can’t be reversed. How is a child supposed to thrive when broken raises them?

Bi-Han is born first; He doesn’t make a sound, almost as if he can’t be bothered to.

She does feel a sparkling of something, but it could’ve been the blood loss. She has no idea this tiny thing will befriend the seed of a god one day.

Now, imagine your glaring son walks up to you one day, and says his father, your husband, got his shit ROCKED at the farmer’s market by a drunken, womanizing rancher.

The same rancher who vehemently opposed the Emperor when he demanded more grains from the South, for their pointless religious offerings. The same rancher who, apparently, found a child abandoned right in the middle of his peach orchard.

A child, a baby girl who radiates this bothersome, glowing warmth. A baby whom Bi-Han likes. A lot. “And you just found her in your orchard.”

“I know, it was bizzare. But we don’t have law inforcement in the south, and Jerrod, the bastard, won’t believe me either! I’m telling you, — she’s a God’s daughter. Was. She’s mine now, and I’m not giving her back, but it’s clear she’s no regular child!”

He’s a handsome man. Sharp lines curve his jaw, ans his hair is smooth, kissing his tanned shoulders. It’s almost hard to believe the Lin Kuei grandmaster forfeited under such a man.

She can understand why her husband would be infatuated.

“And you had her for how long?”

He peels oranges for her while Bi-Han chases the baby. Talia, her name is. Tai Ling never claimed to be particularly inventive, seeing as he never PLANNED for kids.

“A couple weeks! At first I thought I just drank too much, but, after she was still there for a few days, I realized I couldn’t really… Entertain my habits anymore.”

“You mean drinking and whoring?” She bored.

“Gah! At least I’m doing SOMETHING!” He argues with a twinkle in his eye, handing her the fruit. She takes it. Oftentimes, she’ll wonder how someone who has nothing is willing to give everything. “What do YOU do to be happy?”

She doesn’t have an answer for that.

“I had him for four years. I still don’t know what to do with him,” she confesses, watching Bi-Han run after Talia with all the drive a toddler can have. “Is it terrifying? To now know what they’ll become?”

To her surprise, he shakes his head. “I know what Talia will be. I’m not worried at all.”

She snorts. “Good for you,” still, his words bring a nameless and weightless comfort into her core. “…If you were me…What would you do?”

“If I had YOUR life? Probably sleep till I’m 100.” He laughs at his own jest, teeth smiling under the sun’s generous light. She never liked heat. But talking to him is almost worth the discomfort. “I think you’re doing great.”

“I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“But you’re trying your best, right?”

She nods once.

“Then that’s enough. It always is.”

A pause stagnates between them. “The man you fought at the market. He’s my husband.”

Tai Ling surprises her with a nod, “I know. “

“…Then why are you being kind with me?”

“A woman isn’t the men in her life. If we eat one spoiled apple, we don’t throw away the whole orchard.”

“…What?”

He laughs.

[roseeycreates-blog]

[PART 1]

dress inspo

(Farmer) Lin stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the green dress she had chosen for yet another banquet they were invited to since marrying into the Avatar’s family.

When Tenzin walked into the room, he froze, his eyes widening as he took in the sight of her. He blinked a couple of times, clearly trying to catch his breath.

“Well?” Lin asked, raising an eyebrow with a small, knowing smirk. “What do you think?”

Tenzin stared for a moment before blurting out, “I love it.”

Lin grinned, stepping closer. “Good, because I’m planning to wear this to the banquet.”

Tenzin’s expression shifted from admiration to concern in an instant. “To the banquet?” he repeated, shaking his head. “Lin, everyone’s going to be there, and—”

“And?” Lin interrupted. “You just said you love the dress.”

He sighed, clearly torn. “I do love it. You look absolutely stunning, Lin. But I don’t want anyone else seeing you in that dress. That’s… that’s for my eyes only. I don’t want some creep ogling my wife.”

Lin chuckled, folding her arms and giving him a teasing look. “Like what you’re doing right now?”

Tenzin blinked, caught off guard, then quickly tried to defend himself. “I am not ogling,” he insisted, though his gaze softened as he took her in again. “I’m just admiring my beautiful, stunning, drop-dead gorgeous wife.”

Lin’s smirk turned into a warm smile as she stepped even closer, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Nice save, Tenzin,” she whispered before leaning in to kiss him softly.

Tenzin pulled her closer, his hands resting on her waist as he kissed her back. “You know,” he murmured against her lips, “maybe we can be a little late to that banquet.”

Year 1 of Marriage 💖

I’m also on Ko-fi~ Feel free to buy me a coffee if you’d like to support my work!😊💖

[jadelemonadee]

give me a complex rundown of samuels personality in your mind when i say complex i mean complex like 3 paragraphs

shiiiit okay here we go fasten your seatbelts (guys idk if i’ll be able to stretch this shit out into three paragraphs but I DID get the best score on my essay about bottled water for a standardized test soo…,) also im going to be stealing a lot of stuff from genius annotations and other things beware

ALRIGHT HERE WE GO so how i see him personally is just this annoying, stuck up guy who is the #1 george III glazer (/j) + he views himself as above the revolutionists and sees them as these vulgar barbarians who are trying to lead people to “the dark side” (don’t let them lead you astray) BUUUT although he acts all righteous, hamilton pushes him off of that high horse of his (and almost his box…,literally) with his AWESOME EPIC WITTY writing and argumentative skills showing that seabury wasn’t even all that in the first place (and NOT ELOQUENT!!!! cmon man you can’t be acting all high and mighty and then epically lose a debate to someone young enough to be your son HUMBLE YOURSELF BEFORE THAT 19 YEAR OLD DOES IT FOR YOU😭😭) another thing ive noticed is that whenever hamilton speaks there’s little to no instruments in the background maybe showing that he doesn’t even need music for support of his arguments and to completely obliterate samuel (just listen to the instrumental trust…….idk where im going with this alright it’s 12:10 as im typing this part)

okay some other things i want to add are little details about this whole shabang like how seabury’s accent seems almost forced, as if he’s trying to create similarities between him and the beloved figure of his majesty (/sar 😛) and the fact that seabury went by the name A.W. farmer in his papers about the revolution which IN THE MUSICAL could maybe be another example of my previous point since one of the king’s nicknames was “farmer george” (although as far as i know it was used some with political satirists….SAMUEL FCS DO SOME RESEARCH BEFORE MAKING YOUR KING GEORGESONA OR SMTH😭😭😭) secondly i really like the detail that lin had both seabury and the king’s songs both include instruments like the harpsichord + they both use formal vocabulary meanwhile The Revolution People (TM) use more modern slang + instruments in their songs, showing the growing contrasts and conflicts between the loyalists and patriots!!!! so cool we love you LMM anywho also the fact that seabury soon realizes after hamilton starts interrupting him that he won’t be able to beat hamilton with words so he might as well try to physically get ahead of him (pushing the box in front of him ect ect) and then doing his big “FOR SHAME” near the end as a last resort, “modulating the key” as they call it /j (this one was said by thayne himself) lastly just the fact that you can hear the guys making barking and whining noises after hamilton makes his epic mange joke….,,like that’s so silly i love that for them

i did it i technically did three paragraphs ARE YOU HAPPY ANON /j

[clovermarigold]

Smoke & Ice Chap.7

Hey everyone! I am sooooo sorry for how long it took to get this chapter out (like half a year). I had a technical issue that ended up making me need to retake all my tests. A family pet died, and then I had a last minute surgery. So, things didn’t exactly go as planned lol. I’m looking to get back into writing more and thankfully this story gave me a pretty good urge to write as well as lasted the longest before I got writer's block at some point. Thank you all for your support and kind words. I absolutely love and read every single one of your comments. Even the ones not related to my health. Your comments are so hilarious, fun and inspiring. As a reward I made an extra long chapter. Thank you all for reading <3

Masterlist

Bold + Italicized = greek

~~~~~~~~~~

Gods above, men were easy. The second the Lin Kuei bastard had entered Greece his pompous dick swinging had alerted her to his weakness. Pride.

Calla had her reservations on being able to make the rabble leave, but now she was confident. After all, Bi han had looked ready to kill when she followed him into the gardens. Not that she blamed him, she had half a mind to throw him across the mangrove. Just a little more prodding and he’ll either lash out or leave. Either way he would be gone shortly. She would make sure of it. 

The fire god had unknowingly given her a hand in removing them from her presence by putting him in charge. She knew well enough that Liu Kang was blind and foolish, but she didn’t think it to this extent. Having someone so prideful and arrogant with so much unkempt power was a catalyst for undoubted disaster. 

Beyond that, there were obvious flaws in his other choices of representatives. The American was obviously taking nothing seriously, and his Japanese counterpart seemed to only be concerned with something of his the American had. The Shaolin with the hat was oblivious and thought with his stomach. And as for Raiden and Tomas….. She would hand it to Liu Kang, they would be obstacles for her. Well, had they not been made to babysit their fellow champions.

If one of them was set to represent Earth realm in the tournament, she would hope it to be Raiden. She knew nothing of his combat skills, but she would certainly not trust any of the others given their…. Intellectual struggles. 

“Matron?” Calla was dragged from her thoughts as Raiden had seemed to come to her side along with his companions. “Ah, I assume you’re ready to join us as Hamadryad?”. The group bowed, “we will work hard to prove our good intentions”. She had to hand it to Liu Kang, he had good taste in followers… for the most part.

This was a day that Calla would never forget. Looking back on it she wished she had done things differently. Maybe she could have assigned different tasks to her unwanted guests, maybe she could have approached the situation differently. But one thing stood as a fact. She should never have let Tomas near those kids. Everything had been going according to her plan. So why did Tomas have to ruin everything!

“This is Alycia, she leads our agriculture and harvests. Since you say that you were farmers I’m sure you will have no difficulty with assisting her”. The hand off went well enough, the two men not protesting as Alycia dragged them off, no doubt ready to take out all of her frustrations on them for invading her home. It was similarly easy with Johnny and Kenshi. Coriander not giving you so much as a second to explain what they would be doing before dragging them off to begin construction of the children’s home.

So why, WHY, did everything have to go upside down once Tomas was involved. It wasn’t even because of Bi han’s involvement. In fact, Bi han was absent from training. And the worst part, it wasn’t even because he messed up.

The Mangrove was the ideal location for the Hamadryad in many ways, one of the major reasons being space. The Mangrove’s training area was simplistic in design. Split into three sections; a wide open area for sparing, an area with target dummies, and an untouched overgrown area with trees and tall grass. 

To say Miche was excited would be an understatement. The blonde haired boy was practically bouncing off the walls since breakfast when he heard that Tomas would be training him. Calla couldn’t help but smile as she watched Miche ramble to the Lin kuei as the three approached the grounds, every other word switching out of english in lack of knowing the translation. 

A part of Calla felt a little bad for Miche. It was obvious that after the fire he had grown attached to Tomas, which was going to make his inevitable departure painful for him. Miche was the youngest of the Hamadryad. And the only one who had no concept of a life before the megáli fotiá. The last thing Calla wanted was for him to be at all like a paternal role to him. 

Which is why looking back on this day she would always wonder what the hell she had been thinking when she told Tomas to train him.

“Widen your stance” Tomas instructed, tapping Miche’s foot with his own. “Like this?” Tomas smiled, “exactly”.

It was almost unnerving how calm Tomas was. At this point a few others had begun to watch the lesson between him and Miche. That paired with Calla watching and openly judging him should have at least made him wary. But instead he seemed entirely focused on Miche. For a moment Calla had wondered if her plan had backfired.

Around half an hour had passed of Tomas teaching Miche to throw an opponent before he told the boy to take a break “Sister, what do you think?!”. “You’re learning fast. Well done” Calla gave a curt smile as the boy drank water. Looking over, Tomas seemed to be speaking to the small group of onlookers. Most of which were the children only slightly older than Miche…. Oh no.

Calla’s eyes widened as she watched a number of the smaller boys start to show off to Tomas, sparring with the air and laughing. She had accounted for everything. Their little groups arrogance, pride, ignorance, and folly. But she had never thought to take into account them actually being likable. Calla had half a mind to yell at the children to go away. But that would do little good in the end. No, she would have to pivot from this miscalculation. 

In a matter of minutes Tomas’ task of training a singular pupil had expanded into three. The two extra little boys being around two years older than Miche. “Elm! Misha! Leave our guest alone. He has enough to do”. Tomas could understand the gist of Calla’s meaning based on the way the two slinked backwards looking between him and her, “With respect, I would very much enjoy the opportunity to guide more students”.

Calla looked at Tomas from the corner of her eye, holding back the urge to narrow them in irritation. Turning back to the boys in question would prove to be another mistake, the now three of them huddled together looking pathetic and no doubt attempting to guilt her into caving.

“...Of course. If you insist” Calla smiled, before turning to leave. She took back what she said. Men weren’t easy. Boy’s were. And unfortunately for her there was at least one man in Liu kang’s little horde. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Johnny groaned, stretching his neck to the side as he approached the long low sitting tables sat underneath shaded ivy. Sitting next to Raiden he was quick to dive into the tray of cold fruits laid out. 

“You know when the matron said we would be helping rebuild an entire building, she could have mentioned by WE she meant us and two people”. Normally Kenshi would be quick to chastise Johnny for complaining, but he had to admit he was right. Coriander had them working non stop through lunch. Apparently, Dryads had different work and eating cultures than humans. Having two communal meals a day and not believing in breaks. 

“You think that’s bad?” Kung lao huffed, visibly stained in dirt. “Dryads harvest fields daily. Wait, let me rephrase that. The same fields, daily. Every time I thought we were done they just regrew everything”. 

“It was more than I anticipated, I will admit,” Raiden said, massaging his hands. “And that lady, Alycia, does not like us,” Kung lao shook his head before biting into an apple. “I think that’s true for everyone here, Kung lao” Kenshi said. The four watched as both Tomas and Bi han approached and joined across from them, “Are things going better on your end?”.

“The boys are making progress if that is what you’re asking” Tomas said, earning a glare from Bi han, “You were tasked with training one. We do not need you wasting our time on frivolous children”.

“I would hardly call this frivolous, Bi han” Bi han’s nose scrunched. “Divulging Lin Kuei secrets to Dryad brats is not our prerogative. Finish the mission, so we may leave” Harshly he stood to walk away. “What's up his ass?” from both sides Johnny was met by sharp elbows knocking into his ribs. 

Johnny sighed, “I’m starting to really miss meat” he looked at  the long tables flooded with Dryads eating together, searching for anything hearty. “Eat the vegetables Johnny, they’re filling enough on their own” Tomas said exhausted. As if on cue, the second he reached for his own plate a small swarm of young teens came buzzing over to surround him, overlapping Greek and laughter making it impossible to know what they wanted. 

What was understandable was the three hands pulling him from his seat towards another table. “And the chaperones are gone” Johnny sat up, “I’m gonna see if this place has anything to drink”.

~~~~~~~~~~

Calla sat with her arms crossed, “You’re pouting” Cypress took a sip of tea. Calla glared, “I don’t pout”. “You do”, Calla glared at Tomas. “He’s becoming a problem” Cypress looked over at the man currently covered in children before looking back to Calla with a brow raised. “Whatever shall we do? He is viciously teaching our children table manners” Calla’s eyes narrowed at the obvious sarcasm, “The last thing we need are people getting attached. The entire point of letting them in was to make them lose hope”.

“Careful, Sister, you’ll sour your dinner” Calla gave up staring at the Lin Kuei in favor of turning to Cypress. “I don’t want them worming themselves into their minds”. Cypress laughed, “hmm, by the looks of it the girls are particularly interested in his… worm” Calla’s eyes shot wide and darted back to Tomas who was surrounded by a number of the younger girls, a couple older ones too. 

“Absolutely not! Get away from him!” the group flinched, dissipating back to their tables. Calla rubbed her temple, trying to act as though she didn’t create a scene. Thankfully no one wanted to comment on it, or at least were too scared to. 

“Children” she huffed, “Chasing after the first thing with legs they see”. “It’s their first time seeing people from the outside world, you can hardly blame them for being curious” Cypress argued, “Honestly, I expected you to react the same”.

“I’ve dealt with the outside world more than enough” Calla rolls her eyes. “I’d hardly call threatening lost hikers a conversation” Cypress paused, “Sister… I am aware of your lack of interest when it comes to… physical pursuits” Calla was on edge. “And I know it is because you see yourself as a parent to the mangrove and everyone in it. Perhaps, being able to release any pent up urges with someone who will not remain for long would be-” Calla slammed the table, shooting up, cheeks red in embarrassment. This had certainly created a spectacle, both the Mangrove and Liu Kang’s brats staring at her. “You will never speak to me of this again”. 

“What was that about?” Johnny asked, watching as the matron stormed off. “Oh, suddenly I’m fluent in Greek, let me tell you all about it!” Johnny frowned at Kenshi’s tone. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Calla huffed as she stormed towards her home. The gall on Cypress! To try to give advice on her sex life. Cypress was well aware why she chose not to couple with any of the Hamadryad. She had practically raised all of them, with a few exceptions. And even then, after everything with Atticus… she couldn’t do that again.

She had half a mind to march to the temple and call upon the fire god himself and make him remove his pawns from her home. But that would do nothing but invite more trouble.

Calla sighed, perhaps going to the temple would be the better choice of action. Not summoning Liu Kang, certainly not. But tempering herself and seeking guidance in Lady Cetrion would be wiser than stewing rage in an empty home.

The temple was quiet as per usual at this time, the only sound emanating being the quiet flow of gentle rushing water. Calla never quite understood spirituality, even as matron. She just chalked it up to being too young. By the elder gods she hated that. Too young. It was the source of her every problem and insecurity. Lack of experience, continuous questioning, and now a plethora of intruders she allowed to stay in her home.

Even now, sitting in the wood and marble building, kneeling beneath her Lady’s statue she didn’t feel any divine guidance. Just… cold….Cold?

“In the time it took for you to notice me I could have killed you” the grating gravel voice of Bi han sounded behind her. “Have you come purely to interrupt my content or do you have an actual purpose here” her jaw ticked. 

“Content?” he laughed, “Your fists say otherwise”. Calla stood from her cushioned altar to face him. “You can fool everyone else with your charade but I know better” Calla puffed out her chest at the accusation. “I don’t know what is more insulting. That you are ill kempt to be the Hamadryads Matron, or that you’re the best the Hamadryad have to offer”. 

“Continue to spew vile in my Lady’s temple and I will show you how kempt I am” She popped the t, words dripping with malice. Calla looked up and down his figure. She had done nothing more than be in his presence and he looked ready to murder. Oh, now she understood, “Is it painful?”. “What-” Calla cut him off, “Having someone ‘beneath you’, have more power than you”. 

Cold vapor began to fume off of his shoulders and hands, mask failing to cover any of his rage. “Unkempt. No leash. No job other than the wellbeing of my own people. Must sound nice after years under Liu Kang’s thumb” his hand shot out to wrap around her neck, cold fingers frosting over her skin. 

“How sad” Calla said straight faced, concealing all fear she had in the moment in favor of the most pitying look she could give him. 

Now Bi han really was going to kill this bitch

Taglist

~~~~~~~~~~

@whore-of-many-hot-men

@cherryblossomly

@anightlikethisss

[theladyofbloodshed]

So, I have a question. I am planning a new series with following a certain mythology. I know a lot of readers drag sjm through the mud about stealing names from mythologies (including myself), like the names of gods/goddess & places, and not coming up with none on her own.

How should I combat that?

Is it a tad bit better to come up with all new names and places but keep the mythology lore?

I am trying to avoid being like sjm. (Also, I am asking a bunch of other tumblrs this question so you might see it around).

Long post incoming...

I think the issue with some of sjm's mythology is that she rips it away from certain cultures and then does nothing with it or warps it to the point where she should have just invented her own name e.g. Morrigan is famous in Irish folklore as three sisters (who are also all the same goddess) who is associated with war, she can be seen washing the armour of soldiers who will die that day. She's also famous for trying to seduce/end Cuchulainn who was battling Queen Maeve. There is no way sjm just came up with the name, because there are some similarities with acotar mor... but then we've never actually seen her power in 5 books.

She just takes random bits from lots of different cultures. Acotar was supposedly inspired by Outlander which is set in Scotland. The Ballad of Tam Lin is also Scottish (but acotar really is not similar to it). We have Rhys/Amren/Nuala/Cerridwen which are all Welsh names. But then I've seen people interpret Nuala and Cerridwen as POC because sjm is so vague (not to say welsh people cannot be poc, but the clothing they - and feyre - first wear is more like Jasmine from aladdin). Morrigan is Irish. Azriel is Hebrew. Cassian is Latin. Nesta is Welsh. Elain is Welsh. Eris is Greek. Lucien is French. Puca are celtic. The bogge comes from old english for the bogeyman. The Weaver is based on strzyga which are slavic. Baba Yellowlegs is a rip off of baba yaga also from slavic folklore. Koschei is also a slavic legend along with the Firebird. Heck, just look at the Slovenian flag and you'll see three mountains with three stars above it. I've seen people theorise that Thurr is CC is like Thor and CC will be the norse ragnarok.

Calan Mai is a Welsh festival and the acotar version is a bastardisation of it. Fires are lit to ward off spirits and banish disease the night before. On the day, farmers traditionally took their animals out to pastures and singing/drinking happened to give thanks for a good season. A May Queen and King would be crowned and the village green opened. SJM took Calan Mai from welsh traditions and turned it into a giant orgy (of course). Thunderbirds are important to Native American mythology and sjm has just taken that yet again for a character. I've only read cc2 once but I feel like there was no description of Sofie whatsoever.

It's not wrong to borrow from mythologies and folklore. These stories have existed for thousands of years for a reason. My issue is the strange amalgamation of shoving so many together and snipping only the "nice" bits e.g. the Morrigan can transform into an eel and she loses an eye at one point and transforms into an old woman. Sjm cant have ugly main characters!

I think try and be consistent with the mythologies e.g. don't mix lots of different ones together if you're using "real" names because I don't think they gel well - this is my friend Thor, his brother Apollo, and their friend Anubis. There are sooooo many mythology/folklore books out there. I have a whole shelf because I love it. There are also so many websites. Delve into less commonly known mythologies/stories. Alternatively, be inspired by them and come up with your own creations. Or, come up with your own lore in general :-)

Ultimately, you are telling the story you want to write. Do what is best for you!

[al-spudkin]

I dunno if this will be helpful to anyone but hey, why not! Here are some YouTube channels I’ve been watching to reduce stress. Listed in no particular order.

🧑‍🌾 Self Sufficient Me - the only gardening YouTuber who looks like Russel Crowe and tells the worst dad jokes imaginable, whose merch I own. Guy actually changed my life and he doesn’t even know it. https://youtube.com/@Selfsufficientme

⛅️ Spiritual Unfoldment With John Butler - A retired farmer and Christian spiritualist who gives wonderfully calming talks on his own life and meditation practice. https://youtube.com/@SpiritualUnfoldment

☯️ Tao Talks With Derek Lin - basically a free college course this guy publishes to a teeny-tiny audience purely out of love. If you—like me—want a line-by-line analysis of the Tao Te Ching, all recorded on what sounds like a low-bandwith conference phone from 2006, this is your guy. https://youtube.com/@TaoTalkswithDerekLin

🥬 Dianxi Xiaoge - Huge family in Yunnan China fed by one insanely hardworking lady. Sometimes she literally feeds an entire town just for fun. Turn on subtitles for fun facts about weird plants. The love in this family radiates off the screen; I always watch this channel when I need a pick-me-up. https://youtube.com/@dianxixiaoge

🧳 Jacob the Carpetbagger - this guy travels to all the weird American roadside attractions so you don’t have to (or so you can plan your next road trip to see them all) https://youtube.com/@TheCarpetbagger

🎎 Craftsmanship Process Suigenkyo - Japanese craftspeople in full HD glory, making beautiful things that you can also buy on their website! https://youtube.com/@Craftsmanship-Process

🐓 Country Life Blog - the son of a charming Azerbaijani couple started this channel when the pandemic threatened the family’s restaurant. His mother makes amazing food in BULK. Many cute animals wandering around. Dad always makes Random Flower Tea. https://youtube.com/@country_life_vlog

🔯 Rabbi Simon Jacobson - a Kabbalist Chabad rabbi with a lot of handy advice for life. A king of mixed metaphors and delightful wandering tangents. https://youtube.com/@Meaningfullifecenter

🦍 Japanese Zoo - faithful documentation of the Shabani family of gorillas at Higashiyama Zoo. No talking, just gorrillas eating vegetables. https://youtube.com/@japanesezoo

Happy watching! 🤗