#mxtx tolkien

[fistfuloflightning]

Put aside the ranger. Become who you were born to be.

Aragorn as a MXTX character via @brigwife thanks hon! <3

[holy--milk]

people be like "stop calling mxtx a genius, she's not even the best author in her particular niche",

and i'm like "but have you considered that i don't care if she's not objectively the best author as long as she's able to write characters and stories that make me go Insane for literal years?"

[symphonyofsilence]

Thanks for answering my ask before. If you don't mind me asking (again), can I ask, what are your top 7 favorite media (can be books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series) and your top 7 favorite ships (can be canon or non canon) from any media ? Why do you love them?

Sorry if you've answered this questions before......

My pleasure! Thank you for your thought-provoking ask, and sorry for taking so long to answer.

Oh... that's very hard to choose!

1. Tolkien legendarium

Well... I think this one's kinda self-explanatory. What can I say that hasn't been told in these 70 years better than I could.

2. MXTX's works especially Mo Dao Zu Shi/The Untamed and Heaven official's blessing but especially the former

God I love everything about how she writes! Especially the characters and the relationships between them! They all feel so real... so humane! And the relationships especially the platonic ones are so top-notch that like right now nobody can convince me that Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli are not my siblings! The characters and their relationships are so layered. And the subplots! THE SUBPLOTS! So beautiful! So haunting! They live in my head rent-free 24/7!

I love how the climaxes of the story, where everything starts to go down, they go down in such a spectacular way that you honestly can't find a way out of it even from a third-person perspective and they're so devastating they truly leave an impact on you to the point that it'ss hard to rawatch or reread them. I love how connected you feel to the characters that you feel the same love or sadness over their loss that the main character does. I love how things are sometimes so complicated that just like in the real world, there's no simple solution for them, and just like the real world, a magic solution doesn't descent from the skies, but the characters, true to who they are, in their own way try to deal with them the best they can (or not). (like how Wei Wuxian's and Jiang Cheng's love for each other would always be what separated them. And how there was never any way out for Jin Guangyao, ...)

Honestly. It's storytelling at its best!

And I think "The Untamed" is the peak of adaptation even if they had to face censorship from China's government, the adaptation is perfect! Some characters are even better in the show. I have such a deep emotional bond with it that I don't with the book itself.

3. Mike Flanagan's TV series especially Haunting of Hill House and Haunting of Bly Manor

Every single one of his TV shows is written and made in a way that every writer would wish to write! In his shows, Loss is not separable from love, heartbreak, and conflict and unintentional lasting harm is not separable from family, mortality from life, and price from success. They have a way of showing the ugly side, the usually ignored and always feared truths of the most beautiful concepts of life to you, and then show the beauty and grace that humans still can have in the face of it by bravely facing it and doing the best they can, and the solace they find in themselves and in each other. It always has such beauty and such solace and gentle sadness to them.

4. Avatar the Last Airbender

Exemplary worldbuilding, amazing character writings, extraordinary character developments, great relationships between characters, a masterful balance between lighthearted and serious and impactful and occasionally heartbreaking moments, perfect ways to address the many important issues it intended to address, marvelous finale, all in all the most flawless storytelling one can wish for.

5. Asoiaf

it's simultaneously the peak of High Fantasy and the peak of realism. With a few exceptions (Like Jeoffrey, Ramsay, Twyin, Maegor, Walder Frey, Roose Bolton, Gilly's father, and some other few I can't remember), people are not good or bad, people are people. they're multi-layered, they're complex, their characteristics feel real, their decisions make sense from their point of view, so does their mistakes, and they immediately, or sometimes in the long run, get the natural result of their actions. Their arcs and developments are amazing, their developments and redemptions feel earned. And the story! God! The story! What can I say about it! It's phenomenal! The pacing, the structures, the ups and downs, everything! And everything happens as the intertwined and natural result of every character's decision that is perfectly in line with the characters. Every character brings their own game to the table. Every character is unique and has a unique perspective. The dialogues are top-notch. The worldbuilding is extraordinary. The world feels so lived in. The concepts the story explores are explored thoroughly and in such great ways without being on the nose. It's really such a great work of fiction. I just wish GRRM WOULD JUST FINISH THIS GODDAMN BOOK!

And the TV series, the set design, the costume design, the music, the acting, the castings, the direction, the makeup, honestly everything except the writing of the last 2 seasons (and maybe more than two last seasons) was amazing.

6. Jujutsu Kaisen

The characters, heroes and villains and grey characters alike, the character dynamics, the character arcs, the plot, the themes, everything about it is absolutely perfect! The Hidden Inventory arc and Geto Suguru's character arc alone deserve all the awards! The power system is so intricate and interesting. Whether it's heartwarming, funny. or heartbreaking, at every turn the story makes you feel exactly what it wants you to feel. Every emotional peak of the story definitely strikes a chord without fail. It's so well-written in every aspect. The animation is out of this world and the music is great. Definitely one of the greatest out there. I could go on and on about it!

7. Bungo Stray Dogs

Each and every character is written masterfully. They're each unique and endearing. Every side character is as well-developed and as explored as the main one. And there's not a single character you can actually dislike till the end. Every antagonist (except Fyodor) that is introduced in one season is an ally in the next. (Or even before that) And explored more. And don't even get me started on the characters' dynamics! It's the heart of the show. And each and every one of them is perfect! The story and its ups and downs are so engaging and delightful, the pacing and the blend of comedy and drama are great. The way the characters outsmart each other is superb. The way every single character, friends, and rivals and previous enemies alike, with their abilities come together at the end and bring their own game to win against their common enemy is so beautiful and gratifying. The fights are always top-notch. The very interesting ways the lives and the books of the real authors are intertwined with the characters are nothing short of masterful. The way it explores its themes is very impactful. The character designs, the art style (in both the anime and the manga), and the animation (especially the fight scenes) are all perfect. I love everything about it!

the honorable mentions:

The Umbrella Academy

The Last of Us

The Sandman

I really enjoyed MCU while it lasted for a long time

Husky and his White Cat Shizun

Attack on Titan

The berserk

Good Omens

Fleabag

And here are the ships:

1. Satosugu (Gojo Satoru/Geto Suguru- Jujutsu Kaisen)

Such devotion, such longing, such yearning, such an everlasting bond despite all the years and everything in between, such a burning loyalty, such love, such grief!

What do you mean "My six eyes tell me that you're Geto Suguru but my soul knows otherwise"?! What do you mean that 11 years after their breakup, Gojo saw Kenjaku for one mili-second and immediately knew that it's not Geto despite all the evidence, and Geto, 11 years after their breakup, and one year after Gojo had literally killed him still upon hearing Gojo's voice rushed into action trying to choke Kenjaku- his own body- to save Gojo? Not because he was alive but because protecting Gojo was instinct to even his dead body! Something that he didn't do when Kenjaku threatened the two girls he raised for 10 years? What do you mean that Kenjaku, accessing Geto's memories, based his whole plan to capture the strongest based on the fact that Geto would be his weakness and Gojo would turn back and would be too shocked to do anything for a few seconds and his plan actually worked. What do you mean that Geto Suguru is actually Gojo's one weakness? What do you mean that Gojo smiled for a second when he thought Geto was back even though the prison realm was right in front of him? What do you mean that the whole Shibuya incident happened because Gojo couldn't burn Geto's dead body? What do you mean that he only lived one year after Geto and died on the same day as him on the most romantic day of the year because it was the day he chose for his fight to take back Geto's body and give it a proper burial? What do you mean Gojo chose to become a teacher because of Geto after he left, after "he couldn't reach him."? What do you mean that Gojo kept using "Boku" years after Geto left because Geto told him so? What do you mean that Geto wore a Gojo-kesa for ten years? What do you mean they're literally like "and everything I ever did was just another way, to scream your name, over and over and over again."? What do you mean "even so, Gojo's gaze, covered under the white bandages, had always, always been staring at the shape of Geto's soul"? What do you mean that when Gojo found Geto dying he chose to tell him that he sent his students because he still trusted him that he wouldn't do anything to really harm them? What do you mean that his last words made the dying, bleeding man blush and giggle despite him saying moments ago that in this world, he couldn't even smile? What do you mean that Gojo still fondly remembered him as "my best friend, my one and only."? What do you mean that Nanako and Mimiko knew how much Gojo meant to Geto that they wouldn't even direct their rage and hatred towards him even after he killed Geto? What do you mean that till his last breath and beyond, Gojo was thinking of Geto? What do you mean "Since all those years ago, I was left behind, I have to catch up now."? WHAT DO YOU MEAN "SATISFIED? MAYBE I WOULD HAVE BEEN SATISFIED IF YOU WERE AMONG THOSE PATTING MY BACK."

2. Soukoku (Dazai Osamu/Nakahara Chuuya- Bungo Stray Dogs)

The way Chuuya is the thing keeping Dazai alive and Dazai is the one that makes Chuuya feel the most humane. The way both of them can be just normal teenagers around each other. (Even way into their early twenties). The trust they have for each other! The way Dazai gets himself captured every time and even dies once fully believing that Chuuya will come (and succeed) to save him and Chuuya does, and every time Chuuya uses corruption he trusts Dazai with his life and Dazai never fails him, the way in the Dead Apple Chuuya knew Dazai so well and had such a faith/or maybe just hope in Dazai being alive that even knowing that he'd die using Corruption if Dazai were truly dead and weren't there to nullify his ability, still risked his life and used Corruption and single-handedly fought and destroyed a dragon made of all the abilities and saved Japan because of Dazai. The way Dazai risked the destruction of Yokohama and got a great portion of the Port Mafia killed to fight Verlaine just for Chuuya because Chuuya didn't want to go with Verlaine. The lengths they would go for each other!

The way with all Fyodor's genius, the one flaw in his master plan was that he didn't consider that there wouldn't be a moment when Chuuya wouldn't be on Dazai's side.

They work so well and so naturally together. They don't even need to communicate to know what to do it's like they just know and work in harmony together by instinct.

True soulmates!

They fit each other perfectly and are just what the other needs. They're both adrenaline junkies and in one way or another, adrenaline is what they provide for each other. Chuuya reminds Dazai why life is worth living. (Like 15-year-old Dazai before meeting Chuuya is like "Is there any value to this thing we call living? And 15-year-old Dazai barely a few days after meeting Chuuya says that he thinks living is worth trying), and Dazai firmly believes that Chuuya is human and makes him feel every human emotion possible. He makes him feel the moment so he doesn't keep troubling himself thinking about the past. They challenge each other, they support each other, they work perfectly together, they make each other feel alive.

3. Braime (Brienne of Tarth/Jaime Lannister- ASOIAF/GOT)

I love that they bring out the best in each other. I love the relationships where the ones involved are the best of themselves when they're together! I love it that when they're together, they both can the honorable knights they always dreamed to be. I love that with each other, they are for once, accepted, understood, believed, and believed in.

4. Xuexiao (Xiao Xingchen/Xue Yang- Mo Dao Zu Shi/The Untamed)

Oh, the Yi City arc was a novel of its own. One of the greatest arcs ever! The agent of chaos and a kicked abandoned kitten in the world that has seldom shown him any good, being helped and gently taken care of by someone he swore revenge on, someone who's captured him and insisted for justice to be brought upon him, and then in the middle of enacting his perfect revenge plan he realizes that he's actually enjoying this little life in this little corner of the world that they have together. Realizes that he's experiencing warmth, peace, normality, affection and a home for the first time and he doesn't want it to end. He wants to play house just a little longer. Only for it all to come crashing down in the worst way possible. Only for the man who showed him nothing but kindness, and wanted to do nothing but good, to kill himself when he realized he's made his hands bloodied and even made him kill his own best friend that he gave his eyes for. Only for Xue Yang to realize, after Xiao Xingchen's death, how much he has meant to him and how he can't go on without him. Without the only one who showed him kindness. And he has no one to blame for it but himself. He risked his life, and eventually died clutching to Daozhang's last candy, trying to bring back Xiao Xingchen, who was shattered by this horrible betrayal beyond repair.

And they were so genuinely happy together and enjoyed each other's company!

Xiao Xingchen laughed easily and Xue Yang was funny and enjoyed making him laugh. Xiao Xingchen wasn't good at telling stories but Xue Yang was and told A-qing stories when they gathered around fire at night. XXC gave them candies because XY said he loves candies. XY would voluntarily go grocery shopping, he'd volunteer to go shopping for clothes with A-qing, he'd make her bunny-like slices of apple and give her advice against bullies! They were really like a little happy family in that coffin house.

But the tragedy of it all was so epic and so twistedly beautiful you can't help but love it!

It's a twisted found family, it's enemies to friends but not really, it's enemies to lovers but with a twist (they're still enemies), it's got fluff but makes it dark, it's got angst, it's got betrayal, it's got self-made tragedies!

It's wretchedly beautiful and perfect in every way!

5. 3zun but especially Xiyao (Nie Mingjue/Lan Xichen/Jin Guangyao- Mo Dao Zu Shi/The Untamed)

This absolute trainwreck <3 It's so horrible I can't help but love it! The gothic horror of Nieyao, the being stuck in life and literally in death in one coffin, the way they'd never meet each other at one point in the middle because everything about them is polar opposites (as MXTx said, Nie Mingjue was written to contradict JGY in every sense) yet NMJ is so obsessed with JGY and they are stuck together!

The way NMJ was the first one (in the show) and or the second one (in the books) to respect JGY for his many capabilities and give him the status he deserves and JGY felt indebted to him for it but eventually JGY killed NMJ after NMJ's many attempts at his life and NMJ brought JGY's downfall and didn't leave him be even after his death and they'll be stuck in one coffin fighting each other for hundreds of years and won't ever find peace or get back to the cycle of reincarnation.

The way NMJ only saw the bad in JGY and LXC only saw the good.

The way JGY risked everything by saving LXC for no reason other than his kind heart, the way LXC always saw the best of him and was so understanding and considerate towards him. The way he always saw him and took his situation into account. He was the one who noticed others' behavior towards Meng Yao when he was serving them tea and shamed others by showing him respect and gratitude, he was the one who knew about his home situation in Jinlintai and explained it to NMJ and asked him to act more considerate towards him.

The way he always trusted him so much. in his capabilities, in his goodness, in his words, in whatever he did. Like even if he kept stepping up to protect him, the moment JGY indicated that he's got this handled, he'd step back and let him handle it. He said that it's not like he didn't know that JGY was doing fishy things all these years, but that he believed that he had good reasons for doing them.

The way they not only respected and admired and loved each other so much, but they really enjoyed each other's company and they kept seeking it. They used any chance to spend time together. They gossiped about Wangxian's love life!

But all this wasn't enough in the end. And LXC by mistake killed JGY but was still willing to stay and die with him in the end. And yet JGY even then couldn't Let that happen and used his last ounce of strength to push him away. And LXC was never the same person again.

And god! "Of all the evil in the world, what haven't I done?! But I've never even thought of harming you!"

The way this triad ended up ending each other!

6. Qijiu (Yue Qingyuan/ Shen Jiu- Scum villain's self-saving system)

Ah, the curse of Yue Qingyuan always being too late to save Shen Jiu. how he only ever wanted to save him and was never able to. How he spent his life trying to make up for it but even that wasn't enough and he was bound to lose him every time. How once Shen Jiu said that he'd give YQY all his loyalty and even after many future grievances he never stopped being loyal and always tried to save him. Even in his last days even with everything that LBH had done to him, he used the one chance he had to talk to YQY to break his heart so he wouldn't try to save him and endanger himself, but he didn't succeed and died knowing that YQY had died trying to save him. But in both the worlds he died without knowing why YQY never came back for him. all this tragedy! the way at the end of SVSSS everyone's got their happy ending except YQY and SJ. The way it's one tragedy if YQY never knows that Xiao Jiu is dead and one even worse tragedy if he finds out. There's no happy ending for them in any universe, but the love was and will always be there.

7. The ineffable husbands (Crowley/Aziraphale- Good Omens)

They are every Hozier song!

They've been together and loved each other since before the world was made. They're both too inquisitive and strong-willed to have a place among angels and or demons. They have a side of their own. Their bond prevented armageddon. They're so wholesome! So fit for each other! So... ineffable!

Honorable mentions:

Dani ClaitonXJamie Taylor (The Haunting of the Bly Manor)

GutsXGriffith (Berserk)

YumiHisu (Ymir/Historia Reiss- Attack on Titan)

Fengqing (Feng Xin/Mu Qing- Heaven Official's Blessing)

Beefleaf (He Xuan/Shi Qingxuan- Heaven Official's blessing)

Wanda/vision (Marvel)

Russingon (Maedhros/Fingon- Tolkien legendarium)

Nerdanel/Fëanor (Tolkien legendarium)

Ranwan (Mo Ran/Chu Wanning- Husky and his white cat Shizun)

Light/L (Death Note)

Hannigram (Hannibal Lecter/Will Graham- Hannibal)

Obanai/Mitsuri (Demon slayer)

Rapunzel/Eugene (Tangled)

[stardust-falling]

I've noticed a bit of a trend in my feed lately, so please indulge my curiosity:

[jesterauntie]

Some of the journeys I’ve been through have been erased from my memory. Unfortunately, due to mental struggles and an abusive environment, I have lost most of my memories—like those I had from reading books.

Books I once loved dearly.

On my path to healing, I plan to revisit the old roads I once walked. The old stories I enjoyed years ago. The worlds I escaped to when I was younger. By this, I mean I want to read those books again. Revisit the ones I've read before and add something new to the mix. For example, I once read The Silmarillion, as well as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Now, I will read more titles that were published after I read the previous ones, or simply books I bought later. I will also happily explore new worlds created by different authors.

The series I have read and wish to revisit include The Witcher, Mo Dao Zu Shi, Tian Guan Ci Fu, and works from the universe created by J.R.R. Tolkien: The Silmarillion, The Lord of the Rings, and The Hobbit. As for series I haven’t read yet but plan to, I will update this list as I start reading them (though probably not in the near future).

I added photos of some of the books I own, I hope it would encourage someone to read them as well

Also, I hope that anyone reading this has a great day, stays safe, and is in good health ❤️

[yea-baiyi]

i’m sure people smarter than me have said this, but the odyssey is the sequel to the monomyth actually. in the hero’s journey the hero departs from home, from innocence, from safety, to fulfil his destiny. in homer’s the odyssey, the war is over, the destiny fulfilled. next comes the real fight, the unwinnable fight—to return to everything you left home to fight for.

in the first half of the poem, while odysseus fights tooth and nail to return home, his home fights with its last breath to give odysseus a home to return to. and time is running out. his wife penelope is down to her last desperate excuse. suitors have invaded his home, eating through his household and his wealth. his son, telemachus, almost grown, leaves home for the first time to find out if odysseus is still alive, if there is still a reason to keep fighting. having lost everything he had, over and over, odysseus is finally allowed to arrive in his homeland. at first he doesn’t recognise it. and he is cursed to look old and decrepit, so that none of his loved ones would recognise him.

for the second half of the poem, he has returned and miraculously, he has not been displaced or forgotten. but now he has to reclaim what was his. and removing the rot, restoring this place to the home odysseus remembers, is long and painful. instead of walking through the front door, he must sneak in through the back or risk being thrown out. not a single person knows him by sight; odysseus must prove his identity over and over, to every member of his household. he must retell story after story, share secret after secret, reveal every marking or scar upon his body, to finally be recognised by his own family. and then he destroys every last trace of the intruders—kills the men, kills the servants, wipes the slate clean.

by athena’s magic, he is restored to his former youth and glory as he reunites with his wife. the families of the slain suitors try to seek revenge, but zeus, lord of the skies, intervenes. odysseus, filled with his god-given strength, is home, and ready to fight to protect it.

it’s a complete sequel to the heroes journey, but what makes it part of the monomyth is the horrible truth about odysseus’ tale: that it’s impossible. that you will leave, and your home will change in your absence, and someone might fill your place; your family won’t recognise you, your wife met someone else, intruders have destroyed your home, and you will never be as young as you were. you will return and you will fight with every ounce of your strength and it won’t be enough to turn back the clock. it’s the terrible last chapter to every hero’s story that we don’t like to talk about.

and yet, of course, it’s the same story we tell over and over: we’ve won the war, now all we want is to return home, but home is no longer somewhere we can reach.

[vaporwary]

Gimme uhhh Angbang, Beefleaf, and whoever the fuck you ship with SexPal (only the silliest sounding ships)

Angbang:

sometimes when an eldritch chaos god and the angel in charge of clockwork are sooo fucking obsessed with each other..... and I live by that.

Beefleaf:

Third Most Powerful Ghost In The World Gets Dragged On Stupid Gender Adventures By His Worst Enemy's Dumbass Younger Sibling. and the roleswap AUs? delicious.

aaand I chose Palamedes/Pyrrha:

Pyrrha told him that he was going to make someone a really annoying wife someday and he took that as a challenge. sometimes a family can be a 10000 yr old war criminal in her best friend's body; the president of the library planet borrowing HIS best friend's body; the librarian's best friend; the best friend's two knives; and a girl who is simultaneously ~13.8 billion yrs old, 10k yrs old, 18 yrs old, and 6 months old :')

[littlestpersimmon]

Thinking abt how Tolkien was a fan of Mary Renault (his ex student BTW). And he wrote abt being "deeply engaged" with her work. It lives completely rent free in my mind. Like she almost exclusively wrote twinks from the ancient near east edging. This is like if GRRM was a huge fan of MXTX.

[enterwitty-remark]

Oh they are complete geniuses, follow your dreams

An idea of the Middle-Earth x MDZS au came to me in a dream and I'm 90% sure it's the gay gods speaking. But I'm not quite sure if they're geniuses or absolute morons.

[fistfuloflightning]

…the light of stars was in her bright eyes, grey as a cloudless night; yet queenly she looked, and thought and knowledge were in her glance, as of one who has known many things that the years bring.

Arwen for the MXTX-Tolkien remix

[olderthannetfic]

The most annoying piece of ownvoices advice I heard was if you want to write a non-western inspired fantasy you need to spend 10 years solely researching the culture before you even write it so that your represntation is truly accurate.

Like at that point it feels like a specific tactic to discourage diversity bc why the fuck would any non-academic put their fiction writing plans on hold for a full decade when just getting a book out is a strenous enough process

--

I've certainly read Did Not Do The Research books that irritated me, but I think this kind of talk really obscures that fantasy novels from whatever non-Western place are, you know, artworks that have specific authors.

It reminds me of how fashion from some places is treated as Ye Olde Traditional Dress with all time periods and individual people's artistic contributions flattened into one abstract notion of Authenticity, unmoored in time.

Whether one is inspired by Tolkien or MXTX, one's book will be better for a little research into where they got their ideas from, but neither one is some pure expression of authentic culture. They're particular authors with particular creative takes on preexisting mythology or genres.

[symphonyofsilence]

Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks...

Oooh such a difficult question! I have like about...50 top 10 favorite characters somehow and they're ever increasing lmao! (like the 10 is in the Real numbers axis not natural numbers.lol.) So, after lots of thought, I decided to consider the factor of how well-written they are. The ones who had the most ups and downs and the author managed to hit every emotional chord every step of the way.

So, in no particular order:

Maedhros (Tolkien's legendarium)

(Art by @elfinfen )

I have waxed poetic about Maedhros on many occasions. Namely here. But to be brief: he just has one of the best fallen hero tragedies ever! And one of the most beautiful, rich, tragic, and enticing journeys! One of the best parts of the Silmarillion is following his journey from the son who fought with the rest of his family over the Teleri ships and then disagreed with Fëanor over the burning of the ships, and paid the most dearly for that mistake, and then healed because "the fire of life was hot within him" and fought with everything he had to protect the Middle-earth and unite all the houses and all the races, to the Maedhros after The Nirnaeth, who led three Kingslayings and came to actually involuntarily help the Malkor whom he fought so hard against for so long and was tortured with his own deeds so much that he ended his life with fire, right after he won the one thing he was fighting for from the beginning of his story. Only to have lost everything else.

2. Fëanor (Tolkien's legendarium)

He's the fire. He's the forest. And he's a witness watching it. Has a man ever destroyed so much even as he kept creating? Has a man ever dreamed so big his dreams crushed his reality beneath their feet? Has a man ever ruined everything and everyone he loved from the moment he was born down to the moment he last closed his eyes on the sight of the sons that followed him to their demise? Because he was burning so hot that everything close to him burnt with him? Has a man lost all he stood for in the way of fighting for what he stood for?

He brought his own end and there's something really appealing, really humane, really real about self-made tragedies.

(Also he's absolutely unhinged and his lines are all bangers & I love him for that!)

3. Jin Guangyao (Mo Dao Zu Shi/The Untamed)

Just the place JGY occupies in the narrative, as WWX's parallel and the story's antagonist who is basically also kinda the protagonist in this very story if you look at it from another angle is fascinating! You can write essays about him!

He just wanted to honor his mother, he just wanted his father's approval, he wanted the world. He wanted the world just to have some safety he never had. He never got any safety even when had the world. He did many evils to get the world. He wanted the world just to do some good in it. He was the best Xiao Shushu. He took his nephew hostage. and even then he didn't lose his nephew'slove. He played a game designed against him and won. He lost in his own game to the man he didn't even know was playing. And he truly loved and cared for that man. He was so kind, he took personal risks with no benefit for himself to save people. He couldn't afford to be a good, righteous person who would always be kind. He kinda taught this to WWX the hard way. He plays the role of a villain in WWX's story. His endgame was to just run away and WWX interrupted him. They barely knew each other. They respected each other. He died by his love's hand and his last deed in life was to push his love out of danger.

He never had a chance. At no point could he have been happy, or saved. He was doomed from the beginning. And yet he went as far as went. And there's a certain appeal to this kind of soft power, resilience, determination, hard work, cleverness, brilliance, and competence. To not just give in to fate and if there is no chance to take, then create some. To just forcefully carve a place yourself in the world of the world has decided that you have no place in it.

And everything he does he does with STYLE! AND HE'S SO POLITE EVEN WHEN TALKING TO THE PEOPLE HE'S TAKEN HOSTAGE! HE'S SO COOL AND SO ELEGANT AND SECRETLY SASSY AND SO COMPETENT I CAN'T HELP BUT STAN!

4. Jiang Cheng (Mo Dao Zu Shi/The Untamed)

Ah, the grumpy but kindhearted characters. They always have my whole heart.

Nobody can convince me Jiang Cheng is not my actual little brother!

I love this tsundere wet cat so much! He's a loser, he's won at everything he's ever started, he's a mess, he's a badass, he's a wet cat, he's a war hero and a competent sect leader and an excellent Jiujiu, he's broken and betrayed, he's so full of love that he gives freely and unconditionally.

And isn't it kinda the point? To go on and continue even while crying and screaming? To break down and grieve, but get up again and keep going? To love, despite many things that stand against it?

Jiang Cheng's character is introduced in a way that at every turn, you're waiting for the moment when he turns against Wei Wuxian and kills his brother. And it never comes. Instead, he loves him. At every turn, when you'd think that anyone else would have given up, Jiang Cheng keeps loving more and more fiercely. Even in his last scene, as he leaves the story, he leaves you astonished by all the love he has given and still has to give.

(And he's a sassy queen which is a very important factor.)

5. Mu Qing (Heaven's official blessing)

Mu Qing is another character that was introduced to us in the most unfavorable way possible and as we go on, we learn that all his actions had been misinterpreted and this lil grumpy, sassy, bitter cat is actually very, very kind. And loyal, and insecure. and he does all his kind deeds without expecting anything, even acknowledgment in return even though he knows his actions will probably be misinterpreted again. and even though he has seen nothing but ungratefulness before when he helped others! he just never ceases being kind and going out of his way to help! because that's who he is! HIS NAME MEANS "YEARNING FOR AFFECTION"! I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!

6. Geto Suguru (Jujutsu Kaisen)

This one was truly "dead from the beginning". And you don't even know what a gentle, sweet, lovely soul you've lost until you learn this right at the same time when you learn you've never had him to begin with.

Geto Suguru, with his voice so soft, with his smiles so sweet, with his eyes so kind, with his manners so soothing, so full of consideration, with his heart so gentle that it will bring his downfall, so concerned with the thought of ALWAYS saving everyone that he forgot to save himself. So, so loved that he'll haunt the narrative till everyone who knows him is dead.

The doomed child, the broken man. Gentle, and so very loved and loving to his last breath. And even beyond (to the point that he comes back to life to save Gojo!)

Has anyone ever fallen so tenderly, so gently, As he holds the hands of the two little girls he's saved after the one little girl he couldn't?

His fall came so understandably, so naturally, you feel like you walked the path with him and nobody not even in-universe can blame him.

As almost anyone who knew him in-universe would agree, loving Geto Suguru comes very easy.

7. Wanda Maximoff (MCU)

What can I say about Wanda Maximoff? The girl who kept trying to grasp at the only things left for her, be it her brother, her husband, or her children only to lose and lose and lose again. The girl who kept choosing to save people again and again. The girl who was afraid of her power because it could kill people but still chose to use it to help others, who then came to the point that she took an entire town hostage? The girl who had to kill the love of her life thrice only for it to mean nothing? The girl who looked relieved as she turned into ashes when the blink happened? The girl who just wanted a little domestic life in their little house with her husband but had to save the world but her efforts were never enough? The girl who nearly killed Thanos singlehandedly? The girl who ran across universes to kill her other self to be a mother to her children?

And as Steve said, "she's just a kid."

What can I say about Wanda, the Victim, the te****ist, the scarlet which, the mother, the kid?

I love her so much!

8. Zuko (Avatar the Last airbender)

What can I say about Zuko that hasn't already been said numerous times and way better than I could? The best redemption arc I've ever seen. And one of the most adorable social disasters ever.

9. Azula (Avatar the Last airbender)

Azula's breakdown will always haunt me.

She was so cool, so calm and in control, so confident, and so competent you forgot she was only 14. Until it hit you hard in the face when she imagined her mother telling her that she loved her in the mirror. And you see her break down and scream, defeated on the ground, when she sees her brother with his friend. Victorious, because he had people who helped him.

But Azula was alone and let down by every adult around her. When she told her father "You're treating me like I'm Zuko!" you understand how all her life, she's been afraid that if she was "almost" perfect she'd be put aside like Zuko. and how being the perfect child for her father would mean being a monster to her mother. and she chose the parent who gave her praise instead of judgment, and even that parent's love wasn't unconditional. He was a narcissist and took advantage of her. when Ursa in the comics told her "I'm sorry I didn't love you enough." and Azula burst into tears IT BROKE ME!

10. V (V for Vendetta)

Originally I was really pondering whether I should give this place to Jamie Lannister or Xue Yang, Shen Jiu, The Corinthian, or Sansa Stark. Until I suddenly remembered the one character that I always fall in love with all over again EVERY TIME I watch the movie. How does one make a character(AND AN OBJECTIVELY TERRIBLE MAN THAT IMPRISONS AND TORTURES A POOR ALONE GIRL!) so charming, so charismatic, so lovable that literally everybody who watches the movie falls in love with him? (DID HE GIVE US ALL STOCKHOLM SYNDROME?!)

Also, every word out of his mouth is golden and iconic and delivered with such a unique personality. He's so interesting! He's simultaneously so nerdy and so cool! His actions are so cool and so is his style! And he's the personification of "freedom". In most countries, most of the time, people, each to their own degree, are fighting for their rights and freedom. V represents a universal wish, hope, and fantasy. V is the power of people. The courage, capability, strength, determination, vengefulness, the yearning for justice of tortured but unbent, unbowed, and unbroken people. and So that's a huge part of his appeal.

Also HUGO WEAVING'S RICH VELVETY VOICE!!! GOD!!

Here are the other characters that definitely deserve a place among the top tens but I just don't know who to replace them with because they all also deserve their places:

Xue Yang(Mo Dao Xu Shi/The Untamed): the sassy little adorable delinquent who thought he was at the top of the world doing whatever he liked because he could. and this time he had the power to take his revenge from the world that had him powerless, only to find warmth and peace in the name of taking revenge in the place he least thought, with his enemy and the kid who hated him. Only to find that peace and warmth were what he most wanted. Only to ruin it all irrevocably with his own hands. Only to die in the way of hopelessly trying to get back the one person who showed him genuine kindness and warmth. (also he's a sassy lil shit <3)

Shen Jiu (Scum Villain's self-saving system): The child-abuser scum who was introduced to us as the ultimate villain of the story. Until we learned about his story and how he died cruelly and unforgiven, with his name tainted while he only did some of that™️. While still a bitter man, and a child abuser, his heart wasn't so tainted. But by the time we learn that, he's already dead. With his story unfinished and his heart heavy because he never learned why the only person he deeply cared about left him behind. And nobody even noticed his passing to mourn him. AND EVERYTHING WAS BETTER FOR HIS DEATH!

Jamie Lannister (A Song of Ice and Fire/ Game Of Thrones): How can an author make you stan a character who pushed a little kid, and A POV LITTLE KID AT THAT! down a window because the kid saw he and his sister fuck in the first few chapters?! GRRM SOMEHOW DID THAT! Even if I'm still not very fond of the end of his story in the show, both in the show and in the books, he had one of the best redemption arcs and developments ever. (Though I started to like him when Catelyn told him "You pushed my son out of the window. You wanted him to die!", and Jamie answered: "Nah sometimes I shove kids out of the windows because it's good for their growth." Lmfao. What a little shit!)

The Corinthian (The Sandman): the being hated by his creator because he was so good at what he was created for he transcended the barriers his creator had set for him. so good at his assigned purpose that what he did was beyond his purpose. AND HE WAS SO HEARTBROKEN BY WHAT DREAM SAID TO HIM! And after he was recreated he startet being a babysitter to gain Dream's approval again. it was so sweet!

Sansa Stark (ASOIAF/GOT): from the girl who wanted to get out of Winterfell to follow her dreams to the girl whose dream became to go back to Winterfell, from the delusional little girl who lived in her dreams, waiting for her knight, who learned the cruelty of the world the hard way, to the deliverer of some of the most iconic lines of the show/book like "I'm Sansa Stark of Winterfell. This is my home, and you don't frighten me."/ "My skin has turned to porcelain, to ivory, to steel." She went a long way and had one of the best character developments. In the book, you can already see her bringing her ladylike behavior and political game that she learned from the best in action to manipulate Hardyng and Robbie. Like Cersei's white mirror. But she still has the kind heart of the girl who once after being attacked by the commoners said that if it was some bread they wanted, she would have given it to them if she had some with her.

Honourable mentions:

Qi Rong (tgcf): my favorite little shit! The best dad! And what @jin-zixun told about his story in the tags of this post really made me emotional!

He Xuan (tgcf): he had so much potential and instead all his life he and his family suffered on someone else's behalf while that someone else stole all his fortune. Then during his revenge plan, he met that person and he learned that maybe had things been different, he would willingly suffered all of the misfortunes of that person's life (the ones that didn't include his family) but as it stood, in this life, they had no chance. And even after his revenge he didn't find any peace and happiness.

Klaus Hargreeves (Umbrella Academy): A sunshine who always lights up every gathering, and is always ready to help others and always sees the good in others!

Five Hargreeves(Umbrella Academy): A murderous, sassy, tiny, bitter grandpa in the body of a teenager who'll do everything for his family! what's not to love!

Nakahara Chuuya (Bungo stray dogs): *Wonder Woman's voice* A BABY! The grumpy characters with golden hearts who always go out of their way to help others and will follow their friends to the end of the world with many, many complaints and screams always have my whole heart!

Dowager Countess of Grantham (Downton Abbey): EVERY LINE SHE SAYS MUST BE WRITTEN IN GOLD! the perfect combination of sass and class! goals!

Fleabag (Fleabag), Thomas Barrow (Downton Abbey): I love cringe-fail hot messes who had no control over many shitty things that happened in their lives and what they could control, they fucked up and now have to deal with their consequences. but still, they push through and try to make the most of it.

Pam Beesley(The Office): the story of this seemingly unremarkable, shy, quiet girl who learns to pursue her dreams, and make opportunities for herself, and speak up for herself was one of the best plotlines of The Office.

Toph Beifong (ATLA), Ranpo Edogawa (BSD): the tiny little extraordinary, extra- competent, reliable, confident, super blunt, lovable cuties always have my whole heart!

Flynn Rider (Tangled) & Nick (Zootopia): still two of my all-time crushes! It's the charm and wit and golden heart while being an outlaw, and supportiveness probably.

Death of The Endless(The Sandman): she's so kind and gentle! Her presence is soothing! And to think that she's death coming so kind, soothing and merciful and as a relief to accompany people on their one last lonely journey is really beautiful!

Delirium of the Endless(The Sandman): she's so broken and mysterious and so desperate for her family to be together! And she sometimes bestows wisdom to others through insanity!

Desire of the Endless(The Sandman): such a mysterious and complex character! They're by nature very cruel. But they're also so loving towards their family. They're there for their family when needed (be it Delirium, Despair, or Dream. Even when Dream didn't want to accept their help they turned into a cat and helped them anonymously). And even in their love they're cruel, and in cruelty, loving.

Nebula(MCU): I loved watching her escape from Thanos's abusive influence and become friends and sisters with Gamora! And her stoic but awkward personality is so lovely!

Cersei Lannister(ASOIAF/GOT): one of the best-written villains ever. She never ceases to be a villain but you really feel pity for her. From the moments she talks about her loveless marriage with Robert to when you learn that she's a pawn for Tywin's plans to the walk of shame to the loss of her children. And her lines are so iconic!

Frodo Baggins (Lord of The Rings): he's so kind-hearted! So sweet! He tried and resisted so hard even though it wasn't his war! He's so underrated!

Mo Ran (Husky and his white cat Shizun): one of the best-written protagonists with a complex, tragic backstory and a lovable personality with a beautiful redemption arc. I loved him both as Taxian-Jun and as Mo Ran.

Chu Wanning(Husky and his white cat Shizun): a multi-layered and lovable character. especially as Xia sini!

Crowley and Aziraphale (Good Omens): my favorite sweet, pure, kind-hearted loser lover boys who keep saving the world by being so incompetent they accidentally get the desired outcome by a series of incompetence that cancel out each other!

Moon Knight specifically Steven Grant (Moon Knight, MCU): I've only watched the MCU miniseries and his story was so heartbreaking! And Steven was so sweet! And seeing Marc and Steven find peace and love together was very beautiful!

Prof.McGonagall (Harry Potter): so sassy, so caring, so steadfastly dependable! From Aunt Hetty and Marilla Cuthbert to Professor McGonagall, I've always loved these types of characters!

Dervish Grady (Demonata), Nanami Kento(Jujutsu Kaisen): it's the caring, dependable mentors that always show up to fix everything and you form a deep bond with them for me.

Sirius Black (Harry Potter): his fiercely loyal, extreme both in love and hate, and unstable personality, his being stuck in more than a decade ago, occupying an uncertain place as a father- figure to Harry and a brother figure to James Potter-...'s son, and devotion to his loved ones, and how he wanted to always be there for Harry in the little time he got with him for all the years he couldn't be have captivated me.

Griffith(Berserk): I'm afraid I'm also experiencing the same obsession with this tragically fallen bitch of a man as Guts continues to feel. He's so well-written and so charismatic, (so obviously in love with Guts) he keeps haunting you. Like I keep being like: "I CANNOT BELIEVE HE WAS THIS MUCH OF A BITCH! HOW COULD HE! FFS! EVERYONE IN THAT BAND WOULD HAVE READILY DIED FOR HIM! THEY WORSHIPED HIM! THEY ENDANGERED THEMSELVES FOR HIM! EVEN AT THAT VERY MOMENT, THEY WERE ALL THERE FOR HIM! HOW COULD HE DO THAT TO CASCA ESPECIALLY!". And then I remember how pitiful his state was before that. He couldn't even kill himself. He couldn't even ask someone to kill him since he couldn't talk or write. And he went from being the next potential king to that state. He was a liability to everyone who looked up to him as a savior. And everything he did, while a horrible shock, was still so in character! He wasn't inherently evil. but he was inherently ambitious, self-centered, pragmatic, and detached... it all just came in service of his dark side after his fall. And he got everything he wanted only to yearn for what he used to have. *sigh* this bitch.

Sorry, it got so long and a lot more than 10! I shouldn't be allowed to talk about my favorite characters actually lmao!

Thank you for the very thought- provoking question!

[magpiefngrl]

book/fic acronym

Ooh i had an idea, have we done this one before?

Spell your name with the titles of your fave books and/or fics.

I liked this game so much I did it with both books and fics. (can you tell school term is almost over?) It was interesting to see which letters were easier to find titles for and which not. Consider everything below a huge rec.

Mo Dao Zu Shi by MXTX || Misethere by Astolat

Autobiography in Red by A. Carson || a better happier st sebastian by halsinator

Game of Kings by D.Dunnett || The god of scraped knees. by spqr

Prince's Gambit by CS Pacat (i debated putting Pawn here) || parley by cafecliche

Introducing Mr Winterbourne by J. Chambers (this was hard!) || I Bet That You Look Good on the Dancefloor by birdsofshore and IDK My BFF Hermione? by lettered and In the dark, the light by phrynne and in the blossom season (in the pouring rain) by varnes (and I could rec a few more! What is it with the letter i and fics?)

Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo || Every Me and Every You by Bixgirl1

Fellowship of the Ring by Tolkien || Fire Burn and Caldron Bubble by pastapug

Northern Lights by Pullman || Need by @bixgirl1

Girl, Woman, Other by B. Evaristo || Ghost in the Garden by thistle verse

Role Model by Rachel Reid (how was this the hardest one??? Took me ages to find a book) || run all the lights by fahye

Lolita by Nabokov || Let Me Have You and I'll Let You Save Me by frayach

Tagging anyone who wants to do this! Maybe @bloody-wonder, @doh-rae-me, @unhelpfulfemme, @sitp-recs and @wolfpants can get the ball rolling, if they feel like it?

[asksythe]

MXTX Interview with Risa Wataya for Subaru Magazine P.7

Which creative works influence you: 

Risa: Please tell us which creative works influence you. 

Moxiang: Professor Jin Yong's wuxia novels (*)! Professor Jin Yong is my number one teacher in the craft of writing. His skill in crafting wuxia stories, his artistic palate, the sheer intellectual depth and philosophical complexity of his stories and characters. Professor Jin Yong's wuxia novels have a profound and immeasurable influence on all modern Asian creative professionals. 

(*: the legendary late professor Jin Yong. He's not as well-known in English-speaking spheres due to the complexity of his works being very difficult to translate to languages outside of the Sino-Tibetan language family. But in Asia, he's a literature titan. He's comparable to Tolkien in that he laid the foundation and codified the tropes of wuxia as a modern genre (alongside Gu Long and Liang Yusheng) and brought about the first and subsequent wuxia waves, and that there's also university courses and entire research field on Jin-Yong-ology. However, he's a much more prolific writer, having produced 15 wuxia series, among which 14 are of comparable length or longer than the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit combined. 

It would be no lie to say there's not a single creative professional in Asia that is not influenced by Jin Yong in some way, shape, or form. 

One of Jin Yong's trademarks is the overwhelming, often obsessive, sometimes destructive love that his characters exhibit. There's not one work of his that is not threaded through with larger-than-life romance, not just among the protagonists, but also among the villain characters. The trend of modern Chinese literature, especially wuxia and xianxia, to portray larger-than-life romance can be traced directly to Jin Yong's influence. 

Interestingly, he's also credited as having accidentally created the proto icon of danmei as a genre. 

I'm sorry. I'm so excited I want to cry. Professor Jin Yong is also my first teacher in the craft of writing. It turns out we all step in the footsteps of the giant, huh, Moxiang?) 

I also watch a lot of 90s Hongkong movies. Do you know "Shaolin Soccer'?  

Risa: I do know! 

Moxiang: Stephen Chow's comedy movies, Tsui Hark's wuxia, and fantasy horror movies. Lam Ching-ying's walking corpse movies. I love all of these. 

Risa: That's closer to jiangshi (*) than modern zombies.

(*: a type of Chinese walking corpse. The name literally translates to stiff corpse. Jiangshi is typically translated into Chinese hopping vampire in English due to their similarity to Western vampires. They are the dead that comes back to life. They suck yang energy from living people. They fear the smell of garlic. Etc... Jiangshi has real-life basis in an extinct profession in China: the corpse walker, i.e., people who made a living out of 'walking' corpses back to their home provinces in times of war and chaos. Corpse walkers are mentioned in Liao Yiwu's historical book 'The Corpse Walker') 

Moxiang: That's right. That's right. A hopping jiangshi. I watch a lot of such movies. Some movies are from before I was born, such as 'A Chinese Ghost Story' and 'Sword Man' (*). I have watched them more than ten times! If I meet someone who has never watched those movies before, I will enthusiastically drag them along while saying, "Let's watch them together!" My novel bears obvious and immense influence from these movies... For example, the funny scenes in my story are very close to the atmosphere of comedy scenes from Hongkong cinema. Or the walking corpses in my story. My inspiration came from these undead corpses. In the novel, I mentioned using glutinous rice as a cure for corpse powder. This knowledge came from the movie "Professor Jiangshi" (named 'Mr. Vampire' in English in the Wikipedia).

(*: Both of these movies are Tsui Hark's movies and are counted among the top 100 best movies of Asian cinema. They are known for their fantasy elements, eroticism, and homoeroticism. These movies came from a time where Asian cinema was pushing boundaries left, right, and center. Swordsman and its spin-off were adapted from Professor Jin Yong's The Smiling Proud Wander. The very same work in which he accidentally created the proto-icon of danmei. I wrote an essay about this as part of danmei history last year. I will make a separate post after this.)

Risa: To be honest, when I reached the part where glutinous rice was used to cure corpse powder in 'Mo Dao Zu Shi,' I was moved.

Moxiang: Ah? A Japanese author saw the glutinous rice scene in my novel and linked it to jiangshi movies... That is so surprising! 

Risa: When I was young, I watched a lot of jiangshi movies. I love them! 

Moxiang: I feel increasingly close to Ms. Risa now. As for other foreign literature, Emily Bronte's 'Wuthering Heights' greatly influences me. When I read it during elementary school, I was shaking from excitement. Perhaps because of the influence of Wuthering Heights, that whenever I see complex, intertwining love-hate situations, I feel such joy and nostalgia in my heart. 

There's also my favorite childhood mangaka Rumiko Takahashi! This kind of light-hearted, rowdy atmosphere where characters argue and rib each other is so cute! I especially like 'Ranma 1/2'. I think it's the best comedy manga. Other than that, 'Inuyasha' can only be described by the word romantic. Romantic! To this day, Kikyo is still a goddess in my heart. 

Risa: Although 'Ranma 1/2' is a work that features China in it, what do Chinese people think about it? 

Moxiang: The first thought that comes to my head is 'charming!' After that is probably fond familiarity. This work (Ranma 1/2) features many Chinese elements. I feel that the distance between our hearts is lessened.   

To be Continued (The next part will be the last) 

Translator: Sythe / NPD Khanh    

[wardencommando]

I'm super excited to be opening fanfiction commission slots again! Items in pink are ones I would love love love to do!

Ratings: Gen - Explicit

Canon, AUs, Original works

Main fandoms: Dragon Age, Baldur's Gate 3, Hades Game, Overwatch, Dungeons & Dragons, The Outer Worlds, Stardew Valley, Pillars of Eternity, Mass Effect, MXTX Novels, Elder Scrolls, Enderal, Fallout, Borderlands, Tolkien. For a full list of fandoms I've written for, check out my Ao3: archiveofourown.org/users/Byacolate. Hit me up for anything not listed above and I’ll let you know!

OCs welcome, kinks encouraged!

Private or public

Pricing: $2USD/100 words

If you have any questions that aren’t answered above, feel free to ask! You can hit me on the Tumblr messenger, or email me at gildergreens@gmail.com 🌻

[4amode]

Hi, if you don't mind, can I ask, what are your top 7 (or top 10) favorite media ever (can be book, anime/manga, tv series, movies, games, etc)? Why do you love them?

Also, can I ask your top 10 favorite characters ever (from any media)? Are the characters that you can relate the most, in your pinned post included in your top 10 fav characters? Sorry if I ask too much, thanks if you want to answer....

Of course I don't!! Thank you for the ask ♡

First and foremost, I am a huge consumer of fictional media: I read, watch, and am (more or less actively) involved in a ton of fandoms. That said, I'll mention the ones I return to most often, even without being prompted by fandom content like edits, fics, fanart, and so on.

Here's my top media [the order is random] :

Harry Potter with a special mention to the Marauders era, because I've completely lost mind and soul to that fandom [I’ve even cosplayed Remus a couple of times]. I’ve also read most of Rick Riordan's sagas, although I grew up with Harry Potter, so I suppose that's the one I’m most emotionally attached to [despite my deep-rooted disagreement with and disgust for J.K. Rowling's opinions]. To this day, I think it’s the fandom I’ve read the most fanfiction of

Tolkien: anything that wonderful human being wrote. The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, other Middle-earth tales. I’ve watched the movies an infinite number of times [yes, I am that nerd]. I may or may not also own a replica of Aragorn's sword.

Anything Sherlock Holmes. I’ve watched the BBC series, old movies, read the books—basically anything I could get my hands on.

MXTX novels. I started with The Untamed and completely lost it (specifically my dignity, given this endless list of fandoms). I’ve read the novels, manhua, and watched the donghua of MDZS, SVSSS, and TGCF—with MDZS undoubtedly being my favorite. I’m currently planning a Lan Wangji cosplay. Other honorable mentions along these lines: 2ha and Word of Honor.

Genshin. I play video games often, but Genshin is one of the few I’ve played consistently over the years. I also love the characters and the story. That said, I don’t agree with some of the company’s policies, but the fandom-generated content is often of amazing quality and is what keeps me attached to it.

Marvel and DC universes. I know some people might kill me for grouping them together, but I’ve followed both, especially back in high school. I’ve seen almost every Marvel movie, while with DC, it’s mostly been Batman and animation. Gotham is one of my absolute favorite shows [don't get me started on Batman villains]. For Marvel, Loki and Spider-Man are def my top picks.

Studio Ghibli. I watch a lot of anime [of course, duh], and I’ve cosplayed a few characters [not as many as I’d like, I admit]. But I’ve always had a strong emotional attachment to Ghibli movies. They’re still one of the few things that help me calm down when I’m anxious or stressed [which, sadly, happens often]. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve rewatched them.

Japanese BL dramas—I’ve watched a lot, as well as some Korean and Thai ones, but the ones I’ve rewatched the most have always been Japanese (not sure why that is), but I’ve enjoyed and would rewatch many of them. If I had to name the ones I’m most fond of, they’d be Cherry Magic, Kieta Hatsukoi, Utsukushii Kare, Absolute BL, and Bokura no Shokutaku.

TMA. I got into The Magnus Archives fairly recently compared to everything else. That’s mainly because I wasn’t used to listening to podcasts before TMA, I only stumbled upon it because of a TikTok audio. Also, I love anything horror. I fell in love with the story, how carefully it was constructed, and the characters.

Cinema [yes, I know it’s a very broad category]. I’m a cinematophile. I’ve watched a ton of movies—old ones, really old ones, every type and genre. Photography is one of my passions, so that made me a fan of cinema as well. I love the technical side, the history [I chose cinema history as an elective], and everything that comes with it. There are so many movies I love and consider masterpieces, but if I had to name a few I'm particularly attached to, it would be Call Me By Your Name, the Indiana Jones saga, and any Wes Anderson film.

I know you told me 10, but I'm sorry and hopeless. Anything Dark Academia coded: The Secret History, If We Were Villains, Dead Poets Society, The Goldfinch, Maurice, Dorian Gray, The Dreamers and so on

I picked the ones I’m most emotionally attached to, either because I’ve followed them since I was a kid or they helped me through tough times. There are so many more I didn’t mention, like Good Omens or The Witcher, and many webtoons, and anime which I’m just as into, but they didn’t make it to the list.

My top 10 characters:

Remus Lupin and Regulus Black [I have no words to express how much I love and relate to these two]

Snufkin [I am him, he is me, we are]

Wei Wuxian [I would let the world burn for this man, tough, as you might have guessed, my character is more aligned with Lan Wangji's, so it comes with the personality ig]

Thranduil Oropherion [he's the elven king of wood and stone, and he's very loud and daddy about it]

Milo Thatch [he's (excitedly) into history, archaeology, and linguistics, and we both give the you-really-do-not-want-to-get-them-started nerd vibe.]

Jonathan Sims [if on a good day I'm Milo Thatch, on a bad one I'm Jon], also I love how in some fics he wears long skirts, paranormal fear avatars can't be bothered with gender norms.

Newt Scamander [I find him very relatable. His stress in social situations and preference for animals or plants got to me. Also, he's so passionate and caring, love a good example of healthy masculinity.]

Suguru Geto [nothing to say on this, I love this man]

Loki [look, I have an issue with dramatic, gender-defying villains AND mythology, it was inevitable]

Sun Jing from Tamen de Gushi [I wish I was as cool as her, I love her so much]

Generally speaking, I tend to like morally grey characters, villains with redemption arcs or byronic heroes with a complex history who, in the end, try to do the right thing, even at the expense of self-sacrifice. Not in a selfless "it's the right thing to do" hero-complex kind of way, but more in a "I think I'm worthless and expendable, at least I'll try to do something good," angst, hurt/comfort kinda way.

I hope I answered all your questions, but if you have others, or you just wanna chat about it, just dm me!