#how did this get so long

[ryanwithaz]

Evil Item Salesman: If you wear this cursed magic ring (💍), you can survive underwater! 🫧

Me, who knows it's evil: How much 💰 for it?

EIS: Only 4 gold coins! 🪙

M,wkie: Alright, that sounds like a good deal.

-4 gold

+ Suspicious Water Ring 💍

Before you can say another word, the EIS darts into The Murder Forest.

Murder Forest 🗡️🌲 added to your map

*Equip S. Water Ring 💍*

*dive into lake 🌊*

You instinctively take a breath and plunge into the water. You do not notice any curse effects. (5 air)

*Check body*

You have not grown gills or flippers or anything of the sort. You appear entirely unchanged. You remember that The Wizard told you some Water-Breathing Rings are depth-activated. (4 air)

*swim deeper* ❔

You kick your legs and move your arms. Your swimming ability has neither increased nor decreased (3 air)

*take a breath of the water* ❔

You breathe in and your lungs are filled with the murky water. You feel like you're drowning! (0 air)

*swim to the surface* ‼️

You desperately try to swim toward the surface of the water. Something grabbed your foot! You are far from the surface. You feel like you're drowning (0 air)

*kick harder* ⁉️

You kick as hard as you can and hit Someone in the nose. "Dude, what the heck?" You ascend through the water as you escape the mystery person's grip. You are close to the surface. The drowning feeling remains (0 air)

*Wait*

The mystery person 🙎🦈 swims closer to you. You are close to the surface. The drowning feeling has neither increased nor decreased (0 air)

*stop swimming*

MP: Hey! I didn't mean to spook ya, but what was that for?

Me: Sorry, I just was trying to activate this ring so I could explore the Sunken Fortress so I can sav- Okay whatever it's a lot to explain. I was just really startled when you grabbed me.

The drowning feeling persists but doesn't harm you (0 Air)

MP: Well, I guess I can understand getting freaked out when you got grabbed outta nowhere. I just wanted to see if you're okay, you looked really worried. Did your Water-Breathing Ring come off or something?

*show him the S. Water Ring 💍*

MP: Huh, that's weird. This ring technically prevents you from drowning but you still feel like you're going to. That's really messed up, who gave this to you?

Me: ... the Evil Item Salesman

MP: ...

Me: In retrospect it sounds stupid

MP: No, it makes total sense

[ryuseitai]

guuuhhhh i like having short hair but i aloso loovee having long hair thT im able to like. Do stuff with even tho all i do ever is ponytail but shh but also short hair is lowejey like my soulmate. the love of my life and it makes me able to pass sometimes and just in general makes me less dysphoric But then it take forever to siwtch back to long hair. i have like. kind of a mullet rn but kind of subtle i only have a little bit shaved on the sides Which i also need to trim anyways also i need to trim my bangs and the other side parts but i just dont touch the very back os it gets long, which, it is now. not long long but yk But i kind of miss having just all short hair bc its simpler and while my hairstyle really isnt super.. feminine atm the length doesnt help at alllllll earlier i was tweaking bc i couldnt find a hat to wear to cover up my hair Not even to actually go out anywhere just to go to myrgrammas hosue. just really bad dysphoria today for some reason andits making me miss short hair a lot But ive spent sm time growing the back out and i like havng it like that AND literally just last month i went thru sm bull shit to bleach the ends of my hair so i can have them colorful whenever i want but if i cut my hair hsort all of the bleached part will be gone Sigh. i stlil wanna bleach it one more time i did twice and its still just kind of.. medium orangeish brown bc it started from black. i wnana dye it green but like BRIGHT green so i def wanna bleach again first BUT I CANT Do any of that if i cut it short but i also want it short AAHHHH i just need hats really ive been thinking about this as well for months. i have one hat other than my work hat and i like it but its jlike. pink baseball cap w a rainbow on it REALLY CUTE but 1. doesnt cover all my hair 2. i dont rly wear bright colors very often os it clashes w most stuff i wear. i need a plain black beanie for days like this. if only it could just be possible to have 2 completely diff haircuts interchangeable whenevr i want w.o a wig or extensions

[echowritesstuff]

About my WIPs - Aurabreak

I realise I should have made this a while ago but oh well. Here it is now.

Aurabreak

I came up with the idea for Aurabreak probably around five years ago now (2019 ish), which is weird to think about. It's kinda weird compared to my other WIPs since it's intended for a younger audience (probably like 10-13) compared to the rest which are all YA.

Ok so here's a simplified explanation. For as long as anyone for generations can remember, humans and mythical creatures roamed the land. They did this in harmony, any disputes were resolved peacefully and virtually everyone was happy. However, there was one beast that was unhappy about this regime, the dragon. The ancient dragon believed that he should have been able to rule over all living things both beast and human.

Then there was a big war (kinda spoilery so I'm gonna skip to the aftermath)

As a thanks for all the humans had done to save them, the beasts created temples and places of worship, for the humans to go to. They explained that on the final night before a child turns thirteen, they should be taken to one of these temples and that once they were taken, they would be blessed and by the morning would receive between one and three marks. Marks are symbols of blessings. Some are more common in certain areas, after all, each beast cannot occupy ever temple simitaniously, though they do try and move around as best they can. There are roughly 20 common marks. Each mark gifts its owner specific abilities. For example the mark of flames (phoenix) grants its owner the power to conjure, manipulate and extinguish fire, as well as the ability to fly. However, the more marks a person has, the weaker they are.

Let's say if someone is blessed by the phoenix, the kelpie and griffin. Rather than gaining all the powers each mark would give them individually, they'd gain only one or two from each. For example, the mark of flames could give them fire conjuration and manipulation, the mark of the depths could give them minor shape shifting abilities and the mark of the guard could give them flight.

There are also these things called 'unique marks' or 'dark marks' these are given to those who have been blessed (or cursed depending on how you look at it) by beasts who took the side of the ancient dragon in the war.

Anyway, on to the actual narrative. We follow our protagonist, Danni Arham, a 13 year old who has just gotten his mark. A mark he has never seen or heard of before. After some extensive research, Danni discovers it is known as the mark of rainbow, or Aurabreak and it means something extraordinary. Danni has been blessed by all of the beasts, something that has only happened once. The other person it supposedly happened to, the 'great hero' who supposedly vanquished the ancient dragon.

Despite all of this though, Danni is still a kid. A kid who's just gotten his mark. And that means he has to go to school. Not just any school either, the most prestigious of schools, Lorime School of Magical Arts. During his time at Lorime, Danni meets friends, foes and a whole lot of mysteries.

Anyway yeah. I was gonna use this as one post for all my WIPs but Aurabreak was kinda long. I'll post more of my WIPs when I get the chance.

Hope your day is great!

~Echo

[dewinabsentia]

at one point the ghost project had a ghoulette drummer. far before mist was the first proper ghoulette. summoned by nihil himself, she was one of the first ghoulettes in the clergy and the first utilized for the ghost project. there’s rumor to this day around the ministry that she was maybe their best drummer ever. she was intense, heavy handed and all claws and teeth. feral some would say. but there was something wrong. maybe nihil messed up the summoning ritual, maybe she was just like that by nature. she was one of the first ghoulettes summoned after all, the ministry wouldn’t have known much better. she never bonded with the other ghouls, baring her teeth at any closeness offered. she was never as harsh with nihil, surprisingly. nowhere near as loyal to him as the other ghouls, but at least participated in short conversations with him. she didn’t last long though. after one too close call with another ghoul during a band practice, before ever embarking on tour, she was pulled from the ghost project. sent back to the pit. not a punishment though, more of a retirement, allowing her to return to where she was clearly better suited for life. nihil insisted on this decision. despite their tense relationship, she was still one of his summons. there was a string tying them together, much like it did with the other ghouls. even if that string was thin and worn, he didn’t want her punished. something about if you love something, set it free.

after the clergy’s first experience with a band ghoulette, there was a hesitancy to summon more for a period of time. clearly, they had under estimated the pure strength and internal fire of ghoulettes. it would take some time, but finally ghoulettes started popping up around the ministry again and soon enough, mist had arrived. the success of a band ghoulette was a good sign for the clergy, but they would never again underestimate the infernal power that comes with a ghoulette.

[lucresence]

Tharja Headcanons

DISCLAIMER: I do not write Tharja as obsessed with Robin, but definitely creepy and as a stalker. Please read headcanon #4 and #5 for more context.

[ cw // physical abuse, child abuse, child death, addiction, abstinence symptoms, cult, cultist, religious abuse ]

Childhood & Magic related headcanons

[ cw // child abuse, child death, religious abuse ] Sallya was born to a Plegian cultist and his wife, yet they never cared much for any of their children. Some of her siblings died at an early age, others were turned into followers of Grima by her father... not that her mother had cared about any of them. She simply enjoyed the high position her husband had claimed for himself. If one of her remaining children were to talk back, cause trouble, or simply were unlucky, they would feel her wrath and ill temper. Thus, Sallya was not too distraught when she was ordered to leave her family and stay with one of the orphanage houses instead. She never felt like she had had a father and mother anyway; she might have as well been an orphan.

Her experience with her parents had already hardened her shell more than enough to be considered one of the most cold-hearted children at the orphanage. There was more than enough fighting for a higher spot in the hierarchy every single day that, had she been a different child, Sallya would have drowned in the sorrow and loneliness. However, not her. She had always had a strong sense of survival, and perhaps she did inherit something from her father: a certain lust for power. Especially among the other children, who also were the lowest just like her, it was easy for the girl to gain a footing and make a name for herself. But she would not give her parents the honor of using her given name. Instead, she chose the name of a demon from one of the horror stories she had heard, one that was supposed to scare her to death. Her tormented childhood self, full of pain and burden, was finally able to rest, and she would rise as Tharja, installing fear in those who dared to challenge her.

[ cw // child abuse, religious abuse ] One of the reasons why Tharja was able to gain such a favorable position in the orphanage was her discovery of dark magic. During her early childhood, she had already come into contact with it due to her father casting several hexes upon her in order to increase her magic affinity. In a mere act of rebellion, Tharja - then still Sallya - pretended to still be unable to cast any form of magic, deeming her useless in her father's eyes. However, growing older, she rediscovered her now enhanced ability for dark magic and made good use of it whenever she required it.

[ cw // abstinence symptoms, drug abuse but the drug is magic ] Dark magic works in an obscure way; whether only for Tharja and her hexed body or for others as well, she does not know and does not care. If she were to be asked to describe the ways and effects of dark magic, Tharja would explain similarly to this: every spell requires a sacrifice - be it objects, blood, or life energy. For her, most spells are easily paid for with life energy, a rush of the pure essence of life streaming through her body and out of her hands until it leaves a certain sense of numbness in all of her body. This rush can indeed be quite addictive, as the numbness has a tendency to spread the more she uses her magic. At one point in her life, Tharja had been struggling severely, casting spells left and right simply to feel something. With the surprising help from old acquaintances, she had been able to return to a more stable condition again and started using objects for her spells and curses instead. Yet some of her life energy simply cannot be restored, noticeable through her even gloomier aura and weak body. Her fingertips are marked by a dark shade of gray from being drained too much life from them, and her hands are always cold.

Her affinity with dark magic is also the reason why she is drawn towards Reflet / Robin so much: they emit a certain energy that her very existence is more similar to than to those of others. It's like her energy is being replenished, and she feels alive in their presence. Therefore, she is willing to cross clear boundaries of privacy in order to enjoy this feeling some more, but it can be reasoned with her.

Additional Headcanons

She always carries a small satchel in order to collect items for her spells while out in the woods. She will also randomly start picking up things around camp if she deems them useful. Nothing goes wasted under her watch, everything can be used - a trait from her rather resource lacking childhood.

Tharja doesn't like Ylissean food. To her, it tastes bland, but she is willing to eat almost anything in order to satiate her hunger.

All of her spell books are scribbled all over, notes on every single free corner. She loves experimenting and testing both limits and possibilities.

Tharja feels a bit conflicted about her new companions. While she had to fight and curse others her entire life in order to stay alive and lead a more comfortable life, she doesn't have to compete in any form of hierarchy within the Shepherds. With others, she would not have hesitated to hex someone to death if necessary, but with them, she is willing to change her moral compass a bit and tone it down. Over time, she might even come to appreciate them more than she thinks.

While she is pretty decent at cooking and her dishes usually taste good, they do look ominous for some reason even she cannot explain.

Although her energy resources usually should always be enough for her spells, she also carries a cursed dagger with herself - just in case.

[lilnasxvevo]

Um. AU idea I am calling the “16 months” AU that’s a modern AU where instead of disappearing/being dead for 16 years Wei Ying just disappears for 16 months and it goes like this:

A lot of things go to shit very quickly but not in a “people die” sort of way and it leads to Wei Ying, FAMOUSLY Emotionally Stable Guy, assuming without actually asking anybody that everybody he loves is mad at him or disappointed in him or doesn’t want to see him anymore, so he deletes all his social media accounts and leaves his phone behind because he doesn’t want to be tempted to ever contact any of them again because all he does is make their lives worse and they probably don’t want to hear from him anyway, and he packs up all his stuff and picks a direction and just. Leaves.

Wei Ying not responding to texts for a few hours or days is pretty common behavior, so no one worries at first. That’s not true. Lan Zhan worries a lot, because Wei Ying always responds to his texts as soon as he sees them (because Wei Ying is always so astonished that he got a text from Lan Zhan, even though it happens fairly regularly, that he texts Lan Zhan back as soon as he can so Lan Zhan never feels inconvenienced or annoyed by him, because then he might stop texting him). But when he contacts other friends and family of Wei Ying they all go “well that’s normal” and dismiss it when he says “it’s not normal for ME” so it takes a few days for everyone else to become as alarmed as Lan Zhan is.

He’s reported missing. They put up actual physical Missing posters all over the place and put up digital missing posters on every social media website that exists. They go through all his things trying to find anything that might indicate what happened. Lan Zhan and Jiang Cheng both interrogate anyone they can find who Wei Ying has ever spoken to. No one knows anything.

Jiang Cheng is convinced Wei Ying has just run off somewhere, pointing to the deleted social media accounts as proof that he planned this. Lan Zhan just doesn’t think Wei Ying would leave without saying goodbye. No one wants to hear it, but he thinks Wei Ying is dead.

Wei Ying, meanwhile, has done something very Wei Ying like, like becoming a bartender in a small town or something. He gets a cheap phone because you do need a phone to be a person in the world these days, but he only saves the numbers of his boss and coworkers and the people he meets in this new place, because no matter where he goes or how miserable he is, Wei Ying can’t just NOT make friends.

He starts introducing himself under a different name because he just doesn’t feel like Wei Ying anymore.

He doesn’t make any new social media accounts, because if he has an account it’s too easy from there to reach out to Jiang Cheng or Lan Zhan, since of course he still remembers both their usernames on everything ever (he still remembers Jiang Cheng’s goddamn Club Penguin username!), and he can’t do that. He still has their numbers memorized too, of course, but convinces himself he doesn’t.

A year passes that way, and pretty soon it’s been…just about sixteen months since he left. He’s not—happy, exactly, and he still misses all of them, all the time, but he knows they’re better off without him, and knowing he did a good thing for the people he loves the most is going to have to be good enough for him.

Then one day when he’s at work one of the busboys, a kid named Mo Xuanyu who he’s kinda friendly with, leans across the bar and says quietly, “Wei Ying?” and, having spent much more of his life answering to that name than not, Wei Ying automatically turns and says “Yeah?” before he realizes that Mo Xuanyu shouldn’t know that name.

Mo Xuanyu bites his lip. “I thought that was you. Hey, I know you’re not really online, but like…have you seen this?” He pushes his phone across the bar, open to—Wei Ying’s heart clenches—Nie Huaisang’s Instagram page. Then he sees the post Mo Xuanyu was pointing out.

It’s a missing poster.

Of him.

His first thought is, How melodramatic. He reads it automatically: height, weight, eye color, hair color, last seen, if you know anything please call—and he knows that phone number, and it turns out he does still know Jiang Cheng’s number by heart.

His throat feels tight, too tight, and he tries to push the phone back but Mo Xuanyu’s hand darts out to hold it firmly in place. “Did you read the caption?”

“I can’t.”

“Want me to read it to you?”

“Please don’t.”

“What’s going on with this, man? Are you hiding from these people or something? Because I read somewhere that sometimes missing posters like this will sound really sincere but they’re really by like, abusers trying to get their victims back—“

Wei Ying shakes his head violently.

“No?” Mo Xuanyu says.

“They’re better off without me,” Wei Ying manages to rasp out.

Mo Xuanyu’s eyes get sad. “Well, I can’t imagine that. You’re a pretty great guy. I know I’m glad I met you. But—listen. It’s up to you. If you don’t want to contact them—I mean, that’s your choice, but actually I want you to know that if you don’t at least tell them that you’re alive and safe then I think that’s kind of fucked up. They love you.”

“They think I’m DEAD?”

“Some people do. I read through the hashtag—you have a fucking hashtag, by the way, #findweiying—and some of the posts in there are like. At least tell us…” Mo Xuanyu’s voice falters. “Like, tell us where you hid the body.”

Wei Ying hangs his head, braces his palms on the edge of the bar. “Fuck. I didn’t…fuck.”

Mo Xuanyu doesn’t seem to know what to do with that. “Well, anyway, I gotta get back to work or I’ll get yelled at. I’ll send you a screenshot of the poster so you have the number to call.”

“I don’t—wait wait wait, come back a second, does everybody think I’m dead? Who thinks I’m dead?”

“Uh, let me think…uh, the only person who I remembered seemed really weirdly convinced that you were dead was like…I think he had ‘rabbits’ in his username.”

“Cloudshapedrabbits?”

“Yeah, that was it.”

“Why would Lan Zhan think I’m dead?”

“I dunno. Listen, I really gotta go.”

Wei Ying does not remember a single thing about the rest of his shift.

The next day, Mo Xuanyu texts him saying that he went through more of the posts of “that rabbits guy” because he couldn’t stop wondering why he thought Wei Ying was dead, he thought that was weird even before Wei Ying commented on it, but he found a post from over a year ago about him insisting that Wei Ying would have contacted him, wouldn’t have wanted him to worry, wouldn’t have left without saying goodbye.

Wei Ying is dialing that beloved phone number before he can think. He doesn’t have time to scream at himself what the FUCK are you doing? before the dialing noise stops as his call is answered.

A familiar deep voice says, “Hello, you’ve reached—“

“Lan Zhan.”

“Wei Ying?” When Wei Ying doesn’t immediately respond, his throat doing that silly closing-up thing again, Lan Zhan speaks again. “Wei Ying, say something, are you still there?”

“I’m here,” he manages. “I’m here. Hi, Lan Zhan.”

“Wei Ying, where have you been? Where are you? Are you safe? Is it really you? What happened?”

“I—“ Wei Ying hadn’t really had a plan for what he was going to say—somewhere between teasing Lan Zhan for thinking he was dead or just saying that you said I wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye, so, goodbye. But he hadn’t expected the openly frantic tone in Lan Zhan’s steady voice, the number of questions that by Lan Zhan’s standards was an avalanche of words.

He says the only thing that feels right. “I’m sorry, Lan Zhan. I didn’t think anyone would care. I didn’t think you would care.”

He hears Lan Zhan take a shuddering breath. “I do. Of course I care about you. Wei Ying.”

“Did you miss me, Lan Zhan?”

“Yes. Every second of every day. We all do. Wei Ying, come back.”

“Ah, I can’t do that, Lan Zhan, you’re all so much better off without me. All I do is mess things up.”

“Your brother has lost 40 pounds because he barely eats anymore. Your sister has postponed her wedding until they find you.” He’s silent, but even after so long without him, Wei Ying can still tell when it’s the kind of silence that means he’s not done talking yet, just thinking. “Wei Ying. I have not smiled in sixteen months. Please never say no one cares about you.”

“God, see? All I do, all I can do is fuck things up and make people sad!”

“Wei Ying. Come home. We need you. I need you.”

“Ah, Lan Zhan. I missed you so much.” Wei Ying clucks his tongue a few times as he thinks. “Okay, Lan Zhan, here’s what I’m gonna do—I’m gonna send you my address and you’re gonna come visit me and try to talk me into coming back with you. Can you do that?”

“Yes. I will, Wei Ying.”

“And—can you—Uh. Can you tell Jiang Cheng you found me but like please don’t give him my number yet? I really don’t think I can handle talking to him right now. You don’t even need to say I called you, you can just say, like, you got a letter or something!”

“I will tell him you are safe. You are safe?”

“Yes. Yes, Lan Zhan, I’m safe. I just ran away. I’m sorry.”

“Please don’t apologize. Send me the number as soon as you can. Please call me or text me regularly until I get there so I know you’re still all right and that you haven’t changed your mind about seeing me.”

“Lan Zhan! Okay, I will. I’m gonna hang up now, but please tell Jiang Cheng and Yanli that I love them, okay?”

“I will.”

“And—I love you, too. You know that, right?”

“I love you too. Wei Ying.”

“Okay. Talk to you soon. Bye.”

“See you soon.”

[runabout-river]

Demon Slayer - Avatar

Fire (5)

Genya wandered the streets alone as was usual for him. His rough looks and rough demeanour made it hard for him to find food and shelter around towns especially after getting older and older. If he tried really hard he could fake a personality that a random stranger might want to help. Orphans are not well liked but most people still give you some money and a few scraps if you ask nicely enough. Problem was that Genya was not a good actor and compensating for the huge scar on his face and his perpetual frown was sometimes more trouble than just going into the forest and foraging there for a while. Or stealing.

He should still be living with his mother and siblings, working together with his older brother to earn money for everyone to have enough to eat and go to school. Instead, he wore shoes he had to steal and all his mental energy went to pretending that he wasn’t some 14 year old tough boy ready to murder you at the drop of a hat. He still got thrown out of nearly every town he went to, though.

Back then, it was a completely ordinary day for him and his family when suddenly his mother frantically packed their most important belongings together and screamed at Genya’s older brother to get the younger siblings away from the streets because they had to go away now! His younger siblings were frightened and did exactly as his mother and Sanemi told them. Genya himself didn’t know what was going on.

They went in the direction of Omashu but not a few hours on the road they were attacked by people Genya thought at first were bandits. They weren’t. If Genya’s piece of shit father had still been alive they might have managed to make their way to Omashu in time but the guy just had to start a brawl last year in which he got killed and for the first time since his death Genya actually regretted not having his father anymore.  

Sanemi and his mother had decided that splitting up on the road ahead was for the best because a single mother with seven children was way too noticeable but before they were able to do that the bandits had already reached them. In no time at all, neither for talking with them nor bribing them, the men and women already threw the first fireballs.

Genya did not like to think about how the rest of that encounter unfolded. He suppressed those memories every time they tried to resurface. What he could tell without much problem was that his mother, Sanemi and himself lifted the youngest of them into their arms and tried to run away… but the firebenders mercilessly attacked them one after the other even if they managed to get away at first.

He still remembered how they overran his mother and then Sanemi (with his youngest siblings). Genya had one sister in his arms and fled for a long time until one of the Fire Nation soldiers caught up with them. The woman attacked them with fire and set his surroundings aflame. His sister cried in agony which he could only drown out by crying with her. After the initial attack, he tried to play dead, as dead as his sister but not even in a life or death situation did he manage to keep his body under control. The female soldier pulled out a blade to finish him off and all Genya could think of was to go back to that morning, to his mother and older brother.

After the first few steps the woman took to get to him she fell down with a shocked scream because someone tackled her from behind. Sanemi had come! He came to rescue us! Genya started crying tears of bitter joy while his brother repeatedly rammed a knife into the back of the soldier until she stopped twitching.

Now they could go back home and everything would be all right again… this was the most coherent memory (of a thought) Genya had of that day and to this day he could still feel the happiness in his bones when thinking back to that one moment in his life. Of course, it was nothing but a ridiculous fantasy dreamed up on the spot by a nine-year-old. Sanemi stood before him drenched in blood and burns. Behind him was one of his other brothers and he was heavily burned as well. No one else was there.

His sister was dead and miraculously Genya didn’t have a single burn on him. Sanemi dragged all of them away and buried his sister near a river with his bare hands. Genya wanted to help but he couldn’t get his body to move and he had to look after their brother as well. Said brother was in heavy pain and they couldn’t get him to a doctor or find medicine to treat him.

They walked for ages through the forests, Genya’s sense of time had completely vanished by that point and even his memories were completely unreliable on that. He only had some scenes in his head and they constantly changed from night-time to daytime, sometimes even in a single memory. What he could recall quite clearly were the pitiful sounds his younger brother made while he died.

And then he was dead as well. Buried in some place which they would never find again. They still walked on to get to Omashu… but on the way, something truly miraculous happened though Genya didn’t quite understand it at the time.

Sanemi became still and didn’t speak anymore even when Genya asked him direct questions like ‘why did they attack us’. It was raining and Genya was nestled in his brother’s lap to both keep warm and keep the water away. Slowly, at least that’s how Genya remembered it, the water droplets became less even though the rain kept on raining relentlessly. At some point, they completely stopped falling on Genya and he thought that his brother somehow put up an umbrella without moving.

He looked up and saw how the rain had formed a shield above them and the first thing that came to Genya’s mind was that his brother was a waterbender. He marvelled at the spectacle he was sitting under while he had more and more trouble breathing. Right when he thought he’d pass out the rain started coming down on them again and he could breathe in the cold air.

For the next few days his brother… trained. Genya didn’t know what he was doing and Sanemi probably didn’t know either. He just did things with the air around him until he was satisfied with it. He went to the next town and left Genya alone in the forest, armed only with his knife and… air. When he came back he had new blood on him but it wasn’t his own. Now, he said, speaking for the first time in days, we can go to Omashu. And they did just that.

After Genya saw the ancient city from afar, he thought that everything would finally be better now, but Sanemi had other plans it seemed, plans that did not involve him. Sanemi put on a coat to conceal his face and hair (his hair had actually started to turn gray at the sides as if he were an old man) and he left Genya at an orphanage inside the city walls with some money he had stolen.

Then he left him… his big brother left him alone in a foreign city after their entire family had been killed. Did Genya do something wrong? Was he too much of a burden to have around? ... was he dangerous and disgusting because it turned out that he was a firebender and that’s why he wasn’t burned? Genya did not know where that fire came from or if he always had it but did his brother know?

From now on neither you nor I are brothers anymore, do you understand? Were Sanemi’s last words to him and they hurt. They hurt to remember, they hurt to think about but the older Genya got the better he understood them. Sanemi was an airbender… and he became a terrorist with that power, there was no other word to describe him and what he did. He fought and killed Fire Nation soldiers either in open combat, from the shadows or in the dead of night. He sabotaged supply routes, factories and messenger pathways. He even did something that no one before him dared to do: he took the war to the Fire Nation soil itself and started what became known around the world as the Year of Revenge.

The airbenders had been peaceful people who had a philosophy of pacifism (not that Genya could understand what that was supposed to mean) and the Fire Nation finally got what they deserved: the same suffering and misery they inflicted on everyone else in the form of a near crazy man who was a descendent of the people they eradicated from earth. Sanemi killed Fire Nation citizens in their home country and they feared him accordingly.     

Rationally, Genya understood his brother’s words better now. Genya’s life was in danger if it ever became known that he was the brother of the White Death. A painful death the way his family died would still be better than being captured and used to lure Sanemi out of his hiding spots to kill him. Genya did not want to be responsible for his brother’s death… he wanted to make him proud and to live up to the example he set for all the resistance against the Fire Nation.

One year after the killing of their family Sanemi had already garnered a fearsome reputation which only shot past the moon once he went to the Fire Nation islands. With 14, Genya sat in a cell he couldn’t get out of on his own. He could use his firebending… if he wanted to burn everyone in this jail to death. He might survive but not for long, people would go after him to kill him for being a firebender. He was thrown out of Omashu when the people found out about his bending and Genya was lucky that they didn’t do worse to him.

He just wanted to break some stuff from a business that traded with Fire Nation colonists but of course, they caught him. The policemen gave him his own cell away from the violent adults and he even got a bit of rice from them. He had not eaten all day which just showed him how pathetic and weak he was… nothing he did could ever reach up to what Sanemi was able to do.      

He was brooding in the little corner of his cell when a shadow appeared before him. A boy a little older than him with clothes too big stood there and beckoned him over to the bars of the cell. You want to get out of here, he asked, yes, what the fuck do you want in return, Genya replied without thinking about his mannerism. We saw you wanted to do some vandalism against that traitor, the boy said with a grin, I’ll get you out of here and we’ll do it together with a blast.

Genya was sceptical, especially because teenage and younger hooligans tended to be controlled by adult criminals who let the orphans do the dirty work for them… but he also wanted to get out and try to finish his vandalism. Like a masochist, he went back to do stuff he was not good at…

Ok, get me out, Genya said and for the first time in years, something good happened to him. The teenagers who got him out were not controlled by some nefarious people in the background, they were their own group and their objective was to rid the Earth Kingdom of the Fire Nation. Sanemi was a hero to them And Genya fit right in as they schemed through the night and enacted their plan to punish the trader before the sun came out.

Come with us, the leader said and Genya finally saw a path forward to make his brother proud of him even if he might hate him for being a firebender. All right, my name is Genya, he said, and I’m Jet, the older boy answered. Welcome to the Freedom Fighters!

[ddurandals]

Playing holi w genshin characters

I was writing this as an ask and then I wanted to write more so I decided why not post it. Also this isn't in alphabetical order because I'm a fucking menace to society 🤣

Ayato my God Ayato he has a hydro vision... in holi... inazumans are going to be drowned. But of course homeboy has to keep up appearances that's why he probably will find a couple of hiding spots and snipe people from there. What a Wuss 🙄

kokomi, She probably has a whole strategy planned with her vision man. With gorou as her ally she's going to war. Mind you even if you're on her side watch your back. Those water balloons she throws know no mercy. [Step on m- *slap*]

Diluc is going to get absolutely wrecked by the kids. This emo who has a frown on his face 25 hours 8 days a week has probably never played holi (or smiled) since has dad died.(Guys he's brocken 🥀⛓). (p.s he also forgot to put on oil and now Darknight hero is 💖dazzling💖.)

Childe... another hydro user.... man yk that whale in the fight that fucking oneshotted me.. yeah he's going to use that. Also let's not forget since he can make water daggers, he can probably also make water ammos. Less lethal maybe...MAYBE. [he's also that little bitch who always brings those high pressured pichkari.] (Supporting childe slander on this blog 💯🤌)

Zhongli is one of the old people who play sookhi holi. Oh no somebody drenched him. War flashbacks w osial are coming back 😨. But anyways old man definitely was one of the people who didn't get wet at all. (HOW THE FUC-🤬). Also I want to see this man in a white kurta and colour on his face😍. Artists draw him now. This is a threat🥰. [Spoiler: It was Hu Tao who drenched him.]

Kaeya is that fucking pest who will throw water on you everytime you try to dry yourself. No wonder your dad left you 😒. He will also be one of those people who always use bucket full of cold water. Bitch 😐

Thoma is one of the nice people who let's little kids drench him. He'll definitely ask you if you want color on your face or not[#1 malewife + loml]. He also makes aloo pakode for everyone after the water fight. What an angel. Ilysm I'll def build you sooner or later 😍

Venti passed out drunk on bhaang. That's it.

Honorary mentions-:

Barbara- no more goodie two shoes sister Barbara.😊 Barbatos watch your back. This woman will not show any mercy. No need to be as tall as big sister now that big sister's bowing towards her. Evil barbara arc? New hydro archon. [Don't worry she returns to lovely sister Barbara after annihilating everyone]

Xingqiu- him and chongyun probably definitely teamed up and now it's a battle between Xingqiu+Chongyun and Yun Jin+Xinyan and hu tao [she's our one woman army]

Ningguang and beidou [step on me hot lady pt. 2 & 3]- beidou probably definitely pt2 provoked ningguang and now it's war. Qixing V.S The Crux. It's everyone for themselves. Beidou planning w her crew and Ningguang throwing water balloons from jade chamber.

Klee - she destroyed everyone and everything. Teyvay is no more. There's only an ocean filled with busted water balloons and remaining bombs

Xiao - poor boy doesn't know how to play holi 😔 love dearest darling loml pt.2 What is the use of throwing around water and applying colour to everyone. Verr had to explain to him [give my girl a raise mihoyo 😠] and now that the other adepti tried to apply colour on him he teleported away. As he should 🥰💯 sweetie,darling,dear,love,my one and only [along with 60 other people] .

Itto this man woke up at 4:30 am just to fill up bags full of water balloon and be loaded up with gulal. His gang tried to stop him from carrying so many bags at once but he didn't listen. He tripped and wasted a whole packet of water balloons. Smh. Anyway he made using carry the rest #stopushiabuse #ushilivesmatter

#childeslander

@neetra This is barfi anon here. Hehe it's my first time making a post so if your disappointed [just like my dad] I am shirking off all responsibility.

Also if you see this-:

Kaju katlis are superior or are we gonna have a problem/j [besan ke ladoo taste like sand]

[exousiate]

    it is when the day is almost over that she finally decides it was time to give him his gift. with a squeeze of his hand within her own, she stands up and lets go, leaving the room with haste. the kittens take the chance to immediately occupy her spot: one hops up into his lap with an expectant look while the other nuzzles their head against his arm, both deciding to keep him company in her absence. she returns moments later, one hand held behind her back while the other picks up the hair brush. rather than return to his side, the mage takes to standing behind where he’s seated. leaning over his shoulder, she casts him a look, as if she is asking for permission and only when she has it does she begin. the hair tie in his hair is carefully pulled free and wrapped around her wrist for safe keeping and to be returned to him later. mirroring his actions and gentleness from earlier, she takes the brush and runs it carefully through his hair, fingers holding the peach strands with care and avoiding any unnecessary tugging. it was already tangle free but that didn’t mean he wasn’t deserving of the same treatment. 

    “ You know,” she begins in a soft voice, setting the brush down and pulling out a ribbon. it was not one of her own nor the one of hers she had given him so long ago, but a new one picked especially for him. “ I meant to give this to you for Christmas. I had picked it out– ah, a week or two after that night on the beach. I thought it would look nice in your hair. ” on hand gathers his hair to lift it slightly just so she could let the ribbon rest against the back of his neck. a golden color it was, one that matched his eyes but it was lined in a dark, crimson red. “ But then, so much had happened that I forgot for awhile. And you were avoiding me so I didn’t want to disturb you just to give you what probably at that time would have just been a silly ribbon. It was after New Year’s, while I was cleaning, that I found it again….it was in the same drawer I had put the hat you made for me. ” she chuckles quietly as fingers pull the ends of the ribbon up, wrapping it around his hair three times to ensure it was tight enough, yet not uncomfortable. “ I would give it to you. That’s what I told myself. Even if you hated me and wanted nothing to do with me, I would still give it to you. So, forgive me for being a few months late.” fingers tie the ribbon off into a neat bow, perfect in its form from years of practice. her hands pull away and she takes a step back, nodding once in satisfaction at her work.

     " Then again, even if more time had passed, it would still have happened. “ she follows the desire to see his face, moving from behind him to stand before him. her hands find his shoulders, a gentle smile on her features. ” I would have waited for the best time.“ not right time, for when is there ever truly a right time? ” I would have looked for you, in every place we were at together and every place I thought you would be.“ her cheek comes to rest at the top of his head, arms carefully winding around his neck as she feels her cheeks begin to burn. she pauses– not out of hesitation, but out of simply wanting to get it right. not by a pre-conceived standard but for her, for him, for them. it is not something to be thrown about carelessly and on today of all days is when it matters.

she nuzzles the top of his head, much in the same manner back when the mists had come. but it is not something fueled out of fear and worry, only warmth. her voice drops to a whisper meant for his ears only. ” I would have found you. I love you– how could I stay away? “

        the moment she leaves, he raises an eyebrow but distracts himself with scratching one kitten’s ear and passing his hand through the fur of the other. they nuzzle against him in response, until they sense her return and immediately jump down, as if they understood it was time to play elsewhere before their sleep time. half-curiously, he turns his gaze to see her leaning over his shoulder, dropping the argument when their eyes meet. he rarely lets anyone touch his hair and it’s even less common to see him with it down.

but he trusts her with this. he trusts her with the parts he doesn’t know how to handle. he trusts her with the same care he offered earlier. so he listens as she works without any rush, listens as she talks about that day on the beach, listens as she talks of things that are ridiculous in hindsight but were done still. and listens as she laughs without the same emotion he came to know her. somehow, it still surprises him when she looks at him with that much happiness. but unlike before it is not unwelcomed, only makes him feel as if she could have anything when dropping away the pretenses, and simply hold the world in her hands.

     he stares quietly, pressing his head closer before closing his eyes. thump. thump. thump. the sound means nothing to others but when she falls asleep, he likes to hold her hand and wait until her heartbeat lulls him. some days are easier, he doesn’t have to put any effort into resting his eyes for awhile. but other days, he finds himself unable to do nothing but lay down for hours, waiting until she mumbles if he wants to stay in.

it’s still something he struggles with: the small acts full of kindness. for some, it is simple as mere breath but he does not know how to handle them. every time is different, he acknowledges them from a safe distance, or pretends to accept it before turning around to not allow anyone to see. it is not a life he can say it lives to the fullest, but it’s his life. she doesn’t like it though. there is so much she confronts him with, refusing to let him wander into his thoughts, as if she knew he would return with a more bruised heart and eyes too tired.

     “I’m staying over,” he murmurs against her shoulder. “You asked for it.”

a hand pulls off the ribbon nonchalantly, peach-colored strands of hair falling on his shoulders, giving him a soft look that is emphasized with the stare he gives her. he doesn’t smile, but his eyes are gentle. before he had given her a stare that made no promises, but still trusted her, now it asks for permission. it is common sense to let other know what you will do. it is common sense to let them understand the consequences. it is also common sense to give them a short pause, and then wait until what he has said settles in.

     he nuzzles against her hair, white curls brushing his nose but his hand still sneaks up, until his fingers are rubbing little circles on the back of her throat. he doesn’t say anything as his free hand rises slowly before intertwining with hers, pressing them together in a gentle grip. even earlier, he had offered an entirely different touch, calloused hands trying to not linger.

here is a reminder: never let him pull off his hair tie. under any circumstances, never let him pull off his hair tie. his teeth are gripped tightly like a knife but he has never unlearned how to cut with the intention to ruin. he may be more human, but never forget his nature. never forget how sharp are the angles when they mean to carve themselves. never forget the stained hands, still dripped in blood. never forget that the same mouth can laugh.

     he presses his nose against her own and afterwards, as his mouth meets hers, there is no much to say after that.

[deadmunds-ghostbee]

What do you think Kathony’s “outrageous” sex scene is? All of S1 was like missionary where Simon lasted 5 seconds (except that scene) so I’m skeptical of what their definition of outrageous is.

I doubt their definition of outrageous is that outrageous. I mean, it’s gotta be palatable and common enough to not bother the audience, right? And lthis is tv, not porn.

The person quoted was probably also just trying to hype the show. I recall the quote emphasized its outrageousness by saying it was a closed set, and then like a bajillion ppl pointed out all sex scenes are a closed set 🤷‍♀️

My guess is we get some really light dom/sub or BDSM stuff. Kate for sure holds him down. Maybe they tie each other up a little bit. Maybe they have sex in really weird places or are having some silly competition about who’s finishing who first. Maybe they argue while they do it or are even a little mean (in a fun way). I would personally applaud some face sitting because I don’t think I’ve seen that in a tv show or movie before 😅 or maybe they have actual public sex that isn’t just on their own grounds. A blindfold isn’t unimaginable either. Anything beyond that seems unlikely to me but I’m probably missing some great ideas.

We could get stuff in a dream, but I don’t imagine anything wild would happen aside from maybe hate sex, which is something I think everyone around here is compelled by. I don’t think his raking will be that weird, either? probably very get-off-and-go of him.

‘Outrageous’ implies some comedy to it too which I actually wouldn’t mind. Like we want to see them fuck but many of us are also here to laugh at them.

I would expect most of this kind of thing to be in a montage? Idk they could make an entire scene of it I guess, but I wouldn’t expect it to go on long unless there was some greater purpose to it or some important conversation happening before or after.

Lol I don’t feel like an authority on this matter bc I don’t write stuff that’s very out there. We offer pretty baseline kinkiness around here, and that’s what we’re gonna get

EDIT: Forgot to say this—maybe it’s not a Kathony scene. I, personally, am on the ‘Portia Featherington gets dicked down’ train (whether it be Jack or someone else) and that could be outrageous. Maybe my hopes are too high. Alas.

[mephistofowl]

i can't stop thinking about how the new year's eve case files special episode was a direct response to any interpretation of waver's character arguing that he's (1) controlled by his past and (2) needs to "get over" iskandar to truly put his past behind him. analytical essay below the cut:

throughout the first season of the case files anime, there are several supporting characters (such as bram, belfram, shishigou, trisha, and olga marie) who make comments about waver accusing him of being controlled by his past, fixated on the holy grail war, obsessed with a dead person (heroic spirit), etc. olga marie specifically accuses him of confusing the means with the end. even though none of these characters (aside from bram) are antagonistic, their comments are framed as misguided at best and ignorant at worst. for instance, shishigou means well in warning gray that waver's obsession with the dead is likely to draw him closer to death, but we as the audience know that iskandar's final command to waver (to live) is what motivates waver to keep living his life to its fullest. in the last episode, waver gives up his goal of pursuing a slot in the fifth holy grail war, a goal that — if realized — could've easily lead to an early death, specifically because he's motivated by his duty to iskandar -- his duty to stop doctor heartless from tarnishing iskandar's legacy.

[side note, but i find it very ironic that shishigou tasked gray with keeping waver from getting too entangled with death when gray herself is a gravekeeper with very close ties to death.]

regarding in-universe framing of waver's dream in the first season, the most important scenes are in episode 7 and, of course, episode 13. in episode 7, trisha tells waver that, even if he were to manage to summon iskandar again, iskandar would have no memory of his previous summon and the time he spent with waver, as is the nature of heroic spirits. this isn't news to waver, and it's clear that it distresses him, but when gray confronts him about the issue, he tells her that "such happiness" of "being remembered being able to relish each other's memories" would be "too big a reward." still, gray insists that this desire is normal. it's normal to want to be remembered. later, when waver is nearly on his deathbed, recovering from faker's attack, gray prays that waver is spared from dying a lonely death despite the fact that (as far as she knows) he's in the company of at least two people who deeply care about him. while she doesn't explicitly mention iskandar, it can easily be inferred that she was alluding to him, praying that waver wouldn't die without his presence. even later, when faker confronts gray in the cave, faker correctly asseses that gray wants to protect waver and keep him from death. still, we know that gray wants to see him and iskandar reunited. in the last episode, when waver announces that he's giving up his goal of joining the fifth holy grail war, gray seems defeated rather than pleased and asks for a reason, to which waver states his need to oppose doctor heartless and defend iskandar's legacy. in these scenes, gray stands in for the thoughts and feelings of the audience. like gray, we're supposed to understand that it's perfectly normal for waver to want iskandar to remember him, and we're supposed to empathize with waver when he longs to be reunited with iskandar in spite of all the harsh truths. on the other hand, like gray, we don't want to see waver die, and we don't want him to have to relive the trauma of another holy grail war just to be with iskandar again. still, when waver announces that he's given up on the fifth holy grail war, like gray, we feel temporarily defeated, because — in a way — it feels like waver is giving up on his dream of reuniting with iskandar. once he gives his reasoning, we, like gray, are comforted by the knowledge that this isn't the case. despite everything, we want another way, some other opportunuty for them to reunite, and (SPOILER FOR THE END OF THE NOVEL) that's exactly what the end of the series (as well as fgo, if you count that as canon) gives us.

that brings us to dream sequence in episode 13, the climax of the final episode of the first season. we see the sea that waver pursues, the sea that iskandar pursed for his entire life and still pursues as a heroic spirit, the sea that represents their shared dream. then, we see iskandar, waiting for waver on the horizon. while, prior to this point, it seemed as though waver was frozen in place, in this climactic scene, he's finally able to move, and he steps out onto the water, making his way to meet iskandar on the horizon. iskandar expresses surprise that waver has become a teacher after all these years, but we can see that, in his eyes, waver is still the same. he's still waver. waver announces that he isn't ready to join iskandar yet, to which iskandar seems perfectly understanding. finally, iskandar asks waver if he's enjoyed his journey so far, and waver responds with a tearful affirmative. this scene shows the audience that, while waver was hung up on the possibility of rejoining the fifth holy grail war, in letting that go, he can move forward and find a better way to live up to iskandar's legacy and pursue his dream of reuniting with his king. in this moment, we, as the audience, can feel waver's bittersweet joy in this moment, torn between the sadness brought by the passing of time, knowing that waver can't be with iskandar yet, and the happiness of being able to choose your own path and following your own dreams, knowing that he'll get there someday.

now, finally, onto the special episode. every example i just mentioned relies on framing to convey emotions and ideas to the audience. it's masterful framing, but still, it's framing and not explicitly stated intention. the special episode, however, gives us the latter in the form of waver's relationship with camus.

like waver, camus is established as a character who, despite having a wildly different appearance from that of herself ten yeara ago, is primarily motivated by past events. like waver, she longs to be remembered by someone from her past, and she longs to be acknowledged by that person after all these years. however, unlike waver, camus isn't just motivated by her past; she's controlled by it. unlike waver, she doesn't want her present self to be acknowledged by the present version of someone from her past; she wants to force the person from her past — waver velvet from before the holy grail war, not the current man we know as lord el-melloi ii — to acknowledge her feelings from the past. instead of aiming to reunite with waver in the future as someone worth remembering, her goal is to rewind the past by projecting waver's memories for her own entertainment. instead of being motivated by waver's presence in her own memories, she uses him as a catalyst to seek revenge and then hopes that, by reliving the past, he'll realize her feelings for him and return them.

when waver begins to reject camus' feelings for him, she refuses to listen at first. unlike camus, waver's goal in life is one that focuses on the present and future, not the past. he wants to live as one of iskandar's subjects, which we, as the audience, know to mean that he wants to uphold iskandar's legacy and reunite with him someday. waver regrets some of his past decisions, mainly his immaturity, his impulsivity, the fact that he likely shortened his mentor's lifespan by stealing his relic (although kayneth was going to die anyway), and the fact that he never shared his feelings with iskandar. we know that the past caused him pain and trauma, but he doesn't let that pain and trauma stop him from pursuing his dreams. when looking at the past, waver focuses on the silver linings, the things things that made him into a better person and motivate him in his everyday life — primarily things that iskandar did and said to him.

camus, on the other hand, tries to "fix" her pain and regret by reliving her past through waver and forcing him to fix his past mistake: the pain he accidentally caused her by ignoring her letter and, by extension, her feelings.

waver knows that it's impossible to "fix" the past, and he paraphrases iskandar when he tells her that it's better to focus on the present reality and strive towards future dreams, even if they seem out of reach.

at the end of the day, camus never really knew waver. she knew about his belief that mages could reach great heights regardless of lineage, but everyone in their class knew that about him. the only difference was the she found it inspiring while the others found it pitiable at best. waver, on the other hand, had the chance to learn and understand everything about iskandar in their short time spent together. he learned about his core beliefs, his battle tactics, his values, his interests, his effect on the people of his time, his legacy in the modern day, his desire to extend his lifespan, and — most importantly — his dream of reaching the ocean. he watched as iskandar gained new hobbies while enjoying the pleasures of modern civilization (and ended up being dragged into those hobbies as a result). he watched as iskandar changed from a someone who viewed the men in his army as "friends" meant to selflessly lay down their lives for their king to someone who was willing to lay down his own life (and his chance at the holy grail) to ensure that waver, a scrawny third-generation mage with no heroic feats of his own, could live. most importanly, he grew to share iskandar's dream, making that dream their shared dream, the great ocean that they both strive to reach.

unlike camus, waver is not controlled by his past. instead, he is motivated by it, literally using iskandar's words to strive forward in life and accomplish his own dreams, both (1) his personal dream of making a positive change in the clock tower by carrying out his mentor's legacy in his own unique way AND (2) his shared dream with iskandar. the special episode explicity tells us, the audience, that waver has no real desire to return to the past or rewrite his mistakes. instead, he wants to make the most of the present in order to create a happy future — a future in which his students are successful, in which the clock tower is more inclusive to mages without pedigree, in which he can live up to iskandar's legacy and maybe even be with him again. all of these desires intertwine to create the incredibly complex character that is lord el-melloi ii.

[footnote: none of this is meant as any kind of character hate towards camus. she was a fantastic character and a really interesting foil for waver. the special episode showed us how camus' "obsessive" infatuation with waver led to her downfall as a mage, while waver's "obsessive" love for iskandar has led to nothing but personal success for him (despite his unremarkable lineage and third-rate circuits). i'm sad that we likely won't see her again, and while it's probably really silly to say this about a fictional character, i wish her well.]

[season-of-the-squirrels]

Three songs: 13, 18, 21 :)

13. 3 songs i want at my funeral:

Mary by Big Thief

American Pie by Don McLean

Northern Downpour by Panic at the Disco (and ryan ross better get his ass there to sing it himself)

18. 3 songs that remind you of your best friend (hm gee i wonder who that could be🤔)

Prologue from Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812

No Me Diga from In The Heights

Hotel California by The Eagles (because duh)

21. Three songs of your childhood

Remember December by Demi Lovato

Pure Imagination from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

We’re Not Gonna Take It by Twisted Sister

[plan-d-to-i]

I genuinely think that people don't understand that the reason that wwx went "you can do whatever you want to me" with lwj is bc he knows him and trusts in him. he is very much aware that lwj would never ask him to do anything that he wouldn't do/like, both in terms of relationship like sex and stuff and in terms of actions. they are married, they are a couple, they love each other, but they are also each other's greatest confident, best friend and, more important: partners. they agree with each other, they have the same moral ideals. they trust in eo's hearts. it's not bc wwx is blind by love, no, it's pretty much the opposite: it's bc he can see cleary who his beloved is

— mlisz

Absolutely. This is not Wei Wuxian meeting Lan Wangji for the first time and blindly giving him consent carte blanche. This is them growing towards each other over two lifetimes. WangXian may outwardly express themselves differently however their world views are completely aligned. They desire the same things, the same things are important to them, their goals are the same, the way they see the world, the people in it, and what's right and wrong is in harmony.

I think Wei Wuxian recognizes that he's met his potential match in Lan Zhan quite early, and he tries very hard to tease his way closer to him, but by the time LWJ figures out that he can trust Wei Wuxian's heart that boundless enthusiasm has dimmed somewhat both with past rejection and with the secret behind his demonic cultivation now coming between them. By the time LWJ makes his decisive move it's too late and Wei Wuxian can't even hear him.

In WWX's second life Lan Wangji has full faith in Wei Wuxian's nature, and he doesn't care if his feelings are returned as long as he's permitted to stand by WWX's side and be there for him unreservedly. He makes it clear enough with his actions that it can rectify all the previous misunderstandings they've had between them and it works. Unconsciously WWX starts to realize it -when jiang cheng kidnaps him and tortures him with Fairy, in that state of instinctive distress it's Lan Wangji's name that he shouts.

“Suddenly, Jiang Cheng glanced sideway at him, “Whose name did you call?”

Wei WuXian was in such a state of distress that he couldn’t remember whether or not he called someone’s name at all.”

As he's walking to reunite with LWJ he finally examines it:

“He had always thought that Jiang Cheng would be on his side, and Lan WangJi on the side opposite to him. He could never have imagined that things would turn out so differently.”

I'd say it really crystalizes when Lan Wangji takes his side in front of the whole cultivation world as his identity is revealed. Wei Wuxian gives Lan Wangji the same easy out he gave jiang cheng with his proposal to defect. He would take the world's condemnation squarely on his own shoulders and spare LWJ the ignominy of their association. LWJ however is not trash jc.

“Lan WangJi, though, was different from him. He wouldn’t even have to explain, and people would explain for him, such as how HanGuang-Jun had been deceived by the YiLing Patriarch.

Wei WuXian, “HanGuang-Jun, you don’t have to follow me!”

Lan WangJi looked straight in front of him, saying nothing in reply. The two left behind them a crowd of cultivators shouting to kill. Amid the chaos, Wei WuXian spoke again, “You really want to go with me? Think carefully. After you walk out this door, your reputation will be destroyed! The two had already dashed down the steps of Koi Tower. Lan WangJi grabbed his wrist”

Things get even more dire after Jin Ling, driven by the hate and lies jc has poured into his ear all these years, stabs WWX (in the same spot jiang cheng had stabbed him) still Lan Wangji remains staunchly by WWX's side.

“[Wei WuXian] didn’t know how long had passed, but when he hazily opened his eyes again, Lan WangJi flew on Bichen, while he was carried on Lan WangJi’s back. Blood had spilled onto half of his snow colored cheeks...

Wei WuXian called out, “… Lan Zhan.”

Lan WangJi’s breathing wasn’t as placid as usual, feeling somewhat rushed. It was probably from carrying Wei WuXian while fending off attacks and being on the run for too long.”

“The tone in which he replied, however, was still the single syllable, as steady as ever, “Mnn.”

After the “mnn”, he added, “I am here.”

Hearing the words, something that Wei WuXian had never felt before sprouted within his heart. It was like sorrow. His chest hurt a bit, but also felt a bit warm.

He could still remember how, back in Jiangling, Lan WangJi came all the way to assist him, yet he didn’t appreciate the kindness at all. With all kinds of disputes, the two of them often parted with disapproval.

But what he hadn’t expected was that when everyone feared him and flattered him, Lan WangJi scolded him right in his face; when everyone spurned him and loathed him, Lan WangJi stood by his side.”

It's very interesting that after this we get the long flashback of suffering WWX went through in his previous life, and as he finally wakes up in the present again :

“Lan WangJi sat beside Wei WuXian for a while. Seeing that he was motionless again, he was about to stand up when Wei WuXian grabbed him with his other hand, hugging his arm and refusing to let go. He shouted, “I’ll go with you, quick, take me back to your sect!

This comes right on the heels of the chapter ending with LWJ standing outside the courier station where jc and WWX have killed Wen Chao and where LWJ's “Go back to Gusu with me” was misunderstood and rejected by WWX. So the novel beautifully contrasts these two moments and the sharp change between them.

When WangXian head out again towards Yiling to investigate further it's clear things have shifted for Wei Wuxian. He even starts thinking of his childhood! with his mother and father and the incomparable warmth and safety that he experienced with them and playfully tricks Lan Wangji into reenacting that little scene with him.

“With this journey to Yiling, it was clear that their future was still unclear, even somewhat dangerous. Wei WuXian couldn’t get himself to feel nervous at all. Sitting on a donkey with Lan WangJi holding the rein, leading them down the path, his entire heart was fluttering, feeling as though he was walking on air. Even if a bunch of sects suddenly attacked from beside the road, aside from destroying the scene and spoiling his mood, he thought that he wouldn’t find it too bad.

Finally the symbolic fall from the tree into Lan Wangji's arms.

“All of a sudden, an abnormally strong impulse surged into Wei WuXian’s mind.

He wanted to fall down again, just like back then.

A voice inside of him said, If he catches me, I’ll…

At this point where he thought ‘I’ll’, Wei WuXian let go. Seeing that he fell out of the tree without any warning, Lan WangJi’s eyes immediately widened. He shot forward just in time to catch Wei WuXian, or one might say, be caught by Wei WuXian.”...

“His voice was hoarse, “Thank you.”

He wasn’t scared of falling. All these years, he’d fallen many times. But falling on the ground still hurt, after all. If someone was there to catch him, it’d be more than wonderful.”

It's just such a beautiful progression. Wei Wuxian trusts his entire being into Lan Wangji's care because he's seen step by step how careful Lan Wangji is with him and he's learned to read Lan Wangji and accurately reinterpret his past actions. Lan Wangji has become his safety. I think nowhere is it actually more obvious than in his own thoughts right before the Guanyin Temple at the end. In his life WWX was the kind of person who made due with what he had. Maybe because he'd lost his family so young and then lost what passed for his second home, then had to give up his Clan, then lost whatever home he'd set up with the Wens, a part of him remained untethered. He learned that he could lose everything so he should need nothing, but that was no longer the case when it came to Lan Wangji:

“He thought about it some more. Wen Ning didn’t know where he was going, but he didn’t know either, did he? In the beginning, when he was with Lan WangJi, he never thought about this problem at all. He took it as granted that they’d continue like this without change. But after tonight, maybe he and Lan WangJi wouldn’t go back to how they were ever again. Without Lan WangJi, it seemed as if it wasn’t too impossible for him to roam the world on his own.

But a voice in Wei WuXian’s heart told him with clarity, No, you can’t.

The words he said back on Koi Tower really proved to be true. The current Wei WuXian couldn’t do without Lan WangJi.”

[baronessblixen]

Can you give me 3 things you like about Gillian and 3 things you like about David 👀

I've spent some time thinking about this because, to be honest, I can't think of much. The truth is, I can't tell what makes me like a person. Whether that's a celebrity or a person I actually know. I just like them. David and Gillian are two people I obviously don't know. Sometimes I'm not sure I even know their public personas. That makes it even more difficult.

I'm going to exchange like with admire, if that's okay. These are not necessarily things I like. Or rather, they don't necessarily play a part in me liking or not liking them if that makes sense.

I admire that Gillian moved to another country and made a career there. I admire that she can make fun of herself and has openly spoken about her own mental health problems. I admire her amazing work ethic.

As for David... it's somewhat admiring that he really doesn't seem to give a shit what anyone thinks of him. No matter how good (or bad) it sounds, I admire that he worked (works?) on his singing. I admire that he's written four novels.

[imreallyloveleee]

What’s your favorite Bughead head canon?

<3 thank you for sending this to me, and to others! reading people’s headcanons is one of my favorite things.

I have a lot of random thoughts about Bughead and college; that is a storyline I REALLY wanted to see play out this season on the show and so what they ended up doing with that was, uh, highly disappointing. I see Betty going for a prestigious j-school, like Northwestern, UMD, or Mizzou. I see Jughead at a SUNY for budget reasons. I think they’d make every effort to stay together during those years, but maybe end up taking a break their second half of freshman year because it’s a lot harder than they expected, only to get completely caught up in one another over the summer in Riverdale and work things out.

I think that they would find a more low-key / affordable (ish) city like Philly appealing to live in -- one with enough of a creative economy that you could feasibly make a living as a freelance writer or something like that, and still have a decent standard of living. 

I think they’d get married on the younger side, like 25/26 ish, but be ambivalent about having kids. They’d both be very afraid of passing down the addiction / mental illness that runs in their families, and afraid that they’d be terrible parents because their parents were uniformly terrible. I could really go either way on whether they actually had a kid or not, but if they do, I think they would only have one and stop there. (I think I lean slightly towards yeah, they would have one.)

I also think Jughead cooks and Betty bakes. She is very good at following recipes and precision, and he’s more like, I’ll throw stuff in and see how it turns out. But he’s pretty good in the kitchen because he so often had to feed himself and/or Jellybean growing up. 

Ok, that’s my headcanons for now. This was fun!! 

[linskywords]

Just reread the whole of the wolfverse.

Aw yay! Sounds like it’s time for me to finish my Sid/Geno draft so I can give you more to read. 😉