#but LSS doesn't know that

[harocat]

Late WIP Wednesday, featuring my first fill for @cdrama-action! This one is Till the End of the Moon, and the second one is going to be my first attempt at Mysterious Lotus Casebook.

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“What’s the use of a goddess who can’t even save the person she cares for most?” Li Susu held the scale out in front of her, watching the light refract off the vivid blue green of it. “Ming Ye, is this how you felt? Maybe we’re more alike than I thought…”

The scale warmed under her touch; or so she thought, but she was beginning to wonder if she was imagining those reactions; the flash of a glow, the moment of heat, the twinkle, so quick she could blink and miss it, as the scale elicited a short hum.

If Tantai Jin’s primordial spirit lingered within the scale, perhaps he had company in Ming Ye. Or had Ming Ye vanished for good, the day they’d entered Bo’re Dream? She hoped, if Tantai Jin was alone, he would be sleeping. He’d spent too much of his life alone.

Five hundred years, he’d searched for her in that horrible river, burning his body to waste over and over, only to be restored because of the immortal bone she’d forced into him. Although her heart ached over his absence, it was nothing compared to what he’d gone through for her, and she felt guilt gnaw at her over it. It’s not as if she’d asked him to. It wasn’t even necessary. She was alive and well in Hengyang Sect. She’d wanted him to live well when she left him behind in Jing Kingdom, but he had other ideas.

When she’d first found out about him searching for her soul in the Nether River, the sheer weight of it didn’t register. But now that he was gone, now that all she could do was think about him, as opposed to seeing him, as opposed to talking to him, it was almost suffocating to remember what he’d gone through.

If Tantai Jin had searched for her for five hundred years, maybe fate would have her do the same for him.

But she would find him.

[latransicsociety]

why call it a blog if I'm not allowed to LOG the LOGS in here. Blog? B-log. Log??? Log. I'm in fucking trouble now.

[shiegra]

super brief thoughts on Li Su Su

I feel like I ragged a little on her in the last post and I want to clarify - I find both her book and show counterparts fascinating. While I do love the uneasy-frenemy banter in the books between Li Su Su and Tantai Jin, where they always know the other is up to something and all their repartee has the edge of a knife even as they grow to have a strange understanding and twisted fascination of the other deeper than anyone else’s -

The narrative as it stood, this serial oft-travelogue in that subgenre of batshit action and over the top characters, would have been harder to sell on screen. I think they made an excellent choice to focus on Tantai Jin as a more complex, nuanced character and build up his personal journey. While the webnovel’s fast pace and action could carry the roadtrip adventures as they meandered back to main plot, both budget and the need for consistent overarching story structure complicate that for show.

(I also think this politely avoided some incredibly Unfortunate Implications regarding people with antisocial personality disorders due to the in-your-face allegory lol.)

In doing so they had to change up her character, and possibly played it safe due to genre conventions leaned into her directness to keep the plot moving. (Given the care and energy with which they fleshed out the two biggest secondary female characters.) But it’s also fascinating to me because even her lighter show characterization feels like it’s calling back to book characterization - but book characterization from the second dream, of her younger mischievous fairy self before the weight of apocalypse crushed her into what she is in the opening of the book.

(Plus on just a personal level maybe partly due to early fandoms I had and neglected female characters there, female characters with somewhat messy writing but who are so fascinating to explore the implications and potential layers of are like catnip to me.)

[rory-multifandom-mess]

Another fun fact, the pod Thad travels in has an AI, which he coded to sound and speak like Lizzy. He misses his sister ok. Anyway. When he goes to a new universe, it’ll give a short synopsis of what’s different. I’ll use @wildlionva’s Mercy Drones and Mansion AUs as examples

Mercy Drones; “In this universe, the human scientists were actually smart for once and created an ‘anti-virus’ program called the Mercy program. You, along with Lizzy and Alice, have this mutation.”

Elliott's Mansion AU; “In this universe, nothing goes wrong in the mansion; you and all of your friends and family end up in the Elliott’s manor as well, and your LED colors determine the job you do in the manor. Haha, you have to clean up trash, idiot.”

Yeah she’s kinda mean. The length of these synopses will change depending on how complex the AU is. Here’s an example of a less complex, and thus, shorter synopsis using my Late Solver Sam AU:

Late Solver Sam AU; “In this universe, Sam doesn’t die because Uzi thinks he’s infected with the solver even though he isn’t because she’s an idiot. Turns out, yes he is.”

I can’t think of any AUs I can use to show how much longer the synopsis’s can get but. yuh. whips and naenaes

Oh btw he calls the ship Liz, which is an acronym; Linear Interdimensional Zeta-shifter

Time Traveler AU Thad’s cool time traveling pod has a bunch of decorations in it; meaning all the old stuff from his room. How did he get them?

He stole from other versions of himself. Nah I’m kidding. He found Universes where he either dies in it or is just never able to return to Copper-9 and then stole stuff from those. Though it was never too much, y’know, just to be sure. Yeah his morality is a little shot but y’knooow. Shit happens.

Also! The pod has like a “spectation” feature where he can select a universe and a person and kinda watch past events from their perspective. He doesn’t do it often because he knows it’s an invasion of privacy, but he did use it like once or twice on Main Universe J and V because its really hard to place wtf happened to make them the way they are.

These Were Mistakes. He has never touched that feature since.

Oh hey, you hit the under the cut thingy! Awesome! You’re in for a fun fact then!

[universeEntity”THAD”Status;; Missing]

[Msg;AbsoluteSolver;] He can not hide forever. Sinister smile.

[svnnyd4ys]

The Leftenmost Window characters in a (modern) British school

(this is based off of my school, so yk might not be accurate for everywhere ofc)

SALLY XAVIER - she is one of the netball girls (PE teachers love her) - "You going shops at break?" - in year 10 (9th grade) - took PE, Food Tech, Art and Geography GCSE (a lot of coursework) - she and her netball gang basically occupy one of the girl's bathrooms in the geography block every break and lunch - very good at maths/sciences, doesn't try but still manages to get good results, so even when she isn't paying attention, the teachers don't really get mad at her - has about 5 Victoria's Secret or So...? body sprays in her bag at all times - always accidentally leaves her food tech ingredients at home - always gets called Samantha by teachers (even though they don't really look *that* similar) - nice when she's not with her netball friends, but will ignore you if she is - spends a lot of time in her head of years office because she gets overwhelmed by everything very easily, and her HOY is her biggest support system - her school tie is criminally bad (it starts off good but as soon as she gets into the school building, she gets 'swot-knotted' and gives up) and she never wears her blazer

SAMANTHA XAVIER - used to be a netball girl, but quit in year 11 (unlike Sally, she wasn't close with the people on her netball team) - "Who took my lanyard?" - in year 13 (final year of high school) - took English Literature, English Language and Biology for her A-Levels - suffers from migraines and spends a lot of her time in the medical office/listening services because they're the quietest places in school - building on that, she has an LSS pass which means she can take breaks from lesson if she needs and the teachers aren't allowed to stop her - passed all of her GCSEs apart from German (she took Computer Science, German, Drama and PE) - has been going out with Egbert since year 10, because they were in the same GCSE Drama group - pretends not to know Sally in the hallways, but will go into Sally's classrooms to drop off bags and any books that she forgot by loudly announcing it and embarrassing her - applied to be head girl, but got rejected because of her attendance - has at least 5 hair bobbles on her person at all time, because her biology teacher gives them a lot of practicals and goes mad if you don't tie your hair back - absolutely despises assemblies

EGBERT BABB-DAILEY - used to be a roadman, but pulled his act together at the end of year 11 and managed to pass all of his GCSEs (everybody was very proud of him) - "You're actually such a beg." - in year 13 and took German, Maths and Economics A-levels - student librarian because he feels bad for the amount of chaos he used to cause to the actual librarians - his teachers chose his GCSEs for him, because he really just didn't care and got good grades in everything anyways (ended up in RE, Drama, German and Triple Science) - pushes in line in the canteen because he's a sixth former and therefore priority /hj (the teachers love him, so he doesn't get in trouble) - gets in trouble for being on his phone in the lower school - has at least 5 hair bobbles of Samantha's all the time, just in case she loses hers - his mum is an ICT teacher so he always goes and hangs out in her classroom - lives next door to Peter Stephen and is always late because he has to walk Peter to school, and Peter is always late

ALEXANDER XAVIER - Economics/Woodwork teacher and year 8 tutor - "If you swing on that chair you'll fall backwards and smash your head open. I saw it happen!" - strict, but most of the students love him - when he has to give an assembly, he mysteriously goes off sick - whenever Egbert comes over to see Samantha, it turns into a tutoring session - never immediately tells people the answers, and will stare at them until they at least say something - comes into school very early to set things up, and Sally usually goes in earlier with him

THOMASIN XAVIER - part time drama teacher (has dizzy spells which means she has to take time out) - "Uh, girls! This isn't a salon!" - loved by students who have her for A-Level/GCSE but those who only have her because they're forced to despise her lessons - lets you eat in her class as long as you have brought enough for everyone and are actually doing work (she will check) - takes note of which students are comfortable performing vs those who aren't and acts accordingly - comes into school later than her husband, and Samantha drives her in

[dangermousie]

I had time to restart my rewatch of Empress Ki and what do you know? One of my all time fave sequences, a powerless emperor and hunted by everyone fighter love of his life, does it get better? No, it doesn't!

But also awwww, at her still trying to keep him out of it:

It does not work.

Of course she says she's fine, she'd say it if her leg got cut off but what makes me feral is his taking his royal headband and tying it around her wound...

This is literally my favorite sequence in the ENTIRE drama!

Cool under pressure, is baby emperor!

It's so continuous how powerless he is, because he is asked to provide explanations as to why he's freaking bathing. That's insane. I love his hauteur serving him well.

AAAAA!!! This is my favorite moment in the whole drama - TH diving into the pool (in front of general evil, to boot) to give some air to SN via kissing the utter amazing insane gloriousness!

I love himmmm, cool under pressure.

But the moment the general leaves, he loses it. MMMMMMMMM!!!

Glorious, glorious, glorious. It's a little bit like the LSS x baby general dynamic in AJTL but different enough I get why they are the endgame.

[blackmoonlightexpress]

Easter Eggs from Till the End of the Moon🎁(Part 1)

Now that everyone's had a chance to watch and rewatch, here's a list of easter eggs or hidden details from the show that I jotted down. A lot of spoilers below, obviously.

Throwaway lines that foreshadowed the end:

(1) At the end of ep 1, Susu asks her servant what is Tantai Jin (TTJ)'s Achilles Heel, and Chuntao responds it is Ye Xiwu (YXW). We all think this is funny because YXW is a bullying wife, but this is actually foreshadowing for the ending (Susu is TTJ's Achilles Heel after all)

(2) Pang Yizhi seems like a joke but is actually right on critical things:

When he first meets TTJ, he predicts that TTJ would be rich and powerful, which Susu thought was indication that Xiaoyou Sect’s standards have declined. Pang is actually correct as TTJ did end up reuniting the Jing and Sheng kingdoms.

In episode 6, he predicts the person who will unite the kingdoms and bring lasting peace is in his presence (Xiao Lin & Ye Qingyu). Everyone assumes he is referring to Xiao Lin, who is in line to be king, but in fact it is Ye Qingyu who takes over from TTJ in ruling for 500 years

In episode 8, he predicts that YXW would come into contact with water and the danger would be resolved. This ends up being true as YXW survives jumping ship. He then says YXW might even become queen of the Jing kingdom, which did end up happening.

(3) In episode 7, Ye Xiwu's dad was so excited that Ye Qingyu stayed overnight at a lady's place that he says he would accept this daughter-in-law even if she were a "widow or even a demon". Pianran is in fact a fox demon who's had a previous lover.

(4) In episode 19, when Pianran gives YXW the suggestion that she should cook for TTJ, she joking wishes that TTJ would be poisoned by YXW. He was indeed poisoned by YXW later.

(5) The entire sequence in the festival where YXW is chosen to play the goddess and TTJ is chosen to play the demon god is foreshadowing for what happens in the end. The demon god willingly allows the goddess to kill him. In fact, there's a fan theory that the "ancient tale" is left by the prophets as instructions for what must happen in the end.

Connections between the Dream Arc and the rest of the Story:

(6) Time God Jize says to Sangjiu that they have a special connection, a connection that "you [TTJ] know, she [LSS] knows, but Sangjiu and Mingye do not know", hinting he is aware that she is Susu is playing Sangjiu and that she would experience the dream of wisdom (Bo're Dream).

(7) Chuhuang also says she feels a strange sense of familiarity with Sangjiu. Susu is actually her daughter. She doesn't know because, unlike Jize, she doesn't have prophetic powers.

(8) You can think of the ancient gods continuing to fight a proxy war 10,000 years later through the next generation of characters:

Jize waits in the Abyss for 10,000 years to tell Susu the prophecy i.e. how to defeat the demon god and pass on the Mirror of the Past. He also leaves behind his student Pang Yizhi to provide continued guidance in his holographic form.

Mingye leaves his dream behind to educate the reincarnated demon god. He lures TTJ in, recognizing who he is as he's seen the Ancient Demon God without his mask on.

Chuhuang leaves behind her daughter LSS, the last goddess on earth and only person who can defeat the demon god. Upon her death she becomes the Chongyu harp, LSS's godly weapon, which is able to harm the Demon God as we see in Episode 1.

(9) TTJ didn't trust Dimian because he's the only one aware that he betrayed the Ancient Demon God

(10) The little boy that Jize pushes off the podium is Pang Yizhi (as indicated by the birth mark on his hand.) That explains why Pang has prophetic powers and helps move the story forward even in his virtual form - he's a student of the Time God

(11) The drama very clearly explains what happens to the three weapons of the Demon God after the ADG falls 10,000 years ago:

During the fight, the God-Piercing Bow (屠神弩) is cast into the Weak Sea by Mingye. 10,000 years later, it is absorbed by TTJ while searching for YXW’s soul

The Marrow Cleansing Seal (洗髓印) creates the Buzhao Mountains and was later collected by Mingye, who tries to repurpose it into a tool that can cleanse Sangjiu’s demon bone into an immortal bone. After Sangjiu dies, he uses his remaining powers to lock it under the water mirror in the Upper Immortal Realm. It remains there for 10,000 years until Siying attempts to steal it.

The Heaven-slaying Sword (斩天剑) is stolen by Dimian to stab the ADG in the back. It later resurfaces when a power-hungry Dimian uses it to kill Susu's adoptive father and steal LSS’s extracted demon bone

(12) Mingye and Li Susu experience mirroring life events: They both lose their sight, give up their immortal bone, become a True God, kill the Demon God, and lose the love of their lives at the end of their story.

Special Relationships between Objects and Characters:

(13) TTJ has a special connection with the Dragonheart Shield (护心鳞) – it comes from Mingye and is later refined by Cang Jiumin:

The Dragonheart Shield originally comes from the dragon scale protecting Mingye’s heart, which he gave up in order to retrieve the Marrow Cleansing Seal at the Buzhao Mountain, hence it was left with the Xiaoyao Sect. This happens 10,000 years ago in Mingye’s dream

The Shield is then offered as a wedding gift to Xiao Lin (perhaps to protect him from future events?) from the Xiaoyao Sect. (This is its first appearance to the audience.) XL then gifted it to TTJ as a gesture of goodwill in order to secure protection for Ye Bingtang.

The Shield protects TTJ from YXW's three final nails, suggesting some protection from Mingye and his faith that TTJ is still salvageable

After TTJ disappears, it was safeguarded by Ye Qingyu (as masked Jin emperor) for 500 years. In the draft screenplay, Cang Jiumin and Li Susu were supposed to collect it from YQY (that was why they had to fight the nightmare demon - YQY wasn't willing to give it up because the demon was impersonating Pianran).

CJM then distils the shield’s powers to form a protective boundary for the cultivation world and was given the shield for safekeeping

Later it's suggested he left a fragment of himself in the Shield. Some fan theories state that he would eventually be able to take physical form after years healing in the Shield

(14) Similarly, LSS has a connection with the Jade of Doom (倾世之玉) – it is created by Sangjiu and later absorbed by YXW, connecting and symbolizing tragedy in the two characters

The Jade of Death is created by Sangjiu with the fallen bodies of the Snake Clan in order to resurrect her family. As this is a violation of natural order, SJ invites a divine trial of purple thunders, which she does not pass, even with Mingye’s immortal bone, due to her lack of a physical body.

The Jade is then left at the bottom of the Mo River, which is later collected by YXW when she falls into the river. YXW has a dialogue with the jade’s unseen creator. The jade is later absorbed by YXW to divert it away from TTJ and prevent him from gaining its powers but suffering a cursed fate

Later YXW uses the Jade in her body to rapidly cultivate an immortal bone, which she successful swaps with TTJ’s demon bone, giving him cultivation powers. This also attracts purple thunders that serves as YXW’s divine trial, which she passes and travels back to 500 years later as LSS

(15) Similarly, the Ice Crystal Casket (冰晶盏) has a connection with TTJ, Xiao Lin, and Ye Bingchang – it is used twice to resurrect XL using powers of TTJ and YBC, symbolizing rebirth and redress:

It is first created by Mingye from a 10,000 year old ice crystal guarded by the Snake Clan (Tianhuan’s clan) in order to resurrect the Clam Clan, specifically Sangyou. Sangjiu breaks the box in front of Mingye and says she will find another way to resurrect her brother

After Xiao Lin dies, Pang Yizhi repairs it to resurrect XT, using TTJ’s blood and YBC’s tears as ingredients to rebuild him into a new character, GZJW.

(16) LSS uses the Mirror of the Past (过去镜), a sacred object safeguarded by the Xiaoyao Sect, to travel back 500 years, which is where she meets the Time God Jize. When Jize dies, his powers form the Mirror of the Past, which LSS collects and entrusts with Pang Yizhi to be brought back to Xiaoyao Sect for safekeeping, thus completing the time loop.

[deusvervewrites]

Saiyan AU: So if Izuku is essentially the Gohan of this setting, would that also mean his strength is tied to his emotional state and how much control he has over it? Also, would that mean that much like Gohan, Izuku's latent potential proves to be a key element in achieving an ascended state beyond that of the Legendary Super Saiyan?

Because HOO BOY, if Garaki and the MLA thought a Super Saiyan was bad enough, Super Saiyan 2 would make them faint from sheer unfiltered TERROR.

(Is-- is SS2 stronger that LSS? Whatever. Power levels are bullshit anyway)

Gohan had a sort of gentle rage that was unleashed in a sadistic fury when he hit SS2. Midoriya isn't like that. He's a lot like in canon, wanting to save people. And he knows that means fighting. Midoriya doesn't have Gohan's well of strength hidden behind rage, but he does have quite a lot of potential

[oikawa-s-milkbread]

Pairings : Sanzu Haruchiyo x Reader, Haitani Rindou x Reader

Warnings : choking kink, reader loves punishment, kinda smut??, foul language, not proofread, grammatical errors, incomplete ‼️

A/N : hi!!, this is my first fanfic. Bruh I don't even know if this passed to be called as a fanfic😭

“Welcome to vegas babyyy. I want you come and pay me. Give me the money, give me diamonds hmm hmm~~” you sang as you continue to dance and grind your butt to nothing.

After the long and tiring day, a nice and cold bath is what you needed, considering it was so hot today that you felt like you are cuddling with satan. You continued humming and dancing under the shower while scrubbing different parts of your body.

The song “Vegas” is stuck in your head. You can't get the song that you heard earlier out of your head and you keep singing it over and over.

'Is this what you called LSS??” you thought.

You closed your eyes and enjoyed the feeling of the cold water dripping over your face, still humming and swaying your hips while touching your thighs like you're seducing someone. You were so out of it that you didn't even notice the younger Haitani sneaking in. You jolt when you felt a pair of warm hands on your waist. You opened your eyes and looked over at the owner of the hands. The one and only, Rindou Haitani standing behind you, butt naked. He smirked and starts smelling your neck. His hot breath made you shiver and you felt hot all of a sudden.

“What are you dancing for, doll?” His hands moved to your tummy and squeezed it, “You trying to seduce me?” you rolled your eyes and it didn't go unnoticed by the younger Haitani.

He pulled your hair to the side making you look at him, “What's this, doll? I warned you about that rolling eyes before, right? Or are you doing that on purpose?” his right hands went to your neck. His face was so close you can feel his hot breath. “Do you want me to be the cause of you rolling your fucking eyes all night?” your eyes widened and the thought of him fucking you all night while choking you like this.

Your pussy clenched at the thought, “mhmp, I'd like that, Rin.” his eyes went (☉⁠д⁠⊙⁠). He didn't know this but it was one of your many kinks. To be choked while being fucked raw. Even Sanzu or the whole members of Bonten doesn't know that.

He chuckled lightly, “You silly little fucking bitch, you are one hell of a woman” he turned your body and now you are facing him completely. His touch on your face is soothing.

“So, this is why this motherfucker is nowhere to be found and you're taking so long to shower, sweetcheeks” Sanzu appeared in your sight. He's still wearing his usual get up. Suit and his dress pant.

He went behind you and holds your waist, drawings circles using his long fingers. Heat made it's way to your cheeks and your big doe eyes widened when you felt a hard thing poking your ass cheek, “Fuck” Sanzu mumbled, “Stop grinding your ass on me, darling. I might fuck you where you stand, right here, right now.” his voice is hoarse and you shivered when a thought comes in your head. Imagining him doing that to you.

“Stop hogging her to yourself, fucker.” Sanzu sneered.

“Anyways, guess who has a choking kink, Sanzu~” Rindou's eyes went up and down while still looking down on you.

“Oh?” Sanzu looks at you and your eyes says it all. He starts cupping your breast and going down to kiss your neck. He gave your neck a long lick, “Ah!” a moan escaped on your mouth and instinctively, your hands immediately went upwards to cover your mouth. Rindou removed your hands on your mouth, his eyes full of naughtiness, “Now you're gonna get it.” he said before torridly kissing you.

'I am doomed' you thought.

A/N : Let me know what you think about my work in the comments! I do accept criticism so feel free to express your thoughts! Thank u <33

[astroyongie]

could you do ive or lesserafim tea??

IVE

X regrets have become an idol but as time goes by she is also learning to accept it

X has a lot of love confessions, from both idols and non-idols, and yet she keeps being single because she doesn't know which one will actually favor her more

X is dating but her relationship isn't all roses, because despite finding happiness there, she's also trapped on that and she isn't able to enjoy her life nor the opportunities because of her partner that doesn't allow her to

LSS

X's sponsors are putting a lot of money into her image

X's is like a femme fatal, she too gets a lot of confessions but she also doesn't push them away and instead takes profit from everyone that comes to her

X's mental health is really concerning to this point, her negative and dark thoughts are consuming her and she has to use stuff to make herself feel better. It seems no one cares in that company

X and X are extremely good friends, like more than just co-workers, the type that gossip that talk shit about everyone they know

X is completely trapped on the contract she signed and she is aware of it but for now she is just allowing herself to do her work. the company also makes her having an image that isn't her

X is extremely rich, not only for her own hard work but because her sponsor covers ger in gold honeslty

X and X cannot see each other right now, they had a huge arhument over the last comeback that haven't been solved yet. the topic x as probably favouristim

[crsssies]

hey angel in the snow (i'm under the mistletoe)

first snow/meet cute/civilian!reader || original lss fic hehe

Summary: Just another winter in DC... same old... same... oh!

Leon wonders if he misses all the festivities sometimes.

DC is decorated to the brim, lights strung up all across alongside the White House, and he doesn't think too much of it. STRATCOM might host a small party or something else alongside that, but it doesn't seem like there's much of a point to get a tree in his place. Raccoon City still feels like not long ago, too close ago. Everything isn't really fair. The recruitment wasn't either.

He just hopes Sherry's fine, at least.

But Leon stops by City Center anyway, looking for a white elephant present to wrap for work, and the Christmas tree is incredible. The colors weave through the pines onto the ground, and he pauses to stare. Green, red, green, red, white. The white has covered the tree to a half degree, or maybe it's just white from the City Center's efforts, but it's nice. Actually, it's probably fake snow, but it's snow... nonetheless.

The air crystallizes in his lungs, and he exhales as the cold fogs up in the air.

"At least it's pretty enoug—"

Leon crashes down onto the ground as someone slams into him, and groans. What the hell?

"I'm so sorry! My friends were..."You glance around, frowning when you notice they're gone. "somewhere. Told me they saw someone super cute and next thing I know, I'm being shoved into them. Here, let me help you up."

"Thank you." He takes your hand, cheeks dusted pink, and you hum. "You from around here?"

"Nah. Moved here for work." You hum. "You?"

"Me too."

"Oo... white house worker." You jest, humming as you glance at the tree. "Government?"

"Something like that."

"Ah." You mumble, brushing off the water from your clothes. "Um, you new here? Because I need to get something for a white elephant and I've never really been around here..."

"I haven't either." Leon hums, glancing at you as he blinks. "Shall we go white elephant hunting together?"

"Yes! I'd be down." You beam. "Sorry, I never got your name, handsome stranger."

"Leon." He nods. "You..?"

You tell him your name, but Leon stares at you like he's starstruck or something. He brings you around and asks if you know much about the capital, and he listens to you as you tell him which brunch places are to die for and which ones are tourist traps. You also talk an extensive amount of the history of the country in general, and he's pleasantly surprised that you know more about the city than the vast majority of his employers. 

You could tell him the names of all of the founding fathers' slaves if you really wanted to. 

"So you study history?"

"Nah. It just comes with living here." You hum, glancing at the pikachu in your hand. "Probably shouldn't be handing my employers a stuffed animal, huh?"

"Any of them have kids?"

"Like, one." You pause to think. "Two. Everyone else is pretty new and young."

"And they won't want a plush?" He raises a brow, staring at the flower pot in his hand. "My coworkers probably won't like an empty pot either, huh?"

"How about a pack of hairclips?" You hold the package up, and he raises a brow. 

"MJ album." He finds the stash of CDs.

"Get a Mariah Carey Christmas album." You hand the album to him, and he pauses to consider it.

"All I want for Christmas is you?"

"Aw... how sweet."

"I don't know..." Leon hums. "Maybe a mug would be safest."

"I forgot about that." You follow him to the mugs, and you watch him pick out a couple. 

His coworkers are mostly older than him. Most of them have kids, so it wouldn't be out of the question to actually get a stuffed animal and get a good laugh out of it, but it'd also be funny to just find a screaming chicken and get it for someone's dog. Everyone lives a more or less white picket fence life in his work circle... minus him

"What are your coworkers like?"

"Most of us are young." You hum. "I'm sure they'd appreciate some humor."

Leon glances at the mug in hand.

"Boss."

"It'd be funny if our boss didn't get it." You hum. 

"How about the duck?"

"The booyah duck..." You glance at the mug, humming quietly. "Maybe."

"We can both get one. Makes for all the funnier."

"Two random people in DC with matching mugs..." You trail off. "Sounds fun. Do you decorate your place?"

"Not really. I don't see a point when it's just me."

"Fair point." You hum, stepping over to the cashier. "You gonna get yourself anything?"

"Not really."

You grin at Leon, and he raises a brow at you.

"You have ten minutes to pick me out a Christmas gift. I'll see you at the check out in ten!" You grin at him, taking two steps back as he blinks at the mug in his hand.

He could leave you. Hypothetically. He could, also, actually find something that you might like at the store. The old thrift is pretty spacious, and he doesn't really know too much about you to be able to pick something out that you might like. He could get the pikachu spotted earlier, or he could—

He locks eyes with the wooper plush that stares into his soul. 

That's the one. He has a strange feeling you'll like that one. 

From what he's learned, you beelined for the plush section first thing and picked up a handful of pokemon plushes before you had considered anything else. Also, you're probably a little younger than he is considering that you almost remind him of himself when he was freshly admitted into his job at twenty one. You're not that young, though. You're probably around his age if anything.

He tugs the plush along with him, scanning it at the check out as he watches you rush over. 

"You were fast." You mumble.  

"Found something you might like." He hums. 

"Yeah? Or just something funny?"

"You'll like it." He nods. "Kind of stupid looking, though."

"Are you implying something?" 

"I wouldn't dare." He raises a brow at you.

"Alright, buddy." You thank the cashier, and he takes you back out to the Christmas tree. "You wanna open it at the same time?"

He swaps the bag with yours, and you watch as he pries it open, stifling a laugh as you swipe open the bag.

"A plush!"

"You found a watch?" He raises a brow, staring at the gift.

"You seem like the type to need one." You hum.

He tilts his head at you, and you giggle.

"A small something to remember me by."

"I'd really like to stay in contact, but... yeah."

"Government work isn't easy." You hum. "Who knows. Maybe I'll see you in ten years."

"Maybe."

You hear your name called somewhere in the back, and you turn around to glance at your friends.

"I'll see you around, handsome stranger!" You call, waving at him before running back to your friends.

Leon hopes those words hold true.

[harocat]

Heartbreaking thoughts about Tantai Jin hour. I'm just thinking about how the whole first timeline of the series, Tantai Jin had no idea that Li Susu and Ye Xiwu were two different people.

Literally, from his perspective, Ye Xiwu just started being nice to him out of the blue after months of physical and emotional abuse; whipping him every night, leaving him out in the cold essentially to die, and letting him almost starve.

Yet, after Li Susu transmigrated into her body, he still wholly and unabashedly fell in love with 'Ye Xiwu', opening his heart wide open to her and offering his entire self up to her. He loved her almost unconditionally; even when he thought LSS poisoned him, he forgave her the moment she came back. Even after LSS really did do the soul shattering nails, though he tried to hate her, it wasn't possible.

And I can't think of many other things that speak to the depth of his loneliness and need for affection than that, because it seems like he just went 'well she's different now' and didn't even bring it up. Like this man was abused to the point of near torture for MONTHS, by the real Ye Xiwu, but it was just 'in the past' for him. Maybe a part of him was going 'I've changed, so maybe YXW has as well', but the thing is that even when Li Sisu questioned his morality at points, he never retorted with 'remember what you used to do to me?' He wouldn't use the behavior of the real Ye Xiwu against her even when it was relevant. This poor man is so fucked up.

Because this wasn't like, an abusive relationship where the real Ye Xiwu was kind to him sometimes and interspersed it with cruelty, then Li Susu came along and turned to just kindness. It was a total personality switch. He never brought it up. He was that scared of not being loved. The level of pain, the level of desperation he must have been in to just go 'well it doesn't matter because she's nice to me now', and to go as far as to even see LSS as a light, a person he aspires to emulate and the moral center of his world, despite the real YXW's behavior, is immeasurable. It kills me.

One of the reasons I love immortal era of them the most is because he knows all of this now. He knows the woman he loved was NEVER Ye Xiwu, and I think it's really important for forming a genuinely healthy relationship between the two. I can imagine a weight he didn't even know was there just lifting off his chest the moment he realizes it's Li Susu he's loved all along, and how freeing that must have been (we sort of see this in the scene where he realizes it's not him she hated, but the devil god). As cute as they are in the Jing Kingdom arc, and yes they are so cute, the baggage is immense. They can only begin to drop that when all the truths come out between them.

[midnightactual]

if I had to articulate the problem with Bleach, it's that Bleach ultimately doesn't work well as a shōnen story centered around one dude (Ichigo). that structure works fine for like, Yu Yu Hakusho, because that follows Yusuke's small group pretty much exclusively; and it works fine for One Piece and Naruto, because Luffy and Naruto are just the foremost guys of many, many independent competing teams. but Ichigo becoming Soul Society's pointman who must Do All The Things™ every single time gets really old really fast, and reduces everyone else to supporting characters in a really lame way

this feels extra dumb because the adults are still having all the adult conversations and making all the big decisions and we just don't see it happening because we have to follow a teenager. so we're following a relatively clueless guy with little to no agency as he plays gofer for those around him. like, so don't make it about the teenager then? you can split up the POV character and the protagonist. Mad Max: Fury Road did this perfectly. it would still be lame to have Ichigo being the solution to every problem, but it'd be a lot less bad if he wasn't also the focus. and no, saying this is vital for J. J. Abrams mystery box reasons doesn't excuse it, the mysteries and their payoffs are simply never that good

and you know what? the teenagers are the least interesting part of the series. of course they are! because teenagers… are teenagers! the most interesting teenager in the world will never be as interesting as the most boring thousand-year old in the world. their main function in a story driven by and composed of adults is to question the values and premises the adults are operating on (also given most of WSJ's readership is adults, as this 2012 survey by Shueisha shows, and Bleach was mostly read by girls, "it's for boys" is not an excuse so miss me with that)

and like, yeah, it's a shōnen. I've been accused of wanting things to be a different genre before. well, duh! because they very clearly want to be a different genre themselves! why do you think Kubo ditched Karakura as a setting when he'd planned to highlight everyone in Ichigo's class by turn? why do you think he dipped to explore so many other characters in FKT and TYBW besides Ichigo and company? why do you think LSS was a weird horror plot? why do you think SAFWY and CFYOW don't feature Ichigo or any other mains at all? because he (and everyone else involved) was sick of it too! in One Piece, even though the story follows Luffy and the Straw Hats, you get the sense everyone else is maneuvering around in their own ways even if you don't see it. in Bleach, pretty much everything waits for Ichigo. and it honestly sucks

I'm obviously super-biased, but to be what it clearly wants to be by series' end, the premise of Bleach should've been a seinen focused upon the Urahara Shōten on one end, and the Captain's meetings on the other, intercutting between those as events unfolded and focusing far more on the lives and perspectives of the people actually making the calls, especially given, unlike oh say Mobile Suit Gundam, as is there is virtually no payoff in the form of how all this actually affected the child soldiers who are the "main characters"

just the wrong damn format for the story it wanted to become, sorry not sorry. if you wanna focus Ichigo & Co. and Rukia, keep the story small. if you wanna focus a big sprawling epic, deemphasize them. pick one. you're not Tolkien, Kubo, you can't do both, and you clearly wanted the latter (yet you're still frustratingly obsessed with both the format and "mystery", both of which you also suck at)

[silverloreley]

Watching till the end of the moon is just making me appreciate LBFAD so much more, the conflict between those two made so much sense and xiao lan hua struggled with it but stood by DFQC and understood him and loved him. The way YXW is acting is driving me insane, it doesn't make sense in the context of the show, idc about the novel,things should make sense in the context of the drama on it's own,this is supposedly an epic love story but one half is constantly betraying the other

LBFAD is amazing and I don't think I would have started TTEOTM if the first had not stolen my whole heart. But they're completely different on so many levels: one is a fairytale, the other is a high fantasy bloody drama, one is a cheerful love story that has some heavy moments and deep themes at the heart, the other is a tragic romance that starts with blood and will probably end the same way, they are not the same at all, I can't compare the two.

Don't get me wrong, I love both in their own way, but they start from different standpoints and their FLs are deeply different too. We don't quite know much about LSS before she became YXW, while we have the whole life and backstory of XLH unraveled for us, their differences are in character also.

I still think TTEOTM is a love story, but a twisted one, the kind where love isn't enough alone, where there is no right thing to do, where one must lose more than the self to win because there is too much at stake. LSS is ready to give up her everything for the greater good, her identity, her love, her life... noble, sure, but the right thing would be for her to fight for her love and the world all the same, to communicate more (and wasn't that the same mistake MY and SJ made?), to try and find a middle ground and she doesn't. Which is probably due to her upbringing, we can't forget she was the daughter of a sect leader, the values they must have instilled in her since childhood are radicated deep down. We did see XLH grow from her prejudices and I really wish LSS will do the same, but I can't see it happening anytime soon and I worry there won't be the chance for her to, if the spoilers I found around are true.

But you're right about some things making no sense without the novel being involved, as someone who didn't read it either I was very confused when LSS went to XL, why would she do that? I can understand LSS jumping to the worst conclusions about TTJ's actions over and over again because she saw him at his worst and most powerful and she's constantly waiting, terrified, for the other shoe to drop and him going full on the dark side, I get it and don't blame her, yet I can't see why would she root for the Shang royal family when she knows they are scum (in the drama, again, which is the only thing that truly matters, the story must make sense on its own!).

In this respect, Qingyu is way more reasonable, he switched sides to save his men and is watching for proof of having made the right choice (and gets them, time and time again), while LSS is slowly starting to look at what's going on with more objectivity... but too slowly! While the time constraint she has (the 300 days that must be less than 200 by now, more or less) makes her antsy! I don't know if the demons being free en masse will mean the Evil Bone will react to them and activate or what (this is the only explanation I could imagine for it) but she's in a rush and that's never good when in delicate situations (that's what tragedies are made of, that's why I can't see a happy ending here, although I hope I'm wrong and there will be one).

Anyway, I still like the show with all its flaws (I liked way lower-quality stuff over time and I'll never deny it) and will follow it until the end, hoping the mistakes so far will be explained/fixed later on. Otherwise, I'll just do what I did before, fics and fandom support.

;)

[dojae-huh]

All the wars between these solo stan 😂 I know they can't survive even for a day as fans of 2nd generation. I watch a lot of super junior content these day, hilarious to watch they grow for 20nd anniversary next year. There's funny fact bout them, so the sub unit called LSS held a concert and cause the target song for concert is 20 and they only have 6 song they sang some song from group (Do, Jae, etc doing it as well) but they performed a song from other sub unit D&E called oppa oppa while the real singer was seat on vip section and shocked they LSS performed their song even without permission from them 😂 and they just make it fun till end even D&E run into the stage and 'make trouble' there. See them make me wondering how 127 will go for 20nd anniversary??? With the lowering amount of fans, maybe some member discontinue their contract, publict concern doesn't bother them again, they look most happy than ever. Last, i know taeyong will give his all stock of love and his 4 tumb see Do concert and he's rapping

Wow now I see some K-TYf being shady lol. Maybe every fandom has overpride problem, they really think their idol has more "identity". And to think about that, last night DY did not even use the DY Track name anymore but they still be triggered. That must be a sign he was successful with the branding haha😂 but for real, this is so stupid.

--------------------

No need to wait 12 years, Wish already performed other unit's songs and Taeyong's solo. And I think WayV also did songs of other units on fancons in the past. And yes, I won't be surprised if in the future neos will perform songs of each other, even if only in karaoke or on tv-programmes and partially.

TY Track is the name of Tae's concert. I suppose that's why it's such a trigger. Tae only had time for 2 shows and is in the military now, while Do is doing a concert tour, and NCT socmed constantly updates with pictures and vlogs with him. Akgaes equal their own importance with that of their chosen proxy champion. They need their bias to be the best and most successful to feel good (read "superior") themselves.

Pity them, heh. They choose to wale in misery instead of celebrating other artists and having more concerts, content and music to enjoy.

[deng-yi-deng]

Per sidenote #2 - Tantai Jin is not Ming Ye. Ming Ye was the God of War 500 years before TTJ was born. He didn't reincarnate (gods don't when they die - see the rest of the 12 gods) but as long as his real (dragon) body was around his consciousness could relive his life with Sang Jiu in the Bo're (Prajna Floating Life) realm. TTJ was sucked into Ming Ye's dream/illusion.

I think we need to see where this goes but I don't believe her death was for nothing, even though she dies not really knowing if she failed or succeeded. My theory is that LSS taking his evil bone doesn't necessarily prevent him from becoming the new Devil God, but does release him from the absolute destiny of wholly becoming the new Devil God - that he now has a little bit of free will, and even if/when he turns, deep down he will retain some of the divine marrow she gave him, along with her love of the world.

There she was, taking his Evil Bone before dying to prevent him from becoming the Devil God.

And here I was thinking "Pretty sure that doesn't resolve anything girl", betting the evil voice would speak to him again, as it had promised to take over when Tantai Jin hit rock-bottom and the man keeps meeting a new low as his life goes on.

I thought at best she was moving the problem from him to her, but I suspected him becoming the Devil God wasn't just about that bone.

I mean, in the Dream he was the War God MingYe, but turned out the Devil God had the same face all along (Cosmic Twins ? Doppelgangers ?) and we never learnt his name. What if he was TTJ ?

Is TTJ just the Devil God 2.0, or is he his reincarnation ? And is he just his reincarnation or is he mixed with MingYe's ?

And now where does Xiwu/Susu actions and sacrifices let us ? ler him ?

TTJ is the broken Emperor of a bleeding kingdom. His betrayer Queen lies dead and his heart in pieces.

She was the one leading him toward goodness but pushing him into misery by her actions and distrust (although he did become a good emperor on his own, proof that he wasn't unredeemable).

But despite her schemes and cruelty, she was the only love and warmth in his life. So he clinged to it with everything he got, no matter how many times she tried to shake him off.

And now he knows she distrusted him all along, hurt him and tried to kill him because of something he didn't even do. He tried his best to do good, but it was pointless, as he is meant to do evil.

On a side note, he was never needlessly cruel. The only ones he killed actually tried to kill him first, and even then he often gave them a chance to ask for forgiveness. He didn't kill bullies except the main perpetrator and he only killed his nannies because one betrayed him to his awful brother without remorse and the other tried to kill him twice (and desecrated his mother's remains). He wasn't unjust in his revenge.

But Xiwu told him that despite any attempts he could make, he is supposed to become Evil incarnated, as many told him from a young age. The very same evil he battled restlessly as MingYe.

Worst for him, he learnt that in the eyes of the woman he loves, he isn't even worth taking the chance, worth letting him prove he can be a decent human being. Because he might become a calamity upon the world in 500 years.

Which, from her pov is understandable, but we know that in stories it's like fighting fate, by doing so you only trigger the events. Plus how can you expect him to be good if you always assume he would turn evil ? Of course he will, the world keeps telling him so ! There is a limit to what stubborness and good will can do when everyone tries to bring you down.

Also, wasn't this what the nanny told him in the illusion, back in the first episodes, that he brings misery upon everyone around him ? That everyone would be better of without him ? An idea that led him to tried to kill himself.

And guess what ? According to his wife, it was the truth ! He will be a blight upon this world. He would even kill Susu's father and martial brother. Him who offered protection to Xiwu's family despite the neglect and abuse he endured from them, him who gave her brother a chance to surrender and work for him, only because she mattered to him.

He is once again on his own, his sanity and will shattered, and the voice is still here. As if her death changed nothing.

He might have still supporters and a kingdom but they mean nothing to him. Despite his power, he is alone. And since Xiwu didn't just kill him after taking is Evil Bone but gave him her divine energy (Sang Jiu is that you ?), he now has all the time to become immortal and sink deeper into isolation, pain, madness and evil, right on time for his meeting with Susu in 500 years, as the Devil God.

I really wonder where the story will go now.

Side note #2 : if we assume that TTJ is MingYe, I can't help notice none of his 3 marriages were valid. TTJ and Xiwu's first and second marriages are null since they did consummate their union.

MingYe and SangJiu did but he divorced her.

Fourth time's a charm ? Or are they doomed ?