#found my soulmate methinks

[hongjoongpresent]

also guys I have a friend in my real every day (well. week) life who fcking is a fan of raise a suilen. we were exchanging our favorite artists because we realized we have similar music tastes and she showed me a babymetal song (that I actually liked a lot) and I said oh if you like this I'm certain that you would like raise a suilen and she said SHE SAID "yes! I do!" giiiirl

[a-court-of-moonlight-and-ire]

Hey! I feel like Ive been at this for a goddamn eternity so in an attempt to speed things up I shall read 3 chapters today, how exciting. Im motivating myself by telling me that Im gonna get to watch the 2007 Takarazuka Snow Troupe Production of Elisabeth when Im done, specifically my favorite song because. okay so, when I talk about watching any Takarazuka production of Elisabeth what I actually mean is, I have pretty much all the proshots and a bunch of english subtitle files, but theres not a subtitle file for every existing proshot, so for example, theres a subtitle file for the 1996 Star Troupe Production but not the 1996 Snow Troupe Production which isnt a big deal since the diaogue and lyrics are all the same, but you cant just put the Star subtitle file over the Snow video because itll be completely out of sync, so what I do is, I put the Star subtitles into my subtitle editor with the Snow video and I manually re-sync every line to create Snow subtitles, and while I do that Im effectively just watching my favorite musical over and over again except very slowly. So yeah, in case you were wondering what your favorite acotar complainer does for fun, now you know

Anyway, enough of my life, now its time for my liveblog, last time Feyre and Rhysand got ambushed by some of Hyberns soldiers and Rhys got shot atleast 7 times and kidnapped and tortured, but Feyre was fine and she saved him and she pulled all the arrows out of him and now hes probably gonna be perfectly fine. I know this isnt gonna affect him in any meaningful way, like his wings are gonna bd fine and his back isnt gonna hurt, but I do hope that he atleast suffers for the duration of the 3 chapters im gonna read because otherwise whats the point

Chapter 50

Rhysands wounds are only healing very slowly and hes got a fever, we're off to a good start

idk why but I really hate Feyre kissing him on the forehead. the narrative has not earned such a tender gesture

THE SURIEL 🎉🎉

Oh, i hadnt noticed this before but I like the alliteration we get with the german translation of Feyre Cursebreaker, Feyre Fluchbrecher. 10/10 very fun to say

its been ONE year since Feyre first came to Prythian, Sarah im begging you, please stop pointing out the passage of time youre activel making it harder for me to get invested in this stupid romange

They translate 'Mate' as 'Seelengefährte' ['Soulmate'] and oh, you have no idea how happy I am about that, this and the fact that they dont say male and female but just man and woman/masculine and feminine makes this series about a million times better, once again, thank you Alexandra Ernst

I dont understand why Feyre being Rhysands mate is such a big deal anyway, she didnt grow up in this culture, and pretty much all she has at this point is Tamlin's vague explanation of it being a bond that goes beyond marriage and the fact that his and Rhysand's parents, both infamously horrible couples, were mates

'"He is the most powerful High Lord to have ever walked the earth. You are... new. You were created by all seven High Lords. Different than anything that existed before you. Does that not make you the same? Equal?"' ewww i hate that. If this is supposed to be romantic somehow why would you make it all about power, why wouldnt the Suriel say smth like "You both suffered in the same ways. He is the is the only one to ever truly understand you"

But also. Rhysand and Feyre are not even the same though ? Like yeah, Rhys is powerful, but wasnt Feyre special because shes capital-m Made, which he is not? If the logic behind mates is the two people being 'the same' in some way, then Feyre should really be Amren's mate methinks

Im not gonna lie, Feyre angrily forcing Rhys to drink her blood is pretty hot

'Deep down I hated myself for speaking to him like this.' No girl dont hate yourself, this is the first time in over 600 pages Ive found the feysand dynamic even remotely compelling

'I stared at him, this Illyrian half-blood whose soul was bound to mine.' what the hell? Top Ten Feyre Archeron Racist Moments

This mf really told his cousin and his weird freaky eldritch creatures whose apartment he pays for that he and Feyre are mates before he told Feyre

I just zoned out thinking about a version of Feysand where Feyre is basically constantly telling Rhys stuff like 'youre just a burden' or whatever she said during that one argument because shes starting to figure out his weak spots the more time she spends with him and she wants to like, break him emotionally as revenge for UTM and Rhysand doesnt do anything about it because he just represses all his emotions and he cant just stop spending time with her because theyre mates and he feels like he needs to be close to her all the time. Idk, abusive relationships have been my favorite angst fanfic premise lately

Its so wild how Feyre is super angry with Rhys for keeping the mating bond from her when literally everyone else already knew and not only is he gonna do the exact same thing with the baby in acosf, Feyre is just gonna be fine with it then even though its arguably much much worse

Chapter 51

Okay so I guess Cassian, Azriel and Mor have just been hanging out in Rhysand's warcamp house, do they not have anything better to do

god i wish being all pathetic laying in the dirt was Rhysand's default state instead of him always being the manliest man to ever man

Oh, so I guess Mor used to get locked up in this cabin in the middle of nowhere whenever she 'misbehaved'. you would think she'd have more sympathy for Nesta in acosf but from everything ive seen.....

this chapter was extremely short

I completely forgot that this book was split into parts, i guess its The House of Mist time now

Chapter 52

god the anachronistic clothing in this series is gonna be the death of me, why is feyre always wearing leggings and a cremecolored swester istg

Full offense, but if the mating bond is soooooo much stronger than marriage, Rhysand should not have been earnestly worried about Feylin getting married

This part where Feyre is relieved because it turned out that her relationship with Tamlin was always doomed to fail because she had a soulmate is pretty interesting, but it also feels like complete bullshit for reasons that Im struggling to articulate

I would just like to reiterate that I am so relieved that they just call it soulmates in the german version, I cannot imagine how insufferable this must be to read in english

Feyre started painting again hoorayyyyyyy. i feel like this wouldve been more impactful if she wasnt constantly thinking about wanting to paint whatever she sees, but hey

I actually think this part where Mor comes in and just goes around complimenting all the stuff Feyre painted everywhere is quite nice, I think i would enjoy it more if this whole story wasnt pissing me off rn

waiiiiiit ive never seen people talk about Mor's mother even though shes apparently alive and well, whats their relationship? Whats her role at the CoN if Mor is supposed to be the queen of the Hewn City??

Mor being like "Rhysand gave me his permission to kill my abusers but I dont do it even though I have pretty much no reason not to, but Cassian and Azriel really want to do it and would do it without hesitation so maybe I'll let them do it" is somehow a perfect summary of SJM's shallow wannabe feminism

Feyre still barely understands the relationships between individual members of the inner circle but sure, theyre the family she never had

[pinkpastels113]

For Spotify Wrapped! 13, 47, 69, 98, and 99!

-AJ

hi aj <3

from this ask meme

answered 13 and 69 (not another one ADSFGJKL)

47. style tv- taylor swift

And I got that red lip classic thing that you like

AND

You got that long hair, slicked back, white T-shirt And I got that good girl faith and a tight little skirt And when we go crashing down, we come back every time 'Cause we never go out of style, we never go out of style

98. bloodline- ariana grande

Love me, love me, baby Are you down? Can you let me know? Love me, thank you, leave me Put it down, then it's time to go Get it like you love me But you don't, boy, it's just for show Take it or leave it, you gotta take it or leave it, like uh

99. timeless- taylor swift

And, somehow, I know that you and I would've found each other In another life, you still would've turned my head even if we'd met

AND

Story of a romance torn apart by fate Hundreds of years ago, they fell in love, like we did And I'd die for you in the same way if I first saw your face

AND

In a crowded room a few short years ago And sometimes there's no proof, you just know You're always gonna be mine We're gonna be I'm gonna love you when our hair is turnin' gray We'll have a cardboard box of photos of the life we've made And you'll say, "Oh my, we really were timeless"

it's giving very soulmate au methinks

[jumpscaregoose]

yoh and ren (for that game)

*crashes through sixth floor window 4 dead 22 injured* DID SOMEBODY SAY YOHREN

guys. guys you don't understand. these dorks. I've unironically used homestuck words on these idiots. and they WORKED

the first screenshot in my shaman king screenshots folder is fucking THIS

for context. this is TWO DAYS after I first discovered the show (more like one because I started it at 11pm on the 17th). this silly little screenshot is the catalyst for my entire obsession and by extension current personality

I want to study them under a microscope I want to centrifuge them until they're indistinguishable

I really did not want to use the homestuck words but they make this so so much easier so if you'll excuse the wikihow quadrants screenshots

don't worry I'm disappointed in myself too

I think it's really neat how they're opposites but work in complete harmony. the hero and the warrior were like the sun and the moon. soulmates but in the primordial relationship soup way where it's almost undefinable. why is no one else talking about them. why am I not talking about them

two very different types of people who didn't have friends for years interacting. love how chill most of their conversations are despite how opposing their mindsets are. love how onesidedly not chill their matches against each other are

this is one of the cutest things in the entire series

why did these subtitles do that

why did takei in general do that

my personal favourite flavor is "wants to defeat his sworn rival because he's too perfect and is debatably in love with him" ren and "loves and values his dramatic emo best friend 100% platonically while being committed to his fiance" yoh because I think it's funny and also because yohna independently owns and I want BOTH DAMN IT. other variations are good too I just like this highly specific one. this one's good for soulmate aus methinks. it's on the list

where the fuck is my jpg

oh hey I found another one go me

and this one

I think that's a good place to shut up for now that didn't take me an hour at all

I may return with more thoughts later

[vaguely-concerned]

Some more mass effect andromeda thinky thoughts as I run around heleus getting some achievements! 

- the murderous angaran ai is genuinely so fucking funny. “How are you feeling here on Aya?” “I hope you die” “Is there anything we could do to make you more comfortable?” “BURY THIS PLANET UNDER FIRE AND ASH” “o.oookay. Goodbye then.” “I HATE you.”

- I hope I never become irresistibly moved to write mass effect andromeda fic b/c there really is no other description for a good 70% of the expressions reyes makes than :> and how could one capture that in words

- as mentioned I’ve been doing a bit of achievement hunting and in the process I’ve been switching up a lot of gameplay stuff from how I handled it the first few times around and let me tell you it’s baller as fuuuuuuuuuck -- it just looks so awesome and is so satisfying between the maneuverability of the jetpack and biotic charge and the effects. special shoutout to what happens if you biotic charge a frozen victim enemy and the biotic pull/push combination. (throwing people around like ragdolls is actually so much fun I’ve kept doing it even after I unlocked the achievement lol)

- lol lol when you get meridian online there’s the montage of every planet coming back to life, right? well the one on kadara is from inside kralla’s song, with umi looking out at everything that’s happening. and all I can imagine is her jaded-ass voice going ‘what the fUCK did that asshole kid do now I only just cleaned up after the bar brawl he started with his krogan grandpa and now he’s rearranging the entire fucking planet right from under us goddess I need a drink’ 

- the implication that reyes ‘cards so close to my chest you won’t even know I’m playing’ vidal just does not shut up about how amazing ryder is to anyone who’ll listen gives me so much life. when you try to be mysterious and laidback but the human pathfinder is so fucking cute tho Y____Y (also go watch his scenes if you’re being standoffish with him the entire time -- he clearly wants ryder to like him so much right from the beginning, he’s doing so much work to no avail and I feel sort of bad for how funny I find it haha. interesting that it really does seem to be an emotional thing as well as y’know the practical/tactical benefits of having the pathfinder on his side. methinks the charlatan might be a bit lonely there behind all his masks lol) 

I think this is why I’m willing to give him some benefit of the doubt too, despite all the cloak and dagger stuff -- he’s so immediately drawn to ryder, who you can never make a bad person, really. something in him must respond to that, if potentially only in the ‘attracted to traits I do not possess myself’ way hahaha

- I love sam. so so much. some of the open world implementation is still grating (yes sam. yes I know I can mine this area for resources through my mining interface. we’ve been doing this for a hundred hours sam. you’ve been right here with me the entire time sam. please sam), but he’s SUCH a good and I’d argue underutilized concept (emotionally at least) and the best boy. the fact that he can get SARCASTIC on you fsdhfjsadh he’s growing and learning! he’s doing so from inside your brain which is kind of unsettling but also SO COOL! there’s something about that level of intimacy, of always knowing there will be someone there with you in your head that is super interesting and deserves to be examined more fully -- both how it could be comforting and how it’s  r e a l l y  not how people or ai are generally designed to work lol. 

he also gives us a unique link with our dad and I wonder if the writers would have explored that in more depth if there’d been more development time -- it practically SCREAMS out an invitation to get to play/see things from alec’s POV in short bursts, like the memories you unlock except you could go through playing it as him since sam is common to both of us. (see my ‘our dad comes back through either kett or remnant nonsense in the sequel and we need to find some way to connect with him’ idea. it would be. amazing. listen alec already looked at the ethical guidelines involved in creating ai and went ‘huh interesting ideas but not for me thanks!’, don’t tell me he wouldn’t have left some loophole in so this could happen)  

- reyes literally says ‘the cavalry’s here’ when we get to meridian and I for one love him more than words can express (he also asks us if we’re okay in sort of a sweet/worried way right before we get to the control room. aw buddy) 

- like we don’t think of them like that because we’re in control of them and see all the stumbles and awkwardness and how young they are all the time, but damn the ryder twins must look like something else to everyone in andromeda haha. they literally stride around like demigods restoring entire planets. on voeld spring non-metaphorically follows in their footsteps. shit dude if we’re talking realpolitik here the angara must feel  p r e t t y nervous about this -- there’s no one saying they can’t turn off the vaults as easily as they turned them on. I hope we get them somehow teaching the angara how to do it too, on a smaller scale at least, as a show of good faith or something in a sequel, because that power imbalance is disconcerting  

- I’m glad sam and I have such similar priorities whenever we’re on kadara. ‘maybe mr vidal would know. perhaps we should ask mr vidal about this. mr vidal said something relating to this pathfinder maybe we should speak to him’ . yeah sam i know the feeling, same (it does undeniably read as sam having a bit of a crush which is. hilarious?) 

- the fact that alec ryder thought ellen responded to his bad boy act in any way when what really charmed her was that he was a great big nerd <3 it’s kind of nice to see a fictional marriage that seems to have just been. nice and stable and chill? just two intellectual equals who like and respect each other very much and not a lot of drama until alec went full alec and started developing rogue ai instead of watching his wife die lol. again I would love for the sequel to involve ellen finally waking up and being like ‘death? trying to claim MY husband? I do not think so, I can die he can’t he’s not leaving me behind’ and helping out and you realize that the reason they were soulmates was that under the relatively rational and unemotional surface they’re both, at heart, batshit crazy mad scientists who are insanely devoted to each other. imagine it tho! the people of andromeda realize alec ryder is back from the dead somehow and doing some Shit out there, they put a ton of resources into curing ellen’s disease because their best shot is something to do with the implants she made, hey presto we’ve got all ryders on the board and in play. 

- just want to make it clear that I’m still sad about avitus rix and hope he’s having a good day

- do you think ryder ever asks sam to read something to him ‘aloud’ in his head if he’s anxious and can’t sleep. or just to talk at him about something boring until he nods off. again the possibilities inherent in the concept!!! he has someone who’s closer to him than any other person could be, what’s that like? 

- *me sticking to my sidewinder pistol the whole playthrough even though it’s laughably inefficient* I just wanna feel like a cowboy bioware please work with me here

- the male ryder voice actor has such amazing comedic timing, there’s a lot of reaction stuff out in the field he absolutely nails. I enjoy the female voice too and I like how much emotion she manages to convey towards the end of the game especially, but there’s a casual comedy in male ryder’s voice that can’t be beat. (well, it’s not hawke levels, but then nothing ever is, that’s too much to ask)

- I love vorn and kesh so much. nerd krogans unite & make out

- I still want to sit peebee down and have a long serious talk with her about emotional abuse, maybe give her a hug :( fuck kalinda 

- this game does not get enough credit for how stunningly beautiful it is, it all got buried under criticism about the animations and it’s a fucking shame. the last few vaults you go through are just mindboggling in scale and visual uh striking-ness. it makes me so sad to think there won’t be any more of it D: 

- I really like this mainly casual + logical dialogue options ryder I’ve found; it makes him sound like a younger and more irreverent version of his father, but also softer and less closed off and much more willing to show affection for his family especially. 

- i wonder if different people’s individual SAMs will take on a certain tone/unique pattern when they’ve coexisted long enough. have I mentioned. how much I want a sequel to this game 

- one last reyes note because don’t look at me okay -- I wonder how much we’re meant to read into ‘being honorable never got me anywhere’. on the one hand I’m fully prepared to believe he’s never even tried doing anything the honorable way in his entire life lol but on the other there’s also some interesting potential in the interplay of that sentence and ‘to be someone’. (there seems to be a deep fear in him both of powerlessness and of being truly seen/recognized -- he equates secrecy with safety pretty explicitly -- which seems... telling? of what I don’t know but telling all the same hahaha) like he might be saying he’s tried doing things the ‘right’ way and it didn’t work and the price was too high, so he just went for this instead with the ends low-key justifying the means. hmmm. :Ia (this is what happens when I get Attached to a character with like an hour of screentime my friends, and I’m already primed to give my entire heart away at the sound of nicholas boulton’s voice)

[inevitably-johnlocked]

hi steph! know of any fics where sherlock dates someone else and john gets jealous and confesses his feelings?

Hi Nonny!

AHHHHHHH Okay, so I have this weird thing where I have a hard time reading fics where Sherlock is dating someone else, LOL, because I’m garbage. I dunno why… the closest I can get is fics with Victor Trevor in them as a “replacement” or “past bf” D: I’m so sorry I’m useless in this regard… Methinks these lists may help you out a bit? :)

MY FIC LISTS:

Jealous John

Jealous John Pt. 2 and Jealous Sherlock Pt 2

Jealous John Pt 3 and Jealous Sherlock Pt 3

Jealous John and Sherlock Pt. 4

ALEXX’S LISTS

John is Jealous of Victor Trevor

Victor Trevor Appears

MORE Victor Trevor/Sherlock (Part 2)

Jealous John

Sherlock with Other Men

John thinks of Sherlock with Other Men

EDIT: ACTUALLY NONNY, I just found an offline list in my folders that I think you will like; I’ve been waiting to post it anyway :P I hope this is good :D

VICTOR TREVOR / VICTOR IS SHERLOCK’S PAST FRIEND (S4)

Unforgiven by 221b_hound (M, 4,721 w., 1 Ch. || Marriage Proposal, Victor Trevor, Jealous / Protective John, Jealous Sherlock, Sherlock’s Past) – Sherlock’s latest case is for his ex boyfriend, the brilliant and handsome Professor Victor Trevor. John is not too happy about that. But things aren’t what they seem, an old friend of John’s is involved in the case, and John has a few surprises up his sleeve. Also - a proposal! Part 16 of Unkissed

Laid Bare by esplanade (T, 6,529 w., 1 Ch. || Romance, Fluff, Pining, Angst) – “I suppose it comes as no surprise that I always rather detested grand romantic gestures. They struck me as unnecessary and contrived, feeble attempts at desperately holding together relationships, most of which should have been allowed to fall apart.”

I can’t pretend by Salambo06 (E, 7,692 w., 1 Ch. || Fake Relationship, Victor Trevor, Jealous John, Miscommunications, Bed Sharing, Love Confessions, First Kiss/Time, Anal, BJs) – They had arrived more than a hour ago, and the moment they had walked inside the hotel reception, John had understood why Sherlock hadn’t wanted to come. Two men, posh suits and expensive watches on their wrists, had come to greet them with sharp remarks and badly hidden mockery, and John had seen red. Sherlock hadn’t said anything, mostly ignoring the two men entirely, and without thinking twice about it, John had slid an arm around Sherlock’s waist and introduced himself as his husband.

My Life for His by QuinnAnderson (E, 8,816 w., 1 Ch. || Guardian/Protector, Greek Mythology || Growing Up, Sex, Religious Themes, Suicide, Minor Character Death) – It began when Sherlock was eight, and he attempted to climb all the way up to the highest branch in the old willow tree in his back garden. He’d thought he was still small enough that it could support him, but the second he’d grabbed hold of it to pull himself up, the branch snapped, and down he went, plummeting a solid twenty metres. The odd thing was, he never actually hit the ground.

Illogical, even. by magikspell (E, 9,119 w., 1 Ch. || Grey-Ace Sherlock, Character Study, Growing Up, Victor Trevor, Romance, First Time/Kiss, Sherlock-centric) – Five reasons Sherlock never believed in love and one reason he does now.

I’m content as we are (but) by inqui (The_Circus) (E, 13,086 w., 1 Ch. || Jealous John, UST/RST, Pining, Victor Trevor, Minor Whump, First Kiss / Time, Misunderstandings) – In which John Watson sees something unusual, becomes jealous, and makes too much of a small thing as an old friend of Sherlock’s shows up in the middle of a case.

Say For Me, Love by MirabileLectu (T, 13,147 w., 1 Ch. || UST, First Kiss, Drama, Pining John, Victor Trevor) – If you had asked John this morning what the result of his quiet afternoon at home would be, discovering a truth about Sherlock’s past startling enough to shift the foundations of their friendship would not have been his first guess. So naturally, that was what was bound to happen.

Let’s Make a Bed Out in the Rain by theimprobable1 (M, 17,664 w., 11 Ch. || Pining Sherlock, Angst & Fluff, First Kiss, Unrequited, Jealous Sherlock, Protective Sherlock) – John is devastated after his long-term girlfriend leaves him. Sherlock helps him through it.

That Partitioning of the Things of Youth by wearitcounts (E, 35,353 w., 7 Ch. || Humour and Angst, Post-TRF, Fake Relationship, UST / RST, Friends to Lovers, Jealous John) – Victor Trevor is in town, and nobody’s happy.

(Never) Turn Your Back to the Sea by DiscordantWords (M, 39,968 w., 7 Ch. || Post S4 Fix It || Grief / Mourning, Victor Trevor, Friendship, Sherlock is Not Okay, Nightmares/Flashbacks/Panic Attacks, Parentlock, Pining Sherlock, Angst with Happy Ending, John Comes Home) – Baker Street is very much the same. Only different. And Sherlock is just trying not to drown.

Resistivity and Relative Charge by liriodendron (E, 41,750 w., 8 Ch. || Synesthesia, Angst, Case Fic, Romance, Est. Rel., Homophobia, Religious Content, Victor Trevor, Mild Jealous John, Mild John Whump) – In which Sherlock Holmes meets an old acquaintance, John Watson doesn’t enjoy a trip to the country quite as much as he thought he would, and the past absolutely refuses to stay where it belongs. Part 3 of Conductivity

Sacré Coeur by Mamaorion (M, 95,236 w., 27 Ch. || S4 Fix It Rewrite, First Kiss, UST / RST, Eventual Happy Ending, Coming Out, Holmes Family, Marriage Proposal, Husbands, Healing, Evil Mary, Beekeeping, Caretaker Sherlock, Mind Palace, Alzheimer’s Disease, Protective / Big Brother Mycroft, TD-12) – In this s4 fixit, John must piece together the gaps in his altered memory if he and Sherlock are to face the terror that has plagued Sherlock since childhood. As they untangle the web, seven years of hidden love ignite. (TO READ)

A Further Sea by i_ship_an_armada & ShinySherlock (E, 125,492 w., 23 Ch. || Historical Pirates AU || Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Doctor John / Pirate Captain Sherlock, Sailing, UST / RST, Masturbation, Action / Adventure, Mild Angst & Peril, Romance, Shaving, Molly/Janine, Bottomlock, Hand / Blow Jobs, Past Drug Use, Slow Burn, Mild Violence, Happy Ending) – Here be a tale of adventure for both body and soul, but beware if ye be not of stout heart, for this be piratelock, ya savvy? Luckless ship’s surgeon John Watson takes a chance, and finds himself eye to eye with The Ghost, the scourge of the seven seas and a definite thorn in the side of the blaggard, James Moriarty. But when John finds there’s more to this most cunning pirate than be meetin’ the eye, he has to choose… is it a pirate’s life for him?

Colors by Quesarasara (E, 140,537 w., 17 Ch. || Pleasantville-Inspired AU || Soulmates, Colour Bonds, Alternating POV, Angst, Fluff, Pining, Case Fic, Medical Procedures) – Everyone on earth is born with eyes that see in black, white, and an endless series of greys. When you meet your soulmate, you finally see the world in color. We’re all searching for the person who brings color to our lives. John and Sherlock are no exception. Part 1 of The Colors ‘Verse

SHERLOCK AND OTHER MEN

Nothing to Make a Song About by emmagrant01 (E, 36,833 w., 10 Ch. || Post-TRF, First Time, Reunion, Jealous John, Pining Sherlock, Romance, Angst with Happy Ending) – When Sherlock returned from his faked death, John could not forgive him for the deception and broke off their friendship. Ten years later, John returns to London in search of yet another new beginning. Sherlock, not surprisingly, is waiting.

Drawn to Stars by Silvergirl (E, 66,392 + w., 42/56 Ch. || WiP || S4 Compliant to TLD / TFP Doesn’t Exist, Sherlock’s Italian Adventure, Jealous John, Mutual Pining, Misunderstandings, First Kiss/Time, Idiots in Love, Angst with Happy Ending) – After the Culverton Smith case Sherlock is clean, working, and looking for a romantic partner—since John has told him that’s what he needs. Shame John didn’t mention he was interested in that role himself, before Sherlock went off to Rome with a gorgeous Italian copper to try to fall in love and become a complete human being. (MARKED FOR LATER / TO READ)

[faunusrights]

OFFAL HUNT REMASTERED LIVEBLOG //CHAPTER 20

i mispelt the title as ‘oofal hunt’ which, i mean, mood,

IN THIS EPISODE OF DEPRESSION TO THE MAX:

"Fuck you."

THAT’S IT. THAT’S-- THERE’S THE CHAPTER.

/looks at the chosen lyrics for this chap :hrm:

do i still have to a little introduction to this liveblog? twenty chapters in? methinks not so lets just get right Tew It shall we

“We’re here, Ms. Fall.”

/marks this next section down on the tally of cinder’s mistakes. we’re somewhere in the high thousands.

An old Dust extraction point, quietly rotting. Cinder’s mouth pulled. There was an abysmal dearth of kindling.

cinder: you know you could at least take me somewhere better suited for me to kick your ass. this is VERY rude. am NOT a fan. my yelp review will NOT be kind.

i love cinder counting up the numbers. you know honestly id be deeply charmed if someone saw it fit to bring half an army out to take me on. i mean, would it be a pain in my ass? yes. but also. awh. thanks lads! love how many of you blocked out this evening just for me x

"Sienna Khan!" Cinder could barely hear herself between the claws of that strange laughter. "Sienna Khan! It’s really—really—you!"

uh-oh sisters,

oh man sienna and cinder is just. look. WOOF. theres a lot here. a lot going on. a lot that HAD gone on. but also im gay so this tension is peak for me PLEASE lay it on thick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LETS GO!

Cinder stopped laughing.

"Overkill," she repeated, and in the same breath, crossed the tarmac in full immolation.

HELL YEAH BABEY. but also was the more the implication that cinder is an easy kill OR the implication that glynda’s the bigger threat that’s more annoying,,,,,,,,,,,,, well!!!!!!!! too late to find out now!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They clashed: once, twice, three times, steel on Aura, flitting through space, but—he wasn't faster than Glynda.

wait it’s the former i forgot cinder’s gay nvm

��Cinder. I mean it. I want to talk.” Sienna’s face revealed nothing. Her gaze stayed fixed on Cinder, as if she were searching for something.

What it could be, Cinder had her guesses, and all of them repulsed her utterly. She spat, “Well, I was only planning on sending your Lieutenant’s head to you in a box signed Love Cinder, so I didn’t really come with a speech prepared.”

SDHJGHJGSKFD SORRY IM LIKE. tryna liveblog but im also just :EYES: at everything here.......... im SO PUMPED for this cause im just SO CURIOUS,,,,,, WE’VE HAD SO MANY SNIPPETS,,,,,,,,, BUT IM HONGRY FOR MORE,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

that said i feel like cinder’s the type of person who revisits arguments in her head hours later with new, better points, so i think she does have a speech prepared. in fact i think she has many words stored up in the ol’ meatspace, and all of them are very rude,

The Sienna Khan that Cinder remembered still had baby-fat in her cheeks and hadn’t learned to keep her thoughts off her face. The one she saw now had weaponized distance.

/stage whisper hang on that visual is cute dont put it in HERE where the TENSION IS

Quietly, Sienna went for her belt, pulling away something the same polished silver as her whip. It might have been an arrow tip, except that it was lethally barbed and looked like it had been modified to chamber Dust. Pale blue glinted within it.

Cinder darkened. "Ice Dust?"

sienna: i wanna talk sienna: with violence!

GOD ITS REAL INTERESTING CAUSE,,,,,,,,,, THERE’S A LOT HAPPENING HERE. glynda didnt Know cinder in any sense so we’ve very much been on the ‘let’s figure cinder out with glynda’ train like the whole. the rain! and the desert! etc! all very much thru the lens of glynda ‘i dont remember shit’ goodwitch! so now we have seinna who Knows Shit cause there’s so much history here and im like blease wait talk more first i want the KNOWLEDGE

[...] "Roman Torchwick is holed up in Vytal with your warehouses, and those two teens haven’t been sighted in months... But you wouldn't send them that far north, would you?”

“I wouldn’t send them anywhere you could get your claws in them.”

“The White Fang isn’t like that anymore. We don’t strong-arm children into our ranks. That girl—the snake Faunus—”

“If you say one more word about her,” Cinder said. “I’m going to do something drastic to every single person here.”

ACTUALLY TALK LESS TALK LESS LETS FIGHT RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!! AND NOT TALK!!!!!!!! A T A L L

Sienna's shoulders leveled. "This is not Hróðvitnir's White Fang anymore."

me: huh why do i recognise that name,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, me: oh yeah!!!!!!! that bitch,

HJGDSJKHGFDS we Love a homage to a classic au and to a cinder so good that id die for her. i mean id die for this cinder too but like that was another level of Die For. anyway. back to the au at hand,

“If I didn’t know better, I might believe you," Cinder snapped, and her old scars throbbed in tandem. “But I do know better. I found one of your parasites, sucking the life out of a town near the wastes. Bringing the White Fang’s protection. You should have seen how he protected them. There wasn't a child there without a fang or an antler missing."

hang on a sec, lets LEAP BACK in time for just a moment

okay so i nipped back to chapter five for just a hot second to see if there was a line that was particular pertinent, but also i found smthng else...

Violence collected at her twitching fingers, old scars across her body flaring with phantom pain. (Chapter 5)

“If I didn’t know better, I might believe you," Cinder snapped, and her old scars throbbed in tandem. (Chapter 20)

HM,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, man. cinder. you got real fucked up huh. ANYWAY THAT WASNT WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR I JUST LINED THE CONTINUITY (because im jealous). what i was ACTUALLY looking for was THIS:

There would be another overseer, the inhabitants would resume their harried lives, and Cinder wouldn’t spare this town a second thought.

i said at the time in an emotional fit of pain that this was a straight-up lie but cinder is nothing if not a melting pot of emotional reckoning, and I WAS RIGHT. LET IT BE INSCRIBED UNTO THE STONES!!!! SHE DID SPARE IT A SECOND THOUGHT!!!!!!!! HELD IN HER MIND LONG ENOUGH TO RECALL THE DETAILS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! JUST 2 SPIT IT IN SIENNA’S FACE!!!!!!!!! im telling you that cinder has SO MUCH MORE GOING ON!!!!!!!!!!! and heres my PROOF. PROOF OF WHY SHES AN ANGEL (ONLY ON TUESDAYS THOUGH [10AM-1PM])!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then: "Why don't you say," Sienna responded slowly, her expression slotting into place like a bullet chambering, "precisely what you mean, Cinder."

"Fuck you."

:’3c

cinder has such a way with words. i love her eloquence. remember that time glynda thought she was taking the piss out of the fact she was autistic at dinner? cinder yr a maestro. never change.

“You brought Beowolves to heel. You could turn a Goliath with a word!"

“I had—no—Aura! Nothing to protect me!”

:eyes: :thinking:

HM,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, INTERESTING??????? i feel like this is the first time we’ve heard of cinder w/o aura implicitly? unless im Stupit and dont remember a Got Dang Thing but HUH. does this. hm. huh. am i stupid. someone tell me if i missed a thing.

“This isn’t a diplomatic mission, Cinder. I simply wanted to know what their lives were worth to you—before we wipe our hands of each other for good.”

“That’s a funny way of saying only one of us is walking away from this.”

GOD,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, i LOVE this scene a lot the interplay between sienna and cinder is absolutely PEAK,,,,,,,, PEAQUE,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, im rly enjoying this. also im dying. but im enjoy it a LOT.

“The White Fang you and I grew up in doesn't exist anymore. We’re changing. But you… When did you stop caring? Was it when you cut your horns to be one of them instead?"

Dragonfire scorched Cinder's lungs, blackening every word: "I was never—your—people."

feels like its been a good goddamn whilst since i got to do one of these 👈😎👈, so let’s savour the moment

👈👈👈👈👈👈😎👈👈👈👈👈👈

aaaaaand savoured. lets continue.

Shaking with the effort of holding her strike, Sienna grit, "I won't relish this."

And Cinder howled, "I will!”

ah shit i shouldve said lets RELISH this to tie the whole theme together and-- and fuck it, combat scene. never good at liveblogging these. sdfjhgsdfghj

Gunfire sparked against her, but she honed in on him with single-minded intent, the kind she’d whetted to a razor’s edge against Glynda.

for a chapter following cinder escaping glynda, she’s thought about her TWICE now. huh. huh. interesting. gay. and interesting,,,,,,

It was nothing like fighting Glynda. This was bleak and repetitive: the second drove forward and Sienna covered his openings, stopping Cinder before she could rip his heart from his chest, and all the while, the gunfire whittled away at her Aura. It was a joyless tactic, no flair or heart, and yet—

HUH. GAY AND INTERESTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NO FLAIR OR HEART,,,,,,,,,, i cant believe every time they fought cinder was actually just doing a shit job of flirting. the more you know.

The world erupted into flames. They grew massive, swirling around her like a hurricane—Cinder’s Aura exploded outward in desperation, like a dying star defiantly spending the last of itself on a supernova; one final flare, brighter than entire galaxies, if only for a single moment. Cinder felt flashes of bright pain through her muscles as if the fire was burning her from inside.

MAN,,,,,,,,,,,,, I COULD TALK ABT SOME UH,,,,,,,,,,,,, well. i could talk abt a few things here. but theyre kinda 👈😎👈 so i WONT,,,,,,,,,,,,,, but kno that i am having some Thoughts on the matter. hm.

“Prove it!” Death was thrumming in her veins. It had never made her brave before. It did now, the memory of Glynda’s blind, resolute stare heady in her skull. “Come and prove it! Do it, or I’ll hunt you to your last, miserable breath, Sienna!”

so remember when glynda had her little outburst at winter and i said that i love how cinder rubbed off on glynda in the worst way? i cant believe glynda ALSO rubbed off on cinder ALSO in the WORST WAY!!!! this is how u know this truly is a soulmates thing.

“It’s a shame you outgrew your swords, Cinder Fall. I would have taken them as a trophy,”

it’s with great disappointment that i must say: i agree with adam. the swords were hot. they should come back.

Sienna’s footsteps were whispers at Cinder’s back. The trap was closing. Cinder pooled flame in one palm. The other hand was useless, limp at her side. Impotent rage tasted like blood in her mouth. “I don’t even remember your fucking name.”

HJGKDSFKJHGFSDJDHGF GOD IM SORRY BUT THIS MADE ME LAUGH. WHAT A LINE. WHAT A LINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i may actually have to draw this scene that image is SO wonderful. just cinder, staggering, exhausted, and she still manages to just spit that out. im screaming. shes a champion. i think she won this battle literally just there pack it up her burns come in more flavours than one.

Beneath Cinder, Hati turned, scanning for an escape, but she didn’t drop Sienna’s gaze. Wiping the sweat from her brow, she said, “I’m told I’m something of a menace.”

firstly: AAAAAAAAA HATI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BABY BOY OH NO THATS NO GOOD BAD TIMES AWFUL FEELS MY GUY!!!!!!!!!!!! secondly: CINDER THESE ZINGERS ARE UNREAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! JESUS CHRIST. I KNEW YOU LIED WHEN YOU DIDNT HAVE A SPEECH HOW MUCH MATERIAL HAVE YOU GOT IN THERE?????????

OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD

WAIT WHAT HANG ON

WHAT

WAIT

W H AT

okay wait hold on lets dial back i read ahead and dint live blog wait rthereghsdfgjhdffd HOLD ON

Cinder buried her face in Hati’s mane, hating them, hating, hating, hating. Black ichor clotted in Hati’s fur, tacky against her palms. Grimm didn’t have Auras to protect them, and exit wounds riddled Hati’s mighty body. Cinder’s heart lurched with fury. She could have screamed.

i read this bit and got STRESSED because hati is PEAK like hati didnt even fucking SHOW UP in og but i LOVE HIM and i knew shit would happen because its fucking offal hunt BUT

It should have been impossible at this distance, but Cinder could feel her gaze like traded blows, even nestled among the black of Hati’s pelt.

Sienna’s eyes shone like coins. They were cool, detached. Prepared.

She twisted her wrist and the whip flickered through the air in tight wheels. Its end glittered pale blue.

UH OH

Adrenaline cooled to permafrost in Cinder’s body, as though the Dust had already found its home between her ribs.

Cinder whispered, “Don’t.”

UH OH

Expressionless, Sienna gave a wide lash, and the jagged end of her whip released with a click. Silver sliced through the air, then through feathers and fur, with a sickening sound—wet and meaty as the arrowhead dagger buried itself deep into flesh. Hati’s whole body shuddered and Cinder only had a moment more before ice exploded from his ribs, ripping out through his pelt, even slicing into Cinder’s own skin. It speared him from deep inside, where the cartridge had sunk, impaling everything and rending him asunder.

JESUS JESUS CHRIST AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

JESUS CHRIST WHAT A VISCERAL DEATH SCENE HOLY SHIT OH MY GOD OH NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! O H N O T H A T S A N O G O O D V E R Y B A D T I M E

Cinder’s stomach jumped into her throat, and she held on tight to Hati, her bastion, her sanctuary, her family—held on tight like it would make any difference at all—like she could hold her family together with just her own two hands.

Hati dissolved right between her fingertips, and she plummeted alone.

like she could hold her family together with just her own two hands

OUGH what the FUCK

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA HEY THIS. HEY THIS SUCKED HEY THIS WAS A BAD CHAPTER WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT WAS HATI!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT WAS MY BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!! GO TO HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

EXCUSE ME????????? WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?????????? HELLO??????????? WHAT THE FUCK????????? SIENNA???????? BITCH?????????? GO TO H E L L

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[aeternallis]

Rant / Meta Analysis regarding The Untamed’s Ending

Having finally watched the last episode of The Untamed, I just wanted to take some time to sort through my thoughts about the last scenes, and what the production team had wanted to accomplish with it. As I have nothing else better to do on this rainy Sunday evening anyhow, here we go!

Oh! And for anyone who would like to continue reading, please be aware that these thoughts are strictly my opinions and how I understood the ending, so by no means do y’all have to agree with me! ^^

Personally, I found the ending quite satisfying; it didn’t leave much to the imagination that it was indeed a happy ending, and the relieved smile on Wei Wuxian’s face during that last shot was as poetic as it was fitting. The very first shot of him in the first episode of the drama is him looking broken with blood running down his chin, so the juxtaposition with the final shot of him looking healthy and smiling just makes the collective audience’s hearts sigh in content, methinks!

The scriptwriters for this show managed to give WangXian their happy ending without having to step over that line that could have taken the show off the air or kill one of them off, so for that, I’ll eternally be grateful.

I can now honestly say that in terms of Asian drama set in a historical/fantasy setting, this is definitely one of the best, despite the sometimes mediocre acting and frustratingly small budget. ❤️

The Set Up

Perhaps the biggest impression that the ending left on me would be the idea of Lan Wangji as the Chief Cultivator, because it’s one that’s unique to the live action drama. In the novel, they gloss over the political matters after the Guanyin Temple arc, so MXTX left it for interpretation. If memory serves me correctly, I believe Nie Huesang volunteered for the position, but someone please correct me if I’m wrong~

At first, I was a little bit confused as to why the scriptwriters for the show added such an original idea so late in the drama, when they’ve stuck pretty close to the source material throughout the show. But after spinning said idea in my brain for a couple of days, the realization slowly came that it was actually a marvelous and useful plot point for WangXian to get their happy ending! :D

In the novel, it was quite simple for MXTX to give WangXian their happy ending simply for the fact that the characters love and trust each other. They both can’t live without the other person, and after the shit they’ve been through, it’s only natural that they wouldn’t hesitate to take that once in a lifetime second chance to create a life together.

But in the drama, it’s different. The subtext is there, their feelings for one another jumps out of the screen, but no matter what, WangXian is not considered an official couple in the show. This isn’t to say that they aren’t or that the audience feels the same way; their relationship certainly has the development and trajectory of a regular couple had this been a drama with a het pairing as its focal point.

But alas, that’s the reality of censorship.

Ultimately, their ideals (to do what they believe is right, and to do it with their conscience clean) take much more precedence, compared to the novel. That isn’t to say that they place no importance on their feelings, but that this show portrays their morals in the most idealistic way.

In other words, they’re a romantic couple in everything but in name.

All the more reason, I think, that the show runners had to find a way around this roadblock they had no choice but to set themselves up for: without acknowledging the romance and relying on it, what excuse can they come up with to keep these two characters together?

Which brings us back to the live action’s original idea of Lan Wangji as Chief Cultivator.

Chief Cultivators

Before we fully get into the aforementioned topic, let’s first establish how Chief Cultivators are depicted in the drama: two portrayals in which although they seem complete opposites on the surface, are quite similar in nature, as this show has more than once pointed out to the audience.

During the first half of the drama, we have Wen Ruohan and his Wen Sect. As Chief Cultivator, he resided in the Nightless City. The palace is shown to be located on the side of a cliff, surrounded by volcanoes and oozing lava. He was a man mad with power and wanting an endless supply of it; by all means and purposes, Wen Ruohan was just #evil, and the show didn’t hide it. Lol

In contrast during the second half of the drama, the new Chief Cultivator resides in the Golden Koi Tower. The setting is the complete opposite from Nightless City; the skies are blue, the palace looks tranquil and majestic compared to Nightless City’s brutal design. Even so, Jin Guangyao was a man also mad with power and wanted more of it, he just knew how to hide it a lot better and under the guise of a thousand different justifications.

I think what struck me the most about these two portrayals is how cut off they are from the rest of the world (one is literally an ivory tower, lol) and how little both these ex-Chief Cultivators understood the nature of people.

A big part of the Wen Sect’s downfall is that because they were drunk and high on the power they’ve held onto for so long, it didn’t once occur to them that in such isolating circumstances, the smaller sects would eventually come together to rebel. So when it did happen, it was really no wonder the Sunshot Campaign was such a success, because the Wen Sect definitely got the rug pulled out from under them. When the smaller sects have been pushed and bullied around for so long and shared a common enemy, it’s an almost guaranteed hot pot for a successful coup d'état.

For any world leader, both real and fictional, this is common sense.

In that same vein, Jin Guangyao only understood the world through his own personal grievances. His very motivation for power was to avenge himself on everyone who has ever looked down on him and whether it was a big or small slight, it didn’t matter. Regardless, if one had committed a slight against him, he would repay it in full and perhaps a bit more.

So as far as portrayals go, Chief Cultivators aren’t really considered a very good thing in the show. They’re shown as not only power-hungry and manipulative, but more importantly, also isolated and stuck in their ivory towers.

LWJ as Chief Cultivator

And finally, we get to the million-dollar question: would Lan Wangji make for a good and effective Chief Cultivator?

In and of itself, this is a tricky question for me personally, as a fan of this show. On the one hand, my bias towards Lan Wangji says yes, but on the other hand... While I can admit he’d make for a trustworthy Chief Cultivator—meaning, he would know how to work through the technicalities of the job, without relying on shady political dealings and manipulations—understanding the people of their world and how/why they do the things they do would prove to be much more of a challenge for him.

Let’s not forget that although Lan Wangji has a good reputation for his honor and admirable conduct, it’s easy for people to turn against him if they don’t understand his motivation and/or his reasoning. Case in point: during episode 44, a random sect member easily called him out for his association with the Yiling Patriarch. The call out was made through the sect member’s limited view of how she perceived Hanguang-jun’s character through his reputation alone.

It also does not help the fact that Lan Wangji doesn’t really know how to express himself directly. During episode 13 when they’re making their way to the cave to find the Tortoise of Slaughter, Wei Wuxian had to work his way around his friend’s lack of skills when it comes to communicating what he needs (in this case, needing to rest his broken leg, lol). And don’t even get me started on how the man can’t lie to save his life; he’d rather not say anything and uphold his honor, rather than spout lies (mayhaps the only exception to this would be to protect the other person).

As much as it pains me to say it, Lan Wangji’s personality and natural demeanor makes for a great hive of misunderstandings. And this is only in describing his personal relationship with Wei Wuxian; what more on the grand scale of being the Chief Cultivator, when you have to deal with so many more people? T_T

If anything, the show does an incredible job of showing how Lan Wangji comes to understand the people around him when he’s with Wei Wuxian: his understanding of Song Lan’s pain when he lost his own soulmate, the struggle and determination he sees in his own brother when faced with the fact that Jin Guangyao may not be the man he thought he was.

It’s a great contrast to how he was during the time period when Wei Wuxian was “asleep.” Jiang Cheng mentions that Lan Wangji has been traveling all over the world looking for someone, yet isn’t it interesting how in those years of travel, the latter hasn’t made one single human connection outside of the people close to him at home?

While it shows serious dedication to Wei Wuxian and the memory of their history together, it’s not a very helpful backdrop to his new position, imo. In all honestly, it’s safe to say that at this point, Lan Wangji mostly gains his understanding of people through his relationship and connection with Wei Wuxian.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, of course. If anything, it means that his connection to Wei Wuxian is a positive influence on him, and vise versa. Lan Wangji is the type of person who, although he doesn’t care for many people on a personal level, the ones that he does care for are the ones he loves fiercely and is deeply attuned to.

Tbh, the level of detail in this show is astounding when it comes to Lan Wangji and his character. During episode 46 of the golden core reveal, the audience sees mainly Jiang Cheng’s realization of what truly happened all those years ago in real-time. At that point, Jiang Cheng had only begun to realize the cost of not only his, but Wei Wuxian’s pride and honor.

In contrast, Lan Wangji had already fit the puzzle pieces together in his mind; there was no need to show his own flashbacks and moments with Wei Wuxian. Because he already understood and saw for himself the kindness and selflessness that is so deeply ingrained in his beloved, along with the evidence in front of him, there was no reason to doubt Wen Ning’s testimony.

It isn’t until we get to the lake scene though that audience witnesses the crucial realization for Lan Wangji of how...callous and almost naive his initial reaction was to finding out that Wei Wuxian has been practicing demonic cultivation. While in his mind he may have thought at the time that he was interrogating his friend with a clean conscience, I will admit that for a time, the way I (key word here is I, so don’t come at me folks) saw this scene as part of the audience, Lan Wangji was also suspicious of him.

Which is why I believe on episode 33, it was due to this that Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but ask regarding that time period in their life:

In other words, Lan Wangji’s reaction at the time, no matter the fact that he hadn’t known the truth of Wei Wuxian’s golden core yet, wasn’t done with as clean a conscience as he had once thought. It isn’t until he came to learn of Wei Ying‘s true motivation explicitly, that he realizes his own misjudgment of the situation, which I would think is very important as to how he will deal with other people as the Chief Cultivator.

This is also why, although I may have had reservations about this original idea at first, I will say that it makes for a great vehicle in keeping these two characters together all the way to the end. 😆

As the position of Chief Cultivator has been given to one of the Two Jades of Lan, I think it’s reasonable to assume that the seat of centralized power has now shifted to the Gusu Lan Sect. But, as this show has once again shown to the audience, no sect is infallible, not even Gusu Lan, for all their righteousness.

After all, let’s not forget that the Gusu Lan Sect produced Su She and the questionable morals of Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji’s father. Yikes, man...

Even if Gusu Lan is portrayed as an upright sect with many rules and regulations and has the most upright disciples, it’s no less of an ivory tower for Lan Wangji, as the Nightless City had been for Wen Ruohan and the Golden Koi Tower for Jin Guangyao.

And this is why I think in the end, Lan Wangji chose to come back to Wei Ying and travel the world with him, amongst other reasons. 😆 Because as much as Lan Wangji loves Wei Wuxian in the context of this show, he’s also not the type to let go of his responsibility, especially one he chose to accept himself.

It’s much too simple, I think, to say that he became Chief Cultivator for awhile, then once he “settled everything,” he came back to Wei Ying. If anything, this drama reiterates the fact that the world is not always so simple, especially when it comes to the thoughts and feelings of others.

Besides, what would stop the audience from thinking that Lan Wangji became a traveling Chief Cultivator, one who actually makes an effort to get to know people and understand their motivations? Although I will also point out that, in the end, whether or not he gives up the position of Chief Cultivator, it doesn’t necessarily matter. 

The point of the matter is, he is a better person at Wei Wuxian’s side, as Wei Wuxian is at his, in order for them to keep and maintain their promise! ^^

And yet furthermore, which better person to travel the world with in order to understand it than Wei Wuxian, the one who arguably knows the most in regards to the nature of people, just because he’d seen firsthand what could be the worst of it? The man who usually has the keenest sense of getting to the bottom of an individual’s motivation, but also knows that sometimes, as he states in episode 43:

After all, in order for Lan Wangji to become an effective Chief Cultivator, in order for him to maintain his promise of protecting the weak and helpless whilst keeping a clear conscience and not make the same mistake as he had done with Wei Wuxian the first time, he needs to learn about the hearts of other people.

A Chief Cultivator stuck in his ivory tower would only repeat the same past mistakes, but a Chief Cultivator who knows the hearts of people and makes the effort to understand them would, I think, make the biggest difference in their world.

[addie-bear]

@vindication-thy-name-is-dwight

Addie sincerely had no idea why Dwicky would want to talk to her. She figured he’d take her up on her offer to never talk to her ever again. Apparently not. However, perhaps that meant this was just that important.

She found the old man in his lounge, staring out at the large window. She rolled her eyes. She’d give him one thing: the asshat knew how to be fucking dramatic. “Are you really doing the whole brooding while staring out a window thing?”

Dwight looked up when the door opened. There was a very ingrained part of him that didn’t want to have this conversation. He’d even debated on if it was necessary, since the admiral had mentioned she’d basically know his every move for the rest of his life. However, he needed as many people on this as he could. Johnny, thankfully, had a powerful family. And, well, this was also his best bet of getting the information to Johnny’s husband without risking getting into a fist fight.

He rolled his eyes at her comment. “Very funny, Admiral.” He let out a sigh. “Thank you for agreeing to meet with me.”

Addie shrugged. “As long as you promise to keep your hands to yourself, we won’t have an issue.” Perhaps that was a little mean, but even if she was giving him a shot to prove he could be something more than a creepy bastard, she was not about to let him forget his long list of transgressions easily.

Dwight flinched. He had nothing to say to that. He had been...an absolute creep. An apology stood at the tip of his tongue but he didn’t say it. No matter how sincere and drawn out it would be, it would always sound cheap, always fall short of the mark.

He cleared his throat. “I’ll get right to the point, Admiral. I’m sure you noticed the heavy increase in security around my base. I feel the need to explain to you why that is. Unless you already know?” A fair question. He idly shifted the leg his anklet was on.

Addie raised a brow. She’d noticed many things as of late. First of all was how Dwight hardly ever wore his battle armor, where before he’d been wearing it every time she (unfortunately) saw him. His voice was...less cold, seeming more real. He’d also been referring to her by her proper title for quite some time now.

 She felt herself start to shake a little bit. This scenario was starting to feel far too familiar. “I’ve noticed. However, I’m afraid I’m at a loss as to why the sudden increase. Don’t get me wrong. I do check in on you from time to time. But I’m not watching you every minute of every day. I have my own life, you know.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t even think of taking that as an invitation to start doing fucked up shit again.”

Dwight huffed. Adalet was an enigma. One minute she was speaking with the finesse fit for her royal blood, and then the next she was swearing like a damn space pirate. There was a part of him that wanted to find that kind of duality endearing, but he ignored it. He wasn’t allowed to admire her in any facet.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he told her. He walked over to his mini-bar and poured himself a glass of bourbon. Maybe that would help make him feel a little less awkward about this. “Care for a drink?” Wait why was he asking that? Was she even old enough to drink?

Addie frowned. “No thank you,” she told him, folding her arms. “You said you were going to get straight to the point. Mind doing that?”

Dwight took a sip of his drink before swirling it around for a moment. He looked back out the window at the dark blanket of space. At the moment it seemed so much more...foreboding. Like every twinkling star was warning about all the dangers to come. “Of course. My apologies.” He pivoted to look back at Adalet. “The reason I have increased security is due to your uncle. I received some disturbing messages recently that leave me with no doubt that someone might be after him.”

Addie blinked once. Then twice. “You do know you have two of my uncles in your care, right? Both who have gotten in more trouble than anyone else I know combined? Including me. And that’s saying something.”

Dwight gave her an unamused look. He often forgot that she also referred to Dib as uncle as well. That family was so strange and complicated. “Johnny.” He clarified. He noticed far too late the softness in his voice when he said the name.

Addie rose a brow and gave a thoughtful hum. She knew very little about her Uncle Johnny’s past, but she knew enough to know that he’d been to hell and back. Literally. However, as far as she knew, it had been quite some time since he had been in any sort of trouble. In fact, for a while there, he was mostly getting her and Chance out of trouble instead of the other way around. “What did they say?”

“Just the usual pretentious villain nonsense,” Dwight answered. “Called him an ‘it’ a few times which most definitely did not sit well with me. I have my theories as to who it could be, but I don’t want to jump the gun and have ourselves caught in a trap.* He swirled his drink again before taking another sip. “This one is…dangerous. They’re a person of mind games and manipulation. In other words...the tables have turned so to speak.”

Addie watched him carefully as he spoke. She hasn’t missed a single beat of his tone. How it softened at her uncle’s name. How it tightened and turned into a near growl as he talked about the person that was coming after him. She tilted her head, deep in thought, before something finally dawned on her. The security. The visits. The fucking blazer. A slow, Cheshire Cat like grin appeared on her face.

“Well, well, well,” Addie said teasingly. “It appears the big, bad dictator has a soft spot, after all. Most especially for former serial killers, methinks.” She nearly laughed at the absolutely exasperated look Dwight gave her. Not even her father’s most long suffering frowns compared to this.

“It is not what you think,” Dwight told her firmly. Regardless of...whatever it really was, he was quite certain it wasn’t the same as what he felt for Leera. It was strong...just...different.

“You don’t even know what I think it is,” Addie replied dismissively. “Honestly this must be what the town of Whoville felt when they saw that the Grinch had changed his ways. Except, you know, the Grinch never tried to murder anyone.”

Dwight pinched the bridge of his nose. “Are you done?”

“Hardly. But I’ll save all my high sodium content for another time.” She stepped a little closer to him, looking out at the stars. Even after all this time, after living in space for almost her entire life, it still continued to fascinate her.

“In Lazurothian culture, we believe in something called an Isteo,” she explained, not looking at Dwight at all. “It’s someone who you share an extremely strong bond with. They’re your other half, the other side of the coin. Someone who without, you always feel like something in your life is missing. The word translates very, very roughly to mean platonic soulmate.”

Dwight rose a brow at her. “Except neither I nor your uncle are Lazurothian.”

“Well, Uncle Johnny does have the hair now,” she quipped. “You don’t have to be Lazurothian to have an Isteo. It’s just a Lazurothian belief. Look at Chance and Dibkins. They’re both human and, hell, they’re probably the perfect example of Isteos with how affectionate they are.” Her expression suddenly became very sad, remembering another Dib who she would never see again. “Dad had one, too. Not that he ever used that word.” She rubbed her arm, specifically the spot where a tattoo of a dark blue paw print laid.

“Anyway, what do you need from me?” She never thought she’d be asking that of Dwight Dwicky, but here she was.

Dwight listened to her carefully. He still didn’t quite get it, but the term sounded...fairly accurate. Johnny had become very important to him, and considering everything he was doing to make sure the smaller man stayed safe and alive…

“I mostly just needed you to know, to be prepared should anything start to seem awry.” He paused to clear his throat. “I...also wouldn’t mind some help setting up more blocks on my computers and such. I have installed a few of my own but…” He trails off. He really doesn’t want to say it. Especially when he sees that smirk on Adalet’s face.

“You mean you need one of the best hackers in the galaxy to keep you from being hacked,” she asked smugly. “Don’t worry, Dwight. I only come from an entire family of super talented hackers and have been hacking databases since I could sit up on my own. I’m sure it will be just fine.”

“You are incorrigible.”

“And you’re a dick.”

Dwight was torn between snorting and screaming. He hated to admit it, but he was starting to see why so many people were drawn to this brat. “So is that a yes or?”

“That would be a yes. Just remember that none of this is for you, got it?” Addie told him with a growl.

“Don’t worry. I’ve got it.” He didn’t need it to be for him. Johnny was what mattered right now. At this point he would get on his knees and beg for some kind of assistance.

“I have one more request,” he said, downing the last of his bourbon in a large gulp.

“And that would be?” Addie asked curiously.

Dwight sighed. This was going to be annoying. “If you don’t mind, I need someone to send the message to Johnny’s husband. They both seem to adore you. I would do it myself, but the last time we interacted I’m pretty sure he would have punched me if your mother didn’t kick us out.”

Addie nodded. “Not surprising. He’s protective of what he cares about.” She grinned again. “Starting to realize how scary my uncles are, Dwicky?”

“That’s not what this is about. I would just rather he actually absorb the information instead of wanting to slam my skull into the nearest flat surface,” Dwight explained. “I am more likely to be afraid of you than I am to be afraid of any of the rest of your family.”

“Oh my. The great former High Chancellor, scared of a little old me.”

Dwight rolled his eyes. “To be fair, you managed to not only fool me pretty much completely, but you also tore down everything I built in a matter of an hour. Anyone with sense would be terrified of that kind of potential.”

“...Okay wait a second is that genuine compliment?” Addie was sincerely floored that he would admit to something like that.

“Don’t get used to it,” Dwight told her.

Addie snorted, deciding it was time to make her exit. “I actually planned to pay my other uncle a visit anyway. So I’ll be sure to deliver your message then.” After I figure out why the fuck he hasn’t been to visit his husband in a hot minute.

Dwight nodded “Thank you, Admiral.” Perhaps the strangest thing about thanking her for anything was realizing that he means it.

He suddenly got the urge to say something else, taking a deep breath. “By the way, Admiral. I am...sincerely sorry for your loss.”

Addie froze on her way out. Her hands clenched and unclenched over and over. A couple of multicolored sparks flickered from her fingers. She knew how much Dwicky hated that part of her family, especially her Uncle Red.

And yet she couldn’t deny the fucking sincerity in his tone.

“You, too,” was all she said as she exited the room. What she meant was left unspoken. It didn’t need to be said.

Dwight swallowed at her response but didn’t turn around, continuing to stare out the window. He took another deep breath and let it out slowly, burying his hand not holding his empty glass in his pocket. He glared out at the cosmos.

If I can’t stop you, you can rest assured that no matter what you do, you will not get past her.

[clumsyclifford]

of course answer how you like best :) honestly it's my pleasure to send you validation i really love your writing a lot and getting to say what i liked best is so nice 💕 so i finished the spiderman au so more validation for you: first of all your writing continues to be amazing i loved it so much, especially since it's about lashton my absolute fav 5sos ship. also again the way you write their conversations is so fucking funny and i love that you keep luke's lip ring alive. (pt 1)

my fav thing was luke just straight up listening to ash talking about him. oh and ash drawing luke's eyes was so precious. the only thing i can think of as critique is the fact that there was no spiderman kiss 😅 oh having a tag is pretty new to me i only recently started writing frequent anon messages (to helen btw which is why i found your blog i love you both a lot) but since we're getting married maybe betrothed or fiancée or sth like that? 🙈 (pt 2)

this symbiotic relationship i dont deserve it you are too sweet goddddd thank you soso much yes lashton is probably my second favorite slash ship after malum i dont know i like that malum has this softness and the soulmate dynamic and all that history but then i feel like lashton has tension which im a slut for so honestly i love them both. and yes as previously mentioned luke’s lip ring will never EVER die thank you for coming to my TED talk !!

cant lie that was also one of MY favorite things like slipping luke’s reactions into the fics and ashton seeing them but not realizing they were luke’s reactions.......easter eggs for the dedicated readers methinks no jk but it was fun to write that way yes fair point dang i dont know why i didnt think to do that except i was rly caught up with the idea of (spoilers?? maybe??) ashton knowing that luke is spiderman maybe ill write another thing with a spiderman kiss we shall see it’s a good idea

bro sending frequent asks is like, my religion alfjkdjgklsdkfj WOW we get our daily helen shoutout well done !!! yes i adore helen so fucking much shes flawless anyway fiancee sounds wonderful i will not type the accent because cba

[cleoxortiz]

𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭  𝐛𝐚𝐳.

( ARON PIPER, CISMALE, HE/HIM ) Oh hello, you must be SEBASTIAN "BAZ" MARQUEZ it’s so nice to meet you. Is it true that you’re a SIXTEEN year old LEGACY student and in your SIXTH? I should warn you, rumour has it you’re pretty HEDONISTIC & SPOILED but I think you’re really FUN-LOVING & FREE-SPIRITED - people like to gossip around here, but you’ll find out for yourself. Let me show you to SALISBURY. ( JOCEY, 23, EST, SHE/HER )

rip carter. gone, but not forgotten. herrree is an equally chaotic dumbass! clearly elite has  taken over my life and aron piper is the loml. my need to get this done won over my need for this intro to be good so lmfao. hit that like button and i’ll msg ya for plotty mcplots with my hot mess of a child.

name : sebastian javier cristiano marquez nickname : baz age : sixteen gender : cismale sexuality : pansexual hometown : madrid, spain

━  the marquez family is known to have a bit of a controversial reputation, mostly surrounding how they made their fortune. officially, marquez enterprises is an imports/exports company that controls the major ports in spain, and owns several businesses throughout europe and latin america.

━  but off the books? well, let’s just say there may be rumours that they’re involved in some shady business and have quite a few interesting contacts from all around the world. regardless, it’s common knowledge that the marquezes are filthy dirty rich, enjoy living extravagantly and lavishly, and are practically seen as spanish royalty.

━  baz is the baby of his family. growing up, his parents and his older sister, sabina, always took care of him and took on all the responsibility, so he never had to. he never had to learn how to be responsible, what consequences were or how to look out for himself because there was always someone to take care of it all for him. so, he is about as spoiled and irresponsible as a clueless, rich brat can be - just coasting through life on his trust fund.

━  completely oblivious and ignorant to the real world, you could say that baz has always lived his life through rose coloured glasses. problems are never serious problems (unless, of course, they’re his problems - in which case, it’s the end of the fucking world) and they’re never something a little (or a lot) of partying can’t fix. or a lot of sex. partying and sex. sex and partying. it’s the perfect recipe to fix just about anything. how can anyone argue with that kind of logic?

━  baz has never really been good at anything. his grades are below average, his coordination skills in sports are very below average and his artistic skills are just about nonexistent. the only thing he is good at, and will proudly say so, is having fun. whether it’s throwing the best parties, knowing the hottest clubs or having the coolest connections, baz will have you covered. going to the met gala after party, vacationing with the kardashians, being invited to leo dicaprio’s private island - his stories and adventures are endless. 

━  baz is the type to fall hard and fast. he loves love, but he’s also not the greatest at it because he’s always so fickle and indecisive. he “falls in love” faster than kim k can post a new insta. being the dramatic little shit that he is, this also means that he gets his heart “broken” on the reg. as well. baz is known to be very flirty and affectionate with just about anyone and everyone, so it’s hard to say if he’s kissing you because he’s just being friendly, or because he likes you and wants to get in your skirt/pants. or both. porque no los dos?

WANTED CONNECTIONS.

HOEMANCE  ━  his best gal pal. the bonnie to his clyde, but in the most platonic soulmates, legal, non-murder-y way. or the thelma to his louise? or the other way around. he doesn’t know the difference rip. basically partners in crime, ride or dies, hoes for life. if you invite one, the other will automatically show, no questions asked.  taken by ophelia sinclair BROMANCE  ━  his best bro friend. i love a good pair of chaotic dumbasses who encourage each other’s dumbassery. BONUS POINTS if we make this a trio (if you watched elite, you know da bro vibez). just some bro friends who’ve been there through each other’s good and bad shit, y’know?  taken by nathaniel darlington CHILDHOOD FRIEND  ━  grew up together. maybe their parents are friends, in which case they might know about the marquez’s family secrets?? they played house together and all that cute shit. “if we’re not married by the time we’re 30, promise you’ll kill me. or marry me.” P L E A S EEEE. i am a H O E for that angsty childhood friend catching feelz cliche omg.  EX (BEST?) FRIEND  ━  used to be friends, maybe even best friends, but somehow grew apart. or maybe some shit went down that caused the rift. maybe they found out about baz’s family and noped tf out. IDK. so many possibilities.  taken by preston morgans HELLA HEART EYES FOR YOU  ━  baz crushes on everyone at one point or another. he’s a slu for romance, what can i say. and also just a slu in general. basically people he’s crushing on. could be reciprocated, could be unreciprocated. anything and everything goes.  taken by rydel hooh, alex morgan FWBs/BOOTY CALL  ━  self-explanatory methinks?? just a forewarning that baz catches feelings so damn easily, so this will likely not be just a chill ‘3am text > dance with no pants > fist bump and peace out’ sitch lolol. it can definitely start out that way, buuuut it will probably get messy oops.  taken by nathaniel darlington EXES  ━  baz dates around so damn much, he’s probably got a long list of ex lovers who he was in a relationship with for like... a month max. or something. he loves love, but he sucks at love so either he ended it, or they ended it. there can definitely be some linger feelings. maybe baz regrets breaking up.  taken by maggie stevenson, charlie williams MOM/DAD FRIEND  ━  listen, his sister can’t always be around to save his ass, so he needs a responsible friend around to make sure he doesn’t die, or try to buy a maserati for all his friends, or something idek. also doubles as a good influence ig??  taken by rose baker & charlie williams STUDY BUDDY/TUTOR  ━  baz is borderline failing his classes and pretty sure the only reason he isn’t is because his grades are being bought. and he’s not even buying GOOD grades!!! he desperately needs a good study buddy and/or tutor who will get him to even crack a textbook open.  taken by elizabeth morley & charlie williams

das it fam, das all i got. ofc i’m always open to anything not listed here. btw, unless a plot is crossed out, i am always down for more people filling that plot!

[gayfeoremade]

🐰✨🐝🌧️🎶🔪

🐰- do you believe in soul mates?

nuuu not really....im not sure what people mean by soulmates, if its "destined to be together" then no definitely not lawl

✨- which fictional character (book, show, or movie) do you relate to most?

mhrrkfph i project SO hard on pregame saihara it's insane.. since not much is known abt him it's perfect cus ive never found a characted thats like wow me irl doubles go into the meat grinder you know??

🐝- describe your aesthetic in emojis

hmmm....💓😇💤👑💔methinks

🌧️- favorite thing to do on rainy days?

sleep...my favorite thing to do on any day is sleep. oh but i love eating sopaipillas when it rains :)

🎶- favorite song right now?

last by NIN ^_^

🔪- scariest/creepiest experience?

im not sure...creepy things just dont happen to me so most scary things are like, nearly passing out in public or being harassed or ugly stuff like that. ummm last year i was 1000% convinced i was a fictional character in a reality show and i was so constantly paranoid it was really rwally scary ;w;

thank you for sending mwah 💓💓💓

[vishwaspur]

The scene this week where Gauri talks about how love is like Shiv-Parvati's love, reminded me of how in IB, Om once said that 'Ishq is khuda'. I feel Om and Gauri are quite similar in beliefs though different in personalities/methods. I think if the IB Om would've met Gauri he would've been amused by her, and they would have gotten along well. What do you think?

I have more recently talked about the similarities between RiKara in this post. I’ll just copy paste from there.

One of my favorite things to say about them is that had they met under better circumstances before Kali Thakur entered Gauri’s life and before Omkara saw his mother burn because of TejLana’s undying affair, Omkara and Gauri would’ve made the best of friends. They are soulmates. No one from Omkara’s family could’ve understood him the way Gauri would’ve. In Gauri Omkara would’ve seen the integrity and self respect of a person who has all the stakes against her but she still fights the world head-on without losing her core values. They would have conversations in poetry. She would’ve dressed the idols he made. Both of them would’ve easily bonded over how their mothers mean the entire universe to them. Kindred souls anyone? 

This summarizes their similarities quite well methinks. They are right people for each other who met at the wrong time. Even now the “conflict” between them isn’t something HUGE. Omkara doesn’t have to rewrite his entire DNA to accept Gauri in his life. He just has to get over his fear and learn to accept the part of him that he thinks were just empty weight in his life. Because it’s his mind that is stopping him from being with Gauri. At this point, his heart has already found its mate in her :’)