#and then answer lotus’s ask bc I’ve been meaning to do that all day

[luffysprincess]

Today was such a long and busy day but a really good one and im very thankful for that ᰔ

[bloodbenderz]

humaniterations (dot) net/2014/10/13/an-anarchist-perspective-on-the-red-lotus/ this article from oct 2014 is very dense — truly, a lot to unpack here, but I feel like you would find this piece interesting. I would love it if you shared your thoughts on the points that stood out to you, whether you agree or disagree. you obv don’t have to respond to it tho, but I’m sending it as an ask jic you feel like penning (and sharing) a magnificent essay, as is your wont 💕

article

i know this took me forever 2 answer SORRY but i just checked off all the things on my to do list for the first time in days today so. Essay incoming ladies!

ok im SO glad u sent me this bc it’s so so good. it’s a genuinely thoughtful criticism of the politics in legend of korra (altho i think its sometimes a little mean to korra unnecessarily like there’s no reason to call her a “petulant brat” or say that she throws tantrums but i do understand their point about her being an immature and reactionary hero, which i’ll get back to) and i think the author has a good balance between acknowledging like Yeah the lok writers were american liberals and wrote their show accordingly and Also writing a thorough analysis of lok’s politics that felt relevant and interesting without throwing their hands up and saying this is all useless liberal bullshit (which i will admit that i tend to do).

this article essentially argues that the red lotus antagonists of s3 were right. And that’s not an uncommon opinion i think but this gives it serious weight. Like, everything that zaheer’s gang did was, in context, fully understandable. of course the red lotus would be invested in making sure that the physically and spiritually and politically most powerful person in the world ISNT raised by world leaders and a secret society of elites that’s completely unaccountable to the people! of course the red lotus wants to bring down tyrannical governments and allow communities to form and self govern organically! and the writers dismiss all of that out of hand by 1. consistently framing the red lotus as insane and murderous (korra never actually gives zaheer’s ideas a chance or truly considers integrating them into her own approach) 2. representing the death of the earth queen as not just something that’s not necessarily popular (what was with mako’s bootlicker grandma, i’d love to know) but as something that causes unbelievable violence and chaos in ba sing se (which, like, a lot of history and research will tell you that people in disasters tend towards prosocial behaviors). so the way the story frames each of these characters and ideologies is fascinating because like. if you wanted to write season 3 of legend of korra with zaheer as the protagonist and korra as the antagonist, you wouldn’t actually have to change the sequence of events at all, really. these writers in particular and liberal writers in general LOVE writing morally-gray-but-ultimately-sympathetic characters (like, almost EVERY SINGLE fire nation character in the first series, who were full on violent colonizers but all to a degree were rehabilitated in the eyes of the viewer) but instead of framing the red lotus as good people who are devoted to justice and freedom and sometimes behave cruelly to get where theyre trying to go, they frame them as psychopaths and murderers who have good intentions don’t really understand how to make the world a better place.

and the interesting thing about all this, about the fact that the red lotus acted in most cases exactly as it should have in context and the only reason its relegated to villain status is bc the show is written by liberals, is that the red lotus actually points out really glaring sociopolitical issues in universe! like, watching the show, u think well why the fuck HASN’T korra done anything about the earth queen oppressing her subjects? why DOESN’T korra do anything about the worse than useless republic president? why the hell are so many people living in poverty while our mains live cushy well fed lives? how come earth kingdom land only seems to belong to various monarchs and settler colonists, instead of the people who are actually indigenous to it? the show does not want to answer these questions, because american liberal capitalism literally survives on the reality of oppressive governments and worse than useless presidents and people living in poverty while the middle/upper class eats and indigenous land being stolen. if the show were to answer these questions honestly, the answer would be that the status quo in real life (and the one on the show that mirrors real life) Has To Change.

So they avoid answering these questions honestly in order for the thesis statement to be that the status quo is good. and the only way for the show to escape answering these questions is for them to individualize all these broad social problems down into Good people and Bad people. so while we have obvious bad ones like the earth queen we also have all these capitalists and monarchs and politicians who are actually very nice and lovely people who would never hurt anyone! which is just such an absurd take and it’s liberal propaganda at its best. holding a position of incredible political/economic power in an unjust society is inherently unethical and maintaining that position of power requires violence against the people you have power over. which is literally social justice 101. but there’s literally no normal, average, not-politically-powerful person on the show. so when leftist anarchism is presented and says that destroying systems that enforce extreme power differentials is the only way to bring peace and freedom to all, the show has already set us up to think, hey, fuck you, top cop lin beifong and ford motor ceo asami sato are good people and good people like them exist! and all we have to do to move forward and progress as a society is to make sure we have enough good individuals in enough powerful positions (like zuko as the fire lord ending the war, or wu as the earth king ending the monarchy)! which is of course complete fiction. liberal reform doesn’t work. but by pretending that it could work by saying that the SYSTEM isnt rotten it’s just that the people running it suck and we just need to replace those people, it automatically delegitimizes any radical movements that actually seek to change things.

and that’s the most interesting thing about this article to me is that it posits that the avatar...might actually be a negative presence in the world. the avatar is the exact same thing: it’s a position of immense political and physical power bestowed completely randomly, and depending on the moral character and various actions of who fills that position at any given time, millions of people will or won’t suffer. like kyoshi, who created the fascist dai li, like roku, who refused to remove a genocidal dictator from power, like aang, who facilitated the establishment of a settler colonial state on earth kingdom land. like korra! she’s an incredibly immature avatar and a generally reactionary lead. i’ve talked about this at length before but she never actually gets in touch with the needs of the people. she’s constantly running in elite circles, exposed only to the needs and squabbles of the upper class! how the hell is she supposed to understand the complexities of oppression and privilege when she was raised by a chess club with inordinate amounts of power and associates almost exclusively with politicians and billionaires?? from day 1 we see that she tends to see things in very black and white ways which is FINE if you’re a privileged 17 yr old girl seeing the world for the first time but NOT FINE if you’re the single most powerful person in the world! Yeah, korra thinks the world is probably mostly fine and just needs a little whipping into shape every couple years, because all she has ever known is a mostly fine world! in s1 when mako mentions that he as a homeless impoverished teenager worked for a gang (which is. Not weird. Impoverished people of every background are ALWAYS more likely to resort to socially unacceptable ways of making money) korra is like “you guys are criminals?????!!!!!” she was raised in perfect luxury by a conservative institution and just never developed beyond that. So sure, if the red lotus raised her anarchist, probably a lot would’ve been different/better, but....they didn’t. and korra ended up being a reactionary and conservative avatar who protected monarchs and colonialist politicians. The avatar as a position is completely subject to the whims of whoever is currently the avatar. and not only does that suck for everyone who is not the avatar, not only is it totally unfair to whatever kid who grows up knowing the fate of the world is squarely on their shoulders, but it as a concept is a highly individualist product of the authors’ own western liberal ideas of progress! the idea that one good leader can fix the world (or should even try) based on their own inherent superiority to everyone else is unbelievably flawed and ignores the fact that all real progress is brought about as a result of COMMUNITY work, as a result of normal people working for themselves and their neighbors!

the broader analysis of bending was really interesting to me too, but im honestly not sure i Totally agree with it. the article pretty much accepts the show’s assertion that bending is a privilege (and frankly backs it up much better than the original show did, but whatever), and i don’t think that’s NECESSARILY untrue since it is, like, a physical advantage (the author compares it to, for example, the fact that some people are born athletically gifted and others are born with extreme physical limitations), but i DO think that it discounts the in universe racialization of bending. in any sequel to atla that made sense, bending as a race making fact would have been explored ALONGSIDE the physical advantages it bestows on people. colonialism and its aftermath is generally ignored in this article which is its major weakness i think, especially in conjunction with bending. you can bring up the ideas the author did about individual vs community oriented progress in the avatar universe while safely ignoring the colonialism, but you can’t not bring up race and colonialism when you discuss bending. especially once you get to thinking about how water/earth/airbenders were imprisoned and killed specifically because bending was a physical advantage, and that physical advantage was something that would have given colonized populations a means of resistance and that the fire nation wanted to keep to itself.

i think that’s the best lens thru which to analyze bending tbh! like in the avatar universe bending is a tool that different ethnic groups tend to use in different ways. at its best, bending actually doesn’t represent social power differences (despite representing a physical power difference) because it’s used to represent/maintain community solidarity. like, take the water tribe. katara being the last waterbender, in some way, makes her the last of a part of swt CULTURE. the implication is that when there were a lot of waterbenders in the south, they dedicated their talents to building community and helping their neighbors, because this was something incredibly culturally important and important to the water tribe as a community. the swt as a COLLECTIVE values bending for what it can do for the entire tribe, which counts for basically every other talent a person can have (strength, creativity, etc). the fire nation, by contrast, distorts the community value of bending by racializing it: anyone who bends an element that isn’t fire is inherently NOT fire nation (and therefore inherently inferior) and, because of the physical power that bending confers, anyone who bends an element that isn’t fire is a threat to fire nation hegemony. and in THAT framework of bending, it’s something that intrinsically assigns worth and reifies race in a way that’s conveniently beneficial to the oppressor.

it IS worth talking about how using Element as a way to categorize people reifies nations, borders, and race in a way that is VERY characteristic of white american liberals. i tried to be conscious of that (and the way that elements/bending can act in DIFFERENT ways, depending on cultural context) but i think it’s pretty clear that the writers did intend for element to unequivocally signify nation (and, by extension, race), which is part of why they screwed up mixed families so bad in lok. when they’ve locked themselves into this idea that element=nation=race, they end up with sets of siblings like mako and bolin or kya tenzin and bumi, who all “take” after only one parent based on the element that they bend. which is just completely stupid but very indicative of how the writers actually INTENDED element/bending to be a race making process. and its both fucked up and interesting that the writers display the same framework of race analysis that the canonical antagonists of atla do.

anyway that’s a few thoughts! thank u again for sending the article i really loved it and i had a lot of fun writing this <3

[lotusjwy]

“Didn’t you see what I did?!” wwx and lwj, clearly i love Pain - @gremlinmetawin

hello, wangxian is so hard to write and i think i complained about that a lot today 😭  i once again have decided to make this a slight continuation of the last prompt i wrote (again will link the first AND second bits for anyone who hasn’t read it, below!) i’m not entirely happy with this, bc i’ve never written anything that isn’t... well jiang cheng centric, so i didn’t know how to navigate it??? but i hope you like it all the same??? thank u for getting my creative juices flowing, ur always so giving 💜 @gremlinmetawin

It had been a long day for Lan Wangji, and it was only the early afternoon. He wanted nothing more than to drag Wei Ying back to the Jingshi and spend the remainder of their day alone. However, unfortunately that wasn’t a possibility with his brother not leaving his rooms for the day, leaving Lan Wangji to deal with some duties that required immediate attention. Thankfully, Wei Ying had decided to accompany him for the day, making his duties seem less like work and more like running errands with the love of his life.

As they were passing by the Hanshi, Lan Wangji averted his eyes from the dwelling, not wanting to be tempted to go see his brother, having learned from his past mistakes. He wished that there was something he could do for Xichen, that would stop him from getting into these moods, knowing that they were just as draining on him, as they were on those he spoke to.

He was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts, when he felt his husband urgently pulling at his robes.

“Did Xichen-ge play the flute this morning?” Wei Wuxian sounded frantic, his eyes wide, something hidden behind them. Perhaps fear? Wangji was unsure, but he was just as reluctant to let his husband go anywhere near his brother today. Wei Ying had refused to tell him what Xichen had said to him that time, but he knew that the other had had nightmares about it for a long time after, and likely still wasn’t completely over it, even if the two had made their amends.

“He did not. If you wish to see him, you should go tomorrow, instead.” He hoped that whatever Wei Ying wanted from Xichen could wait, otherwise he was not above physically dragging the other away from here. He refused to let Wei Ying see Xichen right now and would do everything in his power to stop it.  

However, it would seem that that wasn’t the case, as the Wei Ying seemed to grow irritated at Wangji, “ugh, no, didn’t you see what I did?!” Wei Ying’s attention was no longer solely focussed on Lan Wangji, as he seemed to be searching for something or someone, “someone let Jiang Cheng go see him, fuck.”

Oh. Lan Wangji actually hadn’t seen Jiang Wanyin, as he had purposefully not been looking towards the Hanshi and had thus, apparently, missed seeing Jiang Wanyin.

If it had been anyone else, Lan Wangji would have pitied the person who unknowingly stumbled upon Lan Xichen whilst he was in one of his moods. However, this was Jiang Wanyin, who had more or less spent the past two decades having built up his reputation by being just as hostile, and so he voiced this to his husband. “I’m sure xiongzhang would have said nothing that Jiang Wanyin hasn’t heard about himself before. Would he not be fine?”

This proved to be a mistake on his part, having somehow forgotten how fiercely protective Wei Ying was over Jiang Wanyin. Wei Ying rounded on his husband, his eyes narrowing in a glare that hadn’t been directed at him in a very long time. “Lan Zhan, we are going to have a serious talk about this later. But for now, I have to go find my idiot brother who’s probably about to shut himself away from everyone he cares about, again.” And with that, he had quickly left, supposedly to find Jiang Wanyin and give him comfort from whatever Lan Xichen had said to him.

Lan Wangji went about the remainder of his day in a trance like state, not being used to Wei Ying being mad at him, without them immediately resolving the                                                                     argument. Of course, they had gotten into fights, what couple did not? But they had generally been about Wei Ying’s lack of care towards himself, rather than something Lan Wangji had done. He wasn’t used to this and he could honestly say that he did not like it. All he could do now was wait for Wei Ying to return and hope that Wei Ying would no longer be mad at him.

It was well after dinner when Wei Ying had finally arrived back, shutting the doors softly behind him. Lan Wangji had winded down from the day, what with 9pm drawing near, though he was growing more impatient for Wei Ying’s return. As time had passed in the day, he had been tempted to go in search of Wei Ying wanting to smooth things over. However, he knew that his husband wouldn’t appreciate him interrupting his time with Jiang Wanyin.

Neither of them said a word to each other, for a few moments, letting an uncomfortable silence fall upon them. Wei Ying moved to grab a bottle of Emperor’s Smile from their ‘secret’ stash and sat down, gesturing for his husband to sit with him.

Letting out a sigh, Wei Ying took a drink directly from the jar before speaking, “do you want to hear what your brother said to Jiang Cheng?”

Lan Wangji could only assume the venom that his brother had spat out, but nodded all the same, “Mn.”

“He told my brother that he killed innocent people for no reason, that he and the cultivation world would have benefitted from him shutting himself away from society.” Taking another swig, Wei Wuxian laughed ruefully, not at all enjoying the situation they were in. A better part of his day was spent comforting his brother and ensuring that he was okay before letting him go back to Lotus Pier, and now he had to work through how his soulmate still hates one of the only family members he has left. “He strung my brother along, let him think that he cared, and then used that against him.”

“Xiongzhang doesn’t mean anything he says on these days…” And that was something that Lan Wangji wholeheartedly believed, he refused to believe that Lan Xichen had meant any of the words that he uttered in these instances.

He tiredly rubbed his hands over his face, trying to consider how to construct his thoughts from here on out, knowing that Lan Wangji would defend his brother to no ends, apparently not realising that Wuxian would do the same. “But Jiang Cheng doesn’t know that, Lan Zhan. How could he have known that when no one told him?”

Wei Ying had a point and Wangji knew it, but he still didn’t understand why Wei Ying was so upset over it, these were words Jiang Wanyin had heard before, “perhaps he should have been told, however it’s not the first time he’s had these wor-“

Wei Ying cut him off, fury in his eyes, “he’s had these words spat at him before, is that what you want to say?”

Lan Wangji silently nodded in response to the other, shocked at the anger he could feel radiating from his husband.

“Who fucking cares, Lan Zhan? I’ve had poison spat at me as well, yet you are there to defend me at every step, regardless of how many times I’ve heard it. Why is it any different when its Jiang Cheng?” And wasn’t that the truth. Any time someone so much as breathes wrong in Wuxian’s direction, Lan Zhan is there in an instant, ready to cut the person’s throat, just to defend his honour.

“You… didn’t do the things you’re accused of.” Lan Wangji was beginning to see the fault in his thoughts, that perhaps he wasn’t being as unbiased as he had originally assumed.

“But I did, Lan Zhan. I did cultivate demonic cultivation. I did leave the cultivation society for the Wen remnants. I killed so many people, I did all of the things they accused me off. I couldn’t control it! Yet you choose to protect me but also to demonise my brother.” Wei Wuxian stopped speaking to take another long drink from the Emperor’s Smile jar. “Lan Zhan, I love you, I love you so much, but I need you to stop hating him so openly.”

“He hates me too.” Perhaps it was a petty response, but Wangji didn’t enjoy being on the other end of being scolded by his cultivation partner.

“Jiang Cheng only gives out what he receives. If you show him kindness and respect, then he will show that back to you in return.” It was always something Wei Wuxian had always noticed about Jiang Cheng, if someone was kind to him, then he would be kind in return, albeit in his own, angry way, but kind all the same. And if you show him nothing but resentment, then he finds no reason to be kind in return. “I’m not asking you and him to get along and become friends, I know how unlikely that is. I’m just asking for you to give him the benefit of the doubt. For you and him to be in a room together without me worrying that the two of you will kill each other. Please.”

Wei Ying was looking at Lan Wangji with desperation in his eyes, and an overall tired look on his face. He hadn’t realised how much this had been weighing on his husband’s mind, and so he had no choice but to agree, “…mn, I promise to try harder to be kind to Jiang Wanyin, in the future.”

“Thank you. I’m sorry I spoke like that to you, but I needed you to understand.”

“Mn. It’s okay.” But there was still one thing lingering on his mind, that Wei Ying hadn’t answered for him yet. “I am... still unsure on something... You do not get upset when people talk about you, why does Jiang Wanyin?”

“Imagine if I had condemned your every move, Lan Zhan. Every life choice you made the past two decades. Not a random disciple from a random sect, but me, your husband.” He looked away from the other, knowing that Lan Wangji would draw his own conclusions about their brothers relationship, or lack thereof, on his own from his words. “Imagine someone you love saying something so horrible about you to your face, saying that they no longer want to be in your company because it’s tiresome to them, and you have no idea why they’d said it. That’s why he got upset, not because of what was said, but because of who said it.”

Lan Wangji began nodding, his mind reeling at the fact that Wei Ying had implied that Jiang Wanyin had feelings for his brother, but he understood what the other was saying. Jiang Wanyin had no idea that Lan Xichen got into these moods, and so he had believed that the other had meant the words that he had said to him. “I apologise for thinking and speaking so carelessly. I’ll try to be more lenient towards Jiang Wanyin in the future.”

Wei Ying gave his cultivation partner the biggest grin that he could muster, “that’s all I could ask from you, Lan Zhan. I’m sorry that I had to leave you alone all day, you must have been so worried.” He stood up, bringing his jar of Emperor’s Smile with him and immediately sat himself down on Lan Wangji’s lap, wrapping his arms around the other’s neck.

“Mn, it is okay. Jiang Wanyin needed you, and you are now here with me.” Lan Wangji smiled at Wei Ying, and gently wrapped his arms around his waist, holding him in place as he pressed a firm kiss to the other’s lips.

[tinytigerrrr]

11 for 11 may 🙏, 15, 21, 23, 25, 28, 31, 38, 45, 48 😉 & 49!

11 for 11 may, my god bless you my friend!! <3 And Also THANKS FOR THE ASKS!! <33 Sorry it took so long I really wanted to take my time hehe c: 11. Describe your ideal day. I think my ideal day is sleeping in late, what for me is normal, around 12pm. Then I wake up, eat a good breakfast, sit with my cat on my lap for smtn like an hour. And then I go outside, bcs the sun is shining. I meet my friends and we go picknick somewhere in the sun beneath a few little trees. I buy smtn to drink somewhere because its very hot and ofc I forgot my drink. Its so refreshing and I feel so alive and the world is so beautifull. Me and my friends, we laugh a lot and just enjoy the good weather, the nice day and the little foods. And than at the evening we bbq or eat smtn else nice, and have a good evening. We sit outside for a while, feeling the summer evening becoming cooler. We watch as the stars come out and think to ourselves if we ever looked up at the same stars together in another life. And then when it’s really late, I go back home, feeling the cool breeze against my skin while I ride my electric bike. At home everyone is asleep so I walk in very softly and there I see my cat sleeping in the chair so I walk to her and bent over giving her a gentle kiss on her little head. She makes mmrrr sound and I tell her I love her and that I had an amazing day. After that I give her some food and I go to bed. Maybe take a showe bcs it was so hot today. And then I lay in my bed, tired but very fufilled after such a wonderfull day. Storing the happy memories in my head thinking how blessed I am with my life. As I fall asleep I feel gratefull for today and all the beautiful things that brought it.  Yeah, I think thats mu ideal day. Friends, good weather, sunshine, little food, laughter, love, my cat lucy, summer - yeah smtn like that c: 15. What is your favorite compliment to recieve? I like all kind of compliments. Im a sucked for compliments. I know I do a good job most of the time, but there’s just smtn in me that really likes the validation? I know I don’t need it. But it just makes my soul shine like: Ohmygawd thank you so much this makes me so happy D:. But If I had to think, I think I like the compliment saying I have a good energy or vibe the most. Bcs its so pure and real and not everyone can sense/say that. And you’re energy is not smtn you can fake or make more beautiful. So its such a sincere compliment, that I think thats my favorite compliment to recieve c: 21. Tell us about your music taste. Bro, this is a long one HAHAHA. But I will keep it short: ‘Diverse.’ I think that describes my music taste the best. Because I listen to A LOT of different things. Just what I feel like or in what mood I am. And one thing I also like a lot is when a song makes me feel ‘free’. As if im totally cut off from the world. Thats a really nice feeling music can give you. And ofc songs that make me feel things. Bcs often then I can use it as inspiration. So yeah, thats abt my music taste haha c: Also! I like it when songs have a deeper meaning. Idk why, but thats just megical c: 23. Did you have a favorite stuffed animal as a kid? OH I already answered this one so I will just copy and paste it here! c: ‘’ YES! I HAD. AND I STILL HAVE IT! I dont sleep with it anymore but it has a honorable place among my other stuffed animals. It is a cow, that is formed like a teddy bear so its more cartroony instead of animal like, her name is Koetjeboe and you could play a musicbox song of A Small World from Disneyland. It was my favarite soung and whenever I felt anxious as I child I would play it and it would sooth my soul and fill me with happyness. Aaah good times c: I also had a cat, named, Poes, she is very very very soft, well was, nowadays she aint HAHA she looked like my cat when I was younger, Sjimmie, I loved the plush. Mom bought it for me in England in the Harry Potter castle. It was amazing c: So, I kinda had two, but Koetjeboe the cow is rly my birth stuffed animal haha c:’’ 25. What dream trip would you take with your wife? Honestly, anywhere with her would be a dream. And if she has somewhere wehere she really wants to go, I would just go with that c: Seeing someone you love happy is such a gift so I totally wouldn’t mind going anywhere. That is also because I have so many places I want to go, and almost every place interests me. I can’t think of a country or city or place I am not interested in visiting. I always loved to travel, and still do, so anything would be good c: But if she’s like: Hey what do you want badly? I would probably say somewhere with a beach. I love the sea and I love the beach. So that would be a thing I would love too hahaha. But yeah, anything rly, and the beach c: 28. What makes you smile? Oh boi, what doesn’t?! HAHA. A lot of things make me smile tbh bcs I get happyness out of almost everything. I can remember that I was crying and felt sad, and even then I smiled because it was such a special experience haha. But if I had to say some things I would say; My cat Lucy, cant help but smile whenever I see her, my friends, you super included <3, sunshine, good food, baby animals and honestly just life in general c: 31. How do you show your love? Again, how don’t I? I learned at a very young age to show love in different ways. Bcs I wanted to be a good person. And one of those things is showing love. So I do it with words, saying I really love someone or giving them compliments, thats a big one for me haha. I also like to really support my friends through words. Just supporting them for whoever they are! I also like to give things. It can go from small presents to food to many or big presents on their birthday. Also I like to help people, to give them advice or agai support them any way I can. I also show it through physical contact, as in hugs ans such. And I even sometimes lean toward just really cuddling up to someone HAHAHA But I don’t do that tbh, bcs at the same time it makes me feel uncomfy, but at the same time im like: Ohmygawd I love yo uso much just lemme huddle up against you to share my love with you and ahfgs. So amny ways HAHAHA some more difficult for me and others really easy. Like presents or food, hit me up, imma get you some nice flowers or some sweets or a book you really like bcs I love yu!

38. Who do you admire? Myself *smirk* HAHHA no kiddin. I admire my friends. Because those people have been through hell, or still going through hell, and still decide to be genuine good persons. I’ve seen from upclose what they have to deal with. And they still give so much love tot he world and people and want to help. Its really a blessing to have people like that around me. And I thank the heavens for that. So I would say my friends. Yes. (pls know you are in this picture too. Hello, going through hell still being super good person, ok.) 45. Do you have tattoos or want any? Yes, I have one underneath my feet. HAHA oke jokes, sorry HAHA. No I don’t have any. And I would like one yes. Im not sure what I want tho. I am always thinking of a tiger. Or a lotus flower. Or a little symbol on the inside of my left wrist. That last one I smtn I’ve had for years. I dont know why but I would really like that. A small thing on that place. But what that is gonna be, I have NO idea. OH and I want a smilie face underneath my big toe! Thats just one for fun, but I would rly like it haha.

48. Did you know you’re actually a gift tot he world, for real? IM NOT CRYING YOU ARE *SOB* Thank yo uso much frend!! It means so much to me to hear that I just can’t. My gosh. When I see yu imma hug ya big time. SOB 49. What’s your favorite memory? Ooh this is a hard one. Mostly because I have many good memories and also because Im actually pretty bad at remembering things HAHHA thats two opposites I know xD But uuh, oke I thought about it, but im so sorry i cant think of one RIP. But if I had to choose I would choose smtn that made me smile. That made me really happy. So one with Lucy, many with Lucy, or one with my friends, many with my friends, with my mom, traveling, and so fort. There are a lot and I wish i could show them all to you. Sadly I can’t. BUT We can make our own favorite memories. So lets do that, okay? <3

[trensu]

Episode 25: The One where They Frolic in the Forest but like, Sad This Time

Okay folks, buckle up bc this one has a lot of Hetero Drama and Stupid Plot Things

But look!! I’ve made it to the halfway point of the show!! I’m so proud of myself

We’re gonna skip as much of that as possible

BUT this one has some EPIC moments to make up for it

We start at Lotus Pier

Stuff’s happening that we’re not interested in 

except for how our resident Disaster Het jzx comes by to invite the jiang clan to the jin clan’s awesome sleepover with sweet sweet party games

Plot plot plot

WE’RE AT AN ARCHERY COMPETITION!!

I guess that’s how they open sleepovers in Ancient Fantasy China?

LWJ AND WWX ARE STANDING NEXT TO EACH OTHER

OUR BOYS ARE SHARING SCREEN TIME!! WITHOUT HURTING US!!!

Blegh, jgy is talking

And here the jin clan bring out their wen prisoners bc they think it’s fun to place them in front of the targets??? anD THEY GET AWAY WITH IT??

THEY DID THIS IN FRONT OF BASICALLY THE ENTIRE CULTIVATION WORLD AND NOBODY SAID ANYTHING!!

I WILL NEVER BE OVER THIS

WTF IS WRONG WITH THEM

Wwx at least tried to protest but jc shut him down, bc their clan really isn’t strong enough to stir up trouble rn 

BUT THERE WERE PLENTY OF PEOPLE IN MORE SECURE, POWERFUL POSITIONS THAT COULD HAVE SAID SOMETHING

I’M LOOKING AT YOU, LXC. WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE LAN CLAN MOTTO, HUH?? WHAT HAPPENED TO RIGHTEOUSNESS???

*takes a deep breath*

Okay, okay

I’m calm, i’m cool

So that happened

Jzx tries to show off by shooting an arrow and getting a bullseye without hitting any of the prisoners

And wwx sees this and is like, hmmmm, i can humiliate jzx AND discreetly protect the wen prisoners!!! (and give the audience a bite of wangxiantics)

Wwx: lan zhan, do me a favor

Lwj: what’s the matter?

Wwx: can i borrow your forehead ribbon?

CAN I BORROW YOUR FOREHEAD RIBBON

THE SPECIAL ONE THAT NO ONE BUT FAMILY AND SPOUSES CAN TOUCH

I JUST WANT TO BORROW IT IN PUBLIC WHERE EVERYONE CAN SEE. NBD

Lwj just stares at him in response and wwx sulks but doesn’t push it

(lol, jc sees that go down and is just completely exasperated, like, one day, can we get one day when you don’t OVERTLY FLIRT WITH LWJ in front of EVERYONE??)

(the answer is no. no, he cannot do that, jc)

(he’s not allowed to not flirt with lwj)

Since he couldn’t get the super special forehead ribbon, he uses one of his own wrist ribbon things to blindfold himself

Please take a moment to appreciate the fact thAT HE WAS GONNA USE THE SACRED FOREHEAD RIBBON TO BLINDFOLD HIMSELF, THE KINKY BASTARD

Wwx: nbd nbd, imma just shoot 5 arrows whilst blindfolded and hit every bullseye there is WITHOUT harming any of these innocent war victims.

It’s all in the twirl, baby

He does a Dramatic Twirl, Smirks™ and then releases those arrows like nothing

And afterwards he has this proud little grin on his face bc hell yeah, he just owned jzx’s smug ass AND prevented any harm from falling on innocent people

Also, LOL, NMJ’S REACTION TO THIS WAS GREAT

He sees wwx be a badass with a bow and arrow and immediately turns to lxc next to him with an expression like HOLY FUCKING SHIT, DID YOU SEE THAT, THAT WAS AWESOME and starts clapping like a madman

For future reference, this is the correct response to wwx all the time, I’M SO PROUD OF YOU BB

After all that, wwx struts back to stand next to lwj and gives him a proud little smile. It’s so cute, so cute.

Jgy is talking again BLEGH

Now we’re in the forest!! For hunting reasons!!

Wwx makes himself comfy by a tree and plays Magic Music on his demon flute and is all pretty while doing it and supposedly gets all this prey to jump into Jiang nets

we never actually see this happen but everyone says it happened and who am i to argue?

(actually i like to argue one-sidedly at the screen a lot but this was not important enough so whatever)

Also, side note, jc is KILLIN IT with his fashion choices in this ep. LOOKIN GOOD BRO

But we don’t care about any of this 

We care that WWX SUDDENLY SPOTS LWJ WALKING ALL ALONE IN THE FOREST AND HIS WHOLE ENTIRE FACE LIGHTS UP LIKE THE FREAKING SUN BC HE’S SO HAPPY TO SEE HIS SOULMATE

IT’S SO BEAUTIFUL

And then it gets sad. Sad times in the forest :(

Wwx was totally making a move to get lwj’s attention but he stops himself

Bc he remembers the conversation he had with lxc about how the ones he cares about can be hurt by his decisions

Thank goodness lwj notices him back

Wwx looks so surprised but also pleased the lwj sees him

And ofc lwj does not hesitate to go to wwx

BC THEY LOVE EACH OTHER AND ARE SOULMATES

Wwx: hey lan zhan, i heard you got tired of writing out the Lan Fam Rules~!

He’s happily engaging him in conversation!! He’s trying to tease him again!

Too bad lwj does not go along with it

This whole “let’s ruin wwx’s attempts for pleasant conversation by bringing up sad things” is getting really old lwj, stop that

Lwj: i made some progress in composing the music score and i’d like to share it with you to see if it works

eXCuSe mE??

HE’S BEEN WRITING MAGIC MUSIC FOR WWX??

HOW THE HELL DID I MISS THIS BEFORE??

I THOUGHT HE WAS JUST LEARNING FORBIDDEN MAGIC MUSIC, NOT CREATING MAGIC MUSIC FROM SCRATCH SPECIFICALLY FOR WWX

HE LOVES HIM SO MUCHHHH

Wwx: lan wangji, lan wangji

Noooo he’s reverted to calling him formally!!

And his tone went all flat!!

DON’T DO THAT

Wwx: who do you take me for? Why can’t you leave me alone?

DON’T SAY THAT

WHY ARE YOU SAYING THAT

YOU DON’T WANT HIM TO LEAVE YOU ALONE

STOP HURTING ME LWJ LIKE THIS

The minute wwx asks him that, lwj lowers his gaze when previously he had his eyes glued to wwx’s face the whole time

Bc WWX JUST STABBED HIM IN THE HEART WITH HIS WORDS

Lwj: who do you take me for?

He says all somberly, STILL NOT LOOKING AT WWX

Oh god, their faces are breaking my heart

After lwj says that, wwx stares at him for a long moment before canting his eyes to the side AND THEY LOOK KIND OF TEARY??

I THINK??

THAT MAY JUST BE MY TEARS

SOMEWHERE, TEARS ARE INVOLVED

Wwx: i once treated you as my lifelong confidant (AKA SOULMATE)

Lwj: i still am

*SOBBING*

~THEIR SONG~ IS PLAYING IN THE BACKGROUND

THEY’RE STARING AT EACH OTHER WITH SO MUCH FEELING

I WANT TO TEAR MY FACE OFF

Aaaaand the moment’s interrupted bc of stupid jzx and his Hetero Drama

Wwx hears someone approaching and he grabs lwj by the arm and drags him to a hiding spot where they can spy on jzx who just appeared with jyl

You know, i love how whenever wwx grabs lwj to drag him somewhere we get a bit of slo-mo stuff to, i guess, emphasize wwx is touching lwj or something

Not that we need the emphasis

It’s not like we’re not already hyper-aware of their EVERY INTERACTION

So now we get to watch wwx and lwj spy jzx and jyl

Lol, i wonder what lwj is thinking

Does he watch this and sympathize? Does he get secondhand embarrassment bc he knows he doesn’t do any better expressing his feelings to his soulmate??

I can’t imagine he has any actual interest in spying on Disaster Het jzx

Lwj is a Disaster Gay 

There can only be so much Disaster at a time, y’know?

or maybe he’s just thinking OMG WWX TOUCHED ME OMG WWX IS SO CLOSE

yeah, that’s probably it

Okay, there’s Hetero Drama going down 

Blah blah blah

BUT WAIT, jzx just made jyl tear up AGAIN

Wwx is all ready to tear jzx a new one but lwj holds him back before he could give away their location

Like, if asked, i’m sure lwj would say “oh, i stopped him to avoid an inter-clan incident” or whatever

But his REAL reason for holding him back was bc he was enjoying have wwx so physically close to him again

While secluded in a hidden spot

I mean, there’s less than a foot of space between them

I wouldn’t be so eager to give that up if i had wwx that close to me either

But lwj can’t hold him back for long bc jzx does another douchebaggy thing and wwx has had Enough

Wwx goes to defend his sister BC NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO MAKE JYL SAD, OKAY?

Wwx and jzx argue and then jzx draws his sword and takes a swing at wwx!!

SO OFC LWJ SWOOPS IN AND PARRIES THE BLOW

Lol jzx is so confused as to why lwj is there suddenly

You just tried attacking his soulmate, bro

what did you think was gonna happen

Ugh more Hetero Drama

Gotta say, i do enjoy watching jzx get scolded by his mother

Asshole cousin starts stirring up trouble and throwing a hissy fit about how wwx used his demon flute to catch 30% of the prey and how it’s Dishonorable and Cheating behavior

Lwj turns to wwx for a moment here and is like “30%??” idk if he’s impressed or concerned here.

Maybe both

Lwj gets a lot of Feelings around wwx, okay?

Lol, while asshole cousin is ranting, wwx turns his back on him to look at lwj

Wwx: oh, lan zhan, i didn’t thank you earlier for blocking that attack for me! Thank you~!

WHAT A POWER MOVE

HE GETS TO INSULT ASSHOLE COUSIN AND STARE AT HIS SOULMATE’S BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL FACE

WIN-WIN

Wwx is holding it together until asshole cousin accuses the jiang clan of having a corrupt or weak family or smth?

Then he starts getting all twitchy the way he does when Resentment kicks in

Asshole cousin continues to goad him and wwx starts to reach for his demon flute

Lwj flies to his side and grabs his arm!

Lwj: wei ying, concentrate. Wei ying, concentrate.

(wwx has a knack for making lwj repeat himself)

Jyl joins him to help wwx calm down

And now we take a break from wangxiantics for BADASS JYL TIME

Jyl goes and apologizes all sweetly to everyone for wwx’s supposedly rude behavior or whatever

And then turns to asshole cousin

Jyl: i might not know much about hunts, but i know there’s never been a rule about catching too much prey

DAAAAMN, GIRL

Jyl: it’s not his fault you can’t hunt prey. He used a different method that he worked hard to learn

Jyl: FURTHERMORE, you called him the son of a servant when he is my dear little brother

Jyl: so i would like for you to apologize to wwx

JYL IS THE GREATEST SISTER IN THE WORLD

Madam jin is like, ah, it’s not that big of a deal, let the boys squabble 

And jyl shuts that down by telling her that wwx is family, an insult to him is not a trivial matter for her

GOD I LOVE HER SO MUCH

Blah blah plot blah blah jzx is a Disaster Het in front of Witnesses blah blah 

Gross, sect leader yao goes off on a rant

We’re gonna ignore him

We cut to wwx downing a jar of wine in the middle of town 

*sigh* i don’t even know why i bother telling him off at this point, he’s obviously not worried at all about alcoholism

Ooooh, and now we’re getting Lan Bro time. Very wangxiantic lan bro time

Lxc: lwj, i can tell you’re worried about something. What is it?

Lwj: …

Lwj: lxc, i..i want to bring a man to Cloud Recesses

(guys, the ellipses here actually happened. We actually hear lwj do a start-stop on his sentence)

(THIS FROM A GUY WHO DOESN’T SPEAK MUCH BUT WHEN HE DOES SPEAK, SOUNDS LIKE A PRINCE)

(Our boy is Overcome with Feeling rn)

Lxc: bring a man back to Cloud Recesses?

Lwj: bring him back…and hide him there.

Lxc: hide him?

Lwj: …

Lxc: he may be unwilling to go, right?

LXC KNOWS WHATS UP BC THERE’S ONLY ONE MAN WHO HAS EVER AFFECTED HIS LITTLE BROTHER THIS WAY

Lwj stays silent here, and the lan bros manfully stare off to the distance

(I like to pretend that here lxc starts coming up with elaborate kidnapping plots bc he wants his lil bro to be happy and that’s only happening if he drags wwx back to their home)

(i mean, locking up your soulmate against their will is a Lan family tradition, isn’t it??)

AND THAT’S WHERE IT ENDS

THIS SHOW DOESN’T PULL ITS PUNCHES, DOES IT?

This forest frolic was not nearly as fun as the last one :(

Return to Masterpost

[yiqiie]

i hv to say i disagree respectfully with the last ask saying the jiang siblings turned away from wwx! the way i see it, jc has always been showing how he cares abt wwx, he was the one to pick up pieces after wwx messes up, he lost his golden core to protect wwx, he went to burial moulds bc he wants to protect wwx, he didnt tell wwx he lost his core bc he was trying to protect wwx & make wwx feel guilty... & i agree w your reply, cause jc is a sect leader he cannot afford to do things 1/?

like wwx, he has too much to consider. i honestly cant see how jc has turned away from wwx. & jyl was always the most selfless & kind, she cared for her brothers so much, she only got w jzx after he became better, he was a jerk when hes young but he even agreed to let wwx come to see jl, he really did love jyl, he didnt even do anything that terrible. but the point is how could we say jyl turned away from wwx when she literally DIED FOR HIM? 2/3

anyway i am passionate abt jiang siblings they could hv been SO much more, i loved their dynamics & yunmeng shuangjie will forever hv a place in my heart, healthy relationships are maintained by all parties & none of them are faultless because they are human ! 3/3

i’ll chuck my answer under a keep reading! 

i agree with you 100% i think the yunmeng bros relationship is very complicated and there’s a lot of factors that actually play into it 

the thing is he does sorta turn away from wwx in the end though, the whole reason why lwj is so antagonistic towards jc is that he didn’t do more when he could’ve, showing his support for wwx as a sect leader and as a brother would have meant a lot more than the bare minimum lwj was able to do (he blames himself for it too but that’s another lwj character study to go into that will get way too long here) 

yes he does do a lot to protect wwx esp at the start when they’re ‘estranged’, he makes sure wwx gets to see his sister in her wedding clothes he does truly care about him because they’re brothers at the end of the day but he also lets the gossip and sect leader talk get to him and to me that’s his biggest character flaw 

and his incapability of talking about his emotions but that’s apparently common for everyone alskdjasd 

there’s a fine line to walk between not caring about what others say about him, yunmeng jiang and wwx and maintaining his reputation and respectability as a sect leader; he’s allowed to not let what others say behind their backs get to him and still be a sect leader, he didn’t have to have such violent reactions and let everything people say affect him so much but that’s literally just jc’s personality, he cares about wwx but at the same time he’s thinking ‘why did you have to go and do this, why are you making it so hard for me to try and help you’ and it quickly turns into pretty ugly thoughts 

when wwx comes back, his first reaction is ‘why didn’t you come home to lotus pier the minute you came back to life’ and he’s so majorly pissed off about it, it shows that deep down he does care about him and he misses his brother but tbf it’s been 16 years (or 13 years in mdzs) and he’s spent every waking moment searching for any sign of demonic cultivation and literally just torturing them + jin ling is a reminder every day that wwx is reason why his only nephew doesn’t have parents any more SO i can see why he is a little bit more emotionally inept than usual

i personally don’t think reconciliation is possible for them in the future; respectfully maintaining distance and not at each other’s throats, yes, but i don’t think they can ever be what they were before (doesn’t mean i don’t enjoy reading yunmeng bro reconciliation fics alskdj) they’ve both said too much and hurt each other beyond their breaking points and i just don’t think a relationship that’s broken down this much can ever really be repaired 

i honestly don’t know what my point was i’ve gone on such a tangent i’ve like lost track BUT IN CONCLUSION jc is a complicated angry grape and while i’m not his biggest fan (personal opinion) i can recognise that beneath all that there’s a little part of him that will always care about wwx and value his wellbeing even if he hates seeing wwx with lwj lmao 

QUICK NOTE ABOUT SHIJIE, in this household we stan shijie and all the women in the untamed who all deserved better but unfortunately mxtx hates women

[johntwick]

dinner with a killer

Little note: Three things!! First: i’m tagging this as an x reader because I don’t rly describe the girl and never use a name. so technically it can be read as an x reader. Second: I believe john is a huge hypocrite and probably wouldnt befriend a serial killer bc that’s (lol) “wrong” but it’s a fanfic so who cares!!? Third: This is loosely based off Hannibal (the scene with Tobias) so yeah there’s my inspo. Enjoy!

Word count: 2.4k Reading time:11mins

The sound of metal hitting glass plates echoed throughout the almost silent room. Some classical piece John didn't know flowed from a radio on low volume as they ate together in peace. He was having dinner with a woman he had met at the library a couple months before his wife died. He felt guilty that he had gotten so close with another woman while Helen was dying, but as a former assassin, he didn’t have many friends. There was Marcus at the time, still, he didn’t really open up to him about his ‘feelings’.

John ran into her while he was checking a book out. She was beautiful and he felt disgusting for thinking that. Her knowledge on books amazed John. Once he stated that he worked on books for a hobby he knew that wouldn’t be the last time he saw her. And that wasn’t the last time he saw her. They met for coffee multiple times and during those times they talked about books, she talked about her problems and John talked about how hard it was watching Helen die right before him. He never cheated on Helen. Never. He wasn’t and never will be that kind of guy.

Even though eating a homemade dinner with a friend was not cheating, John felt that it would be going a little too far. So every invitation to eat at her house he declined. Until the night Helen died, he called her in a moment of grieving desperation, and asked if he was still welcomed. They made plans and hung up.

Then Viggo’s stupid son, Losef, had to mess with John. That really screwed with his retirement plan. Thankfully he was able to take care of things in time for the dinner. He knew he’d still have a few things to take care of but he was still injured from his fight with Viggo and needed to heal.

John now sat and watched her as they both ate. He saw her eyes flutter, her muscles move and twitch, and a satisfied smirk appear upon on her face every bite she took. There was almost an unnerving, familiar feeling about her that was bugging him but, besides that, she was perfect. Too perfect. Maybe that was it.

“Don't like your meal John? You're worrying me. You've spent so much time staring at me you've hardly taken a bite.” She teased with a playfulness gleaming in her eyes. John hadn't realized she knew he was staring at her. He felt himself heat up at his carelessness. She lifted her head and stared at him, still smirking, for a few seconds before she looked down and took another bite of her food.

“Uh, no. Sorry. It's very good, actually.” John took another bite as he watched her swell with so much pride even he could practically feel it. This time a full smile spread across her lips.

“Thank you. It’s chicken that’s actually been baked encased in lotus leaves and clay. They call it “Beggar's chicken”. The story behind it is pretty interesting.” She put her fork and knife down. John continued eating as she started on the historical context of the name.

“There are many variations of the story but they all start with a beggar. This beggar stole a chicken and the farmer went after him.” She paused to take a sip of her wine.

“The beggar buried the chicken in mud and later that day when he knew the farmer was gone he dug it up. He was so hungry he didn’t wash it off. He just cooked it like that.”

John listened as she went on about how well cooked it was and how the beggar showed everyone in the town and it even eventually got to the emperor.

“Well I guess we should be thanking the beggar for this meal tonight.” He jest, causing her to giggle.

“You know growing up, I always wanted to be a chef.”

John gave her a fake surprised look and the woman

brought her hand up to hide her laugh.

“I know. Not very surprising.” The atmosphere in the room became uncomfortable. John felt it and he knew she could too.

“Other things got in the way. So I studied and specialized in human behavior.” She turned and stared at John. Her eyes held no emotion as the smile faded from her face. She looked as though she wasn’t there, and mentally John knew she wasn’t. So he called her name in his gentle but raspy voice and leaned slightly over the table to get close to her.

“I can’t figure it out John. All night I’ve been sitting here talking and enjoying this very well cooked meal with you. I could basically hear the thoughts in your head. I still can’t figure it out.” She was astonished.

John pulled back and leaned in his chair and narrowed his eyes at her. Why was she acting so strange?

“What can’t you figure out?” He asked, emotions absent in his voice.

Eyes just like his peered into him as she brought her head up.

“I know you’ve killed people. I’ve known since we first met, but how you just pushed it aside for love.. I just can't figure that out. ”

John could have sworn his heart dropped. His anxiety spiked as thousands upon thousands of thoughts raced through his brain. Nobody would ever even know John was royally losing his shit on the inside because on the outside he stayed calm. Just like he was trained. There was no, twitching of the eyes, biting or licking of the lips, shaking or even leg jumping. Nothing.

“It’s rude to ignore somebody John.” Though her tone was the same chaff, there was a bit of maliciousness in it.

John knew she wasn’t stupid and he most definitely was not going to offend her by acting as though she had no idea what she was talking about. This is not how he planned the night going.

“How did you figure out? That I’ve — killed people.” He questioned, not losing eye contact with her.

She let out a sigh before answering.

“Because I’ve killed people too. Mostly the people who annoy or bore me.”

Ah. So that’s what felt so familiar.

John still didn’t change his expression much but he did raise an eyebrow in question.

“Really?” He drawled out, doubt evident in his voice.

“No real reason to lie here. I even thought of killing you.”

At this statement John was beginning to start sorting through all the possibilities of what could go down, what he could use as a weapon if need be. It was almost as if she knew exactly what he was thinking.

“I’m not going to kill you John. Though the thought was tempting.”

She tapped her chin in thought and pursed her lips while looking him up and down. She was analyzing him. How he sat, how he spoke, his movements, she even watched his breathing. Although to the average person it wouldn’t have seemed like John changed one bit, but she wasn’t just any average person.

“You’re much stronger than me. I could never take you down physically.”

John felt a sense of pride at that statement and loosened up a bit. The woman stood up and started to clear their plates from the table as he stayed sat there. How did he not see it? This was something John grew up and had ingrained into his brain. At The Continental he always knew who was there for business. So how couldn’t he see it on this plain girl? He was brought out of his thoughts by a mug being placed in front of him. It was just coffee but rightfully so, John was skeptical.

“I didn’t spike the coffee John. This coffee is very expensive and I get it imported monthly. I’d never ruin it like that.”

The woman almost seemed offended as if that was such a ludicrous idea. John looked to the coffee to her to the coffee and back to her again. She raised her eyebrow and tilted her head.

“Something wrong with the coffee? You haven’t spoken a word since the huge reveal. I don’t scare you do I?”

She had to stop the chuckle from coming out. Yes. In a way John was scared of her. How easily she hid it, how normal she seemed. He wasn’t scared because he knew he could take her if she attacked him. He probably wouldn’t even need his weapon. Just his hands. She scared him because of how easily she tricked him. John willingly came to her house and ate dinner with her. He ate her food that could have been poisoned all while he had no idea. That’s what scared him.

“I don’t take my coffee black.” Is all he said.

She put her hand over her mouth in mock surprise.

“I didn’t know that. I would’ve taken you for a “just black” kind of guy.”

“Well there’s a lot that people don’t know about me.” John let out a short breathy chuckle.

“You’re not wrong about that. How do you take it?” She smiled and stood up.

“Two sugars and one cream. Please.”

She left with a wink and then hurried back. John took the cream and sugar from her and started to add his preferred amount. When he looked up she had her elbows on the table and her chin in her hands as she watched him intently. It seems that’s all they’d been doing tonight. Watching each other. John finally broke the silence.

“So what made you comfortable enough to tell me?”

Her eyes closed for a brief moment before she removed her head from her hands and her elbows from the table. She gave John a look of disbelief.

“You’re a killer and so am I. We have that in common. Don’t you ever just want to share that part of you with anyone? Doesn’t it get tiring? Always having to hide that from people?”

He thought about what she said for a moment. Yes it did get pretty tiring. It’s very hard to take the way you grew up, all the training, fighting and killing, and forget all about it. Although he wants to run from this part of him, to retire and leave it all behind him, he knows he can’t. He understood how she felt. Going out and meeting someone in the normal, law abiding world, was sometimes difficult. Nobody would ever know the really real you. Then there were people in the underground network where people only knew you based on your skill. Not your interests and disinterests. That didn’t mean they were the same. John never killed someone just because they inconvenienced him. Ok maybe he had but still, the people he killed were no saints.

“We all hide parts of ourselves. Hiding this isn’t anything different.”

The woman rolled her eyes and made a ‘tsk’ noise with her tongue and the back of her teeth. She started to rub her hands together.

“So, when you are doing basic human activities, let’s say, shopping at the mall, nobody ever makes you angry? You never get the split thought about how easy it would be to kill them?”

Now John rolled his eyes.

“I’m not saying that. I just have the control not to act on it. Making it easier to hide.”

She brought her hand up to her cheek and leaned against it. Her other hand started drumming against the table in a lazy manner. John could tell she was analyzing him again. She squinted her eyes at him.

“That’s not true. Did you not kill - what was it? - like eighty men? All over a dog? That doesn’t seem like much control to me, John.”

John took a deep breath and shook his head. It was really getting annoying how many times people had brought that up. That was different. There was much more to that than it just being a dog. Also how the hell did so many people know about it already?

“That was different. I am mourning my wife. That was the last gift she could possibly give me and it was ripped away.”

God, John didn’t know that last time he actually talked so much with someone. Why was he even still here? Why was he defending himself and sitting here, drinking coffee, with a murderer?

“It’s because deep inside you, you like it. Nobody, goes and kills so many people just because grief and mourning. You know who kills that many people? A killer.”

She states this in a matter of fact. It feels strange and foreign to John, that she can read him so well. Even Helen couldn’t read him this well. God how he loved Helen but when he told her of his past all she had was an attitude of ‘well let’s move on from that.’ Part of him wanted that but part of him mourned that. John didn’t know what he wanted. He submerged and hid away a part of himself for her. As guilty as it made him feel sometimes he wondered what their relationship would’ve been like if she had supportive of it.

That being said John quit mostly to protect her, not just because she wanted him to. Helen never even flat out told him to stop, but it was definitely implied. He never wanted to have to worry about someone going after her for something that happened in the past.

“John, you can’t always run from this part of you. I think it’s time you embrace it. You can live a normal life with me and still continue feeding into this dark desire. You don’t have to worry about me ever. I can handle myself.”

Two things were strange about this. First, John’s never been asked out before, usually he did the asking. Second, John didn’t think asking someone out could be so formal. It’s like she was trying to sell him a new car. Weird.

“My wife just died.”

“Ah yes, but for now, friends? You always need friends when you live a life like yours.”

“Friends. Yeah.” He looked and sounded almost bored, which was comical because he wasn’t bored at all. John was very intrigued.

The woman seemed happy with this answer. A huge smile appeared on her face as she held out her hand for John to shake. There was still so much more to be discovered about John. He was a mystery to everyone and this would be a mystery that she would solved before anyone else could.

[feverwildehopps]

Fever’s Zoot Oc Q&A

Hey peeps! Thank you so much for sending me questions! I’m always really excited to let you know more about my chars and hoping you guys find at least some interest in them :)

Some of these questions I edited so they could pertain to all three of them and like, a few I left out bc I don’t have the right answers right now. Either way, I hope you enjoy this Q&A and learn a little something

• What are their favorite snacks?

Spencer - Strawberry Pocky

Waverly - Yogurt

Lotus - M&Ms

• Do they keep their rooms clean or messy?

Lotus' room is a mess but she calls it "creative chaos"

Spencer's pretty tidy

Waverly doesn't have a messy room for long, she has her weekly clean up day

• What are their favorite songs?

These characters obviously live in the future so they know songs we haven't even heard yet, but if they lived in our time their favorite songs would be

Lotus - Born This Way by Lady Gaga

Spencer - Somewhere Only We Know by Keane

Waverly - Stacy's Mom by Fountains Of Wayne .....she likes it, it makes her laugh

• Do they play any musical instruments?

Lotus didn’t take the time to learn any musical instruments

Spencer had a lot of time on his paws so early on he picked up piano and learned how to play the viola at school

Spencer taught Waverly how to play piano

• Which are their favorite music genres?

Lotus doesn’t care about music genres, she only cares about songs that “matter” (as in songs with exquisite lyricism and meanings)

Spencer likes soft rock

Waverly likes upbeat, happy-sounding pop music

• Do they believe in ghosts?

Lotus says she doesn't believe in ghosts but that's only to get on everyone's nerves, however she does try to summon spirits with Spencer and Waverly sometimes

“Lotus you’re scaring the ghosts away..”

• Who's a procrastinator?

Not Lotus, she's driven

Waverly tends to procrastinate because she can get caught up in videos or games... or texting Spencer

Spencer doesn't necessarily procrastinate but he utilizes all the time he has to make everything 100% perfect

• What’s the longest they’ve ever stayed awake?

Waverly's an early bird so she's only stayed up till about 3-something in the morning before she couldn’t handle it anymore

Spencer's stayed awake until 7-something

Lotus is hard core and pulls all nighters sometimes (as long as she has an energy drink)

• Do they like the warm or the cold?

Lotus is very particular and likes a very particular temperature in between hot and cold. But if she had to choose, she likes the warm

Like his species, Spencer prefers warm climates

Waverly isn't bothered all that much by the cold

• Do any of them play sports?

Lotus was in Track and Field in high school - like her dad

Waverly and Spencer don't.. sports..

• Can they cook?

Spencer can, his mom taught him how to cook and he learned a couple kitchen tricks in his own too bc he likes it

Lotus can and her food's pretty good

Waverly can but she's not all that great at it

- and now for character-specific asks -

• Do Waverly and Spencer have best friends besides each other?

Yup, Spencer's best guy friend is a beaver named Drew and Waverly's gal pal is a red panda named Junko (“june-ko”)

• Is Lotus always a killjoy?

Not… all of the time.. but most of the time

• After Lotus was recently born, how did Waverly handle a new edition in the house?

You know how little kids have baby doll toys? That was Lotus to Waverly, but much more special. Waverly wanted a little sister and when she got one, she spent all her time with her - feeding her, giving her baths, changing her, playing with her, making her laugh, climbing into her crib and reading books to her - Waverly was such a big help, basically any time Lotus started crying, she'd tell her mom and dad, "Don't worry, I got this."

• At what age did Waverly meet Spencer? And how did their meeting go? Also when did Spencer get to meet her little sister Lotus?

Spencer and Waverly met on the first day of 6th grade when they were 11 and their meeting was short and sweet ^^ all Spencer could really do was say his name because he was too enamored by Waverly... “she’s so pretty” he wondered if he could ever see her again and there she was in his first class...

His first meeting with Lotus was... awkward.. Lotus: I hear you have the hots for my sister. Spencer: .......the “hots-”?? How old are you??

• What are their favorite flavors of ice cream?

Spencer likes Strawberry

Waverly likes Mint Chocolate Chip mostly because it's close to her favorite color, though Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream is a close second

and Lotus likes Buttered Pecan

• If Lotus was born before Waverly, would she ask for a sibling from her parents like Waverly did? Or no?

Lotus doesn’t mind a little alone time but being an only child might make her feel alone sometimes. Getting along with a baby/little kid in the house might be difficult at first but she warms up to it because she still loves her family - especially her sister! Also a little sibling can do her bidding….

• Is Waverly a fan of cameras?

Yeah! She knows what cameras take the best pictures and videos

• What are Spencer and Waverly's biggest fears? And why?

As we know, Spencer was violent as a kid, and his dream is to be someone to trust and depend on, so he’s afraid his patience might be tested one day and he lashed out and hurts someone he loves without really meaning to…

Waverly sometimes invades other’s space because she can’t always contain her curiosity, and her biggest fear is getting into serious trouble for going way to far with that and losing her friends’ trust in her

• Do Spencer and Waverly ever have babies?

Yes, they have one. I have a whole story thought up in my brain about it, but I didn't think anyone here would be interested in any of that? I know it’s venturing a little far from the original Zootopia characters anyway so I’ve just been keeping the info on their kid between me and peeps on discord, but regardless I thought it was a good way to give a bit of closure to Spencer and Waverly’s “growing-up” arc because now they’re adults with a big responsibility

[counterpunches]

For the Fic Writers Ask Meme: 7 or 8, and 20

You bet your butt I’m doing both 7 and 8 bc I’m bursting at the seams over here

7. Share a snippet from one of your favorite pieces of prose you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

The wind didn't speak. It didn't quietly cower like the Coven or blatantly forgive like Giles. It simply blew the broken pieces of Willow into blessed nothingness as she sat. And as far as she was concerned, it was the most welcoming thing on earth.

The tree was her furthest hiding spot from the cottage. Sometimes, when the prospect of living seemed too daunting and paralyzing, she needed the quiet growth and easy seclusion of the woods for company.

The magick lessons, of course, didn't help. The magick was where it all began. And ended. There was nothing Willow wanted to be farther away from than it.

A part of her was innocently fascinated with what the Coven taught her. How it was all connected—Gaia and the root systems, like millions of tiny computer wires in a vast network. But every tendril she followed in the system drew to a forsaken, shuddering end. It might have all been connected, but none of it led back to Tara.

So what was the point?

This is from one of my favorite chapters in Lotus. I loved the peeks of quiet, contemplative stillness we saw of Willow in England in Lessons and wanted to expand upon it. 

Novels could be written on Willow’s growing superiority complex, issues with magic, and control in seasons 4-6. But I love how it can be explored in fic, fic that centers on character development as well as plot. One of my favorite fics, Tempus Fugit tackles this connection between Tara and the magic beautifully. Willow’s thirst for the big magic drew her farther from Tara. At first it hadn’t been a choice, right? After Tough Love, Tara wasn’t around, and it was just Willow, alone to be Buffy’s big gun against Glory. The world was counting on her to find the big magics and save the day. But after, she was just a big gun, cocked and ready, so she kept going for herself. When Tara became divorced from magic is where things started to unravel for Willow. As LipKandy said, Tara was the big magic. (this was a phrase I used in other fandoms)

All of that is to set up this moment - here’s Willow, both filled with and hollowed out by magic. She’s learning everything from scratch, properly, as she should have been taught back in S2. That Willow is here too, in the computer metaphor. But it brings magic back to Tara, the connection that brought them together in the first place. And the one that split them apart. Magic will always be a bittersweet thing for Willow, now, divorced from Tara, who was such a crucial, integral part of magic for Willow, now gone.

8. Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

While answering this one, I realized how little straight up dialogue is in my fics. There tends to be more dialogue interspersed with prose, building on a particular theme or character development. 

That said, I’ve got two small bits:

Tara only hesitates for the briefest of moments. “I think I was sent back to warn you,” she finally says in a much more calm voice.

“Is it the ‘from beneath you it devours’ thing? I’m still working on that, th-”

“No.” Tara interrupts. “Not ‘It’, Will.” It’s clear from the serious tone and demeanor what she means.

“Oh god,” Willow says as it sinks in. “Me.” Tara nods solemnly. “Oh god,” Willow repeats. “What did I do?”

I had fun rewriting Conversations with Dead People as part of Lotus. A lot of fun. I love every painful moment from the actual episode, so being able to play with what the show gave us (as well as the shooting script where Amber Benson was initially intended to reprise her role as Tara) and incorporate it into my own story (which takes place before S7 and merges with the first 10 or so episodes) was really rewarding. And god, I love my angst.

Also this bit I shared yesterday I just love. There’s a more to the scene where Xander devolves a bit in his guilt. Willow and Xander...they have a friendship that can save the world. Its easy to forget how long they’ve been in each other’s lives and how deeply they know each other; how much they’re family even before the Scoobies. They’re a pair. Peanut butter and jelly. Chocolate and peanut butter. All the Scoobies could drown in the respective guilts they all carry. But together, sharing pain and talking about it (which they decidedly do NOT do nearly enough) they can be buoyed and stay afloat. 

20. Describe your perfect writing conditions

Anyplace with either quiet or white noise and empty hours ahead. I need large chunks of time.

[tangerinewrites]

DAY 17: YEOREUM

11/17-18/2020 

wc: 2100

note: i ended this solo kind of abruptly bc i wanted to be able to get a headstart on mina’s solo. yes this is late . but i’m also already ahead on my wc SO SHUT UP 

In Seoul, every day felt like never-ending pain for her. When she had first joined Black Lotus, she didn’t expect her life to be any more horrible than it already was. She had already left her life behind back where she used to be. She had lost her family and abandoned her identity in order for her to even be alive and still living, despite all the crimes she’s committed. After she got her job, that she believed she felt numb about, she thought she would no longer have to suffer from whatever life had to throw at her.

But Seoul took away Nana and Taehyung away from her. That was when she finally felt herself breaking down again. With every mission she was given, she felt herself becoming more and more reckless. With the intention of trying to get the task over with, she felt herself becoming more at guilt with the results that came after it all. Even if she knew that everyone she’s assigned to kill has done bad things of their own, she couldn’t help but feel at least a little bit of remorse whenever she sees them begging for their life to be spared.

It’s weird. She always thought that she might be able to deal with the fact that she was a hitman. With all these years of serving Black Lotus with that profession, she thought she’d be numb to the fact that she was killing people. But with how recent events have played out, she began to doubt herself and feels more at guilt with every crime she commits.

If her mother and father were watching her- no, if Nana and Taehyung were watching her, would they be proud of the person she is today? So many questions that Jiae was unsure she knew the answer to.

She wishes her next customer at the flower shop a goodbye before she gets a phonecall from someone. When she looks at the caller ID, she sighs as she recognizes it to be someone from her gang. With no one in the shop, she answers the phone and holds it up to her, making sure to close the door to the flower shop so that no one could come in and witness this conversation, whatever it’ll be about.

“Hello?

“Jiae, are you aware of the fact that you have been slacking at your tasks?”

With who this person was, she expected that kind of tone to come from them. Even if she didn’t necessarily like it, she knew that they had an authority over her. After all, they were second-in-command, meaning they were essentially a boss to her. And with that, it meant she had to do her job correctly.

Which she hasn’t.

“Could you be more specific to what you’re referring to?” Jiae asks with a bored tone. “Because I think I’m doing my job quite well. At least I get shit done.”

“You’re not to be as sloppy as you have been the last few times, Jiae,” the person says over the phone, sounding more threatening this time. Though she’s slightly alarmed by it, she doesn’t let the tone affect her too much. “I thought we made it clear to you that we wanted you to be able to get away with it quickly. Do not think we aren’t aware of the fact that we find you being slow with your killings.” He pauses to collect his thoughts. Jiae already knew him well enough to expect him to do that. “Are you feeling sympathy for these people?”

Jiae gives a good scoff, trying her best to cover up her lie. “Why on Earth would you make such an assumption about me?”

“Why else would you be slacking off? Surely you’re not going to be an idiot and fool around in their house much longer than you have to, right?”

“You’re being silly, Boss. I swear to you that I’m not being a wuss to them,” she huffs, sounding agitated with them. “Could you get off my back? I have a business to run.”

Her boss on the other line laughs. “Fine. Continue being that way. But if you continue showing no progress with your job, you’re DEAD.”

And with that, the phone call ends abruptly, giving Jiae shivers as she puts her phone down. After such a terrifying call, it definitely paints a picture to Jiae about how why, even though she wanted to leave, she couldn’t. Throughout her years of being in this gang, she’s witnessed people she’s been friends with try to leave the gang. She’s watched as they cried to the big man about how they couldn’t deal with this lifestyle anymore. But in the end, they never got what they wanted. If they wanted a way out, they either had to die by the boss’s hand or by their own.

Jiae didn’t want to lie. She practically went through hell since she was a child up until this second. If she were to give up now, she’d be disappointing so many of the people she’s lost throughout her years of living.

So, she holds her heads in her hands and weeps softly into them, hopeless with the fact that she’d have to live this miserable life forever.

Suddenly, she wakes up from that horrible nightmare.

It’s not the first time she’s encountered them. She’s practically had them every single night ever since she found a way to leave her third life behind. But thankfully, they aren’t as gory as the past ones were. She’s had worse nightmares, so she���s just glad over the fact that she woke up in a sweat over a threat rather than something more disturbing.

She wakes up on the couch of her shared apartment. It was definitely with someone she didn’t really expect to share a life with in the first place, but it wasn’t like she was totally disappointed with the results. She only settled with it at first because the both of them were trying to run away from their past lives. But the more time they spent together, the more she felt as if she was destined to be rooming with her. Heck, maybe even more than that.

So when she sees her in front of her face while waking up from her nap, she couldn’t help but smile from amusement. “Iseul, why are you in my face?”

The girl in front of her smirks. “I don’t know, ‘Summer’. Maybe because you have to go to your job? You know, because you’re an English teacher at a high school?”

She groans at the reminder. “I don’t want to go to schooooolll!”

“Should’ve thought of that before you got a job at one,” she sighs, standing up straight and holding out her hand so the other can pull on it and get up. “Well? Are you gonna get ready? I don’t want to have to answer the call from the principal about why Summer Yang is missing.”

She sighs as she takes her hand, pulling herself up with the other’s strength pulling her up. As soon as she was on her feet, she looks at the other with a small pout. “When I get back, can you give me a reward?”

“Oh?” she tilts her head to the side. “What kind of reward?”

“You know…” she looks down at the floor sheepishly for a second before she looks up at the other with a smirk and a wink.

As soon as the other gets it, Iseul smiles back at her. “Get to your job on time and then I’ll think about it.”

She immediately whines in response, but she goes to get herself ready for the day, hoping to get what she asked for as a gift tonight.

"There’s the bell! Have a great weekend, everyone!”

“Thank you, Miss Summer!” a room full of high school juniors said as they made their way out of her classroom, bringing their heavy backpacks behind. It’s only been a year since she first had her job as an English teacher in Connecticut, but she was happy that she was doing well with it. At least that’s what he ratemyteachers.com page said.

As everyone leaves her room, she sees one student waiting at her desk for her. The student wasn’t really someone she considered to be much of a problem in the class. If anything, that student probably reminded her most about herself. Just from her shy personality but eagerness to do well in the class as well as her enthusiasm with her English group, it made Summer feel as if she was looking at a younger version of herself. To be more specific, she felt as if she was looking at Song Yeoreum.

The child looked a little unsettled, though. Curious as to what could be wrong, the girl walks up to her. “Katie? Is everything okay?” she asks her.

The girl looks over at her and shakes her head. “No. I’ve been feelign really stressed out and I wanted to talk to you about it. Because you comforted me in the past before, so I feel like I can trust you with some stuff about my life now.

The little confession is a little endearing for her, but she doesn’t make a comment about that. Instead, she nods her head to show that she understood what she was saying, taking a seat to listen to what she had to say. “You can tell me anything, Katie. You know I’m here to listen.”

"Well, there’s this girl…” she starts off, sounding defeated as she begins her story just like that. “She’s been picking on me for a while and I don’t really know what to do about it. She’s always calling me names and making fun of me for being who I am. And I’m so frustrated because it feels like no one is paying attention to me because I can’t stand up for myself! And I don’t know what to do about it.”

Summer’s heart hurts as she hears the girl go on about her experience to her, especially with the fact that she truly understood what the girl was talking about. “Oh, sweetie, I’m so sorry,” she says with a small pout. “Are you fine with hugs?” When the girl nods in response, she pulls the other into a tight hug. When she pulls away, she looks at her and prepares to give a long speech that she wish she could’ve heard years ago from another teacher.

“You should never let someone’s words affect you that way, angel,” she starts off. “In no way should there ever be a person who treats you that way. The next time you get picked on, let me know so that I can report the girl as soon as possible. You are so young and precious like everyone else. And even if it doesn’t seem that way now, I will do my best to prove that to you in any way I can. I promise you.”

The girl looks at her with tears in her eyes. “No! You don’t need to do that. Really. I’m fine!” she insists. “I don’t want her to think I’m a snitch.”

“But Katie, you’re getting hurt!” she says with a frown. “And it’s one of the smarter options to take in this situation. Trust me on that. I’ve had experience.”

“Really?”

She nods. “There was this girl who used to bully me a lot when I was your age. And I really let it get to me, but I made a really rash decision and got myself stuck in a life that I didn’t want to be a part of.” As she describes that, she holds back from grimacing the memories that would follow her after she admitted that. Thankfully, she wasn’t giving too much detail, considering the fact that this wasn’t exactly the setting to do it. Not to mention, she didn’t want her own student looking at her any differently. “I’ve been through hell and back because I had no one help out in that situation. I don’t want that to happen to you, Katie.”

The girl listens to her thoughtfully and she begins to tear up once again. “Thank you, Miss Summer,” she whimpers as she reaches for another hug from the other. “I’m so glad to know that there’s someone out there who wants to help me.”

Summer smiles as she hugs the other back, feeling satisfied to know that she was able to provide that role for her. “Of course. I’ll always have your back, sweetie.”

[spring-lion]

Omg, that's great! I'm happy you had a nice day ♡ and I hope you can get better soon, because you're a very beautiful and hard working person and you deserve to be happy! I'm glad you like this idea, and I'm excited to play this game, omg!! And the lotus flower is indeed gorgeous and I love the reason why you love it! (does that make sense?) It's so beautiful and hopeful :_ And my answer to your question is: (+)

Apart from the HP saga, my absolutely favourite books are “The forest of hands and teeth” by Carrie Ryan and a book from Agatha Christie (its name in English has the n word :( but i read it in spanish and it’s “Diez Negritos”). the forest of hands and teeth is amazing, I read it many years ago and as a zombie lover, I absolutely loved the book. Also, it’s very beautiful and I cried while reading it :’) (+)

As for Diez Negritos, it was amazing. I read it when I was a child but I still remember it. It’s about ten people (or more? I dont rly remember) who are invited to a house and something happens and they can’t go out. Then, one by one everyone dies, and it’s very interesting to solve the murders by yourself. My question for you is: how many languages do you know? ♡ I love you a lot too!! PD: happy pride day! -your lovely anonie 💞

Awh, I hope you can get better soon, too! Every bit of you is so beautiful and deserving of happiness as well! ^.^

I’m glad you like my reasoning for loving the lotus flower, hehe. xD

Wow, your taste in books is so interesting! :OI actually asked since I wanted to get a better sense of what your taste is, since you expressed how much you like my work! The books you stated actually seem very different from my style of writing, but I think that that serves as a good indication of how eclectic your taste is! Also, I will definitely keep these books in mind, as I am always looking for good book recs. xDI’ve actually never read the Harry Potter series, but I do plan on it because I have heard so many good things about it! I am also a bit of a zombie fan as well! The only zombie book that I have read that came to mind when you told me about The Forest of Hands and Teeth is Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion. Warm Bodies was actually adapted into a film in 2013, and I liked both versions though they slightly differed in a number of ways. Also, I think that it’s really cool that you can read in Spanish! Since you read that book in Spanish as a child does that mean that Spanish was your first language? I want to know the languages that you know as well! I guess this could be my question for today for you. :3

This also relates to your question to me about the languages that I know! Well, as a personal language lover, I am going to say that I know several, though my fluencies in them vary greatly. I know five in total: Tagalog, English, Spanish, Korean, and Japanese. As the first child of two immigrants from the Philippines in the U.S., Tagalog was my first language. I still speak it pretty fluently today. I actually took formal classes in university to help improve my fluency because I feared that my time away from home caused me to substantially lose some of my fluency in the language. I actually surprise a lot of my elders a lot when I speak formally in Tagalog to them because, unfortunately, many of the young Pilipino-Americans here in the U.S. are rather unfamiliar with our mother tongue, which I’m sure is related to the U.S. colonization of the Philippines not too long ago.I learned English as soon as I began school, but I struggled with it at first because it isn’t my first language. However, because I was exposed to it at such a young age, my fluency in it increased so much to eventually surpass my fluency in Tagalog. It’s just something that happened because I had to use English so much to talk to people whenever I was outside of my house. So, I guess you could say I am bilingual in that sense bc I was exposed to those languages at the same time as a child. :3As for Spanish, I grew up in a predominantly Hispanic community, and I ended up choosing Spanish to fulfill my foreign language requirement in high school. I remember I used to be pretty fluent at one point because I was able to converse with my Spanish-speaking friends a few times. But now, I am out of practice so I am not as fluent anymore … But I can still understand a substantial amount of it! I actually understand more than I can speak these days, haha. And I suppose Spanish was relatively easy for me to pick up because the Philippines was once colonized by Spain, so Spanish has very much been integrated within the Tagalog language. Actually, sometimes when I forget the Tagalog word for something, I just say it in Spanish, and it works, lol. English also works too because of U.S. colonization as well. Us Pilipinos actually tell time in Spanish, since the Spaniards are the ones that introduced the 24-hour-day system to us.So, basically, growing up, I had to learn three different ways to count numbers, in Tagalog, English, and Spanish. Wow, okay, sorry for going on about colonization and such … I am just very passionate about the subject, haha. Don’t mind me.Now, as for Korean and Japanese, my interest in learning those two languages came from my consumption of their media, mainly Kpop, Korean dramas, and anime. I am not that fluent, but I can understand more than I can speak. I haven’t formally started learning them, but I tend to pick up new things as I continue to consume their products.

Okay since I gave such a long answer, I hope I can learn more about you too! Maybe in your answer to my Spanish question you can expand a bit more about it? But only if you’re comfortable of course! Remember that you don’t have to share anything with me that you don’t want to, okay. I want you to be comfortable and to know that I want to treat you with respect. :)

I love you sooooo much, and happy pride day to you as well! Even though my works are predominantly heteronormative as a result of my personal experience, I want to say that I am supportive of the LGBTQ+ community. I admit that I am not to knowledgeable of the community as a whole, but I am willing to learn, and I am little by little. What I do know is that this community is marginalized. And I want to say that everyone, you, and all of my followers, regardless of however you identify, deserve to be loved and treated with respect like the beautiful and complex human beings you all are, that we all are.

I hope you have a wonderful day, my lovely anonie. ^.^