#but it doesnt matter because the other one

[mxtxfanatic]

i see some ppl say that wwx was the one in the wrong for visiting the ancestral hall and bringing in an outsider, bcs that place is reserved for family and wwx has rejected going to lotus pier with jc before

sort of related what do u think jc wanted with wwx when he was planing on bringing him back to lotus pier when he captured him? its been a while but i dont remember the vibe of the scene being that jc wants to torture wwx to death there, the only thing wwx worries is that lotus pier is different and he doesnt wanna go there anymore

Wei Wuxian wasn't wrong for going to the ancestral hall or for bringing Lan Wangji, because the ancestral hall is not an exclusive area reserved only for family. Wei Wuxian even makes this delineation when Jiang Cheng is sneering about Wei Wuxian traveling around Lotus Pier without Jiang Cheng's express approval:

His voice was chilling, “Wei WuXian, you really don’t take yourself as an outsider, do you? You come and leave whenever you want. You take with you whomever you want. Do you perhaps still remember whose sect this is? Who’s the owner?” Doing this, Wei WuXian wanted to keep it away from Jiang Cheng in the first place. Now that he discovered them, he knew they’d definitely be faced with some vicious remarks. He didn’t want to argue, “I didn’t take HanGuang-Jun to the other, more confidential places of Lotus Pier. We only came to greet Uncle Jiang and Madam Yu with a few sticks of incense. We’re finished already and we’ll be leaving now.”

—Chapt. 87: Loyalty, exr

Jiang Cheng is mad about wangxian wandering around Lotus Pier and blows up once they enter the ancestral hall because he is homophobic.

Jiang Cheng, “If you’re leaving, please go as far as possible. Don’t let me see or hear you fooling around in Lotus Pier again.”

—Chapt. 87: Loyalty, exr

Immediately, darkness crawled up [Jiang Cheng's] face, bearing an eerie similarity to how Madam Yu looked when she was angry. His voice was harsh, “Who’s the one insulting my parents in front of their spirits?! Could you two please understand whose sect you’re in? I don’t care if you act so shamelessly outside, but don’t you dare fool around inside our ancestral hall, before my parents’ spirits! After all, they were the ones who brought you up—even I feel ashamed for you!” Wei WuXian never expected such a huge blow to crash down on him. He was both shocked and furious, blurting, “Shut up!” Jiang Cheng pointed outside, “Mess around outside however you want, whether under a tree or on a boat, hugging or otherwise! Get out of my sect, get out of anywhere my eyes can see!” ... Jiang Cheng did indeed go out to find Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi. He chased after them in the direction that the street vendors pointed at. A voice in his heart seemed to tell him to which places Wei WuXian would definitely go. He caught up to them in just a while. Yet, he just so happened to see Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi enveloped in a tight embrace under a tree, unwilling to let go of each other even after so long. ... But hugging like that seemed abnormal no matter what. At least, they didn’t seem like normal friends or brothers. He immediately recalled that Wei WuXian had always stuck to Lan WangJi ever since he came back. Lan WangJi’s attitude toward him was also different from what it was before he was reborn. At once, he was almost certain that the two really were in that kind of relationship. He couldn’t turn around and leave, yet he didn’t want to say a single word to the two, so he continued to hide himself as he followed them. Every single look and movement that passed between them seemed different in his eyes. For a while, the shock, absurdity, and slight disgust that he felt combined to overpower his hatred. It was only after Wei WuXian brought Lan WangJi into the ancestral hall that the long-suppressed hatred was awakened again, devouring his courtesy and rationality.

—Chapt. 88: Loyalty, exr

What Jiang Cheng wanted when he captured and briefly tortured Wei Wuxian with Fairy back in Chapt. 24 is exactly what his complaints are in the ancestral hall: Wei Wuxian is not showing Jiang Cheng the deference he feels he is owed (and is also being too gay with Lan Wangji). In fact, Wei Wuxian not immediately begging for forgiveness but instead snarking back once captured is why Jiang Cheng calls Fairy over to torture him. He wants Wei Wuxian to admit he was "wrong" for saving Lan Wangji (no longer including Jin Zixuan) at the indoctrination camp "at the expense of the Jiang Clan" and for rescuing the Wen remnants at the expense of continuing to play the role of Jiang Cheng's subordinate. He wants Wei Wuxian to accept blame for the deaths of Jiang Cheng's parents and Jiang Yanli. He wants Wei Wuxian to be filled with regret and say that Jiang Cheng was "right all along" and that Wei Wuxian, himself, is not good enough to have deserved the love and respect from those around him particularly since Jiang Cheng feels like that love and respect was "stolen" from him. What Jiang Cheng wants is for Wei Wuxian to finally be "second place" to him, whether by successfully killing the man like he failed to the first time or by prying the words from the newly-resurrected Wei Wuxian's mouth via guilting and torture, and that was just never gonna happen, as Wen Ning so helpfully points out.

[starzzmissthesun]

i think you should totally drop whatever hc/ideas you have lying around honestly...i would love to see more into ur brain...pls <33

:DD

Hi!!!! Sorry this is a little late, I got so distracted with an animatic im working on(😈) and then a stupid essay😭😭 being honest rn... Almost all of what I've been thinking about is my fic.. 😔

But!! I can still go a little into that without spoilers. I've finally figured out The Perfect ending for this story that I feel fits with the overarching themes I wanted to tell. I've been making sure that every little detail fits with the themes I wanted to show, I wanted it to overlap Regulus and barty's characters and their overarching themes with PD. I also didn't want to just replicate PD cause I feel like that doesnt have the depth or commentary I want to out into it. Idk ive always thought it's super fun to put everything as some sort of symbol or metaphor or foreshadowing. I'm like literally so close to being done drafting and then I can actually talk about it a little more😭

Anyways! I've also been thinking about barty post regs death 😔(when am I not) But more specifically how every memory he had would almost be tainted, everything now would have an air of questioning and unsureness. Even memories where Regulus isn't there, just wondering where was he? What was he thinking? Am I remembering this right? What could've I changed? What was the domino that caused all of this to happen? Eventually finding it hard to accept the way it really was, having the "I guess it was" and feeling it, but overintellectualizing it. His logic and reasoning is his downfall in this situation, that's what makes him go crazy. (Side note I NEED to make a little post about his intersection between intelligence and madness) Hes doing a complicated version of when there's a task that seems so simple that you think it's a trick, but it's not, it's just that. What happened with Regulus was just that.

Also, I've recently self reflected and realized that a lot of my barty characterization is similar to how I think of Leonard Cohen's art(who I LOVE LOVE LOVE) Idk if you've listened to him or read any of his work, but I HIGHLY suggest it, it's perfect for fall. Anyways, a lot of his songs and poems carry themes of having a twisted self image, not completely self deprication though it may seem, but something else. It's closer to understanding and knowing that you are. Different. And unconventional. It's an uncomfortablility he has with himself. Being soemthig twisted from what you should've been. A lot of his stuff is also to do with tragically losing someone, out of their own choice, and still feeling very loyal yet bitter. Also of loving something so much that it turns dark, or it goes too quick, it spirals. Also his love songs are very barty's perspective on bartylus to me. And like, obvious war mentions. I could give some specific recs similar to barty or them if you'd like.

Another thing is of Regulus and his relationship with his dad. Though I see it completely reasonable if his dad was just kind of, not there and neglectful, it could give very interesting implications to his character, I like it the other way around. Orion seeing what a more carefree attempt at raising a child does and keeping Regulus even closer than he did before. I think Orion always liked Regulus more, despite him being the second, because he was a model son. I don't think he wanted this life or even to have kids, so Regulus being so complacent and in line with what he was supposed to be as a pure blood made him the decided favourite(as much as he could have one). He was always keeping a close eye on Regulus and he could feel it, but he didn't do anything out of place anyways. Orion could tell when he was even thinking something he wasn't supposed to. I believe that, no matter how much she tried, walpurga was too caught in her own head about her duty as a mother to see S+R as anything other than Her Kids, as property that she was supposed to care for and tend to, she obviously loved them, but couldn't see through them. But Orion was there around every corner looking through regulus' eyes into his soul to search for any thing out of his perfect kid.

Anyways.... That's all I can think of rn😭 but if you have questions about ANY of them lmk!!! I love yapping about my little thoughts 😁😁

[creatingblackcharacters]

hi yes back with another submission for the september challenge

May from & Juliet! (nobody is surprised im sure)

May is a non binary character. they genuinely mean the world to me. theyre fun, theyre happy, thryre colourful and bright but most importantly? complex. (well, as complex as you can get as one of 8 main characters in a 2 hour musical)

from their first scene, you might think they're just another gay best friend stereotype. but the amazing thing is is that theyre NOT!

May has their own story. they get a solo song about their experience with being trans, being non binary, and it's so beautiful.

theyre Juliet's best friend. theyre one of the first two main characters we see Juliet interact with and the love there is so CLEAR. they love each other so much, they love her so much!!

some actors do little things to show that theyre also close with Angelique which is just so cute to me, i love them all sooo much 💙💙

Reggie's Obligatory Actor Section: the actor ive selected for this is Jesse Dutlow! they were the May principal actor in the australian tour, and theyre a huge fan of the show too! (theyre travelling to GERMANY to see it, and im pretty sure they dont speak german)

Jesse's May is super confident, not particularly shy, very outgoing, and i love that! (although i ALSO love a shy May, i just love May)

Jesse has some FANTASTIC vocals. with May's love interest, one of their lines is really special, and i love the way Jesse says it!

the line is "you know im not a girl, right? because if thats what you think-" and Jesse says it in a way thats clearly like, nervous. and considering that ive mentioned that their May ISN'T really nervous, i feel like it shows their vulnerability in that moment. (and the love interest responds great, saying that it doesnt matter to him and that he just likes them)

sorry for the Jesse ramble, theyre a super good May actor and i love their portrayal of them a lot

like i said, May is a 'gay best friend' who gets a STORY. they get to be so much more than just that. they get to fall in love and fight for what they want and they get to sing about their life and i love them! i love that they get to do this!! (also ive met Jesse before and theyre like, literally one of the most lovely people on the planet)

i think ive rambled on long enough so here's some pictures of other Black May actors that i didn't talk about!

this isn't all of them but theyre all fantastic, genuinely Jaz Terry (the third one) is so amazing and one of her vocal choices for May's solo always has me screaming cause shes just so GOOD

tl:dr, i love May i love Jesse i love all May actors and i also love & Juliet

You sure do love it lol. That's good though. I'm happy to see that so many important roles, especially around Juliet, are other Black people. That outfit on the top right though!! I'm also glad to hear they're not another gay best friend stereotype. I feel like Black men specifically (ik this person is nonbinary) get tossed into that role in a way to... to make them more "acceptable"? I've mentioned it before that it feels like many people try to go the "feminine twink" route to make Black men less threatening and "more relatable" (without saying that), which really reveals how they feel about Black men as a whole. It's like they want the Sassy Black Bestie, but toss in some mode of queerness to sound "inclusive". So to hear that there's an actual nonbinary bestie played by an actual nonbinary actor whose identity isn't a token for story and cushion or laughingstock for viewers is a relief.

Hot Chocolate: The nonbinary best friend actually gets their own time to shine and character depth??? Hell yeah 🙌🏾🙌🏾. I'm sure we're all tired of that trope in general, but it also annoys me because it often leans into the magical Negro trope. We have lives, concerns, and personalities- we shouldn't have to remind y'all of that. Anyway to see the character get treated with such respect and genuine love is all we ask for. It's not that hard and I'm glad this musical achieves that 🔥🔥

[melkyt]

Aromantic experience I have been thinking about in a purely fictional sense, dialing up them dynamics

Luffy choses Law, he takes an effort and works to show his love in every moment, every gesture as he never experienced 'love' in a way that Sanji or Robin would describe it, he cares for Law, wants him to be happy, healthy and never leave, its almost an obsessive desire but love? He doesn't know. It doesnt feel that different then the effort he puts in to loving his friends but its different because Law loves him in a romantic sense, and Luffy does not mind, even wants to feel that way with Law even if sometimes he doesn't get it when people talk what love feels like to them

He likes whatever he does have with Law.

So here comes the angst.

There is a devil fruit user, sleeping beauty style that can make people fall into a deep sleep. That only a 'loves kiss' would wake them.

Luffy tries, he doesnt hesitate to kiss Law after he finds him, sleeping as if nothing ever went wrong, so peaceful, beautiful the way the light of the moon shines over damp hair.

Yet, it doesn't work. Luffy's love does not fit the rules of magic, not in how the devil fruit owner, who defines love, sees it. So it doesn't work

Luffy going on a rampage, determined to beat the shit out of the one who did this. If the cure or whatever doesnt work he will beat on the bastard until it does. They are weak, but they make skin contact and pull him into the dream world where they gave Law a deal

Luffy is not about listen to them, and tries to activate Haki but he is away from his body and it doesn't quite work. It will take him time to think different.

The DF owner threatens to kill Law if he doesn't stop. Who is faster? Luffy in breaking out of the dream or them killing Law.

Luffy stops, and they propose a deal. One where Luffy swaps places with Law, falls asleep and tests the theory if anyone loves him in a way that the DF user defines love, a black and white view that maybe nobody would fit, even those who understand the fluttering all encompassing emotion that love brings.

Luffy agrees, even if nobody loves him in that way, it doesnt matter. He will break out on force of will. There are people who care for him and trying to prove or define it in anyway is stupid, people are different and they all feel different things. The DF user has no fcking clue what it means to care or love!

So he says yes.

Falling into a deep sleep.

Law waking up to find debris all around them, broken trees, torn up ground and Luffy's unconcious body, his skin ashen. Law who has his own doubts about being loved holding him close, not sure what to do. Knowing that if Luffy does not wake up from his kiss will break a part of him. He thinks he feels for Luffy but what if that is a lie his brain conjured up because it is attracted to the sun?

He squeezes his eyes shut. Trying to focus his thoughts. He opens them again to study Luffy's face, he would call him an idiot and to just kiss him. So Law does, and Luffy stirs, with a bright grin. Content in the knowledge that Law loves him, and maybe their relationship is different from others, he will fight for the man he chose to love.

[notedchampagne]

finished reading exordia! its a book about people having fucked up relationships and making terrible decisions all while staying true to themselves. it took me a while to get into the flow because seth dickinson loves his slow buildup and 5 billion chess pieces and ultra-detailed sci-fi worldbuilding, but i think it all came together fantastically and im left with an emotion i cant parse after the ending.

my book rec below, no spoilers:

youll like this book if you like: unhealthy relationships, seeking out truth through well-done worldbuilding, fun new dynamics classifications! homestucks in looking at you; the agony of feeling like a wallflower and being at odds with your family (this is specifically targeted to one character, chaya panaguiton, a ugandan-filipino butch with issues on how she matters to other people), aliens that fascinate and disgust, morality questions, and ESPECIALLY meta commentary on the essence of narratives itself

things that may frustrate you about this book if youre not fond of them: multiple POVs, intricate details on worldbuilding, im talking physics and aircraft and geopolitics mentions - but to be fair, dickinson tends to be good at clearing up the more abstract concepts. he likes to retierate and reclassify terms he WANTS you to remember in metaphor upon metaphor, so if you have the patience then you wont mind - pop culture references (not a dealbreaker, just a bit annoying as someone who lives under a rock), loss and the feeling of grief piling upon itself trolley-question style. seth doesnt shy away from giving you death and loss to understand the gravity of the situation, and i think he is good at playing with tragedy and hope in this way.

you should definitely have a little translator app ready with you. theres a lot of interjections from multiple languages that give nice snippets of insight if you do translate them

[the-s1lly-corner]

This one is a little funny but can I please ask for the creepypastas reactions after the Reader slaps this ass and runs awaY? Any of characters of your choosing as long as LAughing Jack and Slenderman are there!

Slapping Slenderman and LJ's ass and running away

Not gonna lie this made me snort because I can only imagine the reader running away with a step ladder for slenderman this was originally going to include masky but i wasnt satisfied with his part so he got scrapped

Characters: slenderman, laughing jack

Notes: reader is GN, non sexual post you're just being silly, established relationship

CWs: none

SLENDERMAN

he already knew you were there and depending on whether or not you think hc that he can read minds- he probably knows exactly what you plan on doing... though your body language may give you away with how youre sneaking behind him

very tall and a lot of that is in his legs, depending on your own height you might need to jump or get on your toes which will take away precious time to run away- the effort of escape is useless though when the other person can teleport or snatch you up with a tendril

not at all amused but hes not annoyed, will not return the favor though...

holds you with a tendril wrapped around your torso, dandling you in the air as he stares at you- slight head tilt to let you know that hes not as upset as many would believe him to be... you can only do so much to emote when you have no face and generally arent very reactive

LAUGHING JACK

oh my dear reader... there is simply no "running away" from him, it doesnt matter how fast you try to bolt hes either going to catch up to you or use his long arms to pull you have to him- surely youve taken his anatomy and abilities into account!

not at all offended by it, in fact he thinks its a little funny that you felt the need to do a hit and run on him- like you think youve gotten away with something, even for a second

knowing him he can probably rotate his head 360 degrees and he uses that to his advantage to turn it halfway there before you even have the chance to touch him... a bit of a jumpscare if its something he doesnt do often

will get back at you and do the same thing except he doesnt run he just stands there and grins at you, possibly the widest youve ever seen him smile... he smacks you a little harder than he intended...

[itsscottiesstark]

Okay but genuine question.

How do you think Crowley would respond to someone flirting with him? Like, we know Aziraphale would get all possessive and Eastern-Gate-Guardian on their ass but what would Crowley do, if Aziraphale wasn't there?

Would he embrace his demon tendencies and flirt back maybe? Nothing too serious, but just to rock the boat a bit? Or would he blush and look around for helplessly waiting for his angel to appear and smite them? Because this looks an awful lot like (yes, innocent, maybe just playful but) flirting to me:

Like, the smirk??? The drawl??? The head shake???

I'm all for Crowley being a total simp for Aziraphale but he must enjoy a couple flirty comments now and again.

[mariatesstruther]

okay but sarah celebrating tommy every year for mother’s day

[g3othermal3scapism]

hot take i dont think trobed has to be canon in the movie, i dont think it rlly matters and i think acting like them not being canon romantically takes away from their writing and relationship is odd

[st4rstudent]

i'll bring these out to the public actually

[al-luviec]

juvie buddies

[statementlou]

https://www.tumblr.com/louisupdates/754934426217152513/goodbye-faith-in-the-future-world-tour-272024?source=share

did he or did he not lose fans then?

I will answer this because this anon actually brings a concrete question to the table rather than just "hurhur but you're a larrie??" (tell me you can't actually refute any of our points…). Anyway this post shows the decrease in Louis instagram followers between the screenshots taken directly after the release of Faith in the Future in Nov '22, when he changed his bio to promote that album and the tour tickets, and now, when he changed it again to mention the current release. But I'm putting that response under a cut because I'm tired of the actual POINT of all this nonsense getting lost in a sea of made up things people insist are important:

There is no rational argument you can make to say that Louis has less fans now than he did 2, 4, or 6 years ago. You don't need a spreadsheet of details you need to USE YOUR EYES! He has gone from filling theaters to filling arenas and stadiums. His second album made a higher chart position than his first album. His festival has doubled in size EVERY year of its existence. And for that matter: his insta post engagement numbers remain about the same (despite the fact that older posts should have way MORE likes due to having been there longer, even aside from follower counts.) SO WHO FUCKING CARES ABOUT HIS INSTA FOLLOWER NUMBER???? Serious question: what does the word "fans" mean if these things aren't what matters? ALL of this quibbling about what he should do to make things better and people can't even see that THINGS AREN'T BAD.

Anyway to address the specific question- (con't......)

NO- HE DID NOT LOSE FANS. HE LOST SOME INSTA FOLLOWERS. THESE ARE NOT THE SAME THING. As I said above, literally what does it mean to lose fans if that number change coincides with him having higher sales, more audience members, and higher engagement than ever before? Whatever he lost ISN'T FANS. I wouldn't be surprised if a significant factor was something like a bot purge, but also yes: I'm sure a lot of casuals followed him around the time of his big album release and later unfollowed him. That's extremely normal because that's how casual engagement works, and why the definition of fan really matters. Louis and his team understand this and have referenced it repeatedly, talking about how lucky he is to have *us* specifically, to have the kind of dedicated fanbase he has, to have the KIND of fans he does who will allow him to do what HE wants. @dogsliampaynedoesntinstagram named the issue of depth vs breadth with regard to fans a long time ago, and pointed out why having DEPTH is so much more important. It's like this- artists who are on top 40 radio have more numbers on things like insta follows, and for a time on sales and tickets. But those aren't FANS- they're people with a casual interest. And as soon as that person isn't being forced in their ears 10x a day, those people lose interest and stop supporting them, stop buying stuff and unfollow, and those artists end up doing the 'opener on the jingle ball' circuit rather than their own tours. One Direction as a whole, and Louis maybe most of all or near to at this point, have something MUCH MORE VALUABLE than that- DEPTH FANS. Louis has fans who will support him even if he takes years to release music, or stops parading around with a pretend girlfriend to stay in the headlines at least once a month, or completely changes his image and genre, and that is UNHEARD OF. It's ASTONISHING and worth SO MUCH MORE. And they get that! THAT is why he always bragging about us, why industry people he works with are always so agog about us, why he will do anything for US- not for randos. He is also growing his breadth- and it's OBVIOUSLY WORKING whatever his follower counts are, but that is always going to be secondary to doing things for THE FANDOM because that is his sustainable business model. That is what keeps him onstage and reaching number one. And not coincidentally, the things they do are also working to grow that- much more valuable- commodity. So the fact that that's exactly what these chuckleheads complain about- that he does things that are just fandom facing or serving rather than everything being aimed at recruiting casual fans- does nothing but betray how completely they, unlike Louis and his team, misunderstand the actual drivers of his (actual, existing, happening) success. Luckily for Louis, he and his team rely on their own data harvesting (they do a LOT of it) and growth metrics (they're off the charts) rather than the smug assumptions of random (mostly quite new to this) fans and the few bitter people leading the complaining about everything Louis does.

[sparklecarehospital]

Sometimes I wonder how I'm ever gonna be able to work on the other Spinch stories I have, I have so many ideas for things but only so much fixation power

[witchqueen]

Does anyone have any tips to help stop yourself from comparing your artwork to others, or equating your value as an artist with likes and reblogs?

I've struggled with this for a while and it's getting old, I don't know how to just shrug it off. Any genuine advice would be nice

[trashcreatyre]

I think the main thing that pisses me off about like 90% of mephiles ships is that people will be like "how old is he??" Look that fanwiki says that he's ten and they RUN with it. Like they don't read further. I'm so convinced that most people don't even know the plot of 06 bc the shit I've seen people draw and write with the characters is just mind boggling.

[shakingparadigm]

In a modern au I think the wagyein would be like one of those gaint ass crocodiles that Ivan gets away with keeping because its technically a service animal. As long as its on a leash its all good and not a threat to the public!!

Ivan being rewarded with a more expensive and unique kind pet like a whole fucking crocodile honestly seems pretty in line for him 😭 especially since it adds a new "chic" flair to his photoshoots and his general aesthetic. Imagine Ivan's new photoshoot drops and he's in a suit posing with a fucking crocodile. Insane.

I really like the imagery of this large, scaly and dangerous looking reptile being tamed as Ivan's pet, something that could help boost his image and push that luxurious, enigmatic vibe. You know, like how stereotypical evil lairs have sharks or other rare and dangerous animals guarding the entrance or simply acting as accessory. That kind of vibe. I also like the imagery of this sharp creature being forced into submission and captivity. Forced to become a good, obedient pet, holding in its urges and keeping its teeth hidden. A being taken from the ruthless, grimy darkness, cleaned and maintained to perfection, forced to perform for the cameras. Ivan can empathize, he knows what it's like.

"Technically a service animal" is fucking hysterical. Ivan going Hello, sir! Please excuse my emotional support 12ft crocodile. Don't worry, he's very well-behaved.

I actually think Ivan would get along very well with his hypothetical crocodile. Just like the wagyein, he'd feel connected to it in a very personal way. Also just like the wagyein I think Ivan would be the only person it would never harm. In my head I have the mental image of Ivan petting and cuddling it as if it were a puppy.